A Quiet Death In Italy

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Author – Tom Benjamin.

Tom Benjamin started off as a reporter before moving to the press office at Scotland Yard and running drugs awareness campaign FRANK. He moved to Bologna where his work as doorman at a homeless canteen inspired him to create English detective Daniel Leicester in a series that serves up equal helpings of the local cuisine and ubiquitous graffiti; the city’s splendour, decay, and danger.

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Publisher – Constable

Pages – 336

The Blurb –

Bologna: city of secrets, suspicion . . . and murder

A dark and atmospheric crime thriller set in the beautiful Italian city of Bologna, perfect for fans of Donna Leon, Michael Dibdin and Philip Gwynne Jones.

When the body of a radical protestor is found floating in one of Bologna’s underground canals, it seems that most of the city is ready to blame the usual suspects: the police.

But when private investigator Daniel Leicester, son-in-law to a former chief of police, receives a call from the dead man’s lover, he follows a trail that begins in the 1970s and leads all the way to the rotten heart of the present-day political establishment.

Beneath the beauty of the city, Bologna has a dark underside, and English detective Daniel must unravel a web of secrets, deceit and corruption – before he is caught in it himself.

Tom Benjamin’s gripping debut transports you to the ancient and mysterious Italian city less travelled: Bologna.

Today is my stop on the A Quiet Death In Italy blog tour. Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I loved this book, I adore Italy and the crime genre so it was a win win for me.

The author really does well in portraying Bologna and Italian culture. When a body is found in a canal, PI Daniel Leicester is persuaded to have a look at the case.

Authorities are not keen on the case being investigated but Leicester, is undeterred and soon finds himself following several leads that will go back decades. Can actions in the past have lead to the man’s death?

A beautiful book that is very well written and makes me want to go to Italy immediately.

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A Village Murder

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Author – Frances Evesham.

Frances Evesham is the author of the hugely successful Exham-on-Sea mysteries set in her home county of Somerset.

Frances Evesham

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Publisher – Boldwood Books

Pages – 256

The Blurb –

An English village can be deadly, when your past catches up with you…

In the beautiful rural Somerset village of Lower Hembrow, crammed full with English eccentrics, something is amiss…

Landscape gardener Imogen Bishop has spent the last thirty years trying to forget one fateful school night but when her estranged husband Greg Bishop is found dead in the grounds of her fathers Georgian hotel, danger threatens to overwhelm her.

Retired police officer Adam Hennessey, hoping for a peaceful life running his traditional Somerset country pub, finds himself drawn into the unfolding drama in the hotel across the road.

Imogen, Adam and Harley the stray dog form an unlikely partnership as they try to untangle a knot of secrets, solve a murder mystery, and bring a killer to justice.

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

My thoughts – This is the first in a brand new series from Francis Evesham.

I am a huge fan of cosy crime mysteries and this book has all the necessary ingredients for the start of a great series.

We are introduced to Adam Hennessey, a retired policeman who is looking for some peace and quiet in the countryside. He has given up the force to run a country pub. His serenity is ruined when he gets involved in a death.

A body is found in the grounds of a hotel, who could possibly want him dead? His estranged wife is soon top of the list.

A really well written mystery that really captivated me. I can not wait to read the next one.

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Deep As Death

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Author – Katja Ivar.

Katja Ivan grew up in Russia and the U.S. She travelled the world extensively, from Almaty to Ushuaia, from Karelia to Kyushu, before finally settling in Paris where she lives with her husband and three children. She received a B.A. in Linguistics and a master’s degree in Contemporary History from Sorbonne University. Evil Things was her debut novel.

Katja Ivar

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Twitter – https://twitter.com/KatjaIvar

Publisher – Bitter Lemon Press

Pages – 295

The Blurb –

•The second in a three-book series featuring Hella Mauzer, to follow on the success of Evil Things.

•A Nordic Noir of the first-order set in Helsinki in 1953. A dark psychological thriller about ruthless ambition, unrequited love and the lies we tell others and ourselves to avoid facing what has become of our lives.

•A woman author and a female heroine. A misunderstood, flawed, whip-smart detective, now a P.I, fighting against both prejudice and crime. Hella finds herself at the centre of an investigation of multiple murders that threaten to destroy the reputations of the rich and powerful. Ivar has again succeeded in telling an incredibly gripping story with some of the cast of characters that we fell in love with in Evil Things.

Hella Mauzer has just been fired by the police and is now a reluctant private investigator. Escaping the mind-numbing routine of shadowing unfaithful spouses, Hella finds herself at the centre of an investigation of multiple murders. It all begins when a prostitute is found floating upside down in Helsinki Harbour. Not exactly a high priority case for the Helsinki police, so homicide chief Jokela passes the job to his former colleague Hella. It’s beginning to look like a serial killer is at work when another lady of the night narrowly escapes being driven into the harbour, handcuffed to the car by her client. What begins like a taut whodunit turns into something more tantalizing as Hella turns her attention to different suspects, often to the consternation of the fascinating Inspector Mustonen, charismatic, ambitious and trying desperately to live up to the standards of his high-maintenance wife.

Praise for Evil Things:

“Welcome to the most stubborn of cops, Hella Mauzer, righting wrongs in cold Lapland, a memorable character with just the right disdain for authority and its amoral attitudes to justice and women.” Maxim Jakubowski, author of The Louisiana Republic

“Ivar’s captivating first novel set in Finland in 1952—is about Hella Mauzer, the first woman to work on the homicide squad in Helsinki. “My dear girl,” her patronizing boss instructs, “justice in a cold climate is not a natural phenomenon.” But the stubborn and resourceful Sgt. Hella Mauzer seems just the police officer to deliver it.” Wall Street Journal

“I read it in one sitting. It’s thrilling. The setting, the timing, being in the midst of the Cold War, and our stubborn, smart and brave heroine Hella – a woman fighting crime in a world opposed to her, are all elements I enjoyed. Katja Ivar turns a seemingly small random crime into something much bigger. A very good read!” Cecilia Ekbäck, author of Wolf Winter

“This is a remarkable debut — the best novel I’ve read this year. Spies, international conspiracies, overlaid on icily claustrophobic rural life. But above all in Hella Mauzer a believable heroine prepared to put her own life on the line for justice. I can’t wait for her next adventure.” David Young, author of A Darker State and STASI Child.

Today is my stop on Deep As Death blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is the second book in the Hella Mauzer series, but can easily be read as a standalone.

This book sees Hella, now a PI after being fired, looking in the the case of a dead prostitute. The police aren’t really interested in the case so pass it to Hella.

Historically prostitutes have been easy targets for murderers, and when another body is found drowned, she wonders whether there is a serial killer at at large, targeting these women.

This is such a brilliant read, that slowly pulls you into the story. Hella and the Inspector are such interesting characters and I can not wait to read the rest in the series.

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Agony Antics

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Author – Julie Butterfield.

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.

Julie Butterfield

Social Media Links –

Twitter –@juliebeewriter

Website – www.Juliebutterfield.co.uk

Pages – 357

The Blurb – As an agony aunt, Fliss Carmichael should have all the answers but when her own marriage begins unravelling at the seams, she hasn’t a clue where to start. After a simple mistake causes an unintended role swap, she becomes the one seeking advice from an unlikely source!

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

My thoughts – Another great read from Julie Butterfield. A perfect read for these interesting times.

I really like Julie’s books even though my main genre is crime. They are well written and always amusing, this book is no different.

You would think that if you were an agony aunt you would have your own life pretty well sorted out? However Fliss finds herself in a conundrum, the spark has gone out of her marriage but she can’t find the solution on how to get it back.

Ellie is in love with someone at work, so she contacts Fliss’s column for answers. As they communicate, can they help each other out?

To read more reviews of Julie Butterfield books –

Did I Mention I Won The Lottery

Did I Mention I Was Getting Married

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I Know The Truth

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Author – M A Comley.

M A Comley is a KINDLE UNLIMITED ALL-STAR author as well as being a New York Times, USA Today, Amazon Top 20 bestselling author, she has topped the book charts on iBooks as a top 5 bestselling and reached #2 bestselling author on Barnes and Noble. Over two and a half million copies sold world wide. She’s a British author who moved to France in 2002, and that’s when she turned her hobby into a career. 

When she’s not writing crime novels as well as caring for her elderly mother, she’s either reading or going on long walks with her rescue pup Labrador, Dex.

Here is a list of her books, Cruel Justice, Impeding Justice, Final Justice, Foul Justice, Guaranteed Justice, Ultimate Justice, Virtual Justice, Hostile Justice, Tortured Justice, Rough Justice, Dubious Justice, Calculated Justice, Twisted Justice, Prime Justice, Heroic Justice, Shameful Justice, Immoral Justice and Overdue Justice. There are several novellas and short stories in the series too.

No Right To Kill, Killer Blow, The Dead Can’t Speak, Deluded and The Murder Pact in the DI Sara Ramsey series. 

Her other successful series are: The DI Sally Parker thriller series, which includes WRONG PLACE, NO HIDING PLACE, COLD CASE, Deadly encounter and Lost Innocence

The DI Kayli Bright Trilogy – The Missing Children, Killer on the Run, Hidden Agenda, Murderous Betrayal and Dying Breath. 

The Hero series, TORN APART, END RESULT, IN PLAIN SIGHT, DOUBLE JEOPARDY and CRIMINAL ACTIONS.

There are three books in the Intention series, Sole Intention, Grave Intention and Devious Intention.

Plus a couple of standalone novels – EVIL IN DISGUISE and FOREVER WATCHING YOU.
I’ve also penned a cozy mystery Private Investigator series – Murder at the Wedding, Murder at the Hotel and Murder by the Sea. As well as co-authoring the Deception Series co-authored by fellow NY Times bestselling author, Linda S Prather Clever Deception, Tragic Deception and Sinful Deception.

M A Comley

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Twitter @ComleyMel

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Publisher – Jeamel Publishing

Pages – 267

The Blurb –

From NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Justice series, M A Comley, who has sold over three million copies worldwide.

She escaped his clutches.

Now she hides under a new name.

For the past five years, Lucy has lived in fear of her past.
But all that changes when Matthew enters her life.

Is she able to trust another man after…

Should she listen to her head or her heart?

As she fights for her future, someone is lurking in the shadows with their own agenda.

And they will determine whether she lives or dies.  

Today is my stop on the I Know The Truth blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I really love M A Comley’s writing, so was really pleased to review this book.

Lucy has a past that she wants to keep hidden, only her friend Trisha knows everything. They keep a small circle, supporting each other. On a night out Lucy meets Matthew and there is an instant connection. However her past is always there, making her cautious.

Trisha is protective, and warns Lucy to be careful. However Lucy takes a chance and gets to know Matthew. Then things start going wrong, firstly when her car is rammed on the road.

This is a brilliantly written thriller by M A Comley, as Lucy quickly finds herself in danger.

Read a review of another M A Comley’s book – Criminal Actions

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The Silent Wife

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Author – Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter is one of the world’s most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her 19 novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant Sunday Times bestselling novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her.

The Good Daughter and Cop Town are in development for film and television and Pieces of Her is soon to be an eight-part Netflix adaptation, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (Mad Men), and produced by Charlotte Stoudt (Homeland) and Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies).

Karin is the founder of the Save the Libraries project- a non-profit organisation established to support libraries and library programming.  

She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Karin Slaughter

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Twitter – https://twitter.com/SlaughterKarin

Website – https://www.karinslaughter.com/

Publisher – HarperCollins

Pages – 400

The Blurb –

Atlanta, Georgia. Present day. A young woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. The police investigate but the trail goes cold. Until a chance assignment takes GBI investigator Will Trent to the state penitentiary, and to a prisoner who says he recognises the MO. The attack looks identical to the one he was accused of eight years earlier. The prisoner’s always insisted that he was innocent, and now he’s sure he has proof. The killer is still out there.

As Will digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the original case in order to reach the truth. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear. And now he needs medical examiner Sara Linton to help him hunt down a ruthless murderer. But when the past and present collide, everything Will values is at stake.

‘One of the boldest thriller writers working today’ TESS GERRITSEN

‘Fiction doesn’t get any better than this’ JEFFERY DEAVER

‘Passion, intensity, and humanity’ LEE CHILD

‘Her characters, plot, and pacing are unrivalled’ MICHAEL CONNELLY

‘A great writer at the peak of her powers’ PETER JAMES

‘Karin Slaughter has – by far – the best name of all of us mystery novelists’ JAMES PATTERSON

Today is my stop on The Silent Wife blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This book is another brilliant addition to the Will Trent series.

When a prisoner protests his innocence and a police cover up, nobody is interested. That is until years later a woman is found murdered in a similar fashion. Will Trent and Dr Sara Linton start to look into the cases but are unprepared for what they find. Is the prisoner correct? Could a cover up be responsible for the killer never being caught, and him managing to acquire new victims?

They are faced with a brutal killer that sexually assaults women before leaving them to die. The book contains descriptions of these crimes so be warned if this might be a trigger to you.

This is an excellent thriller that will have you turning the pages as quickly as you can.

Purchase Links – The Silent Wife

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Snow Light

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Author – Danielle Zinn

Danielle holds a BA (Hons) degree in Business and Management from New College Durham/UK and has settled down in Leipzig/Germany, where she works as a Financial Controller at an IT Consultancy.

Born and raised in a small village in the Ore Mountains/Germany Danielle was introduced to the world of English literature and writing from an early age on through her mother – an English teacher.

Her passion for sports, especially skiing and fencing, stems from her father’s side. Danielle draws her inspiration for writing from long walks in the country with her partner as well as circumnavigating the globe and visiting friends scattered all over the world.

Mix everything together and you get “Snow Light”, a detective mystery combining a stunning wintry setting in the Ore Mountains with unique traditions, some sporty action and lots of suspense.

Danielle Zinn

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Publisher – Darkstroke

Pages – 324

The Blurb –

When Detective Inspector Nathaniel Thomas encounters a man attacking a young woman in a local park, the DI is unable to save her. Out of guilt, Thomas quits his job at Homicide Headquarters and relocates to the tiny village of Crottendorf, where he regains control of himself and begins to enjoy life again.

However, a year later, all the guilt and shame of the park incident re-emerges when a local hermit, Ethan Wright, is murdered with an unusual weapon and left on display in the centre of the village.

For Thomas, the situation gets worse when Detective Sergeant Ann Collins, a colleague from his past, appears to help with the case. But things become complicated when the victim’s identity is put into question.

Who is the victim? And why was he murdered?

Whilst Thomas and Collins find themselves trying to solve the unusual case, they may have more in common than they could have ever imagined.  

Today is my stop on the Snow Light blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – I really enjoyed this debut novel by Danielle Zinn. I do hope this will be the beginning of a great new series.

The setting of this book is beautiful, conjuring up images of snowy covered mountains and trees. It is the perfect book to curl up with in the depths of winter.

DI Nathaniel Thomas needs to find a killer in the tiny village he lives in, a local man has been murdered and left for all to see in the town. This will turn into a very complex case for him. He is determined to get justice for the victim, while coping with the guilt he feels from a past event.

The author has created some very interesting characters in Nathaniel, Sky and DS Ann Collins. I am looking forward to reading more.

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The Tree Beasts

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Author – E. R Fallon.

Bestselling crime author E.R. Fallon knows well the gritty city streets of which she writes. She studied criminology and was mentored by a leading advocate for the family members of homicide victims. E.R. is currently writing a book about living with autism and also working on her next gangland book, The Trouble Legacy, with her writing partner, KJ. 

E. R. Fallon

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @MysteryCreator

Publisher – Darkstroke

Pages – 167

The Blurb –

The island of Blackthorn is a seemingly normal place that hides an evil secret. Not only does the island have strange trees that appear like exotic, menacing beasts – several of its youngest residents have mysteriously disappeared over the years. Some inhabitants think that the island’s trees even look like the missing children.

Paul Gold, one of identical twin boys, is the latest child to go missing. When his mother and sister believe they are seeing him again on the island years after his disappearance, they are determined to discover the truth behind what happened to him.

But there are those on the island who are just as determined to keep the secret…

Today is my stop on The Tree Beasts blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is such a beautifully dark book.

Blackthorn is a creepy place to live, it has menacing trees and its children randomly disappear. It holds a secret that some people are not going to expose, but the parents want answers, what has happened to their children?

Could the trees and children be linked?

When one of the children is reportedly seen, will the secrets finally be revealed?

A great read that I did in one sitting.

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Three Rivers

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Author – David Blake.

David is a full-time author living in North London. To date he has written fifteen books along with a collection of short stories. He’s currently working on his sixteenth, Moorings, which is the next in his series of crime fiction thrillers, after Broadland and St. Benet’s.

When not writing, David likes to spend his time mucking about in boats, often in the Norfolk Broads, where his crime fiction books are based.

David Blake

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Pages – 354

The Blurb –

THE DEBUT CRIME THRILLER SERIES OF THE YEAR!
“Absolutely brilliant. I couldn’t put the book down. Read it in a day.” Mrs EE Porter, Amazon.co.uk

A body caught on the end of a mast, another skewered by a rhond hook, and a chain of evidence Tanner cannot accept.

As a twisting gale howls its way over Barton Broad, DS Jenny Evans joins a handsome old friend to help rescue the crew of an overturned boat. But when they discover a body, snagged on the end of the mast, one murder soon follows another, leaving DI John Tanner with a race against time, desperate to prove that the most obvious suspect isn’t who everyone seems to think it is.

Set within the mysterious beauty of the Norfolk Broads, this fast-paced British detective series is a dark cozy murder mystery with a slice of humour and a touch of romance, one that will have you guessing until the very end, when the last shocking twist is finally revealed.

Three Rivers is a totally addictive gripping crime thriller, the fourth in a chilling series of serial killer books, ones which will rapidly convert followers of L J Ross, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Damien Boyd and Helen H. Durrant into David Blake devotees.  

Today is my stop on the Three Rivers blog tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy BOTBS for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is such a good read, and is the fourth instalment of the Broads series.

This book sees DI Tanner struggling to prove someone isn’t guilty of murder whilst desperately trying to find out who is. His professional and private life are put at risk as he follows all the clues, that purposely point at his partner.

There are lots of twists and turns as he investigates a body found on a boat. I read the book really quickly hoping that Tanner could help Evans out.

The scenery of the Norfolk broads is conveyed beautifully throughout the book.

Moorings is another book in the Broads series.

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What Doesn’t Kill You

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Authors – David Whyte, A J Ashworth, Kate Leaver, Irenosen Okojie, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Ed Mitchell, Emily Reynolds, Hazel Gale, Lily Bailey, Rory Bremner, Julian Baggini, Alex Christofi, Elitsa Dermendzhiyska, Ben Saunders.

Publisher – Unbound

Pages – 208

The Blurb –

An explorer spends a decade preparing for an expedition to the South Pole; what happens when you live for a goal, but once it’s been accomplished, you discover it’s not enough? 

A successful broadcast journalist ends up broke, drunk and sleeping rough; what makes alcohol so hard to resist despite its ruinous consequences? 

A teenage girl tries to disappear by starving herself; what is this force that compels so many women to reduce their size so drastically?

In this essay collection, writers share the struggles that have shaped their lives loss, depression, addiction, anxiety, trauma, identity and others. 

But as they take you on a journey to the darkest recesses of their mind, the authors grapple with challenges that haunt us all.

Today is my stop on the What Doesn’t Kill You blog tour. Many thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to read and review.

My thoughts – This is a beautiful collection of stories that will stay with you. We all struggle and try to cope within our own daily lives. These stories show you that everyone suffers and has their own story. Some of the authors may be familiar to you, and their stories may surprise you.

This sharing of experiences goes to show that you are not alone, if you are struggling somebody else feels exactly the same way you do. It is a lovely book to keep and dip into as and when you need some inspiration.

The stories are diverse and cover a multitude of situations, so has something for everyone to relate to.

Highly recommended.

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