crime Archives - Page 5 of 16 - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘Fatal Witness’ by Robert Bryndza

I’d heard so many good things about Robert Bryndza’s series featuring DCI Erika Foster – but I’ll admit that I was irrationally put off by the book cover (I am a bit freaked out by photos of people staring at me!) I was wrong to judge a book by the cover – this is a really good police procedural and everything I love in a crime novel.

Book Review: ‘The Detective’ by Ajay Chowdhury

I didn’t know that this was book three in the series featuring Kamil Rahman when I picked it up – credit to Ajay Chowdhury as it was easy to read as a standalone. However, fans of the series will – no doubt – appreciate the character development across the books as Kamil progresses on his path to being a British police detective (something he has achieved at the start of this book).

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Non-Fiction Audiobook Recommendations

Regular visitors to my blog know that I’m an insomniac with an audiobook habit! Here’s some of the best I’ve listened to recently…

Book Review: ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley

Having read and enjoyed Lucy Foley’s previous books, ‘The Hunting Party’ and ‘The Guest List’, I was pleased to pick up ‘The Paris Apartment’ – another standalone mystery/thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

The story centres on Jess, a young woman visiting Paris to stay with her half brother, Ben (as well as running away from her life in England). He lives in a luxurious apartment block but – when she arrives – Ben is missing. The other residents of the block are not helpful – and some are downright hostile to Jess and about Ben. As Jess struggles to piece together the events surrounding Ben’s disappearance, she also begins to uncover some shady secrets about the residents of 12 Rue des Amants…

Book Review: ‘The Guest’ by Emma Cline

I loved the sound of this book – I was especially drawn to the idea of a young woman grifting her way around glamorous Long Island during a hot summer (given that I’m living a chilly and distinctly non-glamorous British springtime!) Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: ‘End Game’ by Liz Mistry

I’ve followed the DI Nikki Parekh series from the start and was delighted to be invited onto this blog tour – thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on the tour and for providing the book.

Opinions are entirely my own.

About the Book:

Four dead bodies. One missing person. Let the game begin.

When an anonymous tip-off leads Detective Nikki Parekh and DS Sajid Malik to the sprawling Salinger estate, Nikki’s senses are on high alert. The brutal murder of all four members of the Salinger family has shocked the sleepy Bradford village to the core.

A mother, father, daughter, and son. . . all killed in exactly the same way – whilst sat around the coffee table, playing a game of monopoly.

But Nikki notices that there are five pieces on the board. One of the players is missing… Did they manage to escape the killer, or was the killer part of the game?

Book Review: ‘All the Dangerous Things’ by Stacy Willingham

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of ‘All the Dangerous Things’ in exchange for an honest review. I liked Willingham’s first book (‘A Flicker in the Dark’) so was very intrigued to see what would follow…

This book is told from the point of view of Isabelle Drake, a mother trying to make sense of her young son’s disappearance from his bedroom a year before. As she tells her story at true crime conventions, she attracts the attention of many people who all have their own theories about what happened to the toddler – including podcaster Waylon Spencer who convinces Isabelle to collaborate on his show. As Isabelle’s past is raked over, some unexpected and disturbing truths come to light.

Book Review: ‘The Twenty’ by Sam Holland

‘The Echo Man’ – the first book by Sam Holland – was one of the books I absolutely couldn’t put down in 2022, so I was delighted to be granted a copy of this latest book by NetGalley. As always, opinions are my own.

This story opens with an intriguing crime scene – a body is discovered on waste land with a spray-painted number next to the corpse. When more bodies and numbers appear, DCI Adam Bishop realises that this is only part of a much bigger – and much more horrifying – picture. When Dr Romilly Cole turns up in his office with evidence that links the latest crimes to previous murders, Adam is reluctant to believe her for multiple reasons. However, the numbered corpses keep turning up, leaving both Adam and Romilly facing up to their pasts while trying to change the future. Can the countdown be stopped before the killer hits the magic twenty?

Blog Tour: ‘Murder Under The Tuscan Sun’ by Rachel Rhys

I read and loved Rachel Rhys’ ‘A Dangerous Crossing’ so I had high hopes for this one! Thanks to Random Things Tours for my copy of the book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

As always, opinions are entirely my own.

Book Review: ‘A Bitter Remedy’ by Alis Hawkins

This was always going to be a hit for me – a pioneering heroine taking on the exclusively male Oxford University in Victorian times. Yes, yes and yes. Add in poison, intrigue and murder and I’m totally sold.

The story follows the investigation into the death of a solitary undergraduate from Jesus College, Oxford, in 1881. His body is discovered in his lodging house by his landlady – but a search of his possessions yields little but some dodgy-looking proprietary medicines. Both his tutor at the university (Basil Rice) and a headstrong young woman attending lectures at the university (but not allowed – by virtue of her gender – to be a student) suspect that all is not as it seems…