P.L. McMillan's Blog, page 12

Interview with Christi Nogle

Hello and welcome to a special Thursday! As I mentioned on Monday, I did an interview with author Christi Nogle about her debut novel Beulah.

I don’t know if this will end up a regular thing, but I will say that I have a few interviews already lined up so keep an eye out!

You can find my review of Beulah here and Christi Nogle’s website here.

And without further ado, here’s the interview with Christi, where we talk Beulah, ghosts, and writing!

Beulah - Novel Review

Welcome back, dear reader!

I’ve got a special week in store for you! Today, I’ll be posting my review of the book, Beulah, and on Thursday, I’ll be posting the interview I had with the book’s author, Christi Nogle! In the interview, we talk writing, fiction, and deep dive the novel so be sure to check it out!

The Author

Christi Nogle’s works have appeared in fifty publications, including PseudoPod, Escape Pod, Vastarien, and Dark Matter Magazine. Her novel, Beulah, is out now and her first collection, The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future, is coming in early 2023.

Christi loves learning and has studied visual arts as well as writing and literature. After twenty years teaching academic writing at a university, Christi moved on to spend more time focusing on her own fiction and supporting other writers in the horror and speculative writing communities. She enjoys sharing stories and critiques in various writing groups, mentoring and volunteering for writers’ organizations, teaching creative writing workshops, and learning more about editing and promotion. She is also an Associate Editor at the popular horror podcast PseudoPod and coeditor of Mother: Tales of Love and Terror from Weird Little Worlds.

She continues to write short fiction and is working on a new novel, All My Really Good Friends. She also hopes to someday return to painting, which was an obsession for many years. — Christi’s website

You can find Christi on her website or follow her on Twitter.

The Book

Beulah is the story of Georgie, an eighteen-year-old with a talent (or affliction) for seeing ghosts. Georgie and her family have had a hard time since her father died, but she and her mother Gina and sisters Tommy and Stevie are making a new start in the small town of Beulah, Idaho where Gina’s wealthy friend Ellen has set them up to help renovate an old stone schoolhouse. Georgie experiences a variety of disturbances—the town is familiar from dreams and she seems to be experiencing her mother’s memory of the place, not to mention the creepy ghost in the schoolhouse basement—but she is able to maintain, in her own laconic way, until she notices that her little sister Stevie also has the gift. Stevie is in danger from a malevolent ghost, and Georgie tries to help, but soon Georgie is the one in danger. — Beulah Amazon landing page

Beulah is an ethereal, emotional journey of a young woman named Georgie, who struggles to find her place in the world — all the while, trying to get a handle on her strange gift and protect her family at the same time.

The Review

Character-driven and heavy with atmosphere, Beulah pulls the reader into a slow-burning ghost story as surreal as a dream, but rife with brutal moments of harsh reality. Gothic foreboding colours every page of this novel. Be warned though, don’t go into the book expecting standard jump scares and ghouls. The horror in Beulah is as subdued and as insidious as the ghosts that haunt Georgie herself.

It’s hard not to fall into the tale of Georgie, to be swept away by her romanticism, her despair, her desire to be something more, to find her own place in the world. Written in first person, Georgie’s voice and personality are realistic, clear, tragic. Her struggles to find familial approval, to protect her siblings, to find a sense of normalcy while also trying to embrace her gift is a coming-of-age journey that mirrors the struggles so many people go through every day.

I also really enjoyed Christi’s take on the paranormal and of ghosts. It wasn’t anything I ever expected, especially how the novel ends. I wasn’t prepared for how breathless it left me. This is definitely one novel I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

7/10

x PLM

Blood in the Soil, Terror on the Wind Pre-Order is Live!

A bit of a long title there, I know but here we are with some amazing news!

You can now pre-order your copy of Blood in the Soil, Terror on the Wind, which features my horror western, “Suffer No Harm”.

Produced by Brigids Gate Press and edited by Kenneth W. Cain, Blood in the Soil, Terror on the Wind drops August 31, 2022.

Whether in an old weathered mine shaft, somewhere off the beaten path, out in the woods, or right here in the middle of this ghost town, danger awaits. We’re going to take you way back, drop you right smack dab in the middle of the Old West at its finest. But we’re not just going to give you shootouts and bullet wounds and blood splatter. Yes, those things are prominently featured, but there’s so much more to this anthology of western horror.

Maybe it’s a well-known creature popping in for a visit, or some new creepy crawly monster sucking out your soul, we’re going to turn the Old West inside-out and explore its guts to the fullest. There are new adventures to be had, monsters both familiar and unfamiliar to be thwarted… And we’re not always going to be the victors. Life in the Old West is hard, trying at its best, and it can wear you down quick.

So, prepare yourself to be transported back in time. Get yourself up on that rickety stagecoach, draw your guns, and let’s get going. There’s vast territory to cover here, and your journey begins now. — collection description on Brigids Gate Press website

That gorgeous cover was done by Chad Lutzke and the collection is home to eighteen horrifying stories of spine-chilling terror. My story, “Suffer No Harm”centers around the women of the Loose Skirts Saloon, who are always happy to entertain visitors….as long as they are respectful:

“You wonder why Bitterbend has no Sheriff? Sit a spell.” Cecil refilled the Stranger’s glass again. Better the bastard be drunk than dead by the end of the night. “I’ll tell you.”

So get your pre-orders in and say hi to Lady Red when you see her.

x PLM

Cats of the Pacific Northwest: Novella Review

Hello, dear reader!

How is your boiling hot summer going? I’ve definitely not been enjoying the absurd heat.

I think this novella I reviewed will be good for some chills. Now with that segue, onwards!

The Author

J.W. Donley is a Pacific Northwest horror author whose fiction has appeared in Howls from Hell (his story “The Pigeon Lied” was one of my favourite of the bunch!) and Dim Shores Presents: Volume 2. I actually got to meet him at Stokercon! I have known Donley for quite a while online and he was just as friendly and nice as he is online.

I also managed to snag a copy of Cats of the Pacific Northwest and have him sign it!

Growing up he enjoyed R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps books. Later he discovered Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves and authors like Clive Barker and Laird Barron. In July 2021 J.W. published Cats of the Pacific Northwest, a horror chapbook available from your favorite booksellers. — Donley’s website

Besides his fiction writing, Donley also provides publishing services like cover design, book formatting, and more. You can find him on his website, on Twitter, or on Instagram.

The Novella

When Emma suggests a backpacking trip out on the Olympic Penninsula, David jumps at the opportunity to demonstrate his worth. But, once they get out into the wilderness, they are quickly lost. Now they are out of food and beginning to starve, when a strange couple of cats cross their path. — Cats of the Pacific Northwest Amazon page

The Review

"This dark, contemporary fairy tale weaves together Hansel and Gretel, The Blair Witch Project, and Get Out, and to create an unsettling, moving, and haunting story."

—Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration, and Breaker

Populated with cool illustrations, Cats of the Pacific Northwest is a punchy novella that has a heavy grim fairy tale feel. Despite the shorter length, the story is fully fleshed out and the suspense is killer. Fast-paced and with heavy atmosphere, this tale will leave you breathless.

The length of Cats of the Pacific Northwest makes it perfect for a beach read, on your lunch break, or when you want something spooky to read without a time commitment.

So if you like fairy tale aesthetics, the vibe of The Blair Witch Project, or are just looking for a suspenseful, chilling piece of short fiction: check out Cats the of Pacific Northwest.

8/10

x PLM

Below: Novella Review

Hello dearest reader and welcome back to Mondays with PLM. Also known as Book Review Day. I know I just made that up, but it’s canon now.

I honestly didn’t know if I would finish reading in time because I was swamped last week with a big art commission I needed to complete. Whew. It was a busy week and weekend. If you had told me this time a year ago that I would be getting paid for my digital art, I don’t know if I would have believed you.

Anyway, you’re not here to hear me go on about an art commission. You’re here for Mothman!

The Author

A paralegal during the day, Laurel Hightower is a Kentuckian (is that a term? or did I make that up?) horror author whose works include Crossroads, Whispers in the Dark, and Below. Her short fiction has also appeared in What One Wouldn’t Do, Terror in the Trench, and other anthologies. I was actually lucky enough to meet Hightower at Stokercon and get a signed copy of Below. She and I may have made a secret pact of secret things (I may have the picture to prove it) but I shan’t confirm anything.

[Hightower] definitely wants to see a picture of your dog, and often bonds with complete strangers over animal stories. A lifetime reader, she would raid her parents’ bookshelves from an early age, resulting in a number of awkward conversations about things like, “what does getting laid mean?” She loves discovering new favorite authors, and supporting the writing and reading community. — Hightower’s website

You can find Hightower on her website, Twitter, or Instagram.

The Novella

While driving through the mountains of West Virginia during a late-night snowstorm, a recently divorced woman experiences bizarre electrical problems, leaving her with little choice but to place her trust with a charismatic truck driver. But when an unexplainable creature with haunting red eyes gets between them, she is forced to make one of the toughest decisions of her life. Will she abandon the stranger who kept her safe—or will she climb down below, where reality has shapeshifted into a living nightmare? — Below Amazon page

Below follows Addy as she drives through West Virginian mountains, trying to reach friends and a horror convention (haven’t we all been there?) Unfortunately, she is plagued with bad luck. Like really bad bad luck. After a crash and as the temperatures drop, Addy must decide — how far will she go to help a kind stranger?

The Review

This novella grips you right by the throat from the very first page and does not let you go. Addy is a woman trying to find herself again after leaving her overbearing husband and she ends up in a horrific situation that truly tests her mettle. Riddled with suspense, explosions of action, and twists you’ll never see coming — this is one novella you should definitely read.

I mean for one thing: Mothman.

And another: the characters. Addy is a brilliant character, well-rounded and believable. I also enjoyed the complexity Hightower built into her relationship with her ex. Many times, a book will create an abusive ex to really drive it home why the main character had to live them. Addy’s ex wasn’t physically abusive but he was insidious, his behaviour erasing Addy bit by bit. It was terrifyingly realistic because I think a lot of people have been in that kind of relationship — where you don’t realize the other one is a wolf until you find your own self is nearly completely gone. I don’t know if that makes sense. Just know that Hightower’s characters are brilliantly done.

Next: the pacing. This was like a Hollywood action thrill ride. Hightower never lets go. And the twists? Like, I don’t want to sound egotistical but I can usually see a lot coming — whether it be horror movies or books — but I never saw what Hightower had planned. It was like riding a roller coaster. Exhilarating, breathless.

Also, fans of The Descent? You need this book.

Everyone else: you need this book.

10/10

x PLM

Choose or Die: Movie Review

Oh wow, hello. When was the last time I wrote a movie review, huh?

I keep thinking about Hailey Piper’s Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing though (review here). When will that be a movie? Cause I really need that film in my life.

Anyway, onwards:

The Movie

Released April 2022, Choose or Die (formerly titled CURS>R) is a British horror movie directed by Toby Meakins and starring Iola Evans, Asa Butterfield, Robert Englund, and Eddie Marsan.

After firing up a lost 1980s survival horror game, a young coder unleashes a hidden curse that tears reality apart, forcing her to make terrifying decisions and face deadly consequences.

— Choose or Die IMDb page

The film opens on a man named Hal who installs a new game called CURS>R and starts to play, immediately finding that the game has an effect on real life. This intro ends on a brutal note, then jumps to the present with college student, Kayla, who is struggling to pay for her studies and rent. Caught between a rock and a financial hard place, Kayla the CURS>R game, along with a promise of a $125,000 prize, which drives her to try and complete the game.

Of course, it’s not as simple as that and Kayla has to decide how far she is willing to go.

The Review

I was expecting a pretty cheesy movie, since this was based on 80s style text-based adventure games, but instead watched a brutal film about how far someone is willing to go when pushed against a wall.

The character Kayla seems prickly and unlikable at first then, as you learn more about her and see what she goes through in the movie, you start to root for her.

Exploring themes of capitalism, greed, and desperation, the ending will leave you breathless and satisfied (okay, that sounds weird) — though maybe a little disturbed.

There is some gore, but it’s used effectively — interspersed with quiet scenes and moments of psychological terror. This is a film I think a lot of horror fans need to see. It’s fun, it’s chilling, it’s poignant. Watch it now!

9/10

x PLM

SPOILER-LINE!

Don’t continue if you haven’t watched the movie!

One thing I noticed (no idea if it was intentional) is that many of the antagonists/barriers Kayla faces come in the form of white men.

As a woman of colour, Kayla works as a cleaner in an ominous skyscraper which is owned (as it is revealed at the end) by the guy who created the game after discovering he could use certain supernatural properties to sacrifice others and gain money and power.

Then there’s the man who is abusing her mother and Hal, the man at the beginning of the movie, who ends up Kayla’s final boss. Hal sacrificed his family’s health and comfort for his own, controlling them and forcing them to live in a household of fear. Even his own wife begs Kayla to finish him.

Kayla’s friend, Isaac, is the exception. He legitimately helps her achieve her goals — even at the cost of his own life.

I thought it was such an elegant metaphor of the struggles a woman of colour might face in a world dominated by privilege and greed.

And as Kayla completes the challenges, faces her fears, she gains the power that these men had over her, her life, her income, her mom. In the end, she finds the man who made the game and he asks her what she’ll do with that power and she replies that she will punish those who deserve it.

Of course, we as viewers want to believe that will be true as the credits roll. But who knows. Power is corrupting after all.

Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing: Novella Review

Hello, dear reader!

Happy belated Canada Day to my fellow Canuckians! I hope the holiday was full of fun and family.

And happy Firework Weekend to my American friends, who celebrate fireworks by hosting celebrations from Thursday until Tuesday!

Now onto the review! I have kept this review spoiler-free since it is a new release so read on with no worries!

The Author

Hailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, The Worm and His Kings, Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, Benny Rose, the Cannibal King, and The Possession of Natalie Glasgow. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association, with over eighty short stories appearing in Pseudopod, Vastarien, Cast of Wonders, Daily Science Fiction, Dark Matter Magazine, Planet Scumm, Flash Fiction Online, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, and other publications. She lives with her wife in Maryland, where their paranormal research is classified.

— Hailey Piper’s website

Find Hailey through her website, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

The Novella

Published in May 2022, Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing is a sci-fi horror set aboard the M.G. Yellowjacket.

Communications specialist Alto's shift aboard the starship M.G. Yellowjacket turns hellish after waking from a tryst to learn every crewmate has vanished. Worse, a sinister presence has crawled aboard the ship. It's violent, destructive, and it can reach into your thoughts to make you see and feel what it wants.

Anxiety-ridden Alto might be the least-qualified person to face a creature that can hack minds like computers. Only a perilous journey to the ship's bridge can reunite comms specialist with crew and give them a chance to call for help.

But the intruder only scratches the surface of this crisis, and discovering the truth will bring Alto face to face against a nightmare beyond flesh and thought.

— Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing Amazon Page

The Review

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: the horror genre needs more sci-fi horror.

But now I’ll also say: the world needs more Hailey Piper space horror!

Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing starts off fast and keeps you gripped the entire way through. The main character, Alto, wakes up to a ghost ship situation — which is saying something, considering that the Yellowjacket is carrying cargoholds full of corpses and working with a skeleton crew (okay, I’ll stop.)

After that, every page is packed full of suspense and action as Alto tries to figure out what happened on the Yellowjacket and where their crewmates have gone.

But it’s a race against the clock and against the mind-hacking intruders that are slithering around the halls.

Despite the novella length, Hailey masterfully builds a fleshed out world (universe?), with guilds, politics, and industry — all without affecting the tight pacing of her story.

I love the main character, Alto. They are well-rounded, dynamic, and flawed in an oh so relatable way. I could immediately relate to Alto and their struggles as they sought a solution, a way to escape the crawling nightmares haunting the starship, and I couldn’t help but root for them, all the way through to the end.

Dealing with themes of isolation, anxiety, and self-doubt, Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing explores what it means to be human, what it means to be one’s authentic self despite flaws and hurt. It’s beautiful. It’s brutal. It doesn’t let go and the ending leaves you with a bittersweet mix of hope and despair.

10/10

PLM

p.s. (slightly spoilery but not really) I loved the idea of the wraiths. It’s terrible but so realistic that a Merchant Guild wouldn’t be content with crushing just living humans under their mantle of hungry consumerism, but the dead humans as well. Chilling, but genius.

Growth: Collection Review

Hello dearest reader!

Have I got a treat for you! I stumbled upon this author and her collection through Twitter and I am so glad I did! Onwards!

The Author

Elin Olausson is a Swedish horror writer. Her dark fiction has appeared in The Ghastling, Luna Station Quarterly, Nightscript, and other publications. Her debut collection, Growth, was published in June 2022. She also has interviews posted on Ginger Nuts of Horror and Tales From Between.

Elin’s rural childhood made her love and fear the woods, and she firmly believes that a cat is your best companion in life. She lives in Sweden. — Olausson’s website

You can follow Olausson on Twitter and Instagram.

The Collection

Twenty dark tales of psychosocial horror fill the pages of Elin Olausson’s stunningly creepy short story collection debut. Three sisters live isolated in the wilderness, unbothered, until their world shatters with the arrival of a stranger. A young man revisits the childhood home where his sister danced and his mother died. A woman is promised the house of her dreams and goes mad when she doesn’t get it. Two evil teens stand united against the world, until one of them falls in love. In an abandoned asylum in the desert, a girl chants her own name.

— Growth Amazon page description

The Review

As I mentioned before, I stumbled across this collection and author on Twitter. She was kind enough to send me a copy for an honest review and I can confidently say that if you are a fan of eerie horror, of Shirley Jackson, of The Haunting of Bly Manor, you will love Growth — I know I did!

Each story revolves around the theme of family — mothers and sons, brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters. Some stories, like “Roadkill”, are set in a post-apocalyptic world where nothing is as it once was. Some stories, like “Honey, Silk, Gold” are brutal and disturbing.

All the tales are beautifully written with a sense of decadence, despair, and poetry.

Overall, this was one collection where there wasn’t a story I disliked. Of course, there were many that I enjoyed more than others: “Roadkill”, “Uncle”, “Snow White”, “Mother Spook”, and “Honey, Silk, Gold” — each ones of these was striking in its prose and haunting in its themes.

“Snow White” in particular has a truly eerie setting and cast of characters, along with an ending that still has me wondering (in a good way!) This story in particular reminded me of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived In the Castle in tone and imagery.

So if you’re a fan of unforgettable, atmospheric horror, this is a must have collection!

8/10

x PLM

The Incomplete Artist: Novel Review

Welcome back, dear reader!

The temperatures are rising, the sun is bright and brutal, it’s summer! One thing I have been trying to do more is eat healthier. If you follow my Twitter or Instagram, you may have noticed a rise in food pictures! If you have any good recipes, let me know (you can @ me on Twitter or send me a message through my Contact page!)

This is another Blackthorn Book Tours review, so I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I do need to warn you, this review contains some serious spoilers, only because I needed to explain some things in-depth.

So don’t read my review if you don’t want anything spoiled!

The Author

So I looked and looked and Philip Wyeth does not seem to have an author photo anywhere. Not on his website, Instagram, or Facebook.

Inspired by such unique writers as Heinrich von Kleist, Ambrose Bierce, Joseph Conrad, and Len Deighton, Wyeth’s explosive novels will resonate with fans of Philip K. Dick, Harry Harrison, Robert Sheckley, George Orwell, Michel Houellebecq, and Neal Stephenson. — Wyeth’s website

Wyeth is a mystery author whose works include Hot Ash and the Oasis Defect, Reparations Mind, and Reparations USA.

The Novel

In the hi-tech world of 2045, where even artists are threatened by the encroaching tide of automation, a self-proclaimed anachronistic group called Movement 24 both asserts and defends the value of human creativity. But along with popular acclaim come the temptations of greed, and now M-24's idealistic quirks risk crossing over into fanaticism. Or... have they already gone too far?

While Ash explores this peculiar niche of society to track down a killer, she is also forced to confront some of her own worst flaws. Her heart, her mind, and her instincts all vie for center stage in a battle of conflicting priorities—but can the pursuit of truth and justice coexist with personal ambition and the quest for contentment? An intense, complex, and enigmatic heroine, Ashley Westgard is well on her way to earning a place in the pantheon of famous female sleuths.

— The Incomplete Artist Amazon landing page

The second book in a series of mysteries, The Incomplete Artist is a standalone story following Detective Ash as her date to an art auction goes wrong. One interesting thing about the world this is set in is the fact that it’s in a sci-fi future where technology is pretty advanced.

The Review

Just your reminder that there are spoilers beyond this point. You’ve been warned!

I was really excited for this mystery because I love futuristic settings and worlds. I also love a good mystery. Unfortunately The Incomplete Artist fell flat.

To start, the sci-fi elements are rather lacking. There was a lot of potential in this story as Ash meets with some artists who have formed a group to protest robots interfering with the art industry. They argue that robots may paint the perfect painting, but its not art because a robot doesn’t suffer doubt or inspiration. It can only execute a task. As a statement, these artists always leave a blank spot in a painting or a part of a sculpture unfinished, because a robot couldn’t do that. I found that fascinating. I had hoped that maybe the murder would somehow link to that theme. But not so. I won’t spoil the final reveal, but the motive ended up being rather mundane.

Next, not a lot happens in this book. The pacing is completely off and there is no sense of suspense or danger. Ash doesn’t really do much in the way of investigating either. First off, the murder didn’t happen until about 30% of the way into the book. After that, Ash’s efforts to find the murderer is to have three conversations (about art and the world of art, rather than suspects, motives etc), then she asks someone for help, and he tells her to review the film footage she has of the event and look for someone with suspicious facial expressions. Then she finds the killer and goes to the killer’s apartment to find another body, then gets the murderer. Who then confesses everything without so much a lawyer or any sign of defense.

On top of that, Ash is presented as one thirsty cop. She comes on strong with her date, who seems barely interested in her, and at one point, even collapses in lust against him with a gasp when he shows the barest interest.

She can barely concentrate on her work because she is upset that the guy doesn’t return her calls, and then — at the end — it’s just more flirting and nothing to show for it.

Overall, I was disappointed. The lack of suspense, tension, and initiative from the main character made for a bland read. The story had a lot of potential with the world Wyeth established and the technology, but never leverages it. You only see a single robotic bartender at the beginning and that’s it.

I do want to call out that there were a lot of puns in the beginning, which I loved. So call out to Wyeth for also being a lover of puns!

1/10

x PLM

Sing Like A Canary: Novel Review

Hello, hello dearest reader!

I have a lot of projects lined up this summer and I am excited to buckle down and focus a lot more on challenging myself in my artistic pursuits. One big thing was that I was asked to create a portfolio of art for a short fiction collection — my biggest art commission to date!

I’m going to be really busy this summer but I am also excited to see how it all goes.

And, if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should grab a copy of my debut collection What Remains When The Stars Burn Out! It’ll give you a needed chill as the weather heats up, I can promise you that!

Now onto the review! This is another Blackthorn Book Tours review, so I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. And as always, I’ve kept this review spoiler-free for your convenience, dearest reader, don’t go beyond the spoiler-line if you haven’t read it yet!

The Author

Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning novelist whose prolific works include mysteries, psychological thrillers, and horror. Holding a PhD in Western Esotericism from the University of Western Sydney, Blackthorn has also written non-fiction and wrote the world’s only biography of Theosophist and mother of the New Age movement Alice Bailey – Alice A. Bailey: Life & Legacy. Just take a look at her long list of achievements:

The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018. Isobel’s biographical short story ‘Nothing to Declare’ was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. The Legacy of Old Gran Parks is the winner of the Raven Awards 2019. A Prison in the Sun was awarded Finalist in the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards LGBTQ category 2020. And The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey won the Honorable Mention award in the Realistic Fiction category of the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards. — Blackthorn’s website

The Book

Retired police officer Marjorie Pierce is on her way to Lanzarote to track down her old informer, Billy McKenzie. Billy ended Marjorie’s career, and she needs an explanation; an apology.

Present and past soon collide when gangsters Eric and Mick Maloney turn up on the island with revenge in their veins, and Marjorie has to race against the clock to get to Billy before the brothers.

But who is complicit and who can be trusted… and who really betrayed Marjorie all those years ago?

A multi-layered mystery packed with suspense, Sing Like A Canary is the fifth book in Isobel Blackthorn’s Canary Islands Mysteries Series, and can be enjoyed as a standalone even if you haven’t read other books in the series.

— Sing Like a Canary Amazon landing page

One interesting fact I learned about this book is that Blackthorn drew inspiration from her own mother, who worked in London’s Metropolitan police in the 1970s. Check it out:

She was part of a crime squad that nailed a notorious London gang, so notorious books have been written about them and they even feature in course material at the Open University, UK). Of course all of the characters, settings and scenes in my book are completely made up.

The Review

Right off the bat, I can reassure you that this book stands on its own. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but you don’t need to. Obviously I could tell there was some history to the characters, they were all well-rounded and dynamic, but there’s enough context in the book that you don’t feel lost.

Be forewarned, reader, this is a slow burn of a book.

Right away, I got Agatha Christie vibes from the writing — the settings are luscious (I could almost feel the Spanish sun beating down on me), I really enjoyed the strong, realistic females characters in this book (Blackthorn shines a blunt light on the blatant sexism that ran rampant in the British police departments, which her mother no doubt had many stories about)— though I also grew fond of the informant, an avid dog lover and puzzler, and the ending was as unexpected as it was satisfying.

We join Marjorie as she is grieving the loss of her partner and seeking revenge against an old informant. Their story is told in alternating chapters, which are broken up with segments of their past, which slowly reveals the betrayal and secrets between them.

So not only is this a tale of intrigue and crime, but also of grief and remorse.

If you’re looking for a nice, decadent summer read — this is a good option!

7/10

x PLM

You know the drill, partner! This here’s the spoiler-line, so don’t cross ‘less ya wanna be spoiled!

Okay, so one thing that disappointed me was how poor ex-informant Billy dies off-screen. Blackthorn really got me attached to him. He’s a great dog owner, a heavily flawed but remorseful character, and does puzzles! And he just gets taken off on a boat and that’s it!

I guess I would have liked him to have his last word, maybe he says something sassy to his killers or something. Not gone out with a whimper so to speak.

He does, however, get his redemption in the fact that he shouts out an apology to Marj and leaves her his vacation home — which results in her being able to move on a little better and heal from the loss of her partner. She adopts the dog, so don’t worry about that.

But I guess I wanted him to have his final moment. Oh well.