DEATH IS NOT THE END. FOR GRACE McGILL IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
When people die alone and undiscovered, it’s her job to clean up what’s left behind – whether it’s clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.
When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.
A STAND-OUT NOVEL WITH A UNIQUE NARRATIVE VOICE AND AN UNGUESSABLE MYSTERY, YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO REMEMBER GRACE McGILL.
My thoughts: Grace is a strange woman, she lives a very solitary life, just her and her cat George and the occasional demanding call from her alcoholic monster of a father. She cleans crime scenes and places, usually homes, of those who’ve died forgotten.
She also builds dioramas of these scenes, a little like the famous Nutshell dioramas, but without the educational angle. She’s the one that alerts the police to a series of deaths where a single daisy has been left.
Grace is also trying to uncover a long almost forgotten disappearance and possible murder of a young woman in the 1960s. All the witnesses and suspects are elderly and she’s running out of time.
As the book unfolds and more about Grace is slowly revealed, she becomes something darker and things take a sinister turn. A clever, gripping thriller.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
His colleague is dead. His daughter may be next. It’s time to do things his way… Two of Nordic Noir’s most accomplished writers return with the explosive, staggeringly complex and unbearably emotive third instalment in the international bestselling Blix & Ramm series.
When police investigator Sofia Kovic uncovers a startling connection between several Oslo cases, she attempts to contact her closest superior, Alexander Blix, before involving anyone else in the department. But before Blix has time to return her call, Kovic is shot and killed in her own home – execution style. And in the apartment below, Blix’s daughter Iselin narrowly escapes becoming the killer’s next victim. Four days later, Blix and online crime journalist Emma Ramm are locked inside an interrogation room, facing the National Criminal Investigation Service. Blix has shot and killed a man, and Ramm saw it all happen. As Iselin’s life hangs in the balance, under-fire Blix no longer knows who he can trust, and he’s not even certain that he’s killed the right man…
Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense. Thomas Enger is a journalist-turned-author whose trademark has become a darkly gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer. Death Deserved was Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller, closely followed by Smoke Screen, and the series has sold more than two million copies worldwide, outselling Jo Nesbo in their native Norway, Sweden and Germany. @LierHorst @EngerThomas.
My thoughts: this was a shocking book, starting with the violent death of Blix’s friend and colleague Sofia Kovic and the brutal kidnapping and assault of his daughter Iselin. Blix is off the case but can’t stay away from trying to solve it. With the help of blogger Emma Ramm, he’s determined to work out why Sofia and Iselin were targeted and by whom.
I could not put this down, it was so tense and gripping. It was also really sad and awful at times, neither Sofia or Iselin should have had to suffer, but Sofia had spotted a link between a series of cases, and was determined to pursue it and the killer couldn’t let her stop him. Blix will have to finish her work. But in doing so Blix comes into the spotlight and risks his career.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
THE NEW NOVEL IN THE MILLION-COPY SELLING DETECTIVE GERALDINE STEEL SERIES
An inoffensive man is murdered in a seemingly motiveless attack. Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel and her team are baffled, until DNA from an apparent stranger is discovered on the victim’s body.
Geraldine is not convinced the suspect is guilty. When a witness comes forward to offer the suspect an alibi, Geraldine lets him go. That night, a second murder is committed. The evidence points to the suspect who has just been released.
As Geraldine attempts to make sense of the suspect’s complex history, he goes on the run. Even his wife appears to condemn him. Only Geraldine still doubts that he is to blame for the murders, but is she prompted by her own guilt for having released him to kill again?
As the story races towards a breathtaking twist, Geraldine is tormented by self-doubt, and struggles to focus all her attention on the case. Someone is lying and the police must uncover the truth before anyone else is killed…
My thoughts: this was a really gripping read, I couldn’t work out what was going on. The first victim, George, seemed like such a harmless, boring man, there was no real reason to kill him. But then really that was the point I think. Even after the police finally connected the dots (or at least Geraldine did) and went off to celebrate Ariadne’s much discussed wedding, I was still going “but why George?” It just seemed mean.
The reasoning behind the murders is twisted and terrible, and a good reminder that justice doesn’t always feel like it’s right.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
THREE MURDERS. ONE MISSING BOY. THE GAME IS JUST BEGINNING… When a body is found at the edge of Chellow Dene reservoir Detective Nikki Parekh and DC Sajid Malik are quick to arrive. This is the third murder in the space of a few weeks. Each murder has a completely different MO, but there is one common theme… all the victims are teenagers. The dead boy reminds Nikki of her nephew, and she feels more helpless than ever. But then another boy goes missing. And this time his parents have been sent a threatening package too. The pattern is different again – is the killer just playing a game? Can Nikki find the strength to uncover the shocking truth before the killer strikes again?
Born in Scotland, Made in Bradford sums up Liz Mistry’s life. Over thirty years ago she moved from a small village in West Lothian to Yorkshire to get her teaching degree. Once here, Liz fell in love with three things; curries, the rich cultural diversity of the city … and her Indian husband (not necessarily in this order). Now thirty years, three children, two cats and a huge extended family later, Liz uses her experiences of living and working in the inner city to flavour her writing. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’ whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath. Being a debut novelist in her fifties was something Liz had only dreamed of and she counts herself lucky, whilst pinching herself regularly to make sure it’s all real. One of the nicest things about being a published author is chatting with and responding to readers’ feedback and Liz regularly does events at local libraries, universities, literature festivals and open mics. She also teaches creative writing too. In her spare time, Liz loves pub quizzes (although she admits to being rubbish at them), dancing (she does a mean jig to Proud Mary – her opinion, not ratified by her family), visiting the varied Yorkshire landscape, with Robin Hoods Bay being one of her favourite coastal destinations, listening to music, reading and blogging about all things crime fiction on her blog, The Crime Warp.
Giveaway to Win a signed copy of Dark Memories and a relaxation bundle (Open INT) The contents are : A signed copy of Dark Memories (Nikki Parekh book 3) A Weekly Planner pad A fruit infuser water bottle Planet Spa face mask Avon Footworks Pomegranate and rhubarb bath salts A Candle Bag
My thoughts: this series just gets better and better. Tackling the complex and secretive world of “honour” killings in Bradford’s Muslim community. The “Eyes” are teenagers and men recruited by a mysterious online mastermind. Causing chaos and sowing dissent between the different communities through a violent series of attacks and brutal machete murders.
Nikki’s struggling with her recent bereavement and overreacts to one crime scene and is signed off, but that doesn’t stop her investigating when her friend’s son goes missing.
It’s an intense, almost claustrophobic world where everyone feels policed by people they thought they knew, serious crimes are being committed but no one’s speaking and there’s too many suspects. But Nikki and her team won’t give up.
Gripping, intelligent crime writing at its best.
*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. 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.
Fresh from rehab, PI Varg Veum faces his most complex investigation yet, when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears, and the case of a missing child is revived. The classic Nordic Noir series continues…
PI Varg Veum has returned to duty following a stint in rehab, but his new composure and resolution are soon threatened when three complex crimes land on his desk. A man is found dead in an elite swimming pool. A young woman has gone missing. Most chillingly, Veum is asked to investigate the ‘Camilla Case’: an eight-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a little girl, who was never found. As the threads of these three apparently unrelated cases come together, against the backdrop of a series of shocking environmental crimes, Veum faces the most challenging, traumatic investigation of his career.
A stunning, sophisticated, tension-packed thriller – the darkest of hardboiled Nordic Noir – from one of Norway’s most acclaimed crime writers.
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour); Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.
My thoughts: this was really good. After a stint in rehab Varg Veum is back on form and tracking down a killer after literally finding a dead body. This case seems to be connected to several tragedies from some years before – a missing child and the accident that returned a young woman to a childlike state.
As he digs in, more and more details come to light, and could these tragic events be connected by more than just the date?
Gritty, clever and with echoes of today’s climate crisis, this is a compelling and gripping read and one where for once I couldn’t figure out whodunit in the first few pages. Masterly work.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
The only sound in the forest was the wind through the branches; the only light came from the campfire. Jessie stood up, suddenly gripped by a powerful sense of dread. There was something – someone – beyond the darkness, through the trees…
When single father Joe Keenan and his young son Finbar make camp for the night in the ancient forest of Leitrim, little do they imagine their rural escape is about to turn into a nightmare. For deep in the woods they find a corpse… As the remains of dozens more victims are uncovered by police, it becomes clear this is the burial site of a serial killer who has obviously been active, unnoticed, for years.
Arrested for the murders, while his beloved son is sent into care, Joe pleads his innocence to no avail. But criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle is convinced the killer is still out there. Determined to reunite Joe and his son, Jessie’s investigation turns towards the local community. Who knows the shadowy depths of the forest well enough to hide not just one, but many bodies?
Then someone else goes missing, and the situation takes a terrifying turn: it’s clear the killer is escalating their gruesome spree. Forced to enter the woods alone to save a life, Jessie runs from a killer so skilled at hiding and so clever at hunting, it will take every ounce of her strength to make it out alive…
A gripping, nail-biting crime thriller that will have you hooked from the first page to the final line. Fans of Patricia Gibney, Lisa Gardner and Lisa Regan will not want to miss this.
Shane Dunphy (S. A. Dunphy) was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has lived and worked for most of his life. A child protection worker for fifteen years, he is the bestselling author of seventeen books, including the number one Irish bestseller Wednesday’s Child and the Sunday Times Bestseller The Girl Who Couldn’t Smile. His bestselling series of crime novels (written under the name S. A. Dunphy) feature the criminologist David Dunnigan. Stories From the Margins, his new series of true crime books written for Audible, has been critically acclaimed and the second title in the series, The Bad Place, is an Audible True Crime bestseller. WebsiteTwitterFacebookInstagram
My thoughts: the second (book one) in a so far excellent series about strange killers and crimes in Ireland, this explores the vampire myth – the Abhartach – possibly one inspiration for Stoker’s Dracula (while it doesn’t include a visit to Ireland, Stoker himself was Irish), the doings and misdeeds of the military, Traveller culture and feuds, some of which date back years, and how a modern police force deals with all of these at times conflicting issues when solving crimes.
Joe Keenan and his son have found human remains in the woods, and despite his ambivalence towards the police, he reports the find, getting arrested and accused of being a murderer into the bargain. Luckily Jessie and Seamus arrive, having been dispatched by their boss to investigate. Pinning a crime on the nearest Traveller is not unusual, it happens wherever a nomadic group are currently staying – it certainly happens in the UK too.
Dunphy treats his Traveller characters with respect, they’re not just caricatures and a list of tropes, Joe is a fascinating man who has travelled all over Europe living a hard life but one recognisable to his ancestors. He’s also wanted by a Traveller family who have become gangsters, for reasons that once explained are terribly tragic. Jessie and Seamus promise to protect him and his small family, leading to escalating violence in the woods.
The Abhartach myth is also useful to one of the characters Jessie and Seamus meet in the small town of Ballinmore, it keeps people from the woods and from looking too hard. Which is why when the military start pushing Dawn and Terri to back off, they go further, digging deep into classified files to find a military secret that has led to deaths and bodies still being found.
The final cinematic showdown outside the police station is a huge set piece worthy of any number of police dramas and reminded me strongly of a book I read a while ago about the Troubles, although this time it was about more personal politics. The answers that are revealed are complex and troubling. I imagine Dawn had plenty to say to her bosses when handing over the report. I look forward to book three.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
When Maggie Kaye and Sam Dee join the Bishops Well archaeological dig, they are as surprised as everyone else to unearth a body that was buried there less than fifty years ago. It can’t possibly be the remains of an ancient Celt. Maggie, with her usual flair – and psychic intuition – is convinced that there is more to this discovery than meets the eye. And some Bishops residents seem to know a lot more about the case than they are willing to let on. But nobody is as shocked as Maggie when a face from the past – a face she thought she’d never see again – appears in the village, and long-hidden secrets begin to surface. With danger at her door, and Sam by her side, can Maggie uncover the truth before it’s too late?
Available wherever you buy your books!
Anna Legat is a Wiltshire-based author, best known for her DI Gillian Marsh murder mystery series. Murder isn’t the only thing on her mind. She dabbles in a wide variety of genres, ranging from dark humorous comedy, through magic realism to dystopian. A globe-trotter and Jack-of-all-trades, Anna has been an attorney, legal adviser, a silver-service waitress, a school teacher and a librarian. She has lived in far-flung places all over the world where she delighted in people-watching and collecting precious life experiences for her stories. Anna writes, reads, lives and breathes books and can no longer tell the difference between fact and fiction. Subscribe to Anna’s News, Rumours and Scandalous Revelations
My thoughts: this was very enjoyable, with DI Gillian Marsh on the periphery as Maggie and Sam solve some more mysteries and get embroiled in a complicated love story and criminal conspiracy as Maggie’s long lost sister Andrea reappears in Bishops Well.
As they dig into the murdered body in the woods case, Andrea brings chaos as she admits to having been hiding in witness protection all these years and a long lost lover of their late mother’s resurfaces, throwing a lot of the certainties the family thought they knew into chaos. Maggie’s still seeing ghosts and there’s lots to sort out before they can assure themselves they’re safe in Bishops again.
These books are so much fun, crime and chaos and lots of pets everywhere. Highly enjoyed this one and can’t wait for the next one.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
When best-laid plans go awry… Hunter and Meera’s romantic plans come to an abrupt end when they stumble into the scene of a crime. A young woman was attacked in a hotel lift. She has traumatic injuries, but she clings to life. Hunter notes that her wounds are like those inflicted on two other women, who died from their ordeal. Can Meera keep the injured woman alive long enough for her to identify the assailant? Is the same person responsible for all three crimes? When Hunter is identified as a suspect, can he establish his innocence and lead his team to solve the crime and keep Edinburgh safe?
Val Penny’s other crime novels, Hunter’s Chase Hunter’s Revenge, Hunter’s Force Hunter’s Blood and Hunter’s Secret form the bestselling series The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries. They are set in Edinburgh, Scotland, published by darkstroke. Her first non-fiction book Let’s Get Published is also available now and she has most recently contributed her short story, Cats and Dogs to a charity anthology, Dark Scotland. Val is an American author living in SW Scotland with her husband and their cat.
My thoughts: the crime in this book is horrific, following two women found dead with their eyes gouged out and their blood full of Rohypnol, a third victim is found, thankfully alive but still brutally injured. Hunter and his team spare no time in searching for the monster doing this, it all seems wrapped in a mystery – who is this man who doesn’t want to be seen on camera, there’s several suspects, all of whom are up to no good. Can the team unravel this and stop another woman being blinded?
The pace is cracking, and from no suspects, there are suddenly quite a few, they all seem connected and all have plenty to hide from the police, even if they aren’t the killer. There’s plenty to keep the procurator fiscal busy once the arrests begin, and the police all have busy personal lives too. An enjoyable, if gory, crime 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.
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box. 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.
When materials engineer Zoey Butler lands her dream job at Future State Energy, she believes her research in renewable energy will make headlines. Unfortunately for her, she’s right. Zoey is working on her latest experiment when FBI Special Agent Alexis Thompson and her K-9 partner, Waffle, raid Future State and arrest the head of the development for fraud. Zoey helps the FBI find answers in the aftermath, but she soon finds herself jobless and unemployable. Desperate and out of options, she reaches out to Alexis, the one person who knows Zoey was duped like everyone else. Liam Graham is an FBI special agent and instructor at Riverbend K-9 Academy. When Alexis brings in a new recruit with an unusual background, Liam pairs her up with Tasha, a dog in need of a handler to stay in their competitive program. Zoey is thrilled to put her past behind her and give the mischievous rescue dog her own second chance. However, shortly after she arrives, the FBI realizes the Future State case is far from closed. And Zoey may be the key to solving it. Zoey offers to go back to Future State to help the FBI end things once and for all. Only this time, she’ll have Liam and Tasha for backup. But, the problems at Future State are more explosive than any of them suspect.
K.T. Lee is a writer, mom, and engineer who grew up on a steady diet of books from a wide variety of genres. She’s the author of multiple books, including those in the Riverbend K-9 Series and The Calculated Series. Find out more and get the latest updates (and a free prequel novella!) on the website. or follow K.T. InstagramTwitterFacebook
My thoughts: this was a fun crime rom com, with dogs. Zoey is a scientist who worked for a company that was investigated by the FBI, she lost her job and decides that the Bureau needs to help her rebuild her life. With dogs.
Joining the K-9 training program, she gets the chance to go undercover at her old job and find the person who wrecked everything. With dogs.
I loved it, it was clever and funny and sweet, and did I mention there are dogs? And a hunky agent keeping Zoey safe, with dogs.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Remember, abseiling is only the second fastest way down a church tower.’ The note pinned to the teddy bear lying at the foot of the church tower could have been a joke – if it hadn’t been for the body on the path next to it! Somebody wants to make very sure that everyone knows this was not an accident or suicide. But why? Suddenly, no one in the village has any enthusiasm for the Teddy Bear Abseil, planned to raise money for the children’s play area, as, once again, a murderer walks the narrow, twisty streets of the small Somerset village of Much Winchmoor. And, once again, Kat Latcham, reporter/dog walker/barmaid and occasional reluctant hair salon gopher, finds herself unwillingly dragged into a murder investigation. This fourth Much Winchmoor mystery is spiked with humour and sprinkled with romance. And, of course, one carefully planned, coldly executed murder. Purchase
Paula Williams is living her dream. She’s written all her life – her earliest efforts involved blackmailing her unfortunate younger brothers into appearing in her plays and pageants. But it’s only in recent years that she discovered, to her surprise, that people with better judgement than her brothers actually liked what she wrote and were prepared to pay her for it. Now, she writes every day in a lovely, book-lined study in her home in Somerset, UK, where she lives with her husband and a handsome but not always obedient rescue dog, a Dalmatian called Duke. She is very proud to be a member of both the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Crime Writers’ Association. Her Much Winchmoor Mysteries are based in a small Somerset village which bears in uncanny resemblance to her own – although none of her friends and neighbours have murderous tendencies – as far as she knows! Her novels often feature a murder or two, a dog and cat or two and are always spiked with humour and sprinkled with a touch of romance. Paula is, indeed, living her dream. But she worries that one day she’s going to wake up and find she still has to bully her brothers into performing ‘the play what she wrote’.
My thoughts: I do enjoy these crime novels set in rural English villages where the suspects are probably people you know. They’re often a lot of fun – as this one is. I loved the idea of a Teddy Bear Abseil, shame about the dead body putting people off!
It is a bit worrying though how often these villages harbour murderers, though luckily in this case Kat is on hand to solve the crime for the local police and apprehend the killer. Bits of the book are also very funny, all in all a greatly enjoyable read. More please!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own
ramblingmads 