The Big Chill (The Skelfs Book 2) by Doug Johnstone

I am really delighted to be sharing my review of The Big Chill by Doug Johnstone. This is the second novel featuring the Skelf women after we were introduced to them in A Dark Matter, a book I loved. Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour for this one and to the publisher, Orenda Books, for my review copy.

The Blurb:

Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a quieter life. But running both a funeral directors’ and a private investigation business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open grave at a funeral that matriarch Dorothy is conducting, she can’t help looking into the dead driver’s shadowy life.

While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own struggles. Jenny’s ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the Skelf women’s lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.

But something even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy’s disappears and suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves sucked into an unbearable darkness – but could the real threat be to themselves?

Following three women as they deal with the dead, help the living and find out who they are in the process, The Big Chill follows A Dark Matter, book one in the Skelfs series, which reboots the classic PI novel while asking the big existential questions, all with a big dose of pitch-black humour.

The Big Chill was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 20th June 2020 and it will be released in paperback on 20th August 2020. It is available for purchase/pre-order (depending on format) from the publisher, Hive (supporting independent bookshops), Waterstones, Amazon and all good booksellers.

My Review:

I was so excited to read A Big Chill as the previous book, A Dark Matter, was one of my favourite reads of last year (you can read my review here). And I wasn't disappointed.

The Big Chill takes place shortly after the events which in A Dark Matter and the Skelf women - matriarch and grandmother Dorothy, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah - are still reeling from what happened then. They're each hurting in their own way. If you haven't read A Dark Matter you can still enjoy this - there is a storyline arc continuing from that book but this is outlined here so it works great as a standalone. But I feel you would have a richer experience if you read A Dark Matter first.

Following the death of Dorothy's husband Jim, the three women have taken over the running of not only his undertaking firm but also his private investigation business. From their kitchen table. They are assisted by employees Archie and Indy, who also happens to be Hannah's girlfriend. The cases in the book cover both business areas but none are exactly 'official' - they are people and stories that the women find themselves drawn to. And all feature the themes of family, acceptance and belonging, as does the main overarching storyline about the women themselves.

Dorothy is a fabulous character. An American in her 70s, she is spirited, spritely and active, although this book finds her a little more tired and jaded than in the last one. She has an unusual hobby for a woman her age - a nod to the author's love of music - which gives her an added dimension. She is calm, kind, understanding and accepting - the most level headed of the three. Science student Hannah is trying to deal with events in the previous book but struggling and taking it out on girlfriend Indy. And she is questioning what she thought she knew about physics, questioning her own place in the universe. Jenny is the woman I connect with the least but, gosh, I felt for her in this book - Johnstone certainly puts her through the wringer! All three women are beautifully crafted and there are so many moments when I just thought 'Oh, this is perfect.' Hannah's guilt at hurting Indy, Jenny wanting to be a better daughter and mother,  Dorothy's observations, her realisation that words are inadequate.

There is a lot of death in this book, it is a funeral parlour after all. And each death tells a story, often heartbreaking. But there is beauty here too - in fact some of the most beautifully written passages take place in the embalming room, where both Archie and author Johnstone treat the dead with care and respect.

The cases the women get involved with are all different, but all heartbreaking in their own way. I had tears in my eyes more than once. All the stories have family and belonging at their core. And all the while the women are working on them, events in their own lives threaten to overwhelm them.

I love that in this series all the central characters are female. Strong women. Damaged, yes, but still strong and resilient. Even if they don't always realise it. Men play more peripheral roles with maybe one exception. I love to loathe a character, and Craig was that man for me. That I feel so strongly about him is entirely down to Johnstone's skill as a writer, his ability to make me care even about the nastier characters.

I have maybe made this book sound morbid and bleak. In fact, it is just the opposite. It's warm, touching and beautiful, and exquisitely written.  Johnstone is a lean writer, there is not a single wasted word here. I love how he sums up the purpose of a funeral in a single sentence, that he talks about quantum physics and I could follow at least some of it and his, probably sadly accurate, take on Scottish men's mental health. I want to share so many moments from this fabulous book, but I've limited myself to just this one little gem:
'Hannah had never felt more out of step with the universe than right now, talking with an existential widow and drinking probably poisoned tea in a dead man's parlour.'

The Big Chill is an intimate portrait of life and death told with a very human touch and a splash of humour. It's dark in places, sad in others, beautiful throughout. And I can't think of another crime novel which could feature My Chemical Romance, quantum physics, drumming, the Bangkok Lady Boys and Inuit throat singers! Do yourself a favour and get this (and A Dark Matter) - I promise you won't be disappointed!


The Author:

Doug Johnstone is a writer, musician and journalist based in Edinburgh. His tenth novel, Breakers, was published by Orenda Books in May 2019, and was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. His previous books include The Jump, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize, Gone Again, an Amazon bestseller, and Hit & Run, which was an Amazon #1 as well as being selected as a prestigious Fiction Uncovered winner. His work has received praise from the likes of Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, William McIlvanney, Megan Abbott and Christopher Brookmyre.

Doug has been Writer in Residence with William Purves Funeral Directors. He is also a Royal Literary Fund Consultant Fellow, and was RLF Fellow at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh 2014-2016. Doug was also Writer in Residence at the University of Strathclyde 2010-2012 and before that worked as a lecturer in creative writing there. He's had short stories appear in various publications and anthologies, and since 1999 he has worked as a freelance arts journalist, primarily covering music and literature. He is also a manuscript assessor for The Literary Consultancy and Emergents in the Scottish Highlands. He has taught creative writing at festivals and conferences and regularly at Moniack Mhor, and he has mentored aspiring writers for New Writing North and Scottish Book Trust.

Doug is one of the co-founders of the Scotland Writers Football Club, for whom he also puts in a shift in midfield as player-manager. He is also a singer, musician and songwriter in several bands, including Northern Alliance, who have released four albums to critical acclaim, as well as recording an album as a fictional band called The Ossians. Doug has also released three solo EPs. He plays drums for the Fun Lovin' Crime Writers, a crime writing supergroup featuring Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville and Luca Veste.

Doug has a degree in physics, a PhD in nuclear physics and a diploma in journalism, and worked for four years designing radars. He grew up in Arbroath and lives in Portobello, Edinburgh with his wife and two children.

House of Straw by Marc Scott

Today I'm helping to close off the blog tour for House of Straw, the debut novel by Marc Scott and I have a short extract to share with you. And I'm sure you'll agree that it sounds great. Thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book on the Bright Side Publicity and Promo for my invitation and to the author for providing the extract.

The Blurb:

Traumatised by the tragic death of her twin brother, Brianna falls into a state of deep depression, isolating herself from the world and all those that care about her. When a twist of fate reveals that she has a half-sister she finds a new purpose in her life and sets out to find her sibling, desperately hoping she can fill the void left in her world.

Poppy has not enjoyed the same privileged lifestyle as her sister while growing up. Abandoned into the care system at the age of eight, she has encountered both physical and sexual abuse for most of her life. Passing through the hands of more care homes and foster families than she can remember, the damaged product of a broken upbringing, Poppy has never found a place to feel truly safe. Kicking back at society, she turns to drug abuse and acts of extreme violence to escape from reality.

When the two siblings are finally united, they discover that they have much more in common than their DNA. Their paths are shrouded with sinister secrets of betrayal and regret and both girls share a deep-rooted hatred for one of their parents. As the dark truths of their lives are unveiled they realise that nothing can ever be the same again...

House of Straw was published by Matador on 20th November 2018 and you can purchase it here.

Extract:

Poppy shivered as she sat on the cold floor of the kitchen in her flat. Her eyes were still fixed on the dark sky between those grubby torn curtains. That plane was probably half-way to its destination by now, its passengers filled with eager anticipation of the holiday ahead of them. As she touched her scalded neck a strange thought crossed her mind, not for the first time. Why did the Houghtons’ daughter move so far away from them? Maybe it was a handsome young man she had met or perhaps it was an exciting new job that took her all the way to Canada. Or maybe, she simply moved away because she knew the kind of man her father really was. Maybe, like Poppy, she did not like wearing those short dresses on Sundays either.

 The sun could be seen rising in the distance. Poppy did not
know how long she had been sprawled out on that grease-covered floor, but she was sure that Cameron would be asleep now. So, if she had some piano wire here, right now, maybe in one of those kitchen drawers, she knew what she would do. She would make him pay for all the pain she was suffering. She would wrap that wire so tightly round his neck and pull is so hard and for so long that his face would turn blue and his eyes would pop out of his head. She would be too strong for him this time, she wouldn’t let go, not until he was gone, not until she was sure he was dead. She knew if he was gone for good, she would not have to forgive him the next morning. Forgive him, like she had done so many times in the past. If he was gone, she could start again. Maybe, she thought, there might be a better life for her out there after all.

But there was no wire in those drawers. Poppy laid her head
back down on the dirt-stained floor and closed her eyes.


The Author:

Marc Scott was born and bred in the heart of East London. His dark and gritty writing style has earned him much praise with readers.

He worked in the film and video industry for more than twenty years, the highlight of which was spending twelve months based in Hollywood, organising marketing campaigns for a UK film distributor.

More recently he spent several years working with young offenders as part of his role associated with the court service. It was during this time he became deeply moved by the tragic story of one young girl who was struggling to come to terms with the neglect and abuse she had suffered throughout her life. Her tragic case inspired him to write his first novel House of Straw.

The book has already received excellent reviews from bloggers and buyers and his second book is planned for release at the end of 2020.

His favourite book is Birdy by William Wharton, which he confesses to have read at least half a dozen times. He also enjoys the works of Kazuo Ishiguro. ‘I love authors that can find something that is extraordinary in ordinary people’ he says. ‘A reader wants to feel like a bystander all through the journey and that only happens if they can feel an emotional attachment to the main characters’.

Marc lives in Buckinghamshire and has three grown-up children George, Marissa and Amie. He says his daughters have been the main motivation behind his love of writing. ‘I always run everything past them. Their honest appraisals definitely keep me on the right track’ he says.

He is a keen sports fan and has an undying passion for Leyton Orient Football Club.

You can find him on Twitter @MARCO1918253109

Hector: At Ground Level by Gary Finnan

I'm delighted to be shining a spotlight on Hector: At Ground Level and Beyond by Gary Finnan as part of today's blog blitz with Love Books Tours. And I have to say I'm completely in love with the wee fella on the front cover which I think is Hector himself - so cute! 

The Blurb:

This little book is about being present to the wonders that exist around us 'At Ground Level', discovering all that we fail to see when we spend so much of our lives chasing bigger, better, faster, more, endeavouring to fly higher.

Everything else seems much more desirable around us than ourselves, or our lives and loves, after a long day at the slug farm.

When do we decide how to proceed with the life we have built thus far: Joy, passion, marriage, divorce, suicide, enlightenment? Choices we have made. What if you built from a place of strength rather than always feeling diminished and unfulfilled? A life built upon the life you have, rather than the elusive life you imagine, yet fear. Build a great life in balance with your best self and your nurtured relationships. Transformation is seeing the hidden gems that truly exist in plain sight.

We have all heard someone say, The grass is greener on the other side. Is it?

Most of us were 4 or 5 years old when the belief structure we made with life set in: I am stupid, I am weak, I don’t deserve, etc. We engaged believing that we should spend our lives proving that we are who we believe everyone else thinks we are. Breaking the cycle of doubt is essential. Loving self is the first love.

The grass is greenest where you are!

Hector: At Ground Level and Beyond was on 17 December 2019 and you can buy it here

As I haven't had an opportunity to read Hector yet, I've borrowed a couple of review comments from the beginning of the book to give you a feel for it, and it sound's great! Do go and check it out.  

'A powerful, insightful, and very expressive story that made me stop to think about my own life; ultimately, we hold the power to make the choices and decisions that determine the course and satisfaction of our existence. Often the type of self-realization that the hedgehog found in his dream comes all too late.' Doreen Justice

'Hector's journey touched close to my heart. I have tried to wait patiently for my Hector to wake up. This little book paints a marvelous tale!' Allison Blakley

The Author:

Born in Scotland and raised in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Gary Finnan splits his time between Sonoma Wine country in California and his farm in Aiken South Carolina, along with his wife Eva and two daughters. Gary is an award-winning inspirational author.

The Casanova Papers by Kate Zarrelli

Something different again for me as today is my stop on the blog tour for erotic romance The Casanova Papers by Kate Zarrelli. My thanks to Rachel Gilbey from Rachel's Random Resources for my invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb:

Ellie Murphy takes a contract teaching English at a school in Venice. There she meets the sexy, enigmatic Professor Piero Contarini, from an ancient Venetian family, and agrees to help him in his work curating a new edition of the memoirs of the famous seducer, Giacomo Casanova. Taking their task seriously, they start to enact his adventures with each other, ecstatically revealing their own kinks as they do so. But who is watching them from the shadowy alleyways of Venice?

The Casanova by was published by eXtasy Books on 7th June 2020 and you can purchase it from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

My Review:

Well, this was a wee treat for me as I don't read erotica very often. This is a slim volume of just 149 pages and was easily read in one sitting. It won't be for everyone as it is very explicit but there is more to this story than just sex. I have to say, though, that I am not a huge fan of the front cover - far  too busy for me.

Ellie Murphy can't find a teaching job in the UK and her life has stalled so she takes her friend's advice and takes a job teaching English to students in Venice. When there, she agrees to work with Professor Contarini on his work on Casanova. Their attraction is instant and strong, and they embark on a passionate, steamy romance.

Ellie clearly has a strong sex drive and a vivid imagination and this is evident right from the beginning. And as soon as she meets Piero she imagines what he might be like, what they might do together and is almost overwhelmed when some of those fantasies come true. Piero is attractive and enigmatic, and old fashioned and gentlemanly in many ways. But there's a hint of something dark in his past...

Ellie and Piero role play some of Casanova's romantic encounters and these moments are explicit and breathtaking. I loved the historical details such as the outfits they wore and the eighteenth century terms for intimate body parts. The settings in Venice are beautiful and I loved exploring the city and learning about it's history.

The sex scenes here are quite beautiful and elegant, and very explicit. Ellie also poses for an artist friend of Piero, and these sittings are unexpectedly steamy - I found myself holding my breath through some of the later ones - they really are something.

So, the sex scenes are graphic and enjoyable to read. Alongside that you have a developing love story as lust evolves into something deeper. And throughout there is a hint of darkness leading to an unexpected episode towards the end of the book. And because of the couple's love of history there is an old fashioned beauty and elegance to everything. So much so that Ellie's use of a sex toy early on seemed slightly incongruous.

Love, sex, art, history, a little bit of jeopardy and great attention to detail all in one quick, immensely enjoyable read. And I discovered the word 'tumescence', which might just be my new favourite word!

The Author:

Kate Zarrelli is the romance and erotica pen-name of Katherine Mezzacappa.  Kate is Irish but now lives in Carrara in Northern Tuscany, between the Apuan Alps and the Tyrrhenian Sea, with her Italian husband and two teenage sons. She is the author of Tuscan Enchantment (eXtasy: Devine Destinies). Kate/Katherine writes historical, erotic, feel-good and paranormal fiction, set all over Europe, and in her spare time volunteers with a used book charity of which she is a founder member.


Author Social Media Links:

Twitter - @katmezzacappa
Facebook - katezarrellibooks


Giveaway:

Your chance to win an inky black pendant of Portoro marble, with a golden streak at its heart, from the quarries above La Spezia (Open INT),

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

ENTER HERE

Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour! 

The Silent Dolls by Rita Herron

The Bookoutre Books-On-Tour bus stops here today for my review of The Silent Dolls by Rita Herron. Rita is a new author for me though if you check out the author bio you'll see she's written an absolutely huge number of books! And I loved this particular one. My thanks to Noelle Holten for the invitation and for my review copy which I received via Netgalley.

The Blurb:

Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she curls inside the tiny cave-like space. She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.

When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. According to Penny’s parents, their daughter vanished after a picnic by the creek. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”.

Ellie knows all too well that the mountains’ endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide. Racing against the rapidly setting sun and a brutal winter storm on the horizon, she searches desperately for Penny.

Special Agent Derrick Fox is determined to join the hunt. His younger sister, Kim, disappeared in the same area twenty-five years ago––on the day he was meant to be watching her. He’s certain the cases are linked and that over a dozen girls have vanished in the last decade. Ellie refuses to believe that their tight-knit mountain community could be home to a deadly criminal, but even she can’t deny the similarities in the cases. And when they discover the remains of a small body buried with a carved wooden doll, it’s clear they’re up against a deadly serial killer preying on innocent little girls.

As the temperature plunges, Penny’s life hangs in the balance. Most people who get lost in the woods never make it out alive. Can Ellie and Derrick defy the odds and find out the truth about all the stolen girls? Or will the mountain, and its twisted killer, claim another victim?

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08776Y5SQSocial
Apple: https://apple.co/2wWtZn6
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2KgJsl1
Google: https://bit.ly/2Vn0TXr     

My Review: 

Ellie's beat covers some of the Appalachian mountains and she, and the local community, are horrified when a young girl goes missing while on a family day out on part of the Appalachian Trail. Ellie knows the mountains like the back of her hand, and she also knows how terrifying they can be. Especially in winter. In the dark. Derrick Fox believes there is a serial killer operating along the Trail and he's been searching for answers for twenty-five years. He and Ellie must work together to find answers. 

I raced through this book - kept me gripped all the way through. Full of action and tension. The mountain forest setting was by turn beautiful and threatening, imposing. It was frightening to imagine someone lost or alone in those woods. And that winter storm - I shivered with the cold! 

I loved Ellie. She's determined, capable and fierce, not afraid to fight for what she believes whether personal or professional. And here the two sometimes meet. But she struggles with some things, damaged by a traumatic incident when she was young, which we learn more about as the story progresses. I wanted to shake her by the shoulders occasionally though because I thought she could be irresponsibly stubborn and headstrong! Derrick was more of an enigma - he struck me as a pent up ball of anger, angst and anguish. I don't know if there are more books planned featuring him, but I would love to get to know him better. 

We see things from the perpetrator's point of view and it's a chilling picture that Herron has painted, but a sad one too. And the first chapter from Penny's point of view is utterly heart wrenching, so well written.

The story line itself is dark and more than a little twisted, and heartbreaking. This is a tense read throughout but things really damp up at the end. Looking back at the notes I wrote when I was reading, I've written 'Last 25% - woah!' and that pretty much sums it up! I'd also written 'One big shock' but crossed it out because actually there is shock after shock. I tell you, it's pretty intense - I was exhausted! And there were a couple of people that I wanted to slap (at the very least) by the end! 

There were a few moments early on in the book where I felt information was repeated, in a slightly different way, unnecessarily. But overall I found this to be a tense, exciting and gripping read which I just whizzed through. 

The Author:

USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn't think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn't have to get a real job.

With over ninety books to her credit, she's penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.

Author Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorritaherron/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ritaherron
Website: www.ritaherron.com

The Unwinding by Jackie Morris

Today on the blog I'm delighted to be indulging in my love of poetry, a break between crime thrillers. It's my stop on the blog tour for The Unwinding, a beautiful book of poetry and images from Jackie Morris. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb:

This book is not meant to be read from cover to cover. It is a book for dreamers. Slight of word, rich of image, its purpose is to ease the soul.

The paintings between these covers were worked in the between times, an unwinding of the soul, when the pressures of work were too much. Dreams and wishes are the inspiration at times like this. Threaded through the curious world of The Unwinding are words, slight and lyrical. Their aim is to set the reader’s mind adrift from the troubles of our times, into peaceful harbours where imagination can stretch, where quiet reflection can bring peace.

The Unwinding is designed to be a companion, a talisman to be turned to again and again and a place of respite from an increasingly frantic and complex world.

The Unwinding was published by Unbound on 9th July 2020 and is available from Hive, Waterstones, Amazon and all good booksellers.

My Review:

The Unwinding is a thing of beauty. Feast your eyes on the cover above - such a gorgeous, dreamy image.

This is not designed to be read all in one go. It is a 'pillow book' and the author had provided utterly charming instructions for use. There are fourteen chapters, each one a poem telling of dreams, whispers and beauty.

The author has designed The Unwinding as somewhere the reader can escape to, to take a breath, pause and be still. Maybe dream a while. And she has absolutely achieved this. The illustrations are rich and evocative, featuring bears, foxes, hares and so much more. They are magical and draw you in. I am drawn to something different in them every time I look.

The poems that accompany them are just beautiful, lyrical. There is nothing like poetry to stir your soul, and these words do that for me. They are beautiful in themselves and presented as they are with such wonderful artwork they are a feast for the eyes. I was transported away to a magical forest world full of dreams and love. Richly evocative.

I loved Morris's writing - she has a wonderful way with words. Nature features heavily in her verse - 'the music of moth wings', 'there was silence but for the sound of birds, The soft breath of hares, a stir of winter leaves.' and 'If I said that my love for you was like the spaces between the notes of a wren's song, would you understand?' That last one is taken from 'Truth: The Dreams of Bears' which is the poem that touched me most deeply. But they are all beautiful and expressive.

I am tempted to show you lots of pictures from the book but they really need to be discovered and savoured. I couldn't resist putting in a couple though.

The Unwinding is a beautiful little book, both to look at and to read. It is different to the poetry I normally read but I found it very appealing. I could feel myself calming as I read and the words took me to another place. This is a book I will return to time and time again as a respite from my busy life. It would make a wonderful gift too. A stunning, bewitching wee book.

The Author:

Jackie Morris is an author and illustrator. She studied illustration at Hereford College of Art and Bath Academy and has illustrated many books, and written some. The Lost Words, co-authored with Robert Macfarlane, won the Kate Greenaway Medal 2019.

Deadly Secrets by Ann Girdharry

Today I'm helping close off the blog blitz for Deadly Secrets by Ann Girdharry - a great blend of police procedural and serial killer thriller - and I'm delighted to share my review below. Thanks to Rachel Gilbey for the invitation to take part and to the publisher Bloodhound Books for my review copy.

The Blurb

How long can you get away with murder?

In an idyllic Sussex town, Mr Quinn whispers a secret on his death bed. Hours later the person who cared for Quinn is killed.

Mr Quinn’s secret sets off events unlike anything Detective Grant and Psychologist Ruby Silver have ever seen.

A series of deaths follow as a killer tries to cover their twenty-year trail of murder by drowning.

Grant, Silver and the team must track a killer who has been getting away with murder for years. But when treachery, corruption and secrets from the past are used against Sergeant Tom Delaney, the killer turns their attention to one of Grant’s own…

Detective David Grant and Psychologist Ruby Silver are back in this unmissable new crime thriller. It can be read as the sequel to Deadly Motives or as a brilliant stand-alone. It's the perfect read for fans of authors like Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza and Helen H. Durrant.

Deadly Secrets was published by Bloodhound Books on 29th June 2020. 

Purchase Links:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Secrets-must-crime-thriller-ebook/dp/B08BLNV9LM/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Secrets-must-crime-thriller-ebook/dp/B08BLNV9LM/

My Review:

Nurse Michelle Dixon helps care for retired headmaster Mr Quinn. Just before he dies he shares a secret with Michelle and hours later she is dead. Murdered. Detective Chief Inspector David Grant and his team at Himland's Heath Police Station, together with young psychologist Ruby Silver, need to try to find the killer before they strike again.

Girdharry is a new author to me but thiis is the second book in the Detective David Grant series following Deadly Motives. I didn't feel disadvantaged jumping in at book two and this absolutely works was a standalone. There are brief references to events in the previous book but that's all. 

Grant is a solid, stand up guy. He works hard and values his team but isn't afraid to fight his corner with superior officers. Nor does he mind ruffling a few feathers when it's necessary. He's well written and I enjoyed learning about him and his character. DS Tom Delaney is a great character - probably my favourite here. He's beautifully drawn and it was easy to feel for him as he goes through a really tough time in this book. I was totally invested in him. I was slightly less convinced by Ruby - I found her almost too good to be true. I think I probably just need to get to know her a little better. But some interesting team dynamics.

The story itself is complex and well thought out, and Girdharry teases the reader with little titbits along the way, revealing a little more each time. There are some flashbacks to an horrific incident twenty odd years earlier and we also hear from the killer from time to time, in passages which are pretty dark. But we don't discover their identity until the exciting denouement.

A tale of a dysfunctional family, murder, mystery, lies and painful memories Deadly Secrets is an enjoyable, well paced read with a good cast of characters. The tension really mounts towards the culmination of the story, but other than at one notable point, it's not overly violent which made a welcome change. I would happily read more from this author.

The Author:

Ann Girdharry is a British crime thriller author.

She's a trained psychotherapist and worked as a manager in the not-for-profit sector for many years.

Ann is an avid reader and her favourites are crime and suspense. She regularly talks about her favourite reads to her newsletter subscribers. She enjoys travelling and apart from the UK she’s lived in the USA (where her first daughter was born), Norway (where her second daughter was born) and she currently lives in France.

She was an Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist 2017.

Author Social Media Links:

Website and Newsletter sign up - https://anngirdharry.weebly.com/my-readers-group---free-gift.html

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AnnGirdharryAuthor

Twitter - https://twitter.com/GirdharryAnn

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14179591.Ann_Girdharry

Thirty-One Bones by Morgan Cry

I am delighted to share my review today of Thirty-One Bones by Morgan Cry for my stop on the blog tour. It's just what I needed - an injection of hot Spanish sun, although this one comes with a whole heap of trouble!  My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and Polygon Books for my review copy.

The Blurb: 

When Effie Coulston drops dead on the floor of her bar in a small Spanish town mid-business meeting, her daughter Daniella feels it’s her duty to return for the funeral. But Daniella has been estranged from her mother for over twenty years, and Effie’s life in Spain harbours many secrets . Daniella is soon confronted by a hostile group of ex-pat misfits who frequent the bar and who, along with Effie, are involved in a multi-million-pound property scam. But the money has vanished, and the ex-pats are threatening to implicate Daniella to save themselves.

Meanwhile, a Spanish detective is investigating Effie’s death. He’s convinced Daniella knows more than she is telling. And now a terrifying enforcer has heard about the missing cash. With no idea where the money is and threats coming from all sides, Daniella is up against a seemingly impossible deadline to find the cash. She’s a stranger in a strange town – and she’s seriously out of her depth.

Thirty-One Bones was published by Polygon on 2nd July 2020 and can be purchased from Hive (supporting independent booksellers), Waterstones, Amazon and all good booksellers. 

My Review:

Daniella Coulston hasn't seen her mum much in the last wee while, but when Effie dies suddenly in the Spanish town where she lives Daniella flies out for the funeral and to sort out her mother's will. She's taken a week off from her insurance firm job and has already booked her budget return flight. But things aren't quite that simple. In fact, the whole situation is, well,... it's complicated.

It turns out that Effie had a personality to match her size - large - and had attracted a ragtag bunch of ex-pats into her circle over the years. And they had this sweet little con running until Effie died. The ex-pats need to take the cash and run before the swindled investors come after them. Except the money is missing...

The is a really enjoyable and fast paced read. The scene setting is wonderful. The cafe tables sitting in the sunshine made me want to escape on holiday, especially after the few months we've had! And the sunny town square contrasted beautifully with the dingy interior of Effie's pub and the layer of dust settling in her flat.

The characters are larger than life and so well drawn, and whilst it's hard to like some of them, it's hard to dislike them either - they've all got a wee something about them. George is a bad sort - likes to come over that way anyway - and I was particularly conflicted about Zia throughout most of the book. Loved Clyde and Señor Cholbi. And Daniella. Loved her too. After being completely thrown by the things she finds out about her mum, she draws a breath and finds her feet. And shows that she's no fool, but she's on a time limit to solve the problem with pressure from investors, questions from the police, intimidation from a heavy and a very particular threat of violence.

This book is far more fun than it has any right to be! The police interviews made me laugh, as did some of the exchanges between Daniella and the ex-pats. And Cry has a great turn of phrase - I particularly enjoyed the man 'who oozed fat into my (Daniella's) space for the entire flight' and the reference to a good old 'taps-aff' day. But there are moments of real poignancy too.

This is a thoroughly entertaining crime caper  - a race against time in a fabulous setting, populated by a colourful cast and an engaging, smart protagonist. I absolutely loved it and look forward to reading more from Cry. 

The Author:

Morgan Cry is the ex-pat alias of Gordon Brown, a Scottish crime writer with 7 novels to his name. Leaving the dark alleyways of tartan noir and heading for the Spanish sunshine, Morgan Cry debuts with a cracking tale of murder, intrigue, and a daughter flung right in at the deep end with her mother's secrets. It's dangerous out in the sun.

The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith. A prescient, thought provoking and slightly scary novel. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to Orenda Books for my review copy.

The Blurb:

Decades of spiralling drug resistance have unleashed a global antibiotic crisis. Ordinary infections are untreatable, and a scratch from a pet can kill. A sacrifice is required to keep the majority safe: no one over seventy is allowed new antibiotics. The elderly are sent to hospitals nicknamed ‘The Waiting Rooms’ … hospitals where no one ever gets well.

Twenty years after the crisis takes hold, Kate begins a search for her birth mother, armed only with her name and her age. As Kate unearths disturbing facts about her mother’s past, she puts her family in danger and risks losing everything. Because Kate is not the only secret that her mother is hiding. Someone else is looking for her, too.

Sweeping from an all-too-real modern Britain to a pre-crisis South Africa, The Waiting Rooms is epic in scope, richly populated with unforgettable characters, and a tense, haunting vision of a future that is only a few mutations away.

The Waiting Rooms was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 9th April 2020 and it will be released in paperback this Thursday. It is available to buy/pre order from the publisher, Hive, Waterstones, Amazon and all good booksellers. 

My Review:

As I write this the world is beginning to recover from the worst of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns are easing, bit by bit. But hand washing remains of paramount importance and we still can't touch anyone from outside our own household. I mention this because there are eerie similarities in The Waiting Rooms which meant for some slightly uncomfortable reading at points.

The book is set in an alternative future, twenty years after a worldwide antibiotic crisis (but with flashbacks to a pre crisis South Africa). People have developed resistance to commonly used drugs meaning viable antibiotics are in short supply.  As a result, elderly people who fall ill aren't given antibiotics but are looked after in special hospitals until their death.

The story is told mainly through Kate and Lily post crisis, written in the first person, alternating between the two women. Kate is a nurse in one of these hospitals for the elderly - a 'Waiting Room' - and Lily is in a care home, counting down the days until her 70th birthday, when her access to treatment ceases. In pre crisis South Africa we meet botanist Mary. The links between the three women become clear as the story progresses and it would be wrong to say more about that here.

I loved Kate. She has an awful job, but gives it her all. She's frequently exhausted, working after her shift has finished, and often abused because of her role. As I read about her working day, the precautions, stringent cleaning, strict rules, the inevitable deaths, I couldn't help but think of our frontline workers during the worst of the Covid-19 crisis. And Kate takes similar hygiene  measures at home, and is almost permanently anxious - the threat of infection and illness constantly hanging over her and her family. Her relationship with her husband is lovely but what really shines through is her love for her daughter.

Lily is a tough old bird. Despite her physical limitations she remains as sharp as a pin. She is acutely aware of the approaching deadline and has affairs she needs to put in order. Whilst Lily is an easy character to like it's clear that she has some secrets, and big ones at that. Mary is much more of an enigma but I felt for her the most, I think.

The hyper clean, super sterile environment is cleverly described by Smith. I could smell both the hospital and the care home - and I don't even have a sense of smell! And the exhausting vigilance required at all times! There are lots of clever, heartbreaking little details reminding us how serious the situation is, such as the funeral where none of the mourners are over 70. So I loved the contrast with pre crisis South Africa - the exoticism, the vibrancy of the scenery and the carefree atmosphere.

This book would have been an interesting read at any time. I know drug resistance is already an issue and one that presumably will only get worse. But to read it now, in the midst of a pandemic with no known cure, which has affected hundreds of thousands of people and meant patients have had to die alone without their families, added an extra dimension, extra poignancy. It made me think. Big time. The future Smith portrays might not be that far off, and that's a little bit terrifying to be honest.

There is a lot of interesting science woven into the book but it's a very human story, focussing on the two women - the part the third plays becomes clear reading the book - who discover more about themselves and each other. There are two or three key male characters but this is all about the women. The key players are easy to care about - I was invested in what happened to them.

The Waiting Rooms is a tale of health, fear, love, loss, scandal, betrayal, hatred, mystery and murder. And a future that could all too easily become our reality if we're not careful. 

The Author:

Eve Smith's debut novel The Waiting Rooms was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize First Novel Award. Eve writes speculative fiction, mainly about the things that scare her. She attributes her love of all things dark and dystopian to a childhood watching Tales of the Unexpected and black-and-white Edgar Allen Poe double bills. Eve's flash fiction has been shortlisted for the Bath Flash Fiction Award and highly commended for The Brighton Prize.

In this world of questionable facts, stats and news, she believes storytelling is more important than ever to engage people in real life issues.

Eve recently contributed a piece of flash fiction, Belting Up, to an anthology of crime shorts called Noir From the Bar. The collection of stories has been launched to raise money for the NHS.

Eve's previous job as COO of an environmental charity took her to research projects across Asia, Africa and the Americas, and she has an ongoing passion for wild creatures, wild science and far-flung places. A Modern Languages graduate from Oxford, she returned to Oxfordshire fifteen years ago to set up home with her husband.

When she's not writing, she's chasing across fields after her dog, attempting to organise herself and her family or off exploring somewhere new.

Author Social Media Links:

Website - www.evesmithauthor.com

Twitter - @evecsmith

Facebook - EveSmithAuthor

Instagram - evesmithauthor