Book Review ~ The Trawlerman by William Shaw

 

Quercus/Riverrun
13 May 2021

DS Alexandra Cupidi #4

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

A DOUBLE MURDER The naked corpses of Aylmer and Mary Younis are discovered in their home. The only clues are a note written in blood and an eerie report of two spectral figures departing the crime scene. Officer Jill Ferriter is charged with investigating the murders while her colleague Alex Cupidi is on leave, recovering from post-traumatic stress. 

AN ELABORATE SCAM The dead couple had made investments in a green reforestry scheme in Guatemala, resulting in the loss of all their savings. What is more disturbing is that Cupidi and Ferriter's disgraced former colleague and friend Bill South is also on the list of investors and the Younis's were not the only losers. 

AN UNLIKELY KILLER Despite being in counselling and receiving official warnings to stay away from police work Cupidi finds herself dragged into the case and begins to trawl among the secrets and lies that are held in the fishing community of Folkestone. Desperate to exonerate South she finds herself murderously compromised when personal relationships cloud her judgement.

My Thoughts..

DS Alex Cupidi is finding it difficult to be on sick leave especially when two serious crimes occurs almost on her doorstep. Bored, and with nothing better to do than see a counsellor to talk about her PTSD, Alex soon discovers that once a crime detective, always a crime detective, and she just can't stop herself from getting involved in a rather gruesome, crime scene.

Both crimes, one which happened in the past, and one very much placed in the future, are well plotted and explained and all the details are nicely woven together to form a complicated crime drama. The story flows really well and once I started to get involved with the story, and the characters, I found that I couldn't put the book down and that's unusual for me with a new series where I haven't read any of the previous books. The author gives enough of the back story to understand what makes Alexandra Cupidi tick, and there are interesting snippets of her somewhat fractious life with her seventeen year old daughter, Zӧe.

The Trawlerman is a well put together crime drama, which I could easily see translate well to a television series. I enjoyed how the author brought to life both the wildness of Dungeness and the closeness of a small community who suddenly find themselves under police scrutiny.

As with all series it is better to start at the beginning but The Trawlerman, as I found out, also works well as a standalone police drama.

About the Author

WILLIAM SHAW was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, grew up in Nigeria and lived for sixteen years in Hackney. He has been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger, longlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and nominated for a Barry Award. A regular at festivals, he organises panel talks and CWA events across the country. He is the author of the Breen & Tozer crime series set in sixties London: A Song from Dead Lips, A House of Knives and A Book of Scars; and the standalone The Birdwatcher. Salt Lane and Deadland are spin-offs to The Birdwatcher. For over twenty years he has written on popular culture and sub-culture for various publications including the Observer and the New York Times. He lives in Brighton with his family.

Twitter @william1shaw #TheTrawlerman

Website

@riverrunbooks @QuercusBooks

🎅 Christmas reading ~ The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine

 

Avon 
October 2020

DI James Walker #1

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb…

DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey.

But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.

As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….

Can James stop the killer before they strike again..

🎅 My thoughts..

DI James Walker and his wife, Annie, have relocated from London, to the sleepy Cumbrian village of Kirkby Abbey. The reasons for their move up north are complicated but each are looking forward to spending time renovating the house which once belonged to Annie's mother. 

Life seems to be finally on an even keel for them as James gets used to his new policing role, that is until a gruesome warning turns up on their doorstep. James suddenly finds that he is leading a murder investigation which gets more and more complicated as Christmas approaches, and as the weather closes in, and a huge snow storm hits with a vengeance, it all makes for a chilly and tense atmosphere.

I enjoyed reading this Christmas whodunit as there is certainly enough going on to maintain interest and there's a nice amount of tension with a few red herrings thrown in for good measure. I did suss out the perpetrator quite early on but that was ok and didn't spoil my enjoyment of this festive murder mystery. 

The Christmas Killer is the first in a new series of crime novels by this experienced crime writer. I look forward to catching up with DI James Walker in future stories.

About the Author

Alex Pine was born and raised on a council estate in South London and left school at sixteen. Before long, he embarked on a career in journalism, which took him all over the world - many of the stories he covered were crime-related. Among his favourite hobbies are hiking and water-based activities, so he and his family have spent lots of holidays in the Lake District. He now lives with his wife on a marina close to the New Forest on the South Coast - providing him with the best of both worlds!

Blog Tour ~ Little Boy Lost by J P Carter

Avon
23 January 2020

DC Anna Tate #3

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

One early October afternoon, ten-year-old Jacob Rossi begins the short walk home from school. But he never makes it.

Days later, DCI Anna Tate is called to the scene of a burning building, where an awful discovery has been made. A body has been found, and the label in his school blazer reads: J. Rossi.

As Anna starts digging, she soon learns that a lot of people had grudges against the boy’s father. But would any of them go so far as to take his son?

And is the boy’s abductor closer than she thinks?

What did I think about it..

I've followed this crime series from the beginning and with each successive story the series just gets better and better. It's now such a real treat to join again with DCI Anna Tate and her team of investigative officers. 

In Little Boy Lost we catch up with Anna as she is coming to terms with some big changes in her life, the reasons for which were revealed in the previous book, so I won't go into detail for those who haven't read book #2 At Your Door. However, crime doesn't stop and Anna is called back to duty after her compassionate leave when she is asked to investigate a complex case of a missing schoolboy. With the suspense cranked up to high, Anna and her team have a race against time to find out just what is going on with the abduction case whilst at the same time getting drawn into the complications of a series of extremely violent riots which are taking place simultaneously in London. Add limited resources and a shortage of detectives into the mix and the whole case suddenly becomes a good deal more complicated.

I was soon gripped by the complexity of the plot as the story gets off to a dramatic start, and as the action continues at fast and furious pace no stone is left unturned and no small clue is left uninvestigated.  It's quite a dark story in places, and certainly doeesn't shy away from the grimier side of life, and yet the author does a great job of tempering the grittiness of the story alongside the human interest and I was especially gripped by, Anna’s daughter, Chloe’s story as she inadvertently gets drawn into the terrible events which are happening in London.

There is no doubt that this is fast becoming one of my favourite crime investigation series and I think that Little Boy Lost is my favourite of this author's books to date. Filled with twists and turns, thrills and spills, the story grabs your attention right from the very start and doesn't let you imagination go until a wowser of an ending which leaves you definitely wanting more 😊

Recommended ✅ Definitely, it's a big yes from me.

About the Author

J P Carter is the pseudonym of a bestselling author who has also written sixteen books under the names Jaime and James Raven. Before becoming a full time writer he spent a career in journalism as a newspaper reporter and television producer. He was for a number of years director of a major UK news division and until recently co-owned a TV production company. For a while he was also a part-time professional magician. He’s married and divides his time now between homes in Hampshire and Spain.

Twitter @JPCarterAuthor #LittleBoyLost #AnnaTate

@AvonBooksUK

Blog Tour ~ All the Rage by Cara Hunter

Thrilled to be part of this Blog Tour for this exciting crime series

Penguin Random House
23 January 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and the invitation to be part of the blog tour

History doesn't repeat itself. Does it?

A distressed teenage girl is found on the outskirts of Oxford. The story she tells is terrifying: grabbed off the street, a plastic bag forced over her head, then driven somewhere remote and subjected to an assault.

DI Adam Fawley is doing the best he can to investigate, but the teenager refuses to press charges. All he can do is try to ignore the sickening feeling he's seen something like this before...

But when another girl goes missing, Fawley knows his time is running out.

Because if he ignores the past any longer, this girl may not be coming back.

What did I think about it..

All the Rage sees DI Adam Fawley and his investigative team once again embroiled in a complicated and complex mystery which seems to have a foothold in the past, and yet, the situation in the present is very much central and pivotal to the story as a whole.

A teenager is found in a distressed state but when questioned Faith Appleford refuses to press charges despite the attack being extremely brutal. Faith has her own personal reasons for this lack of cooperation which further complicates an already difficult case. When another girl goes missing, DI Fawley realises that old secrets may well emerge in the race to bring the perpetrator to justice.

The story is suspenseful, dark and complicated and is everything, and more, from what we have come to expect from this series and this talented author. I've read the previous three books and thoroughly enjoy the way the author brings each of the characters to life, especially DI Fawley, who like all lead detectives, is something of a flawed character with a tragic past. However, Fawley is also a very realistic and believable character with an inbuilt integrity which shines through despite the appalling cases he, and his team, get to investigate.

All the Rage, as is usual with this series, had me trying to second all the way through, and just when I thought that I had the plot sussed, it would veer off in another unexpected direction so that I really didn’t see where it was heading, and that’s what makes this series so appealing. All the Rage has all the elements needed for a suspenseful crime read - complex, gripping, and totally unputdownable.

About the Author

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark and No Way Out, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019 and No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara's novels have sold more than three quarters of a million copies worldwide. Cara Hunter lives in Oxford, on a street not unlike those featured in her books.

You can sign up for Cara's newsletter by clicking here

Twitter @CaraHunterBooks #AlltheRage

@PenguinUKBooks

Author Spotlight ~ Lisa Sell

✨✨ I'm delighted to welcome to my spotlight ✨✨

Author, Lisa Sell

Hi Lisa, welcome to Jaffareadstoo. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions about your latest novel, Hidden...

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author.

I began writing when I was 40. I left it later because I never thought I could be a writer. I’d love to say I had a burning desire to be a writer from when I was a child but I don’t think I did, not consciously anyway.

I’ve always loved books. I studied literature to Masters level and I used to be an English teacher. Literature has always been part of my life.

Maybe I had A midlife crisis moment. I started thinking I wanted to write a book. I told my husband. Never tell a supportive spouse your dreams unless you’re prepared to act on them! 

My husband bought me a beautiful pen and notebook with an instruction to have a go. I did. The first novel wasn’t great. Maybe one day I’ll return to it. The next novel was Hidden.

I sent Hidden to many, many publishers and agents. The rejections were always along the lines of how it didn’t quite fit current publishing trends. 

I was ready to give up. Thank goodness I didn’t! Bloodhound Books like novels that dare to be a little different. They offered a contract and here I am!

What inspired you to write Hidden?

The setting came first, which is unusual as for me as it’s usually plot and characters.

I love the 1980s: the music, awful fashions, films, and memories. I had an inkling it would be a good era for an eighties buff to set her novel in. But where? 

I am a council estate kid. Most of my childhood years were spent growing up on a 1980s council estate in Oxfordshire. It seemed like the perfect place for a death to happen of a girl, surrounded by an estate full of suspects.

Writing what you know isn’t such a bad thing. It gave me Hidden, although the estate in my novel is definitely fictional!

Tell us three interesting things about your novel which will tempt the reader's interest.

Jen Taylor has lived with a secret for decades. She believes that in 1987 she killed a fourteen-year-old girl, Kelly. Jen and Kelly fought on the railway track. Kelly’s body was found the next day. Jen killed her, didn’t she?

The novel takes the reader on a path swerving between the present and the 1980s. The eighties chapters are full of nostalgia.

The sleuthing duo, Jen and Claire, are former best friends from the estate. Theirs is a relationship of humour and women supporting each other. Jen knows she’ll lose Claire’s friendship if Claire ever discovers Jen is a killer.

Whilst you are writing you must live with your characters. How do you feel about them when the book is finished? Are they who you expected them to be?

Characters evolve as you write. 

At the beginning I create character profiles listing things such as the character’s favourite food, what they drive, their hobbies, and physical appearance, among other things. The profiles aren’t set in stone. Characters can suddenly like rock music rather than rap because it feels right.

I am a plotter but I allow the plot and characters to do their thing too. Characters are just like people; unpredictable. 

When I finish the book, I have affection for most of my characters. They’ve played their part. They’re all a part of me. Maybe not so much the truly evil ones though.

When do you find the time to write, and do you have a favourite place to do your writing?

Since I got my publishing contract, I view writing more as my job, because it is. That’s not to say I didn’t work hard before but when there are expectations to edit, check proofs, and promote, you can’t duck in and out when you feel like it.

I work a normal kind of office day every week day. I try to take weekends off but sometimes promotion has to happen. 

I’m lucky being a full-time writer. I have so much respect for those who have to fit in writing around another job.

I always write at my desk in the corner of the lounge. It makes me more productive than sitting in bed or on the sofa. Believe me, I’ve tried! As soon as I sit at my desk, I know the work has to begin.

Do you write the type of books you like to read and which authors influence you?

I’ve always loved crime, thriller, and mystery novels, so it makes sense I write them. When I began writing I didn’t think about writing in these genres. It seems silly now. It’s definitely my thing.

I love so many crime, thriller, and mystery novels. There are too many to list. 

The crime author who’s most influenced me is Karin Slaughter, particularly her novels featuring Sara Linton. The characterisation, intense plots, and tension are always brilliant and memorable.

Can you tell us if you have another novel planned?

I do and I’m working on it at the moment. I’m in the drafting stages and trying to fit the jigsaw pieces together!

✨✨

About the Author

Lisa Sell is a thriller, crime, and mystery writer who also scribbles short stories. Throughout her writing career she’s blogged about the twists and turns on her site

To combat writer's bum and keep mentally fit, Lisa is a runner. The consequence is she’s now a running bore but is proud of her achievements.

When she’s reading, Lisa practically hoovers up books. The to-be-read pile has become a tower, threatening to topple on her when she’s sleeping.

Music rocks Lisa’s world too, particularly a good eighties tune. If lost, you’ll find Lisa in a DeLorean, headed for her favourite decade.

Lisa’s cats try to help her write but often fail. The furry pests demand attention and desk space. Lisa is currently applying for cat wrangling to be recognised as an Olympic sport.

Lisa is a happy pup to be part of the Bloodhound Books team. Just don’t tell the cats. If you’d like to visit Lisa’s website/blog, click here or find out more by following her on social media: 

Facebook

Twitter: @LisaLisax31 

Instagram

Huge thanks to Lisa for being our author in the spotlight today.

Bloodhound Books
27 August 2019

Jen Taylor has a secret.

In 1987 the body of fourteen-year-old Kelly was found on a railway track and Jen believes she was responsible for her death.

Now an adult, Jen is approached by Kelly’s mother, who asks her to help investigate her daughter’s murder. 

But Jen is hiding more than anyone knows.

As the investigation is reopened by Jen, along with her former friend Claire, secrets from the past come to light and when another murder takes place, the case takes a sinister turn.

Amazon UK

Review ~ What Falls Between The Cracks by Robert Scragg

Allison& Busby
19 April 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about..

When a severed hand is found in an abandoned flat, Detective Jake Porter and his partner Nick Styles are able to DNA match the limb to the owner, Natasha Barclay, who has not been seen in decades. But why has no one been looking for her? It seems that Natasha’s family are the people who can least be trusted.

Delving into the details behind her disappearance and discovering links to another investigation, a tragic family history begins to take on a darker twist. Hampered by a widespread fear of a local heavy, as well as internal politics and possible corruption within the force, Porter and Styles are digging for answers, but will what they find ever see the light of day?

My thoughts about it..

I'm always interested when a new investigative duo make an appearance and Detective Inspector Jake Porter and Detective Sergeant Nick Styles have certainly got off to a promising start in this first book in a new crime series. 

Picking up the missing pieces of a thirty year old crime is always going to be fraught with difficulty and Porter and Styles certainly have their work cut out in trying to bring those responsible to justice. The mystery at the heart of the novel is well done and the complex chains which bind the whole thing together succeed with a clever edginess which kept my attention throughout the story. The twists and turns kept me guessing and I enjoyed trying to work out just where the complicated plot was heading.

As with any new series there is a certain amount of getting to know the characters and this is done with a realistic edge. I especially enjoyed the insight into the detective's lives, particularly that of Jake Porter who seems to have had more than his share of heartache. The two detectives work well together as a team, and I enjoyed reading their lively banter and the way they each have the other's back is testament to the strength of their working relationship. The other characters who make their appearance in this gritty crime story add an interesting balance of light and shade, the villains and the good guys mix together with comparative ease. The final few chapters are quite lively with lots going on and I enjoyed watching all the loose strands finally coming together in a dramatic showdown.

What Falls Between The Cracks is a very good debut novel, and gets the series off to a really promising start. I'm already looking forward to reading book two in the series by this talented new crime author.

About the Author

Robert Scragg had a random mix of jobs such as bookseller and karate instructor before taking the dive into crime writing. He lives in Tyne & Wear, is a founding member of the North East Noir crime writers group and is currently writing the second Porter and Styles novel.

Twitter @robert_scragg #WhatFallsBetweenTheCracks

@AllisonandBusby

Amazon UK

Christmas Read ~ The Deaths of December by Susi Holliday

Mulholland Books
November 2017
My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book to read and review

Blurb from the Book...

It looks like a regular advent calendar.

Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one.

The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for twenty years.

But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station?

As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them...

It's shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas.

My thoughts...

There's so much wholesome goodness in an advent calendar. Looking under each door to discover the hidden delight is something everyone can look forward to in the run up to Christmas. Now, when you've read The Deaths of December, the question is....will you be quite so eager to peak beneath the doors on your Advent calendar?

What looks to be an ordinary advent calendar lands on DC Becky Greene's desk in the police incident room and reveals far more than your average piece of dairy milk chocolate. Behind each door lies a photograph which reveals something horrific and which puts the whole investigative team on a race  against time to find whoever sent the calendar before their luck runs out.

This is an intelligently plotted and suspenseful crime story which doesn't get too encumbered by unnecessary police procedural stuff but which focuses on the realistic race to find the perpetrator of a series of violent deaths. The killer seems to taunt the police team, and for one member in particular, the race becomes a very personal challenge. We see two aspects of the story, that of the perpetrator, and also that of the two officers who are hell bent on finding the killer before the last few doors on the advent calendar are opened. DC Becky Greene and her relationship with her boss, DS Eddie Carmine is nicely developed and adds human interest to what is, in effect, a very dark story which has, it must be said, very little festive cheer.

I've read this author's crime stories before and am always intrigued by her ability to control a complicated story line with relative ease. She takes you by the hand and leads you into some very dark and dangerous places but does so with a light touch and an easy manner.

If you want something decidedly different then the The Deaths of December will make sure that you won't look at your innocent advent calendar in quite the same way ever again 😱

About the Author

Susi Holliday grew up in East Lothian. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham competition. She is the author of three novels in the Banktoun trilogy, Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly. She is married and lives in London.

Follow on Twitter @SJIHolliday #TheDeathsofDecember

@MulhollandUK

~****~

Christmas Blog Tour ~ The Deaths Of December by Susi Holliday

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of this Christmas Blog Tour 

Thanks to the publishers for my invitation to be part of this tour and for my review copy of Deaths of December

I'm delighted to be able to share Susi's Favourite Christmas Foods

My Favourite Christmas Foods...

Christmas has become synonymous with a time to indulge in far more food than you could ever really need or want, often with things that you never have any desire for the other 364 days of the year. In no particular order, here are some of my favourite Christmas foods:

After Eight Mints

Extremely addictive. Started on at the end of Christmas dinner, because even if you are stuff to the brim you can always fit in an After Eight. Usually finished before everyone has left the table, with the wrappers left in the box to annoy anyone who comes along later and stupidly thinks there might be some left.

Cheese and Biscuits

Cheddar, brie, camembert, roule, port salut. Cream Crackers, those loaf-shaped Hovis digestives, wholemeal thins, Tucs or Ritz. Grapes, celery, cranberry sauce. Ok, I confess – I probably eat cheese and biscuits at least once a week, but not the full variety J

Kilted Sausages / Pigs-in-Blankets

Whatever you might call those little sausages wrapped in bacon, they rarely make an appearance except with Christmas dinner, and no matter how many you make, there will never be enough.

Stuffing

I’m not even sure I particularly like it, but I pretty much only have it at Christmas, and if there is a Christmas dinner served without it, there’s trouble.

Sprouts

Much maligned, these little green monsters often get subjected to a re-boot to make them more appealing to those who say they detest them. But I actually really like them.

Maybe not enough to have them at any other time of the year.

Turkey

I actually don’t like turkey. We never had it at Christmas when I was growing up, usually having roast beef or chicken instead – but I love all the trimmings – in fact I am sure cranberry sauce was invented to give turkey some sort of flavour. I’m always pleased when pubs start offering their Christmas Specials, because then I can usually fit in several turkey dinners. Just not on Christmas Day.

Nuts in their shells

I don’t think anyone ever eats these outside of December, but who doesn’t like getting their hands on the nutcracker? That crunching sound is so satisfying. 

Actually, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t eat these all year round . . .

P.S. I am not a fan of Christmas cake, pudding or mince pies!

Hodder&Stoughton
16 November 2018

It looks like a regular advent calendar.

Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one.

The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for twenty years.

But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station?

As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer.

Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them...

It's shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas...

About the Author

Susi Holliday grew up in East Lothian. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham competition. She is the author of three novels in the Banktoun trilogy, Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly. She is married and lives in London.

Follow on Twitter @SJIHolliday #TheDeathsofDecember

@MulhollandUK

Huge thanks to Susi for her festive guest post today.

Review ~ The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths

Quercus
July 2017

Blurb...

Boiled human bones have been found in Norwich's web of underground tunnels. When Dr Ruth Galloway discovers they are recent - the boiling not the medieval curiosity she thought - DCI Nelson has a murder enquiry on his hands.

Meanwhile, DS Judy Johnson is investigating the disappearance of a local rough sleeper. The only trace of her is the rumour that she's gone 'underground'. This might be a figure of speech, but with the discovery of the bones and the rumours both Ruth and the police have heard of a vast network of old chalk-mining tunnels under King's Lynn, home to a vast community of rough sleepers, the clues point in only one direction. Local academic Martin Kellerman knows all about the tunnels and their history - but can his assertions of cannibalism and ritual killing possibly be true?

As the weather gets hotter, tensions rise. A local woman goes missing and the police are under attack. Ruth and Nelson must unravel the dark secrets of The Underground and discover just what gruesome secrets lurk at its heart - before it claims another victim.


My thoughts...

There is always a sense of real excitement when I open a new Ruth Galloway book and having followed the series from the very beginning , I have never been disappointed by the way each new mystery unfolds.

In The Chalk Pit, Ruth is confronted by another dark and perplexing mystery which involves the discovery of a set of human bones which have been found in one of Norwich's underground tunnels. When homeless people start to be targeted by a ruthless killer both the police investigation and Ruth's interest in the underground tunnels start to coalesce.

As always the plot is controlled meticulously by an author who really brings her characters to life. Those readers who have followed the series from the start will be aware of the subtle nuance of the relationship between Ruth and DCI Nelson and I am pleased to say that this continues to develop, lending more of a 'will they', won't they' element back into their complicated relationship. I enjoy seeing the other detectives get a chance to shine and am always pleased when DS Johnson makes an appearance, she lends a different sort of dynamic to the detective grouping which is always very welcome. The mystery at the heart of the novel is dark and complicated and the many twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing right to the end.

As one book finishes I immediately look forward to the next one and hope that it won't be too long in coming. As always, I would recommend that new readers start at the beginning of this excellent series, that way the faults and foibles of the characters who make up the major players can be fully appreciated.



More about the author can be found on her website by clicking here 

Follow on Twitter @ellygriffiths

About the Author

Elly Griffiths was born in London. She worked in publishing for many years. Her bestselling series of Dr Ruth Galloway novels, featuring a forensic archaeologist are set in Norfolk.The series has won the CWA Dagger in the library, and has been shortlisted three times for the Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Novel of theYear. Her Stephens and Mephisto series is based in 1950s Brighton. She lives near Brighton with her husband and their two children.

My thanks to the publishers and Bookbridgr for my review copy of The Chalk Pit

~***~

Blog Tour ~ Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting the first day of the blog tour for Let the Dead Speak

 

What's it all about ...

Eighteen-year-old Chloe Emery returns to her West London home to find Kate, her mother, missing and the house covered in blood. There may not be a body, but everything else points to murder.

Maeve Kerrigan is young, ambitious and determined to prove she’s up to her new role as detective sergeant. In the absence of a body, she and maverick detective Josh Derwent turn their attention to the neighbours. The ultra-religious Norrises are acting suspiciously; their teenage daughter definitely has something to hide. Then there’s William Turner, once accused of stabbing a schoolmate and the neighbourhood’s favourite criminal. Is he merely a scapegoat or is there more behind the charismatic façade? As the accusations fly, Maeve must piece together a patchwork of conflicting testimonies, none of which quite add up. Who is lying, who is not? The answer could lead them to the truth about Kate Emery, and save the life of someone else.

What did I think about it ...

It's no spoiler to say that when Chloe Emery returns home after a weekend visit to her father she finds, not just, her house in complete disarray, but also that her mother is missing, and there is unsettling evidence throughout the house of a violent crime. When DS Maeve Kerrigan, DI Josh Derwent and the rest of the investigative team arrive on the scene, Chloe is being looked after by her neighbours and when questioned can't give the police much in the way of clues as to why her mother would either be missing or harmed. And yet, even without a body, there is enough evidence to suggest to the police that a murder has taken place

What then follows is a tense and twisty psychological thriller which grabs your attention from the very beginning and which never lets up until the whole story is concluded. What I love about this author's writing is that even though this is now book number seven in the series, each book feels as fresh and bright as a daisy. There is the usual edgy banter between Kerrigan and Derwent, who it must be said are an investigative duo made in crime heaven, and who continue to bring out both the worst and, occasionally, the best in each other. Add to the mix a rookie DC who gets right on Kerrigan's nerves and you have all the perfect ingredients for a brilliantly investigated crime story.

So good is the writing in Let the Dead Speak that I became so involved in the plot that I didn’t want to put the book down for a single second, so I carried the book from room to room, snatching minutes here and seconds there, always trying to stay one step ahead of the action. But, as always, this clever author kept me guessing right until the very last sentence and the dénouement when it comes is every bit as tense and exciting as I hoped it would be.

As with any of the books in the Kerrigan series all can be read as standalones, although in order to pick up the subtle, and not so subtle, banter between the lead characters, it's best that you start at the beginning  with The Burning and treat yourself to some very, very good crime stories.

There is no doubt at all that Let the Dead Speak is a compellingly realistic psychological thriller from a crime author who is at the very top of her game.

Best read with...a take-out cup of tea and a bacon sandwich...

About the Author

Crime is a family affair for Jane Casey. Married to a criminal barrister, she has a unique insight into the brutal underbelly of urban life, from the smell of a police cell to the darkest motives of a serial killer.This gritty realism has made her books international bestsellers and critical successes; while Detective Maeve Kerrigan has quickly become one of the most popular characters in crime fiction.

Winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award for THE STRANGER YOU KNOW, Jane has previously won the Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award and was longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award.

Follow on Twitter @JaneCasetAuthor 

Find on Facebook

Blog Tour runs 6th-12th March #LettheDeadSpeak

Let the Dead Speak is published on the 9th March 2017 by Harper Collins

My thanks to Felicity at Harper Collins for her invitation to be part of this blog tour.

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Blog Tour ~ The Damsel Fly by S J I Holliday

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host a stop on The Damsel Fly Blog Tour

Banktoun #3

Black&White Publishing
2017

What's it all about ...

Katie Taylor is the perfect student. She’s bright and funny, she has a boyfriend who adores her and there are only a few months left of school before she can swap Banktoun for the bright lights of London. Life gets even better when she has an unexpected win on a scratch card. But then Katie’s luck runs out.

Her tragic death instead becomes the latest in a series of dark mysteries blighting the small town. The new school counsellor Polly McAllister, who has recently returned to Banktoun to make amends in her own personal life, is thrown in at the deep end as the pupils and staff come to terms with Katie’s death. And it’s not long before she uncovers a multitude of murky secrets. Did Katie have enemies? Is her boyfriend really so squeaky clean? And who is her brother’s mysterious friend?

With Banktoun’s insular community inflamed by gossip and a baying mob stirring itself into a frenzy on social media, DS Davie Gray and DC Louise Jennings must work out who really murdered Katie before someone takes matters into their own hands…

The Damselfly is the latest novel from the bestselling author of Black Wood and Willow Walk set in the small Scottish town of Banktoun. Fans of Rachel Abbott, Angela Marsons and Peter James will love this rivetting psychological crime thriller as DS Davie Gray tries to hold together a community once again rocked by tragedy.

My thoughts about it...

The Damsel Fly triggered my imagination right from the start because those who know me know of my fascination for dragonflies/damselflies, so to have a book with one strategically placed on the cover was, for me, going to be intriguing right from the start. I am pleased to say that in this 3rd book in the Banktoun series of psychological crime thrillers, the author, once again, doesn't disappoint her many fans.

Mentioning that teenager Katie Taylor dies almost at the start of the book is no spoiler, as the blurb tells you so, but what comes after is tightly knitted crime mystery which involves not just Katie's immediate family, but also her relationships with her boyfriend, her school friends and also her teachers, so that her unexplained death sends out deadly ripples of unrest into the wider community of Banktoun.

The mystery at the heart of The Damselfly is current and topical and there are more than enough twists and turns in the story to keep the reader guessing right until the end. I do enjoy trying to second guess a good crime writer but this author always keeps you at arm’s length never letting you get too close until she wants you to know something. 

What I love about this author's writing is her ability to get right into the nitty gritty of the story without ever resorting to superfluous waffle. The characters she creates always feel authentic and could be people you meet in everyday life and of course, it’s always great to see the return of those characters we have met up with in previous stories. The Scottish town of Banktoun, as always, features heavily in the story and there is a welcome whiff of recognition in the people and its hidden places. Those who have read Black Wood and Willow Walk  will find themselves smiling as they recognise subtle references to past events and of course, it's interesting to see how DS Davie Gray will progress in his role as a Detective Sergeant alongside his relationship with DC Louise Jennings.

Such was my need to power through to the end I raced through the book in one sitting  and, as always, I wasn't disappointed either by the story or the way it concluded. All I will say is bring on Book 4...☺

Best Read with...a raspberry zinger and a packet of custard cream biscuits

About the author

My thanks to the author and her publishers for the invitation to be part of this blog tour.

Blog Tour runs 2nd - 17th February so do visit the other stops on the tour and follow on Twitter #TheDamselfly

@bwpublishing  @SJIHolliday

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Close to Home ...Cath Staincliffe

As a book reviewer I have made contact with authors from all across the globe and feel immensely privileged to be able to share some amazing work. However, there is always something rather special when a book comes to my attention which has been written by an author in my part of the North of England. So with this in mind I have great pleasure in featuring some of those authors who are literally close to my home. Over the next few Saturdays, and hopefully beyond, I will be sharing the work of a very talented bunch of Northern authors and discovering just what being a Northerner means to them both in terms of inspiration and also in their writing.

Please welcome Manchester Crime Writer

Cath Staincliffe

Hi and welcome to Jaffreadstoo Cath...

WHAT MANCHESTER DOES TODAY THE REST OF THE WORLD DOES TOMORROW

‘Cath Staincliffe moved to Manchester (all red brick and rain) from her home town, Bradford (hills and stone) to start a job. And stayed.’ The biography from my first novel Looking For Trouble. So I’m an incomer but I’ve lived in Manchester longer than anywhere else and it’s home. All my books are set here (even Half The World Away, the one that takes us to China, starts in Manchester). Blue Murder, the television series I created and the radio series Legacy are also based here as are the Scott and Bailey novels I was commissioned to write based on the TV show.

 

  

Looking For Trouble was inspired by the 1980s new wave of private eye fiction, where independent women investigated crime in vividly drawn urban settings. Sara Paretsky's Chicago and Sue Grafton’s Santa Teresa (based on Santa Barbara) feature almost as characters in their books. Wanting to emulate that in my Sal Kilkenny novels, I chose Manchester and not only because I lived and worked here (and am a reluctant researcher). Music and football (and post-industrial misery) may dominate people’s perception of Manchester and it has all that but Manchester has always been cutting edge. Home to the first free public library, the birthplace of the industrial revolution, of the first labour party and women’s suffrage movement, the city where the computer was invented and graphene, the first nuclear free city in the UK. But Manchester is also among the most deprived areas in the country, with reduced mortality, high unemployment and crime. There remains great inequality in the city and the contrast of innovation and creativity with lack of opportunity, of wealth and status with poverty, provides a tension to draw on. Ringed by satellite towns but still in striking distance of the Pennines and the Peaks, Manchester offers a hundred worlds to the writer. You can imagine how delighted I was when the estimable crime author Val McDermid was kind enough to say of that very first book, ‘Cath Staincliffe’s tour of the mean streets and leafy suburbs of Manchester reveals the city as the natural successor to Marlowe’s Los Angeles.’

Manchester and the North West inspire my work in a number of ways. First of all there’s the people here, the grit and humour, the warmth that characterises the way people deal with each other and how they talk. I think characters are shaped by the city and in turn shape it. And my characters are indivisible from their setting.

Locations give me ideas for scenes or for stories. So the stone archway at Heaton Park was the inspiration for a showdown at the end of one book as was the wooded sandstone ridge at Alderley Edge for another. The soulless Arndale Centre car park gave me an idea for the death at the heart of Towers of Silence. Famous landmarks like The Lowry or the Town Hall can provide the backdrop to encounters but so can that back alley off Piccadilly, the warehouses of the Northern Quarter before it was the Northern Quarter or the canal not yet refurbished and lined with luxury apartments. As a reader I love stories with a strong sense of place. I hope my work sparks recognition for people who know Manchester and gives an insight into what it’s like for those who don’t.

Incidents that happen here also inspire stories though I never write directly about real life events. Witness was a response to the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of teenager Jesse James at a time when gang violence made the murder statistics very grim reading. Assisted dying was the theme of The Kindest Thing and to make it as true to life as possible I spent time at the Crown Court watching trials and visited the women’s prison at Styal, speaking with the women there about life inside. Blink of an Eye gave me the opportunity to tell a contemporary story about death by dangerous driving but also to revisit the Manchester of the 1980s, and capture what I found when I first moved here. Like any major metropolis Manchester is in a constant process of change. Regeneration follows degeneration and the cityscape is always evolving, witness the ever-changing Metrolink network, the building for The Commonwealth Games, the development of Media City or the expansion of our three universities. People continue to move to the city, bringing their own contributions with them. Different cultures and communities, new areas of enterprise, are a continuing source of ideas for stories.

     

Over the years publishers and agents have expressed a desire to get me out of Manchester, in a literary sense. Perhaps it's because the publishing industry is so relentlessly London-centric. But why relocate when the North West remains so fertile a hunting ground for the stories I want to tell? Besides, do they not realise, Manchester is the centre of the universe.

Cath's latest novel The Silence Between Breaths is due to be published in paperback in May 2017

Huge thanks to Cath for spending time on the blog with us today.

You can discover more about Cath's writing on her website by clicking here 

or follow on Twitter @CathStaincliffe

I hope you have enjoyed this Close to Home feature

Coming next week: Sarah Jasmon

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