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E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton
28th February 2023. In her fifth outing in the series, private investigator Kinsey Millhone finds herself caught in an elaborate fraud. It starts with a mystery deposit of $5000 into her bank account, closely followed by her report into an insurance claim for a warehouse fire being replaced by a false account. The insurance company suspends her, leaving her angry and helpless. But not for long. With a little help from an employee at the insurance company and her usual dogged approach, she’s soon on the trail. Even the reappearance of her ex-husband doesn’t shift her focus as she strives to clear her name. And then someone from the family…
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A Whisper of Sorrows by JD Kirk
24th February 2023. Child killer, Mr Whisper is back and after Jack Logan’s blood in the sixth novel of the series. Having escaped from a high security hospital, Whisper wastes no time in killing those who helped him escape. He starts taunting Logan straight away, his desire for revenge clear. Nothing but Logan’s death will do. Logan’s return to home turf in the Highlands brings no respite. Whisper kidnaps the young brother of one of his colleagues. It’s not long before Logan’s every move seems to be known to the killer. Someone is helping the killer, but who? And more importantly, why? When Logan’s daughter is kidnapped, the stakes couldn’t…
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Murder on the Farm by Jane Adams
21st February 2023. We’re back in Frantham for the seventh novel in the series. Rina, fresh from filming a new series for TV, returns home feeling weary but satisfied. She’s soon drawn into the murder of Ellen Tailor, a popular single mother who’s shot in her kitchen. Mac and his small team investigate, trying to make sense of the killing, struggling to find a motive. The secondary plot involving a former 2nd World War airfield, and events during the conflict, bring a retired historian into the investigation. Missing archives, his abrupt nature and his friendship to Ellen place him firmly under suspicion. The family of Ellen’s former husband, who never…
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Love is up in the air
(With apologies to John Paul Young for corrupting his song.) In my Valentine’s Day email to my Readers Group, I gave them a look under the bonnet of Kent Fisher’s turbulent love life. From the outset, I gave Kent a fear of commitment. It offered the chance to have people come and go from his life as the series developed, keeping the stories fresh. But the characteristic isn’t restricted to his romantic encounters. It goes to the core of him, rooted in childhood disappointments and the wise words of a teacher, who wanted to lift his spirits. There’s always something better around the corner. This gives him a restless nature.…
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Little Girl Lost by Cheryl Bradshaw
16th February 2023. As a fan of Cheryl Bradshaw’s books I looked forward to reading this first in a series novel, featuring Georgiana Germaine. She’s an intense and focused police officer, who’s walked away from her job after an incident that scarred her. She’s alone and enjoying her own company away from her former life when she learns her brother-in-law has been murdered. Worse still, her niece has been kidnapped. Georgiana returns home, determined to find her niece and the killer. Her aggressive, no-nonsense approach ruffles feathers within the community and her own family. But you have to shake the tree to get the fruit to fall, and she’s soon…
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A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths
10th February 2023. The fourth novel in the Dr Ruth Galloway series starts with her at a local history museum for the opening of a coffin containing a medieval bishop. But instead of a ceremonial opening, she finds the museum’s curator dead on the floor. For Ruth, already doubting whether she’s a good mum for daughter Kate, it’s the start of a curious story concerning two deaths, drug smuggling and the return of historical artefacts to their country of origin. A new neighbour of Aboriginal descent adds a further mystical element to the story. When the museum’s owner also dies, DCI Harry Nelson suspects murder, though both victims seem to…
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Lord Edgeware Dies by Agatha Christie
6th February 2023. Poirot is called upon to unravel another complex murder, where the prime suspect has publicly talked of killing her husband. Yet she was in a different place when he was murdered. As Poirot and Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard investigate the murder, all is not as it seems. With contradicting evidence, questions that Poirot struggles to answer, and a long list of suspects, this is a story that continues to confound until the detective finally makes sense of all the disparate clues. Narrated by Captain Hastings, who is once again patronised and made fun of by his Belgian friend, it’s a cleverly plotted story with several twists…
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Murder by the River Usk by Pippa McCathie
3rd February 2023 The third novel in the series is another absorbing and entertaining murder mystery featuring Fabia Harvard and Matt Lambert. Flooding and landslip expose the remains of a body. It’s soon clear that this is the body of Caleb Morgan, who went missing ten years ago. Fabia, who was in charge of the original investigation, is keen to help her lover, Matt, investigate when the cold case reveals a murder. Friends, family and prominent figures come under suspicion as the detectives and Fabia dig into the past to find the motives and circumstances that will lead them to the killer. The private lives of Matt and Fabia come…
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The Hangman’s Song by James Oswald
31st January 2023. It’s difficult to know where to start as there’s so much going on in this third book in the Inspector McLean series. While it works as a standalone, there are references to the previous book, which make it easier to appreciate what happens in this. There’s McLean’s transfer to the Sexual Crimes Unit, where he has to deal with prostitution and human trafficking, alongside conflict with other members of the team. There’s his old unit, which is faced with a number of suicides that are suspiciously identical, despite no evidence of murder. Then there are a number of personal problems facing McLean, leading to restless nights, sleep…
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The importance of being dishonest
A Writer’s Journey Part 2 – How to survive when you don’t fit in. In Part 1 of my writing journey I talked about the role books played in my childhood, how they inspired me, and ultimately led to me becoming a writer. Reading also had the power to alienate me from those around me. Books were a window on new worlds. Books offered knowledge, wisdom and opportunities. They gave me broader vocabulary, a way to tell taller stories. In the hands of a child who knew no better, this could be dangerous. Growing up in a bungalow in the middle of a country estate left me isolated from other…
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The Wife List by J A Schneider
28th January 2023. Crime writer Beth Kemp is an unhappy wife in New York, where the streets are rife with crime and violence after the pandemic. When her agent and best friend is murdered in her car on her way home, Beth’s distraught. When her husband suggests they escape to the country, she’s not convinced it’s a good idea – until she gets there. But all is not well when they move into their new home. Her neighbours seem to have a violent marriage. One night she sees something that leads her to believe the wife was murdered. Then the estate agent who sold them the house has a bruise…
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Mystery at the Old Mill by Clare Chase
15th January 2023. In the fourth book of the series, obituary writer Eve Mallow throws open the doors of her house at Christmas and meets Harry Tenant, the new occupier of the Old Mill. While charming on the outside, Harry closely guards his social life. After he’s killed in a fire that destroys his home, his double life comes to life, suggesting he’s the victim of murder. There are also strong hints that people in the village consulted him in his role as an Agony Aunt. When Eve’s asked to write his obituary, she has the opportunity to look into his murder and a list of suspects that keeps growing…
