Tag: crime fiction

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Missing White Woman – Kellye Garrett

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The truth is never skin deep.
 
It was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend in New York City. Breanna’s new boyfriend, Ty, took care of everything—the train tickets, the dinner reservations, the rented four-story luxury rowhouse in Jersey City with a beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline. But when Bree comes downstairs their final morning, she’s shocked. There’s a stranger laying dead in the foyer, and Ty is nowhere to be found.
 
A Black woman alone in a new city, Bree is stranded and out of her depth—especially when it becomes clear the dead woman is none other than Janelle Beckett, the missing woman the entire Internet has become obsessed with. There’s only one person Bree can turn to: her ex-best friend, a lawyer with whom she shares a very complicated past. As the police and a social media mob close in, all looking for #JusticeForJanelle, Bree realizes that the only way she can help Ty—or herself—is to figure out what really happened that last night.
 
But when people only see what they want to see, can she uncover the truth hiding in plain sight?

Kellye Garrett is the author of Like a Sister—an Edgar nominee for Best Novel, Anthony Award winner for Best Hardcover Mystery, and Lefty Award winner for Best Mystery—as well as Hollywood Homicide, which won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, and Independent Publisher “IPPY” awards for Best First Novel and was named one of Time’s 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time and BookBub’s Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time, and Hollywood Ending, which was nominated for both Anthony and Lefty awards. Prior to writing novels, Garrett spent eight years working in Hollywood, including a stint writing for Cold Case. She is a New Jersey native, a cofounder of Crime Writers of Color, and a former board member of Sisters in Crime.
 

My thoughts: this was a really interesting, thought provoking, and enjoyable read. I liked Bree, who after finding a dead body in her Air B&B and her boyfriend going missing, turns detective in order to prove that neither she or Ty, her boyfriend, had anything to do with the body she found.

With a blend of social media and traditional news media dogging her – Bree is relying on the blend of both to keep her updated, even after she gets doxxed, and help her figure things out. The current obsession with true crime and citizen detectives puts pressure on the police to move faster as the 24/7 online focus is getting in the way.

Bree can’t risk being seen at the crime scene but she needs to find clues, things she half remembered that might prove her innocence and give her the key to why the woman in the Air B&B was left there and Ty vanished. 

There’s a serious point to this book too – the hyper focus on missing attractive white women that means missing and murdered women of colour are overlooked and receive little to no coverage in either traditional media or online. Had Bree been the victim, the chances are no one would be obsessing about her and trying to find her killer in the same way.

*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: Thirty Days of Darkness – Jenny Lund Madsen, translated by Megan E. Turney 

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To celebrate the paperback release of Thirty Days of Darkness, I’m re-sharing my review from last year’s hardback tour. Read on for more info and to see what I thought the first time I read this book.

It’s also now available in Sainsbury’s  – so pop a copy in your trolley!

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A snobbish Danish literary author is challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days, travelling to a small village in Iceland for inspiration, and then a body appears … an atmospheric, darkly funny, twisty debut thriller, first in an addictive new series.

Copenhagen author Hannah is the darling of the literary community and her novels have achieved massive critical acclaim. But nobody actually reads them, and frustrated by writer`s block, Hannah has the feeling that she`s doing something wrong.
When she expresses her contempt for genre fiction, Hanna is publicly challenged to write a crime novel in thirty days. Scared that she will lose face, she accepts, and her editor sends her to HÚ safjÖ ð ur – a quiet, tight-knit village in Iceland, filled with colourful local characters – for inspiration.
But two days after her arrival, the body of a fisherman´ s young son is pulled from the water … and what begins as a search for plot material quickly turns into a messy and dangerous investigation that threatens to uncover secrets that put everything at risk … including Hannah…
Atmospheric, dramatic and full of nerve-jangling twists and turns, Thirty Days of Darkness is a darkly funny, unsettling debut Nordic Noir thriller that marks the start of a breath-taking new series.

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed scriptwriters (including the international hits Rita and Follow the Money) and is known as an advocate for better representation for sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater) and her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness, first in an addictive new series, won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the year and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key Award.

My thoughts: come with me to an Icelandic village in the middle of nowhere, in winter, where writer Hannah is attempting to write a crime novel in 30 days to win a bet. When there’s a murder, which she gets involved in and puts her safety at risk. She doesn’t speak the language, forcing others to have to speak English or Danish, she doesn’t know the people, but she’s pretty sure she can catch the killer. As you do.

I found Hannah a bit grating, she pushes her way into people’s lives and business with little regard for their feelings and clearly thinks very highly of herself. Her career is stalling as not many people seem that keen on her literary fiction – preferring crime writers like her nemesis Jørn. Which is why she boasts she can write a whole crime novel in a month. This tickled me, I do love it when writers poke fun at the industry and their own genre.

Especially when the book is so good, like this one. Jenny Lund Madsen has written a cracking crime thriller, with all the good ingredients – remote location, nosey outsider, secrets that have been buried for years, lots of possible suspects, a conflicted community, a lone policeman, and winter closing in. Iceland’s unique geography and the fact that the sun isn’t in evidence for much of the winter adds to the sinister atmosphere – snow bound crimes are always a bit more macabre than sunny ones. The winter darkness adds to the sense of claustrophobia and paranoia, someone here is a killer. They can’t leave, but neither can anyone else.

Full of suspense, intrigue and horror, this dark and twisted tale of murder and tragedy is absolutely perfect for a dark and stormy night’s reading. Or not, if you don’t want to stay up all night!

*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 Takedown – Evie Hunter

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A woman scorned…

On board the superyacht Perseus, moored in the glamorous harbour in Antibes, Freya Addison is settling into her new role as hostess.
The other crew members all like Freya, she is calm and diligent and a hard worker, but what they don’t know is that Freya has a secret and an ulterior motive for being on board.
Revenge will be hers.

Because Freya isn’t here to travel the world in style. She has her sights set on one thing only, bringing down the owner of the yacht – the rich and arrogant Julian Falcon.
A man who ripped the heart out of Freya’s family.
And a man she will make pay…

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Evie Hunter is a British author and a bit of a nomad, who’s spent the last twenty years roaming the world and finding inspiration from the places she’s visited. An animal lover and recently widowed, she’s now settled back in the UK with her rescued Spanish Podenco, Markos. Keep up to date with all her releases by joining her mailing list

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My thoughts: set on a glamorous yacht sailing to Ibiza, this is a tale of revenge, dodgy money and terrible men. Freya has joined the crew to get back at the man she blames for her sister’s death – Julian Falcon, he’s a dodgy dealer with fingers in various pies, only someone’s swiped his latest pile of suspiciously acquired money, the police are after him and he’s planning to stitch up some underlings and scarper.

Freya discovers she isn’t the only person who hates Falcon and wants him arrested or dead. But when a murder occurs in an Ibizan hotel and it’s linked to Falcon, all plans are on hold till the local police carry out their investigation. No one wants to draw attention to their own scheme.

There’s a lot going on here, revenge plots, stolen money, police in two countries taking notice of the yacht’s owner, various iffy people attached to Falcon, a murder, and it doesn’t all seem to connect up at first, but slowly, as the characters assemble all the pieces, it’s clear that Falcon is up to his neck and running out of time too. Not everyone will be happy with the fall out but some at least will feel they’ve got what they wanted.

I liked Freya, she didn’t have a particularly detailed plan to get her revenge but she was determined to find a way to make Falcon pay – she couldn’t link him to her sister’s death directly, but in teaming up with the boat’s captain and a few others with access and revenge on their minds, she’s able to get more than enough evidence, the murder is a bit of a bonus as it gets the police involved very quickly, without her having to take too many risks.

*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 in Bacton Wood – Ross Greenwood

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A family’s secrets lie buried. The time has come to uncover the truth…

When a mud-splattered man staggers from Bacton Wood with a terrifying tale about being buried alive, DS Ashley Knight and her team are called in to investigate. Soon, another victim is found, and more men are missing – all with connections to the well-known Vialli family.

The Major Investigation Team find themselves attempting to untangle a case that stretches from Eastern Europe through to North Norfolk. Along with rookie detective, the whip-smart Hector Fade, Ashley is in a race against time trying to help a family who seem determined to take matters into their own hands. And when Ashley suspects there is a department rat, the stakes get even higher.

As the evidence continues to point in different directions, and as new victims are uncovered thick and fast, Ashley and Hector begin to fear they have finally met their match in a killer too ruthless and clever to be caught.

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I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King’s School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various
parts of the world.
I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door
whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I’m still a little stunned by the pace of it now.
Fifty Years of Fear book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then after working in sales management all my life, I randomly spent four years as a prison officer. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours.
It’s surprising for me to realise I’ve written ten books now. There are two strands, one where the books concern lives affected by prison, and then my detective series starring DI John Barton. The first Barton book, The Snow Killer hit the coveted number one spot on KOBO, with the second and third in the series not far behind.

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My thoughts: another gripping case for DS Ashley Knight and her team as a young man digs himself out of a grave in the woods and gets hit by a car. He claims he has no idea who buried him or why, but there’s something strange going on and after he’s abducted from the hospital, Ashley narrows in on a local family who might be involved in some illegal business.

Two of the sons have also gone missing, but their father, who seems to have a mole in the police station, insists he has no idea what’s going on and the eldest son has disappeared, although more likely by choice. Could this all be a vendetta relating to the family’s unsavoury business?

Meanwhile Ashley’s also got her Inspector assessment and needs to make some decisions about her personal life – her casual relationship with Barry isn’t going anywhere and she needs to prioritise things.

The team need to crack the case before more bodies turn up and there might be a link with an older case, that should get them some answers.

Dealing with some of the worst crimes, like people trafficking and murder, this is a grim and rather brutal case. The bodies they do find have been tortured and Hector’s history knowledge comes in useful, as does the drugs squad’s local info. Ashley wants to flush out the dirty cop who’s passing on information to the Vialli family, and who knows who else, so she sets a few little traps, not knowing there’s something else in play. She’s an excellent detective and her team are tight, although Hector’s off to bigger things. Might Ashley also be moving on if she makes Inspector?

I really enjoyed this series and while the author implies this is it for Ashley and her team, in terms of books, I never say never.

*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 on the Italian Riviera – T.A. Williams

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A brand-new cosy crime series set in gorgeous Tuscany…It’s murder in paradise!

An ex-con…
Private investigator Dan Armstrong is no stranger to working with criminals, but when he’s approached for help by Bianca Moretti, he’s on high alert. Bianca is intelligent and beautiful, and Dan likes her, but he also once sent her to prison…

A suspicious death…
Bianca explains that a guest has been found dead at her father’s luxurious and private retreat on the beautiful Italian Riviera. The police are sure the death is accidental, but Bianca is convinced the
man’s been murdered. Dan’s sure he can get to the bottom of things…as long as Bianca is telling him the whole truth.

A very revealing case!
But when Dan arrives at the resort, he’s in for a shock. He finds that the place is a naturist retreat, and everybody is walking around stark naked! Dan is determined to discover the truth, but this is going to mean revealing a whole lot more of himself than he expected.
Can Dan sniff out the truth about this case before Oscar’s cold wet nose causes havoc?

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I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn’t possibly comment. Ask my wife…

I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing romance and whodunnits. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it.

Murder mystery is all very well, but it needs to put a smile on your face, so that’s why I like to inject some humour. I’m having a lot of fun writing the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series set in sunny
Italy. They are all standalone books but if you really want to do it properly, start with the first one in the series, Murder in Tuscany. If my books can whisk you away to gorgeous locations, put a smile on
your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.

I’ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away in south west England. I love the place. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes and thatched cottages in many of my
books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador.

I’ve been writing since I was 14 and that is well over half a century ago. However, underneath this bald, wrinkly exterior, there beats the heart of a youngster. My wife is convinced I will never grow up.
I hope she’s right.

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My thoughts: return to lovely, sunny Tuscany and Dan Armstrong (and obviously the wonderful Oscar) has a new case. One that will take him to Liguria, right at the top and along a bit of the boot that is Italy.

Amid the winding roads and mountain vistas, is a naturist camp where a suspicious death has tragically taken place. The police think it’s an accident, but the resort’s owner and his daughter think differently. Recruiting Dan to help out, they forget to tell him that everyone, guests and staff, will be naked. Oops.

Dan gets digging, and with a little help from friends back in the UK police and intelligence services, realises the dead man was more than he appeared to be. After a second death, almost identical to the first, it’s clear to Dan, and the local police, that there’s a killer in the resort. But who? There’s some suspicious types letting it all hang out by the pool.

Another funny, witty and rather ingenious case for the former DCI and his canine sidekick (who manages not to stick his snout anywhere unmentionable).

*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 Alliance – Matt Brolly

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Four cities, four killers, four murders. The Alliance is just getting started.

When four unconnected serial killers simultaneously commit identical murders across four different US cities, FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace faces an unprecedented threat—a cooperative of killers working in unison. Each homicide is witnessed by a survivor, and now these lucky ones need to decide how to tell their stories to the world.

Their posts about the horrific murders create a media storm and a new term is soon coined for the killers: The Alliance. As they recruit new killers into their ranks and more innocent people linked to the initial murders are killed it becomes clear that Wallace is dealing with an unprecedented threat—a deadly alliance formed to terrorize the nation with coordinated strikes.

With the killers always one step ahead, the very fabric of society threatens to unravel and Wallace battles to decipher The Alliance’s endgame before they dismantle civilization city by city. In a desperate race against time, can Wallace uncover the members and motives of the Alliance and end their reign of terror before more victims wind up dead.

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Matt Brolly is the Amazon number one, and Wall Street Journal, bestselling author of the DI Blackwell novels set in Weston-super-Mare, as well as the DCI Lambert crime novels, the acclaimed near future crime novel, Zero, and the US thrillers, The Controller, The Railroad, and The Running Girls. His books have sold over one million copies in 16 countries.

 Matt lives in London with his wife, their two children, a dog called Herbie, and a cat called W.G Snuffy Walden.

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My thoughts: this was a really clever, twisted thriller, with a complex and disturbing premise.

At exactly the same time in four different cities, four 911 calls come through about four murders. As the police arrive at each scene they find two people tied to chairs, one alive, one dead. 

The FBI get involved with this deeply unusual case, finding a similar series of killings in 1996. But there seems to be no explanation. Then all the survivors disappear. 

It’s a really rather brilliant, if quite disturbing concept, I was totally hooked and wanted to find out what was going on and why all these things were happening.

*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 in the Crypt – Fliss Chester

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The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is expecting the cathedral crypt to be full of dry old bones. But when she finds a body murdered just moments before, she’ll need divine inspiration to solve her most mysterious case yet…

Winchester, 1925. When heiress and amateur sleuth Cressida Fawcett is invited to her aunt’s mansion on Cloister Close, she is looking forward to a quiet stay in the historic town. The views of the cathedral are heavenly – and her aunt’s maid, Nancy, makes devilishly good ginger biscuits! But it seems Cressy and her pug Ruby won’t be allowed to rest in peace… On a tour of the crypt, they are shocked to stumble across the body of Anthony, the gentle, devoted verger. And a wild-eyed Nancy is standing over him, bloodied candlestick in hand…

Since Nancy was caught red-handed and the only other suspect is the Silent Friar, the legendary local ghost, Detective Andrews of Scotland Yard thinks the case is closed. But Nancy swears she would never have killed Anthony; they were in love. And while Cressy may not believe in ghosts, she does believe Nancy. So, whose soul is full of murder most foul? And will they strike again?

As she digs through parishioner gossip, Cressy discovers that for a man of the cloth, the verger had a surprising number of enemies. Was a local antiques dealer driven to murder over an illegal trade in holy relics? Would the head bellringer kill to achieve his musical ambitions? Or is the saintly Dean, whose black-cloaked figure resembles the Silent Friar and whose wife recently drowned, hiding a deadly sin?

The cathedral conceals many secrets, and it seems Cressy will need a miracle to uncover the truth. But then Cressy finds a hidden passageway to the crypt. Is this how the murderer escaped? The sceptical police lack faith in her theories, but can she catch the killer and save Nancy from the hangman’s noose? Or will she be too late to prevent another funeral march?

A totally gripping and deliciously witty historical murder mystery with a gasp-out-loud reveal, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.

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Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.

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My thoughts: after all the murders and other crimes Cressida has dealt with, she’s looking for a quiet break at her aunt’s in Winchester, in the shadow of the cathedral. Accompanied by her loyal pug Ruby, and joined by Dotty and Alfred, it should be a lovely break. 

Unfortunately Cressida’s luck doesn’t hold and she and Aunt Mary stumble across the body of the cathedral’s verger, Anthony, with Nancy, her aunt’s maid standing over him, holding the murder weapon.

Cressida calls in DCI Andrews to help the local police, who are baffled, as Nancy swears blind she didn’t kill anyone.

Obviously Cressida can’t help but investigate, and after spotting some family silver in a local pawn shop, she starts putting the pieces together. She just needs a few more.

Uncovering a conspiracy involving the bones of former Bishop, St Swithun, and with Ruby literally sniffing out some clues, it’s another compelling case for Cressida and Co.

*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 Girls Next Door – Anita Waller

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They keep each other’s secrets. They hide each other’s lies.

They were destined to be best friends. The four girls – all born that same hot summer. There was even a newspaper article after they were born. They said there must be something in the water on Larkspur Close. They predicted a safe and happy life for them all…

More than thirty years later, it’s more than an unbreakable friendship – it’s more like a sisterhood.
It’s the girls who Jess reaches out to because she’s worried about her grandparents who’ve raised her since her mother disappeared, who Erin tells about her new business idea, who Melissa calls to say she’s desperate to escape her toxic job.
But then Chantelle messages saying she’s discovered her husband is having an affair. And everything changes.
Because then her husband is found dead… And only a few people knew about his secret.
Is it just a terrible accident? Or will someone stop at nothing to keep the girls of Larkspur Close safe and happy?

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Anita Waller is the author of many bestselling psychological thrillers and the Kat and Mouse crime series. She lives in Sheffield, which continues to be the setting of many of her thrillers, and was first
published by Bloodhound at the age of sixty-nine. Her first book for Boldwood was published in August 2022.

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My thoughts: four women who grew up as close as sisters, four families bound together. When life starts to get a bit rubbish – one of the women discovers her husband is cheating on her. There’s worse to come, but as tragedy piles on tragedy, is there are a guardian angel watching over them or an avenging one?

The four, Jess, Chantelle, Mel and Erin seem like nice people, it’s just rubbish things all seem to happen at once. Though there are some good events to balance it out. I liked all of them, and even more so Jess’ Nan, Nora. I enjoyed their story, the way they leaned on each other and knew that whatever happened, they’d have one another.

There are some shocking twists in store too – I honestly thought it was all coincidence, right up until the end, and was really stunned when all was revealed. And then that little final sting in the tail (tale?) too? Nicely done.

*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: Time Marked Warlock – Shami Stovall

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Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best
private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother.

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything.

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well.
Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

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Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found  playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:
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Email: s.adelle.s@gmail.com

My thoughts: with a mix of The Dresden Files, Bane from the Shadowhunter books and a sarcastic sidekick in the form of a shape shifting mischief spirit (maybe Calcifer from the Studio Ghibli version of Howl’s Moving Castle, the closest I can think of), this was a fun, entertaining and funny crime busting adventure.

Adair Finch can manipulate time, which comes in very handy when investigating a murder, a kidnapping, police corruption and a witch coven war. Which is what he finds himself doing after a child appears on his doorstep and shakes him out of his grief malaise.

With her help, and that of the aforementioned mischief spirit, Finch digs into the case of Bree’s parents’. Her mother was a witch and her dad is a minor  warlock. Bree is the only witness – she saw someone kill her mother and abduct her father. But her mum knew Finch, and told her daughter if anything ever happened to find him.

What Finch and Bree find is so much bigger than it seems – and with his ability to manipulate time he can relive the same time over and over again, changing things in order to solve the crimes, and rescue a dog, unlock a door and other very important things.

It’s a really fun adventure and I loved the characters, Finch is so grumpy and can’t deal with Bree’s irrepressible nature and endless questions, especially when they’ve actually been solving the crime for multiple iterations of the same day. Hopefully this unstoppable team will be back with more adventures.

*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 Jagged Scar – Nick Rippington

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The Jagged Scar is a spin-off from Nick Rippington’s much-acclaimed Boxer Boys series. 

Troubled schoolgirl Red and her best friend Marc visit London for a Valentine’s party but they get separated and she ends up in a police cell.

While behind bars the teenager befriends mysterious glamour girl Kat who negotiates her release and invites her to a 70s Soho awash with strip clubs, porn shops, shady characters and bent cops.

Unhappy with her home life back in Wales, she opts to stay and lands a job in the nightclub empire of former stripper Blaize and her porn king husband Jack.

Before long she has made friends, settled into the lifestyle and forgotten all about the problems at home.

That is until her world is turned upside down by a sequence of tragic events. It leads her to question those around her and brings her to the notice of some leading players in London’s dark underbelly who will stop at nothing to keep their unlawful activities under wraps.

And as she closes in on the truth, Red is about to make the shocking discovery that her new life is inextricably linked with the past she’s so desperate to leave behind.

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Nick Rippington would like it to be known that although he once worked for the News of the World he has never hacked a mobile phone. For that matter, most of the time he can’t even remember his own passcode.

 A national sports journalist with a wealth of experience, Nick took the plunge and began writing crime thrillers when Rupert Murdoch shut down Europe’s biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in 2011 as a result of the phone hacking scandal.

 His debut novel Crossing The Whitewash came out in 2015, receiving an honourable mention in the Writers’ Digest Self-publishing eBook awards.

 That launched the Boxer Boys series, which has found a niche in the growing UK gangland market. To date, there are four books in the series – Crossing The Whitewash, Spark Out, Dying Seconds and Bare Lies.

 Nick’s creation of the notorious Dolan family, their associates and enemies has been greeted with acclaim by some of the country’s most prestigious book bloggers.

 Meanwhile, his standalone psychological thriller Rabette Run has been described as ‘Alice in Wonderland… with tanks and guns’ with a twist you didn’t see coming. Rabette Run (published by Red Dragon) and Crossing the Whitewash are both available as audio books while the first three novels in the Boxer Boys series are available in digital format with Amazon as a box set.

 The Jagged Scar, Nick’s 6th novel, is a spin-off of the Boxer Boys which can be read as a standalone, as can all his books. It is based in 1970s Soho, London, and you may notice a few characters that appear much later in the saga.

 Nick has now moved out of East London to the wilds of Suffolk with wife Liz and daughter Livvy.

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My thoughts: two teenagers run away from a small Welsh village to London in the 70s. Separated they follow their own paths – Red finds work in a Soho club as the assistant to the owner, Blaize. She’s naive and doesn’t really understand what business her new friends are in.

Things take dark turns and her naivety is soon worn away, and after a friend is killed in police custody, she vows revenge.

Meanwhile, the siblings the friends left behind in Wales start looking for them, following tiny clues to track down their beloved sister and brother.

This was a really fascinating and gripping look at the dark side of 70s London life through the lens of several young and innocent souls. There’s a lot that happens to them and some shocking, terrible things come to light. Red in particular goes through an enormous amount and Marc’s story was heartbreaking.

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