The Dark Room – Lisa Gray

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

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

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

I received a review copy through Netgalley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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December 17

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Lisa Gray

It’s mid December and it has been eleven months since my first Decades guest joined me back in January. That first guest was Sharon Bairden, an author I often met while attending book launches in Glasgow. So what a happy coincidence that my final guest of the year is also an author I would frequently meet when we attended book launches in Glasgow: Lisa Gray.

Don’t panic about the “last of the year” comment, I always say “DECADES WILL RETURN.” But with the busy holiday season approaching I have decided I am not going to share any new guest selections until 7th January 2022. Decades is as much about my guests as it is about their book selections so I do not want anyone to be overlooked while there are so many other distractions at this time of year. I have been asked to make my personal Decades choices so that may happen.

But back to the present (no Christmas pun indended). This week I am delighted to be joined by one of my best bookish pals, Lisa Gray. The challenge remains the same, Lisa has to nominate five of her favourite books which she thinks should be added to my Ultimate Library. She is allowed to choose any five books but can only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades.

Sometimes one of my guests will nominate a book and I will be instantly gobsmacked that the book or author has not yet featured in a previous selection. This is true of this week too…I shall let Lisa explain.

DECADES

Lisa Gray is an Amazon #1, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut novel, Thin Air, was the third-bestselling Kindle book on Amazon.com in 2019. She previously worked as the chief Scottish soccer writer at the Press Association and the books editor at the Daily Record Saturday Magazine. She lives in Glasgow and writes full-time.

Lisa is the author of the Jessica Shaw books. Jessica is a troubled and tenacious private eye of no fixed abode, who investigates cases in and around Los Angeles. The latest in the series, Lonely Hearts, sees Jessica delve into the Lonely Hearts Club and the world of women who write to dangerous convicted criminals.

1970s — Carrie by Stephen King

I know, I know. Yet another Decades contributor picking a Stephen King book, but I do think it’s fascinating that we’re all choosing completely different ones! Carrie was the first King book I read, the first he had published, and it’s the one that has stayed with me the most. That heartbreaking scene in the girls’ locker room… That iconic scene with the pigs’ blood at the high school prom… It doesn’t matter if you read the book or watched the film, you’re not going to forget those images in a hurry. Carrie White is an outsider, bullied by her classmates and her own mother, before her telekinetic powers allow her to inflict a terrible, bloody revenge on the town that terrorised her. I liked that the novel was told in an epistolary style with newspaper articles and scientific reports included as part of the story. A true horror classic.

1980s — A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Confession time. Even though this book was published way back in the ‘80s (the best decade ever in my opinion), I only read it for the first time a couple of years ago. Like Grafton, I write a series about a plucky female private eye who doggedly investigates cases in Southern California. When people started comparing my Jessica Shaw books to the famous ‘Alphabet’ series, I knew I had to check it out. What can I say? That comparison is one hell of a compliment! I absolutely adore the twice-divorced Kinsey Millhone and her page-turning mysteries. If I can ever write a novel half as good as Sue Grafton, I’ll be happy.

1990s — The Concrete Blonde by Michael Connelly

The Concrete Blonde is one of the closest things you’ll get to a perfect police procedural in my opinion. It has everything—a complex plot, a warped killer, a dogged cop in the superb Harry Bosch, intrigue, suspense and plenty of twists. And all set against the wonderfully drawn backdrop of the City of Angels. For me, Connelly always nails the big three of character, plot and setting. He’s the best in the business. The fact that this book was only the third that he wrote kind of blows my mind.

2000s — Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Everyone knows Gillian Flynn for Gone Girl, the book that made her a household name—but Dark Places is easily my favourite by the author. Libby Day is the sole survivor of a massacre that happened during the ‘satanic panic’ of 1980s small town America. Years later and strapped for cash, she agrees to help a group of amateur sleuths delve back into what really happened the night her mother and sisters were murdered, and her brother was jailed for the horrific crimes. Flynn is the queen of the unlikeable female narrator and just a really, really terrific writer. One of the few books I’ve read more than once.

2010s — Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

First of all, I should probably say that Karin Slaughter’s books aren’t for everyone. They are often brutal and unflinching, and Pretty Girls is no exception. It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted but what it is, is a masterclass in making the reader care about the characters. It’s about teenage girls who disappeared years apart and it gripped me, surprised me, and, ultimately, it broke my heart. I cried twice reading it and I don’t mean delicate tears dropping onto the page, I’m talking full-blown ugly sobbing. One twist floored me so much I actually shouted, ‘No way!’ and had to set the book aside for a few moments. Between the crying and the yelling, it’s just as well I read Pretty Girls at home and not on the morning commute to work…

Ending the year with King and Connelly and also introducing Karin Slaughter, Sue Grafton and Gillian Flynn to the Decades Library means I get to finish 2021 on a real high. My thanks to Lisa for these terrific recommendations. As this is the last Decades of the year I would like to thank all my wonderful guests who have made this feature a year-long celebration of booklove.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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December 31

My Favourite Books from 2020

Happy Hogmanay from a snowy Scotland. As the sun sets for the final time on 2020 I think we can all agree that this has not been one of the better years. Yet I look back on the previous 12 months with my bookish eyes and there were some great moments (mainly books I loved which offered escapism from our real-world dystopia).

Before everything stopped in March and we were no longer allowed out to play I had the joy of attending two events in Glasgow. A special mention and my thanks to the Orenda authors who made the trip to Glasgow for the Orenda Roadshow. Also to Elly Griffiths who hosted an afternoon tea and book reading in Waterstones in Sauchiehall Street. Little did I know at the time that this would be the only events I would attend all year – both days were great fun and I took the teenager along too where he initially got a bit starstruck but also started his own collection of signed crime thrillers…I am so proud!

But I digress. This post is my end of year wrap up. The ten books which brought me the most joy and esacapism during the year. Some were the right book at the right time. Some were great stories I could not put down and the others were titles I immediately put into the hands of someone else with a nod of “You MUST read this”.

10 – Curse The Day – Judith O’Reilly (Head of Zeus)

At a global tech gala hosted at the British Museum, scientist Tobias Hawke is due to unveil an astonishing breakthrough. His AI system appears to have reached consciousness, making Hawke the leading light in his field.

But when terrorists storm the building, they don’t just leave chaos in their wake. They seize Hawke’s masterwork, sparking a chain reaction of explosive events which could end the world as we know it.

Michael North, ex-assassin and spy-for-hire, must find the killers and recover the AI. But he can’t do it alone. Hawke’s wife, Esme, and teenage hacker, Fangfang, have their own reasons to help complete North’s mission – and together they unravel a dark and deadly conspiracy which stretches right to the top of the British elite.

Can North survive long enough to uncover the whole truth? Or is it already too late for humanity?

9 – Dark Highway – Lisa Gray (Thomas & Mercer)

An isolated highway in the middle of the desert—the perfect place to hide a secret.

LA-based artist Laurie Simmonds disappeared two months ago, her campervan abandoned on the isolated Twentynine Palms Highway, miles from anything—or anyone. With the police investigation stalled, her parents put all their faith in private investigator Jessica Shaw to find out the truth of what happened.

Jessica and her partner Matt Connor discover that two other women are missing, their disappearances connected to the same highway. When a link emerges between these women and a group of former college friends, Jessica feels certain they’re closing in on their target.

But no sooner do they follow this up than Laurie’s parents get spooked and drop the case. Jessica is blindsided but determined not to give up: three women are missing, and many more may be at risk. She can’t turn her back on them. But the more she pulls at the threads of the truth, the closer she comes to danger. Can she find out who’s behind these crimes before they come for her?

8 – Thirty-One Bones – Morgan Cry (Polygon)

When Daniella Coulstoun’s estranged mother Effie dies in Spain under suspicious circumstances, she feels it’s her duty to fly out for the funeral.

On arrival, Daniella is confronted by a dangerous group of expat misfits who claim that Effie stole huge sums of cash from them in a multi-million property scam. They want the money back and Daniella is on the hook for it.

When a suspicious Spanish detective begins to probe Effie’s death and a London gangster hears about the missing money, Daniella faces threats on every front. With no idea where the cash is and facing a seemingly impossible deadline, she quickly finds herself out of her depth and fighting for survival in a strange and terrifying world.

7 – One White Lie – Leah Konen (Penguin)

Imagine you’ve finally escaped the worst relationship of your life, running away with only a suitcase and a black eye – and you’re terrified what will happen if he finds you.

Imagine your new next-door neighbours are the friends you so desperately needed – fun, kind, empathetic, very much in love.

Imagine that they’re in trouble. That their livelihoods – even their lives – are at risk. They have a plan to keep all of you safe, but they just need you to tell one small lie.

One small lie, and all of these problems would disappear . . .

You’d do it. Wouldn’t you?

It’s only one small lie, until someone turns up dead.

6 – The Resident – David Jackson (Viper)

THERE’S A SERIAL KILLER ON THE RUN
AND HE’S HIDING IN YOUR HOUSE

Thomas Brogan is a serial killer. With a trail of bodies in his wake and the police hot on his heels, it seems like Thomas has nowhere left to hide. That is until he breaks into an abandoned house at the end of a terrace on a quiet street. And when he climbs up into the loft, he realises that he can drop down into all the other houses through the shared attic space.

That’s when the real fun begins. Because the one thing that Thomas enjoys even more than killing is playing games with his victims – the lonely old woman, the bickering couple, the tempting young newlyweds. And his new neighbours have more than enough dark secrets to make this game his best one yet…

Do you fear The Resident? Soon you’ll be dying to meet him.

5 – A Dark Matter – Doug Johnstone (Orenda Books)

Meet the Skelfs: well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators

When patriarch Jim dies, it s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another woman, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything

A compelling, tense and shocking thriller and a darkly funny and warm portrait of a family in turmoil, A Dark Matter introduces a cast of unforgettable characters, marking the start of an addictive new series.

4 – Stone Cold Trouble – Amer Anwar (Dialogue Books)

Trying – and failing – to keep his head down and to stay out of trouble, ex-con Zaq Khan agrees to help his best friend, Jags, recover a family heirloom, currently in the possession of a wealthy businessman. But when Zaq’s brother is viciously assaulted, Zaq is left wondering whether someone from his own past is out to get revenge.

Wanting answers and retribution, Zaq and Jags set out to track down those responsible. Meanwhile, their dealings with the businessman take a turn for the worse and Zaq and Jags find themselves suspected of murder.

It’ll take both brains and brawn to get themselves out of trouble and, no matter what happens, the results will likely be deadly. The only question is, whether it will prove deadly for them, or for someone else . . . ?

3 – How The Wired Weep – Ian Patrick (Independently Published)

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.

2 – Bobby March Will Live Forever – Alan Parks (Canongate)

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?

1 – King of the Crows – Russell Day (Fahrenheit Press)

2028, eight years after a pandemic swept across Europe, the virus has been defeated and normal life has resumed.

Memories of The Lockdown have already become clouded by myth, rumour and conspiracy. Books have been written, movies have been released and the names Robertson, Miller & Maccallan have slipped into legend. Together they hauled The Crows, a ragged group of virus survivors, across the ruins of London. Kept them alive, kept them safe, kept them moving.

But not all myths are true and not all heroes are heroes.

Questions are starting to be asked about what really happened during those days when society crumbled and the capital city became a killing ground.

Finally the truth will be revealed.

And there you have it – ten cracking books. Bring on 2021 I am ready for new stories.

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November 19

Dark Highway – Lisa Gray

An isolated highway in the middle of the desert – the perfect place to hide a secret.

LA-based artist Laurie Simmonds disappeared two months ago, her camper van abandoned on the isolated Twentynine Palms Highway, miles from anything – or anyone. With the police investigation stalled, her parents put all their faith in private investigator Jessica Shaw to find out the truth of what happened.

My thanks to the author for arranging for me to receive an early Netgalley review copy.

Dark Highway is the third Jessica Shaw thriller from Lisa Gray. I really hope you haven’t been snoozing on these excellent stories as they are already really high on my annual “most wanted” list. Regular readers may have realised I much prefer reading about recurring characters; I really enjoy following the character evolution as new books are released and Jessica Shaw has already got a cracking back story in place which the author has been able to build on in Dark Highway. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy Dark Highway as a stand alone thriller if you haven’t read the first two books – you most certainly can come into this one with no prior knowledge of Jessica and her previous expolits.

We join the story with a hell of an opening paragraph. Eighteen words and scene guaranteed to keep you reading – no spoilers but I will confirm the presence of a corpse. So straight into the action and a small group with a big problem and there is division in their ranks. Lisa Gray doing exactly what is needed to draw me into her world once again.

Cut to Jessica Shaw and she is hired to find missing artist Laurie Simmonds. She hasn’t been seen for a couple of months and her mother wants her found – even suggesting there is a connection to other missing women. Jessica and her partner, Matt, start digging and it isn’t long before Jessica thinks there may be some truth in the suggestion that there are some common elements to the disappearances she is looking into. However, Laurie’s father is about to pull the plug on Jessica’s case and bring her investigations crashing to a halt.

Laurie will need to convince Matt that they can’t just walk away from these missing women. Matt and Laurie have some history and there is more than a little chemistry between them but their relationship is currently a business one and doing pro-bono work will not pay the bills. A confrontation is brewing and Jessica knows she can’t simply forget about Laurie Simmonds.

Dark Highway is a multi layered story which also takes readers back a few years to follow the story of a single mum, working in a bar near the same highway where Laurie Simmonds was last seen. The steps back in time give readers a brief respite from Jessicas troubles but you know that there is going to be some connection between past and present events. Well there may be but I certainly must confess to being well off the mark as a tried to guess where the story was heading. Dark times lie ahead and the author takes the readers to some grim scenes which sustain the excellent edgy feel of this series.

Although I have not had the opportunity to hear the Dark Highway audiobook yet I did listen to the previous book (Bad Memory) through Audible and I was delighted to see Amy Landon is returning to narrate Dark Highway. Amy did a magnificent job on Bad Memory and I thought her voice captured the tone and feel of the story perfectly – I am quite sure that magnificience will carry over into Dark Highway. Audiobooks are always a more enjoyable experience when the narrator is such a good fit for the story you are listening to.

As I alluded to at the start of my review – I am a huge fan of the Jessica Shaw books. I strongly encourage everyone to read Dark Highway and if you are new to the series you can’t go far wrong if you pick up Thin Air and Bad Memory too.

Dark Highway is published today by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can get your copy right now by clicking through this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087JPTMKC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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November 17

Bad Memory (Audiobook) – Lisa Gray

Quiet towns keep big secrets.

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is leading a quiet life in a Californian desert community, where she spends her days working low-level cases. But when a former resident asks Jessica to help her sister, Rue Hunter—a convicted murderer whose execution is days away—Jessica can’t resist the offer.

Rue doesn’t remember what happened the night two high school students were killed thirty years ago, but everybody in town is certain she’s guilty. As Jessica looks for answers, she finds that local rumors point one way and evidence points another. And nobody wants to face the truth. Meanwhile, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that someone is stalking her—now more than ever, she knows she can’t trust anyone.

As Jessica digs deeper, she encounters local secrets in unlikely places—including the police department itself. But the clock is ticking, and Jessica must find the truth fast—or Rue’s bad memory may be the death of them both.

I bought this audiobook through my Audible subscription. Sometimes I can take an age deciding how to use my monthly credit, however, having recently read the first Jessica Shaw thriller by Lisa Gray (Thin Air) I was keen to hear more of Jessica’s adventures. It was a good purchase decision!

Bad Memory is a story which spans a generation. Thirty years ago Rue Hunter killed two of her friends at a deserted make-out spot on the edge of town. She was found guilty in court after confessing to the crime and sent to death row to await execution.

That was then – the reader (listener in my case) gets to be with Rue at the time the crime takes place. We see how she finds the couple, she is a little drunk, she is a little stoned and she has a knife. The reader lives the murder with Rue as she plunges the knife into the back of her victim. There is blood – lots of blood – and Rue’s fate is sealed.

Into the now. Jessica Shaw is approached by Rue’s sister. She wants Jessica to help prove Rue is innocent of the crime that everyone thinks she committed and that she herself confessed to committing. Thirty years down the line and with just a few days until Rue is due to face lethal injection Jessica will have her work cut out to discover if there were any missed clues. One thing which may help is that Rue no longer believes she committed the murders but if she is telling the truth now then why did she lie thirty years ago?

Despite the lack of pages in an audiobook – this was a definite page turner. Bad Memory has that terrific “one more chapter” feeling which just keeps the reader glued to the story. Lisa Gray achieves this by keeping the story punchy, switching narrative and timeline between the present and the past and a secondary story, which does partly overlap with Jessica’s investigation, was also very engaging. Pacing is perfect as the story zips along and the deadline to Rue’s execution looms ever closer.

Despite this being the second Jessica Shaw story you can easily pick up Bad Memory without reading Thin Air. Jessica’s private life gives the reader a nice distraction from the ongoing investigations. Things are distracting too for Jessica as she has a few issues she needs to address as she contemplates leaving town and settling down elsewhere.

I do need to give a special shout-out to the narrator of Bad Memory: Amy Landon. She has the perfect voice for this story, very listenable while giving distinctive voice to different . She adopted a pleasant drawl which suited the small-town and seemingly sleepy locations where Bad Memory is set. An audiobook is made or ruined by the talent of the narrator and Amy Landon is a name I shall look out for in future audiobook purchases.

In short – I am calling this an inspired audiobook purchase. The story had me gripped and kept me entertained throughout. Exactly what I need from a good crime thriller and Bad Memory is a very good crime thriller.

Bad Memory is published by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07Q8FD47T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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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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