Category: reviews

blog tour, books, reviews

#TeamDaniels Blog Tour: Double Review – The Murder Wall & Settled Blood – Mari Hannah

ramblingmads

Eleven months after discovering a brutal double murder in a sleepy Northumbrian town, Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels is still haunted by her failure to solve the case. Then the brutal killing of a man on Newcastle’s Quayside gives Daniels another chance to get it right, and her first case as Senior Investigating Officer. When Daniels recognises the corpse, but fails to disclose the fact, her personal life swerves dangerously into her professional life. But much worse, she is now being watched. As Daniels steps closer to finding a killer, a killer is only a breath away from claiming his next victim.

My thoughts: this was a really gripping crime read that throws you, and DCI Kate Daniels, in at the deep end with a body in the night. Could it be connected to the unsolved double homicide Kate is still working on from almost a year ago? And what is the killer trying to say with his unusual calling card?

Determined to solve the murders, Kate puts everything on the line. Including her personal life. Is the killer someone close to Kate or are they coming for her too?

Absolutely gripped from start to finish, loads of twists and turns. The relationships between Kate and her boss, and between her and her DS are really interesting too, lots of conflict and concern that makes it harder for her to do her job.

When a young girl is found dead at the base of Hadrian’s Wall, it’s not long before Detective Chief Inspector Kate Daniels realizes that her death was no ordinary homicide. She was thrown from a great height – and was probably alive before she hit the ground.

When a local businessman reports his daughter missing, has Daniels found the identity of the victim, or is a killer playing a sickening game?

As the murder investigation team delves deeper into the case, half-truths are told and secrets exposed. And while Daniels makes her way through a mountain of obstacles, time is running out for one terrified girl . . .

My thoughts: this was even more twisted than the previous book, with young women being targeted by someone with a vendetta, that isn’t even really about them. Can Kate and her team find the missing woman in time or will the killer add to their body count?

Kate’s a lot more sure of herself this time around, her private life’s still a mess, but professionally she’s on firmer ground, with the last case under her belt and a changing of roles above her, she’s confident and sure she can catch the suspect this time and stop more young women ending up victims. Another totally gripping read from Mari Hannah.

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

books, reviews

Book Review: The Lie Maker – Linwood Barclay

ramblingmads

In this twisty, fast-paced thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Find You First and Take Your Breath Away, a man desperately tries to track down his father—who was taken into witness protection years ago—before his enemies can get to him.

Your dad’s not a good person. Your dad killed people, son.

These are some of the last words Jack Givins’ father spoke to him before he was whisked away by witness protection, leaving Jack and his mother to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives as best they could.

Years later, Jack is a grown man with problems of his own. He’s a talented but struggling author, barely scraping by on the royalties from his moderately successful first book. So when the U.S. Marshals approach him with a lucrative opportunity, he’s in no position to turn them down. They’re recruiting writers like Jack to create false histories for people in witness protection—people like Jack’s father.

The coincidence is astonishing to Jack at first, but he soon realizes this may be a chance to find his dad. Only there’s one problem—Jack’s father hasn’t made contact with his handlers recently, and they have no idea where he is. He could be in serious danger, and Jack may be the only one who can find him.

But how will he find a man he’s never truly known? A man who has done terrible things in his lifetime and made some deadly enemies in the process—enemies who wouldn’t think twice about using his own son against him.

My thoughts: I’ve really enjoyed all the Linwood Barclay books I’ve read, but this might be my favourite. It’s really clever, and has so many twists and turns.

I do think Jack’s a bit gullible, never once does he ask the mysterious U.S. Marshal for definite proof that he’s working for them, despite the empty office building, and never meeting anyone else. But maybe if someone with a badge and a gun tells me they’re law enforcement, I might go along with it too. I don’t know.

He hopes by doing this he might finally get some answers about his dad, who went into witness protection years ago. He turned state’s evidence in return, but Jack’s mum wouldn’t go with him and so neither did Jack.

But as he gets deeper into his involvement with the mysterious Marshal, he starts to really look for his dad, he’s only seen him a few times over the years, but now he needs to reconnect. Especially as strange things start to happen and not everything adds up.

I was hooked from the get go, the premise is so intriguing and Jack’s somewhat clueless, I could just tell something was going to go wrong. Luckily he has people around him, like his girlfriend, to help him out as he gets wildly out of his depth.

An absolutely cracking read from a master of the genre. Thanks to HQ for my copy. Which is out now in all the usual places.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Always by Your Side – Julie Haworth

ramblingmads

WINNER OF THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS’ ASSOCIATION KATIE FFORDE DEBUT NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023.

‘A warm, romantic story about community, friendship and following your heart, Always By Your Side is a feel-good delight, I adored it!’ HOLLY MARTIN

‘Always By Your Side engages the reader from the very first page, and immerses you into the lives of Rose and her aunt, in the delightful setting of Blossom Heath. I loved it’ PATRICIA SCANLAN

When school teacher Rose loses her dream job at a London primary school, her self-confidence takes a knock. Worse still, her stockbroker fiancé, Ollie, sees it as the perfect opportunity for her to join his firm, which only adds to the feelings Rose has that their relationship might be coming to an end.

An unexpected phone call, and an elderly aunt who’s taken a fall, means Rose must drop everything – including Ollie – and return to Blossom Heath, the Sussex village she grew up in.

With no job to rush home to, Rose decides to stay in Blossom Heath for the Summer, trading London for the idyllic countryside. Here Rose finds herself reconnecting to the village life of her childhood in more ways than one, including falling head-over-heels for local farmer, Jake.

So when her London life comes calling, Rose is faced with an impossible choice… to return to the high-pressure life of her past, or embrace the joy of a new life in the country.

Bursting with romance and charm, Always By Your Side is the perfect uplifting Summer read for fans of The Switch and Rescue Me, from an exciting new voice in women’s fiction.

My thoughts: I loved this, Rose rediscovers herself and the things that bring her joy while staying in her great-aunt’s cottage in Sussex. With Auntie Jean in hospital, Rose sets about sorting out the cottage, making new friends, meeting hunky farmers (just one really) and adopting a little dog called Scout.

She even gets a job at the local primary school, providing cover for a teacher off sick. It’s a massive change to her last teaching job and prompts her to think about what she wants from her career and her life. There’s always time to start over and she and fiancé Ollie definitely aren’t the same people they used to be.

A really delightful, uplifting and charming read. Just lovely.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Dating Little Miss Perfect – Cassandra O’Leary plus giveaway!

ramblingmads


On an anonymous online dating app, LittleMissPerfect meets HotAussie007 and it’s love at first click.
In real life, a smart but spiky woman in STEM, research scientist, Dr Eden, meets a laid-back Aussie marketing manager, Finn, at the big pharma company where they both work in California. They’re forced to compete for special projects funding, and both their jobs are on the line.
Eden just wants to win at science and in life. It’s not happening! She can’t stand Finn’s too-cool-for-school, nice guy act, or his delectable forearms that keep invading her space. While Finn is stupidly attracted to Eden, when she’s not telling him off, he isn’t free to pursue her. He’s stuck in the worst position in his professional life, and doesn’t see a clear way out. He can’t tell her the whole truth about what’s going on at work or in his personal life. . . or it could all blow up in his face.
When they realise the truth about their online alter egos, dating is off the table. Can they ignore their inconvenient attraction, and work together to take down their unethical boss? Or will intense
rivalry cause their IRL work lives and online love lives to collide and explode like a science experiment gone wrong?

Note: Dating Little Miss Perfect is an updated take on You’ve Got Mail for lovers of online dating romcoms, with added science, cupcakes and old movie references! This new release from award-
winning author Cassandra O’Leary is a stand-alone contemporary romance novel of approximately 97,000 words.

Universal link Amazon US Amazon UK Kobo Apple Books Barnes & Noble Google Play Books


Cassandra O’Leary is an Aussie romance, romantic comedy and women’s fiction author, corporate communications escapee, avid reader, and film and TV fangirl.
In 2015, Cassandra won the global We Heart New Talent contest run by HarperCollins UK and her debut novel, Girl on a Plane, was released in 2016. Cassandra was also a finalist in contests run by AusRom Today, Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of Australia. She has indie published several titles including a romcom story collection, Hot In The City and standalone novel,
Dating Little Miss Perfect.
You’ll find Cassandra in Melbourne, Australia, chasing her two high-energy mini ninjas and drinking excellent coffee with her superhero husband.

She is a proud member of Romance Writers of Australia, the Australian Society of Authors and the Melbourne Romance Writers Guild.
Read more at cassandraolearyauthor.com

Facebook Twitter Instagram Website


Giveaway to Win 3 x ebooks of Dating Little Miss Perfect (Open Internationally)
Please note that the ebook will be distributed by BookFunnel.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My thoughts: this was a really fun rom com set in San Diego, with glamorous scientist Eden finding herself pitted against annoying marketing man (and Aussie) Finn. Except they don’t have to be rivals, they could team up against their evil boss, who Finn is secretly investigating. Especially as they’re already flirting like mad online on an anonymous dating app.

Both are ridiculously attracted to each other, which is driving them crazy, in different ways. Eden digs down to find every reason why it would be a terrible idea, but Finn reckons he can win her over with his good looks and accent.

The corporate espionage storyline is fun, and gives Finn a reason to be a bit sneaky, and Eden’s sister and friends were entertaining as they try to get her to realise her feelings and do something about it.

This was a cute, enjoyable rom com and the ending was delightful. Definitely one to curl up with, warning; spicy 🌶🌶🌶

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will
not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random
Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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

books, reviews

Book Review: Herc – Phoenicia Rogerson

ramblingmads

A queer revisionist retelling of the story of Hercules, for fans of The Song of Achilles, A Thousand Ships and Ariadne.

This should be the story of Hercules: his twelve labours, his endless adventures… everyone’s favorite hero, right?

Well, it’s not.

This is the story of everyone else:

  • Alcmene: Herc’s mother (She has knives everywhere)
  • Hylas: Herc’s first friend (They were more than friends)
  • Megara: Herc’s wife (She’ll tell you about their marriage)
  • Eurystheus: Oversaw Herc’s labours (He never asked for the job)
  • His friends, his enemies, his wives, his children, his lovers, his rivals, his gods, his victims

It’s time to hear their stories.

Told with humour and heart, Herc gives voice to the silenced characters, in this feminist, queer (and sometimes shocking) retelling of classic Hercules myth.

My thoughts: I am a massive myths and legends geek, one of those it’s best not to get started, and I’ve enjoyed most of the retellings of recent years. These stories are designed to be recycled, retold, respun for a new age, for a long time most of them existed only in oral form. (Oops, see what I mean, special interest off!)

Hercules (or more accurately Herakles as the letter ‘c’ doesn’t exist in Ancient Greek but ‘k’ does) is probably the most famous Greek hero and one people frequently get wrong (I blame Disney – their Hercules is nothing like the myth).

This Herc, as read by his friends, family and lovers, is every bit as awful and blood soaked as much Greek tragedy. He murders his wife and children, and his punishment is those infamous twelve labours. Except in completing them, he becomes a hero. A selfish, rather stupid, often very drunk, hero. He joins Jason’s Argonauts, only to bail out before they get anywhere near the Golden Fleece, he may even be the cause of the Trojan Wars (although he dies before he can make that situation any worse).

We never really hear from Herc, only secondhand, but it’s enough. He doesn’t come out of this well. His fits of rage, his drinking, his unfaithfulness, his bad behaviour. If he was a 21st century man, he’d be in prison.

But it is interesting to have all these different views on him – some from people who love him, who think they understand him, but can they really? He believes he’s cursed by Hera, being one of Zeus’ many, many illegitimate children, but can he really blame all the death around him on the gods and not accept that he’s a thug?

Phoenicia Rogerson (who has the best first name) has created a rich and vibrant world, with its many tiny island kingdoms, its heroes and villains, gods, monsters and strange happenings. She brings it all vividly to life, and even though the language is modern, you can tell these are ancient stories.

Thank you HQ for sending me a beautiful hardback copy, you can Pre-order yours now, and it’s available at the end of August.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Blood Sisters – Rebecca Frost

ramblingmads

For almost a decade now, Brent Wright has been in prison for the murder of seven women – unless the surviving twin sister of one of his victims is right and Brent didn’t kill anyone at all. 

She goes to Brent’s sister in her last attempt to prove that Brent didn’t kill Sunni. 

In fact, Sunni’s alive … and she’s the real murderer behind everything. 

If the theory is true, Sunni is dangerous and they should leave well enough alone, but neither sister will be entirely satisfied until they find out for certain.

Goodreads –  Buy Links – 

Rebecca Frost is a published academic who researches and writes about serial killers. Her dissertation was about the history of written true crime in the United States. She is the author of three books published through McFarland on Jack the Ripper, H.H. Holmes, and Making a Murderer, is currently under contract for two books about the works of Stephen King, one through McFarland and one through Lexington. She is also the author of Psychological Thriller Not Your Mary Sue published through Aesthetic Press. BLOOD SISTERS is her second published title through Aesthetic Press. Rebecca uses her research into both real and fictional serial killers in order to realistically craft her own murderous characters.

Instagram Facebook Twitter Website

My thoughts: the sister of a convicted killer teams up with the sister of one of his supposed victims – who might still be alive, and might just be the real killer.

With lots of twists and turns, this is a clever and twisted tale from a writer with an interest in serial killers that keeps you hooked.

Vanessa will do almost anything to prove her brother’s innocence, and Skye wants to prove that Sunni’s still alive, somewhere. The pairing is interesting and I felt for Vanessa, she’s only got Brent, (and her husband and his snotty family) her brother means the most to her and she never believed he was guilty. An enjoyable and compelling 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.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Norah’s Ark – Victoria Williamson

ramblingmads

Two very different lives. One shared hope for a brighter future. No time to waste. The flood is coming…

Eleven-year-old Norah Day lives in temporary accommodation, relies on foodbanks for dinner, and doesn’t have a mum. But she’s happy enough, as she has a dad, a pet mouse, a pet spider, and a whole zoo of rescued local wildlife to care for.

Eleven-year-old Adam Sinclair lives with his parents in a nice house with a big garden, a private tutor, and everything he could ever want. But his life isn’t perfect – far from it. He’s recovering from leukaemia and is questioning his dream of becoming a champion swimmer.

When a nest of baby birds brings them together, Norah and Adam discover they’re not so different after all. Can Norah help Adam find his confidence again? Can Adam help Norah solve the mystery of her missing mother? And can their teamwork save their zoo of rescued animals from the rising flood?

Offering powerful lessons in empathy, Norah’s Ark is a hopeful and uplifting middle-grade tale for our times about friendship and finding a sense of home in the face of adversity.

Amazon Goodreads

Victoria Williamson is an award-winning author who grew up in Scotland surrounded by hills, books, and an historical farm estate which inspired many of her early adventure stories and spooky tales. After studying Physics at the University of Glasgow, she set out on her own real-life adventures, which included teaching maths and science in Cameroon, training teachers in Malawi, teaching English in China and working with children with additional support needs in the UK. Victoria currently works part time writing KS2 books for the education company Twinkl and spends the rest of her time writing novels, and visiting schools, libraries and literary festivals to give author talks and run creative writing workshops.

Victoria’s previous novels include The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, Hag Storm, and War of the Wind. She has won the Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2020/2021, The YA-aldi Glasgow Secondary School Libraries Book Award 2023, and has been shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023, The Leeds Book Awards 2023, the Red Book Award 2023, the James Reckitt Hull Book Awards 2021, The Trinity School Book Awards 2021, and longlisted for the ABA South Coast Book Awards 2023, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020, and the Branford Boase Award 2019.

Her latest novel, The Pawnshop of Stolen Dreams, is a middle grade fantasy inspired by classic folklore. Twenty percent of the author royalties for this book are donated to CharChar Literacy, an organisation working to improve children’s literacy levels in Malawi.You can find out more about Victoria’s books, school visits and free resources for schools on her website: www.strangelymagical.com

My thoughts: this was a sweet and somewhat heartbreaking book about friendship, what constitutes a home and family. Norah and her dad are struggling to survive, he’s out of work, they’re bounced between hostels and B&Bs and can’t afford much in the way of food.

Norah is a wonderful creation, fierce and funny, determined and brave. She’s got so much heart too, loving all the stray and wild animals she meets. Cycling round and round the park while her dad is at the job centre or library, trying to find work. Theirs is a hardscrabble existence at the fringes of society, and sadly an increasingly common one.

Adam comes from a lot more privilege, a safe and loving home, two parents, and his mum doesn’t have to work. He has however, recently been declared in remission from leukaemia, and is struggling to move on. His mum is terrified he’ll get sick again and her anxiety is having an impact on her marriage and Adam. His dad wants to get back to school, swimming and seeing friends but it’s an uphill struggle.

When Adam and Norah meet and bond over their love for animals, both finally have a friend, but it isn’t easy. Gradually however, they build their friendship and their parents come round. But who is the lady who keeps talking to Norah’s dad? Is she from the dreaded social services or is she connected to the mystery of Norah’s mum?

While there are some very sad moments and Norah especially tugs at the heart strings, this is a redemptive and joyful book at heart. Friendship, family, safety and finding a home all provide the warmth and Norah’s sunny nature wins through. Perfect for younger readers who enjoy uplifting stories and are interested in the world and the environment.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Death Comes to Santa Fe – Amanda Allen

ramblingmads


Former New York darling turned amateur sleuth Madeline Vaughn-Alwin is once again thrown into a colourful yet deadly web of secrets, lies and soirees to die for!
It’s the week of Fiesta in Santa Fe and Maddie is looking forward to enjoying the celebrations. But as ‘Old Man Gloom’ Zozobra goes up in flames, so too do Maddie’s hopes for a carefree life . . .

Human remains are found in the dying embers of Zozobra, and then Maddie and her dashing beau Dr David
Cole find a body washed up in the arroyo at the edge of town.
Soon identified as Ricardo Montoya, a wealthy businessman and head of one of the most affluent families in Santa Fe . . . the plot starts to thicken. While his beautiful wife Catalina and her complicated children seem less than heartbroken at his untimely demise, and with many disgruntled locals crawling out of the woodwork, Maddie is surrounded by suspects.
With the celebrations of Fiesta continuing around them, Maddie and her ‘Detection Posse’ get busy infiltrating the best parties and hobnobbing with old and new faces – but can they bring the murderer to justice before they strike again?

Amazon US Amazon UK

Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen–a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject…)
She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the
National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion.

She lives in Santa Fe with two rescue dogs, a wonderful husband, and a very and far too many books and royal memorabilia collections.
When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network–even though she doesn’t cook.

Website Instagram Facebook TikTok

My thoughts: set in the 1920s in Santa Fe, New Mexico, among the artistic set that flocked there, this is a fun and somewhat gory murder mystery. When local businessman (and cruel husband) Ricardo Montoya is found murdered, and bits of him are found inside the huge effigy Maddie’s artist pals burnt on their bonfire (think Guy Fawkes), she and her friends investigate.

She doesn’t believe it could be anyone she knows well, her friends are eccentric but they’re not killers. But does the answer lie with his family, who don’t seem too upset, or in his past?

Maddie is a lot of fun, and has a quick mind, able to sort through clues and facts easily, narrowing down her suspect pool, and ruling people out. But she does put herself in some danger, although in the end she gets her killer and is free to party again, with the lovely English doctor.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Last Girls Standing – Jennifer Dugan

ramblingmads

In this queer YA psychological thriller from the author of Some Girls Do and Hot Dog Girl, the sole surviving counselors of a summer camp massacre search to uncover the truth of what happened that fateful night, but what they find out might just get them killed. 

Sloan and Cherry. Cherry and Sloan. They met only a few days before masked men with machetes attacked the summer camp where they worked, a massacre that left the rest of their fellow counselors dead. Now, months later, the two are inseparable, their traumatic experience bonding them in ways no one else can understand. 

But as new evidence comes to light and Sloan learns more about the motives behind the ritual killing that brought them together, she begins to suspect that her girlfriend may be more than just a survivor―she may actually have been a part of it. Cherry tries to reassure her, but Sloan only becomes more distraught. Is this gaslighting or reality? Is Cherry a victim or a perpetrator? Is Sloan confused, or is she seeing things clearly for the very first time? Against all odds, Sloan survived that hot summer night. But will she survive what comes next?

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, a geek, and a romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she’d had growing up. She’s the author of the graphic novel Coven, as well as the young adult novels Melt With You, Some Girls Do, Verona Comics, and Hot Dog Girl, which was called “a great, fizzy rom-com” by Entertainment Weekly and “one of the best reads of the year, hands down” by Paste magazine. She lives in upstate New York with her family, their dog, a strange kitten who enjoys wearing sweaters, and an evil cat who is no doubt planning to take over the world.

My thoughts: Surviving a terrible crime, the murder of multiple camp counsellors at the camp where they were due to work has left Sloan and Cherry with emotional, and physical, scars. Especially Sloan. Her work with a hypnotherapist is bringing confusing memories of the events out and she’s not sure who to trust anymore.

Is Cherry, her fellow final girl, involved with the dangerous cult that killed everyone else and would have killed them too? Is Cherry’s mum? And what did Sloan’s biological parents have to do with it, if anything?

As Sloan starts to spiral, unable to trust her family, her friends, Cherry, diving into the cult’s deranged beliefs and theories, she starts to believe there’s something else going on.

A startling and shocking depiction of PTSD, survivor’s guilt and the mental impact of living a life with too many questions and not enough answers.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Mirror Image – Gunnar Staalesen, translated by Don Bartlett

ramblingmads

Bergen PI Varg Veum investigates two different cases that are uncannily similar to harrowing events that took place thirty-six years earlier…

Bergen Private Investigator Varg Veum is perplexed when two wildly different cases cross his desk at the same time. A lawyer, anxious to protect her privacy, asks Varg to find her sister, who has disappeared with her husband, seemingly without trace, while a ship carrying unknown cargo is heading towards the Norwegian coast, and the authorities need answers.

Varg immerses himself in the investigations, and it becomes clear that the two cases are linked, and have unsettling – and increasingly uncanny – similarities to events that took place thirty­six years earlier, when a woman and her saxophonist lover drove their car into the sea, in an apparent double suicide.

As Varg is drawn into a complex case involving star-crossed lovers, toxic waste and illegal immigrants, history seems determined to repeat itself in perfect detail … and at terrifying cost…

One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, star­ring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour). Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.

My thoughts: this is another fascinating case for PI Varg Veum, with the present and past all tangled up. Berit hires him to quietly locate her sister and brother-in-law, who she says have disappeared. But Veum is interested in the suicide pact deaths of their mother and her lover, years before. Something isn’t adding up, is history repeating itself?

As he digs into the past and also searches for the missing couple, he has more questions than answers. Something strange is also happening at the missing man’s workplace – a shipping firm nowhere near a dock. A journalist has asked him to make a few enquiries into a ship, The Seagull, owned by the company.

As both cases weave themselves together and Veum seeks to separate them and get some answers, he’s almost killed. Accident or intent?

Gripping, thrilling, occasionally darkly funny, this is another fantastic outing for my increasingly favourite grumpy PI.

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