fiction Archives - Page 2 of 6 - The Quick and the Read

Blog Tour: ‘Blunt Force’ by Lynda La Plante

I’m delighted to share my review of ‘Blunt Force’, the sixth book in the excellent series featuring Jane Tennison in her early career – way before her ‘Prime Suspect’ days.

I’m reading this series as part of #TeamTennison – thanks to Compulsive Readers and Zaffre Books for inviting me on to the tour and for my copies of the books for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

In this book, Jane Tennison has left Flying Squad and is now stationed in Knightsbridge – not exactly a hub of violent crime in comparison to some of her previous postings! Just as she’s beginning to worry that her career is going nowhere, a brutal murder is committed and Jane joins the investigative team. However, the case is far from straightforward – the victim, Charles Foxley, was a theatrical agent who was well-known, not always above board and had some powerful enemies…

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.

Blog Tour: ‘Last to Leave’ by Lucy Martin

Thanks to Random Things Tours for my place on the blog tour and copy of this book for review – as always, opinions are entirely my own.

The Blurb:

When Hannah Lloyd falls from her third-floor balcony at the end of her birthday lunch party, suspicion falls immediately upon the three guests who had only just left the apartment, alongside Hannah’s estranged husband Adam and a jealous neighbour with an axe to grind. But as the investigation develops, so does the network of suspects, eventually revealing a chilling connection between the crime and those in charge of preventing it. Forced to work alongside her arch-nemesis DCI Matt Preedy, DS Ronnie Delmar finds herself looking over her shoulder at her own colleagues and questioning the motives of those she thought she trusted.

My Review:

Blog Tour: ‘The Ideal Couple’ by Anna Willett

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Ideal Couple’, a lively Australian crime novel and the fourth in the series to feature Detective Veronika Pope.

Thanks to The Book Folks for inviting me onto the tour and for allowing me access to the book for review purposes. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

This book was published on 2nd October, 2023.

From the Publisher:

When detectives try to close a missing persons case, a small town’s twisted secrets begin to unravel…

A couple disappear in a region of the outback known for its gold mining. Some three years on, there is still no trace of them.

Detective Veronika Pope is handed the cold case. It’s cold only in name. When she turns up to the godforsaken town where the couple were last seen, the heat is sweltering; suspicion simmering.

The detectives stay in the same seedy hotel as the couple did. The townsfolk aren’t
welcoming. Nobody wants the cops probing into their affairs.

From what Pope can gather, the missing duo were the perfect couple. Loving. Happy
together. The picture of marital bliss.

Assuming a murder but missing a motive, the detectives do make progress. They might even find the bodies, as the trail is hot. Almost too hot to touch.

Pope is in serious danger of getting burned…

Book Review: ‘Mrs Porter Calling’ by A. J. Pearce

This is the third book in the Emmy Lake series, following on from ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ and ‘Yours Cheerfully’. This is a series that is charming, cheerful and funny – even as the realities of World War II continue to have their impact on the characters’ lives.

Thanks to NetGalley for my opportunity to read this book and apologies for the late review.

In this third look at wartime Pimlico, we rejoin Emmy and her colleagues at the offices of Woman’s Friend, a publication packed with helpful tips on cooking, affordable fashion, and the general art of making do and getting by under rationing. One of the most popular sections is Emmy’s advice column, offering an invaluable lifeline to women trapped by their domestic situations, wartime problems or overwhelming worries. When a new owner takes over the publication (the titular Mrs Porter), Emmy and the team have to fight for the things that make their magazine unique and treasured by its readership.

Book Review: ‘Good Friday’ by Lynda La Plante

Here’s my review of ‘Good Friday’, the third in the series to feature a young Detective Constable Jane Tennison way before her ‘Prime Suspect’ years.

Thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me to join #TeamTennison and read the whole series. Thanks too to Zaffre Books for my copy of ‘Good Friday’ to review – 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: ‘Harlem After Midnight’ by Louise Hare

I loved ‘Miss Aldridge Regrets’, the first novel by Louise Hare to throw singer Lena Aldridge into a new role as detective on board a transatlantic liner bound for New York in 1936. This second book, ‘Harlem after Midnight’, picks up the story of Lena’s arrival in New York with new beau and ship-board musician Will Goodman.

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

Blog Tour: ‘Norah’s Ark’ by Victoria Williamson

Thanks to The Write Reads for inviting me on the blog tour for this charming and thought-provoking Middle Grade novel. Thanks to The Write Reads and Neem Tree Press for my review copy – opinions, as always, are my own.

This is a story about an unlikely friendship forged in difficult circumstances. Norah Day is a sweet, nature-loving girl – one who lives in temporary accommodation with her father and often goes hungry. In contrast, Adam Sinclair seems to have it all – caring parents, big house, his own treehouse. However, Adam is recovering from cancer and is being given no freedom by his overprotective mother – he’s not even allowed outside his own garden. These two children bond over rescuing a nest of baby birds – but their rescue efforts don’t stop there, especially in view of the coming flood.

Blog Tour: ‘Eye for an Eye’ by M. J. Arlidge

With many thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me on the blog tour for the new standalone M. J. Arlidge book.

Thanks too for my copy of the book for review – as always, opinions are entirely my own.