Reviews
-
Guilty as Sin by Bill Kitson
Another baffling and complex investigation awaits Mike Nash and the team when skeletal remains are discovered by accident in a remote location in the Yorkshire Dales. When another body is discovered close by, Nash wants the whole area scanned for more remains. When more bodies are discovered, it looks like there’s a serial killer on the loose. Attention falls on Demetra Sinclair, who went missing 16 years ago. Has her body been found? Her husband, Nicholas is serving life for her murder, and that of her alleged lover, but protests his innocence. It also looks like he could have killed the others until tests reveal some of the remains were…
-
The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
In the ninth novel in the series, archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway, is called to examine some buried bones in a chalk tunnel beneath the Guildhall in Norwich. Are they old bones or more recent? What about the indications that the bones were boiled before being buried? Tests reveal the bones were recently buried, which means a murder investigation for the police. DCI Harry Nelson already has his hands full with two murders, which targeted rough sleepers. When another goes missing, rumours suggest she’s gone underground. But with little to go on, DCI Harry Nelson and his team struggle to make much progress on any of the investigations. Then more bones…
-
The Millionaire Murders by Rachel McLean
DCI Lesley Clarke is beginning to question whether she should stay in Dorset as her temporary posting draws to an end. While she enjoys her work and the team around her, there’s the ghost of her predecessor, DCI Mackie, forcing her to confront some unpleasant possibilities. Persistent journalist, Sadie Lawes, is also on the trail, searching for the truth about Mackie’s death. When she disappears, events look like they’re taking a sinister turn. Then there’s a wealthy woman, found dead in her luxury apartment. An unidentified companion is also found dead beside her. With little to go on, the team must dig deep for any leads that could lead them…
-
Dead Souls by Angela Marsons
Hold on tight for another nerve-shredding, emotionally draining roller coaster of a story in this original and exciting series. When human bones are unearthed during an archaeological dig, DI Kim Stone has no idea of the horrors that await her. As the site lies on the boundary between two police forces, she’s forced to work with a former colleague and his team. It’s soon clear that these two officers have unresolved issues from the past. While working away, her team begin to investigate a series of hate crimes, encountering prejudices that repel them. Innocent people are being harassed, attacked and killed. Determined to uncover those controlling the violence, one of…
-
The Damage Done by James Oswald
There’s much to commend this book, the sixth in a series I’ve found original and intriguing. The writing is good, there’s a real depth to the many characters involved and the mystery is mystifying to say the least. Perhaps best of all, the story highlights the struggles of a conscientious detective, struggling to cope with increasing workloads, management that don’t share his determination or desire to solve a case, and an increasingly complicated private life that invariably suffers. Things get off to a bad start for DI Tony McLean. Following a tip off, a raid goes horribly wrong. Was there a leak from within the police ranks? Or are there…
-
A Knock at the Door by Peter Rowlands
What do you do when a bedraggled woman arrives on your doorstep during a storm, claiming she’s lost her memory? Rory Cavenham lets her into his house to dry off and soon discovers she believes it’s 1972. Is Rebecca making it up, or is she genuine? This is the question at the heart of this mystery as Rory makes it his personal mission to find the answer. Though logic says he should go to the police, he wants to help her regain her memory and find out who she is, even though there seem to be people with their own secret agenda in pursuit. While Rory makes connections and progress,…
-
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
Poirot is on holiday at Burgh Island off the Devon coast. When beautiful actress, Arlena Stuart enters the hotel, she makes a grand entrance, catching the attention of everyone there. It isn’t long before she’s spending time with another man on the beach. Her husband watches, silently and without comment. The wife of the man on the beach looks angry. Poirot watches, sensing there will be trouble. When Arlena is found strangled in a nearby cove, an investigation begins, dividing the disparate group of holiday makers into those with alibis and those without. But as the police and Poirot delve into the lives of these people, the solution is far…
-
Murder on the Marshes by Clare Chase
This is an enjoyable opening book to the series, featuring reporter Tara Thorpe and DI Garstin Blake. The pace allows you to get to know the characters while you follow the investigation into the murder of Professor Samantha Seabrook within the private garden of a Cambridge college. While the professor has the kind of lifestyle and attitude that could make enemies, Tara has also received similar threats to her life, which brings her to the heart of the police investigation. With a murder to solve and Tara to protect, DI Blake feels stretched as he searches for motives and clues among a growing list of suspects. Tara too has to…
-
Lies of Mine by Cheryl Rees-Price
Lies of Mine by Cheryl Rees-Price This is another original and gripping story in the DI Winter Meadow series, which is one of my favourites. When a body of David Harris is found at Dinas Rock, it has repercussions with a previous murder 16 years ago at the same location. The killer convicted of the original murder of a teenage girl is out on probation. David Harris was present on the day of the original murder, creating a link that cannot be ignored by Winter and the team. Their present day investigation soon expands into a closer examination of the original murder, causing unrest and ill feeling as lies are…
-
Dead Level by Damien Boyd
This complex and engaging story begins with the brutal murder of Lizzie Perry, the wife of a leading candidate in a by-election. Is the murder a burglary that went wrong, or is there a political motive? This is the dilemma facing Somerset police. Deprived of the services of DI Boyd, who’s suspended, the team makes little progress. With rivers bursting their banks in a flood, the crime scene is compromised, along with vital evidence that points to a known villain. Forced to release him, he winds up dead within hours, prompting the return of DI Boyd, who offers a fresh perspective on the case. It’s an absorbing story, filled with…
-
One Two Buckle my Shoe by Agatha Christie
As an Agatha Christie fan, I’m used to her original and complex plots, particularly in the Poirot series. This 24th outing for the Belgian detective is no exception, leading you down false trails, baffling you with a plot that makes little sense until he reveals all in the denouement. Poirot visits his dentist, Mr Morley, who is found dead a couple of hours later. It looks like suicide, prompted by an accidental overdose of anaesthetic that kills another patient. Only Poirot isn’t convinced. Morley wasn’t the suicidal type. The mystery deepens when the body of a woman is found in a flat. Links to an influential banker, who is shot…
-
A Snowball’s Chance in Hell by JD Kirk
In another fast-moving, banter-filled story, DCI Jack Logan and the team are on the hunt for a killer who targets the villains that escape justice. Nicknamed the Iceman, he has his own distinctive ways of torturing and killing. Only he killed himself five years ago. Or did he? This is the problem facing Jack, especially when he discovers the Iceman has a list of targets, which includes several police officers. It becomes a race to identify the killer before he kills again. It’s another thrilling ride, laden with humour and familiar characters, leading to a thrilling climax and a couple of neat surprises. It’s dramatic, tense and exciting, with a…