September 2024 Reads

 

Another month where I don’t seem to have read much, concentration lacking again, but most of what I did read was brilliant. What did happen was that I completed my Goodreads 2024 reading challenge with three months to spare!

September opened with an absolute cracker, The Examiner by Janice Hallett. Six mature students are enrolled on a multi-media MA course. Through a variety of messages and emails it soon becomes obvious that one of the students is missing, possibly murdered. The clash of personalities, twists and shocks keep you gripped. This is the sort of book that you could devour in one sitting, I kept distracting myself, trying to drag it out, as I didn’t want it to end.

An addition to the cosy crime genre is Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd. Alice Beeton, a distant relative of Mrs Beeton, runs an agency vetting domestic staff for wealthy clients. When one of her placements is murdered Alice goes undercover, thanks to her love of crime fiction, to investigate. I loved the wealth of characters but felt the pacing let the story down.

In Too Deep by Lee Child and Andrew Child is book 29 in the hugely popular Jack Reacher series. The book opens with Reacher on the back foot as he wakes after a car accident with no knowledge of the hours leading up to the accident. One of his captors offers him help if he helps him in return. Undercover FBI agents, high-end art theft and a mysterious document all feature.

Richard Osman has started a new series with We Solve Murders. Social media influencers are being murdered and all clues point to Amy Wheeler, a bodyguard for the rich and famous. In an effort to clear her name, she enlists the help of her father-in-law, Steve, an ex-police officer. The hunt to find the real killer takes them jet-setting around the globe. Luckily, they are able to use the private jet, and much more, of Amy’s latest client, Rosie D’Antonio, the world’s second bestselling novelist. The plot is convoluted but the characters are absolutely wonderful.

The sixth book in the Skelf series, Living Is A Problem, by Doug Johnstone has all the things that fans of the series love. The three women who run a funeral business investigate a missing Ukrainian refugee, a feud between criminal gangs and the desecration of a grave. All of this is done under the shadow of the aftermath of the previous book. This is a story about connections, kindness and support, but there is a price to pay for some of them.

The Crow Trap is the first book I’ve read by author Ann Cleeves and gave me an introduction to DI Vera Stanhope. This is very much a psychological thriller surrounding the suicide of a farmer’s wife followed by the murder of a conservationist who is working on an environmental impact study for a possible quarry on land adjacent to the farm. Vera is barely mentioned until halfway through, but when she does arrive this unconventional character is difficult to forget.

Only one audiobook finished this month, A Most Unusual Demise by Katherine Black. This cosy murder mystery was originally published in paperback and ebook format in 2023, it has now been released as an audiobook. This cosy mystery is slightly darker in tone than many books in the genre, with an opening chapter that grabs your attention. The mix of eccentric characters carry the story along. I’ll certainly be checking out other books in the series.

Publication dates to watch out for are:-

In Too Deep by Lee Child and Andrew Child will be published on 22/10/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd will be published on 24/10/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.