Tag: crime fiction

Meet Julia Bird: recently single, reluctantly retired, and… an amateur sleuth?

Julia Bird has left London for a fresh start in a picturesque Cotswolds village, and the rustic charm and cosy fireplaces of her little cottage are everything she’d hoped for. But when she tears down the old garden shed to make way for a chicken coop, she unearths much more than she’d bargained for… the body of a young woman, apparently buried for decades, thrusting Julia into a baffling mystery.

With only one copper on the case in Berrywick, Julia decides to solve the who and whodunnit herself, taking her wayward puppy Jake along for the ride. And so begins a whirlwind tour of the village – from the dotty 90-year-old to the delightful doctor and the village gardener, it seems everyone has something to hide.

Soon, Julia is convinced she has discovered the killer’s identity, until Jake, a true Labrador, finds a new love of the local lake’s waterfowl and instead ends up catching her chief suspect… drowned. Back at square one, with potential culprits galore, Julia – newly nicknamed the Grim Reaper – despairs at ever solving the murders.

But as Julia ruffles feathers village-wide, the clock is ticking. There is someone in the village who has killed twice already. Will they be prepared to make it third time lucky to keep their secret safe?

This totally addictive page-turning cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands.

Amazon

Audio Links UK US

Listen to a sample here:

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats.

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Katie Gayle here

Facebook

Tweets by KatieGayleBooks

My thoughts: this was a fun murder mystery set in a small English village where everyone knows each other but didn’t know there’s a killer in their midst. Julia’s a new arrival and her decision to get chickens and knock down the old shed in her garden uncovers human remains, sparking off a series of terrible events.

As she starts her own investigation, passing on her finds to the police, someone takes matters into their own hands and Julia is determined to find out who.

I liked Julia, she was very entertaining, and her out of control dog, her neighbours and of course the detective constable who actually lets her help rather than tells her to back off.

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

The third novel in the Shady Hollow mystery series, in which Vera Vixen takes on her most challenging case yet: solving the murder of a rat who appears to still be alive.

Change is afoot in Shady Hollow, with an unusually tense election shaping up between long-serving Chief of Police Theodore Meade and Vera’s beau, Deputy Orville Braun. But the political tension takes a back seat when resident eccentric Dorothy Springfield becomes convinced her beloved husband, Edward, is dead, and that the rat claiming to be him is actually a fraud.

While most of the town dismisses Dorothy’s rants as nothing more than a delusion, Vera has her doubts. More than a few things don’t add up in the Springfield household, but Vera will have to tread carefully, since, with Orville’s attention on the election, she may be more exposed than ever.

My thoughts: a third outing for journalist and amateur sleuth Vera Vixen and possibly the most sneaky crimes yet.

When Dotty Springfield insists her husband has been replaced by an imposter, most of Shady Hollow’s residents dismiss her as crazy, but Vera smells a story, and follows the clues. Which take her on an interesting journey through the Springfield family’s history, and possibly puts her in danger.

She also has to see off an overbearing crime novelist, avoid getting dragged into local politics as the sheriff’s election race heats up and find time for plenty of delicious food.

This is a clever, funny, wry novel and highly enjoyable. I hope there’s more to come as Vera is an engaging protagonist and the crimes she investigates are entertaining and devious.

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

An unsolved mystery ignites a deadly game of chess in this scorching thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton.

A year after the infamous arsonist Nero was found dead in one of his latest fires, journalist Darcy Sampson receives a tip that the body found at the scene wasn’t Nero at all. Determined to solve the case, Darcy heads to her small hometown in Virginia to track Michael Gannon, an arsonist investigator who refuses to believe that Nero is dead.

But when a new series of fires in the area have a remarkable resemblance to the arsonist’s previous work, Darcy and Gannon are in a race against time to put a stop to Nero once and for all.

But Nero is ready and waiting for them, and he intends on teaching both Gannon and Darcy one last, fatal lesson.

Previously published as The Arsonist

My thoughts: Darcy returns to her hometown on the trail of both arsonist Nero and arson investigator turned mechanic Gannon. She thinks she’s just after a story but once she and Gannon meet, sparks fly, and not the fiery kind.

As buildings burn and the press starts to descend, Darcy struggles to help her alcoholic brother and emotionally detached mother keep the family diner afloat, and help Gannon search for Nero – who might be someone close by.

I liked Darcy, I liked Gannon even though he doesn’t give much away about himself. I think this could grow into a series where the two of them seek out dangerous criminals using their investigative skills.

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

They said they’d keep me safe.
They said, ‘It’s okay, Hannah. You know you can trust me.’
They lied.
When eight-year-old Hannah Perry goes missing in the small Suffolk village of St Just, the community is rocked. Heading up the investigation is Acting DS Rob Minshull, but he’s out of his depth in a case
that seems to mirror the disappearance of a young boy, seven years ago. That search ended in unimaginable tragedy…and Minshull is praying that history won’t be repeated.
But with an investigation full of dead ends, and a kidnapper taunting the police with sinister deliveries of Hannah’s belongings and cryptic notes, the young girl’s life hangs perilously in danger.
Until Dr Cora Lael enters the picture. A psychologist with a unique ability, Cora’s rare gift allows her to sense emotions attached to discarded objects. When she is shown the first of Hannah’s belongings,
she hears the child’s piercing scream.
With few leads on the case, could Cora prove Hannah’s only hope? And as time runs out, can they find Hannah before history repeats itself…?
A twisty, original and utterly gripping detective thriller that fans of James Oswald and LJ Ross will love.
Don’t miss the crime thriller debut from the bestselling women’s fiction author, Miranda Dickinson.

AMZ Kobo Apple

MJ White is the crime pen name of the internationally bestselling author Miranda
Dickinson. To date she has sold over one million books worldwide and has been translated into sixteen languages. Miranda has always been a huge fan of crime fiction and The Secret Voices marks the start of a new and exciting departure for her writing.
Twitter

My thoughts: When an 8 year old is abducted in broad daylight from a Suffolk village, the police lurch into action. They know they don’t have long – sadly this has happened before and it ended badly.

But this time they have a rather unorthodox secret weapon – Dr Cora Lael can “read” objects – a sort of emotional synaesthesia, and tell them about the emotional state of the owner and in Hannah’s case, whether they’re still alive. She is, and fighting back, all she wants is to get home to her mum and sisters. And that’s what Cora and acting DS Rob Minshull want too.

Clever and with a surprise twist or two thrown in, this is a confident and assured debut crime novel from a very talented author. I’ve read some of Miranda Dickinson’s rom coms and this is a very different book, although Rob and Cora definitely have a connection. I look forward to the next in this series – where hopefully the duo solve more cases and get to know one another better.

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

Ladies. Are you a perfect wife wanting to live in suburban utopia?
Then Crimson Avenue is for you!
Come and join other like-minded women in our idyllic community.
We might even let you into our little secret…

When a striking young woman turns up to Adele Love’s antique shop acting suspiciously and gives her a cryptic message …

Tell Sam that they know…

On leaving the shop, to Adele’s horror, the woman is bundled into a white van and abducted.

Beginning a search for the missing woman, DI Vincent Sullivan and DS Josephine Jenkins conduct their house-to-house investigations, which lead them into a sinister world of diamond smuggling and drugs, all happening behind the perfect façade of Crimson Avenue.

As the pressure mounts with the severity of the crimes committed, the wives close ranks and deny all knowledge.

But just as cracks begin to appear and the women start to turn on each other, they realise there’s also the small problem of Adele’s secret, which could get them all killed…

Amazon UK Amazon USA

Sadie Ryan is the author of three books. Her latest, Guilty came out in April 2021, a psychological thriller. She loves animals and lives in leafy Cheshire in the North West of England with her daughter and rescue dog. When not writing she spends her time reading, gardening, walking her dog or watching old black and white movies.

When asked where she gets her ideas from, she says, ‘From observation, inspiration and lots of wicked thoughts.’

Facebook Website Twitter

My thoughts: I’m not entirely sure the four friends at the centre of this book are really friends, as things unravel around them and their stupid act lands them in shark infested waters, their resentments and petty squabbles come to light and maybe they need to all find new pals.

Adele’s in the worst fix – her diamond dealer husband is missing, a strange woman just got kidnapped right in front of her and a Russian gangster is after some diamonds her stupid husband stole from him. And now the police are asking questions.

DI Sullivan and his team know the four women, the wives of Crimson Avenue, know a lot more than they’re saying, their strange behaviour is giving them away. He’d like to get home in time for dinner with his wife but until they start telling the truth, it’s going to be a long shift. Then the bodies start turning up.

Clever, more complicated than it first appears and with smart, savvy cops hot on the heels of the gangsters and certain the women are involved more seriously than as mere witnesses, this was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

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

An unexpected murder. A suspect with a reason. The power of unwavering belief.

A murder has been committed in an office in Jerusalem. That’s for sure. The rest is not as clear-cut as it might seem.
Asaf languishes in his cell, unable to tell his story even to himself. How can he tell it to someone who elicits such fear within him?
His colleague, Nathalie, has studied Beauty and the Beast. She understands its moral. Maybe that’s why she’s the only one who believes in Asaf, the suspect. But she’s new in the company – and in the country. Would anyone take her opinion seriously?
She coerces her flatmates, Yarden and Tehila, into helping her investigate. As they uncover new trails, will they be able to reverse popular opinion?
In the end, will Beauty’s belief be strong enough to waken the Beast? Or, in this case, can Style waken the Solitary?
Purchase

When Miriam Drori says she loves to perform, people don’t believe her. When she says she’s not shy, they think she’s delusional. The fact is, things ain’t what they seem. A witch called social anxiety
took away her ability to be spontaneous, but it didn’t change her exhibitionist nature. You need to watch her dancing or speaking before an audience to understand that.
Fortunately, she has found an outlet for her thoughts in writing, a solitary activity with multiple recipients. She never doubted her ability to write, but only in recent years has she managed to gather her views and observations together into papier-mâché balls worth throwing far and wide.
If you ignore the witch, life has been good to Miriam, especially since she made the decision to move from the UK to Israel. She has a wonderful husband, three lovely children and a delightful house. She
loves to read, travel, hike and dance. She has worked in computer programming and technical writing, and now enjoys the freedom and versatility of creative writing. And she believes passionately in raising awareness of social anxiety.

Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Instagram, Wattpad and website/blog.
Amazon page

Giveaway to Win 5 x PB copies of Cultivating a Fuji by Miriam Drori (Open INT)

My thoughts: this was an interesting take on Beauty & the Beast, set in modern day Jerusalem. My mum lived in Israel for a bit before she married my dad and would probably recognise a lot of the roads and neighbourhoods that the characters traverse as they investigate a terrible murder in their workplace.

Nathalie is a French emigrè who worries her Hebrew isn’t very good but does her best to interview people connected to the crime. She doesn’t believe the police have the right man in her quiet colleague Asaf, despite him being found with the murder weapon in hand.

Asaf struggles to socialise, he’s quiet and studious, good at his job but his colleagues feel like they don’t really know him. Which makes him, a loner, the perfect suspect in many ways.

Nathalie determines to help him, she knows there’s more to Asaf, and her faith in him pays off, her investigation unveils the real killer.

This is a clever and intelligent story exploring social anxiety in its different guises.

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

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will
not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random
Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.