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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…
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Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie
In yet another original and intriguing story, Hercule Poirot is drawn into the world of Cloade family, where nothing is as it first appears. Gordon Cloade, wealthy and generous, has supported various members of the family over the years. Then he married a younger woman and was tragically killed in a bomb blast during World War 2. Overnight the widow inherits his fortune, and Cloade’s relatives lose the source of income they have come to take for granted. Then rumours claim the widow’s first husband did not die in Africa, as reported. If these rumours are true, her marriage to Gordon Cloade was illegal and she cannot inherit his house…
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Why I Wrote No Accident
When you set out, you never quite know how things will turn out. I wanted to create something new, something different and exciting to entertain murder mystery readers. No Accident, the first book in the Downland Murder Mystery series, was actually the third book I wrote, featuring my sleuth Kent Fisher. The first novel wasn’t quite good enough. It led to a second, No Bodies, which was intended to be the first book in the series, but couldn’t be. Picture the scene. Kent Fisher is approached by an old family friend, whose wife has been missing for a year. When asked to investigate, he responds by saying, “Who you think…
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You are Mine by Diana Wilkinson
I’m not a fan of psychological thrillers, as they’re usually more suspense than thrills. But I spotted this, read the first few pages and found myself drawn to the characters and their lives. I continued to read, being pulled into their relationships and the fracture points where their behaviour could overstep the mark. It’s a story of lost love between five people, who’s lives are linked by friendship, love and jealousy. For Rebecca, who lost Mitch ten years earlier, it’s a case of no one else will do. Which isn’t quite how Arthur thought things would go. Throw in a jealous friend, Oliver, who lies, cheats and much more. Then…
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Vicious Crimes by Michael Hambling
It’s been a while since the last book in the series, so I was looking forward to reading this latest instalment. The team are back, led by DCS Sophie Allen, who’s more of a manager than an officer out in the field. Not that she misses a chance to get out there and lead from the front. The investigation begins with a body found in the harbour by a Special Constable. The victim was beaten before being dumped in the tidal river. It looks like he was dumped upstream, but where? The second victim, an artist, lived a life of solitude in a remote house in Exmoor. The team struggle…
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Why do I write murder mystery novels?
The easy answer would be to say I love Agatha Christie, crime dramas and complex puzzles. I was huge fan of the Famous Five by Enid Blyton when I was a child. I was an even bigger fan of Scooby Doo when it came on the TV in the early 70s. To me it was a US version of the Famous Five, updated and made funny by that lovable dog and his Scooby snacks. I was 12 or 13 when I read Ian Fleming’s James Bond. Seventeen when I tackled Murder on the Orient Express. After that, crime didn’t feature in my reading until the 1980s, when I discovered Sue…
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Where the Silent Screams are Loudest by John Pye
When a story grabs you from the first page and refuses to loosen its grip until the last, you know you’ve read something special. This is a police procedural with a difference. Written by a former detective, everything about it has an authentic ring. You feel you are there in the briefing room, or in pursuit of the killer. The level of detail makes all the difference. Nothing is skimped as DS Brennan is tasked with finding whether missing Poppy Hunt is still alive. The review of the case is prompted by eight year old Jason, who bears a striking resemblance to her. He was abandoned as a baby, only…