#SocialMediaBlast A Body in the Bookshop by Helen Cox

Today it’s an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour A Body in the Bookshop (Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries #2, by Helen Cox.

About the Author

Helen Cox is a Yorkshire-born novelist and poet. After completing her MA in creative writing at the University of York St. John. Helen wrote for a range of magazines and websites as well as for TV and radio news. Helen has edited her own independent film magazine and penned three non-fiction books. Her first two novels were published by HarperCollins in 2016. She currently hosts the Poetrygram podcast and works for City Lit, London

Helen’s Mastermind specialism would be Grease 2 and to this day she adheres to the Pink Lady pledge.

Follow @Helenography on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit helencoxbooks.com, Buy a Body in the Bookshop

About the book

Librarian Kitt Hartley and her friend Evie Bowes thought their life had gone back to normal after the shocking events of Murder in the Minster. Then DI Malcolm Halloran breaks some bad news: DS Charlotte Banks has been suspended from duty, on suspicion of assaulting the suspect in the burglary of a local bookshop.

Evie wants justice for Charlotte, who she is sure was not the attacker, and how could any self-respecting librarian turn down the chance to find missing rare books? The two friends team up once again to investigate the rarefied world of York’s bookshops and antiques dealers and find out just who has framed their friend.

But Kitt and Evie will soon learn that there are some books people will kill for – will this story  have a happy ending?

Review

This is the second book in the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mystery series. Both books can be read as standalone novels, although I would recommend reading the first just for the read.

This time the story starts out quite aggressively with Banks being accused of assault linked to a burglary. Halloran is walking a fine line by telling Kitt and Evie about the case, especially when they decide to get involved. The amateur sleuths rattle quite a few cages as they try to solve the mystery and get Banks out of trouble.

I enjoyed the way Cox approached the budding relationship between Evie and Charley. The way Evie is unsure about her attraction to Charley, which intensifies the insecurity she feels about the scarring on her face. At times she finds it hard to distinguish between the desire someone might feel for her and the way everyone is reacting to the new her, or at least the way she thinks people are reacting to her.

The relationship between them flows smoothly beside the murder plot with moments of shyness, laughter and ultimately of honest and open emotional responses. Kudos to the author for this subtle approach to their story.

It’s a quaint murder mystery series set in Yorkshire with two amateur sleuths at the helm. I  think what will make this a favourite for readers is the fact the series is set around the world of books, regardless of whether it be the library or the bookshops.

Buy A Body in the Bookshop at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Quercus; pub date 19 Mar. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Murder in the Minster by Helen Cox.

#BlogTour The Golden Hour: A Lady Evelyn Mystery by Malia Zaidi

It’s my turn on the BlogTour The Golden Hour: A Lady Evelyn Mystery by Malia Zaidi. It’s a murder mystery interwoven with the complex societal rules and hierarchy of the upper echelon.

About the Author

Malia Zaidi is the author of the Lady Evelyn Mysteries. She studied at the University of Pittsburgh and at the University of Oxford. Having grown up in Germany, she currently lives in Washington DC, though through her love of reading, she resides vicariously (if temporarily) in countries around the world.

Follow @MaliaZaidi on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Visit maliazaidi.com or princessandpen.com

Buy The Golden Hour

About the book

London 1927

Lady Evelyn Carlisle has barely arrived in London when familial duty calls her away again. Her cousin Gemma is desperate for help with her ailing mother before her imminent wedding, which Evelyn knew nothing about! Aunt Agnes in tow, she journeys to Scotland, expecting to find Malmo Manor in turmoil. To her surprise, her Scottish family has been keeping far more secrets than the troubled state of their matriarch. Adding to the tension in the house a neighbour has opened his home, Elderbrooke Park, as a retreat for artistic veterans of the Great War. This development does not sit well with everyone in the community. Is the suspicion towards the residents a catalyst for murder? A tragedy at Elderbrooke Park’s May Day celebration awakens Evelyn’s sleuthing instinct, which is strengthened when the story of another unsolved death emerges, connected to her own family. What she uncovers on her quest to expose the truth will change several lives forever, including her own.

With the shadow of history looming over her, Evelyn must trust in her instinct and ability to comb through the past to understand the present, before the murderer can stop her and tragedy strikes again.

Review

As Evelyn circumnavigates the emotional complexity of the relationships between herself and her family members, especially her aunts, she finds quite a few obstacles in her way. Then seemingly out of nowhere and without reason a young maid is murdered.

It all appears to be connected to Elderbrooke Park, a retreat that a family member is helping to set up. A retreat for artistic veterans of the Great War. This is the latest in a long line of distractions for Aunt Iris, a way to cope with the grief of losing her son. A son, missing since 1916, along with thousands of other poor souls in the Great War.

The loved ones who are left behind are left in a limbo when they receive an MIA notification. Somewhere in their hearts there is a tiny spark of hope, born out of desperation, that their son, husband or brother might still be alive. Simultaneously they know that their child, husband, loved one is buried in anonymity with his brothers in arms under layers of once sodden now dried earth in a foreign country across the sea.

Zaidi brings up a few poignant points up about the veterans of the Great War. It’s actually tragic to realise that the perception and generalisation of war veterans hasn’t changed much. They are considered untrustworthy, volatile and emotionally unstable. The communities, people and country they fought for treat them like a bad memory, an ill omen and perhaps most importantly like a reminder of what they have lost. It’s unfortunate that a century later this still remains a problem for veterans.

Don’t be fooled by the cover, which implies a flighty fun read. It doesn’t accurately represent the depth of the character and plot development. It’s a murder mystery interwoven with the complex societal rules and hierarchy of the upper echelon.

The Lady Evelyn Mysteries remind me of a combination of Christie’s world of the aristocracy and Anne Perry’s drawn out plots. The first gives a certain hierarchy to the setting and the relationships, and the latter takes the readers on a journey through the many levels and doors of said hierarchy.

Buy The Golden Hour: A Lady Evelyn Mystery (#4) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: BookBaby; pub date 26 Mar. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Buy A Poisonous Journey (Lady Evelyn Mystery #1) at Amazon Uk or Amazon com.

Buy A Darker Shore (Lady Evelyn Mystery #2) at Amazon Uk or Amazon com.

Buy The Study of Silence (Lady Evelyn Mystery #3) at Amazon Uk or Amazon com.

The House on Half Moon Street by Alex Reeve

I really enjoyed this intriguing crime mystery, perhaps because the main character is trying to live their best life, despite the many obstacles in their way.

Charlotte takes the brave step into independence and severs the ties between herself and her family in an attempt to live how she wants and love whom she wants. That life is being Leo, because for all intent and purposes he is a man waiting to walk free from the physical constraints of his female body. Free to love. Free to partake in the pleasures of a physical and sexual relationship. And this is where the story becomes a tale of crime, murder, unrequited passion and jealousy.

What Reeve captures really well is the inequality of gender in that particular time period, although to be fair some things haven’t changed much. He describes the privilege Leo enjoys as a man and then the oppression Charlotte has to endure in equal measures as a woman.

Although in our day and age it is considered more politically correct to assign the correct personal pronoun to Leo, I believe to do the story justice one has to speak of both Charlotte as a woman and Leo as the man Charlotte lives as and is on the inside. It’s important to acknowledge the difficulty, struggle and opposition Charlotte experiences because of her brave choice to live as the man she knows herself to be on the inside. The other side of the coin is the constant fear Leo lives with, because he fears he will be discovered. It would mean prison.

I’m a little disappointed this has been put under the genre of erotic transgender fiction on at least one major retailer. First of all any eroticism is only hinted at and secondly it means a lot of potential readers may not even consider reading this really well-written historical crime fiction story. It’s a cracking read.

I sincerely hope this is the first of many Leo Stanhope books and I’m looking forward to the second in the series, The Anarchist’s Club, in May.

Buy The House on Half Moon Street (Leo Stanhope #1) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Raven Books; pub date Dec. 2018

Preorder/Buy The Anarchist’s Club (Leo Stanhope #2) at Amazon Uk (pub date 2 May 2019)

Read my review of The Anarchists’ Club by Alex Reeve.

Follow Alex Reeves @storyjoy or @BloomsburyRaven onTwitter

#BlogTour Dark Paradise by Gene Desrochers

Today it’s my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Dark Paradise by Gene Desrochers. It has the exotic nuances of a Caribbean story mixed with a noirish feel, and yet it is also full of snark and the laid back feel of a humid, sun-stroked island. It is definitely worth a read.

Don’t forget to take part in TWO fantastic Giveaways today! (The second Giveaway is at the bottom of the post).

Giveaway 1 – Win a $25 Amazon e-gift Card (Open US only) Post your photo with your e-book or hard copy of Dark Paradise on social media and share on Gene’s Facebook Instagram or Twitter page and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card to be awarded on Monday, September 24th.

About the Author

Gene Desrochers hails from a dot in the Caribbean Sea called St. Thomas. He grew up with minimal supervision and free-roaming animals in a guesthouse that also served as a hospital during wartime. He has spent his life steadily migrating west, and now finds himself in Los Angeles with a beautiful wife, cats, and kids. After a lifetime of writing and telling short stories, he ventured into the deep end, publishing his first novel, Dark Paradise in 2018. If you ask, he will regale you with his Caribbean accent and tennis prowess.

Follow @problemsolverge on Twitter

Connect with @ggdesrochers on Instagram on Facebook and Medium

Visit genedesrochers.com

Buy Dark Paradise

About the book

Boise Montague’s life in Los Angeles has fallen apart. After his wife dies, he returns to the tiny island where he grew up. Unfortunately, coming home doesn’t bring him the peace he’s looking for.

Things have changed drastically since his last visit. The island has moved on and so have the people he once knew. When Boise tries to find the one friend he thinks he can count on to be there for him, he’s confronted with another death. A murder. A murder that the police did not think important enough to investigate thoroughly.

Boise wants answers. He enlists a local reporter named Dana, who has theories of her own, to help him dig deeper.

With not much left to lose, a bone to pick with the justice system, and a relentless partner, Boise sets out to do what the police would not: solve the murder of Jeffrey Black.

The island of St. Thomas is a gleaming tropical paradise. Welcome to the Caribbean, where murder is as common as sunshine

Review

The personal experience of St. Thomas, the surroundings and the people is what gives this story the extra spice and flair. It’s quirky and funny, despite the seriousness of the situations. Boise Montague is larger than life and the kind of character you don’t forget.

Boise returns home looking for some peace after a personal tragedy. His wife died in a tragic accident, but he is convinced it was murder. The police get fed up of his conspiracy theories and he decides to feed his frustrations elsewhere. He does what many of us do when we are lost or are coming to the end of our lives, he goes looking for connections from the past. The house he used to live in, the streets he played in and the friends he grew up with.

Of course he finds, as many of us do, that life continues to move on even if we aren’t there to watch it do so. Boise is surprised to find his childhood friend dead, a drug dealer killed in the middle of a business exchange. I think his fragile state of mind is what sets him on the path of detective come saviour. He can’t prove his wife was killed, so he decides to find the person who killed his friend instead.

Boise is like an ill advised hound dog, who has found a scent and jut can’t get it out of his nose. He has this deep need to do what he feel is right and to instil a sense of justice on the world. The trouble is that everyone else has no interest in his quest, and he ends up stirring up a few hornet nests.

Thus starts a series of connections with colourful and hilariously eccentric characters, who aid and push him towards a tragic and violent solution. A combination of characters I hope to see again, because Boise Montague has made his mark on the genre of Caribbean noir, as has the author of course.

I do think the end was a bit like coming out of the eye of a hurricane and straight into a short, turbulent and destructive storm. Then again the whole story was a whirlwind from the start. I would like to see his sidekicks developed more, and of course will he ever find out what happened to his wife?

It has the exotic nuances of a Caribbean story mixed with a noirish feel, and yet it is also full of snark and the laid back feel of a humid, sun-stroked island. It is definitely worth a read.

Buy Dark Paradise at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Buy  Dark Paradise at Amazon com Barnes & Noble The Secret Stash

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Giveaway 2 – Win 2 x Paperbacks and 2 x E-copies of Dark Paradise (Open Internationally) (Click on the link below to enter)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. The two paperbacks are only open to USA entries.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.*

#BlogTour Girl Targeted by Val Collins

Today is my stop on the Blog-Tour for Girl Targeted by Val Collins. It is a tale of murder with an underlying sense of darkness throughout, but not just because of the murder per se. Her main character has a nose for murder, which leads to the discovery of self and snake pit full of lies.

About the Author

“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to read but writing is a pretty new adventure for me.

Of course I wrote stories when I was very young and I especially loved rewriting the ends of movies but I was an impatient kid and had an unfortunate tendency towards perfectionism. When, at around the age of ten, I realised my attempts at writing dialogue were dire, my writing career came to an abrupt end. A few years ago I decided to try my hand at writing again and Girl Targeted was the eventual result.

Girl Targeted is set in Ireland where I have lived all my life. It’s set in an office, an environment I know well as my entire working life has been spent doing office work. I’ve worked for small and medium sized organisations, for multinationals and for many different business sectors. Unfortunately, I was never lucky enough to come across anything as exciting as a murder so I had to rely on my imagination to create Aoife’s world.

I really loved writing Girl Targeted and I hope you enjoy reading it. Val”

Follow @valcollinsbooks on Twitter or ValCollinsBooks on Facebook

Visit valcollinsbooks.com

Buy Girl Targeted(UK)

Buy Girl Targeted (US)

About the book

A Psychological Thriller/Suspense set in Ireland.

Office jobs can be stressful. Aoife’s may be lethal.

Aoife’s life is finally on track. She’s happily married, pregnant with her first child and has the world’s best mother-in-law. But when Aoife accepts a job as an office temp, her entire life begins to unravel. Is one of Aoife’s colleagues a murderer? Is Aoife the next target? Why is her husband unconcerned?

Can office politics lead to murder? Girl Targeted is a perfect read for fans of Behind Closed Doors, Girl on a Train and the Silent Wife.

Review

It is a tale of murder with an underlying sense of darkness throughout, but not because of the murder per se. The feeling of fear, uncertainty and confusion comes from an entirely different place.

The story pulls the reader in two directions, and if I am being completely frank, I am not sure that was intentional. I think the relationship between Aoife and Jason was supposed to be a mere distraction in the background with the murder mystery taking centre stage. Personally I found their relationship and the clear message it sends, far more compelling than Aoife playing a very young and naive Miss Marple.

There was one thing that bothered me about Girl Targeted, and I could not be clearer about it being a personal preference thereby having nothing to do with how much I enjoyed the read. When it comes to names that look one way and are pronounced a completely different way I tend to suffer from my very own version of the Stroop Effect. Example: the word purple being written in red, do not read the word say the colour. So, the same happened with the name Aoife. Pronounced Ee-faa (and yes the author does tell the reader how to say it), my mind says Oyff. I was annoyed by own brain going Oyff nope Ee-faa the entire time. ‘Sigh’

I digress.

Let’s get back to what really had me intrigued when it came to this story. On the surface Aoife and Jason appear to be a happy young couple with a new baby. Jason’s views are perhaps a wee bit chauvinistic, but there is nothing wrong him wanting her to stay at home with the baby, right. There is however something wrong with Jason. He wants to control all the money, the narrative and who Aoife meets or talks to.

Wrapped in a bubble of apparent concern is the insidious nature of the beast called abuse. Jason uses emotional abuse to control Aoife. He uses neglect and coercion to convince her to do everything he wants. He traces her every move, controls every penny and manipulates others to get his wife to do what he wants.

It seems almost innocent and can easily be mistaken for overprotective love or concern for a loved one, which is often how an abusive partner gets away with it. They try and take away any financial freedom, make the victim dependent upon them in every way and seclude them from family and friends. Extreme jealousy and paranoia are usually precursors for abusive behaviour.This element of the story, and the way it evolved, was really interesting.

Girl Targeted is a murder mystery with the serious topic of abuse woven into the story. The main character has a nose for murder, which leads to the discovery of self and a snake pit full of lies.

Buy Girl Targeted at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

The Ghosts of Galway by Ken Bruen

Bruen has a very specific style when it comes to his Jack Taylor books. They are in your face coarse, gritty and hardcore realistic or rather the character of Jack Taylor is.

Jack always seems to walk on the thin line between abiding by the law and breaking it, well he tends to lean more towards the latter, especially when it comes to protecting those in his bubble. Not that they are always grateful, but then again perhaps they take lessons in etiquette and being polite from Jack.

His nemesis, strangely enough, is a bizarre combination of seductive temptress, a complete and utter fruitcake, and a ruthless player in this game of ghosts. Jack never seems to be able to decide which category to place her in.

As I mentioned above, Bruen has a distinctive writing style, which is staccato like and abrupt. Despite that he still manages to fill the story with important national and international topics, ranging from pseudo celebrities, fraudulent medical systems to Brexit and terrorism.

It is done in a subtle and witty way, and there are also often imperceptible nods in a certain direction, and off the cuff remarks. It’s almost like experiencing the thought and speech processes of the main character in real-time. It has a noirish quality to it, coarse and brutal, which is what gives it a strong sense of realism.

Buy The Ghosts of Galway at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Follow @MysteriousPress  @groveatlantic

The Limehouse Golem by Peter Ackroyd

This a quite a complex story, so I am interested to see how it translates to the big screen.

It starts with the impending death of Elizabeth Cree aka Lizzie. Charged with the murder of her husband John Cree, the reader is taken back to her childhood, her first days of freedom and her life on the boards performing as everyone but herself.

Other than the Victorian setting, the other aspect of this murder mystery with a gothic vibe, is the deliberate confusion about who the guilty party is. We are given a tour of the mind of the Golem, often during the brutal killings. Then there are the incidents Lizzie is involved in, and let’s not forget what happens after Lizzie meets her unfortunate end. (Sorry, you will have to read all about it)

My point is, Ackroyd leaves the reader with a certain question of doubt. Is the ‘Golem’ really responsible or is Lizzie more than a determined young woman with a troubled past? Is everything as it seems, and what are the chances of different killers coming into contact with each other?

The story gives the reader a great taste of life in the music-halls, the streets of London, and the bawdy entertainment that brightened up the bleary and tough era. Ackroyd brings a macabre and twisted flavour to the bleakness of the setting. It’s all about the killing, and yet at the same time it has nothing to do with it at all.

Buy The Limehouse Golem at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

If you have read the Magpie Murders by Horowitz then this book won’t seem at all bizarre or unusual. He is an author who likes to think outside the box. His plots are wee bit like Conan Doyle does Schrödinger’s Cat in the form of a murder mystery. While I’m on the subject it is worth mentioning that in 2011 the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle gave Horowitz the official endorsement to write a continuation of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

The Word is Murder more or less features Anthony Horowitz as himself in the main role. It is an interesting way to approach a crime story. I’m sure readers will start to wonder how much is fiction and how much of the actual crime story is fact.

It isn’t until Horowitz actually mentions a few of his accolades that you realise just how accomplished and successful he is. In this scenario his diminishes his success, and plays with the fact he has prominent contacts.

A woman walks into a funeral parlour to plan and arrange her own funeral, and a few hours later she is ready to use the coffin she just bought. Is it just a huge coincidence or did someone end her life prematurely? Well the cord around her neck speaks volumes.

Horowitz is unaware of this particular event until an ex-police detective asks him to write a book about the murder with himself starring as the savvy detective. Horowitz finds it hard to work with this eccentric, obstinate and yet very observant detective, however he can’t help but be pulled into the intriguing story that unfolds in front of him. Hawthorne is like a grumpy Columbo with Sherlock’s deductive skills.

I enjoyed it, just like I really enjoyed the Magpie Murders, because the author isn’t afraid to mix it up and challenge his readers. Thinking outside of the crime and mystery schemata to create unusual and yet captivating reads. The word is murder, but in this case the word is also Horowitz and Hawthorne are the new Watson and Sherlock.

Buy The Word is Murder at Amazon uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Follow @AnthonyHorowitz  @penguinrandom

Visit anthonyhorowitz.com

Rupture by Ragnar Jónasson

What Jónasson does really well is describe the surroundings of his story. He captures the scenery so vividly you can almost imagine yourself walking in his shoes and driving with him towards the scene of the crime.

I could feel the darkness reaching out to envelop me with its cruel cold hands in an attempt to suck me into the vast nothingness he describes in the book.

Not sure if it was a deliberate move by the author, but the last chapter reveals a lot more about Ari, his drive and his character. Let’s just say the policeman and detective facet of his personality wins, even when it comes to making a more humane or perhaps even morally correct choice. The need to solve the mystery and bask in the imagined glory of his revelations is what drives Ari, doing it at the expense of others reveals an interesting side to him. I think this revelation is an eye-opener.

The author creates a Newton’s cradle type of plot with each sub-plot (sphere) striking the stationary plot and thereby pushing another sub-plot upward. Now, the danger in that is when you can’t bring it all back together for some kind of conclusion, regardless of whether it is a satisfying one or a cliffhanger ending.

Jónasson manages to do that, although I do think both plots were strong enough to survive being told individually. I think we will be hearing a lot more from this particular author.

Buy Rupture at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Follow @ragnarjo @OrendaBooks on Twitter or ragnarjonassonwriter on Facebook

Visit ragnarjonasson.com

Read Whiteout by Ragnar Jónasson

The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry

I can imagine being fascinated by an ancestor connected to the Salem Witch Trials, especially if it’s one of the alleged witches. In this story everything revolves around the events during 1692-1693. The characters are obsessed to the point of murder.

Callie returns to the scene of the cause of her childhood trauma only to find that it is still fresh in the minds of everyone. The killer is still at large, despite the police having a suspect and plenty of theories about the why and how.

Said suspect has been suffering from mental health issues since the night of the murders. Rose is convinced all evil is caused by a banshee. A paranormal presence with a taste for blood. Are there dark powers trying to compete for control and attention or is it just the ravings of a mad woman?

To this day Salem profits from their turbulent and violent past. I can imagine it isn’t as amusing or innocent to the locals though. A little bit like Whitby being filled to the brim with goths and ghouls every Halloween, because that is where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula. It’s all fun and games until you have wannabe vampires draped over the headstones in your local cemetery.

It felt as if there was a lot going on, perhaps too much, and the red herring was brought up and beaten to death over and over again. It certainly doesn’t lack zest though.

Buy The Fifth Petal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.