Deep Dark Night – Steph Broadribb

Fearless Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson travels to Chicago to trap the head of a notorious crime family, in a high-stakes, nail-biting mission that sees her trapped in one of the city’s tallest buildings during a blackout…

A city in darkness. A building in lockdown. A score that can only be settled in blood…

Working off the books for FBI Special Agent Alex Monroe, Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson and her partner, JT, head to Chicago. Their mission: to entrap the head of the Cabressa crime family. The bait: a priceless chess set that Cabressa is determined to add to his collection.

An exclusive high-stakes poker game is arranged in the penthouse suite of one of the city’s tallest buildings, with Lori holding the cards in an agreed arrangement to hand over the pieces. But, as night falls and the game plays out, stakes rise and tempers flare.

When a power failure plunges the city into darkness, the building goes into lockdown. But this isn’t an ordinary blackout, and the men around the poker table aren’t all who they say they are. Hostages are taken, old scores resurface and the players start to die.

And that’s just the beginning…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and also to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the chance to host today’s leg of the blog tour.

Bounty-Hunter Lori Anderson returns for a fourth outing in Deep Dark Night. She has her partner, JT, alongside her and the kick-ass duo are going to need to be at their very best as they are working off the radar to assist an FBI agent to bring down the head of one of Chicago’s crime families.

If you haven’t had the chance to read any of Broadribb’s previous books in the Lori Anderson series you need not fret as Deep Dark Night works extremely well as both stand alone thriller and a great introduction to the series. I am sure there will be many first time readers who will love Deep Dark Night as much as I did and will take the opportunity to catch up on the first three books. A good decision!

But what to expect from Deep Dark Night? Does Agatha Christie meets Die Hard sound intriguing?

Lori and JT find themselves involved in a high stakes poker game. The game is hosted by Cabressa, gangster and general bad guy, the other players are equally dislikable types who can afford the big purse needed to have a seat at this game. The event is being held in the penthouse suite in a Chicago skyscraper. Lori has a seat at the table so she can stake a valuable set of chess pieces which Cabressa badly wants. The chess pieces and Lori’s buy-in purse is provided by the FBI. They will be watching through high tech surveillance equipment and Lori feels safer knowing they have her back.

Unfortunately things do not go to plan. Citywide blackout sees the penthouse going into lockdown. The Panic Room features in the penthouse are activated. Air conditioning, lighting and temperature controls are impacted. Nobody can get in and, more importantly, nobody can get out. So when a recorded voice addresses all the occupants of the penthouse and accuses each of harbouring a dark secret. Tensions are high. The voice announces one of their number is a police informant, another is a murderer and most alarmingly one is HERRON. A rival gangster who has been undermining many of Cabressa’s business opportunities. The voice commands the poker players work out which of their number is the mysterious Herron. If they fail the room they are locked in will lose light then air and they will all suffocate within 90 minutes.

A whodunnit (whoissit?) In the style of Christie. But the shades of Die Hard creep in too as we have 10 desperate individuals fighting for their lives in a skyscraper. The body count will be high.

At this point I should switch the alliteration button on. Deep Dark Night is a pulsating page turner, a rip roaring race against time, a breathtaking blockbuster of a book. You get the gist?

I am very much a fan of this kind of action adventure tale. The mysterious Herron figure remains undetected for a long time but several likely candidates emerge, not least Lori who is a stranger to all the other players and very much a possible candidate. One thing is certain – Herron isn’t surviving the encounter so nobody can risk being accused of being Herron.

Great fun to read. Brilliantly paced and decidedly nasty in places – Deep Dark Night is another great read from Steph Broadribb. Give it a go and join #TeamLori

Deep Dark Night is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XBWTW6X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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March 25

Black River – Will Dean

Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.

FEAR

Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim is missing.

SECRETS

Racing back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar, Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts?

LIES

Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?

Huge thanks to publishers Point Blank for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Black River blog tour

Black River brings another very welcome return for journalist Tuva Moodyson. Tuva has appeared twice before but if you haven’t had a chance to read any of Will Dean’s previous books (both highly recommended) the good news is that Black River works great as a stand alone title.

Returning readers will be delighted to learn that Tuva has achieved career progression and moved South, away from Gavrik and it’s deep, dark forests to take up a new role. However, Tuva receives a call to advise all is not well in Gavrik as her best friend Tammy has disappeared and the police do not seem to be treating the matter as a crime. Tuva immediately gets into her car and drives North – she will find her friend.

The Gavrik police point out that Tammy is an adult and has not been gone for long, they make it clear adults drop off the grid for no reason all the time. Tuva is not convinced – Tammy’s mobile food hut hasn’t been properly closed down, her bag and purse remain and there is a small drop of blood found at the place she was last seen. Tammy wouldn’t just vanish and leave behind all her possessions. Tuva is soon back doing what she does best, asking questions, probing and leaving no stone unturned.

I found it very poignant when Tuva was interviewing people she didn’t previously know and they painted her a picture of her best friend’s life – a girl Tuva no-longer recognized. Tammy is described as lonely, she was “missing a friend who moved away” and was using dating apps and going out with guys that Tuva didn’t feel were good matches for her friend. Guilt only increases Tuva’s worry for her friend.

Circumstances will soon change and the police will take a much more active role in searching for Tammy. But Tuva has her own suspicions and her investigations will bring her back into contact with some of Will Dean’s wonderfully unusual and quirky characters.

The Tuva Moodyson books are already one of the new releases I look forward to each year. Will Dean is building a cracking series and Black River only enhances the collection thus far. Highly recommended.

Black River is published by Point Blank and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-River-Will-Dean-ebook/dp/B07XYD9HKN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1584720019&sr=1-1

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March 21

Mexico Street – Simone Buchholz

Hamburg state prosecutor Chastity Riley investigates a series of arson attacks on cars across the city, which leads her to a startling and life-threatening discovery involving criminal gangs and a very illicit love story…

Night after night, cars are set alight across the German city of Hamburg, with no obvious pattern, no explanation and no suspect.

Until, one night, on Mexico Street, a ghetto of high-rise blocks in the north of the city, a Fiat is torched. Only this car isn’t empty. The body of Nouri Saroukhan – prodigal son of the Bremen clan – is soon discovered, and the case becomes a homicide.

Public prosecutor Chastity Riley is handed the investigation, which takes her deep into a criminal underground that snakes beneath the whole of Germany. And as details of Nouri’s background, including an illicit relationship with the mysterious Aliza, emerge, it becomes clear that these are not random attacks, and there are more on the cards…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the chance to host this leg of the Mexico Street Blog Tour.

Reading a Chastity Riley thriller by Simone Buchholz is an intense experience. Not a word is wasted in the tight, punchy writing. Yet, as I highlighted in my review of the previous Chastity Reily book, there is a lyrical beauty in the writing.

Reilly is back and investigating a case which has seen a body found in a burnt-out car. The burning car is not a new crime, there have been cars set alight across Hamburg over many previous nights. For a burning car to be occupied this is new. Further problems arise when the identity of the deceased is established – the estranged son of one of the prominent gangster families.

Chastity is present when Nouri’s family are told of his death. Their reaction is strange and unnaturally withdrawn. The son was not considered part of the family, he had sought a life away from the influence of his family and they had closed the door on him. So was Noiri’s death a random incident or was he singled out because of who he was?

As Reilly and her colleagues try to unpick the background on their victim and his family the reader gets glimpses (very small glimpses) into Chastity’s life. I feel she is such an enigmatic character as she appears in a constant spiral of drinking, smoking and mourning changes in her life.

There is a retrospective element to the story too. Two adolescents growing up, drawn together and facing the world despite knowing their lot in life is not one either would want. I found this part of Mexico Street most compelling. The boy and girl were such vivid characters and their stories and the challenges they faced kept me hooked – I had to know how they could overcome their hardships. If they could!

I previously highlighted the lyrical power in Mexico Street (and the previous titles) so a huge shout of praise goes to Rachel Ward for the phenomenal translation of the text from the original German. During the recent Orenda Roadshow event in Glasgow Buchholz also went out of her way to praise the incredible work which was done on the translation, moving her words from the “clumsy” German into English. English translation was described by the author as being a “Holy Grail” in publishing, this series really is a rare treasure.

Mexico Street is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mexico-Street-Chastity-Simone-Buchholz-ebook/dp/B07XBVQ95Q/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1584719807&refinements=p_27%3ASimone+Buchholz&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Simone+Buchholz

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March 7

The Holdout – Graham Moore

One juror changed the verdict. What if she was wrong?

‘Ten years ago we made a decision together…’

Fifteen-year-old Jessica Silver, heiress to a billion-dollar fortune, vanishes on her way home from school. Her teacher, Bobby Nock, is the prime suspect. It’s an open and shut case for the prosecution, and a quick conviction seems all but guaranteed.

Until Maya Seale, a young woman on the jury, persuades the rest of the jurors to vote not guilty: a controversial decision that will change all of their lives forever.

Ten years later, one of the jurors is found dead, and Maya is the prime suspect.

The real killer could be any of the other ten jurors. Is Maya being forced to pay the price for her decision all those years ago?

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley. My thanks also to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to host this leg of The Holdout blogtour.

A fascinating mashup of courtroom drama and murder investigation where the reader is never sure who they can trust.

Ten years before events in the main timeline a young black teacher is on trial for the murder of a rich white girl who had been one of his students. The trial was high profile and seemed (at first glance) to be a formality with a murderer just needing the formality of a trial to confirm everyone believed him to be guilty. But a lone juror, Maya Seale, believed him to be innocent and she set about convincing fellow jurors she was correct.

During the trial the names of the jurors were leaked to the media and all the jurors had to be sequestered. It took several weeks for a the jurors to reach the unanimous Not Guilty verdict and over that time they got to know each other better than anticipated. Rules were broken, alliances formed and secrets were kept.

When the jurors returned to the “real world” they were not prepared for the response of the public. They seemed to be the only 12 people in the country who felt Not Guilty was the correct verdict. There was backlash.

Back to present day and Maya is a respected defense lawyer. Her experience on the jury gave her an insight into the judicial process and the way jurors behave which other lawyers couldn’t emulate.

Maya is approached by one of her fellow jurors as a production team want to do a documentary on the trial “ten years on”. Maya is reluctant but her boss encourages her participation – Maya feels she has no choice and agrees to join the show.

The jurors are assembled in the same hotel they were sequestered to and on the first night before filming begins one of them is murdered. Maya is the prime suspect. Can she clear her name? And if Maya is not a killer then one of her fellow jurors must be.

The Holdout is a twisty drama which switches between courtroom and investigative drama. Events are both historical (the original trial) and current (the jurors murder and Maya’s possible arrest). Clues are dropped through the narrative and it is wise not to make any assumptions.

There seem too few courtroom dramas these days, The Holdout will fill that gap in your legal reading.

The Holdout is pubished by Orion. It is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07YHCR6YC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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March 6

Bobby March Will Live Forever – Alan Parks

WHO IS TO BLAME WHEN NO ONE IS INNOCENT?

The papers want blood.
The force wants results.
The law must be served, whatever the cost.

July 1973. The Glasgow drugs trade is booming and Bobby March, the city’s own rock-star hero, has just overdosed in a central hotel.

Alice Kelly is thirteen years old, lonely. And missing.

Meanwhile the niece of McCoy’s boss has fallen in with a bad crowd and when she goes AWOL, McCoy is asked – off the books – to find her.

McCoy has a hunch. But does he have enough time?

My thanks to Canongate Books for my review copy

This is one of the backwards reviews – one of the ones where I do the summary first. That only happens when I have been blown away by a book. So there should be no doubt when I say: I loved Bobby March Will Live Forever.

The third book in the Harry McCoy series which began with Bloody January (five stars) and February’s Son (five stars). I enjoyed Bobby March more than the first two so have not left myself any room to reflect this in my scoring system…I may need to add a smiley face or a “vg” like I did when I was teaching.

Now I can turn to the book. It is Glasgow in the blistering heat of Summer 1973. A child (Alice Kelly) has vanished off the streets and her parents are frantic. The police are stretched to the limit and it is “all hands on deck” to find Alice. All hands except Harry McCoy.

Harry has been sidelined. He is working under a new boss, a temporary arrangement while the head of his station takes on a secondment up in Perth. Harry and his new “boss” do not see eye to eye and the consequence of their enmity is that Harry is getting all the rubbish to deal with. So while his colleagues (and the splendid “Watty”) are on a city-wide hunt for missing Alice, Harry is left to deal with a drug-overdose in a city centre hotel. The deceased is Bobby Marsh, through a series of flashback chapters scattered through the book we see Bobby rise from young talented guitarist to the best session musician of his day. He played with all the greats but dabbled with all the wrong substances and this would be his undoing. Bobby is gone, his fans will be bereft and Harry has to work out why an apparent overdose appears to be more complicated than it may seem.

Harry’s Perthshire-ensconsed boss, Murray, also has another task for him as his niece has run away from home an Murray’s brother wants her found and returned. But as Murray’s brother seeks political office he wants his runaway daughter kept out of the headlines. Murray puts this responsibility onto Harry and leaves him spinning plates.

The investigation process in 1973 is very different from the crime fiction titles we read today and Harry’s world seems a million miles away from what we have now. Yet Alan Parks makes it wonderfully vivid and you can almost smell the cigarette filled bars and sweaty tenement rooms that Harry has to frequent.

The returning cast add so much depth and enjoyment, Harry’s old friend Stevie Cooper is still one of Glasgows crime kingpin’s, the dependable Watty is working with ‘the enemy’ on the missing girl case, brothel madame Iris is back to provide unwilling assistance and even Harry’s ex girlfriend cameos to remind him of days long lost.

The story is utterly compelling and I was totally unprepared for how some elements were resolved. So damned clever!

We are three books in to this series and I cannot say enough good things about all the Harry McCoy titles. Alan Parks is the name all fans of crime fiction should be seeking out. These are books you should be reading.

Bobby March Will Live Forever. Five stars, v.g. 🙂

Bobby March Will Live Forever is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XC7ZLBF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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March 3

Cage and Fatal Forgery – Listening to Financial Crime

A Double Whammy of Audiobook Reviews today. As I work in financial services I particularly enjoy financial crime stories so when I recently listened to two such tales back-to-back it seemed appropriate to review them together too.

Cage – Lilja Sigurdarottir

Drugs, smuggling, big money and political intrigue in Iceland rally with love, passion, murder and betrayal until the winner takes all…in the masterful, explosive conclusion to the award-winning Reykjavík Noir trilogy.

The prison doors slam shut behind Agla when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her.

As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed.

Ruthless drug baron Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home.

At the same time, a deadly threat to Sonya and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive.

With a shocking crescendo, the lives of these characters collide, as drugs, smuggling, big money and political intrigue rally with love, passion, murder and betrayal until the winner takes all…in the masterful, explosive conclusion to the award-winning Reykjavík Noir trilogy.

My thanks to Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books who kindly provided a copy of the audiobook for me to enjoy.

Cage completes a trilogy – Snare and Trap are the first two books. Reading Trap and Snare will provide character back-story and set a scene but Cage is very much a title which could be enjoyed as a stand-alone read.

Both Snare and Trap focus on Sonya, she is the mother of a young boy who will do anything to keep her son safe, however, she is also one of the most effective drug smugglers in Iceland and lives a dangerous life. Those books are both wonderfully tense, unexpectedly shocking and Sonya is a great lead character. Cage shifts focus from Sonya to her sometime partner Agla. I was not expecting Sonya to be moved out of the limelight to the extent she was, but Agla is such a fascinating character and I was fully on-board with the change.

As Cage opens Agla is in prison but her release date looms. It is a daunting prospect for her and returning readers see how different this once confident individual has been changed as a consequence of her incarceration. Agla had expected to leave prison and be met by Sonya, but their relationship changed suddenly when Sonya had fled – seemingly unable to commit to a life with Agla. The rejection hurt Agla badly and her recovery and new reality are explored through the story.

Prior to her release, Agla had been approached by a senior executive of a large firm who wanted to recruit Agla (off radar) for her talent at financial manipulation and her ability to devise solutions around tough regulations. The challenge? To investigate unusual market practices in the aluminium markets.

Agla recruits an old adversary – Maria – to assist. Maria had once poured her energies into exposing Agla as a criminal but now her life has also been turned upside down. She is making a living as a journalist exposing corruption and bad practices. She reluctantly helps Agla and soon finds herself alone and imprisoned at the mercy of unknown agents.

Can Agla and Maria uncover the elaborate financial market manipulations? Will Sonya finally get the respite she seeks? And how does a young teen with a crate of dynamite and a desire to change the world fit into the story?

An explosive and powerful book which I utterly adored. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated (best recording of the trilogy) and the hours flew by as I listened.

Highly recommended.

Cage is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QW4C2SN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Fatal Forgery – Susan Grossey

It is 1824, and trust in the virtual money of the day – new paper financial instruments – is so fragile that anyone forging them is sent to the scaffold. So why would one of London’s most respected bankers start forging his clients’ signatures? Sent to arrest Henry Fauntleroy, Constable Samuel Plank is determined to find out why the banker has risked his reputation, his banking house and his neck – and why he is so determined to plead guilty. As the case makes its way through the Regency justice system, exercising the finest legal minds of their generation and dividing London society into the banker’s supporters and detractors, Plank races against time to find the answers that can save Fauntleroy’s life.

I put out a shout on Twitter for audiobook recommendations and got a lot of excellent recommendations. Although I only had scope to pick up one or two of the suggestions at the time I was drawn to Susan Grossey’s Fatal Forgery (as the day-job is in financial services). The premise of a banker pleading guilty to fraud when the penalty of his actions led to the hangman’s noose was ticking all the right buttons.

The story begins in 1824 and we are in the company of Constable Samuel Plank. These are the days before a London police force was fully established but Plank and colleagues do maintain law and order and work with magistrates to keep the streets safe. Well that’s a relative measure but they maintained a degree of discipline. It is clear Plank is well respected, he can apply reason and sound decision making and he is not one to have his head turned by the offer of a coin or two.

Indeed it is coins which are at the heart of this story as Plank is caught up in the disturbing case of a banker (Fauntleroy) who has failed to properly act in the true interests of his customers and traded stock and dividends without their knowledge. The semantics and methods used by Fauntleroy are nicely explained by the author and although I have an awareness of most of the terminology used I am quite sure those outside financial circles would have no trouble understanding how the crimes had been committed. Forgery is a phrase which carries over many generations!

The story follows the investigation. The social unrest and outcry (bankers were most trusted in 1824). We also get a court case and there is a great social history aspect to the story too. Susan Grossey does a marvelous job in depicting Regency London and gives the reader a splendid insight into how life may have been.

Narration duties are handled by Guy Hanson and he was very listenable. I repeat it often but the narrator can make or break the audiobook experience and Mr Hanson very much made Fatal Forgery a most entertaining addition to my listening library. There are further titles in the series and I fully intend to pick them up over the coming weeks.

Fatal Forgery is available in paperback, digital and audiobook formats and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fatal-Forgery/dp/B01LBBXQ2U/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fatal+forgery&qid=1582408083&s=books&sr=1-1

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February 27

Possessed – Peter Laws

When a blood-soaked man is discovered with the word Baal-Berith scored into his flesh, the bewildered police call on expert Professor Matt Hunter to assist. Before long, a gruesome discovery is made and Hunter is drawn into a frenzied murder investigation. With a fury of media interest in the case, and the emerging link to a documentary on demonic possession, Hunter is unable to escape a dark world of exorcism and violence . even when events spiral frighteningly out of control.

My thanks to publisher, Allison & Busby for a review copy of Possessed.

After a run of reading a run of crime novels it was a welcome change of tone to pick up Possessed and let some demonic possession into my reading.

This chilling tale puts Professor Matt Hunter back into the thick of the action as he faces the horror of a brutal murder and then the even more alarming prospect of a reality television show seeking to exorcise demons from a group of individuals who believe they are each possessed.

Matt is initially asked to assist the police after a suspect showing signs of “possession” is discovered to have carved the name of a demon into his own body. The suspect is identified and it is not long before Matt and the police find a body – brutally mutilated and abandoned in her home.

The suspect appears to have no self control and indicates all his actions are being controlled by a demon – one famed for murdering thousands of humans down the centuries. A local minister and friend of the suspect insists he knew of the possession and had tried to perform an exorcism. Matt maintains demons and possession cannot be real and the murderer must be ill and in need of medical care.

News of the horrific murder soon reaches the media and Matt is brought to the tv studios to provide the balanced viewpoint on discussions around the possibility of demons being real and the effectiveness of exorcism. During the course of the show a “famed” expert tries to conduct an exorcism on air. Matt ends the debacle but the show’s producer sees the potential in giving more airtime to a live exorcism.

Matt is approached again to participate in a documentary which will give him the opportunity to explain why demons cannot be real and exorcisms are not authentic treatments for people who may be in real need of medical intervention. Sadly for Matt the producers have not been honest with him in the nature of the show they planned and a reality tv show which plans to conduct full exorcisms live on air has been arranged.

Against his better judgement Matt agrees to provide scientific balance to the occasion. It should come as no surprise to fans of horror fiction that all does not go as planned.

I love an unpredictable horror tale and Possessed delivers the shocks, the chills and the nasty surprises I had hoped for. The use of a calm voice of reason (Matt) in a scenario of hysteria and drama is particularly effective and Peter Laws brings a devious mystery to the story which will keep readers guessing.

Horror fans should jump at the chance to read the Matt Hunter books – Possessed may just be the best of the series (so far). More like this please!

Possessed is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0749024674/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 27

The Patient Man – Joy Ellis

A mystery which will captivate you till the dramatic ending.

Jackman and Evans’ most dangerous enemy is back to finish things off.

The domestic bliss of Detective Inspector Rowan Jackman, of Fenland Constabulary, doesn’t last long. His old nemesis, serial killer Alistair Ashcroft, is back in town and ready to tidy up unfinished business.

Ashcroft sends a sinister text to DS Marie Evans. His opening move in what will prove to be a lethal game of cat-and-mouse. Yet for all his taunts, where is he? In a county crawling with police on the lookout for him, Ashcroft is nowhere to be found.

Everyone Jackman cares about is in danger. Alongside the hunt for Ashcroft, however, normal police work must continue. The separate thefts of six pigs, a thoroughbred stallion, guns and some oil lead Jackman’s crew to the notorious Lorimer family, ruled over on their farm by the fearsome matriarch Rachel.

Meanwhile, a seemingly routine break-in at the home of gun-club owner Kenneth Harcourt quickly becomes more complicated when the man long held responsible for having killed Harcourt’s young daughter in a hit-and-run is shot dead in a car park – by a sniper. A killer is on the loose in the quiet streets of Saltern-le-Fen, and he isn’t going to stop at claiming one life. But why is he focusing on young Kevin, so close to promotion to detective?

And the sniper, like Ashcroft, takes to taunting the police: they’ll never catch him, they need to respect him, they shouldn’t be sidetracked looking for their old adversary.

In a stunning conclusion, Jackman and Evans race against time to catch the sniper and track down their deadly adversary. A lethal game with a very patient man. Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you listening until the shocking ending. Set in the atmospheric Lincolnshire Fens whose towns and isolated villages hide many dark secrets.

My thanks to Ben at Midas PR for the invitation to join the audiobook blog tour for The Patient Man. I received access to the audiobook to allow an impartial review to be written.

Initially I will admit I wasn’t wild about The Patient Man. The Jackman/Evans series has been running for several books yet this was my introduction to the characters. It caused a little frustration that early in the story there were several references to previous events from the preceding books which were not clarified or explained to new readers. I appreciate returning readers will probably be glad some basic info wasn’t explained, however, when releasing an audio-only title it is possible new readers may be discovering the characters for the first time.

That’s the niggle done as I stuck with The Patient Man and I am happy to report I thoroughly enjoyed the deadly cat and mouse tale. It quickly became clear that DI Rowan Jackman had previously crossed paths with a dangerous killer called Alistair Ashcroft. Their past encounters were brutal, draining experiences for Jackman. So when Ashcroft leaves a message for Jackman making it clear he was back to settle scores, Jackman is a worried man.

All of Jackmans team are on the lookout for Ashford but the killer seems to be extremely skilled at remaining undetected. Making matters even more difficult for the police is the other matters they must give their attention to. A break-in at the home of local gun-range owner sees a number of firearms go missing. Soon after people start dying as a sniper targets seemingly random victims. On a lesser scale there are also a series of farmyard thefts to be investigated. Pigs and a breeding stallion are stolen and the farmers are seeking prompt return if their beasts.

The police get a lead which takes them to the home of the Lorimer family. A wild family of outcasts and social misfits who live well away from the local town and are generally mistrusted by the residents. The Lorimer family were probably my favourite element to Thd Patient Man as their complex family dynamic, rejection of modern society and their random personalities made them so much fun to hear about.

But snipers, farm thefts and odd families aside – Evans and Jackman know that Alistair Ashcroft is out there watching them. He will be plotting on ways to undermine their resolve. Upset or kill their friends, family or colleagues and they know he will be a deadly adversary. The tension builds throughout the story and Joy Ellis brilliantly keeps the drama going to the last set-play.

The Patient Man is Audible only so getting the narrator right is vital. Narration duties lie with Richard Armitage and I found him very listenable. There are many characters in the story and he gave each a distinctive voice which made it very easy for me to keep this new (to me) cast clearly identified in my head.

When the last chapter had run its course I felt I had been on a journey with Jackman and Evans. I enjoyed the time I spent in their company and Ashcroft was a great hook to keep me listening – nasty bad guys are always a treat in my reading choices.

The Patient Man is published by Audible Studios and is only available in audiobook format. You can purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Patient-Man-Jackman-Evans-Book/dp/B082J2PKKX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Joy+Ellis&qid=1582674475&s=books&sr=1-1

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February 22

The Golden Key – Marian Womack

1901. After the death of Queen Victoria, England heaves with the uncanny. Séances are held and the dead are called upon from darker realms.

Helena Walton-Cisneros, known for her ability to find the lost and the displaced, is hired by the elusive Lady Matthews to solve a twenty-year-old mystery: the disappearance of her three stepdaughters who vanished without a trace on the Norfolk Fens.

But the Fens are an age-old land, where folk tales and dark magic still linger. The locals speak of devilmen and catatonic children are found on the Broads. Here, Helena finds what she was sent for, as the Fenland always gives up its secrets, in the end…

My thanks to Polly Grist at Titan Books for the review copy and a chance to host this leg of The Golden Key blog tour.

It’s 1901. The Queen is dead and at the start of the 20th century the “norms” of Victorian England are being challenged a bit more than some may have considered possible during the long reign of Victoria. One notable change is a rise in spiritualism and the need for people to reach out and contact the deceased. As has always been the way; the rise in demand will increase the number of spiritualists who may appear and make themselves available. Through the story of The Golden Key I enjoyed seeing the spiritualists and mediums that arrived in London were being challenged and treated with suspicion by the Gentlemen who sought proof their craft was real. Seances in controlled situations were demanded, investigations into how the spiritualist could possibly know personal information about their paying customers were conducted. I also very much enjoyed being reminded that these gatherings and seances would take place in the spiritualist’s home, an evening gathering in the parlour where dark rooms were lit by candles and shadows dominate the proceedings – it creates wonderful imagery.

Much of The Golden Key is viewed through the eyes of Helena Walton-Cisneros. She is a feisty and determined character, indeed the first time we meet her she appears shifty, out of place and then to avoid scrutiny she delivers a single blow to our (then) narrator to render him unconscious. What a great way to introduce the lead character, though perhaps not so great for our other main voice (Sam Moncrieff).

Sam’s story is interwoven with that of Helena. He is plagued by recurring dreams of a terrifying house and he cannot recall if he has visited the house in question or if it is a figment of his imagination. He feels Helena may be able to help him find some answers, however, he also has a degree of caution and suspicion around her skills. When he challenges her to read his cards and asks that she does not try to embellish her performance and just deal in facts Sam finds there may be more to Helena’s skills than he is willing to accept.

The story is, at heart, an investigation by Helena into the disapparance of three sisters on the fens many years earlier. This issue fades into the background for parts of the story but the narrative keeps us pushing along and often incidents which appear unrelated can be tied to the main story. As befits a Victorian ghostly story the narrative can be fanciful in telling and once or twice I was re-reading passages to re-affirm to myself what had just occurred (the curse of being something of a skim reader). I was most happy when the ghosts were abound or the seances were ramping up but I did enjoy watching Helena piece together elements of the case she had been engaged to investigate.

Crossing a ghost story with a historical novel is always great for that creepy, gothic vibe and The Golden Key ticked all the boxes in that regard. Once the characters had been established and the tale picked up pace I found I was drawn into the story and every creak of my house would make me jump.

Fun reading – slightly too flighty in the narrative at times as events jumped around a bit more than I had expected but a good tale running through this one and ghostly appearances are always time well spent in a book.

The Golden Key is published by Titan Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1789093252/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 22

Death Deserved – Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Police officer Alexander Blix and celebrity blogger Emma Ramm join forces to track down a serial killer with a thirst for attention and high-profile murders, in the first episode of a gripping new Nordic Noir series…

Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrøm never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrøm’s home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number ‘one’ has been pinned to the TV.

Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing-persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrøm soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated … evidence of a bigger picture that he’s just not seeing…

Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flare for the dramatic, and thirst for attention.
Trouble is, he’s just got his first taste of it…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for a review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join the Death Deserved blog tour.

To borrow a line from Taffy in the Captain Caveman cartoons….Zowie! Death Deserved is more than a little bit good.

As soon I started reading Death Deserved it was the only book I wanted to be reading this week. I normally juggle three or four titles at once but Death Deserved was the book I kept coming back to – nothing else got a look-in. I make no secret of the fact I enjoy serial killer stories and that’s very much what I got from Death Deserved, even if that may not have been clear from the start.

Sonja Nordstrøm was due to publish a book. As she reached her 50th year she wanted to lift the lid on a few secrets and scandals which she experienced or encountered during her highly successful athletics career. But on publication day she failed to show for an interview, most untypical behaviour for Sonja. She is nowhere to be found and when celeb journalist Emma Ramm arrives at her home to try to speak with Sonja she finds evidence of a struggle. The police are called and this brings Emma into contact with Alexander Blix.

Unbeknownst to Emma, Blix has previously encountered her family and that encounter changed the path of Emma’s life. Although she is unaware, Blix recognises her name instantly and decides he will offer her stories and tips from inside the resulting investigation. The leads Blix feed Emma gives her the opportunity to work outside celebrity stories and interact with the crime reporters. Sonja Nordstrøm’s kidnapping is very much the starting point of a fast paced and high intensity investigation which will see several celebrities meet a nasty end. It puts the police on a manhunt and we follow the investigation as they try to figure out the motive (and next victim) of a killer. Emma contributes to this too as her background seems to give her a different focus on how to view the unfolding events and the insights she can offer become a benefit to Blix.

I really don’t want to reveal too much of the actual plot but at the same time I want to rave about how good this story was and how much I enjoyed it. The best dilemma to be honest. When I want to reveal and discuss everything I loved about the book it means the book got under my skin and into my head. I want to put copies of Death Deserved into the hands of my friends and implore them to read it and then hope that they enjoy it just as much as I did (which I am sure they will). It’s a who-dunnit, a fast paced police procedural, it has great characters and the lead players are given time to grow and develop between the many twists and shocks the authors have sneaked into the chapters. So much fun to read and wonderfully executed (no murderous puns intended).

The story has been translated from Norwegian by Anne Bruce and she has done a magnificent job, the prose flows seamlessly the whole book was very readable. Some translated texts I encounter feel laboured, jarring or the dialogue stilted but none of these issues could be raised about Death Deserved. Indeed, it was not until I read the author acknowledgements at the end of the book that I remembered that I was reading a translated novel. Oh and the acknowledgments are fabulous – do not skip them!

Death Deserved was devoured in very short time. I loved the Blix/Ramm dynamic and I sincerely hope the authors feel it is worth revisiting. Soon would be good guys! Sooner if possible?

Death Deserved is published by Orenda Books and is available in Digital, Paperback and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XBW6SFN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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