Tag: crime fiction

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting – Naomi Kuttner

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Assassin. Gardener. Reluctant cat adoptee.

All Dante wants is to be left alone in the small New Zealand town no one’s heard of. No drama. No bodies. No questions. But then, of course, the orchid convention comes to town, and Dante is knee deep in suspects, intrigue, and red herrings.

On top of all this, Dante must navigate a mysterious woman from his past, cat issues, and the terrifying prospect of a first date. And he has to do it while fighting his instinct to solve problems the old-fashioned way: permanently.

The ‘Retired Assassin’s Guide to Orchid Hunting’ is a cosy paranormal mystery with found family, ghosts, a grumpy assassin and a sunshine gardener.

Come for the murder, stay for the cat, the gardens, and the New Zealand country charm.

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Author Bio – Naomi is a writer living in New Zealand. When not busy writing or raising her twin son and daughter, she spends her free time (ha!) surfing, kitesurfing, and retrieving her shoes from Max the dog.

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My thoughts: I loved this, I hadn’t read the previous book (now corrected) and hadn’t seen this one advertised, so was very happy to read it and share it all with you!

Funny, darkly so, with at least one murder, a cranky retired assassin, a maybe retired jewel thief who likes investigating, a detective who isn’t sure he should be so charmed by criminals, a gardener who sees ghosts, a hot date, a fat cat. A mystery.

It has it all, I thought it was terrific, I am very excited for more of this series. Just tremendous fun.

*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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Blog Tour: Five Liars – D.L. Fisher

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The fraud.

The imposter.

The cheater.

The fake.

The murderer.

Which one am I?

The guest list for Brit and Joe’s joint bachelor-bachelorette weekend is small and exclusive: the bride, the groom, the best man, a work friend . . . and me, the maid of honor. I’ve planned every detail to make this a celebration none of us will ever forget.

Expect daytime drinking, poolside lounging — and a White Lie Party designed to help us share all our little secrets.
After all, confession is good for the soul . . . and one of us is hiding something truly killer.

Don’t forget to save the date!

Love,
The Maid of Honor x

A tense and breathless psychological thriller with a mind-blowing twist you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, Freida McFadden, Shari Lapena, Riley Sager – and anyone who’s ever wondered what secrets their friends are really keeping.

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D. L. Fisher is the bestselling Amazon and Audible author of domestic thrillers. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, five children, and adorably naughty beagle. When not plotting her next big twist, DL enjoys diving into thrillers and immersing herself in true-crime podcasts.

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My thoughts: It’s a rather small joint bachelor/ette party for Brit and Joe, just them, his best man, her maid of honour and one work friend. They’re booked into a stunning house in the middle of nowhere on a Caribbean island, with a hurricane imminent, oops.

As the weirdest party starts to fall apart and secrets force themselves to the surface, it becomes apparent that someone else is there, someone with a grudge and no qualms about killing. Can the truth truly set you free or will the body count rise?

Dark, twisted and shocking, this is one weekend no one will forget in a hurry.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Fablenoir – Vic Sinclair

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Welcome to the tour for Vic Sinclair’s Grimdark fairytale, Fablenoir. The next book Rose Read Undead comes out early this year!

Fablenoir

Release Date: September 2024

Genre: Dark Fairytale/ Urban Fantasy/ Grimdark

  • Morally gray characters
  • Antiheroes
  • Dark fairy tale retellings
  • Grimdark undertones
  • First-person detective novel
  • Urban fantasy with epic scope
  • Hidden worlds

Fifteen years after climbing the beanstalk, giants are the least of Jack’s concerns…

Twisted fairy tale figures roam our world in this deliciously dark, exhilarating new Urban Fantasy series, featuring familiar characters from mythology and fables clashing and conniving in a metropolitan cesspit that runs on chaos.

Amid rumors of necromantic cults, children vanishing from the city’s streets and men crying werewolf, down-and-out Detective Jackson Slade of the NYPD is at his lowest. Blacklisted by the corrupt department he works for, he finds himself winding up in the same grimy bars every night, nearly drinking himself to death and relying on mysterious magick beans to pick himself back up.

Until, one night, he stumbles upon a gruesome crime scene that will change the course of his life dramatically. When he finds the shattered corpse of egg-shaped billionaire media mogul Dick Dumpty, Jack finds himself reluctantly teaming up with the notoriously cold-blooded outlaw Goldilocks, and together they spiral into the horrifying magickal underbelly of New York City, caught in the middle of a war between the corrupt and the even more corrupt.

Coming up against forces such as the grizzly gang leader Papa Bear and the crooked giant-descendant head of the NYPD Chief Cole, Jack and Goldilocks set in motion an explosive chain of events that will change the world, for better or for so much worse…

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

Triggers: Drug addiction, kidnapping, allusion to sexual assault, themes of human trafficking, body horror, injury detail, alcoholism

My thoughts: What do you get if fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters are real, live in New York and a lot of them are serious criminals? Fablenoir.

Jack Slade (once slew a giant, there was a beanstalk, he doesn’t like to talk about it) is a detective falling apart, he’s an alcoholic, addicted to mind altering magic beans, his boss Captain Cole is corrupt, he’s about to be fired, oh and a giant egg almost landed on him.

Dumpty’s dead, Goldilocks needs Jack’s help to take down Papa Bear and his drug empire. A lot of women and children have been going missing, Cole doesn’t want to know and Jack’s in serious trouble.

It’s a fast paced, high octane, race against time, corruption and Jack’s high in order to try to unravel the chaos in New York. There’s a secret cabal of officers trying to bring down Cole, a Charming governor who seems powerless to stop the rot and a Mad Hatter performing really disturbing experiments in his basement.

If you like your fairy tales dark and creepy, you’re in the right place.

IG: @vicsinclairv @rrbooktours

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#rrbooktours #rrbtFablenoire #urbanfantasy #fairytaleretelling #grimdark #booktours

*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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Blogathon: Written in Blood – Chris Carter

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A serial killer who will stop at nothing…
 
The Killer
His most valuable possession has been stolen.
Now he must retrieve it, at any cost.
 
The Girl
Angela Wood wanted to teach the man a lesson. It was a bag, just like any other.
But when she opens it, the worst nightmare of her life begins.
 
The Detective
A journal ends up on Robert Hunter’s desk. It soon becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose.
And if Hunter can’t stop him in time, more people will die.
Starting with Angela.
 
If you have read it
You must die

My thoughts: Hunter and Garcia are back. And this time they’re drawn into a case that puzzles them. Someone left a serial killer’s diary in the mailbox of the head of the forensics unit. It was hand delivered and is very disturbing. It seems to chronicle the killings of a deeply disturbed individual who hears voices compelling him to carry out increasingly violent and vile murders.

Hunting firstly for whoever dropped it off, they meet Angela, a streetwise pickpocket who is now in way too deep as the killer knows she took his book. The LAPD need to keep her safe, as a witness, and now a vulnerable target for a monster.

But they also need to find the killer and stop him before he takes another life. The diary reveals more and more details of his life, of why he does what he does. And the pair of detectives are disturbed. Especially after he contacts Hunter directly. He wants his diary back. Or more will die. Including Angela.

This is another tense and unnerving case for the Ultra Violent Crime Unit. A killer without remorse, who sees his kills as just another day at the office, and a victim Hunter feels responsible for.

*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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Blog Tour: The Hanging Tree – Jessica Huntley

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For a hundred years, the residents of a rural Welsh village have been hiding the truth.

Now, a newcomer has started digging around, uncovering more than just buried secrets.

Retired detective, Graham Williams, has moved to Bethgelert for a fresh start, determined to put the horrors of last year behind him. He has seen his fair share of disturbing scenes, but nothing prepares him for what he sees hanging in the gnarly old tree outside his front window.

Only one man can help him uncover the truth …

Stephen Mallow has come a long way since he helped solve the mystery of Cherry Hollow.
When his old nemesis calls and asks for help, he jumps in the car, ignoring the pain in his head and the hole in his heart. He’s ready to take on another weird and creepy small town mystery.

These two unlikely allies, whose main form of communication is bickering, start to work together to dig up the disturbing secrets of ‘The Hanging Tree’, but they soon realise there’s more to the story than they first thought.

A teenage girl is missing. The town butcher isn’t telling them everything. The tree seems to be speaking to Stephen …

And someone is watching their every move …

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Jessica Huntley is an author of dark and twisty psychological thrillers, which often focus on mental health topics and delve deep into the minds of her characters.
She has a varied career background, having joined the Army as an Intelligence Analyst, then left to become a Personal Trainer.
She is now living her life-long dream of writing from the comfort of her home, while looking after her young son and her disabled black Labrador. She enjoys keeping fit and drinking wine (not at the same time).

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My thoughts: There’s a slight air of Hot Fuzz here (one of my favourite films), with a small town full of secrets that date back years, though no insane gun fights, just an intensely disturbing air of menace and some possibly evil banana bread.

Having retired from the police and bought a cottage on the outskirts of the village, Graham might think he’s put his time solving crimes behind him. Until he sees a scarecrow hanging from a noose in the big tree behind his house. Standing tall at the top of a hill, the oak is probably hundreds of years old. And there’s a growing call for it to be pulled down.

At the village council meeting, Graham learns about the tree’s history and why it’s regarded so negatively. But there’s some things he isn’t told and as events take a dark turn and he becomes convinced there’s more to the stories he’s heard, he calls in an ally. Stephen Mallow, investigative journalist, and dedicated researcher.

Only Stephen has been dealing with issues of his own, issues that leave him somewhat compromised. As the two men search for answers, Stephen’s problems become more pronounced. Will he manage to stay the course or will Graham find himself alone?

Tense, gripping and sinister, this is a cleverly written and smart 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.

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Blog Tour: A Poisoning at Castle Gloaming – Kay Blythe

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After a two-day train journey, peripatetic dressmaker Jemima Flowerday makes the final approach to her new job on foot, following the canal to Castle Gloaming, which stands in the rugged North Wales countryside overlooking the foaming River Dee.

Jemima has come to clothe Mrs Cornelia van Doorn, a wealthy South African widow who has leased the castle from its impoverished aristocratic owner, intending to launch herself and her young stepdaughter, Honor, into London society.

But on her arrival she’s told she’s actually been summoned to investigate the disappearance of the girl. Even in a place still haunted by mystery and magic, the seventeen-year-old can’t have melted into thin air…

Kay Blythe, who also writes as Natalie Meg Evans, is an award-winning historical author on both sides of the Atlantic, having reached the New York Times top 100 list with her debut novel, The Dress Thief. Writing crime as Kay Blythe fulfils a long-held ambition. Her dressmaker-sleuth, Jemima Flowerday, follows in the tradition of clever women set free by the social upheaval of the years after the First World War. Jemima combines her skills as a dressmaker and sleuth to solve crime in the crumbling stately homes of Britain.

My thoughts: Dragged out to the wilds of West Wales, Jemima thinks she’s there to design a wardrobe for a wealthy South African widow in a castle with a Scottish name (gloaming is an excellent word fyi).

On arrival, she’s told that she’s actually been hired to find the widows 17 year old stepdaughter, who appears to have vanished. Using her keen understanding of human nature, she soon figures out the truth, but that’s before things take a nasty turn. 

Stuck in the castle with a motley cast of residents and staff, Jemima must keep her wits about her, there’s a killer amongst them and plenty of secrets and lies too. 

I like Jemima, her unusual job allows her access to both upstairs and downstairs, by marriage she’s a Lady, but her parents ran a grocery shop so she’s actually just as at home in the kitchen with the help. 

She’s also very clever, a student of human behaviour and highly observant, even without a friendly sidekick (unless you count Mrs Beddoes the housekeeper/cook) she works through the clues and the strange occurrences in this rather depressing castle and then lays it all out for the police when they finally show up. They’ll take the credit, but she’s just happy to go home.    

*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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Blog Tour: Murder at the Folly – Jane Adams

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A crumbling old manor house with its own sinister folly.

A cast full of suspects with secrets to hide.

And a killer waiting in the wings . . .

Retirement suits actress Rina Martin just fine. Until she’s tempted back for one last hurrah, reprising her role as sharp-witted TV sleuth Lydia Marchant.

But Rina’s return to the spotlight soon turns deadly!

Rina’s seen plenty of drama over the years. But nothing like the chaos she finds on location at Septon Hall. Her costar, the decidedly sour Grace Sweeting, gets a poison pen letter — in what looks like a tasteless prank. Until . . .

Phil Perry, the show’s charming leading man, is found dead! Plunged in his neck is a glinting brooch, last seen on Grace’s stylish coat.

Suddenly, everyone’s ready to point the finger at Grace. Only Rina has her doubts.
Just because Grace is playing a murderess on TV that doesn’t make her one in real life. But if Grace didn’t do it, then who?

It’s up to Rina to pin down the truth, before the devious killer strikes again!

If you love Agatha Christie, Jeanne M. Dams, Glenda Young, Stella Cameron, M.C.
Beaton and Frances Evesham, prepare to be hooked by this enchanting, character-
driven mystery!

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Jane Adams is the author of more than thirty published crime novels. The first, The Greenway, was nominated for both the Authors’ Club award and the CWA John Creasey for best debut novel.
Jane is constantly amazed at where life has taken her. Writing had never been on her ‘possible careers’ list, but she says once stories take root in your brain, they just have to be told – and she feels very fortunate that people want to read them.
In addition to writing, Jane teaches creative writing, read and mentor for The Literary Consultancy, and is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and FRSA.

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My thoughts: I really enjoyed this, a good old fashioned whodunnit. A TV mystery being filmed in an old and slightly decrepit house, a murdered actor, plenty of suspects, no obvious motive. Lovely.

I liked Rina and Mac, Grace was a nightmare, but not necessarily the killer just because she’s a bit of a grande dame. As the police investigate, there’s another death, even more puzzling than the first. Just what is going on on this set?

Clever, highly enjoyable crime writing, with a nice reveal and some risk for our investigators. Good stuff.

*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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Cover Reveal: Body of Lies – Jo Callaghan

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Human suspicion. AI manipulation.
Who can you trust when truth has no meaning? 

DCS Kat Frank returns to work at the Future Policing Unit after a tragic loss, only to find herself thrust into a new high-profile case. On the night of Halloween a local MP is found murdered, with a taunting message written in binary code that seems to target Kat specifically: Catch me if you can.

The victim’s anti-AI sentiments suggest a political motive, and as Kat investigates with her partner AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI detective – she finds herself once again battling her own prejudices about the technological future he represents. But when a cyberattack takes out the National Grid, Kat and Lock have to race against the clock to track down the hacker before thousands die.

Tangled in a web of suspicion and deception, Kat must choose who and what to believe when the truth seems to defy both instinct and logic.

Can she set aside her old doubts and put her faith in her AI partner one last time?
Or will this case send Lock down a path she just can’t follow – a path that will leave humanity behind for good?

Publishing 21st May 2026

PRAISE FOR JO CALLAGHAN:

‘Terrifyingly timely and provocative’ VAL McDERMID
‘The most original crime novel you’ll read this year’ CLARE MACKINTOSH
‘Just brilliant!’ LISA JEWELL
‘Sharp, perceptive writing and a brilliant new take on the detective duo’ T. M. LOGAN
‘Everything you could hope for in a thriller: heartbreaking, intelligent, deftly plotted and so original’ FIONA CUMMINS
‘A fresh take on the buddy-buddy cop trope . . . Provocative and compelling’ VASEEM KHAN
‘Wildly original, heartfelt, funny, and properly thrilling. Take a bow, Jo Callaghan’ CHRIS WHITAKER

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Cover Reveal: The Daughter – Alesha Dykema

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I won’t let my four-year-old daughter Skylar go through what I had to. I won’t let my father do to her what he did to me and my sister.

I know how to play the good daughter. The perfect mother. The wife who smiles on cue.

But you don’t grow up in a house like mine without learning how to survive—how to keep secrets buried so deep they almost stop hurting.

Almost.

Last night I finally did something unforgivable. I tried to kill my father.
Only . . . my mom picked up the wrong glass.

Now she’s lying in a hospital bed, unconscious. And I’m the dutiful daughter by her side, pretending to be shocked . . .

Alesha Dykema is a thirty-something-year-old author of thriller novels.

She lives in the dreadful Midwest with her strange husband, head-banging toddler son, a neurotic dog, and warden cat.

Besides writing, Alesha loves to read (like every other author in the world). Alesha is also a health and fitness junkie and a dabbler in furniture refinishing. She is extremely anti-social and wishes she lived off-grid in the middle of the woods, but her husband hates good ideas and happiness and won’t allow this to happen.

Even though she’s pretty anti-social, she still likes to make new friends and have casual chats about people’s childhood traumas.

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Blog Tour: Pretty Little Lies – Jessica Huntley

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She’s hoping she’s paranoid. She’s terrified she’s not.

When Amelia relocated to Cambridge for love, she never imagined her new life would become a nightmare.
After uprooting her beauty therapy business to be with her fiancé Noah, Amelia receives the first message—anonymous, threatening, impossible to ignore.

As more sinister messages follow, Amelia’s new life begins to fall apart. It seems someone is watching her every move and now her clients are abandoning her for no reason she can see.
It’s as if she’s done something wrong, but what?

And Noah is no help. He seems strangely distant, then conveniently vanishes to care for his sick father. Alone and terrified, Amelia suspects everyone.
Then, when a photo arrives which proves she’s being stalked, Amelia realizes she’s not being paranoid – the danger is very real.

Trapped in her flat, jumping at shadows, Amelia must uncover who’s tormenting her—and why. Because in this game of psychological warfare, the people closest to her might be the most dangerous of all.
Trust no one. Question everything. Survive.

Pretty Little Lies – the gripping psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Freida McFadden.

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Jessica Huntley is an author of dark and twisty psychological thrillers, which often focus on mental health topics and delve deep into the minds of her characters.
She has a varied career background, having joined the Army as an Intelligence Analyst, then left to become a Personal Trainer.
She is now living her life-long dream of writing from the comfort of her home, while looking after her young son and her disabled black Labrador. She enjoys keeping fit and drinking wine (not at the same time).

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My thoughts: I felt really sorry for Amelia, she’s uprooted her whole life, her business, everything, to move to Cambridge with Noah and just as things seem to be going well for her, she starts receiving nasty messages, someone is posting anonymous bad reviews of her services, and Noah basically abandons her. 

She doesn’t know who to trust, she only has a few friends in the area and her fiance is MIA. The messages keep getting nastier and she’s completely bewildered as to why whoever this is, is targeting her.

When she finally gets some answers, it’s upsetting and a bit of a shock, but she’s incredibly understanding and just wishes she hadn’t been kept in the dark. Luckily so are her friends, and now she knows who she can trust.

The twists in this are pretty good, compelling and I spent ages trying to figure out what Charlotte (one of the characters keeping her secrets) was up to. Amelia was great, she was just trying to be good at her job and be present in her relationships.

I really liked this one, Jessica’s books are always good and she tackles some big issues here well.

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