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I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton
27th July 2023. Revisiting these novels has given me more pleasure than I imagined. The stories and characters have lost none of their original magic, and feel as fresh and original as they did 30 years ago. This time, Kinsey is employed to complete an investigation carried out by another PI who unexpectedly died. The case concerns the murder of Isabella Barney, whose husband was acquitted of her murder. Unhappy with this verdict, her former husband is mounting his own lawsuit, seeking justice. While all the evidence is there to see, Kinsey’s investigation soon starts to find gaps in the evidence. It isn’t long before she finds herself doubting her…
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The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
16th July 2023. This series simply gets better with each book. It’s no mean feat when the bar was set so high from the start, but like the previous outings for Dr Ruth Galloway, she’s soon immersed in another original and different plot when a plane from the Second World War is uncovered at a building site. Inside the cockpit, there’s body with a bullet hole in the head. Only he’s not the pilot. It’s the start of another mystery that centres on the Blackstock family, who have lived on the same land for centuries. Three generations occupy their stately home, along with a host of family secrets and conflicts…
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The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves
9th July 2023. This is another beautifully crafted investigation that draws you in from the opening chapters with engaging characters and a shocking murder. Dr Yeo is stabbed in the neck with a glass shard that comes from one of the vases his daughter crafted. The impact ripples through the local community, affecting the families of those connected with the doctor, his daughter, and DI Matthew Venn. A second murder with another glass shard has detectives investigating on several fronts, straining local relationships further. It’s a complex story that moves at a sure and steady pace. The affect on the local community and families is at the core of the…
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H is For Homicide by Sue Grafton
28th June 2023. Over 30 years ago, I started reading Sue Grafton’s brilliant Alphabet series. This time around the books are still as fresh and brilliant, driven by Kinsey Millhone’s determination and her irreverent humour and sometimes acerbic observations. In her eighth outing, she’s looking into an insurance scam that starts out with Bibianna Diaz, who appears to be a small fish in a large pond. Kinsey catches up with her one evening, only to end up involved in a shooting that lands them both in jail. Then the police approach Kinsey to go undercover and stick with Bibianna, who’s involved with the mastermind running the insurance scam, and more.…
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The One Who Was Taken by Kerry Wilkinson
23rd June 2023. I loved the first novel in the series, and this one is as good, if not better. Millie’s a brilliant character, but then most of the main players are, especially Guy and Jack. This novel continues the story of Millie, whose troubled past has defined the way people treat her. Former best friend Nicola contacts Millie after a ten year silence. Fifteen years ago, she found Nicola tied to a tree and her long hair cut. Her missing trainers have been left on the washing line, presumably to intimate her. But who took them in the first place? And why return them now? Millie offers to help…
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Play Dead by Angela Marsons
6th May 2023. This has to be on the most original, enjoyable and distinctive crime series I’ve had the pleasure to read. From the opening pages to the last, this is another original, hard-hitting, uncompromising, breath taking investigation by DI Kim Stone and her team. The pace and intensity never let up as Kim investigates another bizarre set of murders. The killer dumps the bodies at a forensic research facility, where they study dead bodies. The irony’s not lost on Kim Stone, who pursues the case with the vigour and unorthodox approach she’s displayed in the previous novels. It soon becomes clear that the answers lie in the past, meaning…
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The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
30th May 2023. This is another original and beautifully written story that is as much about the characters as the plot. The tension and emotional reactions of the parents, particularly the mothers, as children go missing is particularly well-written, but distressing to read. The twists and turns as the abductor is identified and tracked down are as tense as they are surprising. And then there are the relationships at the core of the story, adding to the conflict, tension and complexity. But there’s also humour and social commentary to lighten the darker aspects and help the reader through the emotional moments. It all adds up to page-turning story that’s intriguing,…
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Mystery at the Abbey Hotel by Clare Chase
24th May 2023. In this hugely enjoyable outing for obituary writer turned sleuth, Eve Mallow, she’s won a stay at the classy Abbey Hotel. She immediately takes to the owner, Debra Moran, who has a very clear vision for the future. Unfortunately, someone kills her in the woods that night, bringing the police to the hotel to investigate. As Eve collects details for an obituary and her own investigation, a second murder shocks the peaceful Suffolk countryside. With a large number of suspects and motives, it’s slow progress. Gardener and former police officer Robin is on hand to pass information both ways as the investigation deepens, bringing Eve closer and…
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G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton
16th May 2023. In the seventh book in the series, PI Kinsey Millhone has an eventful birthday. She moves into her new apartment, gets a straightforward job to track down a missing mother, and discovers a criminal’s hired an assassin to kill her. Being feisty, determined and independent, Kinsey’s certain she can deal with the death threat until she’s attacked and then run off the road while trying to track down the missing mother. When she learns a judge, who is also on the hit list, has been killed, it’s time to call in Dietz to protect her. Dietz is a bit of a handful, invading Kinsey’s space, but he…
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Frozen Minds by Cheryl Rees-Pryce
15th May 2023. The second DI Winter Meadows story in the series begins with a body in a freezer at a residential home for adults with learning difficulties. From the outset, it’s clear that all is not well at the home. But equally, it’s going to be a challenging investigation due to the nature of the residents and the mental health issues they have. All is not plain sailing within the investigation team either, as Meadows was brought into the department from outside, even though he grew up in the area. But with the pressure on, the team must pull together to chase up the irregularities they uncover. But as…
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Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
13th May 2023. This is another masterful lesson in deduction, red herrings and false trails as Poirot investigates the baffling murder of Giselle, a French money lender, on a flight to England. She was killed by a poisoned dart, delivered from a blowpipe. But how was the murder committed in the confines of an aircraft without anyone seeing it happen? Poirot assists both the French police and Scotland Yard to solve the murder. The investigation soon reveals motives for some of the people on board, but the deeper Poirot digs, the more difficult it becomes to work out how the killer carried out the murder. But Poirot never gives up,…
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The Portsmouth Murders by Pauline Rowson
9th May 2023. This is a gritty, intense and complex story about DI Andy Horton, a man who has lost almost everything, following allegations of misconduct that remain unresolved. When he returns to duty, there’s no escaping the suspicion and rumours among his colleagues. At home, he’s lost his wife and daughter, with little prospect of winning them back. You’d think finding a body on the beach at Portsmouth on the day of his return to duty is the last thing he needs. His colleagues aren’t sure he’s the person to investigate, especially when he uncovers links to a local businessman, who may be involved in events that led to…