Podcast by Mal Bernhardt
The Out of Order Book Club podcast is aimed at avid readers and aspiring writers everywhere who are interested in books from all sorts of genres. Every fortnight, Mal takes you through a random book from a crime, fantasy or sci-fi series and asks whether this book in the series can be read out of order.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Blog/Website: outoforderbookclub.com
02 September 2026
In this episode, Mal will be looking at 'Dido and Pa' by Joan Aiken, the author of the long running children's series set in an alternative history where the Stuarts are still on the throne and the Hanoverians plot their removal. Most people may know Joan Aiken from her first novel 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' (1962) but she had a very successful writing career, and the 'Wolves Chronicles' is only one of the novel series she wrote.
With 'Dido and Pa' we'll be looking at how families in one form or another (real or cobbled together) might raise questions for an out of order reader. Plus, what are the challenges of reading an alternative history out of order? We'll also take a look at death in this novel, the Gothic nature of the deaths and the challenges it poses for someone like me wandering in so far into the series - 'Dido and Pa' is the 7th book.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Content Warning: A little swearing and For important reasons, I use the word 'slut' a lot.
Useful links and Helpful sources:
Welcome to the Wonderful World: This website is well worth a visit. This site is very well designed and full of fascinating information about Joan Aiken, her writing and her life.
Puffin Books - Joan Aiken (YouTube video): To be honest, I just love this. Hearing the voice of Joan Aiken talking about her inspiration, her creative choices and even showing us her home and how that inspired her.
The Writing World of Joan Aiken: This is a site that I didn't explore as much, but I wish I had. It contains a regularly updated blog with interviews with old interviews with Joan Aiken. It's a fabulous resource!
Joan Aiken's Armitage Family Stories: Place and Storytelling as a Way into the World: This 2012 paper from Hannah Kate Sackett focuses on a different series which Aiken wrote throughout her life.
Profile of Joan Aiken: This is a profile from 1989, so after the publication of 'Dido and Pa' and was really helpful in providing background information about Aiken and about the importance of Dido Twite in the Wolves Chronicles.
Joan Aiken: Literary Dramatist: Marilyn Apseloff wrote this 1984 analysis of Aiken's three plays for children. She doesn't mention the Wolves Chronicles but many of her conclusions seemed to match my feelings about Aiken's 'Dido and Pa'.
London and the Gothic in Leon Garfield's Smith and Joan Aiken's Black Hearts in Battersea: Alison Baker's paper comparing these books against the Gothic genre was really interesting, and reminded me how much I loved Leon Garfield.
BBC News - Why is the word 'slut' so powerful?: This comes from 2011, so is a little dated, however it contains useful definitions and historical usage which I quoted in the episode.
A Very Victorian Two-Penny Hangover: Several unpleasant places homeless people slept in the 19th Century.
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17 August 2026
This is the second samplers edition, and Mal will be looking at two samplers picked up from the Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival: Stuart MacBride's 'Rust, Blood and Steel' and Deon Meyer's 'Scorpio Rising', which has been translated from Afrikaans by K. L. Seegars. MacBride's novel is a new novel and is already available in the UK, while the translation of Meyer's novel will be available early next year in the UK.
In this episode, I'll take a look at the novelists and their series then talk about some of the questions I had when reading these samplers and whether that could impact how or if I read the full novels. These are two authors with long running series, but the novels are very different in tone. Interestingly, though, the questions I had were quite similar when it came to the central character. Please prepare yourself for the usual tangents, for example, a small rant about Meyer being asked why he doesn't write in English (the short version of my rant is: Why should he?); another side point is my memories of 70s PSAs in the UK which I understand for international listeners may make me sound like I'm babbling! Sorry!
Content: There is a bit of swearing.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Useful links and helpful sources:
Sadly, after changing my hosting platform and character limits I can't provide details on these sources, but please explore!
MacBride
Press and Journal Interview (2023)
World Stovie Championship website
Meyer
Teen Librarian Interview (2017)
African Studies Centre Interview (2020)
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03 August 2026
In this first Sampler Edition, Mal will be taking a look at two Samplers she picked up from Theakstons Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival. A sampler is a small taster section from the beginning of a new or upcoming novel. The two we'll be looking at today are:
'Shadow of Madness' is the sixth in the Cesare Aldo series set in 14th Century Florence. 'The High Island' is the first in a potential new series focusing on the Orkneys and Erling Flett who has featured in Anderson's long running Rhona MacLeod series. Obviously, this will be a little different from our usual episodes. In this episode, I'll give you a brief overview of the author and the series, you'll hear how the book is described in the summary from 'the back of the book' and then you'll hear about the questions these samplers threw up about the series for an out of order reader.
As this is not a deep dive episode, if you're interested in these authors and their series, I would recommend taking a look at some of the sources I've used below. Note: I made a slip in the episode saying that Anderson said 'The High Island' was very much an Orkney novel focusing on Flett, but actually she was talking about 'The Dead and the Dying'.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Useful links and helpful sources:
D. V. Bishop's Substack: There is lots of stuff here for writers both experienced and aspiring. The articles provide a really interesting insight into writing historical fiction in particular.
Page One Interview with D. V. Bishop: This is an interview from 2025. He goes through his 5 favourite/influential books at the end and the genesis of the Cesare Aldo series with in an insight into his approach into getting it published.
Aldocast: As mentioned in the episode, each episode covers one of the Aldo books. I think it would be of interest if you are Aldo-curious or you've read the series so far.
The Girl with all the Crime Books: This interview is from 2022. This was a really interesting and wide-ranging interview and I referred to it in the episode.
EMWigsters Bookshelf: This interview is from 2024. Another useful and interesting interview that provided me with background.
Lin Anderson's Blog: This is an up-to-date blog, so this is very useful if you're interested in recent information about Anderson's work.
Rhona MacLeod website: This is an older website, and I'm not sure it has been kept updated, but if you're familiar and a fan of the MacLeod series then it's worth dipping into.
BBC Orkney/Stewart Bain interview with Lin Anderson: This interview from last year focused on The Dead and the Dying, the most recent Rhona MacLeod novel, and Anderson's relationship with the Orkney islands
In the Orkney Room: This interview is from 2012. This is a really interesting interview, as Anderson was less than halfway through the MacLeod series (as it is now), so the reflection on series writing and her approaching was great to listen to.
The Scotsman interview with Lin Anderson: This is from 2008. This provided some great context about t
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20 July 2026
In the last episode we were in the capital of Scotland, this time we're heading to London for the second book in the DI Henley series. I'll be taking a look into Nadine Matheson's 'The Binding Room'. This is an author and a series that I discovered when I attended an event at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival a couple of years ago. Matheson’s description of the series, and what she wanted to do with it, stuck in my head. Now, a couple of years later, I’ve created an episode about the series or, more precisely, one book in the series ‘The Binding Room’. If you’re an avid reader or an aspiring writer, you should go to events like these!
In this episode, we'll be taking a look at the key things that jump out at an 'out of order' reader in this novel such as an unusual case of team trauma rather than 'just' the central characters, as well as DI Henley as female crime fiction character and mother. In reading as a writer, we'll be looking at how Matheson deals with the past experiences and relationships of this team while moving the story forward.
You can also count how many ways I pronounce Pellacia, the surname of one of the key characters in the D.I. Henley series. Apologies for that, I seem to be making a habit of this kind of thing!
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Useful links and helpful sources:
Nadine Matheson website: I think this is a really good website for anyone new to the Henley series, interested in Nadine Matheson's background and/or aspiring writers as well.
The Writer's Verdict Substack: I mention two articles from Nadine Matheson's substack in the episode, but there are a lot to choose from. If you're a regular fixture on social media giving opinions on the latest book drama, you may find Matheson has responded to something you're aware of giving an insider's perspective.
Nadine Matheson YouTube Channel: This Channel contains both episodes of the The Conversation podcast interviews and her collaborations with Page One in 'Adventures in Publishing-land'.
'This Itch of Writing' Substack: This is a link to Emma Darwin's Ten Tips for Reading like a Writer, this is a really useful page for anyone reading widely and trying to be a better writer. That describes me, what about you?
Quick Book Review with Phillipa Hall Interview: This 2026 interview covers pretty much everything! You have Matheson's background, her writing process and her writing plans for the future.
The Gloss Book Club Interview: This 2022 interview was published around the time of 'The Binding Room', so I found it a really interesting read for context.
Mary Ann Gillies' 'Trauma and Contemporary Crime Fiction' (2019): This is a fascinating essay about trauma theory, but also taking that and applying it to crime fiction where (surprisingly!) this theory hasn't been applied. There is, it seems, a preference for using it on 'literary fiction'...send me an email if you can define that phrase. Thanks!
Shauna Wilton's 'Mothers hunting murderers: Representation of motherhood in Broadchurch and Happy Valley' (2018): Although this is a novel, and this essay focuses on TV drama/crime shows, the parallels with Henley and, specifically, my expectations of Henley w
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06 July 2026
In this episode, we'll be dropping into the Skelf detective and undertaking series by taking a look at 'Living is a Problem' by Doug Johnstone. This is the sixth book in a (soon to be) seven book series following the lives and work of Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah, three generations of women who run a private investigation and funeral business.
In this episode we'll be looking at what stands out and possibly complicates reading this out of order. Does it help or hinder an 'out of order' reader if characters are processing a lot of trauma from previous novels? How does an 'out of order' reader deal with the shifting perspectives? We'll be taking a closer look at the undertaking business with some fascinating research on that. I'll also be comparing this reading experience to 'The Archive of the Forgotten' when we read like a writer. You are also invited to wonder why I manage to pronounce Doug Johnstone's name three different ways - Johnson, Johnston and Johnstone. I don't have a clue why! Suggestions welcome! Apologies to the author.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Website/Blog: outoforderbookclub.com
Useful sources and helpful links:
Scots Whay Hae Podcast Interview: This is a great 90 minute interview looking at Johnstone's books over the last 20 years, it's worth watching/listening to if you are an aspiring writer because it covers the practicalities and development of a published author. What you learn is that it is all learning process, or at least that is what I took from it!
Portobello Festival Interview: This is one I dipped into if only because I wanted to keep myself blissfully ignorant with regards to the Skelfs (as much as I could, anyway!) However, as mentioned in the episode this is fascinating if only because at this point Johnstone thought the Skelfs would be a trilogy.
Failing Writers Podcast: This is connected, again, to Johnstone's celebration of 20 books in 20 years. I used this for biographical details but it is about being a writer, and the presenters often take time to point out useful things to learn from Johnstone's career.
Mysteryfile.com: This is the list (as of 2006) of undertakers/detective fiction. If you take a look at the list, you'll see a lot of the series were fairly shortlived or the narrative was one novel that appeared in a series. However, none of the characters have an amazing name like 'Mortimer Death'!
Kami Fletcher's Black Women Undertakers of the Early Twentieth Century Were Hidden in Plain Sight (2023): A genuinely fascinating essay about a hidden history. It challenged many of my preconceptions about women in the death care business. In addition to that there is a powerful point made about how these women undertakers were continuing a line of resistance that emerged during slavery, so it is doubly powerful that these women have disappeared from history.
Nosi, D'Agostino, Ceccotti and Sfodera's Green funerals: Technological innovations and societal shifts toward sustainable death care practices (2024): This gave me a great deal of context and insight into why the Skelf women have gone in the green funeral direction. I genuinely had no idea that funerals had such negative effects on the environment.
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22 June 2026
This was intended to be a bitesize episode, half the size of our usual episode, but it hasn't turned out that way. In bitesize episodes, I take a look at one area of a book, a prequel or anything else that breaks the normal structure of an Out of Order Book Club episode.
This (surprisingly long!) Bitesize episode just asks one question about 'The Wild Island' by (Lady) Antonia Fraser. The novel 'The Wild Island' is part of the Jemima Shore series, she is a fictional investigative journalist, who has her own TV show called 'Jemima Shore, Investigator'. My copy of the novel has 'A Jemima Shore Investigation' at the top. So, after reading this novel, I had just one question about this series - Is Jemima Shore really an investigator?
I thought this would be a quick episode, I was wrong. If you listen to this episode, you'll hear me talk about being bamboozled, befuddled and I'll call a character a 'tit'. I definitely ramble a bit, but my bitesize episodes are a bit more self-indulgent, so please excuse me.
Content warning: Contains swearing, mentions suicide.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
New website: outoforderbookclub.com - This is where you can read my blog and listen to my podcast.
Useful Sources and Helpful links:
Maureen T. Reddy's 'She done it' article: This 1986 article is worth reading if, as I say in the episode, you're a fan of crime fictions and/or female detectives. It's a whistle-stop tour no doubt, and you may disagree with her point of view in some cases, but I'd strongly recommend it.
Erika Munk's 'Deadly Delights' article: This 1992 article may be about a particular short story collection, but it has the same historical perspective as Reddy's article. Once again, you may not agree with her review, especially if you have read these short stories, but it is worth engaging with it. It has certainly introduced me to a lot of authors that I didn't know about, and they are going on 'the list'.
Larry Horton's 'The Enduring Animal Issue': OK, so this one is used because it illustrates my argument rather than connects to fiction. However, it is a fascinating late 80s argument that animal activism is doing irreparable harm to the biomedical community.
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