Tag: crime fiction

One murdered millionaire. Two suspects, with every reason to want him dead.
A haunted detective, who can’t outrun his past . . .

A body hangs beneath the rotten boards of Southend Pier. Strung from a rusted beam and twisting in the chill February air. In life, wealthy entrepreneur Adam Golding had the Midas touch — coining a fortune from his chain of tawdry seaside arcades — but now his luck’s run out.

Detective Edison Kane — still grieving a loss of his own — stares into the dead man’s eyes
and wonders . . . who left him like this?

Was it the wife Adam cheated on, over and over? Lavishing his mistresses with gifts, while she waited for him at home.
Or the brother who’s never forgiven him for being their father’s favourite son. Disinherited, Tony Golding dabbles in petty crime to pay the bills.
Both had means and motive. Who is guilty of the ultimate crime?

Kane’s closing in on his prime suspect when a second body washes up on the shores of lonely  Two Tree Island.
And the victim’s identity changes everything . . .

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Max Manning is a former national newspaper journalist. He started his career as a news reporter on regional newspapers before moving on to Fleet Street. There he worked for several national titles. The Killer In Me is his latest psychological thriller and is published by Joffe Books. Now You See is his debut crime novel. It was published in the USA by Sourcebooks under the title Don’t Look Now. His second novel, The Victim, was published in August 2019.

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My thoughts: Hitting the ground running from the opening scene and a body strung up under Southend’s pier, why has someone killed local millionaire businessman Adam Golding? Was it his estranged brother or his unhappy wife? They seem the most likely suspects, but all further killing throws a spanner in the police case, and forces them to dig deeper and cast a wider net.

The killer is injecting his victims with insulin, causing a massive drop in their blood sugar levels, so why string them up? What is the murderer saying? Getting inside their head might just explain everything. Things take a darker twist when a local journalist disappears, and now the race is on to find her alive.

Twists and turns galore in this clever and enjoyable crime thriller.

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

MEET DETECTIVE LOLA HARRIS. A TOUGH COP WITH ATTITUDE, BUT A GOOD HEART.

A secluded retreat. A storm closing in. A killer among them.

Detective Lola Harris is persuaded to take a much-needed break in the remote Scottish Highlands. She’s expecting peace and quiet. But Ardaig Castle, an exclusive wellness retreat for the rich and famous, has its own dark secrets.
Lola soon discovers that someone is sending poison pen letters to the staff. They’re growing more malicious each week. The latest reads: Why have you employed a killer among your staff?

As a storm rages outside, paranoia spreads within. The castle’s wealthy guests are rattled, old wounds are reopened and then — a body is discovered sprawled on the stone-flagged floor of the castle hallway, limbs twisted at an impossible angle.
Trapped by the weather, Lola must untangle a web of lies, grudges and hidden pasts before the killer strikes again.
Because at Ardaig Castle, not everyone is who they claim to be — and someone will kill to keep their secrets buried.

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Daniel Sellers is the author of the Kindle-bestselling Lola Harris Mysteries and is an obsessive fan of Agatha Christie. His crime thrillers are pacy and dark, with as much interest in whydunnit as who. He grew up in Yorkshire, and has lived and worked in Liverpool, Glasgow, Ireland
and Finland. Sellers now lives in Argyll in Scotland.

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My thoughts: I’ve previously read another book in this series, but you don’t have to have done in order to enjoy this.

Detective Inspector Lola Harris has been persuaded to take a little break by her sister Frankie. They’re going to stay in a cottage in the grounds of Ardaig Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Except Frankie has an ulterior motive. Her friend Catherine works at the castle, staff members have been receiving poison pen letters and Catherine is spooked. Frankie wants Lola to talk to her about them. The wellness retreat run at the castle’s management doesn’t want to officially involve the police, but Catherine needs help.

A storm closes the roads and now they’re basically stranded at the castle until things can be cleared and when someone is killed, that means everyone is trapped with a killer. Lola takes it upon herself to investigate and try to find both the letter writer and the murderer before help can reach them.

A clever, enjoyable read in the vein of Agatha Christie, with all the suspects in one place, no way out and a shrewd detective on the case.

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

2019. Leona Walsh, a 34-year-old wife and mother vanishes on a bitterly cold afternoon while out jogging on the edge of Exmoor. It’s a mystery which captures public interest and ignites wild
speculation. The police have a prime suspect: Leona’s husband, Matthew, a renowned crime writer.
He can plot the perfect crime. But is he capable of committing the perfect murder?
Despite extensive searches, the police find no trace of Leona and her disappearance remains shrouded in mystery. As public interest dwindles, Matthew returns to raising their two daughters, aware the cloud of suspicion is never far away.

2024. Some human bones are discovered in a garden. Could they be Leona’s remains? And if so, is there enough evidence to find out what really happened five years ago?
Journalist Gabriela Conti covered the news story back in 2019. The police may have stopped watching Matthew, but Gabriella hasn’t forgotten him. And she is determined this case will define her career… even if that means getting close to a murderer.

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Diane Jeffrey is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author.
She grew up in North Devon and Northern Ireland. She now lives in Lyon, France, with her husband and their three children, Labrador and cat.
Diane has written six psychological thrillers, all published by HQ /HarperCollins.
THE GUILTY MOTHER, Diane’s third book, was a USA Today bestseller and her fourth novel, THE SILENT FRIEND, was a Karin Slaughter Killer Reads pick for ASDA. Her fifth psychological thriller, THE COUPLE AT CAUSEWAY COTTAGE, won the 2023 International Thriller Writers award for the best ebook original novel.
THE OBVIOUS SUSPECT is Diane’s seventh psychological thriller.
Diane is an English teacher. When she’s not working or writing, she likes swimming, running and reading. She loves chocolate, beer and holidays.
Above all, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Author website: http://www.dianejeffrey.com
Readers can also follow Diane on Instagram and
Twitter @dianefjeffrey

or on Facebook.com/dianejeffreyauthor

Giveaway to Win your choice of Diane Jeffery’s previous paperback releases (Open INT)
Prize choice is between The Other Couple, The Couple at Causeway Cottage, The Silent Friend, The Guilty Mother, He Will Find You or Those Who Lie.

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My thoughts: Talk about a book full of twists and turns. A woman disappears while out jogging, did she drown in the reservoir as her dropped bag is found there? What about the single trainer found quite some distance away?

The police are baffled, her husband seems to be in the clear, although as a cop turned crime writer he knows all about crime scenes and how to make a body disappear. But he was at home with their children when she vanished. Wasn’t he?

A few years later a body is found buried in the garden of the mother-in-law’s old house. Now the spotlight turns back to the family and the husband has some questions to answer.

Gabi is the journalist who has followed this story from the start, and she’s determined that she’s going to crack the case. Matthew must be involved, there’s no way a stranger buried his wife in his mother’s garden, that’s too weird. But if he buried her, did he kill her too?

The twists keep coming, and keep you guessing, like Gabi, I was suspicious of everything, but Matthew seems so earnest and truthful. Could he really have killed his wife and staged the scene so perfectly?

*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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There’s nothing quite like a night at the theatre. But Julia Bird is expecting a night of sweeping drama, not an onstage murder!

At the end of Berrywick’s amateur theatre’s latest production, a shot rings out amongst the rapturous applause. But when Julia Bird peeks through the curtain, she sees lead actor Graham is lying still on the stage, his co-actor Oscar looking down at his prop gun in shock. She knows that Graham has been murdered, but with nearly everyone in the village helping with the play, anyone could have tampered with the props. And why was a beloved family man the target?

Graham’s wife Jane collapses in a puddle of tears as Oscar is comforted and led away from the stage. But days later when Julia spots prim and proper Jane kissing Oscar, she wonders if the grieving widow’s tears were fake. Graham served Jane divorce papers the day of the tragedy – was he killed before he could spill the beans on his wife’s affair, and sully her perfect reputation?

Meanwhile, the aptly named director, Roger Grave, wants the show to go on. The play is up for a local award, and this might just be Roger’s big break. But when failed actor Hector is not assigned the lead role he assumed he’d get, the mood among the cast quickly turns sour. Could Hector have killed Graham out of jealously for the leading role, Julia wonders?

Then another member of the crew is found dead and Julia discovers there’s a dark secret at the heart of Berrywick’s local theatre society. But who would kill to protect it? Can Julia find the murderer before it’s curtains for another victim?

A totally gripping, charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will absolutely love the Julia Bird Mysteries.

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Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both made their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. 

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My thoughts: I love this series, it just gets more enjoyable with every book. And of course I love Jake the labrador and his new feline housemate (even if Jake’s not so sure!)

This time murder during an am dram production written by librarian Tabitha, has Julia investigating her neighbours once more. She was involved behind the scenes and when she discovers that the actor who pulled the trigger has a long history with the dead man’s wife, well, she’s pretty sure she’s on the right track. Not that Hayley, her police detective friend agrees. She asks Julia to please, stay out of it, as she’s on the suspect list herself.

Sean’s son has also come to stay, which requires a few adjustments to the way they’ve been doing things. He’s struggling and needs some support and kindness. As does Sean, who has a somewhat strained relationship with his boy.

Julia’s investigation starts to get in the way of her voluntary work at the charity shop too, if she’s not careful people are going to get really fed up with her!

And of course, it almost ends in Julia getting into further trouble, as the real murderer has his sights on her – her digging has caught their attention and now she’s the one who might wind up dead!

Although I won’t ever move to a village as crime packed as this one, I do enjoy my visits.

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