by Beth Davidson | Oct 25, 2018 | Book Reviews
It’s my stop on the blog tour for Stephen Puleston’s latest DI Ian Drake series, Written in Blood. Set in Wales, it was a must read for me from the off.
About Written in Blood
A savage murder…
Inspector Drake is called the holiday home of an eminent Manchester barrister and recently appointed judge to face the grizzly sight of his badly mutilated body. The scene resembles a copycat killing from years previously when the barrister had prosecuted the perpetrator now serving life in prison.
A serial killer behind bars…
Drake realises the killer might be targeting the judge or legal teams or journalist that covered the original trial and he embarks on a frantic search to identify and warn them all. But when a friend of the barrister is found murdered in his yacht in a marina Drake’s suspicion must focus on the connection the barrister.
A determined murderer.
Clear evidence arises to arrest and charge a suspect is thrown into confusion when another death takes place. Drake knows he has a determined killer to catch. And with his own reputation and the integrity of the Wales Police Service on the line he cannot afford mistakes.
My Review
Books based in an area I am familiar with always appeal to me. So, I had to give Written in Blood a go, didn’t I? I mean it would have been rude not to. As it is the sixth book in the series, I would recommend reading them in order (although I didn’t and it didn’t affect me too much!). I want to go back to the first book now because I like to see how the characters develop.
Written in Blood is a great book from Stephen Puleston. Like all good crime fiction, it kept me turning the pages and wanting to find out more.
I love the fact that I’m familiar with the area it is set, and the red herrings along the way.
You can buy Written in Blood straight from the link below. Or click here for the series. (Affiliate Links)
About Stephen Puleston
I write crime fiction based in Wales and about Wales. The rural landscape of north Wales provides the backdrop to the Inspector Drake novels. And Cardiff the capital of Wales provides the setting for the Inspector Marco novels set in a modern urban environment.
I love the novels of Raymond Chandler, Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, Henning Mankell, Val McDermid – the list could go on! And I enjoy watching detective series on the television the recent Hinterland series based near Aberystwyth in Wales was great. One of my favourites is the French series Spiral but The Bridge and Broadchurch and the Rebus series with Ken Stott and Kenneth Branagh in Wallander are great too.
I have been on writing courses at the Welsh Writers Centre in Llanystymdwy, North Wales tutored by Matt Whyman and Marcus Sedgwick as well as crime writing courses with Peter Robinson and Andrew Taylor at the Scottish Writers centre.
I was born in Anglesey an island off the north Wales coast and after leaving school in Holyhead I went to University in London before training as a solicitor/lawyer. I practised in a small family business doing criminal work in the magistrates and crown courts, divorce and family work.
I still live on Anglesey, North Wales near the beach and the mountains of Snowdonia.
by Beth Davidson | Oct 23, 2018 | Book Reviews
Way back in March, I reviewed The Guilty Ones by Joy Ellis. Joy is a pretty brilliant writer and when the invite for the blog tour of her new instalment in the Jackman and Evans series arrived in my inbox, I jumped at the chance.
The Stolen Boys is the fifth in the series but I still haven’t read books 1-3.
About The Stolen Boys
A crime wave has hit town. The target is a highly sought-after brand of streetwear called Hybird X, clothing that costs a fortune and resells for unbelievable prices. Houses are burgled, kids mugged on the streets . . . and finally a young man dies, all for the sake of his shoes.
Then another boy’s body is found in a pile of rubbish. Meanwhile illegal steroids are flooding the streets. And there are dark movements on the marshes.
CLOTHES THAT PEOPLE WILL KILL TO OWN
A shadowy figure called Darke and his teams of young criminals seem to be behind it all.
Detectives Jackman and Evans must take on a fiendish criminal, while still haunted by Alistair Ashcroft, the serial killer they never caught.
WHO IS DARKE AND WHAT DOES HE REALLY WANT?
My Review
I was expecting great things from this book given its predecessor… and it didn’t disappoint. Joy’s unique writing style, and rather loveable protagonists, makes sure that it is a real page turner.
The storyline, designer gear and drugs, is relevant given the times we live in and does indeed show the depths that some will travel to get their hands on the latest things.
Jackman and Evans are a formidable team, though not without their flaws (pretty much the same as all good detectives).
Overall, I loved reading The Stolen Boys, and cannot wait for the next Jackman and Evans adventure.
(Affiliate Link)
About Joy Ellis
UK #1 Best Seller
1 million books sold and rising!
“I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the sixties and seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!
And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, and our two second generation Springer spaniels. I had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now I can, and as my partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; my choice of genre was suddenly clear. I have set my crime thrillers here in the misty fens because I sincerely love the remoteness and airy beauty of the marshlands. This area is steeped in superstitions and lends itself so well to murder!”
by Beth Davidson | Oct 17, 2018 | Book Reviews, Reviews & Giveaways
Today, I’m opening the blog tour for Roy Lewis’ new re-release, Error of Judgement. The book was originally published in the 60’s and has been revised and republished by Joffe Books.
The giveaway is open from today and details can be found on the link below. 🙂
We are giving away paperbacks of ERROR OF JUDGEMENT to 2 lucky winners chosen at random on 25th October. To enter the giveaway just enter your details here: Giveaway entry form and you will be contacted on 25th October.
About Error of Judgement
Discover Inspector Crow of Scotland Yard. Enjoy a beautifully told story from a time before smart phones and DNA testing. Full of twists and turns, this will have you gripped from start to finish.
A young woman is found dead in a college while students demonstrate. It turns out she was the principal’s secretary and there was more to her than meets the eye.
Who wanted her dead and why? And what does it have to do with the student revolt led by a charismatic firebrand from Iraq?
Inspector John Crow is called in and has little doubt who’s responsible but a series of surprises will make him reconsider everything.
This fast-paced mystery will have you enthralled from the start. Set in England in the late 1960s, this is the second book to feature Inspector John Crow. More coming soon.
DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE MYSTERY WRITER
Perfect for fans of Peter James, Ruth Rendell, P.D. James and Peter Robinson.
Roy Lewis is one of the most critically acclaimed crime writers of his generation.
PRAISE FOR ROY LEWIS MYSTERIES
“Each Lewis seems to better the last. Here is an intriguing puzzle and likely police work and a fine picture of Northumbrian society and countryside” The Times
“Roy Lewis has demonstrated an enviable range both in geography and style…a nice neat story” The Financial Times
“Lots of cunning complications embracing conservation and financial fiddles” The Guardian
“A thorough, unpretentious and immensely solid piece of work with an interesting and likeable hero” Times Literary Supplement
“Tightly written, well paced and relentlessly accurate” Oxford Times
“Chilly drama with some stirring cliff hanger” Sunday Telegraph
THE DETECTIVE
Skeletally-built, mild-mannered Inspector John Crow is established in the Murder Squad in London and constantly meets hostility when he is called upon to work on murder cases in regional crime squads in Wales and the Midlands. He displays strong moral feelings, and a sensitivity which brings him into conflict with regional staff as he doggedly and successfully pursues the truth in cases where he is called in.
About Roy Lewis
Roy Lewis is a well-established crime writer with 60 novels to his name. He lives in the north of England where he sets many of his books. He is a former college principal and Inspector of Schools who now runs business training programmes and has business interests in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. He has three children – all of them lawyers.
by Beth Davidson | Oct 17, 2018 | Book Reviews
Another day, another romance review. Today is the new offering from Meg Buchanan, Love Me Goodbye.
About Love Me Goodbye
Adam Turner is having a really bad night.
The girl he loves has gone back to her cheating fiancé.
So Adam is in a bar, aiming for oblivion
Then the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen walks in.
But Genevieve has problems.
She needs somewhere to spend the night until she can work out a way to disappear.
Then she sees Adam watching her.
He’s answer to those problems in the short- term,
From the moment they meet they both sense something special happening.
It could be amazing.
But Adam is leaving in four days.
And Geneviève has a husband.
Can they overcome the bad timing?
Will they find a way to be together?
My Review
I read the previous book in this series, I Thought I Knew You, not so long ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Love Me Goodbye did not disappoint.
Meg’s writing is brilliant, she really tells a beautiful story and her characters are flawed to perfection. They appear real due to their flaws.
I absolutely cannot wait to find out if there is going to be another instalment to this series. If not, I’ll have to find other books by Meg Buchanan to even it out.
Love Me Goodbye is available from Amazon below (affiliate link)
About Meg Buchanan
I live in Paeroa, a small town in New Zealand, with my husband and a black labrador. Most of my books are set in my home town, simply because it has a rich history, and the streets already have names, so do the rivers and the mountain nearby, and the neighbouring towns also have names, so I save time on world building.
I have been writing for seven years. Before that I was a teacher, then a kitchen designer, and for a year, the creator of resources for drug education. But now writing is what I do.
I love creating books about ordinary people doing interesting things. The characters in my story are just a little better looking and more charismatic than in real life, but they think and feel like normal people.
My books cover many genre, action adventure, scifi, historical fiction, and romance. Up until now you won’t find a vampire or werewolf in any them, but in the future, that can’t be completely ruled out.
I wrote Scavenger Hunt to enter it in a national competition, just to see if I could write. It won the competition and really it has all gone on from there.
LINKS
Facebook – https://en-gb.facebook.com/public/Meg-Buchanan
Twitter – @MegBuchanan80
by Beth Davidson | Oct 17, 2018 | Book Reviews
It’s my stop on the blog tour for Bring Them Home, a fantastic new series from D.S. Butler. Featuring DS Karen Hart it’s a fabulous new crime fiction novel that you need to read.
About Bring Them Home
A perfect village. A perfect crime.
When two young girls disappear from their primary school, the village of Heighington is put on high alert—and not for the first time. Called in to investigate, Detective Karen Hart is sure that parallels with a previous disappearance are anything but coincidental.
DS Hart is still reeling from a case she tried and failed to solve eighteen months ago, when a young woman vanished without a trace. She’s no nearer to the truth of what happened to Amy Fisher, but with two children missing now too, the stakes have never been higher. As she looks to the past for clues, she must confront her own haunting loss, a nightmare she is determined to spare other families.
Hart soon realises that nothing in this close-knit Lincolnshire community is what it seems. Pursuing the investigation with personal vengeance, she finds herself in conflict with her scrupulous new boss, but playing by the rules will have to wait. Because while there’s no shortage of suspects, the missing girls are running out of time…
My Review
I really enjoyed this read. It’s certainly going to be a series I will be following as new books are released.
I felt for DS Hart, and her emotions over a previous unsolved case. However, there’s a lot of growth still available for the character in future books.
I would hope that her character settles as the series moves on and will be keen to see if this is the case.
Available from Amazon using the link below (affiliate link).
About D.S. Butler
Born in Kent, D. S. Butler grew up as an avid reader with a love for crime fiction and mysteries. She has worked as a scientific officer in a hospital pathology laboratory and as a research scientist.
After obtaining a PhD in biochemistry, she worked at the University of Oxford for four years before moving to the Middle East. While living in Bahrain, she wrote her first novel and hasn’t stopped writing since.
She now lives in Lincolnshire with her husband.
