A Lifetime Ago

Author – Jim Ody.

Jim writes dark psychological/thrillers, Horror and YA books that have endings you won’t see coming, and favours stories packed with wit. He has written over a dozen novels and many more short-stories spanning many genres.

Jim has a very strange sense of humour and is often considered a little odd.  When not writing he will be found playing the drums, watching football and eating chocolate. He lives with his long-suffering wife, three beautiful children and two indignant cats in Swindon, Wiltshire UK.

Jim Ody

Social Media Links –

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JimOdyAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimodyauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jim_Ody_Author

Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jim-Ody/e/B019A6AMSY/

Publisher – Question Mark Press

Pages – 263

The Blurb –

This is a tale about how the events of one day have such catastrophic consequences on the future.

Hudson Bell is a consultant for the police. A former DI, he spends his days helping to find missing children.

May and her son go on a road trip to celebrate his birthday; Robert and Nadia buy their dream house by the sea.

But as each look to enjoy a new life, none of them can shake off what happened on that fateful day. One of them blames the others and will stop at nothing to seek revenge.

One accident and five lives changed forever.

Today is my stop on the A Lifetime Ago blog tour. Many thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is the first book in a new series, featuring former DI, Hudson Bell.

Hudson Bell spends his time looking for missing children and is contacted by the police to find one in particular. He is already on this case but is grateful to have added resources.

The book is told from different perspectives and you initially wonder how all these people are intertwined but the author has cleverly woven the plot. The characters are interesting and draw you into the story.

Just as you think you have the story all worked out, everything changes and the ending is a huge shock.

You can also read Tales from The Coffee Pot by Jim Ody, which I have also reviewed.

Purchase Links –

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lifetime-Ago-Hudson-Bell-Book-ebook/dp/B084TMZ87J

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-Ago-Hudson-Bell-Book-ebook/dp/B084TMZ87J

A Lesson in Murder

Author – Verity Bright.

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

Verity Bright

Social Media Links –

Tweets by BrightVerity

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 266

The Blurb –

When Lady Swift is invited to her old school, she walks through familiar classrooms, finds her favourite books in the library… and surely that’s not a body? Time for a lesson in murder!

Autumn, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift is invited to her old school, St Mary’s, as a guest speaker. Her favourite teacher, Mrs Wadsworth, has asked that Eleanor talk about her intrepid travels around the globe – travelling the Silk Road by bicycle, crossing the Himalayas and even befriending the Maharaja of India. But in the circumstances, perhaps it would have been a good idea to talk about her career as a daring detective…

Because no sooner has Eleanor brushed up on her times tables then she is greeted by terrible news: Mrs Wadsworth has been murdered. Eleanor is utterly devastated but she owes it to her dearest teacher to find out who killed her and why. So, alongside Gladstone the bulldog, it’s best paw forward to track down a villain.

But when the art teacher is also found dead, Eleanor is sure someone is trying to do away with the people who taught her everything. As Eleanor delves into possible motives, she discovers a clue in the most unlikely place: her mother’s old school diary. Does the route to the murderer lie within a secret passageway her mother uncovered? Can Eleanor nail the culprit in time or is the killer coming for her next?

A totally gripping and glamorous 1920s cozy! Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Rhys Bowen are in for a treat.

Today is my stop on A Lesson in Murder blog tour. Many thanks to Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is another great instalment in the Lady Eleanor Swift series. I am luckily enough to have reviewed the majority of the books.

A Very English Murder

Death at the Dance

A Witness to Murder

Murder in the Snow

Murder at the Fair

This book sees Lady Swift giving a talk at her old school, the building and the staff hold memories for her. So when a dead body is found at the very moment she is due to start talking, she swings into detection mode.

The investigation continues at pace when another body is found and Eleanor finds herself determined to solve this mystery, along with Clifford and Gladstone. Could there be a link to her past?

Another intriguing mystery that had me guessing all the way through. This series has become a big favourite of mine. It is extremely well written and plotted and there is attention to detail in the historical fact.

Purchase Links –

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3kRsM5q

The New Home

Author – Chris Merritt.

Chris Merritt is a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All his novels are set in London, where he lives. He began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. He specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked his interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, he spends most of his time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When he’s not writing, he loves climbing and playing basketball.

Chris Merritt

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrismerrittauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drcjmerritt

Website: https://www.cjmerritt.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjmerritt81/

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 302

The Blurb –

You never know what’s happening behind closed doors…

Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine. But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…

When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.

You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.

You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.

But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…

Fans of Claire McGowan, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell will love the gripping tension and unexpected twists of The New Home. Once you start reading, you’ll be hooked!

Today is my stop on The New Home blog tour. Many thanks to Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – What a fantastic read this is! Such a gripping thriller.

The author is really clever with this book as I didn’t guess where this was going at all.

Freya is in awe of her new neighbour, Emily when they first meet. She is everything she aspires to be. They become good friends before Emily suddenly disappears.

What Freya believed about her and Emily’s life is called in question, as everyone seems to have secrets. Or is Freya overreacting.

Brilliantly written and plotted, I read it in one sitting. Some many issues are dealt with whilst the tension gets ramped up throughout.

Highly recommended.

B

Purchase Links –

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0953LNBJNcover 

Apple: http://ow.ly/ec2A50EP84U 

Kobo: http://ow.ly/7Og450EP813 

Google: http://ow.ly/ZEm950EP86M 

Someone Who Isn’t Me

Author – Danuta Kot. Danuta Kot (who also writes as Danuta Reah and as Carla Banks) grew up with stories. Her Irish mother and her Polish father kept their own cultures alive with traditional tales they shared with their children. For many years, she worked with young people in Yorkshire who were growing up in the aftermath of sudden industrial decline. She uses this background in her books to explore some of the issues that confront modern, urban society: poverty, alienation and social breakdown, using the contexts of the modern crime novel. She now works as a senior education consultant, work that involves travel to establish education and training in other parts of the world. She is a regular academic speaker at conferences and literary festivals and has appeared on radio and television.

Danuta Kot

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danutareah.crimefiction
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danutajr
Website : https://danutakot.com/

Publisher – Simon & Schuster

Pages – 400

The Blurb –

When everyone hides the truth, who do you turn to?

Becca’s had a hard time of it, but she has finally got her life together. She has a nice little flat, a steady job pulling pints, and she’s even seeing someone new: Andy, who keeps his private life to himself but is always good for a laugh. And then Andy vanishes. When his body turns up on isolated Sunk Island, Becca learns Andy wasn’t just another punter. He was a police officer, deep undercover, investigating a drugs ring that he believed operated out of Becca’s pub.

Staggered by the betrayal, Becca turns to the only person she thinks she can trust: her foster mum, Kay. But Kay has problems of her own. She’s just moved into a short-term let in the hopes of finding some peace and quiet. But peace and quiet are hard to come by on Sunk Island . . .

Before long, both women are drawn into a terrifying world of drugs, money and death.

Today is my stop on the Someone Who Isn’t Me blog tour. Many thanks to Zoe’s Book Tours for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is the second book I have read by this author, the first being Life Ruins. This book again sees Becca coping with her troubled life.

However as always nothing is plain sailing for her when she gets dragged in to another mystery. Again the author has written a gripping thriller that concentrates on on how hard life can be for people, that have no choices or no perceived choices.

People in tight situations often make poor choices and this is what the author excels in highlighting.

I really recommend this.

Purchase Links –

Buy on Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07SX3SPXW
Buy on Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SX3SPXW

Carrying Clover

Author – Lorey Durston

Lorey Durston is an author of thriller and suspense novels.  CARRYING CLOVER is her debut novel. She is currently working on her next suspense novel to be released late 2021.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lorey-Durston-Author-101764481996748

Twitter – https://twitter.com/DurstonLorey

Instagram: loreydurstonauthor 

Pages – 265

The Blurb –

Newly single Camille Robins luck is about to change as she embarks on a new chapter of her life, moving to the city near her best friend, Lizzie.

A chance meeting at Lou’s B&B, Camille meets George, a handsome man who sweeps her off her feet.

Can Lizzie forgive Camille for stealing her previous boyfriend, or will she seek revenge?

Camille can’t believe her luck! George can’t believe how perfect she is….

Was it a fate romance, or part of an evil plan?

Today is my stop on the Carrying Clover blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This really is a gripping psychological thriller that messes with your head.

When Camille really believes she has her life sorted out she has no idea that other parties are not so enthusiastic. She is going to work for her best friend and she has a new love interest too. While she is busy enjoying this new phase in her life, something far more sinister in is play.

I really enjoyed this book and felt so much for Camille. There were lots of twists to keep me guessing how this was going to end.

Highly recommended.

Purchase Links –

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09BZZHNHH
US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BZZHNHH

Life Ruins

Author – Danuta Kot.

Danuta Kot (who also writes as Danuta Reah and as Carla Banks) grew up with stories. Her Irish mother and her Polish father kept their own cultures alive with traditional tales they shared with their children. For many years, she worked with young people in Yorkshire who were growing up in the aftermath of sudden industrial decline. She uses this background in her books to explore some of the issues that confront modern, urban society: poverty, alienation and social breakdown, using the contexts of the modern crime novel. She now works as a senior education consultant, work that involves travel to establish education and training in other parts of the world. She is a regular academic speaker at conferences and literary festivals and has appeared on radio and television.

Danuta Kot

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danutareah.crimefiction

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danutajr

Website : https://danutakot.com/

Publisher – Simon & Schuster

Pages – 480

The Blurb –

In a small northern town, girls are disappearing.

You won’t see it in the papers and the police aren’t taking any notice, but the clues are there if you know where to look.

Becca sees that something is wrong, but she’s been labelled ‘difficult’ thanks to her troubled past. So when a girl is so savagely beaten she can’t be identified, and Becca claims she knows who she is, no one will believe her.

With the police refusing to listen, Becca digs for evidence that will prove what she is saying. But her search for justice will put herself and those closest to her in danger – and once she finds the truth, will anyone even listen?

Today is my stop on the Life Ruins blog tour. Many thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is a gripping and gritty read.

The story revolves around three main characters, each with their own complicated lives. Based in Bridlington the author shows the darker side of life and how anyone can get drawn into it.

When the body of a woman is found, each character believes they know who is it. Even though she is too badly injured to be formally identified. The police are reluctant to believe that these people know the identify the body, so they are forced into trying to find the evidence for themselves.

A great read.

Purchase Links –

Buy on Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Ruins-Danuta-Kot-ebook/dp/B07D2HZRBF

Buy on Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Life-Ruins-Danuta-Kot-ebook/dp/B07D2HZRBF

Tales of the Coffee pot

Author – Jim Ody.

Jim writes dark psychological/thrillers, Horror and YA books that have endings you won’t see coming, and favours stories packed with wit. He has written over a dozen novels and many more short-stories spanning many genres.
Jim has a very strange sense of humour and is often considered a little odd. When not writing he will be found playing the drums, watching football and eating chocolate. He lives with his long-suffering wife, three beautiful children and two indignant cats in Swindon, Wiltshire UK.

Jim Ody

Social Media Links –

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JimOdyAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimodyauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jim_Ody_Author

Amazon UK : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Coffee-Pot-Jim-Ody-ebook/dp/B0927KV4VK

Amazon US : https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Coffee-Pot-Jim-Ody-ebook/dp/B0927KV4VK

Publisher – Question Mark Press

Pages – 298

The Blurb –

For the first time, the best of Jim Ody’s published short-stories are together in one anthology, including four previously unreleased.
Twelve twisted tales that touch on psychological/thriller, horror and YA, including:
A detective sent to a travelling circus to find a missing boy; A guy with a mysterious trunk must meet a stranger at a motel to survive; A doll turns up and becomes a little girl’s best friend. Then things turn strange; A surprise birthday party is memorable, if only the birthday boy survives; and a group of orphans find the world is about to end…

1 The Reveal
2 A Moth in The Jar
3 The I-Scream Van
4 Teaching Tom
5 Boat Trip
6 The Trunk
7 The Day
8 A Doll Named Sasha
9 Surprise Party
10 The Orphans
11 Hide & Seek
12 Virgin Women From Outta Space

Today is my stop on Tales from the Coffee Pot blog tour. Many thanks to ZooLoo’s Blog Tour for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is a brilliant collection of the author’s work. The twelve featured short stories are all unique and provide something for everyone’s reading taste.

From poems to longer stories, you really get a glimpse into the style of the author and his love of horror and things that go bump in the night.

As you all know I am a huge fan of short stories as I find these glimpses into different worlds and scenarios so compelling. What I found interesting was how the stories stayed me after reading them, and to me that is a sign of great writing. When an author makes you think and question the story that has bee written.

Highly recommended.

Purchase Links –

Amazon UK : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-Coffee-Pot-Jim-Ody-ebook/dp/B0927KV4VK

Amazon US : https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Coffee-Pot-Jim-Ody-ebook/dp/B0927KV4VK

Murder in the Village

Author – Lisa Cutts.

Lisa Cutts is a full-time detective constable investigating murders for a living. When off duty she writes a fictitious version of her day job. She lives and works within the county of Kent with her husband and Labrador.

She is the author of the DC Nina Foster books, Never Forget and Remember, Remember. Never Forgot was longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award 2013 and the winner of the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award 2014 for Best Thriller. She has also written four books in the East Rise Incident Room series, Mercy Killing, Buried Secrets, Lost Lives and Don’t Trust Him. All four centre around DI Harry Powell and his Major Crime Team battling to solve the latest murders within the county. Currently she is writing the Little Challham mysteries, cosy mysteries set in a fictional village in Kent.

She writes a monthly column, Behind the Tape, for Writing Magazine answering police procedural questions from other writers. In early 2016, she was honoured to become the Patron of Rochester Literature Festival and help establish Murderous Medway, an annual crime fiction festival packed full of amazing author panels. As well as being on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book, Lisa has twice appeared on This Morning to chat about TV crime dramas Broadchurch and Line of Duty.

Lisa Cutts

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/lisa.cutts.505/

https://www.instagram.com/lisa_cutts/https://twitter.com/LisaCuttsAuthor

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 252

The Blurb –

Meet Belinda Penshurst. Castle owner, dog lover… crime solver?

Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she’s determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she’s perfectly placed to investigate.

Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life. He didn’t expect to be dragged into a murder investigation. But the police don’t seem half as enthusiastic as Belinda about the case, and there are strange things happening in the village. Particularly the number of dogs that have disappeared lately…

Is there a dognapper snaffling schnauzers and luring away Labradors? Is Belinda barking mad to be worried that her brother Marcus was arguing with Tipper on the day he died? Belinda and Harry track down the suspects: the rival landlord, the outraged barmaid, the mysterious man in the black car following dogwalkers around. But are the dogged detectives running out of time to sniff out the killer, before he starts hounding them?

A charming cozy mystery full of laughs and eccentric characters. Fans of M.C. Beaton, H.Y. Hanna and Emily Organ will love the first novel in the Belinda Penshurst series!

Today is my stop on the Murder in the Village blog tour. Many thanks to Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I absolutely love cosy crime and especially finding a new series to read.

So I was really pleased to start this Belinda Penshurst mystery. Also if you are a dog lover, you’d be barking mad not to read it!

Strange things are happening in Belinda’s village so decides to sort things out herself.

This is a great read and the author had cemented herself firmly into cosy crime series. I can’t wait to read the next one.

Purchase Links – Murder in the Village

A Death at Candlewick Castle

Author – Emma Jameson.

Emma Jameson writes mysteries that readers call witty, romantic, and full of surprises. An aspiring novelist since age seven, she took a long, twisty route to the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. After years of working at a major medical centre, her first novel, cobbled together on nights and weekends, became a runaway e-book bestseller. Now she writes full-time and has sold over half a million books. A compulsive reader and information hoarder, Emma is always searching for that fascinating nugget or startling fact that will spark another novel. A lifelong Anglophile, she resides in the United States, where she enjoys swimming, yoga, and serving the needs of not one, not two, not three, but four cats.

Emma Jameson

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emmajamesonbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/msemmajameson

Website: http://emmajamesonbooks.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmajamesonbooks/

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 192

The Blurb –

Librarian Jemima Jago is enjoying a peaceful summer in the Isles of Scilly – until a puzzling crime comes in with the tide…

Between her work in Cornwall’s oldest library and catching up with old friends over tea and chocolate biscuits, Jemima Jago is spending the season the only way she knows how: sunbathing, swimming and sailing. But her postcard-perfect summer is turned upside down when the body of well-to-do businessman Hermie Castleberry is found on the sweeping white sands at the foot of Candlewick Castle.

Jem doesn’t mean to get involved, but when her old flame Rhys Tremayne is arrested for murder, she springs into action to prove his innocence. With her gift for uncovering hard-to-find information, Jem discovers Hermie had been keeping secrets and ruffling a few feathers in the ordinarily tranquil islands. Did the quiet wife, the belittled business partner or the slimy salesman want Hermie out of the way?

The discovery of a pair of silver gloves by little dog Buck could be just the clue Jem needs to crack the case. But can she catch the real culprit, and keep her heart in check, before the killer sends her down to Davy Jones’ locker too?

A totally charming cozy mystery from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emma Jameson. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Agatha Christie will adore A Death at Candlewick Castle.

Today is my stop on the blog tour for A Death at Castlewick Castle. Many thanks to Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is the second book in the Jemima Jago series, the first being A Death at Seascape House.

What I love about this series is the sense of place, the author gives you such a rich and descriptive idea of scenery, that picturing the story in your head is easy.

When a body is found on the day Jemima goes to a local pirate festival, she finds herself thrown into another mystery. Especially when a friend of hers is accused of their murder.

I am really enjoying this series, the author has created a great world for her protagonist and in this second installment the character and her friends are really beginning to gel.

You can read this as a standalone but I recommend that you start with the first book just so you can enjoy that one too.

Purchase Links – A Death at Castlewick Castle.

Her Deadly Touch

Author – Lisa Regan

Lisa Regan is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series. Lisa is a member of Sisters In Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S. with her husband, daughter, and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip.

Lisa Regan

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaReganCrimeAuthor 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lisalregan

Website: https://lisaregan.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisareganauthor/

Publisher – Bookouture

Pages – 308

The Blurb –

The woman is kneeling at a gravestone, her hair blowing in the breeze, a bunch of wilting yellow daffodils on the grass beside her. Her eyes are fixed on the ground and her mouth is parted in a silent prayer. But the wax dripping from her cold blue lips means it’s already too late to save her…

On her first day back with the Denton PD after a major trauma, Detective Josie Quinn is on the hunt for a missing woman, Krystal Duncan, the mother of one of five children killed in a devastating school bus crash. Hours later, Josie finds Krystal’s body beside her daughter’s grave, her lips sealed together forever with wax.

Forensics match the wax to one of the candles lit in memory of the sweet little souls who died, giving Josie her first lead to a support group made up of the parents who lost children in the crash. Painstakingly dissecting the lives of these grieving couples, it’s clear to Josie that each of them is hiding something about the day of the accident—but whose secret is worth killing for?

The case takes an agonizing turn when the body of another young mother is found near the site of the bus crash. Someone connected to the accident is out for revenge. As the members of the support group are picked off one by one, every second counts for Josie to save the lives of these loving parents who have already suffered the loss of those they treasured most…

An absolutely gripping and totally unputdownable crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Be warned, this book will keep you up all night! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

Today is my stop on Her Deadly Touch blog tour. Many thanks to Bookouture for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – After the fall out of the last book, Josie is still coping with her loss. However when she hears of the death of a local bereaved mother, she is eager to look into the case.

This is brilliantly written and I flew through the book. The story is fascinating and sad as it deals with loss but it is intiguing.

Even if you haven’t read any of the series before, you can jump straight into this as the author fills you as and where necessary on any previous plot points.

I highly recommend this series to everyone.

Purchase Links –

Amazon: https://geni.us/B095WY9LC3social

Apple: http://ow.ly/2ZCV50EWxZU 

Kobo: http://ow.ly/6pTD50EWxXR  Google: http://ow.ly/FZu250EWy1U