September 9

The Black Loch – Peter May

A murder.

The body of eighteen-year-old TV personality Kathleen is found abandoned on a remote beach at the head of An Loch Dubh – the Black Loch – on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. A swimmer and canoeist, it is inconceivable that she could have drowned.

A secret.

Fin Macleod left the island ten years earlier to escape its memories. When he learns that his married son Fionnlagh had been having a clandestine affair with the dead girl and is suspected of her murder, he and Marsaili return to try and clear his name.

A trap.

But nothing is as it seems, and the truth of the murder lies in a past that Fin would rather forget, and a tragedy at the cages of a salmon farm on East Loch Roag, where the tense climax of the story finds its resolution.

 

 

I was grateful to receive a review copy from the publishers before publication date to allow me to take part in the blog tour for The Black Loch

 

The Black Loch is Book 4 of The Lewis Trilogy. As a long-standing fan of Douglas Adams my first thought was of “So Long and Thanks For All The Fish” being dubbed the fourth volume in the Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy series and it immedately made me think kindly towards The Black Loch. But although both books brought me a great deal of satisfaction as I read them, there is nothing whacky or zany about The Black Loch and that’s probably a bit of a relief for the returning readers.

Peter May brings Fin Macleod back to The Hebrides in this compelling murder mystery tale. Fin’s son (Fionnlagh) has become caught up in a murder investigation – caught up doing a lot of heavy lifting there.  Fionnlagh is accused of having an affair with the murdered girl, she’d been a vivacious outgoing character and something of a local celebrity. Unfortunately the readers don’t get to see that vibrant youth as no sooner is Caitlin introduced when her life gets cut horribly short.

Fin has been working on the mainland – far from the islands where he lived and grew up.  He has a job he hates, locked in a dark computer suite for long days where he pours over images of violence and depravity analysing scenes which most people could not stand to see for a single moment and couldn’t imagine being employed to look through them. When Fin gets word Fionnlagh is in trouble he immediately moves to return “home” to help his son. However, much has changed in the time he has been away and there’s a new man heading the invesigiation who is young, keen and very much out to make a name for himself by clearing up a murder investigation in record time. He has no interest in entertaining Fin or answering any of his questions. It’s a toxic situation for Fin and Peter May will put several of the characters in The Black Loch through emotional turmoil before the story draws to a conclusion.

This is very much a story for characters and how their lives interlock and overlap. Small communities always bring the best tales of secrets and suspicion and The Black Loch will give Peter May plenty of opportunity to let his readers experience the conflicts and emotion of his assembled cast. As you should expect from a Peter May novel, this is a deeply engaging story which will see the author weave his threads and draw you into this tight nit community and it is only as you become truly immersed in the story that you will begin to see how those threads pull together.

It is always a delight to get lost inside one of Peter May’s stories. I never pick up one of his books expecting high octane thrills and cliffhangers at every chapter. But he does locations and characters magnificently and the depiction of the West of Scotland really resonated with me in this story. You cannot help but get engaged in the lives of the characters in a Peter May book and there are some dark moments going to be revisited in The Black Loch which were quite unsettling at times. But it is a terrific read and fans of Fin Macleod who will delight in his return will not be disappointed.

 

The Black Loch is published by Quercus (Riverrun) and will release on 12 September in hardback, digital and audiobook format.  Pre-order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-black-loch/peter-may/9781529436068

 

 

 

 

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September 8

The Reunion – MJ Arlidge and Steph Broadribb

A skull looks up at Jennie from the trench, but it’s not the chalk-white bone and grimacing teeth that send her reeling. It’s the heart-shaped gold pendant, its delicate chain snapped in two. The necklace Hannah never took off. It can’t be Hannah. But it is.

When Jennie Whitmore arrives at her school reunion, she immediately regrets her decision. Why would she choose to surround herself with people who were never nice to her? Who still aren’t, even now she’s a police officer? The only person who truly looked out for her all those years ago was charming, beautiful Hannah.Until the day she disappeared.

Jennie is ready to finally put White Cross Academy behind her, the old school building demolished the morning after the party. But with the demolition comes a call: a teenage girl’s remains have been found on the grounds.

The instant drop in Jennie’s gut tells her that the remains might be Hannah’s, but when she’s called in to examine them, the truth becomes undeniable. Hannah didn’t run away and abandon Jennie thirty years ago; in fact, she never left White Cross at all.

Suddenly, Jennie has a murder to solve. The murder of her best friend. But can she do so before her colleagues discover just how closely connected she is to the victim? Before a mystery stalker makes good on his threats to silence her for good?

 

I received a review copy from the publisher and I am grateful to Tracy Fention at Compulsive Readers for the opportinity to join the blog tour for The Reunion.

 

 

I’ve been looking for a book like The Reunion for a while, a murder mystery with a well defined cast of characters, a protagonist who wasn’t “broken” or working in an unofficial capacity but a story which was a highly enjoyable and extremelyu well written police procedural. My recent reads seem to have had a supernatural element or been historical crime and not a everyone enjoys these  stories so I’ve been seeking a “new” crime thriller which I can recommend to everyone who asks for a good murder story (something I’m often asked for).

The wonderful thing about The Reunion was that it brought all the best bits of a police investigative thriller into play.  Jennie Whitmore is asked to head up the investigation when the body of a young woman is found in the ruins of a local high school.  The school was scheduled for demolition and while clearing the site the demolition crew uncovered skeletal remains. Jennie was a former pupil at the school, something of an outsider as she had joined her year group late in her academic career, but it is with sinking certainty that Jennie realises she will know the vicitim.

At age 17 Jennie had planned to leave home with her friend Hannah so they could start new lives in London, Hannah as a model and Jennie as a photographer.  The night they were due to leave Jennie arrived to catch the bus to London and her new start – Hannah never appeared and was never seen again.  Years later Jennie still rues the disappearance of her friend and can’t help but wonder how her life may have turned out had the pair made the trip they planned.  Now, as the investigating officer into what appears to be the murder of her long-missing friend, Jennie has the chance to find some answers.

What I enjoyed most while reading The Reunion was the fact we see events from Jennie’s perspective.  The investigation unfolds as she uncovers clues and reveals long-forgotten secrets. However, Jennie remembers how things had been back when Hannah disappeared. The rumours of an inappropriate relationship with a teacher, the strains Hannah may have had with her boyfriend and usual teenage dramas which exist between a group of friends. She remembers it all but she doesn’t appreciate how liitle she actually knew about her friend.

For Jennie the first problem to overcome is knowing her close friendship with Hannah will immediately exclude her from conducting the investigation. So how will she find a way to convince her boss to let her be part of a murder enquiry where (in any normal situation) she could even be considered a suspect?  Well that’s a spoiler but it is a factor and Jennie will have to contend with interviewing her school friends who will hold her in varying degrees of affection.

The Renunion offers a great opportunity for the reader to attempt to solve the mystery behind Hannah’s death. You will get the clues and discoveries as Jennie does and I will admit I had several moments of “it must be them” as I was reading only to have new information spill out and face me re-considering my assumptions. The story zips along at a great pace, its well structured into accessible chapters and has that “one more chapter” feel about it too.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Reunion – cracking crime fiction and highly recommended.

 

 

 

The Reunion is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-reunion/m-j-arlidge/steph-broadribb/9781398716575

 

 

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September 2

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Heather Critchlow

When I first opened the doors to the Decades Library (back in January 2021) I had no idea that three and a half years later I’d still be welcoming guest curators to Grab This Book and inviting them to add their five reading recommendations to the Library shelves. Earlier this week I looked back over all the previous Decades selections which feature here on my blog and I was humbled and gobsmacked to learn that this week’s guest, Heather Critchlow, is the 92nd Decades Curator. That is a lot of booklove!

I never assume you have visited my Ultimate Library, my Decades Library, before today so I have written my 92nd explanation as to what on earth is going on.

Back in 2021 I pondered the question…If I was a Librarian and had a brand new library, with no books on any of the shelves. which books would I want to make available to the library visitors to ensure there was nothing but the very best books available for them to read?

I realised I could not answer that question alone as my own reading tastes were far too narrow. So I began to invite authors, bloggers, journalists and publishers to join me and I asked them to nominate some of their favourite books which they believed I should add to the shelves of my Ultimate Library. Now you may wonder why I refer to my Ultimate Library as my Decades Library…it’s due to the two rules I impose upon the selections people make.

1 – Choose Any Five Books
2 – You May Only Choose One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

Hence the Decades Library.

This week I am thrilled to be able to welcome Heather Critchlow to the Library. I first read one of Heather’s books ahead of its nomination for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and was not remotely surprised when Unsolved was shortlisted – I had been hooked. With the publication date of the third Cal Lovett book rapidly approaching I was delighted Heather had time to take on my Decades challenge and add five new books to the library shelves.  Over to Heather….

 

Heather Critchlow grew up in rural Aberdeenshire and trained as a business journalist after studying history and social science at Cambridge university. Published by Canelo in May 2023, her debut novel Unsolved was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and is the first in a series about true crime podcaster Cal Lovett.

Unsolved was followed by Unburied January 2024, while Unsound, the third in the series, is out in September. Heather’s first speculative crime thriller The Tomorrow Project will be published in hardback in Spring 2025.

Heather’s short stories are featured in Afraid of the Light, Afraid of the Christmas Lights and Afraid of the Shadows, collections of fiction written by crime writers. She lives in Hertfordshire. Heather can be found on twitter @h_critchlow and Instagram @heather.critchlow To sign up for her VIP Readers Club visit www.heathercritchlow.com

DECADES

1981

Goodnight Mr Tom – Michelle Magorian

Classic 1980s children’s fiction that has stood the test of time. I read this at school, and have since read it to both of my children. Set during World War Two, it follows the fortunes of Willie Beech, an abused boy evacuated from London and placed with a curmudgeonly old man (Mr Tom). As Tom tends to Willie’s physical and psychological wounds, the boy’s presence unlocks the old man’s grief and changes his isolated life. But then Willie’s mother demands he go back… Goodnight Mr Tom is a tearjerker that deserves its place in the library.

 

 

 

 

1997

Into Thin Air – John Krakauer

This personal account of the Everest disaster that claimed the lives of five climbers is a must-read. Written by a journalist-mountaineer, it attempts to unpick the events of that day and understand how it went so horribly wrong. A reminder of the power and ferocity of the natural world and of the human desire to conquer it, Into the Air is a truly gripping tale of bravery, heroism, bad luck and errors of judgement. Krakauer doesn’t shy away from the guilt he feels over the expedition and the part he played. Haunting.

 

 

 

 

2000

After You’d Gone – Maggie O’Farrell

This is the book that had me stuck in the bus depot, late for work, after I sailed through several stops, utterly oblivious. Maggie O’Farrell’s debut novel is devastating and beautiful. Alice boards a train from London to Scotland, but when she arrives in Edinburgh she sees something so terrible she immediately returns to London. A few hours later, she’s lying in a coma after a possible suicide attempt. The story slips in and out of the past as her family gather around her and Alice drifts through consciousness. A perfectly drawn portrait of love and grief, After You’d Gone is an utter triumph and, rightly, cemented O’Farrell as a literary talent. I’m a fan of all her books (especially also I am, I am, I am and The Marriage Portrait) but this remains my favourite.

 

 

 

2012

The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern

An enchanting fantasy read about Le Cirque des Rêves – a Circus of Dreams that opens only at night. With its glittering acrobats, fortune-tellers and contortionists, it bewitches all who enter. However, the circus is the setting for a terrible competition between two young magicians, Celia and Marco. Destined to duel, only one can survive – but then they fall in love. The Night Circus is a lyrical, transporting book, unlike anything I’ve read before or since. It’s hard to describe how incredible this read is. I devoured it while feeding a newborn in the middle of the night – an appropriate time for the Circus of Dreams – and the moments whipped past.

 

 

 

2021

The Stranding – Kate Sawyer

I’m a huge fan of dystopian fiction, and this tale of a British woman who crawls into the mouth of a beached whale with a stranger to survive the end of the world, is one of my absolute favourites. Travelling in New Zealand, Ruth emerges from the whale to an altered landscape and the reality that everything she loves is gone. The narrative switches between her efforts to survive in this new world, and the pre-apocalypse events that led to her leaving the UK. Heartbreakingly beautiful and poignant. On finishing it, I immediately turned back to the first page and started again.

 

 

 

 

My thanks to Heather for five brilliant additions to the Decades Library. I am particulary delighted to see The Night Circus make its way to the shelves as I was mesmerised and entranced by that story when I first read it back in 2012. I’m really feeling the urge to revisit that book again – my TBR will cry in anguish.

This evening, as I prepare to share Heather’s selections, I’m aware she is counting down the days to the publication date of Unsound – the third Cal Lovett mystery.

Unsound releases on Thursday 5 September on digital format with the paperback showing a release date of Tuesday 10 September. You can order your copy using this super handy link – https://www.waterstones.com/book/unsound/heather-critchlow/9781804362624?_gl=1*1x8yyh3*_up*MQ..*_ga*ODM4NjM4Nzc0LjE3MjUyMjIyNTM.*_ga_P4C39TQPV3*MTcyNTIyMjI1Mi4xLjEuMTcyNTIyMjI1OC4wLjAuMA..

The first two books in the series were terrific read and I’m really looking forward to reading Unsound, I’ve included the cover and blurb below and (as you undoubtably know) pre-orders are a huge boost to all authors in the days and weeks leading up to publication so I’d encourage everyone to grab this book nice and early.

He left for university… and never came back

Arran went missing in Edinburgh fourteen years ago. The last time his parents saw him he was withdrawn and on edge where he’d once been happy and carefree. Still searching for their son, they turn to their last hope, true crime podcaster Cal Lovett.

Cal begins looking for answers, but is distracted by his sister’s murder trial. He’s so close to getting the justice Margot deserves. Can he finally leave the past – and Margot – behind?

As Cal unearths disturbing evidence about Arran’s fate, he suspects the young man’s close-knit group of university friends are keeping secrets to protect each other. It seems old loyalties don’t die easily. But they can’t all stay silent forever…

 

 

 

 

 

 

DECADES WILL RETURN

 

 

 

 

 

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