Caroline
I have to confess that I'm not really a football fan; rugby is more my cup of tea (sorry Crouchy.) I will also confess that I never really thought about what happens to a football player, or indeed any sports person, when they retire. So what does happen to a football player when he hangs up his boots?
How To Be An Ex-Footballer answers that question in spades. Crouch shares many stories of ex footballers and the career paths they followed after retiring from football. Some are hilarious, others are sad beyond words.
This is certainly a thought provoking book. Any misconceptions I had about footballers have certainly been put to bed.
I like Peter Crouch. He has a wonderful sense of humour, he doesn't take himself too seriously, and he can write a book about life after football that will have you laughing uproariously one minute, and crying into your coffee cup the next.
Raising Hare is the story of one woman's determination to save the life of a leveret, and how in doing so, the leveret changed her life for the better.
Chloe Dalton was once a busy woman, in a job that took her to far flung places. Then the Covid19 pandemic arrived and the whole of the UK went into lockdown. Unable to work in her London office, Chloe moved into her barn conversion in the country. It was here, whilst out for a walk, that she met the newly born leveret.
Chloe's account of how she cared for the leveret, how she watched it grow into adulthood, and how it allowed her to be a part of its life is truly heartwarming.
I've lived in rural Ireland for most of my life, and I've only seen a hare on two occasions. Apart from the the superstitions that surround them, I knew nothing about hares or their habitat before I picked up this book.
Raising Hare is probably the most beautiful, moving book I have read this year.
Thanks to Canongate Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
I can now add Arne Dahl to my list of favourite Scandinavian authors.
Watching You has been my first foray into this author's work and, happily for me, it is also the first of a series.
It made for disturbing reading, but anyone familiar with my reading tastes will know that I like my books dark.
I like the protagonists; Berger, the cop with a temper barely kept in check, estranged from his partner and children, and Blom, an actress who now works for the security service. They are bound by their past, a past that has come back to haunt them.
An intriguing, original plot that is complex and intricately woven.
Here's to my next encounter with Berger and Blom.
Good grief! Just when you think Stuart MacBride's books can't become any more gruesome, he comes up with The Tasting Menu.
The premise may not be original, I think there may be a film with a similar theme, but the writing is all MacBride.
The Tasting Menu might only run to 127 pages, but MacBride has managed to fill those pages with an action packed gore fest.
Fast paced, bloody and totally bonkers. Yep, it can only be Stuart MacBride.
The Shadow Murders is the 9th, and penultimate, book in the Department Q series, and my favourite to date.
Department Q is the cold case department of the Copenhagen police force, headed up by Carl Mørck, who is ably assisted by Rose, Gordon and Assad.
The Shadow Murders is set in 2020, during the Covid19 pandemic, and Denmark is going into lockdown again, a few days before Christmas. Carl and his team are looking into a murder some thirty years old, but then a more recent murder occurs that appears to be connected.
What follows is the most complex investigation ever carried out by the team.
Meanwhile, Carl's past catches up with him. The final chapter ends on a cliffhanger, setting the scene for the next, and final book.
Engaging, thrilling, with a complex plot, The Shadow Murders is everything I want in a crime thriller.
Not only is Gyles Brandreth a skillful and colourful raconteur, he is also an exceedingly good mystery writer. Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death is proof positive of that.
The dramatist personae is made up of a mixture of historical figures known to Wilde, such as the author Bram Stoker and the artist Walter Sickert, and characters created by the author.
The story itself is quite complex and expertly plotted. Robert Sherard is once again the narrator.
This is a dark, somewhat seedy tale, with prostitution, cock fighting and child trafficking amongst its themes.
Did I like this book? No, I didn't. I LOVED it, and I look forward to reading the next one.
Contains spoilers
Meet the Wisterns, dysfunctional family extraordinaire. There's Anthony, financial wizard and CEO of Wismere Investments, his ice-queen wife Olivia, and their four grown up children, Jemima, Fred, Lyra and Clara. To the outside world they appear to have it all; money, status and good looks. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What A Way To Go centres around Anthony's unfortunate demise on his 60th birthday, for which his wife Olivia has thrown an elaborate party.
His death is eventually ruled as accidental, but not everyone is satisfied with the ruling. Enter the self named “The Sleuth”, a True Crime fanatic who believes Anthony was murdered, and embarks on an amateur investigation of their own, posting live recordings of their progress on YouTube.
The story is told from three POV'S: Olivia, The Sleuth, and Anthony. That's right folks, Anthony still has his say. Following his demise he finds himself in Death's departure lounge, watching over his family as he tries to remember how he died.
I really enjoyed this book. It was so well written everyone was a suspect, and I had a lot of fun trying to work out who killed Anthony. The big reveal, when it came, took me by surprise.
I loved the dark humour, and the characters, even though they didn't have a single redeeming quality between them.
What A Way To Go is a head scratcher of a whodunnit.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The further into this series I delve, the more I love it. When Tony McLean is involved in an investigation, you can count on it being anything but straightforward.
Bury Them Deep is no exception. It begins with the legend of Sawney Bean. As soon as I read that I knew I'd be going down the proverbial rabbit hole. I wasn't disappointed.
What starts off as a routine investigation into the disappearance of a member of CID's admin staff, soon leads to the discovery of human bones, a lot of human bones, and the existence of a cult of cannibals.
Other, seedier practices, are investigated, and someone from McLean's past makes an unwelcome return.
Darkly thrilling, slightly unsavoury but 100% satisfying.
Isolation island is Louise Minchin's debut, and it's a little cracker. I must confess that I'm not a fan of reality shows, but when I read the blurb for this book, I was intrigued. I love a good whodunnit with an atmospheric setting.
“So what's it all about?”, I hear you ask. Well, if you've read the blurb you'll know that ten celebrities are sent to a remote Scottish island to take part in a new reality show. Things don't go according to plan. There are health and safety issues, punishments for breaking rules and discord amongst the celebrities. Then two of the celebrities are murdered, and the remainder find themselves cut off from the outside world thanks to a storm.
As soon as the celebrities arrive on the island, you can feel the tension. There is a sense of menace from the outset. The remoteness of the island, and the harsh conditions, help to create the atmosphere. The characters aren't particularly endearing either. I genuinely only liked two of them, but I'm not saying who.
There were enough twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing.
All in all Isolation Island was an engaging, thrilling page turner.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the digital ARC.
So intrigued was I by the blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it. I didn't realise, however, that it is the eighth book of a series. But do you know what, guys and gals? It doesn't matter, because it can be read as a standalone.
Witness 8 is a gritty, gripping page turner and was, for me, the perfect introduction to Eddie “Fly” Flynn, the con man turned defense attorney. I liked Eddie, and I liked his legal team. This book was so enjoyable I even liked Mr. Christmas.
The story is told from several POV'S, Eddie's being the only one in the first person. It is a complex story, with several strands and sub plots, but it's worth sticking with, particularly for the ending.
Eddie Flynn now has a new fan, and I look forward to reading his back catalogue.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the digital ARC.
What a cracking great debut novel Crow Moon is, and I for one am thrilled that it is first in a series. Count me in. I'm more than happy to return Strathbran, Stirlingshire.
Crow Moon is set in the fictional village of Strathburn, an area steeped in folklore and the site of a witch trial.
The story centres around the murder of a teenaged boy. A verse from a poem called Feannag Dhubh, is found written in ink on his back. Some time later, a teenaged girl disappears. When she is found, barely alive, it's discovered that another verse from the poem has been written on her back. Who is the Feannag Dhubh, and what is the significance of the poem? What is the connection between the poem and the Crow Moon?
Crow Moon is atmospheric and has a gothic feel to it, even though events occur in the present. The themes are dark, and the tension mounts with each chapter thanks to twists and turns aplenty.
I loved Crow Moon, and the next book can't come quick enough for me.
I'm a big fan of Icelandic noir, and if it wasn't for Quentin Bates, who did a superb job of translating this book, I might not have come across Sólveig Pálsdóttir and this gripping series.
Shrouded is the fourth book featuring Reykjavík detectives Gudgeir and Elsa Gudrún. They're tasked with solving the murder of Arnhildur, whose body was discovered in a cemetery. She had last been seen at a séance three days previously.
The investigation leads the pair down many false trails, and uncovers a whole host of secrets and lies, and the abuse of a disabled woman in a care home.
There is a supernatural element running throughout the book, which adds to the already tense atmosphere.
Shrouded is dark and disturbing, with many unsavory characters, all of which combine to make it a thrilling read.
It's not often that a book fails to engage me, in fact I'm usually so engrossed I haven't a clue what's going on in the real world. The Bird Tribunal unfortunately, did not engage me.
It was well written and it was atmospheric. There was an air of menace throughout. For all that, it was boring. Two main characters and a handful of cameos, none of whom were likeable. Very little action apart from gardening and a spot of fishing. The most exciting thing to happen was Allis getting attacked by a seagull.
As for the big reveal that, according to the blurb, would leave me breathless, it didn't. It was so predictable I knew before I was halfway through how it would end.
I wanted to love this book, I really did, but it just wasn't for me. 3⭐ for effort though.
Murder in Harrogate is a delightful anthology of dark deeds by a variety of crime writers, inspired by the Theakston Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival. All of the stories are set in, yes you've guessed it, Harrogate.
All of the stories in this collection are gripping, but three in particular stood out for me.
“The Dame” by Mark Billingham, is a contemporary tale, based on the real life disappearance of Agatha Christie.
“Old Peculiar” by Steve Cavanagh centres around a young woman looking into the disappearance of her sister, and has a sinister twist at the end.
“Why Harrogate?” by Janice Hallett is an historical crime fiction short that is dark and creepy.
I love short stories, and this anthology was a quick and easy read. Dark, sometimes creepy, sometimes seedy, and exceedingly good.
Hats off to James Oswald. Once again he has managed to seamlessly blend crime fiction and the supernatural, this alchemy resulting in Cold As The Grave.
This is the 9th book in the Tony McLean series. Following on from his personal tragedy in the previous book, Tony has been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector, much to his consternation.
Set against the backdrop of illegal trafficking of refugees, what looked like a cold case becomes something far more complicated and beyond understanding. The return of an old nemesis, and her possible connection to the investigation, throws another spanner in the works.
The supernatural element has more of a starring role in this book. It may not be to everyone's taste, but it worked for me. The plot is complex, as befits DCI McLean.
Oswald has created some very likeable characters in this series, characters that I actually care about.
All in all this was a dark, poignant, yet enjoyable read.
There's a new kid on the crime fiction block, and her name is Susie Dent. As a lexicographer and etymologist, Susie knows all about words, their meanings and origins.
Guilty by Definition is Susie's debut novel, and what a debut it is.
The story is set in Oxford and centres around a team of lexicographers at the Clarendon English Dictionary, who receive some rather cryptic, anonymous letters. The letters contain clues pertaining to the disappearance of a young woman in 2010, whose sister happens to be one of said lexicographers.
That's as much of the plot as I'm willing to give away. Suffice to say this is an immensely enjoyable book. Each chapter begins with an antiquated word and its definition.
The plot is complex and intricately woven, its twisty and has the obligatory red herring.
There are multiple POV's, but they are necessary and, in my humble opinion, aren't confusing.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I really hope there will more like this to follow.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for the digital ARC.
Whenever I buy a bargain book by an author that is new to me, I discover, too late, that it's the middle book of a series. Not so with The Wolf which, happily for me, is the prequel to a series by Samuel Bjørk. It was nice to get in at the very beginning for a change.
As to the book itself, well, what a ride that turned out to be. Plot twist after plot twist, some decidedly dodgy characters and multiple POV's. It took me a while to figure out who did it, as in, the final third of the book.
Don't let the multiple POV's put you off. The Wolf is a gripping, riveting read, and I will definitely be reading the other books in the series.
How do I begin to describe The Twyford Code? Well, let me start by saying it is compulsive reading, and very, very immersive. It won't be everyone's cup of java, however.
If you've read The Appeal, then you'll know that Hallett does things differently narrative wise, and with The Twyford Code, she has opted to do things differently again. The narrative comes in the form of transcripts of audio files from an iPhone 4, made by the protagonist, Steve Smith.
The first two thirds of the book are an account of Smith's life, and his attempts to crack the Twyford Code. It is when we get to the final third that we realise that it has all been one big deception.
This book is pure genius, and Janice Hallett is the queen of misdirection. I simply can't wait for her next book.
Before I review this book there are two things I should probably mention.
1: Prior to this, I had never read anything by this author. Am I likely to read anything else by this author? You bet I am.
2: I didn't realise A Talent For Murder is the third book in a series. Obviously, I haven't read its predecessors (see above), but this in no way impeded my enjoyment of the book.
And so to my review. A Talent For Murder is enthralling. I was hooked from the very start. Swanson knows how to keep the reader turning the pages, as he ramps up the tension. A thoroughly engaging read.
Thanks to Faber and Faber, and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
Publication date: 04/07/2024
“FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW.
THIS IS NOT THAT CRIME NOVEL.”
Talk about understatement of the year.
Up to this point I had never read anything by Chris Brookmyre, but seeing that blurb I knew I wanted to.
When I opened The Cracked Mirror I expected an Agatha Christie/ Michael Connelly mashup. I got that, and so much more.
Without giving the plot away, there are two storylines, one in Scotland and one in Los Angeles. Each storyline has an unexplained murder, and its own central character. The two storylines eventually merge, and that's when the fun really begins.
I'm not kidding when I say there's a lot going on, what with multiple POV's and locations, red herrings galore, and a big reveal that will leave you reeling. Then there's that poignant ending. In a nutshell, prepare to be mind blown.
Massive thanks to Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for the digital ARC.
If dark humour, Scandi noir and, downright bonkers tickle your fancy, then this is the book for you.
The Palm Beach, Finland of the title is a seaside resort in, yep, Finland. Its brightly coloured chalets are named after characters from Miami Vice....Crockett, Tubbs, Castillo.
We then go from the sublime to the ridiculous as two men, sent to frighten a homeowner into selling her house, accidentally kill a complete stranger who had, independently of them, broken into said house. Did I mention that this book was a bit bonkers?
There's a lot of little subplots going on. A couple of the characters are sleazy, but the majority are likeable, despite being a little unhinged.
This is quite a fun book. While it is predominantly noir, there are giggles to be had.
I kinda want to go to Palm Beach, Finland now. Shame it's not real.
A new book from Stuart MacBride is always something to look forward to, so I was like a child on Christmas morning when this latest offering landed in my kindle.
In a Place of Darkness could aptly describe the setting of the book, as we return to Oldcastle, where the rain is incessant.
The first person we meet is Detective Constable Angus MacVicar. He's fresh out of uniform and has now joined Department O, who are on the hunt for the Fortnight Killer, so dubbed because he, well that's self explanatory.
Being part of the team means babysitting forensic profiler Dr. Jonathan Fife, on loan from the FBI.
In a Place of Darkness is dark, but MacBride's trademark humour helps to alleviate some of that darkness.
It's a long book, but oh so worth travelling down that long and windy road with Angus, especially for that explosive finale. Action packed, and with characters that you will either love, or love to hate, all in all it's a cracking great read.
Boys Who Hurt is the fifth book in the Hidden Iceland series by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir and, in my humble opinion, is the best in the series to date. It's certainly my favourite.
Murder, links to an historical crime, police corruption, physical abuse of children, secrets and lies. All of these are recurring themes in the book, and make for chilling reading. Setting the story in the run up to Christmas just adds to the atmosphere. The plot is complex and intricately woven. It took me a while to figure out who the killer was. That's the mark of a great book, in my opinion.
I adore this series, and I'm already looking forward to the next book.