Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 11

Murder in the Lakes (Melody Harper detective mysteries) by Rachel Amphlett promo tour

A wedding, a missing fiancée, and a murder – Melody Harper is about to discover just how dangerous “I do” can be…

Fledgling private detective Melody Harper is down on her luck and nursing a black eye when she’s approached by a new client who believes her daughter is in danger.

There’s a wedding next weekend, and the client’s daughter is the bride. Except Melody’s client hasn’t told her the whole truth – the groom’s last fiancée seems to have disappeared, and nobody has any answers.

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Now tasked with going undercover to protect the bride-to-be, Melody finds herself out of her comfort zone and on an outdoor adventure weekend in the Lake District with the hen party.

After narrowly escaping death in a climbing accident, Melody’s detective skills are tested to the limit when one of the bridesmaids is murdered – and time is running out.

This is her biggest investigation to date, but will Melody even survive long enough to unmask the killer and protect the bride?Murder in the Lakes is a page-turning murder mystery from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett and perfect for readers who love amateur sleuths and deadly crimes.

Here is an exclusive extract of the book. See below for links to buy:

Chapter One

It’s never a good start to the day when the daughter of one of your clients leans across your desk and slaps you in the face.

She had a mean left hook on her too, helped somewhat by the platinum engagement ring that she’d only thought to remove after she’d hit me, before throwing it onto the carpet on her way out.

It helped – a little – that my client managed to hold back her smug look of satisfaction until after her daughter had stormed out of the office, slamming the door in her wake.

‘I knew he was trouble, Melody,’ she said. ‘I told you.’

I stumbled around my desk, bent down to pick up the ring and handed it to Heather McAdams. ‘Perhaps hang on to this,’ I suggested. ‘I’m presuming he’ll want it back. Or you can sell it.’

I moved to the mini refrigerator under the window, cracked open the door and pulled out an ice pack. 

I guess it shows how often this happens to me that I have one prepared. 

I held the door to stop it swinging open. I didn’t need my client to see the case of beer that Charlie had left in there on his last visit. 

I held the ice pack to my cheek as I made my way back to my chair and somehow managed to sit down and look my client in the eye without losing my composure. My eyes stung, and I was going to have a bruise, that much was for sure.

Mrs McAdams only realised now how hard her daughter had slugged me, and that maybe I wasn’t happy about it.

‘Are you all right?’ she said.

I glared at her. I had a sneaking suspicion her question was brought on by a sudden thought that her daughter might get sued for assault, rather than any concern for my welfare, and whether she should make a speedy phone call to the family solicitor.

‘I’m fine,’ I replied. ‘I’ll print out my invoice for you. I accept payment by card only.’

She looked taken aback for a moment, seemed to debate whether to ask if she could pay on account, and then thought better of it.

I ignored her and turned my attention to the computer screen instead. The system allowed me to automatically check off each service provided. I spitefully added an extra thirty pounds miscellaneous line item for the ice pack, hit the “print” button and then slid the still-warm invoice across the desk to Mrs McAdams.

‘Oh, my,’ she said, as she ran her manicured fingernail down the page. ‘This is rather more than I expected.’

‘A copy of my expenses is on the second page,’ I said, jutting out my chin. ‘I’m sure you’ll find everything is in order. You’ll appreciate that I do provide a rather exclusive service.’

She looked flustered. ‘I wasn’t implying—’

I raised an eyebrow.

She lowered her gaze in response and flicked over the page instead. 

I drummed my fingers on the desk while she read through the numbers. Such a sign of impatience always annoyed the hell out of me when people did that anywhere within a mile radius of me, so I was banking on it getting on her nerves and that she’d hurry up and pay, then leave me in peace.

Sure enough, she flicked the page over with an exasperated sigh, then handed over her credit card.

It was from one of the larger banks, the word “platinum” embossed across the front of it with a sparkly finish that glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window.

A car horn honked somewhere beyond the double-glazed panes, followed in quick succession by a higher pitched beep and a stream of colourful swearing.

I swiped Heather McAdams’s credit card across the handheld reader and handed it back to her, then used a large rubber stamp to punch the word “Paid” across the top of the invoice. 

And yes, I pretended I was stamping her daughter’s face with it before I released the spring mechanism.

‘Thank you,’ I said, and stood to show her the way out, dumping the ice pack on the desk. ‘If you know of anyone else that would be in need of my services, please give them this.’ 

I handed over a business card.

Heather McAdams took it between her forefinger and thumb as if it was infected with weaponised smallpox and wrinkled her nose. ‘I’d best go and find out where Charlotte is,’ she sniffed.

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT  for inviting me to be part of this promo tour.

Buy Links
If you buy direct from Rachel’s website shop you’ll receive your eBook two days earlier than the retail publication date. That means you’ll get it on 7 June – the retail / real publication date will be 9 June.
Click to buy www.rachelamphlett.com

Available on Amazon on publication day 9th June
www.amazon.co.uk

Goodreads
www.goodreads.com

About the Author

Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant. She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins. A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

You can find out more about Rachel and her books at www.rachelamphlett.com.

Rachel’s Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelamphlett.author
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelamphlett/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rachelamphlett.bsky.social
Website: https://www.rachelamphlett.com/

Killing Lily by Jillian Gardner

Demons of the past aren’t easily left behind…

At Sunnyside, women serve in silence. Mae—an outspoken, rebellious outcast—has a penchant for getting in trouble. Her only ally is Lily, the perfect follower. When their husband dies and the cult’s new leader claims Lily as his bride, the facade of peace crumbles. Mysterious deaths haunt the commune, and Mae’s attempts to protect Lily only get her banished to the woods, leaving Lily vulnerable without her protection.

Faced with a heartbreaking choice, Mae makes a desperate decision the night before Lily’s wedding and escapes the cult. But the past clings to her like a shadow. Heartbroken and alone, Mae meets Charlotte, a true-crime podcaster obsessed with uncovering the dark secrets of Sunnyside. Charlotte offers Mae a chance to start over, but only if she’s willing to talk.

As Mae begins to reveal the cult’s sinister secrets, she comes dangerously close to admitting the truth about what happened the night she fled—something far more twisted than anyone can possibly imagine. And it’s only a matter of time before the past catches up to her and she’s forced to confront the nightmare she thought she’d left behind…

My Review

Killing Lily was absolutely brilliant. I love anything to do with cults and this certainly did not disappoint. It has always fascinated me how people get sucked in, but for Mae and Lily, they were born at Sunnyside, so didn’t know anything about life ‘outside’. That is, until true crime podcaster-posing-as-dove-breeder Charlotte arrives the day before Lily’s wedding.

At Sunnyside there are ‘good’ women and ‘bad’ women. Good women will find eternal salvation in heaven, while bad women will go straight to hell. Lily is good, while Mae is bad. Bad women suffer punishment at the hands of the terrifying Lou, including beatings and Thought Correction. If anyone leaves, their possessions are ceremoniously burnt.

The men, or Orators, can do and say what they like within the confines of The Sunnyside Scriptures, while women must be subservient – I am sweet, I am gentle, I am happy, I am blessed. The Scriptures come from the one true parent known as Father God. It’s all so crazy and mixed up.

The story is told from two points of view – Lily before the wedding, and Mae after she escapes. Charlotte’s housemates don’t exactly represent a perfect religious family, so Mae is thrown into a life totally opposite from the one she is used to. Plenty of drinking and swearing for starters, neither of which Mae has been exposed to before, especially when it’s mostly the women!

Totally brainwashed from birth, Lily and Mae both really believe they will be damned for all eternity – Lily because she knows she can’t be the perfect wife and Mae because she is breaking every rule in the Sunnyside book. How I wept for the two women and what they were going through. I must also say that the twist at the end was mind-blowing. I didn’t expect anything like it.

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #KillingLily blog tour.

About the Author

Jillian has been crafting stories in her mind ever since she was a child, but she didn’t write her first novel until the month before her thirtieth birthday. She told herself she would write one book and get it out of her system. Many years and manuscripts later, Jillian can’t imagine a world in which she’s not pouring words onto the page.

Her love of books comes from her mother, an author herself and avid reader. Jillian enjoys reading most genres, but psychological thrillers are her favorite because she loves guessing plot twists (and she’s often wildly wrong).

KitKats and coffee are her preferred treats while she’s writing and editing—although she’d never say no to Twizzlers. Jillian lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and four overflowing bookshelves.

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Her Empty Chair by Sunna Coleman

She left without a trace… not even a crumb.

For student and waitress, Sylvia Morelle, it’s just another day at the French café in Covent Garden – that is, until her beloved elderly regular, Mrs Ida Laine, mysteriously disappears.

As weeks go by with no sign of the glamorous Parisian, the young journalist in training begins her own investigation, only to unearth far more than she could ever have imagined.

Where is Ida Laine? And what is she running from?

My Review

This was a very enjoyable read and I loved the characters of Sylvia Morelle, and her mum and dad Carolynne and Raphael. Ida Laine, the elderly Parisian lady who visits the cafe where Sylvia works not so much, and certain things about her irritated me. Glamorous or self-absorbed? At one point Sylvia wonders if Ida’s apartment in Paris would be all perfect and pristine or warm and homely. I know which one I would prefer.

What starts as a simple story of a young woman celebrating the relationship she has formed with the old lady becomes a tale of mystery and intrigue. Where is Ida? She is always there on a Sunday at the same time, but no one has seen her for three weeks. Has she just vanished off the face of the planet? Has she gone back to Paris or has something sinister happened to her? It is when Sylvia starts looking that she makes a life changing discovery.

The story is told from different points of view and timelines, the main ones being Sylvia now, and Ida many years ago, plus Ida’s son Frederic and his relationship with Vie. It’s a story of secrets, love, loss and unbearable grief. How do we overcome the unimaginable and can we be forgiven for the decisions we made at the time?

It’s a remarkable debut novel, mainly because of the depth of the characters, particularly Frederic who must have been hard to write. Can we find any justification for his behaviour? And do we question those who kept the devastating secrets? You will finish the book with so many questions and maybe a few answers of your own.

Many thanks to @LiterallyPR for inviting me to be part of the #HerEmptyChair blog tour.

About the Author

Sunna Coleman is a bestselling author exploring the themes of identity, culture and relationships. She writes twisty, emotional page-turners with strong female leads.

She has spoken on live and virtual stages alongside the likes of the BBC, ITV, C4, Warner Bros and Disney on how to inspire with words. She has also helped over fifty entrepreneurs publish their influential stories.

During her career of over ten years, she has interviewed the likes of Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright, actor and filmmaker Aziz Ansari, renowned chef Heston Blumenthal and created content for top brands such as Calvin Klein, Ted Baker, Revlon, Lindt, Hotel Chocolat and many more.

Buy Link
www.amazon.co.uk

Goodreads
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Social Media Handles
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Sunna Coleman
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World Book Day – Whispers in the Park by Emmanuel Olympitis Illustrated by Olympia Olympitis

Today, 6th March 2025 is World Book Day. This annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading is one of the highlights of the year at the National Literacy Trust!

Why is World Book Day important?

World Book Day provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, supporting children’s autonomy in book choice, and embedding a habit of reading that brings a wide range of benefits.

We’re always hugely excited to work with our friends at World Book Day, the charity whose mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.

Whispers in the Park is a book for all the family, by a father and daughter team, and a great choice for World Book Day.

World book day, hand lettering typography modern poster design with open books, vector illustration

When Emmanuel Olympitis decided to turn his pen to a series of children’s books, he didn’t need to look far for an illustrator.

Whispers in the Park is the first book of a series, which takes the reader on a rollicking adventure through the treetops and undergrowth of the magnificent St James’s Park, where the most ancient and prestigious school for squirrels resides. When young squirrels Shane and Sophie are given scholarships to St James’s, they are excited and nervous to enter the magical world of squirreldom’s most venerable institution.

But as the school’s treasures start to go missing, they are swept up into a gripping detective story, the unravelling of which will require some outside assistance…Meet squirrel headmaster Horatio Hoyland, Witgift the wise old owl, Boris the tough games master Badger and Sam the siamese cat sleuth, and enter the world of Whispers in the Park – a vivid and whimsical children’s tale in the vein of The Wind in the Willows.

Whispers in the Park is a showcase of imaginative writing by the critically acclaimed Emmanuel Olympitis and the extraordinary talent of the emerging illustrator Olympia Olympitis, in her debut children’s book.

To read my review please click here.

Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity for inviting me to celebrate World Book Day.

About the Author and Illustrator

Emmanuel Olympitis is a British businessman who has held many public company directorships during his career. He is also the author of critically acclaimed By Victories Undone and Marked Cards.

Olympia Olympitis is a full-time illustrator based between London and Wiltshire, having studied at City and Guilds of London Art School and The University of Edinburgh. Specialising in house portraiture, landscape illustration and bespoke wedding & event stationery, Whispers in the Park is her first book.

Even Lions Get Scared by Dr Marcelle Moore

Written for every child who needs a helping hand to develop agency when they face ordinary wobbly moments in early life and beyond.

Dr Marcelle Moore, a Clinical Psychologist with more than two decades of experience working with children aims to help caregivers and parents support children in their transformative journey… from fear to bravery.

When mischievous little lion Scout finds himself fearful of doing something new and unknown, he starts to tell himself, “I can’t, it’s too hard.” Scout’s body feels heavy, and his thoughts echo with self-doubt. Help comes from an unlikely friend who teaches Scout the value of togetherness, and that courage to face those shaky feelings comes from within.

“A beautiful book with an important message, infused with imagery and strategies to help young people feel braver, in the face of their ‘wobbles’.” – Karen Young, Psychologist and Neuro-development Educator

My Review

Who would have thought that a strong, proud, brave lion like Scout would ever get scared or anxious. But that’s not how real life works. Everyone gets scared from time to time when faced with the unknown, and this could even be manifested as a full blown panic attack. When you have no idea what’s happening, except you can’t eat and you feel the WOBBLES, it’s important to look to your friends and family for reassurance.

For Scout it takes a tiny firefly to explain his feelings to him, why his tummy is feeling yucky and his head is pounding, and assure him that it’s all quite normal. The ‘What Ifs’ and ‘I Can’ts’ are stealing your bravery, the firefly tells him, and that’s when you need to be with someone you trust and take deep breaths.

Through rhyme and an example of deep breathing (like in yoga), the book will help children to overcome their anxieties. With lots of colourful pictures in a high quality hard back book, this is a must for parents of young children of all ages, because at the end of the day, even lions get scared.

Many thanks to @LiterallyPR for inviting me to be part of the #EvenLionsGetScared blog tour.

About the Author

“I’m Dr Marcelle Moore! I’m a Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist with over two decades of experience in London and Sydney. I’ve spent my career helping children navigate life’s ups and downs, and now I’m excited to bring those insights to a new audience through my first book, Even Lions Get Scared.

“This book was born out of a desire to empower families with the tools they need to help their children build courage and resilience. During the pandemic, the number of children experiencing anxiety soared, and I wanted to create something accessible for families struggling to get support.

“With beautiful illustrations by the incredible Monika Marzek, this book blends storytelling with proven psychological strategies that I use in my practice. It’s designed to help children face their fears and develop emotional strength.”

Book Links
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Handles/Tags
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Dr Marcelle Moore
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Little Red Death by A K Benedict

ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU’VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .
 
DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.

#LittleRedDeath X/Twitter @ak_benedict @simonschusteruk
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But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.
 
Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . .

My Review

Little Red Death is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It starts off with a killer obsessed with fairy tales, a kidnapped author called Katie forced to rewrite the Brothers Grimm stories so he can re-enact them, and a threat that she will die if she doesn’t keep writing. So it becomes about her or the victims in the stories.

What a dilemma! Does she even believe he’s serious. Well she soon finds out he is – deadly serious – literally. And the murders are pretty nasty with the bodies laid out in line with the fairy tales they represent. How can Katie escape and who is The Wolf anyway? He wears a wolf mask so she never sees his face.

In the meantime, DI Lyla Rondell has never got over the mysterious disappearance of her best friend Allison twenty-five years earlier when they were both fifteen. She is sure there is a link. Small clues lead her to believe it can’t be a coincidence. Did the current killer, who the press are calling The Grimm Ripper, kidnap Allison all those years ago?

But then the story changes and I have to admit I got a bit lost. I won’t explain as I don’t want to give anything away, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I just went with the flow.

As an aside, I love that the author tags her own husband Guy Adams in Katie’s list of authors she likes. I wanted to add Some Kind of Fairy Tale by the late, wonderful and massively underrated Graham Joyce, and then there it was. At last! A fellow fan. The author even refers to herself at one point. Brilliant!

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

A. K. (ALEXANDRA) BENEDICT is a best-selling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts. Educated at Cambridge, Sussex and Clown School, she has been an indie-rock singer, an actor, RLF Fellow, and a composer for film and TV, as well as teaching and running the prestigious MA in Crime Thrillers at City University. She is now a full-time writer and creative coach. 

As A. K. Benedict, she writes acclaimed short stories, high-concept novels and award-winning audio drama for Big Finish, Audible UK, Audible US and BBC Sounds, among others. She won the Scribe Award for her Doctor Who radio drama, The Calendar Man, and was shortlisted for the eDunnit Novel Award for The Beauty of Murder and the BBC Audio Drama Podcast Award for Children of the Stones. As Alexandra Benedict she writes puzzle-filled Christmas mysteries, of which The Christmas Murder Game and Murder on the Christmas Express were both bestsellers and The Christmas Murder Game was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Her most recent festive thriller, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, was published in 2023.  

She lives on the south coast of England with writer Guy Adams, their daughter, Verity, and dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.  Follow her on X @ak_benedict and Instagram @a.k.benedict.

Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

Poison runs through this land like blood…

When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland – an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers.

Lily is terrified of what her sister might do next, and she soon realises that they have arrived at a place where nothing is as it seems. A bitterness runs through the land like poison, and the stories told by the islanders seem to be far more than folklore.

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Della settles in too easily, the island folk drawn to her strangeness, but Lily is plagued by odd and unsettling dreams, and as an annual festival draws nigh, she discovers that she has far more to fear than she could ever have imagined. Or does she…?

Chilling, atmospheric and utterly hypnotic, Small Fires is a contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly…

Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.

My Review

I know it’s supposed to but Small Fires really freaked me out. All those horrific folk tales. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read before.

Sisters Lily and Della killed their parents (allegedly though it was never proved) and fled to a remote Scottish island, a place filled with superstition, folklore, and belief in the Devil. I was waiting for Christopher Lee to appear and start building a Wicker Man.

Everyone who lives there appears to be mad, but in reality it is fear. Some of the stories – many based on Celtic/Cornish folklore – are horrifying, as children’s folk tales often are. The Boy at the Bottom of the Sea, Aine’s Well, The Poor Maidens etc have all been written by the author to enhance the back stories. Others you may recognise, like the stories of Gaia, Charon the Ferryman, the Dryads, the Pleiades. They are often told to children as a warning, like the story of Baba Yaga from my Polish heritage (I wrote the poem below some years ago – we are all influenced by the myths of our forefathers).

But it’s the story of Brid in particular, who killed her children, and lives in the Pale Bones, that is one of the most horrific. Some of these tales will infect my dreams (like the terrifying Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann that my mother owned when I was a child) and live in my consciousness for many years to come.

But back to the story. Della is the older sister. She’s big and tall and frightening. Lily is tiny and pretty. Children flock to her. On the island, Silas is different. He doesn’t believe any of the myths. But nothing is ever what it seems and people have many faces.

I loved this book, though I found it scarier than any serial killer thriller or slasher movie. The darkness is insidious. It creeps and slides, like the blood that seeps into the ground on the island.

Many thanks to Orenda Books for inviting me to be on the #blogtour

About the Author

Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature and dreamed of being a published author. Ronnie now lives in the South West with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she reviews books on her blog and enjoys long walks on the coast. Ronnie is a Waterstones Senior Bookseller and a barista, and her youth belies her exceptional, highly unusual talent.

The Curse of Baba Yaga

Where are the servants? Don’t ask or
She’ll kill you, Baba Jaga, of the forest
Who kidnaps babies in the night.
The cat… The dog… The tree… The gate…
Her invisible servants, silent like the riders,
I am Day, says one, all dressed in white,
Who comes in red? I am the Sun,
Then dressed in black, I am the Night.

She’s coming now, look out, look out,
Sweeping their hoof-tracks with her broom.
The wailing wind begins to blow
While trees around her moan and groan
And shrieking spirits follow in her wake,
Leading you flailing to your doom.
Veronika Jordan

About Orenda Books

Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.

The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #1)

When the body of a young woman is discovered in a derelict cottage in the middle of Los Angeles National Forest, Homicide Detective Robert Hunter finds himself entering a horrific and recurring nightmare. Naked, strung from two parallel wooden posts, the victim was sadistically tortured before meeting an excruciatingly painful death.

All the skin has been ripped from her face – while she was still alive. On the nape of her neck has been carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer. But that’s impossible. Because two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this therefore be a copycat killer? Or could the unthinkable be true?

#TheCrucifixKiller X/Twitter #ChrisCarter @simonschusteruk @Tr4cyF3nt0n #booktwitter
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Is the real killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious and violent killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Robert Hunter with his inability to catch him? Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining.

My Review

Welcome to my first post on this fab #blogathon. There will be one review per month.

First of all, let me just say that in my humble opinion the series has improved massively over time. The Crucifix Killer is the first in the series and the books get more sophisticated with each passing year. In this one I guessed the killer quite quickly and I wasn’t convinced they would be physically capable of doing what they did. And while everyone raves about the ending, it wasn’t what I expected.

There is quite a bit of ‘info-dump’ about the way things work in California, which was useful, but a bit odd in the telling. Finally, all the women are blonde and beautiful, the men muscular and toned, but I guess it’s California and that is what we expect, but I hope we have moved on a bit.

But to the positives, and there are loads. I like Robert Hunter and his new partner ‘rookie’ Garcia. Robert lives alone, doesn’t have a girlfriend, or even a cat (thank goodness), as I would spend the whole book worrying about it. The killer has no boundaries after all. The murders are very gory (yes that’s a positive), there are other secondary stories to give more depth and interest, and it moves at a cracking pace. Without sounding sexist, I feel it would be more suited to a male audience, but then it was written 15 years ago. It didn’t really ‘speak’ to me. Hence 4 stars, but I gave the only other book I have read so far – Written in Blood – 5 stars.

As an aside, if anyone says they like a cosy crime, but anything more extreme is not for them, what do I recommend? I resist the temptation to say ‘have you ever read Chris Carter?’ as that would just be wicked!

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogathon.

About the Author

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney’s Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London. Visit his website www.chriscarterbooks.com

Himself by Jess Kidd

Blending strange kindnesses, casual violence and buried secrets: an unforgettable debut from a dark new voice in Irish fiction.

When Mahony returns to Mulderrig, a speck of a place on Ireland’s west coast, he brings only a photograph of his long-lost mother and a determination to do battle with the village’s lies.

His arrival causes cheeks to flush and arms to fold in disapproval. No one in the village – living or dead – will tell what happened to the teenage mother who abandoned him as a baby, despite Mahony’s certainty that more than one of them has answers.

Between Mulderrig’s sly priest, its pitiless nurse and the caustic elderly actress throwing herself into her final village play, this beautiful and darkly comic debut novel creates an unforgettable world of mystery, bloody violence and buried secrets.

My Review

Back to Audible and I’m reading Jess Kidd’s first novel, Himself. The story takes place in 1976 when Mahony returns to the place of his birth, Mulderrig on Ireland’s West Coast, to try and find out what happened to his promiscuous, teenage mother Orla Sweeney. Everyone says she left town, dumping her ‘illegitimate brat’ at the orphanage. Mahony – that very same ‘illegitimate brat’ – is not convinced.

He enlists (actually I think she enlisted him) the help of aging actress Mrs Cauley, who believes Orla was murdered, but then she loves a drama. There are those in the town who want to run him out, those with something to hide. They hated Orla for shamelessly flaunting her bastard for the whole town to see. The vile Father Quinn in particular, and nurse Annie Farrelly amongst others.

And did I mention that Mahony *…’sees dead people… walking around like regular people’ (*quote from The Sixth Sense). In my review of The Hoarder I said I hoped someone sees ghosts, and I certainly got a lot, particularly six-year-old Ida and Mrs Cauley’s last ‘partner’ creepy Johnny.

Three books in and I’ve come to the conclusion that the author’s favourite word is ‘arse’. I’ll have to leave this off my Amazon review in case they are offended and refuse my musings. When said with a soft Irish lilt it never fails to bring a giggle – how childish of me, I know.

I absolutely adored this book, so on to The Night Ship, and once again I hope for plenty of superstition and the supernatural.

About the Author

Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from county Mayo and has been praised for her unique fictional voice. Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016. She won the Costa Short Story Award the same year. Her second novel, The Hoarder, published as Mr. Flood’s Last Resort in the U.S. and Canada was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club Picks. Her latest book, the Victorian detective tale Things in Jars, has been released to critical acclaim. Jess’s work has been described as ‘Gabriel García Márquez meets The Pogues.’

Eight Years of Lies by Lisa Hall

I get a call from the school. My husband hasn’t picked up our 7-year-old daughter.

This is the day my life changes for ever.

Earlier, I was scrolling through Facebook when something caught my eye. A photograph. The caption beneath: PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP ME? HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?

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It’s my husband and our daughter.

The man I married eight years ago isn’t who I thought he was at all. My husband has been lying to me . . .about everything.

My Review

What a great story! I hate to say it though that Claire really got on my nerves. Whatever did she think she was doing? Her daughter is devastated when dad Tom fails to pick her up from school, but instead of being there for her, she swans off playing amateur detective, leaving the poor child with her sister Gwen. Abandonment issues in later life no doubt.

To make it worse, when she goes to the police station, the officer in charge is her ex, Adam, who she ditched for Tom, breaking his heart. The consensus of course is that Tom has probably upped and left her (I have some sympathy there). But as he’s an adult he’s not technically a missing person. Instead of telling her to sling her hook, Adam decides to put his career on the line to help her ‘unofficially’. But rather than leaving it to his many years’ experience in solving crimes, she does the exact opposite, putting herself and others in danger. I’m not including the cruise competition, because I’d have done exactly the same thing.

There are quite a few threads going on here. It starts with a Facebook post that simply says: PLEASE CAN ANYONE HELP ME? HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN? Except that the person posting is called Lydia French and the picture is of Tom and their daughter. But ‘Lydia’ claims they are HER husband and child. And so the mystery begins. I’m not giving anything away, but Claire has got it all so wrong.

However… it was brilliant and I really couldn’t wait to read on to the end. It’s really well plotted and exciting with believable characters and a storyline that promises to spiral out of control. Thank goodness for Adam and Gwen, who keep everything in perspective.

Many thanks to @ZooloosBT  for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Lisa Hall is the bestselling author of six psychological thrillers and the Hotel Hollywood time-slip murder mystery series. Her debut novel Between You and Me was a Kindle UK number one bestseller, sitting in the top spot for over four weeks. Lisa has a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She lives in Kent with her husband and their three children.

Lisa’s Social Media
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lisahallauthor/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/lisahallauthor
Twitter : https://twitter.com/lisahallauthor
Website : https://www.lisahallauthor.co.uk

Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222440949-eight-years-of-lies
Purchase Link:  https://mybook.to/eightyears-zbt