blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Cobra’s Retribution – Glennis Goodwin

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In the city of Thebes on the great Nile River, Pharaoh Amenhotep III plans to build another temple that will bring glory to his reign. His favoured architect, Djedkare, has surpassed himself in noting his vision, and Pharaoh has chosen his site.

Unfortunately, this sits on the vast spread of the Nileʼs edge, beneath the simple mudbrick homes of the fishermen. Under Pharaohʼs orders, the families are removed and their communities demolished. Anger builds before even a stone is laid, and Pharaohʼs name is spoken with disdain.

However, disaster soon stalks the Palace of Malkata, blighting the lives of Amenhotep and his family.

Nebka, Chief of the Medjay, is called in and, unsurprisingly, his inquiries lead him straight to the banks of the Nile.

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Glennis Goodwin is a British author who has long had an interest in the myths of the Ancient Egyptians.

In her working life, she has gone from nursing to retail and from academic publishing to working as a PA. However, during this time, she never lost her love for the bygone tales of Egypt. Taking holidays there, she walked the paths of the many temples and immersed herself in the culture.

In 2004, she aimed to return to her nursing career and enrolled in a refresher course in New Zealand. Settling into life on the other side of the world, she continued to further her career, met her husband and made her home there. Sadly, a brain haemorrhage and a slight stroke ended her study. Yet after her recovery, she found herself wanting to write, something she had longed to do but never seemed to have the time for.

Returning to the UK in 2017, she settled down at her computer, and soon the tales of the Eight Deities of the Primordial Chaos came to life in the story of Malian, the altar tender. Her first book, The Eighth Deity, came into being, and The Gods of Chaos, a fantasy adventure series, was born.

Now living in a Nottinghamshire village, she has since added a further four books in this series: Brotherhood of Apep, In the Footsteps of Ra, The Papyrus of Maʼat, and The Bow of Horus.

Looking to expand the scope of her writing, she has recently written Within the Islandʼs Hold: A Nile Valley Mystery, and is looking to write further titles in this series, all set on the banks of the Nile.

My thoughts: Return to the banks of the Nile and the world of Ancient Egypt. We are in Thebes, at one point the capital city, and at the site of a new temple, which displaces the locals, causing anger.

When tragedy comes knocking, it is Nebka, chief of the Medjay (the closest thing to police) who must investigate and satisfy the Pharoah. The Queen is devastated and demands answers for her loss.

I like Nebka, he’s a smart man with a truly scary employer, the Pharoah is a god-king and will order your execution if you disappoint him. But the Pharoah also lives in a different world to many of his subjects and doesn’t care or understand why his whims might upset people.

But Nebka follows the evidence, a sliced piece of rope, a runaway fisherman, then the death of a young woman in the city. He’s careful and methodical and those he arrests quickly confess their crimes. Unfortunately the real danger might be inside the Medjay rather than among the citizens of Thebes.

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

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Blog Tour: A Curse so Bitter & Broken – N.A. Triptow

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We have another fab recommendation for you! Check out A Curse so Bitter and Broken by N.A. Tripton

A Curse So Bitter and Broken: The Prince and The Enchantress

Release Date: June 19th

Genre: YA Romantasy/ Hamlet Retelling

Series: The Wayward Chronicles Book 1

Three sisters. Four time periods. And an ancient fae secret that threatens to destroy all of life itself. Follow the Florentini sisters from modern-day New York City as they become embroiled in a fae war that spans continents and time.

Seventeen-year-old Ophelia Florentini is as normal as any other high school theatre kid, except for the visions of fae creatures that fill her dreams. When her play rehearsal is interrupted by the same ageless elf who keeps showing up to save her—this time from the very creatures in her dreams—her world implodes. As centaurs, pixies, trolls, and all manner of fae attack her family restaurant in the middle of New York City, she finds herself thrown into a new world and time where the events of Shakespeare’s Hamlet are taking place before her very eyes, but not in the way she expects.

In 13th-century Denmark, Hamlet is plunged into chaos when his father, the king, is murdered. Returning from Oxford, the young prince finds that his beloved home is nigh unrecognizable. The queen blames her husband’s murder on the fae living amongst them, and she’s handing out punishments left and right. Only it might not be her doing, for, unbeknownst to Hamlet, the darkness taking root in the kingdom has been brought on by someone much older and far more bitter than the queen.

Will Ophelia be able to avoid Prince Hamlet and her seemingly inescapable death in order to stop the Harbinger of the End of Days and find her way back home, or will she end up just like her namesake?

The Wayward Chronicles is a series of romantasy duologies each retelling a different Shakespeare play told from the perspective of one of the three Wyrd Sisters from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer’s Gilded, Erin A. Craig’s House of Salt and Sorrows, and Lydia Sherrer’s Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus. A Curse So Bitter and Broken 1: The Prince and the Enchantress is a dual point of view romantic fantasy retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where the romance is integral to the story but the magic and high-stakes adventure take center stage.

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Blog Tour: Mist in the Willows – Lucy Linne

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Mist In The Willows: Spirit Fleet Chronicles Volume 1

Written and illustrated by the author Lucy Linne

Discharged unexpectedly from the British military at the peak of her career, Jade Palmer must find a way to rebuild her life. Haunted by strange nightmares and fragments of her own fractured memories, Jade finds herself thrust among unfriendly family and unfamiliar friends. Her only comfort is in the cobbled streets, quaint cottages and winding river paths that hold the happy echoes of her childhood.

But in the local cemetery, older than living memory, a strange mist rises among the willows in the depths of the night… and with it, a vengeful entity that seems to stalk Jade’s every footstep with terrifying purpose.

Alongside her faithful dog, Cannelloni, and wild-child sister, Leela, Jade must fight once more—braving a tangled journey through ancient supernatural lore, and the depths of her own hubris, to protect those she loves.

For the dead have truths to tell… and their retribution comes as cold as the grave.

Mist in the Willows, the first entry in the Spirit Fleet Chronicles, is a chilling and cozy gothic novel about loss, cupcakes, annoying family, mysterious steampunk strangers, and the ways in which violence may haunt us all.

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Blog Tour: The Cotswold Manor Mystery – Maxine Barry

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❤ Friends to enemies to lovers

❤ Childhood best friend

❤ Amateur sleuth

❤ Small-town setting

❤ Slow burn

❤ Second chance romance

Welcome to Nether Dene — the cosy English village where a crumbling manor, a long-buried secret and a second chance at first love are about to collide . . .

After thirteen years away, Oriana Foster has come home to the village that broke her heart — and bought the one house nobody thought she’d dare to touch: the Manor House, ancestral home of the very family who once helped send her away.

With a fortune from an anonymous benefactor and a heart full of unanswered questions, her plan is simple. Move in quietly, clear her name and finally uncover the truth about the night Rollo Seton died. Because she didnʼt kill him, but somebody knows who did.

What she didnʼt count on was Lowell Seton. Rolloʼs infuriating but handsome younger brother is convinced Oriana is guilty — and heʼll do anything to win his family’s houseback.

But he canʼt deny that the spark that flared between them when they were sixteen has never quite gone out . . .

With her first love convinced of her guilt, can Oriana uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?

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Faith Martin was born in Oxford, and has spent all her life within twenty miles of the university city, even working at Somerville College for six years before turning to writing full-time.

Faith has been writing for nearly 30 years under four different pen names and has had nearly 50 books published so far. She began writing romantic thrillers as Maxine Barry, which Joffe Books are in the process of re-releasing as brand new eBooks.

Then she turned to crime, and as Joyce Cato wrote classic-style whodunits, since sheʼs always admired the golden-age crime novelists.  But it was when she created her fictional DI Hillary Greene, and began writing under the name of Faith Martin, that she finally began to become more widely known. 

Her latest literary characters WPC Trudy Loveday, and city coroner, Dr Clement Ryder, take readers back to the 1960ʼs and the city of Oxford. Having lived within a few miles of the city of dreaming spires for all her life, both the city and the countryside/wildlife often feature in her novels.

Although she has never lived on a narrow boat (unlike DI Hillary Greene!) the Oxford canal, the river Cherwell, and the flora and fauna of a farming landscape have always played a big part in her life – and often sneak their way onto the pages of her books.

Her hobbies include walking her now ageing dog, wildlife-watching, reading and (reluctantly) gardening.

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My thoughts: This was really good, and when I discovered it was written by the very excellent Faith Martin under one of her pen names, it became clear why!

Oriana Foster hasn’t had an easy life, her parents died in a car crash when she was a child, and then she was framed for the murder of her boyfriend, and sent to prison at only 16. Now she’s out and determined to find the truth.

Armed with a sharp intellect, several million pounds from an anonymous benefactor, and an incredible amount of courage, her first move is to buy the slowly crumbling old Manor House her childhood friends lived in, aka the scene of the crime, hire a team of PIs and a bodyguard called Connor. She doesn’t know who the real killer is yet, but she’s sure they’ll be coming for her when they realise where she is. 

It does also mean dealing with the people who think she’s guilty – her best friend Mercy and her brother Lowell. Who also happen to be the younger siblings of the boyfriend, Rollo, she was convicted of killing. And they now live next door.

Lowell has always felt guilty about his feelings for Oriana, she was his brother’s girlfriend and killer, but he couldn’t help fall for her. His girlfriend Margaret is the jealous kind, and his mixed up feelings for Oriana aren’t very well hidden.

With all the emotions – guilt, jealousy, love, you name it, in the air, things are bound to get fired up! And as Oriana starts to put the pieces together about the real killer and their reasons, she’s in danger. And not just her.

Absolutely cracking stuff, and bit by bit we’re given the reasons and the killer, all while Connor and Mercy and Lowell and Oriana fall in love and connect 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶.

Really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next Maxine Barry book as the marvellous Joffe Books are re-publishing them all.

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

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Blog Tour: Red – Izzy Barry

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Red (The Myth That Burns Book 1)

Expected Release Date: September 16, 2026

Genre: Shifter Romance

– Werewolf shifters
– Hidden identity
– Forced proximity
– Found family
– Slow burn
– Touch-and-d!e energy (both ways)
– Pack politics

Forced into the home of an unyielding Alpha, a grieving girl bent on revenge ignites a slow-burn werewolf romance where loyalty is law—and legends burn.

Her brother is dead.
Her freedom stolen.
And her greatest danger may be the Alpha werewolf sworn to guard her.

Aloka Tutten never asked to live among the pack. To them, she’s just a human girl—too small, too fragile, an unwanted liability. Her unwilling protector, Stark Lamont, makes no effort to hide that he doesn’t want her in his territory.

But the walls between them aren’t as strong as they should be. His quiet strength pulls her closer. His touch lingers too long. And beneath the heat of his gaze, the truth inside her threatens to break free.

Aloka isn’t what they believe.
And as war looms, her secret will rise—either to save them all…or set their world on fire, even if it burns her too.

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Book Blitz: Vengeance is Mine – John Macrae

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The Vengeance Man is back from the dead. For one last mission.

Former intelligence operative Mike Farrah thought he was done with spies, assassins and secret wars.
Then his old handler comes calling.
A ruthless enemy cell is operating on British soil.
The government needs bait.

Mike must become The Vengeance Man. A black-ops legend. A vanished assassin. A ghost everyone believes is buried.

Then Mike learns the truth about Dawn. The woman he loved didn’t die by
accident. She was murdered.
And the people who killed her are the same people now hunting him.

This isn’t just a mission. It’s revenge.

Because Mike Farrah has one chance to expose the killers.

One chance to avenge Dawn.

And one chance to survive being the most wanted ghost in Britain.

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John MacRae is the cover name of a former senior Intelligence Officer with a Special Forces background. He has written extensively on intelligence and military history, and has worked for BBC television and other TV companies as an advisor on military and intelligence subjects. He saw active service in the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, Arabia, and Northern Ireland.

My thoughts: Told he just has to be the mysterious Fritz, the Vengeance Man, a voice on the end of the phone for the various government spooks involved in what becomes Operation Ajax, Mike Farrah agrees, although he still isn’t happy with the last job he did for the intelligence services, ending as it did with two dead women, and a plate in his head.

But of course, it doesn’t go to plan, and he’s up to his neck in rogue Israeli agents, dodgy documents, gun fights, questions about his finances, several guns that he has supposedly been officially given, suspected of killing a mugger, his flat being ransacked and other nonsense.

But he is sort of enjoying it, helped by his developing relationship with Anna, a woman who also knew Dawn, and wouldn’t mind getting some revenge on her killers too. Anna has her own money, her own flat and is far too savvy to fob off with his cover story, so she’s soon drawn into the plot.

There’s a lot of meetings both in Whitehall and various London pubs, dinners out and a dodgy but on paper stunningly clean Irish gangster/businessman who might have some work for Mike down the line. Seems like the Vengeance Man can retire but keep his hand in with the intelligence crowd, just in case.

At moments funny, then action packed, I really liked Mike and Anna, and was pleased nothing horrible happened to either of them. The whole case hinges on passing off some fake documents as the real thing and following the money to see who is so keen to get their hands on what they think is solid gold blackmail material.

It’s a clever premise and I think that Mike will continue to prove to be an asset as the series goes on, and possibly Anna as well, as she’s clever and well connected.

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

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Blog Tour: The History of Medicine in Twelve Objects – Dr. Carol Cooper

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Discover the fascinating history of medicine from its primitive beginnings to the lifesaving technologies of today.

Award-winning author Dr Carol Cooper takes you on a journey through the 12 objects that have come to define medicine through the ages – from the barbaric and bizarre to the inventive and impressive, this captivating read is peppered with fascinating anecdotes.

In this unique history, you will discover how ill health has been with us for as long as humans have existed, as has the drive to treat and understand it. Over the course of centuries, the ways in which doctors have engaged with sickness has changed drastically, and so too have the tools at their disposal.

And as these tools have morphed and evolved, our knowledge of health and disease has expanded. Medical theories have slowly advanced, allowing people to live longer and healthier lives.

The 12 groundbreaking tools explored in this collection include:

THE TREPHINE
THE BONE SAW
THE MASK
THE MICROSCOPE
THE STETHOSCOPE
THE ETHER INHALER
THE HYPODERMIC SYRINGE
THE OBSTETRIC FORCEPS
THE X -RAY MACHINE
THE ECT MACHINE
THE HIP PROSTHESIS
THE HEART-LUNG MACHINE

The history of these medical tools is truly astounding, revealing the true extent of human ingenuity, curiosity, and compassion. This is a book for anyone interested in medical history or looking for a fresh and dynamic take on their specialist subject. With her immense knowledge and engaging writing style, Dr Cooper delivers a history that is not for the faint of heart.

My thoughts: This was an absolutely fascinating read, complete with gross moments, funny ones and bizarre experiments (why were scientists so keen to experiment on themselves?) that covers the long expanse of medical history and the development of some of the most important medical devices.

When you’re sick you don’t really think about the ingenuity and endless work that went into designing and creating the tools doctors use to diagnose and treat you. When you’re lying in an MRI machine, all you’re thinking about is the noise, the claustrophobia and how hot you are (or is that just me?) You’re not thinking of the scientists, doctors and early patients who all contributed to that machine existing.

With a very readable style that neither talks down to the reader or requires you to stop and look up every other word, this is an engaging and interesting read, about things that we might take for granted these days (stethoscopes, hypodermic syringes, x-rays) but were brand new science at one point, created and refined by brilliant minds, sometimes accidentally, at other times with a definite need.

There were some things I’d read before, and some that were completely new to me, and Dr Cooper includes the women and people of colour who were often conveniently left out of the narrative when it came to naming devices or winning awards for their discoveries. She’s also pretty funny on the rivalries and sometimes gruesome history of medicine.

I think I might get a copy for my friend who’s a cardiologist, I think he’d really it.

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

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Blog Tour: Ghost Notes – Doug Johnstone

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The Skelf women have been keeping their heads down, running the family’s funeral directors and private-investigation businesses. But when a woman collapses at her husband’s funeral and is saved by Dorothy, she finds herself drawn into the murky world of ‘grief tech’ – a booming new industry that creates digital avatars of the dead.

Jenny’s latest case – a simple blackmail job for an old school friend – quickly spirals into chaos as the woman’s tangled love life pulls Jenny towards dangerous old habits.

Meanwhile, Hannah and her wife, Indy, are confronted by the unexpected arrival of Indy’s ex-boyfriend, claiming to be dying and eager for the Skelfs to arrange his funeral. But his arrival uncovers more ghosts from the past, and threatens to upend everything they’ve built.

As their cases collide and their personal lives spiral, the Skelfs face danger from all sides.

Doug Johnstone is the author of twenty novels, many of which have been bestsellers. The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted – and The Big Chill longlisted – for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize.

Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral home. He’s also been an arts journalist for 25 years.

He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club and lives in Edinburgh with his family.

My thoughts: Skelfs, Skelfs, Skelfs!!! The Skelf family are back and I am delighted.

As always, Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah have their own cases, stemming in part from their roles as funeral directors, that impact on their own lives.

Dorothy revives a woman at her husband’s funeral, only to become embroiled in the family’s problems and an AI program that resurrects the dead, with troubling results.

Jenny is contacted by an old school friend, who needs her help with blackmail. But as Jenny gets involved, things take a nasty turn and end with a young man dead. Can Jenny work out who killed him and solve the blackmail too?

And we learn a lot more about Hannah’s wife Indy, as her ex, Yannis, appears at the Skelfs’ office, asking for them to arrange his funeral. He’s dying and wants to sort out a few things before he does. Unfortunately for Hannah and Indy he brings trouble with him.

As always, this is a fantastic read, written by an excellent writer. It might seem like the usual crime novel but there’s always something profound and thought provoking in every book. As the Skelfs blend crime solving and funerals, things surface that really make you pause and consider. Masterful. Delighted to have more Skelfs in my life.

*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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Blog Tour: A Night of Falling Stars – Lucia Damisa

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We’re thrilled to be touring A Night of Falling Stars by Lucia Damisa this week! This is the book three in the Desert of Bleeding Sand series!

A Night of Falling Stars (A Desert of Bleeding Sand Series Book 3)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

Genre: Epic Romantasy/ Young Adult

Covert Artist: Olha Volkov

War descends upon Thalesai in a storm of falling stars and growing darkness.

I never sought command, yet I, Dathan, have been chosen to lead our soldiers against the relentless Wraith Kingdom. But before the first horn sounds, I am already fighting a battle of my own.

Zair—my brave, stubborn, beautiful Zair—has been attacked by our enemies. The thought of losing her shatters me more than any blade. I would burn kingdoms for her.

And rising from the shadows is the man who once threatened all I hold dear. Cloaked in a magical disguise only I can see through, he seeks my title, my past exposed, and my family’s ruin.

With danger hunting Zair and wraiths stalking my dragon, every step forward feels like a war in itself. With Aine, a conflicted wraith spy, at our side, Zair and I must lead our people into a battle that could save our realm… or cost us everything.

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Blog Tour: Five Things I See – Wendy Church

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A city-wide conspiracy. A serial killer on the loose. A detective battling her own demons.

If pain is the price of strength, Grace is one of the strongest people you will ever meet. Five crime scenes connected by a visible pattern. A serial killer terrorizes the citizens of Jacksonville, and the entire police force is focused on cracking the case—but will they be able to stop the murderer before more bodies are found?

Three suspects who all tell a different story. Homicide detective Grace Hartwellʼs knack for reading people has never let her down—until now. Is the killer playing a clever game or is she losing touch with herself? One determined detective with a taste for justice.

Grace’s life is dedicated to her work. But she has a dark secret—a secret that could jeopardize not only her job but her life . . .

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Wendy Church is a Seattle-based author known for fast-paced and sometimes humorous crime fiction novels.

Her latest, Five Things I See, is to-date her darkest, and most psychologically complex book that Kirkus referred to as “A textbook case of how to make a police procedural pulse with energy.ˮ

Wendyʼs debut, Murder on the Spanish Seas, was named a Booklist Top Ten Debut Mystery/Thriller novel of 2023, and introduces Jesse OʼHara, an introverted and often inebriated woman with a million dollar brain and a ten-cent personality who travels to interesting places and solves crimes, sometimes on purpose.

Knife Skills, the first in Wendyʼs Shadows of Chicago series, follows a talented chef who is forced to work for the FBI. Knife Skills received a starred review from Kirkus, “Audiences who wish the TV series The Bear could make room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat.”

Wendyʼs propulsive novels are informed by her international travel and many careers. Sheʼs been a bartender, tennis pro, management consultant, nonprofit CEO, PhD researcher, and dive bar cleaner. When sheʼs not writing, doing research, or reading, Wendy spends time with her partner as full time personal valets to a dog and two cats.

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My thoughts: Grace is an excellent detective, but has a habit of going off on her own and not always communicating with her colleagues. She has a theory about the killer and is determined to follow it, despite being told by her boss to stop digging.

Instead she finds a friend, a man in hiding, a former detective in witness protection, and someone she can test her theories out on, especially as a new colleague on the team is annoying her.

But Grace has secrets, her childhood was brutal and it’s left its marks. Marks she isn’t always totally aware of. Things only her psychiatrist knows. If the sheriffs office found out, she’d lose her job, and she has a killer to catch.

I really liked Grace, she’s complicated and brilliant, a smart and savvy detective, who won’t let anyone stop her from solving her cases, she sees things others miss and puts things together. She doesn’t trust easily and has few friends, which is understandable when you know about her childhood and how much she’s suffered.

Her secrets and how hard she works to keep them could be her downfall, but could also help her in solving cases, depending on how she uses them. I look forward to her next case, I’m intrigued to see where this goes.

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