Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Brightest Star – Gail Tsukiyama

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Beloved bestselling author Gail Tsukiyama returns with a rich historical novel based on the life of the luminous, groundbreaking actress Anna May Wong—the first and only Asian American woman to gain movie stardom in the early days of Hollywood.

“A writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling.”—Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

“A beautiful, haunting book.”—Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Booth and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

At the dawn of a new century, America is falling in love with silent movies, including young Wong Liu Tsong. The daughter of poor Chinese immigrants, Wong Liu goes to the local nickelodeons to escape the schoolmates her bully her for her Chinese heritage.

By sixteen, Wong Liu has already chosen a stage name, Anna May, and leaves high school to pursue her Hollywood dreams, defying her disapproving father and her traditional Chinese upbringing—a choice that will hold emotional and physical consequences. Anna May gets her big break—and her first taste of Hollywood fame— starring opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad.

Yet her beauty and talent aren’t enough to overcome the racism that relegates her to supporting roles as a helpless, exotic butterfly or a vicious, murderous dragon lady, while Caucasian actresses in “yellowface” are given starring roles portraying Asian women.

Though she suffers professionally and personally, Anna May fights to become a star, financially support her family, and keep her illicit love affairs hidden—even as she finds freedom and glittering success abroad, and receives glowing reviews across the globe.

Gail Tsukiyama was born in San Francisco, California, to a Chinese mother from Hong Kong and a Japanese father from Hawaii. She attended San Francisco State University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Master of Arts Degree in English. She is the bestselling author of several novels, including Women of the Silk and The Samurai’s Garden, as well as the recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award. She divides her time between El Cerrito and Napa Valley, California.

My thoughts: I knew a little about Anna May Wong before I read this book, but not much, as her life and career had basically been forgotten by Hollywood – I think her story would make an incredible biopic.

Born in LA to a Chinese-American couple running a laundry, she wasn’t the son her father wanted, and some part of her knew that growing up – she and her father fought constantly. 

Desperate to be an actress, not an approved of career by her father or community, she started out as an extra, before garnering small parts in several films. Always cast as a stereotype, she desperately wanted to break the mould of what a Chinese-American woman was, but the anti-misceganation laws that banned interracial relationships, even on screen, made it next to impossible.

But she never gave up, sending several years in Europe making films, appearing on stage, and finding herself a community of friends. She also undertook a trip to China, which she recorded on an early video camera, with the aim of showing America the real China and its people. She was pretty amazing.

She was also a silent screen crossover star, featuring in the “talkies” and even giving musical theatre a go. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but never achieved the success she deserved.

The story of her life is bittersweet – she never married and suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, which tragically eventually killed her, just as her career seemed to be on a comeback with the advent of television and new film roles being offered to her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictionalised version of the life of Anna May Wong, a passionate and talented woman who deserved so much more and lived an at times, very tragic life.

*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: The King’s Messenger – Susanna Kearsley

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For fans of Diana Gabaldon and Philippa Gregory, courtly rivalry and intrigue…

He is tasked with the most dangerous of missions. She is only there from duty. But in the face of treachery and injustice, might they need each other more than they could know…?

1613: Scotland and England, unified under one crown, are reeling from the sudden death of King James’ popular eldest son, Henry, as rumours swirl that the prince was poisoned. Andrew Logan, one of the King’s Messengers, is sent north with secret orders to find and arrest the man the king suspects.

Phoebe Westaway cannot abide Andrew Logan. But when her ageing father is tasked with helping Logan, Phoebe finds herself with no choice but to join them in their quest to capture Sir David Moray, once Prince Henry’s trusted courtier, and carry him to London to stand trial for the prince’s murder. It’s a journey rife with complications.

Sir David has no intention of allowing himself to be delivered to London, and as he draws them deeper into the dark web of court alliances and rivalries, Phoebe realises she might have more need of Logan than she believes. A story of justice, honour, truth and love – and survival against impossible odds…

New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, interweaving romance and historical intrigue with modern adventure. Over 1.5 million copies of her books have been sold and have been translated into over 25 languages.

Her writing career began in 1993 when her then-unpublished novel Mariana won the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize. Since then she has writen twelve novels and won various awards, and has twice made the final of Romantic Novel of the Year awards. She lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

My thoughts: This was so good, Susanna Kearsley brings the past vibrantly and vividly to life, the characters are well written and their lives are recognisable even though they lived so long ago and in a situation so unlike anything most of us would live.

Andrew Logan is a King’s Messenger at the court of King James I & VI and his Queen, Anna. He has been charged with travelling to Scotland and collecting Sir David Moray – who the King suspects had something to do with his son and heir’s death. Prince Henry has been somewhat relegated to a footnote in history – the drama of his younger brother’s reign (Charles I) overshadows his very existence in history books.

But the terrible period after his death, suspicion and mourning, the Royal couple estranged and the fact theirs may well have been a rather unhappy marriage, is brought to life here.

The story of the long journey back from Scotland, which now takes hours, took days on horseback, stopping at inns and houses along the way to spend the night, bring the travellers together. There’s not just Andrew and David, but also Phoebe and her father, a scribe, and a young boy who was definitely my favourite character, Hector. They survive being chased by David’s cousin and his men, the risk of robbery, the threat from other members of the King’s court, and tragedy.

There’s also a sweet love story, as Phoebe gets to know Andrew better, and realises he isn’t the person she thought he was. Andrew’s kindness, bravery and sense of justice shine through as he leads the small group from Scotland down through the body of England to the court in London, balancing his duty to the king with his growing admiration of Sir David Moray.

This was a truly fascinating, interesting book and I was totally drawn into the world of Andrew and Phoebe.

*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: The House of the Witch – Clare Marchant

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Utterly gripping timeslip historical fiction, perfect for fans of The Witch’s Tree, The Essex Serpent and Weyward.

Now: When Adrianna arrives at the small, run-down cottage, near the sea in rural Norfolk, she can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Here she can forget her life in the city, and the problems she’s left behind there, at least for a while.
But – like Adrianna herself – the cottage holds secrets. And when Adrianna finds a mysterious bundle of notes hidden under a floorboard, she can’t shake the idea that they’ve been waiting for her. Especially when – in the rambling, overgrown garden – she then finds a strangely-carved stone,
drawing her into a centuries-old mystery…

1646: Between her work as the village midwife and the medicines she sells from her cottage, Ursula has no need for a man. But this ideal leaves her unprotected in a world where just one accusation of witchcraft can mean certain death. So when she catches the eye of a powerful
new local doctor, she must use every part of her cunning, or risk becoming his prisoner…

Can the two women – their paths bound by place and history – each find the keys to their own destiny?

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Clare Marchant is the author of dual timeline historical fiction. Her books have been translated into seven languages, and she is a USA Today bestseller. Clare spends her time writing and exploring local castles, or visiting the nearby coast.

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My thoughts: Having a break from her stressful career, Adrianna rents a quiet Norfolk cottage for six months, leaving her boyfriend (who I disliked immediately) in her Canary Wharf flat, with promises to see each other every weekend.

The cottage has been unoccupied for a while and the current owner lives abroad, so she has free run of the place and starts with a deep clean. In doing so she discovers some of its secrets, secrets relating to the first occupant some four hundred years ago.

Ursula Bain lives quietly in the shadow of the village church, she sells herbal remedies and helps tend the sick, delivers babies and nurses the dying. She’s lived in the village all her life and is known in her community as a kind and gentle person. But when a new doctor arrives and makes unpleasant demands of her (while dressed as a Puritan – creep and hypocrite) things turn sour.

As Adrianna deciphers the handwriting in the book she’s found, and makes a macabre discovery in the garden, we are drawn into the lives of these two women, centuries apart.

This isn’t a light hearted book, it explores themes of domestic abuse modern and ancient, coercive control, accusations of witchcraft during the dark period of the Witchfinder General, and handles these well, with a deftness of touch that mean it’s not too upsetting to the reader. I enjoyed this book, with the two very different women’s lives reflecting across time, things haven’t changed for us enough yet, that the treatment of a woman in the 1600s feels relevant in 2024. It’s a clever thing to do and the unravelling mystery across the centuries has more twists than you might expect.

*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: Flowers from the Black Sea – A.B. Decker

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Tasked by Ben, an old friend, to locate a man in Turkey, private investigator Matt Quillan soon finds himself out of his depth when he has a flash drive thrust on him by a stranger who is arrested by armed officers shortly afterwards.

When Ben reveals that his mission is to avenge the murder of his sister, the conjunction of this assignment along with the flash drive burning a hole in Matt’s pocket puts them both – along with holidaymaker Amber – in mortal danger.

As the case lands Matt in the crosshairs of a local mobster, it is not only Ben’s search for vengeance which is left hanging in the balance.

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A native of Exeter, A.B. Decker studied at Newcastle, London and Bristol. He worked briefly as a teacher of English in Germany and a translator in the UK. On receiving an offer that he couldn’t refuse, he moved with his young family to work for a multinational company in Switzerland, where he eventually set up his own business. Flowers from the Black Sea is his second novel, having published his first, The Dark Frontier, in 2021.

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My thoughts: agreeing to go to Türkiye for a friend to look for someone as a favour might just be the worst idea Matt Quillan ever had. From the moment he arrives in the country he’s dealing with the police, accidentally getting caught up in something political when a stranger asks him to deliver a USB to someone in the resort town he’s heading to.

Then he starts looking for the man he’s seeking – and uncovering a whole lot of skeletons in the cupboard. It’s a lot more complicated than he’s been lead to believe – there’s a probable murder, a connection to a gangster, corruption and some old spies playing games too.

Then there’s the woman he meets, on holiday, staying with her sister, who gets herself far too involved for her own good and once his furious, vengeful friend Ben arrives, all hell breaks loose. 

There’s a Wild West feel to the story – the police can’t be trusted as the local mob boss has them in his pocket and Ahmet (Matt’s quarry) seems to be in bed with him. The various residents of the town are all a bit odd, and all of them have their opinions of Susie’s death, and each other. 

Somehow Matt has to make sense of all of this and keep himself, Amber and Ben from ending up dead or arrested by the local jendarmerie. A lot happens very quickly and there’s lots of racing around, trying to stay one step ahead of those looking for them. 

The ending is a shock twist and I really hope there’s a sequel so we can find out what happens next – and what becomes of Matt and his friends. 

*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: The Friend Zone Experiment – Zen Cho

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From the renowned, award-winning author Zen Cho comes a delightfully funny romance about family, class, and love in modern London.

From the outside, Renee Goh’s life looks perfect. She’s thirty and beautiful, runs a glamorous—and profitable—women’s clothing company in London, and is dating a hot Taiwanese pop star. But Renee is lonely. Estranged from her family in Singapore, she practically lives at the office, and now she’s just been dumped by her supposed boyfriend. Who she never saw anyway, so why is she ruining her Instagram-ready makeup by crying?

Before she can curl up on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, Renee’s father calls. He’s retiring, and, thanks to the screw-ups of her wastrel brothers, he is considering her as the next CEO of the family business: Chahaya Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia. That stamp of her father’s approval would mean everything to Renee, but can she cooperate with the brothers who drove her out of Singapore?

But fate isn’t done with her. That same night, Renee bumps into her first love, Yap Ket Siong, who broke her heart during university. They spend a wonderful night together, but Ket Siong is pursuing a dangerous vengeance for his family. In the light of day is there any hope for the two of them?

Zen Cho was born and raised in Malaysia and now lives in Birmingham. She was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer for her short fiction and won the Crawford Award. Her debut novel, Sorcerer to the Crown, won the 2016 British Fantasy Society Award for Best Newcomer. She is also the author of The True Queen, Black Water Sister and Spirits Abroad.

My thoughts: I was really excited to read this, Zen Cho is an excellent writer and this is her first rom com and first non-fantasy book.

It’s a really fun read, Renee is a fantastic protagonist, for all her material comforts, the luxury apartment, the wealthy background, the fashion brand she owns, she’s just like every other thirty-something trying to have it all – and love is the elusive thing.

She’s also got a very strained relationship with her family, back in Singapore. And despite her father’s new scheme to pit his children against each other to see who he should put in charge of his company, that isn’t going to change – and it’s a pretty crappy thing to do anyway.

Renee is juggling her business, Virtu, and now she’s trying to get along with her older brother (who’s a bit of a prat), her ex-boyfriend (a total piece of work) is back in her life because of the business deal she’s attempting to put together for her dad, her best friend’s busy with her own life so she doesn’t have a consistent shoulder to lean on.

Then she runs into the one that got away. And everything gets turned upside down.

Ket Siong pretty much vanished on Renee when they were students, and now they’re both in London, and maybe it’s time to see where this might go. Unless they choose to be just friends….

Funny, smart and with some sharp edges in amongst the rom com froth, this is a lot of fun to read. I recommend getting snacks  as they go out to eat a lot, and Renee never seems to actually manage to eat any of the delicious dishes she orders.

I need a sequel, I need more of this witty, intelligent writing. Loved it!

*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: Costanza – Rachel Blackmore

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History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman.
This is her story.

It’s 1636 and Rome hums with gossip and sin. Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife – until she meets world-famous sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.

Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza’s reputation is at stake. And Bernini has a more dangerous desire: he wants to immortalise Costanza in marble. When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza it marks the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.

Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza’s story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise …

Costanza is a dizzying and sensual historical novel that brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history.

Based on real-life events, Costanza’s love affair, and subsequent downfall at the hands of one of the world’s best-known artists, foreshadows modern-day violence against women. Examining themes of male rage and female transgression, the plotline is based on the ‘Intimate Partner Homicide Timeline’ used by police today –  the eight identifiable stages of escalation to violence all of us should be able to recognise. 

Born in Birmingham, Rachel spent her childhood in the Northeast, then the Midlands. She studied history at King’s College London, where her fascination for women’s history took root. After a brief stint in politics, Rachel built a career in corporate communications. In 2021, she was runner-up in the Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre 2022 Novel Fair. Rachel lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.

My thoughts: Lorenzo Bernini is widely regarded as an artistic genius, one of incredible creative minds that Renaissance  Italy produced. However, in this version of events, he was also a nasty, jealous piece of shit. As was his brother.

Costanza Piccolomini is married to one of the artisans who works for the Berninis, and she catches the eye of Lorenzo. They begin an intense affair and Lorenzo’s envious, violent younger brother takes a keen interest.

Costanza is intelligent, fiery and a bit of a social climber, but she and her husband could do OK even without the patronage of the Berninis. But instead she becomes drawn into their orbit and the bitter rivalry between the brothers.

The author has used the pattern of escalation used by the police to track intimate partner homicides, where events escalate from controlling behaviour to, sadly, often murder. Costanza’s life is a matter of public record, scant though it is, a chapter in Lorenzo Berlini’s biography. But here she is brought vividly back to life, a real woman at risk from violent and cruel men in a society that saw sin and not harm.

I found the concept fascinating and clever. So many women’s lives historically would probably be understood completely differently if viewed through this lens, or any of our more recent understanding of humanity.

*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: A Lady’s Fortune – Jane Dunn

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In Regency England, twenty-seven-year-old Leonora Appleby is considered by many – herself included – to be beyond her most eligible marrying years. With her childhood home, Hasterleigh Manor, soon to be taken over by the heir to the land, George Lockwood, Leonora has happily resigned herself to a quiet life as a country Miss.

But life has a way of springing surprises and the return of the brooding war hero Earl Rokeby, presumed dead on the French battlefields, to the magnificent neighbouring Rokeby Abbey has the village atwitter with speculation. Earl Rokeby has returned, scarred in mind and body, with news for Leonora’s best friend Charlotte Blythe – news that will change everything.

Now Charlotte and Leonora must travel to Town for the Season and take their futures and fate into their own hands in the whirl of balls, parties and gossip. But will either of them return to Hasterleigh with a husband and a fortune, and what other secrets does the devastatingly dashing Alistair Rokeby have up his silken sleeves…

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in
their lives.

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Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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My thoughts: Jane Dunn is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors, I love her independent minded, spirited and often very funny heroines, and Leonora is no different. She’s decided that at 27 in Regency England, she’s on the shelf and happily looking forward to spinsterhood. The distant cousin who has inherited her father’s estate is rather nice and she’s not too upset about moving into the smaller home on the family estate.

Then the Earl of Rokeby (her neighbour) returns from the front (fighting Napoleon) and turns everything upside down. Suddenly Nora is off to London for the Season with her friend Charlotte and the delightful Nanny P (I think she and the Countess should get their own spin-off book solving crimes or something).

In the whirl of parties and social functions, the two women find time to ride in Hyde Park, and run into both George Lockwood (Nora’s cousin) and the Earl. Unfortunately there’s also an Army captain with a grudge hanging around looking to cause trouble. But surely Leonora and her friends can sort things out and everyone can find the right person to spend their lives with?

I really enjoyed this book, it was lots of fun and had a great plot, with a wonderful HEA. If you’re missing Bridgerton or just want a bit of love in your reading, Jane Dunn’s books are a great place to start.

*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: Murder in Portofino – T.A. Williams

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A much-needed holiday…

Dan Armstrong hasn’t done much retiring since moving to Tuscany, and with his new career as a successful private investigator taking off, it seems murder seems to follow him. He’s hoping a much-needed trip to beautiful Portofino will give him the break he needs and quality time with girlfriend
Anna.

A gathering of celebrities…

Portofino is a celebrity paradise, and holidaying on a nearby superyacht is a group of British media stars, all famous for being infamous. Dan isn’t impressed by their status or wealth, but when he overhears an argument between two of the group, he suspects something fishy could be going on…

A cold-blooded killer?

And then a body is washed up on shore and Dan’s hopes for a holiday go overboard. Could this simply be a tragic accident or is there a killer amidst the assembled celebrity cast? Dan and Oscar
have their work cut out before the tide turns…

It’s another gripping case for Dan and Oscar – it’s murder in paradise!

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T. A. Williams is the author of over twenty bestselling romances. Trevor studied languages at University and lived and worked in Italy for eight years, returning to England with his wife in 1972.
Trevor and his wife now live in Devon.

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My thoughts: if you’ve read my reviews for a while then you know that I love this series (and most of Trevor’s excellent books). I love Italy and the sheer number of delicious things Dan gets to eat is enough to make me so hungry.

This time Dan, Anna and our hero Oscar the Labrador (I love Labs too) are off to Portofino, known as a destination for the rich and famous. There’s a yacht full of British celebs in the harbour, and their boss is found floating in water.

Despite promising Anna that he was not going to get involved and be on holiday…well of course he gets involved. He can’t help himself. So he and Oscar go out to the yacht to help the police investigate the murder.

It’s another fiendish and fun case for Dan and Oscar. Even Anna manages to be OK with it. Thankfully, as I like her and their relationship.

If you’re looking for some crime in beautiful places, then look no further than this series – it’s well written, intelligent and super enjoyable.

*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: The Wicked Lady – Elena Collins

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‘Incredibly atmospheric, haunting and poignant.’ Nicola Cornick


1648 – Hertfordshire

Thirteen-year-old Katherine Ferrers is in despair at being betrothed to arch-Royalist Thomas Fanshawe whose family are hellbent on plundering her family’s fortune to champion the exiled Charles. As her unhappy marriage stretches before her, her only comfort is her beloved childhood home The Cell. But as the years pass and Kate grows restless, a new passion, a new love and a dangerous calling threaten to upend everything she’s ever known.

Present Day – Hertfordshire

Charlie Wolfe jumps at the chance to help his uncle renovate a tumbledown cottage overlooking Nomansland Common. Number One Constable’s Cottages was once the home of the man charged with ridding the common of the highwaymen who terrorised travellers. But it’s the story of The Wicked Lady, the notorious female highway robber, that captures Charlie’s imagination, and some long winters’ nights he’s sure he can the hoofbeats of her horse echoing across time.
What drove this mystery woman to risk everything for a life of crime, and why is she still restless, wandering the common in grief? It seems only Charlie can finally uncover the secret Katherine Ferrers has kept for hundreds of years; a secret of a terrible betrayal and a tragic love that was never meant to end this way…

USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this spellbinding and heartbreaking timeslip novel, uncovering the intriguing story of another brave woman that history forgot. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Nicola Cornick, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas.

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Elena Collins is the pseudonym for Judy Leigh. Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens , A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure 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.

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My thoughts: my dad is from the same part of Hertfordshire as Katherine Ferrers and when I asked him about Markyate, he said he knew it well. St Albans is somewhere I know, quite well, so this story really resonated with me because it hasn’t changed a whole lot in all the hundreds of years since The Wicked Lady rode her horse.

Katherine was a real person but we only know the bare bones of her story, and here Judy Leigh (writing as Elena Collins) has put flesh on those bones and created a vividly realised and fascinating story about a woman all but forgotten by history.

I enjoyed Charlie’s story too – he’s rebuilding not just a cottage but also his life after the end of a relationship. He meets new people and starts to look into Katherine’s story, bringing her back to life through his music.

This was an interesting, intelligent and very enjoyable read, I love learning more about forgotten women and the story was compelling.

*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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Blogathon: Russ Thomas – Firewatching

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A taut and ambitious police procedural debut introducing Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler, a cold case reviewer who lands a high-profile murder investigation, only to find the main suspect is his recent one-night stand . . .

When financier Gerald Cartwright disappeared from his home six years ago, it was assumed he’d gone on the run from his creditors. But then a skeleton is found bricked up in the cellar of Cartwright’s burned-out mansion, and it becomes clear Gerald never left alive.

As the sole representative of South Yorkshire’s Cold Case Review Unit, Detective Sergeant Adam Tyler is not expected to get results, but he knows this is the case that might finally kick start his floundering career. Luckily, he already has a suspect. Unluckily, that suspect is Cartwright’s son, the man Tyler slept with the night before.

Keeping his possible conflict-of-interest under wraps, Tyler digs into the case alongside Amina Rabbani, an ambitious young Muslim constable and a fellow outsider seeking to prove herself on the force. Soon their investigation will come up against close-lipped townsfolk, an elderly woman with dementia who’s receiving mysterious threats referencing a past she can’t remember, and an escalating series of conflagrations set by a troubled soul intent on watching the world burn . . .

About the Author

Russ Thomas grew up in the 80s reading anything he could get his hands on, writing stories, watching television and playing videogames: in short, anything that avoided the Great Outdoors. He spent five years trying to master the Electronic Organ and another five learning Spanish. It didn’t take him too long to realize he’d be better off sticking to the writing.

After a few ‘proper’ jobs (among them: pot-washer. optician’s receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-center telephonist and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of bookselling, where he could talk to people about books all day. Now a full-time writer, he also teaches creative writing classes and mentors new authors. Firewatching is his first novel.

My thoughts: Adam Tyler is not an easy person to get to know, he keeps a lot to himself and he isn’t easy to work with either – as the only member of the Cold Case Review Unit (CCRU) he works alone, except that he has to work with other officers, like this case.

After a man’s remains are found in the wall of a house a firebug has set alight, the cold case of the man’s death and the current case of an arsonist at work collide, forcing Tyler to have to work with his colleagues instead of going off alone. Or does it? His boss can’t get him to work well with others.

The case is more complicated, more twisted and requires a lot more digging than it might first appear. The case kept me hooked from the very start and didn’t let up. Tyler is a complex man with a difficult past that keeps getting in the way of his present.

I really liked PC Mina Rabbani, who becomes his sidekick, her instincts are great and she works out how to handle Tyler pretty quickly. Tyler’s past impacts a lot on how he is and his contentious relationship with his bosses, his dad’s career and death cast a long shadow.

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