Reviews
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Deadly Errand by Christine Green.
This is the first time I’ve read a book by this author. It features Kate Kinsella, a former nurse who’s now a private detective. Her previous profession makes her the ideal person to investigate the murder of Jacky Byfield at a local hospital. Kate goes undercover, working the night shift to find out what happened and why. She soon unearths some secrets that could have led to Jacky’s murder. Finding the killer proves harder and three further deaths follow. It’s a well-written, gently paced story that puts as much effort into creating believable and engaging characters as it does with the plot. As Kate gets closer to catching the killer,…
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Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells.
For a while now, my reading’s been moving towards the cosy mystery end of the market, and I’m delighted I chose this one. The story intrigued me from the start, while giving me some great characters and quite a few chuckles along the way. Jude’s friend Sarah dies shortly after the wedding of their mutual friend Ben. It looks like Sarah’s taken her own life, but Jude knows her better than that. Sarah wasn’t the kind of person to take her own life. When the police pay scant attention to Jude’s viewpoint, she knows she has to investigate herself. But she also has a farm to run. When her sister…
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Winter’s Cry by Cheryl Rees-Price.
As a fan of this excellent series, I enjoyed being back with Winter Meadows and his team. Only he isn’t a part of the team this time, after a body is found buried in woodland. The land belongs to the commune where he’s spent much of his life. As the murdered man could be his father, he steps away from the investigation. But members of the commune still view him as a police officer and remain suspicious. It’s the start of a twisting, baffling story that goes to the heart of the commune, the main players there and Winter’s family. Some people are not who they seem to be. Some…
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How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn
Marketing my books was always something I wanted to learn more about and put into practice. But the subject is vast and complex enough to feel overwhelming and confusing. I chose this book because Joanna Penn is a highly respected and a well known name in the indie publishing world. This book is part of a series to help authors on various aspects of writing, publishing, marketing and running a business. The advice resonated with me from the opening chapters, which dealt with marketing and what you considered success to be. This is important as it’s the target all your efforts will be aligned to. From here, the book covers…
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Write Blog Posts Readers Love by Henri Junttila
As someone about to return to blogging after an absence of several years, I’m aware the world has changed and wanted to get some tips and ideas. Henri is an experienced and successful blogger who shares what he’s learned over the years, including some of the mistakes he made along the way. His advice is practical, simple and inspiring. He makes everything feel achievable and remains positive throughout the book. I lost count of how many times I found myself nodding in agreement with his advice. There’s pretty much everything you could need or want to start blogging and making the most of it. Highly recommended. The short URL of…
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Building an Author Brand that Suits You by A J Sieling
You’d have to live on a desert island to be unaware of branding. But creating an author brand wasn’t something I’d seriously considered. I write murder mysteries and my books are available to buy. That’s my brand. Only branding is about so much more, as I discovered by reading this book. Filled with practical, common sense guidance, I soon learned that your brand is how people see you, the person, the author. It’s about you rather than your books. It’s a mindset change that takes a bit of getting used to, but the author’s there to guide you along and give examples of the steps you can take. For instance,…
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How to Build a Book Marketing Strategy by A J Sieling
Marketing has always felt like an elusive, almost mystical science, practised in dark rooms. You know it’s something you should do as an author, but where do you start? How do you weave the many strands into something cohesive? A quick read of the sample for this book had me hooked. It’s an excellent introduction to marketing, written in a style that makes everything easy to understand and follow. The author offered her three part system to set goals, how to achieve them and the various ways to do this. Positive, inspiring, practical and filled with common sense, the book helped me to tackle a subject that had previously overwhelmed…
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L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton
As an avid fan of Sue Grafton’s Alphabet murder series, I’m now on my second read of her series, having first read L is for Lawless when it was originally released in the 1990s, I think. So far, I’ve loved the previous books in the series, enjoying the chance to get to know Kinsey Millhone a second time. This novel centres on whether Bucky’s grandfather was a fighter pilot during World War II or not. Bucky has no reason to believe he wasn’t and is hoping for a payout, as a result. The military authorities have other ideas, claiming they have never heard of the grandfather. As a favour to…
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After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
If you read my book reviews, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie. I’ve enjoyed the Poirot series and looked forward to reading After the Funeral. While it’s an interesting murder mystery, it didn’t quite hit the high notes of the ones before. The story started slowly as the main players and relationships were introduced. The cast was large, which made it difficult to remember who was who and how they were related. Most of the characters weren’t particularly likable either. Richard Abernethie died, leaving his estate to be equally divided among the family. But after the funeral, his niece Cora suggested he was murdered. There’s no evidence…
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A Cornish Wedding Murder by Fiona Leitch
I enjoyed this cosy mystery, narrated by a wisecracking Jodie Parker. Having left the police, she returns to her Cornish roots for a new career as a caterer. Employed to provide the food at an old friend’s wedding, she’s soon finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. When her friend becomes the prime suspect, she knows she has to make her own investigation to prove he’s innocent. It’s a gentle murder mystery, underpinned with humour that’s occasionally distracting. The main characters are fun, their enthusiasm infectious, and there’s even a hint of romance when DCI Withers takes charge of the investigation. This is the first time novel I’ve…
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Mrs McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie
James Bentley has been convicted of Mrs McGinty’s brutal murder and awaits sentencing. But Inspector Spence, who carried out the investigation that led to the successful prosecution has a niggling doubt about Bentley’s guilt. With no evidence and only a feeling the wrong man may be heading to the gallows, Spence asks Poirot to review the case. Poirot travels to the small village where the murder took place and can find nothing to cast doubt on the murder verdict until he discovers an old cutting from a newspaper that Mrs McGinty kept. The cutting relates to a Sunday paper article about four women involved in murders in the past. Determined…
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Murder at the Wedding by Jane Adams
In another entertaining and enjoyable cosy mystery, Rina Martin and her clan of eclectic characters join DI McGregor at the wedding of close friend Bridie Duggan at an isolated island hotel. Some of her former husband’s contemporaries are also invited. Tensions and old family rivalries are causing unease. The day after the wedding, a body is found. McGregor is soon back in work mode. But the foul weather is as much an enemy as the killer, trapping them all on the island. Help from the mainland is delayed by flooding, adding to the tension and unrest. When more shots are fired and another guest’s life is threatened, everyone is on…