Category: books

With a terrifying certainty, she knew she was going to die.

DI Geraldine Steel knows people go missing all the time. So when her partner Ian asks her to look into the disappearance of his football-buddy’s girlfriend, her first instinct is to reassure him there’s no need for concern. Until she’s called to a suspected murder. The young woman has earth and fragments of twigs in her hair. It’s as if she’d been completely encased in earth. And yet she was found on the pavement, at the side of a suburban road, where she wasn’t in contact with any soil or mud.

Without a crime scene, the investigation focuses on her boyfriend. But then another young woman is reported missing. Unless he has an accomplice, they have an innocent man in custody. And Steel is running out of time . . .

A page-turning puzzle of a case with an unexpected final twist. If you’re a fan of Angela Marsons, Mel Sherratt and Karin Slaughter, you’ll love Leigh Russell.

Leigh Russell is the author of the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead and Murder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize.

My thoughts: another gripping and perplexing case for DI Geraldine Steel and her team. Several young women have gone missing in a small area of York, and now another. But this time, she survives just long enough to stumble into a road and be found, only to die in hospital.

She was covered in leaves and dirt, like she’d been buried alive and clawed her way out. Was her boyfriend the one who did this to her or is something more sinister going on?

Meanwhile Geraldine has been feeling a bit off, is her relationship with Ian in trouble? Maybe she just needs a holiday.

As the case unfolds, we’re offered the killer’s obsession and his strange justification for the deaths he’s responsible for. A twisted mind that the police can’t understand.

Clever, twisted and compelling, this is another excellent book in this 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.

Sometimes it’s best to let the past stay buried…
Thirty years ago, Jess’s mother, Nora, disappeared while on a charity hike in the US. The devastating loss has afflicted Jess well into her adult life and even inspired her decision to become an investigative journalist.
So when Jess receives an anonymous tip telling her that remains have been recovered in the spot her mother disappeared, she wastes no time in jumping on a plane.
They say the Appalachian Mountains have secrets, but as she begins to ask around, she learns that the locals do too. But no matter how much they lie, she is determined to find the truth – even if it will
irrevocably change her future.
Someone wants to keep the past buried. And they will stop at nothing to keep Jess as quiet as the tranquil mountain trail itself…
Purchase

M. A. Hunter is the alter ego of Stephen Edger, the bestselling author of psychological and crime thrillers, including the Kate Matthews series.

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My thoughts: I don’t think I’d be very keen on hiking the Appalachian Trail, which passes through a huge amount of America, passing through 14 states (says Google) and covering hundreds of miles of mountains and forest, small towns and some probably quite grumpy bears.

This book doesn’t make me want to do it at all, though Bill Bryson put me off first, at least no one he knew went missing somewhere along the trail (A Walk in the Woods, if you’re interested).

Jess lost her mother thirty years before, while hiking a section of the trail to raise money for Jess’ best friend Ashley, who happened to also be Nell’s goddaughter. Despite some pretty huge setbacks, Nell was determined to complete her section. But then she vanished. Her fellow hikers had no idea where she went or what happened. Jess was devastated, and after her dad died, all alone. Except for Bruce, who stepped in to look after her.

Now, Nell’s remains might have been found, can Jess finally get some answers or will someone stop her learning anything?

Nell’s hike was terrifying, honestly some of the things she saw were downright awful, and Jess doesn’t have a much better experience. It all gets a bit Deliverance-esque in a small town, Rockston, where the locals have some unusual beliefs. But did they, as Jess’ strange informant insists, harm Nell or is something else going on?

Twists and turns, much like the path through the mountains, abound, and there are a few times it seems the hikers in both timelines are done for, but the ending is surprisingly upbeat and hopeful.

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

The high society wedding…
Social media influencer Crystabel Hughes is determined her wedding to Giles Preston Smythe will be the talk of the town. No matter the cost or the upset, nothing will stop this wedding!
A cheating groom…
But for Alexi Ellis and the rest of the staff at Hopgood Hall, Crystabel’s demands are becoming increasingly extreme. And when Alexi spots the groom getting up close and personal with one of the bridesmaids, she fears trouble is only a bouquet toss away.
A killer bride caught red-handed?
And Alexi’s fears are confirmed when the groom is found dead on the night before the wedding, stabbed through the heart – the person holding the dagger. his beloved bride-to be Crystabel.
Hopgood Hall doesn’t need any more bad press, but the race is on to find the killer and close the case before Crystable live streams her dilemma.
Can Alexi, Jack and Cosmo find out why Giles was killed? And, more importantly, can they stop the killer before they strike again?
Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Frances Evesham and Emma Davies.
Purchase

Evie Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and is now redirecting her talents to produce dark gritty thrillers for Boldwood. For the past twenty years she
has lived the life of a nomad, roaming the world on interesting forms of transport, but has now settled back in the UK.

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My thoughts: this series gets better, and the murders more outrageous, with each book. This time the Hopwood Hall Hotel is hosting the wedding of the year, or at least so the bride and her mother/manager think it will be.

Crystabel is an influencer, and in her mind at least, basically a Kardashian, so she’s going all out. But in insisting the hens return to the hotel so she can keep an eye on the stags, has she set the ball rolling on events that lead to her being found standing over her groom holding a knife?

As Alexi, Jack and Cosmo (cats are excellent detectives) investigate the murder, and all the potential suspects, was this marriage ever going to work, even before the groom’s life was cut short?

Lots of twists and turns, anyone of the assembled guests could be the killer, so there’s plenty to investigate, which keeps all the suspects trapped in the hotel, while the police, and the Hopwood team dig into the lives of Giles and Crystabel, an extremely unlikely couple.

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