A Wash of Black – Chris McDonald

IT’S NOT LIFE THAT IMITATES ART. IT’S DEATH.

Anna Symons. Famous. Talented. Dead.
The body of a famous actress is found mutilated on an ice rink in Manchester, recreating a scene from a blockbuster film she starred in years ago.
DI Erika Piper, having only recently returned to work after suffering a near-fatal attack herself, finds she must once again prove her worth as the hunt for the media-dubbed ‘Blood Ice Killer’ intensifies.
But when another body is found and, this time, the killer issues a personal threat, Erika must put aside her demons to crack the case, or suffer the deadly consequences.

My thanks to Dylan at Red Dog Press for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

A police procedural that introduces a new leading character in the form of Erika Piper. I have high hopes for this new series from Chris McDonald as A Wash of Black did a lot of things I like from my thrillers.

First up. Not Cosy Crime. Let me be very clear these are on the dark range of crime fiction reading list. As a reader of both crime and horror titles I felt A Wash of Black had horror-esk elements which it is worth flagging.

Some readers may remember Book Club perennial favourites Michael Slade? Slade wrote crime/horror novels set in Canada – Headhunter, Ghoul and Ripper often got bundled together and sold through mail order book clubs (in the days before Amazon). The dark tone and graphic violence in A Wash of Black gave me happy flashbacks to the Slade books. This is very much a plus point for Erika Piper.

So leaving memories of Canadian crime behind let us join Piper in modern day Manchester. A woman has been killed on the ice at a run-down ice rink. Her body pinned to the ice with knives and her throat slit so she bled out where she lay. When the police arrive to investigate they discover the victim was an actress and the manner of her death mirrors the way she died in a horror movie she had made a few years earlier.

Investigation naturally centres on the film crew currently making the sequal and on the author of the books which the films are based around. However the suspect list will grow as the victim’s fiance is behaving oddly as too is a local media studies student who has an odd fixation on the film.

Piper has to contend with multiple challenging and uncooperative suspects. This is not helped by the fact she is just returning to work after a period of convalescence and her confidence has taken a battering. Watching her find her feet while simultaneously being wrong-footed by the investigation made for fun reading.

A Wash of Black is a very promising start to this new series and as a fan of dark thrillers (could you tell?) I will keenly await the next book.

Murder, movies and malevolence – what more do you need?

A Wash of Black is published by Red Dog Press and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1913331210/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 31

A Dark Matter – Doug Johnstone

Three generations of women from the Skelfs family take over the family funeral home and PI businesses in the first book of a taut, page-turning and darkly funny new series.

Meet the Skelfs: well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators…

When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another woman, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours who invited me to join the Blog Tour

Throughout January (and before) I have seen readers and reviewers sing the praises of A Dark Matter. I knew I was closing out the blog tour today and anticipation was high. I was not disappointed – this is an amazing book and I was glued to it.

The Skelf family run a funeral home in Edinburgh. They also have a private investigator sideline – a terrific combination with so much potential for overlapping interests. Yet we meet the Skelf family at a difficult time. Jim Skelf has died and his family have built a funeral pyre to cremated his body. His wife Dorothy, Daughter Jenny and grand daughter Hannah are left to carry on both sides of the family business while mourning Jim’s passing. However it seems Jim had more than his share of secrets and it is not long before Dorothy begins to question how well she actually knew the man she spent most of her life married to.

There is so much going on in A Dark Matter that I struggle to identify which threads of the story I want to sing praise for as they are all magnificent. Hannah (the youngest Skelf) is concerned over the disappearance of her friend, she begins her own investigation as the police don’t seem interested. Her determination is inspiring.

Jenny is the link between generations and is caught up in the private investigator side of the business. She is the character I found most compelling as her “journey” seems the most rocky but she gets some brilliant kick-ass moments which had me punching the air in delight.

Dorothy is more about the funeral services and she is also most concerned with her husband and the secrets he seems to have kept. As with all families there are secrets but the Skelf’s seem to have cornered the market on dark secrets. There are many skeletons in their cupboards.

I mention there is lots going on in A Dark Matter but it doesn’t ever feel cluttered or out of focus. Doug Johnsone has pitched this perfectly – all the Skelf’s have drama, challenges and horrible truths to face and it will shape them in the books which I understand will follow this. I cannot wait to see what comes next.

A Dark Matter allows three generations to shine and to bond. Their investigations are funny and upsetting and reveal the darker side of our society these days. The funeral home scenes show respect and sympathy and some fascinating insights into what goes on behind the scenes at a time people are most vulnerable.

Worthy of all the praise that is lavished upon it – the first “Must Read” of 2020.

A Dark Matter 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/B07X9X2J4X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 28

Her Secret Past – Kerry Watts

Jean Angus pours the last of the lukewarm tea into her chipped cup, shivering as she looks outside into the dark night. Her eyes are drawn to a slow movement not far from her cosy farmhouse. She’s not expecting visitors. And as the back door opens with a bang, she doesn’t even have time to shout for help.

On a dark winter night, the bodies of Malcolm and Jean Angus lie cold and still in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Detective Jessie Blake is called in to find out what happened to the reclusive pair.

Searching the couple’s property, Jessie learns about a vicious dispute with a nearby land owner, Rachel Ferguson, and when Jessie looks into Rachel further, she doesn’t expect what comes up. Rachel isn’t the person everyone thinks she is and a previous murder conviction just made her Jessie’s prime suspect.

The small Perthshire town begins to gossip about the double murder and Jessie’s own past comes back to haunt her, when her abusive ex-husband begins to interfere in her new life. As the town starts a witch hunt against Rachel, Jessie is under pressure to find out what really happened in the farmhouse that night. Because if it isn’t Rachel, then who is the murderer living among them, waiting to kill again?

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley.

Housekeeping first: this is not the first Jessie Blake story but it is the first I have read. Do you need to have read the earlier stoies? I didn’t think so – Her Secret Past stands well on its own and at no stage did I feel I was missing out on important information or was meant to know what had occurred previously.

Her Secret Past opens in pretty shocking style – a young teenage girl and her 19yo boyfriend have beaten her grandparents to death in a pre planned attack. We watch as things start to go wrong and their careful planning comes apart. Needless to say the pair are found out and prison awaits.

Spin forward to present day and we are at another murder scene and so too is Jessie Blake. Another unusual event – the grandson of one of the victims sitting at the table to eat a meal is also sitting beside the corpse of his grandfather – seemingly unperturbed by the brutal slaying which took place not long before. The boy is clearly on the spectrum but as the story develops it becomes apparent he is very focused on murderers and killers and this is a fascination which could cause some problems during the course of Jessie’s investigations.

The murder throws up a good number of suspects which kept me guessing and reassessing where I thought the story may go. The narrative switched nicely between Jessie’s current investigations and events from 20 years ago which followed that attention-grabbing opening scene. As readers may have guessed – the two stories entwined but not how I had anticipated and someone in the cast is playing a clever game.

The story is well paced and several chapters end on cliffhanger moments which are not immediately resolved on the next page. It keeps you reading but once or twice the effect felt forced and not really necessary.

All in, a good story, interesting cast of characters who mixed up the action well. I’d certainly look for more books in the series.

Her Secret Past is published by Bookouture and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0813N28BD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 27

A User’s Guide to Make-Believe – Jane Alexander

WELCOME TO MAKE-BELIEVE. YOU CREATE THE FANTASY, THEY CONTROL YOUR MIND. Cassie worked at Imagen, the tech giant behind the cutting-edge virtual reality experience Make-BelieveTM, and she got to know the product well. Too well. But Cassie has been barred from her escape from the real world, and legally gagged by the company. Her dream job now seems to be part of a larger nightmare, and Imagen is not done with her yet. With Imagen holding all the cards, and personal and public freedoms at stake, how far will Cassie go to end the deception?

Immerse yourself in a near-future world akin to Black Mirror and Vox with an all-too plausible slant on reality and fantasy for our ‘connected’ times.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join the blog tour and to publisher Allison and Busby for sending me a review copy of the book.

Welcome to a world where virtual reality is real. Where people can escape the humdrum of their lives for short periods to live out a fantasy. They can fly, act how they wish, own flash cars or see the far flung corners of the world. Escapism at the cutting-edge of technology. The gift of another life is offered by Imagen – they have huge influence and are one of the most upwardly mobile companies in the world. By offering a subscription service to users they ensure repeat customers and a steadily growing client base – people can’t get enough of Make-Believe.

But people CAN get enough of Make-Believe. Too much. As it becomes addictive for some people, the limited time they are allowed isn’t enough for them and they want to use it more and more. The most determined find a way but invariably they are caught – so it is for Cassie. She worked for Imagen but when she got caught abusing her position she lost her job and lost access to the Make-Believe network. As the system captures and records a user’s DNA there is no way Cassie can forge a new identity and re-join Make-Believe. When we first meet her she is at a support group, mixing with drug users and alcohol dependents she chooses to sit in the group sessions but not to share details of her addiction (or of her suspension from the system).

At one meeting Cassie meets a kindred spirit. A young man who has also been abusing the system and spending too much time in Make-Believe. He too was caught and banned and now the couple are, against Cassie’s better judgement, a couple and together they are trying to work out why Imagen is showing a drop-off in income. Could the couple just be the tip of the iceberg and are there hundreds of users being kicked off Make-Believe for becoming addicted? If this was the case then how could it have been hushed up? If Imagen’s downturn is NOT due to addicts being removed from the service then why would their financial performance be dropping off? The company have explanations but Cassie isn’t buying it and she sets out to uncover the truth.

Pitting herself against big business is dangerous and Cassie is not the most stable of people. Her addiction has cost her the trust of family and friends and there are few with the skills or the inclination to help her get behind the scenes of Imagen. Jane Alexander sets up the situation perfectly. Cassie has weaknesses and vulnerabilities which she must overcome. Her reliance upon Make-Believe and what she begins to uncover about the product Imagen are so efficiently promoting to its subscribers is actually quite chilling. When we consider the rapid development of computers and the speed at which they have taken over our lives it is quite easy to believe there are improper and alarming decisions being taken behind the doors of corporate boardrooms.

This is a thought-provoking adventure. Not too far removed from reality but heavily influenced by the potential of virtual reality. Engaging reading and the story holds together well. Enjoyed this – a departure from my usual reads but a very welcome change.

A User’s Guide to Make-Believe is currently available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0749025107/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 21

Hitler’s Secret – Rory Clements

Autumn 1941. The war is going badly for Britain and its allies. If Hitler is to be stopped, a new weapon is desperately needed.

In Cambridge, professor Tom Wilde is approached by an American intelligence officer who claims to know of such a weapon – one so secret even Hitler himself isn’t aware of its existence. If Wilde can smuggle the package out of Germany, the Third Reich will surely fall.

But it is only when he is deep behind enemy lines that Wilde discovers why the Nazis are so desperate to prevent the ‘package’ falling into Allied hands. And as ruthless killers hunt him through Europe, a treacherous question hangs over the mission: if Hitler’s secret will win them the war, why is Wilde convinced it must remain hidden?

My thanks to Zaffre for my review copy and to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for allowing me the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour.

War time action thrills are the order of the day in Hitler’s Secret. In 1941 the war is dragging on and Germany, fighting a war both to the East and West, are firmly under control of Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist party. The British and their allies know success in their campaign relies upon toppling Hitler – if the figurehead of the Third Reich could be removed then Germany would surely step down from their fighting.

Clearly the Germans also knew the importance of keeping Hitler safe and also in protecting his image. One man held a position of power and influence which exceeded that of Hitler’s Generals and closest advisers – the “Gatekeeper”. This man, Bormann, worked alongside Hitler in his offices and was responsible for his diary, his appointments and for deciding which telephone calls Hitler would receive and which party members would be granted access to meet with him. Bormann is a powerful man who kept out of the spotlight but a man who would do whatever it took to protect his Leader and his own position of importance. He knows a secret, one which very few people know. He has information which cannot be shared with anyone else; the British cannot have the information as it would be used to damage Hitler. Hitler’s allies cannot know the information as it would undermine his authority and Hitler himself doesn’t even know this information – for him to learn the truth may also cause him to lose focus on the matters at hand. The secret must never be known and if people have to die to ensure the truth remains hidden – so be it.

The problem with secrets is that, invariably, truth will out. As we begin Hitler’s Secret, the British know of the highly sensitive information and they are sending Tom Wilde undercover behind enemy lines to recover a package which will expose Hitler’s Secret to the World. Bormann is also taking decisive steps to have the package destroyed – anyone who comes into possession of the package must also be removed. The chase is on and with everything at stake it’s a mighty story.

Described by the Sunday Times as a “What If” story, I find the Tom Wilde books to be great action thrillers from one of our darkest times. Rory Clements builds on events from the War and weaves his stories into the events of 1941. Familiar people and places will appear and the characters Clements introduces will phase in and around them, it gives the story a feeling of authenticity and makes scene setting very realistic.

Wilde is putting himself against one of the most resourceful figures in the Nazi party. He will need to place his trust in a select few individuals and the feeling of David vs Goliath was ever present as I read Hitler’s Secret.

I don’t read many thrillers set during WW2 but I have read a few books by Rory Clements and each has been a satisfying experience. Perhaps the best way to articulate this would be trying to describe how, after each reading session, I found I was mentally adjusting back to 2020 life and popping the world of 1941 into the background. Clements built the world around me as I read and after putting down the book I could still easily picture the environments he had described.

If you enjoy spy thrillers and stories of wartime heroics then this book is for you.

Hitler’s Secret is published by Zaffre on 23 January 2020 and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VV5RLP8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 13

Black 13 – Adam Hamdy

It has been too long since I last had the opportunity to welcome a guest to my blog so I am utterly delighted to be joined today by Adam Hamdy, Co-Founder of the Capital Crime festival and author of the terrific Pendulum series.

There is a review of Black 13, Adam’s new thriller, further down this post. Before we get there I wanted to share this short Q&A, when you see which books and authors Adam makes reference to when contemplating his influences it may give you an indication why I was totally hooked on Black 13.

I would be keen to hear the novels which you feel shaped your own writing.

The authors who influenced me most growing up were John Wyndham, Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Alexander Dumas, Michael Crichton and Thomas Harris. More recently I’ve learned a great deal from the works of Anthony Horowitz, Mari Hannah, Deon Meyer, Kate Rhodes, Michael Connelly, Candice Fox, Peter James, David Mitchell and James Patterson. Individual novels that really stand out for me are The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, The Stand by Stephen King, Crimson Lake by Candice Fox, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, and Black Sunday by Thomas Harris.

What is it about each of those particular books which makes them memorable. Is it a plot device, the twist, a character journey?

The Count of Monte Cristo is a brilliant tale of revenge. Neuroscience is unlocking the secrets of our brains, and it seems that humans are born with an intrinsic sense of right and wrong. Studies carried out on groups of babies show they have a strong sense of justice. The righting of wrongs appeals to some ancient part of our minds and it may be why there is such a strong appetite for revenge stories in literature and on screen. The Count of Monte Cristo is a vengeance epic, packed with twists, turns and adventure. The scale and scope of The Stand was simply mind-blowing when I first read it as a teenager. It redefined what a book could be for me. I love Crimson Lake by Candice Fox. The story centres on two misfit investigators and the characterisations and their journeys were brilliantly executed. Cloud Atlas is a work of immense ambition. The plot device of multiple timelines all linked by an idea of past lives repeating the same journeys resonated because of the way David Mitchell brought the characters to life. Epic and imaginative, it’s one of my all-time favourites. Black Sunday was another book I read as a teenager. It’s a brilliant study of a man who perceives himself to have been wronged and the devastating consequences of his misguided quest for vengeance. Thomas Harris handles the ticking clock and the action brilliantly.

Which recurring characters do you look forward to reuniting with?

I’m currently working on the next book in the Private series with James Patterson, so I’m somewhat biased towards Jack Morgan, the main protagonist of the series. I’m also a big fan of Roy Grace, Peter James’ wonderful detective and I love Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch.

“What If” time…You receive a panicked telephone call from the director of a large book festival – travel carnage has meant all the guests for one panel will not make the event. You need to step in and discuss the works of one author – is there one body of work you could wax lyrical about to save the day?

I’d do a pretty good job with the Private series by James Patterson. I also have a good grasp of most of the authors I’ve mentioned above, but if I had to pick one, it would be Tom Clancy. Clancy’s American editor recently posted on Twitter challenging people to spot a mistake in the blurb of the most recent continuation novel, and I got it immediately. I devoured Clancy’s books as a teenager and have uber-nerd level knowledge of his work.

Many thanks to Adam for taking time to answer my questions.

The timing of Adam’s guest appearance today is not entirely coincidental as his new book, Black 13, is due to release next week. Publication date is 23 January. Thanks to the kindness of his publishers I received a review copy and I share my thoughts below.

Black 13 – Adam Hamdy

Black 13 is the brilliant first novel in the Scott Pearce series from Adam Hamdy. In this addictive and fast-paced thriller, ex-MI6 officer Pearce is about to show us that in a world where there is no loyalty to the nation state, it’s time to burn the espionage rule book.

An exiled agent. A growing threat. A clandestine war.

The world is changing beyond recognition.
Radical extremists are rising and seek to enforce their ideology globally.
Governments, the military and intelligence agencies are being outmanoeuvred at every step. Borders are breaking down. Those in power are puppets.
The old rules are obsolete. To fight this war a new doctrine is needed.
In a world where nothing is at it seems, where trust is gone, one man will make the difference.
Meet Ex-MI6 agent and man in exile, Scott Pearce.
It’s time to burn the espionage rule book.
Watch Pearce light the fire.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy of Black 13 and to Tracy Fenton a Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the Black 13 blog tour.

As we waved goodbye to 2019 and ushered in 2020 I was reading a very entertaining crime thriller. Just to be clear – I wasn’t reading as the bells chimed the New Year – the book I was enjoying was started on Hogmanay and I was about a quarter of the way through it. Well, one week later I was STILL a quarter of the way through that book as on New Year’s Day I picked up Black 13 by Adam Hamdy and I got hooked. Every opportunity I had to sit down with my book it was Black 13 I was seeking out – what a start to 2020’s reading!

Black 13 is an action packed adventure, the kind of tale which zips from action sequence to action sequence and you never feel the lead characters are safe. It is such a refreshing change of pace when I have been on a run of reading police procedurals and whodunnit murder tales. Suddenly I am caught up in a book where mid-conversation of the two parties may whip out a concealed blade and try to wipe out the other…this never seemed to happen to Inspector Morse. The unpredictability was very welcome.

Black 13 kicks off with an undercover operative trying to infiltrate a secure site. He is after information for his employers and as a highly skilled former operative he is confident in his abilities. However all does not go to plan and things do not end well. New talent is required and that is were Scott Pearce comes in.

Pearce has been working undercover for months but his work is undone in a matter of moments when a British lawyer tracks him down to the remote tourist spot in the southern hemisphere. The lawyer has been followed and led some very dangerous people to Scott’s door. Fortunately for Pearce is is also a “very dangerous” person and is able to escape and place some distance between his unknown pursuers and himself. But now Pearce needs answers and the lawyer is the only person who can provide them, can he get her safely back to the UK? That’s what it is going to take as until he sees her home in one piece the lawyer isn’t prepared to risk losing her new asset.

What follows is a relentless chase, a deadly game of cat and mouse where Pearce and his trusted colleagues must take on unknown enemies who have a reach and resources far beyond what a few lone operatives can muster. But Pearce is the best at what he does and he takes on everything that they throw at him.

As I mentioned, Black 13 was the first book I read this year and it was a real page turner. A summer blockbuster in the waiting, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys a thrilling action packed adventure.

Black 13 is published on 23 January 2020 by Macmillan and can be ordered in Hardback, Digital and Audiobook format. You can order your copy through this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Scott-Pearce-Adam-Hamdy-ebook/dp/B07TGJQTJY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1578872770&sr=1-2

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December 17

Cast A Deadly Shadow (audiobook) – Roger Granelli

With Cast a Deadly Shadow Roger Granelli has followed his exciting series of Palermo Stories with a full-length novel that is a fast-moving tale of murder, betrayal and lust.

Continuing their never-ending fight against the Mafia, detectives Carpanini and Bracchi have captured their longtime target, the gangster Bardolini, setting off a dramatic chain of events in which dangerous men of the Sicilian underworld get involved – each one with his own agenda.

Carpanini’s marriage is on the rocks, and Bracchi has a heart-rending choice of devotion over duty, and the redoubtable duo are in their tightest spot ever – threatened by three different Mafia entities, all trying to gain the upper hand, as the story twists and turns towards an explosive final climax.

My thanks to Anna at Midas PR for the opportunity to join the blog tour and for providing a review copy of the story.

Cast A Deadly Shadow is only available as an audiobook and I listened through the Audible App. I did receive a review copy for the purpose of the tour but when the book released last week I also picked up a copy through the Audible Store (I like to nudge up the narration speed through the app).

Although I read a lot of crime stories I seldom get to enjoy a tale about the Mafia families so I took to Cast A Deadly Shadow with huge anticipation and I splurged on the book. Running time is over 8 hours, I got through it over two days. To put that into perspective, at present I normally only listen to an audiobook for around 30 to 45 mins per day. I got a bit caught up in this one!

Italy is the setting and we are in the company of detectives Carpanini and Bracchi. They have secured the arrest of one of the Mafia’s biggest thugs who had turned his fists on his girlfriend only to have her call the police and reveal his location. Carpanini and Bracchi are escorting their prisoner back to Palermo when the Mafia henchmen catch-up with the cops on the train. A shoot-out ensues and the fallout has repercussions for the rest of the book.

After the incident on the train one of the shooters targets the police to get revenge for the twarted plan. Carpanini and Bracchi have to deal with the emotional fallout and we see how high tension events (a staple of crime thrillers) should and does have ramifications for those involved and hos it impacts upon those they are close to.

But organised crime doesn’t stay quiet for long and soon the police are dealing with a robbery – protagonists heavily armed and casualties high. A kidnapping, which made for quite uncomfortable listening as we follow the kidnapper narrowing in on his target and there needs to be a rescue attempt to have us racing towards the end of the story.

I found Cast A Deadly Shadow to be well paced and nicely told. It held plenty of twists and thrills but the quieter moments were well covered too and the author made the characters engaging and well defined for a new reader/listener.

As ever an audiobook is reliant upon the narrator. Cast A Deadly Shadow has Andrew Wincott taking us through the tale. No complaints over his skills to deliver a well told and dramatic story – as I indicated I got caught up in this story and listened for hours in a single sitting. One thing which did strike me as odd was the fact all the Italian gangsters had a broad (thick?) London accents. It slightly distracted from the fact events were taking place in a totally different country; when locations were mentioned it brought the anomaly back to my attention. Minor quibble and, as I previously stated, the narrator is very good.

All in – good fun was had. Enough action to hold me, not too many characters and events to make it confused and over the top. Definitely a thumbs up – enjoyed my time with this listen.

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November 3

Ghoster – Jason Arnopp

Kate Collins has been ghosted.

She was supposed to be moving in with her new boyfriend Scott, but all she finds after relocating to Brighton is an empty flat. Scott has vanished. His possessions have all disappeared.

Except for his mobile phone.

Kate knows she shouldn’t hack into Scott’s phone. She shouldn’t look at his Tinder, his texts, his social media. But she can’t quite help herself.

That’s when the trouble starts. Strange, whispering phone calls from numbers she doesn’t recognise. Scratch marks on the door that she can’t explain.

And the growing feeling that she’s being watched . . .

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the blog tour and to Orbit for my review copy.

Ghoster is the most impressive contemporary horror tale I have read. It also seamlessly blends the traditional themes of a strong horror tale, loss, isolation, obsession, terror and paranoia and drops it into a modern day tale with social media, smart phones and our societies expectations. Clever, chilling stuff.

Kate Collins is looking for her soul mate. On Valentines Day she is browsing Tinder looking for possible matches when one profile picture leaps out at her. This guy has a handsome but vulnerable look and Kate feels an immediate connection. She clicks on the super-like and waits. And waits. But when she gets a like back it is not from the guy she clicked on. Instead she ends up with a disasterous match which subsequently forces her off social media.

In a bid to purge her obsessive online fascination with her ex-boyfriend’s activities Kate books into a weekend retreat digital detox clinic. Also booked onto this course is Scott, the handsome guy she had Super Liked on Tinder. He doesn’t recognise her, why would he? But Kate certainly recognised him and over the weekend the pair find themselves drawn together and they seem to click.

Moving forward a few months and Kate is leaving Yorkshire to move to Brighton where she is moving into Scott’s house. She has given up her paramedic’s role in Leeds and making full commitment to their deepening relationship. So imagine her horror in arriving at Scott’s house to find it entirely empty. No Scott, no furniture and no indication as to where he may have gone. Scott has totally vanished. Is he Ghosting her? Is he dead? Has she been dumped or is she the victim of an elaborate hoax? Kate’s life is in turmoil and she has no idea where to turn. The only clue she may have is that Scott’s mobile phone is found hidden outside his flat on his balcony. Can Kate somehow piece together the life Scott was leading while she was still in Leeds?

Narrative swings between the current day as Kate tries to juggle her investigations and her new job in the Brighton paramedic team and then back to six months earlier as we read how Kate and Scott’s relationship grew while they spent time together.

Kate goes through an emotional wringer and she makes some shocking discoveries about the man she thought she knew but seemingly massively misjudged. Kate needs to know the truth and her quest to uncover Scott’s secrets threaten everything she holds dear. But where is Scott?

I was kept guessing on Ghoster and at times I wasn’t even sure I was reading a horror tale. Well until a ghost appeared that it. Kate’s story was one of loss and personal drama but where does the horror lie? Everywhere. And at times it is so normal I didn’t even see it for what it was.

This is sublime, clever and chilling writing. Ghoster is a modern horror classic. If you love this genre then you need to read this book.

Ghoster is published by Orbit Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06X3V9VSX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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October 25

Haverscroft – S.A. Harris

Kate Keeling leaves all she knows and moves to Haverscroft House in an attempt to salvage her marriage. Little does she realise, Haverscroft’s dark secrets will drive her to question her sanity, her husband and fatally engulf her family unless she can stop the past repeating itself. Can Kate keep her children safe and escape Haverscroft in time, even if it will end her marriage?

Haverscroft is a gripping and chilling dark tale, a modern ghost story that will keep you turning its pages late into the night.

My thanks to Salt Publishing for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

A halloween blog tour and what could be better than reaing a chiller about a haunted house? Haverscroft is the house in question and Kate Keeling and her family have just moved in. It’s not long before Kate begins to feel unsettled in their new surroundings.

Haverscroft is an old home which had been owned by the same family for many years. Circumstances forced the last surviving family member to sell the property yet the elderly lady who reluctantly parted with the house has been actively deterring families from moving in. Kate’s husband arranged the purchase as Kate hadn’t been in the best of health. He sheltered her from the warnings and it is only after they move into Haverscroft that Kate begins to realise their home may not be the sanctuary they sought

The author does get the chill factor right. Strange noises, doors which will not stay closed, a loft filled with memories and belongings of a family long gone and a room which nobody can stand to spend any time in.

If the chilling house isn’t enough foe Kate to contend with, her personal life is also going through the wringer. Kate’s husband is a junior member of a successful law firm. He has been asked to work away on a big case and is not around when Kate needs him. Kate is convinced he is having an affair with one of his colleagues and his increasingly erratic behaviour fuels her fears.

As events in Haverscroft start to escalate we see Kate’s mental health start to suffer. Her focus remains keeping her kids safe but she can’t watch them around the clock and the house holds many dangers.

Haverscroft is a cracking read, an atmospheric chiller and compelling family drama. Perfect halloween reading.

Haverscroft is published by Salt and is available in digital and paperback. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1784632007/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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October 6

Many Rivers to Cross – Peter Robinson

Monday 7 October is the First Monday of the month and readers who can easily get to London will have the chance to hear Peter Robinson join a fabulous panel of authors at

Peter will (I assume) be discussing his latest DCI Banks novel: Many Rivers to Cross

You can see Peter along with Nicci French (both of them) and the terrific Marnie Riches (there’s only one Marnie Riches) if you follow this link: https://www.firstmondaycrime.com/

Want to know a little more about Many Rivers to Cross? Read on…

Many Rivers to Cross

A skinny young boy is found dead – his body carelessly stuffed into wheelie bin.

Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are called to investigate. Who is the boy, and where did he come from? Was he discarded as rubbish, or left as a warning to someone? He looks Middle Eastern, but no one on the East Side Estate has seen him before.

As the local press seize upon an illegal immigrant angle, and the national media the story of another stabbing, the police are called to investigate a less newsworthy death: a middle-aged heroin addict found dead of an overdose in another estate, scheduled for redevelopment.

Banks finds the threads of each case seem to be connected to the other, and to the dark side of organised crime in Eastvale. Does another thread link to his friend Zelda, who is facing her own dark side?

The truth may be more complex – or much simpler – than it seems . . .

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

Many Rivers To Cross is the 26th volume in the hugely successful DCI Banks series. 26th!!! I have been reading this series for more years than I can keep track of and it is always a treat to return to characters I feel I know well.

In this outing Banks and his colleagues are investigating the murder of a young boy who has been found stuffed into a bin. The callous dumping of this child’s body adds further frustration for Banks and team who are struggling to identify their victim. He appears to be of Middle Eastern origin and, as is pointed out in the story, should be more likely to be noticed in Yorkshire. Yet despite this the police will struggle to trace him to a family.

Running alongside this investigation is a story about Banks’s friend Zelda. She is helping authorities identify criminals from old CCTV footage as she has the rare ability (or curse) of never forgetting a face. Zelda has previously been forced to work as a prostitute and knows more than she would ever want about the abuse of vulnerable children and women by gangs of traffickers and organised criminals.

Zelda arrives at her workplace and is shocked to be met by the police who are investigating the sudden death of her boss in what appears to be an unfortunate household accident. Zelda is not convinced and starts to ask questions – a dangerous path to take as she will potentially put herself into harms way in order to uncover the truth.

In a novel which reflects ongoing social issues and real-life issues it is inevitable that the UK’s political turmoil will also get a few mentions. The author makes a few pointed comments about the current political travails which are sure to upset readers who take an opposing viewpoint. I agreed with the comments made and am encouraged that authors are not shirking away and ignoring an issue which has dominated discussion in this country for the last 3 years (and more).

Fans of the series will enjoy this latest Banks adventure. Peter Robinson can tell a good story and keep the readers guessing. Many Rivers To Cross was slightly slower paced than some of my recent reads but perhaps that reflects my own reading choices. More Banks will be very welcome, I do love these characters.

Many Rivers To Cross is published by Hodder and Stoughton and is available in Hardback, Digital and Audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Many-Rivers-Cross-Peter-Robinson/dp/1444787047/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=peter+robinson&qid=1570312301&sr=8-2

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