Caroline

I'm not a die hard Bowie fan, but I do appreciate his music, his many transformations, and his wonderful music videos (Ashes to Ashes springs to mind.) I've read other biographies of Bowie, and I didn't think there was anything more I needed to know. Then I saw this particular book on BorrowBox. The title intrigued me. I just had to know. 🎸

David Bowie and the Search for Life Death and God does exactly what it says on the tin. This is a deep dive into Bowie's search for spiritual enlightenment. It seems that he changed his religion as often as he changed his persona. Be it Buddhism, Gnosticism or Occultism, he tried them all. Not for Bowie organised religion. 🎸

As Ormerod takes us through Bowie's spiritual journey, he shows us how the different stages are reflected in the music. I'm afraid a lot of this went over my head because, as I said, I'm not a die hard fan. It still made for interesting reading though. 🎸

Many thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for this ARC because, without you, I may well have missed out on this absolute cracker of a book.

This, right here, is my kind of book. First and foremost, it's a police procedural with a pair of mismatched detectives in the shape of DS Joseph Ashe, aka Dash, and DI Laurie Bower. What made it more engaging for me was the oh so gentle hint of the supernatural. That folks, was the clincher. 🏹

Ghosties aside, The Drowning Place is actually very, very good. DI Bower is on secondment to Edenscar, from Salford, and almost immediately finds herself investigating a triple murder which has shocked the whole community. As the investigation progresses, events take on a more sinister turn. 🏹

Dark, and twisty, the story moves along at a steady pace. Joe is a very likeable character, and definitely the ying to Laurie's yang but, like Cooper and Fry, or Dalziel and Pascoe, they are a good fit. 🏹

I was so sure I knew who the killer was, and felt vindicated when my suspect was arrested, but then the author threw a curve ball that I definitely didn't see coming. Brilliant! 🏹

If you're looking for a book that's guaranteed to mess with your head, then allow me to present Yesteryear for your perusal and enjoyment. This folks, is one of those books that has you muttering "wtf!!!" almost constantly. It's bonkers, but it's also very entertaining. 🐄

The story is told from the POV of Natalie Heller Mills, a good Christian wife, mother and influencer. Yesteryear is the ranch where Natalie and her family live their idyllic life. But all is not as it seems. 🐄

That's as much background as I'm willing to give. Trust me guys, this book is just twist after twist, revelation after revelation. Natalie, who spends an inordinate amount of time trying to be likeable for her Instagram followers, is anything but. I can't begin to tell you how much I disliked her. But it was her vileness that made this so enjoyable. 🐄

To be honest, apart from the children, none of the characters are particularly likeable. Caleb, Natalie's husband, is a conspiracy theorist, and her father-in-law Doug, has presidential aspirations. 🐄

It's not too much of a stretch to imagine the events portrayed in Yesteryear occurring in real life. Truth is often stranger than fiction, after all. 🐄

Thanks to 4th Estate Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Another little collection of short stories by Agatha Christie, all set during Spring. All of Christie's well known sleuths are here again, getting to the bottom of these mysteries in their own, inimitable way.

There was just one story in this particular collection, that I had read before, thus making it an enjoyable read.

I read this title on BorrowBox.

The Thursday Murder Club make a welcome return in The Impossible Fortune. We kick off proceedings with a wedding, that of Joyce's daughter Joanna, to Paul. Naturally, all the gang are there, and it is during the reception that Elizabeth is approached by the best man, Nick Silver, who fears for his life. Could this be what Elizabeth needs now that she must endure life without her beloved Stephen? 🦊

The gang are not quite ready to give up sleuthing, and happily embark on their quest to discover who might want to kill Nick, and why. 🦊

Ron, meanwhile, has his own problems, in the shape of his son-in-law. Help comes from an unexpected source. 🦊

This was an engaging read, with plenty of thrills and some light hearted moments. 🦊

I read this title on BorrowBox.

A new Wisting investigation is always something to look forward to. Admittedly, The Lake has been sitting around on the TBR for a few weeks, so I decided it was high time I took myself off to Larvik to see what Wisting and Nils Hammer were up to this time. 🚐

The lake of the title is Lake Farris, whose water level has dropped significantly during a very hot summer. A metal detectorist, searching along the lake bed near his summer cabin, finds a gold initial necklace that he recognises as belonging to a teenaged girl who went missing in Sweden four years previously. 🚐

In another section of the dried up lake bed, a motorcycle is found, along with its rider, a youth who went missing eight years previously. 🚐

What follows are two intense investigations by Wisting and his team, as they try to piece together what befell the young man, and whether or not the missing girl's remains are buried in the vicinity of the lake. 🚐

As with all of the Wisting books, this is a slow burn, but it's worth it. There are the inevitable twists and red herrings, not to mention the final reveal in the investigation into the missing girl. 🚐

Having read an ARC of the second book in the Mrs. Sidhu series some weeks ago, I decided to circle back to its predecessor, Mrs. Sidhu's Dead and Scone. 🥯

This is cosy mystery at its best. Mrs. Sidhu is to Slough and its environs what Miss Marple was to St. Mary Mead, if Miss Marple was a widowed caterer with a grown up son who still lives at home with his mum. 🥯

Reading the books in reverse order meant that I was familiar with the main characters. 🥯

I'm not going to go into detail about the plot. Suffice to say that Mrs. Sidhu becomes involved in a murder investigation when she takes on a catering job at a wellness retreat in Berkshire. Wherever Mrs. Sidhu goes, chaos follows but, like Miss Marple, Mrs. Sidhu has excellent observation skills. 🥯

Red herrings abound, but when the final reveal comes, it all seems glaringly obvious. 🥯

I read this title on the Borrowbox app.

I've always enjoyed B.A Paris' books. They're twisty and suspenseful, and oh so good. When I Kill You is no exception. 🗡️

Meet Nell Masters. Nell works for a charity, in a management role. She lives in a mews house that was left to her by her great aunt. She has a small circle of friends, and is in a relationship with Alex. It sounds like an idyllic life. But Nell has a secret past. And now she has a stalker. 🗡️

The first half of the book is told across two timelines, past and present. Both are told from the POV of Nell. It is in the past timeline that we learn what Nell's secret is. 🗡️

Like many of Paris' books, When I Kill You is more than a little bit sinister. Paris ramps up the suspense chapter by chapter, and leaves you guessing right to the bitter end. 🗡️

Thanks to HQ Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I love folk horror, I cannot lie, and David Barnett's previous books in this genre have been on my want-to-read list for a few months now. When the opportunity to read an ARC of Scratch Moss presented itself, I could not resist. Before I was halfway through, I had ordered the other two from the library. But I digress. I'm here to tell you about Scratch Moss, and all the reasons why you should read it. 🖤

Scratch Moss is a small Lancashire town, that was home to the miners, and their families, of Scratch Moss colliery. The colliery, on land owned by Lord Brody of Scratch Moss Hall, began operating in the 1860's, and was eventually closed in 1985. 🖤

That's the backstory to the colliery, but there is another story running parallel to that, the story of the consequences of destroying a sacred Barrow, and the story of Red Clogs, the bogeyman of Scratch Moss. 🖤

The story of Scratch Moss is told across several timelines; 2025, 1985, 1945, 1905, 1865 and AD85. What I love about this is we go back in time in forty year increments, then jump back to AD85, before moving forward again in the same increments. Thus we learn the identity of Red Clogs, and his connection to Scratch Moss. 🖤

This is a bleak tale, set as it is in the industrial north, with the miner's strike forming part of its backdrop. But it's the superstition and folkloric symbolism that provide the eerie, and sometimes menacing, atmosphere. 🖤

I loved Scratch Moss, despite how much it unsettled me. I now eagerly await my library reservations. 🖤

Thanks to Canelo Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

This was quite the page turner. Hard to believe it's a debut. 🩸

How to Get Away With Murder is a book-within-a-book type thriller. When a 14 year old girl is found murdered in London's Holland Park, one of the items found at the scene is a copy of a book called How to Get Away With Murder. The author, Denver Brady, boasts at the beginning of the book that he is "the most successful active serial killer in the Western world". Was the victim murdered by Denver Brady, or by a copycat? 🩸

We follow the investigation from the perspective of DI Sam Hansen, who is part of the team at New Scotland Yard tasked with trying to find Denver Brady, and the victims he writes about in his book. 🩸

We are also treated to chapters from Denver's book, which is basically a manual for the would-be serial killer. But are the murders Denver describes real, or just the product of a very sick mind? 🩸

I liked this a lot. There was enough suspense to keep me reading, and a cute little dog with a wonky leg that melted my heart. 🐕When things turned a little darker towards the end, I found myself hoping that this wouldn't be the last I heard from Sam Hansen. 🩸

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

In her introduction, author Liz Nugent states that she had not written a book like this before, she was trying something new, and she warned that there might come a time when the reader would want to throw said book at the wall. She wasn't wrong.

This is an extremely dark book, with themes that some may find triggering. These include:

- Alcoholism

- Substance Abuse

- Sexual Assault

- Grooming

- Rape

The story centres around the Cooper family who live in Boston, namely sisters Erin and Ruby. Spanning three decades, it chronicles the lives of the sisters, and an incident in 1999 which saw the family divided; while Ruby and her mother, Maureen, move to Dublin, Erin and her father, Doug, remain in Boston.

As well as wanting to hurl my kindle at the wall, I found myself shouting WTF quite a lot. I've gone through every emotion imaginable whilst reading this book, that's how bloody good it is.

I found it incredibly difficult to like Ruby, and I have to be honest, Erin annoyed me a wee bit too.

Despite, or maybe because of, its dark themes, I loved The Truth About Ruby Cooper. What transpires within its pages are thankfully rare in real life, but it's interesting to read them from this perspective.

Thanks to Penguin Sandycove, Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This is a pretty decent psychological thriller. Sure, there were a couple of things that annoyed me (more about that later), but the twists, and the darker aspects, more than made up for them. 💻

The premise is simple enough. The central character, Rose, on passing a bookshop, notices a book in the window, Diary of an Octopus by Emily Harper. The title resonates with her. On skimming through the book she realises why. It's a fictionalised version of the diary she wrote when she was 13. She wrote it on a laptop. The last time she saw said laptop was the day she accidentally left it at a coffee cart at the airport. The diary is her confession.... to a murder.💻

As with most psychological thrillers, all is not as it seems. The themes, as expected, are dark: gaslighting and psychological abuse, misogyny and murder. 💻

Although I felt some sympathy for Rose, I was astounded by her naivety when it came to Emily Harper, so-called author of Diary of an Octopus. As for Emily herself. Ugh! Over inflated ego and a sense of entitlement. 😫 And don't get me started on Chet Bellamy. 😫

All in all, this was the kind of dark, twisty psychological thriller that I enjoy. 💻

Thanks to Source Books UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I have a new favourite heroine peeps. Her name is Miss Decima Stockington. She may be an octogenarian, but boy is she sassy. With a keen interest in science, razor sharp wit, and a foul mouth, Miss Decima takes no prisoners. ☄️

Miss Decima is not just my personal heroine, she is one of the amateur sleuths in The Murder at World's End, the other being Stephen Pike, ex Borstal boy, now recently employed as second footman at Tithe House, home of the Viscount, Conrad Stockington Welt.

The year is 1910. Halley's Comet is passing close to Earth. Many believe that it will bring about a global disaster. It is against this backdrop that murder is committed at Tithe House. The victim is Conrad, Miss Decima's nephew. ☄️

There's no shortage of suspects, but when the Inspector from Scotland Yard proves to be inept, Miss Decima enlists Stephen's help to try to find the murderer. ☄️

This was a fun read, with some really likeable characters. I love a locked room mystery, and this one was perfectly executed, if you'll pardon the pun. ☄️

Our amateur sleuths, Stephen and Miss Decima, are an unlikely pairing, but they make a formidable team. I really hope we will more from them in the future. ☄️

Thanks to Viking Books UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I didn't bother reading the blurb for this one because, well, it's Ragnar Jónasson, and I have always enjoyed his books. Then there's that catchy title. You had me at "Mysterious" Ragnar, hook, line and sinker. 🎣

Imagine my delight when I started reading and discovered that Helgi was the protagonist. Last time I met Helgi he was investigating that Death at the Sanatorium, and in a volatile relationship with Bergthóra. I was definitely looking forward to catching up with him, to see what, if anything, had changed. Before you ask, no, I'm not going to tell you. 🔍

The missing crime writer is Elín Jónsdóttir, and Helgi has been tasked with the investigation into her disappearance. Needless to say, there are many twists and turns in his quest to discover what may have happened to Elín. 🔍

As if that investigation wasn't enough for Helgi to contend with, there's also the small matter of his predecessor Hulda, who also disappeared without trace. And then there's Bergthóra, but I'll say no more on that subject. 🤐

There's a lot to keep the reader occupied, and guessing, but this is a very satisfying read which I enjoyed immensely. 🔍

A Bad, Bad Place is a good, good book. Actually, scratch that, because it's not merely good, it's bloody brilliant. It's crime fiction done different, and that's what makes it stand out. How is it done different, I hear you cry. Well, instead of being told from the point of view of the police tasked with investigating the murder, it's told from the POV of the child who discovered the body, and her nana, Maggie. 🐕‍🦺

Meet wee Janey, who is 12 years old, and, had the misfortune of finding the body of a young woman, whilst out walking her dog. Actually, it was said dog, Sid Vicious (I kid you not) who found the deceased. 🐕‍🦺

From this point on we follow Janey as she becomes more and more withdrawn. The trauma of her discovery is apparent, as she tries to reassemble her memories of that day. 🐕‍🦺

Maggie's POV sheds more light on how Janey is coping, and gives us the family's backstory. 🐕‍🦺

Set in Glasgow in the late 1970's, A Bad, Bad Place is gritty and dark, but there is a black humour within. The characters are well fleshed out, and most of them are likeable. 🐕‍🦺

I loved this book. It was, hands down, one of my favourite books this year.

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.