Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 80

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold

Ben Harper, true crime journalist, is about to unravel his most shocking story yet . . . his own. The day his older brother was murdered was the day Ben Harper’s life changed forever.

In one of the most shocking crimes in national history, Nick and his friend were stabbed to death by two girls their own age. Police called the killings random, a senseless tragedy.

Twenty years on Ben is one of the best true crime journalists in the country. He has left the past behind, thanks to the support of his close-knit hometown community.

But when he learns about a fresh murder case with links to his brother’s death, Ben’s life is turned upside down once more. He soon find himself caught in a web of lies, one that implicates everyone around him. And on his quest for answers, Ben discovers one very important truth:

Everyone has secrets.
But some secrets are deadlier than others. 

My Review

This was so good. If I hadn’t read it with the Pigeonhole book club in twelve staves I would have read the whole thing in one go. Stayed up all night if necessary. So many secrets, so many mysteries, so many red herrings – this book has it all.

Then we have the characters, all well developed – some nice like true crime journalist Ben Harper and his school friend Holly, some not so nice like Sarah’s ex-husband James or Ben’s boss Madeline Wilson, and some downright nasty like Holly’s father-in-law Francis Richardson. But does that make any of them killers? Or just the keeper of secrets?

The ‘action’ takes place mainly in the fictitious areas of London called Haddley and St Marnham and briefly in Farsley in Yorkshire and Deal in Kent. The main plot follows Ben, whose brother Nick and best friend Simon Woakes were murdered by two 14-year-old schoolgirls, Abigail Langdon and Josie Fairchild. It was a crime that shocked the nation. Some years later the girls were released and took on new identities. Then a murder occurs which may be linked to the original case.

Ben’s mother supposedly committed suicide by throwing herself in front of a train, but with everything else that has come to light, Ben is not convinced. Now Madeline wants him to write his own story, but Ben starts delving deeper, something which puts a lot of people on edge. What do they know and what are they keeping from him? And then there are those who are just pretending that everything is OK. As I commented to the book club while reading, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Or good women as we will see as we read the book. But who is protecting who? And why?

“Everyone has secrets. But some secrets are deadlier than others.” Brilliant stuff!

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Originally from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Robert Gold began his career as an intern at the American broadcaster CNN, based in Washington DC. He returned to Yorkshire to work for the retailer ASDA, becoming the chain’s nationwide book buyer. He now works in sales for a UK publishing company. Robert lives in Putney and his new hometown served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Haddley in Twelve Secrets. In 2016, he co-authored three titles in James Patterson’s Bookshots series.

Cover Reveal – The Woman Who Knew Faces by Jane Badrock

I’m thrilled to be invited by @zooloo2008 to share the cover reveal for The Woman Who Knew Faces by Jane Badrock. The book is the third in the series of the Karen Thorpe novels. The book will be published on 30th March, but here is a taster of the story:

One tenacious cop. One amazing artist.

There’s a big operation underway and DS Karen Thorpe is feeling left out. Then she meets Emma, with the talent of memorising faces, and Karen’s reenergised with her potential crime-solving contribution. But she’s not the only one.

A body turns up. Karen’s finally called up to work with the Met on the operation. But Emma’s gone missing. Is it connected? Where is she? Who can she trust?

It’s a race against time as the new team try to catch a major crime ring before they can carry out their horrific activities.

And here is the fabulous cover:

About the Author

Jane writes novels, short stories and poems, usually with a good dose of humour in them. She’s probably owes it all to her late grandmother who, she’s just found out, also wrote short stories and poems. She tends to get an idea and then run with it whether it be a 100 word short story or an 80 thousand word novel. It all depends on the voices in her head at the time…

Follow her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janebadrockauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janebadrock/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janebadrock
Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Badrock/e/B07HZ2HD3Q
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18510015.Jane_Badrock

Buy links:
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09T7BRSYQ
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09T7BRSYQ

Tiny Tears by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic

Tiny Tears – it’s not just about a doll.

Barbara is on life support. Her sister is talking to her even though presumably she can’t hear her.
‘I’ve always been trim,’ she says, not like you, Barbara, and our sister Sheila was always too thin.

She tells her about finding Tiny Tears. Alice was the youngest – too young to appreciate a doll that cries and wees when you put water in it.

What starts as ‘gossiping’ turns more sinister when the truth comes out. Excellent.

Written and performed by Geraldine Brennan

Music:
Down with Paradise by Norma Rockwell

Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions 

The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield

Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.

Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.

For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram @theatrephonic, or visit their Facebook page.

And if you really enjoyed this week’s episode, listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…

Nasty Little Cuts by Tina Baker

WHEN YOUR MARRIAGE IS THIS BROKEN, YOU MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT ALIVE.

A nightmare jolts Debs awake. She leaves the kids tucked up in their beds and goes downstairs. There’s a man in her kitchen, holding a knife. But it’s not an intruder. This is her husband Marc, the father of her children. A man she no longer recognises.

Once their differences were what drew them together, what turned them on. Him, the ex-army officer from a good family. Her, the fitness instructor who grew up over a pub. But now these differences grate to the point of drawing blood. Marc screams in his sleep. And Debs hardly knows the person she’s become, or why she lets him hurt her.

Neither of them is completely innocent. Neither is totally guilty. Marc is taller, stronger, and more vicious, haunted by a war he can’t forget. But he has no idea what Debs is capable of when her children’s lives are at stake…

My Review

It’s just a book! Only fiction. But somehow Nasty Little Cuts is so much more. How can you get stressed over a work of fiction I hear you ask? Believe me, you can.

Having had a terrible nightmare, Debs wakes up in the middle of the night to find an intruder in her kitchen. Only it’s not an intruder – it’s her husband Marc. And he’s holding a knife. And so the real nightmare begins.

As the night slowly turns into day, the situation becomes more dangerous. Marc seems deranged, crazed with drink and drugs. The children are asleep upstairs. Does he mean to harm them all? I was holding my breath at times.

But interspersed with the current timeline, we go back 10 years, two years, 25 years to Deb’s childhood and also Marc’s. We have sympathy for him at times. His mother Jean or Jeanne as she calls herself, was horrible to him, cruel, never let him meet his father Dudley. Then school, the bullying, the army. No wonder he is damaged. But the children? Surely he wouldn’t.

And then we have Debs. Her mam Shirley, a tiny woman with a larger than life personality. A party girl, foul-mouthed, free with her body and her lashings out. But a good mum to her girls, Debs and Kelly. In the only way she knew how. But she never protected them from the terrible things that went on in the pub they lived above. Kelly now her only real friend after their mam died.

We are simply observers, watching the cracks begin and spread, the ‘nasty little cuts’ that Debs and Marc inflict on each other. Two people, too damaged and broken ever to make it work. Get help Debs, get out, save yourself and the children. Don’t go down with the ship.

I don’t think I’ve never read anything quite so visceral. There’s something very personal about it and while it was brilliant, I sometimes dreaded the next chapter. I was so stressed that something terrible was going to happen to Dolly, Pat-Pat or Lulu the dog. This is a book written from the gut as well as the heart.

As someone who writes a lot of short stories, I understand how difficult it is to evoke real emotion, particularly when you are writing in the third person. However, Tina does this so well. There are no holds barred here and some of the language and the abuse may shock some people. This is not for the faint-hearted. Please don’t say there is too much swearing etc because this is real life for many, hard as that may be to stomach. Not the sanitised version we often see.

Yet in spite of the horror, there is also warmth, love and humour. So much humour. It’s a masterpiece.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable – if again stressful – read.

About the Author

Tina Baker, the daughter of a window cleaner and fairground traveller, worked as a journalist and broadcaster for thirty years and is probably best known as a television critic for the BBC and GMTV. After so many hours watching soaps gave her a widescreen bum, she got off it and won Celebrity Fit Club. She now avoids writing-induced DVT by working as a Fitness Instructor.

Call Me Mummy was Tina’s first novel, inspired by her own unsuccessful attempts to become a mother. Despite the grief of that, she’s not stolen a child – so far. But she does rescue cats, whether they want to be rescued or not.

Nasty Little Cuts is her second novel.

Music of the Night by Martin Edwards (Editor)

M usic of the Night is a new anthology of original short stories contributed by Crime Writer’s Association (CWA) members and edited by Martin Edwards, with music as the connecting theme.

The aim, as always is to produce a book which is representative both of the genre and the membership of the world’s premier crime writing association.

The CWA has published anthologies of members’ stories in most years since 1956 with Martin Edwards as editor for over 25 years during which time the anthologies have yielded many award-winning and nominated stories by writers such as Ian Rankin, Reginald Hill, Lawrence Block and Edward D. Hoch.

#MusicOfTheNight @medwardsbooks @flametreepress #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour

Stories by long-standing authors and stellar names sit alongside contributions from relative newcomers, authors from overseas and members whose works haven’t appeared in a CWA anthology before. Among the gifted stars of today whose fiction featured in a CWA anthology at an early stage of their crime writing careers are Mick Herron, Frank Tallis and Sarah Hilary. It isn’t a closed shop and never has been.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy,and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at http://www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress

My Review

What a great selection of crime fiction, all with a musical theme. Most of the authors are ones that I have not read before though there are a few old favourites. These include Andrew Taylor, whose works are very familiar to me – I’ve probably read virtually all his crime novels and most of his historical fiction as well.

So it came as no surprise that his Wrong Notes was one of my favourites, full of dark humour in his inimitable style. Can the ‘Cub’ – aka rookie reporter Roddy Hanbridge – cope with a simple write-up of a concert at a girls’ school. He should be OK as ‘unlike most teenagers he seemed fully formed, rather than a work in progress,’ …until something far more sinister occurs.

I think my favourite though was A Sharp Thorn by Alison Joseph in which a middle-aged divorcee receives a strange invitation to meet a dying man in Cornwall and features a harpsichord with a hammer through it. All very mysterious.

I also liked Taxi, in which a girl sets out to discover the identity of a serial killer and revenge her sister’s murder. Be warned though, this is no cosy mystery.

Reading other reviews, I think the one that comes out top is The Melody of Murder by Antony M Brown in which a series of murders is staged to look like the covers of pop records. The most interesting part for me though was the references to the eighties, such as the Falklands War, Wogan, the SDP winning the Glasgow by-election, the Snooker World Championships and much more. It was very cleverly written.

I’ve read stories by Peter Lovesey before and I am quite familiar with his work. In The Band Played On, grandpa sings the same song (the one in the title) over and over. Why that song and what does it mean? A slightly sentimental, cosy mystery, this was another one I really enjoyed.

The final story is another of my favourites. In Bombay Blues by Vaseem Khan, a well-known jazz musician has been murdered in the Taj ballroom in Bombay. Shot twice at close range. A handsome, charming man with a reputation as a womaniser and gambler, but who hated him enough to want him dead?

Music of the Night is a series of 25 short stories. I have selected a few of my favourites to give a flavour of another brilliant anthology of crime thrillers from authors both well-established and new to the genre from around the world.

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

About the Author

Martin Edwards (Editor) is the author of eighteen novels, including the Lake District Mysteries and the Harry Devlin series. His ground-breaking genre study The Golden Age of Murder has won the Edgar, Agatha and H.R.F. Keating awards. He has edited twenty-eight crime anthologies, has won the CWA Short Story Dagger and the CWA Margery Allingham Prize and is series consultant for the British Library’s Crime Classics. In 2015, he was elected eighth President of the Detection Club, an office previously held by G.K. Chesterton, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.

The CWA (Crime Writers’ Association) was founded in 1953 by John Creasey and organises the prestigious CWA Dagger Awards which celebrate the best in crime writing. The CWA is a pro-active, thriving and ever-expanding community of writers based in the UK but with a reach that extends worldwide.

The Blood Tide (DS Max Craigie Scottish Crime Thrillers #2) by Neil Lancaster

Max, Janie and Ross return in the second gripping novel in this explosive Scottish crime series.

You get away with murder.
In a remote sea loch on the west coast of Scotland, a fisherman disappears without trace. His remains are never found.

You make people disappear.
A young man jumps from a bridge in Glasgow and falls to his death in the water below. DS Max Craigie uncovers evidence that links both victims. But if he can’t find out what cost them their lives, it won’t be long before more bodies turn up at the morgue…

You come back for revenge.
Soon cracks start to appear in the investigation, and Max’s past hurtles back to haunt him. When his loved ones are threatened, he faces a terrifying choice: let the only man he ever feared walk free, or watch his closest friend die…

My Review

Just when you thought it couldn’t get more exciting, The Blood Tide comes along. I read and loved the first in the series Dead Man’s Grave, but this was even better.

DS Max Craigie is back with Janie and Ross, plus his wife Katie and his loveable dog Nutmeg. Who doesn’t adore Nutmeg. Unfortunately (or is it fortunate as it makes the story more exciting) we also see the return of his arch enemy, but you’ll have to read the book to find out who it is. There are also lots more villains, some of whom are very entertaining, downright scary and certainly evil.

Drugs and murder, power and revenge, bent coppers, they are all here. The book moves at a cracking pace with a real shock in the middle as the power shifts. One begins to wonder if everyone is corrupt and can be bought – Max and Nutmeg excepted!

We also have two fab new-ish characters – civilian intelligence agent Norma Kirk, with her big glasses and biting wit – I keep seeing her as Janine in Ghostbusters – (‘Ghostbusters – whaddaya want’ or ‘we got one’ or in this case ‘Max you old bastard’) and surveillance officer Barney who knows more about IT than the Microsoft help desk.

In my TV series Max would be played by Richard Madden (a bit young maybe?), or even Gerard Butler (though he might be better as the main villain), minus the shaved head, the pork scratchings and his wife calling him ‘babe’. Mark Benton as Ross (though I can’t see him doing all that swearing) and Vicky McClure as Janie. How good would that be? And my second cousin’s dog Woody is a dead ringer for Nutmeg. I’ll tell her to get him an agent.

Such a good read with so many twists that I could hardly keep up. I’m worn out thinking about it.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

About the Author

Neil was born in Liverpool in the 1960s. He recently left the Metropolitan Police where he served for over twenty-five years, predominantly as a detective, leading and conducting investigations into some of the most serious criminals across the UK and beyond.

Neil acted as a surveillance and covert policing specialist, using all types of techniques to arrest and prosecute drug dealers, human traffickers, fraudsters, and murderers. During his career, he successfully prosecuted several wealthy and corrupt members of the legal profession who were involved in organised immigration crime. These prosecutions led to jail sentences, multi-million pound asset confiscations and disbarments.

Since retiring from the Metropolitan Police, Neil has relocated to the Scottish Highlands with his wife and son, where he mixes freelance investigations with writing. 

If She Wakes (Harlow Series #2) by Erik Therme

Who do you trust when everyone is lying? My name is Tess Parker.

Two days ago, I was in a car accident with my sister-in-law, Torrie. Before she slipped into a coma, she asked my husband and me to care for her four-month-old son, Levi.

#IfSheWakes @ErikTherme @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour

Yesterday, a woman claiming to be Torrie’s estranged sister knocked on our door. But Torrie has no siblings . . . or so she said. She and my brother were only together a short time before he left, and Torrie has clearly been keeping secrets.

Today, another of Torrie’s “sisters” has come to town. Both say the other is lying about who they are. Neither of them is telling the truth. Both of them want Levi.

My Review

It’s exactly a year since I read and reviewed If She Dies, the first book in the series. I read it in two days and I did the same with If She Wakes. Neither are long books. They both move at a fast pace. There is no confusion – you know exactly who is who and what they do and have done in the past.

In the first book we met Tess after her five year old daughter Lily was killed by a hit-and-run driver Brady Becker. Tess closes down emotionally and risks putting her marriage to Josh in jeopardy. Now the main problem with Tess was not the way she dealt with her grief, but the fact that she lied to Josh, kept things from him, made some very strange choices, and failed to understand the way Josh dealt with his own grief. But mostly it was that she stalked Brady’s stepdaughter Eve. To the point where the police believed she kidnapped her out of revenge for Lily’s death.

In If She Wakes, we continue the story of Tess’s late brother Colin, who we also met in book one. Tess hadn’t seen Colin since Lily died, but then one day he appeared and it turned out he was dying of cancer.

His wife Torrie is now widowed with a small baby son, Levi. While out in the car together, Tess hits a deer and Torrie, who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, suffers a catastrophic head injury which leaves her in a coma. Tess and Josh are looking after Levi.

Then out of the blue, while Tess is feeding Torrie’s feral cat at her house, a woman walks in who claims to be Torrie’s sister Jessie. This is very strange because Torrie said she had no family. But it turns out she has not one, but two sisters and a brother. And there was me worrying about whether she had topped up the cat’s water bowl – I never did find out.

Still keeping things from Josh after promising to try and move forwards, Tess hires a private investigator to find Eve and her mother Meg who are hiding from Brady, and also to track Brady after he was released from prison. But I digress.

Shocked by the revelation that Torrie has two sisters, Tess receives a call from the other sister, Mia, who warns her to be careful with Jessie. She is not what she seems. Jessie says the same about Mia, but which of them is lying, or are they both telling porkies. But one thing is certain – they both want Levi.

Once again, Tess and Josh are at loggerheads and their marriage is suffering. I have to admit I do find them both annoying, Tess because I can’t understand why she keeps lying and Josh because he never engages.

Then suddenly the story takes an unexpected twist and I gasped with shock. But that’s all I’m going to say.

Another brilliant book from this author. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harboured runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature. Join Erik’s mailing list to be notified of new releases and author giveaways: http://eepurl.com/cD1F8L

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErikTherme
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikTherme.writer
Website: https://eriktherme.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/7831573.Erik_Therme
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Erik-Therme/e/B00IAS90UA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Buy links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/398eaKk
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/3sQ9dO4

Whispers by Billy McLaughlin

Ten years have passed since Isla Frost left the family manor. The past; a hidden memory comes to her in jolts. She blames one man for all that has happened. Her father, a cold brittle man who is now facing his mortality. Isla has returned to care for him. However, things are about to take a dark sinister turn.

A body has been found. Deep beneath the rocks of a cut off underpass. The rotten corpse of a long forgotten victim. So begins a quest for truth that will have Isla questioning everybody and everything she knows.

#Whispers @bilbob20 @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour

Old friendships are tested, family ties unbound, and Isla finds herself in the mouth of danger. What happened to her mother? Is her father a killer? How many other people need to die to protect a killer?

A tense stand-alone novel that lurks on the periphery of the haunted house genre, Whispers will delve into the secrets of the past to unveil a murderous conspiracy.

My Review

How would you feel if your mother had simply cleared off and left you when you were a small child? And then you never heard from her again. This is what happened to Isla 22 years ago but something doesn’t sit quite right. A vague memory comes to her from time to time, but so deeply buried that she can’t quite reach it.

Then a dead body is uncovered, buried by rocks where the old underpass used to be. But judging by the state of the corpse and the date the underpass was filled in, this is an old murder, if that’s what it is, perhaps from around the time that Isla’s mother Kathryn disappeared. Could it be her? And if so did Isla’s now terminally ill father Daniel kill her? He’s a cold, unemotional man, but would murder be a step too far?

The body was found by Louise Fisher, an elderly woman who came to the village of Bluebell to look after her ageing parents until they both died. Before that she was being cared for in a mental health facility – a sufferer from schizophrenia. Now she lives alone in her parents’ house with only her pet rats for company. I love pet rats – I don’t know why so many people don’t like them. They are friendly, intuitive and highly intelligent though they do wee a lot, often on your hand when you pick them up. Louise spent months removing the stones and dumping them in the loch, as if she knew there was a body underneath. There are secrets surrounding the body, secrets that Louise knows and will only reveal to Isla.

This is a book of secrets and lies. But who knows the truth and who is keeping things from Isla? And what is it that Isla can’t remember about the events of 22 years ago? Whispers will have you turning the pages again and again, discovering more truths and untruths, until all is finally revealed.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Billy McLaughlin is a Scottish born writer with 8 books currently under his belt. Four of the books, including 2019’s serial killer thriller Four are part of the DI Phil Morris Mysteries. His first full length novel Lost Girl arrived in May 2016 and has gone on to achieve more than 15,000 downloads. The follow up In the Wake of Death has received rave reviews for its dark tone and psychological elements.

His most downloaded book came in the form of 2017’s The Dead of Winter a novella that focuses as much on the broken relationships of a small community as it does the crime itself. One reader described it as being like ‘a full series of Broadchurch.’ Once again, praise was leveled at the atmospheric tone with another reader suggesting that the material would work well as a movie.

Billy is passionate about reading but recognises the need for bite-sized thrillers for people who enjoy reading but simply don’t have the time. As he begins works on his ninth book, he finds himself even more excited about the writing process. The Blood Runs Darker arrived in December 2020. A new collection of short stories arrived in December 2021 and his 11th publication Whispers came along on Christmas Day 2021.

Follow him at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/billymclaughlinbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billy.mclaughlin/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/bilbob20

Buy Links
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whispers-Billy-McLaughlin-ebook/dp/B09NF1CF81
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Billy-McLaughlin-ebook/dp/B09NF1CF81

Unhinged by Jorn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger

Translated by Megan Turney

His colleague is dead. His daughter may be next. It’s time to do things his way…

Two of Nordic Noir’s most accomplished writers return with the explosive, staggeringly complex and unbearably emotive third instalment in the international bestselling Blix & Ramm series.

#Unhinged #BlixandRamm #NordicNoir @EngerThomas @LierHorst @OrendaBooks #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour

When police investigator Sofia Kovic uncovers a startling connection between several Oslo cases, she attempts to contact her closest superior, Alexander Blix, before involving anyone else in the department. But before Blix has time to return her call, Kovic is shot and killed in her own home – execution style. And in the apartment below, Blix’s daughter Iselin narrowly escapes becoming the
killer’s next victim.

Four days later, Blix and online crime journalist Emma Ramm are locked inside an interrogation room, facing the National Criminal Investigation Service. Blix has shot and killed a man, and Ramm saw it all happen.

As Iselin’s life hangs in the balance, under-fire Blix no longer knows who he can trust, and he’s not even certain that he’s killed the right man…

My Review

I’m not going to repeat how much I love Scandi Noir or why. You can look back at my previous posts. I particularly like Nordic Noir, but as I couldn’t explain my reasons, I thought I’d look it up and this is what I found:

Brutal crimes, often in quiet and/or safe communities. TickA bleak setting, whether on city streets or a remote fjord. TickA tortured protagonist, typically a detective with a mysterious or painful past. TickA strong plot, with multiple complex threads and a few twists. Definitely tick

Unhinged has all this plus Police Officer Alexander Blix’s partner-in-crime (solving that is) Emma Ramm. But she’s not another jaded copper with a painful past – she’s a journalist with a painful past, or more precisely a crime blogger. Bit like being a book blogger only I don’t actually walk in on crime scenes and put my life at risk.

This is such an exciting story, a ‘strong plot with multiple complex threads and a few twists’. Well more than a few in fact. I did get a bit lost at times but not because I haven’t read the other books in the series, but because we, the readers, are trying to work out the links in the same way that Blix and Emma are. We can only follow them and try to guess (which to be fair I did in spite of the red herrings).

The book begins with the brutal murder of police investigator Sofia Kovic in the flat she shared with Blix’s daughter Iselin. Who killed her, attacked Iselin, and then managed to get away?

In the first half of the book Blix and Emma are being interrogated about the sequence of events that led up to the shooting and killing of a man by Blix. Each time they begin to tell their side of the story, we jump back in time to what actually happened. It’s a very interesting plot device and one which I enjoyed reading.

So was Kovic close to uncovering a connection between several Oslo cases? Is that why she was killed and who else might be implicated? Just before her murder she had attempted to contact Blix, before involving anyone else in the department. So many threads, so many possibilities. A brilliantly exciting novel.

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

About the Author

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense. Thomas Enger is a journalist-turned-author whose trademark has become a darkly gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer. Death Deserved was Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller, closely followed by Smoke Screen, and the series has sold more than two million copies worldwide, outselling Jo Nesbo in their native Norway, Sweden and Germany.
@LierHorst @EngerThomas.

Granite Noir fest 2017. Thomas Enger.

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.

Scentsy – The All Is Well Wax Collection product review

I’m a huge fan of warming wax burners so I jumped at the chance to try out and review the new All Is Well Wax Collection from Scentsy.

First of all I’d just like to say that I have tried a lot of different waxes but none compare with Scentsy. The range of scents, the strength and the longevity are what make them stand out. There are others out there that are cheaper but you know what they say – you get what you pay for.

The All Is Well Wax Collection was a real eye opener for me; the one I thought I would like best was not my favourite (lavender) and the ones I wasn’t sure about jumped higher up the list. Though when I say not my favourite I just mean not strong enough for me, particularly in a larger room – the scents are all still lovely. If you are into mindfulness and spirituality then these are for you. A lovely background to your yoga practice or just to relax with.

So here goes with my views:

R(ELAX) Bright bergamot and smooth vanilla sugar bask in warm amber. Some of my favourite ingredients. I LOVE this. I would buy this NOW. It might be a bit sweet for those who prefer the fresh scents but this is my favourite. I’m warming it in the living room.

S(OOTHE) Driftwood softened by gentle water lily and soothing sea minerals. Not my usual choice but when I warmed this in the bathroom (in my old incense burner as nowhere to plug in a warmer) I fell in love with it instantly. I can smell it everywhere upstairs and as I climb the stairs. It’s gorgeous and it’s lasting for days.

I(NHALE) Fresh mountain air carries notes of wildflowers and fern to peaceful vistas. Again I wouldn’t have chosen this from the description, but it’s so fresh and lovely. It’s quite strong as well. I’m warming it in the kitchen.

U(NWIND) Sweet apple blossom and crisp cucumber peel drift above serene spa water. This is very different from anything else I have tried, not just on the All Is Well Wax Collection, but ever. I love the scent but it’s not strong enough for me. I’m warming this in the hall. I would need to warm this everywhere to get the full effect.

M(EDITATE) Sandalwood balances calming lavender and spicy nutmeg. Sandalwood and lavender are two of my favourites but this didn’t do it for me as much as some of the others. I can’t really smell it and the I(NHALE) in the kitchen overpowered it. I was warming this in the living room.

I’ve loved trying these out and I hope you will enjoy my review and think about trying them for yourselves.

Love Scentsy! Click on the link to go to Sarah Dean’s Scentsy page on Facebook.