Tag: crime fiction

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Keeper – Jessica Moor*

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An addictive literary thriller about a crime as shocking as it is commonplace.

When Katie Straw’s body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police are ready to write it off as a standard-issue female suicide. But the residents of the domestic violence shelter where Katie worked disagree. These women have spent weeks or even years waiting for the men they’re running from to catch up with them.

They know immediately: This was murder.
Still, Detective Dan Whitworth and his team expect an open-and-shut case–until they discover evidence that suggests Katie wasn’t who she appeared.

Weaving together the investigation with Katie’s final months as it barrels toward the truth, Keeper is a riveting mystery and a searing examination of violence against women and the structures that allow it to continue, marking the debut of an incredible new voice in crime fiction.

My thoughts:

Years ago I worked for an organisation that supported victims of domestic violence, I saw how hard the IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advocates) and ISVA (same but for sexual violence) teams worked to support women and children living with the effects of this particularly insidious crime, an often ongoing, sometimes non-physical abuse.

Refuges are few and far between, they’re poorly funded and despite attempts at keeping them secret, not always as safe as they want to be.

The refuge Katie works at in Keeper, has some of these problems, and unfortunately the paranoia, totally understandable as it is, often means reports of a man hanging about outside aren’t taken very seriously.

Katie has secrets, but as her story is revealed to the reader, they too are completely understandable.

The police do cursory investigation, never taking the women’s claims that Katie was murdered seriously, and once the twist at the end is revealed (no spoilers) you’ll see an entire new narrative.

Powerful, shocking and sadly still necessary, this puts human faces to the terrible things that some people go through.

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

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Blog Tour: Crow Court – Andy Charman*

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Spring, 1840. In the Dorset market town of Wimborne Minster, a young choirboy drowns himself. Soon after, the choirmaster—a belligerent man with a vicious reputation—is found murdered, in a discovery tainted as much by relief as it is by suspicion. The gaze of the magistrates falls on four local men, whose decisions will reverberate through the community for years to come.

So begins the chronicle of Crow Court, unravelling over fourteen delicately interwoven episodes, the town of Wimborne their backdrop: a young gentleman and his groom run off to join the army; a sleepwalking cordwainer wakes on his wife’s grave; desperate farmhands emigrate.

We meet the composer with writer’s block; the smuggler; a troupe of actors down from London; and old Art Pugh, whose impoverished life has made him hard to amuse. Meanwhile, justice waits…

Andy Charman was born in Dorset and grew up near Wimborne Minster, where Crow Court is set. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and magazines, including Pangea and Cadenza. Crow Court is his first novel, which he worked on at the Arvon course at The Hurst in Shropshire in 2018. Andy lives in Surrey and is available for interview, comment and events.

My thoughts:

This was a really interesting piece of historical fiction that follows the residents of a small Dorset town after the suicide of a young boy and the murder of the choirmaster who mistreated him.

Each chapter follows a different person, from the four men who are thought to be involved in the murder, to interested and nosy neighbours.

I really enjoyed the use of the local dialect, as someone who loves hearing people’s accents and local phrases it was a treat, I find it brings books to life as it gives you a real feel for place and time.

Moving, powerful and slightly magical at times, this is an extraordinary debut novel and promises much more to come from the author.

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

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Blog Tour: To The Dark – Chris Nickson*

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Winter is about to take a chilling twist…

Thief-taker Simon Westow is drawn into a deadly puzzle when the melting snow reveals a dark secret in this gripping historical mystery, perfect for fans of Anne Perry and Charles Finch.

Leeds, 1822. The city is in the grip of winter, but the chill deepens for thief-taker Simon Westow and his young assistant, Jane, when the body of Laurence Poole, a petty local thief, emerges from the melting snow by the river at Flay Cross Mill.

A coded notebook found in Laurence’s room mentions Charlie Harker, the most notorious fence in Leeds who’s now running for his life, and the mysterious words: To the dark. What was Laurence hiding that caused his death? Simon’s hunt for the truth pits him against some dangerous, powerful enemies who’ll happily kill him in a heartbeat – if they can.

Chris Nickson has published 28 novels, all historical crime, most of them set in Leeds, whose people and history are his passion. The Richard Nottingham series began things, taking place in the 1730s, followed by the Tom Harper novels, which begin in 1890 and have now moved to the 20th century. Between them, Lottie Armstrong, Urban Raven and Dan Markham cover Leeds from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The three books featuring thief-taker Simon Westow explore a changing Leeds, growing rapidly in the 1820s as industry – the factories and mills and belching chimneys – comes to dominate the town. The Hocus Girl, the second in the series, received starred reviews from Kirkus, which called it a “tour de force,” and Publishers Weekly, which declared “historical mysteries don’t get much better than this.’

Chris grew up in Leeds, but lived in the US for many years, making his living as a music journalist. He still reviews occasional releases, but his focus these days is fiction.

My thoughts:

This was a really good historical crime thriller that went to some interesting places and made me want to know more about the characters.

There’s several strands to the plot and all of them filled with danger and intrigue. There’s the murder case that leads to some evil soldiers and put Simon in serious harm’s way, Jane’s own shadow and the threat of Big Tom on her tail.

Filled with historical details and strong relationships (I loved Simon’s wife Rosie, she’s brilliant) as well as gripping moments and some shocking events, this was a really enjoyable and interesting 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.

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Blog Tour: The Hurting – R.J. Mitchell*

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This is the second DS Thoroughgood book I’m reviewing. Book one – Parallel Lines is reviewed here. Book three – The Longest Shadow will be reviewed on the 3rd February.

THE HURTING finds DS Angus Thoroughgood recovering from injuries from his most recent adventures in ‘Parallel Lines’ and questioning his career with the Glasgow police force. After handing in his resignation, Thoroughgood is pulled back into the line of duty once his recovery at the police convalescence home, Castlebrae, is complete.

Terrorist attacks in and around Glasgow see Thoroughgood, alongside his partner DC Hardie, return to action. As their world as they know it and the city they love falls apart, the pair work alongside MI5 in a race to discover the source of these attacks.
The second installment in the DS Thoroughgood series of novels by RJ Mitchell, The Hurting picks up right where Parallel Lines left off and sends Thoroughgood and Hardie on a rollercoaster ride through Glasgow’s seedy underworld and that of international terrorism.
The Hurting sees author RJ Mitchell drawing from his 12 years of experience as a Glasgow police officer to provide an accurate portrayal of real life police work whilst guiding the reader through an intricate plot filled with lies and subterfuge.

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Matthew James Publishing

Robert James Mitchell was brought up in Stirling. Mitchell was initially detailed beat duties out of the former Blackhill Police Office and then Baird Street Police Office in the former ‘D’ Division, or the North, as it was known to all the men who served in the division. In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

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My thoughts:

Recovering from the climatic events of Parallel Lines, DS Gus Thoroughgood and his solid sidekick, DC Hardie are thrust into another monstrous case as Islamic terrorists pitch up in Glasgow looking to cause chaos.

In a way all the madness of tracking a terror cell and trying to prevent an atrocity does Thoroughgood some good, helping him refocus and distracting him from his grief. There’s a lot of character development here and Hardie is more rounded too.

I really enjoyed this, it was fast paced and engaging, clever and well written. I like all the little details that the author includes from his own experiences as a police officer.

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

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Blog Tour: End of the Line – Robert Scragg*

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Read my review of the first book in the series here

Detective Jake Porter’s life was ripped apart by the hit-and-run driver that killed his wife. The life he has been building up piece by piece is rocked by the discovery of new evidence that might finally lead him to her murderer.

At the same time, he has a volatile case to juggle. Ross Henderson was a Vlogger with over ten million followers rallying against the growing tide of the far-right. As his audience tuned in to listen to Henderson tear apart more anti-immigrant vitriol, they watched in horror as he was brutally murdered during a live broadcast.

Struggling to prevent full-blown riots and following the trail to his wife’s killer will take its toll upon Porter, and there’s no guarantee he will come out the other side intact.

My thoughts:

This was really good, the investigation into the vlogger’s death was tense and an interesting commentary on politics at the moment, with the EWP standing in for an existing group of right wing thugs playing at being politicians (pick one), eager to get rid of any critics or awkward questions about their dodgy leader.

Alongside that is Porter’s personal quest to find his wife’s killer, taking on a dangerous and supposedly untouchable gang leader, putting his safety, and that of his loved ones, on the line.

The team work well, handling the case and gathering evidence like a well oiled machine, but they’re still able to be there for their boss when he needs them, even if he thinks he doesn’t.

A sophisticated crime thriller that resonates with the times and introduces new angles with the addition of a counter terrorism detective and new personal responsibilities for Styles.

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

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Blog Tour: Deadly Whispers in Lower Dimblebrook – Julie Butterfield*

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When Isabelle Darby moves to the delightfully cosy village of Lower Dimblebrook, she’s searching for
peace and quiet as well as a chance to escape from heartbreak.

After making friends with Fiona Lambourne, another newcomer to the village, Issie is left reeling when tragedy strikes and Fiona is murdered, the second wife Anthony Lambourne has lost in unfortunate circumstances. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the local gossips insist that Fiona had been embroiled in an affair before her death, something which Issie knows not to be the case.

Determined to clear her friend’s reputation and solve the mystery of the rumours, Issie takes on both the gossips and the handsome but stern DI Wainwright, making both friends and enemies along the way!

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Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of ‘always wanted to write’ authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper – or rather fingers to keyboard.

She wrote her first book purely for pleasure and was very surprised to discover that so many people enjoyed the story and wanted more, so she decided to carry on writing.

It has to be pointed out that her first novel, ‘Did I Mention I Won The Lottery’ is a complete work of fiction and she did not, in fact, receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it to her husband – even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him!

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My thoughts:

This was a lot of fun, a terrible murder in the picturesque village of Lower Dimblebrook brings the police around asking questions and makes Issie realise she didn’t know her new friend Fiona as well as she thought, so she starts her own investigation.

Aided and abetted by fellow residents, and a tiny dog with a lot of energy, Issie soon uncovers a terrible secret in Lambourne Hall and risks her own life to reveal the killer.

As much as you probably shouldn’t enjoy murder mysteries, this was really enjoyable, funny, wry and clever, the author has a keen eye for people’s idiosyncrasies and how village life can get a little claustrophobic when everyone knows everything.

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

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Blog Tour: The Missing Husband & The Silent Victims – Alex Coombes*

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Today is my second post for the Alex Coombes’ DI Hanlon blog tour. The previous reviews can be read here.

Today I’m reviewing The Missing Husband and The Silent Victims.

A security officer is assassinated.
A small child grieves for his father.
A psychopath commits their first crime…

A frightened Russian woman seeks DCI Hanlon’s help in finding her missing husband. Hanlon’s not keen on the case. Until she hears a name she recognises only too well. Arkady Belanov, sadistic owner of an exclusive brothel in Oxford is involved.

And when DCI Enver Demirel, her former partner and friend, disappears, Hanlon is determined to solve the case.

Forced into an uneasy alliance with the London underworld, the race to him from the blood-stained
hands of the Russian mafia is underway…

Another gripping case for the unstoppable DCI Hanlon. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa
Regan and Mark Dawson.

This book was previously published as A Hard Woman To Kill by Alex Howard.

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DCI Hanlon faces the toughest decision of her career as a string of political murders lead to a deadly confrontation.

A controversial, right-wing German politician is due to speak at the Oxford Union. Following a series of murders linked to a violent anarchist group, the city is on high alert.

DCI Hanlon has been partnered with DI Huss to ensure the speech goes smoothly and that there will be no more killing.

Meanwhole, as Hanlon traces the person behind the murders, she soon realises that the chilling truth has a terrible price. Is Hanlon willing to meet the cost?

The final gripping case for DCI Hanlon. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Mark Dawson.

This book was previously published as An Incidental Death by Alex Howard.

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Alex Coombs studied Arabic at Oxford and Edinburgh Universities and went on to work in adult education and then retrained to be a chef. He has written four well reviewed crime novels as Alex Howard.

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My thoughts:

The Missing Husband – following the events of the last book (The Innocent Girl) DCI Hanlon has been sent to Slough to do as little as Corrigan can make her – working on the missing persons team, a quiet job, out of the way of vengeful Russian mobsters. Or so Corrigan thinks… but when a beautiful woman, who happens to be Russian, asks for Hanlon’s help, well she and Enver end up in a whole heap of trouble. Again.

The Silent Victims – incapable of learning their lessons, the team get involved with more unpleasant and sinister types, this time foreign right wing politicians, jihadists and anarchists. Risking their lives once more, Hanlon and Huss are looking for potential assassins and trying to keep a lid on some protestors, while also investigating a series of connected crimes. Enver is making dinner.

Once again more thrill rides with the three detectives as they get thrown in to more risky adventures and put their lives on the line to stop some very dangerous criminals from operating. I got to the end of The Silent Victims and really wanted there to be more, I needed to know what happened next. There is a trilogy of books about Hanlon’s next move so I’ll be hunting them out soon. I also really want a book all about Enver and his family, mostly because he’s my favourite character and I feel immensely sorry for him as Hanlon keeps getting him almost killed while she shoots off with no real plan to fight much better prepared criminals.


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

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Blog Tour: Sleep Well, My Lady – Kwei Quartey*

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Hard-hitting talk show host Augustus Seeza has become a household name in Ghana, though plagued by rumours of lavish overspending, alcoholism, and womanising. He’s dating the imposing, beautiful Lady Araba, who leads a self-made fashion empire.

Araba’s religious family believes Augustus is after her money and intervenes to break them up. A few days later, just before a major runway show, Araba is found murdered in her bed. Her driver is arrested after a hasty investigation, but Araba’s favourite aunt, Dele, has always thought Augustus Seeza was the real killer.

Almost a year later, Dele approaches Emma Djan, who has finally started to settle in as the only female PI at her agency. To solve Lady Araba’s murder, Emma must not only go on an undercover mission that dredges up trauma from her past but navigate a long list of suspects with solid alibis. Emma quickly discovers that they are willing to lie for each other – and that one may still be willing to kill.

My thoughts:

This was a really good read, moving back and forth in time from Lady Araba’s death, the book slowly reveals the motives the people around her had, and why they might have killed her. Emma and the team make more headway on the case than the corrupt and inept police did at the time, despite it being almost a year later.

So engrossing and compelling, with its scorn for Ghana’s inefficient and easily manipulated systems, and its ribbing of the 1% who are oblivious to how much they’re observed by those around them. Money smooths the way but as younger Ghanaians rise up into positions and change the way things are done, the ability to bribe and blackmail people has less power.

Exposing the underbelly of society and, through Emma and Detective Boateng, showing a smarter, more honest new broom, the author points the way for a better society, one where the poor driver doesn’t get arrested and the real killer receives justice swiftly and through good policing and hard evidence.

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

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The Stolen Child & The Innocent Girl – Alex Coombes*

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Over two days I’m going to be reviewing four books by Alex Coombes – today it’s The Stolen Child and The Innocent Girl. Then on the 25th it will be The Missing Husband and The Silent Victims.

Meet DI Hanlon. A woman with a habit of breaking the rules and a fierce loyalty to the few people she respects.
Her boss, Corrigan. Looks like a street copper promoted above his ability. Underestimate him at your peril.
Enver Demirel. Known in the boxing ring as Iron Hand. Now soft and gone to seed. But he would do anything for Hanlon.

When the kidnap of a 12-year-old boy blows the case of some missing children wide apart, the finger is pointing at the heart of the Met.
Corrigan sends in the only cop in his team who is incorruptible enough to handle it – Hanlon.
And then he sends Demirel to spy on her…

Once you start the DI Hanlon series, you won’t be able to put it down. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Mark Dawson.

This book was previously published as Time To Die by Alex Howard.

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DCI Hanlon is going undercover.
Oxford Philosophy lecturer Dr Gideon Fuller is in the frame, but Hanlon is not convinced.
From the specialist brothels in Oxford and Soho, to the inner sanctum of a Russian people trafficker with a taste for hurting women, the trail leads Hanlon deeper and deeper into danger – until she herself becomes the killer’s next target…
Can Hanlon track down the killer before it’s too late?

A thrilling new case for DCI Hanlon. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Lisa Regan and Mark
Dawson.

This book was previously published as Cold Revenge by Alex Howard.

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Alex Coombs studied Arabic at Oxford and Edinburgh Universities and went on to work in adult education and then retrained to be a chef. He has written four well reviewed crime novels as Alex Howard.

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My thoughts:

The Stolen Child – any book that covers violence against children is going to be shocking, and this is. A group of vile men are having children kidnapped to order and their bodies are dumped for the police to find. DI Hanlon is tasked with looking into this and what she uncovers is horrific. But she’s hard as nails and determined to put a permanent stop to the ruthless criminals behind these appalling crimes. I was totally gripped and while Hanlon isn’t an easy character to like, her DS, Enver Demirel is. A British-Turk, he’s a former boxer with the heart of gold, he’s loyal, brave, and endeavors to follow where Hanlon leads.

The Innocent Girl – Hanlon and Demirel are drawn into the world of S&M after a young woman is found murdered in her bed. Another gripping and brutal thriller unfolds, this time with added Russian mafia, and a new character, Oxford detective Huss, who starts out disliking Hanlon but then finds a grudging respect for the maverick detective. And more than that for Enver.

Both books were totally gripping, excellently written and while dealing with some very dark subject matter, managed some levity and lightness of tone that made them a pleasure to read. The characters are well written and don’t feel like stereotypes, as can happen with police procedurals. Hanlon is a bit of a mystery, her inability to do as she’s told and the extreme violence she’s capable of speak to someone with issues beyond the usual and we get a hint of those in The Innocent Girl, when she almost learns more information about the parents she lost as a child. The relationship that develops between Enver and Huss serves as a counterpoint to Hanlon’s determined aloneness – even Corrigan, who knows her better than most, can’t get under her skin.

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

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Blog Tour: Blood Will Have Blood – Thomas H. Carry*

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As an actor in New York City in the late ‘80s, Carry knew at some point he’d write about that unusual yet transformative experience which inspired the setting for Blood Will Have Blood. Carry explains he was intrigued by the idea of seemingly normal people who find themselves in abnormal contexts, where unanticipated aspects of themselves are revealed, often resulting in violent, dangerous, and subversively funny situations.

Struggling actor and inveterate pothead Scott Russo is tired of performing in terrible Off-Off Broadway productions, hopping from one soul-crushing job to the next. He contemplates throwing in the towel altogether on making it as an actor but the only thing that keeps him going is the humiliation of returning back home to Baltimore as a failure. That and his current theatrical gig: an idiotically bad production of Macbeth. Broke and jobless, Scott jumps at his friend’s offer to work for a pot delivery service, only to get caught in a web of dangerous Irish gangsters, a charismatic psychopath, ruthless prosecutors, and clueless actors. When his theatrical and criminal worlds collide in mayhem, murder, and betrayal, Scott finds himself morphing into a bumbling and blood-stained Macbeth, on stage and off. If he can just make it to opening night…

My thoughts:

This was a lot of fun, a blackly comic book about an actor who gets completely out of his depth with gangsters and lawyers in 80s New York. He has a go at playing both sides, but it seems there’s a lot more going on in the shadows even a ridiculous version of Macbeth can’t compete with the insanity Scott finds himself embroiled in.

Scott is the everyman caught up between psychopathic Irish gangsters and dodgy Ivy League types claiming to be the good guys. Also there’s some cats and a charming transwoman called Juanita. Like I said, lots of fun.

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