Tag: crime fiction

Murder, witchcraft, and a race against time – welcome to Pendle Hill.

A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has
delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.

Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?

Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up
the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.

Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?

Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring
DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have readers on the edge of their seats.

If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Val McDermid, MW Craven, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Witch Hunt.

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Fast approaching fifty; without enough money for a sports car, BD Spargo decided to express his mid-life crises by turning to crime …

Thankfully for pretty much everyone this meant writing crime fiction rather than anything more nefarious.

Originally from London, he spent his early career working in television and theatre including on the Ruth Rendall Mysteries broadcast on ITV.

A life changing accident necessitated retraining and a change of direction going on to work in mental health services. This culminated in ten years managing a groundbreaking forensic psychiatric service.

He now lives in Lancashire with his family and is getting acclimatised to the rain.

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My thoughts: The local police in Pendle have already arrested their killer before the MIT are on the scene, but they’ve been a bit too keen and with no evidence, and an alibi, this is not looking good.

Once DCI Doyle and his team get stuck into the case they discover a massive drug dealing operation, dodgy cops, and a second victim, which means they’re getting close. Someone’s trying to frame an innocent man, who happens to be mentally ill, but there’s a lot more going on here and somehow they’ll solve both murders, weed out the bad seeds in the force, and take down the drug dealers, hopefully helping some of the most vulnerable in the town at the same time.

Woven through the case is the tragic history of the Pendle witchcraft trial, which saw 12 people hanged, and as yet, they have not been pardoned, despite witchcraft not being real and the abolition of the Act they were sentenced under (whereas Scotland have done this).

Will is obsessed with the trials, and the voices he hears are those, he believes, of the people involved – both victims and the men who made the decision to convict and execute the accused. He sometimes struggles to understand what’s reality and what’s happening in his head, but he knows he didn’t kill anyone. He’s just a handy scapegoat. It’s up to Doyle and his team to prove this and find the real killer. 

Clever, suspenseful and insightful, I really enjoyed this book which treated its mentally ill characters with a light touch and respect, something you don’t always find. 

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

A NEW BEATTIE BRAMSHAW MYSTERY –

It’s the summer of 2001, and for WI Secretary and practised busybody Beattie Bramshaw, it’s a time of new beginnings.
Her much-anticipated wedding to vegetable grower extraordinaire Doug Sparrow is now just months away. However, in the throes of setting up their marital home and new market garden business, she receives a surprise request to care for a distant relative.

Likewise, a number of her fellow Elmesbury residents also find their lives on the cusp of change, and not all for the good. Is it pure chance that the arrival of Beattie’s young ward coincides with yet
another murder in the village? Or were plans already afoot?

Once again, Beattie picks up the gauntlet, but can she solve the case and uncover the murderer’s identity before it casts a shadow over her wedding to Doug?

Toffee Apple Strudel is a comedy crime caper in the style of Agatha Raisin and sees the conclusion of the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’. Make a brew, grab a chair, and prepare for a fun-filled finale.

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Susan King is hosting a giveaway on X, take a look here for all the details

Susan A. King lives with her husband in the North East’s equivalent to San Tropez,
otherwise known as Hartlepool.

The inspiration for her debut novel, Marrow Jam, came from her long experience and observation of competitors at a local country show where she regularly aspires to win Best in Show with her floral arrangements. Unsuccessful to date, she has been tempted to investigate more underhand methods by which to acquire the trophy but has yet to sink to the depths described in her novel. Or so she would have you believe!

Marrow Jam was shortlisted for the Write Here, Right Now novel competition at the Bradford Literature Festival.
The second book in the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’, Banana Devil Cake, is available in e-book and both are published by Eye/Lightning Books.

Toffee Apple Strudel sees the conclusion of the ‘Beattie Bramshaw Mysteries series’.

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My thoughts: I hadn’t read the previous books in this series and you don’t really need to (unless you want to) to follow this story. Beattie is a bit of a busy body, but in a village where everything anyone does is fuel for the gossip mill, it’s hardly surprising.

She’s asked to take in her cousin’s moody teenage granddaughter for a bit, as her mother’s had an accident and her grandmother is off to be nurse maid. Unfortunately Beattie has zero idea what to do with a teenager, and they initially struggle to get along.

While dealing with her new guest, wedding planning, a house move and setting up a business, Beattie also finds time to be secretary of the local WI, and when tragedy strikes, she decides to investigate. Something’s not right, and she’ll find out what it is, one way or another. Although the local police would rather she didn’t. 

Fun, with definite shades of Agatha Raisin and other series where the person who always cracks the case really isn’t the police but a very sharp local with a nose for lies and secrets.   

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

It’s our tenth wedding anniversary . . . and my husband is planning to kill me.

He’s planned the perfect cruise – and the perfect murder. His new girlfriend (my replacement) is waiting in the wings.

Our luxury cruise ship departs from Florida. Its destination – paradise. A surprise gift from Andre. Our first proper vacation in five years. A second honeymoon.

He’s bought me the perfect outfit. The champagne is flowing. Everything’s going to plan. Andre’s plan.
He thinks he’ll get away with it. But he doesn’t know what I’m capable of. Not yet.

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McGarvey studied voice at Manhattan School of Music and was later a theatre major in college.
She pursued an acting career but later moved into a magazine and digital media career. During that time, she sold advertising and managed sales teams for companies like Conde Nast, WebMD and worked for brands including GQ, Travel + Leisure, and Allure.
In between, she took a year off and backpacked alone around the world. Later, after having two children, she left media and became an executive recruiter for internet companies. In 2017, she began writing full time and has since published six novels.

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My thoughts: Fibromyalgia is not a very nice condition to have, I know a few people with it and it can be really hard to manage. Becca has it, and her rather awful husband is an ableist monster who’d rather not have to support his sick wife, clearly his wedding vows don’t matter to him. So he plans an elaborate and rather over the top way to get rid of his wife and be with his annoying girlfriend, while also milking the victim card for all it’s worth.

Unfortunately for him, someone knows what he did, and they’re willing to make sure he, and the rest of the world know about his scheme and expose him for the murderous monster he is.

The plot twists and turns, and while Andre thinks he’s planned the perfect murder, he hasn’t thought of everything…

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

They say sharing is caring, but sharing a husband? That’s a grave mistake.

And Hell hath no fury like three widows with a murder to solve . . .

Albert Franklynn’s sudden and mysterious death leaves everyone in the pretty village of Monksworthy in shock — especially his wife Sylvie, who runs the local tearoom.

But the real surprise comes at the mortuary, where not one, but three grieving widows show up to identify his body.

It turns out that Albert wasn’t just a devoted husband to Sylvie . . . He had two other wives as well.

As everyone reels from the revelation of Albert’s double — or triple — life, three widows reluctantly team up to investigate a mystery more tangled than the village’s gaudy bunting: who killed Albert — and why.

It turns out Albert’s list of enemies is longer than the village bake sale sign-up sheet. Can these three unlikely sleuths resolve their differences to become partners in crime-solving . . . before
the killer writes them out of the story for good?

The start of an unmissable cosy crime series, this gripping mystery about murder, mayhem and marital mischief is perfect for fans of Faith Martin, the Reverend Richard Coles, Kristen Perrin,
Veronica Heley or Fiona Leitch.

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Gaynor Torrance lives near Cardiff with her husband and their rescue cat, Cleo. The area is the setting for her Detective Inspector Jemima Huxley Crime Thriller series of books. Like Gaynor, Jemima has a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Though, apart from them both having a keen
interest in human behaviour, that’s where any similarity ends. When she’s not writing or glued to her Kindle, Gaynor enjoys listening to music, playing the piano, walking, travelling, and eating far too much chocolate.

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My thoughts: This is a very funny and rather clever book. Albert has (at least) three wives – Sylvie and Harriet, and the mysterious Tess, who does a bunk after identifying his body.

But Sylvie and Harriet find common ground, not least because they have children (all grown up) to think about. Albert has a list of secrets as long as his arm, including what he actually did for a living, and the fact his mother and brother are very much alive.

As Sylvie and Harriet carry out their own investigation, along with Sylvie’s friend and business partner Liz, they think they may have found a black widow in the absent Tess, with multiple identities and presumably in search of a new victim. With a little help from pal Barney, they alert well to do men on their own to be wary of this woman and try to get the police to take them seriously.

I really enjoyed this book and if the trio are going to be having more adventures – then I’ll be there to read them!

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

The remote village of Didsbrook is thrown into turmoil after its best-known resident, the former actress turned best-selling novelist Jocelyn Robertshaw, is found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Villagers are appalled to learn that the charismatic Jocelyn died from Hemlock poisoning. Police claim she shot and ate a quail that had ingested hemlock. A theory disputed by all who knew her well. The
animal-loving Jocelyn would never kill anything, but due to the lack of forensic evidence, police rule death by misadventure.

Jocelyn’s young protégée, Lucy Fothergill, determined to discover the truth about what happened to her mentor, discovers a hidden stash of Jocelyn’s notebooks, revealing jaw-dropping secrets from
Jocelyn’s past. The impression Jocelyn gave the world that she lived a near-perfect life was an Academy Award-winning performance.

RBelieving the events from Jocelyn’s past may have led to her death forty-eight years later, Lucy begins to piece together the clues that lead to the truth.

The sleepy village of Didsbrook is about to wake up!

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Author Bio

Tessa Barrie was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and despite her parents uprooting her at the age of three and moving her down south, she is proud of her Yorkshire heritage.

Growing up, she recalls her family life being more Little House on the Prairie than The Waltons because her early years were fraught with drama. However, intermingled with all the emotional disruption, she remembers humour squeezing its way through the frayed feelings.

So, incorporating humour in her writing has become very important to her as she believes that, however dark a story gets, there should always be a subtle sprinkling of humour.

In June 2021, Tessa self-published her debut novel, Just Say It, a bittersweet family saga, and her second novel, The Secret Lives of the Doyenne of Didsbrook, a quirky murder mystery, is currently on
pre-order and is due for release on 1st July 2025. Her third novel, The Rebuilding of Freya Michaels, will be published in 2026.

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My thoughts: When former actress turned author Jocelyn Robertshaw is found dead at home one Sunday morning, the police suspect foul play as she was in good health and the autopsy reveals she was poisoned by hemlock. From this I learned that quail are one of the few species that can eat hemlock and not be affected by it, I have never eaten quail, and just to be on the safe side, I don’t think I ever will.

Her protégée Lucy inherits Jocelyn’s writing studio, Manderley (named after the house in Rebecca, which seems a bit ominous) and finds her mentor’s diaries, all of her past and her secrets laid bare. They give a member of the community, later seen trying to break into Manderley, a serious motive, and armed with the facts, Lucy confronts the suspect at the local writers’ group. Could she be right? Are the secrets Jocelyn kept in her notebooks the reason for her death all these years later?

With lots of twists and turns as we learn,  along with Lucy, the story of Jocelyn’s life and loves, the secrets she kept till the very end, have implications for many of the other villagers and her family. 

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

A holiday island…

When private investigator, Dan Armstrong, and his girlfriend, Anna, are invited to the gorgeous island of Elba for a much-needed break, he jumps at the chance. The thought of sun-drenched shores makes Dan promise Anna he won’t “play detective” for a whole week…

A luxury hotel…

Their luxurious hotel, with its wonderful food and picturesque seaside views, seems the perfect escape, especially with Dan’s best friend Virgilio and his wife joining them. But the calm shatters with a sinister encounter and a sudden, suspicious death..

A decades old case…

Virgilio’s past connection to the victim casts a long shadow, pulling Dan into a decades-old case. But beneath Elba’s beauty lie secrets and resentments – the victim was universally hated – but was his
death the result of foul play or just a tragic accident?

With his faithful canine companion, Oscar, Dan must unravel the island’s mysteries, a task that soon takes a decidedly personal and unsettling turn.

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T. A. Williams is the bestselling author of the Armstrong and Oscar cosy mystery series. Trevor studied languages at University and lived and worked in Italy for eight years, returning to England
with his wife in 1972. Trevor and his wife now live in Devon.

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My thoughts: Dan, Anna and Oscar are on holiday with Virgilio and Lina, on the island of Elba (the one Napoleon infamously escaped from). They’re all hoping to get a break from murder for a while, but crime seems to follow them around. Although it might be an accident, a man seems to have fallen from the cliff. Until his brother turns up dead a night later, not a coincidence surely?

Obviously Dan can’t resist digging, especially as Virgilio has history with the first man, many years ago he arrested this person for a horrific crime. Now he’s on Elba at the same time – the police can’t believe that’s a coincidence either.

Do the brothers’ deaths have to do with the second one’s dodgy business dealings? The concigliere is interested in the smuggling of ancient Etruscan artefacts, and he might be using his campsite as a front for the removal of these priceless pre-Roman antiquities. As Dan and Virgilio assist the local police, Anna gets injured, and Dan makes a huge decision.

Oscar finds clues, suspects and saves a life because he is a hero dog. He is rewarded with lovely steak and fusses from the many admiring fans. As he should.

Another excellent crime caper in beautiful Italian sunshine.

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

Detective Kate Carter is called out to a fatal car accident on a remote fen lane.
At first glance it looks like a drunk driver simply lost control and crashed headlong into a ditch.

But nothing about the scene adds up. The number plate is fake. The driver’s licence doesn’t belong to the dead man in the car. One tyre doesn’t match the other three. And what is a vinyl 1960s pop record doing in the glove box?

A neat puncture wound to the driver’s neck reveals this was no accident.
The following day, the body of a young woman is found in an old barn out on the fens. She’s been dead at least two years. Placed on the body is another vintage pop record.

And then the nightmare becomes personal. A mysterious package arrives at the station addressed to Kate: a 45-rpm record, and a chilling note scrawled in block capitals: ONE MORE TO GO.

It’s just the start. Sinister phone calls, creepy notes left on her car, unwanted gifts on her doorstep: Kate can no longer deny that she’s being pursued by an obsessive stalker . . .
Is she next in the killer’s sights?

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I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the Sixties and Seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early Eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!

And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, and three Springer spaniels and four little rescue, Breton spaniels. I had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now I write full-time, and as my partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; my choice of genre is a no-brainer! I have an on-tap police and judicial consultant, who makes exceedingly good tea!

I have set my crime thrillers here in the misty fens because I sincerely love the remoteness and airy beauty of the marshlands. This area is steeped in superstitions and lends itself so well to
murder!

I am lucky enough to be one of the amazing Joffe Books team of authors and am really enjoying being able to spend time doing what I love… writing!

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My thoughts: This was really good, I have enjoyed every one of Joy’s books I’ve read, she’s very good at hooking you with a mystery, in this case the 1960s records, and what a clever case too, the police are stumped when it comes to the old vinyl, but the slightly odd pathologist has an idea, his uncle is a bit of an expert and might be able to help them.

Then the case gets a bit too personal as it becomes clear the killer is stalking Kate, and with her as SIO, it might be best to keep a low profile until they get closer. After sending her kids and animals to friends and family to keep them safe, although her husband won’t go and gets parked at an empty desk in the station (which made me laugh) for his own safety, she keeps working the case. 

As this case seems to hark back to unsolved one in the cold case archives, the team start looking into that one, which might just slot a few more things into place…

Absolutely cracking stuff, could not put it down, fiendish and clever, with plenty at stake as the team race to find the killer before anything happens to their boss. So good. 

Side note: Joy, please write a memoir, you seem to have led a really interesting life. 

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