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
28 September 2026
In the 12th episode of this season we journey into a genre we've never looked at before - the Western. Mal is taking a look at Louis L'Amour's 'The Man from the Broken Hills'. L'Amour is possibly the most prolific author I've read so far. By the time of his death he had collected and read over 10,000 books and sold over 200 million copies of his work. However, this is also an author that wrote from the 1930s onwards, he only became very well-known in the 1970s. His key writing ambition, in the last few decades of his life was to write a forty novel history of the American West through the experiences of three migrant families - the Sacketts, the Talons and the Chantrys. It was this series of novels showing their interwoven stories that 'The Man from the Broken Hills' is a part of. In this episode, we'll be asking whether this novel can standalone or whether you can read it out of order.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Useful links and helpful sources:
Louis L'Amour's official website - The Louis L'Amour Trading Post
60 Minutes - Louis L'Amour (1976)
The Life and Legacy of Louis L'Amour - Art of Manliness podcast
John D. Nesbitt's Change of Purpose in the Novels of Louis L'Amour (1978): This was a really useful piece of research just because it game me a framework for looking at this Milo Talon novel in context.
Harold E. Hinds Mexican and Mexican-American Images in the Western Novels of Louis L'Amour (1977): This is a good piece of research to read because although it doesn't cover all aspects of race and gender, I think it is nuanced investigation of how an author can be well-read, make an effort with depictions of other cultures and genders but be very inconsistent.
Adrian Burton's Saddling up for Louis (2013): Read this if you want to know whether L'Amour was right about tumbleweed.
Christine Bold's review of Education of a Wandering Man (1989): A brief but interesting review of L'Amour's memoir.
Louis L'Amour's letter to The Wilson Quarterly (1987): A salty (pun intended) response by L'Amour to a problematic article in WQ showing his understanding and research of Asian cultures and their exploration skills before the Europeans even got out of the dock.
00:00
58:54
14 September 2026
In the belated third Sampler Edition we're looking at two samplers for books that aren't out yet, but will be very soon:
Although these are two very different samplers one about a murder in a North Devon coastal home, the other about an assassination attempt and kidnapping with possible national security implications, the slight unhappy or uncomfortable central characters gave me lots of similar questions about the backgrounds of the leads Matthew Venn and Travis Devine. In addition, I reveal, perhaps, a little too much about my terrible geography skills, and I waffle on a little too much about the possible meanings of 6:20 for someone who doesn't know (i.e. me!). As well as that you'll get a quick overview of the authors and these series.
Email: outoforderbookclub@outlook.com
Content: I am fairly sure I get through this without swearing.
Useful links and helpful sources:
Ann Cleeves
Ann Cleeves website: Right now (Sept. 2026), the site has lots of additional information about the upcoming release of The Dying Light and events where Ann Cleeves will be promoting it. If you found this episode interesting it is worth dipping into.
National Centre for the Written Word Interview
Pan Macmillan videos with Ann Cleeves
Edinburgh International Festival interview
David Baldacci
David Baldacci website: Like the Ann Cleeves site, this one also has a lot of additional information on the home page about All In as it will be released in the UK in a few months. In addition, if you scroll down a little more you'll find further information about the series. A really good resource if this episode got you interested in the series.
The Big Thrill Interview - David Baldacci took control of his career - by not taking royalties
00:00
46:23
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.
00:00
57:21
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)
00:00
53:50
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
00:00
33:52
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
00:00
58:07