November 13

Think Yourself Lucky – Ramsey Campbell

David Botham just wants a quiet ordinary life—his job at the travel agency, his relationship with his girlfriend Stephanie. The online blog that uses a title he once thought up has nothing to do with him. He has no idea who is writing it or where they get their information about a series of violent deaths in Liverpool. If they’re murders, how can the killer go unseen even by security cameras? Perhaps David won’t know until they come too close to him—until he can’t ignore the figure from his past that is catching up with him…

 

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the chance to join the blog tour.

This one is going to split the jury I feel.  On one hand the story has a series of nasty killings, seemingly instigated by someone that takes exception to their victim’s anti-social or unacceptable behavior.  Good horror novel fare and a fun hook that shows bad behaviour is not going to be tolerated by our killer.

On the other hand I didn’t find the story flowed as easily as I needed and I found the narrative a bit cumbersome.

We see a scene as David Botham which ends with David being frustrated/thwarted or vexed by the situation.  Then the killer relives the same scene (or is it David’s perception) and this time the irritating individual that David encountered is permanently silenced.

The mystery behind the story is who is responsible for a series of brutal deaths? The anecdotal narrative of the murders is uploaded to a blog.  It is made quite clear that David is no writer and distances himself from any suggestion that he may be.  However, there are too many overlaps and coincidences for random chance to be a factor so, over the course of the story, the reader has to puzzle out what is happening.

I liked the premise of this story and there were some nicely dark touches throughout, however, this has not been my favourite Ramsey Campbell title but it would be one I suggest you pick up if you are a fan of revenge/retribution thrillers.

 

Think Yourself Lucky is published by Flame Tree Press on 15 November 2018 and you can order a copy in paperback or digital format here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Yourself-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07JGGC5JV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541974475&sr=8-1&keywords=ramsey+campbell

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November 1

The Mystery of Three Quarters (New Hercule Poirot Mystery) – Sophie Hannah

The world’s most beloved detective, Hercule Poirot – the legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and most recently The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket—returns in a stylish, diabolically clever mystery set in 1930’s London.

Returning home after lunch one day, Hercule Poirot finds an angry woman waiting outside his front door. She demands to know why Poirot has sent her a letter accusing her of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, a man she has neither heard of nor ever met.

Poirot has also never heard of a Barnabas Pandy, and has accused nobody of murder. Shaken, he goes inside, only to find that he has a visitor waiting for him — a man who also claims also to have received a letter from Poirot that morning, accusing him of the murder of Barnabas Pandy.

Poirot wonders how many more letters of this sort have been sent in his name. Who sent them, and why? More importantly, who is Barnabas Pandy, is he dead, and, if so, was he murdered? And can Poirot find out the answers without putting more lives in danger?

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy which I received through Netgalley.

 

Happy oh happy day.  Hercule Poirot is back for a third outing under the care of Sophie Hannah.

Over 20 years ago I read, what I had assumed to be, the last Poirot novel.  I had worked my way through all the Poirot novels and short story collections and knew that when I finally finished Dead Man’s Folly I would be done.  Sadly I found I had left one of my least favourite Poirot stories to the end and this only increased my disappointment.

Spin forward to 2014 and Sophie Hannah brings Poirot back in a whole new adventure – The Monogram Murders.  I had to read it.  I did read it.  I loved having a whole new Hercule Poirot murder story to enjoy…would there be more books to follow?

Yes!

2016 saw Sophie Hannah release Closed Casket and 2018 brings us The Mystery of Three Quarters (by far the most intriguing title to date). Poirot is accused of writing to a number of people and suggesting that one Barnabas Pandy was murdered. Furthermore the recipient of these letters are accused of murdering Pandy.

When first confronted with one of the letters he sent Poirot is perplexed – he has never heard of Barnabus Pandy.  Has no idea who the recipient of the letter is either and most certainly does not know if Barnabus Pandy was murdered.  But of course Poirot must now find out!

Who would dare bring the attention of the world’s greatest detective to an accidental death?  Who would presume they could send out letters in Poirot’s name and not expect him to uncover the truth behind the death of poor Mr Pandy?  And why is M. Poirot being force-fed cake every time he visits a local tearoom?

Sophie Hannah takes on all these questions and breathes new life into the much loved Belgian detective.  She captures Poirot magnificently and fans of the series can delight in the knowledge that our favourite character is being well cared for in his new adventures.

The mystery is nicely played out and there are plenty of clues and red herrings to keep readers on their toes.  A cast of quirky, eccentric supporting characters give us plenty of options to ponder when we try to work out if there is a killer in their midst. Poirot manipulates and questions everyone as he digs to uncover secrets and possible motives and it is remarkably easy to become engrossed back into his world.

More Poirot would be very welcome but, for now, The Mystery of Three Quarters is a very pleasing addition to the collection.

 

The Mystery of Three Quarters is published by Harper Collins and is available in Hardback, digital and audiobook.

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October 28

Lost in the Lake – AJ Waines

She came at first for answers…now she’s back for you

Amateur viola player Rosie Chandler is the sole survivor of a crash which sends a group of musicians plunging into a lake. Convinced the accident was deliberate, but unable to recall what happened, she is determined to recover her lost memories and seeks out clinical psychologist, Dr Samantha Willerby.

But Rosie is hiding something…

Sam is immediately drawn to the tragic Rosie and as she helps her piece the fragments together, the police find disturbing new evidence which raises further questions. Why is Rosie so desperate to recover her worthless viola?

When Rosie insists they return to the lake to relive the fatal incident, the truth about Rosie finally emerges. Now Sam is the one seriously out of her depth…

 

My thanks to Emma at Bloodhound Books for the chance to join the blog tour

 

Sam is a clinical psychologist and she has helped patients recover lost memories. It is through this skill that she encounters Rosie – a young woman who has narrowly survived a terrible ordeal and is reaching out to Sam to help her recall the events leading up to the accident which she had been involved in. Rosie hopes that by recovering her memories of the event she may understand what happened to her friends that were in the van she was traveling in. All she can recall is that the van left the road and Rosie managed to get out but her friends do not appear to have been so lucky.

Lost in the Lake begins with Rosie’s near death experience then spins forward to her first encounter with Sam. From the very first meeting of the two women it becomes clear to the reader that Rosie is a deeply troubled person and has experienced more than one terrible ordeal. However, we also get a hint that she is not being entirely honest with Sam and that she is keeping things back.

We also spend time with Sam. Events from Inside the Whispers have cast a bit of a shadow over her current personal situation (nb reading Whispers is not essential as the author deftly provides all the relevant information). Sam appears at a bit of a low ebb, her oldest and dearest friend may soon be moving away and there is a suggestion that Sam is lonely. But she is throwing herself into her work and the chance to assist Rosie is a compelling motivator.

Once the pattern of visits is established we come to see that Rosie is not behaving normally and that her dependency upon Sam is spilling out of control. Sam too is becoming aware that Rosie is becoming too needy for Sam’s attentions and she begins to wonder if she should end Rosie’s sessions.

The relationship between the two becomes a tense and intricate dance. While their conversations are professional and aimed at helping Rosie we also know how each woman is also trying to control the nature and extent of the relationship they have with each other – it is brilliantly conveyed by the author and I was gnawing at my fingernails in horrified frustration.

I cannot share too much detail over how the “dance” unfolds, however, if you are a fan of psychological thrillers and books which ramp up the tension as the characters reveal more and more of their driving forces, then you will not go far wrong with Lost in the Lake.

I read the whole book in two sittings as I had to know how events were going to play out – I was not disappointed. Lost in the Lake is available now and I urge you to read it.

 

Lost in the Lake is published by Bloodhound Books and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Lake-psychological-thriller-Samantha-ebook/dp/B07J59N6G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540726587&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+in+the+lake

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October 27

Cover Reveal: Thunder Bay – Douglas Skelton

A treat today as I get to share the first glimpse of the new thriller from Douglas Skelton.   I have a cover to show you but that is at the end of the post so you need to work your way down to see it.  First up some publication details and then the cover blurb…

Thunder Bay will be published by Polygon on 7 March 2019

It will be available in paperback and digital format.

 

Here is what to expect:

When reporter Rebecca Connolly is told of Roddie Drummond’s return to the island of Stoirm she senses a story. Fifteen years before he was charged with the murder of his lover, Mhairi. When he was found Not Proven, Roddie left the island and no one, apart from his sister, knew where he was or what he was doing.

Now he has returned for his mother’s funeral – and it will spark an explosion of hatred, bitterness and violence.

Defying her editor’s wishes, Rebecca joins forces with local photographer Chazz Wymark to dig into the secrets surrounding Mhairi’s death, and her mysterious last words of Thunder Bay, the secluded spot on the west coast of the island where, according to local lore, the souls of the dead set off into the after life. When another murder takes place, and the severe weather that gives the island its name hits, she is ideally placed to uncover the truth about what happened that night fifteen years before.

Sounds terrific – and it looks awesome too!

Best news of all is that you can use this handy link to order your copy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thunder-Bay-Douglas-Skelton/dp/1846974739/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1540583328&sr=1-2&keywords=thunder+bay

 

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October 16

Inside The Whispers – A.J. Waines

The most dangerous place is inside your own head…

Dr Samantha Willerby, a specialist in Post Traumatic Stress, has never seen anything like this before. Following a fire on the London Underground, three survivors seek her help but although unmistakably traumatised, their stories don’t match the facts. Are they ‘faking it’? Sam’s confusion turns to horror when one by one, instead of recovering, they are driven to suicide.

When her lover, Conrad, begins to suffer the same terrifying flashbacks, Sam is desperate to find out what’s causing them. As a mysterious and chilling conspiracy begins to unravel the nightmares begin for Sam…

 

My thanks to Emma at Bloodhound Books for the chance to host a leg of the blogtour.

 

I love a thriller set around hospitals. Perhaps it is because both my parents worked for the NHS and I grew up surrounded by hospital chat? But give me a book with a medical theme and the threat that a place of healing is actually doing harm to its patients and I will be a happy reader.

Inside The Whispers is a perfect example of why I love these types of stories. We are introduced to Doctor Samantha Willerby (Sam) – she is a clinical psychologist and is treating patients suffering traumas and trying to help them overcome their personal demons. Sam realises that some of her patients were caught up in the same terrifying event – a fire at a London tube station. Their graphic descriptions of the horror they faced leaves Sam shaken, particularly when the first patient commits suicide. However, something seems wrong with the scenes they are describing and despite the clarity of their memories of the fire there are inconsistencies in their memory which Sam cannot explain.

Digging deeper Sam soon uncovers evidence to suggest that her patients may be lying to her,  but to what end and why would they fabricate a story so vivid and horrific that they then start to take their own lives?  Sam needs to get to the bottom of the mystery as her boyfriend starts to exhibit the same symptoms as her patients.

Away from work there are also problems for Sam at home, her sister has left the residential clinic where she has been staying for several years. Seemingly recovered from the mental problems which plagued her childhood Sam’s sister, Mimi, is determined to make a success of living back in society. But her arrival will cause friction with Sam as the long running fractious nature of their relationship cannot just be glossed over and forgotten easily.

Inside the Whispers was an absolute treat to read. The author created characters I cared about, giving them a depth and feel which kept me reading. Sam’s work and home life brought her into contact with people with hugely fascinating stories and these are explored really well through the book. The realisation that her patients are dying and that Sam is unable to prevent it gives a strong feeling of a “race against time” particularly when events come close to home for Sam.

This is a stylish, intelligent thriller with a dark and deeply disturbing premise at its core. I flew through the book in super-fast time as I was desperate to see how the story would be resolved and, when I was done, I had that conflicted satisfied sadness of “I loved it…but it’s finished.”

Inside the Whispers is highly recommended.

 

Inside The Whispers is published by Bloodhound Books and is available in digital and paperback format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Whispers-haunting-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B07J57C82Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539726759&sr=8-1&keywords=inside+the+whispers

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October 12

In Her Shadow – Mark Edwards

Isabel’s life seemed perfect. Successful business, beautiful house, adoring husband. And then she was dead.

For four years Jessica has never doubted that her sister Isabel’s death was an accident. But when Jessica’s young daughter seems to know long-forgotten details about her aunt’s past, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that there’s a more sinister truth behind the tragedy.

As Jessica unearths disturbing revelations about her sister, and about the people she loved and trusted most, it becomes clear Isabel’s life was less than perfect and that Jessica’s might also be at risk.

Did someone murder Isabel? Are they now after Jessica and her family? The key seems to lie in the hands of a child. Can Isabel reveal the truth from beyond the grave, or is the answer closer to home?

 

My thanks to the team at Midas PR for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

 

I have been enjoying a return to reading ghost stories over recent months but I wasn’t expecting In Her Shadow to have a ghostly element.

Yet spooky is what I got and it was so well done.

 

Izzy is young, successful and full of life. Her business was taking off and she had everything to live for. Until a tragic accident brought things to a premature end. Her sister Jessica was devastated at Izzys death and struggled to accept how she could possibly have fallen over a balcony accidentally.

Time has passed but Jessica’s young daughter Olivia has started speaking with an imaginary friend. She calls her Izzy. Jessica realises that “Izzy” seems to tell Olivia lots of things about her Aunt Izzy which Olivia could not be expected to know. Could it be possible that the Jessica’s dead sister is able to communicate with Olivia?

In Her Shadow is a terrific twisty tale. Mark Edwards perfectly captures the paranoia and disbelief that Jessica displays. She knows there is no way Olivia could be communicating with Izzy. Yet…

Once we get into the story we have some flashback scenes. There is a hint that Izzy may not have died accidentally. We see the weeks leading up to her death and the author will make readers start to doubt all their preconceptions as to events they have read. A murder tale? A domestic thriller? A ghost story? All three?

Perfectly perplexing and wonderfully readable. I can see In Her Shadow sticking a chord with many readers, it is the ideal story to keep you reading in these dark autumnal evenings.

 

In Her Shadow is published by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Shadow-Mark-Edwards-ebook/dp/B07CBVH3JZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539281803&sr=1-1&keywords=in+her+shadow+mark+edwards

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October 9

The House by the Cemetery – John Everson

Rumor has it that the abandoned house by the cemetery is haunted by the ghost of a witch. But rumors won’t stop carpenter Mike Kostner from rehabbing the place as a haunted house attraction. Soon he’ll learn that fresh wood and nails can’t keep decades of rumors down.

There are noises in the walls, and fresh blood on the floor: secrets that would be better not to discover. And behind the rumors is a real ghost who will do whatever it takes to ensure the house reopens. She needs people to fill her house on Halloween. There’s a dark, horrible ritual to fulfill. Because while the witch may have been dead… she doesn’t intend to stay that way.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the chance to join this tour.

 

Just in time for Halloween we have a new release ideally suited for reading durint the dark autumnal evenings. John Everson’s The House by the Cemetery brings a great mix of chills, witches, ritualistic kills and at the heart of it all a house reputed to be haunted.

The scene is set perfectly from the prologue when we see a group of kids exploring the haunted house under cover of night – their trip is a dare and the house seems to be a haunted property marketed as a visitor attraction. However, it is night and the kids are in a place they are not meant to be so we can be sure all will not end well and a mystery is quickly established.

What I particularly enjoyed about The House by the Cemetery was that the author grabbed my interest in the prologue then takes a small step back to build up the chills and the creepy events. It is very effective and avoids the less subtle ‘schlock horror’ where every second chapter is a bloodbath. Constant build and increasing peculiarities gave the impression of a growing menace.

Our lead character, Mike, is renovating the haunted house – making it ready for paying visitors who will part with their bucks for a scare on 31 October. The longer Mike spends in the house the more he becomes aware of the odd and unpleasant incidents which are happening. Yet he presses on with his work, removing dead animals one morning and chatting with the young woman who comes to the house to chat with him and share some beers. You want to shout at your book to make Mike get the Hell away from the creepy property but he needs the cash and keeps coming back…can it end well for him?

John Everson has a very readable writing style and I poured over The House by the Cemetery. “One more chapter” is the best internal debate to have when I am reading late at night and it was  very much in evidence here.

Get yourself some Halloween reading and order a copy of The House by the Cemetery. Chills aplenty.

 

The House by the Cemetery is published by Flame Tree Press on 18 October and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Cemetery-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07J2MQ5N8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539029287&sr=1-1&keywords=house+by+the+cemetery

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October 8

Palm Beach Finland – Antti Toumainen

Sex, lies and ill-fitting swimwear … Sun Protection Factor 100

Jan Nyman, the ace detective of the covert operations unit of the National Central Police, is sent to a sleepy seaside town to investigate a mysterious death. Nyman arrives in the town dominated by a bizarre holiday village – the ‘hottest beach in Finland’. The suspect: Olivia Koski, who has only recently returned to her old hometown. The mission: find out what happened, by any means necessary.

With a nod to Fargo, and dark noir, Palm Beach, Finland is both a page-turning thriller and a black comedy about lust for money, fleeing dreams and people struggling at turning points in their lives – chasing their fantasies regardless of reason.

My thanks to Orenda Books for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

 

I have made this observation in the past…books set in small towns make for cracking stories. The character interactions which need to take place between a smaller cast in relatively few locations make for slick and engaging narrative.

Antti Tuomainen nails it in Palm Beach Finland. The cycle of characters, all trying to better their position in life, is terrifically presented. Dialogue is sharp and acerbic when it needs to be, dreamy and dozy when the inept enforcers are the focus and frustration is evident when nefarious plans come unstuck.

Loaded with dry humour I can see why the movie Fargo gets a namecheck in so many reviews. The comparison to the Academy Award winning film is apt but Toumainen makes Palm Beach Finland very much his own – it is just tricky finding a way to describe the clever and quirky tone of the story.

The blurb above outlines the story far better than I ever could. I just know that I really enjoyed reading about the characters who crossed paths at Palm Beach Finland.

There are murders, burglaries, arson and drug dealers but I can’t think of another crime novel quite like this one. Great fun!

 

Palm Beach Finland is published by Orenda Books and is available in digital and paperback format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Beach-Finland-Antti-Tuomainen-ebook/dp/B07DFQ2DVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538939700&sr=1-1&keywords=palm+beach+finland

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October 1

The Syndicate – Guy Bolton

The hotly anticipated sequel to The Pictures. Guy Bolton’s unforgettable 1930s Hollywood fixer Jonathan Craine is thrust into the dark underbelly of the LA mafia, only to discover more secrets and lies

June 1947

Eight years have passed since the events of The Pictures.

Jonathan Craine has left his old life in Hollywood behind him, content to live out his days on a farm in rural California with his teenage son.

But when infamous mobster and Las Vegas founder Bugsy Siegel is killed at his home in Beverly Hills, Craine is forced to face his past once again.

Summoned to Las Vegas to meet mob head Meyer Lansky, Craine is given the impossible task of finding Siegel’s murderers. He has no access to crime reports, no police contacts and no one to help in his investigation other than an ageing hit man and a female crime reporter with her own agenda. But Lanksy’s orders aren’t to be ignored; if Craine can’t find Siegel’s murderers in five days, he and his son will both be killed.

 

My thanks to Oneworld Publications for my review copy

Guy Bolton’s The Syndicate is a bit of a belter. I was drawn into the murky world of gangsters and their power plays from the very first pages as we “witness” infamous mob boss Bugsy Siegel being gunned down.

The shooting of one of America’s most notorious characters clearly created ripples at the time and another mob boss, Meyer Lanskey, wants to know who murdered Siegel. He summons Jonathan Craine to undertake the impossible mission of finding a murderer.

Working under extreme duress Craine is pulled from his quiet secluded life, he had been working on his farm, back to the metropolitan buzz of Hollywood and Las Vegas. He has worked these urban pastures in the past but time away from the cities must place him at a disadvantage as he tries to piece together clues which may lead him to identify a murderer.

Craine first appeared in The Pictures, a book I have not (yet) read but will certainly be hunting down after the huge blasts of enjoyment I experienced while reading The Syndicate. At no point did I feel that I wished I had read The Pictures before picking up The Syndicate – everything I needed to know was made clear without the presumption I knew the key players.

Guy Bolton does a fabulous job of building the environment and detail in The Syndicate which makes everything that occurs seem so vivid.  I tend to jump between titles and read a couple of books at a time but The Syndicate held my attention and nothing else was getting a look-in until I had finished reading this one. I love when I get so caught up in a story – sign of a cracking read.

If you enjoy hard-boiled American crime thrillers then this book is perfect for you. Highly recommended.

 

The Syndicate is published by Oneworld Publications and is available in hardback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Syndicate-Guy-Bolton-ebook/dp/B079ZV7YLJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538342993&sr=8-1&keywords=guy+bolton

 

 

 

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September 19

The Hangman’s Hold – Michael Wood

Your life is in his hands.

In the gripping new serial killer thriller from Michael Wood, Matilda Darke faces a vicious killer pursuing his own brand of lethal justice. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Helen Fields.

There’s a killer in your house.
The Hangman waits in the darkness.

He knows your darkest secrets.
He’ll make you pay for all the crimes you have tried desperately to forget.

And he is closer than you think.
DCI Matilda Darke is running out of time. Fear is spreading throughout the city. As the body count rises, Matilda is targeted and her most trusted colleagues fall under suspicion. But can she keep those closest to her from harm? Or is it already too late?

 

Book 4 in the DCI Matilda Darke series and one of the few books I have been keeping an eye out for. Despite the volume of crime thrillers which are released each year – one or two crime series do stand out for me in the publication schedules and command urgent reading on release. Michael Wood’s Matilda Darke series is in my select band of “must read new books”.

A significant factor in my love of these stories is Darke herself.  She is something of a car crash and carries more emotional baggage than most.  Her back story has been well defined in the first three novels and returning readers will enjoy how the author builds on the past events to twist the knife in Matilda’s recovery progress.  Fear not New Readers as everything you need to know is deftly explained by the author to ensure you can read The Hangman’s Hold as a stand-alone thriller (though you will want to go back and catch up on the earlier books).

Serial killer stories always fare well at Grab This Book as they are my favourite crime thrillers. Sit me down with a good serial killer tale and I will lose myself in a book for hours. The Hangman’s Hold is a good serial killer tale – a VERY good serial killer tale.

The clue is in the title so it is no great shock to find that the murderer leaves his victim hanging from a traditional hangman’s noose. He targets his victims to ensure the people he kills “deserve” to die – at least they do in his opinion and as the Hangman is delivering judgement on his victims there will be no leniency shown.

The reader gets a close look at the crimes and Michael Wood also ensures we see the impact the killers actions have on the families of the deceased. A very powerful and effective way of bringing us fully into Matilda’s world as she tries to find a way to prevent more deaths and catch the killer.

From very early in the story the actions of the murderer will strike close to Matilda and her friends. As events unfold Matilda becomes a target for the Hangman, he taunts her and the suggestion is made that the killer may be known to her – who can Matilda trust and could mistakes she has made in the past place her in danger today?

My anticipation for The Hangman’s Hold was entirely justified. I chewed this one up and immediately had the wistful realisation that there will not be another Matilda Darke novel for a wee while. These books are a treat – go read them.

 

The Hangman’s Hold is published by Killer Reads and is available in digital and paperback format. You can (and should) order a copy through this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hangmans-Hold-gripping-thriller-Matilda-ebook/dp/B07CQ972JC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537218191&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hangmans+hold

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