There are no Happy Loves

By Sergio Olguín

Translated by Miranda France

Published by Bitter Lemon Press https://www.bitterlemonpress.com/

384 pages ISBN 9781913394714

Paperback publication date 25 August 2022

There Are No Happy Loves is the third novel featuring journalist Veronica Rosenthal.

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

Haunted by nightmares of her past, Veronica is soon involved in a new investigation. Darío, the sole survivor of a car accident that supposedly killed all his family, is convinced that his wife and child have in fact survived and that his wife has abducted their child. Then a truck searched in the port of Buenos Aires on suspicion that it is carrying drugs, is revealed to be transporting human body parts. These seemingly separate incidents prove to be tied in a shadowy web of complicity involving political and religious authorities.

Synopsis

Veronica is a troubled soul. Thanks to the actions of her former lover Federico, who was employed by her father’s legal practice, she finds herself estranged from them both. She’s avoiding family gatherings where her father will be there and has cut off all contact with Federico, but deep down she knows that she is missing him. She is at a particularly low ebb such that even journalism no longer appeals and when she does work its as a deputy editor at the magazine Nuestro Tiempo where her immediate boss Patricia despairs of her behaviour.

Dario appears to be the only survivor of a car crash. He is struggling to come to terms with his loss. Deep down he is convinced that his wife and daughter are alive, there were no clear traces of their remains, and his wife has used the crash as an opportunity to spirit his daughter away from him. Not really knowing what he can do he contacts one his late brother’s former lovers, Veronica, to help. Possessing a journalist’s instinct and nose for a story, she will believe him and investigate.

Working in the public prosecutor’s office Federico has a number of live cases but one in particular catches his eye, where an anticipated drugs bust actually turns up a cargo of human body parts. The suicide of its driver at the scene he finds particularly troubling, so he takes an active interest.

Destiny throws veronica and Federico together as their cases intersect at a dark and dangerous conclusion.

My thoughts

I found this to be a bit of a slow burner. Its starts with a bang in the prologue when three strands are revealed; the crash involving Dario and his family, the poor state of veronica’s mental wellbeing, and the drugs bust that turns up body parts. The next 25% progresses slowly as some backstory is described and the lives of Veronica and Federico are examined. Only in the second quarter does the story start to fully develop and from then on, the pace ratchets up considerably building up to a crescendo of action, jeopardy and finally resolution. It’s certainly a novel to stick with.

I must confess that I have not read much South American fiction, other than a few novels by Paulo Coelho who gets a mention in the text. This is an intense noir ,but one inhabited by journalists and a public prosecutor rather than gumshoes and the police, and given a Latin twist. Devoid of procedural matters it flows as the journalists search for a good story with even the prosecutor having an operational free hand.

Two of the strands to the plot are dark but entirely believable being partly based on historical incidents in northern Argentina. The trade in body parts is all too real, with the occasional high-profile incidence reported (notably Alistair Cooke), though operating in a clandestine fashion. Off the books style adoptions have happened across the globe for many years, so it is not a stetch so see how this would develop into a wide scale operation.

Several countries within the South American continent have been ruled by military juntas for varying durations, notably Brazil and Chile as well as Argentina as recently as 1983. During these periods the people often turned to the church for support and succour, but this soft power also led to internalised corruption. This was highlighted as far back as the 1930’s by Graham Greene in The Power and the Glory. Its easy to see how an adoption carried out as a simple act of kindness begats a process that becomes widespread and commercialised.

Excellent though the plot is, the novel is about much more, it covers the spiritual needs of people, outside that of the church. We have the intense family love of the Rosenthal’s, where Veronica’s estrangement causes pain. We see the love for one’s child, in the case of Dario’s for Jazmin, even though she is not of his blood and adopted. Most of all the intense love, jealousy and obsession between Veronica and Federico. When they split up Federico even dates a young woman called Veronica whose surname also begins with ‘R’. Veronica seeks solace in eroticism and younger partners but doesn’t find the happiness and contentment she seeks, that seemingly only Federico can provide.

Veronica is a complex character befitting of a series, she’s also something of a paradox. On one hand have she is a thoroughly modern woman, a go getter, an achiever, working in a man’s world and thriving, with an outlook to sex and physical contact that would scandalise her grandmother’s generation. At other times she is incredibly fragile and vulnerable, barely able to function. Not everyone will relate to her but a totally compelling lead character.

The supporting cast of characters is diverse and entertaining, with journalists and hackers front and centre. Hackers are turning up in novels in great frequency now they are now entirely part of modern life. There is a superb description of the typical hacker, which is spot on, only for La Sombra the tame hacker of the Rosenthal law firm, to be introduced as someone who washes every day and is in a stable relationship, albeit with a porn actress whose work he ‘admired’. This is one of only a few light-hearted moments in what is a serious and dark story.

As this story involves nuns it was fitting to see that they were incorporated into the obligatory undercover investigation. There really is something in both men and women dressing up as nuns, after all every fancy dress party has one. A line was drawn at the men dressing up as priests as it was observed that the journalist Corso looked more like the Antichrist and wouldn’t ‘pass’.

There are no Happy Loves is an emotional rollercoaster, a tale of belonging and love lost set against the darkest of backgrounds. If you like criminal investigations but police procedurals are leaving you a little jaded, then this fine Argentinian noir could be the novel for you.

There Are No Happy Loves can be bought via the publishers website here

The author

Sergio Olguín was born in Buenos Aires in 1967 and was a journalist before turning to fiction. Olguín has won a number of awards and his books have been translated into German, French and Italian. Olguín is also a scriptwriter and has been the editor of a number of cultural publications.

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

Her Deadly Friend #RachelSargeant #HerDeadlyFriend

By Rachel Sargeant https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/welcome/

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

318 pages ISBN 9781913793777 Publication date 23 August 2022 (this cover 23 April 2024)

Her Deadly Friend is the first book in the Gloucestershire Crime 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

The Suspect

Bullied by Steph Lewis at school, then betrayed by her lover, Amy Ashby still seethes with fury. Despite the decades-old resentment, she’s on the hunt for a new man and a fresh start. This time for keeps.

The Stalker

When both women are stalked by a figure from their shared past, danger threatens.

The Detective

Now Detective Inspector, Steph follows a tip-off to her old rival. After quarrels exploded beyond the playground and changed lives forever, she vowed never to see Amy again. But that was then.

The Deaths

Murder rocks the city. First one, then another. The body count reaches five, and all Steph’s leads point to Amy. But is Steph obsessed with a schoolgirl vendetta or closing in on a deadly killer?

Synopsis

Neither Amy nor Steph were looking for their paths to cross again. At school they didn’t exactly get along, with Steph and friend Terri taking pleasure in acts of pettiness and bullying towards Amy, that frequently got them in trouble and came to a crescendo with the incident with Amy’s viola. When they next came into contact a few years later it resulted in a cancelled engagement for one and emotional anguish for them both. Now their paths cross again, only this time Steph is a detective and Amy is a murder suspect.

It starts with a murder in a public garden and develops into a series of murders in rapid succession. The victims appear to have nothing in common and the MO for each murder is different, leaving the police baffled. The only circumstantial link appears to be Amy, but Steph struggles to believe that the Amy she used to know has it in her to kill in cold blood.

When a local DJ gets a ‘Deep-Throat’ style informant who points the finger of suspicion back at the police and he broadcasts these allegations Steph is forced to confront her past and reveal a secret she has been carrying for many years.

My thoughts

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy by the pool whilst on holiday and found it the perfect way to pass the day. Nothing beats lying in the sunshine, cold drink to hand and good book and Her Deadly Friend was a perfect holiday read.

Family, friendships, and most of all motherly love are at the core of this novel. The narrative starts with the incident with the viola and the bullying of Amy, whose mother confronts Steph and Terri with the headmaster. She is determined to protect Amy from these awful girls, and look after her best interests, though the motivations behind this are not apparent for some time. Steph’s mother is more laissez-faire and interested in nurturing her talents, initially in becoming a hairdresser. Steph’s approach to motherhood is similar but she as a single mother is determined to protect her son from her big mistake of the past, his father. The friendship forged in their bullying school days proves to be a lifelong bond for Steph and Terri.

The two central characters are nicely drawn and as well as a shared past have both had their dreams shattered. Steph only became a police officer after first following Terri in becoming a PCSO then only taking the career seriously when Terri left to become a teacher. Her dream was to own a hair and beauty salon but falling pregnant put paid to that. Steph is well rounded and engaging, finally forced to confront her past, a sympathetic lead character. Amy is character that grows on the reader. Initially a bit whiny and pathetic, a victim from her own decisions, we discover things are not so clear cut. Her dreams burst when she discovered her fiancé’s infidelity something she was just only now coming to terms with and taking steps to grasp a new future when Steph reappears in her life.

Of the supporting characters I loved that of the local radio DJ Nathan J. The author has the stereotypical self-centred, deluded, talentless and irritating local radio DJ to a tee. An easy target, like shooting ducks in a barrel you might say but here he is so comprehensively skewered and roasted on a barbecue of scorn I can only say Bravo!

The storyline progresses at a fair rate on knots and there are more than enough murders and varying methods of despatch to keep the reader engaged. Style wise it’s more in keeping with Sunday evening television, than dark and disturbing but even when credibility is stretched the conviction of the author carries it through. Murder is of course not fun, but this is light-hearted fiction not to be taken too seriously and that is exactly what it delivers. Not exactly cosy crime but certainly nothing to give you nightmares unless you have a taste for dandelion and burdock.

The dialogue is smart, Steph has a sassy way when she doesn’t have a headache and the banter between the police officers lifts the station scenes. The humour throughout belies the fact there are five murders and help to lift the storyline and keep it largely upbeat. There are also witty asides and one liners; as someone who worked on Grimsby Fish Dock ‘as stubborn as seagull shit on a windscreen’ particularly resonates. There’s a scene that will chime with fans of the 2000’s and reference to the biggest TV louche of the early 1970’s (remarkably so in hindsight), which I will not spoil for readers who love a touch of nostalgia.

Her Deadly Friend is a wryly amusing examination of the lasting effects of the decisions we make in our formative years along, with five corpses and several litres of noxious soft drink. A thoroughly entertaining police procedural and a cracking start to a new series.

Her Deadly Friend can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Rachel Sargeant joins Hobeck with Her Deadly Friend, the first in a new series that blends crime with suspense. Set in the city of Gloucester, the book features Steph, a fun-loving detective inspector with secrets to keep and an unpredictable killer to catch. Rachel’s previous titles, have been translated into other European languages and include a suspense story, a police whodunnit and a Top-Ten Kindle bestselling psychological thriller. Her short stories have appeared in women’s magazines and charity anthologies, and she is a winner of Writing Magazine’s Crime Short Story competition. After many years in Germany, Rachel now lives in Gloucestershire with her family. Her hobbies are reading (of course) and visiting stately homes, country parks and coffee shops. She is currently studying for a research degree at the University of Birmingham.

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

A Corruption of Blood

By Ambrose Parry

Published by Canongate Books https://canongate.co.uk/

407 pages ISBN 9781786899897

Paperback publication date 8 August 2022

A Corruption of Blood is the third novel in the Raven and Fisher Mystery series.

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

Sarah Fisher is keeping a safe distance from her old flame Dr Will Raven. Having long worked at the side of Dr James Simpson, she has set her sights on learning to practise medicine herself. A notion everyone seems intent on dissuading her from.

Across town, Raven finds himself drawn into Edinburgh’s mire when a package containing human remains washes up on the shores of Leith, and an old adversary he has long detested contacts him, pleading for Raven’s help to escape the hangman.

Sarah and Raven’s lives seem indelibly woven together as they discover that wealth and status cannot alter a fate written in the blood.

Synopsis

Sarah Fisher arrives back from a trip to Europe at a low ebb. Her hopes of studying medicine dashed after finally meeting Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, one of only a few women to study medicine. When she discovers that in her absence Dr Will Raven has fallen for the daughter Dr Todd and plans to wed Eugenie, she is devastated. Her hopes for her future dashed before her eyes.

At a charity dinner organised by Sir Ainsley Douglas, Raven becomes reacquainted with Douglas’ son Gideon, who he knew at medical school. Gideon appears to have changed little, still a wastrel and bore, so Raven is glad that the meeting is short. When Sir Ainsley is found dead, apparently poisoned, Inspector James McLevy, who always gets his man, or at least a man, settles upon Gideon as the one with most to gain. As Gideon is an old friend of hers, Eugenie asks Raven to do the seemingly impossible and prove his innocence.

Sarah, struggling to get back into life at Queen Street, takes a benevolent interest in new housemaid Christina who seems deeply upset. Christina confesses to an inappropriate relationship at a previous employment which resulted in a son being born. Having no means to provide after dismissal the child was privately adopted via an intermediary. Sarah promises to do what she can to trace Christina’s child.

Whilst passing through Leith Raven chances upon a package plucked out of the water and recognises the putrid odour. The contents are gruesome, the remains of a baby and Raven is drawn into an investigation of his own.

Once again Raven and Sarah are drawn together in a harrowing investigation into dark and dangerous underworld of Edinburgh.

My thoughts

For once a series I have been engaged with from the very start and a novel I have eagerly anticipated. For me there are two strengths than run through this series.

Firstly, there is the mid-19^th Century Edinburgh backdrop, convincingly brought to life, where serious issues of the day are introduced into a plot melding real people and places with fiction. Genuine heavy weight themes of the day are dealt with the care and compassion they deserve, but with a deft touch such that it remains an entertaining read. The dividing line between fact and fiction is so convincingly burred it is almost impossible to tell one from the other.

The second is the glue that holds everything together, the relationship between Raven and Fisher. From the first novel it starts as mutual distain and then becomes a love-hate position before one of mutual respect and caring. Each new novel adds more, and their characters develop along with their relationship and obvious sexual magnetism between each other. In book 2 Sarah is married, in this one it looks like it is to be Will’s turn soon, leaving the reader to wonder if they will ever get together as a couple. A strand that at least for now adds to the appeal of the series.

The central theme revolves around pregnancy and unwanted progeny, be it from inappropriate relations or just the grinding poverty for many of the time. With no welfare state a single woman without means was in a dire position, with few options other than the mercy of the church, unofficial fostering or unscrupulous baby farmers. The bulk of the ire is reserved for the gentrified classes where image and status are more important, and the fruit of inappropriate liaisons can be covered up. Most telling of all is the observation that women visibly show the stigma of such liaisons whereas the men can retreat to the shadows.

As Sarah is aware it is no time to be a woman, with little chance of personal advancement and almost no rights. This is a world governed by the laws of primogeniture where the male line stands to inherit all at the expense of the female. Sir Ainsley Duncan’s fortune falls to Gideon at the expense of Amelia his older sister unless there is a ‘corruption of blood.’

The plot becomes progressively twisty working its way to unexpected finale. In an era where relatively, small crimes could lead to the rope the series likes to demonstrate a practical approach to morality and this is no exception. The pacing of the storyline is perfect, and the introduction of the facts and Sarah’s analytical skills add to the mix rather than breaking up the flow. The dialogue is excellent (there is no attempt to complicate it with 19^th century language) with the interactions between Will and Sarah a particular delight and little snippets of humour to prevent it becoming too dry.

A Corruption of Blood has everything you would want from a historical thriller, authenticity, an intelligent plot and first-rate writing. A novel that grabs you from the first page and keeps your attention to the last. One of the best mystery thriller series around.

The authors

internationally bestselling and multi-award-winning Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, Dr Marisa Haetzman. Inspired by the gory details Haetzman uncovered during her History of
Medicine degree, the couple teamed up to write a series of historical crime thrillers, featuring the darkest of Victorian Edinburgh’s secrets. They are married and live in Scotland.

Both The Way of All Flesh and The Art of Dying were shortlisted for the
McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. A Corruption of Blood is
the third Raven and Fisher Mystery.

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

Triflers Need Not Apply

By Camilla Bruce https://camillabruce.com/

Published by Penguin https://www.penguin.co.uk/

 448 pages ISBN 9781405945455

Publication date 5 August 2021

I was sent a paperback copy of the novel to participate in a buddy Blog Tour. Many thanks to Leah at Penguin Random House for including me in this project.

From the blurb

Early in life Bella Sorensen discovers the world is made only for men. They own everything: jobs, property, wives. But Bella understands what few others do: where women are concerned, men are weak.

A woman unhampered by scruples can take from them what she wants. And so Bella sets out to prove to the world that a women can be just as ruthless, black-hearted and single-minded as any man.

Starting with her long-suffering husband Mads, Bella embarks on a killing spree the like of which has never been seen before nor since. And through it all her kind, older sister Nellie can only watch in horror as Belle’s schemes to enrich herself and cut down the male population come to a glorious, dreadful fruition.

Synopsis

Brynhild is in her teens, her womanhood blossoming, when she is smitten by farmer’s son Anders. Brynhild’s family are tenant farmers in Norway, little more than feudal serfs, whereas Anders’ family are landowners and a class above. She places her trust in him, but when the inevitable happens she discovers that it is no world for the poor and especially poor women. After experiencing brutality first hand she does what she can to recover her position but realises her future lies elsewhere.

Her elder sister moved to Chicago to forge a new life, changing her name in the process to Nellie. Brynhild decides America is where her future lies a land of opportunities and a chance to reinvent herself as Bella. Bella settles with Nellie in Chicago but quickly sets herself apart from the other Norwegians in the district, she is determined to escape the parochial collection of ex-pats and embrace America. The first step is to find a husband, a man of means. She targets Mads Sorensen a fellow Norwegian, in need of a wife, who she meets at the church. A marriage of convenience rather than love but Bella is happy to move away from the district favoured by her country folk. He may not be rich but Mads has a large house and there is always good food on the table.

Happiness is brief though, there is something missing, a child. Unable to conceive Bella takes the steps she sees necessary to create a family and in doing so starts a journey to seek happiness for herself but results in misery and death for those around her.

My thoughts

For the aficionado of the serial killer genre the name Belle Gunness/ Bella Sorenson is already well known, included in true crime books and the ubiquitous documentaries on the crime and investigation television channels. Almost as famous as her contemporary HH Holmes the owner of the so called ‘Murder Castle’, a hotel in Chicago made for mass killing, who is inevitably mentioned in the novel.

We know a good deal of her crimes but far less about her motives and in this novel the author makes highly plausible suggestions to flesh out her character to fascinating effect. I believe a good historical novel is one where the author manages to weave fiction around a framework of fact, such as real people and real events, such that reader is unable to determine where the fiction lies. In this case its largely seamless and convincing; how accurate it is we will never know but that is the beauty of fiction, this is not a biography after all.

For a work of this kind the setting is perfect. This was the golden age of the poisoner, whilst some metallic poisons like arsenic could be detected, most poisons were undetectable, and it would take another 20 or 30 years for improvements in forensic analysis and detection to catch up. There was also a huge influx of people into American at that time providing an endless flow of the gullible and naive to prey upon, the transient nature of people coming and going all in search of a better life. That two serial killers were operating in such proximity, killing, fire raising and claiming on insurance policies seems unbelievable, but it was fact, and the novel draws out how it could be done with impunity.

The book centres on Bella, naturally, and is a tour de force in the creation of such a complex character on the bare bones of fact. When you examine the awful deeds carried out, she is clearly the object of loathing, but the author manages to produce a storyline in which the reader will at least have a degree of sympathy and understanding. This is no mean feat. Bella is both physically and psychologically damaged from the start and the move to American is the way to heal her body and mind. Once married obsession takes root, she feels insecure and continually wants more, be it money, food in her larder, love, or children. Once this is established, she just discovers how easy it was to murder and defraud. Eventually hung by her own petard of overconfidence, to tragic effect on those she loved, but did she die or was her death, as suggested, staged? The other big unanswered question remains, would a child of her own provided the contentment she sought and prevented all the killing?

The other central character is her sister Nellie, who demonstrated great love for her sister. We see the dilemma she faces as the suspicions mount and it eventually become clear what Bella has become and Nellie must try to put aside family love and loyalty.

Leaving aside all the murder and fraud what is clear is appalling treatment of women who were little more than chattels with no rights and few prospects. America represented an improvement but true emancipation for women was still a long time coming and even today we see some of those rights being eroded.

The writing is descriptive and insightful, capturing the period and making Chicago and its residents come alive. The pacing is good and the narrative flow is excellent, though for me the last few years seemed to bunch up, though Bella’s character was well established by then.

In this wonderful novel the author has taken a dark and sordid story and somehow imbued it with humanity and understanding, to produce a compelling read. Indeed, Triflers Need Not Apply!

Triflers Need Not Apply can be purchased via the publishers here

The author

Source: Amazon author profile page

CAMILLA BRUCE was born in central Norway and grew up in an old forest, next to an Iron Age burial mound. She has a master’s degree in comparative literature from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a varied work history in communications and project management. Camilla currently lives in Trondheim with her son and cat. Triflers Need Not Apply is her first foray into historical fiction, following her debut speculative novel You Let Me In.

The Lost Man of Bombay #VaseemKhan #TheLostManOfBombay

By Vaseem Khan https://vaseemkhan.com/

Published by Hodder & Stoughton https://www.hodder.co.uk/

379 pages ISBN 9781529341102

Publication date 18 August 2022

The Lost Man of Bombay is the third novel in the Malabar House series.

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

From the blurb

Bombay, 1950
When the body of a white man is found frozen in the Himalayan foothills near Dehra Dun, he is christened the Ice Man by the national media. Who is he? How long has he been there? Why was he killed?

As Inspector Persis Wadia and Metropolitan Police criminalist Archie Blackfinch investigate the case in Bombay, they uncover a trail left behind by the enigmatic Ice Man – a trail leading directly into the dark heart of conspiracy.

Meanwhile, two new murders grip the city. Is there a serial killer on the loose, targeting Europeans?

Synopsis

The discovery of a dead white man in a cave is baffling. He’s inadequately dressed for walking in the foothills of the Himalayas and his face has been destroyed seemingly deliberate attempt to conceal his identity. There are no clues to who he is other than the note book he has with him. So, there is an unidentified murder victim with no indication how he managed to get up there or motive for his killing. A difficult case which finds its way into Malabar House the dumping ground for cases no one else wants and staffed by officers no one wants to work with. Not much for Inspector Persis Wadia to go on, and progress is slow, but she has a reputation for not giving up easily.

When Italian ex-pat Stephen Renzi and his wife Leela Sinha are brutally murdered Inspector Oberoi is keen to close the case quickly and has one of their servants immediately in the frame. Though not directly involved in the case Persis has grave doubts as to his guilt. When German priest Peter Grunewald is found murdered in a similar fashion to Stephen Renzi, Persis is convinced of a connection between to two deaths. She decides to pursue both cases even though this is against protocol and will make her unpopular with her colleagues. Then when she discovers a link to all three murders life becomes complex and dangerous.

As if the investigations are not enough Persis has other problems to deal with. Her relationship with the English criminalist Archie Blackfinch is beginning to spill over into her private life and she has mixed emotions over that, and she is also instructed to mentor a young potential recruit Seema Desai. At home her long widowed father is taking interest in a woman to spend his remaining days with Persis has emotional battles to contend with.

My thoughts

Once again, I manage to join an already well-established series but not at the start. No worries in this case it had no effect on my enjoyment of the book and only makes me determined to go back and start at the beginning!

The reader’s first impression might be that Malabar House is just Mick Herron’s Slough House transplanted to Bombay, but that would be a little unkind, like comparing Terry Pratchett’s Unseen University with JK Rowling’s Hogwarts. Yes, there are similarities, but they are their own uniquely imagined worlds and in no way facsimiles of each other. After the initial recognition this thought never even occurred to me for the rest of the book.

The plot is part police procedural and part boys own adventure, with secret codes and treasure hunts all skilfully blended together. The writing style is upbeat and breezy making it a real pleasure to read. The setting, in terms of both time and location, is very evocative and beautifully described, giving the reader the sense a country in a state of flux with the juxtaposition of rich and poor, opulence and destitution side by side. The poverty and filth faced by those at the foot of the ladder is not ignored and even though it sounds grim I suspect it is somewhat sanitised from reality. For once I’m glad smells cannot be captured in a book.

We see an India going through great change, casting off British Imperialism and embracing a self-determined future but at the same time experiencing a new series of problems. The swapping one elite for another, the pernicious caste system and of course their own brand of misogyny.

Persis’ emotions play a big part it the storyline, none more so than the falling out with her father, through her reluctance in accepting his new female friend, thereby breaking the strong bonds she has with her father. This is in part down to petulance but we also see the vulnerability that even a strong modern woman can have.  We have Seema the proposed mentee of Persis who didn’t finish school because she had to work cleaning railway latrines. Persis appears appalled that she is seen fit to be her mentee, not helped by discovering that she was of course the best candidate because she was the only candidate. Caste bigotry or is she in part be trying to save Seema from herself, failure and the terrible misogyny she will face in the force? Persis is strong enough to face it down, but she is to date the only female officer. Persis has the dilemma of the developing relationship with Archie Blackfinch, she is physically and emotionally attracted to him, but at the same time recognises the difficulties presented by a mixed marriage and in some way wants to protect them both from future pain.

What stands out in the prose is the effortless wit. This is not a writer trying to shoehorn in a couple of great gags, every few pages there is some witty aside, description or observation that seem to flow naturally. These range from genuinely laugh out loud moments to parts that make you smile and think that is so clever, like a journey from Les Dawson to Noel Coward with numerous stops along the way.

The Lost Man of Bombay is a wonderfully entertaining historical crime novel, written with humour and great verve that captures the imagination. I for one hope there are more Persis Wadia stories to come.

The Lost Man of Bombay can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

Source: Author’s website

Vaseem Khan is the author of two crime series set in India: the Baby Ganesh Agency series, and the Malabar House historical crime novels. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was a Times bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. Midnight at Malabar House won the CWA Historical Fiction Dagger in 2021. In 2018, he was awarded the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Award for Literature. Vaseem was born in Newham, but spent a decade working in India as a management consultant.

The Deal Goes Down

By Larry Beinhart

Published by Melville House US https://www.mhpbooks.com/

288 pages ISBN 9781612199900

Publication date 25 August 2022

This is the first new Tony Castella novel in over 30 years.

I received an uncorrected proof to review for participating in the Blog Tour. Many thanks to Nikki at the publisher for including me.

From the blurb

Ex-private eye Tony Cassella lives in the Catskill mountains, a lonely old tough guy whose body can no longer do what it once did.  His wife and son are dead; his daughter barely talks to him; his bank is threatening to repossess his house. But a chance encounter with a rich young woman on a train changes everything. He is hired to kill her superrich, Jeffrey Epstein-ish husband. That job leads to others and he joins a small start-up whose mission is to save women from abusive marriages—and make a tidy profit to boot.

Tony’s problems seem to be over, but are they? An old, angry associate is determined to get his cut of Tony’s earnings, murky government agents start to tail him, and when he sent to the Austrian alps to kill a Russian oligarch and rescue his American wife, all hells breaks loose…

Synopsis

Tony Castella is disillusioned and downtrodden. Entering his twilight years alone he cannot even summon the spirit to fight the bank after his home loan falls into arrears, foreclosure seems inevitable to him. He’s sleepwalking through life.

A seemingly chance encounter with Madelaine (Maddie) McMunchun offers a job and hope, only the kind of hope that kills you. Maddie wants to be free of her very rich husband (Mick) who is not only a philanderer but one with a penchant for underage girls. Divorce would be the obvious solution, but the combination of pre-nuptials and complex business structures mean she is unlikely to get what she rightfully (in her eyes) deserves. She wants him murdered, something Tony refuses to get involved with.

Maddie next turns up at Tony’s house and alarm bells ring in his mind. He knows how modern technology works to limit the deniability of suspects being at a certain place and time. He agrees to meet her later under the premise of looking at nearby vacant property. When Maddie turns up with Elizabeth Bloom Carter, a woman who is an investor in litigation finance, the proposal becomes a serious one. Elizabeth wants to set up a business that invests in the futures of women, helping them secure freedom from abusive husbands with a fair share of the family wealth. A large pay out for Liz would provide the seed funding for this joint venture.

Tony reluctantly agrees to investigate the position with Liz’s husband, hoping to earn enough to save his house without having to kill Mick. A fund raiser at the McMunchen’s house allows Tony the chance to get close to Mick and observe. During the evening a serendipitous series of events makes the evening more successful than Tony could have dreamed but sends him headlong into a new career in his final years.

My thoughts

 A relatively short but perfectly judged novel thrusting old-school US Noir into the cold light of the current day. It doesn’t just pay homage to the past but rather modernises it for the current time without diluting its spirit. From the seemingly chance encounter on the train in the opening pages through the obligatory scrap in an office and the genuinely Femme Fatale it has the DNA of Hammett and Chandler and visualisation of Hitchcock.

The writing is assured and beautifully measured, clearly the work of an author who has been there, done it all and got the tee shirt. The prose is tight and compact, the dialogue crisp and punchy. The plot is straightforward but handled with panache, always engaging and at times goes in unexpected directions.

It is clearly a novel with a modern outlook and themes genuinely capturing the zeitgeist of recent times. There are clear references to the abuse of power of the super-rich, be it the sleazy Epstein-esque abuser of teenage girls or the corrupt Russian oligarchs. There are also slightly more subtle references to Deep State, litigation being a prerogative of the rich, the current social norms of morality and the restrictions women still face. A complex backdrop for an old stye private investigator story that is action packed.

This is the first new Tony Castella for 30 years and whilst those years may have diminished his body and seemingly his spirit, he remains thoughtful and astute, still a canny operator. His world weariness brings a sense of visualisation, he knows what to expect because he has experienced it all before, or so it seems. We see his pain and suffering, still aching for the loss of his wife and son and the estrangement from his daughter. A man who wants to escape his past but never quite capable of finding some resolution to see out his final days.

Elizabeth is a strong female role with her determination to get her special kind of agency off the ground, to help her fellow woman, but also get fabulously wealthy into the bargain. The reader is never quite sure which of the two is the driving factor. The Femme Fatale is the unassuming but equally dangerous Allison. A beautiful young woman who can pass for a late teen, a part-time top-end escort who performs feminist pieces at the local poetry slam. She is the ‘honey’ used to trap Mick, but who wants to do what Tony does, if it pays well of course, and even become an assassin. Surely a character too good not to be used in a subsequent novel.

Even the author flits in and out of the storyline with a cameo appearances that seems entirely natural rather than a gimmick.

The Deal Goes Down is a stylish modern thriller that stays true to its roots, where the subject of one man facing his personal ‘dying of the light’ is handled with tact and class. Simply magnificent.  

The Deal Goes Down can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The Author

Source: Goodreads Author Profile

Larry Beinhart is best known as the author of Wag the Dog (originally published as American Hero) on which the film starring Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson was based. His No One Rides for Free (1986) received the 1987 Edgar Award for Best First Novel.  Beinhart spent two years in Oxford, England, where he was the Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellow at Wadham College. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, and the Chicago Tribune. Beinhart worked for AlJazeera English, on the TV news magazine show Empire as a Writer/Producer/Director. He resides in Woodstock, New York.

A Murder of Crows

By Sarah Yarwood-Lovett

Published by Embla Books (a digital imprint of Bonnier Books UK) https://www.bonnierbooks.co.uk/adult-imprints/embla-books/

 pages ISBN 9781471412424

Publication date 1 July 2022

I was gifted a pdf version in exchange for completing an online survey on cosy crime novels. I would like to thank both the author and publisher for this kind gesture.

From the blurb

Dr Nell Ward is an ecologist, not a detective. But when she’s the prime suspect in a murder, only her unique set of skills could help to clear her name…

In the sleepy village of Cookingdean, Dr Nell Ward is busy working in the grounds of a local manor house. Whilst inspecting an old tunnel, the last thing she expects to overhear is a murder. As the only person with any clues as to what happened, Nell soon finds herself in the middle of the investigation.

Synopsis

Dr Nell Ward is asked to carry out an ecology survey at a country estate which is going to be redeveloped. Having carried out the bulk of the external survey she is waiting for the owner Sophie Crows to arrive to carry out the internal inspection of the property. While she is waiting, she decides to investigate a ‘lost’ tunnel that was noted on an old map which promises to be a good spot for roosting bats. Her hunch proves to be correct, but she hears noises and fears she is not alone. Spooked she beats a hasty retreat and gets back in touch with colleague Adam who would have joined her earlier but for four flat tyres.

The noise she had heard was Sophie being murdered, beaten with a brick. Once the police start their investigation Nell comes on their radar, she had both the means and the opportunity. Attempting to be upfront and helpful Nell gives them a detailed breakdown of her activities during the day together with a time-line detailed notes and a myriad of photographs. This is no alibi though and if anything makes the police suspicious.

Nell becomes their chief suspect and after they do some digging into her background, they think they have a motive, all that remains is to charge her. The evidence is tenuous at best and the family solicitor manages to get Nell released and threatens a misconduct complaint. Free for now Nell realises that the only way to prove her innocence is to track down the murderer herself. So, with the help of colleague Adam, she embarks on an investigation which reveals personal secrets and leads to danger.

My thoughts

I don’t read much ‘cosy crime’ but find it is nice to vary what you read now and again. A Murder of Crows is a great example of the genre akin to watching Sunday evening television.

The lead character being an ecologist is something a little bit different to the norm and promises to provide interesting situations later in the series. The timing is perfect as we are in one of those periods where there is renewed interest in the environment and a feeling of social awareness particularly among the younger generations. The author is a well experienced ecologist, something that is clearly apparent from the descriptions and detail within the plot, some of which are fascinating. Crime scene work and forensic pathology have taken over the mainstream, so now we have a heroine who is going to solve crime by ecological analysis.

The plot centres on the development of a country estate, Sophie wants to do good with her inheritance, but others can see a financial killing. The motivation is credible, pure greed, and the plotting on the whole works barring a couple of weak spots. This being a debut novel and the first in a series much of the first half is setting out the boundaries and revealing something about the characters and naturally is a little slow. After this the pace picks up and there is even a chase scene. Overall, it feels right for the genre.

The lead character Nell (or Lady Elanor Ward-Beaumont to use her full title) has the promise to be a wonderful character and something of a dichotomy. Here we have a titled woman who wants to have a professional life based on her merits as an ecologist but must revert to privilege in order to be part of the family. An ecologist and environmentalist who is also a speed freak who has a rare Mercedes AMG SLS and a prototype electric superbike. As she points out she is neither a ‘tree-hugger’ or a purist. Above all she is pragmatic if things can’t be solved her way she will fall back on her special resources, which include chauffer Connor Kennedy who is really a close protection officer and a bit of a Jack Reacher if required. Having a mother who is a MP and is friends with the Chief Constable is also going to be useful.

The support characters are good too. There is Adam (Aravindan Kashyap) who is trying to avoid his life being mapped out in the traditional India family way but without falling out and letting them down gently. There is also the glamourous man hunting Sylvia to provide slightly smutty relief.

The novel ends not with a cliff-hanger but a character conundrum. Nell is very reserved and at times unapproachable, for reasons which are revealed, but raises the interest of two men. There is the definite chance for romance, only for both to let her down and she feels betrayed. Both try to make amends but who will she choose? Or will she choose neither man?

A Murder of Crows is an enjoyable melding of ecology and amateur crime sleuthing to produce a thoroughly modern thriller with a social conscious.

The author

From Amazon profile page

After spending sixteen years as an ecologist, crawling through undergrowth and studying nocturnal habits of animals (and people), Dr Sarah Yarwood-Lovett naturally turned her mind to murder. She may have swapped badgers for bears when she emigrated from a quaint village in the South Downs to the wild mountains of the Pacific Northwest, but her books remain firmly rooted in the rolling downland she grew up in.

Forensically studying clues for animal activity has seen Sarah surveying sites all over the UK and around the world. She’s re-discovered a British species thought to be extinct during her PhD, with her record held in London’s Natural History Museum; debated that important question – do bats wee on their faces? – at school workshops; survived a hurricane on a coral atoll whilst scuba diving to conduct marine surveys; and given evidence as an expert witness.

Along the way, she’s discovered a noose in an abandoned warehouse and had a survey de-railed by the bomb squad. Her unusual career has provided the perfect inspiration for a series of murder mysteries with an ecological twist – so, these days, Sarah’s research includes consulting detectives, lawyers, judges and attending murder trials.

The Girl in the Photo #HeidiAmsinck #TheGirlInThePhoto

By Heidi Amsinck https://heidiamsinck.co.uk/

Published by Muswell Press https://muswell-press.co.uk/

400 pages ISBN 9781739879419

Publication date 28 July 2022

The Girl in the Photo is the second novel in the Jensen Thriller series.

I was sent an electronic 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

When ninety-year-old Irene Valborg is found brutally murdered in an affluent suburb of Copenhagen, her diamond necklace missing, it looks like a burglary gone wrong.

When two more victims are attacked, the police lament a rise in violence against the elderly, but who is the young girl in the photo found by DI Henrik Jungersen on the scenes of crime?

Impatient to claim her inheritance, Irene’s daughter hires former Dagbladet reporter Jensen and her teenage apprentice Gustav to find the necklace.

Henrik finds himself once more pitched in a quest for the truth against Jensen – the one woman in Copenhagen he is desperate to avoid.

Synopsis

DI Henrik Jungersen’s life and career are falling apart. After discovering his affair with journalist Jensen his wife has sent him packing from the family home. After a few nights staying in hotels, he is resorting to sleeping in his office to save money. An intense man, he is now essentially living for work, but pressures are getting to him. After shooting a man to save Jensen’s life he needs to attend a psychiatric evaluation, something he is refusing to comply with. Would the receipt of a divorce request from his wife push him over the edge?

Jensen is back in Copenhagen but for how long? To be a successful freelance reporter she needs leads that produce stories and few are forthcoming. She is thinking that a return to London may be her best option when she is approached by Regitse Lindegaard to find her late mother Irene Valburg’s diamond necklace that appears to have been stolen when she was murdered. Surely a job for a private detective rather than a freelance journalist? With much reluctance she is persuaded by her side kick apprentice Gustav to take the job, she needs the money and perhaps a story will follow.

Henrik is investigating the murder of Irene but there is so little to go on, though a photograph of a young girl was found at the scene captures his attention. Henrik thinks this seemingly insignificant photograph is important, others are not convinced. When he interferes with another couple of cases involving elderly people, a man murdered on his allotment and woman attacked in a care home, he finds two more photos which appear to be the same girl. A link now established he must uncover the real connection. Who is the girl and why is she significant to three seemingly unconnected elderly victims?

The last thing both Henrik and Jensen need is for their paths to cross but when they both pursue different aspects of the same case it becomes inevitable, but will it destroy them?

My thoughts

This is the second story in the series centring on Jensen the Danish journalist. I must confess that I haven’t read the first book, I do have an unfortunate habit of doing this and whilst there are plenty of pointers to the back story, I am left wanting to go back to book one and have already purchased the audiobook version of I am Jensen.

I love the use of journalists as central to the plots of crime novels. They allow for the unorthodox within investigations and bring flexibility to police procedurals which can suffer from being too rigid in structure. Here is works well with Henrik investigating the crimes in a structured way with Jensen weaving in and out of the story line and coming up with leaps forward.

The plot is complex and intricate, but the main pieces fit together well once the initial connection is established. From this point the direction of travel of the case becomes apparent but it never becomes too obvious and there are surprises along the way. The reader is left with some threads that are not tied up which presumably will be developed in the plot of book three. The pacing is well judged and there’s some crisp dialogue without it becoming hard boiled.

Central to the storyline is he role of the family. We find Henrik estranged and wanting to return home even if just for the children’s sake. Gustav is troubled being expelled from school and we see his aunt trying to protect him as well as Jensen is trying to understand him. Most of all is the sad story behind the Girl in the Photo which I won’t spoil by elaborating here. A storyline packed with emotions, love, fear and needing to belong but also the need to trust and be trusted. We also see the dark side with motivations of greed behind some crimes along with the exercising of power to destroy and bullying. To some image is everything and must be protected at all costs.

The central characters are well developed. We have Jensen as a strong independent woman trying to forge ahead despite her uncertainties. Henrik may be the cliché troubled cop, but he has been given depth, a sensitive side and looks set for some redemption. Gustav is great fun, the archetypal surly, angry, angst ridden and misunderstood teenager. The story behind his being expelled is beautifully judged such that the reader sees him in a different light and starts to understand a little about what makes him tick. It will be worth reading the next in the series just to watch him grow as a character. Again, setting the series up nicely is the introduction of a character who is decidedly dodgy and likely to spell trouble soon.

The Girl in the Photo is top tier Scandi-Noir, modern, spirited and sharply observed with social conscience at its heart. It grabs the reader’s attention from the start and is totally compelling. Another excellent series to follow.

The Girl in the Photo can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Heidi Amsinck is a writer and journalist born in Copenhagen now living in London. She was London Correspondent for the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten. She has written many stories for BBC Radio 4, all read by Tim McInnerny. She was previously shortlisted for the VS Pritchett Memorial Prize. My Name is Jensen, her first thriller, was published to critical acclaim in 2021 and has been translated into Danish and German.

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

Which Would You Rather

By Graeme Puckett http://www.hoppinmad.co.uk/

Published by Brown Dog Books https://www.browndogbooks.uk/

350 pages ISBN 9781839525179

Publication date June 2022

I was sent a paperback copy of the novel to participate in its Blog Tour. Many thanks to Brown Dog Books, Mr Puckett and Team LitPR for allowing me to participate in the tour.

From the blurb

Brian is a troubled and easily irritated man with flexible morals. Passionate about films, he sees film references in everything. As an artist, a surrealist, his love of art, and colour in particular, tend to guide his judgements and decisions.

Many of Brian’s challenges in life are a result of an inept social awareness and some fairly politically incorrect ways of thinking. Consequently, these challenges usually lead to even greater dilemmas involving an array of new crimes and misdemeanours for him. Killing three of his neighbours – albeit in record time, of which he is extremely proud, – does little to help Brian’s situation. Inclined to lie and cheat his way out of, and into, trouble, his options increase once he has become a killer and the murders have been committed. Now, in Brian’s mind, any lesser crime has become acceptable and free to use in his bid to escape detection.

Synopsis

Brian wants to kill his neighbour. He’s wanted to do it for some time. He’s thought about it a lot and has a plan carefully worked out; nothing can possibly go wrong. He decides that today’s the day.

With murder though, things rarely go exactly to plan, as Brian immediately discovers. To Brian setbacks are mere obstacles to be overcome. His love of film and in-depth analysis means that he knows where criminals go wrong and how the police catch them out. However, as he discovers life doesn’t always imitate art, sometimes it can be far crazier!

DCI Lucy Webster has had the recent promotion that she thought she wanted, but things are not what she expected. The work isn’t what she excelled at, and her colleagues resent her. She is having serious doubts about her career now and is even considering leaving the force altogether when she crosses paths with Brian professionally.

Who will outwit who? Will Brian get away scot-free or will Lucy crack a once in a lifetime case?

My thoughts

I suspect this will be both the strangest and funniest book I will read all year.

The plot is minimal, Brian kills his neighbour and then what follows is a massive escalation. It is a classic telling of the effect of unintended consequences but turned up to eleven on the amp dial. Everything that Brian does somehow doesn’t go the way he quite expects and then every step he takes manages to make matters worse. A long series of incidents each seemingly worse than the previous that somehow manages to almost go full circle.

The storyline rattles along almost in free form and unstructured as each incident begats another disaster for Brian to deal with, in the true spirit of the British Farce. A bold and creative approach and, whilst there are some parts that didn’t work for me, it is done with some aplomb.

Characterisation centres on Brian and rightly so because he is simultaneously strange, grotesque, and dangerously impulsive but with hilarious effect. Even though he went to art college and somehow later qualified as a pharmacist he has the naïve stupidity of Mr Bean. When trying to preserve the modesty of a woman he decides wearing a balaclava back to front somehow is the answer. He also possesses the haphazard clumsiness of Frank Spencer; a simple act of arson ends with him setting fire to himself. As his obsession with film plays out, he goes into Billy Liar mode, but this is more serious with him more like Eddie Ginley the role Albert Finney played in Gumshoe (see Mr Puckett has got me at it), not mere daydreams but real life and death. Brian’s ability to improvise matches that of any jazz virtuoso, thought not always great success and the slapstick set pieces are wonderfully imagined.

Brian also has a somewhat fluid approach to morality and what is right and wrong. He quickly goes from law abiding citizen to out and out criminal, his view being once you have committed murder pretty much all lesser crimes are a free hit.

We learn little of Brian’s love life, probably because it is non-existent, but he does have a fixation with Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison (of Prime Suspect) who he manages to conjure up at various times and in various states of undress. When he meets the DCI on his case, Lucy Webster, he projects Helen Mirren on her and quickly falls in love, somewhat inconveniently.

The dialogue is spirited, albeit bonkers at times, such as the interviews with the police where he seems to prove the adage ‘bullshit baffles brains.’ He also seems to have a social awareness ‘filter’ missing in that he says quite inappropriate things at inappropriate times and says things out loud rather than just leaving them as thoughts. At times it develops into a stream of consciousness as the incidents flow along seemingly out of control. The dialogue coupled with the visual nature of many of the jokes mean this would be a delight to see on film.

Humour abounds in its various guises, silly, childish, embarrassing, outlandish and subtle. Few books have me laughing out loud but this one certainly did! Younger readers might not get some of the references such as when he manages to morph into Max Wall (playing Professor Wallofski) or when he goes through his wardrobe to dress for a date and ends up dressing like Ted Bundy. At least they now have Google and hopefully will discover some of the comedy greats of the past.

Which Would You Rather is a hilarious black comedy and traditional farce build around a psychotic but incompetent protagonist that will both have you laughing out loud and staggered by the direction of travel.

Which Would You Rather can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Having graduated at Bath Academy of Art, Graeme Puckett worked at Butlin’s for a season as a portrait artist, where an estimated one in ten customers asked for a refund when their money ran low by the end of the week. He subsequently worked as a freelance illustrator and corporate caricaturist for 25 years. Graeme’s work frequently appeared in TV Times, Woman’s Realm, Knave, Fiesta and the like, and frequently had to be altered because of art directors who knew better

.In the 1990s, Graeme changed course, when he and his partner Ann started swing dancing and discovered they were good at it. After 18 months they became UK champions and went on to win many more national swing dance awards. As Hoppin’ Mad, they’ve continued teaching and performing Lindy Hop all over the world, and run regular weekly classes in Bath and Bristol. They were the dance consultants for the film ‘Chicken Run’, which they watch every Christmas to see their names in the closing credits. Graeme and Ann have appeared swing dancing on numerous television shows, most recently the Netflix award-winning series Sex Education.

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