Night Shadows

By Eva Björg Ægisdottir

Translated by Victoria Cribb

Published by Orenda Books https://orendabooks.co.uk/

338 pages ISBN 9781914585203

Publication date 21 July 2022

Night Shadows is the third novel in the Forbidden Iceland series featuring Detective Elma.

I was sent a paperback uncorrected proof copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and publishers.

From the blurb

The small community of Akranes is devastated when a young man dies in a mysterious house fire, and when Detective Elma and her colleagues from West Iceland CID discover the fire was arson, they become embroiled in an increasingly perplexing case involving multiple suspects. What’s more, the dead man’s final online search raises fears that they could be investigating not one murder, but two.

A few months before the fire, a young Dutch woman takes a job as an au pair in Iceland, desperate to make a new life for herself after the death of her father. But the seemingly perfect family who employs her turns out to have problems of its own and she soon discovers she is running out of people to turn to.

As the police begin to home in on the truth, Elma, already struggling to come to terms with a life-changing event, finds herself in mortal danger as it becomes clear that someone has secrets they’ll do anything to hide…

Synopsis

When a young man, Marinó, is found dead at the scene of a house fire confusion reigns. The house was locked and only a limited amount of damage was done before the emergency services got the scene under control. Is the fire arson or an accident? Was Marinó murdered or did he commit suicide? If it was arson, was he the intended victim or was he already dead and the fire set to destroy evidence? Of course, the two incidents could merely be coincidence. A baffling case for detectives Elma and Sævar but at least forensics should answer some of these questions.

Once they start their questioning Elma and Sævar begin to uncover secrets some of which would be best left buried. They are intrigued by the abrupt leaving of au pair Lise from Finnur and Laufey’s home before the end of her contact, when she seemed to get on so well with Anna and Klara the children in her care. Lise was returning home but cannot be found, a bona fide missing person. An earlier au pair also left at short notice, if this woman Lena can be found she may possess the information needed to solve the case.

When a second body is unexpectedly discovered the case escalates and gets much more complex, are they looking for one killer or two?

My thoughts

Iceland is a great setting for fiction, an alien environment with the juxtaposition of volcanoes and hot pools with glaciers and frozen tundra. A modern forward-thinking country which is truly independent but with a population of little more than a large city. A safe, clean environment but one that must have a murder rate approaching that of Midsomer judging by the number of fine crime writers the island produces. This canvas is well used by the author and the reader gets a good feel for the small community of Akranes where it is set, a place that is starting to change but still governed by the sea.

The plot is a variation of the classic ‘locked room’ mystery. Marinó is found dead in his bedroom whilst the house is ablaze and locked by deadlock. This means that any killer would need to have access to a key, consequently suspicion falls on a small number of his friends and their parents. Seemingly straightforward becomes more complex as each session of questioning uncovers secrets, lies and motivations. Just when you have an idea of who the killer is the rug is seemingly pulled from under you.

Family relationships are key to the story. The death of a spouse, the lengths parents will go to protect their offspring, philandering spouses, estrangement, sibling rivalry and the need to feel part of a family unit are all prominent and significant to the storyline. Most of all pregnancy and the attitude to it loom large in the background. These themes are tackled with a light and sensitive touch whilst not downplaying their significance.

The story is told at a gentle pace perfectly suited to the plot as questions lead to layers of secrets and intrigue being pushed back. This is thoughtful procedural rather than a gung-ho action story though there is a degree of jeopardy introduced towards the end and a degree of urgency is introduced.

The characterisation is excellent, even those with faults are dealt with sympathetically. The principal character Elma is a wonderful creation, a heroine who is bright and intelligent, who has some personal baggage but possesses the strength to deal with it and so change her future. In the young adults we see the problems and faults of a generation, the fear of the future and the narcissism of the social media age brought clearly to the fore. Seemingly outwardly strong but still needing the love and support of their family.

Whilst some characters possess questionable morals this is not dwelt upon. The author is not didactive in her style and if anything this is a story of unintended consequences where actions to resolve the situation invariably end up making matters worse.

Night Shadows is a taught and complex story of deceit and the extent that love can be pushed to cover up sins and murder.

Night Shadows can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva moved to Trondheim, Norway to study my MSc in Globalisation when she was 25. After moving back home having completed her MSc, she knew it was time to start working on her novel. Eva has wanted to write books since she was 15 years old, having won a short story contest in Iceland.
Eva worked as a stewardess to make ends meet while she wrote her first novel, The Creak on the Stairs. The book went on to win the CWA Debut Dagger, the Blackbird Award, was shortlisted (twice) for the Capital Crime Readers’ Awards, and became a number one bestseller in Iceland. The critically acclaimed Girls Who Lie (book two in the Forbidden Iceland series) soon followed, with Night Shadows (book three) following suit in July 2022. Eva lives with her husband and three children in Reykjavík.

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Verity Vanishes

By AB Morgan http://www.abmorgan.co.uk/

Published by Hobeck Books https://www.hobeck.net/

328 pages ISBN 9781913793791

Publication date 26 July 2022

Verity Vanishes is the third book in the Quirk Files series featuring husband and wife private detectives Peddyr and Connie Quirk.

I was sent an electronic copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Rebecca at Hobeck Books and the author for the invitation to participate.

From the blurb

When Verity Hudson goes missing, Peddyr Quirk – with assistance from his effervescent wife Connie – investigates a strange new case which unfolds in an unsavoury part of town. It soon becomes apparent that they are not the only ones looking for Verity.

A freelance researcher is searching for her birth mother.

An influential man of power and money is desperate to find his estranged sister.

A local politician is determined to expose a hidden tragedy.

A TV journalist will stop at nothing to expose the true story … if it can be uncovered.

Where is Verity, who is Verity, and who will find her first?

Synopsis

When Cara Laidlaw’s father leaves her a letter as a death bed confession she is rocked to the core. She was adopted and was a replacement for their own child who died in infancy. Her adoptive parents were supporting and loving, as good as any blood parents, but now she feels adrift. Was this a final act of kindness by her father or merely an albatross to wear around her neck. Perhaps the answer will be finding her true parents? As Cara is a freelance researcher, she well equipped to track them down. The first step is a DNA testing kit which links her anonymously to a blood relative. Then a few social media requests get the search moving and she sees the opportunity to pitch a programme to her media contacts.

Her mother is Verity Ann Hudson (nee Thorn) and after tracking down her address Cara rents a new build flat opposite with the hope of observing her before she blows cover and makes contact. However, Verity simply vanishes… The area is rather insalubrious, so the neighbours are no help in finding her.

Cara is not the only one looking for Verity though. The other DNA hit, Isaac Harkness, managed to contact her in the hope of a family reunion with his father, the rich businessman Austin Harkness, who is her brother. The meeting didn’t go well though, with Verity wanting a substantial payment otherwise skeletons would be released from the cupboards of their past. With Verity missing and potential a timebomb of scandal waiting to explode, Austin asks old school friend and solicitor Bernard Kershaw to help him out.

Bernard calls upon his old friends the Quirks an unlikely pair of husband-and-wife private detectives to track her down. Rather low key and unassuming can the Quirks locate Verity.

My thoughts

Having just read Verity Vanishes for the second time I’m typing this review with a smile on my face, it is that kind of book. This is the first of the Quirk Files I’ve read, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I guess it would be regarded as a cozy crime caper but for me it is much more than that.

The plot appears simple, find Verity, but to do that requires unearthing the past and sifting through the thirty years of family history since. Verity’s tale is sad but it’s a testament to the authors story telling ability to provide such an upbeat and positive novel. The pacing is gentle, totally in keeping with the main characters, who will always get there in the end.

The character of Cara is nicely drawn, her desire to find her roots, like many people who are adopted, are believable, and they can often make compelling stories. In this case she (along with the Quirks) uncovers more than she expected, and the expression let sleeping dogs lie spring to mind. Cara’s friendship with Lois is an excellent counterpoint to the Quirks double act, two modern young women looking out for each other in a rough area. First thoughts about local politician and neighbourhood busybody Christine Fowler is that she is included as object of fun but the reader will discover hidden depths and a desire for redemption.

The stars of the show are the Quirk’s and what unusual characters they are. Peddyr likes his beer; it’s been known to make him nod off after Sunday lunch when he’s had a pint or two. His wife Connie’s hands are lethal; pot plants have no chance when she’s around. Private detectives who are normal, domesticated, slightly dull, with no psychological baggage and in a loving marriage, where’s the fun in that? Well, there is a lot more than you may expect, the believable level of domesticity and their comfort with each other as they potter and joke their way through the investigation is what makes it all work as a novel. Lovingly portrayed and staying just the right side of twee these are no Howard and Hilda (from Ever Decreasing Circles) but formidable players underestimated at your peril.

The humour, which runs throughout, is gentle and at times silly but perfectly judged. Even the bits which could be regarded as vulgar by some, such as dogs farting, are delivered with an almost childish innocence which will have you sniggering. A Pilates teacher called Hazel Nutt, just the sort of silliness the media loves, but without going full Bart Simpson phone call. A little bit schoolboy at times but who has really grown up and grown out of it, I know I haven’t.

Oh and there is Roger the dog, every book should include a good dog!

Verity Vanishes is as comforting as your favourite old coat on a cold winter’s day. So get a copy and a mug of Connie’s special hot chocolate (made with condensed milk) get comfy and embrace the quirky.

Verity Vanishes can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

After nearly thirty years in the NHS as a specialist mental health nurse, nowadays I write crime. Why? Well, firstly I had to give up nursing when my heart went wonky and I needed to save my own sanity, and secondly because ever since Peter Rabbit risked his life in Mr. McGregor’s garden, I’ve been thrilled by thrillers and crime.

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Bodies in the Water #AJAberford #BodiesInTheWater

By AJ Aberford

Published by Hobeck Books https://www.hobeck.net/

410 pages ISBN 99781913793715

Publication date 19 July 2022

Bodies in the Water is the first in the Detective George Zammit series.

I was sent an electronic copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Rebecca at Hobeck Books and the author for the invitation to participate.

From the blurb

Inspector George Zammit, of the Maltese Pulizija likes a quiet life, keeping his head down and avoiding trouble. All that changes when he investigates a body floating in the waters of Valletta’s Grand Harbour, Malta. He soon finds himself entangled in an international criminal plot which leads him on a perilous adventure, not of his choosing.

Natasha Bonnici is part of a sophisticated Italian crime family whose attentions turn to the oil riches beneath the Libyan desert, where they encounter Abdullah Belkacem, a Libyan militia leader with big ambitions. Nick Walker sells his Maltese online gaming company to a shady purchaser and finds himself at the centre of Europe’s biggest money laundering operation.

Set against a backdrop of the world of oil smuggling, the turmoil of North Africa and the seemingly unchecked corruption in the Southern Mediterranean, their paths all collide, with disastrous results.

Synopsis

When George Zammit’s naive but headstrong son Denzel gets himself into trouble after an accident on his scooter it falls to George to sort the problem out. Unfortunately, in doing so he puts himself in the debt of Assistant Commissioner Gerald Camilleri. Camilleri naturally asks George to do him a small favour back, to head off to Libya, attend a security conference on behalf of the Maltese government and whilst he’s there drop off a briefcase. What could be simpler? A few days and he would be back home in Malta.

Nick Walker is an entrepreneur who set an online gaming and sold out for a huge profit whilst retaining the CEO position with a salary package to match. Initially suspicious he is now convinced he is involved in a significant money laundering racket and decides to let his employers know that he knows this. There is a risk but he loves the lifestyle and is keen for it to continue.

Abdullah Belkacem is making a good living for his family by trafficking people to Europe. It’s a dirty business but he prides himself in the quality of his boats and equipment which give his customers a good chance of success and survival compared to his rivals. To protect his people from the more aggressive warlords he needs money, lots of it and oil is the key to vast untapped wealth. To make his dream come true he needs a partner and finds a willing one in Malta in the form of the ‘family.’

Natasha Bonnici is young, beautiful and ruthless. She is also determined to succeed and rise to the top of the hierarchy of the ‘family.’

A diverse collection of people whose futures collide, where trust may prove deadly and danger forces unlikely alliances.

My thoughts

I’ve been to Malta many times on holiday, a sleepy backwater of Europe where nothing much happens but the sun and the sea are lovely. However, much has changed in the last ten years. Passports and residency are for sale, investment funding has been encouraged with little thought to money laundering and corruption has escalated to such an extent that prominent online investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb for seeking the truth. As an outsider the author has captured the zeitgeist perfectly along with the wider Mediterranean geo-politics in wonderfully entertaining adventure novel.

Central to the plot is oil smuggling but the side issues, people smuggling, terrorist financing and money laundering all dovetail perfectly with it. None of these serious issues can be solved individually without addressing some of the others. The sources of finance are just as important as the bomb planter and must be addressed if lives are to be saved. These provide the background though and don’t hold the story telling back which buzzes along a rate of knots.

It’s the principal characters that are well drawn and really bring the book to life.

George is a typical middle aged Maltese male, not lazy as such, more attuned to what they describe as ‘island life’ where the pace of life is slow, its often too hot to do jobs and there’s also tomorrow. This attitude means he’s somewhat hapless but when he’s in Libya he must summon his inner Rambo before developing Machiavellian style plotting last seen in this region in the Zen novels. A startling transformation but all the while retaining the persona of a man bumbling his way through life.

Camilleri (presumably named as a nod to the author of the Montalbano novels) becomes George’s boss and is a sly and slippery operator. Petty corruption and nepotism has always been prevalent in the region, but the stakes have now risen exponentially. It is no longer a gift for smoothing the way or finding a role for a distant cousin, but major crime and Camilleri is just the man to embrace this.

Natasha is perhaps the one to keep an eye on in the series going forward. Beautiful and ruthless is a dangerous combination and we get hints that she is playing a long game but is impatient for success.

Adbullah is the people smuggler, so the first impression is unfavourable. He is an opportunist and profiting from the exploitation of other humans, yet he sees himself as only making the best of the situation he is in. There is bitter conflict in the region, and he is desperate to avoid it as much as he can whilst providing for his family and people. Not a heroic man but a pragmatic one dealing with the situation he finds himself.

There are smatterings of humour throughout, including the old chestnut of do the Maltese drive on the left or right side of the road? The shady side of course! George’s delight at getting the opportunity to buy clothes because his wife usually buys them for him is another piece that rings true. There’s also some lovely ‘fish out of water’ scenes as George comes to terms with the reality of life in Libya, and his need to trust Adbullah. This peaks with him becoming an unlikely hero which had me chuckling along, bravo.

Bodies in the Water is a fast-moving thriller that’s grounded in the current reality of what is happening in the Southern Mediterranean but is throroughly entertaining from the first page to the last. The scope of the novel is vast and the writing colourful. If you love tricky machinations in your thrillers, you’ll love this.

Bodies in the Water can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Tony Gartland (writing as AJ Aberford) has enjoyed a varied career, having been both a corporate and banking lawyer, owning and running a private investment company and founding a leading Yorkshire craft brewery. Changing direction again, he is now a debut author of the Inspector George Zammit crime and thriller series.

Tony still keeps his house in Yorkshire, but lives primarily in Malta, which is the inspiration for the Inspector George Zammit series. Upon moving there, he soon became enthralled by the culture and history of the island that acts as a bridge between Europe and North Africa.

Malta’s position at the sharp end of the migrant crisis, as well as the rapid growth of its commercial and offshore-financial sectors, provide a rich backdrop for his writing. The culture, politics and geography of the southern Mediterranean continually throws-up surprises in this fascinating part of the world, nothing is ever what it seems, with the lines between right and wrong often blurred and twisted.

Tony lives with his wife, Janet, and has two grown-up sons, as well as grandchildren. He is a keen cook, an adventurous traveller, a cyclist and is currently writing the fifth book in the Inspector George Zammit series.

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From Sorrow’s Hold

By Jonathan Peace https://www.jpwritescrime.com/

Published by Hobeck Books https://www.hobeck.net/

360 pages ISBN 1913793753

Publication date 12 July 2022

Dirty Little Secret is the second novel in the DC Louise Miller series.

I was sent an electronic copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Rebecca at Hobeck Books and the author for the invitation to participate.

From the blurb

Christmas beckons.

What should be a time of excitement and joy is forever tainted when a teenager’s body is found in the graveyard of Ossett’s Holy Trinity Church. A suspected suicide.

As they respond to the devastating event, WDCs Louise Miller and Elizabeth Hines, together with psychologist Karla Hayes, each use their own experiences of suicide to help the wider community as it struggles to understand the terrible choice that was made.

Another missing teenager.

Louise starts to believe there is something even more sinister behind the events…

Synopsis

Its 1988 and Miller and Hines have settled into a good working partnership, though they are still seen as a bit of a novelty amongst the male detectives.

When teenage Wendy Jackson bursts into Sunday service covered in blood the congregation are both shocked and horrified but luckily Miller is on hand and takes charge on the scene. Wendy has found the bleeding body of her boyfriend, James Willikar, in the graveyard. He appears to have slashed his wrist, another terrible teen suicide. Miller secures the scene because she is not so certain, she is bothered because he seems to be posed and the knife is in the wrong hand.

Inside the church self-appointed moral guardian Catherine Hallum, who also runs her own ‘church’, has complete clarity, its all down to the kids being drawn into devil worship by heavy metal music. This is something she will not let go.

When Hines carries out a search of the area she finds a wallet, but the owner proves to be somewhat elusive.

Louise will need to draw strength and knowledge from her psychologist girlfriend, Karla Hayes. They have been together for some months now, but something seems to be holding Louise back, she knows she needs to commit to Karla but so far, she has not let her stay the full night. She is also aware that she must keep the relationship a secret from her colleagues for now. Elizabeth Hinds knows but will keeps quiet, she his issues of her own to resolve, but how the rest of the station might react worries her, it could compromise her career.

When it proves that everything is not straightforward the pressure is on for a resolution, but things are not as they seem, and a wrong step could prove to be devastating for those involved.

My thoughts

After the child abduction of Dirty Little Secret, the author now turns to another difficult subject in teenage suicide. It takes a confident author to tackle such subjects and an accomplished one to write about it well. Mr Peace seems to be quite adept at producing a plot incorporating such topics, covering them tactfully with empathy and compassion yet producing an entertaining crime novel.

The pacing was slow but in keeping with the subject matter, this is a story dealing with the emotions of those involved, which need space to develop. The tension is allowed to build up gradually, right up to the second disappearance, when there is more urgency. The style well-judged too, not overly dark or gritty and not at all flashy, this is small town England of the 1980s.

The setting is strong and well get a real sense of the relatively small location and its community. The immediate post war tight-knit community has passed, this is a place starting to develop but already beginning to be left behind. It feels of its time, in the past, and there are enough social references to give context to this time and place, without detracting from the overall flow. There is one exchange between Karla and Louise regarding the old names of Snickers and Starburst that will bring a smile to the face of the over 40s reader. As a fan of non-league football, I also appreciate the reference to Ossett Town, after all its not all about the premier league.

There’s some great dialogue too. It doesn’t fall into the ‘buddy cop’ realm but the reader gets a good feel for the developing friendship between Miller and Hints as well as working relationship. These are women who are becoming able to tackle the issue of being an outsider, women in a man’s world of 1980s policing. Don’t expect them to just type and make tea, to thrive in this environment they need to develop a thick skin. The bluntness and cussing of Louise and Elizabeth is in keeping with their roles, even if it upsets Aunt Fiona and Mrs Hallum. The subject matter doesn’t allow for much humour but there is a lovely joke by one of the school pupils about his dad’s underpants.

Characterisation is excellent as we see the development of three strong females in Louise, Karla and Elizabeth. It’s also the small touches such as the humanity of Stinky Pete and the feeling of being an outcast, the teenage angst that James and Wendy feel that appeals.

Some of the character back story is being filled in. Here we discover that Louise became an orphan due to a car crash, which she relives through nightmares and has a profound effect on making her the woman she has become.

From Sorrow’s Hold is a powerful examination at the desire to ‘fit-in’ and the need to listen to, understand and accept people as they are. Don’t be overwhelmed by the darkness though, at its core is an intelligent and entertaining police procedural.

From Sorrow’s Hold can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The Author

Jonathan Peace is a husband, cat-dad and author of the WDC Louise Miller novels.

A Yorkshire lad at heart, Jonathan sets his gritty psychological police procedurals in a fictionalised version of his hometown during the 1980s. The first book, Dirty Little Secret is due to be released this year by Hobeck Books, with the second in the series, From Sorrow’s Hold publishing later in 2022.

​He is currently writing the third book while finishing a degree in creative writing at Derby University.

He now lives and works out of his home in Derbyshire, where he shares his writing office with his author wife, Lucy, and their three cats.

Jonathan is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association

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​

Countdown to a Killing #TomVaughanMacAulay #CountdownToAKilling

By Tom Vaughan MacAulay https://www.tomvaughanmacaulay.com/

Published by RedDoor Press https://www.reddoorpress.co.uk/

 298 pages ISBN 9781915194084

Publication date 7 July 2022

I was sent an uncorrected paperback proof copy of the novel to participate in its Blog Tour. Many thanks to Red Door Press, Tom Vaughan MacAulay and Team LitPR for allowing me to participate in the tour.

From the blurb

Wen Li, an anxious young woman who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, is tormented by an incessant fear that she might have homicidal impulses. Wen falls for her self-absorbed colleague, Lomax Clipper, who is writing a whodunnit in his spare time. Lomax is pining for Italy and a Sicilian woman he met while on secondment, despite his recurring nightmare about someone being killed on a picturesque street in Palermo. Wen and Lomax both loathe their boss, Julian Pickering, who, unbeknown to them, is struggling… as is Fifi de Angelis, a vulnerable man who has been ostracised by his family.

Synopsis

Lomax Clipper returns to his job as scrivener notary at the London firm of Curtain & Curtain after an amazing six-month secondment Italy. During this time, he had fallen hopelessly in love with the beautiful and enigmatic Sicilian woman called Aurora. Will their separation end this fledgling relationship?

One thing that Lomax isn’t looking forward to is being reunited with his boss, Julian Pickering. Julian is the stereotypical dull middle aged middle manager type who naturally clashes the flippant Lomax. Julian is having a mini midlife crisis. Whilst giving the appearance of being straight and somewhat staid, he is homosexual something his father has never really come to terms with. Julian’s live-in boyfriend is an alcoholic, and their relationship is becoming toxic to the point of breaking.

During Lomax’s absence the firm has taken on Wen Li, a British-Chinese woman, who is kind and sensitive but also troubled. With the help of a therapist, she is trying to control the OCD which she suffers from and is prone to periodic relapses. As if that wasn’t enough to contend with, she has the worry that her parent’s shop is struggling, and she finds it difficult to make friends. Wen and Lomax form a friendship in joint adversity, but is there more at work?

Lomax is venting his frustration by ‘taking up the pen’ in his spare time trying to write a novel. In his delusion he believes it will be a best seller and he will be able to say goodbye to Curtain & Curtain. His inspiration dries up following a visit to the UK by Aurora that didn’t go quite to plan. His big hope is a return to Sicily and reconciliation with Aurora will spark his genius, so he arranges an unpaid sabbatical.

On Sicily life escalates as he meets new people, makes new friends, and experiences the volcanic Italian temperament.

Oh yes and there is a killing…

My thoughts

The story is told through a series of one-sided email and WhatsApp messages rather than traditional prose. Whilst not entirely original there is still scope for stories told in this format, without being just a gimmick, if they are told well and in this case it is. We only see one sided messages from Lomax, Wen, Julian and Fifi which leads to a degree of ambiguity and builds up an element of intrigue. The reader never sees the messages that prompt correspondence or responses, so they are never quite sure if the reaction is justified. When the mental health of the main character is a little fragile this is clever as it is impossible to tell if responses are over reactions or out of character and at times builds an element of paranoia.

The title itself, which unless it’s a big red herring, is a clear signpost to the potential reader that there is going to be a killing at the denouement. It takes a confident author to try this and an accomplished one to make it work and retain the reader’s interest to the very end. I was engaged to the end and unsure who the victim would be, so for me it certainly worked.

The structure also allows for an interesting dynamic with the development of the characters. The movement of the plot is a series of staccato steps as each piece of correspondence moves it along, sometime the steps are small, other times they are big strides. This leaves a broad canvas for characters to be explored, the joy is in what happens to them during this journey. This is a novel about people’s fears and anxieties, their place in society and its hierarchy and the modern workplace. All the key players have strength and flaws which are explored with a generally sympathetic eye.

Lomax is delusional but in a heroic sense as he tries to make his dream of writing a novel a reality whilst avoiding a recurring nightmare becoming a reality too. He needs someone to save him from himself and he isn’t cut out for office life.

Wen is the most sympathetic character and her battles with OCD are described with some compassion. Too often OCD is portrayed or described by people when they are merely talking about being too fussy. We have all heard someone say ‘I’m a bit OCD’ when the reality is it can be a very scary and debilitating disorder to deal with. Here it has been beautifully judged indicating the reality without dwelling too much on the thought processes.

The introduction of Fifi the dwarf adds to the slightly surreal scenes in Sicily, which are great fun, but hasn’t been milked for the comedic potential. Another character prompting sympathy rather than the more obvious, to some, ridicule.

Aurora is a mad Italian bunny boiling beauty from central casting, nicely written but would probably work better on screen. Italian is a very demonstrative language, and I can just picture Sophia Loren in her prime going full on volcanic meltdown, all gestures, shouting and smouldering beauty!

The only aspect of the novel that didn’t appeal was the periodic editorial interjections, which didn’t quite work for me, but here I am being a bit picky.

Countdown to a Killing is a wry and perceptive examination of the effects of modern life on people’s mental health, emotional relationships and working environment.

Countdown to a killing can be purchased direct from the publishers here

The author

Tom Vaughan MacAulay is a solicitor and lives and works in London. His first novel, Being Simon Haines, was published in 2017 to high critical acclaim. The novel was selected as a Best Book for Summer by Alex Wade, writing in The Times, Law, while Justin Warshaw, writing in The Times Literary Supplement, described it as “a grand narrative of a young man on the cusp of the realisation of a dream.” Edward Fennell, writing in The Times, the Brief premium, asked whether it would become “the defining novel for [Tom’s] generation about what it means to be a driven corporate lawyer.

The Gothengau Colony #WFLogan #TheGothengauColony

By WF Logan

Published by Heart of the Bruce

264 pages ISBN 9781739665913

Publication date June 2022

I was sent a paperback copy of the novel to participate in its Blog Tour. Many thanks to Heart of the Bruce, Mr Logan and Team LitPR for allowing me to participate in the tour.

From the blurb

When saving a life in 1946 Alabama, Amish giant Konrad took one in return and must run before the electric chair claims him. In New York, Nazi propaganda fools him into jumping on a ship to Berlin, capital of the Third Reich. In 1965, at Gothengau, an SS-run colony in Ukraine, a terrorist rocket attack on Berlin compels soldier-farmer Konrad to focus on his duty: commanding an SS convict battalion. He must flex his muscle for the armed forces or the Holocaust’s perpetrators–his superiors, colleagues, and neighbours in Ukraine. Survival means playing both sides, but will the fellow German-Americans he arrived with 20 years earlier join him in his fight and in the process, trigger the dawn of a Fourth Reich?

Synopsis

Konrad is a giant Amish man compelled to flee the circus freak show he was employed at to save his hide. If he sticks around, he will face the electric chair. He really wants to get back to his roots and settle down working the land as a farmer and raising a family. Swayed by a propaganda film Konrad is enticed to the German Reich and the prospect of settling in the lebensraum set aside for returning Aryans in Ukraine.

On the ship over he meets Petra, a child who is already singing star and whose mother is pushing to fame and fortune and Karl a young man looking for new start.

In the German Colony of Gothengau Konrad achieves his dream of a farm, a wife, and a family. He also serves the Reich as the commander of the 500th Airborne division which is made up of convict soldiers. He is not blind to what he sees and is appalled to discover the reality of the final solution. Hitler may be dead, but is succeeded as Fuhrer by Heinrich Himmler with the murderous Reinhard Heydrich as his deputy, so his brand of National Socialism continues.

There is growing discontent, not just from Konrad, and the time feels right for regime change. It’s time to sweep away the old order and install a new one lead this time by a good man. That man is thought to be Wernher von Braun the brilliant rocket scientist who leads the technological advances in the Reich and is on the cusp of putting man into space.

Any coup is dangerous, and the first step will be at Wewelsberg Castle. Himmler is obsessed by the occult and looks to the priests based there for omens. They need to kill the leader of the ‘new religion’ the Odinist High Priest Drachenblut and install the conspirators’ own man, Karl. Then they can tackle Himmler and Heydrich.

My thoughts

Alternative histories are periodically popular, especially those set post World War II, following a Nazi victory. Where is novel is slightly different is that there is a rapprochement between the British, who keep their Empire, and the German’s who defeat the Russians and achieve their lebensraum. The war did not escalate so the USA and Japan did not become combatants. This leaves a fascinating dynamic with Wernher von Braun and the rocket scientists remaining in Germany and leading the way with technological advances and reaching for the stars. In this novel it is Himmler not Kennedy who produces the ‘we do not do this because it is easy, but because it is hard…’ speech.

Another aspect that sets this novel apart is the use of real persons within the plot narrative. Usually in these alternative histories real people are referenced and worked around, but here they are central to the plot and play a significant role. We have Richard Baer the Auschwitz I commandant seemingly unrepentant and enjoying life as a quasi-cowboy as Gauleiter for the Gothengau Colony. There is also Wernher von Braun the would-be replacement Fuhrer and the famous pilot Hannah Reitsch being a great friend of Petra. Bold writing but I guess the relatives will not be complaining.

The story moves along a good pace, with perhaps the ending feeling a little rushed when two big surprises are revealed. It left me thinking that there may well be a sequel sometime in the future.

The central character Konrad is a brave and honest man. Shocked by what he learns about the Final Solution and seeing the so-called ‘guest workers’ who are nothing more than slaves he resolves to do something about it. As the reader discovers there is a keen motivation here and it is not merely hatred for the Reich in which he also sees some good. He cannot affect change alone though.

The subject matter has a dark core, the Nazi atrocities are mentioned but not dwelt upon which is quite sensible. We have the ideal hate figure in Josef Mengele the ‘Angel of Death’ the doctor who experimented on so many inmates in Auschwitz. Many of these experiments, as it is remarked upon were pointless and barbaric, not moving scientific knowledge on one iota. The interactions between Baer and Mengele are quite chilling.

Naturally, the subject leaves limited scope for humour to be introduced but there are some nice witty pieces included. The Gauleiter’s deputy declaring ‘this isn’t a drop-in centre for occultists’, the youngest Vestal Virgin asking ‘why am I the only real virgin’ on discovering the truth and the vision of a Gestapo officer in black silk pyjamas embroidered with SS runes raised a chuckle.

The Gothengau Colony is an exciting and highly imaginative ‘what if’ alternative history of the post WWII period.

The author

Originally from Salford, Greater Manchester, William spent formative years living in the Shetland Islands where his father worked on the oil terminal. The topography inspired a passion for geology that years later, William hoped to pursue while at Cambridge University. Colour-blindness proved to be an obstacle, so he switched fields and graduated with a degree in Computer Science.

A trip to Israel in his late teens to volunteer on a kibbutz proved life-changing. There he met Holocaust survivors and heard their first-hand accounts. He settled there, married, and had two children. William was seriously injured by a car whilst standing on the pavement near his home in Israel and spent months in hospital recovering. Now at a crossroads, he interviewed with spy agency Mossad, and when asked to propose a possible undercover operation, he impressed them with his powerful storytelling and imagination. The life of a writer was more to his liking than a career in spycraft.

He returned to Europe and worked as a software engineer and consultant in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Mallorca. He and his second wife – a native of New York City – lived for several years in the old town centre of Heidelberg, Germany, with its haunting vestiges of its Nazi past. Following a visit to the “Nazi Castle” Wewelsburg, William was inspired to apply the computer science concept of graph theory to the idea of forming associated relationships and plot points. He left the technology sector to focus on realising his dream of writing a novel.

Whilst working on his novel, he worked as a maths tutor, taught computer coding to children, volunteered to help the elderly learn basic computer skills, and became a certified mindfulness meditation coach. He now lives in London with his New York-born wife. He speaks fluent Dutch and has a working knowledge of Hebrew and German.

Don’t forget to check out the other stops on this Blog Tour:

Hostage

By Clare Mackintosh https://claremackintosh.com/

Published by Sphere (an impress of Little, Brown Book Group) https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/

389 pages ISBN 9780751577082

Publication date 23 June 2022 (paperback)

I was sent a paperback copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publishers.

From the blurb

Save hundreds of lives. Or save your child?

You’re on board the first non-stop flight from London to Sydney. It’s a landmark journey, and the world is watching. Shortly after take-off, you receive a chilling anonymous note. There are people on this plane intent on bringing it down – and you’re the key to their plan. You’d never help them, even if your life depended on it. But they have your daughter . . . So now you have to choose.

Do you save hundreds of Lives? Or the one that matters the most

Synopsis

Mina always wanted to be a pilot. Her parents sold their holiday home to fund her training but a bad experience during a flight caused her to withdraw. Her dreams shattered she opts for the next best thing to be a flight attendant.

Adam is a police detective and a troubled man, one with secrets he is trying to keep from his superiors on the force and Mina. He just needs time to sort himself out.

Sophia is five and their adopted daughter. She is precocious but has some behavioural issues which stem from the earliest days of her life, before the adoption when she was 10 months old.

Au pair Katya is the glue that holds the family together until she suddenly leaves one day. Mina asks why she is going and Katya says because of Adam. Mina now suspects him of being unfaithful. When the chance comes to crew the first non-stop flight to Sydney she jumps at the chance, making a rota shift without telling her husband Adam.

The flight is going fine until Mina finds Sophia’s epi-pen in her bag. She then becomes paranoid when a photograph of Sophia turns up and frantic when a note is passed to her surreptitiously by a passenger. The note is an ultimatum arrange access to the flightdeck for a hijacker, putting the whole flight at risk, or Sophia will get hurt.

An impossible choice to make, the situation can only be thwarted by displaying courage and resourcefulness.

My thoughts

The story is played out through the viewpoint of the various main characters and passengers on the plane. This allows for the motivations of the players to be laid out and examined. The hijackers are not the typical political or religious fundamentalists that we are used to, but a new brand of eco-terrorists. Environmental activism is on the rise and whilst it has not happened yet escalation into real terrorism must at some point be a distinct possibility.  

The pacing is nicely judged, a slow gentle start as we are introduced to Mina, Adam and Sophia and their home life. Once the flight commences the pace is gradually ratcheted up, the switching narrative aids this, until the actual hijack when it moves along rapidly as tensions escalate and decisive actions are needed.

The plot is a familiar one, especially if you were brought up on a diet of the disaster movies of the 1970’s and 80’s like the airport series. It is kept fresh by dialling down on the melodrama they had and mixing the narrative up with secrets and surprises. The hijackers operate using ‘nom de guerres’ based upon the major rivers of the world and as they act individually the reader is never certain who they are, expect red herrings and surprises. The target itself is outlandish and rightly so.

Most of all this is a story of secrets. Mina must confront hers, the reason for her dropping out of flight school. Adam must deal with his demons, a simple act that eats into him; but his problems cannot be resolved alone and eventually he must come clean. The main hijacker is operating in total secrecy it seems until the very end. Even Sophia has a secret of her own.

The characterisation throughout is excellent. Initially the reader is set up to dislike Adam but as the story progresses, we realise his problem is more a case of being weak and foolish rather than bad. Mina is the loving mother who is struggling a little now without the help of Katya. The dilemma presented to her on the flight is a heartfelt one and one I doubt any of us could truly answer unless we were in that position. Her ultimate redemption is no real surprise, but the history and reasoning perhaps are, as she finds the inner strength needed. Sophia has hyperlexia (the ability to read at an early age) and is ultimately the glue that holds the story together. She also has an attachment disorder resulting from her early life experiences which gives her a quirkiness and provides angst for those who love her, in particular for Adam. Her childish games and activities come to play an active role as the plot unfolds and she shows both courage and the ability to surprise. This is presumably a stand-alone novel, but I would love to read about Sophia again sometime in the future.

Hostage is an exhilarating modern take on the hijack story with twists and turns enough to make you airsick. Just the sort of book to enjoy on holiday, but perhaps leave it until you get to the pool.

Hostage can be purchased via the publisher here

The author

Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of five Sunday Times bestselling novels, including I Let You Go, which was the fastest-selling debut thriller in the year it was released. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, have been New York Times and international bestsellers and have spent a combined total of 64 weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart.
Clare spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011 to work as a freelance journalist and social media consultant and is the founder of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival. She now writes full time and lives in Wales with her husband and their three children.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops on the Hostage Blog Tour:

The Whisperer’s Game

By Donato Carrisi

Published by Little, Brown Book Group https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/

352 pages ISBN 9781408714591

Publication date 7 July 2022

I was allowed access to a pdf review copy on Net Galley.  Thanks to the author and publisher for organising this.

From the blurb

The phone call to the police arrives at dusk from an isolated farmhouse, fifty miles from the city. A terrified woman’s voice pleads for help. But a violent storm rages in the area and the first available patrol only succeeds in reaching her hours later. It is too late. Something perturbing has happened, something which leaves the investigators in the dark.

Just one person is able to reveal the message hidden behind this act of evil, but this person is no longer a policeman. She left her work as a missing persons investigator and withdrew from society to live an isolated existence beside a lake; her daughter Alice her only companion. Even so, when she is called upon to help with this case, Mila Vasquez cannot shirk her duty. The investigation involves her closely . . . more than she could ever believe.

It is a game and it has only just started.

Because he is always a step ahead.

Synopsis

Mila Vasquez is a former police officer, who worked in the missing persons department known as ‘Limbo’and has taken a step back away from outside contact and now lives in the countryside without internet or telephone connection. She is trying to protect her daughter, Alice, who doesn’t have a father figure as he is in a long-term coma. Mila suffers from alexithymia which means she has trouble in expressing her feelings and emotions to others and lacks the capacity for empathy.

One day the Chief of the Federal Police Department, Joanna Shutton, arrives unannounced and unexpected. She asks Mila to look at a case of the disappearance of a family after seemingly an attack by a stranger that results in a bloodbath at the scene. Their bodies haven’t been found but after a tip off they have arrested the man they believe responsible, who refuses to talk and is covered from head to toe with numbers tattooed into his skin. Mila refuses to help until she is told that he also has her name tattooed on his body.

Reluctantly she is drawn into the case and after trying to interview the man known as ‘Enigma’ she realises that he is a whisperer. Somewhat like Charles Manson he can persuade others to do his evil bidding including murder.

When Alice is kidnapped Mila is drawn into a battle with the unknown and with a virtual reality world she ill equipped to negotiate. She is aided by former colleague Simon Berish, who replaced her in Limbo, and a mysterious hacker Pascal, as she tries to negotiate between reality and the virtual reality of the computer simulation of Elsewhere. However, she comes to realise that she is dependent on people who she isn’t sure she can trust.

My thoughts

Some readers like their novels to be placed firmly within in a genre, whereas others think that is rather old fashioned. The Whisperer’s Game blurs the edges so much that it cannot be easily categorised. It starts off as a crime novel develops into a psychological thriller and then morphs into a Matrix-esque computer simulation, virtual reality thriller and then back again. Even the crime element is hard to pin down, it seems a bit Scandi-noir in style but there is no indication of location and many other aspects have US influences. All of this could have been a confused mess of a novel but we end up with a complex but largely cogent tale which is likely to appeal to fans of technology and sci-fi as much as crime readers.

The theme revolves around an experimentation of the interaction of real life with a computer game and what would happen if the violence that could be experienced within the game effected the way players lived their life outside. Would they live out violent and extreme fantasies?

The prose is intelligent without becoming too dense and there are thought provoking markers along the way; is it possible to withdraw from modern life, can one live off the grid and escape one’s past and are we sure all scientific research is in good faith.

There are some clever allusions to other works like the 23-story block that houses the prison where the higher the floor the worse the crime committed, like Dante’s inferno in reverse. There is the glass walled cell like in the film version of Silence of the Lambs and Enigma is a variation on Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man. The game is an old game and becomes more effective with the addition of a synthetic drug called ‘Angel’s Tears’ the pills being reminiscent of The Matrix. These are merely references though and as a whole the work is highly original.

The plot is both complex and twisty as it moves between real life and the computer simulation (described as ‘a fairground for fucking maniacs’) and then later as Mila discovers how she has been played by others. Mila is both a player within the game and essentially a pawn within something much bigger. Throughout there are tricks and bluffs to throw the reader off track and as Mila struggles with who to trust it is never clear what some characters motives are until the end.

The Whisperer’s Game is a bold cross over between crime and science fiction which will entertain readers of both and especially those who play video games.

The Whisperer’s Game can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Donato Carrisi was born in 1973 in Martina Franca and now lives in Rome. After studying Law, he specialised in Criminology and Behavioural Science. He is a director as well as a screenwriter, for both television and cinema. He writes for the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera and he is the author of several bestselling international novels.

Quick reviews 2: #ATaleEtchedInBloodAndHardBlacPencil by #ChristopherBrookmyre #LazyBones by #MarkBillingham #TheExecutioner by #ChrisCarter

A selection of audiobooks I’ve listened to during the last few weeks.

A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil by Christopher Brookmyre

Published by Little, Brown and Company on 25 May 2006

352 Pages

Format: I listened to the Audible audiobook version which is narrated by Angus King.

A killer and accomplice try to dispose of two bodies. Laughingly incompetent they bungle the job and leave a trail behind. Straightforward then? Not quite because the suspects, the investigating officers and potential defender all know each other, in fact they were all at school together 20 years ago. Objectivity goes out of the window when you know each other so well and after all nobody changes that much, or do they?

The crime aspects of the novel take something of a back seat as the bulk of the story is told by flashbacks to a series of incidents and their effects back in the character’s school days. Starting from the very first day to leaving, these stories provide a rich tapestry of life at school during the 1970’s and 80’s. I’m certain anyone from that era will recognize the voracity of at least some of these anecdotes. Sure they are stretched and embellished but have been done so lovingly and provide a number of genuine laugh out loud moments (as I found to my embarrassment whilst walking the dog). Two which involve the overbearing primary school headmaster are a particular joy.

A superb look at how childhood and coming of age can influence one’s view on life, not always to the good and a timely reminder that we all have the capacity to change. For me the crime story was somewhat secondary.

Lazy Bones by Mark Billingham

Published by Sphere in 2003

436 pages

The third novel in the Tom Thorne series

Format: I listened to the Audible audiobook version which is narrated by the author himself.

A convicted rapist is released from prison and within 10 days he is found dead in a seedy North London hotel room. He has been strangled, tied up with his belt and sodomised. A case of deadly revenge or summary justice but he had been convicted and done his time. A second victim in similar circumstances suggests to DI Tom Thorne that there is a vigilante killer who is going to become a serial killer of convicted rapists if he is not found soon. The attitude that the killer is just reducing reoffending rates doesn’t sit well with Tom.

There are two aspects that make this a standout series for me, the unflinching warts and all approach to the crimes and the everyman interactions between Tom, Phil (Hendricks) and Dave (Holland). In this novel we are not spared the horrible and vindictive nature of the murders. We also have Dave’s doubts and worries about becoming a father which are sensitively covered. Tom also has a love interest which provides some nice scenes away from the crime when Tom gets to relax. This being Tom Thorne though, his love life is never straightforward as he seems to be having self-doubts and issues with commitment.

I’m not a big fan of authors reading their own audiobooks, but this is one of the exceptions as Mark is well experienced in working different media. Here he has produced thoroughly entertaining novel but also one that poses serious questions regarding rape and sentencing. Even after nearly 20 years since this book was written the treatment of victims and prosecution rates remain appalling. There are a few lighthearted moments though, I particularly liked that the burglar found it impossible to sell Thorne’s CD collection. A great installment in a brilliant series which has been recognized by the award of the 2022 CWA ‘Dagger in the Library’ decided by librarians. Congratulations on a well-deserved award.

The Executioner by Chris Carter

Published by Simon & Schuster in June 2010

472 pages

The second novel in the Robert Hunter series

Format: I listened to the Audible audiobook version which is narrated by Thomas Judd.

Hunter and Garcia are called out to a particularly shocking murder scene. The inside of a Los Angeles church is blood splattered worse than any abattoir. On the altar steps is the body of a priest who has been decapitated and his head has been replaced by that of a stray dog. On closer examination the forensic team find the number 3 written on his chest in blood, the blood from a pregnant woman. The number 3 indicates, perhaps, that this is victim number 3 and they have a sadistic serial killer on their hands.

The first murder may hint of anger against religion or devil worship of sorts, but the plot revolves around bullying, albeit bullying of the most extreme and vicious kind. The murders are brutal, almost visceral to the reader. In fact you could run through a thesaurus and still not find the most appropriate gruesome words to describe some, but they are certainly creative. Add to the mix run ins with authority figures, Hunter’s insomnia and emotional issues, and a few twists and turns and you have all you need for a blockbuster of the genre.

There’s plenty of serial killer fiction out there and LA is the perfect location, rather than a small English town, to give credibility as sadly, too many real life examples have proved this in past. The graphic nature may put some off or even offend and it really pushed the envelope of credibility at times but this is fiction written with total conviction and some sense of morality. Compelling at times, for me, but if it’s not your cup of tea I can understand.

The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney

Published by Harper Collins GB on 29 January 2019 (first published 2018)

400 pages

The first novel in the Duncan McCormack series

Format: I listened to the Kobo audiobook version which is narrated by Angus King.

Its 1969 and a serial Killer is at large in Glasgow. He has killed three women from the same nightclub so far and the police are floundering and have little concrete to go on. He seems courteous and nicely dressed, quotes from the bible and preys on menstruating women. He’s been christened the Quaker. DI Duncan McCormack is parachuted in from the Highlands to review the progress so far and make recommendations. Initially he is not well received but eventually he too becomes absorbed into the investigation team. McCormack has a secret though, which if revealed would be his Achilles heel.

Alex Payton is a ‘peter man’ (safe cracker) who was originally from Glasgow but has been in London for the richer pickings and has been tempted home for a big job. He finds more than he bargained for when the two investigations intersect.

Whilst not being a true ‘roman-à-clef’ the Quaker is clearly modelled on the real-life serial killer Bible John whose identity remains a mystery to this day. Many of the facts of the case are retained, the victims are fictional and clearly the investigation and its conclusion are fiction too. Overall, the plot works and doesn’t become distasteful. I found the merging of the two strands of the story smartly done and somewhat unexpected. Dark and grim read, capturing the urban decay of Glasgow of the period well and pulling no punches.