November 6

Blood Lines – Angela Marsons

blood-linesHow do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?

A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.

When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.

As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…

 

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy.

 

Kim Stone is back in Blood Lines, the new thriller from Angela Marsons. This alone is reason to celebrate. But in Blood Lines we also have the return of Kim’s nemesis: Doctor Alexandra Thorne.

Thorne first crossed paths with Kim in Evil Games and she believes they have unfinished business. A cold-hearted sociopath who holds no regard for human life or the feelings of others, Thorne is only interested in getting revenge on Kim and she knows exactly how to get what she wants and where Kim is most vulnerable.

However, Detective Stone has no idea what Doctor Thorne has in store for her and she and her (increasingly wonderful) team are investigating the murder of a social worker – seemingly victim of a robbery gone wrong. The woman has been stabbed and her body left in her car in a remote location.  With little sign of a motive for her murder things will soon take an unexpected twist when a second body is found with a similar stab wound but this time it is a young drug addict that has died.  With no apparent link between the two murder victims Stone and her team will have to be at their very best to solve these crimes. Easier said than done when Doctor Thorne is about to start messing with Kim’s head again.

Blood Lines is the fifth book in the series and, I believe, the one which relies most upon the previous titles to heighten the drama. Kim’s relationship with Alex Thorne does draw upon events in Evil Games but Blood Lines takes their enmity to a new level.

I just cannot find enough good things to say about this series. With Blood Lines Angela Marsons has brought us another fantastically gripping adventure. Stone always seems to be at her very best when the odds seem stacked against her and in this latest book there seem points where she faces an impossible task. Once again her colleagues will provide the support, professionally, personally and emotionally which Kim needs and can rely upon.

A new book from Angela Marsons is a high point in my year. From the moment I hear of a new Kim Stone novel I start to count down the days to release – I am never disappointed. These are the stories I want to read.

 

Blood Lines is available now in paperback and digital formats. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Lines-Detective-Stone-thriller/dp/1786810999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478470799&sr=8-1&keywords=blood+lines

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November 4

My Sister’s Bones – Nuala Ellwood

my-sisters-bones-jacket-image1Kate Rafter is a high-flying war reporter. She’s the strong one. The one who escaped their father. Her younger sister Sally didn’t. Instead, she drinks.

But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return home. And on her first night she is woken by a terrifying scream.

At first Kate tells herself it’s just a nightmare. But then she hears it again. And this time she knows she’s not imagining it.

What secret is lurking in the old family home?
And is she strong enough to uncover it…and make it out alive?

 

My thanks to Annie at Penguin Random House for my review copy

 

Another book that I picked up without knowing what lay ahead – no description on the cover of my proof copy so everything which happened, from the first word, was totally unexpected. It is a really refreshing way to read a story and in the case of My Sister’s Bones it made all the twists more shocking.

We meet Kate, she is a reporter and has been covering events in Syria but it quickly becomes apparent that Kate is struggling. She has been detained and her mental stability is being examined by a psychologist. If Kate cannot convince the doctor that she is of sufficiently sound mind and not a danger to the public (and herself) she may be sectioned under the mental health act. So for the first section of the book we have Kate under a microscope as her life is picked apart.

Kate’s story makes for uncomfortable reading.  A difficult upbringing in a house with a drunken father. A family tragedy. A sister she cannot connect with and who now spends her days in a drunken haze. Then there is the not-insignificant trauma of reporting from war torn Syria…Kate’s stories seem to focus on how the conflict is impacting on families and children.

As Kate is interrogated, her worst memories are exposed, analysed and discussed. She is nearing breaking point. But from a reader’s perspective it is fascinating reading – the author has brilliantly captured the horror that Kate experiences while in Syria and it makes the problems she encounters on her return home all the more upsetting.

The narrative does not just follow Kate – we get a look at her sister Sally too.  Sally the drunk. Sally the girl who alienated her sister and didn’t stand up to her dad. Sally who has her own tale to tell. Sally who has her own problems, her own demons. Sally who is possibly more complex and conflicted character I have encountered for some time.

This story of two sisters is going to be memorable, there are both going to face tough times, there are shocks a plenty and more than once I had to revise my guess as to where the story may be heading.  Well worth adding to your reading queue.

 

My Sisters Bones is published by Penguin and is available in digital format here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/My-Sisters-Bones-Nuala-Ellwood-ebook/B01HYTW6NS/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1478298576&sr=1-1&keywords=my+sisters+bones

 

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November 2

Cathi Unsworth – First Monday Crime (November)

Monday 7th November sees Goldsboro Books bring another First Monday Crime night to London’s Library Club. This month events are sponsored by Headline and there are rumours of goodie bags – and who doesn’t love a goodie bag?

The guests for the latest evening will be Belinda Bauer, Cathi Unsworth, Jenny Blackhurst and Adam Hamdy and the event will be chaired by Barry Forshaw.

Details on how to get your tickets are below but first: Cathi Unsworth steps into the Author Spotlight.

 

cathi-unsworthCathi Unsworth is a novelist, writer and editor who lives and works in London. She began her career on the legendary music weekly Sounds at the age of 19 and has worked as a writer and editor for many other music, film and arts magazines since, including Bizarre, Melody Maker, Mojo, Uncut, Volume and Deadline.

Her first novel THE NOT KNOWING was published in 2005, followed the next year with the award-winning short story compendium LONDON NOIR, which she edited, and in 2007 with the punk noir novel THE SINGER. Her third novel, BAD PENNY BLUES, inspired by the unsolved ‘Jack the Stripper’ murders of 1959-65 was published in 2010 to great critical acclaim. Her 2012 book WEIRDO, a tale of teenage trauma and female transgression set on the Norfolk coast was shortlisted in many ‘best of the year’ lists including the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and named Book of the Year 2012 by Loud and Quiet Magazine and crimesquad.com

 

Cathi’s new novel, Without The Moon, releases on 10th November

 

without-the-moonHush, hush, hush. Here comes the Bogeyman…

London during the long, dark days of the Blitz: a city outwardly in ruins, weakened by exhaustion and rationing. But behind the blackout, the old way of life continues: in the music halls, pubs and cafes, soldiers mix with petty crooks, stage magicians with lonely wives, scandal-hungry reporters with good-time girls – and DCI Edward Greenaway keeps a careful eye on everyone.

Out on the streets, something nastier is stirring: London’s prostitutes are being murdered, their bodies left mutilated to taunt the police. And in the shadows Greenaway’s old adversaries in organised crime are active again, lured in by rich pickings on the black market. As he follows a bloody trail through backstreets and boudoirs, Greenaway must use all his skill – and everything he knows about the city’s underworld – to stop the slaughter.

 

 

First Monday Crime is on 7th November at 6.30pm. The event is held at the Library, 112 St. Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BD

Tickets are £5 per head and you can order tickets here: https://www.goldsborobooks.com/event/november-first-monday-crime/

 

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