Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Yule Island – Johana Gusťawsson, translated by David Warriner

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To celebrate the paperback release of Yule Island (just in time for Christmas!) I’m sharing my review from the hardback tour. Get your copy here or in all the usual places!

Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she’s asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found. Emma must work alone, and with the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide? As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants. When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate, and memories of his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman’s tragic death somehow hold the key? Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past – Viking rites and tainted love – and Scandinavia’s deepest, darkest winter…

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press, and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in 23 countries. A TV adaptation is currently under way in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding was a number-one bestseller in France, receiving critical acclaim across the globe, and Yule Island has won multiple awards, including Book of the Year with France’s biggest retailer, Cultura, and has been optioned for the screen. Johana lives in Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.

My thoughts: this is not a Christmas book, despite the title, it’s a creepy, dark read about obsession, murder, and how twisted some minds can get.

And it is also so, so good. Totally compelling, very enjoyable as I like dark, weird stuff, and peopled with very normal individuals, and some very disturbed ones passing as normal. Which of course makes it worse.

There are several narratives that once you realise what’s happening and how they interconnect, build to reveal the total horror that has taken place in the Gussman family’s manor house.

This is the second book I’ve read from this author, and it is deeply chilling but incredibly interesting and her writing (and the excellent work of the translator) just sucks you into the world Johana has created on this island. It’s that good. If you prefer your winter reading to be dark and full of horrors, monsters hidden in plain sight, then this is absolutely for you.

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Blog Tour: The Viscount and the Thief – Emma Orchard

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Spring, 1811…

A stranger arrives at Wyverne Hall

Sophie Delavallois is the new companion to the ageing Dowager Marchioness, but she also has another reason for coming to the infamous Wyverne mansion, one that will shake the family to their core.
Lord Drake left his childhood home many years ago, and only returns now to see his beloved grandmother. He takes little interest in the goings on of the house until the arrival of Mademoiselle Delavallois. There’s something about her that he can’t put his finger on; it’s as if he’s seen her
before, but surely, that is not possible…

Sophie is also drawn to Drake, but he is a Wyverne, and she cannot allow herself to fall for him, because her intentions towards the family are resolute – revenge. But inside the walls of Wyverne
Hall, she discovers the rumours about the family barely scratch the surface, and she can’t escape the dangerous allure of the Viscount.
Once her plans are set in motion, will he be her saviour or her ruin?

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Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

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My thoughts: Continuing her run of feisty, smart and capable Regency heroines, Emma Orchard has written another cracker.

Sophie is out for revenge on the man that destroyed her family. Marquis Wyverne, a man who trails scandal everywhere he goes, is responsible for the deaths of her parents and beloved brother. Eight years have passed and she’s ready to enact her plan to bring down the Marquis and humiliate him. With the help of her criminal employer, Nate Smith, who has his own reasons for wanting to get one over on Wyverne.

Going undercover as the companion to the Dowager Marchioness, an elderly French woman who has no love left for her eldest son, kept hostage on his estate, will get her close to the family and able to access everything, no one really pays servants attention after all.

No one that is except the Viscount, Lord Drake, Wyverne’s eldest son, who also despises his father and stepmother. He visits only to see his grandmother, and is fascinated by her new companion. She seems incredibly familiar to him, but he can’t quite place her.

Drake’s attention could be a real problem for Sophie, he might even try to stop her…or will he?

As the two grow closer, their secrets are revealed and they join forces, even as they fall in love. But can a Viscount really love a thief?

Glorious, fun, funny and saucy. I really enjoyed this romance of revenge and finding where you belong. A delight.

*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 Echoing Shore – J.H. Mann

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A Yeovil Literary Prize award winner

A lifeboat is lost off Cornwall’s wild Atlantic coast. All eight crewmen die. The cause is never fully explained.

Ten years later, Kate Tregillis, the editor of a small, struggling newspaper, becomes obsessed with solving the longstanding mystery.
Her investigations provoke a backlash of threats and violence in the insular fishing community of St Branok. In exposing the truth, she risks the future of her newspaper and even her life – and discovers that the man she loves has his own secrets.

Praise for The Echoing Shore:

‘A gripping story full of twists and turns’ – Margaret James, Writing Magazine.

‘An enthralling read that keeps you guessing to the end’ – Victoria Howard, author and judge for the international 2023 Yeovil Literary Prize.

‘I would definitely pick this book up from the bookshop shelf’ – Claire Gradidge, winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition.

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Jason Mann is an award-winning journalist and writer living in the South West of England with Nicola, his wife, and their lively whippet, Patch. He is also a shore-based volunteer for the Royal
National Lifeboat Institution.

Jason says: ‘Many of my stories are set in the wonderful county of Cornwall where truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction. I have swum and surfed there much of my life. It has been a special place for me with its legends, soaring cliffs, rugged moors and wild seas.
The landscape has a raw, mystical magic. My father and mother’s recollections of rescues and tragedies on the North coast are often the inspiration for my stories. My father became one of the county’s early lifeguards after his predecessor was killed by a strike of lightning while standing in
waist-deep water during a rescue.’

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My thoughts: This was so good, utterly gripping, with well written characters, a real sense of creeping menace and a brilliant plot. Dark deeds done in the deep waters off of my beloved Cornwall. In winter, when the tourists leave and only the locals remain, where the beauty of its coastline is hidden by bad weather and the grinding struggle to get by.

Kate has returned from London and is trying to keep the local paper solvent and a going concern in a time where fewer and fewer copies sell and there’s not much news to print. The arrival of a freelance writer looking into the loss of a lifeboat and it’s crew ten years ago stirs up old pain and new threats.

The boat’s crew were all lost, except one man, who was conveniently unwell and didn’t go, but then promptly left town. This seems suspicious and Kate agrees to help investigate whether it really was a terrible accident or something more sinister. Then the threats begin. Notes left in her cottage, a break in at the paper. Who could be trying to stop them reporting on the tragedy and why?

I was completely hooked, this is the other side of small town life, and Cornwall, where those rugged cliffs and swirling tides turn dangerous. Kate’s attempts to get answers put lives, including her own, at risk, and she could lose the paper too. A real page turner that will keep you up all night, desperate to finish 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: Victim – Jørn Horst & Thomas Enger, translated by Megan E Turney

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Two years ago, Alexander Blix was the lead investigator in a missing person’s case where a young mother, Elisabeth Eie, was kidnapped. The case was never solved. Blix’s career in law enforcement is now over, but her kidnapper is back, leaving evidence of Elisabeth’s murder in Blix’s mailbox, as well as hints that there are other victims.

At the same time, Emma Ramm has been contacted by a teenage girl, whose stepfather has been arrested on suspicion of killing a childhood friend. But there is no body. Nor are there any other suspects…

Blix and Ramm can rely only on each other, and when Blix’s fingerprints are found on a child’s drawing at a crime scene, the present comes uncomfortably close to the past. A past where a victim has found their own, shocking form of therapy. And someone is watching…

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are both internationally bestselling Norwegian authors. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his no. 1 bestselling William Wisting series. A former Detective Chief Investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense.

Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the acclaimed Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark is his dark, gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer.

Death Deserved, the first book in the Blix & Ramm series, was Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller, and all five books in the series series have hit no. 1 on bestseller lists worldwide.

My thoughts: Alexander Blix is out of prison and struggling to put his life back together without his job as a police detective, and his daughter. While his friend Emma Ramm has quit her job as a journalist, and is also searching for her next role.

A stranger phones Blix, claiming to be the killer of Elisabeth Eie, a case still unsolved. Although now on the outside, Blix seems to have the killer’s focus, as he leaves messages and calls the former detective, his ex-colleagues are not keen to involve him, but it appears they don’t have a choice.

Emma has been asked by a teenage girl to prove her stepfather, the man who raised her from the age of two, is innocent of the disappearance of his employee and the arson of his business. There’s definitely something off about the case and so she starts to look into it.

Both cases have echoes in Blix and Emma’s pasts, neither of them had particularly happy childhoods to look back on. And while neither of them are officially on the case, they have the skills and knowledge to find the answers. Could this be the answer to their search for new roles?

Another clever and knotty investigation, and an interesting insight into Blix as his personal life develops with a dog (called Terry) and a new relationship.

*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: Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory – Yaroslav Barsukov

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When lies become truths and two kingdoms head to a bloody war, a man is exiled for his conscience

Refusing the queen’s order to gas a crowd of protesters, Minister Shea Ashcroft is banished to the border to oversee the construction of the biggest defensive tower in history. However, the use of advanced technology taken from refugees makes the tower volatile and dangerous, becoming a threat to local interests. Shea has no choice but to fight the local hierarchy to ensure the construction succeeds-and to reclaim his own life. Surviving an assassination attempt, Shea confronts his inner demons, encounters an ancient legend, and discovers a portal to a dead world–all while struggling to stay true to his own principles and maintain his sanity. Fighting memories and hallucinations, he starts to question everything…

Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory is a thought-provoking meditation on the fragility of the human condition, our beliefs, the manipulation of propaganda for political gains, and our ability to distinguish the real from the unreal and our willingness to accept convenient “truths.”  The novel is a compelling exploration of memory, its fragile nature, and its profound impact on our perception of identity, relationships, and facts themselves.

“Eloquent, moody, poetic. . . masterful.”–Beth Cato (author of A Thousand Recipes for Revenge)

A note from the author: “A major theme of the book is how disinformation and propaganda can be used to justify violence, and how ignoring evil can lead people to accept atrocities. I was able to witness all this first-hand, having spent the first 21 years of my life in Russia and absorbing the recent events unfiltered and in my native tongue. Sleeping worlds are not only devoid of memories; they are also oblivious to the pain of others.”

A unique blend of science fiction, fantasy and noir, with zeitgeist and prophetic qualities (the original novella anticipated the Russo-Ukrainian War), this is a must for fans of China Miéeacute;ville’s Bas-Lag series, Ted Chiang’s Tower of Babylon, and Robert Silverberg’s Tower of Glass.

About the Author

Yaroslav Barsukov, an author with a unique background in physics and software engineering, has emerged as a distinctive voice in the realm of speculative fiction. Born in Cold War-era Moscow and educated at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute and Austria’s Vienna University of Technology, Barsukov initially pursued a career in software engineering. His entry into the literary world was serendipitous, stemming from his involvement in game development where he translated a companion tale to a game’s mythology. This experience marked the beginning of his journey as a writer, and he started crafting short stories in English around 2014.

Barsukov’s work is celebrated for its innovative blend of fantasy and science fiction elements, diverging from the traditional hard-science SF model. His acclaimed novella “Tower of Mud and Straw” was shortlisted for the Nebula Award and received a Kirkus Star, demonstrating his prowess in weaving narratives that explore the human condition through a speculative lens. His stories, characterized by high-fantasy filigree and physics reminiscent of alchemy, have appeared in renowned publications such as Galaxy’s Edge, Nature: Futures, and StarShipSofa. Barsukov’s literary influences span from Russian maestros like Leo Tolstoy to American science fiction authors, shaping his unique storytelling style that transcends genre boundaries.

My thoughts: This was a really interesting book, with a complex plot and full of thought provoking ideas about propaganda, doubles and reality.

A minister in the government, Shea Ashdown refuses to gas protestors and as punishment is sent to the border where the local Duke is building a giant defensive tower. The tower is ridiculously tall and has been built using poorly understood technology from a minority group – who don’t even really understand it themselves. These strange devices have a bad habit of exploding, killing everyone around them. Shea has seen their terrible impact himself, in an incident that killed his sister.

His attempts to stop this alien technology from being used lead to his arrest as a traitor. But he also uncovers the truth about the devices, the strange Mimic Tower, and after crossing the border, the neighbouring country is also building a tower. Once he learns the truth, he must do everything to destroy the tower there too.

Both sides are convinced that these towers would will somehow bring about peace, after a period of war, but Shea knows that this is untrue. Meeting a mysterious woman called Cara, who tells him that her people, refugees in this world, have manipulated reality and nothing he believes is true.

Fascinating, a little puzzling, but compelling, this is an intriguing and intelligent book from a new-to-me author.

*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: Fatal Endings – Anita Waller

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Nobody is safe…

When the murdered body of a woman is found in a Sheffield carpark, former cop turned private investigator Matt Forrester finds himself embroiled in the case, because the last call the victim made
was to him…

But the case isn’t as simple as the drug theft it looks like, and – when a young boy becomes the next victim – Matt and his life partner, DI Karen Nelson, realise they’re investigating a terrifying series of
revenge killings.

Arrests start to be made, but enemies are being made. And, as the killings continue, nobody is safe…

A totally unputdownable crime novel, from bestselling author Anita Waller, guaranteed to keep readers up all night.

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Anita Waller was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1946. With many books to her
name, she feels she has finally realised her dream. In 2021 Waller signed a five book deal with Boldwood Books, and currently has six published books with them: One Hot Summer, The Family at No.12, Fatal Secrets (the first in a new series set in Sheffield), The Couple Across the Street, Fatal Lies, the second in the Forrester series and The Girls Next Door. The Family at No.12 reached #2 in the Amazon Kindle charts. The final book in the Forrester series, Fatal Endings, is to be launched on 13 November 2024.

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My thoughts: the final book in the trilogy about former DI Matt Forrester turned PI brings various cases to their end and has a big shock twist that alters the lives of the characters forever.

A young boy is murdered and his older brother vows revenge, the police are keen to talk to him but he’s disappeared, could his drug trafficking grandfather be helping him stay out of sight? Karen and her team are tracking him down after the chief suspect in the younger brother’s murder is killed, when tragedy strikes.

Meanwhile Matt is looking into a wealthy woman’s husband after he starts taking sums of money out of their joint account and making her suspicious. He’s also looking after Harry, who’s returned to school after his running away, and needs some gentle support.

This series has been really enjoyable, the author’s books are always engaging and clever, with well written and interesting characters. This is a big case, with lots of complications and ends the series dramatically.

*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 at the Crooked Horse – Lesley Cookman

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After learning of a suspicious attempt to burn down a beloved old pub, The Crooked Horse, Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran reluctantly agree to investigate.
But when a local antiques dealer mysteriously disappears after apparently taking out his boat, it appears there are dark and sinister forces at play.

Can Libby and Fran uncover a connection between the fire and the missing man? And will unravelling a deadly case put them in terrible danger?

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Lesley Cookman writes the Libby Sarjeant Murder Mysteries and the The Alexandrians, an Edwardian Mystery Series. She lives on the south east coast of England, and is a former model, actor, and journalist. Her four adult children are all musicians and writers.

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My thoughts: I really like this series, Libby and her “Loonies” as her friends call themselves. Solving crimes involves a lot of time spent in pubs it seems as Libby and Fran do some digging into the attempted destruction of the titular Crooked Horse and a missing local antique dealer.

Ian, Libby’s police detective friend, asks her to ask around about the incidents, but she uncovers a conspiracy involving stolen Anglo-Saxon treasure, a local building contractor, and some rather nasty criminals.

This was another excellent addition to the series, with Libby pursuing possibly her most dangerous case yet.

*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 Poison Pen Letters – Fiona Walker

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We regret to announce the tragic death of Phoebe Fredericks…

When crime novelist Phoebe opens the post and receives an invitation to her own funeral, she’s horrified. Not least because the date of her death is marked as tomorrow.
Deciding it’s nothing more than a prank from an enemy from her past, she determines to put it to the back of her mind.

But the next morning, when her completely infuriating postman (who likes to think himself her no.1 literary critic) rings her doorbell, a parcel of poisoned pen-nibs explodes in his face. Forced to
confront the fact her correspondence is more RIP than RSVP, Phoeve realises someone must want her dead.

Together with the newly-formed Village Detectives – Juno, Mil and Felix – Phoebe resolves to find out who is behind the poison pen letters before they strike again and her fate is signed, sealed and
delivered!

A totally hilarious, modern cozy crime mystery, from million-copy bestselling author Fiona Walker, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janet Evanovich and Janice Hallett.

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Fiona Walker is the million copy bestselling author of joyously funny romantic comedies. Most recently published by Head of Zeus, she will be turning to cozy crime for Boldwood. The first in her new Village Detectives series, The Art of Murder, will be published in May 2024.

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My thoughts: This is such a fun series, I love Juno and her determination to be a detective, despite not always getting it right. She wants to help Phoebe so much, but her instincts are not always spot on. As she and Felix hurtle around in her mother’s rather battered old car, including a jaunt to Paris, Phoebe herself is looking a little closer to home.

The Twitter accounts that harassed her once before might be connected to the shocking death of the postman on the doorstep and the horrible things she’s been receiving in the post, but Phoebe reckons it’s someone in the village, it doesn’t feel quite the same to her. What she uncovers is a sad and rather different story than the one Juno and Felix are following.

Lots of fun and all carried out in Juno’s unique chaotic style, with help from her son Eric, and of course the delightful Mil, pub landlord and protector of potential murder suspects.

*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 Village Killer – Ross Greenwood

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The BRAND NEW Barton thriller from the bestselling Ross Greenwood.

After three years behind a desk, Inspector John Barton wonders if he’s still got what it takes.
An opportunity arises to return to Major Crimes, so he jumps at it, after all he’s been around the block a few times. When he and his team are called in to investigate an attempted murder which seems to be linked to the case of a missing child, Barton is immediately thrust back into the life of a detective – early mornings, late nights and endless pressure to get to the truth.
Then a man dies.

Something deadly is going on behind the high walls and imposing gates of the mansions in the sleepy village of Castor. The locals are keeping each other’s secrets and if Barton doesn’t find out why soon,
the bodies will start mounting up.
The Village Killer knows who’s next, and the clock is ticking…

The book all Ross Greenwood fans have been waiting for – Barton is Back! Ross Greenwood returns to his bestselling series, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Ian Rankin.

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Ross Greenwood has had an eclectic career, ranging from financial advisor to Prison officer. The advent of parenthood and the terrifying rise of Spice in prison led Ross to become a stay -at-home parent and a novelist.

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My thoughts: DCI Barton returns to his former team at the MIT to lead them in searching for a missing fourteen year old girl, whose mother seems rather blasé for someone whose only child has disappeared.

There’s also the near miss of a local woman, who thinks someone tried to run her over while she was out jogging. Then her neighbour dies in suspicious circumstances, what is going on in the village of Castor ? Behind their gates, in their fancy houses, there’s secrets that could prove deadly.

Barton slots back into his old team pretty neatly, giving Zander some much needed time off means he’s actually out interviewing and being involved in the case, not just overseeing it from the office. This gives him a way to reconnect with his colleagues. It also puts him front and centre as they try to sort out the incidences in Castor and find a precocious teenager, who might not exactly be in the trouble they think.

Clever, compelling and really enjoyable, the Peterborough MIT team are diligent and dig into the lives of the people who live in these posh houses, and those who work there too. Someone has a vendetta and as lives unravel, Barton and his team of detectives must work to catch a killer and help those who need 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: The Sea House – Louise Douglas

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A mysterious bequest and the legacy of a tragic love – only one person can unravel the hidden secrets of the past before it’s too late…

When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it must only be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is…

Elisabeth’s family turn to Touissants detective agency for help but, when Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson try to track Astrid down, their frustration soon mounts. Their only clue is a photo of two
young women holding the hands of a tiny child. The women are smiling but Mila is haunted by the sadness in their eyes. Is this Astrid and Elisabeth and if so, who is the child? And why are there signs
everywhere in Elisabeth’s home that the old woman was frightened despite her living a quiet life with no known enemies?

As Elisabeth and Astrid’s story slowly unfolds, Mila feels the walls of her home The Sea House closing in. And as the secrets finally begin to reveal themselves, she is ever more determined to carry out
Elisabeth’s final wishes. Because what is inside that unprepossessing parcel might just save a life…

Louise Douglas is back in the Brittany seaside town of Morranez with a heart-stopping, heart-breaking, brilliantly written and utterly compelling mystery. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Lucinda Riley.

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Hello! I’m Louise, author of 12 novels mostly set in the Somerset countryside close to where I live and Sicily. I’m thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies.

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My thoughts: I’ve read some of the previous books featuring Toussaints investigators but you can read this as a standalone.

An unusual bequest in a will leads Mila to the wilds of Yorkshire’s moors in the quest for a woman no one remembers seeing in years. At the same time the results of the DNA test carried out on the body found in a sea cave are due – is it her brother-in-law Charlie? If it is, how will his daughter Ani, Mila’s niece, react?

Travelling back and forth from France to Britain, attempting to trace the life of the missing Astrid Oake and the woman who left her the bequest, Elisabeth Quemener, as well as prepare for Christmas with fiancè Luke, still living in Bristol, means Mila has a lot on her plate. Will something have to give?

Another clever and complex riddle for the team at Toussaints to unravel, how do you find someone who seems to have vanished into thin air? And while dealing with the ongoing tragedy of Sophie and Charlie’s accident at sea. Ani is turning sixteen, and needs Mila both more and less than before, leaving Mila torn between raising her niece and marrying the ever patient Luke.

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