Caimh McDonnell

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of brainwashing, kidnapping, gore, blood, violence, head explosions, and exploitation of people seeking therapy. There is a reference to an emotionally abusive relationship (off-page) where a husband cheats on his wife and gaslights her into believing that her noticing him looking at other women was just “in her head”.

This review contains spoilers for the previous book so if you have not read it please do not look beneath the spoiler tag!


The start of Love Will Tear Us Apart comes as a bit of a shock as Hannah has resigned suddenly with the intent of restarting her marriage with her cheating husband. It’s a pretty flimsy excuse and normally one that the rest of the Stranger Times team would probably question – if they didn’t have more going on. Not only is Bancroft acting stranger than normal, but one of their guest columnists has disappeared randomly.

The problem is that the columnist never actually existed nor did the stories that they wrote, they were both a fabrication of Stranger Times journalist Ox. Yet someone has kidnapped a very real person…. did one of Ox’s wild stories actually hit on a truth and can the Stranger Times team save the poor chap before it’s too late?

Meanwhile, what are Hannah and Bancroft up to and is Hannah’s replacement a spy or an ally in disguise?

Delivering another book full of chaos and hilarity, in Love Will Tear Us Apart C.K. McDonnell brings the subplot of Bancroft’s wife to a close. Is she alive or dead? I’m not going to spoil that for you. I will say that it is a satisfying conclusion that kept me on the edge of my seat. There is so much happening in this third instalment of the Stranger Times series that it may seem as though it’s too much, however, as usual McDonnell has a plan that comes together very nicely.

It was wonderful to see Hannah off on her own, offering her a chance to shine solo and gain some much-needed confidence. McDonnell introduces a great range of secondary characters in Love Will Tear Us Apart, and his aptitude for writing colourful characters is particularly notable with Moira who Hannah notes “was a great big dollop of Glaswegian perspective, unafraid to point out that not only was the emperor not wearing any clothes but he was also aggressively waving his genitalia about”. I laughed out loud so many times during Moira’s scenes.

Betty and Cathy were equally fabulous, and I adored the scenes with Betty and Stella. I hope we have not seen the last of those two formidable ladies. We also get to see a lot more of the mysterious Mrs Hawnforth and learn more about her which was great.

While the Stranger Times series has never shied away from difficult topics or dark material, this is a much darker book compared to the previous two so please check the content warnings before reading. With a deft hand, McDonnell uses humour to navigate these topics with care proving that comedy can be used effectively without the need to be nasty.


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… (mehr)

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of death, blood, gore, violence, kidnapping, experimentation, desecration of corpses, graverobbing, drug use, vomit, and cannibalism.

The corpses of various undead celebrities and famous people appear. The choice of individuals as well as how they appear in the book may appear as insensitive to some readers. Keep in mind that this is a comedy novel.

There is a scene that discusses an attempted sexual assault (off page), physical assault and transphobia (off page). There is also a brief mention of a character’s childhood bullying.

This review contains spoilers for the previous book, so if you have not read it please do not look beneath the spoiler tag!


In the previous book, the Stranger Times team had a lot of close calls, and as they attempt to put it all behind them, the universe has other ideas. As Stella tries to get to grips with University, her place on a journalism course courtesy of Bancroft’s guilt, a man falls from the sky in front of her. Moments before his death, he was seen floating, which is odd even for the Stranger Times team. As the newspaper of weird news, they’re already on the case, but it becomes even more important that they find out what happened when The Founders think that Stella was involved. After everything that has happened, they’re just itching for an excuse to get their hands on her, and no one will let that happen.

Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly for the gang, and Bancroft’s past has come back to haunt him, quite literally. While Simon forgave the editor for his role in the desecration of his spirit, it seems that other powers are less than charitable. Those who watch over the dead have decided to give him one more chance to atone. With just a name to go on and very little time to identify the problem and fix it, Bancroft sets the team on it with only Hannah knowing how dire the situation truly is.

As the title suggests, Relight My Fire has a healthy dish of musical nostalgia as C.K. McDonnell also throws in an indie rock singer from Hannah’s teenage years. He perfectly captures the embarrassing moment of coming face to face with the idol of teenage adoration that was postered all over her bedroom wall and used more than once to practise kissing on. I’m sure I won’t be the only one who felt seen when Hannah word-vomited spectacularly.

I wasn’t sure how this book would be, considering a lot happened in the last one to wrap up various sub-plots. It didn’t just see us finding out the truth about Bancroft’s wife, it also in a roundabout way finally settled Hannah in as assistant editor. Up until that point, she wasn’t quite sure if the Stranger Times was where she belonged, and her secret mission with Mrs Hawnforth gave her a much-needed boost of confidence. There was a noticeable change in her in this book, and while she had her normal flustered moments, it was great to see her talking to Stella about university in a big sisterly way without needlessly putting herself down.

Compared to the previous books, this one is a four-star for me, and that’s not to say it was bad in any way, it just didn’t quite hit all the points that the others have. In a way, Love Will Tear Us Apart felt like the equivalent of a TV mid-season finale and in Relight My Fire McDonnell starts to lay the ground for new sub-plots. There’s still plenty of chaos and action, including an incredible battle scene that I won’t ever forget, however, I felt that character development was more the aim of the game here. Again, not a bad thing, it was just slightly different and promises wonderful chaos and danger for the team in the next book.

Once again, McDonnell introduced some wonderful new characters, and I am hoping that they reappear again. Toni is too glorious not to be seen ever again. I adored her, and the dressing down she gave to the complaining customer was one of my favourite scenes in the book. Plus, how could I not love a character who introduces themselves as “That’s Toni with an I […] because I will insist on making a disability into a brand.”? I loved that McDonnell created a character that used their trauma and resulting disability in such a positive way.

It seems as though one of them at least looks to be a new permanent fixture, and I can’t wait to see more of Brian. He is exactly the type of character I would expect to find in a Stranger Times novel.

I realised while reading Relight My Fire that The Stranger Times series has become a comfort read for me. Sadly, I read so quickly that the new novel is done, and I’m stuck waiting for the next one all over again. With the way this one ended, I’ve got a lot to think about between now and the next book!


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… (mehr)

The Stranger Times crew has another mystery to solve and limited time to solve it in. The pressure is on from several forces and the problem is; they aren't sure what the mystery is.

We are introduced to new characters, and new dimensions and Banecroft handles it all with his usual hubris towards authority and grouchy care for his staff. This motley crew is the best to hang out with; even when they aren't fighting against all odds.

This book is clearly a set up for more to come, which is good news for those of us who love our Stranger Times.… (mehr)