Category: reviews

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Blog Tour: Death Notice – Simon Maltman

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2000

Michael Walker – former IRA volunteer, turned MI5 informer – had his quiet existence shattered when an IRA hit squad was dispatched on his trail to America.

One year on, Walker has been recovering from having his identity blown.

Now living in New York, he is visited by Amy Landish. The former FBI agent is looking for help to find her missing cousin, Lisa.

Walker and his other new ally, Brandon Johnson – a former thief who had robbed him – immediately agree to do anything that they can. The trio are reunited, once again set on a deadly course.

Their investigation leads to the small town of Six Mile, but the last thing they expect is to end up on the hunt for a serial killer.

Walker does not ingratiate himself with the locals or the police, while becoming the target of the killer himself. Just as Walker closes in on his quarry he receives news from home, in Belfast.

Walker moves from one danger zone to another as he finds himself back in IRA territory, where his old comrades want him dead.

Returning to Six Mile, the killer strikes again and closer to home. Walker made a promise to track him down and he doesn’t intend to break it.

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Simon Maltman is the author of novels, novellas and short stories, released with various publishers. An Amazon Bestseller from Northern Ireland he writes a range of crime fiction thrillers. A regular guest at festivals and events, he is the tour guide for Belfast Noir, and also a well known book reviewer for the likes of ITV and online journals. An established ‘Ulster Noir’ author, he also writes American-set high concept thrillers.

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My thoughts: I was a teenager in 2000 and flew to the US by myself to stay with family, but my American trip was very different to the one the characters in this book are having. They’re looking for a missing teenage girl, and possibly multiple missing girls as their hunt intensifies.

Asked by his friend Amy to look for her cousin, Michael Walker, former IRA man turned MI5 informant (the worst thing he could do according to his former colleagues) and his sidekick Brandon drive down from New York to have a look. The local police haven’t made much effort and Aunt Rose is getting very worried as this is out of character for her daughter.

The duo interview Lisa’s friends, crappy boyfriend, teachers, neighbours and finally get a lead. Then suddenly Michael is called back to Belfast – his dad’s dying and this might be his last chance to see him. But this puts him directly in the firing line, he’s still on the IRA’s most wanted, despite the peace process being in, well, process. Despite the risk and having to leave Amy to continue the hunt alone, he and Brandon pop back to the old country.

There’s a lot of action in the book, car chases (including in a small car in the Irish countryside), shootouts, vendettas being carried out, innocent bystanders getting caught up in it, fights with idiots in hockey masks, but Michael and Brandon, and indeed at one point Amy, acquit themselves well and mostly survive to see another day, and keep looking for Lisa.

I really enjoyed this book, I’ve been learning a fair bit about Ireland and it’s history (mysteriously absent from the English school curriculum – I wonder why?!) recently and so this was a nice slice of recent politics, and with lots of 90s/00s pop culture references too. It’s also a great thriller and the trio make excellent detectives – perhaps that’s in their future.

I loved Michael’s habit of quoting famous Irish writers and comparing himself and Brandon to famous crime fighting teams. He’s a great character and well supported in both plot terms and in action terms by Brandon and Amy. More please!

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

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Blog Tour: The Brampton Witch Murders – Ellis Blackwood

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Can Samuel Pepys save his sister from the hangman’s noose?

As the Great Fire devours London in 1666, another firestorm rages in the tranquil village of Brampton, where Pepys’s sister, Paulina, stands accused of witchcraft.

Pepys summons his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, plunging them into the heart of the witch-hunt. Can Abigail, Pepys’s astute housemaid, and Jacob, his awkward yet eager protégé, unravel a web of secrets, whispers and lies to clear Paulina’s name?

Racing against time, Abigail and Jacob must confront a formidable adversary: Simon Hopkins, son of the infamous Witchfinder General. Possessed by his father’s Puritan zeal, he will stop at nothing to prove Paulina’s sorcery and send her to the gallows.

To the pious folk of Brampton, the options are stark. Witch or not? Life or death?

The Samuel Pepys Mysteries bring 17th century England vividly to life, in the company of the celebrated diarist himself, and his personal inquisitors, Abby and Jacob. 

If you love a murder mystery wrapped in history, this series is for you.

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Ellis Blackwood fell in love with the writings of Samuel Pepys, and the 17th-century England he inhabited, through the great man’s published diaries. The Samuel Pepys Mysteries are the result of that literary love affair.

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My thoughts: Samuel Pepys is one of history’s more interesting figures, his famous diaries cover a truly fascinating period of English history and he was one of life’s survivors, swapping sides after the Restoration and avoiding prison as a traitor by getting on Charles II’s good side. 

In fact, he got some pretty important jobs out of it, and the power and influence that comes with it. Which comes in handy when his inquisitors, Abigail and Jacob, fall foul of local law enforcement in the village of Brampton, where his parents and sister live.

Simon Hopkins, son of the infamous Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, is living in the Puritan past – wearing his late father’s clothes and attempting to imitate the terrible and cruel witch trials, even though society has moved on.

Pepys’ sister Paulina has been accused of cursing a local farmer, and with the disreputable local magistrate on his side, things look bleak. But Abby and Jacob are smart and capable investigators, they’ve got science and plenty of people who will attest that Paulina isn’t even remotely a witch. Everything hangs on proving that Hopkins is a fraud and that the accusations are false.

This was a really fun read, I love the concept of Pepys and his cohorts carrying out investigations and righting wrongs at a time before we had a proper detective force, and crime was prosecuted in a very different way than it is now.

*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 Corpse in Christmas Close – Michelle Salter

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When a pantomime turns deadly, Iris investigates a cast of killers…

Christmas, 1923.

When reporter Iris Woodmore is sent to cover the Prince of Wales’ visit to historic
Winchester, she discovers more than just royal gossip.
The leading lady in Winchester Cathedral’s charity pantomime is found dead in mysterious circumstances. And the chief suspect is Cinderella’s handsome prince, played by Percy Baverstock’s younger brother, Freddie.
For the sake of the Baverstocks, Iris must investigate the murder, even though it means confronting an old enemy. And as the line between friend and foe blurs dangerously, she’s ensnared by someone
she hoped she’d never see again…

Everyone’s favourite amateur sleuth returns for a Christmas mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright, Claire Gradidge and Emily Organ.

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Michelle Salter writes historical cosy crime set in Hampshire, where she lives, and inspired by real-life events in 1920s Britain. Her Iris Woodmore series draws on an interest in the aftermath of the Great War and the suffragette movement.

My thoughts: Iris gets drawn into a murder mystery at a charity pantomime in Winchester, when Cinderella is found dead outside the church hall at rehearsal. Now I’ve done panto and there are always times when you think about offing whoever is the most annoying member of the cast (or the director) but as far as I know, it’s not happened, at least in any show I’ve been involved with.

However the actress, Rachel, is involved with some rather dodgy people through her work as a receptionist at a local car dealership, both her boss and the manager have secrets, and so did Rachel. Could her death be related to her job and not her role as Cinders, or is something else altogether going on?

Iris digs a lot, asking questions the police don’t or haven’t, she’s determined to get to the truth, even if it puts her in danger. She’s pretty certain that Percy’s brother Freddie (Prince Charming) is innocent, despite his war career, he just seems too gentle, but when his boss also meets a sticky end, it points the finger of suspicion at him ever more firmly. Thankfully Iris doesn’t understand the concept of minding her own business!

Christmas is round the corner, and she’s hoping to get to the bottom of this case before the year ends. Unfortunately the horrible Archie is back in town, and Iris doesn’t need the distraction and upset as she investigates.

It’s another cracking case for the intrepid journalist, the twists are totally unexpected and brilliantly done. And who doesn’t love a festive murder?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Blog Tour: Prey – Vanda Symon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Book Review: Luna’s Veil – Wes Verde

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review opportunity provided by R&R Book Tours

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

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Book Review: Singapore Worlds – Murray Bailey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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A local gossip is about to get her just desserts!

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

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

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

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

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

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E.V. Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and revenge thrillers as Evie Hunter. She is now redirecting her talents to produce cosy murder mysteries. For the
past twenty years she has lived the life of a nomad, roaming the world on interesting forms of transport, but has now settled back in the UK.

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My thoughts: My cat is very jealous of how much I enjoy this series and Cosmo the crime fighting feline. I was reading this book and Ted was furiously demanding attention – oops!

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

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

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

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

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

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Blog Tour: 33 Women – Isabel Ashdown

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

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

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

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

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

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Blog Tour: What the Lady Wants – Emma Orchard

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Autumn, 1816…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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