The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston
Publication date: 12th October Format: Hardback and e-book Ebook – Print
Book 3 in the Rabbit Factor Trilogy
Can everyone’s favourite insurance mathematician, Henri, combine the increasingly dangerous world of adventure parks with the unpredictability of blended-family life? He’s about to find out in the final instalment of the hilarious, nail-biting Rabbit Factor Trilogy.
Henri Koskinen, intrepid insurance mathematician and adventure-park entrepreneur, firmly believes in the power of common sense and order. That is until he moves in with painter Laura Helanto and her daughter…
As Henri realises he has inadvertently become part of a group of local dads, a competing adventure park is seeking to expand their operations, not always sticking to the law in the process…
Is it possible to combine the increasingly dangerous world of the adventure-park business with the unpredictability of life in a blended family? At first glance, the two appear to have only one thing in common: neither deals particularly well with a mounting body count.
In order to solve this seemingly impossible conundrum, Henri is forced to step far beyond the mathematical precision of his comfort zone … and the stakes have never been higher…
Warmly funny, quirky, touching, and a nail-biting triumph of a thriller, The Beaver Theory is the final instalment in the award-winning Rabbit Factor Trilogy, as Henri encounters the biggest challenge of his career, with hair-raising results…
Are a rocket scientist and one of Hollywood’s brightest stars a match made in heaven or is it a catastrophe headed for a crash landing? Lana loves four things: science, her cats, her friends, and her books. She’s on her way to earning her professorship when she finds out her long-term boyfriend has been sleeping with her best friend! That discovery has her hiding in the broom closet at a posh hotel. Only, it turns out broom closets are the place to be these days. Christian Slade, America’s sexiest man alive (as voted by fans), in a desperate attempt to escape the paparazzi finds himself in a broom closet with one sobbing occupant. Unable to leave a damsel in distress, he offers help, only to realise she has no idea who he is! It’s like he’s been given a gift. A smart, beautiful woman, who isn’t after him for fame and fortune . . . Soon Christian is buying a Tesla to impress his scientist with his eco credentials and taking her on dates where no one will recognise him. Purchase
Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy and her first title for Boldwood, The Love Theorem, a Hollywood-meets-STEM romance, will be published in June 2023.
My thoughts: this was a fun LA set rom com about the world’s most handsome man, actor Christian Slade, and a clueless but super intelligent scientist, PhD student Lana. She doesn’t own a TV so has no idea who he is, preferring to read a book and hang out with her cats. A girl after my own heart.
When they accidentally hide in the same broom cupboard – for very different reasons – there’s a spark. Cue romantic picnics and over the top presents.
Things don’t go as smoothly as you’d hope, there’s a few bumps in the road, but as they’re both genuinely nice people, and it’s a love story, it all eventually works out for the best. But getting to the HEA is lots of fun. With a great set of supporting characters, and obviously two cats (who doesn’t enjoy feline friends?), this is a sweet and enjoyable, Notting Hill-esque, romance.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Thirty-three-year-old Ruth Henderson and her daughter Maggie have some hard choices to make. Following the tragic death of Maggie’s father, they are left with a mountain of debt and broken hearts. So, despite her vow never to return home after the fall-out from her teenage pregnancy, Ruth can’t see any option other than for the two of them to move back in with her parents. Going home means many things – finally confronting her estranged father, navigating her mother’s desperate need to make everything ok despite the wobbles in her own marriage, not to mention helping a still-grieving Maggie to settle into a new school, find new friends, and stop expressing her emotions through her ever-changing hair colour. What Ruth needs are friends, but she abandoned her childhood ones when she left all those years ago. Luckily for Ruth, they haven’t abandoned her. Slowly she lets herself be embraced by a group of women who have always had her back – even when she didn’t know it. And as the grief and shock recede, Ruth can even begin to imagine sharing her life with someone other than just Maggie – if Maggie will let her. Purchase
Beth Moran is the award winning author of ten contemporary fiction novels, including the top ten bestseller Just the Way You Are and #1 bestseller Let It Snow. Her books are set in and around Sherwood Forest, where she can be found most mornings walking with her spaniel Murphy. She has the privilege of also being a foster carer to teenagers, and enjoys nothing better than curling up with a pot of tea and a good story.
My thoughts: there’s lots of different families in this book, from the Henderson clan, to Lois and Matt and their five hundred foster kids (ok, just five, but still), to Ruth and Maggie, and David, Arnold and Ana Lucia. Families are not just born, they’re made, built from love. There’s also the family Ruth finds in her friends, and in the church her parents go to.
I grew up in the church and some of my oldest, closest friends are part of my church family, so I really resonated with that. You can find family all over the place.
And Ruth really needs them all – her parents, her sisters, her daughter, her pals. Even grumpy Veronica and Hannah, who lives mostly in her memories. She’s been through a really rough time, losing her partner, leaving her horrible job, having to sell her house and discovering a mountain of secret debts her partner didn’t deal with.
And then there’s creepy Carl, who won’t leave her alone. She really doesn’t need his weird and scary nonsense on top of trying to get her life back together. And Maggie needs her mum, she just doesn’t know what to say. My heart was aching for her. Fourteen is a horrible age, without all the grief and trauma she’s dealing with.
But the book isn’t all sadness and bleak misery, there’s a lot of cake, there’s dancing, there’s new life (literally a baby is born), there’s new jobs and new love and parties and I loved girls’ night. When Ruth lets the people in her life help her, support her, then she can thrive. A joyful book really.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
White as Snow by Lilja Sigurdardottir, translated by Quentin Bates
Publication date: 12th October Format: e-book and paperback Ebook – Print
Book 3 in the Arora Investigation series.
Daníel and Áróra hunt a brutal killer when a shipping container with the bodies of five women is found outside Reykjavik, as Áróra continues the search for her missing sister. Book three in the addictive, chilling An Áróra Investigation series.
On a snowy winter morning, an abandoned shipping container is discovered near Reykjavík. Inside are the bodies of five young women – one of them barely alive.
As Icelandic Police detective Daníel struggles to investigate the most brutal crime of his career, Áróra looks into the background of a suspicious man, who turns out to be engaged to Daníel’s former wife, and the connections don’t stop there…
Daníel and Áróra’s cases pit them both against ruthless criminals with horrifying agendas, while Áróra persists with her search for her missing sister, Ísafold, whose devastating disappearance continues to haunt her.
As the temperature drops and the 24-hour darkness and freezing snow hamper their efforts, their investigations become increasingly dangerous … for everyone.
Atmospheric, twisty and breathtakingly tense, White as Snow is the third instalment in the riveting, award-winning An Áróra Investigation series, as crimes committed far beyond Iceland’s shores come home…
It is 1834 and Daniel Shenkin a Welsh coal miner, political activist, and bare knuckle fighter has spent two years in the convict barracks prison of Sydney’s penal colony. Together with his fellow convict Regan O’Hara they have been granted their ‘Tickets of Leave’ on the understanding that any misdemeanour would result in the removal of the Tickets and their full sentences imposed. Twenty years hard labour.
They find themselves on the streets. Penniless but for the diamond pendant that Shenkin had hidden away in his ponytail head scarf. This together with the help of the woman he loves and Doctor Tarn from the convict ship The Runnymede, they go looking for the one time London fence Abe Goldspick to sell him the diamond.
After a bare knuckle fight their sworn enemy Lord Feltsham, who wants both the woman and the diamond for himself, arranges a conspiracy headed by Feltsham’s henchman Ketch. It results in Shenkin and O’Hara being sent to the notorious Port Arthur penal settlement. It is a brutal place from where few convicts ever return. But in a two-fisted action-packed story they plan an escape from what seems an inescapable prison. They do it in a way no one would dare risk. The hard way.
It’s a breathtaking adventure set in the grim world of the 19th century. Against all the odds Shenkin is a one-man fighting machine. Survival is his mantra he is not for the faint hearted. Take a deep breath and enter his harsh brutal world with great care.
Born into a Welsh mining village in South Wales Davey Daviesis a former Opera Singer, actor and entrepreneur. A traveller to remote parts of the world he has climbed a number of the worlds mountains including Everest. He now lives in Spain with his partner the artist Celia Vodden where he is busy writing and enjoying Rioja between chapters.
My thoughts: this is a cracking adventure story set in Australia when it was a penal colony, and in the harsh environment, so foreign to British soldiers and convicts alike. Shenkin, a Welsh miner sentenced to transportation for his part in an uprising, alongside his Irish friend Regan has been released, essentially for good behaviour, but he can’t leave Sydney. He’s determined to avenge himself on those who’ve wronged him. Especially slimy Lord Feltsham. When he gets his comeuppance, it feels richly deserved, though I don’t think, after everything Shenkin goes through, that I would have his restraint. I’d have fed him to the sharks in Sydney Harbour.
Shenkin and Regan go through hell on Earth, sent to the extreme prison on Tasmania, where corporal punishment is the norm not the exception, where food is scarce and the punishments are for “offences” so ridiculous that you can’t help but break the rules.
But they also have incredible friends, from Doctor Patrick Tarn to the Aboriginal medicine man Tinker to Sir Edward Standish and fellow bare knuckle fighter Charlie Benson and his ship’s captain brother John Saxon. These friends won’t leave them stranded in a living nightmare, and with their kindness and aid, Shenkin survives to build up his sheep station and become wealthy and successful. He is finally able to take his revenge and even return to his beloved Welsh valleys a free man.
I love good historical fiction and this is well researched and written, with interesting characters and a plot that packs a punch.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Mirror Image by Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett
Publication date: 31st August Format: e-book and paperback Ebook – Print Number 0 in the Varg Veum series
As Bergen PI Varg Veum investigates two different cases, it becomes clear that they are uncannily similar to harrowing events that took place thirty-six years earlier… A gripping instalment of the award-winning Varg Veum series, by one of the fathers of Nordic Noir.
Bergen Private Investigator Varg Veum is perplexed when two wildly different cases cross his desk at the same time. A lawyer, anxious to protect her privacy, asks Varg to find her sister, who has disappeared with her husband, seemingly without trace, while a ship carrying unknown cargo is heading towards the Norwegian coast, and the authorities need answers.
Varg immerses himself in the investigations, and it becomes clear that the two cases are linked, and have unsettling – and increasingly uncanny – similarities to events that took place thirty-six years earlier, when a woman and her saxophonist lover drove their car off a cliff, in an apparent double suicide.
As Varg is drawn into a complex case involving star-crossed lovers, toxic waste and illegal immigrants, history seems determined to repeat itself in perfect detail … and at terrifying cost…
A chilling, dark and twisting story of love and revenge, Mirror Image is Staalesen at his most thrilling, thought-provoking best.
Two couples. A fatal accident. And a decision that changes everything… Kirsten and Nick are enjoying a weekend away until, on their drive home, they accidentally run over and kill a man. They should call for help – but they have too much to lose, and no one can know the real reason they’re here. Instead, they make a split-second decision to conceal the accident. Amy and Greg have just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. Amy is expecting a baby, and they couldn’t be happier. So when Greg fails to come home from a dog walk one weekend, Amy knows the police are wrong to believe he left of his own accord. Someone must be behind Greg’s disappearance, and Amy won’t give up until she gets justice – or revenge. If you had nothing left to lose, how far would you go to find the truth?
Diane Jeffrey is a USA Today bestselling author. She grew up in North Devon and Northern Ireland. She now lives in Lyon, France, with her husband and their three children, Labrador and cat. Diane has written six psychological thrillers, all published by HQ /HarperCollins. THE GUILTY MOTHER, Diane’s third book, was a USA Today bestseller and her fourth novel, THE SILENT FRIEND, was a Karin Slaughter pick for ASDA. THE COUPLE AT CAUSEWAY COTTAGE, Diane’s fifth thriller, is set on the remote island of Rathlin, off the Northern Irish coast and has recently been shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award. She is currently working on her seventh psychological thriller. Diane is an English teacher. When she’s not working or writing, she likes swimming, running and reading. She loves chocolate, beer and holidays. Above all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Giveaway to Win a previously released Diane Jeffrey book of your choice (Open Internationally) Prize – you can choose between the following books – The Couple at Causeway Cottage, The Silent Friend, The Guilty Mother, He Will Find You or Those Who Lie.
My thoughts: this started off going one way and then twisted and turned, much like some of the roads in North Devon (I know it well) to somewhere completely different.
After Kirsten and Nick knock down a man in North Devon and hightail it out of there, along with his body and dog, planning to cover up their crime and say nothing, the police don’t exactly look for them that hard. But someone does.
Amy heads to London to take her revenge and it’s here that the story starts to twist and turn. She bides her time, not taking any of the obvious options. She inserts herself into Kirsten’s life, but doesn’t reveal who she is or make a threat. She waits. It makes the suspense so much greater. And Amy’s likeable – she is kind and sweet and it is really easy to feel sorry for her, she’s lost so much. And Kirsten and Nick aren’t. They’re both rather unpleasant, especially Nick.
The interspersed letters from someone waiting to be sentenced in court aren’t from who you might think either. I didn’t figure it out till the end. The story’s clever like that. Not often you cheer for someone who does what Amy does, but it’s so well done and I enjoyed every moment of 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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Hundreds of years ago on a planet once ravaged by war, the nations swore an armistice never to use weapons of mass destruction again. Today, battle-hardened warriors known as Grievar Knights train to represent their nations’ interests in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
Murray Pearson was once a famed Knight until he suffered a loss that crippled his nation – but now he’s on the hunt to find and train the next champion.
Below, in the Underground’s brutal combat rings, an orphaned boy called Cego is making a name for himself. Murray believes he has what it takes to make it in the planet’s most prestigious combat school – but he has to fight his way out of the Underground first.
Alexander Darwin is a second generation Vietnamese-Jewish-American author living in Boston with his wife and two daughters. Outside of writing, he teaches and trains martial arts (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). He’s inspired by old-school Hong Kong action flicks, jRPGs, underdog stories and bibimbap bowls.
My thoughts: I don’t know much about martial arts, except from my family (dad – judo, sister – karate) and friends. But luckily it isn’t needed in this gripping and intelligent fantasy, set in a world where instead of war, there are knights who fight in single unarmed combat representing their countries. Inspired by his own love of martial arts, Alexander Darwin has created a fully realised history and culture in this, his debut novel.
Murray is a former Knight, now a Scout seeking out fresh talent to be trained up like he was, and when he finds Cego fighting in the Underground, he thinks he’s found a new champion. But Cego’s past is something of a mystery and as Murray digs into that, he uncovers some sinister things.
What I loved most is Cego’s friendships with his fellow fighters – especially Knees and Dozer who he comes up from the Ungerground to the training academy, the Lyceum, with. And then his team, the Whelps, most of whom get written off by their fellow students but Cego brings them together. The bond the group build is so important to their sense of self and to the confidence they need to survive.
The writing feels fresh but also like that of a writer much further into their career than a first book, it’s assured and the world building is strong. I really enjoyed it and look forward to book two.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
Two bodies. One long hot summer. A town that will never be the same.When Adam Lawson’s wrecked car is found a kilometre from Daisy Baker’s body, the whole town assumes it’s an open and shut case. But Jesse Redpath isn’t from Canticle Creek. Where she comes from, the truth often hides in plain sight, but only if you know where to look. When Jesse starts to ask awkward questions, she uncovers a town full of contradictions and a cast of characters with dark pasts, secrets to hide and even more to lose.
As the temperature soars, and the ground bakes, the wilderness surrounding Canticle Creek becomes a powderkeg waiting to explode. All it needs is one spark.
A twisty crime thriller set in small town Australia perfect for readers of The Dry and Scrublands.
Adrian Hyland is the award-winning author of Diamond Dove, Gunshot Road and Kinglake-350, which was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for non-fiction in 2012. His books have been published internationally, including in Britain and the US, and translated into a variety of languages, including German, French, Swedish and Czech.
My thoughts: an excellent addition to the Outback noir genre, with murder and intrigue aplenty out in the bush.
Jesse Redpath is a copper from the hardscrabble Northern Territory, who thinks something isn’t quite right about an apparent murder in Canticle Creek, a small town over the border in Victoria. She knew the accused killer, himself dead in a car accident, and he just wasn’t the type.
So, accompanied by her artist father, and her suspicions, she heads off to investigate. Aided, and occasionally stymied, by the local police officers, she starts to take a closer look, but could be putting herself straight into the firing line.
There’s conspiracies and drug dealers lurking in the Creek, locals put in danger and several near attempts on her life, but Jesse is determined to solve Daisy and Adam’s deaths and put a stop to whatever is going on in Canticle Creek, ideally before a terrible wild fire hits.
Gripping and cracking crime drama here, with an interesting cast of characters and a great protagonist. I hope this is the start of a series of Jesse Redpath novels.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Rita, a small, tough Scottish make-up artist is on Madeira trying to find out who killed Kim-Jim, an American make-up supremo. Also anchored off the island is Dolly, the yacht of Johnson Johnson with whom she teams up. Rita’s fighting spirits are aroused despite her danger. She is not one for quitting, even when she learns she is caught up in an international drug-smuggling ring. But she also discovers that dealing with the maddeningly enigmatic Johnson Johnson is, by no stretch of the imagination, plain sailing.
Dorothy Dunnett (1923-2001) gained an international reputation as a writer of historical fiction. She moved genres and turned to crime writing with the acclaimed Dolly books, also known as the Johnson Johnson series. She was a trustee of the National Library of Scotland, and a board member of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 1992 she was awarded an OBE for her services to literature. A leading light in the Scottish arts world and a renaissance woman, Dunnett was also a professional portrait painter and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy on many occasions.
My thoughts: this was lots of fun, it’s a shame I hadn’t come across Dorothy Dunnett before (what a name for the crime genre!) as she’s a great writer. In this book we’re off to Madeira and then onto the Caribbean in the company of Rita Geddes, make up artist and now amateur sleuth.
She’s not entirely thrilled to be out of the UK, and certainly not in the company of artist (and spy) Johnson Johnson. But her friend Kim-Jim is dead, her other pal Ferdy is on hand and she wants justice, and to rehome the parrot she just inherited.
But there’s a whole conspiracy of drug smuggling, trans Atlantic proportions going on and a hurricane closing in. As Rita and her colleagues race to get ahead of the murderous smugglers on a boat called Dolly, will they be in danger too?
Tremendous fun and the first in a series of adventures featuring Johnson Johnson and Dolly, though sadly not Rita, who I loved.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 