Tag: crime fiction

A man lies beaten to a pulp in a deserted car park in Maidstone, Kent.

His own brother put him there.

Josh Winters never saw it coming. He trusted his brother Alex. He always has.

Detective Abigail Morton is embedded in a fractured source-handling unit on the Kent
coast. She’s working a dangerous informant operation against the Winters’ criminal gang. Everyone says the brothers are untouchable.

But something is shifting inside the organisation. A crack running through its
foundations – and Abigail is close enough to feel it.

Getting close enough to use it is another matter.

But now she has a way in.
Josh and Alex’s mother, Betsy, is willing to turn on her own sons . . .

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Charlie Gallagher was a serving UK police officer for thirteen years. During that time
he had many roles — starting as a front-line response officer, he became a member of a specialist tactical team and finally a detective investigating serious offences. Charlie left to concentrate on writing full time.

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My thoughts: When Betsy, mother of the Winter brothers contacts the police, willing to give them information on her sons’ criminal activities, the police are pleased. She’s able to overhear all sorts of things as her boys hold meetings in her kitchen.

Her handler Abigail is careful, aware that while Betsy seems determined to put her sons’ away, she’s protective of her grandson Max, who might be more involved in her father and uncle’s business than his grandmother is willing to believe.

While Betsy’s information does help a little, the police need more to go on to follow up and as the end of the year approaches, Abigail and her partner Vince have found a few things out that might put a crimp in Betsy’s plan and that of her sons’.

There’s some great twists in this story about a family failing apart as they become embroiled in crime and the police’s attempts to stop 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.

I only survived high school because of my best friend Mia. Me and her, together
against the world. No matter what.

The moment I graduated, I left town forever — and erased the girl I used to be. New name. New body. New life. Even my own mom wouldn’t recognize me now.
But two years later I’m back in Devil’s Paradise — the place I swore I’d never return to.

Because Mia is missing.

Her last letter says she was being watched. Followed. Hunted.

So here I am. Mia needs me. Me and her — we’ve always saved each other. But no
one can know my real name isn’t Charlie, it’s Reagan. That I used to be one of them.
Because if they find out who I really am, it’s not just Mia’s life on the line . . . it’s
mine too.

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Kaelin Wennerberg was born and raised in a small town in Montana, US. Since a very
young age she has dreamed of becoming an author and writing for a living. It took her four years to write her debut novel, “The Jameson Cabin”. When not writing she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, friends and family or reading any horror/thriller novel that she can find.

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My thoughts: What starts out as a true crime/thriller style story takes a more horrific twist as Charlie discovers the truth behind the disappearance not only of her own best friend, Mia, but a series of young women going back decades.

Having escaped her home town for college and total reinvention, the last thing she wants is to go back, but the letters she receives from Mia, letters written over the months they’ve been apart, and then the sudden disappearance of her friend, mean she feels she must return.

But getting too close to the mayor and his inner circle, to the dark and rotten secrets at the heart of the town, put her in danger.

And then there’s Jaymes, Mia’s high school boyfriend and Charlie’s forever crush. He wants to help find Mia, and maybe some answers about his twin sister’s disappearance too. She vanished not long after graduation and he’s never really recovered. Could this be a way to get closure or will the truth destroy the fragile friendship he and Charlie build?

There’s a lot going on, so many secrets and some sheer craziness too as Charlie tries to find her way to the truth, even as she attempts to keep her own secrets close. But it’s really enjoyable and I liked Charlie, even if she isn’t who she appears to be.

*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 Mike Nash thought that moving back to Yorkshire from London would
give him a quieter life. Little did he know . . .

Welcome to Stark Ghyll. A bleak ravine that cuts across the Yorkshire moors like a
scar. Folk call this place the Valley of Death. And it’s about to live up to its name.
A woman’s body is found, waist-deep in the treacherous murk. She’s barely cold,
but the crows have already taken her eyes.

One look at her ruined face, and Detective Mike Nash realizes: this woman’s death was no accident. It was murder.

The marsh has swallowed every trace of her killer. But not the victim’s identity.
A positive ID soon follows, but the victim’s name only leads to more questions.

Longstanding misper Vicky Lambert.

Mike’s been searching for Vicky for twenty long years.
Ever since the first time she was murdered …

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Bill Kitson was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire. His father, a wool merchant, was a fan of crime books giving Bill access to his diverse thriller collection from a young age.

Educated at Ashville College, Bill worked in the family business before spending over thirty years as a bank executive. A keen cricketer and sportsman, the highlight of his career came when he umpired a one-day international at Lords.

He and his wife now live in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, where he writes crime,
romance, and general fiction. Bill’s interests include Cricket, Crime, Crete, Cookery, Cryptic crosswords – and also Alliteration.

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My thoughts: I do enjoy this series, and this was a very good addition, with conspiracies and secrets to be found.

The discovery of human remains at an archaeological dig isn’t always one for the police, but these bodies are. The bones have bullet wounds, something the settlement’s ancient inhabitants wouldn’t have.

The DNA of one of the bodies leads the police to a missing person case from twenty years before. And then more bodies turn up – is there a connection between the first two and the more recent death of a woman who supposedly died two decades ago?

Mike and his team find lies, embezzlement, murder and a long lost love story as they hunt for answers.

There’s also a secondary case involving local drug dealers, Amazon deliveries and a connection to the murders that at first leads them astray.

It’s a cracking read and fiendish enough with long reaching roots, to satisfy any fan of conspiracies as well as 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.

A cold case reignites. A deadly threat resurfaces. And Becky White is caught in the crossfire.

When a decades-old betrayal comes back to haunt her, private investigator Becky White is drawn into a dangerous web of lies, revenge, and murder. As tensions boil over in Manchester’s criminal underworld, Becky and her team at the White Knight Detective Agency must race to uncover the truth—before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, former partner Finn is battling enemies from without and secrets from within. With loyalties tested and danger closing in, Becky and Finn must decide who they can trust, and how far
they’re willing to go, when consequences come calling.

Gritty, emotional, and full of heart-pounding twists, Consequences delivers a powerful finale that ties
together years of betrayal, redemption, and reckoning in the Becky White series. Perfect for fans and new readers alike!

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Jo Fenton grew up in Hertfordshire, UK. She devoured books from an early age,
particularly enjoying adventure books, school stories and fantasy. She wanted to be a scientist from aged six after being given a wonderful book titled “Science Can Be Fun”.

At eleven, she discovered Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer, and now has an eclectic and much loved book collection cluttering her home office.

Jo combines an exciting career in Clinical Research with an equally exciting but very different career as a writer of psychological thrillers.

When not working, she runs (very slowly), and chats to lots of people. She lives in Manchester with her husband and golden retriever. Her sons live nearby. She is an active and enthusiastic member of two writing groups and a reading group.

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My thoughts: Becky is dragged into a cold case she thought she’d left behind when she changed her name and moved away from her old life and police career. But someone is still after her, and she has to go back and work with former partner Finn to solve the case.

With her former boss Wendy and her new team in Will and Joanne, as well as husband Matt on her side, Becky is determined to put this to bed once and for all, but when her daughter is put in danger, the whole team swings into action.

A clever and complicated case, with far reaching consequences and requiring some soul searching for some of the team in order to find a killer and stop a conspiracy with Becky in its headlights.

*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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What Judy’s book club doesn’t know about murder mysteries isn’t worth writing about. Nothing beats cracking a fictional case over some wine and salt and vinegar crisps. But can they put their puzzle-solving skills to the test when the local librarian dies in a real-life murder?

For widower Judy, her murder book club is the highlight of the month: she gets to hear all the local gossip and even discuss a good fictitious poisoning or two. But when local librarian Wendy disappears, Judy follows in the footsteps of her fictional detective heroes only to find her dead in her home, clasping a copy of Romeo and Juliet…

The police rule it a tragic accident, but Judy knows that her friend hated Shakespeare, and suspects foul play. Gathering her fellow book lovers together, soon they discover that several townspeople had motive to want Wendy dead. Was it Nigel from the tavern, who may have been Wendy’s secret boyfriend? Or could it be Bryan, the local bookshop owner, tangled in a bitter rivalry with the library?

The plot thickens at a charity murder mystery night held at Nigel’s tavern. Suddenly more murders come to light, both real and very badly staged. And when Nigel makes an astonishing revelation, the book club agree it’s a plot twist no-one saw coming. Can Judy and her book club solve the mystery before they too fall victim to a killer plot?

An utterly addictive and hilarious new cozy mystery series, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood and Faith Martin.

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Tracy started writing when her cruel, heartless husband ripped her away from her dream job – shopping for rollercoasters for the UK’s leading theme parks – to live in America with a brand new baby and no mates. In a cunning plan to avoid domestic duties and people who didn’t understand her Derbyshire accent, she wrote NO-ONE EVER HAS SEX ON A TUESDAY.
It went on to become a No 1 bestseller and publishing phenomenon. So now Tracy has a new dream job, making people laugh and sometimes cry through her writing and has had many more novels published successfully around the world. She now lives back in Derbyshire with her now wonderful husband and two children!

Maggie Allswell is a pen name.

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My thoughts: This was a fun new entry in the crimes solved by non-detectives genre (I refuse to call it cosy, crime isn’t cosy).

The Serial Killers Book Club are suspicious when their favourite librarian Wendy dies, police rule it suicide, but the messy crime scene and the copy of Romeo & Juliet make funeral director and book club member Judy suspicious.

She asks her fellow readers to help her solve the crime. Then her daughter introduces the gang to her new boyfriend – Frank. He’s a widower twice over and that sets off alarm bells all round. Could he be a killer?

The book club members are great fun, with a wide range of skills and knowledge between them – there’s even time for a bake off between two of them. And there’s a dog, which is always a bonus, as you may know I love a pet detective (usually canine or feline, although parrots are quite intelligent and might be good at crime solving, who knows?)

I look forward to the book club’s next case and seeing what they’ve been reading, I think I read a lot of the same books!

*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 came for me, just like I knew they would. Luke had been dead for just three days.

Rose Wilks’ life is shattered when her newborn baby Joel is admitted to intensive care. Emma Hatcher has all that Rose lacks. Beauty. A loving husband. A healthy son. Until tragedy strikes and Rose is the only suspect.

Now, having spent nearly five years in prison in Ipswich, Rose is just weeks away from freedom. Her probation officer Cate must decide whether Rose is remorseful for her crime, or whether she remains a threat to society. As Cate is drawn in, she begins to doubt her own judgement.

Where is the line between love and obsession, can justice be served and, if so… by what means?

My thoughts: Rose has been imprisoned for the death of an infant, a death she continues to insist she isn’t responsible for. Her new probation officer, Cate, must decide whether or not to release Rose from prison on parole.

As she interviews Rose, her partner, the parents of the child, she tries to see whether or not Rose would be a risk to anyone else if released. But since Rose still won’t admit any guilt, and no one else wants her free, it’s hard to decide what to do. 

A fascinating and thought provoking read, Rose’s story is very sad, but it’s hard to work out whether she truly is guilty or just a convenient patsy, as no one is truly being honest it feels, when they talk to Cate about the case, keeping their true feelings locked away. I was left with questions, but as Cate is reminded, her job is not to decide whether Rose did it, but whether she should be released. Intriguing.

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

Beyond the village of Raven’s Edge stands the Gateway to the Dead – a crumbling stone arch marking  the site where a long-ago battle raged and the dead were buried where they fell. But it’s the
forgotten mansion hidden in the trees behind it that holds the real mystery…

Lady Peony has lived at Blackheath Hall for decades, invisible to the world – until a ghostly soldier  begins knocking at her door. But Lady Peony is no fool. In her experience, where there are spirits, there are schemers. And someone wants her out of that house.

As DI Ben Taylor and DS Harriet March begin their investigation, bitter winds howl through Raven’s Edge and strange mists curl around the battle site. Harriet must untangle what’s real from what’s
imagined. Is there truly a ghost haunting the old house, or is someone very much alive using supernatural tales as cover for their own deadly agenda?

Atmospheric, chilling and deliciously gothic, this cosy mystery wraps ancient legends and murder into one unputdownable story. Perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Agatha Christie and readers who like their crime with a shiver down the spine!

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Most of my stories are set in small villages filled with quirky characters. These are partly inspired by the places I’ve lived in over the years, although the characters are straight out of my imagination! I currently live in Wales, close to a famous library and two ruined castles. My husband thinks we
moved here by accident.

My first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s Write a Bestseller competition. As well as ten novels, I’ve written short stories for women’s magazines.
Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked as an administrative officer for the police.
When I’m not writing, I enjoy visiting big old houses, which I use as inspiration for the houses in my novels, and reading other people’s books when I ought to be writing my own…

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My thoughts: This series gets better with every book, and this is a cracker. A body is found in the grave of an English Civil War soldier, only it’s brand new, at least compared to the 17th Century one underneath.

And then there’s the ghostly visitor over at the almost forgotten Blackheath Hall, touting a very real musket, at least the bullet in the local PI’s leg is!

Are the two incidents connected and if so, how can the police arrest a ghost?

As Ben and Harriet investigate, they turn up some secrets others would prefer kept quiet.

Another excellent case in the village of Raven’s Edge, a place I’m not sure I’d want to visit, although all the baked goods sound delicious!

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

Welcome to England’s New Forest, where clinging mists hide many a secret. Step beneath the towering pines — on any twisty heathland path — and you’ll soon realise there’s more to this place than meets the eye . . .

Detective Elinor Saxby leaves the city for a crooked little cottage near sleepy Lyndhurst village.
It’s not exactly her dream home, cut off from everything and everyone she’s ever known. But Elinor will do anything to leave her troubled past behind.
She can run from her demons. But she can’t hide.

The very next morning, Elinor gets a call from her new sergeant.
A woman’s been found dead. Drowned in the pool of her luxury woodland spa. Her silk gown is ruined. Her perfect skin marred by livid red hand prints.

But it’s not these details that send Elinor spiralling in panic. It’s the victim’s name. Because the dead woman is no stranger to Elinor. She texted just last night to ask Elinor one last favour.
Now the only favour Elinor can do her is to find her killer.

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Linda Mather is the author of the Jo and Macy Mystery series. The 6th book in this
series is THE PERFECT HOUSE FOR MURDER, published in August 2023.
Her Jo and Macy Mystery books are Forecast Murder, A Sign for Murder, Murder as Predicted, The Hanged Man and A Future Murder, all published by Joffe Books and available on Amazon. They feature Jo Hughes and her private investigator boss David Macy. Jo is an astrologer, who also works as a PI and whose tenacious inquiries lead her to twisty resolutions.

The Jo and Macy Mysteries series is set in the West Midlands and Cotswolds. A sense
of place is really important to Linda. She likes to research the places she writes about by visiting when she can to absorb the atmosphere, weaving the details into the stories.

The idea for her latest book came to her during lockdown during many canal walks.
The cottages with their flower-filled window boxes and the idyllic pubs along the canal path are so pretty and perfect that it looks as if nothing bad could ever happen there. Linda saw this as a challenge.

Linda has recently landed a contract for 3 books in a police thriller series and is
currently writing the first of these, which is set in the New Forest.

She also has plans for the next Jo & Macy Mystery.

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My thoughts: Elinor has moved from the busy buzz of Birmingham Police to the sleepy New Forest, where she doesn’t think they have much crime. But her first case is murder, and the victim is someone she knows.

While the team get to work, Elinor has to deal with office politics, a new boss, and members of her team who would rather be anywhere else than here.

Luckily newly qualified Detective Constable Nancy is keen as mustard and determined to get to the bottom of the case, how did a trauma counsellor end up face down in the pool at a luxury hotel and spa with her lungs full of chlorine gas? And does an accident involving the same hotel’s handyman and his moped have anything to do with it?

As the case unfolds and the team starts to get used to their new DCI, can they get to the bottom of things and work together, and can Elinor whip them into shape subtly, avoiding comparisons with her predecessor, whose exit seems to be have been swifter than she originally believed. What is going on in the New Forest?

An enjoyable and engaging start to a new series, from which Nancy emerges as the most interesting character apart from Elinor, who has plenty of secrets of her own. I look forward to more in the next book.

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