August 31

The Dark Room – Lisa Gray

Ex–crime reporter Leonard Blaylock spends his days on an unusual hobby, developing strangers’ forgotten and discarded rolls of film. He loves the small mysteries the photographs reveal to him. Then Leonard finds something no one would ever expect, or want, to see captured on film—the murder of a young woman.

But that’s impossible, because the woman is already dead. Leonard was there when it happened five years earlier.

He has never been able to shake his guilt from that terrible night. It cost Leonard everything: his career, his fiancée, his future. But if the woman didn’t really die, then what actually happened?

 

I received a review copy through Netgalley

 

Lisa Gray writes the excellent Jessica Shaw series but The Dark Room is a stand alone thriller – something I did not immediately appreciate as I don’t read the blurb when I read Lisa’s books – I just jump straight in! It took a couple of chapters for me to realise Leonard was the star of the show in The Dark Room – mark that one down to me being a dozy reader.

Fortunately Leonard is a great character and I wanted to read more about him, particularly when he sees a murder. Well let me rephrase that slightly…particulary when he discovers a photograph of a dead body which can only have been taken by a killer. How could I (the son of a photographer) resist a crime story where cameras and photgraphs play such a pivotal role?

Leonard, you see, has a fascinating hobby. He likes to buy undeveloped film from old cameras and then, in the privacy of his dark room, discover what pictures may have been snapped on these old film spools. Family snaps, holiday vistas or perhaps even a “ruined” film – the excitement of discovery for Leonard makes his hobby a constant sequence of discoveries. But his world is going to be rocked to the core when the latest film he develops uncovers the image of a dead woman. But is it a woman Leonard knows?

Lisa Gray takes the reader on a twisty and unpredicatble journey into Leonard’s life. The discovery of the “murder” photograph brings Leonard back to face a period in his life he would rather forget. His relationship ended, his job changed and he had to make significant adjustments which left him somewhat beleagured and low spirited. But could this discovery give him a chance at a fresh start? It seems unlikely but investigating how he came into posession of the picture of a dead woman will open up some new opportunities for Leonard and possbily even the chance to correct some past wrongs.

I had great fun reading The Dark Room. Lisa Gray nails the pacing and the drama and I zipped through this book in just a couple of days. I have tried not to talk too much about Leonard’s predicament and the discoveries he makes in this story as the delight in discovering these for yourself is not something I should take away from you. Get The Dark Room pre-ordered – this is a good’un.

 

 

The Dark Room is published on 25 October and will be available in audiobook, digital and paperback. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09PTLCB2H/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Dark Room – Lisa Gray
August 15

The Woman in the Library – Sulari Gentill

Hannah Tigone, bestselling Australian crime author, is crafting a new novel that begins in the Boston Public Library: four strangers; Winifred, Cain, Marigold and Whit are sitting at the same table when a bloodcurdling scream breaks the silence. A woman has been murdered. They are all suspects, and, as it turns out, each character has their own secrets and motivations – and one of them is a murderer.

While crafting this new thriller, Hannah shares each chapter with her biggest fan and aspirational novelist, Leo. But Leo seems to know a lot about violence, motive, and how exactly to kill someone. Perhaps he is not all that he seems…

The Woman in the Library is an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship – and shows that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

 

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

 

A book from the “what I read on my summer holiday” collection. I was fascinated by the blurb of this story, four strangers in a Library when a murder takes place – one of the four is a murderer but if the four were sitting at a table then how can one of their number be a killer?

Well it isn’t Sulari Gentill who will tell this story it is Hannah Tigone (Okay it IS Sulari but let’s give Hannah her place too). Hannah is writing about Winifred, Marigold, Cain and Whit – four strangers who are in a Boston Library. They are sitting at a table togegther when a scream is heard – the four are forged in a new friendship and Hannah will write her novel about these new friends and the steps they will take to discover more about each other and, more importantly, about who may have killed a woman in the library.

As Hannah writes she gives her readers a background into each of these four players in her story. They all have secrets, they all have a reason to keep them secret and Hannah is going to spin out the tale and deliver a whip-smart whodunnit. But between the chapters about the friendly four and their strengthening bonds Sulari Gentill is also telling her readers about Hannah’s life away from the story she is crafting. Hannah is getting feedback from Leo – he is reading her early chapter drafts as each chapter is completed and providing his own observations and feedback. Leo is a bit of an enigma and does seem to enjoy a bit of mansplaining but he also has thoughts and opinions of friendships, secrets and he seems remarkably well informed about murder too.

All very mysterious and very nicely put together. At approximately 270 pages in length I found The Woman in the Library a sharp and well exectuted murder tale (no puns intended here). Hannah’s story gives a satisfying murder tale with a seemingly impossible pool of suspects and Sulari’s story about Hannah is darker and more perplexing – reading to see how that plot unfolded was very much the reason I zipped through The Woman in the Library in just two enjoyable sittings.

I enjoyed the very different approach to the story telling here and this is a book I’d recommend readers look out for when it hits the shelves next month.

 

The Woman in the Library is published in hardback in the UK on 15 September 2022 and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-woman-in-the-library/sulari-gentill/9781761151545

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Woman in the Library – Sulari Gentill
June 8

The Lost Ones – Marnie Riches

The girl is sitting upright, her dark brown hair arranged over her shoulders and her blue, blue eyes staring into the distance. She looks almost peaceful. But her gaze is vacant, and her skin is cold…

When Detective Jackie Cooke is called to the murder scene, she is shocked by what she sees. Missing teenager Chloe Smedley has finally been found – her body left in a cold back yard, carefully posed with her bright blue eyes still open. Jackie lays a protective hand on the baby in her belly, and vows to find the brutal monster who stole Chloe’s future.

When Jackie breaks the news to Chloe’s heartbroken mother, she understands the woman’s cries only too well. Her own brother went missing as a child, the case never solved. Determined to get justice for Chloe and her family, Jackie sets to work, finding footage of the girl waving at someone the day she disappeared. Did Chloe know her killer?

But then a second body is found on the side of a busy motorway, lit up by passing cars. The only link with Chloe is the disturbing way the victim has been posed, and Jackie is convinced she is searching for a dangerous predator. Someone has been hunting missing and vulnerable people for decades, and only Jackie seems to see that they were never lost. They were taken.

Jackie’s boss refuses to believe a serial killer is on the loose and threatens to take her off the case. But then Jackie returns home to find a brightly coloured bracelet on her kitchen counter and her blood turns cold. It’s the same one her brother was wearing when he vanished. Could his disappearance be connected to the murders? Jackie will stop at nothing to catch her killer… unless he finds her first…

 

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy and to Sarah Hardy for the opportunity to host this leg of The Lost Ones blog tour.

 

There are some authors I always enjoy reading. If you look back over my past reviews you will see I have read (and always enjoyed) many books written by Marnie Riches – she seems to nail that perfect balance of pacing, humour, darkess (oh what darkness) and tension packed thrills. Anticipation ahead of reading The Lost Ones was high. I was not disappointed.

The Lost Ones is the first in a new series which features Detective Jackson (Jackie) Cooke and we first meet her in a state of some discomfort, very pregnant, at a murder scene and without her regular partner who has finally secured a long-overdue holiday. The murder is a particularly nasty one; a young girl has been left posed in a location where she will be easily found. Her body has been mutilated and some of her limbs are missing.

Jackie cannot help but be reminded of her own brother who she lost many years earlier when he vanished when he and Jackie were both children. Her brother never returned and Jackie’s mother and her often absent father struggled on with a constant feeling of loss and heartbreak. The family dynamic is fractious and Jackie’s own family are seemingly also chaotic. She has many plates spinning in her home life and with a third child, their happy accident, on the way there seems no let up.

The murder investigation takes the majority of the story and it’s a great police procedural – even if the team are not the best at following orders. Jackie’s boss (and apparent nemesis) wants to bench her but is struggling to cover her position. Her colleagues are too busy to give the case the attention Jackie thinks it needs and she does not rate their ability to investigate this unusual murder properly.

We see Jackie covertly trying to keep working on the murder case and enlisting some willing colleagues to support her. An astute reader will definitely have that impending feeling of something about to go badly wrong, it certainly kept me reading!

I read The Lost Ones in two sittings, didn’t want to stop as there was always something in the story which kept me pushing through “one more chapter”. It’s got more than a few dark moments as I have come to expect (and look forward to) when I read Marnie’s books and this new cast of characters were wonderfully realised as I felt I had been reading about them for more than one book.

The Lost Ones is out now and I cannot think of a single reason as to why you shouldn’t buy a copy immediately.

 

 

The Lost Ones is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TWCJ33M/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Lost Ones – Marnie Riches
March 15

Dead Rich – G.W. Shaw

Super yachts are secretive, like their owners. The bigger the richer. Like castles, they are created to inspire awe. Like castles too, they are defended. They are an entire world, separate from the rest of us.

Kai, a carefree once-successful musician is invited by his new Russian girlfriend Zina to join her family’s Caribbean holiday. Impulsively accepting he learns that Zina is the daughter of a Russian oligarch, Stepan Pirumov and that the trip is aboard his yacht, the Zinaida, moored in St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. The crew consists of Captain Marius Falk, the first mate Erin Wade and a hastily assembled staff, including a chief stewardess Marissa from Miami, a chief engineer from Lagos and a personal trainer from Los Angeles. All know how to behave around the very rich.

On arrival Kai discovers that the head of security has been arrested, armed guards are below deck, there’s an onboard panic room and a strong sense of all not being quite right beneath the gleaming surfaces of the Pirumov’s lives. An unnerving presence punctures the atmosphere: a murderous imposter is on board the Zinaida, but who is it?

Kai will find that the only person he can trust will be Erin and that the world of the super-rich will become a prison from which they must escape. Part locked-room suspense, part adventure story, Dead Rich is an unforgettable, edge of the seat thriller set in the blazing heat of the Caribbean

 

My thanks to the publishers for the review copy I recieved of Dead Rich through Netgalley.

 

What a time to be reading a book about a Russian oligarch, his super yacht, his rebellious daughter Zina (who is keeping away from her parents by studying in London) and a threat to their lives which will take the reader on a thrill packed journey across the seas. By the time we see Dead Rich hitting the shelves in May we will all be much more familiar with Russian oligarch’s and my appreciation for the size of their super yachts will be cemented in.

The size of a super yacht was one thing I realised I had initially mis-calculated when I started reading Dead Rich. When considering the Zinaida (the vessel where much of the action takes place) I was constantly upscaling the mental image I had of the yacht. The author does a great job of describing the luxury yacht but I had read the book before super yacht’s were on the evening news so I could not envisage a “boat” on such an extravagant scale.

Zinaida presented something of a locked room murder mystery, only the whole yacht was the locked room as it cruised across a vast ocean – the murderer is locked in with their victims. On the boat is lead character, Kai. He has previously enjoyed some musical success and lives a comfortable lifestyle but he is drifting without purpose and his brother is keen he attends a job interview with a view to seeing Kai settle down. Kai isn’t keen to give up his laidback freedom and when his gorgeous girlfriend Zina offers him the opportunity to take a trip with her on her father’s yacht Kai goes along.

He finds himself aboard the Zinaida as her owner Stepan Pirumov is preparing to take to sea to escape a threat to his life. Pirumov arrives last to the docks and the Zinaida sets sail with some urgency, there is clearly a need to flee an unknown enemy and Kai is very much caught up in the thick of the action. Unfortunately he speaks no Russian and does not know who he can trust to bring him up to speed. One of the crew, the first mate Erin, is the only person who shows him friendship – even Zina is behaving oddly in the presence of her parents.

The readers know there has been an incident back in London which Pirumov seems to be fleeing from. It suggests an enemy or enemies unknown are more than willing to take a life and that they have no qualms about removing innocents that may get in their way. Kai is afloat in what has become a luxury prison, someone out in the water may be coming to get Pirumov but they don’t know who and they don’t know when. Pirumov travels with a bodyguard and the crew on the boat had their own security in place but the level of distruct between these groups only serves to increase the tension between the characters. Something bad is about to happen – you can feel it.

Dead Rich was a exactly what I wanted it to be. Tense, unpredictable, packed with thrilling moments and engaging characters. The narrative flows like a dream and I was swept along by the events unfolding on the pages in front of me. Think summer Holywood blockbuster, summer reading by the pool – this book delivers all the escapism entertainment you could wish for. It’s out in May but get your copy reserved nice and early – not to be missed.

 

Dead Rich will be published by Riverrun on 26 May 2022. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/dead-rich/g-w-shaw/9781529420029

 

 

 

Category: 5* Reviews, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on Dead Rich – G.W. Shaw
February 23

The Death of Me – Michelle Davies

Is one of music’s greatest mysteries about to be solved?

‘He was a massive star until he did a headline grabbing retreat from the spotlight – but his disappearing act was FAKED. Fans won’t be happy when they find out – his reputation was dead in the water.’

When Isaac Naylor committed suicide after a teenage fan was found dead in his hotel room, the world thought it had lost one of the greatest rock stars of a generation. Naylor, lead singer of The Ospreys, had been arrested for causing the girl’s death and was on police bail when he drowned himself in the sea off the Devon coast.

Now, eight years on, music journalist Natalie Glass stumbles across a blind item on a US gossip website that suggests Naylor’s death wasn’t quite what it seemed – and he might in fact still be alive.

But as she delves deeper into what happened, Natalie finds she has a stark choice: give up trying to find out what happened to Naylor or risk her own obituary ending up in print.

 

I recieved a review copy of The Death of Me from the publishers through Netgalley.

 

Natalie Glass is a music journalist. She is a freelancer and hugely respected in the industry but in The Death of Me we find her at a low ebb. Her marriage is over, her young son is living with his father who can provide a more stable home life than Natalie who keeps irregular hours and has inconsistent income. She is desperate to get some stability in her life to allow her a better chance at being allowed more access to her son but until the family home is sold she is living in fear of bills arriving and relying upon the kindness of friends.

While browsing online gossip sites for potential stories she stumbles upon a story which suggests Issac Naylor, once the biggest name in music, may be writing songs anonymously for other artists to record. This in its-self would be big news but Naylor died eight years ago under the scandal of facilitating the death of a fan and there is absolutely no possibility he is helping new artists record successful songs.

Natalie is on the phone to her best friend and remembers the story about Naylor. As she relays the story her friend, who works at a recording studio, has an unusual reaction. Rather than laugh it off she seems started, edgy and implores Natalie not to repeat the story or to look into it further. She makes Natalie promise to ignore the gossip but Natalie is confused by the reaction, there couldn’t be any truth in this could there?

With no other projects demanding her time Natalie does start to look into Naylor’s story and his past and she begins to question whether there may have been any truth behind the gossip column’s claims. When she logs back onto the site to read the story again she discovers that post has been taken down; but why? More outrageous gossip has been allowed to run unchecked but the Isaac Naylor story has been removed.

Following her instincts there is a story to be found Natalie starts asking questions but her interest doesn’t go unnoticed and it isn’t long before her home and her friends are coming under attack. With her world collapsing around her Natalie is convinced she is getting closer to the most explosive story of the year but what would be the cost of uncovering the truth?

I blasted through The Death of Me in just a couple of days. I haven’t read any of the previous books by Michelle Davies but I found this to be a brilliantly told story which flowed and rewarded the reader with unexpected twists and shocks. This is exactly what I look for in a story, a tightly plotted drama with characters which I found engaging and wanted to keep reading about.

No better feeling for a reader than finding a gem on the bookshelves. Seek this one out!

 

The Death of Me is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093XZYCZ4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

 

 

 

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Death of Me – Michelle Davies
January 11

The Midnight Man – Caroline Mitchell

‘I remember the day I died quite clearly.’

Blackhall Manor has witnessed many dark crimes, long before five teenage girls break in to play the Midnight Game. It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home.

Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. Except perhaps Elliott Carter, who is only seven but has seen things in his dreams most adults could never imagine.

It’s a case that will bring them together and shake Sarah to her core. Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?

 

I received a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley.

 

A police thriller with a delightfully dark edge.

Sarah Noble is returning to work after a period of extended absence. She doesn’t expect an easy ride, given the circumstances which led to her absence, but Sarah does seem surprised at the animosity her colleagues are showing as she returns to duties with the police. Restricted duties and only core hours each day which is going to be a problem as her team are about to be involved in a troubling case which will stretch them and drain their resources.

The root of their problems lies within Blackhall Manor. The infamous old building (now falling to ruin) where one night, years earier, a father gunned down his wife and two children before turning the gun on himself. The building’s reputation now means it holds a fascination for the local school children. There is a “challenge” game they play where a group of kids will try to stay inside Blackhall Manor from midnight to 3.33am and avoid being found by The Midnight Man. If he should catch you then the understanding is that things won’t end well for the unfortunate player.

As we join the story there is a group of five schoolfriends planning their trip to Blackhall Manor. They have received an invitation to play the game and their nervous excitement is infectious as they consider the implications of playing and how they will ensure their parents don’t find out what their plans are.

The Midnight Man game is a great introduction to the story, particularly as readers have already been inside Blackhall Manor. The first pages of the story takes us back to that fateful night when the murders occurred – it’s a harrowing read as we hear events unfolding through the eyes of one of the children. The noise, the panic, the disbelief and incomprehension thrusts the story right into the face of the reader and it’s a powerful way to grab our attention.

In present day the game goes wrong for one of the players. She becomes seperated from her friends and discovers the game is much more real than they expected. Her friends believe she has chickened out and gone home so it is a shock the following day when news of a missing girl begins to circulate.

For Sarah and her colleagues in the police the missing girl is just the start of their problems. The girl comes from a powerful family within the small community and answers are urgently being demanded. As is the assurance the police will return her home safely. But for Sarah, work problems are just the tip of the iceberg. Someone is watching her, threatening her, taunting her and they seem to know all about Sarah – things nobody really should know. But in a small town can you really keep secrets?

The Midnight Man has a plan and he is playing his game but he also knows of Sarah and his plans may involve her too. Lives will be lost, others destroyed and any fragile trust which exists in the community will soon be shattered.

This is a tension packed read and Caroline Mitchell keeps you hooked. There are lots of great characters who feed into the story and each seem to have their own involvement in Sarah’s case but it’s never quite clear who is just quirky and who may have a hidden agenda. Dark, creepy and nicely paced to keep my attention throughout.

 

 

The Midnight Man is published by Embla Books and is available in digital format, audiobook and paperback. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09BVGYMD3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Midnight Man – Caroline Mitchell
December 21

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill – C.S. Robertson

Death is not the end. For Grace McGill, it’s only the beginning. When people die alone and undiscovered, it’s her job to clean up what’s left behind – whether it’s clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.

When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.

A stand-out novel with a unique narrative voice and an unguessable mystery, you are guaranteed to remember Grace McGill.

 

My thanks to the publishers who provided a review copy through Netgalley.

 

I don’t know where to start with this review. To be honest I just want to say:

Don’t read anything about this story.

Avoid all spoilers.

Just start reading and don’t stop.

Thank me later.

 

I’m not sure that will be quite enough. Even if I add *****Five Stars***** you would probably want a bit more. Okay I will do what I can but seriously, avoid spoilers.

Grace McGill lives in Glasgow. She works for herself and offers a specialist cleaning service – she cleans houses which have been neglected for prolonged periods of time and need to made habitable for a new resident. Often the reason the houses need a particularly deep clean is because the prevoius resident of the house has died in the house and nobody has noticed for a lengthy period of time. The Undiscovered Deaths part of the title suddenly clicks with the reader.

Needless to say the content of this story can be and may be upsetting for some readers. I don’t often include warnings when putting together a review but this time I feel it important to highlight that C.S. Robertson does not shy away from the work Grace McGill undertakes and the steps she may need to take to clean a home. It’s not detail which is included for shits and giggles, it forms an important part of understanding Grace and is dealt with factually and then the story proceeds.

Grace herself is a fascinating and unforgettable character. She lives alone (with a cat) and knows that people have trouble accepting what she does for a living. Even the cops who will contact her with new work can find her tricky to engage with. But Grace takes her work very seriously and wants to ensure she does right by the people she is cleaning up behind. She gets a quite unique insight into their lives and she is always respectful to their memory.

But Grace is now facing a strange dilemma. She has noticed something in one of the houses she is cleaning which does not seem to belong there. It is similar to an item she found at a previous house-clean. Curiosity leads Grace to a funeral and in turn she heads out of Glasgow to the Isle of Bute. Many years ago the island made the news and Grace has to consider the possibility a long-forgotten story may have a resolution in an untidy Glasgow flat.

I can’t say much more and I don’t want to say much more about the story. I DO want to say more about the writing which I found to be gobsmackingly good. C.S. Robertson tells a compassionate, haunting and unforgettable story and I loved reading about Grace. She dominates the story and shows a savvy inner strength when facing very challenging circumstances.

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is out in January – I cannot wait for everyone to read this too.

 

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is published by Hodder & Stoughton on 20 January 2022. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-undiscovered-deaths-of-grace-mcgill/c-s-robertson/9781529367645

Category: 5* Reviews, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill – C.S. Robertson
December 12

The Christmas Murder Game – A.K. Benedict

Twelve clues. Twelve keys. Twelve days of Christmas. But who will survive until Twelfth Night?

Lily Armitage never intended to return to Endgame House – the grand family home where her mother died twenty-one Christmases ago. Until she receives a letter from her aunt, asking her to return to take part in an annual tradition: the Christmas Game.

The challenge? Solve twelve clues, to find twelve keys. The prize? The deeds to the manor house. Lily has no desire to win the house. But her aunt makes one more promise: The clues will also reveal who really killed Lily’s mother all those years ago.

So, for the twelve days of Christmas, Lily must stay at Endgame House with her estranged cousins and unravel the riddles that hold the key not just to the family home, but to its darkest secrets. However, it soon becomes clear that her cousins all have their own reasons for wanting to win the house – and not all of them are playing fair.

As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, the game turns deadly. Soon Lily realises that she is no longer fighting for an inheritance, but for her life. This Christmas is to die for… let the game begin.

 

My thanks to Eleanor Stammeijer at Bonnier Books for my review copy.

 

If you are thinking of gifting a book to someone this festive period and you know they are a fan of classic crime, locked room mysteries or love a story with some puzzles to work on as the story unfolds then AK Benedict’s The Christmas Murder Game is the book you should be wrapping for that person. If you are also a fan of those things then I would recommend getting a second copy for yourself. This one is FUN.

Okay maybe it isn’t fun for the victims in the story, all members of the same family who have been called to the family home, Endgame House, after the death of the family matriach. In years gone by all the children in the family would take part in the Christmas Game where clues were provided and had to be solved with presents at stake. Lily loved the games and knew Endgame House so well that she could easily solve the clues, however, she didn’t enjoy the tempers from some of the family members who fared less well so she shrunk into the background and let others claim the prizes.

Years earlier Lily vowed never to return to Endgame House after her mother died, leaving Lily to fend for herself at far too young an age. But it was her aunt’s dying wish that all the family (Lily included) return to Endgame House to pay the Christmas Game one last time as her death meant someone had to win the Game to win Endgame House. With a huge ancestral home going to the winner the former hotel is filled with squabbling kin who all want to best the other.

There will be daily clues and the chance to win keys. The correct key will open the door to a secret room hidden within Endgame House and for the winner the whole house. Lawyers have been consulted and the competition will be legally binding but only the family and a housekeeper will be resident during the twelve days of Christmas while the game plays out. The fact the guests all arrive as a heavy blizzard descends means they will all be trapped within Endgame House irrespective of how the rules were devised. Nobody can get in, nobody can get out so when one of their number is found dead there is only one possible truth – there is a killer in their midst who will stop at nothing to win the Christmas Game and take ownership of Endgame House.

AK Benedict has worked wonders with this story. It’s a Christie-esk murder tale. It’s Doctor Who’s Robots of Death (without the robots) and it’s a puzzle fan’s dream as there are anagram challenges and christmas books to identify which the author has peppered through each “day of Christmas”.  I will confess to doing badly at those challenges but I had lots of fun trying (stress trying) to do well!

Lily shines through this story and she drives the narration. There are unexplained and unusual incidents, creepy noises from empty parts of the house and a murderer in their midst but Lily also has to contend with a return to the place of her mother’s death and that is hitting much harder than she had expected. Lily is beautifully written and I got much more invested into her plight than I ever did with the procession of characters Dame Agatha tripped out in her English Country Manor tales.

The Christmas Murder Game has the feel of a classic crime thriller but is very much a modern tale – when a Playstation was mentioned at one point it made me realise this wasn’t a book written in the Golden Age of crime fiction though I had that sepia tinted impression a number of times.

This is the perfect time of year to be picking up this book but don’t take too long and risk spoilers, the fun really is in not knowing where this story will take you. Charming with some nasty murders – great fun!

 

 

The Christmas Murder Game is published by Bonnier Zaffre and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-christmas-murder-game/alexandra-benedict/9781838775384

Category: 5* Reviews, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Christmas Murder Game – A.K. Benedict
November 12

The Dark Hours – Michael Connelly

AS NIGHT FALLS, A KILLER COMES TO LIGHT…

On New Year’s Eve at the end of one of the hardest years in history, hundreds of revellers shoot their guns into the air in time-honoured LA tradition. But as the rain of lead comes down, a man is shot dead in the middle of a crowded street party.

Detective Renée Ballard soon connects the bullet to an unsolved cold case last worked by legendary ex-LAPD detective Harry Bosch. As they investigate where the old and new cases connect, a new crime shatters the night shift.

The Midnight Men are a pair of violent predators who stalk the city during the dark hours, and will kill to keep their identities secret.

In a police department shaken to the core by pandemic and protests, both cases have the power to save Ballard’s belief in the job – or take everything from her…

 

I received a review copy from Orion and was invited to join the blog tour by Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers.

 

A Ballard and Bosch thriller but The Dark Hours is very much the book in which Renée Ballard gets to shine. I can’t immediately think of a scene in the book where Ballard doesn’t feature and she is a formidable force throughout. Bosch fans need not worry as Harry does get plenty of involvement but this is all about Ballard.

Proceedings open on New Years Eve when all the cops are on the streets for a “time-honoured” tradition of LA residents shooting their guns into the air (and I thought we Scot’s were hardcore revellers on Hogmanay). A call comes through for Ballard – a death to attend after the rain of bullets had fallen on the city.

Although Ballard is not working homicide cases and has been seconded to Sex to assist with a case the police are calling The Midnight Men she attends the scene and has suspicions this death may actually be a murder. Although Ballard should be handing over the case to the detectives that work homicides they are too busy with an “all hands onboard” case which has potential to be high profile and damaging for the reputation of LAPD.  Ballard starts to investigate her suspected murder and opens a can of worms.

The murder weapon appears to link to an unsolved murder several years ago, the investigating detective was Harry Bosch.  The pair are reunited and Ballard drafts in Bosch to assist so she can try to track a killer before she is told to hand over the case to the homicide detectives. As she starts asking questions she draws attention to herself, there have been other murders down the years and Ballard’s victim is just the latest person who fell foul of a ruthless collective. But with the department seemingly reluctant to lift the lid on historic murders which may make LAPD look bad she is fighting a losing battle to progress her enquiries.

Ballard’s frustration with the politics of policing is very clear in The Dark Hours. Michael Connelly has made his latest novel very relevant to today’s circumstances.  He is one of the few authors making lockdown and Covid very much part of the ongoing narrative. There are mentions of George Floyd and the January 6th issues in the Americal capital. Ballard has seen the public perception towards the police shifting and it doesn’t help her doing her job. This brings a fascinating new dynamic to a police story which the author exploits to magnificent effect.

I referenced The Midnight Men – a dual team of predators who have been conducting violent sexual assults on women. Ballard is officially working this case but is saddled with a colleague who Ballard feels has lost her drive and empathy. These scenes in the story will be disturbing and Ballard’s determination to see justice served will drive her to making some questionable decisions to see the perpreatrators caught. Is the result more important than following procedure? Ballard thinks so but she will still need to answer for her actions.

The Dark Hours is easily one of my favourite reads this year. The story feels frantic and unrelenting. Ballard is spinning plates and burning the candle both ends and the reader is caught up with her determination to make good and help the victims in all the crimes she has to investigte. But hunting the worst people makes her a target and Ballard will need to be very careful as not all threats are physical, political pressures may also stop her achieving her goals.

I don’t know how Michael Connelly can consistently deliver such compelling stories but I am in awe that the does.

 

The Dark Hours is published by Orion and is available in Hardback, digital and audiobook copy. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08WPWZ57C/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on The Dark Hours – Michael Connelly
November 9

Have You Seen Me – Alexandra Weis

SOME SECRETS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE … FOREVER.

Lindsey Gillett is missing.

And she’s not the first girl at Waverly Prep to vanish without a trace.

To help cope with the tragedy, new history teacher Aubrey LeRoux organizes a small student investigation team. But when the members start turning up dead across campus, Aubrey suspects there’s more going on than anyone is willing to admit.

The murdered students all had something in common with Lindsey. They shared a secret. And what they uncovered could threaten the future of the historic school.

At Waverly Prep, someone wants to keep the past buried—along with anyone who gets in their way.

 

I received a review copy through Netgalley and the book was brought to my attention by Jamie-Lee at Black Crow PR

 

When you grow up reading books set in schools and featuring school kids you don’t realise schools feature less and less in your chosen reads as you move away from MG, YA and into (in my case) crime and thriller fiction. So when I started Have You Seen Me – a crime thriller set in a residential school I was transported back to a period of my life where schools were the staple location for the books I read.

Have You Seen Me is a YA thriller which is aimed at readers aged 12 to 17 and I would absoultely have been here for this book at that time of my life. It has a group of school friends who have concerns the adults responsible for their care are not listening to their worries that something has happened to a girl in their class.

At Waverly Prep missing girls seem to be something of a recurring issue. The staff at the school believe the missing girls simply ran away, they were disruptive troublemakers and they didn’t seem to want to be at this illustrious institution. Aubrey Leroux was a student at Waverly Prep and girls in her year went missing. She suspected foul play at the time but she didn’t know she had been a suspect too.

Aubrey had been a scholarship student and there would have been no way that her family could have afforded to send her to Waverly Prep were it not for her academic prowess winning her a place. Naturally this singled Aubrey out amongst her peers at the time, the fact she was dark skinned in a school with mainly white rich kids was also a situation she endured.  Now Aubrey returns to her old school to take up a teaching post. Her new boss, her old headteacher, remembers she brought attitude and problems with her so Aubrey is already striving to make a good impression in her new role.

It’s not the best start for her though – as when she was a student – a girl has gone missing from Waverly Prep and Aubrey feels there have been too many instances of missing kids for it to be a coincidence. She believes there is a danger in the school and she wants to investigate. But the local police don’t support Aubrey’s suspicions so it falls to Aubrey and a group of her students to conduct their own enquries.

The missing girl is Lindsey Gillett. Her classmates hail her as a popular student but this isn’t mirrored by the staff opinion of her. Aubrey starts to look further into Lindsey’s time at the school and with her student investigators they start to ask tricky questions. The old groundskeeper remembers Aubrey from her time as a student but he warns her off looking too much into the background of the school and the large grounds it sits in, particularly the old battlefield and graveyard.

Of course the more the students and Aubrey snoop the more likely they are to draw unwanted attention and soon a missing girl is the least of their worries as one of their number meets a nasty end. There’s a murderer hanging around the school and it doesn’t look like he is going to settle for just a single victim.

As this is a YA novel the more brutal detail of the murder scenes are not shared with the reader – that’s all down to your imagination. But the manner of the deaths and the set-up to a catastrophe is still rather disconcerting at times. I liked the imagination Alexandra Weis brought to the second half of the story when the danger is ramped up to the max. But it was a bit of a slow burn initially and I found the students and their manipulation of their teacher to be irksome rather than engaging – I am putting that down to my age though!

All in I enjoyed Have You Seen Me. It was darker than I had expected but not in a graphic way. A couple of twists were a little too easy to spot but the exectuion of the story was still well handled. Stick with it through the build up for a full on last third where virtually anything goes.

 

 

Have you Seen Me is published by Vesuvian Books and is available in Hardback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08Z5XJ74Y/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

 

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off on Have You Seen Me – Alexandra Weis