The month began with one of my favourite series. Neil Lancaster takes the “prisoner escape” story and
turns it on its head in The Devil You Know. One of the Hardie crime
family offers information in exchange for better conditions during his term in
prison, but, he insists Max Craigie must not be involved. Craigie knows never
to trust a Hardie, so you fully expect him to say “I told you so” when the
police transport containing Hardie is ambushed. Fast-paced, action-packed and a
conclusion that has you filled with fear.
A Clock Stopped Dead by J. M. Hall sees a
return to the retired primary school teachers Pat, Thelma and Liz as they
investigate a spooky disappearing charity shop that may be the cause of a
woman’s death. The investigation causes a rift in their friendship as they
strike out in different directions looking for answers.
I couldn’t put Clickbait down. In a similar style to
her previous book, The Ugly Truth, author L. C. North uses a
variety of media to highlight the façade of reality TV. During a long-running
TV show featuring a “real” family, an old clip re-ignites interest in a missing
person case. We learn that lies and manipulation are used to gain, and keep,
fame.
A thriller with a great twist is The Gathering by C.
J. Tudor. When a teenager is murdered in a remote Alaskan town it’s the people
that live on the margins of society that are the suspects. In this case, those
people are a colony of vampyrs. It’s up to a detective to decide if the colony
poses a threat to the rest of the town and authorise a cull before the
inhabitants take matters into their own hands.
Twitter has been abuzz with praise for The Night In
Question by Susan Fletcher so I decided to see what I was missing
out on. Set in a residential home where the manager falls from a third-floor
window we have an elderly resident, Florrie, investigating if it was attempted
murder. BUT, this isn’t really a crime story, it’s all about Florrie as we
delve into her past and journey with her through all the exotic places she’s
lived and all the people who have loved her. Florrie, along with many of the
supporting characters, are wonderful and I was sad to end my time with them.
Part crime thriller, part legal mystery, Seven Days
by Robert Rutherford takes us from Whitley Bay, to Paris and on to New
York as Alice Logan tries to find proof of her estranged father’s innocence. He
was convicted of a brutal murder and his execution date has been set for seven
days time. I enjoyed the moral questions this book brought up.
Profile K by Helen Fields is a cat-and-mouse
thriller about a psychopath and an analyst who has identified his disturbing
data as they race to track each other down. There are some dark and disturbing
scenes as we see inside the killer’s mind, along with a multi-national
organisation that has Big Brother tendencies. Definitely one to read with the
lights on.
Another book that has been all over Twitter is The
Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr. If you enjoy a mystery
(no murder this time around) and puzzles then this book will be right up your
street. Pippa Allsbrook forms a commune of like-minded puzzle lovers. When a
baby is abandoned on their doorstep, they raise the boy together. Twenty-five
years later the boy, Clayton, has to follow a series of clues to discover his
parentage. This is one of those books filled with such wonderful characters,
particularly Pippa, that you’ll be hooked from the first page.
I rounded the month off with a serial killer thriller in the
form of The Puppet Master by Sam Holland. Book 3 in the Major Crimes series is
as dark and disturbing as you would expect but the killing is more insidious as
the murderer persuades the victims to commit suicide. Not even the team are
safe as they search for links connecting the victims.
Audiobooks
The Final Hours Of Muriel Hinchcliffe M. B. E. by Claire
Parkin had me gripped. Ruth is Muriel’s carer, they’ve been friends all
their lives. When Muriel predicts she’ll be dead in 72 hours, Ruth’s life spins
out of control. We learn of the life-long friendship filled with jealousy,
resentment and manipulation.
Looking for some light relief I decided to listen to
something by Beth O’Leary as I’ve seen the author mentioned a lot on
Twitter recently. Luckily BorrowBox had her first novel, The Flat Share,
available as an audiobook. This is one of those stories where you know exactly
where it is going to end, the fun is in how it gets there. I loved the main
characters, Tiffy and Leon, they felt very real. I’ll certainly try more by
this author.
Mother Of The Bride by Samantha Hayes
introduced one of the most hateful characters I’ve come across in a long time.
Lizzie and her fiancé find themselves with nowhere to live when they return
from living in Dubai. She reluctantly agrees to live in her childhood home with
her mother Sylvia. Sylvia is bitter, resentful and controlling. Living at home
brings back unhappy memories for Lizzie and raises lots of questions.
A Lesson In Cruelty by Harriet Tyce initially
seems to be three separate stories. Anna, newly released from prison and trying
to find out why her cellmate killed herself. Lucy is obsessed with her professor.
Marie, lives in a cabin on the shore of a remote loch. Gradually, the stories
of the three women begin to converge and you wonder who is dangerous and who
you can trust. The narrator really makes the hairs on your neck stand on end.
Publications dates to look out for:-
A Clock Stopped Dead by J. M. Hall will be
published on 11/4/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.
Clickbait by L. C. North will be published on
11/4/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
The Gathering by C. J. Tudor will be published
on 11/4/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
A Lesson In Cruelty by Harriet Tyce will be
published on 11/4/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
The Night In Question by Susan Fletcher will
be published on 18/4/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
Seven Days by Robert Rutherford will be
published on 25/4/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
Profile K by Helen Fields will be published on
25/4/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
The Fellowship Of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr
will be published on 9/5/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.
The Puppet Master by Sam Holland will be
published on 9/5/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.
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