Tag: crime fiction

blog tour, books, reviews

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, books, reviews

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.

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Blog Tour: The Ruffler’s Child – John Pilkington

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BE YE HUNTER OR PREY?

Introducing Thomas Finbow – falconer to Sir Robert Vicary and Lady Margaret of Petbury, Berkshire. He keeps his mind sharp and his body primed as he goes about his duties with the diligent confidence of one who once served Queen and country.

When Nathaniel Pickering, Lady Margaret’s older brother is found murdered, Thomas takes her away to London, in search of gryfalcons. Lady Margaret being a keen lover of the sport of falconry herself, Thomas hopes it will help distract his mistress from her grief, however once they reach the city it becomes apparent that much bigger things are at play – and the murder of Master Pickering was just the beginning…

Thomas’s astute mind is unable to ignore the clues, and in uncovering some dark secrets, he places himself – and his mistress – in grave danger. Now a target himself, Thomas must face some of London’s most notorious criminals, in a battle of both brain and brawn.

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A writer for over forty years, John Pilkington was born in Lancashire and worked at many jobs. He has also written plays for radio and theatre, television scripts for a BBC soap, a short-lived children’s series and numerous works of historical fiction, concentrating now on the Tudor and Stuart eras. He now lives in a village on a tidal estuary in Devon with his long-term partner Elisabeth; they have a son who is a psychologist and musician. When not at the desk he walks, swims, listens to music and tinkers with d.i.y. projects, and is enjoying being a grandfather.

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Bookbub profile: @jpscript

My thoughts: Secrets are terrible things, it’s why I don’t have any. They can cause all sorts of trouble. 

In this case, a death or two, Thomas gets beaten up a few times and into fights, his Lady is upset and scared, some dodgy characters try to extort money and someone murders four beautiful gyrfalcons. Which makes Thomas, a falconer, very angry.

Visiting London to assist his master’s wife as she sorts out her murdered brother’s affairs, or tries to, and buy some hunting birds for his master, he’s soon drawn into a web of secrets and violence. Lady Margaret’s secrets have long worried her, and now they’re rearing their ugly heads again. The wrong sort of people know, or think they know, and want paying off to stay silent, but she can’t do that without bringing her husband into things and he has no idea.

So Thomas attempts to help her, but he’s not a detective or a constable, he has no authority and despite having been a soldier, he’s no fan of a fight. He just wants to do his job as a falconer and care for his daughter. However, he’s clever and determined and after the birds are killed, angry. He wants to understand why someone would do that, and who, so they can be stopped. In the alleyways and dank pubs of London are the answers but it won’t be easy to find them.

Clever, and well researched, this brings the old London, before fire and war demolished its grottier bits and rebuilding finished them off, when bear pits and theatres rubbed alongside each other and dark deeds were done quite easily without electric lights showing them and bodies slid quickly into the river. Looking forward to reading 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: Don’t Forget the Crazy – Lucy Kaufman

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Her lists are life or death.
“If it’s on the list, I have to do it.”

Milli Morgan lives by her lists. Groceries, goals, organising her boss – nothing escapes being ticked off her ever-growing to-do lists. Order brings her comfort; control keeps the chaos at bay. Everyone can rely on Milli. 

Until the day new items start appearing on her list in red ink.

At first, she blames stress. A prank. Someone playing mind-games. But one instruction on the list refuses to be erased and demands to be completed.

A command so terrible she would have to be crazy to tick it off.

Don’t Forget the Crazy is a dark psychological suspense short story about obsession, perfection, and the dangerous pressure of always being “the good girl.” Fans of Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell, Patricia Highsmith, and Shirley Jackson will devour this chilling portrait of order unravelling into darkness. 

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Subscribe to Lucy Kaufman’s newsletter at www.sepiaink.co.uk by 24th December 2025 to win an Audrey’s solid milk chocolate Scaredy Cat (UK entrants only).

Lucy Kaufman is an award-winning author, playwright, audio dramatist and poet. 40 of her plays have been performed professionally around the UK and Australia, to critical acclaim. She has lectured in Playwriting and Screenwriting for Pen to Print and Canterbury Christ Church University and is a mentor at The Writing Coach. Originally from London, she now lives by the sea with her husband, sons, dogs and cats. 

Insta: kaufmanlucy

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My thoughts: This short story depicts a descent into madness and mayhem for a tightly wound writer of lists. I like lists too, but not as much as Milli, who has so many, they’ve taken over her life. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, she’s completely reliant on them to get things done and now they want her to do something terrible.

The work Christmas Secret Santa is always riddled with risk – what if you don’t like your Santee, what if you get it totally wrong? But when someone gets Milli a “Crazy Cat Lady Starter Kit”, she starts to spiral. She doesn’t even have a cat.

And after that…well… you’ll have to read it to find out!

*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: 138 Main Street – Gavin Bell

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AN ADDRESS TO DIE FOR…

 There is a killer on the loose.

And he is targeting one specific address – 138 Main Street.

The problem? There are over 7,000 Main Streets in the USA.

And no clue which one will be next.

 For FBI Special Agent Ben Walker and his rookie colleague, Officer Zoe Hill, the pressure to solve the case is unimaginable.

There aren’t enough police officers to cover every house, and vigilante residents are attacking anyone who rings their doorbell.

Main Street might be one of America’s most popular addresses, but for those living at number 138 it comes down to fight or flight.

 Then a manuscript is sent to the New York Times, purporting to be the manifesto of the Main Street Killer and demanding radical social change.

 As the effect of the terror campaign takes hold across the nation, Ben and Zoe find themselves in a race against time to stop the killer.

But with their target always several steps ahead, and almost 3,800,000 square miles of ground to cover, they’ll have to find him first…

 pre-order will be published in the UK on the 7th May 2026

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Blog Tour: Night by Night – Jack Jordan

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Night By Night

Rejected by her family and plagued by insomnia, Rose Shaw is unravelling day by day.

Her life is a blur of exhaustion, until one evening a man running through the streets collides with her before quickly vanishing, dropping a journal at her feet.

Inside are Finn Matthews’ frantic, desperate words. He was convinced he was being hunted. Now he’s missing, and nobody is looking for him.

Rose decides to dedicate her sleepless nights to obsessively search for answers about what happened to Finn. Why did he think someone wanted to kill him? And why, in the midst of a string of murders, won’t the police investigate his disappearance?

The deeper Rose digs, the more determined she becomes to uncover the truth. But she has no idea what it will cost her…

My thoughts: What happened to Rose and her family is a truly awful tragedy, and she’s been vilified for it ever since, both by her family and by the wider community, although it was an accident and many would say she’s paid for it. 

Her insomnia is utterly consuming, she just can’t sleep. I have it too, but nowhere near as badly and I felt for her. It affects your whole life, not getting proper sleep, and it can be really hard to find the right means and methods to stop it. 

Finding the notebook with Finn’s desperate story gives her a focus and a project, but also leads her into danger, not least from the local police force. Finding herself more isolated than ever, she’s determined to get justice for Finn, even if she can never get it for herself.

A gripping and haunting tale of injustice, abuse, loneliness and one woman’s single minded determination to help a complete stranger.

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