Social Media Blast~ A Body in the Bookshop by Helen Cox

Delighted to be part of this  Social Media Blast

Quercus
19 March 2020

Kitt Hartley #2

My thanks to the publisher for my cop of this book
and the invitation to be part of this social media blast

Librarian Kitt Hartley and her friend Evie Bowes thought their life had gone back to normal after the shocking events of Murder by the Minster. Then DI Malcolm Halloran breaks some bad news: DS Charlotte Banks has been suspended from duty, on suspicion of assaulting the suspect in the burglary of a local bookshop.

Evie wants justice for Charlotte, who she is sure was not the attacker, and how could any self-respecting librarian turn down the chance to find missing rare books? The two friends team up once again to investigate the rarefied world of York's bookshops and antiques dealers and find out just who has framed their friend.

But Kitt and Evie will soon learn that there are some books people will kill for - will this story have a happy ending?

What did I think about it..

Kitt Hartley is most usually found tucked away in the library but occasionally her sleuthing skills are needed and never more so than in this second book in the series which sees Kitt, and her friend, Evie drawn, into a dark mystery which involves none other that DS Charlotte Banks, a police officer who we met in book number one in this cosy crime series. That the same characters are evident in this second book makes this a real coming together of old friends, and I especially enjoy how the author brings them all to life in such a realistic way.

In this latest novel, DS Banks is suspected of the assault of a suspect, and has been arrested and reported to the Professional Standards Department. It is now up to Kitt, Evie, and their old friend DI Malcolm Holloran, to prove Charlotte's innocence. This is easier said than done and, of course, as with all crime fiction, the investigation is never going to be straightforward however, this intrepid group of people are determined to do all they can to prove Charlotte's innocence. It's interesting to see more of Evie and Charlotte's friendship developing alongside that of Kitt and Malcolm Holloran.

The story moves along at an interesting pace and it is entertaining to see that, as in the first book, there is never a dull moment for any of the characters. A Body in the Bookshop is fun, light hearted, cosy crime mystery, and is one of those entertaining crime series which would lend itself perfectly to a Sunday night TV drama.

About the Author

Helen Cox is a Yorkshire-born novelist and poet. After completing her MA in creative writing at the University of York St. John Helen wrote for a range of magazines and websites as well as for TV and radio news. Helen has edited her own independent film magazine and penned three non-fiction books. Her first two novels were published by HarperCollins in 2016. She currently hosts The Poetrygram podcast and works for City Lit, London. Helen’s new series of cosy mysteries stars librarian-turned-sleuth Kitt Hartley, and is set in York. Helen’s Mastermind specialism would be Grease 2 and to this day she adheres to the Pink Lady pledge.

Twitter @Helenography #ABodyintheBookshop

@QuercusBooks

Social Media Blast ~ The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

Quercus
6 February 2020

Ruth Galloway #12

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Everything has changed for Dr Ruth Galloway.

She has a new job, home and partner, and is no longer North Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. Nelson was always sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March confirms this, and offers to show Nelson where the other bodies are buried - but only if Ruth will do the digging.

Curious, but wary, Ruth agrees. March tells Ruth that he killed four more women and that their bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travellers to their deaths.

Is Ivor March himself a lantern man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so crucial to it? And are the killings really over?

What did I think about it..

I'm always beyond excited when a new Ruth Galloway is published and in this #12 book in the series it's been a real pleasure to meet up again with forensic archaeologist Ruth and DCI Harry Nelson as they, once again, try to piece together a complicated mystery which draws on local folklore about the eponymous Lantern Men, whilst at the same trying to bring closure to a mystifying case of a clutch of young women who are missing in suspicious circumstances.

At the start of the novel much has changed for Ruth and her daughter Kate, and I won't spoil the story by revealing too much, but for a time I was a little concerned that this rather big change would mean that the dynamic between Ruth and Harry would be diminished but I needn't have worried as their connection is as strong as ever and, if anything, these changes only add to the undeniable attraction they share. The atmospheric mystery at the heart of the novel is as complex as ever and there are some interesting developments which all add up to a fascinating murder/mystery invest.

The plot is as tight as ever with more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the final reveal. However, I think that the overall strength of this series undoubtedly lies in the way the established characters come to life and those who have followed the series from the beginning will be delighted to see all the old friends returning to do what they do best with their usual fine attention to professional detail.

The Lantern Men is a great read from start to finish. The narrative flows seamlessly and I was so engrossed with the place, the plot and the people I didn’t notice time passing.

Recommended ✅ Definitely, it's a big yes from me, but my advice is to invest in the time to read  this series from the beginning. You won’t be disappointed.

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.

Website

Twitter @ellygriffiths #TheLanternMen

@QuercusBooks

Social Media Blast ~ Murder by the Minster by Helen Cox

✨✨ Delighted to be part of this Social Media Blast ✨✨

Quercus Books
31 October 2019

#1 The Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book and the invitation to this Social Media Blast

Kitt’s quiet life at the Vale of York University library quickly turns upside down when she begins an investigation (armed with detective knowledge absorbed over years of reading Agatha Christie and Ian Rankin) to clear her best friend Evie’s name when she is wrongfully accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend. Kitt soon discovers that the quaint streets of York hold darker secrets than she’d ever dreamed, but what she doesn’t know is that the true murderer is watching her every step.

What did I think about it...

When Kitt's friend, Evie, is arrested for murder it creates a situation in both of their lives which pretty much alters everything they think they know about each other, but one thing Kitt is sure about is that her friend Evie couldn't possibly be a murderer. 

What then follows is Kitt's attempt to exonerate her friend whilst at the same time searching for clues to the real culprit, and that's where Kitt put her detective skills to good years. Years as a librarian, and reading detective fiction, shows Kitt to be more competent than two hapless detectives who are also on the hunt for a killer.

Murder by the Minster is a gentle cozy crime mystery which has some interesting investigative detail but without any gloomy or gory details, although the MO of the killer is pretty grim. I raced through the story, warming to all of the characters, especially Kitt, and her assistant, Grace, and laughed out loud at their interaction with the local psychic, Ruby.

Setting the story in the beautiful historic city of York gave the story a quirky atmosphere and thanks to the author's lovely descriptions I could picture the narrow streets of the city really well. There's a nice old fashioned feel to the novel and whilst there were times when I had to suspend belief at some of Kitt's actions, overall, I thought this was an interesting start to a new cozy crime series and I look forward to meeting up with Kitt Hartley again in future Yorkshire mysteries. 

About the Author

Helen Cox is a Yorkshire-born novelist and poet. After completing her MA in creative writing at the University of York St. John Helen wrote for a range of magazines and websites as well as for TV and radio news Helen has edited her own independent film magazine and penned three non-fiction books as well as two romance novels published by Harper Collins.  She currently hosts The Poetrygram podcast and works for City Lit, London. Helen’s new series of cosy mysteries stars librarian-turned-sleuth Kitt Hartley, and is set in York.

Website

Twitter @helenography #MurderbytheMinster

@QuercusBooks

Amazon UK

Social Blast ~ Tiger by Polly Clark

Riverrun
2 May 2019

My thanks to the publishers and Ana and Katya for the invitation to be part of this social media blast

A mesmerising and epic literary novel set between the wilds of Siberia and the UK about mothers, daughters and the wild side of female nature, from the prize-winning author of Larchfield

Frieda is a primatologist, sensitively attuned to her research of animal behaviour. A violent attack shatters her world and, battling addiction and her fears, she must start afresh at Torbet Zoo as they prepare to welcome their new ward: a magnificent Siberian tiger. 

Tomas is a Russian conservationist, steward of one of the world’s harshest environments, who fears that the natural order of the forest has been toppled. The King tiger has been killed by poachers, and a spectacular tigress now prowls his vast territory. 

In the freezing winter, when all living things compete ruthlessly for survival, the tiger’s path crosses with a native mother and daughter eking out a defiant but perilous existence in the snow-shrouded wilderness. To control her domain, the Undeghe people tell tales of how the tiger must punish every infraction. They bear grudges. They never forget. They will kill those who try and fail to kill them. 

The fourth and final narrative takes the reader deep into the world of the tiger herself. A magnificently immersive reading experience, Tiger plunges the reader into one of the world’s last surviving wild places with blistering authenticity.

Tiger is a bewitching novel that brings together three humans and a tiger (and - soon - legions of enchanted readers) in the snow-smothered Siberian forest. 

My thoughts..

There's such a stark beauty to Tiger, that at times the narrative quite took my breath away, not just because it gets right into the very core of those who survive in the ice of the Siberian wilderness, where this magnificent creature calls home, but also because of the perceptive interpretation of those who are so passionate about animal conservation, to the exclusion of their own safety.

The story follows three characters, Frieda, is a primatologist, who has been damaged by an incident in her past and yet, her unique ability to communicate with animals, will be her salvation. Tomas is a Russian conservationist who coexists with the Siberian tiger in a tough environment which fairly crackles with ice and frost. Edit is an Udeghe huntress whose ability to eke out an existence in an area where the majestic tiger rules supreme makes for absolutely compelling reading.

The author writes beautifully about something she feels so passionate about and her impeccable research into the Siberian tiger truly brings this creature to life in a way that most of us will never get to witness. Getting into the mind-set of this magnificent animal is not an easy task and yet, the chapters which track the bold savagery, and the utter vulnerability, of this big cat is really quite special. Tiger is divided into sections, each one blending quite seamlessly, and yet, they each have a very different atmosphere and bring something completely unique to the story, so that I always felt like I was being given a privileged glimpse into a secretive world.

I devoured Tiger in a couple of reading sessions because I couldn’t put the book down, becoming so engrossed in the story that when I looked up from the page it took me a while to realise that I wasn’t still deep in the freezing temperatures of the snow forests of the Russian Taiga.

About the Author 

Photo credit : Murdo McLeod

Polly Clark was born in Toronto and lives in Helensburgh on Scotland’s West Coast and on a houseboat in London. Her four poetry collections have between them won the Eric Gregory Award, been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize and the Michael Marks Awards, and selected twice as one of the Poetry Book Society’s books of the year. Her first novel Larchfield won the MsLexia Novel Prize and was published in 2017 to critical acclaim. 

Polly has worked as a groom for showjumpers, a volunteer ranger for the Wildfowl Trust and as a zookeeper at Edinburgh Zoo. Whilst at the zoo, she became fascinated by animals that retain their true wildness even in captivity, the greatest of these being the tiger.

Website

Twitter @mspollyclark #TigerBook

@anabooks

@katyaellis_

@riverrunbook

#TigerBook

Live Twitter Q&A with Polly Clark

7th May - 8:00 pm @riverrunbooks

Social Media Blast ~ The Dollmaker by Nina Allen

Riverrun
4 April 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Stitch by perfect stitch, Andrew Garvie makes exquisite dolls in the finest antique style. Like him, they are diminutive but graceful, unique, and with surprising depths. Perhaps that's why he answers the enigmatic personal ad in his collector's magazine.

Letter by letter, Bramber Winters reveals more of her strange, sheltered life in an institution on Bodmin Moor, and the terrible events that put her there as a child. Andrew knows what it is to be trapped, and as they knit closer together, he weaves a curious plan to rescue her.

On his journey through the old towns of England, he reads the fairy tales of Ewa Chaplin--potent, eldritch stories which, like her lifelike dolls, pluck at the edges of reality and thread their way into his mind. When Andrew and Bramber meet at last, they will have a choice--to break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.

My thoughts..

Andrew Garvie has liked dolls ever since he saw Marina Blue sitting in the shop window just before his seventh birthday. And what then started was, for Andrew, a complete obsession with dolls of all shapes and sizes, both antique and modern. When he answers an advert and starts a correspondence with a young woman with the glorious name of Bramber Winters, he realises that he has found a kindred spirit.

What then follows is a really unusual but beautifully atmospheric love story which looks at what it's like to be different in a world which doesn't always understand diversity. Both Andrew and Bramber have their own special difficulties which are sensitively explored and as we discover more about them as people, so the story of the doll maker becomes all the more persuasive.

The Dollmaker is not always an easy read as it's sometimes quite dark, however the lyricism of the writing is convincing, being part fantasy, part magical realism, and always with a tantalising glimpse of a hidden obsessive world in which Andrew and Bramber are the only two participants. I was especially impressed with the way the story is constructed, with chapters which are individually very different and yet, which reveal completely both Andrew and Bramber's stories, and yet, there's also the inclusion of several complete fairy stories by the author Ewa Chaplin, who features somewhat ethereally in the story, but whose influence, nevertheless dominates.

The Dollmaker is quirkily different with a unique style which may not appeal to everyone but which kept me entertained from start to finish.

About the Author

Nina Allen is a novelist and short story writer. Her previous fiction has won several prizes, including the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel, the Novella Award and the Grand Prix de L'Imaginaire for Best Translated Work. She lives and works in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute. The Dollmaker is her third novel.

Twitter #AndrewandBramber

@katyaellis_@anabooks

@riverrunbooks

Twitter and Instagram @QuercusBooks

Social Media Blast ~ Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

✨✨On Publication Day✨✨

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of the Social Media Blast for Finding Dorothy

Quercus
4 April 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book and the opportunity to be part of this social media blast

Hollywood, 1938: As soon as she learns that M-G-M is adapting her late husband’s masterpiece for the screen, seventy-seven-year-old Maud Gage Baum sets about trying to finagle her way onto the set. Nineteen years after Frank’s passing, Maud is the only person who can help the producers stay true to the spirit of the book—because she’s the only one left who knows its secrets.

But the moment she hears Judy Garland rehearsing the first notes of “Over the Rainbow,” Maud recognizes the yearning that defined her own life story, from her youth as a suffragette’s daughter to her coming of age as one of the first women in the Ivy League, from her blossoming romance with Frank to the hardscrabble prairie years that inspired The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Judy reminds Maud of a young girl she cared for and tried to help in South Dakota, a dreamer who never got her happy ending. Now, with the young actress under pressure from the studio as well as her ambitious stage mother, Maud resolves to protect her—the way she tried so hard to protect the real Dorothy.

My thoughts..

There's something special about The Wizard of Oz and whilst I remember being really scared of the wicked witch of the west and her flying monkeys in the MGM movie, I can still recall that magical feeling as Dorothy and her three companions travel along the yellow brick road towards the Land of Oz.

In Finding Dorothy we learn not just about the way the movie evolved some twenty years after the author L.Frank Baum's death, when as an author he was largely forgotten, but also about the relationship between Frank and his wife Maud during their life together. Narrated by Maud Baum we learn of the back story to the author's inspiration for his series of Oz novels and we are also given an all access pass to the 1938 Hollywood set of the movie as Maud goes behind the scenes, desperate to make sure that Dorothy's character is brought to life by the young actress who has the huge responsibility of creating an authentic Dorothy who is true to her husband's vision.

The author has captured time and place perfectly and even if you aren't a fan of the movie the story reads like a wonderfully detailed historical novel. Travelling from the mid-1800s in an America that was on the cusp of great change, to the golden age of the Hollywood movie industry in the late 1930's, when all was not as glittery gold as it seemed on the big screen.

A clever blending of fact and fiction brings Finding Dorothy to life in such a special way that it's difficult to now imagine the movie without the snippets of information I have discovered by reading this lovely story. The yellow brick road was a bumpy ride in many respects but there's no doubt that the Wizard of Oz's lasting legacy of hope and magic will be with us forever.

About the Author

Elizabeth Letts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Eighty-Dollar Champion and The Perfect Horse, which won the PEN Center USA Literary Award for research nonfiction, as well as two previous novels, Quality of Care and Family Planning. She lives in Southern California.

Social Media Blast ~ Village of the Lost Girls by Agustín Martínez

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be part of today's Social Media Blast 

for

Village of the Lost Girls by Agustín Martínez

Quercus
24 January 2019

Village of Lost Girls is a breath-taking missing persons thriller set under the menacing peaks of the Pyrenees. Five years after the disappearance of eleven-year-old Ana and Lucia from the village of Monteperdido, Ana reappears unexpectedly inside a crashed car next to the body of an unknown man. The case immediately reopens and a race against time begins to discover the identity of the dead man and who was behind the girl’s kidnapping. And most importantly, where is Lucia and is she still alive?

My thoughts about it..

Five years ago, best friends, Ana Montrell and Lucía Castán disappeared on their way home from school. For their families and the small village of Monteperdido high in the Spanish Pyrenees life would never be the same and despite a widespread search the eleven year old girls had, quite simply, vanished. And then, miraculously five years later, Ana is found unconscious but alive in the wreckage of a car and the investigation is re-opened. This time around the inquiry is led by a new team of investigators, Inspector Sara Campos and her boss Santiago Bain, from Madrid's head office must go back to the very beginning of the case to look at all of the evidence as they race against time to discover the whereabouts of the other missing girl.

Village of the Lost Girls is a multi layered and intense psychological thriller which looks at the mystery on various levels, from the complexity of the girls’ disappearance five years ago, to the almost impossible task of tracking down the perpetrator in a village which doesn’t give up its secrets easily. The brooding and unforgiving nature of the landscape adds its own mysterious and forbidding presence to the overall darkness of the story.

I really enjoyed this book, and even though it’s quite a hefty read coming at at nearly 500 pages, I fairly rattled through it, trying, and sometimes failing, to keep one step ahead of the investigation. There were several twists which I didn’t see coming and throughout the whole of the story there is a real sense of foreboding which gives the story its dark and creepy edginess.

Beautifully translated into English by the award-winning Frank Wynne, Village of the Lost Girls is an atmospheric and complex thriller which had me guessing from start to finish.

About the Author

Agustín Martínez was born in 1975 and studied Audiovisual Communications in Madrid. Today, he is one of Spain's most renowned screenwriters who has worked on some of the country's most popular crime series. On a holiday trip with his family to the Pyrenees he overheard the locals talking about the case of a missing child. The idea for Village of the Lost Girls, his first novel, was born and has been translated into many languages since.

Twitter @QuercusBooks #VillageoftheLostGirls