Book Review ~ Pool of Life by Pete Trewin ☼

AIA Publishing
30 April 2020

Jack ‘Flash’ Gordon’s private investigation business in Liverpool is in trouble, what with staffing issues and changing technology. So when the ex-copper is commissioned by Sarah Gladwyn from an old Welsh family to investigate a series of threats and attacks from an anonymous assailant it seems like a lifeline. The stalker is obsessed with the family’s role in oppressing the local slate workers in Victorian times and stealing Welsh water for use in England. Sarah’s husband, Oliver Gladwyn, ex hippy traveller and now a green entrepreneur, plans to build a barrage across the Mersey and provide clean energy for Merseyside. You would have thought that the stalker would approve, but no.

It’s a great opportunity for Jack so what could possibly go wrong? How about murders, discovery of skeletons in cupboards, conspiracies, bent coppers, corrupt politicians and violent gangsters. And a terrorist threat to Liverpool’s water supply. Flash Gordon? He’ll need to be Jumping Jack Flash to get through this one.

What did I think about it..

The aptly named Jack 'Flash' Gordon runs a private investigation business in Liverpool, but things aren't going too well for Jack either personally or in his failing business. What Jack really needs is a big juicy case which will help to lift him, and his motley assortment of employees, out of the doldrums. When he is approached by the glamorous Sarah Gladwyn to investigate who is responsible for the vendetta against her family, it seems like the lifeline he and his business needs. However, complicating matters is Sarah's husband, Oliver, who, whilst determined to provide a sustainable source of green energy to Merseyside, has his own complicated agenda.

The city of Liverpool has a starring role in the novel, and the author uses his local knowledge to full advantage, bringing place and people to life. I especially enjoyed getting to know more about Jack Gordon, who, as an ex-cop, has more than enough traumatic stuff in his past to deal with, however, I think it is Jack's relationship with his colleagues where his personality shines through. I especially enjoy his interesting relationship with Mel Gibson, she is a feisty PI, who has a no nonsense approach to questioning suspects, and who offers Jack a friendly face and a listening ear.

From its exciting beginning the story unfolds quickly and we soon discover that there is never a dull moment for Jack Gordon, whether it be in tracking shady criminals who seem hellbent on taking him down, or out for a pub lunch with his belligerent father, trouble seems to follow Jack around, which, for an private investigator, can be something of a challenge.

The author writes well and keeps up a lively pace throughout the whole of this complicated crime story.  Filled with an assortment of bad guys, from bent coppers, to shady businessmen, Pool of Life is a lively tale of corruption and skulduggery which is made all the more interesting for being set in Liverpool, a city whose vibrant personality shines through and is as much a character in the novel as the people themselves.

About the Author

Pete Trewin writes neo-noir crime novels set in Merseyside and the north of England. The themes are dark but the stories are always served with a generous helping of black humour. My influences are as much films Get Carter, Point Blank, Chinatown as books but I have been inspired by writers ranging from Jim Thompson and Christopher Brookmyre to Joseph Conrad and Cormac McCarthy.

Website

Amazon UK

Blog Tour - Blood will be Born by Gary Donnelly

Delighted to be hosting today’s blog tour stop

Allison and Busby
20 February 2020

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

DI Owen Sheen vowed never to return to Belfast, but he needs answers about his brother’s death. He’s on loan from the Met to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, though before he can dig into the past Sheen must babysit DC Aoife McCusker on her first murder investigation. As the case slides into chaos, can Sheen put his personal agenda aside? And will McCusker keep her job long enough to prove herself as a detective?

What did I think about it...

This first book in a proposed new crime series sees DI Owen Sheen return to his native Belfast after years of living away in England and working for the Met. His secondment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in Belfast sees him paired with DC Aoife McCusker in her first murder investigation.

The murder investigation is complex and complicated and is filled with the shadow of the sectarian animosities that so blighted Belfast in the early 1970s. It would seem that even fifty years later the legacies of the past still threatens the hard earned peace of the present. Blood will be Born is a gritty and thought provoking crime novel which doesn't shy away from taking the reader right into the very heart of a complex and convoluted plot.

Personal agendas are very much part of the story, not just for those perpetrators who seek to do harm, but also for each of the lead investigators whose personal stories, running along side that of the investigation, help to bring a very human aspect to the story and helps them to develop as fascinating narrators. The perpetrators who seem hellbent on revenge do so with chilling accuracy, and I found that, despite the rather gritty aspects of their individual crimes, the story is strangely addictive and utterly compelling.

Blood will be Born is an exciting start to this crime new series and whilst there is a certain amount of getting to know the lead detectives, the clever combination of Sheen's experience over McCusker's enthusiasm is very cleverly done, and I enjoyed watching how their professional relationship developed over the course of the story. I am sure that, in future crime novels, this series will definitely go from strength to strength.


Recommended : Absolutely✅ Intricately plotted, fast paced and gritty, Blood will be Born is a fabulous start to a new series.

About the Author

GARY DONNELLY is a writer and teacher who was born and raised in Belfast. After attending a state comprehensive school, he read History at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and has lived and worked in London since the late 1990s.

Twitter @DonnellyWriter #BloodwillbeBorn

@allisonandbusby

Review ~ Fight Back by Anna Smith

Quercus
2 May 2019

Kerry Casey #2

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Gangster Kerry Casey has fought her way to the top of the Glasgow crime scene. But can she stay there? 

Kerry Casey is now a fully-fledged gangland boss. With her business partner Sharon and her wily lawyer Marty at her side, she is busy ridding her organisation of the drug-dealing, people-trafficking scum her dead brother Mickey got them involved with. But her great dream is still to take the Caseys straight. 

Her plan to turn her organisation around hinges on building a property empire in Spain. But Kerry has some deadly rivals - in Glasgow, on the Costa del Sol, and even further afield. They will never believe she has what it takes to defend her turf, and they won't rest until the Caseys are destroyed. 

When her enemies strike at the heart of the Casey family, Kerry must prepare for the fight of her life - for her business, her friends and her own survival.

My Thoughts..

I've come rather late to this gritty crime series but they do say better late than never, so I've just spent a tense few days in the company of gangland boss, Kerry Casey, whose ambition to clean up the 'family business' causes her some problems, especially as the Casey's reputation for shady business dealings goes before them. With the help of her business partner Sharon and her lawyer Marty, Kerry is determined to succeed in bringing the business back on track. However, that's easier said than done, and Kerry has to deal with a lot of aggression from different organisations who don't share the same philosophy.

Filled with a whole range of strong and determined characters and moving between Glasgow and the Costa del Sol, Fight Back is a lively story!  Filled with all the grit, crime and treachery you would expect from gangland noir, and with a strong minded and determined woman in charge, the attention is certainly focused on what it's like to be running a complicated family business in a tough and sometimes, vicious world.

The first Kerry Casey book, Blood Feud certainly gets the series off to a cracking start and the dark and complex themes are definitely continued in this second visit to Glasgow's ganglands. As with any series it's always best to start at the beginning that way you get to learn of all the extra little side stories which can so easily confuse if you've not followed from the start. However, having said that, it is still perfectly possible to read, and thoroughly enjoy, Fight Back as a standalone story.

Quercus
March 2018

About the Author

Anna Smith has been a journalist for over twenty years and is a former chief reporter for the Daily Record in Glasgow. She has covered wars across the world as well as major investigations and news stories from Dunblane to Kosovo to 9/11. Anna spends her time between Lanarkshire and Dingle in the west of Ireland, as well as in Spain to escape the British weather.

Twitter @annasmithauthor #FightBack

@QuercusBooks

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

Blog Tour ~ Wolves in the Dark by Gunnar Staalesen

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be one of the bloggers opening the Wolves in the Dark  Blog Tour

Orenda Books
15  June 2017

What's it all about...

Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg Veum’s life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts. When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he’s accused of being part of a pedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material . . . and who is seeking the ultimate revenge. When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest—and most personal—case yet. Chilling, shocking and exceptionally gripping, Wolves in the Dark reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world’s foremost thriller writers.

What did I think about it...

I'm always a little bit wary when I come into an established series so far down the line as sometimes it's impossible to truly gel with the story as so much history, both for the writer and his characters, have gone before. So I have to admit to a smidgen of trepidation in starting this, the 21st, book in the Varg Veum series of Scandi Noir novels.

There's obviously been a lot going on for the central character as we learn in this story that Varg Veum has experienced a great loss which is influencing the way in which he sees both his job as an investigator and also in his personal life. When Veum is arrested and his computer seized as part of an investigation into child pornography, he must do all he can to shield himself from a personal vendetta which seeks to destroy both his good name and reputation.

I must admit, on first acquaintance, to rather liking Varg Veum. He is a man of few words but powerful actions and it is obvious throughout the story that he doesn't suffer fools gladly. The author has created, in him, an honorable character, whose personality shines through with every well written word. I enjoyed the journey into the investigation and once I had, sort of, got my head around the Norwegian place names and people, I was able to relax into the story, which I thought was well written, perceptive and quite engrossing.

As an avid reader of psychological crime, there is a distinct difference between Scandi Noir and British Noir, both are thrillingly creative and edgy but there is something deliciously different about trying to piece together a mystery in a country,  and among people and places, which are unfamiliar to you.

If you are new to the series, as I was, then I suspect that there is, perhaps, a little something lost in the fact that this is book number 21 in the series, and it would have been better to have traveled the journey from the very start but on reflection, I don't really think that this story suffered anything for me not having read the previous 20. Wolves in the Dark can comfortably stand alone on its own merits as a self contained story.

I have really enjoyed my first foray into Varg Veum's complicated world, and if my reading time ever allows I would like to head back to the beginning and see where he started out.

It must also be mentioned that Jaffa was especially interested in the enigmatic,and rather haughty, Madonna.

Best Read with...a glass of aquavit and a delicious selection of sveler, Norwegian pancakes.. 

About the Author

Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway in 1947. He made his debut at the age of 22 with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over 20 titles, which have been published in 24 countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Epsen Seim. Staalesen, who has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour), lives in Bergen with his wife. When Prince Charles visited Bergen, Staalesen was appointed his official tour guide. There is a life-sized statue of Varg Veum in the centre of Bergen, and a host of Varg Veum memorabilia for sale. We Shall Inherit the Wind and Where Roses Never Die were both international bestsellers. Don Bartlett is the foremost translator of Norwegian, responsible for the multaward- winning, bestselling books by Jo Nesbo, Karl Ove Knausgaard and Per Pettersen. It is rare to have a translator who is as well-known and highly regarded as the author.

Do check out these other stops on the Blog Tour which runs until the 3rd July

My thanks to Karen and Anne at Orenda Books for the opportunity to be part of this Blog Tour and for the discovery of  a new author and crime series

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Blog Tour ~ The Bone Field by Simon Kernick

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to host today's stop on The Bone Field Blog Tour

The Bone Field is a riveting new thriller which presents a terrifying world of corruption and deadly secrets, where murder is commonplace and nobody is safe.

When the bones of a young woman, Kitty Sinn, who went missing without trace in Thailand in 1990, are discovered in the grounds of a school just outside London, an enduring mystery takes on a whole new twist. Kitty's boyfriend at the time, and the man who reported her missing, comes forward to reveal to DI Ray Mason, of the Met's Homicide Command, that he knows what happened to Kitty and who killed her. But soon he too has been shot dead.

Now the only link to Kitty lies 500 miles away in the Bordeaux countryside where a middle-aged teacher, Charlotte Curtis, lives alone. But Charlotte is in terrible danger, she possesses a single piece of information that will blow Kitty's case wide open. What follows is a desperate hunt for that truth, and with the help of private investigator Tina Boyd, Ray is immersed in a twisted underworld of trafficking, exploitation and pure evil, unlike anything either of them have experienced before.  

Century
12 January 2017

I  am really thrilled to be able to share this character profile for one of the lead characters in The Bone Field ~ Private Investigator Tina Boyd plays a pivotal role in the book.

CHARACTER BIOGRAPHIES. TINA BOYD.

TINA BOYD CV.

Full name: Tina Katherine Boyd 

Born: Southampton, Hampshire. February 1976. One sibling. Brother.

Education: Amery Hill School Alton Hampshire 1987-1992. 

Alton College, Alton Hampshire. 1992-1994.

Swansea University Geography BA hons 2.1 1994-1997

1997-1999 Gap years travelling and working in South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and USA. 

Marital Status: Never married.

Children: None.

CAREER

1999-2013 Metropolitan Police Service.

1999-2001 Uniform Islington Police Station

2001-2006 Islington CID

2006-2007 Resigned and outside the Met

2007-2008 Serious and Organized Crime Agency

2008-2009 Islington CID

2009-2011 DI in Camden Murder Investigation Team

2011-12 Fired from her position and outside the Met. 

2012-13 Reinstated. DC Westminster CID

2013 to present. Licensed private detective based out of Paddington, London.

Nicknamed The Black Widow, because of the way her colleagues in the police force had a way of dying around her, Tina Boyd has had a chequered career in the Metropolitan Police. On the one hand, she’s been directly involved in solving a number of high-profile cases, including the Emma Devern kidnapping (2008) and the Night Creeper serial killings (2010). And of the 39 major investigations she was a part of, or led, between 2001 and 2011, the clear-up rate was 100 percent, making her one of the most successful detectives the Met has ever seen. She’s also been wounded twice in the line of duty – once when she was held hostage by a wanted gangster, Trevor Murk, in 2004, and the second time when she was kidnapped and shot by a former IRA terrorist, Michael Killen (aka Hook). At the same time, Tina’s been the recipient of three separate bravery awards, so she’s not a woman to be trifled with. 

However, controversy’s followed her round her whole career. She’s killed a total of four suspects (although the police only know about three of them). To add fuel to the fire one of those killings was carried out when she was a civilian. Because of the extenuating circumstances surrounding the killings, she’s always avoided prosecution, but is still the only officer in the history of the Met to have been fired and reinstated, not just once but twice. In 2013, she finally burned her bridges for the last time and left the Force to become a private detective. 

For the last two years things have been comparatively quiet for Tina but, as The Bone Field starts, that’s all about to change. 

My thoughts about The Bone Field...

The one thing always guaranteed with a Simon Kernick novel is that within the story there will never be a dull moment, and that most certainly applies to The Bone Field which starts in Thailand with the mysterious disappearance in 1990 of Kitty Sinn. The consequences of Kitty’s disappearance will infiltrate the rest of the story until what is uncovered is an underground web of lies and deceit which have deadly consequences,  not just for those who seek to cover their tracks, but also for those investigators who are hell bent on getting to grips with this complicated mystery.

The Bone Field is one of those intriguing novels that surreptitiously gets under your skin, so that you carry the story around with you, always trying to keep one step ahead of the action and at times unwilling to put the book down for fear of missing something. I enjoyed piecing all the clues together, and believe me there are many pieces of the puzzle to set into place. All is done with the author’s characteristic fine attention to detail and his clever ability to keep the action going at non-stop speed. 

The start of any new series is a process of getting to know the characters who will form the backdrop for much of the action, and in this case we need to focus our attention on the lead investigator Ray Mason an enigmatic protagonist who has had more than his fair share of tragedy, but whose resilience and maverick approach to investigating guarantees that he will never take the easy route. His relationship with private investigator Tina Boyd is rather more complicated which makes it all the more interesting to figure out just where the story will take them as both are multifaceted individuals with their own complex agendas.

The Bone Field starts a new venture for the author as this is his first series of crime novels but with protagonists DI Ray Mason and PI Tina Boyd on board for the duration, I am sure that there will never, as I said at first, be a dull moment for either of them, or us !

Best Read with...A Thai green curry and  an ice cold bottle of Singha Beer..

About the Author

Visit the author's publisher website by clicking here

Follow on Twitter @simonkernick

My thanks to the author for providing this character profile and also to Sam at Penguin Random House for the invitation to be part of this blog tour.

The Bone Field Blog Tour runs between 5th -12th January.

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Review ~ Stasi Child by David Young

Twenty7
Bonnier Publishing
Ebook

East Berlin,1975. Questions are dangerous. Answers can Kill.

Communist East Germany in 1975 was a place of shadows, a time of oppression and deceit, and an uncertain time for police officer, oberleutnant, Karen Müller, who attempts to maintain law and order on the dark streets of East Berlin. When the mutilated body of a young woman is found lying exposed in a city cemetery, Müller and her underleutnant, Werner Tilsner are faced with the difficult task of trying to investigate a killing which seems to throw up more questions than it does answers. When they discover that they will be assisted by Klaus Jäger, Minister for State Security, the level of secrecy and collusion becomes heightened to an, almost, impossible level.

Keeping the dystopian atmosphere of Eastern Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall is a difficult task, as so much during this time, was shrouded in secrecy, however, this debut author does a commendable job of bringing both time and place distinctly alive in the imagination. There is a subtle darkness to the narrative which, in my mind, is entirely in keeping with that of the shadowy world of communist politics. Shrouded in mystery, the central theme of the story works well; it’s atmospheric without being enclosed in too much unnecessary detail and the crispness of the narrative allows the story to move forwards and backwards in time with seamless precision. There are more than enough twists and turns in the plot to keep even the more erudite crime aficionados guessing right until the very end.

And yet, the story is also about so much more than its underlying plot. It’s also about sharply delineated characters that become frighteningly realistic. I was entirely beguiled by Karen Müller, she is as much an enigma as the communist world she inhabits, and I am delighted to learn that this is the first book in a proposed series, where I hope we will learn more about this charismatic and, it must be said, supremely flawed, oberleutnant.

Best enjoyed with ice cold Vodka shots and black coffee chasers...

About the Author

Follow on Twitter @djy_writer

David Young was born near Hull and, after dropping out of a Bristol University science degree, studied Humanities at Bristol Polytechnic. Temporary jobs cleaning ferry toilets and driving a butcher’s van were followed by a career in journalism on provincial newspapers, a London news agency, and international radio and TV newsrooms. He now writes in his garden shed and in his spare time supports Hull City AFC.

Amazon UK

My thanks to Julia Dorrington at Midas PR for my review copy of this book.

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Blog Tour ~ Sewing the Shadows Together by Alison Baillie

I am delighted to be part of the

  Sewing the Shadows Together Blog Tour

and to introduce

Alison Baillie

Alison ~ welcome to Jaffareadstoo........

Without giving too much away – what can you tell us about Sewing the Shadows Together ?

It’s a murder mystery showing how the murder of Shona, more than thirty years ago, has affected the lives of her brother Tom and best friend Sarah. When the convicted killer is proved innocent, suspicion falls on family and friends, and dark family secrets are uncovered before the truth finally comes to light.

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

 My characters really came alive for me as I was writing and I could hear their voices. I found myself listening to them as they sometimes directed the plot. I disliked some of them, felt sorry for others and was glad how it turned out for the main characters in the end. They developed their own personalities as I wrote, but mostly they remained true to the idea I had for them at the beginning.

Which character in the story did you identify with the most? 

I identify most with Sarah, I suppose because she is about the same age as me. Although we are very different because, fortunately, I have never had to suffer the loss of my best friend, and my family situation is not the same as hers, I can empathise with her desire to do everything she can to keep everybody around her happy. 

Are you a plotter...or ...a start writing and see where it takes you, sort of writer?  

I had the idea for Sewing the Shadows Together in my head for more than thirty years before I started writing and, although I hadn’t written anything down, the story felt almost fully-formed as I began writing it. Things did change, though, as the characters took on their own personalities and the story took on its own direction.

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

Definitely – Sewing the Shadows Together is exactly the sort of book I like to read myself – with a strong emphasis on character and relationships, vivid settings and a whodunit mystery with lots of suspects and clues. I like reading mainly Scottish and Scand noir and the books I’ve read have definitely influenced me – too many to mention really, but I really admire Ian Rankin and Henning Mankell.

What’s next?

I’m writing another novel, set in Scotland, Yorkshire and Switzerland. Although the characters are different there is some similarity in them as it’s about the effect of crime on ordinary people and hidden family secrets.

Find Alison on her website
Follow her on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @alisonbailliex

My thoughts about Sewing The Shadows Together

Matador
2015

Thirty years after the murder of his thirteen year old sister Shona, Tom McIver returns to Scotland, from South Africa, ostensibly to bring his dead mother’s ashes back to her beloved homeland. This return visit allows Tom the opportunity to catch up with some old friends at a high school reunion, but meeting his sister Shona’s best friend, Sarah Dunbar, brings back painful memories which Tom had long since buried. Shockingly, during Tom’s visit to Scotland, further information about Shona’s murder comes to light, and new DNA testing reveals that the man imprisoned thirty years ago for Shona’s rape and murder couldn’t possibly be her killer. In light of this new evidence, the investigation is reopened and the search begins again for Shona’s murderer, with disastrous consequences.

What then follows is a well plotted psychological suspense story with a distinct air of family drama. From the start of the book there is much to take in, not just, about the murder investigation and all that entails, but also about the tangled relationships that exist between the main characters. Any return to the past, and a life once led, is always fraught with the danger of reawakening uncomfortable memories, and this story is all about the memories of the past, and about how people are shaped by what has happened to them, whether it be good, or bad. The characters are particularly well thought out and I enjoyed following their progress, and as the cracks in their individual stories start to appear, I had great fun in trying to figure out who had hidden the most secrets. I particularly empathised with Sarah’s dilemma as she struggled to maintain her own sense of self-worth in a family who constantly made demands on her time and who often drained her of energy.

I was surprised to discover that this is the author’s debut novel as she writes with genuine confidence and great style. There is a real sense of time and place and she does a commendable job in weaving together all the strands of the story. The revelations when they come really do take you by surprise, and by the end of the story with all the loose ends knitted together, there is a real sense of completeness about the whole thing. The use of D H Lawrence’s poem The Bat as the book’s epigraph, not only explains the title of the book, but also, alludes to the general feeling of darkness that pervades the story.

I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see what Alison Baillie does next.

My thanks to the author for inviting me to be part of this exciting blog tour.

Links to the other tour hosts can be found here

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Review ~ The Black House by Peter May

Quercus
2011

Detective Inspector Fin Macleod returns to the place of his childhood on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.  After an absence of almost eighteen years, Fin finds the island relatively unchanged, but investigating the unexplained death of one of his childhood friends is never going to be easy, and old secrets, long buried, now threaten to disturb the equilibrium, not just for Fin, but for the whole of the Lewis community.

The story draws you in from the beginning, as the murder mystery, at the centre of the story, is complex and convoluted and there are many elements to consider. The writing throughout is very good, the plot is tight and tense, and no detail is spared and no emotion is left uncovered. The Isle of Lewis, in all its stark and uncompromising beauty comes alive in the imagination. You feel the tension in the air, you walk the same streets as Fin and rediscover the secrets of his childhood and as the story is uncovered piece by piece, you discover almost as much about Fin’s character, as you do about the modus operandi of the killer.

The Black House is the start of the Lewis trilogy of novels which continues Fin Macloed’s love/hate relationship with the Isle of Lewis in - The Lewis Man(2011) and The Chessmen (2012). 

It’s important to note that whilst the books can be read as standalone novels, there is much more enjoyment to be gleaned by following the story from the beginning – believe me ,you won’t be disappointed.

About the Author

The Lewis Trilogy

  

Quercus

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Review ~ The Strings of Murder by Oscar De Muriel

Expected publication
Penguin
February 2015

Inspector Ian Frey is sent from London to investigate, what could potentially be an imitator Ripper murder. Under the cover of a fake department specialising in the occult, Frey arrives in Edinburgh, ostensibly to meet up with his superior officer, Detective‘Nine-Nails’ McGray, who heads up a department dealing with, in Frey’s eyes, supernatural nonsense. From the outset, the derisive banter between Frey and McGray is set to hamper the criminal investigation as neither character has much time for the other. And yet, the series of vile murders which seem to be targeting the musicians of the Conservatoire of Music will test both men’s investigative skills to limit of patience.

As with any new series there is an element of getting to know the major characters, their petty idiosyncrasies and minor peculiarities are explained with just enough detail to sharpen the appetite, and as the story deepens, we start to learn more about Frey and McGray; discovering what makes them act and react the way they do, forms an exciting part of the story.

Combining the best of crime noir with well researched and atmospheric historical fiction, this debut novel captures the very essence of ill fated fortune. The story abounds with gothic gloom and brings the workings of Victorian Edinburgh to life in decadent detail. Both the place and its people  leap off the page with great energy and vigour, which helps to sustain, what is in effect, a very cleverly contrived murder mystery.

I really enjoyed discovering the darker side of Victorian Edinburgh in the company of Frey and McGray, and hope to be able to make their acquaintance again as the series continues.

More about the author

My thanks to Real Readers and Penguin Books for my advance reading copy of this book.

*This book is only due for publication in February 2015*

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