I’m Not There

By Rob Gittins https://www.robgittins.com/

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

427 pages ISBN 9781913793838

Publication date 27 September 2022

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

Two sisters abandoned

It was a treat, she said. An adventure. A train journey to the mainland. Six-year-old Lara Arden and her older sister Georgia happily fill in their colouring books as their mum pops to the buffet in search of crisps. She never returns. Two little girls abandoned. Alone.

Present day

Twenty years later, and Lara is now a detective inspector on her native Isle of Wight, still searching for answers to her mother’s disappearance.

A call comes in. A small child, a boy, has been left abandoned on a train. Like Lara, he has no relatives to look after him. It feels as if history is being repeated – but surely this is a coincidence?

A series of murders

Before Lara can focus on the boy’s plight, she’s faced with a series of murders. They feature different victims in very different circumstances, but they all have one thing in common: they all leave children – alone – behind.

So who is targeting Lara? What do these abandoned souls have in common? And how does this connect to the mystery of Lara’s missing mother?

Synopsis

I won’t add to the blurb to avoid spoilers.

My thoughts

This is a very well written novel the author is an accomplished writer who has written extensively for television. If you have watched UK television during the last 30 years, then the chances are that you have watched a programme written by Rob Gittens. He was a guest on the recent Hobeck Books ‘Hobcast’ episode 90 (listen here) which was fascinating listening. Being a screenwriter, he knows how to package a story and make it entertain and this style came through in the novel.  The narrative changes sufficiently to hold one’s attention but not disrupt the flow, with periodic breaks like mini cliff-hangers, where you want to know what’s next but there’s another chapter or two before you get the answers, so you just have to read on. I for one won’t be surprised if this story ends up on the small screen, it will make a great 3- or 4-part series on ITV and I could tell them where to put the advertisement breaks! All in all, masterfully executed.

Content wise it is a police procedural but one edging towards a thriller. The crimes are not so much investigated, rather the detectives become embroiled within them. Jeopardy or at least the threat of it is everywhere, making for a tense page turner with some real edge of your seats action. The pacing is excellent it moves along briskly building up to a frantic dénouement and a satisfying conclusion. The action is tense and the description of the murders are the right side of graphic, not for the squeamish but certainly not visceral or offensive.

There are two stands to the plot, the missing parents and the murders leaving children (and adults) orphans and naturally these end up intertwining. The motivation behind the murders I thought slightly weak, but overall it works perfectly. The main issues are resolved and questions answered but with a couple of loose threads that hold the promise of becoming unravelled in the future.

The plot is essentially a framework for the exploration of emotions. Key to the novel is abandonment and betrayal which is everywhere. Finn feels betrayed and abandoned by Esther. Sisters Lara and Georgia’s reaction to their mothers disappearance differs, Georgia feels abandoned and finds solace in drugs and excess whereas Lara believes something happened to their mother and it drives her on to joining the force. Mairead faces one the hardest questions of all, whether to turn off her father’s life support. After years of caring for him should she allow him to die, providing some freedom for her but in her mind the ultimate betrayal of him. This part was touchingly portrayed. Then there is Jordan’s dysfunctional marriage and separation from Edie. They all seek closure of some sort, some at least manage to find it.

Characterisation was particularly impressive, the idea of a troubled cop is not new, but here it seems everyone has at least some baggage and some of it is Louis Vuitton style rather than Asda carrier bag. We see Lara’s defence mechanisms to cope with their mother’s disappearance is juxtaposed against sister Georgia’s inability to cope and mentally shutting down. Lara has become naturally distrusting and in turn has reason to distrust colleague Jordan and new boss Paula. Paula herself has a mysterious past, hinted at, connected with undercover work which surely will come out in future instalments, I certainly hope that there is more to come here.

I’m not there is a fast-paced police procedural that is a cut above the norm, with elements of psychological tension, that is packaged as a modern thriller. Hopefully this will develop into a series because this is a cracking foundation stone on which to build and develop the characters further.

I’m Not There can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The Author

Rob Gittins is a screenwriter and novelist. Rob’s written for almost all the top-rated network TV dramas from the last thirty years, including Casualty, EastEnders, The Bill, Heartbeat and Vera, as well as over thirty original radio plays for BBC Radio 4.

He’s previously had six novels published by Y Lolfa to high critical acclaim. Rob’s first novel for Hobeck, I’m Not There, is a crime thriller and the first of a new series set on the idyllic, if occasionally sinister and disturbing, Isle of Wight.

​Rob’s second book with Hobeck, a psychological thriller, The Devil’s Bridge Affair, is publishing October 2022.

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Hawk at the Crossroads #AJAberford #HawkAtTheCrossroads

By AJ Aberford https://ajaberford.com/

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

475 pages ISBN 9781913793876

Publication date 20 September 2022

Hawk at the Crossroads is the third novel in the Detective George Zammit series.

My review of book one in the series ‘Bodies in the Water’ can be found here.

I was sent an electronic copy in exchange for a fair review.  I would like to thank Rebecca at Hobeck Books and the author for the invitation to participate.

From the blurb

They call him ‘The Hawk’

Turkey is the new powerbroker in the eastern Mediterranean and The Hawk sits in Istanbul, pulling the strings. But why should any of this concern a Maltese policeman?

A Mediterranean odyssey

Inspector George Zammit, of the Maltese Pulizija, receives a phone call from an old friend in need, the Libyan militia leader, Abdullah Belkacem. As a result, George and Abdullah are catapulted into an adventure, taking them from disputed Greek Islands to war-torn Libya, in a journey that tests their friendship to the limit.

As an arch manipulator and power broker, The Hawk plays his cards close to his chest. But, with one daring move, he turns the politics of the eastern Mediterranean upside down, making a powerful enemy.

Unlikely allies

Natasha Bonnici is now the head of a mysterious organised crime family, based in Milan. She and The Hawk circle each other, as the biggest game of all plays out.

Can lowly Inspector George Zammit face these forces and restore order, before the Mediterranean slips into chaos?

Synopsis

A couple of years have passed, and George has finished his secondment to Libya doing MalTech’s bidding, and he is happy to be back in Malta full time. His return has necessitated a return to the rank of Inspector something that doesn’t bother him although wife Marianna is less happy about this. Now working as a community liaison officer George is in his element, pottering around, being useful but keeping his head down and away from the action.

Jamal Belkacem is the son of George’s unlikely comrade in arms Abdullah, the head of a militia in Libya. Jamal is young, idealist and headstrong, a dangerous combination. Angered by the increasing influence of Turkey in the affairs of state he decides it is time for action. With a small band of brothers, he decides to strike at the home of the most high-profile representative in Libya, Hakan Toprak, a powerbroker in the oil business known by the sobriquet ‘The Hawk’, a powerful and dangerous man. The attack is a disaster and Jamal ends up in the notorious prison Abu Salim.

After Abdullah pleads for George to intervene, he does the only thing he can think of and calls Natasha Bonnicci to ask for her and MalTech’s influence to be brought. A stupid move. Once again George and Adbullah become mere pawns in a geopolitical power play across the southern Mediterranean. Natasha wants more riches for the family, the Hawk vies for greater influence as Turkey asserts its power and the militias in Libya battle for supremacy.

Old scores are settled, new enemies are made, and George just wants to get back to Malta in one piece.

My thoughts

Another wonderfully entertaining geopolitical thriller in this series. The author has a real talent for weaving complex plots around current real-world issues and producing cogent and enjoyable stories.

The character development has been most noticeable and its good the way they have been allowed to flourish. Assistant Commissioner Gerald Camilleri is showing signs of aging and becoming slightly frail physically. There are hints that his powers are starting to wane as he is no longer in total control, a powerful man contemplating retirement. Natasha Bonnici has become more out of control; she has always been ruthless in business but now she is also spiteful and vindictive to any deemed sleight against her. Still beautiful but no longer so youthful she contemplates her lack of partner and children seeing that time is against her now. George is ever more world weary and is questioning his friendship with Abdullah. He realises everybody uses him and he keeps falling for it or finding himself in a situation where he cannot say no.

The regular brief news report extracts are an excellent way of moving the plot along or filling in background detail without disrupting the flow of the storyline. The journalist Amy Halliday is another vital addition to the mix allowing to reflect upon the difficulties in being an investigative journalist in modern but corrupt environment.

CIA man Mike Lloyd is back and is satisfyingly given the run around, but in the end, it’s just a game to him. Worryingly in the detached reality of modern espionage, where IT rules and ‘wet work’ is subcontracted, one can see it becoming more like the computer games that Savi plays.

Once again much of the humour comes from Savi Azzopardi the naïve and grungy man-child computer hacker. Perhaps a bit of an easy target, but the comic value is mined to full effect. He is in turn gullible, lazy, stupid, and deluded, to believe that Natasha may be attracted to him despite what Simon tells him remains the icing on the cake. Outlandish, but I think most of us has met someone at least a little like Savi. Scary to think in the years to come many more of these socially inept computer nerds will emerge blinking from their darkened bedrooms and parent’s basements. Curiously the development of Savi’s buddy-buddy friendship with fitness fanatic Danka Bijak has moved from one of pity to her genuinely starting care about him in a friendly maternal way. I look forward to more of this in book four.

Hawk at the Crossroads is a perceptive look at the politics of the Southern Mediterranean as factions battle to control the supply of energy. The plot really captures the zeitgeist but with added thrills and some hearty chuckles to soften the bitter pill as we all face massive fuel price increases.  A thoroughly entertaining series that just gets better.

Hawk at the Crossroads 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.

Black Hearts

By Doug Johnstone https://dougjohnstone.com/

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

276 pages ISBN

Publication date 29 September 2022

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 Publisher.

From the blurb

The Skelf women live in the shadow of death every day, running the family funeral directors and private investigator business in Edinburgh. But now their own grief intertwines with that of their

clients, as they are left reeling by shocking past events.

A fist-fight by an open grave leads Dorothy to investigate the possibility of a faked death, while a young woman’s obsession with Hannah threatens her relationship with Indy and puts them both in mortal danger. An elderly man claims he’s being abused by the ghost of his late wife, while ghosts of another kind come back to haunt Jenny from the grave … pushing her to breaking point.

As the Skelfs struggle with increasingly unnerving cases and chilling danger lurks close to home, it becomes clear that grief, in all its forms, can be deadly…

Synopsis

After a graveside fight Dorothy is asked by Danny, who has just buried him mother, to investigate his father’s disappearance whilst paddleboarding. Is he really alive and just done a ‘Reggie Perrin’? Danny certainly believes so and he thinks Uncle Mike knows more than he is letting on, hence the scuffle.

Dorothy, who is still missing late husband Jim, is still doing her good works and is drawn in by client Udo’s tale that the spirit of his late wife may be displeased. This displeasure appears to be manifesting in a physical form as bruising to his body attests.

Jenny remains mentally scarred by the life and death struggle she had with former Husband Craig which resulted in him being washed out into the Forth in a burning boat. For Jenny it was self-defence, kill or be killed, but she is not taking it well and when a body is washed up she comes close to breaking point. Could the corpse be Craig? Jenny is a woman in desperate need of closure.

Seemingly from nowhere, a young woman called Laura, is trying to insert herself into Hannah’s life, stalking her moves, causing problems with her marriage. Hannah’s beautiful and exotic wife Indy struggles with this obsession and begins to harbour doubts. Is Laura tyring to split them up or are there deeper motives.

My thoughts

If you haven’t read any of the previous three Skelf books what have been doing? For the uninitiated the Skelfs are three generations of women from the same family, grandmother Dorothy, Mother Jenny and daughter Hannah. They are an unusual family in that they run two seemingly incompatible businesses, a funeral directors and a private detective agency.

Time spent with the skelfs is certainly unusual. Imagine a beautiful painting of Edinburgh Castle that is hung slightly crooked; things that appear normal are often slightly skewed. The story begins, memorably, with a bout of fisticuffs at a funeral but not at the wake but graveside. Of itself not that unusual but in this case, it leads to an investigation into a missing person and murder.

Life for all of us can take strange paths and seem absurd, and so it is for the Skelfs. This is not the absurdism of Albert Camus though, as the ladies’ search for meaning and answers both spiritual and humane. Hannah is studying for a PhD n astrophysics, Dorothy who was born in California is not averse to a little new age mysticism and Jenny, well she is currently trying to find answers in a gin bottle. They unite to satisfy the spiritual needs of the relatives of the deceased and get the answers their PI clients’ demand.

The plot has four central strands such that each of the central characters have a path to follow but theses naturally intersect and come together. These individual threads allow the characters to be drawn out beautifully. There is Dorothy’s compassion, desire to help and bring closure for clients. Hannah and Indy’s marriage comes under serious pressure for the first time, but their love is deep. Jenny is off the rails, drinking too much, finding sexual gratification in inappropriate places and disturbingly of all sleeping it off in a coffin.

The dialogue is excellent. I love visiting Scotland, partly for the robust language and unique vocabulary, being a Yorkshireman, we have a lot in common there. There’s a smattering of lovely Scottish words, but the blaspheming is low key and overall, it is more Morningside meets “You’ll have your tea” than that in Trainspotting.

The pacing is perfectly judged. At times it meanders as the progress of the investigations is filled in and the narrative rotates through the three central players. Short chapters and switching narrative seem to be currently in vogue and here it adds to the story telling keeping all aspects alive. It picks up pace when there is action and jeopardy is exposed, though overall it is more cerebral than action packed and this is suitably reflected.

The central themes may be dark, but they are covered with a light sensitive touch and well-judged humour of a greyer hue than black and a little farce. The title itself is a motif throughout, be it a black empty heart of the unfeeling, the black evil heart of a killer or the black heart at the centre of a galaxy, a supermassive black hole. Everyone’s reaction to grief is different, it is the price we must pay for love, beautifully expressed within the novel. Death comes for us all, at some point we must make our peace.

I loved the concept of the ‘wind phone’, a white telephone box with a disconnected telephone inside for people to commune with deceased loved ones. (I’m from Hull and one of the few facts outsiders know is our white telephone boxes (they’re cream actually) a throwback to our council owned telephone service.) What a beautiful simple idea and one we can all embrace in a world where we are losing our spiritual connection.

In Black Hearts Doug Johnstone once again manages to somehow make a story centred on a funeral director, with death and grief, joyous and uplifting. Thoughtful, amusing and always entertaining a truly remarkable series of novels.

Black Hearts can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve novels, most recently The Great Silence, described as ‘A
novel [that] underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become’ by the Daily Mail. He has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year three times, and the Capital Crime Best Independent Voice one; The Big Chill was longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions, and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter
and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

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A Dark Steel Death

By Chris Nickson

Published by Severn House https://severnhouse.com/

224 pages ISBN 9780727850478

Publication date 6 September 2022

A Dark Steel Death is the tenth novel featuring detective Tom Harper.

I was sent a NetGalley 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, publisher and NetGalley.

From the blurb

Leeds. December 1916. Deputy Chief Constable Tom Harper is called out in the middle of the night when a huge explosion rips through a munitions factory supplying war materials, leaving death and destruction in its wake. A month later, matches and paper to start a fire are found in an army clothing depot. It’s a chilling discovery: there’s a saboteur running loose on the streets of Leeds.

As so many give their lives in the trenches, Harper and his men are working harder than ever and their investigation takes a dark twist with two shootings, at the local steelworks and a hospital. With his back against the wall and the war effort at stake, Harper can’t afford to fail. But can he catch the traitor intent on bringing terror to Leeds?

Synopsis

Tom Harper has risen to the rank of Deputy Chief Constable but is coming under increasing pressure. The Chief Constable is suffering from pneumonia and is eventually hospitalised, leaving Tom notionally in charge. Police resources are under severe pressure; so many young men are at the front he is left with a force of old men and walking wounded. At night much reliance is place on women volunteering as police auxiliaries, something Tom’s daughter Mary as done.

Initially there is a search for a saboteur, an arsonist, who Tom is determined shouldn’t be allowed to undermine the war effort. This takes an unexpected turn when shots are fired, and people are murdered. Leeds is Tom’s city, and he feels a responsibility to its people to catch the killer as soon as possible and at all costs. The question is the saboteur and the shooter the same person or are there two traitors in their midst? The nature of the shooting indicates a sniper or sharpshooter, which means someone who has been in the army, one of our own. To track them down he will have to get the army onside with all their bureaucracy and prejudices.

My thoughts

One of the great strengths of the novel is the author’s imagining of Leeds during 1917. The gas light and the trams, the wounded in their special uniform and the women auxiliaries. There are privations to be suffered as U-Boats make inroads into merchant shipping, but nothing like the rationing of WWII, people can still eat in cafes and the pubs are reasonably stocked. All of which is vividly brought to life.

Here we are on he home front well away from the battles, but the author is clear the pain of war is never far away. The men that remain are those too old to fight or the discharged wounded, unless they are in a reserved occupation vital to the war effort and even some of those men have enlisted. The slack is taken up by women, who by sheer necessity are finally being allowed to take an active role in society. All of this is subtly woven into the storyline, a detective missing a hand blown off in active service, the surprise of women unchaperoned and smoking. Through Tom’s eyes the reader can see that once the war is over society will be changed forever.

The backdrop is Leeds, a populous city but one that is compact, being constrained by clearly defined boundaries rather than the sprawling conurbation of the twenty-first century. Even irregular visitors will be familiar with the districts described as the search ranges far and wide before a claustrophobic show down. Throughout the author’s fondness for the city shines through.

The pacing is steady, fittingly so, this is case which is solved by doggedness and determination with many dead ends and red herrings. Interestingly the story is told through the perspective of Tom Harper, incidents are relayed to him rather than played out, so the reader learns of the developments as Tom would.

Loss is the central theme that runs through the novel. First, there is the loss felt across a city still reeling from the death of so many of its sons from the Leeds Pals regiment on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. We see the loss felt by the wounded returned to Leeds, the friends no more, as well as the loss of normality as physical and mental scars must be come to terms with. There is suffering within the Harper family itself as daughter Mary is still mourning the loss of her fiancé Len. There is also a special kind of loss felt by the Harper’s as wife and mother Annabelle battles premature dementia. Annabelle has good days, but she also suffers bad days locked within her memories of the past and unable to make sense of the current, her family being a stranger to her. A situation becoming all too familiar to more of us as life expectancy increases.

The narrative style places much emphasis on the central character and Tom Harper is well drawn, a complex man who is honourable and determined, working his way to the top of his profession through hard work not patronage. The scenes with his wife as she struggles with her dementia are caring and rather touching, adding real depth to the story.

A Dark Steel Death is convincingly portrayed historical police procedural tackling the weighty problems of the day. Entertaining throughout but unflinching with the messages at its heart.

A Dark Steel Death can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Chris Nickson is the author of nine previous Tom Harper mysteries, seven highly acclaimed novels in the Richard Nottingham series, and four Simon Westow mysteries. He is also a well-known music journalist. He lives in his beloved Leeds.

Previous titles in the Tom Harper series include: The Leaden Heart, The Molten City and Brass Lives.

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Two Brothers #JonathanWilson #TwoBrothers

By Jonathan Wilson

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

384 pages ISBN 9781408714492

Publication date 11 August 2022

I was sent a hardback copy in exchange for a fair review, for which I would like to thank Jess at the publishers for sending.

From the blurb

Two Brothers tells the story of a great sporting family, uncovering new details, exposing myths and placing Jack and Bobby Charlton in their historical context. It’s a book about two English footballers but also about English football and England itself.

In later life Jack and Bobby didn’t get on and barely spoke but the lives of these very different brothers from the coalfield tell the story of late twentieth-century English football: the tensions between flair and industry, between individuality and the collective, between right and left, between middle- and working-classes, between exile and home.

Jack was open, charismatic, selfish and pig-headed; Bobby was guarded, shy, polite and reserved to the point of reclusiveness. They were very different footballers: Jack a gangling central defender who developed a profound tactical intelligence; Bobby an athletic attacking midfielder who disdained systems. They played for clubs who embodied two very different approaches, the familial closeness and tactical cohesion of Leeds on the one hand and the individualistic flair and clashing egos of Manchester United on the other.

Both enjoyed great success as players: Jack won a league, a Cup and two Fairs Cups with Leeds; Bobby won a league title, survived the terrible disaster of the plane crash in Munich, and then at enormous emotional cost, won a Cup and two more league titles before capping it off with the European Cup. Together, for England, they won the World Cup.

Their managerial careers followed predictably diverging paths, Bobby failing at Preston while Jack enjoyed success at Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday before leading Ireland to previously un-imagined heights. Both were financially very successful, but Jack remained staunchly left-wing while Bobby tended to conservatism. In the end, Jack returned to Northumberland; Bobby remained in the North-West.

Two Brothers tells a story of social history as well as two of the most famous football players of their generation.

My thoughts

There is no shortage of biographies, or autobiographies for that matter, on the Charlton Brothers so why should you read Two Brothers. Well, it is written by Jonathan Wilson, regarded by many as the pre-eminent football writer of his generation, and it attempts to look at their careers in a social context as well as in terms of achievement on the field.

In footballing terms, they played through a period of great change. At the start of their careers England were handed two heavy defeats by Hungary (the magnificent Magyars as they were to be known) which dispelled once and for all any thoughts of English supremacy. These defeats led to a movement in on field styles of play and tactics. Just as the early kick and rush tactics of the English was replaced by the passing game of the Scots, the natural dribble and wing play was replaced by a continental short passing game. Surprisingly of the two it would be Jack who was to embrace these changes.

As child Bobby lived for football and loved nothing more than playing. His incredible ability as a player was spotted at an early age and he was destined for greatness. He was never, however, a student of the game and his lifelong mentor Sir Matt Busby was a man stuck in the playing style of bygone days. Jack on the other hand was a late comer to football, only taking it serious as a career option once he had tasted first-hand the experience of working down a coal mine. Not so naturally gifted, this imbued him with a desire for constant improvement within the game and to take on board the innovations of the day. Jack’s ability has traditionally been downplayed but there are lovely little cameos described where dressed in hunting tweeds and wellington boots steps onto the training pitch and finds the top corner.

The abolition of the maximum wage was the other major shift in the English game, allowing the best to forge lucrative careers in their day (at least relative to the man in the street). Being men born in the 1930’s they naturally developed an eye for opportunities and little money-making schemes as way to survive. These habits were to die hard, particularly in the case of Jack, even when they were earning good wages. Mr Wilson brings out some lovely anecdotes on how opportunities to earn or fiddle a few extra pounds as part of ‘the game’ and his propensity to be rather ‘tight’ when it came to cash. Both men were to come to embrace the world of celebrity, Bobby briefly as a quiz show star and then helping on match coverage for TV, Jack seemingly never off the TV in the 1980’s being a darling of Tyne Tees.

Naturally the Munich air disaster is covered, it being a significant factor in shaping Bobby’s life. The devastating effects of this cannot be over emphasised and is well drawn out within the book. I have wondered why the Munich disaster is known worldwide whereas the Superga disaster in which the entire Torino side was killed is rarely mentioned. This is probably down to timing and social context. Superga happened 4 years after the war, just another tragedy following on from worldwide devastation. Munich happened when the world was becoming more upbeat, more economically prosperous and youth culture developing. The timing made the tragedy resonate more, it was the destruction of talent about to flower, at a time when footballers being stars like those in film or music. That some of these men not only survived but managed to achieve remarkable feats cements it in legend, the following of their careers kept it firmly in the public eye.

Many other of their contemporaries are mentioned with their achievements compared. Don Revie was as big an influence on Jack as Sir Matt was on Bobby. What particularly comes over is this was a period populated by tough men who had experienced real hardship and suffering. A factor drawn out in the fashioning of teams in their image. Looking back at footage from the 50s, 60s and 70s it strikes the viewer as brutal, but this was largely a product of the time when many men were consigned to dirty, dangerous jobs in heavy industry. Nobby Stiles gets plenty of mentions, usually involving him punching someone on the pitch, what a player! Perhaps the game has gone a little too soft, but it is a measure of how the nation has moved socially, culturally, and sportingly in half a century.

The book is packed with cracking anecdotes if like me you love these asides; George Best in a drinking den run by Phil Lynott’s mother being a perfect example. Not the sort of thing you’ll find in the future biographies of those playing today.

The book ends on a relatively sad note. There is the animosity which developed between the family, largely down to Bobby’s wife not being accepted by his mother, but this is rather downplayed. What is sad is that both brothers succumbed to dementia or Alzheimer’s thought to derive from their playing the game. The family of Jeff Astle have worked tirelessly to establish a connection with heading the ball, an idea that is now becoming accepted and changes to the game being considered.

Two Brothers is a bold telling of the life of two of the most famous footballers of their generation set against the backdrop of a quickly changing British society. A book I enjoyed immensely and a great overview. Die-hard fans of Manchester United or Leeds United may want more details regarding their clubs, but those books have already been written, this book is for lovers of the game.

Two Brothers can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Jonathan Wilson is the editor of the Blizzard and a freelance writer for the Guardian, World Soccer and Sports Illustrated. He is the author of eleven books, including Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics, Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe, Angels with Dirty Faces: The Footballing History of Argentina, The Barcelona Legacy and The Names Heard Long Ago.

Crossing Lines

By Kathryn Pana https://www.kathrynpana.com/

Published by Vanguard Press (Pegasus Elliot MacKenzie Publishers Ltd) https://pegasuspublishers.com/

 299 pages ISBN 9781784657970 Publication date 30 July 2020

Crossing Lines is the second novel in the Will Falco series.

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

From the blurb

Sergeant Will Falco has an unlikely new team member after Kathy Hill left his alpha team to start her own. Will his new recruit be good enough?

Sergeant Kathy Hill has a new team to train, but the shooting is playing on her mind and her relationship with Sergeant Falco is suffering from his past and his secrets. Can they stay together or will the pressure of it all split them up?

With ex fiancées, Kathy’s parents and relationship issues distracting Sergeant Falco, will he see what’s coming or will a new friend step in to save the day?

Synopsis

Sergeant Falco is the best of the best, the leader of the Alpha team in New York’s police department’s SWAT. He is highly respected by his fellow officers in the squad and most of the ordinary officers are in awe of him. He has a reputation of being bluff and possesses a volcanic temper, but this is because he doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He delivers the highest standards, so that is what he expects from his colleagues, where anything less may result in casualties for his squad or the public. So, when a vacancy on his team is filled by a transferee from Denver, Sara Richards, who makes a poor early impression, tempers are certain to fray.

The vacancy arose because his new girlfriend and colleague sergeant Kathy Hill, is heading up a team of her own. After being shot Kathy had a long period of convalescence and has now returned to work, her first task being to select the members of her new team and train them up.

The professional separation of Will and Kathy should mean that their relationship now has a chance to blossom, whereas it simply wasn’t possible with them in the same SWAT team. Its course is not clear however, Will is a very private man unwilling to open up and trust people, and Kathy’s mother is putting her under pressure to return home.

If their relationship is to develop then Will has to reveal of some of his secrets and Kathy must face up to her domineering mother. Not an easy task for them especially when working at the vanguard of policing the dangerous streets of New York.

My thoughts

If you are looking for a setting for a vibrant modern thriller, then New York certainly fits the bill. A city of extremes, a melting pot of humanity and truly a city that never sleeps. Whilst crime may well have reduced from the bad days of the 1970s there is still enough to give credibility to an incident packed novel, this is no sleepy Midsomer the unlikely (fictional) murder capital of England. Where once being a millionaire made you wealthy it now seems that has moved on to being a billionaire, and if you are one where better to be than the Big Apple!

As Will Falco is an all-action hero it seems fitting that he is a member of the elite SWAT rather than a normal beat cop or a bumbling but insightful detective like Columbo. If you are one of those readers who love their ‘guns and ammo’ then you might be a little disappointed. The SWAT teams get plenty of call outs and action, but these incidents are briefly described and are more a device to move the storyline along. There are shoot outs and demonstrations that Alpha team and Will are the best just don’t expect detailed shot by shot accounts.

The plot is straightforward, someone is trying to manipulate Will and involves an unexpected throwback to his past. The motivation behind this was something of a surprise. Overall, though much of the action is backdrop to the feelings and emotions that are played out by the characters. Can Will and Kathy’s on off relationship survive and can Kathy be reconciled with her family being the main ones. Deeper we see Kathy’s desire to thrive in a traditionally male environment where she has worked hard to be accepted and respected, the pressure on her and her determination to return to work.

The writing style is bright and breezy, the storyline zips along nicely. There are regular incidents to attend to interspersed with plenty of dialogue as emotions and feelings are discussed alongside an awful lot of coffee. Overall, it has the feel of a screenplay for a US television detective series based on the characters more than events. Indeed, the number of times Will is shirtless is surely calling out for filming.

The central characters are strongly written. Will is a man determined to do good and always looking to do the right thing, but with a past he is trying to keep buried and has the paradox of trusting his team with his life but struggling to trust people with his private life. Kathy is a strong young woman, achieving in her professional life and trying to assert her independence. They take up the bulk of the storyline and it is good to see characters develop and hopefully continue to do so in successive novels rather than remain static and fully formed.

The lessor characters are more cameo in nature, Tom and the new recruit Stanson have good scenes and there is lots of scope to develop the team in any future novels.

Crossing Lines is a fast-moving novel about the strength of relationships and the acceptance of others set against the dangerous background of New York PD’s busy SWAT. If you are a fan of US TV cops shows with a glossy edge rather than dark and moody, you are going to enjoy this.

Crossing Lines can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Kathryn is a single mum of two boys, originally from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, but now lives in a small town in Lancashire. As well as writing, Kathryn loves everything creative, especially cross stitching; she owns a small arts and crafts business which she runs from the local indoor market. She loves to watch sports,
including Formula One and football, which her eldest son plays. She also loves to travel and explore cultural places; she lived in Greece for five years and also worked in the US for a summer season. Kathryn
recently graduated from the Open University, completing her degree in Humanities.

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Cousin Ash

By SE Shepherd

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

322 pages ISBN  1913793818

Publication date 30 August 2022

Cousin Ash is the second book in the Sandlin PI 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

‘RUN FOR IT!’
Were they also Ash’s last words?

A chance meeting with a school friend of Lottie’s brings Hannah a new case. She’s confident Sandlin Private Investigations can find out who’s responsible for the recent threats at Eliza’s house. But, as she and Lottie begin to unravel the facts of the present case, they also find themselves involved in a longstanding mystery.

Three cousins, once as close as siblings.

Ash, the black sheep
Grieving Ash loved her dad deeply, but swore no one else understood her. She’s been missing for twelve years, and is now presumed dead.

Eliza, the peacemaker
Eliza, rebuilding her life after heartbreak, inherits everything.

Scott the ‘baby’
Scott, broken and bitter, inherits nothing.

What made Auntie Miriam so angry that she left nothing in her will to Scott? And why did Scott and Eliza make a pact all those years ago never to admit the truth about the disappearance of their cousin Ash?

Ash may be presumed dead, but somehow, she’s still causing trouble. Ultimately, the case can’t be solved without answering the question – what really happened the last time the three cousins were all together in Lullaby Woods?

Synopsis

Eliza has inherited Aunt Miriam’s house and accumulated wealth. Miriam’s daughter Ashley (Ash) should have inherited but has been missing for 12 years and the family have gone through the legal presumption of death. Cousin Scott hoped to enjoy at least some of the inheritance, but Miriam was explicit in her instructions that he wasn’t to receive a penny. Miriam believed he knew more about the night that Ash went missing than he was willing to say.

As youngsters the cousins delighted in playing together like three amigos, they were as good as siblings. Scott was the younger of them, by three years, and Ash used to take pleasure in winding him up as the baby of the group. However, nothing thrilled them more than when on a car journey Uncle Robert would stop the car in a layby and they would head off to the woods. This was no teddy bears’ picnic though, these were ‘Witchy Woods’. Robert would surreptitiously throw a stone or fake a noise scaring them witless and that was the cue for them to race back to the car with a buzz of fear, adrenaline, and laughter, lots of laughter. Something that would stick with them for the rest of their lives.

Eliza is getting pressure from those who know her for cash handouts. Ex-husband Ryan and his wife are behind of their mortgage and Scott is borrowed from the type of people you shouldn’t, the type that break legs if you are late repaying. If that wasn’t enough there are strange happenings and sightings of a figure with long black hair and a long black coat. Can Ash really be alive and returned, wanting what is rightfully hers?

A chance meeting of an old schoolfriend, Lottie in a coffee shop might prove the catalyst to getting the answers. Lottie’s friend is Hannah Sandlin and she is a PI and is immediately intrigued by the goings on.

My thoughts

Well, this was a jolly caper of a book that took years off me, in the current environment I think most of wish we could be as carefree as a child again. There are some joyous scenes in this novel along with a disturbing disappearance.

The plot can be summed up like the old Harmony hairspray advertisement ‘Is she or isn’t she?’ In this case is Ash dead or alive. This is so well judged that the reader will flip flop between dead and alive until the very end. The storyline is nicely constructed, breezily jogging along to a fitting finale with clever use of symmetry. There are also throw aways which prove important later within the plot, much like Hitchcock might do with Macguffins.

The central themes are love and relationships, identity and acceptance. Ash is troubled and trying to settle her identity when her father died. Their connection was deep, he loved and accepted her as she was not how he wanted her to be. When she starts to go off the rails her mother cannot cope and poor Scott ends up getting the full force of her anger and frustration.

The characterisation is strong throughout. The friendship between Lottie and Hannah stands out varying from ‘Sex in the City’ type modern women through to a kind of Darby and Joan existence with a lot of sparkle in between. Their repartee and silly jokes help to keep the story light and upbeat even when some to the parts are a little dark.

Poor Scott is the one the reader should feel sympathy for, especially once his criminal father is introduced. There is a lovely euphemism ‘Working in the Isle of Wight’ but I’ll leave the reader to discover the meaning which had me chuckling. Deep down though Scott is weak and a little spineless, he has chances to change but doesn’t and so remains his own worst enemy.

Ash is quite a complex and troubled young woman at the time of her disappearance. The clues to her unhappiness are there but insensitive me didn’t pick them up first time around. Needless to say if you resort to dressing like a goth then there’s got to be something seriously wrong with your life, unless you are Robert Smith then you get a free pass. Joking aside I’m sure some parents will sympathise with Miriam’s inability to understand Ash and make her see she is loved by her, where every well intended step drives her further away.

The individual threads come together pleasingly at the end, along with a surprise or two. Overall a downbeat subjects end up producing a rather enjoyable upbeat novel.

Cousin Ash is a lovely quirky story with a feisty PI that will make you want to go out and climb the trees of your youth. Just remember when you get the signal RUN FOR IT!

Cousin Ash can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Sue Shepherd writes contemporary romance and enjoys creating novels with heart, laughs and naughtiness. She has published three contemporary romance novels since 2015, Doesn’t Everyone Have a Secret?, Love Them and Leave Them and Can’t Get You Out of My Head.

Realising that one of the parts she enjoyed most about writing was deciding when to let the reader in on the secrets from her characters’ past, Sue switched genres and wrote a suspense novel entitled Swindled.

Sue lives on the picturesque Isle of Wight with her husband, two sons, a standard poodle named Forrest and a Cavachon called Sky. Her passions in life are; her family, writing, the seaside and all the beautiful purple things her sons have bought her over the years.  Ask Sue to plan too far in advance and you’ll give her the heebie-jeebies and she’d prefer you not to mention Christmas until at least November!

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