1979 by Val McDermid #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the gripping new novel by Val McDermid, 1979.

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She’s on the hunt for a killer story . . .

1979. It’s the winter of discontent, and Allie Burns is chasing her first big scoop. One of few women in the newsroom, she needs something explosive for the boys’ club to take her seriously.

Soon Allie and fellow reporter Danny Sullivan are making powerful enemies with their investigations – and Allie won’t stop there. When she discovers a terrorist threat close to home, she devises a dangerous plan to make her name.

But Allie is a woman in a man’s world . . . and putting a foot wrong could be fatal.

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve been really looking forward to reading 1979 by Val McDermid. I need to read more of Val McDermid’s books, so I was really excited to hear that this was to be the start of a new series featuring journalist, Allie Burns. Having been a reporter herself, in the same time period the novel is set, Val McDermid writes with real authenticity.

Val McDermid brings Allie Burns, and the environment she works in, to life really well. I really liked Allie, and Danny, who she works with. You can see that they get on together well and this comes through in their dialogue. Allie is a journalist who is determined to achieve more, which, for the time period the novel is set in, isn’t an easy thing for her to do, especially as she is working in a male dominated world. She loves the thrill of chasing down bigger stories, and not the mundane ones that may make the reader smile when they read them, such as an unexpected birth on a bus ride. She wants to capture something explosive and that’s what she sets out to do. Soon, she finds herself in the midst of investigating a big story that will have serious ramifications for all those involved.

I did feel, as I was reading, that this was a much more slower paced book, but there is definitely tension when Allie and Danny are actively investigating the story they are intent on chasing down. You can see clearly that they are putting themselves in danger, and it made me wonder just how far they would be willing to go to get a breakthrough. This kept me hooked as I wondered what was going to happen to them. They both work together really well.

What I thought was interesting as well, was learning about what was happening in the political spectrum in Scotland in this time. Allie attends a few meetings hosted by the Scottish National Party as the referendum on devolution fast approaches. This again added to the authenticity of the book. It is an important time in Scotland’s history in this book.

I really enjoyed 1979. I engaged with the characters and their personal stories kept me gripped. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how this series progresses and where Val McDermid takes her characters next.

Publisher: Little Brown

Publication date: 19th August 2021

Print length: 394 pages

1979 is available to buy:

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The Forevers by Chris Whitaker #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the YA debut by Chris Whitaker, The Forevers.

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They knew the end was coming. They saw it ten years back, when it was far enough away in space and time and meaning.
The changes were gradual, and then sudden.

For Mae and her friends, it means navigating a life where action and consequence are no longer related. Where the popular are both trophies and targets. And where petty grudges turn deadlier with each passing day. So, did Abi Manton jump off the cliff or was she pushed? Her death is just the beginning of the end.

With teachers losing control of their students and themselves, and the end rushing toward all of them, it leaves everyone facing the answer to one, simple question…

What would you do if you could get away with anything?

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve had Chris Whitaker’s debut YA novel, The Forevers sitting on my TBR pile for a while now, and I’m so glad that I finally got round to it. I’m a huge fan of Chris’s writing, and although I don’t read much YA, I was intrigued by the synopsis. The rich, diverse cast of characters were so engaging and what I thought Chris did really well is that he made me care for them, right from the first few pages. We can guess what is going to happen to them at the end of the novel, but I wanted to follow their journeys and see how they would progress.

Imagine that you know that you only have a few weeks left to live. The world is on red alert. Ten years ago NASA spots an asteroid on course for our planet, which they name Selena. In Chris’s book, The Forevers, Selena is just a month away from striking our home, which will have catastrophic consequences for life on Earth. What would you do if you knew this information? Would you go out of your way to achieve all you ever wanted to achieve, in such a small space of time? Or would you simply let go of everything and go wild for your last remaining days?

For the teenagers in this story, they have to face the prospect of their own mortality very young in life. When we’re young, many of us think that we’re invincible and that’ll we’ll live forever, I know I certainly did when I was younger. Even though, they all know their fate, there still seems to be an element of normality. They are still going to school. People are still going about their normal daily lives. But as the day of judgement draws closer, emotions run high. Then the body of a young girl is found. It isn’t clear if she deliberately chose to end her life, or if someone else was behind her death. This is what drives the tension in this book. What is going on in this small tight knit community?  

Mae was a very engaging character. She is effectively in charge at home, taking care of her sister and grandmother. She has suffered more than her peers in her short life, having lost her parents at a very young age. You can see how this has made her into the character that she is now.

Chris is brilliant at bringing a small town to life. He has done this in all three of his previous books. He is brilliant at pulling you into his settings.

For me, what was the most powerful part of this book was looking at what drives these young people in their final days. You can see that even though they know they are doomed, that there is still a glimmer of hope. I really enjoyed The Forevers, it is such an engaging read and I flew through it.

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Publication date: 8th July 2021

Print length: 315 pages

The Forevers is available to buy:

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The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett #bookreview #blogtour @JaniceHallett @ViperBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel by Janice Hallett, The Twyford Code. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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It’s time to solve the murder of the century…

Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book by disgraced author Edith Twyford, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. Wanting to know more, he took it to his English teacher Miss Iles, not realising the chain of events that he was setting in motion. Miss Iles became convinced that the book was the key to solving a puzzle, and that a message in secret code ran through all Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Iles disappeared on a class field trip, and Steven has no memory of what happened to her.

Now, out of prison after a long stretch, Steven decides to investigate the mystery that has haunted him for decades. Was Miss Iles murdered? Was she deluded? Or was she right about the code? And is it still in use today?

Desperate to recover his memories and find out what really happened to Miss Iles, Steven revisits the people and places of his childhood. But it soon becomes clear that Edith Twyford wasn’t just a writer of forgotten children’s stories. The Twyford Code has great power, and he isn’t the only one trying to solve it…

MY THOUGHTS

Janice Hallett has become the new queen of the murder mystery novel. I can see why her books are perfect for fans of Agatha Christie. I loved her debut novel The Appeal, so I was so excited to start reading The Twyford Code. The way how she has written both of her books is so original. Her ideas are very cleverly put together, and I love the way how she tells her stories, which make them very unique. The way how she tells them, really does make you think about what is happening in the novel, and it makes for such an entertaining read, especially as I was trying to work out what was going on.

The Twyford Code is told through a series of recordings, produced by ex-prisoner, Steven, who is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to his teacher, Miss Isles, who vanished on a school trip. He believes the answer to her disappearance lies in the pages of a series of novels for children, written by Edith Twyford, a prolific writer who was working for the British in the Second World War. This is where the plot for the novel really becomes intriguing. I wanted to know what it was that Edith Twyford was potentially hiding in the pages of her books. People, who believe that there is a code, believe that she kept an extraordinary secret, and if you followed the clues in her book correctly, you would discover the truth. And there are various different theories of what the secrets in her books may contain.

Janice Hallett does write this book in a different way to how she wrote her debut novel. I really liked the way how she wrote her second book. She manages to heighten the tension as Steven tracks down his former classmates in his attempt to try and discover the truth about what happened to their teacher. I got the feeling that there were people out there who were determined to stop him from getting to the truth. It made me even more intrigued to find out what happened to Miss Isles, and if it was, at all, connected to the hidden code in Edith Twyford’s books.

The Twyford Code is a cleverly constructed novel that kept me utterly gripped. I loved the concept and I thought it was really well done. If you loved Janice Hallett’s first book, you are going to love her second.

Publisher: Viper Books

Publication date: 13th January 2022

Print length: 384 pages

The Twyford Code is available to buy:

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The Village by Caroline Mitchell #bookreview #blogtour

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the chilling new novel by Caroline Mitchell, The Village as pat of the blog tour. With thanks to Rhiannon Morris from FMcM Associates for inviting me to take part.

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Ten years ago, the Harper family disappeared. Their deserted cottage was left with the water running, the television playing cartoons, the oven ready for baking. The doors were locked from the inside.

Overnight, the sleepy village of Nighbrook became notorious as the scene of the unsolved mystery of the decade, an epicentre for ghoulish media speculation.

For crime journalist Naomi, solving the case has turned into an obsession. So now, with Ivy Cottage finally listed for sale, it’s her chance to mount an investigation like no other. And her husband and stepdaughter don’t really need to know what happened in their new home… do they?

But Nighbrook isn’t quite the village she expected. No one wants to talk to her. No one will answer her questions. And as she becomes increasingly uneasy, it’s clear that the villagers are hiding something―that there is something very dark at the heart of this rural idyll. And the deeper she digs, the more it seems her investigation could be more dangerous than she ever imagined… In raking up the secrets of the past, has she made her own family the next target?

MY THOUGHTS

The Village is the new chilling standalone thriller by Caroline Mitchell. It follows crime reporter, Naomi, who has been obsessed with the disappearances of the Harper family, who vanished from the town of Nighbrook ten years earlier without trace. Their disappearance has never been solved despite being a big story nationwide. Naomi’s obsession has taken her to the point of even buying the Harper family home, in the hope of finally solving the mystery of what happened to them.

The Village has a really intriguing premise. When I read the blurb it made me want to find out more about Naomi. I wanted to know what would prompt someone to buy a house where an unexplained crime took place years earlier, just in the hope of solving the case. I wanted to know if there was anything that the police had missed over the years that Naomi might be able to uncover. What secrets was the house hiding?

The villagers aren’t exactly welcoming when Naomi and her family arrive there. They are hostile towards them and this prompted me to think that they were hiding something. I wanted to know what was really going on here, and it made the Harpers disappearance even more intriguing.

I thought Caroline Mitchell explored the relationship between Naomi and her step daughter really well. There is tension there, and as Naomi’s step daughter becomes acquainted with her new life in Nighbrook, she begins to notice that something strange is going on.

There is a chilling atmosphere in the village of Nighbrook, which adds to the sense of mystery. Caroline Mitchell writes this really well. As I was reading, the village, made me think that if I was ever to drive through it by accident, I wouldn’t stop, I would just keep driving as fast as I could.

Fans of Caroline Mitchell’s work will really enjoy The Village. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication date: 18th January 2022

Print length: 303 pages

The Village is available to buy:

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Demon by Matt Wesolowski #bookreview #blogtour @ConcreteKraken @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on the new novel by Matt Wesolowski, Demon as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world.

Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the ‘Demonic Duo’ who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity.

Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act.

And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, and King himself becomes a target of media scrutiny and the public’s ire, it becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun…

MY THOUGHTS

The Six Stories series by Matt Wesolowski continues to go from strength to strength. Demon is the latest addition to the series and if you love a good horror novel, mixed with crime, then you definitely need to read it. In the latest episode, presenter Scott King examines a horrific case which took place in 1995. I could see where some of the inspiration for this story comes from, especially the Jamie Bulger case here in the UK, and it’s what makes this novel all the more chilling and harrowing. It feels like this can happen and that’s what makes it so scary.

Once again, Scott King is taking a look into the supernatural as he tries to understand what happened in 1995, when a young boy is killed by two boys the same age as him. The village in which the crime took place is called Ussalthwaite and it is a village said to be haunted by an evil spirit. There are lots of different stories told by people over the years about this, and I wanted to know more about it. As locals described the events that led up to these hauntings, it did send a shiver up my spine.

I really liked how Matt Wesolowski blended the supernatural and the real world. The way how he describes the supernatural events leaves just enough room open to make you wonder what is really going on here. It doesn’t make you think straight away that this couldn’t happen. This is also what makes the stories that are told so terrifying.

As with the previous books in this series, we hear the story through six podcasts from the show Scott King hosts. This is what I really love about this series. We always have Scott King, who, in his world, has become quite famous, but with each new book, we hear from a cast of new characters as Scott King tries to uncover the real facts behind the case he is investigating. With each episode, you know you are getting closer to the truth and it makes me turn the pages faster as I want to know what really happened in the events Scott is investigating. It’s what makes these books so gripping and I always look forward to the next book in the series. It’s such a clever way of telling a story.

I feel Scott King’s character also continues to develop with each book. He examines quite a lot of dark stories and he really delves deep into the mind-set of the people who were involved. The end of each book does make me wonder what is going on inside his head and what case he will choose to investigate next.

I really enjoyed Demon, it is always a real treat to read a new Six Stories novel. I can’t wait to see where Matt Wesolowski takes the series next.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 26th November 2021 (kindle) 20th January 2022 (paperback)

Print length: 320 pages

Demon is available to buy:

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Left for Dead by Joy Kluver #bookreview #blogtour @JoyKluver @bookouture

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel in the DI Bernadette Noel series by Joy Kluver, Left for Dead.

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The sun is rising over the deserted park. Spring shoots have burst through the frozen ground, framing the woman’s broken body in green and gold. Their surge of relief at finding her alive quickly dissolves into fear: the man who did this is still out there. His next victim might not be so lucky…

The first time Detective Bernadette Noel sees Keira Howard, she is lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life. The police assume that she has become the latest victim in a series of brutal attacks, and after weeks of fruitless searching, they think the evidence found in Keira’s case will finally lead them to their man.

When a suspect is caught the case looks closed, but Bernie isn’t convinced. Keira may have the same markings as the other women, but she doesn’t meet the profile – the random attacker let his victims go. Keira’s attacker had intended to kill. The witnesses – Keira’s closest friends – are all telling different stories, and the discovery that Keira was hiding a secret pregnancy suddenly makes everything a lot more complicated.

When a crucial witness goes missing, Bernie’s gut instinct is proven right – so why won’t her superiors let her investigate? They may have caught a guilty man, but a potential murderer still walks free. Then when their prime suspect is suddenly killed on police watch, Bernie’s situation becomes much more dangerous.

The closer Bernie comes to discovering the truth, the more she is putting her life at risk. And the only people she can rely on to make it out alive might be those she can no longer trust.

MY THOUGHTS

I am really enjoying this series. Left for Dead is the latest book in the DI Bernadette Noel series by Joy Kluver and I really enjoyed getting back together with Bernie and her team. This time around, as well as having a complex case to investigate, Bernie is also pregnant. This has left her with a lot of complex issues in her relationship with her boyfriend, Dougie. Left for Dead makes for a really intriguing addition to the series.

Bernie and her team face another complex investigation when a young woman has been found after being brutally attacked. It sparks fear that there is a serial predator at work here following a spate of similar attacks on women. It becomes a race against time to track down the woman’s attacker.

What I really liked about this book was how Joy Kluver explored Bernie’s relationship with her boyfriend, Dougie. I thought this development in her character was done really well and I was wondering throughout the book how things are going to pan out for them. This made for an intriguing sub plot and now that I’ve read it’s left me wondering what’s to come in the future.

Another character who Joy Kluver introduces us to is Leigh, who is a new member of the team. Leigh has autism and I thought that Joy Kluver explored this well and sensitively in her writing. I think Leigh makes an excellent addition to the books and I’m looking forward to seeing how her character develops further.

I didn’t expect the twist which came at the end and it really drove the tension up a notch as Bernie and her team raced to bring the case to a conclusion. I thought Joy Kluver wrapped the plot up very well.

I’m really hoping that there are more books to come in this series. It really is becoming one of my favourites.

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 10th January 2022

Print length: 395 pages

Left for Dead is available to buy:

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Darkness Falls by Robert Bryndza #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the gripping new novel in the Kate Marshall series by Robert Bryndza, Darkness Falls.

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Kate Marshall’s detective agency takes off when she and her partner Tristan are hired to investigate a cold case from over a decade ago. Twelve years previously, a determined young journalist called Joanna Duncan exposed a political scandal that had major repercussions. In the fallout she disappeared without trace and was never found.

When Kate and Tristan examine the case files, they find the trail long cold, but they discover the names of two young men who also vanished at that time. As she begins to connect their last days, Kate realizes that Joanna may have been onto something far more sinister than anyone first believed: the identity of a serial killer preying on the people who few will ever miss.

But the closer Kate comes to finding the killer, the darker things become . . .

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge fan of Robert Bryndza’s writing and I couldn’t wait to start reading Darkness Falls, the latest book in his Kate Marshall series. Kate is a character with a really intriguing backstory. A former police officer, she has now set up a private detective agency with her business partner Tristan, and in Darkness Falls, they are working on their first major case. And Kate knows how important this first case will be to them, if their business is to succeed.

Robert Bryndza’s books are always really gripping. The dialogue in Robert Bryndza’s writing is always engaging and it pulls you into the story. After the previous cases Kate has worked on have hit the headlines, she is contacted by a woman whose daughter, Joanna more than a decade ago. The case has never been solved and Joanna’s body has never been found. Kate and Tristan are determined to find out what happened to her daughter and bring closure to her family. But as they begin to investigate, the case becomes far more complex than they thought it would. And soon they begin to realise that Joanna’s disappearance might be connected to a series of other murders.

There is a lot of tension in this book which I loved and it’s what makes it an unputdownable read. This is the type of book that you can read in a couple of hours. The case begins to get even more intriguing and it felt as though Kate and Tristan were putting themselves very close to danger. The final revelations floored me as Robert Bryndza revealed the truth. I hadn’t been expecting that revelation at all.

I really like the friendship that Kate and Tristan have. It feels like there is more between them then just simply a business relationship, they feel like they both come from the same family, and this is what really makes them such engaging characters.

The Kate Marshall series is one of my favourites in the crime fiction genre. I can’t wait to see where Robert Bryndza takes this series next. 

Publisher: Sphere

Publication date: 7th December 2021

Print length: 305 pages

Darkness Falls is available to buy:

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Murder at the Castle by Lisa Cutts #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the second book in the Belinda Penshurst series by Lisa Cutts, Murder at the Castle.

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When the star guest collapses at a wine tasting, it seems someone has a taste for murder. Fortunately, amateur sleuth Belinda Penshurst was at the event – and now she’s on the case!

Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, and its charming, peaceful ways. So when wine critic Sadie Oppenshaw dies at a tasting Belinda organised, she immediately turns detective to uncover the poisoner…

Accompanied by retired detective Harry Powell and her boisterous Labrador Horatio, Belinda sets out to investigate the world of wine. There are scandals brewing everywhere… but do the local DIY enthusiasts have a deadly vendetta, or did Sadie’s reviews cause a resentful restaurant owner to kill?

When another of the guests at the wine tasting is found poisoned, it becomes clear the killer is only just getting started. Can Belinda crack the case and open the champagne, before the murderer catches up with her?

MY THOUGHTS

I’m really enjoying this series by Lisa Cutts. Belinda Penshurst and former cop Harry Powell are back with another intriguing mystery to solve. At a wine tasting event at Belinda’s home, famous wine critic, Sadie Oppenshaw, ends up dead, speculating concerns that she has been murdered. Belinda wastes no time in dragging Harry into the case with her again. Once again she is determined to solve the mystery and catch the killer.

I really grew to like Belinda and Harry in the first book in this series, and I really enjoyed catching up with them again in Murder at the Castle. The castle provides a splendid location for a murder scene, and it adds to the sense of mystery. This is Belinda’s home, and I wanted to find out who had managed to gain access and murder Sadie. Was it someone who had been invited to the wine tasting? Someone who Belinda knows? It becomes clear, that through Sadie’s profession, she has garnered a few enemies, and I was wondering if any of them would go out of their way to murder her. Belinda and Harry certainly aren’t short of a list of suspects to investigate. Lisa Cutts certainly doesn’t make it easy for the reader to work out who was behind the murder.

Lisa Cutts also explores Belinda and Harry’s relationship further in this book. Belinda has a lot of self-confidence and isn’t afraid to go after potential suspects, and investigate leads on her own. I also really like the humour that there is between them, and especially Harry’s dry wit, which had me laughing out loud in some places as I was reading. In some places his humour does begin to get on Belinda’s nerves, and this does create a little bit of tension between them.

I’m still not quite sure where Belinda and Harry’s relationship will go next. There is definitely an attraction there between them, so I’m interested to see where Lisa Cutts takes this further.

This is a series I’m sure I will keep coming back to. I love Belinda and Harry, and I can’t wait to see what Lisa Cutts has in store for them next. If you’re a fan of cosy crime, then you really must give these books a go.

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 8th December 2021

Print length: 274 pages

Murder at the Castle is available to buy:

Amazon UK

Blood for Blood by Victoria Selman #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on Blood for Blood, the gripping novel by Victoria Selman.

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Ziba Mackenzie profiles killers. Now one is profiling her.

Rush hour, London. A packed commuter train is torn apart in a collision. Picking through the carnage, ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie helps a dying woman who passes on a cryptic message: He did it. You have to tell someone.

When a corpse is found bearing the gruesome signature of a serial killer dormant for twenty-five years, Ziba is pulled into the hunt for the perpetrator. As the body count rises it becomes clear he’s on a new spree. But what’s brought the London Lacerator back after such a long hiatus? And does his sudden return have anything to do with the woman on the train?

Ziba scrambles to profile the killer in the hope of predicting his next move. But time is running out. And the closer she gets to uncovering his identity, the closer he gets to destroying hers.

MY THOUGHTS

If you love a good serial killer thriller, you need to add Blood for Blood, by Victoria Selman to your TBR pile, if you haven’t read it already. This is such a pacy, addictive read, and I was hooked right from the first page. I really wish that I got round to reading it sooner.

Victoria Selman is a writer who knows how to hook her readers in right from the first chapter. There is an explosive opening when profiler, Ziba Mackenzie, is involved in a train crash after the train she is on derails. Even after the horrifying train accident, Ziba wastes no time in getting back to work, and she is soon on the hunt for a terrifying serial killer, who has been on a long hiatus. He has suddenly come back into the spotlight.

Victoria Selman kept the pace flying forward and I had to know what was going on here. As Ziba gets to grips with the case, Victoria Selman also delves into the mind of an intriguing mystery voice, a young boy. It is clear that the boy is going through something traumatic, and I wondered what impact these scenes would have on the events taking place in the present. There are some tough topics that Victoria Selman explores in this book, which makes it a very dark read.

I loved Ziba’s character. Victoria Selman writes humour really well, and I thought this did well in bringing Ziba’s character to life on the page. This was especially the case with the interaction she has with her colleagues.

The plot is so cleverly constructed and I liked how Victoria Selman gradually revealed what was going on. Everything did begin to become very clear, and I could see the real significance of the first chapter.

I really enjoyed Blood for Blood. It is an engaging and a highly addictive serial killer thriller. I’m now going to be bumping the next book in the series, high up my TBR pile. I can’t wait to read it.

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication date: 1st February 2019

Print length: 349 pages

Blood for Blood is available to buy:

Amazon UK