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Blood on the Tracks – Guy Hale

Jimmy Wayne is headed for LA to make the new album that will hopefully make him a star. In a quiet, deserted canyon a few miles outside Blackjack lie the bodies of his victims who inspired each song – all his secrets are buried in that dry and arid ground. Can he leave his past behind or will the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him?

I received a review copy from the publishers and was invited to join the blog tour by Anne at Random Things Blog Tours

Blood on the Tracks may sound like Guy Hale is taking us on a train journey but the Tracks in this book are musical, he is taking us into the recording studio. We join Jimmy Wayne and his band as Jimmy prepares his big comeback after around two decades of being in the music wilderness. But there’s a dark secret behind Jimmy’s songwriting success, the tracks which seem to be destined to propel him back up the music charts only get written when Jimmy is responsible for someone’s death.

In the first book in this series (Killing Me Softly) it appears Jimmy managed to wipe out a few bad guys. Their lives ending meant Jimmy had enough songs written which allows him to get an album together. Though Jimmy isn’t overly upset at killing a few people who deserves to die he also accidentally is responsible for his girlfriend’s death. But, despite being dead, Wendy still manages to appear in ghostly form beside Jimmy to chat with him and provide useful information on what his enemies are up to.

You don’t get much of a clue from the book’s blurb as to what to expect from Blood on the Tracks so I was quite surprised to see Jimmy chatting to a ghost, two former Scandanavian “special forces” playing an integral part in the story, a heavily guarded (but secret) goldmine hidden in the mountains outside Las Vegas, a psychopathic 74 year-old and her mob boss son plus a mystery man who brings calm and compassion everywhere he goes – he’s determined to see Jimmy succeed and nobody is going to stop this all-seeing stranger from getting Jimmy where he wants him to be.

The bad guys want Jimmy dead. Maybe. If he does well then they may actually make some money off his success. So maybe they will let him live a bit longer. But if he flops then there’s an expectation that the mob boss will pass Jimmy to his mother so she can violently end his life – she feels he deserves to die as Jimmy has slighted her family honour. People just don’t get away with that – even if their record could net them a healthy investment return.

The best way to enjoy Blood on the Tracks is very much to let Guy Hale have fun with his cast. Some people will die, some comedy characters will pop up to make you laugh then the bad guys will plot for more bad things to happen. Jimmy’s dead girlfriend will keep him in the loop as to how his enemies are out to get him and the mysterious stranger will just keep being mysterious but highly entertaining at the same time. It all sounds a bit surreal at times but it’s surprisingly readable and I found myself enjoying the story more and more.

One cool bonus which I only spotted as I was preparing my review; there’s a QR code at the start of the book which you can scan and the wonders of technology will let you hear Jimmy’s song – a nice touch to give the reader a feel for the music we read so much about.

Blood on the Tracks – decidedly quirky, often unexptected, lots of fun.

Blood on the Tracks is published by Whitefox and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/blood-on-the-tracks-2/guy-hale/9781915036810

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February 23

Paris Requiem – Chris Lloyd

‘You have a choice which way you go in this war…’

Paris, September 1940.

After three months under Nazi Occupation, not much can shock Detective Eddie Giral. That is, until he finds a murder victim who was supposed to be in prison. Eddie knows, because he put him there. The dead man is not the first or the last criminal being let loose onto the streets. But who is pulling the strings, and why?

This question will take Eddie from jazz clubs to opera halls, from old flames to new friends, from the lights of Paris to the darkest countryside – pursued by a most troubling truth: sometimes to do the right thing, you have to join the wrong side…

My thanks to Orion for the opportunity to read an review copy of Paris Requiem

In late 202o I listened to the audiobook of The Unwanted Dead. It introduced Eddie Giral, the police officer who was determined to investigate a crime which nobody else wanted him to investigate. I absolutely loved the story, raved about it A LOT on Twitter and I was delighted to see it win the CWA Gold Crown for best novel of the year.

I have been patiently waiting for Giral’s return (well quite patiently) and when Paris Requiem landed on my doormat it went straight to the front of my reading queue. I know I shouldn’t have favourites but as much as I loved The Unwanted Dead, I think Paris Requiem takes this series to greater heights. Paris Requiem – five stars and if I could give it more I would.

What’s it about then?

Detective Eddie Giral is a member of the Paris police force. It is 1940 and the Germans have occupied the city. The police are still to enforce the law but they must do so working alongside the Germans who have their own control over the city. It’s a fractious dynamic and Eddie is far from happy with the current state of affairs. Although we first met Eddie in the award-winning The Unwanted Dead. You don’t need to read the stories in order to enjoy Paris Requiem but as I adored The Unwanted Dead I would strongly encourage you to seek it out.

We meet Eddie in a closed down Jazz Club. He is a big fan of jazz but not such a big fan of empty clubs which house a dead body. Unfortunately for Eddie the reason he is in a closed down club is because there is a dead body which needs his attention. Bound to a chair and left to be found, the victim has had their mouth sewn shut with twine. A message? But who could it be for? And an even bigger headache for Eddie is that he knows the victim…he arrested him some months earlier and the man should still be in prison – so why is he dead in a club?

Eddie’s boss, Commissionaire Dax, has paired him up with the irritating Boniface. Potentially a decent cop but Eddie feels Boniface spends more time chasing women than he does chasing crooks. Together the pair try to find out why a convicted criminal was walking the streets before he met his untimely and unpleasant death. Worse still it seems he may not be the only criminal no longer serving their sentence – some of the crooks the pair helped capture will hold a grudge too.

Unfortunately for Eddie there are other matters to contend with. His son is trying to escape France, Eddie has not seen him for several months but someone else knows of his flight to freedom and is trying to use this knowledge to get some leverage with Eddie. Will Eddie be able to assist an enemy if it means safe passage for his son? There’s another son to worry about too – not his own but an old friend is looking for Eddie to help find her son. A soldier on the run and hiding from the German army will not have it easy, but when the soldier has black skin it gets even more complicated. Even Eddie’s connections with Major Hochstetter – the German officer who “assists” Eddie and the French police will not use his influential support to track down a missing soldier.

There’s a lot going on in Eddie’s life but Chris Lloyd manages to keep three or four different story threads constantly weaving around the reader. Even when there’s not a crime to occupy his mind Eddie can be found trying to encourage his local butcher to let him have a slightly larger cut of meat or begging his baker to give him a single loaf of bread despite Eddie not having his ration book. Life in occupied Paris still goes on and Lloyd shows the day to day problems all Parisians faced – sourcing fresh meat and bread being one of them.

It’s the wonderful blend of historical fact, crime fiction and sheer reading enjoyment which made me love the time I spent with Paris Requiem. Chris Lloyd breathes life into history and has created a compelling cast of characters. The murders, the escaped criminals, Eddie’s need to appease his boss, appease the Germans and keep himself safe while unknown forces try to kill him – you will be drawn into this story and will not want to stop reading. Especially when you hear about Capeluche – he’s a scary one.

Don’t miss these books. Get to know Eddie Giral. He’s having a rough old time of it but you’ll root for him from first page to last.

Paris Requiem is available now in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/paris-requiem/chris-lloyd/9781409190301

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October 8

The Women of Blackmouth Street – Thea Sutton

A gifted psychologist is forced to hunt a serial killer or risk having a dark chapter of her past exposed—but her mission may mark her as the next victim…

1890’s London. Strong-willed Georgia Buchanan, a mind doctor and heiress, spends her time with the mad, the bad, and devils incarnate, armed only with her expert understanding of the human psyche.

But when her young, high-profile patient unexpectedly commits suicide, Georgia leaves Boston under a cloud of guilt. Lured to London’s notorious Bedlam asylum, she’s trapped by a vengeful detective and a dangerous anarchist—who know too much about her—into tracking a serial killer of women in the city’s East End.

As Georgia struggles to prevent more women from meeting a violent end, her own secrets and closest ties are stripped bare… With her Harvard mentor, William James, and his sister. With her wealthy, scandalous father. With a troubled patient. All the while the city’s streets reel with carnage and social unrest. Alone and questioning her abilities as the killer closes in, Georgia has one last chance to save the innocent before she confronts the most devastating truth yet.

A shocking, fast-paced period thriller, The Women of Blackmouth Street conjures a lush and gritty world of psychological profiling, political upheaval, and women on the edge of madness.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join this leg of the tour for The Women of Blackmouth Street. I recieved a review copy from the publishers so I may participate in this tour.

A Victorian novel of madness, murder and (for the sake of alliteration) mystery. I don’t read as many historical novels as I would like and when I do pick one up I am reminded of how much fun they can be, particularly when they are done well. I believe the most important element of any historical novel is capturing the feel of the time and nailing the location. This is true of gothic horrors, regency drama or, as in the case of The Women of Blackmouth Street, Victorian thrillers. Pleasingly Thea Sutton made 19th Century London grow around me as I read and it allowed me to fully embrace events in the story.

Georgia Buchanan almost seems to be years ahead of those around her when it comes to the study of the mind. She is a specialist in understanding and looking after disturbed individuals, however, after an incident in Boston she has left America and taken up residence in London. However, London is a dangerous city as a killer is lurking in the shadows. He targets women in the streets, murders them and then leaves their mutilated bodies in his wake. The mutilations are not random and with surgical precicion some of their organs are removed.

It’s not a Ripper story but has similar dark tones and deadly consequences for too many women. Georgia Buchanan is enlisted to try to help identify and stop a killer. Only a madman could possibly be responsible for such terrible crimes and Georgia faces a race against time to stop the murderer.

It’s a tighly paced story and Georgia has a chance to shine but also to frustrate. At times her approach didn’t quite go how I had expected and her unpredictability was a nice hook to keep me reading. I do find reading historical novels to be more of a challenge as the language symantics take more concentration which, for a speed reader, means slowing right down to ensure nothing gets missed.

Always nice to try something different and this satisfied and entertained.

The Women of Blackmouth Street is published by Encircle Publications and is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0974TVTYL/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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July 23

The Beresford – Will Carver

Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.

Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him.

In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.

Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour for The Beresford.

I never do this; pleae indulge me for a second. That Cover. Love it. I can happily ignore 99% of book covers without needing to comment but that one’s a cracker. I wonder if Orenda realise they are saving the very best covers for their supernatural stories? Quite right too – a good horror tale needs a suitably grabbable skin wrapped around it.

So a horror story about a house called The Beresford. But not a haunted house story, this book is all about the people who come to live in The Beresford. And those who come to die.

It seems the cycle is inevitable. A new resident will arrive to stay in The Beresford exactly sixty seconds after the last breath of life leaves one of the current occupants. In that sixty seconds a body has to be hidden and Mrs May (the owner of The Beresford) will come out from her room and introduce herself to the new resident and try to help them settle in.

Mrs May is the old lady at the heart of the story. The enigma. She jokes she is 100, 150, 1200 years old but her residents just see a kindly old woman who is rather set in her ways and appears to be a bit of a matchmaker if her residents are suitability single and lonely.

Nobody arrives at The Beresford with murder in their heart but once they get inside those cheap but surprisingly spacious rooms something changes. A trigger moment will arise and a moment of madness will lead to the next corpse on the floor. The clever ones will cover up their crimes and kindly old Mrs May will just make a few subtle suggestions about “cleaning up”. In some instances Mrs May will need to take direct intervention and tell the murderer how to dispose of a body.

Mrs May knows everything that happens at The Beresford and down the years she has become very adept at body disposal.

What a clever, twisted and entertaining story this was. The constant knowledge someone in the story was going to be killed. Rooting for a favourite or waiting for the irritating ones to be erased but always compelling. There are 1,000 stories which could be told about the people that visit The Beresford and 1,000 more about the people that come looking for them when they are gone. I could have read all 2,000 of them.

This isn’t a scary horror tale in the jump-scare, something’s behind me mould. This is a disturbing story of demonic forces, murder and dismemberment and one for the reader to try to understand what is happening then try to understand how the story could possibly find closure. It’s the best I have read from Will Carver and major kudos to him for delivering such an accessible, readable and utterly enjoyable horror tale.

The Beresford 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/B08WRMCLVQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 18

The Sanatorium – Sarah Pearse

EVERYONE’S IN DANGER. ANYONE COULD BE NEXT.

An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother’s recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous – as does her brother, Isaac.

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin’s unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

But no-one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they’re all in . . .

Huge thanks to Thomas Hill at Transworld for a very early look at this chilling thriller due for release in early 2021.

If you have read Stephen King’s The Shining then you can easily understand how terrifying a remote, snowy location can be for a hotel. Rather than a haunted hotel try to imagine a luxury hotel hidden away deep in Swiss Alps in a fully refurbished building which was once a sanatorium. A sanatorium that could treat patients away from any watchful eyes – you can rest assured it has its own dark history.

The Sanatorium in Sarah Pearse’s chilling thriller has been renovated to an unrecognisable form. It is the darling of the archietectural world and the famed architect who has given it new life has ensured a stark simplicity compliments luxury and comfort. Into the frozen mountains comes Elin Warner, a British detective who is currently off work on a period of recouperation and still suffering PTSD after teh death of her younger brother when they were children.

Elin has been invited to stay in Le Sommet by her elder brother Isaac (who appears both strange and estranged). He is celebrating his engagement and asks Elin and her partner Will to join him. As an architect himself, Will is delighted to have the chance to visit Le Sommet but Elin arrives apprehensive.

Her concerns appear to be valid. As Elin and Will arrive at the hotel in the midst of a heavy storm, the reader gets a sneak to another part of the site where one of the staff is about to have an unexpected encounter with a masked figure. One which will see her plucked from the mountainside and held capitve and at the mercy of a stranger. Her terror is palpable but as she sees the mask of the kidnapper more clearly – a rubber facemask with a breathing tube attached – she knows there will be no escape from her past. For the reader this was not the first appearance of the masked villain – we had already been alerted to the danger this sinister figure posed.

As Elin and Will settle in to their room and after Isaac and Elin have an awkward reunion, the storm outside continues and conditions get worse. The Swiss authorities are about to make life more challenging for Elin; they close access to the resort and other than key hotel staff and a handful of guests there is nobody left in Le Sommet. Then a body is found.

The locked-in claustrophobia oozes from the pages and is heightened when it becomes apparent the masked figure is still lurking around the hotel. With a murderer in their midst Erin steps into the fray and tries to offer what help she can but the danger is getting close to home – Isaac’s fiancee is missing and Erin cannot shake her distrust of her older brother. Is it possible Isaac could be a killer?

The Sanatorium is a psychological thriller which will undoubtably please fans of the genre. The isolated setting, the unpenetrable storm and the lurking rubber-faced hidden menace encapsulated the “base under siege” feeling of the classic Patrick Troughton Doctor Who serials I adore so much. A stone-cold page turner which keeps you guessing to the very last page.

The Sanatorium will publish on 4 February through Bantam in hardback, digital and audiobook format. Pre-order your copy today by clicking this handy wee link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086M9BLF5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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November 12

One By One – Ruth Ware

Snow is falling in the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine, as the shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold.

The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask – would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?

My thanks to Graeme at Vintage for my review copy and the opportunity to join the Ruth Ware Readers Party

Ever had a book hangover? It’s the grumbly sensation which arises when you put down a stonewall banger of a read and turn to your TBR pile with a feeling of dispair for the next book you choose to read (as you know whatever you pick will just not be as good as the story you just finished). I mention this because One By One has given me a major book hangover and I have no idea what to read next.

The remote alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine has two staff members on site to cook for and to look after the guests – Erin and Danny. Erin is the host/cleaner and co-ordinator and Danny is the excellent chef who can prepare the fine food for the chalet residents as they come off the slopes at the end of a day’s skiing.

Erin and Danny are to be joined by the shareholders and staff of music tech firm Snoop. Snoop operate an App which lets you snoop on the music library of other users. If Ed Sheerin is online and listening to music then Snoop users can listen along with Ed to share the experience. The app has been phenomonaly successful but Erin realises that the Snoop representatives are at Saint Antoine to discuss the future of the company – the company are at a critical stage and the decisions they make during their stay will determine the future of the firm. From what Erin can tell there are two factions and a vote on a corporate buy-out will need to be taken by the shareholders…tensions are high amongst the ten Snoop representatives.

Each of Ruth Ware’s previous books have been wonderful at scene setting and the development of the principle characters and One By One is no different. We feel surrounded by the snowy peaks, chilled at the idea of stepping outside and, through Erin, we get a feel for the young friends and colleagues who make up Snoop. The founder Topher and his former partner Eva (the principle shareholders and the heads of the two differnet factions for the future path of the firm). Their tech nerd is there, the legal brain, PA’s and support colleagues – all one dynamic wee team with the confidence, charisma and the arrogance of youthful success. Except there is one of their number that doesn’t fit in. Liz. She is shy, reserved and awkward. When the Snoop staff make plans they forget to include Liz. Erin can’t figure out how Liz came to be involved with Snoop and why she has been invited along to Saint Antoine. The awkwardness around Liz only compunds the problems Erin has to deal with while keeping the high manintenance guests pacified and helping cool tempers when opinions on the buy-out differ.

After a morning board meeting the guests head to the ski slopes to take a collective break and enjoy some of the challenges offered on the various ski slopes. However the day is going to end with a shock as one of the party gets sepearated from the group and doesn’t return to the chalet. Panic and confusion split the group furhter – conditions outside are worsening and the friends cannot go looking for their missing colleage. As they hunker down and contemplate what happens next it becomes obvious the shareholder power has shifted and when the remaining shareholders realise how positions have changed they begin to wonder if someone has taken matters into their own hands. Would someone resort to murder to ensure they get their own way?

Conditions worsen, tempers fray further and worry increases when a second death occurs. Can Erin and Danny keep their calm and keep their guests safe or is there a killer in their midst?

One By One is a wonderfully tense mystery story. The remote location and the blizzard conditions outside the cabin gives the book the feel of a locked-room murder mystery. Erin is our principle narrator and she guides us through most of the incidents as they occur, her anxiety and suspicions drive the whole book and it works perfectly. I didn’t want to break from reading as it all seemed to be unfolding in real time and I felt I had to keep going.

When a book is as gripping as One By One you know you have invested your reading time wisely. Ruth Ware consistently delivers high level thrillers and One By One only confirms her standing as a writer on the top of her game.

One By One is published today by Vintage and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084GKMG9L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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October 20

Some Lockdown Reviews

Without being too subtle about 2020 – it has been a really crap year. I have found my reading has really suffered and my reviews more so. Working from home has been a great relief but at the end of my working day I have felt little urge to shut down the work laptop only to remain sitting in the same spot and crank open my own laptop to draft a few reviews.

But that’s selfish behaviour – I have used stories to lift my blue moods and give me the escapism I needed. Maybe someone else would benefit from knowing about the great stories which brought me some respite and the authors and teams behind the stories worked so hard to get their books out there that I cannot simply pass them over without comment. So here are some catch up reviews for books I have read “in lockdown”

Knife Edge – Simon Mayo

You never know where danger may come from…

6.45am. A sweltering London rush hour. And in the last 29 minutes, seven people have been murdered.

In a series of coordinated attacks, seven men and women across London have been targeted. For journalist Famie Madden, the horror unfolds as she arrives for the morning shift.

The victims have one thing in common: they make up the investigations team at the news agency where Famie works. The question everyone’s asking: what were they working on that could prompt such brutal devastation?

As Famie starts to receive mysterious messages, she must find out whether she is being warned of the next attack, or being told that she will be the next victim…

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

I know that Simon Mayo has had a number of successful books which are aimed at younger readers so I was keen to see how the transition to the adult market would be recieved. If Knife Edge is reflection on the excitement and tension he brought to his earlier books then I can see why his previous titles are held in such high regard. This was a highly enjoyable thriller.

Focus is on Famie Madden, she works for one of the top media outlets in the country and on the day we join her story she is in the hot-seat for co-ordinating all the stories which are going to air. However, Famie is soon to find the news is coming far too close to home – a series of murders in London all take place during the start of the morning rush hour. The attacks are clearly linked and must have been conducted by different people as they are spread around the city. As more information starts to come through to Famie and her team they realise that all the victims are their colleagues.

It is a shocking opening to the story and Famie is impacted more than most as she had been in a secret relationship with one of the victims. Naturally Famie wants answers so she begins to look into what story her colleagues may have been working on that brought about their terrible fate.

Knife Edge has all the thrills you need from a high stakes thriller. After a dynamic start the pace does slow a touch but it’s a steady build up back to a corking finale. While there haven’t been many opportunities to post recommendations for a summer beach read – Knife Edge falls into that category. The paperback is out in March 2021 so keep this one in mind when the good weather returns and you are planning some relaxing downtime. If you can’t wait that long then hardback, digital and audio copies are all available now!

Knife Edge is published by Doubleday and is available in Hardback, Digital and Audiobook format: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07WFS252B/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The Photographer – Craig Robertson

The sergeant took some from each box and spread them around the floor so they could all see. Dozens upon dozens of them. DI Rachel Narey’s guess was that there were a few hundred in all.

Photographs.

Many of them were in crowd scenes, some just sitting on a park bench or walking a dog or waiting for a bus or working in shops. They seemed to have no idea they’d been photographed.

A dawn raid on the home of a suspected rapist leads to a chilling discovery, a disturbing collection hidden under floorboards. Narey is terrified at the potential scale of what they’ve found and of what brutalities it may signal.
When the photographs are ruled inadmissible as evidence and the man walks free from court, Narey knows she’s let down the victim she’d promised to protect and a monster is back on the streets.
Tony Winter’s young family is under threat from internet trolls and he is determined to protect them whatever the cost. He and Narey are in a race against time to find the unknown victims of the photographer’s lens – before he strikes again.

I was at the launch of The Photographer and Craig Robertson gave a very powerful demonstration of the inherent creepiness behind an element of this story. It made me uncomfortable but made me really want to read The Photographer to see how the author addressed the issue in the book.

I was horrified to realise that a good many months (far, far too many) have passed since that launch event and that a review I thought I had written remained outstanding. The good thing about a good book is that it doesn’t go away and on a recent trip to my local bookshop I saw copies of The Photographer on the shelves waiting to find new readers. Go find it – this is a powerful and brilliantly told story.

Photographs – taken without the consent of the subject, or without the subject even knowing they were being photographed, have been found by DI Rachel Narey while she searched the home of a suspected rapist. What was already a harrowing case has taken an even more sinister turn. Narey is convinced her suspect is guilty of the rape she is investigating but now she wonders what other crimes he may have committed. She will throw herself at this case in the pursit of justice and in doing so will bring danger to her home.

This is an incredibly tense read and it’s another cracking addition to what is already a brilliant series. Craig Robertson knows how to hold his readers attention and I found I lost huge chunks of time engrossed in The Photographer. The scenes of tension and peril are nicely balanced out with lighter moments between Narey and Winter as their relationship further develops and they juggle their time between work and caring for their young daughter.

It is always a reading treat to spend time with one of Craig Robertson’s books – if you haven’t read any of his books before now then there is no time like the present to start!

The Photographer is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XKH76MX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i4

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July 28

Written in Blood – Chris Carter

A serial killer will stop at nothing…

The Killer
His most valuable possession has been stolen.
Now he must retrieve it, at any cost.

The Girl
Angela Wood wanted to teach the man a lesson. It was a bag, just like all the others.
But when she opens it, the worst nightmare of her life begins.

The Detective
A journal ends up at Robert Hunter’s desk. It soon becomes clear that there is a serial killer on the loose. And if he can’t stop him in time, more people will die.

If you have read it
You must die

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Written in Blood tour. I recieved a review copy from the publisher.

I have always been a wee bit annoyed with myself that I let the first few Chris Carter books slip by when they first came out. Crime fiction has always been my favourite reading material and serial killer thrillers even more so. I love the cat and mouse element of a detective (usually) hunting down a prey. Carter’s Robert Hunter series are all dark tales consistently featuring some of the most grim crime scenes you can expect to read about. Despite being late to the series I swept up the early books and quickly caught up – over the last few years I now seek out the new Robert Hunter book as it is released…I don’t like the thought of there being a Chris Carter book I haven’t read.

When an author is assured of an immediate boost to the front of my teetering TBR pile it is a clear sign of the regard their books are held in. I read Written in Blood in two sittings over two evenings and it was everything I had hoped it would be.

Angela Wood is a pickpocket. One of the best in LA. THE best if you were to ask Angela. After a successful pre-Christmas afternoon she is over $600 to the good and decides to stop into a bar for a drink before she heads home. In the bar she overhears a big guy being extremely rude towards another patron so she decides to teach him a lesson by stealing his holdall. Angela is sucessful in securing the holdall but she has taken more than she bargained for – inside the bag is a notebook. Not the electronic kind – a large leather-bound book in which a killer has documented a number of murders he has committed. There are photographs attached to the pages to evidence his labours. Angela panics and delivers the book to the police where it soon reaches the attention of Robert Hunter.

Hunter and his partner, Carlos Garcia, determine the authenticity of the deaths described in the killers notebook and the hunt for a sadistic murderer begins. It appears he has committed multiple crimes over a prolonged period of time yet not drawn attention to himself. The manner of each murder varies and the documenation the cops are reviewing suggests the killer is being guided by voices he hears who then tell him what to do. Hunter thinks they are likely seeking someone with sever mental health issues but the more he reads into the notebook the less likely this appears.

Both Hunter and Angela have a problem though. The killer is not happy to have lost his notebook and he wants it back. He is clearly a resourceful individual as within a very short space of time he has identified the thief and established that the police have the notebook. He engages with both Angela and Hunter and demands his book be returned – there is no doubt in his mind that this is what is going to happen. A confrontation beckons and it is not clear how many lives may be lost before the killer gets his way.

Fast paced, clinical writing style and utterly engrossing. Written in Blood is easily one of my favourite books in the Robert Hunter series and without doubt one of the most enjoyable reads in 2020.

Written in Blood is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in Hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XCRN85H/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: 5* Reviews, Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

April 13

Rules For Perfect Murders – Peter Swanson

If you want to get away with murder, play by the rules

A series of unsolved murders with one thing in common: each of the deaths bears an eerie resemblance to the crimes depicted in classic mystery novels.

The deaths lead FBI Agent Gwen Mulvey to mystery bookshop Old Devils. Owner Malcolm Kershaw had once posted online an article titled ‘My Eight Favourite Murders,’ and there seems to be a deadly link between the deaths and his list – which includes Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders, Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.

Can the killer be stopped before all eight of these perfect murders have been re-enacted?

I received a review copy from the publishers via Netgalley.

On a quiet day in his second hand bookstore Malcolm “Mal” Kershaw is visited by an FBI Agent. Agent Gwen Mulvey is investigating a series of murders and wants to discuss her theory with Mal. Seeking outside help is not normal FBI practice but Gwen’s theory is not one which has been accepted by her colleagues so she has come to Mal to discuss her idea with the man responsible for creating a list of perfect murders.

Several years prior to events in the story, Mal was preparing a blog post which detailed eight “perfect” murders. These were eight deaths from crime fiction which Mal felt should have been unsolvable. He hardly remembers writing the list and seems to quite enjoy being reminded of the selection. However, FBI agents don’t travel miles to sleepy second hand bookshops to discuss crime novels and Mal realises that the FBI must have linked his blog post to an active investigation. Is he a suspect? Has he given a “playbook” to a murderer? Is Mal possibly in danger too?

The great thing about a Peter Swanson book is that nothing can be taken at face value. He writes wonderfully twisty stories which will have readers second-guessing and even third-guessing everything they believe they understand about the characters and their motives or objectives.

In a market where publishers proclaim a book has a “twist you won’t see coming” Faber and Faber do not need to go there with Swanson. Perhaps “nothing is as it seems” should promote his writing. As such this makes each of his books a joy to spend time with – Rules For Perfect Murders being a great addition to the library.

Some great nods to classic murder tales and lots of unexpected surprises makes this a highly recommended read.

Rules For Perfect Murders is published by Faber & Faber and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0821VC3P1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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May 21

Playing The Martyr – Ian G Moore

A retired Englishman is crucified on the banks of the Loire Valley and the peace and quiet of rural France is shattered. Blackmailed into leading the investigation, the recently widowed Juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard feels shattered too.

An apparently innocuous victim, held in high regard by the French locals, who would target the Englishman? And why like this? Is someone using the 500-year-old legend of Joan of Arc to stir up tension between the French locals and the British expat community? And for what purpose?

Lombard must use all his experience to break down the wall of silence in small-town France and avoid the failure his bosses are hoping for. Will his half-English, half-French background help? Will it give him the freedom to move inside both communities or does it mean he’ll be trusted by neither?

While fighting his own grief and his own team, the case turns up a gut-churning connection with his late wife and lays bare something that he’s known all along; that the River Loire, like the valley itself, has a calm surface hiding a murderous undercurrent.

I received a copy of Playing the Martyr from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I read a lot of crime novels. The majority of these stories are set in the UK or the US. I have a good understanding of their hierarchy of police squads and the respective judicial systems. Playing The Martyr is set in France – the lead character is Matthieu Lombard, he is Juge d’instruction. I had no idea what that meant but I loved that Playing The Martyr had a “new” feel to it even before the story got going.

What an absolute treat it was to learn more about the position Juge Lombard holds, particularly as Lombard has not enjoyed the best of times of late and is facing a few political challenges to his authority. Overcoming personal tragedy, facing down rivals who would challenge his authority and dwelling too long on past events he cannot possibly change – the reader meets Lombard at an interesting time.

But personal issues aside – Lombard has a murder to solve. An Englishman has been found crucified in the beautiful Loire Valley. His murder (and other incidents which take place as the story unfolds) appear to have a connection to Joan of Arc. This does pose something of an issue for Lombard as the town where the murder occurred is desperately trying to establish a connection to the Saint so they can cash in on the tourist opportunities. Is the murder a grotesque effort to put the town on the map or are the Joan of Arc references an elaborate red herring to put the police off the scent?

From being a bit of a Twitter stalker I know that Ian Moore lives in France and he does a terrific job of depicting this idyllic part of the world in Playing The Martyr. It is great when authors capture the spirit of their chosen locations – too many books can be cut and paste stories into any random town or city. Not so here – the sense of place was striking at times and I felt genuine pangs of wanderlust to make a visit to the Loire Valley and soak up some of the atmosphere.

I loved the time I spent with Playing The Martyr. Lombard was a great lead character and I hope he returns in the not too distant future. Supporting cast were well defined and there were some fun and lighthearted moments to break up the darker twists. Pleasingly I was nowhere near guessing the secrets to the story and that’s how I like it!

Playing the Martyr is a Pause Publications book and can be purchased in paperback and digital format here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Martyr-Ian-G-Moore-ebook/dp/B07LG71TGL/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=playing+the+martyr&qid=1555351140&s=gateway&sr=8-1

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