#Blogtour Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy

It’s a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Death in Heels by Kitty Murphy.

About the Author

Kitty Murphy lives with her husband, Roger, on the very westerly edge of CO. Clare, Ireland. She adores drag in all its forms and crime fiction in all its chilling splendour. Kitty is bi/queer. From a well spent youth divided equally between the library and the LGBTQ+ scene, it was only a matter of time until both worlds collided in a flurry of fictional sequins. Follow Kitty on Instagram: @kitty_murphy writes or on Twitter: @scribblingink1

About the book

When Fi went to support her best friend’s drag debut, she didn’t imagine a killer would be going to watch it too. And they’re waiting for their grand finale…

Fi McKinnery is overwhelmed with pride, watching her best friend Robyn perform his drag debut as the dazzling Mae B at Dublin’s premier drag club Trash. But the evening is ruined when bitchy young queen Eve Harrington lampoons Mae B’s performance and ruins the show. Eve is unceremoniously evicted from the club, and later that night Fi finds her dead, face down in a flooded gutter.

The police decide it was an accident and the queens are keen to move on as well,  but Fi isn’t so sure. Eve had plenty of enemies with her casual cruelty and many people might have wanted her dead. Fi is determined to uncover the truth, even though her ‘Hagatha Christie’ sleuthing is driving a wedge between her and Robyn, whose star is now rising at TRASH.

Something dark is lurking beneath the feathers, glitter and sequins of Dublin’s drag scene. Fi is determined to protect her friends, even as they distance themselves from her. Can she stop the killer before more people die?

Review

I wonder if Fi realises that supporting and encouraging her friend Robyn to emerge themselves into the world of drag is also a step that will lead to humiliation and death. Is her quest to find a vicious murderer also the beginning of the end of their friendship, even if Fi is only trying to keep her friend safe. Fi has become a hazard to the newly found sanctuary and their community.

It’s interesting to watch Robyn slowly be drawn into the close circle of the drag queens. Home has finally opened its doors, and same embraces same, whilst simultaneously drawing a line between Fi and Robyn. As she investigates the death Robyn takes on a defensive stance and begins to regard Fi as the enemy.

Aside from Robyn escaping the cocoon of societal norms and boundaries, and the journey to face internal and external fears and threats, I found the cracks that appear in the relationship between Fi and Robyn quite deep. Once inseparable and supportive of each other, one of the friends finds themselves fighting to fix the chasm that has appeared between them. I’m sure the question of whether finding the killer is worth throwing their friendship away is one that hovers in the background, and equally whether it is sustainable after Robyn finds a new place to become the inner butterfly that has been waiting to emerge.

It’s a murder mystery, one that fits under the genre heading of crime, but it ventures beyond the vast space all things murder and mayhem encompasses – it’s also a tale of coming-of-age, of coming out, of discovery of self. Perhaps most importantly it’s a story about finding a safe space where you belong and are accepted for each and every facet of your self.

Buy Death in Heels at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Thomas and Mercer, Pub date 1st January 2023. Paperback – £8.99. Buy at Amazon com.

Tuesday Mooney Wore Black by Kate Racculia

In my mind’s eye Tuesday is a goth girl without the goth, an intelligent quick-witted Wednesday Adams with plenty of snark. She is also a young woman who is haunted by the past, especially by the unknown variable in the equation she calls her life. The disappearance of her best friend when they were both teenagers has left her vulnerable and damaged.

Fortunately the fact she has a constant open dialogue with said friend is what keeps her sane and on the straight and narrow. Talking to her ghost or what she interprets as the ghost is also what keeps Tuesday ticking while she is dealing with the grief.

Her life and relationships are redefined when she is drawn into a mystery devised by a recently deceased billionaire. The money she could win is an interesting enticement, but it turns out there is more to the hunt than she expected.

I enjoyed the way Racculia made it more than just a mystery. It’s about loyalty, friendship, mental health, loneliness, murder, dysfunctional families and above all a good old fashioned treasure hunt.

It’s a mystery thriller with sort of an Eleanor Oliphant meets a Dan Brown mystery with a literary vibe. The Poe-esque flair melds perfectly with Tuesday’s eccentric attitude and yet oddly charming personality.

I admit I am left with questions though, perhaps enough to warrant the author bringing Mooney back. What happened to her friend – I need to know.

Buy Tuesday Mooney Wore Black at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HarperCollins pub date 1 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Follow @kateracculia on Twitter, Visit kateracculia.com

#BlogTour Careless Whisper by T.S. Hunter

Today it’s my turn on the BlogTour Careless Whisper by T.S. Hunter. It’s book 3 of the Soho Noir series.

About the Author

Claiming to be only half-Welsh, T.S. Hunter lived in South Wales for much of his latter teens, moving to London as soon as confidence and finances allowed. He never looked back.

He has variously been a teacher, a cocktail waiter, a podium dancer and a removal man, but his passion for writing has been the only constant.

He’s a confident and engaging speaker and guest, who is as passionate about writing and storytelling as he is about promoting mainstream LGBT fiction.

He now lives with his husband in the country, and is active on social media as @TSHunter5.

Follow @TSHunter5 @RedDogTweets on Twitter, on Goodreads, Buy Careless Whisper

About the book

LOOSE LIPS COST LIVES.

It’s 1986, and Adam Cave, lead singer of sensational pop group Loose Lips, is struggling to stay in the closet, especially as his group is going through a messy split, and media speculation about the reasons behind it are rife.

Joe Stone is assigned to Adam as a runner for the behind-the-scenes, warts and all expose of the recording of the bands last album, and an unlikely friendship begins to form.

But when Adam’s manager, Jack Eddy, is found dead in Adam’s hotel room, in what looks like a sex game gone wrong, Joe turns to his flatmate, Russell, to help him clear the pop star’s name, and keep his secret.

Russell, meanwhile, has a secret of his own. He’s just been for a test, the results of which may change his life forever.

Review

This is the third book in the Soho Noir series, novella length murder mysteries set in the 80’s in the LGBT community.

What I really love about this series, aside from the excellent covers, the great read, the fantastic song book titles, is the fact they are quick pocket reads. Not everyone wants to spend hours or days with one story. This is exactly the right length to inspire new readers and for readers who like some of their reads to be like a tasty foot-long sub over the lunch hour.

During the 80s the word homosexuality was synonymous with HIV and AIDS. It was very much a decade of ignorance, blame and misinformation. The gay community took the brunt of that misinformation, the fear and sadly also a high death toll.

In this book Russell faces his own fear about HIV when he goes to get tested. His journey from coming out to living his best life as an openly gay man has only just begun. The contrast between Russell and Joe is an interesting one. Both with similar stories and yet completely different circumstances.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Soho Noir if a dead body didn’t pop up somewhere in the story. A crime for the two of them to solve, whilst they navigate the complex structure of their lives and those who love them and the ones who oppose them.

Each of the books can be read as a standalone book, despite recurring main characters. There are certain storylines that develop and grow with each book, but not in a way that necessitates reading the prior ones. Saying that, I would definitely recommend reading the others in the series.

It’s a murder mystery set in hub of a pulsing LGBT community in the flashy 80s. Hunter combines the atmosphere of individuality, freedom and the leftovers of the burnt-out 70s with homophobia and the acidic fear of HIV and AIDS. Mystery meets life and is humbled by its sincerity in this brash noirish series.

Buy Careless Whisper (Soho Noir #3) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Red Dog Press; pub date 5 Aug. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my reviews of Tainted Love (Soho Noir #1) and Who’s That Girl (Soho Noir #2) by T.S. Hunter.

#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.

#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.*

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

A Man of Genius by Lynn Rosen

Let me start out by saying that Samuel is a narcissist, a megalomaniac, an ephebophile and an all-round jerk. He likes to control the people around him and his environment, especially the women.

His wife, Catherine, dances to his tune, despite the fact it is to her own detriment. She lies to herself about the reasons for her complacency. She is the real reason for his success. Without Catherine the world will discover the fraud of his apparent genius.

He does rattle on about what a genius he is, almost to the point of bringing tears to my eyes. I admit I would find it hard to put up with such an elitist attitude, and I certainly wouldn’t bow or cow to it.

The question is whether he really is one, because technically he seems incapable of creating his designs in a visual or written manner. He relies on Catherine to interpret his visions.

He controls her, he controls his mistress and in the end he is still trying to control both of them and his second wife from the grave. All in an attempt to keep up the pretence.

This story is more an analysis of Samuel’s character, his manipulations and how the people around him react to his power games. The plot does involve a murder or two, but in essence it is all about a power hungry ego driven man still trying to drive the car from within his coffin.

Buy A Man of Genius at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

This was quirky and fun in a geeky kind of way. It is actually quite witty here and there.

I think to really appreciate this story you have to able to understand the world of online gaming, and more specifically the online world of the massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

The contributors are like a big family all unto themselves. They share a common denominator, the virtual worlds and characters they inhabit.

The online funeral is one of my favourite moments. The way everyone takes it so seriously, as if they were actually really the online characters. That’s how much they invest in their virtual online games. Of course I’m pretty sure a RL funeral wouldn’t have vicious battle pirates or spider demons on display either.

It isn’t even as bizarre as it sounds, as I found out myself a few months ago, when my youngest told me he and his friends had planned and held a funeral in a game for an online friend. Their own special way of saying goodbye.

It’s a fun murder mystery that is definitely YA. Expect to be charmed by the geek factor, the odd characters and the sheer eccentricity of the story. By the way Charice is far too criminally inclined, just saying.

Buy The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss at Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die by Marnie Riches

Busy, Busy, busy that is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this book. There is so much going on that it is probably to the detriment of the actual story.

It starts off with a strong prologue that draws the reader in hook, line and sinker, the way a beginning or prologue should. The part of the story that features the person, who passes on information in an active case to a casual bed partner, was extremely hard to swallow. I guess Georgina has to get her clues somewhere or rather the story has to flow somehow.

George/Georgina finds it difficult to cut away the ties of her past, and also finds herself drawn towards solving crimes and seeing that justice is done. Just a shame her relatives and old friends don’t feel the same way.

The storyline involving the killer was quite good, and the strongest part of the book, aside from the prologue. The author wanders off on a tangent involving a suspect and the boyfriend, which was completely superfluous and didn’t add much to the creepy psycho killer storyline.

Overall it is an ambitious, but perhaps overeager piece of writing. The plot needs tightening and the characters need more depth. It does however show a lot of potential.
I received a copy of this book, courtesy of the publisher, via NetGalley.

The Safe Room by B. A. Shapiro

The story sways from Lee in the present to Sarah in the past. At the centre of both stories is Harden House, the house of Lee’s ancestors, which now belongs to her grandmother.

The past tells the story of a forbidden love and the hypocrisy of a person, who says one thing and thinks another. Both Sarah and Lee have to battle the repercussions of the tragic events Sarah’s father and Lee’s ancestor

Sarah’s father reacts in a way that makes her question all her beliefs about him. Silas was right after all. It is one thing to be an abolitionist and quite another to let your daughter wed a slave. That in itself is quintessential in the thought process of said person, who believes no man should be a slave and yet at the same time thinks the same slaves aren’t good enough to be part of the family.

I have to say I figured out the whodunnit fairly quickly, but the historical aspect and ghost story that played alongside the murder mystery were interesting enough to keep me captivated.

I think what I took away from this story is how little we learn about the Underground Railroad, the people who helped and those that used the network of the Underground Railroad, especially in Europe. Because it is a large part of US history it isn’t really taught in other European schools the way it should be.

The Civil Rights Movement has a well deserved important place, but the slavery and the fight against it, still doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. It is nothing less than admirable, courageous and extremely brave, the way the creators and users of the Underground Railway system, connected to try to save so many lives.

In its own way this story helps to inform and shine a small light on such an immensely important part of history.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.