Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

#TeamScilly Blog Tour: Hangman Island – Kate Rhodes

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ON A REMOTE ISLAND

When Jez Cardew’s boat is found drifting empty on the Atlantic Ocean, DI Ben Kitto and his fellow lifeboat crew members immediately fear the worst. After an extensive search yields no results, the team are forced to retreat to dry land as darkness sets in.

THE OCEAN IS MERCILESS

But Kitto can’t let it go. Why would Jez – an experienced sailor – get into difficulty when the sea has been calm for weeks? Unless his disappearance was no accident.

BUT SO ARE THE PEOPLE . . .

The gruesome discovery of a hand washed ashore on the beach confirms his hunch. Because a medal is attached to the index finger, and it can only have been placed there by the killer.

This strange clue is the only lead to an agenda as cold as the ocean itself. Kitto must work fast, before the small, isolated community closes ranks. And it’s only a matter of time before the murderer among them strikes again . . .

Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths, this gripping new locked-island mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat until the bitter end.

My thoughts: a lot of the places in the Scillies have dark names and dark pasts, as in the titles of this series, and indeed this book. As Ben Kitto prepares for his wedding to Nina, the lifeboat crew is under threat.

The RNLI volunteers do an incredible job, and are true heroes, living on the edge of the Atlantic, the Scillies need them a lot, the main mode of travel is by boat after all. But someone has a problem with heroes, Jez, is found with a lifesaving medal attached by wire to his hand, drowned; possibly keel hauled, a truly terrible way to die. Can Kitto and his team find the killer before anyone else is killed?

The tension is this series in great, small isolated community, everyone knows everyone (or so it seems), there’s suspicion and whispers in the air. Kitto has to figure it out fast, he’s on a deadline after all. Can’t get married with a murderer on the loose.

My beloved Shadow, Kitto’s right hand hound is back to full health and finding clues again, because he’s the best detective around. There’s a personal angle as Eddie, Kitto’s DS is related to the first victim and taking it hard.

I don’t know how many more stories of murder and tragedy Kate Rhodes can find in the small collection of islands that make up the Scillies, but I hope there are more to come.

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Blog Tour: The Girl in Seat 2A – Diana Wilkinson

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Funny how one lie can spiral…


One thing about me: I HATE flying. It’s my worst nightmare.
That’s why I book seat 2A every time I fly. Since my big win, I’ve been booking seats 2B and 2C as well. They’re my comfort seats, they cushion the claustrophobia, and at last I can afford them.
I am now determined to live the life of luxury. I deserve it, after all.
How to Live Like a Millionaire is the book I’m reading on this flight. When it lands on the floor, a handsome guy hands it back to me. I know he clocks the title, because he’s totally charming and talks to me as if I’m one of the Marbella Millionaire set.
When I land in sunny Spain, I’ll be acting like a millionairess, that’s for sure – even if it’s stretching the truth, just a bit. We all know that money talks, and I intend to talk my way into a better life.
Who knows… maybe this guy, the one who had the cheek to sit down in seat 2C, might be someone special. He has an air of danger, but who cares?

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Diana Wilkinson writes bestselling psychological thrillers, including her debut novel 4 Riverside Close published by Bloodhound. Formerly an international professional tennis player, she hails from
Belfast, but now lives in Hertfordshire.

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My thoughts: Jade has had some good fortune, just not as much as she’s letting people think on her live like a millionaire holiday in Marbella. When she meets Isaac on the plane, she decides a holiday fling with a real millionaire could be fun. Only Isaac is more terrifying and dangerous then she could imagine.

She’s also scared of his sullen and moody housekeeper, but maybe she shouldn’t be. She’s not sure who to trust, far from home, among strangers. But as things get worse, you start to wonder who is playing who.

Told from several perspectives and moving back and forth on the timeline, the truth about casa de Astrid is revealed and all becomes clear. A clever and gripping thriller set in the Spanish sunshine. Holidays have never been so dangerous.

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

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Blog Tour: Who To Believe – Edwin Hill

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WhoToBelieve copy

Welcome to the ARC tour for Edwin Hill’s upcoming thriller Who to Believe. Read on for more details!

Who To Believe - Hill - FINAL

Who to Believe: A Twisty Domestic Thriler

Expected Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Genre: Thriller/ Domestic Thriller/ Serial Killers

In a twisty, claustrophobic suburban suspense novel for fans of Ruth Ware and Liane Moriarty, the aftermath of a murder in a quiet coastal New England town reveals a web of dark secrets among friends . . .

Monreith, Massachusetts, was once a small community of whalers and farmers. These days it’s a well-to-do town filled with commuters drawn to its rugged coastline and country roads. A peaceful, predictable place—until popular restaurateur Laurel Thibodeau is found brutally murdered in her own home. Suspicion naturally falls on Laurel’s husband, Simon, who had gambling debts that only her life insurance policy could fix. But there are other rumors too . . .

Among the group of six friends gathered for Alice Stone’s fortieth birthday, theories abound concerning Laurel’s death. Max Barbosa, police chief, has heard plenty of them, as has his longtime friend, Unitarian minister Georgia Fitzhugh. Local psychiatrist Farley Drake is privy to even more, gleaning snippets of gossip and information from his patients while closely guarding his own past.

But maybe everyone in Monreith has something to hide. Because before this late-summer evening has come to a close, one of these six will be dead. And as jealousy, revenge, adultery, and greed converge, the question becomes not who among these friends might be capable of such a thing, but—who isn’t?

This is an adult suspense thriller by Edwin Hill, very LGBTQ+ inclusive. Publisher is Kensington. Coming out January 2024.

“Confounding twists and seismic reveals stud Edgar nominee Hill’s meticulously crafted, diabolically plotted mystery. Structured to maximize suspense, the tale unfolds in seven parts, each with its own nuanced first-person-present narrator and unique voice. Every new section delivers a kaleidoscopic turn, reframing all that came before and keeping readers perennially off-kilter. A devilishly clever delight.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

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About the Author

Edwin Hill is a suspense writer and author of the critically acclaimed domestic suspense novels including Who to Believe, The Secrets We Share, and the Hester Thursby Mysteries. A two-time Agatha Award finalist and a Sue Grafton Memorial Award finalist, his novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly, and been selections of the Mysterious Press First Mystery Club, Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books selection. Formerly the vice president and editorial director for Bedford/St. Martin’s (Macmillan), he now teaches at Emerson College and has written for the LA Review of Books, The Life Sentence, Publishers Weekly, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and their Labrador, Edith Ann. Visit Edwin Hill online at http://www.Edwin-Hill.com.

My thoughts: this was a clever and entertaining thriller, you get several different versions of the same events, and each person might be a murderer. The small town setting gives it that claustrophobic edge, everyone knows each other, their lives are intertwined, maybe a little too much.

When a local woman is killed, suspicion naturally falls on the husband, but there’s a few other people with reasons to kill her. Is it one of the guests at Alice’s birthday? Their stories show them to be not a particularly pleasant group. All bitterness, jealousy and resentment.

Then one of them is killed after the party, who did it? The sheriff has to recuse himself, he was there. But if everyone has a motive, will finding the killer be possible?

The final section (narrated by a dog!) ties everything up, and reminds us that your pets see everything you do, even if they don’t really understand.

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

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Blog Tour: The Trauma Effect – Zetta Thomelin

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The Trauma Effect reveals a family secret, a trauma, a tragedy that felled a family, the book exposes uncomfortable truths and follows the journey of recovery.

Families have secrets, hidden traumas, the skeleton in the closet. We can inherit the effects of these events without even realising it, absorbing it unconsciously, like a sponge absorbs water.

My family has such a secret. I tell you my story in this book, my story as I thought it, and then the truth of my story to help you to heal yours.

I explore how such events can affect us, both psychologically and physically and take you on the journey of recovery, how to bring a full stop to that inheritance of shame, blame and guilt, so the next generation does not have to carry the burden of it too.

We need to do something about it, shine a light on it, take the skeleton out of the closet, dust it down and bury it once and for all.

Zetta Thomelin is a therapist in private practice, involved in the governance of complementary medicine as Chair of BAThH, as Vice-Chair of UKCHO and as a Trustee of Research Council for Complementary Medicine

Prior to her career in therapy, she worked in the media at News International and Chronos Group Publishing and later in the Third Sector as CEO of Children with AIDS Charity and Vice Chair of Mama Biashara.

She is the author of two other books, The Healing Metaphor and Self-Help? Self-Hypnosis!

For further information go to http://www.zettathomelin.com email info@zettathomelin.com

My thoughts: this was a really interesting and informative read, using her own family as a case study, therapist Zetta explores how trauma can echo through the generations in a family and have an impact even if you don’t experience it firsthand.

Her grandparents and father were the ones directly affected by her aunt’s terrible death, but she was impacted by it too, through them. She looks at the different psychological theories and treatments that can be used to help someone experiencing generational trauma and what she has used in her own practice.

My own family has some experience of generational trauma and so I was interested to understand the effects of this and how it might manifest. A thoroughly intelligent and well written exploration of this condition and its impact.

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

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Blog Tour: A Scandalous Match – Jane Dunn

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‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she
was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.’

Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes
and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation.
But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene.
As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has
forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms.

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 comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which, The Marriage Season, was published in January 2023.
She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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My thoughts: I really enjoyed this Regency romance with its spirited heroine and romantic storyline. Angelica is an actress, currently playing the doomed Ophelia on stage, and being wooed by a young lord. She’s fully aware that they can’t really have a future, being from such different classes and with her career. But when the lordling’s uncle warns her off, she finds herself furious.

However as the story progresses and she gets to know Ivor Asprey, she admires him and possibly more. He’s raising his daughter alone after the death of his wife, and as an MP is pushing some pretty important reforms through Parliament. Ones Angelica is supportive of, her own childhood having been one of poverty and hardship.

She becomes friends with a young heiress, finds herself in trouble and in need of Asprey’s aid more than once, and through their growing connection, and the machinations of his young daughter, a spark is ignited.

Angelica is a fantastic, charming protagonist, a modern woman living in an age of propriety where reputation is all, but she’s surrounded and supported by loving friends and family, and knows she can handle almost anything with their help.

Perfect for anyone who enjoys historical romance with a woman who knows her own mind and a man who believes in what’s right at the heart of it. Delightful.

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

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Blog Tour: Rise of the Immortals – Anna Allen

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In a world of rising magic, an unseen battle commences. The Gods of Gritheim release their instruments – for good and evil.

While many scoff at witchcraft and sorcery, Josse and Leonné have witnessed it firsthand. Thrown together by prophesy they must learn to wield their secret magic, to defend not only themselves but the kingdom of mortals. Wraiths, known as Drackarts, do the bidding of Guiscard D’Abernon and his sorceress wife, Orella, but the masters behind these puppets are the ones set on its destruction.

The Immortals of Gritheim are on the rise, seeking ultimate power and control; they care not how many thousands will be slaughtered in their path. Only the Redeemers stand in their way.

Josse and Leonné must overcome their dislike of each other, for their world is at stake.

For fans of thrilling epic fantasy that will keep you turning pages!

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Dawn Bolton writes romances and crime/romantic suspense under the name of Toni Bolton, fantasy novels under the name of Anna Allen and historical romance/ suspense novels under the name of Alexie Bolton.

Fascinated by history and law she studied both and taught law in higher education. These subjects inspire many of her books.

She lived in a boat while she studied at unviersity and now lives in a pub, she and her husband renovated near the Grand Union Canal with two fluffy Birman vandals. She loves aqua, yoga and Zumba and draws and paints in her spare time.

Her family are psychic and some of their experiences inspired some of her fantasy and paranormal novels. She’s fascinated by the occult and herbal medicine and brings these into her latest dark fantasy novels.

She loves hearing from her readers and getting feedback.

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My thoughts: two young people battle the forces of evil and learn that they have magical gifts that can aid them.

Leonnè helps a young boy escape his bullying stepfather and years later, the now knight Fitzsimmons comes to her aid as her uncle tries to take her captive and bend her to his will.

As they get to know each other, Leonnè and Fitz can’t fight the growing attraction, but they must stop her uncle and his demon servants first. They hope the king can help them, especially after Leonnè is kidnapped and forced into marriage to her cousin.

Packed with adventure and magical animals (always good), this is a fun read and would be great for fans of sword and sorcery fantasy.

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

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Blog Tour: One Year After You – Shari Low

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For forty years the fabulous Odette Devine has been a beloved matriarchal actress on Scotland’s longest-running TV show.
Today she is broken, betrayed, and desperate to find out if this is her payback for a lie she told forty years ago.
A year ago today, Tress Walker’s husband was killed in a car accident, on the same day she gave birth to their baby. Reeling from the discovery that he was with his mistress, Tress has to choose whether
to protect her fragile heart or open it to love again.
Noah Clark was devastated to discover his wife and his best friend were having an affair. Now the love of his life is asking for another chance to make their marriage work. But can there ever be a way back, once the trust is broken?
Noah’s sister Keli Clark has recently been ghosted by the man she loves. When a shocking message from a complete stranger reveals the reason why, Keli will have to decide whether to forgive, forget,
or to make sure he pays.
Twenty-four hours. Four shocking secrets. One tumultuous tale of love, loss and second chances.

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Shari Low is the #1 bestselling author of over 30 novels, including My One Month Marriage and One Summer Sunrise and a collection of parenthood memories called Because Mummy Said So. She lives near Glasgow.

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My thoughts: returning to the lives of the characters from One Day For You a year later, we find some things have changed and others are the same for Noah and Tress, as well as the delightful Nancy and Val. Plus we get some new characters to cheer for in Odette and Keli.

There’s more drama and it’s Buddy’s first birthday too, which he spends with all the people he loves. And there are a lot of them, lucky boy.

Noah and Tress are both trying to move on after finding out that their respective spouses were having an affair, and everyone keeps mentioning Shania Twain for some reason…

With Shani Low’s classic humour, delightful and entertaining stories, and those fabulous characters, it’s a joy to read.

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

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Blog Tour: The Screenwriter – Amanda Reynolds

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Every screenwriter knows the best stories come from the truth…

But the truth can be terrifying

Marnie thought she’d left behind her days of writing ‘celebrity’ tell-all memoirs, but when her big break as a screenwriter turns to dust she’s forced to take another ghost writing job.
Except this time it’s for someone who is actually famous. Or rather, infamous. Blythe Hopper. A reclusive former Hollywood star who recently murdered her screenwriter husband.
And Marnie has her own reasons for wanting to meet Blythe, not least because of an email she received from Blythe’s husband, sent two days after he was shot dead.
But Marnie soon learns Blythe is not a woman to be messed with.
Dark secrets lurk at the Hoppers’ palatial London home – secrets long buried, which Marnie is determined to unearth. At any price.
Because this isn’t just about Blythe’s past.
It’s about Marnie’s too.

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Amanda Reynolds is the bestselling psychological suspense author whose debut novel, Close To Me, was adapted as a major six-part TV series for Channel 4 in 2021. Previously published by Headline,
her books have been translated into multiple languages. Amanda lives near Cheltenham.

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My thoughts: her career in a bit of a rut, Marnie accepts a job ghostwriting the memoir of a former Hollywood star, who has confessed to shooting her husband dead.

But Marnie also has an agenda, the dead man emailed her, after he died, hinting at knowledge of her own mystery. What happened to her mum?

Blythe’s house is a pit, nothing is clean, there’s just the somewhat unhinged actor, who never really eats, and her so-called business manager Ludo, who is another person with secrets.

As Marnie attempts to squeeze information out of the odd pair, and find out her own answers, she starts to feel quite frightened, Blythe is clearly unwell and her current legal issues are adding to all her other problems. Will Marnie survive her stay at The Towers?

Full of twists and surprises, this is a dark and sinister summer behind the high walls of a mysterious mansion.

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

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Blog Tour: The Star and the Strange Moon – Constance Sayers

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TheStarandTheStrangeMoon copy

We are thrilled to share The Star and the Strange Moon this week. Read on for more details!

TSATSMHardcover2

The Star and the Strange Moon

Publication Date: November 2023

Genre: Historical Fantasy
From the author of A Witch in Time comes a haunting tale of ambition, obsession, and the eternal mystery and magic of film.
A vanished star. A haunted film. A mystery only love can unravel…

1968: Gemma Turner once dreamed of stardom. Now the actress is on the cusp of obscurity. When she’s offered the lead in a radical new horror film, Gemma believes her luck has changed—but her dream is about to turn into a nightmare. One night, between the shadows of an alleyway, Gemma disappears on set and is never seen again. Yet, Gemma is alive. She’s been pulled into the film. And the script—and the monsters within it—are coming to life. Gemma must play her role perfectly if she hopes to survive.

2007: Gemma Turner’s disappearance is one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries—one that’s captivated film student Christopher Kent ever since he saw L’Étrange Lune for the first time. The screenings only happen once a decade and each time there is new, impossible footage of Gemma that shouldn’t exist. Curiosity drives Christopher to unravel the truth. But answers to the film’s mystery may leave him trapped by it forever.

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About the Author

Constance Sayers headshotTSSM

Constance Sayers is the author of two best-selling novels: A Witch in Time (Hachette, 2020) and The Ladies of the Secret Circus (Hachette, 2021), the latter receiving both a Publishers Weekly and Library Journal starred reviews. Her work has been translated into six languages and her third novel, The Star and the Strange Moon will be published by Hachette on 11.14.23. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, and her short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.

She received an MA in English from George Mason University and a B.A. in Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She lives outside of Washington D.C.

Constance Sayers

My thoughts: the premise of this was so intriguing I had to read it as soon as I received a copy and my goodness. This book is so mindbendingly ingenious and clever and I was hooked from the off.

Christopher has spent much of his life fascinated by why his mum once freaked out and smashed up a picture of a film star in a hotel. He can’t ask her, as sadly she died after a long battle with her mental health. His aunt doesn’t know either.

Meanwhile in the 60s Gemma Turner has been offered a role in a Nouvelle Vague film shooting in the French countryside. It needs to be a success as her career’s on the slide. But things take a strange and terrifying turn…

As the two lives play out and slowly start to collide, strange occurances and a haunted movie dog them both.

Utterly brilliant and written so you really feel for these two lost souls as they search for answers and try to build something for themselves. It’s also an achingly sad story of a young man’s search for answers about where he comes from, and a woman’s about where she belongs.

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

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Blog Tour: The Chameleon Killer Mystery – Gina Cheyne

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Who is the Chameleon Killer?

When you are having a really bad day, drink yourself legless, abuse everyone around you, pass out and try again tomorrow.
Trouble is; every day is bad in Rupert Fletcher’s world. He threatens his ex-wife, mocks his girlfriend, abuses his neighbours, and gets into a fight in the pub.
Next day, he is found dead.
Who’d want to kill him? Well, almost everybody, but it looks like only one person did. The police arrest his ex-wife’s therapist, Anthony.
Anthony’s family claim he is innocent and employ the SeeMs Detective Agency to find the real killer.
Cat, Miranda, and Stevie uncover clues that point them back to an intricate web of family injuries and an unexpected connection between the victim and his killer.
Could Rupert’s murderer be The Chameleon Killer, who has already killed before and is bent on revenge? They need to act fast before the killer strikes again.

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Gina has worked as a pilot, physiotherapist, freelance writer and dog breeder. As a child, Gina’s parents hated travelling and never went further than Jersey. As a result she became travel-addicted and spent years bumming around SE Asia, China and Australia, where she worked in a racing stables in Pinjarra, South of Perth. She then lived and worked in various places in Spain, the
USA and London before settling in West Sussex with her husband and dogs.

This is her fourth crime novel in the SeeMs Detective Agency series. This book is set between Sussex and London.

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My thoughts: the SeeMs Detective Agency are dealing with a terrible murder close to home. Cat’s former son-in-law is dead and her daughter Caroline is a person of interest, as is former therapist Anthony.

But there’s a rather odd woman who’d crowbarred her way into Rupert’s life, could she be his killer and might she be the criminal they’ve been hunting for some time – the elusive Victoria? She seems to have multiple identities, and yet no one truly knows who she is.

With Stevie hunting down DNA and learning about family connections, Cat and Miranda are out and about asking questions. This mysterious woman seems to be after Caroline’s daughter, Lagartha, but why?

As they unravel the clues, more people disappear, and there’s some odd goings on at the pub Rupert was last seen drinking in. Are they connected?

It’s all very convoluted but they seem sure they can unravel it and prove that the wicked kidnapper and murderer is Victoria or Bella or whoever she is this week. Can they get justice, they’re pretty sure of it.

Once things start to slot into place and the killer’s multiple identities are uncovered, the story starts to really pick up, between all the mistaken sightings, the names and addresses, the odd connections, a case is being built. The police need evidence, but the private eyes of SeeMs don’t.

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