Facets of Death (Detective Kubu) – Michael Stanley

When a Botswana mine is robbed of 100,000 carats of diamonds and the thieves are murdered execution-style, Botswana’s Detective Kubu begins a terrifying international investigation in the prequel to the award-winning Detective Kubu series.

Recruited straight from university to Botswana’s CID, David ‘Kubu’ Bengu has raised his colleagues’ suspicions with his meteoric rise within the department, and he has a lot to prove…

When the richest diamond mine in the world is robbed of 100,000 carats worth of gems, and then the thieves are killed, execution-style, Kubu leaps at the chance to prove himself. But where are the diamonds? And what role does a witch doctor and his son play? Does this young detective have the skill – and integrity – to engineer an international trap? Or could it cost him everything, including his life…?

A riveting, chilling prequel to the award-winning Detective Kubu series, Facets of Death introduces the beloved Kubu and his richly described native Botswana, in a dark, sophisticated thriller that will leave you breathless.

I had ordered this book before release and I review my own copy for the Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the Facets of Death tour.

Amazon describes Facets of Death as Kubu “Book 0”. A prequel to the stories which I have previously read and really enjoyed. A new story about the large Botswana policeman and how he took on his first cases when he joined the police. It’s like reading Spider-Man before Uncle Ben was killed. I am fully in board for Kubu The Early Years.

The book opens with David “Kubu” Bengu getting ready to head to his first day at his new job. He is excited about the prospect of joining the police and readers share his nervous enthusiasm. Returning readers will have seen Kubu as an established member of the police force and I enjoyed his seemingly unflappable composure when faced with subsequent investigations. Yet the apprehensive and optimistic Kubu is rather endearing and I have no doubt readers will warm to the awkward youthful detective too.

Kubu starts as he intends to proceed. He introduces himself to the officer at the front desk as Kubu, a nickname which translates as “hippopotamus” (Kubu is a large gentleman) and he meets a frosty reception. The name does not concern Kubu as it has always been used and he takes it in good spirits – his new colleagues are not so quick to be congenial with him. Kubu realises this is not an issue with the name but grudges are being held as Kubu has been recruited to join the police in a promoted role – no grafing his way up the ranks for the smart-educated new start.

Nevertheless Kubu throws himself into his new job and is enlisted to solve a problem with missing luggage. Suitcases leaving Botswana for Europe are not reaching their destination but both departure and arrival airports insist there are no anomalies in their processes. Latching onto a colleague to keep him right Kubu begins to puzzle out this mystery. He will receive some critical feedback on trust and effective witness questioning before much longer passes.

Missing luggage will soon become a minor concern for the police though. A massive diamond robbery has taken place (readers riding along with the crime as it develops and unfolds). The mining company had an effective process in place to protect their gems during transport but the robbers have found a way to identify when to target the diamonds and how to steal them away. Can the police get a trace on the missing diamonds? A trail of dead bodies and double crossed robbers will provide some clues but to get to the truth they will need to figure out how the thieves could have successfully identified where the diamonds would be. The collective brainpower of the Botswana police will be needed and Kubu wants to help in any way he can.

The innocence of Kubu tracing missing suitcases is a strong counterpoint to the brutality of the diamond theft. Even though it is all hands on deck to recover the diamonds, Kubu still wants to work out how the luggage is disappearing. An early indication of the thoroughness of his approach to his work and an amusing look at how his new colleagues take to this young, inexperienced addition to their team.

The writing is superb, as is always the case with the Michael Stanley books. The setting and location is exotic for the European readers and the sense of place is wonderfully conveyed. The local customs and beliefs play a large part in the behaviour of many characters and early in is police career Kubu will discover the power that a Witch Doctor can exert when he turns his focus on the manipulation of the players in Kubu’s investigation.

Facets of Death is a rewarding and richly entertaining read. Young Kubu is a familiar friend in an unrecognisable skin and I would not be unhappy to see more of this youthful police officer in future books.

Before I was introduced to the books of Michael Stanley by the Queen of Orenda Books, Karen Sullivan, I know I would not have stepped out of my reading comfort zone to read a crime story set in Botswana. Yet Karen’s enthusiasm for these books was infectious and I am so glad I listened to her advice – the Detective Kubu books are fabulous reading and I encourage everyone to try these wonderful stories too.

Facets of Death is available in digital format and will release in paperback on 29 April 2021. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08T6C7HDC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 16

Deity – Matt Wesolowski

A shamed pop star
A devastating fire
Six witnesses
Six stories
Which one is true?

When pop megastar Zach Crystal dies in a fire at his remote mansion, his mysterious demise rips open the bitter divide between those who adored his music and his endless charity work, and those who viewed him as a despicable predator, who manipulated and abused young and vulnerable girls.

Online journalist, Scott King, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the accusations of sexual abuse and murder that were levelled at Crystal before he died. But as Scott begins to ask questions and rake over old graves, some startling inconsistencies emerge: Was the fire at Crystal’s remote home really an accident? Are reports of a haunting really true? Why was he never officially charged?

Dark, chillingly topical and deeply thought-provoking, Deity is both an explosive thriller and a startling look at how heroes can fall from grace and why we turn a blind eye to even the most heinous of crimes…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy of Deity. Thanks also to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Deity Blog tour.

Six Stories. A phenomonal concept and Matt Wesolowski just seems to deliver chills and tension every single time. With Deity we are concentrating on Zach Crystal, a musician who reached the very top at a young age and lived a mysterious and controversial lifestyle before tragedy struck and he died in a fire at on his remote country estate in the Scottish Highlands.

Scott King is a podcast host who in each of the four previous Wesolowski novels has conducted interviews with six guests in a bid to cast light on mysteries, murders or strange phenomonon. The story telling is always wonderfully layered and the salient points to each story will not be immediately obvious to the reader until Scott King himself draws your attention back to they key revelations which can turn your understanding of a narrative on its head.

Deity is no different. Six interviews with six people to understand better the complex and controversial superstar Zach Crystal. The first story makes it quite clear where the headline controvosy will be found. King interviews a man who alleges Crystal was active in an internet chatroom trying to arrange a meet with a 12 year old girl (Crystal at this time was in his mid 40s). Throughout his career Crystal has spent time with young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds at his remote Highland home. “Entirely innocent” he always maintained and there was never any real traction behind the few stories which cast doubt on his assurances of innocence.

The reason the stories never amounted to anything, King’s first guest asserts, is that King employed a team of hostile investigators who would shut down any rumour or story before it could manifest itself into anything more substantiated. No proof, no story. But Crystal cannot hide from all bad press and when two young girls are found dead (it is alleged in mysterious circumstances) on the grounds of his Highland Estate it has to be acknowledged that his extensive security staff could not have done anything to prevent the unfortunate death in the inhospitable environment of the Cairngorms. It is also worth mentioning that Crystal has bought land and settled in a notoriously dangerous part of the mountains and local legend tells of dangers in the Whispering Woods and Crystal tells of seeing a cadaverous wild animal which stands tall and has flesh hanging from the skull under a wild antlered head.

Crystal himself chooses to wear antlers and often masks his face when performing so the link to the mysterious creature is a fascination for the reader. It also makes Crystal seem even more of an odd character.

The accusations against Crystal which were laid out by King’s first guest are firmly shut down by his second guest. A YouTube star who is a devoted fan of Zach Crystal, has spent time in his company and on his Estate, and who believes all the stories of inappropriate behaviour with minors is just women seeking to cash in on the deceased star now that he cannot defend himself. This guest turns the story of the the first guest on its head. Although the reader may not like what they are hearing about Crystal (he does come across as a total bampot) it cannot be taken for granted he is guilty of the allegations which follow him around.

Through four more guests we strip back some of the mystery surrounding Crystal. Did he deserve to die? Was he a troubled individual – thrust into fame too young and with no social skills to survive in the entertainment industry? Why did he always have to take groups of vulnerable underage girls to his home? It does make for uncomfortable reading and I never shook the feeling that Crystal was a dangerous individual, so why are his defenders so determined to protest his innocence?

One unexpected development was the return of a character from an earlier novel. No spoilers but I found this a nice touch for returning readers but the appearance of this character will not leave new readers baffled as their involvement is very different. One other surprise was that the story is set, in part, in Inverness and surrounding areas (one interview takes place in Aviemore). I grew up in the Inverness area. When you live in London you probably don’t bat an eye if you pick up a book and find the story is set in your home town – if you live in Inverness this is much more of a novelty and it certainly brought a smile or two as I was reading.

Deity is the fifth book in the Six Stories series. I own all the earlier books in audiobook, paperback and in digital format – I am a bit of a fan. It is a tough call but I think Deity may be my favourite of the five books. I think the complexity of Crystal and the frustration King encounters in trying to find tangible proof around any of the rumours linked to the star make this the most complex of books in the series. Kings podcasts assert they are not to uncover the truth or reach a conclusion but to present more facts to allow listeners to make their own judgement – the reader is doing this here to a greater degree than other books.

If you are new to the series you can read the Six Stories books in any order – I envy you the hours of enjoyment they will bring you. If you are a returning reader you can be assured Deity is a triumph.

Deity is published by Orenda Books and is currently available in paperback and digital version. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08D6J458T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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February 2

Smoke Screen – Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Oslo, New Year’s Eve. The annual firework celebration is rocked by an explosion, and the city is put on terrorist alert.

Police officer Alexander Blix and blogger Emma Ramm are on the scene, and when a severely injured survivor is pulled from the icy harbour, she is identified as the mother of two-year-old Patricia Smeplass, who was kidnapped on her way home from kindergarten ten years earlier … and never found.

Blix and Ramm join forces to investigate the unsolved case, as public interest heightens, the terror threat is raised, and it becomes clear that Patricia’s disappearance is not all that it seems…

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Smoke Screen Tour. I am reading a purchased copy.

Book two in the Blix and Ramm series. Last year the duo were introduced in the brilliant Death Deserved which I really enjoyed. Smoke Screen had been on my watch list for a good while as there is nothing better than reuniting with characters you enjoy. No need to have read Death Deserved before starting on Smoke Screen (but it’s a great read and background is always good to know).

The two books felt different to read. My memory of Death Deserved was of a fast paced and constant peril read where Smoke Screen (despite an explosive opening) was more measured and methodical. This may sound like a negative comment but it really is not – I enjoyed both books immensely and a slower pace for Emma Ramm in Smoke Screen is very appropriate as she is shouldering a tragic burden in this story.

I mentioned the Explosive Start. On New Years Eve in Oslo a crowd had assembled in a city park to cheer in the New Year and watch the fireworks. A bomb has been placed in a waste bin within the park which detonated and killed several bystanders. The police and emergency services are put on full alert but Blix and Ramm were already near the scene.

One survivor of the blast was a former person of interest to the police, the mother of a kidnapped toddler. Around ten years earlier Patricia Smeplass had been abducted and was never found. Patricia’s mother was investigated as a potential suspect. She did not have full custody of her daughter at the time as her mental health and substance dependencies had been problematic. No evidence was found to suspect Patricia’s mother has been involved in her daughters kidnapping. However Blix is not convinced her presence at the scene of the explosion is coincidence and wants to dig further. The problem is the woman is critically ill in hospital and appears unlikely to recover consciousness.

A comprehensive investigation begins and readers are treated to a slick police procedural with a dogged journalist pursuing her own leads.

A second bomb explodes in another park but Blix is still determined to dig deeper into the kidnapping some ten years ago. He remains convinced the explanation behind the current incidents lies within the kidnapping story.

Smoke Screen spins the reader a tale rooted within tragedies. Secrets and lies left to fester will resurface with devastating consequences. There are threads of hope interwoven through the story too and the characters of both Blix and Ramm are given a chance to develop in this second outing.

The Horst/Enger partnership is looking mighty strong at this stage and the cherry on the cake is the post-novel “chat” between the pair which rounds off the reading. Joyous.

Smoke Screen is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08DTHMGJS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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December 22

Winterkill – Ragnar Jonasson

A blizzard is approaching Siglufjörður, and that can only mean one thing…

When the body of a nineteen-year-old girl is found on the main street of Siglufjörður, Police Inspector Ari Thór battles a violent Icelandic storm in an increasingly dangerous hunt for her killer … The chilling, claustrophobic finale to the international bestselling Dark Iceland series.

Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.

Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he’s separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air.

Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes ‘She was murdered’ again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death…

As the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth … one that will leave no one unscathed.

I bought my copy of Winterkill. My thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour.

Ari Thor Arason returns and Winterkill gives us a sixth wonderful reason to visit the Northern Iclandic town of Siglufjörður. I have been a huge fan of these clever crime stories, each has been a tightly plotted tale working wonders with a small cast. Ragnar Jonasson has indicated Winterkill will be the final trip to Siglufjörður and the last Ari Thor novel. One can but hope that in the future he listens to the pleas of the readers and gives Ari Thor as many farewell tours as The Rolling Stones have enjoyed.

Winterkill finds Ari Thor promoted to the role of chief investigator. He heads up the police department in Siglufjörður and has responsibility over a younger officer who he is trying to train in the way Ari Thor’s mentor trained him. We will see that the two men have a slightly strained relationship which Ari Thor finds a little unsettling. He has been pondering an offer to “have a word put in” in Reykjavik which would smooth over a move away from Siglufjörður for Ari Thor but he is taking each day as it comes for the moment.

Easter is approaching and Ari Thor has been looking forward to the visit of his girlfriend and their son who are now living in Sweden. A few days of enjoyable family time is put at risk when a teenage girl falls to her death on the main street in the early hours of the morning. Initially it seems to have been a suicide, yet, for those left to mourn, the question of “why” demands an answer.

The mother of the dead girl assures Ari Thor that her daughter had been a quiet girl and they had no secrets. The few friends she had commented on her studious nature and could not explain why she may have chosen to end her life. Yet something doesn’t quite sit right with Ari Thor – the reader is left sharing his thought that everyone he speaks with may be holding something back. Is it imagination or are there secrets to uncover?

A call from an old friend brings Ari Thor to a small nursing home in the town. One of the patients has scrawled “She was murdered” all over his wall…what did the old man see the night the girl fell to her death? Can Ari Thor elicit any useful information from an elderly witness who has trouble focusing on the person in the room?

As we have come to expect from a Ragnar Jonasson book there are clues and half-truths sprinkled through the story for sharp-eyed readers to look out for. The telling of Winterkill is exquisite and the pages simply fall away as you get wrapped up in the story. Jonasson can tell a story which feels deep and enriched and he does it without loading his story with padding. There is a ruthless efficiency in these books which will leave you entertained without feeling the writer is filling time – the long standing comparisons with the pacing and style of Agatha Christie’s books spring to my mind once again.

A Ragnar Jonasson book is always a rewarding experience – Winterkill reaffirmed this.

Winterkill is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BC4D58S/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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November 20

Fallen Angels – Gunner Staalesen

Exploring his own dark memories may be the only way to find a killer…

When Bergen PI Varg Veum finds himself at the funeral of a former classmate on a sleet-grey December afternoon, he’s unexpectedly reunited with his old friend Jakob – guitarist of the once-famous 1960s rock band The Harpers – and his estranged wife, Rebecca, Veum’s first love.

Their rekindled friendship is thrown into jeopardy by the discovery of a horrific murder, and Veum is forced to dig deep into his own adolescence and his darkest memories, to find a motive … and a killer.

My thanks to Orenda Books for the review copy I received and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Fallen Angels tour.

Fans of Varg Veum may find they learn more about our hero in Fallen Angels than in any of his other outings. In Fallen Angels Veum is very much looking to the past – his childhood, friends he grew up with and he must come to accept that people will change over time and he may not like the result.

Fallen Angels begins with an ending – at a funeral for an old friend and where one old friend can be found it is not unexpected for a few familiar faces from yester-year also to put in an appearance. Soon Veum is back in the company of people he thought we knew well but it is clear something significant took place in 1975 and along with the immediate impact it had among his friends there is still fallout taking place.

Fallen Angels is set in the mid to late 1980s so the events of 1975 are not too far removed from when the action takes place. Other than a lack of mobile phones it is not immediately obvious Fallen Angels is not set in present day. But it really doesn’t need to be, the story is expertly told and Varg Veum is an imminently enjoyable and complex character who will always keep me engaged.

At the end of the opening quarter of the book we have a murder and a good understanding of Veum’s friends. While it may not have felt relevant at the time the scenes Veum spends catching up with old acquaintances and hearing of the days they spent as a band are seeding important clues as to what may lie ahead. Obviously I totally missed the important ones so when we head into the end game of Fallen Angels there were more than a few dark and unpleasant shocks to be revealed.

Tackling some difficult themes I found Fallen Angels to be thoroughly absorbing. Nostalgia and melancholy moments, regrets for lost opportunities but also an awareness that time doesn’t always heal – anger can grow if left to fester. Veum has to get people he once knew well to open up to him and share stories they wanted to keep secret. Staalesen has written this one superbly – Veum picking his way through half truths and faded memories to then bring everything together with such devastating effect.

Translation duties are handled by Don Bartlett who has done an amazing job with this lyrical prose. I intend the pun on lyrical – Staalesen’s writing is poetic in places and there are many musical references and comparisions through Fallen Angels. Bartlett has captured the musical feel of these poetic interchanges and the story is hugely enriched by it.

What seems to begin as a slow burn novel soon ignites into a cracking crime thriller. Veum is plunged back to his past and sees old friends dying, can he save his childhood chum or is there someone out there lurking and waiting for the opportunity to avenge an incident which took place several years ago?

Another gem from the Orenda collection.

Fallen Angels is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital versions. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081QZ3NYS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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October 27

Betrayal – Lilja Sigurdardóttir

When aid worker Úrsula returns to Iceland for a new job, she’s drawn into the dangerous worlds of politics, corruption and misogyny … a powerful, relevant, fast-paced standalone thriller.

Burned out and traumatised by her horrifying experiences around the world, aid worker Úrsula has returned to Iceland. Unable to settle, she accepts a high-profile government role in which she hopes to make a difference again.

But on her first day in the post, Úrsula promises to help a mother seeking justice for her daughter, who had been raped by a policeman, and life in high office soon becomes much more harrowing than Úrsula could ever have imagined. A homeless man is stalking her – but is he hounding her, or warning her of some danger? And why has the death of her father in police custody so many years earlier reared its head again?

As Úrsula is drawn into dirty politics, facing increasingly deadly threats, the lives of her stalker, her bodyguard and even a witch-like cleaning lady intertwine. Small betrayals become large ones, and the stakes are raised ever higher…

My thanks to Orenda Books for a review copy of Betrayal and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Betrayal blog tour.

When I first started this blog I had no expectation around where it may lead. I used to read quite a lot of books each week but would stick to familiar authors and got caught up in too many ongoing series but I didn’t really push myself into trying titles I would not normally have considered. To keep my blog fun for myself, I promised myself that I would try to bring myself out of my reading comfort zone and try new authors or consider reading books I would never likely have been aware of.

Why am I telling you this? Today’s review is the 800th post on Grab This Book – it is for an Icelandic political thriller and I am quite confident this is not a book which would have been on my radar had I not spent the last six years on the fringes of crime fiction’s blogging community. I would have missed out on this (and many other) great thrillers and it would mean I would not be encouraging more people to read Betrayal and enter the seemingly dark world of Icelandic politics.

Thanks for keeping me company over the last 800 blog posts. Regular readers will know that I have featured many books by the newly annointed winner of the Best Crime/Thriller Publisher Dagger Award – Orenda Books. When I am looking for stories which take me into new reading territories then the Orenda library is easily the best place to begin looking. “Mama Orenda”, Karen Sullivan has a phenomonal ability to find the most powerful authors and get incredible stories into the hands of readers.

To Betrayal: the story begins with Úrsula, who is being lined up to take a ministerial post in the Icelandic government. She is not affiliated with any party but both sides of the political divide agree she is a great neutral candidate to step into post. Always up for a challenge the former aid worker is putting warzones behind her to return home but is she stepping into a new type of conflict?

Úrsula has to find her feet quickly but her department seems well run and she can rely upon the support of her staff. On her first day a distressed mother appeals to Úrsula to assist with a rape case – her daughter was attacked by a police officer but her attempts for justice and a fair hearing for her daughter has gone nowhere.

Outside her office and without her knowledge a streetsleeper has recognised Úrsula and is determined to ensure she understands she has allied with “the Devil”. He will stalk her and find ways to leave messages for Úrsula and her initial decision to decline a ministerial car and bodyguard appear to be serious mistakes.

We also get to spend chapters in the company of some other interesting characters. First there is Úrsula’s bodyguard who is dealing with online attacks against his new boss and a jealous girlfriend at home. Then we have Úrsula’s smoking buddy; a cleaner at the ministry who may also be a witch but is certainly a party goer who winds up matchmaking for a TV newsreader. There is also Úrsula’s family, her colleagues and a journalist who is paying her lots of attention.

With so many plates spinning for Úrsula and story threads woven by Lilja Sigurdardóttir to keep her readers hooked you will find Betrayal spins along at a cracking pace. There’s always something to keep you wanting to read more and I was somewhat bereft when I reached the end of the book and realised my time with these engaging characters was over.

Betrayal is published by Orenda Books and is available in digital and paperback. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Betrayal-Lilja-Sigurdard%C3%B3ttir-ebook/dp/B088671XP2/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&qid=1603730427&refinements=p_27%3ALilja+Sigurdard%C3%B3ttir&s=digital-text&sr=1-5&text=Lilja+Sigurdard%C3%B3ttir

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March 28

Deep Dark Night – Steph Broadribb

Fearless Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson travels to Chicago to trap the head of a notorious crime family, in a high-stakes, nail-biting mission that sees her trapped in one of the city’s tallest buildings during a blackout…

A city in darkness. A building in lockdown. A score that can only be settled in blood…

Working off the books for FBI Special Agent Alex Monroe, Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson and her partner, JT, head to Chicago. Their mission: to entrap the head of the Cabressa crime family. The bait: a priceless chess set that Cabressa is determined to add to his collection.

An exclusive high-stakes poker game is arranged in the penthouse suite of one of the city’s tallest buildings, with Lori holding the cards in an agreed arrangement to hand over the pieces. But, as night falls and the game plays out, stakes rise and tempers flare.

When a power failure plunges the city into darkness, the building goes into lockdown. But this isn’t an ordinary blackout, and the men around the poker table aren’t all who they say they are. Hostages are taken, old scores resurface and the players start to die.

And that’s just the beginning…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and also to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the chance to host today’s leg of the blog tour.

Bounty-Hunter Lori Anderson returns for a fourth outing in Deep Dark Night. She has her partner, JT, alongside her and the kick-ass duo are going to need to be at their very best as they are working off the radar to assist an FBI agent to bring down the head of one of Chicago’s crime families.

If you haven’t had the chance to read any of Broadribb’s previous books in the Lori Anderson series you need not fret as Deep Dark Night works extremely well as both stand alone thriller and a great introduction to the series. I am sure there will be many first time readers who will love Deep Dark Night as much as I did and will take the opportunity to catch up on the first three books. A good decision!

But what to expect from Deep Dark Night? Does Agatha Christie meets Die Hard sound intriguing?

Lori and JT find themselves involved in a high stakes poker game. The game is hosted by Cabressa, gangster and general bad guy, the other players are equally dislikable types who can afford the big purse needed to have a seat at this game. The event is being held in the penthouse suite in a Chicago skyscraper. Lori has a seat at the table so she can stake a valuable set of chess pieces which Cabressa badly wants. The chess pieces and Lori’s buy-in purse is provided by the FBI. They will be watching through high tech surveillance equipment and Lori feels safer knowing they have her back.

Unfortunately things do not go to plan. Citywide blackout sees the penthouse going into lockdown. The Panic Room features in the penthouse are activated. Air conditioning, lighting and temperature controls are impacted. Nobody can get in and, more importantly, nobody can get out. So when a recorded voice addresses all the occupants of the penthouse and accuses each of harbouring a dark secret. Tensions are high. The voice announces one of their number is a police informant, another is a murderer and most alarmingly one is HERRON. A rival gangster who has been undermining many of Cabressa’s business opportunities. The voice commands the poker players work out which of their number is the mysterious Herron. If they fail the room they are locked in will lose light then air and they will all suffocate within 90 minutes.

A whodunnit (whoissit?) In the style of Christie. But the shades of Die Hard creep in too as we have 10 desperate individuals fighting for their lives in a skyscraper. The body count will be high.

At this point I should switch the alliteration button on. Deep Dark Night is a pulsating page turner, a rip roaring race against time, a breathtaking blockbuster of a book. You get the gist?

I am very much a fan of this kind of action adventure tale. The mysterious Herron figure remains undetected for a long time but several likely candidates emerge, not least Lori who is a stranger to all the other players and very much a possible candidate. One thing is certain – Herron isn’t surviving the encounter so nobody can risk being accused of being Herron.

Great fun to read. Brilliantly paced and decidedly nasty in places – Deep Dark Night is another great read from Steph Broadribb. Give it a go and join #TeamLori

Deep Dark Night is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XBWTW6X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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March 21

Mexico Street – Simone Buchholz

Hamburg state prosecutor Chastity Riley investigates a series of arson attacks on cars across the city, which leads her to a startling and life-threatening discovery involving criminal gangs and a very illicit love story…

Night after night, cars are set alight across the German city of Hamburg, with no obvious pattern, no explanation and no suspect.

Until, one night, on Mexico Street, a ghetto of high-rise blocks in the north of the city, a Fiat is torched. Only this car isn’t empty. The body of Nouri Saroukhan – prodigal son of the Bremen clan – is soon discovered, and the case becomes a homicide.

Public prosecutor Chastity Riley is handed the investigation, which takes her deep into a criminal underground that snakes beneath the whole of Germany. And as details of Nouri’s background, including an illicit relationship with the mysterious Aliza, emerge, it becomes clear that these are not random attacks, and there are more on the cards…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the chance to host this leg of the Mexico Street Blog Tour.

Reading a Chastity Riley thriller by Simone Buchholz is an intense experience. Not a word is wasted in the tight, punchy writing. Yet, as I highlighted in my review of the previous Chastity Reily book, there is a lyrical beauty in the writing.

Reilly is back and investigating a case which has seen a body found in a burnt-out car. The burning car is not a new crime, there have been cars set alight across Hamburg over many previous nights. For a burning car to be occupied this is new. Further problems arise when the identity of the deceased is established – the estranged son of one of the prominent gangster families.

Chastity is present when Nouri’s family are told of his death. Their reaction is strange and unnaturally withdrawn. The son was not considered part of the family, he had sought a life away from the influence of his family and they had closed the door on him. So was Noiri’s death a random incident or was he singled out because of who he was?

As Reilly and her colleagues try to unpick the background on their victim and his family the reader gets glimpses (very small glimpses) into Chastity’s life. I feel she is such an enigmatic character as she appears in a constant spiral of drinking, smoking and mourning changes in her life.

There is a retrospective element to the story too. Two adolescents growing up, drawn together and facing the world despite knowing their lot in life is not one either would want. I found this part of Mexico Street most compelling. The boy and girl were such vivid characters and their stories and the challenges they faced kept me hooked – I had to know how they could overcome their hardships. If they could!

I previously highlighted the lyrical power in Mexico Street (and the previous titles) so a huge shout of praise goes to Rachel Ward for the phenomenal translation of the text from the original German. During the recent Orenda Roadshow event in Glasgow Buchholz also went out of her way to praise the incredible work which was done on the translation, moving her words from the “clumsy” German into English. English translation was described by the author as being a “Holy Grail” in publishing, this series really is a rare treasure.

Mexico Street is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mexico-Street-Chastity-Simone-Buchholz-ebook/dp/B07XBVQ95Q/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1584719807&refinements=p_27%3ASimone+Buchholz&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Simone+Buchholz

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March 3

Cage and Fatal Forgery – Listening to Financial Crime

A Double Whammy of Audiobook Reviews today. As I work in financial services I particularly enjoy financial crime stories so when I recently listened to two such tales back-to-back it seemed appropriate to review them together too.

Cage – Lilja Sigurdarottir

Drugs, smuggling, big money and political intrigue in Iceland rally with love, passion, murder and betrayal until the winner takes all…in the masterful, explosive conclusion to the award-winning Reykjavík Noir trilogy.

The prison doors slam shut behind Agla when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her.

As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed.

Ruthless drug baron Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home.

At the same time, a deadly threat to Sonya and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive.

With a shocking crescendo, the lives of these characters collide, as drugs, smuggling, big money and political intrigue rally with love, passion, murder and betrayal until the winner takes all…in the masterful, explosive conclusion to the award-winning Reykjavík Noir trilogy.

My thanks to Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books who kindly provided a copy of the audiobook for me to enjoy.

Cage completes a trilogy – Snare and Trap are the first two books. Reading Trap and Snare will provide character back-story and set a scene but Cage is very much a title which could be enjoyed as a stand-alone read.

Both Snare and Trap focus on Sonya, she is the mother of a young boy who will do anything to keep her son safe, however, she is also one of the most effective drug smugglers in Iceland and lives a dangerous life. Those books are both wonderfully tense, unexpectedly shocking and Sonya is a great lead character. Cage shifts focus from Sonya to her sometime partner Agla. I was not expecting Sonya to be moved out of the limelight to the extent she was, but Agla is such a fascinating character and I was fully on-board with the change.

As Cage opens Agla is in prison but her release date looms. It is a daunting prospect for her and returning readers see how different this once confident individual has been changed as a consequence of her incarceration. Agla had expected to leave prison and be met by Sonya, but their relationship changed suddenly when Sonya had fled – seemingly unable to commit to a life with Agla. The rejection hurt Agla badly and her recovery and new reality are explored through the story.

Prior to her release, Agla had been approached by a senior executive of a large firm who wanted to recruit Agla (off radar) for her talent at financial manipulation and her ability to devise solutions around tough regulations. The challenge? To investigate unusual market practices in the aluminium markets.

Agla recruits an old adversary – Maria – to assist. Maria had once poured her energies into exposing Agla as a criminal but now her life has also been turned upside down. She is making a living as a journalist exposing corruption and bad practices. She reluctantly helps Agla and soon finds herself alone and imprisoned at the mercy of unknown agents.

Can Agla and Maria uncover the elaborate financial market manipulations? Will Sonya finally get the respite she seeks? And how does a young teen with a crate of dynamite and a desire to change the world fit into the story?

An explosive and powerful book which I utterly adored. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated (best recording of the trilogy) and the hours flew by as I listened.

Highly recommended.

Cage is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QW4C2SN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Fatal Forgery – Susan Grossey

It is 1824, and trust in the virtual money of the day – new paper financial instruments – is so fragile that anyone forging them is sent to the scaffold. So why would one of London’s most respected bankers start forging his clients’ signatures? Sent to arrest Henry Fauntleroy, Constable Samuel Plank is determined to find out why the banker has risked his reputation, his banking house and his neck – and why he is so determined to plead guilty. As the case makes its way through the Regency justice system, exercising the finest legal minds of their generation and dividing London society into the banker’s supporters and detractors, Plank races against time to find the answers that can save Fauntleroy’s life.

I put out a shout on Twitter for audiobook recommendations and got a lot of excellent recommendations. Although I only had scope to pick up one or two of the suggestions at the time I was drawn to Susan Grossey’s Fatal Forgery (as the day-job is in financial services). The premise of a banker pleading guilty to fraud when the penalty of his actions led to the hangman’s noose was ticking all the right buttons.

The story begins in 1824 and we are in the company of Constable Samuel Plank. These are the days before a London police force was fully established but Plank and colleagues do maintain law and order and work with magistrates to keep the streets safe. Well that’s a relative measure but they maintained a degree of discipline. It is clear Plank is well respected, he can apply reason and sound decision making and he is not one to have his head turned by the offer of a coin or two.

Indeed it is coins which are at the heart of this story as Plank is caught up in the disturbing case of a banker (Fauntleroy) who has failed to properly act in the true interests of his customers and traded stock and dividends without their knowledge. The semantics and methods used by Fauntleroy are nicely explained by the author and although I have an awareness of most of the terminology used I am quite sure those outside financial circles would have no trouble understanding how the crimes had been committed. Forgery is a phrase which carries over many generations!

The story follows the investigation. The social unrest and outcry (bankers were most trusted in 1824). We also get a court case and there is a great social history aspect to the story too. Susan Grossey does a marvelous job in depicting Regency London and gives the reader a splendid insight into how life may have been.

Narration duties are handled by Guy Hanson and he was very listenable. I repeat it often but the narrator can make or break the audiobook experience and Mr Hanson very much made Fatal Forgery a most entertaining addition to my listening library. There are further titles in the series and I fully intend to pick them up over the coming weeks.

Fatal Forgery is available in paperback, digital and audiobook formats and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fatal-Forgery/dp/B01LBBXQ2U/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fatal+forgery&qid=1582408083&s=books&sr=1-1

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April 3

The Ringmaster – Vanda Symon

Marginalised by previous antics, Sam Shephard, is on the bottom rung of detective training in Dunedin, and her boss makes sure she knows it. She gets involved in her first homicide investigation, when a university student is murdered in the Botanic Gardens, and Sam soon discovers this is not an isolated incident. There is a chilling prospect of a predator loose in Dunedin, and a very strong possibility that the deaths are linked to a visiting circus…

Determined to find out who’s running the show, and to prove herself, Sam throws herself into an investigation that can have only one ending…

Rich with atmosphere, humour and a dark, shocking plot, The Ringmaster marks the return of passionate, headstrong police officer, Sam Shephard, in the next instalment of Vanda Symon’s bestselling series.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in order to provide this review.

I have been looking forward to The Ringmaster from the moment I discovered Orenda Books were publishing a second Vanda Symon, Sam Shephard thriller. Anticipation was entirely justified as The Ringmaster was a joy to read…except for one scene which traumatised me!

Joking aside, this is very much shaping up to be a cracking series. Sam Shephard is an extremely likeable lead character, however, in The Ringmaster she finds herself in a frustrating situation. We are several months on from events in Overkill and Sam has been promoted to a bigger squad and finds herself bottom of the pecking order. The feeling among some of her colleagues is that she has been given too much of a jump up too quickly, but someone in authority likes Sam’s attitude and clever brain so she needs to find her feet quickly. Sam seems wracked with insecurities and frustration and I loved how the author makes me empathize with her character.

The Ringmaster starts with a chilling murder. We see the victim meet her attacker, the two are clearly acquainted, and the casual brutality of the murderer in ending his victim’s life is a compelling opening to the story. This contrasts with the first few scenes to feature Sam Shepard – although she will be at the murder scene, she spends much of the early part of the story around the circus and the issues she has to deal with are much lighter in tone. This dark/light mood setting worked really well for me, particularly as the circus makes a gradual shift from a place of light-hearted fun to being a more sinister setting.

The Ringmaster is a really engaging police procedural. The murder investigation initially seemed to be making little progress but the story zipped along and I suddenly became aware that I had missed loads of clues about where the plot was heading. No better feeling for a reader than getting caught up in a story and just letting events unfold.

I have been struggling to find reading time lately but I got completely caught up in The Ringmaster. It was inhaled in two sittings and I immediately began to look forward to the next!

The Ringmaster is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ringmaster-Sam-Shephard-Vanda-Symon-ebook/dp/B07KGNQJGJ/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GYT9HJ500HYA&keywords=the+ringmaster+vanda+symon&qid=1554246431&s=gateway&sprefix=the+ringmaster+vanda%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

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