Reviews
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Murder in the Parish by Faith Martin
13th April 2023. Hillary Greene returns to investigate another cold case murder, involving Rev Keith Coltrane thirty years ago. Popular with his parish and many of the women in the village, there were several key suspects in the original investigation, but a lack of evidence. Hillary sets out with her team to uncover new details that may shed light on the killing and the killer. Progress is slow, people have secrets to hide, and Hillary’s struggling with a chest complaint that’s more than a simple infection. But her determination is legendary, and despite the lack of evidence and the time lag, she starts to piece it all together. Like the…
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Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
12th April 2023. The day before former university student and friend, Dan Golding, is killed in a house fire, he writes to Dr Ruth Galloway, asking for her opinion on some bones. He believes he’s made a big discovery that will have a massive impact on an old legend. Ruth travels north to Blackpool with daughter Kate and her friend Cathbad, unaware of the dangers that face her. DCI Harry Nelson is also holidaying in the resort and catching up with an old police colleague. When he discovers Ruth in the town, it all gets a little complicated. This is another gentle, but compelling novel that slowly builds the tension…
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F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton
7th April 2023. In the sixth novel of the series, Kinsey’s hired to find out who killed Jean Timberlake seventeen years ago in Floral Beach. Bailey Fowler, her boyfriend at the time, was convicted of her murder, but escaped gaol soon after. Now he’s been caught and Bailey’s father wants Kinsey to find the real killer. In a small, tight knit community, convinced of Bailey’s guilt, it’s not going to be easy for Kinsey. From almost the moment she arrives at the Fowler’s hotel, she’s subjected to intimidating phone calls. Naturally, the residents are reluctant to help, more so when Bailey’s friend springs him from the courtroom, getting shot in…
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How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon by Penny Sansevieri
6th April 2023. Jam packed with information, tips and practical advice, this is the best book I’ve come across to date for getting the most out of Amazon. It’s not a long book, but every page is packed with something valuable. With easy to follow, no frills guidance and advice, the author shows you the many different ways you can use the tools Amazon provides to market your book and increase sales. It’s an invaluable handbook that I’m sure I’ll be referring to over and over as I put the tips and advice into practice. Description How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon (2021 edition) teaches you exactly…
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The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
3rd April 2023. In another original and ingenious mystery from Agatha Christie, an unknown serial killer announces his intended murders by letter to Hercule Poirot. At first, it appears to be a hoax, until a murder is committed in Andover. An ABC guide to railway travel is left with the body. When a second murder is announced and carried out in Bexhill on Sea, Scotland Yard take control, working with Poirot, but with little success. A third murder at Churston attracts the attention of the press, but offers few clues to the killer’s identity. Unable to make any progress, Poirot calls together all the people closely involved with the three…
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Not Exactly True by Peter Rowlands
1st April 2023. This is another complex mystery of several interwoven threads that keep transport journalist Mike Stanhope on his toes in the sixth adventure of the series. It’s different, colourful, imaginative and infectious, drawing you into a world where you’re never quite sure what’s happening or how it will end. It starts with a tip off about a failing transport company in Wiltshire. His article prompts a libel claim that leaves him mystified and a little shaken. Forced to return to visit the factory to see what’s really going on, he meets Trish, the owner’s daughter, who seems less than enamoured with the way her mother operates. Then there’s…
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Blood and Money by Rachel McLean
29th March 2023. I enjoyed this first book in a new series, featuring a newly-created Police Scotland department, specialising in complex crimes. There’s no time for the new members to get to know each other when they’re thrown straight into a murder investigation. An Internet billionaire is shot at his retreat on the shores of Loch Lomond. While it’s not a straightforward murder, the killer leaves no trace and DI Jade Tanner suspects an assassination. It echoes with a similar killing in Glasgow the year before, adding to the challenges. Assisted by psychologist, Petra McBride and a new DS, Mo Uddin from Birmingham, the officers set about building a team…
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Bleeding Heart Yard by Elly Griffiths
26th March 2023. Once again, Elly Griffiths has produced an outstanding and captivating novel, featuring Harbinder Kaur. She’s moved from Sussex to London, following her promotion to detective inspector. She’s soon thrown into a murder investigation when MP Garfield Rice is killed at a school reunion, attended by Cassie, one of the detectives in her team. It’s the start of a complex investigation, delving into the lives of several people, who were part of an elite group during their schooldays. They were also involved in the death of another pupil, pushed in front of an oncoming train. Is this death significant? Is it linked to the murder of Garfield Rice?…
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The Big Four by Agatha Christie
The fifth outing for Hercule Poirot finds him facing a gang of master criminals, known as the Big Four. They’re spread around the globe and seek world domination. In their way stand Poirot and Captain Hastings, assisted by Japp from Scotland Yard at times. Written in 1927, this novel has a plot more suited to James Bond, who followed forty years later. One of the Big Four, known as the Destroyer, is the master of disguise. He turns up at various locations in the UK, killing those who threaten the organisation. While Poirot seems always one step behind him, he’s learning all the time. It’s a curious adventure that moves…
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Dead Men’s Bones by James Oswald
15th March 2023. I enjoy reading the DI MacLean novels because they offer something a little different from the usual police procedurals. The books are always intriguing on several levels, and like any series, you get to follow the characters, their lives and relationships. The stories also have a supernatural element, which I find fascinating. In this fourth outing, Drew Weatherly, a well-known and influential politician has killed his wife and children before taking his own life. The investigation looks fairly straightforward, but you know it won’t work out that way. There’s the unexplained death of a former soldier, who was tattooed over his whole body before he fell to…
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Lost Girls by Angela Marsons
13th March 2023. Wow, what a story. This is the third book in the DI Kim Stone series and it left me drained by the end. It’s a difficult read because of the kidnapping of two young girls, but compulsive. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Kim Stone may be driven and totally committed to finding and saving the girls, but she’s not the most experienced officer for the job. The tension is unrelenting throughout. The kidnappers have an agenda and plan. The parents put their trust in Kim. But they’re always playing catch up. And the kidnappers are doing their best to pit the two families against each other by…
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Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
12th March 2023. While I make no secret of my love for Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries, each book I read makes me marvel even more at how original, creative and addictive her stories are. They’re set many decades ago, when values and standards varied from today, but the writing still feels contemporary in many ways, making them a joy to read. Peril at End House is set in the 1930s and features Poirot at his most arrogant, though Hastings manages to get a few shots in to deflate the Belgian’s ego. That said, Poirot also has the courage to admit he’s made a colossal mistake as he struggles to solve…