A Most Malicious Messenger by Katherine Black (Audiobook)

 

In the village of Blackheath, someone is sending cryptic malicious text messages, hinting at wrongdoing. When the target of one of the texts turns up dead everyone begins to wonder who the sender is and who could be the next target.

Back in September, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to review the audiobook A Most Unusual Demise, the first in The Most Unusual Mysteries series by Katherine Black. I thoroughly enjoyed the book as it offered a slightly darker take on the cosy crime genre and was filled with wonderfully eccentric characters.

A Most Malicious Messenger is the second book in the series. The paperback and ebook were published at the start of 2024 and the audiobook has now been made available. Once again Jonathan Keeble does an incredible job as narrator.

You do not need to have read/listened to the first book in the series to enjoy A Most Malicious Messenger, however doing so will give you a greater understanding of the characters, particularly the main characters May and Fletcher. Both characters have secrets to hide, ones which we find out early in the first book, and they are desperate to keep those secrets hidden. Since the plot revolves around the uncovering of secrets the pair have a lot to contend with.

The wonderful characters from the first book put in an appearance. Bastian, who manages the bookshop for May, is the centre of gossip when a young woman appears in his life. Barb, May's novelist friend is as flamboyant and delicious as ever. To add to the mix is Minty, May's nonagenarian mother. Minty is a law unto herself with her behaviour frequently scandalous. Minty has turned up wanting May to bump her off, something May is adamant she won't do, however, her behaviour frequently gives May pause for thought.

There is a lot of very dark humour, something which raises the book above many other cosy crime novels. Minty and Barb are the stand-out characters, particularly as Minty seems to delight in taunting Barb. May refuses to see that she has the same trait as her mother as she delights in tormenting her neighbour.

Our characters contend with the usual red herrings and a race against time to uncover the person responsible for the despicable crimes. There is a particularly grisly scene towards the end and a conclusion that will elicit a little gasp, followed by a giggle and a wry smile.

A Most Malicious Messenger by Katherine Black is available in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Katherine Black was born and raised in Texas, but has spent most of her life in England. These days, her drawl is long gone unless she's had a few drinks or a late night.
Armed with an art history degree from the University of Texas (Hook 'em, Horns!) she worked in the arts in the UK and Europe before chucking it all in for the glamourous life of a stay at home mom. When she decided to pursue her dream of writing crime fiction, she completed an MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel, written as part of the MA, placed third in the Yeovil Literary Prize. Re-titled as A Most Unusual Demise, that story is published by Bloodhound Books and is the first in The Most Unusual Mysteries series. You can read more of May & Fletcher's adventures in A Most Malicious Messenger. The series was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association's New Blood Dagger in 2024.
Katherine's novel, Lufkin, Texas (unpublished), was longlisted for the Crime Writers Association's Debut Dagger in 2022.

Nobody's Hero by M. W. Craven

 

The deaths of a series of academics and infrastructure specialists point to the possibility of a domestic terrorism event likely to displace millions of people and put a strain on the infrastructure of America. Ben Koenig is recruited to track down the people involved.

M. W. Craven introduced readers to his new anti-hero, Ben Koenig, in 2023 with Fearless. Despite the author already having a long-running, and highly successful, police procedural series, it is brilliant to see a quick return for Koenig in Nobody's Hero.

Koenig was a US Marshall when it was discovered he had a genetic disorder that means he's immune to fear. His bosses used this to their advantage, having him train with some of the most specialised military units around the world. When he ended up killing the son of a Russian mafia boss a $5 million bounty was placed on him and he had to disappear. Koenig has been on the run for seven years, his only contact with his old life is a once-a-month email to Jen Draper, ex-CIA and now the head of a private security firm.

Right from the dramatic opening, you know you are in for a roller coaster ride as Koenig is drawn back into the job he thought he'd escaped from. Alongside the ingenious techniques Koenig uses to extricate himself from seemingly impossible situations are some gruesome descriptions. As each incident became more and more precarious I was on the edge of my seat wondering how things could be redeemed.

The relationship between Keonig and Draper is a hate-hate one and brings about some hilariously sarcastic retorts. I think the dark humour embedded within the story is one of its strengths. The villains are at the upper end of the evil scale, one of which is a serial killer who has "killed more people than Jack Reacher". 

The conclusion is a race against time and impossible odds. It really does look like there are no viable options that will save the day. There are some grisly details that will make your stomach flip. There is a satisfying aftermath to events, giving the reader details that tease you about possible directions the story could go in the future.

Author Details

Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. The series has now been translated into twenty-seven languages 

October 2024 Reads

 

Wow, the year is just flying by. It's hard to believe we're only 2 months away from 2025. I didn't read a massive number of books in October, however I did manage to get through three audiobooks.

In You All Die Tonight by Simon Kernick a group of seven people wake from a drugged state to find themselves locked in a remote mansion. They are informed that they’ve all been injected with a poison that will kill them in 12 hours unless the person among them responsible for the Black Lake murders confesses. Full of shocking twists, this read like something from the Saw franchise.

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers then The Neighbour’s Secret from Sharon Bolton will be right up your street. Set in a small village that hosts an annual convention by a mysterious religious group, one of the residents is constantly watching events and becomes obsessed with the newest resident. They are not the only character with an obsession, either.

The Seven by Robyn Delvey has an explosive start, a guaranteed hook to keep you reading. Flitting between the present day and fifteen months previously we learn about the shocking events which resulted in forty-three hostages being killed in an explosion, the guilt felt by many of the survivors, and a race against time to prevent the trial of the murderers from falling apart.

Goodbye Birdie Greenwing by Ericka Waller addresses some difficult themes such as loneliness and death, but offers hope, as we learn about three strong women. They are all neighbours who’ve never interacted previously, but fate intervenes, resulting in them allowing others into their lives, leading to a new lease on life and unexpected consequences.

Murder For Busy People by Tony Parsons is book 7 in the Max Wolfe series. After stumbling across the dead body of a dog walker Max finds himself dragged back to an infamous crime, one he was involved in just after graduating as a police officer. Only one person was ever convicted, Emma Moon. Sixteen years on Moon has been released from prison and those alleged to also have been involved in the crime begin to die.

Another twisty psychological thriller was Sharp Glass by Sarah Hilary. A woman is held captive in an isolated property. Her captor is convinced she knows something about an unsolved murder and is desperate to uncover the truth. The obsession with uncovering the murderer shines through, despite both characters being unreliable narrators. By the conclusion, I felt punch-drunk.

I managed three audiobooks this month, the first of which was the hilarious What A Way To Go by Bella Mackie. Wealthy Anthony Wistern dies accidentally, or was it murder? Told from three perspectives; his widow Olivia, amateur investigator Jade, and Anthony, who’s in limbo until he can figure out how he died. Filled with self-centred, spoilt and greedy characters, there are lots of twists as the author pokes fun at the lifestyle of the wealthy. Brilliantly narrated.

My second audiobook was Queen Bee by Jane Fallon. This wasn’t as light and frothy as I was expecting. Temporarily living in a studio on an exclusive housing estate, Laura is accused by Stella of chasing her fiancé, Al. When Laura uncovers exactly what is going on she lays everything out for Stella, including her fiancé’s plan to leave her penniless. Laura and Stella work together to ensure Al doesn’t get things all his own way.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin, was my third audiobook of the month. This is an unsettling and twisty thriller. Liv Reece wakes in a taxi to find messages scrawled across her hands and a bloody knife in her pocket. Rushing him she discovers strangers living in her apartment and two years missing from her memory. The suspect in a gruesome murder, her only solution, while trying to evade the police, is to track down her friends for answers.

Publications dates to watch out for are:-

You All Die Tonight by Simon Kernick will be published on 7/11/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Neighbour’s Secret by Sharon Bolton will be published on 7/11/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Seven by Robyn Delvey will be published on 1/1/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Murder For Busy People by Tony Parsons will be published on 2/1/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.