A sombre topic to be sure but David Frith is an engaging author who respectively covers the lives and deaths of cricketers, umpires and writers since the early days of the game. "By his own hand" is an update of Frith's earlier book "Silence of the heart" and besides adding some new names to the roll of cricketing suicides, Frith speaks from the heart about his own battles with demons. ( )

Not a bundle of laughs but interesting nonetheless. I suppose suicide happens every time a batsman walks to the wicket and is out. Dismissal is like death.