Category: reviews

It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her quaint Cotswold village.

She’s looking forward to her first
countryside Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run.
But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum’s knitting stall. His festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he’s found fatally injured outside the village hall with the stolen item.

Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there’s more to his murder than meets the eye. She’s determined to solve the mystery – including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop was worth killing for.

With the help of her charming neighbour Robert Praed, can Alice find the killer before the bells ring out this Christmas?

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Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village, where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing.

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My thoughts: It sometimes feels a bit funny reading Christmas books in a heatwave, and all the talk of jumpers and scarves in this did make me feel a bit warm, but thankfully there’s murder and a missing little bear to find.

It’s all a bit odd as a man steals a five pound knitted scarf from Alice’s mum’s stall (I love that little Laila calls her “Alice’s mummy”) with a curious bear shaped button attached. He then promptly gets strangled with said scarf and the bear vanishes. Only all is not what it seems and the little bear turns out to be far more valuable and important to the case than anyone realises.

Both victim and whoever killed him were dressed as Santa, so that’s really helpful in soliciting possible witnesses. But on checking the register of Santa Run runners, Alice spots that the victim and the most likely suspect didn’t use their real names…conspiracy!

It’s a really fun read, and funny, I enjoy this series, although, I too miss the donkeys from the first book, and I did enjoy how Wendy, Alice’s mum, manages to get to know more about the villagers in a few hours than Alice has ever managed in almost a year. Right, off to sort through the button box in case there’s something priceless lurking in there…

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

Life couldn’t be sweeter for Honey Driver, floating around the Med on her own private yacht, with her dishy detective husband Steve. But dark clouds are gathering on Honey’s perfect horizon. And the forecast looks like murder!

When Honey’s love boat sinks in a freak accident, she has no choice but to return to rain-drenched Bath. But now that Honey needs him, her insurance broker, silver-tongued Norman Glendower, is nowhere to be found.

He’s not at his luxury offices in town and he’s not answering his phone.
Honey could kill Norman for leaving her in this fix. But what if someone got there first?

Behind the gates of leafy Regency Gardens, the exclusive complex where Norman lives,  something is terribly amiss. Norman’s mewling cat leads a curious neighbour straight to  his dead body!
He’s been bludgeoned and left for dead on the pristine tiles of his designer kitchen.

Which of his many enemies was the one to strike the fatal blow?

Honey’s on the case — with a killer watching her every move . . .

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Jean, the alter ego of bestselling historical author Lizzie Lane, has lived in and around the Bath area for some time and was indeed a member of Bath Hotels and Restaurants Association — so well in touch with the hospitality trade in that fair city. However, unlike Bath hotelier Honey
Driver, she was never asked to be Crime Liaison Officer and neither does she collect antique underwear! However, her daughter assures her she is just as zany as the quirky Honey Driver and will never grow old gracefully.

My thoughts: This is why I don’t trust boats, I don’t get seasick or anything like that, but they do seem very fragile for things you trust not to dump you into the sea where you might end up getting eaten!

After Honey and Steve’s adventures return them to solid ground rather abruptly, it turns out that for a police detective, Steve is incredibly naive, he trusted a man he only met in a pub to insure the boat, and now it looks like it might have been a scam. Oh, and the man in question? He’s been murdered. But which one of his many shady acquaintances and unneighbourly neighbours did it?

Honey and her mad psychic friend borrow the deceased’s cat, interrogate the neighbours, there’s another death and a bit of arson to go with it, Steve is investigating officially, but obviously the unofficial pair get a lot further, and Honey’s mother inadvertently helps them out.

And for now it looks like drifting about is off the table for Honey and Steve as there’s no pay out coming their way, good thing there’s always crime to solve!

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

Old friends. Dark secrets. Vicious murders.

Could this be the case that finally breaks
Detective Andy Horton?

Roxanne Keay is found on the shore of Tipner Lake. Her long dark hair plastered over her grey, lifeless face. Her blue coat open to reveal a single stab wound to the chest. At first, it looks like a senseless act of violence. But DI Andy Horton isn’t convinced.

Roxanne wasn’t a random victim. She’d been serving on the jury of a high-profile smuggling trial. Justin Haslegrave is the man in the dock. If convicted, he’s facing a long stretch in prison.

But days later, Justin is found dead. Stabbed — just like Roxanne.
Horton soon uncovers a chilling link: Roxanne and Justin shared a dangerous secret — one they took to the grave. But someone else knows the truth . . . Horton’s on the trail of a ruthless killer, one who’s determined to silence anyone who gets in their way.

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Adventure, mystery and heroes have always fascinated and thrilled Pauline, that and her love of the sea has led her to create her exciting and gripping range of crime novels.

Born and raised in the coastal city of Portsmouth in the UK, Pauline Rowson draws her inspiration for her crime novels from the area. When she isn’t writing (which isn’t often) she can be found walking the coastal paths on the Isle of Wight and around Langstone and Chichester Harbours looking for a good place to put a body!

Pauline is the author of twenty-four crime novels — sixteen featuring the rugged and flawed Portsmouth detective, Inspector Andy Horton; four in the mystery thriller series featuring Art Marvik, the troubled former Royal Marine Commando now an undercover investigator for the UK’s National Intelligence Marine Squad (NIMS); two standalone thrillers, the award-winning In Cold Daylight and In For the Kill, and the 1950 set mystery series featuring Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Alun Ryga, who makes his debut in Death in the Cove with his second investigation Death in the Harbour.

Her crime novels have been highly acclaimed in the UK, USA and Commonwealth and they have been translated into several languages. Multi-layered, fast-paced, and compelling, they are full of twists and turns and are played out against the dramatic and powerfully evocative British marine landscape of the south coast of England.

Pauline is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Society of Authors. Before becoming a full-time writer, she was a renowned marketing and training guru, with a collection of ‘how to’ business books and a successful marketing, media and training career behind her.

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My thoughts: A gritty, clever and puzzling case full of misdirection and not a lot of obvious answers. When a woman is killed not far from her car, outside the local leisure centre, it seems a bit strange. But when the detectives discover she was on jury duty for a smuggling case, and seemed very anxious, they think they’ve got their killer. Until he turns up murdered in the same way.

Neither victim had a wide circle of friends and family, and they’re struggling to join the dots. What connects the two if it isn’t the court case? And how far back do they need to look? A throwaway comment made by a potential suspect leads them into the past and a secret someone is willing to kill for.

Enjoyable, intelligent and with a lot of twists and turns, this was a good book to get my teeth into and try and solve it before the detectives do, but I failed!

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

Murder, witchcraft, and a race against time – welcome to Pendle Hill.

A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has
delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.

Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?

Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up
the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.

Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?

Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring
DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have readers on the edge of their seats.

If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Val McDermid, MW Craven, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Witch Hunt.

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Fast approaching fifty; without enough money for a sports car, BD Spargo decided to express his mid-life crises by turning to crime …

Thankfully for pretty much everyone this meant writing crime fiction rather than anything more nefarious.

Originally from London, he spent his early career working in television and theatre including on the Ruth Rendall Mysteries broadcast on ITV.

A life changing accident necessitated retraining and a change of direction going on to work in mental health services. This culminated in ten years managing a groundbreaking forensic psychiatric service.

He now lives in Lancashire with his family and is getting acclimatised to the rain.

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My thoughts: The local police in Pendle have already arrested their killer before the MIT are on the scene, but they’ve been a bit too keen and with no evidence, and an alibi, this is not looking good.

Once DCI Doyle and his team get stuck into the case they discover a massive drug dealing operation, dodgy cops, and a second victim, which means they’re getting close. Someone’s trying to frame an innocent man, who happens to be mentally ill, but there’s a lot more going on here and somehow they’ll solve both murders, weed out the bad seeds in the force, and take down the drug dealers, hopefully helping some of the most vulnerable in the town at the same time.

Woven through the case is the tragic history of the Pendle witchcraft trial, which saw 12 people hanged, and as yet, they have not been pardoned, despite witchcraft not being real and the abolition of the Act they were sentenced under (whereas Scotland have done this).

Will is obsessed with the trials, and the voices he hears are those, he believes, of the people involved – both victims and the men who made the decision to convict and execute the accused. He sometimes struggles to understand what’s reality and what’s happening in his head, but he knows he didn’t kill anyone. He’s just a handy scapegoat. It’s up to Doyle and his team to prove this and find the real killer. 

Clever, suspenseful and insightful, I really enjoyed this book which treated its mentally ill characters with a light touch and respect, something you don’t always find. 

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

A NEW BEATTIE BRAMSHAW MYSTERY –

It’s the summer of 2001, and for WI Secretary and practised busybody Beattie Bramshaw, it’s a time of new beginnings.
Her much-anticipated wedding to vegetable grower extraordinaire Doug Sparrow is now just months away. However, in the throes of setting up their marital home and new market garden business, she receives a surprise request to care for a distant relative.

Likewise, a number of her fellow Elmesbury residents also find their lives on the cusp of change, and not all for the good. Is it pure chance that the arrival of Beattie’s young ward coincides with yet
another murder in the village? Or were plans already afoot?

Once again, Beattie picks up the gauntlet, but can she solve the case and uncover the murderer’s identity before it casts a shadow over her wedding to Doug?

Toffee Apple Strudel is a comedy crime caper in the style of Agatha Raisin and sees the conclusion of the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’. Make a brew, grab a chair, and prepare for a fun-filled finale.

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Susan King is hosting a giveaway on X, take a look here for all the details

Susan A. King lives with her husband in the North East’s equivalent to San Tropez,
otherwise known as Hartlepool.

The inspiration for her debut novel, Marrow Jam, came from her long experience and observation of competitors at a local country show where she regularly aspires to win Best in Show with her floral arrangements. Unsuccessful to date, she has been tempted to investigate more underhand methods by which to acquire the trophy but has yet to sink to the depths described in her novel. Or so she would have you believe!

Marrow Jam was shortlisted for the Write Here, Right Now novel competition at the Bradford Literature Festival.
The second book in the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’, Banana Devil Cake, is available in e-book and both are published by Eye/Lightning Books.

Toffee Apple Strudel sees the conclusion of the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’.

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My thoughts: I hadn’t read the previous books in this series and you don’t really need to (unless you want to) to follow this story. Beattie is a bit of a busy body, but in a village where everything anyone does is fuel for the gossip mill, it’s hardly surprising.

She’s asked to take in her cousin’s moody teenage granddaughter for a bit, as her mother’s had an accident and her grandmother is off to be nurse maid. Unfortunately Beattie has zero idea what to do with a teenager, and they initially struggle to get along.

While dealing with her new guest, wedding planning, a house move and setting up a business, Beattie also finds time to be secretary of the local WI, and when tragedy strikes, she decides to investigate. Something’s not right, and she’ll find out what it is, one way or another. Although the local police would rather she didn’t. 

Fun, with definite shades of Agatha Raisin and other series where the person who always cracks the case really isn’t the police but a very sharp local with a nose for lies and secrets.   

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

It’s our tenth wedding anniversary . . . and my husband is planning to kill me.

He’s planned the perfect cruise – and the perfect murder. His new girlfriend (my replacement) is waiting in the wings.

Our luxury cruise ship departs from Florida. Its destination – paradise. A surprise gift from Andre. Our first proper vacation in five years. A second honeymoon.

He’s bought me the perfect outfit. The champagne is flowing. Everything’s going to plan. Andre’s plan.
He thinks he’ll get away with it. But he doesn’t know what I’m capable of. Not yet.

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McGarvey studied voice at Manhattan School of Music and was later a theatre major in college.
She pursued an acting career but later moved into a magazine and digital media career. During that time, she sold advertising and managed sales teams for companies like Conde Nast, WebMD and worked for brands including GQ, Travel + Leisure, and Allure.
In between, she took a year off and backpacked alone around the world. Later, after having two children, she left media and became an executive recruiter for internet companies. In 2017, she began writing full time and has since published six novels.

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My thoughts: Fibromyalgia is not a very nice condition to have, I know a few people with it and it can be really hard to manage. Becca has it, and her rather awful husband is an ableist monster who’d rather not have to support his sick wife, clearly his wedding vows don’t matter to him. So he plans an elaborate and rather over the top way to get rid of his wife and be with his annoying girlfriend, while also milking the victim card for all it’s worth.

Unfortunately for him, someone knows what he did, and they’re willing to make sure he, and the rest of the world know about his scheme and expose him for the murderous monster he is.

The plot twists and turns, and while Andre thinks he’s planned the perfect murder, he hasn’t thought of everything…

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