The Art of Death Archives - The Quick and the Read

Blog Tour: ‘The Silent Man’ by David Fennell

This is the third in the series to feature DI Grace Archer, following on from the brilliant ‘The Art of Death’ and ‘See No Evil’. I’ve followed this series – breathlessly, sometimes peeking through my fingers, with a pounding heart – from the beginning. This third instalment is another terrifying, gruesome and twisty tale.

Thanks to Compulsive Readers and Zaffre Books for my place on the blog tour and my copy of the book for review. As always, opinions are my own.

Book Review: ‘See No Evil’ by David Fennell

Fennell’s first book, ‘The Art of Death’, was one of my top crime books of last year so I was eagerly awaiting this sequel and a chance to follow the story of DI Grace Archer of London’s Metropolitan Police. Thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for my copy for review – as always, opinions are entirely my own.

How I Choose My TBR

As a life-long bookworm, I’ve made it my mission to read ALL THE BOOKS.

Everything I liked the sound of – added to the TBR. Recommended by someone I trust – added to the TBR. Interesting cover – added to the TBR.

You get the picture – a love of books and an endless TBR.

However, I do (kind of) accept that I cannot read every book.

In fact, my journey into blogging has really made me focus on the elements of books that I really love. I’ve had to really think before I request yet more books – and there are definitely things that tick the boxes for me.

So here we go – an insight into my muddled mind and the TBR that I am desperately trying to tame… I love all these things independently but where they combine is pure magic!

(Disclaimer:  I still reserve the right to read randomly and at whim - that's one of the true pleasure of reading!)

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‘The Art of Death’ by David Fennell

Happy publication day to this debut novel from David Fennell!

I was in the mood for a fast-paced, tense book to break a bit of a reading slump – and this book hit the spot perfectly!

The story opens with a gruesome and shocking scene: an art installation in Trafalgar Square contains the bodies of three homeless men. DI Grace Archer, newly promoted and in an awkward situation in regards to her new team, is called to the scene and embarks on a dangerous and difficult search for a serial killer who plans more ‘art’ pieces.

There was lots I liked about this book – it was well-plotted and very tense. It certainly kept me reading as I really wanted to know how it would all pan out! I also really liked DI Grace Archer – she was tough but also realistic and it was good to see her gain control of her tricky work situation. I thought that the idea of the killer as an artist was interesting too – although the reality of the art works was rather stomach-churning!

Overall, this is a lively and pacey crime story as Grace Archer and her team race to unmask a serial killer operating openly on the streets of London. This is a confident debut and I hope that there will be more books featuring DI Archer in the future – I’d certainly like to read more.

Header photo with thanks to Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash.

WWW Wednesday: 6th January, 2021

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Taking on a World of Words. Anyone can take part and it is a great way of sharing what you have just finished reading, what you are currently reading and what is next on the TBR.

Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

Since my last update, I finished reading ‘The Art of Death’ by David Fennell, a serial killer crime novel with a female detective, DI Grace Archer. It is such a tense thriller, although definitely quite gruesome at times as Archer and her team find victims’ bodies turned into art installations on the streets of London. This is definitely a brilliant book for keeping readers turning pages – my review will follow

I also read ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix. Although it was nothing like I expected (I wanted a middle-aged, book club version of ‘True Blood’!), I did find it engaging.

I loved the idea of a group of women, brought together by their love of books, standing together against a vampire in their safe, middle-class neighbourhood. However, I was less prepared for the quite extreme horror elements – a bit beyond what I’d signed up for with its rats, bugs and dead animals.

Still, it kept me reading as I wanted to see the women – not a cohesive or cosy group by any means – triumph.

Then I read ‘How to Solve a Murder’ by Derek and Pauline Tremain, a rather gruesome but interesting book about forensics. The Tremains worked in the forensic department at Guy’s Hospital (where they met) and this book is packed with information about how deaths are investigated. I’d hoped for some insights into specific cases, but this was more about the science and the people doing the work – recommended for crime fiction fans.

My first book of 2021 was James O’Brien’s ‘How Not to be Wrong: The Art of Changing your Mind’. I really liked this non-fiction look at how broadcaster O’Brien has been led to shift his own world views by callers to his radio show or through the process of therapy. It’s an engaging and lively read, packed with O’Brien’s own reflections, transcripts of his radio show and plenty of food for thought.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading the new Liz Mistry book on NetGalley (‘Dark Memories’) – I loved the previous book in this series featuring DS Nikki Parekh and have so far been caught up in this story about Parekh investigating murders that have connections to her own poverty-stricken childhood in Bradford. The friendship between Parekh and her sidekick, Saj, is just lovely in this book and offsets some of the bleak themes.

I’m also reading ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie as a readalong with my blogger friends at The Write Reads. I’m only a few chapters in and remembering all the reasons I loved reading Christie’s books when I was a teenager – the characterisation, the fiendish plotting, the red herrings… I love it all!

‘The Appeal’ by Janice Hallett is also on my current reading pile – I’m reading this as a buddy read with Locky Loves Books. It’s a really unusual crime fiction book in that it is all written as emails, voicemail transcrips, texts and notes between the main protagonists surrounding a murder in a small community (and the lawyers who are trying to piece together the solution at the same time as the reader). Highly original and absolutely brilliant!

And (because three books on the go isn’t enough!) I’m also reading ‘Maiden Voyages: Women and the Golden Age of Transatlantic Travel’ by Sian Evans. This is a very readable non-fiction book about women travellers mainly between the wars. The opening chapters deal with the Titanic and the ‘Unsinkable’ Violet Jessop before moving on to war time and the tragedy of the Lusitania. It’s fascinating stuff so far!

What do you think you will read next?

I have so many books, thanks to Christmas and my Waterstones’ sale spree – I am very lucky to be drowning in books. My husband is less happy about the amount of books in our house right now…

I do have a book to read for a blog tour – ‘Silent Graves’ by Sally Rigby, a crime fiction novel in the Cavendish and Walker series. I haven’t read previous books but I am totally intrigued by the fact this is a female DCI partnered with a female forensic psychologist to solve the historical murders of teenage girls who were killed in 1980.

Aside from this, I’ve got my eye on some more crime fiction – it’s becoming a bit of an obsession! I’m tempted by ‘The Jigsaw Man’ by Nadine Matheson as I won a proof, plus ‘One by One’ by Ruth Ware (who has been described as a modern-day Christie – perfect!)

So that’s me for this week! As always, thanks to NetGalley, publishers, my family and my ever-dwindling bank account for keeping me in great books.

December Wrap Up and January TBR

Well, the eternal 2020 is finally over!

I managed to read 11 books in December, taking me to a total of 120 for the year – a lot for me and more than my Goodreads target of 100.

Affiliate links are provided below – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases.

December Reading

I started the month with a NetGalley 2021 ARC, ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward. This is a really clever book about a serial killer and a missing child – to say more would really ruin the plot! Although I did read this and was pulled along by the narrative, I personally found it to be a bit bleak for my tastes. It will be published in March 2021.

Next I read ‘Lie Beside Me’ by Gytha Lodge, the next book in the DCI Jonah Sheens series that will be published in February 2021 (again, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review). This starts with a woman waking up next to a dead man she doesn’t recognise…and then keeps you turning the pages until you find out what happened. A review will follow nearer publication.

Then came ‘The Inverts’ by Crystal Jeans, a book set mainly in the 1920s and 1930s about a gay man and woman who decide to marry to present a respectable front to society in order to hide their love affairs. It was a lively read, although felt startlingly modern in places. A review will follow on the blog nearer the April 2021 publication date.

I followed this with ‘Alexa, what is there to know about love?’, the latest poetry book from Brian Bilston (to be published in January 2021). Those who love Bilston’s clever wordplay and witty takes – usually showcased on Twitter – will find lots more to love in this poetry collection – review to follow.

Then I read the *secret book* for the BBNYA judging panel which – I can now reveal – was ‘The Devil’s Apprentice’ by Kenneth B Andersen. Way outside of my usual genres, this is the first book in The Great Devil War series and was a vividly-imagined fantasy novel about a boy who finds himself in a case of mistaken identity…and in Hell. A highly engaging read.

‘The Best Things’ by Mel Giedroyc (to be published in April 2021) was next. I love Mel Giedroyc and this was an entertaining story about a wealthy family who lose everything and have to adapt to survive. There were some lovely comic touches in this fairly cosy, easy read – review to follow.

Far from a cosy read was ‘The Art of Death’ by David Fennell, due for publication in February 2021. This was a gruesome and fast-paced police procedural about a serial killer who displays his victims as art installations on the streets of London. It introduces DI Grace Archer who – I think – has real potential to carry a whole series of books (I hope!) Review to follow in February.

I followed this with another gruesome book, ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix. I’d had this on my TBR for ages and was hoping for a story of female solidarity in the face of vampires, packed with Southern charm and a kind of ‘True Blood’ but with books. It didn’t deliver this at all, although I did find it quite readable.

The last book I read this month was ‘How to Solve a Murder’ by Derek and Pauline Tremain. This is a non-fiction book about the workings of a forensic department at Guy’s Hospital in London where both of the Tremains worked. This was insightful and interesting, although a bit gross at times! Review to follow nearer the publication date in January 2021.

All of the above books were provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest reviews except for ‘The Devil’s Apprentice’ which was given to me as part of the BBNYA judging panel.

Finally, I listened to two audiobooks this month – ‘Going Solo’ by Roald Dahl (read by Dan Stevens) and ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens (read by Hugh Grant). Both were fabulous and highly recommended.

January TBR

I’ve got a few blog tours coming up this month, so will be reading ‘Bad Habits’ by Flynn Meaney (YA comedy), ‘Dark Memories’ by Liz Mistry (next in the excellent DS Nikki Parekh crime series) and ‘The Appeal’ by Janice Hallett (a murder mystery with a difference!)

I’ll also be buddy reading (with ‘The Write Reads’ book club that isn’t a book club) ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie. I read lots of Christie as a teenager so I’m hoping I don’t remember the solution halfway through!

Apart from these, I want to work through some of the excellent books I was given for Christmas (and the ones I bought in the Waterstones’ sale – I have no self control in the face of a bargain!).

These include the non-fiction books ‘How Not to be Wrong: The Art of Changing your Mind’ by James O’Brien (politics and current affairs), ‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans (women’s social history about sea travel between the wars) and ‘Written in Bone’ by Professor Sue Black (forensic anthropology).

Aside from these, I’ll see where January takes me! Wishing you all a very happy new year!

Header photo by Nicole De Khors on Burst.

WWW Wednesday – 30th December, 2020

Affiliate links are provided – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

It’s been a slightly more productive reading week – it’s not like there was much else to do because I was in isolation for most of it!

I finished ‘The Art of Death’ by David Fennell, a very tense crime thriller about a serial killer who sets up art installations on the streets of London featuring his victims. It’s a creepy idea and the female detective, DI Grace Archer, is a great character. This will be released in February 2021 so a review will follow nearer the time. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

Next, I listened to an audiobook of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens (read by Hugh Grant). It’s a book I know well (having taught it quite a few times) but it was good to have it read to me and I liked Grant’s reading – lots of character voices and a lively pace. The perfect listen for Christmas Eve – it sound-tracked my present wrapping which, as usual, I’d left too late!

Next I read ‘The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’ by Grady Hendrix which has been on my TBR for a long time. Although I did quite enjoy it, it really wasn’t what I expected – I wanted sexy vampires and female solidarity, a kind of middle-aged ‘True Blood’ with added books! It was much darker than I anticipated – good, but didn’t quite deliver what I expected.

Lastly, I read ‘How to Solve a Murder’ by Derek and Pauline Tremain, a non-fiction book about the experiences of a couple who met while working for the forensic department at Guy’s Hospital. This was a a gruesome but fascinating trip through careers spent working on investigations into various modes of death. This will be published by Harper Collins in January and a review will follow. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading ‘Dark Memories’ by Liz Mistry, the next instalment in the excellent crime series featuring DS Nikki Parekh. I really loved the last book and am excited to be joining a blog tour for this one in January – watch out for my review.

I’m also reading ‘Maiden Voyages’ by Sian Evans, a fascinating look at a range of women who undertook trans-Atlantic sea voyages during the ‘Golden Age’ – approximately the time between the wars. I am really enjoying this insight into past women’s lives, from the celebrities in first class to the stewardesses who worked on the luxury liners.

What do you think you will read next?

I was extremely fortunate to get given a lot of books for Christmas so I’m going to enjoy working my way through some of these before I begin my January TBR.

In particular, I can’t wait to start Professor Sue Black’s ‘Written in Bone’ – as a celebrated forensic anthropologist, she has had a fascinating career and I loved her first book, ‘All that Remains’.

I’ve also heard really good things about ‘Scoff’ by Penelope Vogler, an exploration of the links between food and social class. I love social history and this one has had excellent reviews.

Hope you have all had a good week – and wishing you all the best for 2021!

WWW Wednesday – 23rd December, 2020

Links are provided for books already published – thanks for supporting my blog with any purchases (at no extra cost to you!)

What have you recently finished reading?

Yay, it’s the school holidays so I have the gift of more reading time! Unfortunately, 2020 also gifted me Covid, so I haven’t been able to make the most of my time because I feel like my brain is full of cotton wool.

Still, since last WWW Wednesday, I read Mel Giedroyc’s ‘The Best Things’ which I hoped would be fun and uplifting – and it mostly was. This is the story of a wealthy family who fall on hard times and learn to be resourceful to get through. I love Mel Giedroyc and her humour does come through in the book – review to follow.

I also finished my audiobook of Sandi Toksvig reading ‘Toksvig’s Almanac 2021’ which is packed with interesting snippets of information about women who have (mostly) been forgotten by history and yet did really notable things. I did enjoy the lively narration but felt that the contents of the book don’t really lend themselves to a cohesive listening experience – I’ve got a hardback copy of the book that I plan to look at too in order to pick up the bits I missed on the audio.

What are you reading now?

In order to combat the brain fog, I’ve gone for a fast-paced and lively read! I’m reading ‘The Art of Death’ by David Fennell, a serial killer crime novel with a female detective, DI Grace Archer. So far the killer has taken to displaying murder victims as art installations on the streets of London and it is fair to say I’m hooked…

What do you think you will read next?

I’m going to continue with the crime novels as this seems to be keeping me reading at the moment!

I’ve just been granted access to the new Liz Mistry book on NetGalley (‘Dark Memories’) – I loved the previous book in this series featuring DS Nikki Parekh and cannot wait to read this one.

I’ve also just bought ‘One by One’ by Ruth Ware after hearing so many great reviews.

So that’s me for this week! As always, thanks to NetGalley for keeping me in great books in exchange for honest reviews.

Header photo with thanks to Aaron Burden for sharing their work on Unsplash.