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In The Blink of An Eye – Jo Callaghan (audiobook)

In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds. Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye. DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss.

A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal.

AI versus human experience. Logic versus instinct. With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic?

I’m reviewing a book from my Audible library

In The Blink of An Eye was the Waterstones Thriller of the Month in January 2024 and the sequel is due in the very near future. After hearing so many of my fellow bookbloggers showering praise on this book and knowing they are champing at the bit for the next Jo Callaghan release I felt it was time to catch up. I had Audible credits and was very much in the mood for a read which would throw a different dynamic into the mix. An AI police officer sounded like something too good to pass up.

A good choice – Kat Frank is a lead character I immediately found myself rooting for. She’s a recently widowed mother, her husband’s terminal illness was mentally and physically draining. After his death Kat and her son have tried to rebuild and adjust to their new lives, as we join the story Kat is returning to work and her boss wants her to head up a new team. It’s suggested Kat leads a pilot project reviewing old (cold) cases of missing people, the taskforce which is assembled to review these cases will be assisted by an Artificial Intelligent Detective Entity (AIDE) which has been given the name Lock.

The reader is told Kat has issues with AI. We learn why and we wonder if this partnership is doomed from the outset. Prospects for success seem even bleaker when it also comes to light that Lock has been developed as his creator doesn’t believe the police force is fit for purpose – Lock is to remove the possibility of corruption and prejudice, bias and human error. It can do menial tasks in the blink of an eye, it can learn, analyise and adapt.

Lock should be an asset but for Kat it will also bring huge problems, not least it does not understand nuance, compassion or how a police officer with twenty years of experience will have a gut instinct for what is right and what feels wrong. It will be a learning experience for all involved.

As I previously mentioned: Kat, Lock and her team are reviewing missing people cases. What the reader knows is that an unknown narrator has contributed to the story too – someone who’s been taken. Is locked alone in a room, drugged, possibly interfered with (in some way they cannot determine) and they are not alone in their unusual, medicated prison. The drugs this unknown person is given keeps them weak, mostly asleep and far too disoriented to do much beyond survive day to day. It is a chilling form of captivity and this was conveyed very effectively in the audiobook where narration duties moved from the excellent Rose Ackroyd (who takes the lead for 99% of the book) to the equally impactful voice of Paul Mendez. Giving the mysterious captive a different voice hit home.

I don’t like to make a habit of comparing authors when I put together a review however…if you enjoy the awkward, often stilted pairing of Poe and Tilly in the excellent books by M.W. Craven then the scenes with Kat and Lock will delight you. I’d go further to compare In The Blink of An Eye to a fusion of the great American thriller writers: Robin Cook and Michael Crichton. It’s a terrific read bringing elements of tech, police investigations, medical undertones and a cast of characters who find it difficult to relate to each other and accept “their” way of working is not the only alternative.

I touched briefly on the fact I listened to the audiobook. Huge plaudits to Rose Ackroyd for a wonderful listen. She brings Jo Callaghan’s words to life and had me listening longer than I’d planned as I was totally drawn into the story. There are many characters who all sounded, acted and felt unique and it is refreshing to hear an audiobook where the narrator can convincingly “do” the regional accents they attempt! My current audiobook has an American reader spectacularly failing to make her Irish character sound like a resident of the Emerald Isle.

The time I need to invest into an audiobook is two or three times more than it may take me to read the same book in paperback. I like my audiobooks to be a top quality listen and In The Blink of An Eye certainly hit that mark. One minor quibble would be about a plot thread being a bit too obviously signposted; but when that event did come to pass it actually played out better than I had feared and I enjoyed the subsequent fallout from said event. Bit cryptic but no spoilers will be found here and it certainly would not deter me from recommeding In The Blink of An Eye.

This book hits hard emotionally as it deals very well with loss, illness, isolation, grief and prejudice – but Jo Callaghan keeps the mystery flowing, the tension high and the humanity of Kat Frank to the fore. It’s a storming book and I enjoyed it immensely. I’m more than ready for more Kat Frank in my TBR please.

In The Blink of An Eye is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/in-the-blink-of-an-eye/jo-callaghan/9781398511194

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October 8

Dark Horse – Gregg Hurwitz

THE HERO
Evan Smoak: former off-the-books assassin – code name Orphan X. His world is divided into those who deserve his help and those who’ve brought his singular brand of justice upon themselves.

THE VICTIM
A desperate father reaches out. His teenage daughter Anjelina has been kidnapped by a brutal criminal cartel and spirited over the border into Mexico. And while money is no object, Evan soon realises that his prospective client’s past is as clouded and compromised as his own.

THE MISSION
If Evan is going to put his life on the line to rescue Anjelina, he must first decide whether he can act on behalf of a bad man. And even then, up against the men who are holding his daughter, there will be no guarantee of success . . .

I recieved a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley and this review is based upon that digital copy and also my personal audiobook copy which I bought through Audible.co.uk

It’s an Orphan X novel so even before I began reading I knew Dark Horse was going to be fun, full of thrills and lots of action. I was not wrong. Dark Horse takes the reader back into the world of Evan Smoak, an Orphan (note the capitalisation) who uses his very specialist skills to help those in need. Evan is contacted by telephone, he speaks with those in need and he decides if he can help them with their predicament. He never knows when a call may come in and he relies upon people he helps to pass on the word – if there is too long a gap between missions Evan will start getting restless. He is very much a man of action and it feels he needs a mission to keep him going.

So what is an “Orphan”? Evan was recruited as a child when he was in the care system. He was taken into a secret Government project where children were trained to be killers, focused lethal weapons who would do the dirty work of the US Government. Totally off the radar and if they should ever fail or be caught in the execution of a state sanctioned mission then the US Government would have total denial of their existance. Expendible resources and the early books in the series show how that project didn’t come to a pleasing conclusion for anyone involved. The Orphan’s were all extremely well paid for their trouble and Evan has significant wealth which allows him to hide (also a skill he was taught) from authorities as he suspects his own Government would kill him without a second’s pause if they knew where he was.

In Dark Horse we see Evan receive a call. A distraught father wants to recruit the help of “The Nowhere Man” (Evan) as his daughter was kidnapped from her birthday party by men who are “business competitors” of her father. The dilemma for Evan is that the man calling him has made his money trading drugs and other illegal goods – he’s a dangerous individual in his own right and keeps his own cartel in a remote town where all the locals know and respect him. If Evan is going to step in and help then he is going to have to get around a heirarchy of thugs, goons and trusted “soldiers” of a dangerous man. And the enemy he will have to rescue the kidnapped girl from are equally well resourced.

The power dynamic in Dark Horse is significantly different from the earlier novels. Evan is working for a client that feels he is more powerful than Evan (that’s new) but he understands Evan has skills which he does not have at his disposal so there should be no problem securing the support he needs – finding the right man for a tricky job has never been a problem to him before. But with his daughter’s life at stake there’s no room for error. He’s also a man used to keeping secrets and not showing weakness so how does Evan know what his is being told is accurate and trustworthy?

Away from the latest “mission” we find Evan has more problems. He has taken on a young computer whiz-kid (also associated to the Oprhan project) as Joey…and her dog…need supervised. She’s a teen on the cusp of adulthood and she doesn’t appreciate being treated like a child. Joey has plans of her own and wants to travel but Evan is reluctant to let her go off on her own, even if she is likely to be the most dangerous person in any room she is in. Plus Evan has some domestic issues which need to be resolved, decorating and rebuilding his home, and while he is away on a mission he needs someone at home to supervise the contractors to make sure the work is done to his own specification. Entrusting that responsibility to a grumpy teenager may not be the smartest move Evan could make. It is a real distraction from the mission and Evan is a man of supreme focus so you know there will be issues.

Watching Evan juggle personal issues while trying to single handedly outsmart a slick cartel of criminals is extremely entertaining. The action moments benefit from some more light-hearted scenes (though Evan doesn’t see the funny side) but it helps Gregg Hurwitz make his hero more relatable as a man with real-life issues and not just a slick machine of destruction.

Through terrible planning on my part I accidentally read Dark Horse before I read Prodical Son (the story which immediately preceeds Dark Horse). Unfortunately it seems Prodical Son has something of an explosive cliff-hanger ending and, more so than any of the other novels in the series, there are spoilers at the start of Dark Horse as the readers are brought up to speed on events immediately after Prodical Son. Normally I’d be explaining that the Orphan X novels can each be read as a stand-alone book in the case of Dark Horse that comes with a small caveat – it CAN be read as a stand alone but if you are planning on reading the other books (and you really should) then Dark Horse will tell you some of what occurs at the end of Prodical Son. But a new reader to the series could absolutely jump into Dark Horse and still be treated to a really enjoyable thrillfest.

There aren’t many authors that can deliver a gripping adventure of this quality but Gregg Hurwitz seems to be able to do it year in and year out. His Orphan X books are tremendous additions to my bookshelves each year and I savour the anticipation ahead of starting a new book and try not to rush through each new story so it lasts!

Dark Horse is an easy book to recommend – the whole series are easy books to recommend. However, this story really pushes Evan’s moral compass. He is engaged by a man who has accumulated wealth through criminal acts. He should be the enemy for Evan but as his client is now a victim will Evan step up to help him recover his daughter? This is reading time very well spent.

Dark Horse is available in paperback,digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B095XRLLXC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

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June 5

The Game – Scott Kershaw

Across the globe, five strangers receive a horrifying message from an unknown number.

THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST IS IN DANGER.

To save them, each must play The Game – a sinister unknown entity that has a single rule: there can only be one winner.

IF YOU LOSE, YOUR LOVED ONE WILL DIE.

But what is The Game – and why have they been chosen?

There’s only one thing each of them knows for sure: they’ll do anything to win…

WELCOME TO THE GAME. YOU’VE JUST STARTED PLAYING.

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

A debut thriller from Scott Kershaw which sees five strangers facing a race against time. Each of the five is playing The Game to save one of their loved ones, each is aware the price of failure will mean the one they love will die. But what is The Game and how will they determine the winner?

That is a terrific hook for me – a thriller which introduces five characters and immediately throws them into the worst situation of their lives. It gives that instant gratifying feeling of grabbing the reader’s attention from the outset then taking them on a breakneck journey into chaos. The “players” in the game come from around the world but are required to converge in the UK by a specificed time. For the players in the US and on mainland Europe this will present something of a challenge but with the stakes so high they simply can’t even consider failure.

The action begins in America where a young child goes missing from the appartment through the night. His mother had been looking after him but the boy seems to have slipped out while she was distracted. It is only when she starts receiving text messages which make it clear where her son actually is that the reality of her predicament kicks in. Her son is gone and if she tells anyone then the people that have taken him will kill him.

While readers come to terms with this situation another drama is unfolding. A man who has been at a hockey match with his friend finds that friend is now in danger if he does not play The Game. A young mother who is struggling to keep her life under any form of control, her husband doesn’t look at her any longer, her young children are constantly demanding and even the family dog seems to be making her life challenging. Then The Game lands and her understanding of challenging will really take on meaning.

That’s just three of the players in the game but there are more and each knows that there can be only one winner – so what could happen when they all converge on a single point to see how the game is going to unfold? Well to tell would spoil the enjoyment of reading The Game but this is an intense ride and even when Scott Kershaw takes us away from the five players there are other plots (another Game?) to add depth and muddy the waters too.

Reading The Game was lots of fun with some moments which also caused me upset or an anxiousness for the predicament of the characters. I really enjoyed how the story resolved the threads and found I was still thinking about some of the characters a week or so after I had finished reading. All too often I put down a book, move on and don’t give it a second thought – this means The Game managed to cut-through my “goldfish memory” and that’s always a good endorsement. Well worth watching out for this one.

The Game is published by Harper Collins on 12 May 2022 and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-game/scott-kershaw/9780008530877

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October 4

The Quiet People – Paul Cleave

Cameron and Lisa Murdoch are successful New Zealand crime writers, happily married and topping bestseller lists worldwide. They have been on the promotional circuit for years, joking that no one knows how to get away with crime like they do. After all, they write about it for a living.

So when their challenging seven-year-old son Zach disappears, the police and the public naturally wonder if they have finally decided to prove what they have been saying all this time…

Are they trying to show how they can commit the perfect crime?

Electrifying, taut and immaculately plotted, The Quiet People is a chilling, tantalisingly twisty thriller that will keep you gripped and guessing to the last explosive page.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy

This book comes at you with unrelenting pace and by the end every emotion had been wrung from my body. Suffice to say I bloody loved The Quiet People but it’s going to be a nightmare to review without letting any spoilers slip.

Cameron Murdoch is having a day. He has taken his young son, Zach, to a local fair but in a moment when he is distracted his son manages to leave the bouncy castle without Cameron noticing. Cameron panics and jumps onto the castle to see if Zach is perhaps just out of his line of vison, kids get upset, Cameron gets frustrated nobody will help him and the matter escalates. There are threats against Cameron, his own fierce temper soars too as he gets angry at people’s reaction. A punch is thrown, pictures are taken, kids are upset and meanwhile. Zach is spotted queuing for another ride.

Zach is a “challenging” child and is prone to doing his own thing in his own way. He knows he has annoyed Cameron and tries to work out what he has done wrong but he becomes upset as he thinks he acted properly. Cameron tries to calm him but Zach becomes enraged, screaming and screaming in frustration. Cameron bundles him home but that night as Cameron puts Zach to bed, Zach threatens to run away.

In the morning Zach’s room is empty – it looks like he has made good on his threat to run away.

The police are called. Cameron and his wife Lisa are calling everyone they can think of, they are driving to locations where Zach may be. All to no avail – Zach cannot be found.

Lisa and Cameron are famous crime writers. The police are aware the couple have repeatedly joked during interviews about crime authors being able to get away with murder – some of the investigative team harbour a suspicion that Lisa and Cameron may have decided to remove a problematic child from their lives. This seed of doubt spreads and after a disasterous press conference which was intended to appeal for Zach’s safe return it appears the public also have their doubts about Lisa and Cameron’s innocence.

Things get even worse when one journalist discovers the events which had ocurred at the park the day before – images of an upset Zach, an angry Cameron and the boy being bundled into his dad’s car do not present a good look for a couple pleading for their son to be returned home.

I honestly cannot begin to tell you the problems Cameron and Lisa will face – far, far too many spoilers. At one stage I thought the story had reached a conclusion only for a whole new predicament to raise its head and the story to take an extremely unexpected new direction. Emotional journey doesn’t even come close to describing how Cameron fares in this story.

It’s two frightened and desperate parents, it’s a missing child, it’s a police force facing a difficult time sensitve investigation which the celebrity factor has thrust into a media spotlight. It’s #YeahNoir – New Zealand crime writing at its very best. Honestly I could not put this one down.

The Quiet People is published by Orenda Books on 25 November in paperback and is available now in digital format. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B097PRKM64/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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August 27

The Alphabet Murders – Lars Schutz

FOR THIS KILLER, IT’S A GAME OF A B C

When the body of a man is found brutally murdered in a wildlife park and tattooed with a letter A, criminal profilers Jan Grall and Rabea Wyler are thrown into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Later, two more mutilated bodies are found, again with tattoos on their skin – B and C – and it becomes clear that Grall and Wyler are dealing with a brutal serial killer. One who won’t stop until his set is complete.

When Grall’s hotel room is marked with a Z and his girlfriend kidnapped, the race is on to find out who the killer is.

Before it’s too late . .

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for inviting me to join the blog tour and to the publishers who provided my review copy.

A serial killer tale from Germany which had a distinctly claustrophobic feel despite the action unfolding thick and fast.

The story opens with the reader witnessing the attack on a woman who is being held prisoner by an unknown assailant. He is tattooing something onto her skin and the violence of the “branding” lets us know this book falls firmly into the gritty classification.

Readers are then spun away from this horrific attack to a murder scene – a badly mutilated body has been found in a field of bison. The beasts are unsettled but not as much as the attending officers who cannot fail to notice a large letter A marked on the victim’s body.

Criminal profilers Jan Grall and Rabea Wyler are on the scene to assist with the inevitable investigation. The pair, despite being partners, appear mis-matched. Grall is the key figure in The Alphabet Murders and most of the story will be focused on Grall and his involvement in the case. However, this is a difficult assignment for Grall as he is returning to his home town after a number of years absence and he has to face memories he would rather forget. Events from long ago have shaped the man he became but now he has to share too much information with his partner so the pair can work to apprehend a killer. The stakes are raised even higher for Grall when it appears the murderer has targeted Grall himself as a future victim.

I referred to The Alphabet Murders as being claustrophobic, I feel this was partly down to the dark wintry setting. It gave off a distinctly Se7en vibes at times. Yet some scenes were unfolding at a rapid pace which seemed at odds with the claustrophobia so the action pinged along and the body count quickly increased.

Pacing issues aside (a minor niggle) I am a sucker for a serial killer story and this one has a good few twists which I certainly enjoyed. Definitely a story for the reader who doesn’t want their crime fiction to be sugar-coated…well worth looking out for if “nasty” floats your boat.

The Alphabet Murders is published by Zaffre in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alphabet-Murders-Lars-Schutz/dp/1785768638/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1566929609&refinements=p_27%3ALars+Schutz&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Lars+Schutz

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July 30

Holiday Reading – Part 1

Time to do some catching up. I have spent a large part of July reading and a tiny part of July writing reviews so it’s time to redress the balance. I finished over a dozen books during my summer break and that is too many to fit into a single catch-up post so I shall break these down into double headers.

Thin Air – Lisa Gray

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is used to getting anonymous tips. But after receiving a photo of a three-year-old kidnapped from Los Angeles twenty-five years ago, Jessica is stunned to recognize the little girl as herself.

Eager for answers, Jessica heads to LA’s dark underbelly. When she learns that her biological mother was killed the night she was abducted, Jessica’s determined to solve a case the police have forgotten. Meanwhile, veteran LAPD detective Jason Pryce is in the midst of a gruesome investigation into a murdered college student moonlighting as a prostitute. A chance encounter leads to them crossing paths, but Jessica soon realizes that Pryce is hiding something about her father’s checkered history and her mother’s death.

To solve her mother’s murder and her own disappearance, Jessica must dig into the past and find the secrets buried there. But the air gets thinner as she crawls closer to the truth, and it’s getting harder and harder to breathe.

The first book to feature PI Jessica Shaw and it’s a cracking start to what I hope will be a long running series. Shaw is an immediately likeable main character and Thin Air places her at the heart of the narrative.

Shaw discovers she is a kidnap victim, taken from her family at a very young age and seemingly brought up by a family who are not her own. Determined to investigate her own past and a seemingly forgotten crime Jessica heads to LA where she shall encounter a cop called Pryce.

Pryce is investigating the brutal murder of a student who, despite her wholesome image, has been hiding a secret life from her friends.

The two investigations have a very different feel, Pryce in the immediate and unsettling present while Jessica digs into events long forgotten. Lisa Gray balances the twin narrative superbly and the story zipped along pulling me deeper into the lives of Shaw and Pryce.

Tension packed thrillers are my reads of choice and this was everything I had hoped it would be. I need some more Jessica Shaw in my life.

Thin Air is published by Thomas and Mercer and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thin-Air-Jessica-Shaw-Book-ebook/dp/B07G8NTJVP/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KRU874PGPUKX&keywords=thin+air+lisa+gray&qid=1564515932&s=gateway&sprefix=thin+air%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-1

Blood & Sugar – Laura Shepherd-Robinson

June, 1781. An unidentified body hangs upon a hook at Deptford Dock – horribly tortured and branded with a slaver’s mark.

Some days later, Captain Harry Corsham – a war hero embarking upon a promising parliamentary career – is visited by the sister of an old friend. Her brother, passionate abolitionist Tad Archer, had been about to expose a secret that he believed could cause irreparable damage to the British slaving industry. He’d said people were trying to kill him, and now he is missing . . .

To discover what happened to Tad, Harry is forced to pick up the threads of his friend’s investigation, delving into the heart of the conspiracy Tad had unearthed. His investigation will threaten his political prospects, his family’s happiness, and force a reckoning with his past, risking the revelation of secrets that have the power to destroy him.

And that is only if he can survive the mortal dangers awaiting him in Deptford . . .

I decided I needed to take a variety of titles when I packed the holiday reading so I included Blood & Sugar to ensure I had a historical thriller to get my teeth into…1781 here I come.

I didn’t read the blurb on this book, choosing to go in cold and see where the story would take me. Pleasingly it took me to an engaging tale of murder, slavery and deception.

Historical novels have to capture the feeling of the correct time and place if I am going to stand any chance of losing myself in a story. Obviously I have no point of reference to life in 1781 but I felt Laura Shepherd-Robinson did a fantastic job when describing the world and time which her protagonist, Captain Corsham, inhabits. Much of my mental world building came from the additional, incidental detail which the author included – it became immersive.

So to Corsham. He is visited by the sister of one of his old friends. Her brother is missing and she fears for his safety as he had been making powerful enemies. Corsham’s friend had been an outspoken critic of slavery and would side with the slaves as he tried to secure a better life for them. His actions were very much at odds with the norms of society in the 1780’s and Corsham agrees to help find his old friend.

As you may expect, a well-to-do gentleman asking tricky questions in some of the more “earthy” parts of the city will soon attract unwelcome attention and it is not long before Corsham finds himself in peril.

Historical novels are always a bit of a departure from my normal reading but Blood & Sugar was a very welcome change to the usual diet of police procedurals. Laura Shepherd-Robinson has penned a slick thriller with some brutal and unflinching moments. Many of the biggest names in crime fiction have been lavishing praise on Blood & Sugar – it is easy to see why.

Blood & Sugar is published by Mantle and is available to order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Sugar-Laura-Shepherd-Robinson/dp/1509880771/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1564517200&sr=8-2

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December 10

From The Cradle – Louise Voss & Mark Edwards

When Helen and Sean Philips go out for the evening, leaving their teenage daughter babysitting little Frankie, they have no idea that they are about to face every parent’s greatest fear.

Detective Inspector Patrick Lennon is hopeful that the three children who have been abducted in this patch of south-west London will be returned safe and well. But when a body is found in a local park, Lennon realizes that time is running out—and that nothing in this case is as it seems…

Blending police procedural with psychological thriller, From the Cradle will have every parent checking that their children are safe in their beds…then checking again.

From The Cradle is published by Thomas & Mercer – you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cradle-Detective-Lennon-Thriller-Book-ebook/dp/B00K8EM27C/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

This book has been on my TBR pile for far too long, so when the chance to listen to the audiobook arose I was delighted.

This is a kidnap tale – three toddlers have been stolen away from their families by person or persons unknown. DI Patrick Lennon is leading the investigation and he has his own family problems bubbling in the background – his wife is (shockingly) out of the picture and he is reliant upon his retired parents to help look after his young daughter.

A quick look at these lines from the description of the book:

The first child was taken from her house.
The second from his mother’s car.
The third from her own bedroom…

The third kidnap is the point where the reader joins the story. Helen and Sean Phillips are enjoying a comfortable life but everything is about to come crashing down around them, returning home from a romantic dinner they find their young daughter’s bed empty. Her big sister is sleeping on the couch but she is unusually drowsy and the backdoor (which was to be kept locked) is very much unlocked.

Most of the narrative will follow either the kidnap investigation or events in the Phillips house where tensions are as high as you may expect. There are some additional players who will play key roles in the hunt for the missing children – but their involvement represent spoilers so you will have to find out about the delightful extra details for yourself.

For the audiobook – James Clamp narrates brilliantly and his skills at presenting multiple characters gives From The Cradle a boost above other books I have listened to – easier to enjoy a listen when the narrator is so good.

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October 29

Descent to Hell – Nic Parker

A man forced to enter mankind’s most feared territory … a child dragged into the underworld!

When Charlie Ward’s beloved niece is kidnapped by an atrocious demon he has to find the secret gateway into the one place every human wants to stay away from: Hell!
Armed only with courage and determination Charlie has to survive in a forbidding place filled with despair and anguish. He must face challenges no mortal should ever have to undergo that threaten to destroy his very soul.

My thanks to Victoria Watson for the chance to join the blog tour to Descent to Hell and to Nic Parker for my review copy.

Halloween approaches and it was time that I got some tales of ghosts and evil entities onto the reading list. Descent to Hell sounded ideal and, very pleasingly, it was exactly what I needed – a clever and stylish adventure story (with demons, the devil and some nasty surprises).

Charlie is going to Hell. His choice. His niece is missing and Charlie has discovered that she was abducted by a demon. As you may expect there are not many people who may believe that a demon can rise from Hell to steal away a child and Charlie has found himself under suspicion from the police into the girl’s disappearance.

Charlie finds a way to cross from the “real” world to the depths of Hell and decides that his sister’s happiness and the chance to save his niece is worth more than his own life. Charlie will risk everything to go to Hell and try to bring his niece home. .

The most pleasing aspect of Nic Parker’s Hell was that it was not a classic interpretation from Dante or the biblical depiction. No flaming pits of the damned, no obvious tortured souls – a modern cityscape awaited Charlie. Denizens of Hell who chat, have homes, comfortable beds (as Charlie finds out when “rescued” by a gorgeous bombshell who has her own “wicked” ideas).

Yes Descent to Hell is a horror tale (any book with Lucifer has to be such) but it is also funny in places, there is a crime undertone with an investigation ongoing into where his niece may be, there is an adventure thriller as Charlie faces numerous challenges to cross Hell to face the demon who took his niece.

Nic Parker writes in a very readable style. The story zips along and there was no feeling that she was trying to pad out the plot or to distract the reader with sub plots which don’t progress the main tale. The focus on the rescue remained constant and Charlie’s frustration over a lack of progress was always tangible.

Descent to Hell comes highly recommended. If you fancy a Halloween story but normally shun away from chillers or ghost stories then this clever thriller with its dark undertones is a great option.

Descent to Hell is published in paperback and digital format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Descent-Hell-would-rescue-loved/dp/3946413501/ref=la_B075TD51VV_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509270636&sr=1-1&refinements=p_82%3AB075TD51VV%2Cp_n_binding_browse-bin%3A492564011

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July 28

Her Deadly Secret – Chris Curran

A young girl has been taken. Abducted, never to be seen again.

Joe and Hannah, her traumatized parents, are consumed by grief. But all is not as it seems behind the curtains of their suburban home.

Loretta, the Family Liaison Officer, is sure Hannah is hiding something – a dark and twisted secret from deep in her past.

This terrible memory could be the key to the murder of another girl fifteen years ago. And as links between the two victims emerge, Joe and Hannah learn that in a family built on lies, the truth can destroy everything…

A story which unfolds from the point of view of three families. The key players in my eyes were Joe and Hannah, they are in a dark, dark place as their daughter Lily is gone.

The police are investigating Lily’s disappearance and they have Family Liaison Officer, Loretta, working with Joe and Hannah. Loretta is there to provide support to the family at a difficult time but she is also expected to establish a bond with a view to obtaining information about Lily which could help the investigation. Unfortunately for Loretta Hannah is virtually catatonic and hardly speaks. Meanwhile Joe is doing what he can to get Hannah to speak with him but he is acutely aware that the police suspect he may even be involved in Lily’s murder. Joe had been away from the house quite frequently prior to Lily’s disappearance so he finds he cannot answer Loretta’s questions about Lily’s behaviour of late.

Unable to gain any significant information from Hannah or Joe we see Loretta coming under increasing pressure from her boss. Not helping her situation is a bullying colleague and, at home, a recent separation from her husband problems with the behaviour of one of her kids.

Two families down and we turn to Rosie. Years ago Rosie’s sister was murdered and her father was arrested and jailed for killing his eldest daughter. Now Rosie’s father is out of prison and she learns that her mother has allowed him to return home. Having cut off communications with her father years prior to events in the story, Rosie’s mother tries to encourage her to come meet her father – they both believe that someone knows her father is innocent of the killing…he received letters whilst in prison in which the anonymous sender indicated they knew he did not kill his daughter. Rosie is determined to find out who may have written the letters.

With three narrative threads to keep track of I thought Chris Curran did a great job of keeping each of the families interesting and under pressure. You want to keep reading to find out how they will overcome their immediate problems, plus you know that there is a reason there are three viewpoints to a single story – at some stage you expect paths to cross, I just didn’t know where that may happen. The only way to satisfy that curiosity was to read more and more chapters.

I read of many murders, kidnapping and violent attacks during the normal blogging year but the suffering of Joe and Hannah troubled me more than I am used to. Perhaps it is because most tales focus on the killer or the investigation and less so upon the family of the victim? Sharing Hannah and Joe’s grief and watching them struggle to comprehend the position they are in was unsettling and I put this entirely down to Chris Curran’s sympathetic unpicking of their lives.

I refer to books like Her Deadly Secret as “people stories”. Now I know that most books are “people stories” but this is a tale which is very much driven by the characters and their lives, we don’t rely upon clever action set pieces. No witchcraft or demons are lurking in the cellar and is unlikely the TARDIS will land to allow The Doctor to put everything to right. This is pure human and emotional drama and it works very well. Highly recommended.

Her Deadly Secret is published by Killer Reads and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Deadly-Secret-gripping-psychological-ebook/dp/B06Y5ZFF1Z/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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