There is a killer on the loose. Scotland Yard’s brightest talent is chosen to head up the high-profile taskforce, a DCI who must confront his own past as the body count rises. There are few leads, and Jack Hawksworth can only fall back on instinct and decades-old cold cases for any clue to the killer’s motive and identity.
Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.
My thoughts: This was an excellent slice of crime writing, with a compelling plot and a committed killer, who’s willing to do whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of the police and complete their plan.
DCI Jack Hawksworth and his hand picked team of officers must find the murderer before another person is harmed. But what is the connection between the victims and what does the way their bodies have been left mean to their killer?
With twists and turns, a killer as smart as the detectives on their trail and a motive spanning decades, this will keep you hooked till the very last page.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Holmes and Watson face treachery and danger in the latest full-length thriller by Bonnie MacBird, author of the bestselling Sherlock Holmes novel Art in the Blood.
Murder, jealousy, and deceit underscore three interlocking mysteries as Holmes and Watson take on a high profile case at Windsor Castle, a boy drowned in the Serpentine, and a crusading women’s rights activist who suspects a traitor in her organization. The cases send them into danger into locales as varied as the Palace itself, a dockland cannery, an arts and crafts atelier, and a Gypsy encampment. But is there peril underfoot as well – right at 221B Baker Street?
The twisting, breathlessly plotted conjoined mysteries that Bonnie MacBird is known for provide a thrill ride that will delight Sherlockians worldwide.
Born in San Francisco, educated at Stanford, Bonnie MacBird lives in London with her husband, computer scientist Alan Kay. A fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle since age ten, she’s active in the Sherlockian community in both the UK and the US, and lectures regularly on Sherlock Holmes, writing, and creativity. A longtime veteran of Hollywood, MacBird has been a screenwriter (original script for TRON), an Emmy winning producer, a playwright, studio exec (Universal) and actor.
MacBird attributes her enjoyment in capturing “voice” to both her acting and screenwriting experience and her music training as well. She teaches a popular screenwriting class at UCLA Extension, which approaches writing for film using techniques of other art forms.
In her Sherlock Holmes novels, she aims to accurately portray the brilliant detective and his friend as closely as possible to Doyle, yet expanding the original short-form fiction to full-length novels. ART IN THE BLOOD features a child who has disappeared, and a bloody art theft and touches on the theme of the perils and blessings of the artistic temperament. UNQUIET SPIRITS features a murdered girl, a threatened scientist, and a haunted whisky estate while reflecting on the dangers of not dealing with the ghosts of one’s past. THE DEVIL’S DUE brings Holmes to the edge of evil in order to combat a devilish serial killer. And THE THREE LOCKS involves magic, cutting-edge science at the Cavendish Laboratories at Cambridge, and a mysterious box which arrives at 221B and which defies all efforts to open it. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? provides a Christmas conundrum in which danger stalks two boys, both sought by their fathers, and the mysteries surrounding their identities.
My thoughts: I do enjoy additions to the Conan Doyle canon, especially when they’re well written and give us a similar voice for Dr Watson, as this does. It feels faithful to the original and to the many, many lives Holmes has lived since.
There’s several interwoven cases in this book, and quite a few snakes, including of the human kind. The title of course references Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and there is betrayal and treachery here too.
The tattoo laid across the face of a beautiful young woman, cruelly murdered, and dumped at Windsor Castle, where she was the companion of a cantankerous old Duchess, sees the crime solving duo invited expressly by Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, to investigate, putting the police on the back foot.
Meanwhile an acquaintance of theirs brings them the news of the sorry death of one of the Baker Street Irregulars. He too has been killed. Do these deaths connect to one another?
Holmes picks up straight away on tensions within the young woman’s family, she’s practically estranged from her younger siblings, and their mother’s death twelve years before has a bearing on the cases he believes.
There are other deaths and kidnappings before Holmes holds all the pieces of this fiendish mystery together, with Watson at his side as they encounter Roma (referred to as Gypsies in the book in keeping with the period) who hold answers to several key elements to the sorry tale of death, revenge and greed.
Clever, filled with twists and turns that only Sherlock’s singular mind can unravel, this was an enjoyable and compelling read that Conan Doyle himself might have enjoyed (and yes, I know he hated Holmes).
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
She lives in my old home, she looks like me, she dresses like me… And now she wants my life.
Naomi is devastated when the sale of the apartment falls through, her dreams of moving to an amazing ‘forever home’ nearby with her family are momentarily dashed. But then a sweet-natured single mother named Summer appears, announcing her intention to buy Naomi’s old apartment.
And all of a sudden, it looks like Naomi might get her new house after all. At first, it feels like Summer’s saved her life. But as soon as the sale goes through, Summer starts turning up at Naomi’s new house. She’s enrolled her child in Naomi’s daughter’s class. She’s dressing like Naomi. She’s suddenly best friends with all her friends… And then Naomi discovers she’s got a pretty little doll’s house. One that looks just like Naomi’s new home.
Naomi wants to believe she’s just imagining things. What could Summer possibly want? And how far will she go to take everything that Naomi has?
A totally page-turning psychological thriller, that fans of Lisa Jewell, Sue Watson and Daniel Hurst will be unable to put down.
Natasha is an internationally bestselling author of psychological fiction, including The Missing Husband and The Woman Next Door. She trained and worked as a journalist for many years before moving into communications in the charity and education sectors.
She decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing a novel in 2019, when she was approaching her 40th birthday and realized it was time to stop procrastinating. Her debut, The Missing Husband, was released in May 2021 and she went on to write three more novels, which are published by Bloodhound Books. Her first novel with Boldwood Books is The Fortune Teller.
Natasha lives in North London with her husband, two daughters and two rescue cats.
My thoughts: This was very good, while at first I was on Naomi’s side, some of the things she was worrying about did seem slightly paranoid and maybe an overactive imagination – but then other things happened and once she finally had someone else who saw through Summer as well, then I was back on Team Naomi is Not Crazy!
It didn’t help that some of her concerns were about the friendship group of her seven-year-old daughter, children are fickle and friends change all the time, so it did seem a bit off to be so worried.
But Summer’s strange behaviour and the sullen nature of daughter Luna did ring a few bells. I used to work with kids and still remember all the things we were trained to look out for, there were definitely some concerns there.
The twists started coming thick and fast. Some of Summer’s plays were straight out of the mean girl handbook, but others were a bit scary. She seemed to have multiple sides to her character.
There are some great WTF? moments and the ending was truly troubling. Summer’s mind needs unscrambling and fast! Naomi’s woes may not be over yet. Truly clever crime fiction.
*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 cosy mystery with a dash of romance set in the vibrant world of jazz.
During an interview with reclusive jazz singer Betty Brown, journalist Virginia Farrell is shown priceless tapes from the iconic 1957 Thelonious Monk-John Coltrane gig at the Five Spot. When Betty is found murdered, Virginia is determined to recover the tapes and uncover the truth behind Betty’s death.
In the spirit of Nancy Drew, Virginia teams up with her six-foot blonde roommate to investigate the various suspects. Detective Robert Smith from the Hoboken Police Department joins the case, quickly becoming absorbed by an unsolved murder possibly linked to Betty Brown’s death, as well as an undeniable attraction to Virginia.
Dashiki is a cosy mystery laced with romance, immersing readers in the captivating world of jazz, where musicians, journalists, scholars, and enthusiasts intersect in an entertaining whodunit.
Florence Wetzel was born 1962 in Brooklyn, NY. Her novels include the thriller The Woman Who Went Overboard and the Swedish mystery The Grand Man.
She has also authored horror short stories, a book of poems and memoir essays, and co-authored jazz clarinettist Perry Robinson’s autobiography. In July 2024, she published Sara My Sara: A Memoir of Friendship and Loss.
Giveaway to Win a Paperback copy of Dashiki by Florence Wetzel (Open to UK / US / Canada only)
My thoughts: I like some jazz music and have certainly heard of a lot of the musicians mentioned in this book, which centres around the murder of Betty Brown – who was part of the jazz scene when John Coltrane’s star was in the ascendant.
Now living quietly in New Jersey, she agrees to an interview with reporter Virginia, who is thrilled to speak to her. Only later that day, tragedy strikes.
Despite the police investigating, Virginia decides she should also try to find out who killed Betty and why. A box of tapes from a Coltrane gig with Thelonious Monk was stolen at the same time – a priceless box, which jazz fans would possibly do anything to hear the tapes. No other recording of the show exists.
As Detective Robert Johnson investigates, Virginia, with the help of her flatmate Socks, is also on the case. She knows the jazz world, he the criminal. Who will find the killer and does it have anything to do with the tapes, or possibly something else in Betty’s past?
I really liked Virginia, she’s passionate about jazz, but also about finding Betty’s killer, she liked talking to her and wanted to help her, seeing this as a way to do so. I also liked the detective, desperate to avoid being a walking cliche – no doughnuts, but he’d given in to the power of Sinatra! Both characters were relatable and well written, I could picture them clearly in my mind and enjoyed their developing relationship. Perhaps there’s further adventures in store for them?
Witty, entertaining and clever, this was a fun, musical, whodunnit.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
** Terms and Conditions –UK / US & Canada entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.**
As dawn breaks, four people are planning journeys that could change their lives forever…
Kara McIntyre is supposed to be jetting off to her destination wedding in Hawaii. However, a last-minute hitch appears to have left her without a job, home and, more importantly, a fiancé.
TV sensation Ollie Chiles and Kara always have each other’s backs. But when his wife goes viral in a compromising clinch with another man, Ollie must choose between supporting his best friend in her hour of need or going home to save his marriage.
Alice Brookes is flying away to a new life after surviving a horrendous marriage and a very public scandal… until a stranger brings a letter from the past that could change everything.
After saying goodbye to someone he loves, Zac Conlan should be heading back to Dublin. Now a shocking discovery is threatening to change his plans and his future.
When weather delays their flights, Kara, Ollie, Alice and Zac discover that storms are brewing… and the turbulence is about to shake their worlds.
Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 30 novels, including My One Month Marriage and One Summer Sunrise and a collection of parenthood memories called Because Mummy Said So. She lives near Glasgow.
My thoughts: I love these interconnected stories of Shari’, set in Glasgow, with a cast of delightful characters, Val (who I adore) and Alice (from One Long Weekend) are back, it’s been a year since those events.
Alice is planning to move to Reading to be near her son Rory and his girlfriend Sophie, Val’s planning to drop her at the airport. But then Alice learns that an old friend has died, she has just enough time to attend the funeral before she needs to leave. There she meets Zac, her childhood friend Morag’s son, and he has some questions.
Meanwhile Kara has just quit her job and ditched her unsupportive fiancé, and still has to get to the airport to fly to Hawaii and see her sister Drea down the aisle, even while wallowing in her self-pity. Her best friend, Ollie, is also heading there, while his spoilt wife becomes an online sensation and he has to make some big decisions.
As all these different people hope the heavy January weather doesn’t delay their flights, stories collide and the past, present and future hang in the balance.
I enjoyed this so much, I loved seeing Alice’s story finally get its happy ending, and Val still roaring around in her yellow jeep. Kara, Ollie and Zac also get to make some huge decisions and change their lives, hopefully for the best.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
When Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri join a local walking group, their expectations for a peaceful outing to the Malvern Hills takes a grim turn. Arguments abound, and the hike ends in tragedy when one of the walkers is found dead in her car. Initially ruled as an accident, Jude’s instincts tell her there’s more to the story.
As Jude and Binnie dig deeper, they uncover tensions and secrets within the group. From hidden affairs to longstanding rivalries, it becomes clear this death was no accident. With each revelation, the danger grows. Can Jude and Binnie unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again?
A gripping addition to the Malvern Farm Mystery series, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Merryn Allingham, and Faith Martin.
Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children, and is now writing a new cosy crime series set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up. Boldwood will publish the first title, Murder at Malvern Farm, in August 2023.
My thoughts: Malvern is supposed to be very beautiful but considering the number of crimes, especially murders, that Jude and Binnie come across, I think I’ll skip visiting!
This time Jude is invited by Binnie to join a local walking group with her dogs, led by the rather strident former police detective Joyce. She seems to upset a few members but she isn’t the first victim of this killer, that’s another member, Becca, who is forced off the road in her car.
Is the walking group cursed? Or is something else going on? As Jude (unofficially) and Binnie (officially) investigate the deaths, and the members of the group as that seems to be the link, they uncover a series of secrets hidden under the sensible waterproof jackets and walking boots.
Clever and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing, enjoyable as ever and with changes coming to Jude’s farm and life, will crime solving keep her from worrying about that?
*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 once-famous dancer faces a heartbreaking choice in this thrilling novel set in the cutthroat world of Russian ballet
‘Outside the rounded window of the plane, the lights of St Petersburg glimmer through the clouds… The city is utterly familiar and unknown at the same time; it is the face of someone you used to love…’
Prima ballerina Natalia Leonova was once celebrated across the world, her signature bravura in demand on stages from St Petersburg to Paris and New York. But at the peak of her career, a devastating accident forces her to retire.
Injured and alone, the ghosts of Natalia’s former life begin to resurface: her loving, but difficult mother, her impoverished childhood, the friendships destroyed by her single-minded ambition. Above all, she remembers the two gifted dancers, Dmitri and Alexander, who were responsible for her soaring highs, her darkest hours and, ultimately, her downfall.
When Dmitri resurfaces with a tantalising offer for Natalia to make a comeback in her signature role of Giselle, she must decide whether she should risk everything for the chance to dance again.
Painting a captivating portrait of a world in which ruthless determination, romantic desire and sublime artistry collide, CITY OF NIGHT BIRDS unveils the making of a dancer with profound intimacy and breathtaking scope.
Juhea Kim was born in South Korea, raised in Portland, Oregon and now lives in London. She is the author of the novel Beasts of a Little Land, (Oneworld 2021) which has sold over 20,000 copies. It won the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award, Russia’s largest annual prize in literature, and was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She received a BA in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University, and her writing has been published in Granta, The Times Literary Supplement, the Independent, Zyzzyva, Guernica and elsewhere. Ballet has been a passion all Juhea’s life. She studied ballet from the age of nine and took it up again while writing City of Night Birds.
My thoughts: This was so, so good. I was completely drawn into Natalia’s world, the rigidly controlled, intense world of Russian Ballet, the passions and jealousies, the complex and often messy relationships between the dancers and their art.
Looking back over her impoverished childhood, the strict training at the Mariinsky company and the heights of her career as a soloist at the Bolshoi and Paris ballet companies, Natalia (Natasha to her friends, in the Russian tradition), charts the friendships, rivalries and romances that she has never fully understood or emotionally dealt with, either on stage or off.
I am familiar with both St Petersburg and Moscow, as well as Paris, the locations Natalia lives and loves in. Her mother’s Soviet era crumbling apartment building, the opulence of the theatres where she performs, brought vividly to life through the incredible writing of Juhea Kim, detailed and compelling.
I am a huge ballet fan, and love books written about the art form – both fiction and non-fiction, but I think even someone with little or only a passing interest in dance would enjoy this for the very human emotions – set in juxtaposition to the rigidly enforced rules of Russian ballet. The characters are beautifully rendered, their claustrophobic world, where the only people they really see are other dancers, the quasi incestuous nature of their tangled relationships are just *chef’s kiss*
We’re only in January and already I know this is going to be a reading highlight of 2025 for me.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Morwenna Mutton should be living the quiet life of a librarian and grandmother in Cornwall’s beautiful Seal Bay – if only dead bodies would stop turning up…
After the excitement of her last investigation, amateur sleuth Morwenna is looking forward to things getting back to normal. When local DJ Irina asks to meet however, desperate to share information she has discovered regarding nefarious goings-on, Morwenna can’t resist. But Irina never arrives for their drink – instead her body is washed up on the beach, an apparent victim of an accidental drowning. At once keen wild bather Morwenna knows something is amiss as Irina was a strong swimmer who knew the local conditions well. What had Irina uncovered and who would want her dead?
When the local news dubs Irina’s murderer The Cream Tea Killer in honour of Cornwall’s famous delicacy, the clock starts ticking. Now the murderer knows Morwenna is on their trail, no one in her family is safe. She must get to the truth before the killer gets to her…
If you love The Thursday Murder Club, Agatha Christie and Richard Coles then you’ll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries.
Judy Leigh is the USA Today bestselling author of The Old Girls’ Network and Five French Hens and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.
My thoughts: This is a really fun series set in a fictional village in one of my favourite parts of the country – Cornwall (don’t tell my Devonian relatives but I take my scones the Cornish way – jam first!)
Morwenna is up to her eyeballs in this case as a friend, local radio DJ Irina is found killed, hours after telling Morwenna she was onto something and needed her help. Morwenna’s reputation as an amateur sleuth and someone with her ear to the ground means that newly arrived DCI Blessed asks for her help to catch the killer. But what Morwenna uncovers goes much further than a single death.
Despite the heavy subject matter, the tone of this series is always light and there’s plenty of humour and Cornish-ness too. Morwenna’s granddaughter is still after a puppy and promises the practice the way of peace, rather than punching annoying bullies, in order to twist her family’s arms into getting one. Always very funny.
A gripping and entertaining read from first to last page, more please!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
Beneath the ruins of a Victorian greenhouse, a skeleton is unearthed – and with it, years of buried secrets in Raven’s Edge…
When decades-old human bones are discovered beneath the old glasshouse behind Foxglove & Hemlock, the local florist, DS Harriet March and DI Ben Taylor find themselves digging into Raven’s Edge’s murky past. As a frosty wind whips down the cobblestoned lanes of the village, the two detectives feel an ominous chill that has nothing to do with the weather…
The discovery coincides with the arrival of enigmatic novelist Iris Evergreen at Raven’s Hollow, a gothic monstrosity of a mansion that’s been sitting empty for years. Harriet is shocked to uncover a web of hidden secrets connecting the skeleton, Raven’s Hollow and, most alarmingly, her own family history.
Just as Harriet begins to piece together the puzzle, a heavy snowfall blankets the village. And there, half-buried in a snowdrift outside Raven’s Hollow, lies another body – this one still warm. As sirens wail in the distance, Harriet realises with a shiver that this killer is anything but history. The past and present have collided in Raven’s Edge, will DS Harriet March be the one to pay the price?
Filled with buried plots, tangled romances and deadly intrigue, this cosy village mystery will keep readers guessing until the very last page. Perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Agatha Christie, and anyone who loves their murders with a side of charm!
Most of my stories are set in small villages filled with quirky characters. These are partly inspired by the places I’ve lived in over the years, although the characters are straight out of my imagination!
I currently live in Wales, close to a famous library and two ruined castles. My husband thinks we moved here by accident.
My first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s Write a Bestseller competition. As well as nine novels, I’ve written short stories for women’s magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked as an administrative officer for the police. When I’m not writing, I enjoy visiting big old houses, which I use as inspiration for the houses in my novels, and reading other people’s books when I ought to be writing my own…
My thoughts: The quirky, witch inspired village of Raven’s Edge is the site of another clutch of mysteries – there’s a skeleton in the garden of the local florist, a dead man dumped on the roadside and a newly arrived resident looking for her father.
Harriet is up close and personal in all of these, she lives in a flat above the florist’s and is the first one to spot that the bones are human, so much for a day off. She’s also a bit more involved in the other mysteries than she’d perhaps prefer, thanks to her mother.
I like the tone of this series, the interconnected nature of the things that Harriet, Ben and their colleagues are investigating, their working relationship and Harriet’s exasperation at things makes me chuckle. This third installment is really enjoyable and despite being set in much better weather than now, felt perfect for hunkering down and reading. Great stuff.
*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 should have been the happiest night of her sister’s life. When she was crowned Miss Sunshine Sands.
But nothing was ever found except her pink satin sash that washed up on the shore.
Now
Journalist Zoe Kincade arrives in the rundown seaside town of Sunshine Sands to report on this year’s talent show. The motionless Ferris wheel blurs into the dark sea beyond and polystyrene chip trays bounce along the pavement.
She checks into the Forget-Me-Not hotel, a faded Edwardian terrace that has seen better days.
The last place her beautiful older sister Jane was seen alive.
Zoe has spent forty years trying to block out the pain. Any chance of a happy marriage and living in some kind of peace were shattered because of that night.
She was only a little girl when Jane disappeared. She just remembers how much she looked up to her big sister.
Now Zoe is determined to find out the truth.
And no amount of glitter and sparkle can hide the dark truth of that night.
Sally-Anne grew up in a small village just outside Sheffield. Her mum was a beautiful homemaker with numerous practical skills and talents, who kept the home going. Her dad on the other hand was not at all domestic, he was an avid reader of true crime books, lover of Carry On films, political scandals and wine. Sally-Anne takes after her dad.
Much to her parent’s disappointment, at 16 years old Sally-Anne left a promising job in the advertising department of the Derbyshire Times to pursue a performing arts course. This led to many jobs, few of which involved acting. She has tended bars, worked as a film and television extra and provided care in one of the last Victorian asylums in England.
Coming from a working-class background, her writing is inspired by those women who are constantly left on the side-lines and ignored. She takes the underdog and gives her the freedom to do what she wants (good or bad) and see where that takes her. With a diet of Hammer House and Tales of the Unexpected as a child, along with a love for the ridiculous, it is no surprise that her books have chilling themes with a hint of dark humour.
After living all over the UK and USA, she is currently residing back in the North of England and living alongside a menagerie of animals, including five pet pigs.
My thoughts: Two things that are always a bit seedy, faded seaside towns and beauty competitions combine in this clever and dark read.
Decades after her older sister vanished after winning the Miss Sunshine Sands competition, journalist Zoe heads back to the tatty B&B they stayed in before to document the latest incarnation of the competition and look for evidence about her sister’s disappearance. What she finds is darker and more disturbing than she could have imagined.
Full of twists and creepy moments, with unreliable and untrustworthy people all around, both in the flashbacks and in Zoe’s present, this is a clever and compelling read.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 