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Book Review: ‘Murder at the Hotel Orient’ by Alessandra Ranelli

I was so excited to read this – an unconventional heroine investigating murders in Vienna’s underworld. A hotel packed with secrets. A police detective out of his depth and trying to maintain order. Absolutely count me in!

I did really enjoy this – the Hotel Orient is an interesting setting, being a place of concealment that isn’t conducive to a murder investigation. I loved that secrets kept coming to light and the great and good of Vienna were pulled into the intrigue. Sterling Lockwood is also a fantastic guide to this seedy side of the city – she is hiding her own secrets and living freely by her own rules. The mystery itself is also cleverly plotted and engaging – there’s never a dull moment, although this is a long book. There also a decent dose of humour running through the novel, something I really appreciated, especially in the police detective and his sidekick.

A couple of things felt a bit jarring and held me off from giving the full five stars. Firstly, the Hotel Orient felt strangely retro which I think was deliberate, but it did make me wonder if this would have been better as a historical crime novel. Some of the references (e.g. the forensics) were modern, yet the bulk of it felt weirdly timeless and certainly pre-internet/mobile phones as the level of secrecy of Hotel Orient would be impossible to maintain. Secondly, there was a lot of complexity to the plot that perhaps wasn’t needed – although it was well-written, it could have been simplified and shortened in places without losing impact.

This is an enjoyable slice of crime fiction from an author I will be keeping an eye on. If you’ve got the time, there are worse ways to spend an evening than in the seedy and secretive Hotel Orient!

I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley – opinions are entirely my own. Publication date for this novel is 30th April 2026.

Thanks to Danny De Vylder on Unsplash for the header photo.

Book Review: ‘The Secret Room’ by Jane Casey

I love this series, so this was bumped right to the top of my reading list as soon as my review copy landed on my Kindle. Thanks to NetGalley for granting my request to read. This book will be published on 24th April, 2025.

This is the twelfth book in the series featuring DS Maeve Kerrigan of the Met Police and her partner, DI Josh Derwent. Regular readers will know the back-story of these two and enjoy the ongoing saga of their will-they-won’t-they romance, but for everyone else, this works as a brilliant standalone police procedural.

Book Review: ‘A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder’ by Gay Marris

This was one of the most bizarre books I’ve read in a while – and I mean it entirely as a compliment!

The novel is set on Atbara Avenue in 1968. It’s a seemingly close-knit community where people know each other’s business and routines, especially the vicar and his interfering wife who watch and discuss the goings-on on the street in often humorous detail. Each chapter has a different focus – a quirky resident, a house, usually a death – and it’s a structure that works brilliantly as we move between distinctly odd vignettes about what goes on behind the closed doors of the road. There’s also tonnes of clever plot points, as bits from earlier stories prove key later on.

When I initially picked this up, I assumed it would be cosy crime. There’s actually not much cosy about Atbara Avenue – but there is a dark humour that runs throughout and some really compelling observations about human nature, whether it’s sibling rivalry, the concealment of secrets or the domestic situations people normalise (such as the bullying parent/adult daughter relationship that opens the novel). Underneath the slightly shabby but genteel surface, Atbara Avenue is an absolute hotbed of crime! It might not be completely believable that all this happens in such close proximity, but each story is engaging and lively in its own right.

I also loved the setting – the 1960s time period allows us to see the contrast in the staid and conservative older generation and the younger characters. It also allows for some gripping murders that probably now would be solved in a trice with CSI and forensics and so on. Instead, there’s a good chunk of the Atbara Avenue murderers who get away with – yup – murder! At least seemingly…

This is an unusual and highly engaging book – there were plenty of twists that surprised me, but I also think I need to read it again to go over some of the more subtle points and links between the stories. If dark humour and a clever narrative is your thing, this is for you!

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley – opinions, as always, are my own.

Photo by Simon Berger on Unsplash

Book Review: ‘The Midnight Feast’ by Lucy Foley

I’ve enjoyed previous books by Lucy Foley, so was pleased to be granted a review copy of ‘The Midnight Feast’. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley – opinions, as always, are entirely my own.

This book centres on the opening of an exclusive resort, The Manor, on the beautiful Dorset coast. Guests flock to the high-end luxury and anticipate a fabulous solstice feast, all overseen by the owner of the great house, Francesca. However, the site has a dark past and some of the guests are perhaps not welcome. When a body is discovered at the base of the cliffs the day after the solstice party, the police have a task on their hands to unravel the events of the past that have brought The Manor and its guests to its latest tragedy.

Book Review: ‘The Haven’ by Fiona Neill

I’ll admit the blurb pulled me into this one – a sixteen year-old girl waking up in the forest with no memory of what happened. She has a head injury and there doesn’t seem to be anyone around…except a police team who visit occasionally and seem terrible at solving things! What happened?!

Book Review: ‘Only If You’re Lucky’ by Stacy Willingham

I’ve loved Stacy Willingham’s previous books – all tightly plotted and packed with tension against the backdrop of the sizzling heat of the American South. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of ‘Only If You’re Lucky’ in return for an honest review – opinions, as always, are my own.

This story centres on a group of four friends who meet at university in South Carolina. The main character, Margot, is fleeing from a tragic event in her personal life when she meets the charismatic and captivating Lucy. An invitation to share a student house follows and Margot, Lucy, Sloane and Nicole find themselves living together and next to a boys’ fraternity house. Before long, Margot’s past starts to surface in ways she never expected – and impacts on her current life and relationships. When events take a dark turn, Margot and her friends need to decide who to trust. But can they even trust each other?

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: ‘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: ‘The Turnglass’ by Gareth Rubin

Thanks to Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of the novel for review. Opinions are entirely my own.

This book was published in hardback on 31st August 2023 by Simon and Schuster.

Book Review: ‘The Good Liars’ by Anita Frank

Happy publication day to ‘The Good Liars’ – 17th August, 2023.

I loved the sound of this one – a 1920s tale of guilt and ghosts, mystery and murder. Thank you to the lovely people at HQ Stories for my review copy of this book.

This book centres on the Stilwell family of Darkacre Hall – Maurice, his wife Ida, his brother Leonard and long-time family friend Victor. When a policeman arrives at the house following up new information about the disappearance of a boy in 1914, the family (along with new servant, Sarah Hove) find themselves under scrutiny. Events conspire to make the meeting even more prolonged and intense, leading the family to re-evaluate the past and their relationships.