Murder at Christmas by T. A. Williams - #bookreview #blogtour

My phone started ringing as Oscar and I were on our way back from an early-morning assignment. An American would have referred to what we were doing as a stakeout, but I try to avoid using that world unnecessarily, because my ever-hungry Labrador is all too familiar with the word 'steak' and I don't like to get his hopes up...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***

The Blurb

A festive gathering...

Private investigator Dan Armstrong, accompanied by his wife and his canine sidekick, Oscar, are spending the days before Christmas in a luxurious Alpine chalet tucked away in a hidden valley. It should be the perfect escape, except the owner is in fear for his life.

A house full of secrets...

Amid perfect winter wonderland scenery, the more Dan discovers about his host and the other guests, he realises that all is not as it seems. What should be a happy family party is riddled with rancour, mistrust and hatred.

A killer in the snow?

Then the snow falls – fast and heavy – and within moments, someone is dead. Accident, suicide, or murder? As the snow closes in, Dan has to work out if he's looking for a killer, or whether he and Oscar are barking up the wrong tree.

A brand new instalment in the page-turning Armstrong & Oscar cozy mystery series, this time in the snowy Italian Alps.

My Review

I have been wanting to read this series for a while now. Whilst I would usually start a series at the beginning, I was offered this book as part of the blog tour and I simply couldn't resist. This works perfectly as a standalone story and I enjoyed it very much.

It seems somewhat ironic to be reading a Christmas book during a heatwave, but I so enjoyed reading about Private Investigator Dan Armstrong and his faithful canine friend, Oscar. Call me fickle, but almost any book which has a dog on the cover has my immediate attention.

Asked by a friend to visit the house and talk to its owner, who is in fear of his life, Dan is employed to stay and look into this. There is an interesting cast of characters staying at the house, and Dan and Oscar have to investigate whether one of them is a killer.

The Italian setting of this book was gorgeous and the descriptions of the snowy scenery sounded like something from the front of a Christmas card. Gorgeous imagery alongside the claustrophobia of the snow causing the guests in the house to be trapped until the snow was cleared. Add into that scenario a potential murderer amongst the guests and you have this fabulous novel.

The author knows just how to bring his characters alive on the page. In the same way that Oscar is an excellent judge of character, as dogs so often are, and combined with Dan's intuitive yet experiential nature, I was left fully trusting the judgement of the duo.

Using both narrative and dialogue to move the story along, the pace of the book was perfect for the genre. Without doubt, the author is an excellent storyteller and this book has left me wanting more. I may well go and start at the beginning of the series now. There are sixteen other books in the series for me to enjoy, and I can't wait to get stuck in.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1837031627

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Formats: e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages: 256 (paperback)

Series: Book 17 in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery Series

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

In his own words: I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I studied languages at Nottingham University a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to work in Italy for seven years. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only 13 years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

I started off writing romances but after 28 of them, I knew I wanted to try something different, and so the first of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries, Murder in Tuscany, was born three years ago. I’ve been having a lot of fun ever since getting to know the dynamic duo (and introducing them to people all over the world). These books are cosy crime [a genre I didn't even know existed when I started writing them). They are murder mysteries, but not gory, over-violent stuff, but stories designed to exercise the brain of the reader and to put a smile on their face. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations all over my beloved Italy.

You can also find the author at:

Author Website

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My Other Blog Posts Featuring Cosy Crime

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells

The Wonderland Murders by Millie Ravensworth

How Not to Murder Your Ex by Katie Marsh

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Fine Points Malice and Payback by Sherrie Todd-Beshore - #bookspotlight #blogtour

 

Sherrie Todd Beshore’s Fine Points Malice and Payback explores how layered investigations and unresolved personal histories can intersect in unexpected ways. Set within Tucson’s homicide division, the novel follows a detective whose instincts sharpen just as the questions of his own past intensify.

Detective Andrew Coates discovers key threads linking three unsolved murders, a finding that propels him into the lead role on a new, related case. The fourth victim’s death mirrors elements seen in the earlier homicides, raising pressure from the department and the community. Matters shift again when a fifth victim survives, offering the first potential insight into the unknown killer. As Andrew works to understand the pattern, he navigates the emotional complication of forming a bond with the survivor’s sister. Alongside the professional challenges, the mystery of his abandoned infancy reemerges, echoing through the uncertainties of the case. Each revelation brings him closer to understanding how hidden details—past and present—shape the truth.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1729137932

Publisher:  Independently published

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  450 (paperback)

About the Author

Sherrie Todd-Beshore began her writing career as a reporter and editor before moving into magazines and daily newspapers across Canada and the U.S. A dual Canadian–U.S. citizen, she later shifted from journalism to fiction, writing middle-grade mysteries and adult suspense thrillers. Her award-winning titles include The Crow Child, The Count of Baldpate, and Dream Gate II: Grabbing Time. She is the author of 17 books and has earned honors from the Independent Press Award and the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. 

You can also find Sherrie at:

Author Website

Facebook

(media courtesy of AME)

(all opinions are my own)

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves - #bookreview #blogtour

 

Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope looked up from the teenager's scrawl.

"It's got today's date. Chloe must have written it this evening."

The manager of the children's home was faded, dusty. He had grey hair tied back in a ponytail. He seemed well out of his depth."

***

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.

DCI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death. Her only clue is the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives standing stones in the wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact.

Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, but it seems that the dark secrets in their community may be far more dangerous than she could ever have believed possible.

***

This is book eleven in the well known Vera Stanhope series.

If you are a fan of Vera from the television series, I recommend reading the books as there is much more insight into Vera's thought processes, and how she approaches her cases and staff in her own inimitable way.

In this book Vera and her team are investigating the murder of a care worker in a children's home, as well as a missing teenager. There is also a new member on the team, Rosie who at first struggles to fit in and find her place in her new job.

The pace of the book was steady to begin with as the author spends some time setting the scene and laying out her characters. However, it quickly picks up pace and has some surprising plot twists. I was totally unaware as to who the murderer was throughout. It was suspenseful and there was much to keep me guessing.

The Northumberland setting was beautifully portrayed. There was also some local folklore woven into the story. For example, the titular Dark Wives are a set of standing stones in the local area and they had their own part to play in the story.

I found this a compelling read. I have not read any of the earlier books, although the television series is essential watching in our house. Not reading the earlier books did not hinder my enjoyment of this one and it works perfectly well as a standalone. 

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys police procedural, crime and suspense novels. Enjoy!

ISBN: 978 1529077742

Publisher:  MacMillan

Formats: e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages:  384 (hardback)

About the Author:

ANN CLEEVES is the author of 37 critically acclaimed novels, an international bestseller translated into over 20 languages worldwide. In 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.

Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East, and in 2022 she was awarded an OBE for her services to reading and libraries. 

The Dark Wives, is her 11th Vera novel. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set. You can find Ann on Twitter and Facebook @AnnCleeves.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

Through the Letterbox - 5th February 2024

 I thought it might be fun to begin this 'through the letterbox' posting as a regular feature. In it I will highlight some of the books which have entered my home this week. This could be because I have been gifted or borrowed a book, purchased one or have something new on my kindle.

Receiving books is always thrilling. I always get excited at the prospect and I thought it would be fun to share that joy with you.

Have you had any exciting books arrive on your doormat/kindle this week? I would love to hear about it.

Green: The Story of Plant Life on our Planet by Nicola Davies

This tree doesn’t look like it’s doing very much: it just stands there in the sunlight, big and GREEN. But this tree is busy... Starting with the secret workings of a tree, this book transports readers billions of years into the past; back to the moment when plant life first appeared on our planet. Covering its evolution, the steady emergence of fossil fuels and the extraordinary communities of plants around the world today, Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton combine essential biology with a powerful message – a call to protect the most precious colour on Earth ... GREEN.

The Aziola's Cry by Ezra Harker Shaw

Love, tragedy, and the pursuit of literary greatness intertwine in a tumultuous journey that defies societal norms and tests the resilience of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

In the year 1814, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, a gifted teenager born into a family of literary brilliance, falls deeply in love with the youthful rebel, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Defying societal conventions, they embark on a daring escapade, accompanied by Mary's step-sister Claire, leaving behind their respective families and Percy's wife and children. However, their journey proves to be far from an idyllic romance, for it is fraught with tumultuous challenges.

In their quest for freedom and expression, Mary and Percy immerse themselves in experimental notions of free love and join forces with the enigmatic and infamous Lord Byron. Amidst these thrilling encounters and adventures, the young lovers are confronted by heart-wrenching tragedies that test their resilience and resolve.

Driven to elude the strict laws of England, which threaten to separate them from their own children, Mary and Shelley embark on a nomadic existence, wandering through the captivating landscapes of Italy while constantly evading their haunting past. As their circumstances become increasingly dire, their shared passion for writing emerges as the sole lifeline that binds them together. Through their literary endeavors, they become each other's guiding force, ultimately crafting timeless masterpieces that will etch their names into the annals of literary history.

The Brilliant Brain by Dr. Roopa Farooki

Every second of every day, something is happening in every tiny bit of your body, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet... And if you think of your body as a machine, your BRAIN would be the control room – with billions of buttons for all kinds of incredibly important jobs.

With words by medical doctor and writer of acclaimed memoir Everything Is True, Roopa Farooki, and pictures by award-winning artist Viola Wang, this book explores how different bits of the brain work and (just as importantly) how they work TOGETHER... As well as sharing handy tips for looking after your brain!

The Raven's Mark by Christie J. Newport

Meet Beth Fellows, a Preston detective haunted by her mum’s murder when she was only four. She’s a driven woman with a heart of gold.

A stranger came into our home, strangled my mother to death and left me sitting alone with her body. What happened to my mum is the driving force behind every major decision I’ve made since . . .

Now Beth faces the hardest case of her career: Rose Danes’s throat is cut, her body discarded on a council estate. Seared into the teenage girl’s skin is the image of a raven.

Six years ago, another girl was attacked. The victim, fourteen-year-old Celine Wilson, barely survived and was left brain-damaged in a coma.

THIS GIRL ALSO HAD A RAVEN BURNED ON HER BODY.

Why wait six years to strike again?

Then Beth receives a mobile phone from the killer — with a warning that he will hurt those closest to her if she tells anyone.

She’s talking to a dangerous predator but nobody knows. Not her team. Not her partner. No one.

The Absolutist by John Boyne

September 1919: Twenty-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a clutch of letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian's brother Will during the Great War. They trained together. They fought together.

But in 1917, Will laid down his guns on the battlefield and declared himself a conscientious objector, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family.

The letters, however, are not the real reason for Tristan's visit. He holds a secret deep within him. One that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage. Whatever happens, this meeting will change his life – forever.

Homecoming Chaos by D.W.Brooks - #blogtour #authorinterview

 

I am delighted to be bringing you an interview with the author of Homecoming Chaos today and, I would like to welcome D.W. Brooks. But first, a little about the book.

The Blurb

Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot.

Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional.

Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.

***

Welcome to the blog. 

Q How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

A I came up with the idea for the main character Jamison quite a while ago. A brief history: I am a physician (ophthalmologist) by training, and I pursued an MBA while working at the ophthalmology department at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. After graduating, I left medical practice to work at WebMD. My leaving medical practice set off a lot of concern and confusion with my family and friends. I wanted to write a book about my main character leaving practice and how that affected her and everyone around her. People used to find leaving medical practice after “spending all that time to get there” strange. But by the time I started writing the book, I had decided that the experience of switching careers like that would be part of her life, but not the primary goal of the book. And I went from there, though Jamison has much more drama in her life than me!

Q  What have been some of the responses you have received regarding your book?

A  So far, so good. I have received a lot of positive feedback from my novel, as well as excellent reviews, including a glowing write-up from Midwest Book Review. Most reviewers have said that Homecoming Chaos was a fun read. Several readers have asked me to write a follow-up about some of the supporting characters or to write more about the romance between Jamison and Nick. And I am working on it!

Q  What’s one fact about your book that might surprise people? 

A  I am an only child. I have had a lifetime of listening to and observing sibling interactions including those of my cousins. I think I did a good job of conveying the sometime easygoing sibling relationships and the more fraught elements that can exist between siblings.

Q  What other books are you working on and when will they be published? 

A  I am trying to establish a rhythm of writing a novella, novel, novella, novel, and so on. I currently have a prequel novella to Homecoming Chaos (titled I Do CHAOS) that I have been giving away for free on my website, but I plan to move it to Amazon in 2024. I am now working on a novella about Nick and Jamison’s date (which could change) and novel #2 in the Chaos/Model MD Series. I would also like to have a Christmas novella for the 2024 holiday season. The plan is to publish all three in 2024; I am being aggressive!

Q  Is there a message you’re trying to get across with your book?

A  D.W.: You can go home again, but home (and the people who live there) may not be the same as when you left. Be ready to adapt!

Thank you so much for coming on the blog today. It's been fantastic and the book looks great. 

ISBN: 979 8218150501

Publisher: The Reboot LLC

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  448 (paperback)

(all media courtesy of Pump Up Your Book)

Cover the Bones by Chris Hammer - #bookreview

 

The irrigation canal stretches into the distance, perfect for waterskiing: two kilometres long, ten metres wide, ruler-straight, almost as large as Yuwonderie's main canal. There's a gentle breeze wafting in from the north, enough to ripple the surface. Eggs splashes water onto his face, then eases himself into the canal, feeling its sun-warmed embrace. It's Sunday, and his supervisor at the Wholesalers has let him off early. The others were already here waiting, preparing...

***

NO ONE IS EVER INNOCENT IN PARADISE.

A small town.

A closely guarded secret, stretching back decades.

And blood in the water.

A body has washed up in an irrigation canal, the artery running through Yuwonderie, a man-made paradise on the border of the Outback.

Stabbed through the heart, electrocuted and dumped under cover of night, there is no doubt that detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are dealing with a vicious homicide.

The victim is Athol Hasluck, member of one of the seven dynasties who have controlled every slice of bountiful land in this modern-day Eden for generations.

But this is not an isolated incident. Someone is targeting the landed aristocracy of this quiet paradise in the desert. Secrets stretching back decades are rising to the surface at last - but the question remains, who stands to gain most from their demise?

Can Ivan and Nell track down a killer before the guilt at the heart of these seven families takes the entire town down with it?

***

I was very excited about reading this book as I had previously read and enjoyed Dead Man's Creek (you can read my review by clicking here). This book is part of the Ivan Lucic and Nell Bucanan series. The previous book focused on Nell but this book focuses more on Ivan.

Initially, I found it difficult to get into, and I cannot really blame the book for that. I had a houseful of guests over the festive period, and this just was not the right book to start at that time. It is a book that deserves to be read in decent sized chunks rather than trying to grab a quick few pages at bedtime before I fell asleep from the exhaustion of entertaining.

Once I got into it though (and life had quieted down) it made for a gripping read. It had three timelines running throughout the book; a series of letters initially written in 1913, along with narratives of 1993 and the present day. Each of these is interspersed throughout the book, and the author skillfully merges them altogether at the conclusion of the book.

The book deals with themes such as environmental issues, wealth, greed, power, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect their own power.

Mr Hammer describes the environment in which the book is set excellently. His depiction of small town  Australia enabled me to get a real sense of place. I found it thought provoking to consider how much the fear of drought had on the lives of the town's residents. Sitting here in rainy old England, drought is something which we rarely have to think about and the book made me grateful for that.

It is an excellent story with plenty of twists and turns, and an ending which I did not see coming. All in all it is a superb book which I highly recommend.

ISBN:  978 1472295712

Publisher:  Wildfire

Formats:  e-book, audio and hardback

No. of Pages:  512 (hardback)

About the Author:

Chris Hammer is a leading Australian crime fiction novelist, author of the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver and Trust.

Now Chris has started a new series, beginning with Treasure & Dirt (Australia & New Zealand) / Opal Country (UK & international) and followed in 2022/23 by The Tilt/Dead Man’s Creek.

Scrublands was an instant bestseller upon publication in 2018, topping the Australian fiction charts.

It was shortlisted for major writing awards in Australia, the UK and the United States. In the UK it was named the Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2019 and won the prestigious UK Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award.

Scrublands, Silver and Trust all feature troubled journalist Martin Scarsden and his partner Mandalay Blonde, while Treasure & Dirt follows homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan.

All of Chris’s books have atmospheric Australian settings, a range of colourful characters, intricate plots, descriptive language and emotional depth.

Before turning to fiction, Chris was a journalist for more than thirty years. He reported from more than 30 countries on six continents for SBS TV. In Canberra, roles included chief political correspondent for The Bulletin, senior writer for The Age and Online Political Editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Chris has written two non-fiction books The River (2010) – winner of the ACT Book of the Year – and The Coast (2012), published by Melbourne University Press.

He has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Charles Sturt University and a master’s degree in International Relations from the Australian National University. He lives in Canberra, Australia with his wife, Dr Tomoko Akami. The couple have two children.

His latest novel, Cover the Bones is also published under the title, The Seven.

(author photo and bio info courtesy of the author's own website)

(ARC courtesy of the publisher)

 

Reading Roundup for October 2023

 

Hi everyone. Here we are at the end of October, and here in the UK it is seasonally wet. The leaves on the trees are yellowing and all around me looks pretty.

This month I celebrated my ten year blog anniversary and posted my favourite book from each decade. I will pop a list at the bottom of each post with a link to each of those reviews in case you missed any. It was lovely to reaquaint myself with books that meant so much to me.

October has provided the perfect weather for hunkering down with a book and I have done that whenever time permitted. Here are the books which I have read this month.

Books I Have Read

The Stories We Cannot Tell by Leslie A. Rusmussen - This was a fantastic book about two strong women and the bonds they form when their pregnancies go wrong. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien - This is the first in the Alana Mack detective series. It features a disabled detective and was enjoyable to read. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Memory of an Elephant by Alex Lasker - This was a fabulous read which was chosen by my book club and well worth reading. Unfortunately, I did not have time to review this book but it was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner - This one was chosen by the book group that I lead and was an interesting read. She has led a fascinating life and the glimpse into Princess Margaret's life was really interesting.

The Mile End Murder by Sinclair McKay - A non fiction title based on a true crime of a murder committed in 1860 in London's East End. I enjoyed this very much.

Celebrations for the Woolworth Girls by Elaine Everest - This is the ninth book in the series. I haven't read the previous ones and it works well as a standalone novel. You can read my review by clicking here.

Black Fox One by Elyse Hoffman - This follows on from The Vengeance of Samuel Val which I reviewed last month (here) Again, it works well as a standalone novel. You can read my review by clicking here.

Spooky Little Halloween: A Finger Wiggle Book by Sally Symes and Nick Sharratt - A sweet little board book for little ones. You can read my review by clicking here.

The Mother of All Problems by Nancy Peach - This book was my favourite read this month. Emotive and funny about a woman who is trying to be juggle life. You can read my review by clicking here.

Pax and the Missing Head by David Barker -  A dystopian story for middle grade children and an excellent read. You can find my review by clicking here.

Blood Libel - by Michael Lynes - A book set in Spain at the time of the inquisition. The first in the Isaac Alvarez. I really enjoyed this and I will be reviewing the second book in the series soon. You can find my review of Blood Libel by clicking here.

Charlotte's Snowman by Lainey Dee - A nice picture book for children about a child who develops a friendship with a snowman. You can read my review by clicking here.

Books I am Partway Through

Ghosted by Rosie Mullender

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan

New York Miracle by Margo Laurie

This month was my ten year blog anniversary which I celebrated by posting my favourite book from each decade and you can read the post by clicking on the book title. As promised here they are, just in case you missed them.

My celebratory post can be found here.

2013 - My Dear I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young

2014 - Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

2015 - The Pearl That Broke It's Shell by Nadia Hasimi

2016 - The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer

2017 - The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

2018 - White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

2019 - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

2020 - The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

2021 - The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

2022 - House Boy by Lorenzo DeStefano

Happy Halloween Everyone!

(header photo courtesy of Samuel Chorlton)

10 Ten Exciting New Releases in October 2023

 

October is set to be an exciting month on the blog as it will be my ten year blogversary on the 10th! Where has that decade gone? 

There will be some special things happening so keep your eyes peeled!

In the meantime, here are ten books being published in October that look exciting. Do any of these catch your eye?

Underground by E.S. Thomson

A plague is coming to London. Dreaded more than the Devil himself, cholera - the 'blue death' - spares no one. As fear grows across the city, Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain are called to the bedside of a dead man, murdered, and with his throat torn out, in the back room of a brothel. When an innocent man is taken to Newgate, Jem and Will have until execution day to save him. The search for the identity of the corpse, and the killer, takes them to the gates of Blackwater Hall, home to the secretive, and corrupt Mortmain family. With the approach of autumn, no one is safe, for the fog brings with it an evil and poisonous sickness - the perfect shroud for murder.

When family secrets are prised out into the open, people begin dying. But who, or what, is the cause? Searching for answers, Jem and Will are driven underground, to the passages and tunnels beneath the city's teeming streets. Here, their adversary proves to be more elusive, and more deadly, than ever.

The Puppet Maker by Jenny O'Brien

The scrap of paper looked as if it had been torn from a diary. The words written in faint pencil. The letters rounded, almost childlike. Please look after her. Her life and mine depend on you not trying to find me.

When Detective Alana Mack arrives at Clonabee police station, in a small Irish seaside town on the outskirts of Dublin, she doesn't expect to find a distressed two-year-old girl sobbing on the floor. Abandoned in a local supermarket, the child tells them her name is Casey. All Alana and her team have to go on is a crumpled note begging for someone to look after the little girl. This mother doesn't want to be found.

Still recovering from a terrible accident that has left Alana navigating a new life as a wheelchair user, Alana finds herself suddenly responsible for Casey while trying to track down the missing mother and solve another missing person's case… a retired newsagent who has seemingly vanished from his home.

Forced to ask her ex-husband and child psychiatrist Colm for help, through Forensic Art Therapy, Alana discovers that whatever darkness lies behind the black windows in Casey's crayon drawing, the little girl was terrified of the house she lived in.

Then a bag of human remains is found in a bin, and a chilling link is made – the DNA matches Casey's.

Alana and her team must find the body and make the connection with the missing newsagent fast if she is to prevent another life from being taken. But with someone in her department leaking confidential details of the investigation to the media, can Alana set aside her emotional involvement in this case and find Casey’s mother and the killer before it's too late?

The Mother of All Problems by Nancy Peach

When did having it all become doing it all?

Penny Baker is coping. Just about.

Three kids, one dog, one lovely but sometimes oblivious husband. Tick, tick tick.

She is even managing to hold her own among the competitive school mums - if you don’t look too closely. But when she finds herself also caring for her elderly mother, diagnosed with dementia, the household is thrown into disarray and Penny finds herself stretched to breaking point trying to meet everyone’s needs.

Can she make the new family situation work? And is there any chance of finding some space in it all for herself?

Sisters in Arms by Shida Bazyar

An explosive feminist and anti-racist novel about the importance of friendship.

We don’t exist in this world. Here, we are neither Germans nor refugees, we don’t report the news and we aren’t the experts. We’re some sort of wildcard.

Hani, Kasih, and Saya have shared a deep friendship ever since they were kids. After years apart, the three young women meet again for a few days, to pick up where they left off. But regardless of what they have achieved, it becomes clear, again and again, that they can’t escape the racism that accompanies their daily lives: the glances, the chatter, the hatred, and the outright rightwing terror. But their friendship gives them stability. Until one dramatic night shakes everything up.

Sisters in Arms is a provocative, uncompromising, and moving novel about the extraordinary alliance between three young women and the only thing that makes a self-determined life possible in a society that doesn’t tolerate otherness: unconditional friendship.

The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun - and magic.

In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs.

But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you're a witch, promises have power . . .

Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Miss Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

How the Talmud Can Change Your Life by Liel Leibovitz

A witty and wide-ranging exploration of a book that has perplexed and delighted people for centuries: the Talmud.

For numerous centuries, the Talmud—an extraordinary work of Jewish ethics, law, and tradition—has compelled readers to grapple with how to live a good life. Full of folk legends, bawdy tales, and rabbinical repartee, it is inspiring, demanding, confounding, and thousands of pages long. As Liel Leibovitz enthusiastically explores the Talmud, what has sometimes been misunderstood as a dusty and arcane volume becomes humanity’s first self-help book. How the Talmud Can Change Your Life contains sage advice on an unparalleled scope of topics, which includes communicating with your partner, dealing with grief, and being a friend.

Leibovitz guides readers through the sprawling text with all its humor, rich insights, compulsively readable stories, and multilayered conversations. Contemporary discussions framed by Talmudic philosophy and psychology draw on subjects ranging from Weight Watchers and the Dewey decimal system to the lives of Billie Holiday and C. S. Lewis. Chapters focus on fundamental human experiences—the mind-body problem, the power of community, the challenges of love—to illuminate how the Talmud speaks to our daily existence. As Leibovitz explores some of life’s greatest questions, he also delivers a concise history of the Talmud itself, explaining the process of its lengthy compilation and organization.

With infectious passion and candor, Leibovitz brilliantly displays how the Talmud’s wisdom reverberates for the modern age and how it can, indeed, change your life.

The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young

In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm - and the mysterious curse that has haunted them for generations.

The madness that led to Susanna Farrow's disappearance left her daughter, June, to be raised by her grandmother. Everyone in Jasper is certain it's only a matter of time before she finds the same end, but June has kept secret that her unravelling has already begun.

After her grandmother's death, June follows a series of clues that link her mother's disappearance to the town's dark history, leading finally to a mysterious door.

Behind it may lay the answer to the mysteries that have always lingered like a dark shadow. Upon crossing the threshold, June embarks on a journey that will not only change both the past and the future, but entangle her fate and her heart in a star-crossed love.

Honest (The Uncut Memoirs of Boris Johnson) by Lucien Young

Offering a comprehensive account of his meteoric rise (and even more meteoric fall) we follow Boris from Eton and the Bullingdon club, via stints in journalism and as London mayor, before finally making it into Number 10 via slick and sophisticated campaign tactics such as lying and hiding in a fridge.

It will outline in bonce-combusting detail the up and downs - but mostly ups! - of his tenure in Downing Street, from Getting Brexit Done and battling the Wizards of Woke, to nearly dying because he shook too many hands. This is BoJo as you've never seen him before.

Scarlet Town by Leonora Nattrass

A rigged election. A town at war. A murderer at large... Disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago and his larger-than-life employer the journalist William Philpott have escaped America - and Philpott's near imprisonment for libel - by the skin of their teeth. They return to Laurence's home town of Helston, Cornwall, in the hope of rest and recuperation, but instead find themselves in the middle of a tumultuous election that has the inhabitants of the town at one another's throats. Only two men may vote in this rotten borough, and when one of them dies in suspicious circumstances, Laurence is ordered to investigate on behalf of the town's patron, his old master the Duke of Leeds. But it is no easy matter, thanks to the machinations of the rival political factions, not to mention the riotous performances of Toby the Sapient Hog. Then the second elector is poisoned and suspicion turns on the town doctor, the gentle Pythagoras Jago, Laurence's own cousin. Suddenly Laurence finds himself ensnared in generations of bad blood and petty rivalries, with his cousin's fate in his hands... 

The Great Survivor of the Tudor Age: The Life and Times of Lord William Paget by Alex Anglesey

Like Cromwell and Wolsey before him, William Paget came from nowhere to become one of Henry VIII's most powerful 'new men'. After serving as ambassador to the Court of Francis I of France, he became Henry's most influential foreign policy advisor and developed a close relationship with Emperor Charles V. He had the king's ear in Henry's later years, was the key player in drafting his will ( was it a forgery?) and in enabling Somerset to become Lord Protector in the reign of the boy king, Edward VI. For a while, he was Somerset's 'right-hand man'.

When Somerset fell, Paget was imprisoned in the Tower and nearly executed. But he survived and regained power. He had a major role in delivering the Crown to the Catholic queen, Mary, and in arranging her marriage to Philip II of Spain, whom he then advised on English politics. He kept in with the Protestant princess Elizabeth and survived to have influence when she came to the throne.

William was the founder of the aristocratic Paget family - Barons of Beaudesert, Earls of Uxbridge and Marquesses of Anglesey.

From records of the mansion that he built on a site next to today's Heathrow Airport, a picture has been created of how life was actually lived in a Tudor household at the personal family level.

The story is partly told from previously unexamined family letters. It is an exciting narrative of dramatic ups and downs: from rags to riches, plague to plenty, and prison to peerage. Court intrigues, conspiracies, rebellions and coups, follow one after the other. William is usually in the thick of it, the power behind the throne.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves - #BookReview

 

The day they found the body on the shore, Matthew Venn was already haunted by thoughts of death and dying. He stood outside the North Devon Crematorium on the outskirts of Barnstaple, a bed of purple crocus spread like a pool at his feet, and he watched from a distance as the hearse carried his father to the chapel of rest. When the small group of mourners went inside, he moved closer. Nobody questioned his right to be there. He looked like a respectable man, a wearer of suits and sober ties, prematurely grey-haired and staid. Not a risk-taker or a rule breaker. Matthew thought he could have been the celebrant, arriving a little late for the service. Or a diffident mourner, sheepish and apologetic, with his soft skin and sad eyes. A stranger seeing him for the first time would expect sympathy and comfortable words. In reality, Matthew was angry, but he'd learned long ago how to hide his emotions...

***

In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. The day Matthew turned his back on the strict evangelical community in which he grew up, he lost his family too.

Now he's back, not just to mourn his father at a distance, but to take charge of his first major case in the Two Rivers region; a complex place not quite as idyllic as tourists suppose.

A body has been found on the beach near to Matthew's new home: a man with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

Finding the killer is Venn’s only focus, and his team’s investigation will take him straight back into the community he left behind, and the deadly secrets that lurk there.

***

I enjoyed this book very much, and I am thrilled to have found a whole new series to read by the talented Ann Cleeves.

The main character, Detective Matthew Venn, is a super addition to the detective book genre. He is an intelligent, complex and stoic man. His family disapprove of his sexuality and he has been spurned by the community in which he grew up. His backstory is revealed throughout the book and it all makes for a fantastic main character.

Equally, the secondary characters are well portrayed and are easy to either understand or identify with. I particularly liked Jen and Lucy, who in their own individual way are strong female characters.

The book was well paced and moved along in an appropriate manner for a book of this genre. There were several threads running throughout that gradually unravelled over the course of its entirety. 

I borrowed this book from the library and have already ordered the next in the series, The Heron's Cry, and I am really looking forward to reading it. I am also thrilled to learn that it has been made into a television series and I will definitely be watching that in due course.

I highly recommend this book and readers who enjoy a good detective story will enjoy this book.

ISBN:  978 1509889600

Publisher:  Pan Macmillan

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  400 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.

While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore.

In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.

For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the 'Inside Books' project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.

In February 2016, Ann was delighted to be appointed as a National Libraries Day ambassador for 2016. She found time in her busy schedule because, she said: "Libraries matter. If we believe in equality of opportunity we must fight not just for the buildings but for the range of books inside and the skilled staff who can promote reading in all its forms. Not only do libraries encourage us to be more tolerant and better informed, they contribute enormously to the wealth of the nation." In the same year, she was the first recipient of Iceland Noir's Honorary Award for Services to the Art of Crime Fiction.

In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland series. In addition, she has been short listed for a CWA Dagger Awards - once for her short story The Plater, and twice for the Dagger in the Library award, which is awarded not for an individual book but for an author's entire body of work.

On 26 October 2017, Ann was presented with the Diamond Dagger of the Crime Writers' Association, the highest honour in British crime writing, at the CWA's Dagger Awards ceremony in London. 

She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Sunderland in 2014, in recognition of her outstanding achievements as a crime writer. In December 2018, this was followed by an honorary award of Doctor of Letters (Hon DLitt) from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in recognition of her contribution to the world of literature and crime writing. She was awarded a further honorary degree by the University of Liverpool in October 2022.

In December 2017, Ann's husband Tim died suddenly in hospital, after being admitted for a heart condition. 

Ann's books have been translated into twenty languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 2007. It has been adapted for radio in Germany - and in the UK where it was a Radio Times pick of the day when it was first broadcast Radio adaptations of Raven Black and White Nights have both been repeated. Twelve series of Vera, the ITV adaptation starring Brenda Blethyn, have been shown in the UK and worldwide: series twelve ended on an amazing fiftieth eposode, based on Ann's novel The Darkest Evening; there have also been seven series of Shetland, based on the characters and settings of her Shetland novels, and an eighth is in preparation. A television adaptation of The Long Call, the first in Ann's new series set in North Devon, was also broadcast in October 2021.

In the autumn of 2016, Ann celebrated the publication of 30 novels in 30 years. Her latest book is The Rising Tide, her tenth Vera Stanhope book.

On Sunday 17th February 2019, Ann was the castaway on BBC Radio 4's iconic Desert Island Discs. The programmre remains available to listen online, or download.

She was awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year Honours List, "for services to Reading and Libraries."

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org

(author photo and bio. info. courtesy of the author's wesite https://anncleeves.com/bio.html)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.