A killer, silent for ten years. Now he’s back.

Ten years ago, three teens were murdered at a summer party in sleepy little Meadowstown. One of their friends was convicted of the murders and has been in a mental hospital ever since.

But now items are turning up which could have only been taken from the victims on that fateful night. Is it possible there was more than one killer? Or has the wrong person been convicted?

Det Sergeant Jack Brody of the Major Crimes Investigation Unit is sent to investigate. And comes up against apathetic local police who are determined to resist his every move.

Brody isn’t easily deterred. He pushes hard and becomes convinced the murderer is still out there, is stirring back to life, preparing to choose another victim. Brody summons the rest of his team, and they race to find the killer before he or she can strike again.

But this little town has some very dark secrets, and as Brody begins to uncover the horrifying truth, he realises that no-one here is safe, that even he and his team may be in terrible danger…

The Devil’s House – the first in the gripping crime series featuring DS Jack Brody.

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I hail from Mayo in the west of Ireland, although I spent much of my life away, in the US, UK, Europe, Jersey in the Channel Islands and various parts of Ireland.  In my younger years I was incredibly restless. 

I left home and school at 16 and spread my wings. I’ve had over forty jobs, everything from barman, labourer,  staff newspaper reporter, soldier  in the Irish army, station foreman with London Underground, mason, and many more besides. I returned to education as a mature student in the early noughties and hold a BA in history and sociology from the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, and an M.Phil in creative writing (first class honours with distinction) from Trinity College Dublin. 

Since 2005 I’ve been a civilian employee of the Irish police, An Garda Síochána. However, I’ve been on extended sick leave since 2015 following a mystery illness which struck while travelling in Spain. It almost killed me. The doctors never got to the bottom of it and they call me the Mystery Man. But every cloud has a silver lining. It has given me the time to write. Although I’ve been writing all my life, most of my output languishes in the bottom of drawers. 

Under my real name, Michael Scanlon, I was published for the first time in 2019 by Bookouture  with the first of three crime novels. Working with Inkubator is a great opportunity because I think I’ve learned something since becoming published and I want to put it into practice. It is a new departure and I have adopted a pseudonym because the books are so different. I hope readers like them. 

The Devil’s House is his first police thriller with Inkubator Books. 
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My thoughts: this was a very clever police thriller. We all know there are good cops and bad cops, and some very lazy ones too. Brody is one of the good ones but Meadowstown possesses a lot of lazy ones and a few bad ones, which means crimes get overlooked and often totally ignored. The Devil’s House case was “solved” with extremely lazy police work and now Brody is looking into whether the real killer is still out there, and killing again.

He comes up against the station’s boss, who really isn’t a nice man, but also Garda Kinsella, Nuala, who as the only woman, puts up with a lot of grief, being sent on stupid calls, getting dumped with work no one else can be bothered with. She’s another good cop and Brody enlists her to help him investigate.

There’s twists and turns, Brody is in real danger at several points as the suspect they’re chasing is both dangerous and psychotic. He won’t stop because he believes he’s above the law. But Brody is as determined and has a team at his back to help.

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

Thrown together by the British legal system, Holmes and his court appointed psychologist, Dr John Watson, seem an unlikely pairing… but sometimes the stars align.
Our two heroes are soon drawn into a series of riotous adventures that both bewilder and beguile.
Holmes’ mastery of data, deduction and logic combines with his gin-dry wit and a casual contempt for life-threatening danger to ensure there is never a dull moment as he and the good doctor battle
the mysteries that have the local constabulary baffled.
The game is afoot… oh yes!

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Born in Stockton-on-Tees and raised in nearby Billingham, Mel left Northfield Comprehensive School at 16 to train as a civil engineering technician at Cleveland County Council Surveyor and Engineer’s
Department. It was during this time, spent either at a drawing board or on the clever end of a theodolite that, following a rather sharp haircut, he was bestowed the nickname Melvis. Thanks go out to Joan the tea lady for that one. Fortunately Mel is not a vengeful chap and has not once even
considered informing HM Revenue and Customs of Joan’s illicit below-the-tea-trolley line in Kitkats
and Marathons. Whether Mel retains any likeness to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is debatable, however even the most imaginative would now concede he is less GI Blues and more the Vegas years. Mel
loves a parmo.
On the completion of his traineeship at the council, which included BTEC qualifications studied on day release at both Cleveland Technical College and Teesside Polytechnic, Mel relinquished his
unused right to countersign passport applications and photographs, and left local government for a period of employment in the private sector. This included stays at WS Atkins, WA Fairhurst and, perhaps his spiritual home, the now defunct Bullen Consultants Limited. During this period, interrupted by a bachelor’s degree in civil and structural engineering at the University of Sheffield,
Mel undertook a lot of modelling work. Three-dimensional ground modelling work to be precise, Mel’s use of isopachyte analysis being now the thing of legend.

A natural engineer, Mel expanded his capability into that of hydraulic engineering soon forming quite a reputation in the fields of both storm water drainage and sewerage design, his skills in this area being such that he soon earned the honorary title of the Shitman. It’s no exaggeration to state that Mel has forgotten more about storm water attenuation than most people will ever know.
Feeling more inclined to a digital era the modelling shitman left the world of roundabout entry deflection and balancing ponds to embark on a career in information technology. Following a
master’s degree in information processing at the University of York, he gained employment in the IT department of a large financial services organisation. It wasn’t his fault. None of it. Honest.
With respect to the written word, Mel’s efficient writing style is perhaps the requirement of both engineering and computer science to communicate in a concise manner. The comedy in his literary output being more of a function of a Teesside upbringing. Mel’s first foray into the world of creative writing came in the form of slogans for leading tee shirt retailer Shot Dead In The Head. Mel’s work
included the popular ”What Part Of Theoretical Physics Do You Not Understand?” and “If You Can Read This You Are Too Close”.
Upping the word count considerably into that of fictional crime writing, Mel’s first printed work Holmes Volume 1 and the imaginatively titled Holmes Volume 2. The reviews for this reimagining of Sherlock Holmes a dry-witted, working class northerner plying his trade in current day
Middlesbrough have been amazing. If you would like a copy of these classics including their cult cover art, act quickly, They will soon disappear to be republished as The Accidental Detective series in November 2022. This will include a new volume of stories including The Darlington Substitution and two new feature length stories.
And it doesn’t end there. Mel has now turned his writing skills to music and Project Melv!s. The debut single from this initiative, Provisionally Yours, was released in September 2021 and was
followed up with The Perfect EP at the end of 2021. Work on an album of original music is currently underway. It’s shaping up to be something quite special.
If you would like an email providing updates on Mel’s various endeavours please sign up to the newsletter.

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My thoughts: this was a very funny, clever reimagining of some of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Instead of a posh Londoner, he’s a wry Northern alcoholic, whose office is the local pub, presided over by the very patient Mary, while Mrs Hudson runs a clothing boutique round the corner.

Holmes is a former hacker and not really allowed near a computer but when Inspector Lestrade needs his help, under the “supervision” of his psychiatrist Dr Watson (not a surgeon in this life), he’s occasionally allowed near one.

The crimes he solves are mundane on the surface but there is a dangerous mastermind somewhere out there, a mysterious Professor. Oh and Irene Adler, some dodgy blokes called Smith and Jones, and the odd dead body to clear up.

Lots of fun, I enjoyed spotting the references and links to the original stories (ever the lit nerd) and the new twists and turns. The Victorian Sherlock would lose his mind if shown the internet, but this one is a 21st Century ‘tec. There’s another volume and hopefully more beyond that, and I still don’t quite know what a parmo is.

*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 discovery of a murdered woman with a rescued dog and her puppies on Bodmin Moor, hurtles Daisy, a shy retired librarian and her oddball friends, into another dangerous, yet comical escapade.
Daisy is on a mission to find the murdered woman’s killer, linking events to the puppy farm, and is suddenly thrust into a world of explosions, shootings and kidnappings!

Furthermore, family secrets come to light and Daisy discovers an unexpected revelation that will change her life forever. This newfound knowledge is difficult for Daisy to cope with and somewhat hinders the situation that befalls herself and her friends. And if that isn’t enough, the return of her ex-husband poses even more problems.

Daisy enlists the help of Cleo her cat, and Flora her puppy, both rescue animals, in her search for the puppy farm. However, the question remains, even with all the help she has, can Daisy manage to outwit the villains and save herself and the puppies from harm?

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Scottish born, I now live on the Jurassic coast of Dorset with my husband, and Monty our enormous Cavalier. Our two adult children live in Yorkshire and Germany. 

As a lifelong sufferer from E.D.S, I cope with my restricted mobility by reading and writing. I often scribbled stories from childhood, stemming from Scotland, Cornwall, Norfolk, Essex, and the Home Counties.

Now a teacher, tutor, and hotelier, I still scribble with each novel disappearing into a drawer!

Changing primary schools, five in total, meant that I was unable to read until given special lessons. This gave me a deep love of reading, and being an only child, I devoured books. Following this experience, when I became unable to teach because of mobility problems, I became a home tutor. After extra training, I specialised in children with reading difficulties.  Still an avid reader, I love cosy mysteries, where the murder doesn’t scare me to death!

The Open University helped with my exams, enabling me to continue studying. I had an amanuensis who wrote out my answers.  Of course, I did English and history, my great loves. Creative Writing was difficult as I love to write amusing and light pieces, and they preferred dark and dismal topics!

I studied botanical art for many years and then got RSI. Determined to carry on with my art and writing, I now paint with my left hand and dictate all my novels. I still paint flowers trying to capture their beauty, it is hard work but so enjoyable. 

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My thoughts: by now anyone who reads my posts regularly knows I’m a massive animal lover and that I think books are always better with animals in them. Well this one had a clever cat, a sweet puppy and more dogs in peril!

Thankfully Daisy and her friends are on the case and rescue lots of sweet little pups along the way. Puppy farms are awful things and need to be stopped, as Daisy and Co hunt one down, I cheered.

It’s a fun, entertaining kind of crime caper, with a crew of older amateur detectives, who don’t let their age or infirmity get in the way. They strongly believe in doing the right thing but having plenty of time for a restorative cuppa and some cake too.

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

How can you catch a killer When the only evidence is a dream…?

James Garrett was critically injured when he was shot following his parents’ execution, and no one expected him to waken from a deep, traumatic coma. When he does, nine years later, Detective Inspector Rebecca Kent is tasked with closing the case that her now retired colleague, Theodore Tate, failed to solve all those years ago.

But, between that, and hunting for Copy Joe – a murderer on a spree, who’s imitating Christchurch’s most notorious serial killer – she’s going to need Tate’s help.

Especially when they learn that James has lived out another life in his nine-year coma, and there are things he couldn’t possibly know, including the fact that Copy Joe isn’t the only serial killer in town…

Paul is an award-winning author who often divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where his novels are set, and Europe, where none of his novels are set. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. He’s won the won the Ngaio Marsh Award three times, the Saint-Maur Crime Novel of the Year Award, and Foreword Reviews Thriller of the Year, and has been shortlisted for the Ned Kelly, Edgar and Barry Awards. He’s thrown his Frisbee in over forty countries, plays tennis badly, golf even worse, and has two cats – which is often two too many. The Pain Tourist is his (lucky) thirteenth novel.

My thoughts: I hadn’t heard the term pain tourist before, but it definitely makes sense – it’s for those people who are obsessed with other people’s suffering, reading about murders or podcasting about them for example, stealing “souvenirs” from crime scenes. Basically forgetting that behind every over sensationalised crime, there are victims – the family and loved ones left behind, whose world no longer makes sense to them or feels right. And there are certainly plenty of both in this ingenious book.

Serial killers are rare but Christchurch apparently has several bopping around killing people, or at least this version does, and that doesn’t include the men who killed James’ parents and left him in Coma World for nine years.

There’s the original Slasher Joe, his copy cat Copy Joe, then there’s another one James somehow intuited while unconscious. And then there’s the nutcases who want to kill him and sister Hazel, just in case he remembers them. Which he doesn’t, not really. It’s locked in a filing cabinet in his mind. Along with the alternate reality he’s been living in his head all this time.

That’s the heartbreaking part, if he’d stayed in the coma, he would have stayed in the amazing world he built for himself, where his parents are still alive and happy. Where he didn’t lie in a hospital bed from age 11 to 20, unaware.

The question of whether the real world or James’ internal one is better is something he struggles with. And I empathise. The real world is full of murderers and danger. His coma world was kinder, happier. But in waking up he can help the cops catch the people who killed his parents, and another depraved killer too.

Totally brilliant, packed full of moments that really make you think, a cracking plot and characters, I was gripped from start to finish. I’d love more with Kent and Tate, the detectives, and maybe even a what happens next for James and Hazel – they deserve to be happy.

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

When a body is discovered at an abandoned Suffolk farm, DS Rob Minshull and the squad believes it’s the latest casualty of the drugs war terrorising rural communities. But when the victim is
identified as a well-respected local teacher, the case is thrown wide open.
While they hunt the murderer, the South Suffolk CID team face a new threat. A brutal vigilante group dispensing their own twisted justice puts the investigation in grave danger, as well as the detectives.
Educational psychologist, Dr Cora Lael, is called in to work with Lottie Arundel, a troubled teen who stopped speaking a year ago.
As Cora enters Lottie’s world, it seems that the teen’s silence might hold the key to the case. But as Cora and Rob work together to find a vicious killer, it’s clear that uncovering Lottie’s secrets will take
Cora and Rob into the most dangerous of places – where the price to pay for the truth might be death…
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MJ White is the pseudonym of bestselling author Miranda Dickinson, author of twelve books, including six Sunday Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into ten languages, selling over a million copies worldwide. A long time lover of crime fiction, The Secret Voices is her debut crime series. She is a singer-songwriter, host of weekly Facebook Live show, Fab Night In Chatty Thing..
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My thoughts: a local high school teacher found brutally murdered looks likely to be linked to county lines drug smuggling, but there’s a lot more to Oliver O’Sullivan, and none of it good. His relationships with some of his students at the all girls school crossed lines and it might be that which got him killed, if a local vigilante group can be believed.

Cora’s new job, helping troubled children, brings her to a teenage girl who has spoken in months – selective mutism. I once worked with a little girl who had this, it’s very sad really. But choosing to be silent is powerful, in a way, using your voice and speaking out can be very hard.

Lottie might be connected to the case and Cora tentatively speaks to Rob – if she can get Lottie to talk, they might solve the murder.

There are a lot of quite dark themes here but they’re handled sensitively and without turning into sensationalism. Lottie’s silence is something she has chosen, painful as it is for her parents, and her reasoning is that of a child, not an adult. Which makes it hard to understand, her methods to get help are tragic and misguided, yet understandable when you see how previous attempts failed.

Clever, dark and troubling,but shot through with moments of humour and the growing bond between Cora and Rob is nice. The other members of the team get a bit more space too, making them more interesting and less just names to immediately forget!

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