Category: reviews

books, reviews

Cover Reveal & Book Review: The Passion of the Cross – Tony Lee Moral

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When famed curator Giovanni Montefiore is shockingly murdered at the Italian Opera in Rome following his bold proclamation regarding the authenticity of the True Cross, there are many suspects, but suspicion falls heavily upon his nephew, Mario Montefiore.

With his American girlfriend, actress Catriona Benedict, by his side, they embark on a perilous quest for truth and to uncover the real killer, leading them through some of Italy’s most iconic and glamorous cities.

But as the body count rises and the relentless pursuit of both law enforcement and paparazzi intensifies, they find themselves fleeing to Florence in search of the True Cross, which they hope holds the answers they need. Amidst the ancient streets of Florence, Catriona assumes a daring new identity, delving into a world of shadows and deception.

Will they uncover the secrets surrounding the True Cross before it’s too late?

Tony Lee Moral is a mystery and suspense writer who has previously published three novels, and four non-fiction books about the works of Alfred Hitchcock in both the UK and US.

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My thoughts: this was really good, a crime novel with all sorts of twists and turns, the plot is clever and involves a centuries old mystery – is the relic that the Vatican believes to be a piece of the True Cross real or just a random chunk of old wood?

Catriona and Mario are in Italy having recovered a lost Caravaggio in New York and returning it to the gallery it belongs to. They were expecting a reward, but Mario’s uncle says there isn’t any money – although he never really explains why. After a row, the men part ways on bad terms. Which is why when Giovanni is murdered at the opera, Mario becomes a suspect. But the dying man’s last words send them off on a treasure hunt and running away from the police to Florence chasing the clues.

The pair and their friend Freddie are put in danger as the search intensifies – there’s an FBI agent, the Roman police, dodgy collectors and a gangster too. The whole tale is like the Italian mountain roads, with turns and twists, sudden terrifying moments and blind corners (this is a terrible metaphor). 

I need to read the previous book in this series  – The Two Masks of Vendetta – to read all about Catriona and Mario’s Caravaggio adventure. Both books are being published this September and will be available in all the usual places.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review; all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: Prey – Vanda Symon

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On her first day back from maternity leave, Detective Sam Shephard is thrown straight into a cold-case investigation – the unsolved murder of a highly respected Anglican Priest in Dunedin. The case has been a thorn in the side of the Police hierarchy, and for her boss it’s personal.

With all the witness testimony painting a picture of a dedicated church and family man, what possible motive could there have been for his murder? But when Sam starts digging deeper into the case, it becomes apparent that someone wants the sins of the past to remain hidden. And when a new potential witness to the crime is found brutally murdered, there is pressure from all quarters to solve the case before anyone else falls prey. But is it already too late…?

Vanda Symon is a crime writer from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the President of the New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa. The Sam Shephard series, which includes Overkill, The Ringmaster, Containment, Bound and Expectant, hit number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and has also been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award. Overkill was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and Bound and Expectant have been nominated for USA Barry Awards. All five books have been digital bestsellers, and are in production for the screen. She is also the author of the standalone thriller Faceless, and lives in Dunedin with her family.

My thoughts: I did a happy dance when the lovely Anne sent over my review copy of this book, I enjoy this series so much. Sam is a fantastic character and the crimes she investigates are so well plotted and just twisty enough.

She’s just back from maternity leave, worrying about not being with her daughter, navigating breast milk pumping in the office and getting into a schedule so someone always does the pick up from childcare.

Given a very personal cold case by her awful boss, one where the witnesses are few and far between, that has been open for a long time with no answers. That’s because Sam wasn’t the one on the case. Now she is, she’s a dedicated detective, but the things she uncovers might not be what her boss wanted to hear.

Dealing with the office politics on top of everything else is a lot and if it weren’t for her colleagues, I’m not sure Sam would stick it out. The case is just interesting enough though for her not to bail and run home to snuggle up with her baby.

It’s a doozy, a murdered vicar, his family the last to see him according to the reports from the time. No one left in the church and no obvious suspects. The victim was well liked by his community and no one appeared to have a motive. But as Sam digs, that turns out not to be quite the truth.

I really enjoyed this book, I was so pleased to have more Sam Shepherd in my reading life, Vanda Symons is such a good writer. The case was clever and with some excellent twists and turns. Really good 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.

books, reviews

Book Review: Luna’s Veil – Wes Verde

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Leonard Burton wakes up to find his life in ruins. His wife is dead, and no one believes his story about what killed her – he’s not even sure he believes it himself. Now, in jail for the crime and with no friends, his prospects are bleak. That is, until he is rescued by Dr. Cecil Gainor, an enigmatic investigator and perhaps the only other man who knows what unnatural horrors are really at work.

Unfortunately, more questions arise when Cecil’s partner disappears while chasing the same dark forces responsible for the death of Lenny’s wife. The two men realize they must follow the trail themselves, or many other lives may be at risk.

What follows is a race against time to clear Lenny’s name and find the real killers before the full moon. The death and destruction that has already been suffered is nothing compared to what will occur beneath Luna’s Veil.

My thoughts: This is a mix of crime thriller, investigating kidnappings, murder, secret societies, and eldritch horror – with terrifying creatures woken up and brought into the world.

After Lenny wakes up next to his wife’s body and is arrested for her murder, a strange man comes to break him out of jail and asks him about the changes in Rita’s behaviour before her death.

The pair go looking for another member of Cecil’s organisation, and Lenny hopes for answers. What they uncover is a terrifying conspiracy and monstrous crimes beyond the imagining.

The plot twists and turns, as the two men hunt for Cecil’s missing friend and then for a new acquaintance’s sister – a young girl with unusual abilities. They hook up with a family of bootleggers who give them the weapons they need when they reach the end game – at Lenny’s father-in-law’s island mansion, where the mysterious Taurus Society are summoning their first leviathan.

Creepy and suspenseful, with elements of the Jersey Devil folklore, and references to the infamous Aleistair Crowley (that idiot), it’s a nightmarish world where demonic creatures slumber in the rivers of New Jersey.

Review opportunity provided by R&R Book Tours

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions remain my own.

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Book Review: Singapore Worlds – Murray Bailey

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Independent of the government, Carter is looking for work and thinks the unsolved death of a police officer. Sergeant Cox appears to have been murdered by a skilled assassin. The police have few clues and fewer suspects, but the suggestion that there may be a boxing connection intrigues him.

In this novella, set between Singapore Girl and Singapore Boxer, Carter confronts fighters in the ring and the streets to solve who killed Sergeant Cox and why.

My thoughts: Ash Carter is freelance but available to the military police, while working with the local force on the case of the murdered policeman. This will see him entangled in a world of gangs and underworld boxing rings. He’s sure that Sergeant Cox was crooked and his death has something to do with the gangs of young men he was supposed to be investigating.

A quick trip to look into the accidental death of a young soldier gets Carter some new acquaintances in the MP, which come in handy when he goes in search of a young gang member who might just hold the answers to both the murdered cop and a murdered gang leader.

I like Carter and the way he likes to work, just outside the lines, so it was nice to return to his story, as he investigates these cases, willing to go to places the police can’t. This story explains how he ends up boxing for a promoter in his next book too.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

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Blog Tour: A Deadly Affair – E.V. Hunter

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A local gossip is about to get her just desserts!

Life at Hopgood Hall is never boring, but Alexi Ellis hopes that there will be no more murders for the time being – she’s solved four already and is getting a reputation in the local area for being bad luck.

So when local gossip Polly Pearson arrives at Hopgood Hall, Alexi knows this can only mean bad news. Polly has made it clear that she dislikes Alexi and has campaigned for her to leave Hopgood Hall forever – so what could Polly want?

Then Polly reveals that her partner, Gerry, has been found murdered in her B&B and that she is the main suspect!

Alexi, her partner Jack, and Cosmo the cat are all left speechless. More so when Polly begs Alexi for help improving her innocence.

But Alexi isn’t sure she wants to help this spiteful gossip. Is she really innocent or as deadly as the police believe her to be?

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E.V. Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and revenge thrillers as Evie Hunter. She is now redirecting her talents to produce cosy murder mysteries. 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: My cat is very jealous of how much I enjoy this series and Cosmo the crime fighting feline. I was reading this book and Ted was furiously demanding attention – oops!

But it is a great read, Alexi’s nemesis in the village, a woman who has spread malicious gossip about her for a while, now needs her help. Oh, and Jack’s horrible ex-wife is in town too, she’s Polly’s friend and conveniently turns up to support her.

There’s a lot of twists and turns in what the police originally thought was a straightforward murder case. He was found stabbed in Polly’s home, in her bed, with a knife like the set she has in the kitchen. And the B&B guests had heard Gerry and Polly arguing before he was killed.

But as Jack and Alexi (and obviously Cosmo) dig into Gerry’s life and all his secrets (and there are many) there are more suspects than just Polly. The local CID are quite happy for the team to do the legwork while they work on other cases, being a small department. And most people are more or less happy to help, except for a shady livery owner who tries to set his dog on them. As Jack and Alexi get to the bottom of Gerry’s shady dealings, secrets and lies spill out from everywhere.

Another absolutely fiendish and intelligent read from E.V. and a great book for fellow crime fans. Enjoy!

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

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Blog Tour: 33 Women – Isabel Ashdown

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When sisters Celine and Pip get a call telling them their reclusive mother has died, the women are reunited at her riverside home in Arundel to pick up the pieces. But someone is missing – their middle sister, Vanessa, brutally murdered years ago and the victim of an unsolved case. As the sisters confront ghosts from the past, the discovery of another body in similar circumstances throws new light on Vanessa’s death. Could there be more to her case than the police first thought? And what do the mysterious residents of Two Cross Farm, the neighbouring women’s commune, have to do with it? What secrets are lurking behind their locked gates? And what is the significance of the number 33?

My thoughts: Two Cross Farm is a rather strange place, they choose to cut themselves off from the rest of the world – which means that rumours about what happens there.

Celine and Pip are sorting out their late mum’s house, or trying to, when a woman’s body is found just down the road. Was she from the farm? Did someone there kill her?

A twisting, intelligent thriller, which slowly reveals the truth behind the gates of the farm, the connection to Celine and Pip’s sister Vanessa, and what happened to the woman whose body was found.

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

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Blog Tour: What the Lady Wants – Emma Orchard

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Autumn, 1816…

Lady Ashby is grieving the death of her beloved husband just two years earlier. Although still young and beautiful, Isabella is resolved never to marry again, and plans to leave London, return to her
parents’ Yorkshire house, and resign from society before the year is over. But first, she wants one more taste of life…

Isabella has written a list, the contents of which, if discovered, would create a scandal that neither she nor her family would recover from. A list of things she would like to experience, just once more,
before she surrenders herself to the life of a widow. And she knows just the man to help her: her friend, handsome and honourable Captain Leo Winterton.

But Captain Winterton has a secret of his own. He is in love with Isabella – and when she makes her most improper proposal to him, he is powerless to resist her, even if she is resolved never to love
again. Can he persuade her they are destined to be together? Or will their impropriety be discovered, to the ruin of both?

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Emma was born in Salford and studied English Literature at the universities of Edinburgh and York.
Her first job after graduating was as a Copy-Editor at Mills & Boon, where she met her husband in a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. Emma has worked behind the scenes in television and as a Literary Agent, and in 2020 started writing Georgette Heyer fan-fiction.

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My thoughts: There’s a belief that the Regency period was really buttoned up and unsexy but the king and queen had 15 children, what did people think they were doing? The Prince Regent was infamous for his behaviour (he couldn’t stand his wife, but he did have lots of lovers) so in a way, although people weren’t openly having sexual relationships, there was plenty going on as long as you kept it quiet, especially in the ton.

Lady Ashby has been widowed for two years and after recovering from a breakdown following her husband’s death,  she’s determined to do things on her own terms – she doesn’t want a husband, she would prefer a no strings lover, she’s got a list and wants to get through it.

She’s picked handsome Captain Leo Winterton (who served with her husband in the wars against Napoleon) to be her first option – if he says no, she also has a list for that. Thankfully he agrees to a discreet, private arrangement.

This is a very sexy book, there’s lots of sex scenes, but thankfully they’re not too cringe worthy. And of course keeping the feelings out of it, doesn’t quite work out.

I really enjoyed this, Isabella was a very modern protagonist – she knows what she wants and she goes for it. Which I loved, she’s no shrinking violet. I also liked Leo, he’s the one dealing with feelings for once and it’s a refreshing change to the female lead with the crush.

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

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Blog Tour: Don’t Tell a Soul – Jessica Huntley

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She thinks she’s safe. She couldn’t be more wrong.

Elle, desperate to escape her abusive home, runs away to a seemingly cute small town where she gets a job as a waitress. And meets Vera, who offers her an attic room in her large house.

For the first time in years, Elle feels something like contentment as she bonds with Vera who becomes almost like a mother to her. Blossoming, Elle slowly begins to piece her life back together, make new friends and stand on her own two feet.

But all is not as it seems.

Because this old house contains a dark secret. And much as she cares for Elle, Vera will do anything to protect it. That’s why she’s warned her young tenant that she must never, ever go down to the basement.

But Elle doesn’t obey this simple rule and when she sees what’s down there, she finally understands that her lovely new life is actually the gateway to a special kind of hell…

Don’t Tell a Soul – the shocking psychological thriller perfect for fans of John Marrs, Shari Lapena, Kiersten Modglin.

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Jessica Huntley is an author of dark and twisty psychological thrillers, which often focus on mental health topics and delve deep into the minds of her characters. 

She has a varied career background, having joined the Army as an Intelligence Analyst, then left to become a Personal Trainer. 

She is now living her life-long dream of writing from the comfort of her home, while looking after her young son and her disabled black Labrador. She enjoys keeping fit and drinking wine (not at the same time).

This is her first psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.

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Inkubator Books

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My thoughts: This ended up being way creepier and completely different from what I thought when I started reading it. At first it seemed to be about two girls who had been abused at home and how they dealt with that, but instead it became a sort of horror story in Vera’s big, empty house with all it’s locked rooms and secrets. Elle hasn’t quite learnt how to spot a bad idea yet, but she’s getting there.

Her experiences in the picturesque village will leave her changed but she’s a survivor and will only grow stronger now that she’s escaped the killers the village has in residence. I don’t think I’ll be booking a holiday there any time soon!

Clever, full of twists, I mean honestly, I was so shocked by some of them, completely blindsided – but in a good way. If you like a good thriller, you’ll love this.

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

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Blog Tour: Legacy of the Runes – Christina Courteney

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A bond that even time cannot break
Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison’s disappearance. Suspecting she’s travelled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only
make sure she’s safe by going after her.

Raised unconventionally as her father’s only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she’s promised in marriage to a tyrant, she’s determined to find a way out of the
arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island’s shores: Storm.
The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .

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Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a Vice President and former Chair and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several
awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the
Runes. LEGACY OF THE RUNES (time travel historical romance published by Headline Review 15th August 2024) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

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My thoughts: This final book in the Runes series has Maddie’s brother Storm head into the 9th Century looking for her (see Tempted by the Runes for Maddie’s story)

Of course things don’t go according to his plan, on the way to Iceland, the ship he’s on is attacked and has to put in to Orkney. There he meets Freydis. She’s trying to find a way to get out of a marriage that’s been arranged for her against her will. Meeting Storm, there’s an instant connection. Might he be the way to escape her life?

I have really enjoyed this series, and it was really nice to have all the members of Mia and Haakon’s family’s (foster son and daughter’s best friend included) stories come full circle, with them happy either in the 9th or 21st centuries. Storm was an interesting protagonist – he’s trying to make up for his mistake, even though in the end Maddie wasn’t in the danger he feared. Falling in love with Freydis certainly wasn’t part of his plan. But I loved Freydis – raised more like a son by her late father, she doesn’t fit in in the 9th Century, and her mother is a miserable cow who doesn’t want her only daughter around. Meeting Storm changes her whole life in a really good way – and the 21st century suits her better.

I’m a bit sad this series has ended (although the author did say in her note at the end of the book that you never know!) but I’m excited to see what Christina writes next.

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

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Blog Tour: Pursued by Death – Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett

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When Varg Veum reads the newspaper headline ’YOUNG MAN MISSING’, he realises he’s seen the youth just a few days earlier – at a crossroads in the countryside, with his two friends. It turns out that the three were on their way to a demonstration against a commercial fish-farming facility in the tiny village of Solvik, north of Bergen.

Varg heads to Solvik, initially out of curiosity, but when he chances upon a dead body in the sea, he’s pulled into a dark and complex web of secrets, feuds and jealousies. Is the body he’s found connected to the death of a journalist who was digging into the fish farm’s operations two years earlier? And does either incident have something to do with the competition between the two powerful families that dominate Solvik’s salmon-farming industry? Or are the deaths the actions of the ‘Village Beast’ – the brutal small-town justice meted out by rural communities in this part of the world.

Shocking, timely and full of breathtaking twists and turns, Pursued by Death reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world’s greatest crime writers.

One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour). Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.

My thoughts: Varg does manage to find quite a few dead bodies in this book, and annoy quite a few police officers too, as he pokes around a small town, ostensibly looking into the death of a writer two years before, but also the disappearance of a young man a few weeks ago. The missing student’s mother happens to have been the dead man’s partner, and she hires Varg to look into what was ruled an accident at the time.

Even after being warned off by the police multiple times, he can’t seem to leave the current investigation alone. He just can’t help himself, and he’s annoying even more people as he goes. I don’t think he’ll be holidaying in Solvik any time soon.

He’s digging around the local, somewhat controversial, fish farm, there seems to be a link there, but after a bomb goes off at a meeting, he focuses on the locals a little more – the police have got their man, or so they think.

Varg is an interesting character, he’s a natural loner but people are either drawn to him or find him so impossibly irritating. He’s incredibly good at what he does, but never seems to build connections in useful ways (annoying every police officer he meets doesn’t help) and seems to find trouble at every turn, but I really enjoy reading about him. The stories are always so clever and compelling, full of sudden twists.

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