blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Must Love Lavender & Little Lies – Maisy Magill

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We’re celebrating the release of Must Love Lavender & Little Lies by Maisy Magill!

Must Love Lavender and Little Lies (Moonshine Hollow Book 3) 

Release Date: April 14, 2026

Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance

  • Fake Fiancée
  • Friends to Lovers
  • Orc MMC
  • Magical Spring Festival
  • Enchanting Small Town
  • Shrieking Goats
  • Farmcore & Cottagecore Aesthetics
  • Orcish Shenanigans
  • Forced Proximity
  • Guaranteed HEA
  • Medium Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

She’s his bestie.
He’s her rock.
And now? They’re accidentally engaged.

Juniper runs the village apothecary, and Granik grows lavender on his farm. These two plant lovers have always had each other’s backs. When orcish custom demands Granik get married, Juniper does the only logical thing to save her best friend: she proposes a fake engagement. Brilliant plan, right? The only trouble is that in orcish customs, engagements are binding and there’s no such thing as fake. Now they have to find their way out of a major mess. That proves harder than anticipated when Granik’s family comes to celebrate the spring Greening festival. Juniper and Granik must convince everyone they’re madly in love. But the longer they pretend to be a couple, the harder it becomes to remember why they were faking it in the first place.

Must Love Lavender and Little Lies is a spicy cozy fantasy romance full of farmcore vibes, gentle magic, mischievous shrieking goats, and a love story that will warm your heart.

Must Love Lavender and Little Lies is book 3 in the enchanting Moonshine Hollow series. Each novel in the series can be read as a standalone. Different couples and storylines

Perfect for lovers of wholesome spice and cozy romantasy! Fans of Kimberly Lemming, Heather Fawcett, J Penner, and Tee Harlowe will devour this perfectly cozy and deliciously passionate tale of magic, friendship, and learning what you really want in life.

AVAILABLE HERE

My thoughts: This is another cute fantasy romance in the Moonshine Hollow series, this time with a fake relationship trope.

Orc Granik must pick a wife in this, his thirtieth year, or his family will arrange one for him. His best friend Juniper offers to help him out by playing the role of his fiancée, and they’ll call the whole thing off after a while. Until they learn that orc custom means ending an engagement would bring shame on the whole family. 

And then Granik’s entire family come to visit and now they’re planning a wedding, for this Saturday. What are they going to do?

Everyone thinks they’d be perfect for each other but in true rom com When Harry Met Sally style, they can’t see what’s right in front of them. With a meddling grandmother and friends who are determined to give them a magical wedding, perhaps it might be time to admit their true feelings?

Cute, funny and romantic, this is charming and has delightful characters and a sweet little puppy, magic cows and screaming goats too.

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Tags:

#rrbooktours #moonshinehollow #mustlovelavenderandlittlelies #cozyfantasy #cozyfantasyromance

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

books, reviews

Book Review: Lochbound – Rebecca Templeton

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There is no happily-ever-after…

Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine. When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible.

So a hunter – the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver – is summoned to slay the monster of the loch. Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara’s hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction. And when a figure from Iris’s past suddenly reappears, she must choose what – or who – she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom…when you are the monster.

Rebecca Templeton has had a love of books from a very early age and had lofty childhood aspirations of being a writer, though she ended up joining the legal profession instead. When her husband encouraged her to start writing again, she rediscovered her creative outlet and hasn’t looked back since.

When not writing or working, Rebecca can usually be found crocheting giant blankets, baking or watching Gilmore Girls. She is also owned by a couple of very energetic children.

My thoughts: This blends a retelling of the Little Mermaid with elements of Scottish folklore, Beauty & the Beast, Snow White, and other fairy tales.

Iris is cursed to spend her days as Moireach, a terrifying creature that dwells in the loch, and her night’s hiding from the villagers, who don’t know about her secret. They most likely think she’s long dead. She wants to break the curse, but doesn’t know how. Her only friend is Duncan, her childhood friend now grown old.

When bodies start being found around the loch, a monster hunter is summoned to rid the village of its murderous creature. Only Iris doesn’t think she is the killer. And soon, neither does the hunter, Henry Carver.

After Iris saves his life, and they meet, there’s an instant connection. Can they defy the odds, break the curse and solve the murders?

It’s a really interesting blend of fantasy, fairy tale and folklore, there’s hints of lots of different stories, and Iris is an interesting protagonist, she’s smart about certain things, but naive in other ways. Duncan is her only contact and friend, she isn’t aware of much that has happened since she was cursed, he controls her access to information and news, and manipulates her.

Her relationship with Henry gives her hope after a long time and refuels her desire to break her curse, causing her to return to the village for the first time in fifty years and search for answers, breaking free of the secrets she has been carrying for so long.

It’s interesting to have the woman as the monster – although I don’t think Moireach is really a monster, she’s just trying to survive in a world not designed for her, fighting against nasty kelpies in the loch and the ignorance of villagers who would destroy her.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

books

Book Blitz: Nightwither – Lana B. Night

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We’re celebrating the release of the next book in the The Starheart Saga, Nightwither by Lana B. Night!

Nightwither (The Starheart Saga #2)

Release Date: April 14, 2026

Genre: Romantasy

– High Fantasy
– Epic World Building
– Dragons
– Found Family
– Enemies to Lovers- Unlikely Allies
– Who did this to you?
– Shadow Daddy
– Banter
– Morally Grey FMC
– A Court of Mist and Fury Vibes

Stella arrives in her mother’s homeland, Myera, a realm of unfamiliar creatures, magical lands, and values that challenge her core beliefs. Nothing could have prepared her for the responsibility of her mother’s legacy. With a long history of tension rising and a civil war on the horizon, Stella is forced into her role as the Starheart to heal old wounds.

Navigating a treacherous web of politics and power as the realm begins to fracture, Stella must be a pillar of strength and stability even as she quietly unravels beneath the weight of her own unmet expectations. But the greatest challenge doesn’t lie within her.

At the centre of the unrest stands Noxryn.

Caught between clashing wills and pride, Stella faces something far more dangerous than failing—the possibility of understanding the man who betrayed her and the one responsible for the chaos threatening to consume the realm. Taking off Noxryn’s mask might offer answers to bring peace, or which lures both her and Myera into a darkness there’s no coming back from.

The Starheart Saga is perfect for fans of unique magic systems, mythical creatures, angst and tension, and hilarious banter. Nightwither will appeal to fans of plot-heavy, character-driven fantasy and enemies-to-lovers romance.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

 

BOOK BLITZ ORGANIZED BY:

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Blog Tour: A Body of Lies – Marrisse Whittaker

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Fifteen years ago, Sunny Hart vanished. Now her sister wants the truth – no matter the cost.

Investigative journalist Rose Hart swore she’d never return to her hometown, the place that stole her sister and shattered her family. But it’s finally time to lay the ghosts of her past to rest.

Her fragile peace is shattered when a horrific parcel arrives in the post, followed by a chillingwarning beside a dead body. Suddenly, Rose is dragged back into a nightmare she can’t escape.

As she begins to investigate, Rose realises she’s not the only one hunting for answers. Leo Thorn, a forensic pathologist with secrets of his own, and Vinny Strong, a convicted murderer with unfinished business, become unlikely allies.

Together, they step into a labyrinth of long-buried secrets and a history far darker than Rose ever imagined. Someone knows what happened to Sunny, and they’ve waited a very long time
to finish what they started.

Perfect for fans of Gillian McAllister and Alex North, A Body of Lies is a haunting crime thriller of secrets, survival and the darkness a family can hide.

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Marrisse Whittaker has been creating characters for all of her working life, travelling far and wide, first as a TV and Film Make-Up Artist.

Next as a TV Scriptwriter, creating stories for popular series. But plenty of drama takes place in real-life too and when Marrisse joined forces with her husband, to establish Orion TV, they produced a fascinating range of factual programmes for major broadcasters.

Now, creating a scene is taking on a new meaning for Marrisse as she launches a new career as a novelist writing about the world of crime, having been shortlisted for The Lindisfarne Prize for Outstanding Debut Crime Fiction in 2020.

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My thoughts: When crime journalist Rose moves back to her hometown, determined to finally solve the mystery of her younger sister’s disappearance that led to her father’s suicide and her mother asking the courts to send her to boarding school and never letting her visit.

Somehow, despite all of this trauma, Rose has been successful at uni and worked on a top national paper, but swapping it for a small regional paper whose editor seems to be living in another age, demanding she find shocking crime stories for the front page, in their small town.

But as she tries to find out what happened to Sunny, she does indeed stumble on the crime spree of the century. From the apparent suicide in the park of a man whose beloved sister was due to released from prison, to the accidental death of an elderly lady, that definitely doesn’t look like an accident.

And what does her playground nemesis, now apparently the paper’s photographer, have to do with it? He’s the new police chief’s son to boot, meaning he’s getting insider information and possibly using that relationship to hide his misdeeds.

But what Rose and her new friends, SOCO Leo and freshly released ex-con Vinny, uncover is both shocking and impossible to imagine going hidden in a small town for such a long time,but yet, somehow it has. Until now.

The twists in this story are jaw dropping, the horrifying truth about Rose’s family is completely shocking and Rose, who so many people doubt, proves to be a fantastic investigator and gets justice for the innocent lives lost along the way. Totally gripping.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

books

Cover Reveal: Blurred Images – Brandy Nicole

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We’re proud to present this stunning cover for an upcoming release called Blurred Images by Brandy Nacole!

Blurred Images

Expected Release Date: TBD

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Cover Artist: Marissa Shor

  • Unreliable Narrator
  • Karmic Retribution
  • Missing Person
  • Murder Mystery

Not every image tells the truth

She has the life she was supposed to want—a husband, children, a home filled with routine. From the outside, it looks complete.

Until her husband goes missing.

As memories begin to press in and the weight of unspoken grief grows heavier, she finds herself questioning everything she’s built. The past doesn’t stay buried, and the woman she used to be refuses to remain forgotten.

What begins as a quiet unease turns into something far more dangerous. A slow, psychological fracture that threatens to consume her from the inside out.

Because the closer she gets to finding him…

…the more dangerous remembering becomes.

COMING SOON!

COVER REVEAL ORGANIZED BY:

R&R BOOK TOURS

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: No More Tomorrows – Olivia Lockhart & Hal Lambert

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Two eras. One aching heart.

1917 – At Cambridge University, American scholar Harry Turchin never expects to lose himself to desire. But Annie Mackenzie—soft-spoken, grieving, and luminous—claims his heart from their very first kiss. Their love is swift, fierce, and intoxicating. Married just days before Harry is sent to war, their passion is ripped apart when the trenches claim everything he knows, and Harry is thrown into a future that should not exist.

1967 – The free-spirited sixties are alive with rhythm, rebellion, and possibility. Harry awakens to a world he doesn’t recognise—and to Annalise Taylor, as bold and captivating as the era itself.
Brilliant, independent, and achingly alive, she rouses a desire he thought belonged solely to the past.

Caught between the love he was ripped away from and the passion he cannot resist, Harry is torn between two women, two lives, and two versions of forever. Because time will not bend twice … Or
will it?

Sweeping from the blood-soaked battlefields of World War One to the fevered nights of the swinging sixties, No More Tomorrows is a sensual time-slip romance about desire, devotion, and the
devastating power of love that refuses to be bound by time.

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Olivia Lockhart (Livvie to her friends) is an English author who can’t quite decide
if she wants to write contemporary romance, historical romance, or paranormal romance. So she writes them all, because it HAS to be romance!

She loves to write about the underdog, the one who got away, the bits of love stories we can all relate to.

When not writing she can be found drinking wine, cuddling with her beloved pooch, or with her head in a book.

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Giveaway to Win a signed copy of No More Tomorrows (Open to UK only)

My thoughts: When Harry wakes up in a field in France in 1967, despite having been on the battlefield in 1918, he’s utterly bewildered. He’s horrified by the fact his sweet wife, Annie, won’t have known what happened to him and that fifty years have passed.

Nursed back to health by a kindly French couple, he then makes his way back to England, hoping to find a trace of his family. Instead he meets physics student Annalise, who takes him in and helps him get sorted out. She believes his story and wants to help him, even as she falls for him.

It’s a bittersweet love affair, Harry determines that he must live in the present, not worry about what might have been. But Annalise fears he is forever comparing her with his lost love and really longs for the life he never got to live.

I really liked Harry and Annalise, and their lovely dog, who went from bomb detection to spoilt pet in one time travelling trip.

The story was really lovely and sad, Harry has been ripped from his life and thrust into a world he doesn’t recognise – the huge changes from 1918 to 1967 are a shock, and he initially struggles to adjust. But he does and it’s Annalise who then struggles to accept his love.

I also liked Annalise – she was very different and modern, perhaps even more so than most in the 60s, not believing in marriage and wanting to work for NASA. She’s clever and wants more from life than the traditional, and is determined to achieve even as her fellow (male) students denigrate her and mock the idea of female Cambridge students.

Their relationship might not be conventional, but it means a lot to both of them, even as something incredible happens that might tip their lives upside down forever. Have a tissue handy if you’re a crier, this one has its weepy moments.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or
email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part ofthe competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the  exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for
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blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Operation Berlin – Michael Ridpath

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In a city rebuilding from war, truth can be the most dangerous weapon of all.

Berlin, 1930.
Historian Archie Laverick, scarred mentally and physically by the Great War, travels to Berlin to research a famed Prussian general. His quiet study is shattered when he crosses paths with Esme Carmichael, a spirited young American intent on making her name as a foreign correspondent. When a shooting at a Saxon castle leaves a young Jewish woman accused of murder, Archie and Esme are drawn into a perilous hunt for the truth.

Their investigation cuts through the glittering façades and lingering scars of a nation still reeling from war – where resentment simmers, political alliances shift, and the first shadows of a new conflict fall across Europe. Amid whispers of blackmail and betrayal, the pair must navigate intrigue and danger to unmask a killer hiding in plain sight.

A tense, atmospheric mystery set in a world between wars – perfect for fans of Philip Kerr’s Berlin Trilogy, Robert Harris’s Fatherland, and Alan Furst’s spy novels.

Purchase


Michael Ridpath is the bestselling author of over 20 crime novels and thrillers. His first novel, after a career in finance, was Free to Trade, a No 2 bestseller about the murky world of bond trading which was translated into over thirty languages. He is currently writing the Foreign Correspondent series of murder mysteries set in the capitals of Europe in the 1930s. He splits his time between London and
Massachusetts.

Facebook: @michaelridpathauthor
Instagram: @michaelridpathauthor
Newsletter
Bookbub profile: @MichaelRidpath

My thoughts: I once wrote a very boring essay about the Weimar Republic of Germany between the wars, I am very glad to say this book was much better than my essay.

Sir Archie Laverick is in Berlin researching a general from the Napoleonic wars, the assistant he thought he was taking has bailed on him, but his cousin, on the ground in Germany, has found him a new one in the form of wannabe journalist, American Esme Carmichael. She’s enthusiastic and energetic, but Archie worries she might be a bit too much. Luckily they do get along and after she looks after him when he has a spell of shell shock, they bond.

When Esme’s friend is killed while weekending at a German baron’s home, and a young Austrian woman is arrested, Esme thinks the police have it wrong. She asks Archie to help her find the real killer.

But as the duo look into the case, Esme is threatened and it becomes apparent there’s more to the situation than a jealous lover.

This is a really interesting book, with a strong sense of historical time and place, interesting characters and an intriguing case at its centre.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Sacrilege – Keith Moray

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A nun is found dead.

A priest is horribly attacked.

An evil older than sin is loose in Yorkshire…

Marske, 1361. Sir Ralph de Mandeville with his assistants Peter and Merek have recently come from Reeth to hold a court session in Marske but are pulled away at the news of a most heinous crime having been discovered further down the River Swale.

A boat has been found, floating down the river. Inside is a truly horrifying scene – the body of a nun, her wrists cut and her hands fixed in the sign of benediction… As Ralph uses his astute skills of inspection, his mind asks a most difficult question – is this self-murder or murder most foul? Were her last moments spent in benediction prayer… or malediction warning?

With both Marrick Priory and Easby Abbey within a stone’s throw of Marske, it appears something is not quite right in the house of God…

When the body of a priest is found mutilated as if by a wild animal, the villagers fear the nun’s body has opened the gates and let loose a monster from Hell… but Ralph starts to wonder if something much more human is at the root of these evils.

As he follows the grim clues, he fears he knows where this miserable sacrilegious journey will end.

The question is, can he catch the murderer and prevent more grisly deaths – his own included?

Purchase 


I was born in St Andrews and studied medicine at the University of Dundee in Scotland. I lived and worked in Wakefield in Yorkshire for 40 years, within arrow-shot of the ruins of a medieval castle, the base for a series of historical novels.

I am a retired GP, medical journalist and novelist, writing in several genres. As Keith Moray I write historical crime fiction in the medieval era and in ancient Egypt, The Inspector Torquil McKinnon crime novels set on the Outer Hebridean island of West Uist, and as Clay More I write westerns.
Curiously, my medical background finds its way into most of my fiction writing.

In my spare time I enjoy the movies, theatre and making bread. I play golf and I run at carthorse speed. As a frustrated actor I have found occasional solace as a supporting artist, but enough said about that!

I now live in Stratford-upon with my wife Rachel and whichever of our children and grandchildren who happen to pop in.

Social Media Links –
Facebook: @KeithMorayAuthor
Twitter: @KeithMorayTales
Instagram: @souterkeith
Newsletter
Bookbub profile: @dr_keithsouter

My thoughts: This was very good, a medieval murder mystery with the detectives in the form of the justice of the peace, Sir Ralph de Mandeville and his assistants, scribe Peter, and former archer Merek.

Carrying out the king’s work in Yorkshire, they become involved when the body of a young nun is found drifting in a boat on the river Swale. Did she kill herself or was she murdered? When the body of the parish priest is also found brutalised, Ralph suspects something rather nasty is going on. And when he and his assistants are attacked, he knows there’s something seriously wrong in the area.

As the case unfolds, Ralph, Peter and Merek are in danger too, they’re close to an answer and the killer wants them to stop looking. But they’re tougher than anyone realises and Ralph won’t give in to threats.

This is an engaging, clever and enjoyable read, I liked Ralph and his colleagues, they’re intelligent and thorough investigators, even with the limited knowledge of their age, willing to carry out thorough investigations, acting not only as detectives but also carrying out the roles that in modern cases would be scene of crime, and medical examiner.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Cover Reveal: Love Always Lindisfarne – Kimberley Adams

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Return to Northumberland where happy ever afters await…

Take a magical trip to stunning Northumberland via the pages of this feel-good romantic comedy by award winning writer Kimberley Adams. Full of warmth and joy, it will leave you with a wide smile and a yearning to visit this iconic location in person.

When the almost unbelievable truth about Kittiwake Penaluna’s heritage comes to light, the residents are shocked, but in true island fashion they rally together to protect their fledgling chick as she faces life-changing revelations.

Meanwhile, the island mourns the loss of its beloved village butcher, and the closure of the shop on Main Street leaves a hole at the heart of the community. Then, when other businesses unexpectedly close, rumours begin to circulate about who might be behind the unsettling changes.

As familiar faces depart, new ones arrive, but not everything is as it seems. And when a despised figure from the past returns, old tensions resurface and the island is thrown into further turmoil.

Amid the chaos, Ellie and Zen finally begin preparing for their long-awaited wedding, but as always on the island, nothing goes quite according to plan. With difficult decisions to make and obstacles to overcome, they soon discover that they can weather any storm, because love always endures on Lindisfarne…

Pre-order Links

Publication Date: 21st May 2026

Kim was born in Corbridge in Northumberland and still lives in this gorgeous corner of the world. Passionate about the area, Kim tends to set her work in the northeast, and why not considering the wealth of stunning scenery and the warm-hearted locals, both of which constantly give her ideas for future writing endeavours.

Kim’s debut Love Lindisfarne was released October 2023 and from its first cover release on social media gained momentum, taking Kim totally by surprise. Kim had never envisaged writing more than one book, but here we now are at number four, three Lindisfarne book and a Christmas novella called the Christmas Angel of the North which is about a nana and her granddaughter and set in Newcastle.

Kim finds most of her inspiration mooching around cafes across the Northeast where she ‘overhears’ some of the funniest and warmest things that are stored away for future use (anonymously of course!) If you see her, buy her some cake, then she promises never to write about you – unless you want her to of course!

Kim is very proud of her ratings on Amazon and if you want to read reviews for her previous books just pop on and you will be able to see just why Kim gets quite emotional over some of the lovely things that have been said about the books! If you do enjoy the books, please try and leave a rating or review, you don’t even have to have bought the book from Amazon, but each rating helps towards getting the system to recognise Kim and her books.

Social Media Links – 

X Twitter – @kim_adamsWriter

Facebook – Kimberley Adams-Writer

FB Page – Love Lindisfarne

Instagram – love_lindisfarne

Or follow her on Amazon.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Sunken Sailor – Patricia Moyes

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Inspector Henry Tibbett and his wife, Emmy, are enjoying a holiday on a friend’s yacht, lazily sailing from one little English sea-town to the next.

It should all be delicious indolence… except that Henry can’t stop thinking about death.

Well, one death in particular. The death of a local sailor. And he really can’t stop thinking about it when it starts looking as though the drowned sailor is somehow connected to the robbery at a nearby manor house.

Patricia Moyes (1923-2000) was an acclaimed British mystery novelist, best known for her long running series featuring Inspector Henry Tibbett. The tenth book in the series, Who Saw Her Die?, was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award, and Moyes was inducted into The Detection Club, presided over by Agatha Christie, in the same year. Her early career also included work as a radar operator in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force; as a screenwriter – with credits including the Robert Hamer film School for Scoundrels and Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected –; as an assistant editor for Vogue magazine; and as a translator.

My thoughts: I’m beginning to think that the Tibbetts should just stay at home – their holidays always seem to end up getting someone murdered!

This time they’re enjoying the English coast, on a friend’s boat. But all is not well in the bucolic countryside and next thing you know they’re embroiled in jewel heists and murders. Henry gets stuck in to solve the case, and Emmy gets kidnapped.

Can Henry unravel the murderous mystery, save his wife and still enjoy a brief cruise on board their friends’ boat?

Another delightful classic crime resurrected from the archives, although I would also enjoy a biography of the author herself.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.