detective Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘Dead to Me’ by Gytha Lodge

Gytha Lodge writes great books – twisty, fast-paced and totally immersive. I loved the series featuring detective Jonah Sheens and was intrigued to read this standalone crime novel.

This story centres on an investigation by an American journalist, Anna Sousa, who is digging into the circumstances surrounding the death of s student at Cambridge University. Going undercover and moving among the rich and elite students, Anna seems to be closing in on some very unpalatable truths. She begins writing her notes down in an email to Reid Murray, a British detective and Anna’s ex – they’re not really in a good place, but he’s the only one who will understand. Then Anna goes missing, and her ex is the only one who can help her…

I liked the way that the book was structured, moving between Anna’s father (who is looking for her), Reid and the email to Reid containing Anna’s account of what happened. It’s a clever model and allows insights into the separate characters and the situations they put themselves in. It also brings a great deal of tension into the book, as Anna mixes with the students knowing that one of them may be a killer – and puts herself in constant danger of discovery to get some answers. The suspense builds as the account gets closer to the University’s May Ball, while Reid and Anna’s father try to find her.

I’d recommend this to fans of clever crime fiction – it will keep you guessing with your heart in your mouth!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy of this book. It is due for publication on 3rd July, 2025.

Header photo by Chris Boland on Unsplash

Book Review: ‘Making a Killing’ by Cara Hunter

Cara Hunter is one of my favourite crime writers and a new DCI Adam Fawley book is always exciting! This is the seventh book in a brilliant series – although I think it would work as a standalone. It actually picks up the characters from a previous book in the series, although I didn’t know this until after I’d finished reading as I think it’s the only one of the series I haven’t read!

Blog Tour: ‘Forget Me Not’ by M. J. Arlidge

Thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me on the blog tour for this – the latest in the brilliant DI Helen Grace series. Thanks also to Orion Books for my copy of the book – as always, opinions are entirely my own.

A new M. J. Arlidge book is always a treat – fans of the series will know exactly what I mean and what to expect. There’s always the fabulous but maverick DI Helen Grace at the book’s heart, usually immersed in a tense, dangerous and high-stakes investigation as part of Southampton Police’s Major Incident Team.

This book starts on Day One with the abduction of a young girl, a case that DI Grace wants the team to prioritise. However, she is put under strict instructions to put her team to work instead on the gang crime that is taking over Southampton’s streets. As DI Grace is never one to follow orders, she begins work on the case of the missing girl – and uncovers some disturbing and dark secrets that are a little too close to home…

Book Review: ‘The Last Word’ by Elly Griffiths

Ahhh, it is so lovely to be back in Shoreham in Sussex with Natalka, Edwin and Benedict! I first met them in Elly Griffiths’ ‘The Postscript Murders’ and this is another mystery all twisted up with books and writing and authors. Perfect for a bookworm and crime-fiction fan like me!

This is (I think) the fourth mystery in the detective Harbinder Kaur series, but some of the books are set in London and don’t feature the rest of the gang. They’re all brilliant and all can be read as standalones, but it is great to be back by the sea in Edwin’s retirement flat and ex-monk Benedict’s coffee shack. This story does pick up some of the themes from ‘The Postscript Murders’ but everything is explained so you don’t need to have read it.

Book Review: ‘Shot with Crimson’ by Nicola Upson

This is a brilliant new instalment in Nicola Upson’s ‘Golden Age’ crime series featuring Josephine Tey as detective. It’s a genius idea to have an actual crime writer as a detective, something that Upson has sustained beautifully over 11 books – ‘Shot with Crimson’ being the latest.

I’ve followed this series from the start and was delighted to be granted a copy of ‘Shot with Crimson’ for review by NetGalley. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

Book Review: ‘Jackdaw’ by Daniel Cole

Having read ‘Ragdoll’, I thought I knew what to expect of Daniel Cole’s books – and I went into this anticipating something twisty, gruesome and fast-paced. I wasn’t disappointed!

In this book, Detective Scarlett Delaney is on the trail of the killer they call ‘The Jackdaw’ – a murderer who seems to commit impossible crimes and then disappear with a sparkly memento. Delaney is a maverick and finds herself in a tricky situation with the charming Harry Devlin, a deadly criminal himself. The pair join forces to track down the Jackdaw, but it’s a dangerous and volatile pairing that puts them in danger. Can Scarlett really trust her attractive partner or is she unwittingly exposing herself to his lethal underworld bosses?

Book Review: ‘Hidden Killers’ by Lynda LaPlante

Today, I’m delighted to share my review of ‘Hidden Killers’, the second in the series to feature the early career of Jane Tennison.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for my review copy of the book – opinions are entirely my own. Thanks also to Compulsive Readers for asking me to join #TeamTennison and read the whole series!

Book Review: ‘The Second Murderer’ by Denise Mina

It’s a brave author that takes a beloved character and creates a new story for them – and that’s exactly what Denise Mina has done here with Raymond Chandler’s famous private detective, Philip Marlowe.

Marlowe is mulling over a case that he’s closed that doesn’t feel right when he gets a summons to the sprawling Montgomery estate set high above Beverly Hills. The young heiress to the family fortune, Chrissie Montgomery, is missing and Marlowe is asked to find her. However, her elderly and dying father isn’t taking any chances – he’s hired another private detective who Marlowe knows well in order to set the rivals against each other in finding his daughter. As Marlowe gets nearer to the truth, a murder is committed and Marlowe has to consider whether Chrissie really is safest returning to her family.

Book Review: ‘Bleeding Heart Yard’ by Elly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths writes lots of great crime books – but I do have the softest spot for this series which features DI Harbinder Kaur.

In this book – the third in the series – Detective Kaur has moved to London and is finding her feet with new flatmates, colleagues and city crime. When a school reunion ends in a suspicious death, DI Kaur and her team find themselves investigating some high-profile school alumnae and links to a murder many years previously. Their work is hindered by the fact that one of their team – DS Caitlin Fitzgerald – is one of the suspects…

Blog Tour: ‘Dying Breath’ by Liz Mistry

Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and my copy of the book for review. Opinions, as always, are entirely my own.