Winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer is an award-winning author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.
A move to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST, the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and Top 150 USA Today best-seller.
A second series featuring DI Natalie Ward quickly followed and to date her crime novels have sold over 600,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets, including Norwegian, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian Slovak, Czech and Polish.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.
One beautiful summer’s evening, thirteen-year-old twins Ivy and Erin Westmore snuggle down in a tent in their back garden, giggling and sharing secrets.
When their mother goes to wake the girls the next morning, their tent is empty.
The alarm is raised and Detective Natalie Ward is put onto the case. When the twins’ bodies are discovered on nearby marshland, covered with deep pink petals, an icy shiver travels down Natalie’s spine. Everything about the girls’ deaths reminds her of a horrifying case she worked on earlier in her career, which saw a killer of the worst kind placed behind bars.
The next day, that feeling is heightened when she receives a chilling note saying ‘I’m back’. Is this killer a copycat or did Natalie put the wrong person in prison all those years ago? In a small town, where no stranger goes unnoticed, what is Natalie missing?
Consumed by the case, determined to prevent more deaths, Natalie misses the fact that it is her attention the killer wants. And to get it, he has his sights set firmly on her precious daughter Leigh…
Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will keep you flying through the pages long into the night. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
Today is my stop on The Blossom Twins blog tour. Many thanks to Bookouture for the chance to read and review.
My thoughts – Wow what an incredible read this book is. It is an emotional read from start to finish and I really can not wait until the next in the series.
Two girls are in their own garden when they go missing, Natalie Ward is scared that a monster from the past is resurfacing. The case brings her back to a previous case of another girl who was found dead, and when the twins are found dead, her fears are confirmed.
The book moves at pace as Natalie juggles her personal life, the demands of this new case and the horror that someone she put away may be innocent. She really goes through it in this book.
The author really knows how to build tension, as I raced through the book wanting to know what was going to happen.
I have always worked in health care, and more recently in education, and like so many other parents, hit a tiny crisis a few years ago when I felt that my purpose in life had narrowed to not an awful lot more than dashing between my two jobs and being a mummy taxi.
I managed to find time to begin singing with a choir, and that helped me feel that I might have a more creative side to myself. One evening, my husband was out and, quite suddenly, I decided to Start Writing. I immediately hit the first obstacles of terrible handwriting and a broken laptop, so my writing career began that night in bed, typing into the note section of my smart phone, with no clear idea of what I wanted to say but resulting in a severe case of RSI and several short stories over the next few nights.
My husband was delighted that I had suddenly found this passion and kept encouraging me to write a novel, which I really felt I did NOT have in me. Later that summer, however, we were walking along a D-Day beach for no other grander reason than our ferry home from France being late, and I began telling our kids about my three great-uncles who were part of that day, and my grandmother who sewed parachutes for the paratroopers jumping over Normandy. Neil looked at me and smiled and said, ‘you do actually have a story there, you know….’
Walking Wounded was written over a period of a year, on a tiny tablet which I bought specifically because it fitted into my handbag – as I said, ‘if it’s not with me at all times, this just won’t happen.’ I wrote every day in 10 minute bursts while I sat in the school car-park waiting for my daughter to emerge from school, I wrote parked outside ballet lessons and maths lessons, I wrote early in the mornings while everyone was asleep.
Walking Wounded is a war story and family saga, focusing on those left behind whilst their men folk went to war, how they survived and how their relationships evolved through periods of violence, loss and reunion. The main story is about May, a young woman struggling to find her own identity as the youngest in a large family, forced into a stormy marriage through a mistake she is too proud to admit, and explores the web of loyalty, guilt and duty that shaped the decisions of the women awaiting the return of their men-folk as WW2 draws to a close. Spanning the period from the Armistice of the Great War to the exodus of the Ten Pound Poms to Australia in the 1950s, its internal violence is mirrored by the world stage upon which it is set.
Billy Laughlin –
Billy McLaughlin is a Scottish born writer with 8 books currently under his belt. Four of the books, including 2019’s serial killer thriller, Four, are part of the DI Phil Morris Mysteries. His first full length novel, Lost Girl, arrived in May 2016 and has gone on to achieve more than 15,000 downloads. The follow up, In the Wake of Death, has received rave reviews for its dark tone and psychological elements.
His most downloaded book came in the form of 2017’s, The Dead of Winter, a novella that focuses as much on the broken relationships of a small community as it does the crime itself. One reader described it as being like ‘a full series of Broadchurch.’ Once again, praise was levelled at the atmospheric tone with another reader suggesting that the material would work well as a movie.
Billy is passionate about reading but recognises the need for bite-sized thrillers for people who enjoy reading but simply don’t have the time. As he begins works on his ninth book, he finds himself even more excited about the writing process. A plot, title and cover are already mid-production for book 9 and he cannot wait to share them with you.
Carmen Radtke –
Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.
She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents and always dreamt of becoming a novelist and screenwriter.
When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life. The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner.
Carmen was born in Hamburg, Germany, but had planned on emigrating since she was five years old. She first moved to New Zealand and now lives in York, UK, with her daughter, cat, and sometimes her seafaring husband comes home.
Gordon Bickerstaff –
I was born and raised in Glasgow but spent my student years in Edinburgh. On summer vacations, I learned plumbing, garden maintenance, and I cut the grass in the Meadows. If I ran the lawnmower over your toes – sorry.
I learned some biochemistry and taught it for a while before I retired to write fiction. I like DIY and I do some aspects of DIY moderately well and other aspects not so well. I live with my wife in Scotland where corrupt academics, mystery, murder and intrigue exists mostly in my mind.
I write the Lambeth Group series of standalone crime/conspiracy thrillers: Deadly Secrets, Everything To Lose, The Black Fox, Toxic Minds, Tabula Rasa, and Tears of Fire.
They feature special investigators Zoe and Gavin. More will come in due course.
I enjoy walking in the hills, 60s & 70s music, reading and travel.
Graham Smith –
Graham Smith is a time served joiner who has built bridges, houses, dug drains, and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000, he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
He is an internationally best-selling Kindle author and has six books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team, and four novels, featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder. His ‘Lakes’ series which has three novels featuring DC Beth Young has received much critical acclaim.
An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009
Graham is the founder of Crime and Publishment, a weekend of crime-writing classes which includes the chance for attendees to pitch their novels to agents and publishers. Since the first weekend in 2013, ten attendees have gone on to sign publishing contracts.
HR Kemp –
Hi, I’m H.R. Kemp and I am thrilled to have a short story included in this anthology. I’ve had several short stories published; the most recent appeared in The Writers’ Magazine in October 2019. My writing journey began in earnest after completing Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing at Adelaide University in 2011 and with the support and critiques of my writers’ group, The Novelist Circle, I’m preparing to publish my first conspiracy mystery/thriller novel Deadly Secrets in 2020. I am currently rewriting a second novel (another conspiracy mystery/thriller) and the beginnings of a third novel are sitting in the bottom drawer awaiting my attention.
I live in Adelaide, Australia, although I grew up in country areas near Melbourne. My long career in the public service spanned roles as diverse as Management Trainer, Team Facilitator, Statistician and Laboratory Assistant although my first degree was a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) and I have a Graduate Diploma in Education.
Besides time with my family, travelling and discovering new places is a passion for me and I have wandered through many fabulous countries and cities around the world. These are often incorporated into my writing as locations for scenes in my novels. I keep a daily travel journal and take copious photos along the way. I am an avid theatre goer, enjoy art exhibitions and galleries, and of course, I love to read. Each year, I take full advantage of the Adelaide Writers’ Festival in March to discover new authors and to hear my favourites.
Jane Risdon –
Jane Risdon has spent most of her life working in the International Music Business rubbing shoulders with the powerful and famous, especially in Hollywood. Married to a musician, and later working alongside him managing singers, musicians, songwriters, and record producers, she’s also facilitated the placement of music on successful television series and movie soundtracks. Her experiences have provided her with a unique insight into the business and her writing often has a music related theme. She is published traditionally by Headline Accent. With long-term friend, award-winning, best-selling author, Christina Jones – one time fan-club secretary for Jane’s husband’s band – Jane has co-authored Only One Woman (Headline Accent) which is set in the UK music scene of 1968/69. Available in Waterstones and on digital platforms. Recently Jane completed a collection of her first short crime stories – Undercover: Crime Shorts – published by Plaisted Publishing House, available from Waterstones and the paperback and eBook is available on most digital platforms. Jane has contributed to 15 anthologies, online newsletters, and magazines as well as print magazines and she is a regular contributor to many of these. She also has regular radio appearances in the UK and USA chatting about her writing and books. She is a regular blogger and also hosts guest authors too. Jane is working on the sequel to Only One Woman as well as a series of crime novels – Ms Birdsong Investigates – featuring former MI5 Officer Lavinia Birdsong. Her experience of working at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in her pre-music days has given her plenty of material for her crime/thrillers.
John Carson – John Carson is the author of the DI Frank Miller and DCI Harry McNeil detective series set in Edinburgh. He is Scottish, but now lives in New York State with his wife and two daughters. He shares his house with two dogs and four cats.
KA Richardson –
My name is KA Richardson, and I am a crime writer based in the North East of England. I write around my other work commitments so am constantly on the go.
I love reading many genres, love speaking to people and spend a lot of time people watching in coffee shops, though if I’m honest this is more for the purposes of character building and plotting.
I enjoy watching cop shows from both the UK and the USA and am a fan of sci-fi.
I began thinking about writing as a career in 2010 and completed my Ma Creative Writing in 2011. I love to be inspired, and enjoy spending time with friends and family, as well as likeminded folk.
Kris Egleton –
Kris grew up in a world of two halves. Born and raised in the East Riding of Yorkshire she spent some of her summer holidays in her mother’s homeland, Norway.
Her writing is eclectic, as she writes in several genres. Her forte is short and flash fiction. She gained a BA in Arts and Humanities, followed by an MA in Historical Research in 2015, graduating in her sixties. She feels she has always been a writer but has done more since being widowed thanks to her local writing group and her son who lives with her.
Lexi Rees –
Lexi Rees grew up in the north of Scotland but now splits her time between London and West Sussex. She still goes back to Scotland regularly though.
Usually seen clutching a mug of coffee, she spends as much time as possible sailing and horse riding, both of which she does enthusiastically but badly.
Her first book, Eternal Seas, was written on a boat; the storm described in it was frighteningly real.
Louise Jensen –
Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift, The Surrogate, and The Date. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Louise’s fifth thriller, The Family, was in autumn 2019 by Harper Collins.
The Sister was nominated for the Goodreads Debut Author of 2016 Award. The Date was nominated for The Guardian’s ‘Not The Booker’ Prize 2018. The Surrogate has been nominated for the best Polish thriller of 2018. The Gift has been optioned for a TV film.
Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog, and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.
Lucy Cameron –
Born in London and having lived in South Wales, Liverpool, York, and Nottingham, Lucy currently lives in a shed in her dad’s garden in Scotland where she wears thermals for warmth and writes by candlelight.
Lucy studied Fine Art at university which allowed her to get a glittering career in… food retail. Working sixty hours a week in retail management hampered Lucy’s writing until a career-break took her to Scotland and the rest, as they say in history… Or should that be (crime) fiction? Having taken a walk on the dark side, Lucy now splits her writing time between crime fiction and comedy fiction writing.
Lucy’s debut novel Night Is Watching was published in April 2017.
Malcolm Hollingdrake –
You could say that the writing was clearly on the wall for someone born in a library that they might aspire to be an author, but to get to that point Malcolm Hollingdrake has travelled a circuitous route.
Malcolm worked in education for many years, even teaching for a period in Cairo before he started writing, a challenge he had longed to tackle for more years than he cares to remember.
He has written a number of successful short stories, has nine books now available and is presently writing the eighth crime novel set in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Born in Bradford and spending three years at Ripon College, Malcolm has never lost his love for his home county, a passion that is reflected in the settings for all the DCI Bennett novels However, as well as the Bennett series he is writing a new series set in Merseyside.
Malcolm has enjoyed many hobbies including collecting works by Northern artists; the art auctions offer a degree of excitement when both buying and certainly when selling. It is a hobby he has bestowed upon DCI Cyril Bennett, the main character in his successful Bennett series.
Mark Brownless –
Mark Brownless lives and works in Carmarthen, West Wales. He has been putting ideas on paper for some years now but only when the idea for The Hand of An Angel came to him in the autumn of 2015, did he know he might be able to write a book. Mark likes to write about ordinary people being placed in extraordinary circumstances, is fascinated by unexplained phenomena, and enjoys merging thriller, science fiction, and horror.
Mark’s new novel, The Shadow Man is a terrifying horror thriller imagining what would happen if you found out the memories of your childhood were untrue, and that something sinister was lurking behind the facade of your life. Could you face what had happened back then? Could you face The Shadow Man?
Mark is also fascinated by myths and legends such as those of Robin Hood and King Arthur. This has culminated in the release of his short story series, Locksley: A Robin Hood Story.
Megan Steer – Megan started writing at the age of nine. She loves English and enjoys competitive All Star Cheerleading.
Owen Mullen –
Bestselling author Owen Mullen is a McIlvanney Crime Book Of The Year long-listed novelist.
Owen graduated from Strathclyde University, moved to London and worked as a rock musician, session singer, and songwriter. He had a hit record in Japan with a band he refuses to name; He still loves to perform on occasion.
His passion for travel has taken him on many adventures from the Amazon and Africa to the colourful continent of India and Nepal. A gregarious recluse, he and his wife, Christine, split their time between Glasgow, and their home in the Greek Islands where Owen writes.
Paul Moore –
Born in 1968, I grew up near the World War Two fighter station at Biggin Hill which triggered a lifelong love of aviation and military history. I have been fortunate enough to spend my life flying, mainly as an airline pilot, a job which has also provided the spare time to indulge myself with another hobby, writing. After the death of George MacDonald Fraser and the realisation that there would be no more episodes in the Flashman saga, I decided that I would have to write the next one myself, and that I have done.
It is of course an enormous liberty I am taking by doing this. Maybe worthy of the great fraud himself! I hope only that if you read it, you will also think it worthy … And more importantly an enjoyable story in itself.
Rob Ashman –
Rob is married to Karen with two grown up daughters. He is originally from South Wales and after moving around with work settled in North Lincolnshire where he’s spent the last twenty-two years. Like all good welsh valley boys Rob worked for the National Coal Board after leaving school at sixteen and went to University at the tender age of twenty-three when the pit closures began to bite. Since then he’s worked in a variety of manufacturing and consulting roles both in the UK and abroad. It took Rob twenty-four years to write his first book. He only became serious about writing it when his dad got cancer. It was an aggressive illness and Rob gave up work for three months to look after him and his mum. Writing Those That Remain became his coping mechanism. After he wrote the book his family encouraged him to continue, so not being one for half measures, Rob got himself made redundant, went self-employed so he could devote more time to writing and four years later the Mechanic Trilogy is the result.
Rob published Those That Remain, In Your Name, and Pay the Penance with Bloodhound Books and has since written the DI Rosalind Kray series. These are Faceless, This Little Piggy, Suspended Retribution, and Jaded which are also published by Bloodhound.
When he is not writing, Rob is a frustrated chef with a liking for beer and prosecco and is known for occasional outbreaks of dancing.
Robert Scragg –
Robert Scragg had a random mix of jobs before taking the dive into crime writing; he’s been a bookseller, pizza deliverer, karate instructor, and football coach.
He lives in Tyne & Wear, is a founding member of the North East Noir crime writers’ group and is currently writing the second Porter and Styles novel.
Stewart Giles –
After reading English & Drama at three different English universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling and finally ended up in South Africa, where I still live. I enjoy the serene life running a boat shop on the banks of the Vaal Dam.
I came up with the DS Jason Smith idea after my wife dropped a rather large speaker on my head. Whether it was intentional still remains a mystery.
Smith, the first in the series was finished in September 2013 and was closely followed by Boomerang and Ladybird. Occam’s Razor, Harlequin, and Phobia (a series of short stories detailing Smith’s early life) were all completed in one hazy 365 days and Selene was done and dusted a few months later.
Horsemen, the seventh in the DS Smith thriller series is out now.
The Beekeeper, a departure from the DS Smith series was released through Joffe Books on 22 May 2019.
Val Portelli –
The author’s pen name Voinks began many years ago. It started as a joke when a friend bought a holiday home abroad, then gradually spread through the family, so it was an obvious choice when her first book was published.
Despite receiving her first rejection letter aged nine from some lovely people at a well-known Women’s magazine, she continued writing intermittently until a freak accident left her housebound and going stir crazy.
To save her sanity she completed and had published her first full length novel. This was followed by a second traditionally published book before deciding self-publishing was the way to go. In between writing her longest novel to date at over 100,000 words, she publishes weekly stories for her Facebook author page and web site.
She writes in various genres, although her short stories normally include her trademark twist of ‘Quirky.’ From having too many hours in the day, she is now actively seeking out a planet with forty-eight-hour days, to have time to fit in all the stories waiting to be told.
She is always delighted to receive reviews, as they help pay for food for the Unicorns she breeds in her spare time.
Social Media Links –
Robert Scragg: @robert_scragg
Paul Moore: @mooros69
Graham Smith: @grahamsmith1972
Malcolm Hollingdrake: @MHollingdrake
Alex Kane: @AlexKaneWriter
Owen Mullen: @OwenMullen6
Gordon Bickerstaff: @GFBickerstaff
Lexi Rees: @Lexi_Rees
Megan Steer: @tjsarcat15
Anna Franklin Osborne: @HomeOsborne
Stewart Giles: @stewartGiles
Jane Risdon: @Jane_Risdon
Louise Jensen: @fabricating_fiction
Rob Ashman: @RobAshmanAuthor
Carmen Radtke: @carmenradtke1
Val Portelli: @ValPortelli
Mark Brownless: @MarkBrownless
John Carson: @JohnCarsonBooks
Kris Egleton: @Mouse6420
Paul T. Campbell: @PtcCampbell
Lucy Cameron: @lucycomeron22
KA Richardson: @KerryAnn77
Billy McLaughlin: @bilbob20
Pages- 344
The Blurb –
When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.
With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart-warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.
From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one heck of a ride!
When Stars Will Shine is the perfect Christmas gift for the bookworms in your life!
A Note from Emma Mitchell:
As the blurb tells us, When Stars Will Shine is a multi-genre collection of Christmas-themed short stories compiled to raise money for our armed forces and every penny made from the sales of both the digital and paperback copies will be donated to the charity.Working closely with Kate Noble at Noble Owl Proofreading and Amanda Ni Odhrain from Let’s Get Booked, I’ve been able to pick the best of the submissions to bring you a thrilling book which is perfect for dipping into at lunchtime or snuggling up with on a cold winter’s night. I have been completely blown away by the support we’ve received from the writing and blogging community, especially the
authors who submitted stories and Shell Baker from Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, who has organised the cover reveal and blog tour.
There isn’t a person in the country who hasn’t benefited from the sacrifices our troops, past and present, have made for us and they all deserve our thanks.
It has been an honour working on these stories, and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have.
Today is my stop on the When Stars Will Shine blog tour. Many thanks to Emma Mitchell for the chance to read and review.
My thoughts – This is a brilliant anthology of short stories that have been compiled by Emma Mitchell to raise funds for Help for Heroes.
As with every great collection of short stories there is a mixture of genres, something to please everyone. The quality of the stories is extremely high, and the book flows well.
I have read some of the author’s work before but the beauty of an anthology is you get to read authors you may not have read. This leads you into reading other pieces of their work and before you know it, you have expanded your reading.
These stories will give you hope, make you cry and above all, make you thankful.
Margaret is an author and writer with a special interest in listening to people’s memories and getting them down on paper. Her latest book Creative, Successful, Dyslexic includes interviews with Darcey Bussell, David Bailey, Lord Richard Rogers, Zoe Wanamaker and others about their childhoods and beyond. She interviewed countless interesting personalities during her many years of magazine writing and believes everyone has a story to tell. Margaret is especially keen to preserve people’s memories for their children and grandchildren to value and enjoy.
**Joint Gold Winner of the Moonbeam Multicultural Non-Fiction Award 2019**
This inspirational book tells the stories of more than 50 of today’s teenagers who’ve dared to change the world they live in. It’s been written to show other teens they can do the same. Bestselling author Margaret Rooke asks teens about their experiences of being volunteers, social entrepreneurs and campaigners, online and beyond. They explain how they have survived in a world often obsessed by celebrity, social media and appearance, by refusing to conform to other’s expectations.
If you want to achieve against the odds and create genuine impact, this book may be the encouragement you need. The interviews cover race, sexuality, violence, grief, neurodiversity, bullying and other issues central to life today.
Read about teens from around the world including: – Trisha, 18, who has invented a way of preventing bullying online – Dillon, 18, who takes damaged and donated clothing and upcycles it for the homeless – Guro, 13, who persuaded a pop band to portray women differently in its video – ‘Happy D’, 19, who learned to read at 14 and found ways to build his confidence – Heraa, 19, who fights Islamophobia online. – Ruben, 18, bullied because of Down’s Syndrome, now a successful actor – Lucy who, at 14, walked into Tesco head office and persuaded them not to sell eggs from caged hens. – Cameron, 17, who has cerebral palsy and was side-lined by soccer teams who set up his own team ‘Adversity United’ – Alex, 18, who broke his back on his 15th birthday and says his injury has taught him to care for others – Amika, 18, who fights ‘Period Poverty’ – Jesse, 15, who’s seven feet tall and embraces his stature – Billy, 18, who wore full make up every day at high school
A fantastic book that captures the work of young changemakers. Powerful and inspiring, a catalogue of real role models. It will make you want to chase your passion. After all what better cause is there? Matteo Bergamini, CEO & Founder, Shout Out UK
Today is my stop on the You Can Change The World blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.
My thoughts – This is a brilliant book about teenagers aimed at teenagers. Greta Thunberg has really set the standard for teenagers, she has shown how one person no matter what their age, can set their mind to changing their situation or in some cases the world.
The stories in this book are so uplifting that it really does leave you with a hope for the future, something I know that at the moment can be rare in some.
I would suggest this book is shared in all high schools to show teenagers that their voices matter, they are the next generation.
Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks. Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim and also hit the number one spot. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, was in August 2018, with Homicide in Herne Hill following in October 2018. Revenge on the Rye came out in December 2018. The Body in Belair Park was published on 25th June 2019. The Slayings in Sydenham is the latest instalment in the series Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI HarryYork. Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website.
.Single mum and super sleuth, Beth Haldane,has been set her most daunting task yet by handsome cop boyfriend Inspector Harry York. He wants her to find them a new home–outside Dulwich! Beth can hardly bear the idea, so when a young estate agent turns up dead, she diverts her energies to nailing the killer instead. As it turns out, more or less everyone in Dulwich who has ever moved house may have a motive. But do some of the richest residents have an even stronger reason to murder the agent than others? What on earth is up with Dr Grover, head of prestigious private school ,Wyatt’s? Does Beth’s uber-mummy nemesis,Belinda MacKenzie, have more reason than usual to be swaggering about the village?And who is sending Beth sinister text messages?
Today is my stop on The Slayings in Sydenham blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.
This book is another great instalment in the London Murder Mysteries Series and yet again finds Beth stumbling across a murder. Her partner Harry has asked her to look into moving out of Dulwich! Beth is horrified but decides to visit an estate agent, who it turns out is very unpopular with his previous clients. So when he turns up dead, Beth has a whole host of suspects.
Brilliantly written as usual, complete with humour and great characters. Highly recommended.
Author – Leigh Russell is the author of the Ian Peterson series (Cold Sacrifice, Race to Death and Blood Axe) and the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead, Fatal Act, Killer Plan, Murder Ring, Deadly Alibi, Class Murder, Death Rope and Rogue Killer. The series has sold over a million copies worldwide. Cut Short was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association (CWA), John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award, and Leigh has been longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. Her books have been #1 on Amazon Kindle and iTunes with Stop Dead and Murder Ring selected as finalists for The People’s Book Prize. Leigh is chair of the CWA’s Debut Dagger Award judging panel and is a Royal Literary Fellow. Leigh studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English and American Literature. She is married with two daughters and a granddaughter, and lives in London
Four dead bodies. But who is guilty in this deadly web of secrecy and lies?
When a homeless man is murdered, Detective Sergeant Geraldine Steel is disturbed by the coldblooded nature of the crime. With the discovery of a second victim, the police hunt for a killer whose motive is as elusive as he is dangerous.
In an investigation plagued by police scepticism, Geraldine is relentless in her pursuit of the truth. Drawn into the lives of three people caught in a toxic web of love and deceit, Geraldine learns there is more to this case than she had imagined..
Today is my stop on the Deathly Affair blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.
My thoughts – Have I never read any of Leigh Russell’s books before? This is the thirteenth in the Geraldine Steel and I will definitely be going back to the beginning to read all the others.
Even though this is in a long series, it reads really well as a standalone as important character points are woven into the fresh story.
The story starts as a homeless man is found murdered in a doorway. With no relatives to appease, the police aren’t enthusiastic to launch a full investigation However Geraldine believes every murder should be looked at, no matter who the victim is, and when a second body is found, she gets more resources.
I love a book with twists and this one doesn’t disappoint just when I had it all sussed out, everything changed.
Really looking forward to reading the whole series. Highly recommended.
Rhen Garland lives in Somerset, England with her folk-singing, book-illustrating husband, approximately 4000 books, an equal number of ancient movies, and a large flock of stuffed sheep. She enjoys the countryside, peace,and Prosecco and the works of Ngaio Marsh, Glady Mitchell, John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson, Agatha Christie,and Terry Pratchett .”I watch far too many old school murder mystery films, TV series, and 1980s action movies for it to be considered healthy.” “A Portrait of Death” is a murder mystery thriller with paranormal touches set in late Victorian England and is the first book in the Versipellis Mysteries Series.
A Portrait of Death; The Versipellis Mystery Series Book One In the quiet English village of Marmis Parva, a weekend house party is organised by a society hostess and all the top names are invited. But this is no ordinary party. Two men are savagely murdered during the course of the first evening and a young man, presumed dead, returns home after two years imprisonment in South Africa bringing with him proof of treason. Detective Chief Inspector Elliott Caine’s long-awaited holiday in the Lake District is cancelled as he is brought in to investigate the peculiar nature of the murders. More bodies are discovered and Elliott has to manoeuvre between high society, Government protocols, and the heinous nature of the crimes if he and his old friend Detective Sergeant Abernathy Thorne, are to catch the sadistic killer,and the traitor lurking amongst them. When Caine’s past comes back to haunt him, will his judgement be too clouded to focus on solving the crime? Will the Boer spy’s identity be uncovered before they can flee?How are these murders connected to another in New York?
Today is my stop on the A Portrait of Death blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.
My thoughts –
Purchase Links – This is an excellent read. I like books set in the Victorian era and this book ticks all the right boxes.
After two people are brutally murdered at a dinner party policeman Elliott Caine and Abernathy Thorne are set the immense task of finding the killer. A lot of twists and turns follow as they battle as they encounter society’s elite.
This is the first in a new series and I can not wait to read the second one.
Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of ‘always wanted to write’ authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper – or rather fingers to keyboard. She wrote her first book purely for pleasure and was very surprised to discover that so many people enjoyed the story and wanted more, so she decided to carry on writing. It has to be pointed out that her first novel, ‘Did I Mention I Won The Lottery’ is a complete work of fiction and she did not, in fact, receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it to her husband – even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him!
Working for a department store where Christmas arrives in August, Eve prefers her own festivities to be low key with nothing more complicated than an oven ready turkey and frozen peas while she spends the day in her pyjamas. Unfortunately, this year her husband has invited his best friend to visit, the glamorous and sophisticated Abby, and Eve reluctantly decides that she needs to inject a little sparkle into their laid back and slightly shabby Christmas. So the celebrations are upgraded to include champagne and canapes along with homemade gravy and organic turkey and plans are made for a Christmas that looks as though it has emerged from the pages of a glossy magazine.
But even the best laid plans can go wrong and as Eve struggles with her mini Yorkshire puddings and an interfering cat, she is suddenly faced with an unexpected guest and an explosive secret that threatens to put her vision of a perfect Christmas in jeopardy.
Today is my stop on the Eve’s Christmas blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.
This is a very different Christmas book and it was nice to get a different take on the festive season.
Eve is looking forward to her normal low key holiday celebrations, so is stunned when her husband decides to invite a friend over to join them.
Unfortunately this turns Eve into a Christmas monster, not wanting to be outdone by Abby, her husband’s friend, she pulls out all the stops to make sure this Christmas will be the best yet. Everything has to be perfect, and of course a lot goes wrong.
What I really liked is the underlying message of this book, Eve’s daughter Alice, is constantly quoting facts about what Christmas costs not just monetarily but for the environment. People strive every year to provide the best Christmasses for their families, going into debt, making themselves unhappy. We are constantly sold the ‘perfect’ Christmas, to buy this and that.
Christmas should be about family not consumerism. Highly recommended.
Author Giveaway –
Giveaway to Win a Paperback copy of Eve’s Christmas (UK Only)
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