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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…
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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…
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A funny thing happened on the way to publication
You’ll never believe what happened when I wrote my first murder mystery novel. That’s right, I couldn’t solve the murder. Now, I don’t want you to think I’m jinxed or far too clever for my own good. All I did was set out to create a different kind of detective. That’s what all crime writers want to do, isn’t it? The trouble is, my detective wasn’t a detective or a police officer. I couldn’t have someone walk into his office and hire him to investigate. As he wasn’t a police officer, he couldn’t go out and investigate a murder. Equally, he wasn’t some older woman in a village who solves…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Monument Murders by Rachel McLean
DCI Lesley Clarke finds herself juggling two investigations in the fourth story in this enjoyable series set in Dorset. Thanks to a persistent and prying journalist, Lesley’s struggling to keep the lid on an investigation into the death of her predecessor. Then there’s the man who was killed and hauled onto a local monument. While the victim is soon identified, his work with a controversial new development along the coast raises concerns about racism. Or is he simply an outsider who wasn’t liked? They’re complications Lesley could do without, particularly when progress is slow and your partner is the solicitor representing one of your prime suspects. But just when it…
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What’s Your Book About?
It started with a simple question. It became something of a nightmare. My first public speaking engagement as an author resulted from some welcome publicity in my local newspaper for my first novel, No Accident. Having trained food handlers as part of my day job as an environmental health officer (EHO) and spoken at seminars, I enjoyed talking to the public. Or so I thought. I’m given a rousing introduction by the chair person. I stand and make eye contact with the audience. They appear friendly and welcoming, listening intently to my biography. Growing confidence, I slip in some of the strange and amusing incidents I encountered as an EHO.…
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Why murder mysteries?
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Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
Elinor Carlisle is awaiting trial for the murder of Mary Gerrard, who died from morphine poisoning. The evidence looks overwhelming to everyone, including Hercule Poirot, who accepts the case to uncover the truth about the murder. As he investigates, he finds little to dispel the charge of murder at first. But little by little, he uncovers lies and false testimony from some of the witnesses. Will these discoveries be enough to solve the murder? As usual, Agatha Christie weaves a complex web in another original story that reveals her mastery of the classic whodunit. Poirot is not convinced of Elinor’s innocence, which gives his investigation and behaviour a different slant,…
