Tag: crime fiction

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.

Discover Italy’s bewitching region of Puglia with the seventh Daniel Leicester mystery, the most propulsive yet . . .

English detective and Bologna resident Daniel Leicester has been summoned by a dying relative to the wildest corner of Puglia, home to revered saints, fearsome mafia clans, hidden catacombs and sinister ceremonies.

As Daniel discovers that his Italian family’s history runs deep in the veins of the region, old grudges resurface, superstitions awaken and he is drawn into a case of stolen antiquities. But when a contact is murdered by mobsters, it’s clear that mafia rule is more powerful than local mysticism.

Lured by magic but trapped by the mob, Daniel is unable to return to his beloved Bologna. His family is bound to Puglia more tightly than he ever imagined, and powerful people want answers he can’t give. And when Daniel’s daughter is snatched during a Holy Week procession, he sees first-hand just how far they’re prepared to go . . .

Tom Benjamin grew up in the suburbs of north London and worked as a journalist before becoming a Scotland Yard spokesperson.

He later moved into public health, where he developed Britain’s first national campaign against alcohol abuse, and led FRANK, a drugs awareness programme.

He now lives in Bologna. Old Bones in Puglia is the seventh book in his Daniel Leicester series of mysteries.

My thoughts: Daniel is accompanying the Commandante to Puglia, where the older man once served and met his wife, who comes from the region.

They’ve been asked to come to the aid of archaeologists, who think their most recent finds are actually forgeries and the real ancient relics have been stolen to sell to the highest bidder.

But it’s all a lot more complicated than it first seems, there are secrets galore in a region where no one wants to talk to the police, or to a PI.

Then Daniel’s beloved daughter Rose is kidnapped in broad daylight. Is it connected to the case or something older, more confusing?

As Daniel attempts to understand the layered, complex tangle of superstitions, secrets and history in the place, he finds himself entangled with witchcraft, revenge and murder.

A clever, well written story that draws you in and keeps you hooked until the very last page. This series just gets better with every 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.

Welcome to Honeybee’s diner, where the scent of butter and garlic wraps itself around you, thick and comforting. Jessie Haynes’ homestyle cooking feeds the hearts and souls of the good people of Willow Bluff. Until someone puts murder on the menu!

Y’all are invited to dig into a steamin’ plate of meatloaf. The diner’s well-worn red chairs have cradled folks from every corner of Willow Bluff—Jessie’s podcasting bestie, Tee, Old Mr Higgins, two mighty mischievous kittens, Biscuits and Gravy, and every tattling townsperson in between—so when the mayor turns blue after a bite of Jessie’s famous shrimp and grits, she finds herself in seriously hot water…

Suddenly, all eyes are swivelled toward Jessie. For fifty years her family has fed Willow Bluff, and Jessie won’t let one mouthful shatter the legacy of her grandmother’s secret recipes. The mayor’s peanut allergy was talk of the town, so when traces are found in his food, Jessie must fight to clear her name.

An empty peanut packet in the diner’s pantry has Jessie and Tee hot on the heels of the murderer when another case of food tampering occurs at a nearby bakery. Someone is dishing out delicious death sentences. How many locals will get served before Jessie can crack the case? Her investigation must be a recipe for success or Honeybee’s will be toast…

This unputdownable and addictive cozy mystery is full of Southern charm, a gripping whodunnit and a feisty amateur sleuth. It’s perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Ellery Adams and Joanne Fluke.

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Skylar Warren is a Chicago native and a graduate of Chicago State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Media Arts and Theatre. She now lives in New York City and works as a claims adjuster. In her spare time, she enjoys watching mysteries and solving puzzles.

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My thoughts: This was a fun and enjoyable crime caper centering on a diner in a small town called Willow Bluff. Jessie has taken over the diner her grandmother founded, cooking her recipes for the town.

Until disaster strikes and the mayor drops dead of anaphylaxis on the diner’s anniversary. He’s well known to be allergic to peanuts and Jessie is insistent that her kitchen is peanut free, so how did the nuts get into his food? 

Did someone murder the mayor and frame Jessie? Luckily she has a crack team of investigators  – also known as her friends – to solve the case. And it helps that the sheriff is on her side too, the evidence has been collected and is being analysed.

Unfortunately the town is a gossip’s paradise and the local estate agent, a rather nasty woman, cannot stop spreading rumours and undermining Jessie’s attempts to assert her innocence.

I hope this becomes a series, with Jessie and her friends solving crimes in their small town, the characters are fun and there are cats called Biscuits and Gravy.

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

The BRAND NEW instalment in the bestselling, beloved Armstrong & Oscar Cozy Mystery series!

A road leading to Rome

Former DCI Dan Armstrong has been living and working in Florence for nearly three years—yet somehow, Rome has always eluded him. That is, until glamorous TV celebrity Tamsin Goodfaith turns up with a request he can’t refuse: investigate her uncle’s suspicious death in the Eternal City.

Murder at the castle

Philip Hastings was a billionaire financier, found dead at his magnificent—if slightly spooky—medieval castle in the Roman hills. Dan and his faithful canine companion, Oscar, soon find themselves surrounded by luxury, secrets and more suspects than sightseeing opportunities.

This time it’s personal

But when a second murder follows close behind, the case turns dangerously personal. With whispers of ghosts and crumbling alibis, Dan and Oscar must sniff out the truth before he becomes the next
victim. Harder to crack than castle walls—and harder still than stopping Oscar from stealing snacks—this Roman holiday is anything but relaxing.

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I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I studied languages at Nottingham University a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to work in Italy for seven years. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little
village in Devonshire.

I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only thirteen years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.
I started off writing romances but after 28 of them, I knew I wanted to try something different, and so the first of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries, Murder in Tuscany, was born three years ago.

I’ve been having a lot of fun ever since getting to know the dynamic duo (and introducing them to people all over the world). These books are cosy crime [a genre I didn’t even know existed when I
started writing them). They are murder mysteries, but not gory, over-violent stuff, but stories designed to exercise the brain of the reader and to put a smile on their face.

Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to
provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations all over my beloved Italy.

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My thoughts: As you might know by now, I love this series, especially the excellent K9 Detective Oscar, who always finds something vital to the case. 

In this installment Dan and Oscar are off to Rome, the Eternal City and somewhere I’d love to visit (I’ve only been to the airport on my way to Venice).

British celeb Tamsin Goodfaith has asked Dan for his help. Her uncle has recently died and she doesn’t agree that it was a tragic accident – she thinks he was murdered. Posing as her friend, and there on a writing break, he gently probes the various family members and staff at the family’s medieval castle outside Rome.

But then two more members of the family die, and the killer must be somewhere in the castle – there’s only the family and three employees, as well as Dan and Oscar. Is there a ghost? Old buildings do attract them and Oscar really hates the suit of armour.

It’s another clever case for Dan and the local police detective inspector, one that has deep roots and will change the family forever. I really enjoyed trying to unravel the clues and solve it before Dan (I failed).

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