detective Archives - The Quick and the Read

Book Review: ‘The Christmas Clue’ by Nicola Upson

Christmas books in October is not entirely in my comfort zone, but I had to make an exception for Nicola Upson! More frequently writing about Golden Age detective writer Josephine Tey (check out that series if you haven’t already), this marks a new direction for Upson – it’s the Christmas of 1943 and a married couple arrive at a country hotel in the snow to run a festive murder mystery game for the guests. When things take a sinister turn, Anthony and Elva Pratt turn detective, as well as game designers as they create Cluedo along the way.

Anthony and Elva Pratt were real people, and did actually create Cluedo based on Elva’s floor plan design and Anthony’s brainwork. The rest comes from Upson’s imagination, and we’re introduced to a lively cast of characters passing Christmas at the hotel, as well as a load of shady back-stories and mysterious events. It’s phenomenal to see what Upson has packed into this book which is short – novella length, I think. It even has a map of the village, and I love a map!

This would make a brilliant Christmas present for crime-lovers. It has shades of Agatha Christie (the clever closed circle mystery) and Josephine Tey (ingenious plotting), avoiding too much coziness and keeping the reader hooked right to the end. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of the book.

Thanks to Alexander Lyashkov on Unsplash for the header photo

Book Review: ‘No Safe Place’ by Hannah Brennan

I love a good police procedural, and this is a good police procedural!

This is a debut from Hannah Brennan, and marks what is (I presume) going to be a new detective series featuring Detective Liz Field.

In this book, Field is called in to investigate a brutal attack on a man who is stabbed multiple times and ends up with his life hanging in the balance. When a second attack happens with the same distinctive methods, Field has a murder investigation on her hands. Guided only by a page from an academic paper found with the victims, Field embarks on a race to understand the subjects of the paper a child psychologist’s study on his young patients with OCD. Field has to race against time to find the group of ex-patients, while also considering that one of them could be a killer…

The OCD element of the story is managed really well – the writer has personal experience of this and it shows in her careful treatment of the issue. Several of the characters who take turns narrating the story have OCD, and it is interesting that Brennan explores the different aspects for each character, such as agoraphobia, intrusive thoughts or fear of causing harm. This was an intriguing addition to the expected murder mystery, and something I’ve not seen so sensitively handled or so well integrated into the plot. before.

The other aspect of the book that I loved was Field herself. She’s an older character (in her fifties) and with a family connection to OCD herself, which makes this case more personal. I thought that the character was well developed, especially in her relationships with her son and her two (very competitive and warring) colleagues.

This was an enjoyable read with a bit more depth than some other books in this genre (not a criticism of other books – I love a mystery in pretty much any form!) because of the OCD element. I think that Field is an appealing central figure and look forward to more books in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy of this book. It publishes on 31st July, 2025.

Header photo by Marios Gkortsilas on Unsplash.

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, a fab wedding photographer based in Cambridge

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.