Blood on the Tide by Chris O'Donoghue - #bookreview

The tyres of a small Bedford lorry crunched across the shingle, the sidelights barely cutting through the dark; the engine, at low revs, making little noise. The vehicle coasted to a standstill, the engine was cut and the passenger door opened. Two shadowy figures crept quietly out and went to the back of the truck, one tall and broad, the other, short and slight, limping as he walked. Still maintaining silence, they carefully dropped the tailgate and started to manoeuvre a bulky object, wrapped in rough cloth, out on to the ground. With a low grunt from one of the figures, they lifted the dead weight, carried it to the edge of the quay and rolled it over the side...

***

Blood on the Tide is a story of the sea and boats, murder and Nazis and takes the reader through post-war France and Germany.

When a gruesomely mutilated body trussed up in a distinctive fashion washes up on a lonely stretch of the south coast in the 1950s, DI Sonny Russell is soon struggling to unravel an intriguingly knotty puzzle. And as more bodies, similarly tortured, appear he begins to realise that, for some at least, the war is far from over.

A trail of intrigue leads him to Europe where he befriends a French detective and together they set out to track down the villains.

***

I was fortunate to meet the author, Chris O'Donoghue, last year when he came to give a talk to my Women's Institute group. He was wearing a different hat and came to talk to us about gardening, but he also mentioned his books and I could not resist the opportunity to read the first in his DI Sonny Russell series.

Blood on the Tide has much to commend it. It is set during the 1950's, and the author has done a great job in evoking the atmosphere of the time. He has researched the period very well which is evident in his descriptions of both the time and place.

It is a very plot driven novel and it is quickly becomes apparent who committed the murders. However, it is the motivation behind these murders that the book explores and gives the reader an entertaining story to read.

It is a good introduction to the series and to DI Sonny Russell and his dog, Aggie. There is great scope for the author to develop Sonny's character in the subsequent books, and this one definitely left me wanting to know more about him.

There are five further books in this series and if you like post-war fiction with a crime element then you will enjoy this novel. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited at the moment. Happy reading.

ISBN:  978 1910693988

Publisher:  Boghopper Books

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  292 (paperback)

About the Author:

Chris's writing is inspired by authors such as Val McDermid, Alan Hunter’s original George Gently novels. Matt Charman screenwriter of Bridge of Spies, has a copy of Blood on the Tide and the great Ian Rankin (who has read -and liked it) now has a copy of Blood on the Shrine.

He is active on social media and enjoys writing. He has had numerous articles published in specialist railway periodicals. He lives by the sea in East Sussex. In his spare time he also designs gardens, having won three medals at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show

You can learn more about Chris at his blog https://chrisodonoghue.blogspot.com/

(Book courtesy of the author)

Death on a Monday Night by Jo Allen - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

Becca Reid had slunk out of Wasby Village Hall into the gathering dusk like, she thought, a timid wild animal creeping about in the undergrowth. It was rare that she felt the need to be so furtive. On the contrary, she was in the forefront of every gathering, because there was always something to be done and she was one of those people who always seemed to end up doing it. On this Monday night, her sense of community notwithstanding, she'd been desperately keen to skip the monthly meeting of the Wasby Women's Institute and stay at home with a cup of cocoa watching Arsenal on the telly, but civic duty had won out. It would have been cowardly to stay away, and she was no coward.

***

An ex-convict. A dead body. A Women’s Institute meeting like no other…

It’s an unusually challenging meeting at the Wasby Women’s Institute, with local resident and former drug-dealer Adam Fleetwood talking about his crimes and subsequent rehabilitation…but events take a gruesome turn when prospective member Grace Thoresby is discovered murdered in the kitchen.

The case is particularly unwelcome for investigating officer DCI Jude Satterthwaite. Adam was once his close friend and now holds a bitter grudge, blaming Jude for landing him in jail in the first place. To complicate things further, the only thing keeping Adam from arrest is the testimony of Jude’s former girlfriend, Becca Reid, for whom he still cares deeply.

As Jude and his colleague and current partner, Ashleigh O’Halloran, try to pick apart the complicated tapestry of Grace’s life, they uncover a web of fantasy, bitterness and deceit. Adam is deeply implicated, but is he guilty or is someone determined to frame him for Grace’s murder? And as they close in on the truth, Jude falls foul of Adam’s desire for revenge, with near-fatal consequences…

A traditional detective mystery set in Cumbria. 

***

As a member of the Women's Institute myself I was really looking forward to reading this book. I am extremely glad that I did as I enjoyed it very much indeed. The murder takes place during a meeting of a village WI, and the author did a great job of creating the atmosphere and sometimes confined feeling of a small village.

This is the eighth book in the series featuring DCI Satterthwaite but it worked very effectively as a stand alone novel. It is unusual for me to begin a series so far along but I very much wanted to read this book, and therefore, broke my self-imposed rule of only reading a series in order. Having said that I enjoyed this to the point that I intend going back to the beginning of the series to read Death by Dark Waters.

The descriptions of rural Cumbria were exquisite. I was not at all surprised to find that the author lives in the Lake District. I went to the Lakes on a school trip in my teens (ahem, that was some time ago) and I have longed to go back ever since. Reading this book has reignited my desire.

The characters were very well portrayed and believable. Jude is a great main character and his relationship with those around him well depicted.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.

SBN: 979 8440889293

Publisher: Independently Published

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 296 (paperback)

About the Author:

Jo Allen was born in Wolverhampton and is a graduate of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and the Open University, with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in geography and Earth science. She's been writing for pleasure and publication for as long as she can remember. After a career in economic consultancy she took up writing and was first published under the name Jennifer Young, in genres of short stories, romance and romantic suspense. She wrote online articles on travel and on her favourite academic subject, Earth science. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she most likes to read -- crime. Jo lives in the English Lakes, where the DCI Satterthwaite series is set. In common with all her favourite characters, she loves football (she's a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers) and cats.

Tea at the Palace: 50 Delicious Recipes for Afternoon Tea by Carolyn Robb - #BookReview

 

During my thirteen years as a royal chef, I was very privileged to call some of Britain's most splendid royal palaces and castles my 'place of work'. It was immensely inspiring to cook for such incredible people in such impressive surroundings. Each royal residence has its own distinctive character, traditions and ambience, dictated by its whereabouts and its history, which in many cases, dates back hundreds of years. I have created this collection of special recipes in celebration of a unique aspect of each of the twelve superb locations.

***

Set against a backdrop of twelve of Britain’s most stunning palaces and residences, the recipes are a mix of traditional, contemporary and whimsical; each one with its own unique twist.

 

Every chapter tells a tale, with inspiration drawn from sources as diverse as a 200-year-old royal banquet menu, an intriguing 17th-century chocolate kitchen commissioned by William III and Queen Victoria’s highland retreat.

Gingerbread soldiers in sentry boxes, striking raspberry swirl meringues, miniaturised cream scones, cacao nib nuggets and warm salmon tartlets are just a few of the teatime temptations.

 

Written by the Former Personal Chef to TRH the Prince and Princess of Wales.  

***

I don't often review cookery books, but when I do I always like to have a go at one of the recipes before I write it, and this is no exception. I needed to make a cake as the centre piece for my WI's Jubilee Celebration so this book was perfect to find a recipe for this occasion (more about my efforts later.)

There are some truly sumptuous looking cakes and bakes in this book, all of which have all been beautifully photographed by John Kernick, making it a visual delight. I could have happily baked my way through most of the recipes. 

However, not only are the photographs of the bakes gorgeous but there are also wonderful photos of the royal palaces. The recipes are divided up by royal residence with appropriate bakes attributed to each venue. They are: 

Buckingham Palace

Sandringham House

Kensington Palace

Hampton Court Palace

Brighton Pavilion

Highgrove House

Blenheim Palace

Balmoral Castle

The Castle of Mey

Kew Palace

Windsor Castle

Caernarfon Castle

In each section, Ms. Robb writes about her experience at each royal residence, followed up with recipes she has cooked. I did, in fact, use two of the recipes to make one cake as I needed the quantities of cake mixture from the White Chocolate and Mint Cake (Highgrove House) but with the filling of the Strawberry Bunting Cake (Buckingham Palace).

I found the recipe in this timely publication easy to follow and I was very happy with the result.

Anyone who enjoys baking or reading about the Royal Family would enjoy this book, and I can envisage it one that I would come back to on several subsequent occasions.

ISBN: 978 0711279650  

Publisher: White Lion Publishing

Formats: e-book and Hardback

No. of Pages: 160 (hardback)

About the Author:

Born and raised in South Africa, Carolyn Robb’s culinary education began at ‘The Tante Marie School of Cookery’ in Surrey, UK. Her first job was at Kensington Palace cooking for TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester after which she served as the personal chef for TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry for 11 years. Since then she has lived and worked in Dubai, California and the UK, as a culinary consultant, in event management, product development, in the travel sector and as a food critic, judge and author. Tea at the Palace is Carolyn’s second book. 

(author photo courtesy of Speakers Connect 

 bio info courtesy of The Quarto Group

ARC courtesy of NetGalley)