'Allo 'Allo -- Sutton Amateurs

I loved 'Allo 'Allo as a child and this hilarious take on the hit TV series brought back some fond memories.

The story followed the mishaps of caf owner Rene Artois in war-torn France who has to both hide a priceless portrait for the Nazis and two British airmen for the Resistance without getting arrested, shot or both.

Old favourites, such as Leclerc, Michelle, Crabtree and Herr Flick, were all in check and catch phrases such as 'It is I, Leclerc' and 'Good moaning' just got funnier with every utterance.

A special shout out must go to Dean Harness as the sarcastic Ren. Always a pleasure to watch he had every bit the star quality of the excellent Gorden Kaye and really revelled in the encouraging giggles from the audience.

Brenda Moon was also top notch as the sex-obsessed Helga and Philip Boocock was spot-on as the ber-camp Gruber.

With all this in mind I could forgive probably the worst German accent I've ever heard from David Boddy as the Colonel. He couldn't have been more Yorkshire, but it all added to his charm.

Raucous romps involving knockwurst sausages and an under-inflated Hitler doll veered daringly close to the line.

And just as you thought it couldn't get any funnier an outrageous finale, with most of the cast dressed as Hitler, left me chortling all the way home.

Gemma Berry

Maximum Ride: the Angel Experiment -- James Patterson

James Patterson uses the setting, ideas and lead character of bestsellers When the Wind Blows and The Lake House for his first young adult novel.

But frustratingly it's not a sequel, rather a reworking, following half-human half-bird children who escaped from a research laboratory.

As well as learning about the world outside, Max and her high-flying new family must rescue their sister Angel from the evil Erasers.

The Paterson trademarks are here -- short chapters and breakneck action at the expense of character development -- and the result is just as thrilling but forgettable as his adult novels.

David Knights

Sick as a Parrot -- Liz Evans

What is funny? Is it in the words or the delivery? Have you read books that weren't funny because you didn't know how the characters were delivering their lines?

Liz Evans trails her books as funny, but I just didn't see it.

It's not to say her story is a bad one, Grace Smith is an admirable Private Investigator, but the quirks and twists weren't as funny as she thought.

The psychotic parrot, chauvinistic cop and luke-warm case were too close to the suburbia of Terry and June to score highly -- but there seems to be a market for it out there.

Not one for me though.

Antony Silson

The Starter Marriage -- Kate Harrison

A great mix of tears and laughter in Kate Harrison's novel, an uncanny insight into the trauma of a marriage breakdown while understanding how to move on.

Thirty-five year old Tess Leonard's orderly life falls to pieces when her husband leaves her after seventeen years together.

In despair she is drawn into a circle of colourful characters who attend a divorce survival course at her local church hall, each with "excess baggage" they are hoping to unload.

Margaret Malpass

The Silver Face -- Edward Wright

I was captivated by this £6.99 whodunit, reading from cover to cover in one go -- simply because I couldn't put it down.

John Ray Horn, once a Western hero, now a debt collector, is far from his old life. But then he bumps into Rose, an old flame who is a drunken shell of what she used to be and haunted by a tragic regret.

Before John can help her, Rose is murdered and Horn finds himself playing detective. The role takes him back to a 1920s Hollywood party, where events led to a young actress' untimely death.

Wright creates a gripping atmosphere in this second John Horn novel, accurately capturing the essence of the period. 'Deeply satisfying stuff' -- I agree wholeheartedly.

Hannah Wilson