Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood

 

Oliver Beresford, founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, is murdered while on board the pleasure cruiser The Marlow Belle. Judith, Becks and Suzie can't help but get involved with the murder investigation.

Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood is the fourth book in the Marlow Murder Club series. This series just keeps getting better and better, probably because I now know the characters so well that I feel as if I'm part of the investigation. 

Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society has been a village institution since it was founded by Oliver Beresford early in the 1980s. Oliver organises a trip on the Marlow Belle for a select group of members, including a very special guest. At some point during the trip Oliver is murdered but with everyone else onboard having alibis the identity of the murderer is a complete mystery.

The story has all the hallmarks of a modern-day Agatha Christie mystery with its small group of suspects, all of who have motive, and an isolated location. As Judith, Becks and Suzie question each suspect it seems obvious they have found their killer until a new alibi surfaces or a secret involving another character is revealed. The trio seems to go round and round in circles with their accusations, becoming a running joke with Suzie's certainty that they've found the killer each time.

There are a host of wonderful characters but my favourite has to be Mary Eddingham, a stalwart of the amateur dramatic society who steals every scene she's in. Flamboyant and narcissistic, she insists on being the centre of attention and constantly harks back to her days as a professional actress; since she's in her seventies this was a long time ago and her career was fleeting. I can just hear her as she proclaims "You may have heard of me...." when she meets anyone new.

The trio are constantly one step ahead of the police. Where the trio acted as police advisors in the previous book, this time around they have to keep their distance as DI Tanika Malik is under review for her unorthodox practice of involving the amateur sleuths. Needless to say, it doesn't stop the women from getting involved.

Petty feuds, long-held resentments and deep, dark secrets all surface during the investigation. I loved the way in which accusation followed accusation during the investigation, only for each one to be baseless. This meant that by the conclusion my head was reeling, unable to fathom who the murderer was. The big reveal came as a complete surprise. Author Robert Thorogood then saves one even bigger surprise for the end - but you'll just have to read the book to discover what it is.

Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood will be published on 16th January 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a review copy.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

 

Writer Grady Green has been struggling with writer's block since the mysterious disappearance of his wife a year ago. His agent suggests a retreat on a remote Scottish island to help him overcome his problems.

Alice Feeney writes wonderful psychological thrillers that have so many twists and turns that you are kept guessing until all is revealed. Beautiful Ugly follows in the same vein but this time there is an added level of creepiness to the storyline and a slightly surreal feeling.

The opening of the novel seems to offer a straightforward missing-person tale. We join writer Grady Green awaiting a call from his agent. Grady has a few published novels to his name, but his most recent is likely to be his most successful, the one that makes him a household name. We join Grady as he waits by the phone to hear if his new novel has made the New York Times bestsellers list. He had hoped his wife Abby would be by his side when he received the news, so he's a little upset that she's running late.

When the phone rings it isn't his agent but his wife. She's apologetic and lets him know that she's only a mile away from their isolated cottage. As they speak Abby has to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting a woman lying in the middle of the road. Grady begs Abby not to get out of her car but she defies him, and that is the last time anyone hears from her. Abby's car is found abandoned close to home with her bag and phone untouched. In the car, there is also a box containing a creepy antique doll with its mouth stitched shut.

Despite Grady achieving the success he craved he's struggled to come to terms with Abby's disappearance. Unable to write he's exhausted his savings, sold their house, and is living in a cheap hotel, one he can't afford anymore. 

The only person who seems to understand what Grady is going through is his agent, Kitty. Wanting to help Grady rediscover his writing ability, along with helping him financially, she suggests he takes advantage of a cabin she was left in a will. The cabin is on the remote Scottish island of Amberly and once belonged to a highly successful, but reclusive, author.

Grady, along with his dog and a few possessions head to the island. As soon as Grady arrives things begin to take a surreal turn. All the red flags that readers are used to are there; there's no communication with the mainland and the residents act strangely, one minute they are warm and welcoming, and the next they ignore him. The most disturbing thing is that he's convinced he keeps glimpsing a familiar figure.

The longer Grady remains on the island the creepier things become, there were a couple of instances where I was close to putting the book aside as I wasn't sure about the turn the storyline was taking - I'm an absolute wimp! As the behaviour of the residents becomes more erratic and he learns more about the history of the island you understand Grady's reluctance to remain where he is. I was willing him to simply abandon everything and flee.

The build-up to the conclusion throws even more confusion and obfuscation into the plot; even if you're convinced you've figured out what is happening the author still has surprises in store for the reader.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney will be published on 30th January 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

Author Details

Alice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including her novel Rock Paper Scissors, which is being made into a TV series by the producer of The Crown. Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. Good Bad Girl is her sixth novel.

Home Again For Christmas by Emily Stone

 

Lexie never stays in one place too long, she loves travelling. When her estranged father dies she returns home to Bath and is shocked to discover he's left her half of his travel business. The only stipulation is that she has to help run the business for one year.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of Home Again For Christmas by Emily Stone from the publishers. Its arrival was perfect timing as I was just finishing my current read and I hadn't read anything festive. Romantic fiction with a festive theme is perfect for this time of year, you can't beat the warm and happy feeling it produces. 

We meet Lexie in the Swiss Alps at Christmas where she currently works as a nanny. It's just one of the many jobs Lexie has done to finance her lifestyle of travelling. An unexpected phone call from her mother turns her world upside down when she learns that her father has died.

Lexie and her father, Richard, had a difficult relationship. Their relationship fizzled to nothing when Richard left Lexie's mother and started a new family. It comes as a complete shock to Lexie when she discovers that her father has left her half of his travel business. Lexie's immediate reactions are completely understandable, particularly wanting to sell her share of the business and use the money for travel. However, her father has left a stipulation, she must stay and work in the business for a year. Not only has Lexie never stayed in one place for such a long time she also takes an immediate dislike to her business partner, Theo.

The story treads the usual tropes of will they, won't they, but we all know it's more a case of when? Personally, I didn't warm to either character so wasn't really invested in what happened between them. What did grab me was the travel descriptions. The Lemon Festival in Menton, France sounded amazing and I immediately wanted to be transported to Madrid.

A year later we join Lexie at Christmas on another trip, once again the descriptions are magical. Decisions have been made about her future and her relationships. You'll just have to read the book yourself to find out what those decisions are.

Author Details

Emily Stone wrote her debut novel Always, in December in an old Victorian manor house in Chepstow with an impressive literary heritage. She now lives in Bristol.

About Us by Sinead Moriarty (Audiobook)

 

Three couples are all facing a crossroads in their relationship. Through the help and support of a counselor, they hope to save those relationships.

Sinead Moriarty is a new author to me. Since I usually listen to audiobooks while I'm doing something else I opt for ones I don't have to concentrate on too much and About Us sounded like a perfect fit.

The author takes time to allow us to get to know all of the characters involved in the story, by the time they get to their first session with the counselor it feels as if you've known them for years. The first couple we meet are Ann and Ken, an elderly couple. With their children having left home Ann feels unfulfilled. She has a young outlook on life and wants to try new experiences, particularly travel. Unfortunately, all her husband wants to do is settle down in front of the TV. He believes retirement is for relaxing and doing nothing, literally.

Next up is Alice and Niall, a couple approaching middle age. Niall is a lawyer and Alice is a stay-at-home Mum to four precocious children. Constantly tired and starved of adult conversation Alice doesn't feel attractive anymore which means that the spark has gone out of their relationship. 

The final couple initially starts as a young single woman, a primary school teacher, who is attracted to the divorced father of one of her class. Orla is reluctant to get close to anyone, her childhood upbringing has resulted in her having intimacy issues. 

The introduction of the counselor really shines a light on the issues each couple is having. Some of the individuals are reluctant to share intimate information with a stranger, others are in denial. The author must have done a considerable amount of research in preparation for writing this novel as the advice offered came across as genuine, and some of it was very informative. As each individual aired their concerns I was willing them on, wishing them to resolve the issues in each relationship.

Author Details

Sinéad Moriarty's novels have sold over 900,000 copies in Ireland and the UK. Her novel The Way We Were won the Irish Book Award for popular fiction in 2015. She won a second IBA for her first YA novel, The New Girl, in 2021. Sinéad lives in her native Dublin with her husband and their three children.

London Rules by Mick Herron

 

A group of terrorists are hell-bent on destabilising the country and the slow horses are dragged into the mess when one of their own becomes a target for the terrorists. 

London Rules by Mick Herron is book 5 in the Slough House/Slow Horses series. I'm still reeling from the events at the end of book 4, Spook Street, and so are the washed-up MI5 agents who work at Slough House. 

The opening reads like a war film set in a third-world country as a group of armed men wreak havoc on a small village. The descriptions are so evocative that you could imagine yourself watching from the sidelines in a sand-strewn location with the sun blazing down on you. It's the penultimate word in the chapter that brings you up short and has you re-reading the whole thing again.

Events quickly switch to Slough House and a near miss for Roddy Ho. Thanks to the quick reflexes of Shirley Dander he narrowly misses being involved in a hit and run. Dander is convinced that the attack was deliberate but no one else at Slough House can believe that Ho can have done anything even remotely worthy of being targeted.

Subsequent events prove them all wrong. The big question is why would someone single out Roddy Ho? Fans of the series won't be surprised to learn that most of this goes straight over Ho's head, he's as delusional as ever and all loved up to boot.

The team has to work together to uncover who is out to get Ho and find the link to random attacks set on destabilising the country, all without the bosses at MI5 HQ discovering what they are up to. Teamwork isn't something the slow horses are used to, particularly with a couple of them being extremely unpredictable. Shirley Dander undergoes a lot of personal growth in the novel but is still as unstable as ever and JK Coe is still a complete unknown.

London Rules treads a fine line between thriller and comedy, if you enjoy your humour on the sarcastic side then you are in for a treat. Jackson Lamb is even more disgusting than ever but his brilliance still outshines everything his bosses try to throw at him. Thankfully, Catherine Standish is back at Slough House to act as Lamb's moral compass, although that's not an easy thing to do.

The pace is non-stop as the team tries to outwit the terrorists and protect their own reputation, all the while the reader knows that no one at Slough House is ever safe. As the dust settles I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series, Joe Country, but know that brings me a step closer to having completed the series.

Author Details

Mick Herron is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Slough House thrillers, which have won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award, two CWA Daggers, been published in twenty-five languages, and are the basis of a major TV series starring Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb. He is also the author of the Zoë Boehm series, and the standalone novels Nobody Walks and The Secret Hours. Mick was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, and now lives in Oxford.

The Stranger In The Room by Luca Veste

 

Three murders in a short space of time in a small town and the police have no idea who is responsible. The rest of the town are pretty sure they know who the murderer is, eighteen-year-old Mia had issues with each victim just before they were murdered. Why can't the police see what everyone else sees?

The Stranger In The Room by Luca Veste is more of a why dunnit than a who dunnit. From the very beginning, Mia Johnstone is the main suspect in the murder of Ben Lennon. The police don't seem interested but social media is abuzz. All the clues point to Mia after her acrimonious break-up with Ben because he cheated on her. There are also the two unsolved murders of a teacher and another student, both of who had run-ins with Mia. Mia doesn't help herself either, she's vague at times, economical with the truth and can't explain the blood-like stain on her clothing.

The real focus of the story is the obsession of Alison Lennon, Ben's mother. In such a small town everyone knows everyone else's business and it's impossible to avoid gossip. She is frustrated that the police refuse to accept what everyone else clearly knows so sets out to find the proof she needs. Consumed by grief and resentment at the perceived inaction of the police, it is easy to see how logic and reason are replaced by helplessness, pain and irrationality. There is a distinct lack of support from her family; an already fragile marriage is on the brink. The only person who truly understands is the mother of the teenage girl who was murdered a year ago.

Despite a huge guilty sign hanging over the head of Mia, you get this strange feeling that there must be more to the story. She keeps denying any involvement with any of the murders but it feels half-hearted. I felt very unsettled by the ambiguity the story offered, unable to know with any certainty who the murderer actually was. The revelations in the conclusion were shocking and chilling.

The Stranger In The Room by Luca Veste will be published on 16th January 2024 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for a review copy.

Author Details

Luca Veste is a writer of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage, married with two young daughters, and one of nine children. He studied psychology and criminology at university in Liverpool. He is the author of the Murphy and Rossi series, which includes DEAD GONE, THE DYING PLACE, BLOODSTREAM, and THEN SHE WAS GONE. Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, his books follow the detective pairing of DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi. The novels are set in Liverpool, bringing the city to life in a dark and terrifying manner...with just a splash of Scouse humour.

He is also the editor of the Spinetingler Award nominated charity anthology 'Off The Record', and co-editor of 'True Brit Grit', also an anthology of short stories for charity.

He is a former civil servant, actor, singer and guitarist (although he still picks it up now and again), and now a full-time writer.

He can be found at www.lucaveste.com and on twitter @LucaVeste

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary (Audiobook)

 

Lucas and Izzy are receptionists at Forest Manor Hotel & Spa. Bitter rivals, they are forced to work together to try and save the hotel after a disaster.

Having listened to the audiobooks of Beth O'Leary's previous books I was really pleased when The Wake-Up Call became available from my local library on the BorrowBox app. I love becoming immersed in the lives of the characters and the audiobooks are a perfect way of doing this.

If you've read or listened to any of the author's books before then you have a pretty good idea of how they are going to end. What I enjoy is the way the characters and storyline are developed, giving us an insight into the background of each character. This is doubly relevant in this story as Lucas and Izzy detest each other. 

From the very beginning, we pick up on the tension between the pair, the hostility is unmistakable. It's made clear that something happened the year before but the author keeps what happened firmly under wraps until the very end. This means the reader/listener joins the duo in their quest to try and save the hotel, and gradually get to know each other better along the way. 

The sexual tension between the pair is palpable, which adds an air of mystery as to why the pair despise each other so much. I liked both characters and desperately wanted them both to lower their barriers, and preconceived ideas, and get together. The narrators add a genuineness to both characters, particularly Lino Facioli who voices Lucas, he has an accent I could listen to all day.

I found the conclusion satisfying, with a few different storylines coming together to make a perfect ending, but I was sorry to be leaving Forest Manor Hotel & Spa. It would be lovely if Beth O'Leary wrote a sequel so that we could catch up with how life is developing for everyone.

Author Details

Beth O’Leary is a Sunday Times bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. Her debut, The Flatshare, sold over a million copies and is now a major TV series. Her subsequent novels, The Switch, The Road Trip, The No-Show and The Wake-Up Call, were all instant bestsellers. Beth writes her books in the Hampshire countryside with a very badly behaved Golden Retriever for company. If she’s not at her desk, you’ll usually find her curled up somewhere with a book, a cup of tea and several woolly jumpers (whatever the weather).

A Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage by Asia Mackay

 

Haze and Fox, a prolific serial killer duo, have given up their life of crime to settle down and raise a family. While Fox seems to have adapted well, Haze is struggling to come to terms with being a stay-at-home mother.

I love a quirky title and A Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage is certainly quirky. Author Asia Mackay has managed to strike the perfect tone in this satirical take on suburban life.

The vast majority of the story is told from the point of view of Hazel "Haze" Matthews, wife of Nathaniel "Fox" Cobb. The pair see themselves as "good" serial killers because they only murder men who have committed crimes against women, a drastic solution to some of the #MeToo accusations.

If you take away the serial killer element this is really a story about a marriage that's in a rut. While the husband goes out to work daily, the wife is left at home and resentment festers. The precious together time after a child has been put to bed is filled with mundane chatter. We see how having a child changes your whole perspective on life, but it's not always enough to hold a marriage together.

When the storyline switches to Fox we see someone who is handling the radical change in lifestyle far better. Just getting out of the house is a release, however, Fox has other ways of venting his pent-up feelings.

The marriage begins to crumble when Haze accidentally kills a man while out jogging. As she tries to cover up her crime and hide it from her husband along the way, we see frustration and mistrust begin to grow between the pair.

There are a number of sub-plots that really add spice to the story, particularly when Haze unexpectedly makes a female friend at a playgroup. The book opens with a face-off between the pair, so you know where the conclusion is heading. The author manages to keep the reader in suspense, adding a few glorious twists into the mix along the way.

A Serial Killer's Guide To Marriage by Asia Mackay will be published on 14th January 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for a review copy.

Author Details

Asia Mackay is a Chinese Scottish author and mother of four based in London. Asia studied Anthropology at Durham University and began her career in television. She moved to China, presented and produced lifestyle programmes in Shanghai before returning to London where she worked for the likes of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, and subsequently completed a Faber Academy course. Her debut novel Killing It was the Runner Up in Richard and Judy’s Search for a Bestseller competition and Runner Up/ Exceptionally Recognised for the Comedy Women In Print prize.

Every Move You Make by C. L. Taylor

 

Five victims of stalkers form a support group. When one of them is then murdered by their stalker the remaining four receive a chilling message at the funeral telling them that one of them will be dead in 10 days.

My only experience of author C. L. Taylor's novels previously has been the audiobook version of  The Guilty Couple. With the author being one of the guest speakers at the crime and thriller festival Bay Tales in 2025 I decided to read Every Move You Make in preparation for the event.

The opening chapter of the book immediately grips you, you get a real sense of the uncertainty and trepidation Natalie Beare is dealing with on a daily basis. Trying to live a normal life is permeated by fear since Natalie's stalker has recently been released from prison. The shocking events at the end of the chapter are just a taste of what is in store for the reader.

Over the next ten days we are given a glimpse of how victims of stalking have to adapt to survive; changing names, moving, changing jobs, and locking down social media for example. Day to day they vary their route home, constantly check their surroundings, keep doors and windows locked and curtains closed. It's a case of surviving rather than living. These tactics prove even more difficult for one of the group who's an actress, always in the public eye and easily recognised.

The author uses her own experiences to give the reader a glimpse into the life a victim of stalking leads, the words on the page are terrifying but must only be a fraction of the fear the individuals feel. Even sleep doesn't offer the victims a reprieve as nightmares force them to relive ghastly events and the slightest noise during the night is alarming.

We are given a brief view of life from the stalker's perspective. This isn't done to excuse or explain what they do, it's to provoke thought. Are the individuals in the story actually the perpetrators or have the tables been switched? Are some of the group claiming to be victims as a means of getting closer to the people they are stalking? This really throws a light on how charming, and manipulative, a stalker can be.

Working together the group tries to uncover which of their stalkers sent the chilling message. Lives are put at risk but you get a sense that the victims are willing to jeopardise everything to be rid of the daily terror they live in. Fuelled by rage, the group compromises their own safety in order to confront, and finally free themselves, of their stalkers.

Having enjoyed this novel so much it's pleasing to see that C. L. Taylor has an extensive back catalogue to savour.

Author Details

C.L. Taylor is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her psychological thrillers have sold over a million copies in the UK alone, been translated into over twenty languages, and optioned for television. Her 2019 novel, Sleep, was a Richard and Judy pick. C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and son.

We'll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida

 

Five different people, all seeking help for various mental health issues, find themselves at the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic For The Soul. Their expectations are very low considering the location of the clinic and the attitude of the staff. They are surprised when the psychiatrist listens to their stories and prescribes them a cat to look after.

We'll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida is my first foray into Japanese literature. I was a little hesitant that I might struggle with the style of writing but found the book a very easy read, particularly as I'm a cat lover. The novel is more akin to five short stories connected by the same location and this added to the ease of reading. The only difficulty I really had was the unfamiliar names.

I don't want to give anything away, you really do need to read the book for yourself to meet the different characters (both human and feline) and learn about their problems and how they are resolved. The story has a slightly mystical quality and gives the reader a glimpse into Japanese culture.

At its essence, the story tells us that cats, and I would definitely extend this to dogs too, are the best medicine. The healing power comes from the fact that pets allow us to make connections, revisit memories, reunite families and rebalance life. We're also reminded that the loss of a beloved pet can leave a cat-shaped hole in your heart, one that feels impossible to fill. However, cats are magical creatures, almost fluid, and have the ability to fill the gaps left by previous pets.

We'll Prescribe You A Cat certainly won't be the last Japanese translation I read and I'm already looking forward to the promised sequel, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat.

Author Details

Born in 1975 in Kyoto, award-winning author Syou Ishida has always adored her cats. She began writing fiction while working at a telecommunications company. We’ll Prescribe You a Cat has been a runaway bestseller in Japan, and is due to be translated into over thirty languages. Its sequel, We'll Prescribe You Another Cat will be published worldwide next year.