Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Goddess with a Thousand Faces – Jasmine Elmer

ramblingmads

Steeped in ancient magic, dark divinity and wild ways, Goddess with a Thousand Faces takes you on a historical journey like no other…

Blending mythological retellings with historical research, Goddess with a Thousand Faces traverses the world and transports through time to bring ten formidable and inspiring ancient goddesses to life. Meet Artemis, the Greek goddess of the wilderness, never without her bow and arrow; Sedna, Inuit goddess of the ocean, guarding the icy waters and all its creatures; Isis, Egyptian goddess of healing, who dwells by the River Nile, just to name a few…

Jasmine Elmer explores these goddesses of our past, uncovering their truths, their rebellion and their freedom. For too long, they have been written out of history; lost to the sands of time and stamped into silence. Goddess with a Thousand Faces restores these women to their glory.

Pour over this treasure trove of myths, legends and mighty goddesses. Hear the messages echoing through the ages and see yourself in the faces of these icons. For while their stories might ancient, today they are more important – and more powerful – than ever.

A treasure trove of beautiful storytelling and ancient wisdom, perfect for fans of Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola and Storyland by Amy Jeffs.

Amazon

Jasmine Elmer is a straight-talking ancient world expert. Deciding her subject needed a ‘glow up’, she began her mission in 2020 to make the subject relatable and representative. Outside of writing, she spends her time bringing that energy to television screens, appearing on broadcast channels such as Channel 4, Channel 5 and National Geographic, as well as hosting and featuring on many podcasts. Her debut book Goddess with a Thousand Faces is a bold exploration of world goddesses, blending storytelling with historical fact. It follows from years of research as a student at universities like UCL, Cambridge and Exeter and a career as a secondary school teacher of Classics. She is of dual heritage, Pakistani and white, and her mother was born in Canada. She grew up in East London but now lives in Exeter, Devon with her husband and son. She has five cats and is absolutely not ashamed of that fact! When she has some downtime, she loves spending time in nature, curling up with a good book and a hot choc, and having a laugh with her friends. She flits between meditation and being frazzled. Such is life.

My thoughts: This was a really interesting, totally fascinating book, bringing a selection of goddesses from pantheons across the globe, from Inanna of Sumeria, to Sedna of the Inuit, spanning thousands of years and dozens of belief systems.

Retelling one of the stories of each goddess and then discussing their history, importance and impact through a modern feminist lens, this was a really thought provoking read. I actually really wished it was longer and looked at more goddesses, it felt like a great jumping off point for deeper research and another thing to get totally obsessed with.

Some of goddesses, particularly the Greek and Norse ones were familiar to me from previous reading and a mild obsession with mythology, others were less familiar and in a couple of cases, I had not heard of them at all. Which was a bit frustrating as of course goddesses from pantheons outside of Europe aren’t often featured in many mythology encyclopedia apart from those of Egypt sometimes.

Before I vanish down the rabbit hole of research and reading, I will recommend this as a great introduction to a wide range of religious beliefs, many old and some still practised around the world today and the goddesses that form part of those faiths.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Murder on a Country Walk – Katie Gayle

ramblingmads

Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…

When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right…

But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?

When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why? Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?

A totally gripping and charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.

Amazon

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. 

Facebook

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Katie Gayle here

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love

My thoughts: I kinda love Julia, she’s just a really nice person, smart and kind and funny. However she does have the worst luck ever, always finding dead bodies – often of people she knows. This time it’s the village vet, Dr Eve, a woman Julia only saw a few days previously.

Of course Julia starts digging, the supposed accident isn’t one, and Dr Eve was worried about something. Is it to do with her job? Or maybe the Padel club she’s part of?

As Julia investigates, she ruffles someone’s feathers, but can she and lovely Labrador Jake solve the vet’s death and catch the killer.

This series gets better with each book and I love how the other villagers have become more and more involved with Julia’s investigations. I also loved how many adorable dogs this one contained, although Jake is still my favourite.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Food Fight – Bill Todd

ramblingmads

Thirteen students on a party night dream up a plan to save the world. They will create an app to slash food waste and improve diet.

A decade later green activist Astra Wallace hires Danny Lancaster to trace her uni friends.

Despite the help of ex-gangster entrepreneur Big Eddie Archer and reclusive Ukrainian tech wizard Steroid Stepan, Astra’s pals are hard to find.

The trail leads to celebrity chef Bix Battersby, a TV action hero, feisty retired medic Lillian Bayliss, and her lively cavapoo Petal.

It’s a twisting trail made harder by friction between Danny and Astra. But their uneasy partnership reveals people are dying.

One thing Danny’s dead sure of – this FOOD FIGHT is going to get messy.

Goodreads Purchase

I’ve spent my working life as a journalist. You meet a lot of people, see things, learn stuff. For a crimewriter, it’s a plot factory.

I’ve also done a lot of travelwriting. It’s not all cocktails under the palm trees but it is a fantastic job that’s taken me to more than 40 countries, from the white wastes of Arctic Finland to the deserts of Namibia.

People often ask my favourite place. In a world of globalisation, many destinations look the same but Iceland and Namibia are like stepping onto another planet. Go if you can.

I’ve also enjoyed a long love affair with Western Crete, the mountains, coastline, food and people. And I was delighted and surprised to receive the Ed Lacy Gibraltar travel award in 2007.

Another interest is my family tree. I’ve traced the ancestors back to William of Byfield, a farmer in 1600s Northamptonshire, just down the road from Shakespeare.

I love maps. They might seem old fashioned in the age of GPS but they tell stories, make promises. I have a ragbag collection of more than 3,000.

I’m also a fan of interesting cheeses, good beer and wilderness. They’re like Marmite, you’re an empty places person or you’re not.

I have written six crime thrillers and a book of short stories featuring Danny Lancaster, a wounded Afghanistan veteran turned private investigator. They are:

The Wreck Of The Margherita

Death Squad

Rough Diamond

Rock Hard

Gargoyle Pixie Dog

Godlefe’s Cuckoo 

Last Orders

I’ve also written three non-fiction books. GUNNER is based on my father’s World War Two diary. PIGTAIL PILOT is the tragic story of a talented young woman pilot. A CROCUS FROM JERUSALEM is about a 19-year-old country lad’s journey to war in the Middle East in 1917.

If you fancy a chat I’m easy to find.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Website

My thoughts: When I was a student we were always coming up with things to change the world, usually in the pub, and that’s where the ideas stayed. The students in this book actually put the idea into an app that they intended would somehow solve food waste. However someone has taken over the app and twisted it to suit their own needs. And they’ve been killing off the other members of the group in a series of “accidents”.

Hired to look into these deaths, PI Danny Lancaster is struggling a bit, his leads seem to head in the direction of a celebrity chef and his brittle wife. But they both insist they don’t care about the app or the money the last founder standing could gain.

With the help of his friend, retired doctor Lillian and one of the surviving members of the group, Astrid, as well his friendly Ukrainian hacker Stepan and former gangster Eddie, who look into a few things for him, he starts to piece the clues into an answer.

This was really clever, it twisted this way and that, the plot increasingly fiendish as a trio of thug brothers, a rogue police detective and a few other strange characters get involved and chaos ensues. I was hooked, couldn’t put it down as I couldn’t guess what was going to happen next. I was particularly fascinated by Stepan, who in between helping Danny, is hacking into satellites and websites to aid his countrymen against the Russians, he’s clearly damaged and has lots of secrets. But there was something rather endearing about him and his fragility, I wanted to know more. I also wanted to know more about Lillian, who is pretty incredible. Definitely going to read the rest of the series and learn more about Danny and his adventures.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Five Fatal Flaws – Louise Mangos

ramblingmads

A missing baby. A dead councilman. Five suspects.

When psychotherapist Trudy’s baby disappears one afternoon, the individual motives of four members of her post-trauma therapy group are gradually revealed. But when the police begin investigating baby Benny’s disappearance, the seemingly unrelated death of a local councilman brings each member of the group under firm suspicion, along with Trudy herself. Five Fatal Flaws is a psychological whodunnit with a #MeToo thread.

Louise Mangos writes psychological suspense, historical mystery and short fiction, which have won prizes, placed on shortlists and been narrated on BBC radio. Her novels are set mostly or partly in Switzerland where she lives at the foot of the Alps with her Kiwi husband and two sons, enjoying an active life in the mountains. The psychological whodunnit Five Fatal Flaws is her fifth novel.

My thoughts: Trudy dozes off in her back garden, only to wake and discover that someone has taken her son Benny from right beside her. A parent’s nightmare, and the police think the members of her group therapy sessions might be involved. 

I’ve done group therapy and it wasn’t anything like the group here, who bond a little too intensely, and share details that lead other members of the group to do things they really shouldn’t.

As the story rolls back and we learn more about Trudy and the group’s members, their stories, the reasons they’re in therapy, and the way they bond, there’s moments when it could be any of them that took baby Benny from his home.

It is quite dark and Rachel’s story was particularly grim, although none of them were exactly having a lovely life. An interesting, intelligent read.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Violent Heart – David Fennell

ramblingmads

Elena Zoric is murdered, her body concealed beside a stream in North London. Her phone lies nearby, the last number dialled was to the woman who had rescued her from sex trafficking: Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Grace Archer.

Archer desperately wants to lead the murder investigation but her new boss, Chief Inspector Les Fletcher, makes it very clear its out of her jurisdiction.

Then the thirty-year-old remains of a woman are found in the attic of an abandoned house, the victim dying in similar circumstances to Elena Zoric.

But Archer’s North London colleagues have bigger priorities than the murder of ‘a drugged-up prostitute.’

Archer needs answers. Who killed Elena? Why did she call Archer moments from her death? And what rules must she break to stop a killer in his tracks?

David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast. He left for London at the age of eighteen and jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career in writing for the software industry. David has played rugby for Brighton and studied Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. He is married and lives in Brighton.

Website Twitter

My thoughts: I enjoyed the previous books featuring DI Grace Archer and her team, and this one also brings back true crime podcaster Mallory Jones. A series of brutal murders going back decades, taking place around the country come to light as Grace and her team look into the murder of a young sex worker and the similar death of a young woman whose remains are found in an empty house. 

The murderer has picked up young sex workers and then killed them with a bolt gun to the chest. A brutal and terrifying death. And he seems to be ramping up as another murder in Berwick-upon-Tweed happens only a few short weeks after Elena’s. 

This was gripping and intelligent crime writing, the twists and the pace of the killings, the discovery of past crimes that bear the same MO, the obnoxious social media “personality”, the idiot nepo detective, it’s all so enjoyable and well done.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Secret Orchard – Sharon Gosling

ramblingmads

Bette and Nina Crowdie have never been close – the ten-year age difference doesn’t help, and Bette’s rarely been home since she left for university at eighteen. When their father passes away and unexpectedly splits the family farm between them, Nina is furious and afraid. She’s been working at the farm for the past five years. It’s the only home her young son, Barnaby, has ever had, and she’s convinced that Bette will sell at the first chance she gets.
When they discover the huge debt their father has been hiding, Bette reluctantly agrees to help her sister. But that means they have to find a way to work together, and Bette must face up to the real reason she left all those years ago.

Could a long-forgotten diary and the discovery of a secret orchard on their land help save the farm – and the sisters’ relationship?

My thoughts: Farming is an incredibly hard job, poorly paid, with long hours and little respite, it’s also critical to feed the country. Nina and Bette’s father has kept hidden from them how badly in debt the family farm is, trying desperately to make it all work and stop the bank repossessing the land their family has worked for generations. His death means all the secrets start to come out and for the sisters, who have a tense relationship, this brings new trouble.

Bette is a high flying lawyer in London, she only plans to be in Scotland for a few days, then back to her life, but things change, the farm, and Nina, need her. Nina is completely thrown by the revelations about how dire the finances are and by her dad’s decision to split the farm between her and her sister. But she has nowhere else to go, and this is her home, and the home of her son, Best Barnaby Barnacle and his dog, Limpet.

I actually knew a sheepdog, who much like Limpet, found sheep terrifying and would run in the opposite direction. But Limpet does save his beloved master and is a real hero, so don’t judge him by his sheep phobia.

The sisters think their luck might have changed when they discover a forgotten orchard on a cliff at the edge of the farm, an orchard full of cider apple trees. I have West Country ancestry, and I love my cider, but I didn’t know there was much of an industry in Scotland, so this was interesting.

The whole story was interesting, every time things started to work out, there was a curve ball, a terrible act of sabotage, a complete idiot who was way too spoilt as a child, a change of circumstances. At times it felt more like a thriller than the gentle story of two sisters finding their way back to each other and saving the family farm in the process.

I wanted more Best Barnaby Barnacle, I wanted to know more about the tunnels and the monks, I wanted more of Nina and Cam, do Bette and Ryan ever work their stuff out, can Allie turn the lost monastery into a historical research project or attraction? I think there’s lots of scope here for a sequel. A what the Crowdies did next type story.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: This is Not a Holiday Romance – Camilla Isley

ramblingmads


Two sworn enemies, snowed in over Christmas with chemistry that will melt the ice!

Nina Thompson has one Christmas wish: to avoid her brother’s obnoxiously handsome best friend, Tristan, like the plague. From the moment he humiliated her as a teenager to their escalating
revenge schemes, Nina and Tristan’s relationship can only be defined as an all-out prank war!

And there is yet to be a winner.

But it just so happens the ghost of Christmas present has other ideas. When Tristan unexpectedly crashes her family’s Christmas, Nina’s dreams of a peaceful holiday vanish faster than Santa up a
chimney. Determined to end their rivalry for good, she braces herself for one last prank-filled showdown.

But when they find themselves snowed in, with no way of avoiding each other amongst the holiday festivities, they discover their heated exchanges have been masking a different kind of sizzle. Caught
in a snow globe of holiday romance, they decide to let their fiery chemistry burn bright—but this is absolutely and unequivocally nothing more than a secret fling destined to melt with the snow, this is
not a forever romance…

This Is Not a Holiday Romance is an enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend, forced proximity rom-com perfect for fans of Sarah Adams, Abby Jimenez, and Lynn Painter.

Purchase


Camilla Isley is an engineer who left science behind to write bestselling contemporary rom-coms set all around the world. She lives in Italy.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Newsletter 

My thoughts: Another fun Camilla Isley rom com, this time with a festive twist.

At her parents for the holiday, Nina is horrified when her brother shows up with his best friend, her arch nemesis, Tristan, in tow. He was supposed to fly to San Diego, but all flights were grounded by the weather. So now he’s joining the party. This is hell. 

But obviously things change and suddenly there’s all these feelings to deal with, and not accidentally tell Dylan about his pal and his little sister. Cue total chaos as they try to keep whatever this is under wraps in close quarters while also celebrating with the whole family.

This is great fun, a bit silly and also sweet with all the fun of Christmas on top. If you want a charming festive read to curl up with this winter – try 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.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Best is Yet to Come – Jessica Redland

ramblingmads


Emma is having a fresh start.

After a successful teaching career, an exciting new chapter awaits Emma – helping her fiancé Grayson run one of Beatrix Potter’s farms. While imagining days spent supporting Grayson with his dream, working the land and helping with the animals, Emma harvests a dream of her own – to set up an alpaca-walking business around the farm.
But working together isn’t as easy as Emma expected. Soon her dreams are in tatters and, broken-hearted, she must start over yet again.

When Oliver, Rosie and the team at Willowdale Hall welcome Emma with open arms, she can’t believe her luck. But starting a new business in a new place is a daunting prospect, especially when it
comes with unexpected obstacles. With a reserved, prickly groundskeeper as a partner, rapidly changing family dynamics to contend with, and time running out to get her new career off the ground, Emma may have bitten off more than she can chew.

But even though things are not going to plan just yet, the best is yet to come for Emma, if she can just take a leap of faith and follow her heart…

Escape to the Lake District with million-copy bestseller Jessica Redland for an uplifting story of family, friendship, and love.

Purchase 


Jessica Redland is the million-copy bestselling author of novels, including the Hedgehog Hollow and Escape to the Lakes series. Inspired by her hometown of Scarborough and the Lake District, she
writes uplifting women’s fiction of love, friendship and community.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Newsletter Bookbub

My thoughts: I want to cuddle an alpaca!

When Emma’s boyfriend dumps her after she leaves her job and sells her home to move with him to one of Beatrix Potter’s farms and fulfil his dreams, she’s completely lost. But after moving in with dad, and getting a chance to rebuild their relationship, she meets the half-brother she didn’t know she had and gets offered the opportunity to bring her alpaca walking business to life.

Oliver offers her space in the grounds of Willowdale Hall to house the seven rescue animals and build the facilities she needs. Which is how she meets Killian, builder, youth club manager, adoptive father to his adorable nieces and great listener. Finally confronting the pain in her past, Emma might be ready for a new romance as well as a new job.

Fun, quirky and sweet, this is a lovely read and perfect for this time of your as the evenings draw in and you want to curl up with a cosy book.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Dragon Tree – Julia Ibbotson

ramblingmads

Echoes of the past resonate through time and disturb medievalist Dr DuLac as she struggles with misfortune in the present. 

She and Rev Rory have escaped to the island of Madeira on a secondment from their posts, yet they are not to find peace – until they can solve the mystery of the shard of azulejo and the ancient ammonite. 

Viv’s search brings her into contact with two troubled women: a noblewoman shipwrecked on the island in the 14th century and a rebellious nun from the 16th century. 

As Viv reaches out across the centuries, their lives become intertwined, and she must uncover the secrets of the ominous Dragon Tree in order to locate lost artefacts that can shape the future.

Goodreads Purchase

Dr Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. 

Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries. 

Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher. 

Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries. 

Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’

Facebook Twitter Instagram Website

My thoughts: it took me a bit longer to get into this second time travelling adventure, perhaps because it opened on such sadness, or maybe because I haven’t been to Madeira (although I’ve certainly eaten the cake) and don’t know a lot about it or Portuguese history in general. Portugal is that bit further and seems to have wisely stayed out of various mix ups in history that England, France and Spain seemed determined to have. Sensible place really.

But as Viv starts to connect more with the island’s history, Ana and her descendants, finding out more about the turbulent past and the casual erasure of the (most probably) real original settlers – the Moors, and their influences, I enjoyed it more. Viv is reeling for a tragedy and she and Rory are drifting from each other, each in their own private pain.

Moving to Madeira might seem an extreme way to handle grief, but I can see the desire for a place that doesn’t hold the sad memories the way their home in the UK does. Viv’s research has moved forward too – into a later part of the medieval period- the reign of the English Edward III, who doesn’t come across too well in Ana’s memories, shared by Viv. His wife, Philippa of Hainault is an interesting figure and I would have liked a tiny bit more of her.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: A Christmas Murder – Mary Grand

ramblingmads


Susan didn’t plan on being an amateur sleuth and, after two successful investigations, she’s looking forward to a quiet Christmas. So, when local businesswoman Meera is in desperate need of help, Susan agrees rather reluctantly.

The task should be easy enough. The infamous press mogul Duncan Fern is coming back to the Isle of Wight, the scene of his family’s childhood holidays, to celebrate Christmas with his grown-up
children and their partners, his new glamorous wife Kirsten who is forever dripping with diamonds, and the spikey editor of his paper the Morning Flame, Antoine. The newly-refurbished luxurious
Bishopstone Manor is the perfect setting for a festive break, and all Susan has to do is help Meera host.

But when a snowstorm descends over the island, and the following morning a body is found, Christmas at the Manor takes a darker turn. Can Susan get to the bottom of the mystery before the murderer strikes again…

Purchase 


Mary Grand writes gripping, page-turning suspense novels, with a dark and often murderous underside. She grew up in Wales, was for many years a teacher of deaf children and now lives on the Isle of Wight.

Facebook Twitter Instagram Newsletter

My thoughts: Christmas is a murderous time of year, people get together with their families – the people they most love and hate at the same time and old resentments as well as new rows burst out. 

Susan thinks helping Meera out at the Manor will be easy, but the family they’re hosting aren’t an easy group. Media mogul Duncan Fern, his second wife, his children and their partners, and one of his business partners as a last minute addition.

Fern used to bring his family to the island when his children were young and his first wife, their mother, was still alive. They’ve all got some memories, good and bad, of that time and daughter Hayley is struggling with that.

She used to spend time with Alice, Susan’s friend, and the shrewdest person around, who always solves all the mysteries and murders without ever needing to leave her retirement home. I love her.

After Duncan is found dead in his bed, from a heart attack, Susan thinks it’s not straightforward, there’s some things that don’t add up. So she starts digging, asking questions and clearly someone gets threatened as she’s pushed down the icy outside steps and almost drowned.

Susan has great instincts but she’s not good at taking basic safety precautions, she doesn’t really tell anyone what she’s doing or take her phone (or walkie talkie, there’s no signal at the Manor).

I really enjoyed this book, it’s a bit in the mould of the Golden Age country house murders but with a festive (and modern) twist. Everyone there has secrets, some of them more deadly than others.

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