Sarah Ward's Blog, page 8
September 8, 2017
Giveaway week – A Patient Fury Day #5
[image error]It’s the final day of the giveaway week to celebrate the publication of A Patient Fury. I occasionally review classic crime on Crimepieces and collect the green vintage penguins. A picture of one of my bookcases in on the right. [image error]Inevitably, despite keeping a list of my collection, I often end up with duplicates. I’m giving away five classic Penguins in today’s competition written by Wilkie Collins, Simenon, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle and Margery Allingham.
For aficionados the complete list is:
Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie (no.685)
Mystery Mile by Margey Allingham (no.761)
The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (no.805)
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (no.1072)
The Hatters Ghost’s by George Simenon (no. 1456)
As with the previous days, to enter the giveaway, all you need to do is ‘like’ my Facebook page
and sign-up to my newsletter below.
That’s it! If you’ve already signed up to receive my newsletter, then simply leave a comment below telling me who your favourite classic crime author is.
The competition will be open until tonight Friday evening (the 8th) at 6pm BST when I’ll be drawing ALL the winners for the week and I’ll announce them here. The competition is open to entries worldwide. Good luck and don’t forget to check out the previous competitions this week.
Thanks to everyone who’s taken part this week and made publication so memorable.
September 7, 2017
Giveaway week – A Patient Fury Day #4
[image error]Today is hardback publication day of A Patient Fury. There’s nothing like having a physical book in your hands and it was very exciting to open the box sent to me by my publishers, Faber and Faber. A Patient Fury is the story of a deadly house fire in Derbyshire and a mother believed responsible for killing her entire family. However, there appears to be fourth figure in the shadows. Could the disappearance of Elizabeth Winson in 1980 have anything to do the murder of her husband’s new family?
[image error]To celebrate, I’m giving away two hardback sets of my books: one for a UK reader and the other for a reader outside the UK.
As with the previous days, to enter the giveaway, all you need to do is ‘like’ my Facebook page
and sign-up to my newsletter below.
That’s it! If you’ve already signed up to receive my newsletter, then simply leave a comment below telling me who your favourite British crime author is.
The competition will be open until Friday evening (the 8th) at 6pm BST when I’ll be drawing ALL the winners for the week and I’ll announce them here. The competition is open to entries worldwide. Good luck and don’t forget to check out the previous competitions this week. Here’s a glimpse of what’s coming tomorrow.
September 6, 2017
Giveaway week – A Patient Fury Day #3
[image error]Regular readers of this blog will know I’m a big fan of translated crime fiction and Nordic noir in particular. Today, to celebrate the publication of A Patient Fury, I’m giving away a set of the Martin Beck books by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. Published between 1965 and 1975, the books have been a huge influence on many writers. This edition has introductions from authors such as Henning Mankell and Colin Dexter and when placed together spell the name of their detective across the spine. It’s a lovely set and a duplicate of the ones I already have. I’ll also throw in a packet of Scandi chocolates for liquorice fans.
We’ve just opened entires for the 2018 Petrona Award for Translated Scandinavian Crime Fiction and I’m looking forward to reading the entries.
As with the previous days, to enter the giveaway, all you need to do is ‘like’ my Facebook page
and sign-up to my newsletter below.
That’s it! If you’ve already signed up to receive my newsletter, then simply leave a comment below telling me who your favourite Nordic author is.
The competition will be open until Friday evening (the 8th) at 6pm BST when I’ll be drawing ALL the winners for the week and I’ll announce them here. The competition is open to entries worldwide. Good luck and here’s a glimpse of what’s on offer for the rest of the week:
Thursday
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Friday
September 5, 2017
Giveaway week – A Patient Fury Day #2
[image error]The e-book of A Patient Fury is out today!
To celebrate, I’m giving away the audio books of my first two DC Childs novels In Bitter Chill and A Deadly Thaw. Whole Story Audio at F W Howse have kindly donated the CDs for this competition and thanks to the lovely Ellis Moore for arranging for this. Audio books are becoming increasingly popular, I’m a big fan and listen to my favourite authors when I’m pottering around the house.
As yesterday, to enter the giveaway, all you need to do is ‘like’ my Facebook page
and sign-up to my newsletter below.
That’s it! If you’ve already signed up to receive my newsletter, then simply leave a comment below telling me what your favourite audio book is.
The competition will be open until Friday evening (the 8th) at 6pm BST when I’ll be drawing ALL the winners for the week and I’ll announce them here. The competition is open to entries worldwide. Good luck and here’s a glimpse of what’s on offer for the rest of the week:
Wednesday
Thursday
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Friday
Review: Glass Houses by Louise Penny
[image error]Like Donna Leon whose latest book, Earthly Remains, I reviewed earlier this year, Louise Penny is an author admired by both writers and readers alike who I’d never read. Glass Houses is the thirteenth book in her series featuring Chief Inspector Ganache and I was interested to see see how I’d get on with a series admired by Ann Cleeves and Peter James.
Gamache is living in Three Pines where a mysterious figure appears on the village green one November day, alarming residents who link it to the appearance of a historic cobrador who is seen when a debt is about to be collected. The discovery of a body in a church basement means Ganache is forced to investigate this local crime and face the trial of the accused.
[image error]The structure of Glass Houses is interesting as it begins in a courtroom on a hot July day where Ganache is giving evidence about the case. As a new reader to Penney, I was slightly disorientated at first as we dive straight in to both the background to the murder and the personality of Gamache. However, it’s a clever plot device and as Gamache recounts the tale, I became immersed in the story which is excellent, incorporating elects of both Three Pines’ history and modern day policing.
Penney writes beautifully and I can see that the comparisons to PD James aren’t superfluous not least for the wonderful descriptive prose. I’m just sorry that I came to this series so late and hope to catch up with earlier books soon.
Review: Glass Houses by Louise Penney
[image error]Like Donna Leon whose latest book, Earthly Remains, I reviewed earlier this year, Louise Penny is an author admired by both writers and readers alike who I’d never read. Glass Houses is the thirteenth book in her series featuring Chief Inspector Ganache and I was interested to see see how I’d get on with a series admired by Ann Cleeves and Peter James.
Gamache is living in Three Pines where a mysterious figure appears on the village green one November day, alarming residents who link it to the appearance of a historic cobrador who is seen when a debt is about to be collected. The discovery of a body in a church basement means Ganache is forced to investigate this local crime and face the trial of the accused.
[image error]The structure of Glass Houses is interesting as it begins in a courtroom on a hot July day where Ganache is giving evidence about the case. As a new reader to Penney, I was slightly disorientated at first as we dive straight in to both the background to the murder and the personality of Gamache. However, it’s a clever plot device and as Gamache recounts the tale, I became immersed in the story which is excellent, incorporating elects of both Three Pines’ history and modern day policing.
Penney writes beautifully and I can see that the comparisons to PD James aren’t superfluous not least for the wonderful descriptive prose. I’m just sorry that I came to this series so late and hope to catch up with earlier books soon.
September 4, 2017
Giveaway week – A Patient Fury Day #1
It’s publication week for my new crime novel, A Patient Fury. It comes out in e-book tomorrow and hardback on Thursday. To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway each day until Friday of various books connected to my reviews and writing including, of course, my own novels. I’ll still be posting my reviews – I have one coming tomorrow but I though it’d be nice to celebrate too.
[image error]Today, as promised, I’m giving away a bundle of four proofs that I reviewed last week.The books are published in 2018 so the lucky winner will get early sight of these excellent crime novels by Eva Dolan, Cara Hunter, Roz Watkins and Karen Ellis. Today’s giveaway is to celebrate book reviewers who do a sterling job to promote authors and reading in general. It’s the start of the blog tour for A Patient Fury today and I’m very grateful for the support of the bloggers involved. I’ll be posting the reviews on my Facebook page.
To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is ‘like’ my Facebook page
and sign-up to my newsletter below.
That’s it! If you already receive my newsletter, then simply leave a comment below telling me what your favourite read of 2017 is so far.
The competition will be open until Friday evening (the 8th) at 6pm BST when I’ll be drawing ALL the winners for the week and I’ll announce them here. The competition is open to entries worldwide. Good luck and here’s a glimpse of what’s on offer for the rest of the week:
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
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Friday
September 3, 2017
Classic Crime Review: Alias Basil Willing by Helen McCloy
[image error]When I spoke about Elizabeth Daly at Bodies from the Library in June, a fellow speaker, Christine Poulson, suggested I try Helen McCloy who writes in a similar vein to Daly. I already had Alias Basil Willing on my shelf, number 1251 in my vintage Penguin collection and I’ve been reading it over the last couple of days.
The book has an intriguing if unlikely premise. Psychiatrist Dr Basil Willing leaves a New York tobacconist at the same tine as a man who has rushed in to buy his favourite brand of cigarettes. The man hails a taxi and while giving instructions to the driver proclaims ‘I am Basil Willing.’ The real Willing, of course, follows the taxi which leads him to a three-story house in a shabby street furnished with unexpected luxury by its owner Doctor Zimmer, a fellow psychiatrist. The cast of characters (and suspects) are introduced as Willing mingles amongst them during which the fake Willing’s deception is exposed. Before he can explain the circumstances of the alias, however, he dies from an overdose of codeine.
Basil Willing is clearly a series detective but it’s a mark of McCloy’s skill that I was able to pick up his back story fairly quickly although as a protagonist I’m not sure I completely warmed to him. There’s a devilish heart to the plot though which reflects its post war setting which considers the treatment of those a burden to their husbands, children and other family members. The final part of the book left me chilled which rarely happens with modern psychological thrillers.
[image error]Like Daly, McCloy is excellent at depicting New York polite society and the endemic boredom which encourages drug taking and excessive alcohol. I was impressed by the fact the police didn’t appear too stupid here and the psychiatry explanations were done with a light touch which means they’re not too old-fashioned for the modern reader. I think this is the only Penguin edition of McCloy’s books but they’re available on kindle and well worth a read for the intelligent writing and strong plot.
August 29, 2017
Books to look out for in 2018
One of the nicest things about being a reviewer is early copies of books from your favourite author or promising new writers. This doesn’t mean I don’t have to buy books any more. The titles sent to me by publishers are very welcome but I also spend a significant amount of time in bookshops and find it impossible to leave empty handed. I’m fortunate enough to have a partner whose addiction to books is worse than mine or at least on a par. Since becoming a published writer, I’ve also been lucky enough to get very early sight of books either to give a quote or an advance review on Crimepieces. This summer has yielded a bumper crop and, although they’re not out for at least six months, I thought you’d like to hear about some exciting reads which are coming in early 2018.
[image error]My most recent read was by the excellent Eva Dolan. I’m a big fan of her writing and have reviewed a few titles here from her Zigic and Ferreira series. Eva has recently moved to Raven Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury and they are publishing her standalone, This is How it Ends, in January 2018. I could tell from the first page that I was going to love it. Eva’s writing is exquisite and she evokes a setting with such accuracy. This is How it Ends is a story of two women living in a near empty building who attempt to hide the body of a dead man in a lift shaft. It’s bold and compelling and I’m sure will bring Dolan a legion of new fans.
[image error]Cara Hunter is a writer whose debut, Close to Home, is also published in January 2018. It’s a police procedural set in Oxford which, of course, for crime fiction fans conjures up images of Morse. Hunter has cleverly provided a modern twist to this police procedural combining both investigators and family points of view to tell the story of a child who disappears from a party. It makes for an unsettling read and I found myself turning the pages, desperate to uncover the truth about Daisy Mason’s disappearance.
[image error]Roz Watkins is based near me in the Peak District and her debut novel, The Devil’s Dice, is out in March next year. She perfectly captures the Peak setting and incorporates elements of both the landscape and its interesting history. The cover has yet to be revealed, the picture on the left is of an early proof produced for the Derby Book Festival, but it has a clever and compelling plot which I loved.
[image error]Finally, A Map of the Dark, is coming in January 2018, from Hodder Books. Written by Karen Ellis, it’s the story of FBI Agent Elsa Myers who investigates the disappearance of a missing girl while fighting her own demons from her childhood. It’s an unsettling and dark read and I loved the character of Elsa. Ellis strikes perfectly a balance between believability and originality and I’m sure this book will be a great success.
So that’s some of the books that I’ve been reading over the summer. I’m sorry that you’ll have to wait until next year to read them for yourselves but you’re in for a treat. The good news, however, is that I’m having five days of giveaways for the launch of A Patient Fury next week and this bundle will be a prize on the 4th September. It’ll be a chance to get the word out about these excellent books. More details soon.
August 20, 2017
Review: Chris Ewan – The Good Thief’s Guide to Paris
[image error]Chris Ewan has just released new editions of his Good Thief guides. Five titles take his thriller writer and house breaker protagonist, Charlie Howard, around the cities of Amsterdam, Paris, Las Vegas, Venice and Berlin. I’m a big fan of Ewan’s writing but hadn’t read any of this particular series. I downloaded the book set in the place I know the best, Paris, and set about discovering the city through the eyes of a man who sees buildings primarily as challenges to his lock-picking skills.
The opening of The Good Thief’s Guide to Paris sets the tone for the rest of the book which successfully mixes light hearted humour with tense, dramatic moments. Howard gives a reading at the famous Paris Lights bookstore but confuses the audience as he doesn’t look like the fake image that he uses on the cover of his books. He’s asked to break into a man’s apartment to demonstrate his lock picking skills but discovers the flat belongs to someone else. When he’s later asked to steal a picture from the same apartment, he’s intrigued by the fact the painting has already disappeared but a dead body in his own home and attempts by his agent to force a meeting send him on the run.
The character of Charlie Howard successfully drives the narrative of this enjoyable thriller and I found myself warming to him from the beginning. I’m fascinated by buildings and I’ve often wonder how easy apartments are to break into. Relatively easy it seems from this book. Regular readers of Crimepieces will know I love classic crime and Raffles is one of my favourite series. There’s some of Raffles in Charlie Howard which makes him a likeable rogue but his adventures were augmented by a strong and twisty plot.
With their lovely new covers, and holiday season still with us, these books are a perfect accompaniment to your travels.
