ramblingmads

The evidence is overwhelming. The suspect is terrified. And Nils Shapiro is about to discover that nothing about this murder is what it seems.

Lukas Day is found dead in his Minneapolis condo, stabbed with a ten-inch knife. Two jabs in the stomach. One slice across the throat. Lukas worked for wealthy businessman Jonathan Willett — and Jonathan’s wife was the last person known to see him alive.

Paige’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon, security cameras place her at the scene, and she admits being there that night. The police have already made up their minds. Paige is guilty.

Jonathan hires private investigator Nils Shapiro to clear his wife’s name. So far, so routine. But Nils quickly realizes that he’s being tracked. Someone wants him off the case. And a mysterious man offers him $50,000 to walk away. Nils says no.

Because Nils knows that when someone offers you fifty grand not to ask questions, you probably haven’t asked the right one yet.Now Nils must find the real killer before Paige goes to prison. And before whoever framed her decides to silence him too.

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MATT GOLDMAN is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a playwright, and an Emmy Award-winning television writer for Seinfeld, Ellen, and other shows. Goldman has been nominated for the Shamus and Nero Awards and was a Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List selection. He lives in Minnesota with his wife, pets, and whichever children happen to be around.

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My thoughts: This was a really good thriller with an excellent twist at the end. PI Nils Shapiro has a good relationship with the local cops, his late wife was one, and that helps him get answers about the evidence in this case, even though they think the suspect is pretty clear – it was the woman who had been sleeping with the victim – Paige Willett. She and her husband had a famously open marriage, so why would she kill her lover? 

Nils discovers an actually rather brilliant conspiracy or two, that distract him from doing what his wealthy and controlling client wants – prove Paige is innocent. So Nils does just that – and finds the real killer.

Really enjoyable and I liked Nils and his colleagues a lot, they’re funny, smart people, who work well together and alone, whether solving crimes and doing the bread and butter work of PIs – catching cheating spouses. It’s a series I’ll definitely come back to.

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

Lady Beatrice should be finalising her wedding vows — not investigating murder.

With just weeks to go before she marries Richard Fitzwilliam, Bea is helping put the finishing touches to Three Lakes, a rehabilitation centre for veterans, when a senior staff member dies in a late-night
lift malfunction.

At first, it looks like a tragic accident. Until the toxicology results suggest otherwise.
With the centre’s opening looming and scandal threatening to overshadow both Three Lakes and her wedding, Bea can’t help getting involved.

While Rich helps with the official investigation, Bea and the others have a few theories of their own. And while Perry obsesses over lift mechanics and Simon
insists he’s staying out of it (he isn’t), Daisy uncovers a clue everyone else missed.

As they dig deeper, they discover buried secrets, old resentments, and a grievance someone may have carried for years.
Some loyalties last a lifetime. So do some grudges.

A warm, cozy mystery with loyal friends, buried secrets, a determined little dog, and exactly the sort of trouble Bea should be avoiding before her wedding.

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Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two
dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.

I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.

It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a
lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes.

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My thoughts: The final outing for Lady Bea and Perry before she marries Rich and they become full time working Royals, obviously accompanied by Daisy at all times in case snacks attack.

They’re helping finalise things at Three Lakes, a rehab centre for veterans, something close to Rich and Bea’s brother Fred’s hearts as former servicemen. Perry has finally got the decor up to his personal standards and the team is in place to run it – all former Forces themselves.

Then Gareth, one of the management team, is found in the lift, an apparent heart attack. But the autopsy suggests foul play, he took too many tablets and the overdose killed him, but why would he take so many?

As the gang investigate – it appears the whole management team has history.  They all knew each other years ago and may possibly hold grudges. But would someone wait twelve years to take revenge or is it something more recent that caused this? 

Daisy obviously finds the key to the whole case (no pun intended) because she’s brilliant, and probably had the whole thing solved by smelling guilt on the suspects ages ago, but no one ever asks her. 

They do get the case solved and the guilty arrested in time for the wedding though, and as Bea and Rich head off on their well earned honeymoon, with Daisy of course, and Simon and Perry jet off on an American book tour, we say goodbye for now. 

I really like this series, I like this mix of humour and crime solving, Daisy, and the human characters, Bea has definitely grown on me and I think Perry is hilarious.  If this truly is the last book, that’s a shame but I do understand and there is always re-reading the whole series!

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

‘Bridget and Eileen sit like two old friends, except that one is dreaming while the other is dead.’

But when Eileen introduces her new dead friend, Bridget’s dream is in danger of becoming a nightmare.

Life is simpler when Omisha is just grieving for the tragic loss of her father, Harish. Yes, she is hiding away in a dingy coffee shop instead of going back to university. And she is using her best friend’s brother because she is too young for commitment. Oh, and there is the disgusting possibility that her uncle has been getting up close and personal with her mum.

She wishes she could go back to those halcyon days because now, her dad has sent her a message from beyond the grave. A message delivered by complete strangers who she has no reason to trust:
‘He was murdered.’

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Author Bio –
Rita Mistry has been living on the Wirral for a little over a decade, having been drawn to the ‘dark side’ from Liverpool by her wife, Anne. She has had a number of jobs over the years, such as door-handle packing, stationery selling and burger flipping, but she has mainly spent her working days computer programming which is a small departure from her first degree in English Literature.

Having always wanted to ‘be a writer’ and doing nothing about it until beginning perimenopause, she completed her Masters in Creative Writing with The Open University in 2023. With inspiration from
the Bard of Avon, she has finally completed – and is excited to share – her debut work.

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My thoughts: This was a very entertaining read, I liked Bridget and Sally and their adventures into helping solve crime. 

Omisha is the first recipient of Bridget’s new found ability to speak to the dead. Bridget thought she was dreaming but it appears she was visiting her old friend Eileen in the afterlife. When she’s introduced to Harish, it becomes clear that she’s now a conduit to the living.

After delivering her message to Omi, and throwing her entire life into chaos, Bridget has serious regrets but what else could she do? Pretend she didn’t know that Harish was murdered?

Omi buries her head in the sand to begin with, but realises she needs answers in order to get her life back on track. Was her dad really murdered and did her uncle do it?

She decides an (not very) anonymous note will get things sorted out while she finally breaks up with her situationship, Luke. Then she can think about going back to uni.

As her plans unravel a bit and secrets come to light, have Bridget and Sally done the right thing in getting involved? One chaotic meal will tell all. Anniversaries abound as everyone finally gets answers and puts their dead to rest. Unless Eileen has made another friend….

Funny and entertaining shenanigans ensue, making this a delightful debut and hopefully the start of a new series of crime solving with input from the deceased! 

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