Tag: crime fiction

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Blog Tour: The Burning Stones – Antti Tuomainen, translated by David Hackston

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Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder…

A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?

The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil. And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, his third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and shortlisted for the Glass Key Award.

Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards and now a Finnish TV series. Palm Beach, Finland (2018) and Little Siberia (2019) have both been adapted for the screen, airing shortly, and also shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and winning the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The international bestselling Rabbit Factor trilogy is filming now for Amazon Studios, starring Steve Carell.

Antti lives in Helsinki with his wife.

My thoughts: From theme parks to sauna sales, the first in a new series from the funniest Finnish writer I’ve read is back and I am delighted.

Saunas are big business in Finland, where people have them in their back gardens and use them daily, being the best salesperson at Steam Devil, and after the murder of her boss’ heir apparent puts Anni in the police’s crosshairs, they think she’s the killer, and even more so once another one of her colleagues also dies.

There’s evidence that seems to link her to both scenes, although she insists the “bumlets” (every time I read that word, I giggle) were stolen. Then there’s her deeply weird husband who spends all his time watching old F1 races and discussing them online as well as selling related merchandise, or at least stockpiling it.

Anni’s got issues and so do the police investigating her, it’s a small place and everyone has history.

I really enjoyed this, Finland sounds like such a unique and weird place, and Antti’s books are full of utterly ridiculous and odd people. Who knew saunas would cause so much chaos!

*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 Girl Who Killed Her Mom – McGarvey Black

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I’ve spent my entire life trying to make up for what happened that day. I was barely fifteen when I killed my mom.

Twenty years later.

I’ve turned my life around. I have a handsome, wealthy husband; two daughters who are everything to me; a stunning Connecticut beachfront home. I’m grateful for every minute that we have together.

Today I came home to find a silver-and-blue gift-wrapped box on the porch. The note inside says: Who killed Midge Lester? Midge Lester was my mom. Someone knows.

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An Amazon Charts/Best Selling Author, many of McGarvey Black’s novels are also available in audiobooks and have been translated into other languages.

“I love writing twisty thrillers that keep readers guessing and hanging at the end of each chapter. Nothing makes me happier than when one of my readers tells me I kept them up all night.” —McGarvey Black

Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, McGarvey Black is married with two children and lives and writes in Florida. She loves dogs of any kind and eating ice cream with demitasse spoons to make it last longer.

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My thoughts: Imagine spending years believing that only two people in the world know about the terrible thing you did, hearing that one of them was dead and knowing the other can’t tell anyone. And then finding out that that isn’t true.

Abigail doesn’t remember the death of her mother, only that she woke up holding the gun that killed her. Her boyfriend took the gun when he left town and she confessed to the local priest, which under the seal of the confessional he cannot share.

All these years later, her life is very different, but she carries her secret and her grief with her. Then a familiar face appears, one who shouldn’t be alive anymore and then another person she never thought she’d see again resurfaces in her life.

Suddenly the secret that she has kept for so long is at risk of being exposed and everything she’s built could fall apart.

Full of twists, with a likeable and sympathetic protagonist in Abigail, this was an enjoyable and intelligent 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: The Cursed Writer – Holly Hepburn

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Harriet White is no stranger to odd correspondence. Ensconced in the basement of the Baker Street building society, her job is to reply to the mail they receive on behalf of Sherlock Holmes.
But while letters to the fictional sleuth may be plentiful, telegrams are rare, and so when she receives one describing the grave situation of celebrated author Philip St John, her interest is piqued. The writer describes St John as being consumed by terror, seeing ghostly apparitions on the fens, and only at ease in the company of his loyal wolfhound.

Before long, Harry finds herself in Cambridgeshire under the guise of being Holmes’ assistant. The residents of Thurmwell Manor believe their master is cursed. Harry is sure there must be a logical explanation, but inside the echoey halls of the grand gothic house, her confidence in science and reason begin to crumble…

Can Harry solve the mystery before the fens claim their next victim?

Join Harriet White in 1930’s London for another glorious Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery, for fans of Nita Prose and Janice Hallett.

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Holly Hepburn writes escapist, swoonsome fiction that sweeps her readers into idyllic locations, from her native Cornwall to the windswept beauty of Orkney. She has turned her hand to cosy crime inspired by Sherlock Holmes himself. Holly lives in leafy Hertfordshire with her adorable partner in crime, Luna the Labrador.

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My thoughts: This series is so much fun, and this story, inspired by The Hound of the Baskervilles, is another excellent edition. I think Harry makes a fantastic sleuth, and Oliver a great Watson. The pair of them head off to the Cambridgeshire Fens under the guise of assisting a very old Sherlock (if he was a detective in the Victorian period, still going in the 1930s, he’d be quite an old man) who has retired to Sussex to keep bees (per Conan Doyle).

I know that people do still write to Holmes, the museum in Baker Street has them on display in his office, but I don’t know that anyone there carries out investigations, I imagine they pass anything of real concern onto the police. But Harry is willing to help where perhaps the police and in this case, doctors, cannot.

The author Philip St John lives in a manor house out in the Fens with a few staff and his nephew, who is the one who writes to Holmes. His uncle appears to be haunted by some strange apparition and is terribly ill. His huge dog is his only comfort. Harry knows there’s a logical explanation and is willing to brave unknown dangers to get to the bottom of it. And go to the library to do some research too.

She might not have Holmes’ legendary powers of deduction but she’s smart and resourceful and nothing, not even her creep of a former boss, can get in her way. 

Lots of fun, a clever conundrum and a very real solution to a strange problem. Really enjoyable and I can’t wait for more!

*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: Fool Me Once – Mark Gillespie

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Kate thought she knew her neighbors. But they’ve been keeping secrets…

Kate’s quiet evening at home is shattered when a car crashes into a neighbor’s fence. The police and emergency services are quickly on the scene.

Kate saw the crash. The neighbors saw it too. So why is everyone saying it never happened? And how is it possible that the neighbor’s fence doesn’t have a scratch?

Is Kate going crazy or is everyone lying?

Strange things start happening in Kate’s life. A man follows her home after work. An intruder tries to break into her house in the middle of the night.

Kate is convinced these events are connected to the crash. Someone wants to silence her. But why? Who was in that car on Saturday night?

And what is the deadly secret that everyone is trying to hide?

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Mark Gillespie writes psychological thriller and suspense novels. He’s a former professional musician (bass player) from Glasgow, Scotland who spent ten years touring the UK and Ireland, playing sessions and having the time of his life. Don’t ask though. What happened on the road stays on the road.

He now lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife and a small menagerie of rescue creatures. If he’s not writing, he’s jamming with other musicians, running on the beach, watching mixed martial arts and boxing. Or devouring horror and thriller movies.

This is his third psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.

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My thoughts: This is a book that will completely wrong foot you in a really good way. Reading the first section, Kate’s story makes you think one thing is happening and then that gets completely thrown up in the air and becomes a very, very different story and without spoiling it, a very interesting story.

I was totally hooked, at first I thought I knew what it was going to be about, but then, bam, it went off in another direction and it was so good, such an interesting, clever, almost a discussion about right and wrong, punishment and revenge. Absolutely cracking 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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Blog Tour: Beautiful Liars – Isabel Ashdown

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Liar, Liar

In the photograph Martha Benn has kept for two decades, three girls lounge on the grass during a school field trip. Beside Martha, there’s Liv, petite and wickedly funny, and Juliet, their unofficial leader, brave, kind, and effortlessly beautiful. Back then, they meant the world to each other. But when Juliet disappeared, the bond between Martha and Liv unravelled too.
 
Martha was the last known person to see Juliet alive, and she still has no idea what happened after the two said goodnight on a towpath beside London’s Regent’s Canal. The next day, Juliet’s abandoned bicycle was discovered, but no sign of Juliet. Without witnesses or clues, the investigation fell apart.
 
Martha, now a TV celebrity preparing to host a show investigating cold cases, finally has a chance to get answers. As Martha tries to piece together what happened to Juliet, she realizes that her memories of those long-ago bonds may not tell the whole story. And someone else may know more about Juliet’s fate, and their friendship, than she could ever have imagined . . .

My thoughts: Friendship is a weird thing, it changes over time, sometimes getting stronger, sometimes it just falls away. But we never forget, not really.

Martha is trying to put the pieces together about the disappearance of her friend Juliet, years after the fact. The third member of their group, Liv, might have some idea but it’s been tricky getting in touch, she’s vague over email, and Martha is desperate to meet up and compare notes.

But there seems to be more to all this, and maybe one of the few witnesses, someone always on the sidelines, in the background, knows the truth.

It’s a bit creepy, with a stalker’s perspective on the events around Juliet’s disappearance and on Martha’s attempts to figure it all out. I imagine we don’t notice those people, the ones on the fringes of our lives, very often, and that’s certainly the case here, with a controlling and manipulative person who seems incredibly innocent as well.

Isabel’s books just get better, and more sinister, this is definitely the darkest one yet I reckon. I really enjoyed reading it, she has a brilliant knack at getting you to understand the characters and their strange minds without being put off or disturbed. I felt for Martha, and for Casey, both held in place by something that happened so long ago that many people have forgotten.

*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: Something More to Say – Tony J. Forder

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BLISS IS BACK… AND THIS TIME HE’S TWICE THE THREAT.

Jimmy Bliss’s first unsolved case is proving to be a puzzle. Despite an original investigation and subsequent case reviews, the police still do not have a suspect in the 1999 murder of a local
authority worker. The only lead Bliss and his three new colleagues have is the recent unearthing of the murder weapon. But when that takes them no further, they realise their only chance of success is
to find fresh evidence missed in the original case.

The reinvestigation is starting to look hopeless when in steps a shadowy figure from Jimmy’s past.
The man has a favour to ask, and Bliss a debt to repay. With his loyalty put to the test, can he be convinced the request is genuinely for the greater good?

Meanwhile, the violent executions of two young drug runners are the first lethal blows in a war between organised county lines drug gangs. Bliss is asked to act as the Senior Investigating Officer.
Working with his Major Crime Unit colleagues, he professes to align himself with one of the gangs to ensure a peaceful end to hostilities. But will they call his bluff and see his act for what it is?

Bliss’s strategy prompts an unexpected reaction in one psychopathic loose cannon, resulting in threats of violence and the spread of fear. And when those threats become actions, will Jimmy and
his colleagues be caught in the line of fire…?

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Tony J Forder is the author of the bestselling DI Bliss crime thriller series. Bad to the Bone, The Scent of Guilt, If Fear Wins, The Reach of Shadows, The Death of Justice, Endless Silent Scream, Slow Slicing, The Autumn Tree, Darker Days to Come, The Lightning Rod, and What Dies Inside Us will be joined in autumn 2024 by Something More to Say. There is also a prequel novella available called Bliss
Uncovered.

Tony’s other books include two action-adventure thrillers, Scream Blue Murder and Cold Winter Sun, featuring reluctant hero Mike Lynch. Also, The Huntsmen and The Predators, feature DS Royston Chase, DC Claire Laney, and PCSO Alison May, both police procedural novels set in Wiltshire. In addition, Tony has written two standalone novels: a dark, psychological crime thriller, Degrees of
Darkness, and a suspense thriller set in California, Fifteen Coffins.

Tony’s first 8 novels were originally released by a publisher specialising in crime fiction. In 2020, Tony decided to strike out on his own, and subsequently negotiated the return of all publishing rights to himself. Each of those 8 books has subsequently been re-released under his own imprint, Spare Nib Books.Tony lives with his wife in West Sussex, UK, and is a full-time author. He is currently working on book  #12 in his bestselling Jimmy Bliss series.

His first love was music, and he is currently gobbling up as many remastered vinyl albums as he can. Tony has played guitar since his early childhood, and
despite selling off his collection at one point he has somehow managed to reacquire a new range and  is up to 5 without knowing how.

All of Tony’s links can be found on Linktree

My thoughts: this was very, very good. I’m planning on getting my dad (who is very particular) the series for Christmas, I think he’d love the Jimmy Bliss books.

Bliss is working with a team of retired experts, including former detectives, on cold cases, putting their years of knowledge and experience to use reviewing cases the police couldn’t solve at the time, along with new technology like DNA. But this murder seems to have some very old school reasons as the motive – greed and power. Bliss just needs to connect all the dots so his tip off from an old “friend” is legitimate for the courts.

He’s also been asked to act as SIO on the murders of two teenage drug dealers, probably part of a county lines operation, and the three gangs that want control of the city are headed for war if Bliss can’t sort it all out.

The writing is compelling, the story gripping and the characters brilliantly drawn, it was one of the best crime thrillers I’ve read recently. Add it to your tbr, you won’t be sorry!

*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: Death at the Old Curiosity Shop –

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When Alice Carroll steps into Curiosity Cottage, a picture-perfect former bric-a-brac shop in the Cotswold Village of Little Pride, she thinks she’s found the perfect place to start the new phase of her
life. Freshly separated from her collector long-term boyfriend, she’s excited to embrace her new, minimalist existence.

All Alice needs to do is sell off the left-behind stock, and settle in. But the villagers of Little Pride have other ideas, and Alice quickly realises they won’t give up their beloved shop without a fight.
Then a dead body is found buried in her neighbour’s compost heap, and Alice realises there’s much more to Little Pride, and its residents, than meets the eye.

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Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village, where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing

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My thoughts: This was a great start to a new series with a new protagonist from the marvellous Debbie Young.

Alice Carroll (yes, she was named after that Alice) has found a lovely Cotswold cottage to buy after her long term relationship comes to an end and she has to sell her home. Unfortunately she’s just been made redundant on top of that. So now she needs a new job.

The previous owner of her cottage used to run an antiques/junk shop from her front room and Alice is expected to carry that on, at least until she can get the local council to let her turn it into a home completely. But maybe this could be the new job?

Horrible local developer Bolt is planning to plonk some horrible new homes on the donkey paddock next door and he also wants her cottage. But a discovery in the field might just put paid to that.

There’s also the murder of a local builder and the almost murder of the council archaeologist to sort out, with the help of her friend, and former colleague, Danny. Can Alice restore the village’s peace and quiet, make a go of the curiosity shop and get rid of Bolt?

Fun, clever and really enjoyable, I can’t wait for more from this new series.

*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: Dark as Night – Lilja Sigurđardóttir, translated by Lorenza Garcia

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When Áróra receives a call telling her that a child she’s never met is claiming to be her missing sister reincarnated, she is devastated … as ridiculous as the allegations might seem. For three years she has been searching for her sister without finding a single clue, and now this strange child seems to have new information. 

On the same day, Icelandic detective Daníel returns home to find a note from his tenant, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú, giving notice on her flat and explaining that she has to leave the country. Daníel is immediately suspicious, and when three threatening men appear, looking for Lady, it’s clear to him that something is very wrong…

And as Iceland’s long dark nights continue into springtime, that is just the very beginning…

Bestselling crime-writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland.

An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written ten crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavík Noir trilogy, and her standalone thriller Betrayal, all of which have hit bestseller lists worldwide and been long- and shortlisted for multiple awards. The film rights for the Reykjavík Noir trilogy have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California, and the An Áróra Investigation series is now in production for a major TV series.

Cold as Hell was published in the UK in 2021 and reprinted twice, followed by Red as Blood and White as Snow, both number-one digital bestsellers.

Lilja lives outside of Reykjavík with her partner and a brood of chickens.

My thoughts: I don’t believe in reincarnation – so I was very sceptical of the claim that a child could be Áróra’s lost sister, although she does pass on some rather detailed information that there is no other way she could have, three year olds don’t tend to hang out with murderers. Áróra is put through the wringer with this situation but it might finally give her resolution. Daniel takes over the case, to give her breathing space, and asks Áróra to find his suddenly missing lodger – drag queen Lady Gúgúlú.

This second case is incredibly convoluted and provides an entirely new back story to the colourful and sequined world created in Daniel’s garage. It seems the man Daniel knows is not entirely who he claimed to be – and he has multiple names too.

Áróra’s investigation takes her away from Iceland, and away from the peculiar case Daniel is dealing with. But will he get answers or just more questions?

I found Lady’s story, aka Robert, the reason he’s been hiding and has kept his past a tightly guarded secret really fascinating and compelling. It also provided a contrast to the hunt for Áróra’s sister that kept that plot from becoming too woo woo. Another excellent slice of Icelandic noir, and a great set up for further stories. 

*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 Aftermath – Paul Gitsham

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The Fire. The Fallout. The Aftermath.

Seamus Monaghan is still haunted by the unexplained fire that killed his vibrant but troubled wife, Carole, three years ago. Why was she taken from him in such a horrific way?

Dominic has protected his brother, Seamus, since they were orphaned as young boys. But is that bond strong enough to survive the fallout from the fire?

Andrea loves her fiancé Seamus, but will the fire’s aftermath destroy their future together?

Time moves on, but can the embers of the past ever be truly extinguished?

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Paul Gitsham started his career as a biologist, working in such exotic locales as Manchester and Toronto. After stints as the world’s most over-qualified receptionist and a spell making sure that
international terrorists and other ne’er do wells hadn’t opened a Junior Savings Account at a major UK bank (a job even less exciting than being a receptionist) he retrained as a Science Teacher. He now
spends his time passing on his bad habits and sloppy lab-skills to the next generation of enquiring minds.

Paul has always wanted to be a writer and his final report on leaving primary school predicted he’d be the next Roald Dahl! For the sake of balance it should be pointed out that it also said “he’ll never get anywhere in life if his handwriting doesn’t improve”. Twenty five years later and his handwriting is worse than ever but millions of children around the world love him.*
*This is a lie, just ask any of the pupils he has taught.

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My thoughts: This was an intense, complex thriller, with twists left, right, and centre. Family is everything to Seamus and his brother Dominic – mostly as it’s just the two of them. Seamus met his wife Carole at college and her death in a fire at their home was a terrible tragedy.

Three years on Seamus and Andrea are expecting their first baby, but Andrea is worried that something’s not right. Did Seamus have something to do with Carole’s death? 

Paul Gitsham always crafts such clever and gripping reads, and this is no different. I was hooked from the off, and all the twists. The cops and I were looking in the wrong direction a lot of the time!

*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: Cold Reckoning Russ Thomas

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THE DARKNESS FROM HIS PAST WILL FINALLY COME TO LIGHT

The death of DS Tyler’s father irrevocably changed his life. As a child, he believed Richard had killed himself but, as the years have passed, Tyler has grown convinced he was murdered.   

When a cold case lands on Tyler’s desk, there’s nothing immediately notable about it, apart from the link it has to his father. Richard was investigating the same case shortly before he died.

Finally, Tyler has a tangible link to the past, one that could give him the answers he has been looking for. And while there are dangerous people who will do anything to keep him quiet, he knows he has to keep digging.

Because you’d risk anything for your family – even your life.

Russ Thomas grew up in the 80s reading anything he could get his hands on, writing stories, watching television, and playing videogames: in short, anything that avoided the Great Outdoors. After a few ‘proper’ jobs, he discovered the joys of bookselling, where he could talk to people about books all day. Now a full-time writer, he also teaches creative writing classes and mentors new authors.

My thoughts: Tyler is getting closer to answers about his father’s death and the seam of corruption running through the city. He’s getting info from crooks as well as his father’s former colleagues. He knows his father’s suicide wasn’t right and he’s sure he’ll prove it.

There’s a frozen body in the lake, frozen before it even hit the water, and a teenage girl to protect. So it’s business as usual in that regard. But Tyler is also looking for his missing boss/godmother, sure Stevens has done something terrible to her.

As some of the storylines running through the series finally come to a conclusion with answers that Tyler (and I) finally get as the evidence and events combine in shocking twists. 

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