The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

Hannah Rokeby is a third year law student, living at home with her mother. When Hannah discovers that The Innocence Project is taking on the case of rapist and murderer Michael Dandridge she decides that she has to be involved. The reason that Hannah is determined to be involved is that Dandridge murdered her father and escaped justice, she's resolved to ensure he isn't released from prison. By becoming part of the defense team Hannah hopes to steer the evidence away from exonerating Dandridge.

This is a fantastic story and I was gripped from the first page. Hannah isn't a particularly likeable character from the outset, she's premeditated, manipulative and determined. She's even willing to resort to blackmail to get what she wants. 

The intriguing story slowly unfolds as we follow Hannah's efforts to get on the team involved with the Dandridge case, interwoven with her mother's diary entries from twenty-seven years ago. Those diary entries explain what is driving Hannah and you do begin to have a greater understanding of why she's behaving as she is. Hannah soon discovers that not everything is as she believed and has to resolve some moral issues.

The Murder Rule will be published by HarperCollins UK in hardack and ebook format on 12th May 2022. Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an early release copy for review.

Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child

 

As Jack Reacher walks along a deserted highway in Arizona he stumbles across a Jeep that has crashed into the only tree for miles around. The occupant, a woman, appears to be unconscious, possibly dead. Reacher decides that he should check if the woman needs help and ends up with a gun pointed at him for his troubles. The woman, Michaela Fenton, has staged the crash to try and capture the people who are holding her brother hostage. Thankfully this is just the kind of situation that Reacher likes to get involved in.

This is the 26th Reacher novel and has everything that fans know and love about our antihero. The action from Reacher is the usual slow and understated style; minimal expenditure of effort, don't give your opponents a chance to get back up. More than once Reacher gives his opponents the chance to walk away from the fight, luckily for the reader they never do.

The villain of the piece, Waad Dendoncker, is thoroughly evil. He has a small town close to the Mexican border terrorised. Both locals and his henchmen would rather commit suicide than risk upsetting Dendoncker because of the retribution they will suffer if they fail him. Obviously this doesn't sit well with Reacher.

The opening chapter is a bit of a surprise and you certainly do wonder where the story is going to go. Pieces then fall in to place and we have a tale involving smuggling, bombs and chemical weapons.

Modern technology does throw a few obstacles in Reacher's path - QR codes to open locks, fingerprint and facial recognition for mobile phones. Ever resourceful Reacher has a way to overcome those obstacles. 

A Flicker In The Dark by Stacy Willingham

 

Chloe Davis has an idyllic childhood. She lives in a small town in Louisiana along with her parents and her brother Cooper who is three years older. They are allowed to roam free, exploring the 10 acre plot their home is built on. The idyllic childhood comes crashing to an end when Chloe is 12 and her father is arrested for the abduction and murder of six teenage girls.

Twenty years later and Chloe is now Dr Chloe Davis, a medical psychologist. She has a successful practice and is a matter of weeks away from getting married. As the anniversary of her fathers first abduction approaches a journalist gets in touch with Chloe, however Chloe refuses to engage with the journalist, explaining that she has had no contact with her father in twenty years. Then a teenage girl goes missing close to Chloe's practice. Is there a copycat murderer about?

The style of writing really adds to the story. One moment the narrative is languid, reflecting the climate of Louisiana. The next it is quick and sharp as we feel Chloe's heart racing as if she's about to have a panic attack. Chloe is a flawed character, one moment convinced she's right about conclusions, the next full of doubt. Her choice of career could be seen as a way of trying to redeem for what her father has done but also that she is still trying to find answers for why he carried out such atrocious crimes.

Plenty of chills and misdirection as we are reminded that in real life monsters aren't the things in the closet or hiding under the bed, "real monsters move in plain sight".

This debut novel from Stacy Willingham will be published by HarperCollins UK in hardback, audio and ebook on 3rd February 2022. My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an early release copy for review.

A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch

 

"A Cornish Christmas Murder" by Fiona Leitch is a locked room in a locked house murder mystery. The story is set at Kingseat Abbey, which is being turned into a luxury hotel. Jodie "Nosey" Parker, ex-policewoman, along with a few members of her family are catering a party just before Christmas. Following poor weather the people at Kingseat become snowed in and have to hunker down for the night. The following morning one of the guests is discovered brutally stabbed by an antique sword. Jodie, along with her assistant, begin to investigate while they wait for conditions to improve and the police to arrive.

This is the fourth book in the "Nosey Parker" series but the first one I've read. It works well as a standalone novel but was enjoyable enough to make me want to read the previous three books. The story has everything you would want from a cozy murder mystery.

The characters are a mixed bunch, some known to each other, others complete strangers who just happen to stumble upon the Abbey! The setting is picture perfect, wood paneling, plaster cornices, open fires and squashy armchairs - just the place you would want to be at Christmas when there is snow on the ground. There's also plenty of food (Jodie is a caterer), alcohol and a non-stop supply of tea.

Yes, the story is cliched, but that is just what you would want in a cozy murder mystery. No phone lines to contact the police, guests wandering off when told to stay together, hidden rooms, guests swapping rooms and people with secrets. Thankfully the main character, Jodie, is a modern women who doesn't take nonsense from anyone and finds it impossible to just sit back and wait for the police. There's plenty of humor, particularly between Jodie and her mother. The description of Jodie and her family turning up to the Abbey in her van gave me visions of Scooby-Doo and the gang turning up in The Mystery Machine.

A Cornish Christmas Murder will be published by HarperCollins UK in ebook format on 29th November 2021 and as a paperback on 9th December 2021. My thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for a review copy.

The Lost by Simon Beckett

Jonah Colley is a serving member of the London Metropolitan police elite firearms unit. When he gets a phone call from an old friend a chain of events are set in motion that bring crashing back tragic memories and put Jonah's life at risk.

The story immediately draws you in. The description of a long abandoned area of London left to decay adds to the tension as Jonah stumbles across four dead bodies, including his friend, when he turns up to the meeting place. While there Jonah is attacked and sustains severe injuries but manages to call for police help before passing out.

When Jonah regains consciousness he's in hospital recovering from a fractured skull and a major operation to repair his kneecap which was fractured in the attack. Since only three bodies were discovered in the abandoned warehouse, and none of them are the friend Jonah agreed to meet, the police begin to doubt Jonah's version of events.

Jonah comes under suspicion so sets out to discover exactly what happened, this puts him at odds with the police. Simon Beckett builds the tension and a sense of urgency as Jonah is continually blocked in his investigation. As Jonah searches for answers nothing seems to make sense and there is a strong link to the disappearance of his four year old son ten years previously.

As the plot twists and turns the story builds to a riveting climax.

The Lost will be published in hardback, audio and ebook on 25th November 2021. Many thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for an early review copy.

 The Woman In The Middle by Milly Johnson

A new Milly Johnson novel is like slipping on a pair of old brushed cotton pyjamas and settling down with a mug of hot chocolate - comforting and familiar. Familiar doesn't mean more of the same, it simply means we know the type of people involved, the locations and that karma is lurking around a few corners.

When Shay Corrigan prepares to marry Bruce Bastable she is determined that life is going to fit around her needs, she's not going to "sacrifice herself at the altar of family" or "lose her sense of self for anyone". Fast forward 24 years and Shay Bastable feels like the squashed filling of a sandwich as she tries to meet the needs of those around her. Her two children, Sunny and Courtney, have flown the nest but Shay is struggling to cut the apron strings. Roberta, her mother, is showing signs of dementia, while her father, Harry, has suffered a major stroke and is in a coma. Marriage to Bruce has become stale, they are both going through the motions on a daily basis. Shay loves her family deeply but she's now beginning to wonder if she should have listened to her mother 24 years ago when she said it wasn't too late to change her mind.

Life is turned on it's head when Bruce walks out on the marriage, needing some space, and when Roberta begins a ramble that eventually reveals a long hidden secret. For the sake of her sanity Shay decides to be entirely selfish and take some time on her own. She returns to her childhood home and faces secrets she's hidden from for 30 years.

Milly Johnson deals with some big issues in this novel, dementia, death, infidelity and more. Each one is handled with kindness, empathy and gentle humor at times. The relationship between Shay and her mother really resonated with me, how the relationship between mother and daughter has flipped round and that we should value each day that we have, never taking for granted those around us. 

What I felt was different about this novel compared to previous Milly Johnson novels is that the lead character didn't have a circle of female friends to turn to for support. However, I felt that this added to Shay's character. Her decisions were her own, she didn't need the validation of others. 

There are a host of wonderful characters throughout the story, along with some extremely unpleasant ones. It was heartwarming to see how some of these characters developed and changed but even better to see karma come calling eventually.

The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville

Sara and her husband Damien relocate to Ireland, moving into a farmhouse undergoing renovation that has been bought for them by Damien's father. The farmhouse is called "The Ashes" because of all the ash trees surrounding it. Early one morning, only a couple of days after moving in, an old woman turns up claiming the house is hers.

We then have two parallel stories. The old woman, Mary, lived at the farmhouse as a child. Slowly we discover the harrowing story of Mary's upbringing. Sixty years ago the farm was owned by a father and his two sons. These men kidnapped at least three women and kept them locked in the farmhouse. The women lived in squalor, doing all of the cooking and cleaning, beaten if they did anything wrong. They were forced to sleep with the men and as a result became pregnant, Mary was the only child to survive.

Alongside Mary's story we discover that Sara's home life is equally harrowing. Sara's story is one of coercive control and emotional abuse. Her husband slowly isolates her from all her friends, controls her finances and monitors her phone. 

Stuart Neville shows that abuse isn't simply physical, it can be far more subtle, Damien's constant reminders to his wife that everything he does is for her benefit and that he loves her make your skin crawl. As for Mary's story, I was shocked as it dawned on me that sixty years isn't actually that long ago. 

This is a griping read, you simply want to know what happens to all the characters. The interwoven stories move with pace and you are willing on the female characters on.

The House of Ashes will be published by Zaffre Books (Bonnier Books UK) on 3rd February 2022. Many thanks to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for an early review copy

The Maid by Nita Prose

Molly Gray works as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, a 5 star boutique hotel. Molly loves her job, she feels that what she does is worthwhile. For Molly restoring rooms to perfection is just as vital as any other job in the hotel. During one of her shifts Molly discovers the body of a VIP guest. This discovery then leads to an unexpected chain of events when the police decide the guest was murdered.

Molly is a strange character. She loves wearing her uniform and admits that when she puts it on it becomes like an invisibility cloak, to the extent that hotel guests don't see her and don't care what she sees or hears. Combined with this is Molly's general nature, she's an innocent, an old soul, who takes people at their word. As a result of this she is taken advantage of by other staff at the hotel. Having been raised by her Gran Molly tries not to let the opinions of others get to her. Her Gran gave her a set of rules to live by (etiquette, elocution and erudition) and Molly likes nothing better than clear rules. Sometimes Molly's interpretation of the rules are amusing. One moment you are laughing with Molly (never at her) and the next you want to cry because of the cruelty of people. It does take a couple of chapters to get used to Molly's style of speech but once you do you realise what a wonderful character she is. Thankfully she's also got some true friends to help her through her drama.

The Maid will be published by HarperCollins on 20th January 2022. My thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an early review copy.

The Quiet People by Paul Cleave

What an amazing read. One of those books that has to be read in one sitting.

When a 7 year old Zach goes missing from his home no-one is sure if he's run away, been abducted or murdered. Suspicion immediately falls on the parents, Lisa and Cameron Murdoch, parents who happen to be successful crime writers. Who better than a pair of crime writers to carry out the perfect murder? Things are not helped by the fact that the previous day Zach had disappeared at the local fair and then had a meltdown when his father tried to explain the consequences of his actions - all of which were witnessed by a wide variety of people.

As the search to find Zach kicks into action you can really feel the panic and anxiety of the parents, the feeling of helplessness, wondering if you did something wrong. The police investigation begins to point to the parents, did they commit the perfect crime?

The basic story is an excellent thriller but what really held my attention were the references to the way that our society today relies so heavily on technology that trial by media so easily happens. In the book we see sensationalist journalism where assertions aren't questioned and assumed to be facts. Social media is used to harass the parents, circulate mis-information and incite mob hysteria. Video clips are used out of context and circulated freely. The presumption of "innocent until proven guilty" no longer exists in society today.

The Quiet People is published by Orenda Books and is available on Kindle now. The paperback will be published on 25th November 2021

The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor

In 1986 Eddie and his friends, a group of 12 year olds, discover a dismembered body in the local woods. As a result of a series of chalk drawings found in the local area the murder is ascribed to "The Chalk Man". Jump forward 30 years and Eddie, still living in his childhood home, receives a letter which brings back troubling memories of what happened.

The opening page really grabs you, with a seriously creepy description of finding the dismembered limbs in the woods. The story then alternates between what happened leading up to the discovery in 1986 and events in 2016 when Eddie begins to question if events were as they seemed.

C. J. Tudor does an excellent job of writing 12 year old Eddie and 42 year old Eddie as two very distinct voices. Alongside this is the description of the town of Anderbury - a quaint market town. However, if you scratch the surface things aren't quite as picturesque as they seem. The town is surface gloss, hiding a seedy under layer with lots of secrets.

In 1986 the story begins in summer, a colourful time, full of light, innocence and happiness. We are slowly drip fed events leading up to the discovery of the body. As the tension slowly builds we move from summer in to autumn, a season of death and decay that pervades everything.

The descriptions of the friendships between Eddie, Hoppo, Fat Gav, Metal Mickey and Nicky along with the sinister undertones of the town of Anderbury have vibes similar to Stephen King. C. J. Tudor keeps the reader guessing until the very end whether it's a resident of the town or supernatural forces responsible for the murder.

Dead Man's Grave by Neil Lancaster

When Tam Hardie, the patriarch of the leading criminal gang in Glasgow, goes missing DS Max Cragie is asked to investigate. Hardie's body is eventually discovered in an abandoned graveyard and this sets in motion a blood feud between two families that has festered for over 200 years.

As Max begins to investigate the murder, supported by DC Janie Calder, the story moves from gritty gangland crime to police corruption that has pervaded to the very top of Police Scotland.

Initially Max comes across as a maverick cop, having recently relocated to his homeland following a shooting incident in London. However as the story unfolds we see that Max is a team player, this is particularly evident in his dealings with his partner. DC Janie Calder is a young woman trying to make her way in a male dominated police department. Max quickly realises she's intelligent, trustworthy and no shrinking violet. She certainly doesn't need anyone to fight her battles for her.

Beautiful descriptions of Scottish landscapes are in stark contrast to the violence handed out. The villains of the story are full of menace and clearly have a tight grip on Glasgow, a grip that extends far and wide.

The action is fast paced, keeping the reader hooked. This is the first title in a series and I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series.

 September 2021 Reads

September was another good month for reading. I continued with Doug Johnstone's Skelf series and discovered the Washington Poe series by M. W. Craven

Highlights of the month were "Black Summer" by M. W. Craven and "Rock Paper Scissors" by Alice Feeney

Once again I only managed one book from the TBR, "The Farm" by Joanne Ramos

August 2021 Reads

August was my first full month of retirement and I went from 2 or 3 books a month to 16 books. Other than the 140 character comments on Twitter I didn't bother to do any proper reviews, think I was just drunk on the joy of being able to read. So this is just a glimpse of what I read during the month.

I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the Eddie Flynn series of books by Steve Cavanagh, although it did turnout that I'd read "Thirteen" a couple of years ago without realising it was part of a series.

Another series I discovered and loved were the Skelf books by Doug Johnstone

Unfortunately the TBR pile was only reduced by one book but what a book it was. "Where The Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens was a beautiful love story.