The Dying Squad – Adam Simcox (audiobook)

WHO BETTER TO SOLVE A MURDER THAN A DEAD DETECTIVE?

When Detective Inspector Joe Lazarus storms a Lincolnshire farmhouse, he expects to bring down a notorious drug gang; instead, he discovers his own dead body and a spirit guide called Daisy-May.

She’s there to enlist him to the Dying Squad, a spectral police force made up of the recently deceased. Joe soon realises there are fates far worse than death. To escape being stuck in purgatory, he must solve his own murder.

Reluctantly partnering with Daisy-May, Joe faces dangers from both the living and the dead in the quest to find his killer – before they kill again.

I am reviewing my bought copy of the audiobook of The Dying Squad

The blurb (above) actually contains spoilers for the first few chapters of the book. Probably just as well as it would be really tricky to try to review The Dying Squad while trying to keep quiet the fact the lead character, Joe Lazarus, is dead. Not that Lazarus knows it immediately. We join him on a stakeout as he prepares to bring down a gang who have been providing drugs to the local community. The property under surveliance is an isolated farmhouse but when Lazarus enters the property he finds two suspects dead in the hallway and – shockingly – his own dead body in an upstairs room.

Throughout this introduction Lazarus is being accompanied by Daisy-May. She strolled over to speak with him while he was watching the farmhouse and then, despite all his warnings, she followed him into the property and was with him when he discovered his body. Daisy-May is dead too. But she has had more experience at being dead and it is her job to guide him into his afterlife and into purgatory.

No rest for Joe Lazarus, he has a job to do for the woman that runs purgatory. She needs Lazarus to return to earth and find his killer. He will have Daisy-May for company and she will help him investigate and to understand what he can and cannot do now that he is dead. Having Lazarus and Daisy-May together for so much of the story means their interactions need to be fun and by God they are. I loved the zippy one-liners, the sass and the sarcasm. Daisy-May is such a strong character and I loved listening to her keeping Lazarus in check.

One element of The Dying Squad which I really enjoyed was the way Adam Simcox built up the real world, the afterlife and how the characters traverse between the two. Then there are the citizens of purgatory – a mass of lost souls or a sinister collective seeking a purpose? I wasn’t sure how they may fit into the story but contrast that to the evil forces (both on this earth and beyond it). There are bad guys in The Dying Squad and there are REALLY bad guys. The author can dispense some particularly nasty punishment to his characters when a fate worse than death is a geninue threat that will keep them focused on their mission.

It’s clever and creative storytelling in The Dying Squad and as all the “normal” rules are suspended I really did not know what may lie ahead for Lazarus and Daisy-May. Adam Simcox does a great job of developing his key characters, I was buying into their stories right from the first pages and the shocks they expereinced were equally shocking to me. Terrific fun to read – or to listen to in my case.

The audiobook is narrated by Sophie Aldred (soon to be seen back on our television screens reprising her role as Ace in Doctor Who). As a long time fan of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio adentures I have listened to Sophie Aldred’s voice on more dog walks than I can count. As such, listening to her reading The Dying Squad was an absolute treat. She captured the feisty nature of Daisy-May superbly and brought the gravitas and drama for Lazarus as he contended with the changes in his life (beginning with his death). I have a short list of favourite audiobook narrators but after hearing The Dying Squad I will need to make that short list a little bit longer.

The Dying Squad comes with lashings of darkness and you’ll need to have an acceptance for fantasy in your crime stories to enjoy this book as much as I did. Personally I couldn’t get enough of this story and because I was a little late to the party in discovering The Dying Squad the sequal, The Generation Killers, has already been released. Reader – I have bought that too.

The Dying Squad is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-dying-squad/adam-simcox/9781473230767

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March 11

The Blood Tide – Neil Lancaster

You get away with murder.
In a remote sea loch on the west coast of Scotland, a fisherman vanishes without trace. His remains are never found.

You make people disappear.
A young man jumps from a bridge in Glasgow and falls to his death in the water below. DS Max Craigie uncovers evidence that links both victims. But if he can’t find out what cost them their lives, it won’t be long before more bodies turn up at the morgue…

You come back for revenge.
Soon cracks start to appear in the investigation, and Max’s past hurtles back to haunt him. When his loved ones are threatened, he faces a terrifying choice: let the only man he ever feared walk free, or watch his closest friend die…

Max, Janie and Ross return in the second gripping novel in this explosive Scottish crime series.

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley.

If you missed out on Dead Man’s Grave last year then the good news is that it recently released in paperback and is available in all your favourite book-buying places. The other good news is that Dead Man’s Grave is the first book in what I am calling “an unmissable new series” so you should grab a copy as soon as possible and catch up on the exploits of DS Max Cragie.

The Blood Tide, which is why we are here today, is the second Cragie book. It picks up after the events of Dead Man’s Grave and Craigie is about to get drawn into another tension packed adventure. While The Blood Tide can be read as a stand-alone title there are recurring characters across the two stories where knowing their background will help you understand why they undertake certain actions in the second book.

On the shores of western Scotland a small boat is coming ashore with a significant supply of class A drugs on board. There is a sole occupant in the boat but he knows he is meeting a friend when he reaches land and he will be well paid for the risks he is taking. What he had not anticipated was encountering two strangers on the shore and he was even more unprepared for what happens next. Perhaps the payment wasn’t quite enough or he underestimated the level of risk he was taking?

Next we head south to the Erskine Bridge. A cop on his way home at the end of a long shift spots a man on the edge of the bridge ready to jump. He stops and tries to talk down this desperate stranger but the man is terrified and after telling the cop there is nothing he nor anyone else can say or do to protect his family from the powerful, dangerous people he steps off the bridge.

The event leaves the cop badly shaken but he writes up the incident and realises the terrified man had implied there were police involved in the threat against his family. He calls his friend Max Craigie to tell him about the incident and Max agrees to meet him to discuss this further. But before the meeting can take place there is another death and Craigie believes there is a dangerous connection.

I really don’t want to get too much deeper into the events of The Blood Tide as I want to avoid too many spoiler possibilites. Suffice to say Lancaster’s recognisable patterns of tension, explosive drama and putting his lead characters through peril and trauma are very much present. It is exactly what you want from a crime thriller, think “one more chapter” and you’re there.

Drugs and corruption are powerful motivators and people will do anthing to protect their interests when both are involved. Craigie and his colleagues, Janie and Ross, will have their work cut out to identify where the risks lie and their lives will be in danger – even if they don’t know it. When you investigate the colleagues around you it is impossible to know who you can trust.

There are more than a few shocks and twists waiting within the pages of The Blood Tide. I had been in a bit of a reading slump before I picked this book up and it blew away those cobwebs. High stakes, fast paced and wonderfully realised characters, do not miss out on this series.

The Blood Tide is available in Hardback, Audio and Digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-blood-tide/neil-lancaster/9780008518462

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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

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September 21

How The Wired Weep – Ian Patrick

The Wire crosses the pond.

Ed is a detective who handles informants. He recruits Ben, a young man, who is treading a dangerous path into the criminal underworld.
Ben’s unsure of where his loyalties lie. They have to find a way to work together despite their differences.

Both men are drawn into the world of Troy, a ruthless and brutal leader of an Organised Criminal Network.

Ben is torn between two worlds as he tries to walk the impossible line between criminality and helping Ed combat crime.
He lives in fear of discovery.

When your life is thrown upside down who do you turn to in order to survive?

Set against the backdrop of the 2012 Olympic Games, How the Wired Weep is a fast paced urban thriller where time is against both men as they attempt to serve their own agendas.

My thanks to Emma at Damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the tour for How The Wired Weep. I purchased this book prior to accepting the invitation to join the tour.

I don’t really know where to start with this review – I loved this book and I am not sure how to convey some of the emotions I had while reading.

How The Wired Weep is an intense story, small core characters living on the front line of police and gang divide. The story is told from both viewpoints. Ed is our police detective. He has a contact within a gang who is feeding him important information. He receives tip offs about where drugs are stashed, guns are moved around and other activities which the police will try to clamp down on.

Ed’s source is Ben (not his real name). Recently out of prison and keen not to return. He is an excellent driver and used by Troy (head of one of the London criminal networks) to run errands and pick up and deliver drugs and weapons. Ben seems to be moving up in Troy’s trust as he gets more important tasks to complete. But the greater the task the greater the risk.

Ben drips info to Ed but is ever aware that to be caught means certain retribution. Ed knows Ben is unreliable. He is a drug user and a criminal so it is a fine line the police need to tread to keep their source on the street while not digging too deep into what Ben may not be telling them about his daily activities.

Readers see Ed trying to keep Ben on yhe right side of the law where he can. We also see Ben’s reactions to Ed’s good intentions. It is a fascinating dynamic and both men are deeply entrenched in the life of the other – even if they may not always see it as such.

Away from their interactions with each other Ian Patrick shows the intensity of Eds job against his home life. Ed and his wife are trying fertility treatment but the demands of work always seem to stop Ed having conversations with his wife. It is quite distressing to see her desperately trying to get their family together but Eds job getting in the way. Making this worse is that we also see how close Ed is to his colleagues and the trust and reliance they need to have in each other. In terms of character development and authenticity everyone in this story feels solid and real – the life experiences we are seeing them handle make them so believable.

I can’t recommend this story enough. It is the police trying to manage the street but the street is too big and chaotic. It’s compelling and so vividly told that you will be hooked. Read this!

How The Wired Weep is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08B64GXK1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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May 18

In Plain Sight – Marion Todd

A child’s life is at stake. Which of the residents of St Andrews is hiding something – and why?

When a baby girl is snatched from the crowd of spectators at a fun run, the local police have a major investigation on their hands. DI Clare Mackay and her team are in a race against the clock when they learn that the child has a potentially fatal medical condition.

As Clare investigates she realises this victim wasn’t selected at random. Someone knows who took the baby girl, and why. But will they reveal their secrets before it’s too late?

I was invited to join the blog tour of In Plain Sight by Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers.

When I completed my review of my favourite reads of 2019 I included Marion Todd’s See Them Run (the first Clare Mackay book) as the best debut I had read last year. I pre-ordered In Plain Sight as soon as I had finished See Them Run and when offered the chance to join the Blog Tour for In Plain Sight I leapt at the chance – this is a series which fans of police procedurals need to be reading.

Easy housekeeping first. In Plain Sight is the second Clare Mackay book, you can easily read it as a stand alone story. Clare left the police in Glasgow to move East and took up a role on the force at St Andrew’s. Anything else you need to know is deftly interwoven into the story by Marion Todd.

I consider myself fairly unflappable when I am reading. Having read numerous dark crime thrillers and grim horror tales for many, many years I find it quite easy to take on what I am reading without being upset by the content. However, In Plain Sight opens with the abduction of a baby from her pram and I found this more disturbing than many hack and slash horror tales. The prospect of a baby torn away from her parents chilled me and Kudos to the author here as the depiction of the aftermath and the reaction of the parents was brilliant.

Mackay and some of her colleagues were on the scene at the time. The abduction took place during a charity fun run and Clare was due to participate. The frenetic hunt for the baby, the hastily assembled (all hands on deck) squadron and the national appeals for help gives In Plain Sight an urgency which befits the need for a prompt resolution for this crime.

Clare and her colleagues have little to work on initially but the baby’s family may merit closer inspection. Her aunt has a history of drug abuse, the parents don’t seem to be coping (understandably) but is their behaviour suspicious?

A burglary at a chemist shop in nearby Dundee sees a rare drug stolen – one which is specifically needed by the missing baby. The search broadens and soon Clare has a murder to investigate which may be linked to the abduction…or is it? Are the police making links where there are none to be found? With the clock ticking and a baby missing everyone is under real pressure to get answers quickly.

I really enjoyed how Marion Todd executed In Plain Sight. A police procedural where the reader gets to experience the investigation in full. I shared the highs and lows of the case with Mackay and her colleagues and there was great character development built around the story too as we get to know Clare and her colleagues.

Two books into the series and the third on its way later this year. You don’t want to miss the boat with these books – really enjoyable and I don’t hesitate to recommend them.

In Plain Sight is published by Canelo and is available in digital download here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZGL6B1B/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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May 7

Who We Were – B.M. Carroll

A KILLER TWENTY-YEAR REUNION.
AND YOU’RE INVITED…

Twenty years after they went their separate ways, friends and enemies are coming together for their school reunion. Katy, who is desperate to show that she’s no longer the shy wallflower. Annabel, who ruled the school until a spectacular fall from grace. Zach, popular and cruel, but who says he’s a changed man. And Robbie, always the victim, who never stood a chance.

As the reunion nears, a terrible event that binds the group together will resurface. Because someone is still holding a grudge, and will stop at nothing to reveal their darkest secrets…

My thanks to the publishers who kindly provided a review copy of Who We Were through Netgalley.

School days. Did you love them? Hate them? Would you want to go back to a 20 year reunion and meet the kids you chummed with now that they have grown up?

In Who We Were BM Carroll poses that very question and gived her readers an intense look into the lives of a core of classmates who are all being invited to attend their 20 year reunion. For most it brings back some unhappy memories from a time they were carefree and less aware of how their actions may be impacting on others. Facing up to those younger versions of themselves will cause unease and disruption to their lives.

The focus is mainly on one group of friends. The cooler kids, the pretty one, the sports star, the class clown but there are also some of the misfits in the mix too…the kid with epilepsy and mental health issues, the nerdy girl who seems too nice to be in the coolest set.

It is Katy, the carrot-haired nerd who is driving the reunion. She is now a popular teacher and still in regular contact with a few of her school friends. Katy links the different family groups and her enthusiasm to reunite them keeps events rocking along for the first half of the book.

Other characters feature frequently with new chapters looking in on different family dramas. The author has captured all of their secret problems and tribulations really cleverly, enough that we know there are issues but in the main not too dramatic to have those dramas visible for outside parties to see.

The secrecy is important as a mysterious entity is sending spiteful emails to the schoolmates mocking their high school persona and how their lives turned out. They are using these secrets to expose inner fears or past trauma and upset the recipient.

Soon friends are drawing closer together but with a wariness and insecurity which suggests they don’t really trust their old friends. Someone has a grudge and as events unfold it seems the risk of harm is increasing. Notes left on pillows, homes violated and family members threatened…as we get deeper into the lives of these people we become more invested in rooting for their safety and more worried about which of the group may be looking to harm others.

By the time we reached the endgame I had suspected all the characters and I would point the finger of blame at someone new every three or four pages.

Who We Were is an engaging drama which I could easily envisage as a tv adaptation. The characters are well depicted, given a depth and reality which made me want to read more about them. Good fun was had with this book.

Who We Were is published by Viper Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081759L4M/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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October 22

The Snow Killer -Ross Greenwood

‘Fear the north wind. Because no one will hear you scream…’

A family is gunned down in the snow but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing – no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold.

Fifty years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather – each time it snows another person dies.

As an exhausted and grizzled DI Barton and his team scrabble to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the killer is hiding in plain sight. Meanwhile, the murders continue…

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

The blurb announces that The Snow Killer is the first in a new series – a welcome confirmation as the lead detective, DI Barton, comes across very well and I would absolutely seek out the next titles as they release.

First things first…The Snow Killer. A police procedural but one where the reader gets to see the murderer from the outset. We know what motivates the killer, what he is thinking and why he has chosen the path he has. We also get to see the police trying to make sense of the murders as they occur (and there are plenty of them).

The Snow Killer is targeting local drug dealers. Not just the street pushers but the two sisters who run Peterborough’s drug network. Police have not been able to get close to a conviction on the two young women who took over their father’s empire but they know full well who controls the flow of illicit substances in the city. The Snow Killer does too and is on a mission to resolve matters to his own satisfaction.

Protecting potential victims becomes part of the investigative process and Barton and his team will be stretched. The tension and frustration comes through and this feeds well into the urgency Barton feels to identify their killer.

Very importantly for any police procedural is not just the lead character but the supporting cast in the squad room. This is where I was sold on the The Snow Killer – I loved the good guys. They have character, depth and are fun to read about. I was happy to leave the murders and the investigations to hear about their private lives too – relatable and engaging characters make for a better reading experience.

A couple of minor niggles around dialogue becoming a bit too formal and forced mid conversation. It just took a little pace out of some scenes. Also I got the impression the author is a big fan of Peterborough, lots of positives about the town were peppered through the story which was a wee bit unexpected. Minor issues as this was a damned good read and it caught me with the good surprises which were set up very well.

The Snow Killer is published on 12 November 2019 and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XLFWZ7D/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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March 12

Trap – Lilja Sigurdardóttir

Happily settled in Florida, Sonja believes she’s finally escaped the trap set by unscrupulous drug lords. But when her son Tomas is taken, she’s back to square one … and Iceland.

Her lover, Agla, is awaiting sentencing for financial misconduct after the banking crash, and Sonja refuses to see her. And that’s not all … Agla owes money to some extremely powerful men, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.

With her former nemesis, customs officer Bragi, on her side, Sonja puts her own plan into motion, to bring down the drug barons and her scheming ex-husband, and get Tomas back safely. But things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and Sonja finds herself caught in the centre of a trap that will put all of their lives at risk…

Set in a Reykjavík still covered in the dust of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption, and with a dark, fast-paced and chilling plot and intriguing characters, Trap is an outstandingly original and sexy Nordic crime thriller, from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.

I received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher, Orenda Books, so I could provide a review.

Last week I attended the Orenda Roadshow in Edinburgh and during the course of the evening we were treated to Lilja Sigurdardóttir reading from Trap. She read a passage about a dream her lead character, Sonia, was having and it was beautifully haunting. But Sonia explains it was a potent of troubled times ahead and, unfortunately for Sonia, she was right.

Sonia is a drug smuggler. She had tried to flee her native Iceland with her young son, Tomas, as she hoped to start a new life for herself away from the drugs and her ex-husband (it was her ex that arranged the shipments she had to smuggle).

For Sonia her freedom will be short lived and she finds herself back in Iceland with access to her son being withheld from her. If she wants any time with Tomas then she needs to start bringing drugs back into Iceland.

Sonia’s life is complex and fraught with tension. She crosses paths with some disreputable characters who add a wonderful depth to her trials. Her lover, Agla, is a financial genius who uses her talents to exploit loopholes and deceive the authorities to increase her personal gain. Agla has previously come unstuck and is waiting for sentencing for crimes committed prior to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (an event which caused her good work to come undone).

Agla worked with Sonia’s husband and is more than a little happy to have won Sonia’s affections away from the man who is in part to blame for the predicament she finds herself in. This triangle of strong characters is fascinating as circumstances through the story change their attitude towards each other – the evolving dynamics making for great (and frustrating) interchanges.

The networks of crooks are terrific supporting characters. The drug runners. The suppliers. The financial criminals. Each faction have their pawns who also feed into the story and these pawns all hold some small power over their masters as one wrong word at the wrong time could bring an end to the best laid plans – that could mean prison time for Sonia or Agla. Readers feel the tension which the author builds into the schemes her characters have to develop to achieve their goals.

The events in Trap seem to propel Sonia from one crisis to another. The scenes where she is planning her travels (with cargo) build up to hugely tense set pieces as she risks discovery at customs checks. I felt I was living the fears she was experiencing, so caught up in the story was I!

Narration duties are a vital part of audiobook enjoyment and the pleasing news was that Trap was one of the best Nordic thrillers I have listened to. The story is wonderfully delivered by Suzannah Hampton who was a delight to listen to each day. The original text was translated to English by Quentin Bates and he gives Suzannah Hampton a terrific script to read from.

It should come as no surprise to find that I really enjoyed the time I spent with Trap. While the focus is mainly on the drug smuggling, I work in Financial Services so Agla’s story of financial misdemeanors was particularly enjoyable. More books featuring Sonia and Agla would be most welcome – particularly if they are even half as good as Trap.

Trap 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/Trap-Reykjavik-Trilogy-Lilja-Sigurdardottir/dp/1912374358/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GW14M3BASK6M&keywords=trap+lilja+sigurdardottir&qid=1552416298&s=gateway&sprefix=trap+lil%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

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