Tag: crime fiction

Suspended from duty after her last case ended in the high-profile arrest of one of Britain’s wealthiest men, DC Constance Fairchild is trying to stay away from the limelight. Fate has other ideas . . .

Coming home to her London flat, Constance stumbles across a young man, bloodied, mutilated and barely alive. She calls it in and is quickly thrown into the middle of a nationwide investigation . . .

It seems that the victim is just the latest in a string of similar ritualistic attacks. No matter that she is off-duty, no matter that there are those in the Met who would gladly see the back of her, Con can’t shake her innate determination to bring the monsters responsible for this brutality to justice.

Trouble always seems to find her, and even if she has nothing to hide, perhaps she has everything to lose . . .

James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new DC Constance Fairchild series.

James’s first two books, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls, were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award.

James farms Highland cows and Romney sheep by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this, I hadn’t read the first one but it really doesn’t matter, Oswald includes enough detail about the overarching case Con is involved in that you don’t miss having not read it.

The cases that a supposedly off-duty Constance Fairchild gets involved with are dark and grotesque, involving ritualistic mutilation and murder. So maybe not for the weak of stomach. However I don’t get bothered by fictional gore and found this really fascinating and a compelling read. I even found myself thinking about how all sorts of awful things could be going on right now behind the facade of civility on my own high street, while travelling on the bus the following day, so this is a book that lingers long in the mind.

The writing is concise, the plot and characters hook you from the first page. Con is a bit of a mystery woman herself and you find you’re drawn into her life and its various concerns and problems quickly. Set in London, Scotland and Northumberland, there’s a lot going on and not much of it good, if you’re a character, but great if you’re a reader!

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

When 33-year-old Isabel Flores Montserrat quits a promising career with the Spanish police to run her mother’s holiday rentals agency in rural Mallorca, it seems that her crime-fighting days are far behind. Basking in the Mediterranean sunshine with pet ferret, Furì, she indulges her passion for local cuisine, swimming in the sea and raising her pampered hens. However, in just a few days, the disappearance of a young British girl, violent murder of an elderly neighbour, and discovery of a Colombian drug cartel threaten to tear apart Isabel’s idyllic life. Together with local chief Tolo Cabot, an old admirer of her unorthodox methods, Isabel must race against the clock to untangle a sinister web of crime and restore peace to the island once more.

 

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this novel, it reminded me of The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency a little, as well as Agatha Raisin, in marrying a crime story to a laid back pace and comic moments.

Isabel is very clever, and somehow manages to find time to solve a series of crimes as an adviser to the Mallorcan police forces and run her mother’s holiday lets business. Although handily some of their renters seem a little dodgy…

This is a well written, smart, enjoyable book, the first in a projected series, and if you like your crime with a side dose of delicious sounding food (seriously I was hungry the whole time I was reading because of the descriptions) then this is the book for you.

I haven’t been to Mallorca, although it’s on my list, and I was interested to learn the main language there is Catalan not Spanish, the island not having always been part of Spain, and like Venice it has its own unique dialect that locals speak and clearly identifies anyone from the main land.

I look forward to the next book and may also dip into the author’s other books, based on her own experiences of moving to rural Mallorca and setting up home there.

The Devil’s Horn is fresh off the printing press and available now from all good bookshops and online in ebook and paperback formats.

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

On the heels of her successful debut, The Love Detective comes more misadventures and murder with Clarry Pennhaligan and her creator, author Angela Dyson.

Note to self: Do not screw this up. When Clarry Pennhaligan, rookie private detective and unlikely heroine, takes on her second case, she is determined to master the art of smart.

All she has been asked to do is to infiltrate a group of women who share a rather unusual way of spending their spare time. Shouldn’t be too demanding, she thinks, nothing to it.

But, after her first clumsy steps reveal secrets that may best be kept hidden, her investigation gains momentum and events take a bizarre and sinister turn.

Out of her depth and working above her paygrade, Clarry soon faces a very real danger. Things just got Next Level.

“The role of amateur detective has always appealed to me,” Angela Dyson explains. “The artless inexperienced meddler asking questions, stirring things up and getting in to a whole heap of trouble. But I’d never be brave enough to do it myself.”

Apart from the twists and turns of her crime caper, Angela has made sure to include some important messages to young and old. As she explains, “Twenty-six year old, Clarry Pennhaligan, is a modern heroine. She’s a generously proportioned size 14. She’s Body Positive and reflects the New Activism: Accept yourself …just as you are. Accept others…..just as they are.”

And then there’s her side-kick, the glamorous septuagenarian Flan. “I love Flan! She’s gloriously outspoken, and with a huge appetite for life. The inter-generational aspect of the novel sends a powerful message: We can do anything we want, no matter what our age.”

My thoughts:

This was a really fun romp of a book, Clarry is a great character and I loved her no nonsense approach to life. I also adore her retiree side kick Flan, who is just the best and totally who I want to grow up to be.

Searching for the truth as to what the strange group of women are up to uncovers a whole mess of scandal and lies. It’s a riot, with our fearless heroines clambering over roofs and attending unusual rituals in suburban Wimbledon.

I hadn’t read the first book, but I’m going to seek out a copy and hopefully there will be more Clarry and Flan to come!

This is a perfect read when you need some comfort, and a giggle, ideal now the night is drawing in and it’s raining non-stop.

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

Edward Ransome is one of England’s most famous artists – rich, a friend to celebrities and known for his devotion to his craft for almost fifty years.

Then someone steals his favourite painting – the painting that set Ransome on course to fame and fortune but was never sold and rarely seen.

Sam Dyke is hired to find the painting, and the thief, but quickly discovers that the loss of the painting is only one of the many losses suffered by Ransome, and his family.

What’s more, whoever stole the painting is keen to keep it a secret, and committing murder to do so is not out of the question.

Soon Dyke finds he has more than a simple burglary on his hands – it’s a case that spans generations and includes more than one ordinary crime.

The Cobalt Sky is a subtle but exciting exploration of the ways in which families can hurt each other over time … without even trying.

From the two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE Award in the private eye/noir category, for The Bleak and The Innocent Dead.

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Keith Dixon was born in Yorkshire and grew up in the Midlands.

He’s been writing since he was thirteen years old in a number of different genres: thriller, espionage, science fiction, literary.

Two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE First in Category award for Private Eye/Noir novel, he’s the author of nine full-length books and one short-story in the Sam Dyke Investigations series and two other non-crime works, as well as two collections of blog posts on the craft of writing.

His new series of Paul Storey Thrillers began in 2016 and there are now three books in the series.

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My thoughts:

This was quite interesting, a reclusive artist claims his most famous painting, one no one has seen in years, normally stored in his safe, has been stolen and replaced with a replica.

For PI Sam Dyke this case is a bit of a headache, as he realises the family has a lot of secrets and all of it is tangled up with the painting that’s gone missing somehow.

I found the writing quite dense at times and it took me a while to get into the plot, but once I did I enjoyed what I was reading. I know very little about the art world, much like Sam, so it was interesting to read about the rather incestuous (sometimes literally in this case) relationships between artists, dealers and gallery owners.

I felt the ending was nice and tight and tied all the characters and plot lines together very nicely. It was a clever take on the crime genre and reminiscent of some of the more genteel crime novels, but with lots of violent death and blood added in.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour.

The year is 1955, the location picturesque Devon.

In a house by the River Dart, schoolgirl Josephine Kennedy posts invitations to her twelfth birthday party – a party that never takes place.

Horrific violence is committed that night in the family home, leaving all of its occupants dead.

Based on a disturbing real-life crime, this compelling story explores Josephine’s fate through the prism of friends and family – the victims and survivors who unwittingly influenced the events that led up to the tragedy.

Josephine’s best friend, Susan, is haunted by the secrets of the birthday house. Can she ever find a way of making peace with the past?

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I started writing in a red shiny exercise book when I was seven years old. But in that time and place it was an ‘invalid’ activity, was overlooked, but never went away. It was many years before I felt able to call myself ‘writer’.

But there came a day when the phrase ‘I am a writer’ no longer sounded pretentious, but legitimate, and even necessary. Was it because I had a writing room instead of the corner of a landing? Or because I spent more time writing? Or because I’d got better at it? Or because I get miserable and bad-tempered if I don’t write? Probably a combination of all of the above.

Writing is my third career. The first was as a social worker with children and families, a job I loved, but left because I could no longer cope with the system.

This led to a freelance career as an independent management consultant, helping people to handle emotions in the work context. I worked in the IT industry, in companies large and small, as well as public organisations. Later I became involved in research projects concerned with the multi-disciplinary approach to social problems such as child abuse. So, in a sense, I had come full-circle.

All these experiences feed into the process of writing fiction, while my non-fiction book ‘The Wise Woman Within’ resulted indirectly from the consultancy work and my subsequent PhD thesis,‘Bridging Incommensurable Paradigms’, which is available from the School of Management at the University of Bath.

I live in Devon and visit Cornwall frequently and these land and seascapes are powerful influences which demand a presence in my writing.

Writers’ groups and workshops are a further invaluable source of inspiration and support and I attend various groups locally and sign up for creative courses in stunning locations whenever I can. I try doing writing practice at home but there is no substitute for the focus and discipline achieved among others in a group.

I have written some short stories and recently signed up for a short story writing course to explore this genre in more depth.

I live with my husband in South Devon and enjoy being involved in a lively local community.

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My thoughts:

This novella may be slim but it packs a punch. Based on the real life death of the author’s childhood friend, told from a variety of viewpoints, including the killer and his victims, Treseder attempts to unpack the reasons a man would destroy his family. Powerful, direct and shocking, the gentle title hides a hell of a narrative.

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