crime Archives - Page 8 of 15 - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘The Echo Man’ by Sam Holland

Wow, this is a page turner!

The story begins with a house fire in which Jess Ambrose’s husband is killed – an arson attack which the police blame on Jess, causing her to go on the run from hospital. Disgraced detective Nate Griffin believes that Jess is innocent and tries to help her. Together, Jess and Griffin spot a horrific link between some gruesome and brutal murders. It seems that someone is copying famous serial killer murders from the past…and they aren’t about to stop their reign of terror.

‘Unfaithful’ by J L Butler

Thanks to Killer Reads for my copy of this book, published by Harper Collins in January 2022. As always, opinions are my own.

This is the story of Rachel Reeves who seems to have an enviable life – she lives in luxury, wants for nothing, has a wealthy husband and a daughter heading off for university. However, Rachel seeks fulfilment and begins to search for it in a new job and an ill-advised fling with an ex-flame. When sinister things begin to happen, Rachel is left trying to solve the mystery of who is trying to ruin her perfect life…

This book is told from Rachel’s first person perspective, so the reader is immediately thrown into her world and understanding of situations. This allows the tension to build as the reader is working alongside Rachel to try to make sense of the strange events, from mysterious text messages to nosy neighbours, from unwanted gifts to incriminating photos.

The tension is well managed throughout so that Rachel’s situation becomes more and more precarious and dangerous – it’s cleverly managed that one indiscretion then has so many consequences and I did race through the book to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The only niggle that I had was that Rachel is not always a sympathetic figure – although she seems to be paying a high price for her single transgressive action, it was difficult to relate to someone who otherwise seemed to have everything. In the (slightly misquoted) words of sitcom ‘Friends’, it did sometimes feel a bit ‘my diamond shoes are too tight and my wallet is too small for my fifties!’

That aside, this is an enjoyable thriller that has moments of real tension and some surprises along the way. I (as usual) fell for every red herring and accused pretty much the entire cast of this novel of being behind Rachel’s downfall. Wrong every time.

Read if you like fast-paced domestic thrillers that will keep you reading long into the night.

If you’d like a copy of this book, please use my affiliate link below – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

Blog Tour: ‘Blood Games’ by Liz Mistry

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Blood Games’, the fourth book in the excellent DI Nikki Parekh crime series.

Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour and for providing a copy of the book for review. As always, opinions are all mine!

Book Review: ‘A Fatal Crossing’ by Tom Hindle

This one couldn’t be more up my street if it tried – a 1920s setting, a murder mystery, a transatlantic crossing aboard a ship… it’s the ultimate in closed circle mysteries!

Thanks to Sarah Harwood for putting this book into my hands – I am grateful. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

The story opens with the death of an elderly gentleman on board ‘Endeavour’, a ship crossing to New York in 1926. A ship’s officer, Timothy Birch, tells the story of how he investigates, alongside a Scotland Yard officer (James Temple) also on the voyage. It’s a story that crosses the boundaries of First, Second and Third Class passenger areas, has a cast of many suspects, and is much more involved than it first seems…

I absolutely loved the setting of this. I’m always drawn to closed circle mysteries where there is a limited number of suspects and this meets the criteria perfectly. As the story progresses, we move (with Birch and Temple) between the public and private areas of the grand ship. We see the glitz and glamour of the First Class dining room, but also the cramped Third Class cabins. We see the luxurious suites occupied by the wealthy, but also the ‘behind-the-scenes’ staff areas. And it is all well-described and immersive – I found it easy to place myself on the decks of ‘Endeavour’!

We also meet a whole range of people – who between them have a whole host of secrets! Not many of them were very nice people, but that’s fine as I was convinced that each of them in turn was the killer. I honestly suspected everyone – except there’s no way I’d have predicted the ending of the novel.

The two detectives are interesting characters in their own rights. Birch is struggling with the tragic events of his own life which slowly and painfully come to the surface in the story. Temple is abrasive, rude and really quite arrogant – until events conspire to change his approach. Together, they are an unusual and stormy partnership – something that is intriguing to follow.

The plotting is clever and detailed – there’s even lots of recaps and explanations for those of us who need reminders to keep up! The disadvantage to this is that is does slow down the narrative a little at times (and it is quite a long book).

That said, I’d whole-heartedly recommend this lively and entertaining mystery. The twists are suitably twisty and the denouement genuinely surprising. The setting is vivid and the characters are well-drawn, even if you do love to hate them at times!

If you’d like a copy of this great mystery (out this week), please use my affiliate link below – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

Book Review: ‘Death on the Trans-Siberian Express’ by C J Farrington

A murder mystery set in deepest, snowiest Russia? The Trans-Siberian Express? A tough female protagonist? Sign me up NOW! Thanks to NetGalley and Constable for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Olga Pushkin, a railway engineer (Third Class) who works in a little railway hut in a tiny and remote village called Roslazny. Along with her pet hedgehog (a random but delightful addition), she lives a quiet life and dreams of being a writer and going to Tomsk State University. With all her money being spent on her father’s drinking habit, it is fair to say she is going nowhere…until her world is rocked by a murder and an opportunity for her to take action.

Book Review: ‘The Dead of Winter’ by Nicola Upson

I love this series by Nicola Upson as was delighted to be given the opportunity to read this latest instalment – ‘The Dead of Winter’ – which is the ninth book to feature Josephine Tey as detective. Thanks to Nicola Upson, Faber Books and the power of Twitter for getting this fabulous book into my hands.

In this book, Josephine is invited to spend Christmas in Cornwall at the imposing and distinctive St Michael’s Mount – a tiny island community cut off from the mainland at high tide and presided over by the aristocratic St Aubyn family. Along with Josephine and Marta (her partner), the Cornish Christmas is to be shared with several other guests, including German film star Marlene Dietrich who is being accompanied by Josephine’s old friend and sleuthing partner, Chief Inspector Archie Penrose. This is one party, however, that will not be forgotten as the blizzards set in and two people die in mysterious circumstances…

Book Review: ‘Dangerous Women’ by Hope Adams

This was a book that I was very excited about in 2021 but that – for reasons too dull to explain – got pushed down my reading pile.

I’m so glad I have remedied this now!

Book Review: ‘The Twyford Code’ by Janice Hallett

Let me get this out here first: I loved Janice Hallett’s debut novel, ‘The Appeal’. Everything about it was fantastic, from the modern epistolary style to the brilliantly relatable setting of a small-town amateur dramatics society. The characters were immediately recognisable types and the plot was unpredictable in all the best ways. Cosy, witty and so clever – I absolutely gulped it down and put ‘The Twyford Code’ at the top of my most anticipated books of 2022.

Blog Tour: ‘You’ll Be The Death Of Me’ by Karen McManus

Having read ‘The Cousins’, I was very pleased to get my hands on the latest YA thriller by Karen McManus, ‘You’ll Be The Death of Me’. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, and ‘The Write Reads’ for inviting me on the blog tour.

Book Review: ‘The Killer in the Snow’ by Alex Pine

This marks yet another series that I’ve jumped into at a mid-point! This is the second book in this series, following on from ‘The Christmas Killer’ – although I think this works fine as a stand alone novel.

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

This story opens with a farmer returning home on Christmas Eve – it’s snowing in the remote part of Cumbria where he lives and he is dreading discussing his urgent financial issues with his family. When he returns to the farm, he notices some footprints in the snow leading to his cellar – but there are no prints leaving the cellar. Days later, the bodies of the farmer and his family are found in the farmhouse and DI Walker is called in to solve a complex crime.

I loved the remote and snowy setting of this book – there is something really eerie about an already remote place being cut off further by the weather. Cumbria is also a great setting for crime novels as it is at the mercy of the elements and difficult to navigate quickly even in bright sunshine – Rachel Lynch uses just this setting for her excellent crime novels about DI Kelly Porter (also worth a read!)

The central characters of DI Walker and his wife are also well-rounded and engaging. They are expecting a baby and there is a sub-plot to do with their past in London which adds a bit of depth and interest to their relationship and situation – although I think the sub-plot probably feels more high-stake if you’ve read the first book. I thought it was a shame that more of the police team weren’t given more to do – so much of the focus is on Walker himself that the team don’t really have distinct personalities.

The plotting is clever and this is a really solid police procedural novel – I enjoyed following the investigation as it experienced highs, lows and setbacks galore. There was certainly enough happening to keep me reading – but I did guess one of the big revelations very early on which is why this is a 4 star review and not a 5 – maybe I’ve just read too many crime novels and am suspicious of everything! That said, the tension is managed well and the connection to the earlier crime at the farmhouse gives this an interesting dimension.

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys tense and twisty police procedurals. There are some really creepy ideas and situations in the book so it probably isn’t for the faint of heart. However, there’s lots to enjoy and it would make a lively festive read…if Christmas bloodbaths are your thing.

Incidentally, no judgement from me because this book is just my thing!

If you’d like a copy of this book, please use my affiliate link below – 99p last time I looked so you can’t go wrong! Thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

Header photo by Paul Green on Unsplash