The Human Kind #AlexanderBaron #TheHumanKind

By Alexander Baron

Published by IWM Wartime Classic https://www.iwm.org.uk/ @I_W_M

176 pages ISBN 9781912423798

Publication date 18 April 2024

The Human Kind is the third book in the author’s wartime trilogy.

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

The cover

A very stirring cover, with artwork by Bill Bragg, showing soldiers departing a landing craft and heading for a beach. There have been some amazing recreations of these scenes in recent movies and this certainly captures some of the fear and trepidation the soldiers must have experienced when they were most vulnerable.

The blurb

Spanning the Sicilian countryside to the brothels of Ostend, and the final book in Alexander Baron’s War Trilogy, The Human Kind is a series of pithy vignettes reflective of the author’s own wartime experiences. From the interminable days of training in Britain to brutal combat across Northwest Europe, the book depicts many of the men, women – and, in some cases, children – affected by the widespread reach of the Second World War. In his trademark spare prose, Baron’s work provides an emotive and incisive snapshot into the lives of myriad characters during this tumultuous period in history. Based on Alexander Baron’s own wartime experiences, this new edition of a 1953 classic includes an introduction from IWM which puts the work in historical context, and concludes the author’s War Trilogy.

My review

I suppose the first question would be why reprint a book written in 1953? Well, it is regarded as a classic and after reading it is easy to see why. There are a great number of historians, professional and gifted amateurs who are producing well written and researched books on the Second World War. Many go back to primary sources and some even have interviewed those who lived through it, but what they lack is first hand experience and which makes a book of this nature compelling. It may have been written 70 years ago, but the prose style compares well with modern writing, is accessible and even quite fresh. So much so that it could easily have been written in the last 20 years.

The novel is set out as a series of anecdotes and observations, created from the author’s time in service, so well crafted I was unable to split fact from fiction. Spanning the full period of the war, from the author’s call up, service in the Sicily and Normandy landings, to the end of hostilities. They run chronologically, though the emphasis if more towards the latter period and vary in length. The reader is given a sense of the waste and futility of war, without it becoming fervently anti-war, more it was something that had to be done at that time.

It begins with the period of the ‘phoney war’ period when the authors regiment could experience almost an idyllic summer in the English countryside; by the end there are men chastened or broken by their experiences. In between through his acutely observed stories we see how these young men are changed through a succession of events. These are young men of varying backgrounds who were forced together and somehow must get along. There is a broadening of cultural horizons for some, through David Copperfield and the music of Beethoven. There is the development of mutual respect for those whose working life is different, most evident in the mining story where they had to work alongside tough, flinty miners. Reflecting on the stories it is easy to see how being exposed to these experiences formed a determined, well balanced and fair-minded generation instrumental to the postwar creation of the NHS, welfare state and determination to clear slums. First-hand experience sharpens the mind and many of us are now insulated from much of what this generation witnessed.

The experience may have had a positive character forming effect on some soldiers, but it also damaged many mentally. There is a disturbing tale of a man breaking down in the heat of action but most of all it is the sense of men being used up. Men fighting themselves to a standstill, using up all their reserves of mental strength to the extension of becoming little more than a physical shell. This is sympathetically described, will some insight and certainly the treatment of sufferers appears to be much better than those suffering from shellshock in the previous war.

There is no appetite to gloss over the bad and shameful though. We like to believe that our armies were more humane than the German and Russian soldiers, and whilst we never fell to the level of depravity that some of their troops did, they were no angels. One attack on a pillbox shocked and surprised me, bad things happen in the heat of war, but this was too much. There are stories that touch on the abuse, both physical and sexual, of women and children as well as a callous disregard for animals, property and life. We see those who are desperate to cling onto their sense of humanity even when others descend into brutality. Thinking objectively, I wonder whether there is a correlation between the length of true active service at the front lines and the dehumanising effects of war. Many of the Allied forces came into the theatre of war late, compared to say the Russians, and never experienced the atrocities of the Eastern Front, so perhaps this is why they didn’t succumb the madness of war to the same extent.

The Human Kind is an incredible testament to one man’s experiences as he clings onto his humanity during a savage war and is rightly being brought a new audience.

The Human Kind can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Alexander Baron (1917 – 1999) was a British author and screenwriter. Widely acclaimed in his lifetime, he rose to prominence with his first novel, From the City, From the Plough, published in 1948 and based on his experiences of D-Day and the advance into Normandy. It quickly became a bestseller, achieving both popular success and critical acclaim, and reportedly went on to sell in excess of one million copies. The novel cemented Baron’s reputation as a skilled, powerful, authentic writer, and he went on to write many more books, including the second and third in the sequence, both best-sellers, alongside scripts for Hollywood and screenplays for the BBC.

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews on this blog tour:

Palamedes PR #PalamedesPR

Palamedes PR is a long-established and award-winning name in the book marketing field and the recognised UK market-leader.

Their specialist services include national and international press, TV and radio, and PR stunts. For more information, visit www.palamedes.co.uk @palamedespr

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Book bloggers are no longer considered ‘fringe media’ but important vehicles to promote new titles, authors and publishers. Unlike mainstream news and feature outlets, which reach a wide but less targeted audience, blogs like this one (Peter Turns The Page) are the go-to destination of choice for engaged consumers who return time and time again for expert reviews and advice.

According to Palamedes PR, the UK’s market-leading book marketing agency, bloggers can be instrumental in shaping the overall success of a new release and are an indispensable force in the public relations industry.

There follows a short question and answer session with Anthony Harvison, one of its publicists, exploring why book blogs are reshaping the literary marketing and sales landscape, and how they are an increasingly important advocate for underrepresented voices and genres.

Q: How has the landscape of book marketing evolved with the rise of book blogging, and what role does it play in promoting books?

Book blogging has become a powerful force in book marketing, offering a dynamic platform for readers to share their thoughts and recommendations. It plays a crucial role in creating buzz around books, reaching niche audiences, and influencing purchasing decisions.

Q: In what ways do book bloggers contribute to building a book’s online presence and visibility?

Book bloggers contribute significantly to a book’s online presence by writing reviews, hosting blog tours, and participating in social media discussions. Their authentic and personal recommendations can enhance a book’s visibility and attract a diverse readership.

Q: How do book publicists identify and collaborate with book bloggers to promote specific titles?

Book publicists often research and reach out to book bloggers whose content aligns with the target audience and genre of a particular book. Collaboration may involve sending review copies, organizing blog tours, or facilitating author interviews to generate interest among the blogger’s followers.

Q: Can you share examples of successful book marketing campaigns that heavily leveraged book blogging?

Successful campaigns often involve strategic partnerships with influential book bloggers. For instance, organizing blog tours with well-established bloggers, hosting giveaways, or encouraging book discussions on popular platforms can generate substantial online buzz and drive book sales.

Q: How do book bloggers contribute to the diversity and inclusivity of book promotion, particularly in highlighting underrepresented voices or genres?

Book bloggers have a unique ability to champion diverse voices and genres that might be overlooked in mainstream media. They can bring attention to underrepresented authors and stories, fostering a more inclusive literary landscape and broadening the range of books available to readers.

Q: With the prevalence of social media, how do book bloggers use platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube to enhance their book reviews and recommendations?

Many book bloggers utilize social media platforms to share visually appealing book recommendations, snippets of reviews, and engage in real-time conversations with their followers. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube, in particular, provide a multimedia approach to book promotion, enhancing the overall impact of their reviews.

Q: How can book publicists and authors effectively engage with book bloggers to ensure a mutually beneficial collaboration?

Building genuine relationships is key. Publicists and authors can engage with book bloggers by offering personalized pitches, providing relevant content, respecting their schedules, and acknowledging their contributions. It’s essential to approach collaborations as a partnership that benefits both parties and their audiences.

Q: Looking forward, do you see any emerging trends or changes in the relationship between book blogging and book marketing?

As technology evolves, immersive experiences like virtual book clubs, interactive content, and multimedia reviews may gain prominence in book blogging. The relationship between book bloggers and marketing may deepen as influencers continue to shape literary conversations and bridge the gap between authors, publishers, and readers.

For more information about Palamedes PR and its book marketing services, go to www.palamedes.co.uk or call 0208 1036883

Imran Mahmood at Hull Noir #ImranMahmood #FindingSophie #HullNoir

On Wednesday 17 April Imran Mahmood @imranmahmood777 was the guest of Hull Noir https://www.hullnoir.com/ @HullNoir to talk about his latest crime novel Finding Sophie and how he manages to juggle a writing career with being a criminal barrister. Host for the evening and the man asking the questions was local crime author Nick Quantrill https://www.nickquantrill.co.uk/ @NickQuantrill a co-director of Hull Noir.

Imran Mahmood in conversation with Nick Quantrill

As a rule, I attend Hull Noir events in person, but this time I was in La Palma enjoying a pleasant spring break in the Canary Islands sunshine. Fortunately, as well as these events being free to attend in person, they also provide a free livestream so there was no reason to miss out. As you will see from the photograph of my laptop screen the picture quality was excellent, as was the sound. Thanks to the wonders of X/Twitter I was even able to reserve a signed and dedicated copy of Finding Sophie from Julie of J.E. Books https://jebookshull.wordpress.com/ @JEBooksHull, our local independent bookseller who can be found at all of these events.

The event, including a Q&A session ran for an hour but there follows a flavour of what was discussed.

Background

In writing Finding Sophie IM wanted to explore the very worst thing that can happen to parents, a child going missing, what their reactions are and how they deal with a sense of grief it causes. Here the reactions of the parents are very different, but he is trying to find the real voice of the characters.

NQ added that he was impressed with the social realism that runs through Finding Sophie, the threats of violence (but don’t kill the dog!), the help of a clairvoyant and how the sex worker was ignored.

Teachers

NQ pointed out that both the parents in the novel are teachers and asks why. IM said that he wanted to acknowledge the role that teachers has played in forming his life, those that have helped and inspired him to achieve what he has. He jokingly remarked that teenagers were terrifying and that teachers have to deal with them everyday at school. It is easy for adults to dismiss teenagers for having it easy, but they must deal with a world that is constantly changing, ever faster, and also come with the physical and mental changes as they go through puberty and into adulthood.

Why crime?

NQ wanted to know why write crime fiction and not some brilliant legal courtroom drama, of which he observed there were so few are set in the UK. Since the days of Rumpole of the Bailey there has been so little which IM puts down, at least in some degree, to all the paraphernalia of wigs and gowns which hide actors on the screen. The main difference he points out is that the UK courts are much slower and less dramatic. A forensically realistic UK legal drama would be a rather boring read IM suggests. When he wrote his first novel, he asked his wife for her opinion on his draft, and she told him to the cut the boring legal bits.

So, he naturally decided to write crime, coming into daily contact with a wide variety of miscreants and creepy characters.  Of course he has some great stories to tell which I won’t elaborate here, as that would be akin to spoiling a stand-up comedian’s act.

Screenwriting

IM’s 2017 novel You Don’t Know Me was adapted for television, he was fortunate to have some input into the production, but it was Tom Edge who wrote the screenplay. IM has since been asked to work on screenwriting, which he is at pains to stress is a whole different skill set to being a novelist. The main difference is that you cannot get into the characters mind and express their thoughts, so as there is a difference between showing and telling, here the screenplay is much more direct and tells you what happens. The actual writing process is different too, particularly when it comes to the editing stage. A novel will have an editor, possibly two and go through perhaps three or four drafts; a screenplay could have the input of as many as fifty people at the editing stage before it is filmed.

Work-life balance

NQ wanted to know how he could manage to juggle two demanding careers. IM said that he has always enjoyed writing, he has done it in some form most of his life and writing late into the night is ingrained. His success has meant that he has become more selective in the legal work he accepts, which allows him a little more time to write and now he is able to produce a book a year.

Finding Sophie can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The blurb

Sophie King is missing.

Her parents, Harry and Zara, are distraught; for the last seventeen years, they’ve done everything for their beloved only daughter and now she’s gone.

The police have no leads, and Harry and Zara are growing increasingly frantic, although they are both dealing with it in very different ways. Increasingly obsessed with their highly suspicious neighbour who won’t open the door or answer any questions, they are both coming to the same conclusion. If they want answers, they’re going to have to take the matter into their own hands.

But just how far are they both prepared to go for the love of their daughter?

The author

Imran Mahmood is a practicing barrister with thirty years’ experience fighting cases in courtrooms across the country. His previous novels have been highly critically acclaimed: You Don’t Know Me was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice, Goldsboro Book of the Month and was shortlisted for the Glass Bell Award; both this and I Know What I Saw were longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year and the CWA Gold Dagger. You Don’t Know Me was also made into a hugely successful BBC1 adaptation in association with Netflix. When not in court or writing novels or screenplays he can sometimes be found on the Red Hot Chilli Writers’ podcast as one of their regular contributors. He hails from Liverpool but now lives in London with his wife and daughters. 

Coming up in May at Hull Noir:

Back From the Dead #HeidiAmsinck #BackFromTheDead

By Heidi Amsinck https://heidiamsinck.co.uk/ @HeidiAmsinck1

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

375 pages ISBN 9781739123857

Publication date 18 April 2024

Back From the Dead is the third book in the Jensen series. Click on the links to read my reviews of My Name is Jensen and The Girl in the Photo the first two books in the 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 @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publisher.

The cover

What at first appears a bit of a low-key cover, not one that immediately grabs the attention, is a rather good one. There’s the ever-popular silhouette, of Jensen with her bicycle, looking across the Copenhagen waterfront, again another winner, but it also manages to convey a sense of being an outsider and looking in. For me it captures the spirit of the novel.

My review

Its June and Copenhagen is experiencing a heatwave as record temperatures are being recorded, and all crime fiction readers know this leads to frayed tempers. DI Henrik Jungersen is preparing to go on holiday with the family to Italy, something he is not looking forward to with relish. When a headless corpse surfaces in the harbour Henrik just has to get involved. The reader knows what he is doing; his wife is certainly knows what he is up to, but her ire is more dampened to more of a resigned disappointment. Of course, he promises to join them once progress has been made on the case, but she understands the reality of the situation, he’s using it as an excuse to opt out of the holiday.

Investigative reporter Jensen is feeling the heat too in the offices of Dagbladet. They are going through yet another round of redundancies now the newspaper has been bought by a Swedish investment fund. The newspaper industry is in a state of flux as the effects of technology and the internet are felt, but these cuts are deep including the senior crime reporter. Jensen is now placed in charge of crime, something she is reluctant to take on, but the alternative is redundancy for herself.

Jensen’s friend the MP Esben Nørregaard approaches her with a little problem, something he wants dealing with on the quiet, without involving the police. Whilst he has been out of the country his driver Aziz, a Syrian refugee, has disappeared. Esben has been receiving threats by email and hints at some shady past dealings, but fears involving the police will attract undue attention to Aziz and his family. Aziz is a friend of Jensen as is the resourceful coffee vendor Liron (who makes the best coffee in Copenhagen) and she will do anything she can for them regardless of their backgrounds.

A Cracking follow up to The Girl in the Picture and this is one novel where the reader would benefit by reading the earlier stories. Back from the Dead can be enjoyed as a stand alone but as the reader will discover some earlier threads are tied up along the way.

Jensen is a journalist of the old-school rather than the modern, online, clickbait variety. After 14 years in England, she has recently returned to Copenhagen unsure of what the future holds and looking for something solid to anchor her life to. Initially working freelance she is now full time at Dagbladet where her boss Margrethe recognises her value as a real journalist and sees a bit of herself in Jensen. Jensen also provides her with a ready-made ‘babysitter’ for nephew Gustav, who has had to leave school at least temporarily. After a period of irritation Jensen starts to like the foolish, reckless and very keen Gustav and they form the sort of unlikely alliance that give a novel a bit of zing. Gustav provides the humour and the light-hearted moments that a story involving headless corpses needs.

Central to the story is the relationship between Jensen and Henrik. Once lovers they are trying to be ‘friends’ though a rekindling of the past can never be ruled out. Henrik is in a can’t live with, can’t live without position, needing Jensen in his life but at the same time unwilling to abandon his home life and children. Jensen is trying to move on, now being in a relationship with her landlord the billionaire businessman Kristoffer Bro. Henrik doesn’t approve and makes his feelings clear, suggesting that Jensen knows little of him and certainly not of his dark past. She feels that Henrik is being the archetypal spurned lover who is reluctant to give up, harbouring the if I can have you then nobody can attitude. After thinking that she could find happiness with Kristoffer, Henrik has now sown the seeds of doubt. The dynamic of this relationship is critical to the series. It is perfectly judged to produce the right balance between interest in the characters and in the plot.

The story moves along at a brisk enough pace, never so quick that the characters cannot express themselves but when it reaches the conclusion it progresses with appropriate urgency. It is a story where there is always something going on, sometimes in the background away from the action, so the reader is encouraged to keep reading a bit more. Don’t be surprised if that ‘just one more chapter’ means you end up reading much later than intended.

The plot is intricate rather than complex, twisting around so the reader is never quite sure what to expect. The killers are wonderfully dumb, managing to leave a key piece of evidence behind. In crime fiction there is the desire for a criminal mastermind, but most, certainly those that are caught are usually done so due to their stupidity or incompetence. In this case it certainly got a chuckle out of me. The violence is low key and not graphic but there are headless bodies, bloodshed and beatings. The motivation throughout is control over people and how it is achieved, be it emotional, coercive, financial or debt of honour.  

Back from the Dead is another compelling slice of Scandi-Noir with a determined heroine seeking the truth and uncovering much more than she bargained for.

Back from the Dead can be purchased direct from the publisher here.

The author

Heidi Amsinck won the Danish Criminal Academy’s Debut Award for My Name is Jensen (2021), the first book in a new series featuring Copenhagen reporter sleuth Jensen and her motley crew of helpers. She published her second Jensen novel, The Girl in Photo, in July 2022, with the third due out in February 2024. A journalist by background, Heidi spent many years covering Britain for the Danish press, including a spell as London Correspondent for the broadsheet daily Jyllands-Posten. She has written numerous short stories for BBC Radio 4, such as the three-story sets Danish Noir, Copenhagen Confidential and Copenhagen Curios, all produced by Sweet Talk and featuring in her collection Last Train to Helsingør (2018). Heidi’s work has been translated from the original English into Danish, German and Czech.

Don’t forget to check out the other great reviews on this blog tour:

Indie Press Network Spring Showcase – Genre Fiction #IndiePressNetwork

On 10 April the Indie Press Network held its Spring Showcase via a Zoom meeting, which I was fortunate to be invited to join. The presentation was hosted by Marina Sofia of Corylus Books and featured six small independent published talking about their books that are about to be published this spring, or recently published.

To receive more information about the Indie Press Network sign up for their regular newsletter.

Arachne Press

Arachne Press is a small publisher of fiction and poetry by writers who are LGBTQ+, disabled, Global Majority, older women, and/or geographically isolated.

Getting by in Tligolian

The City-State of Tligol is ruled by dictators, holds monthly public executions and is haunted by a benign, fishing, giant, but by and large the inhabitants are content, and the food is amazing. The perfect place for a city break, just as long as you don’t want to leave. Ever.

Language has its own relationship to time.

When Jennifer falls for Sam at his execution, she doesn’t immediately realise that she can still find and live with him; but the city of Tligol has trains that will take her anywhere, including her own past, and future, and multiple possible variations, just as long as she doesn’t leave the city. Jennifer rides the trains, loops around in time and sets an unplanned series of events in motion. For lovers of The City and The City… and Hotel California!

Corylus Books

Corylus Books is a place to discover new voices, translated crime fiction with a social edge.

Corylus had two books to promote, one of which I have already reviewed and blogged (Rodolfo Walsh’s Last Case), the other (Murder under the Midnight Sun) I will be blogging on 10 May.

Rodolfo Walsh’s Last Case

A key figure in the politics and literature of Argentina, Rodolfo Walsh wrote his iconic Letter to my Friends in December 1976, recounting the murder of his daughter Victoria by the military dictatorship. Just a few months later, he was killed in a shoot-out – just one of the Junta’s many thousands of victims.

What if this complex figure – a father, militant, and writer who delved the regime’s political crimes – had also sought to reveal the truth of his own daughter’s death?

Elsa Drucaroff’s imagining of Rodolfo Walsh undertaking the most personal investigation of his life is an electrifying, suspense-filled drama in which love and life decisions are inseparable from political convictions as he investigates the mystery of what happened to his own daughter.
The head of intelligence for Montoneros, a clandestine Peronist organisation co-ordinating armed resistance against the dictatorship, Rodolfo Walsh was also a prolific writer and journalist, seen as the forerunner of the true crime genre with his 1957 book Operation Massacre.

What if beneath the surface of his Letter to my Friends lay a gripping story lost to history?

Murder under the Midnight Sun

What does a woman do when her husband’s charged with the frenzied murder of her father and her best friend? She calls in Stella Blómkvist to investigate – however unwelcome the truth could turn out to be.

Smart, ruthless and with a flexible moral code all of her own, razor-tongued lawyer Stella Blómkvist is also dealing with a desperate
deathbed request to track down a young woman who vanished a decade ago.

It looks like a dead end, but she agrees to pick up the stone-cold trail – and she never gives up, even if the police did a long time ago.
Then there’s the mystery behind the arm that emerges from an ice cap, with a mysterious ruby ring on one frozen finger? How does this connect to another unexplained disappearance, and why were the police at the time so keen to write it off as a tragic accident?
Brutal present-day crimes have their roots in the past that some people would prefer to stay forgotten.
As Stella pieces together the fragments, is she getting too close to the truth and making herself a target for ruthless men determined to conceal secret sins?

Hobeck Books

Hobeck Books, based in Staffordshire, is a family-run independent publisher of award-winning crime, thriller, mystery and suspense books. They publish approximately twelve titles per year.

Hobeck Books also had two books to showcase, one of which I have already reviewed and blogged (Edge of the Land), the other (The Midnight Man) I will be blogging on 1 May.

Edge of the Land

The waterways of the Liverpool docks contain many ghosts and shadows. It’s a place to disappear… or die.

Detective Inspector April Decent and Detective Sergeant Skeeter Warlock fear for the welfare of a vulnerable young man injured in an attack ordered by drug dealers. Originally questioned at the scene, Danny Maynard denies the attack and refuses to co-operate with the police. He soon disappears. Clues to his whereabouts are seeded, a cry for help maybe, but he continues to be elusive.

The team are also dealing with a spate of deaths in the city, with one thing in common: the victims are all homeless and seemingly ravaged by addiction. Once that connection is realised – the hunt for a potential serial killer is on.

Is there a link between the missing man and the other deaths? Could he be the missing piece of the puzzle which will solve the mystery behind the brutal murders?

The Midnight Man

Winter 1946

One cold dark night, as a devastated London shivers through the transition to post-war life, a young nurse goes missing from the South London Hospital for Women & Children. Her body is discovered hours later behind a locked door.

Two women from the hospital join forces to investigate the case. Determined not to return to the futures laid out for them before the war, the unlikely sleuths must face their own demons and dilemmas as they pursue – The Midnight Man.

BEWARE THE DARKNESS BENEATH

Jantar Publishing

Jantar Publishing is an independent publisher of Central European Contemporary Literary Fiction, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction and Poetry based in London.

Newton’s Brain

A genius and trickster, apparently dies at the Battle of Königgrätz in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. However, he has not died and instead is able to procure the brain of Isaac Newton to replace his own. Subsequently, he uses Newton’s knowledge of the laws of nature to overcome them, using a strange device to travel faster than the speed of light, and also to photograph the past. Newton’s Brain was published 18 years before H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine, and has been considered a strong influence on Wells.

The author. Jakub Arbes (12 June 1840, Prague (Smíchov) – 8 April 1914) was a Czech writer and intellectual. He is best known as the creator of the literary genre called romanetto and spent much of his professional life in France.In 1867, he began his career in journalism as editor of Vesna Kutnohorská, and from 1868 to 1877, as the chief editor of the National Press. Arbes was also an editor of political magazines Hlas (The Voice) and Politiky (Politics), and a sympathizer of the Májovci literary group. During this time, Arbes was persecuted and spent 15 months in the Czech Lipa prison, for leading opposition to the ruling Austro-Hungarian Empire.[1] He left Prague soon after, spending time in Paris and the South of France as part of the intellectual community there. In France, he was an associate of other “Bohemian Parisiens” such as Paul Alexis, Luděk Marold, Guy de Maupassant, Viktor Oliva, and Karel Vítězslav Mašek, as well as the French writer Émile François Zola.

Sans. Press

Sans. PRESS is a Limerick-based indie press with a love for short stories. Under the motto fresh & weird, we celebrate new voices and narratives.

Stranger

This will be an anthology of short stories and if the cover is anything to go by they are likely to be very strange indeed.

Wild Hunt Books

Wild Hunt Books’s mission is to foster strong and distinct literary voices and those experimenting with narrative, plot, structure, and authors dabbling in darker genres and liminal spaces.

Bear Season

When Jade Hunter goes missing in the Alaskan wilderness, everyone is shocked. She was scheduled to speak at an academic symposium but never turned up. What was Jade really doing in Alaska?  

Blood is found in the woods and suspicion immediately falls on the reclusive survivalist Ursula Smith. She is swiftly arrested and convicted of Jade’s murder – even though a body has not been found.   

Several years later, Jade’s doctoral thesis leaks online, fuelling rumour and conspiracy over the true nature of her disappearance, leading investigative journalist Carla Young to dig through Jade’s life and discover what did happen to Jade Hunter. 

Whitechapel Autumn of Error #IanPorter #WhitechapelAutumnofError

By Ian Porter https://londontownwalks.com/

Published by Matador @matadorbooks

384 pages ISBN 9781805143987

Publication date 24 February 2024

I was sent an electronic copy and selected extract to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and the Publisher.

An extract from Whitechapel Autumn of Error

Nash was quickly on the corner looking on, with just his head peeking out from the side of a warehouse in the square, well hidden in the gloom. After what appeared to be a short negotiation, the man guided the woman out of sight into a dark spot. They had no doubt moved to avoid standing beneath the square’s solitary streetlamp, a little more privacy being required. This was awkward. If Nash moved towards them, they would see him under the streetlight before he saw them. And the square was overlooked by warehouses and a two-storey house. Somebody gawping out of an upstairs window would see him commit the robbery. 

He decided on a different tactic. He would wait for the man to finish his business, after which he would be in a hurry to get away and would leave the woman to attend to herself. She might need to take out her sponge in the privacy of the square as soon as the client had gone. Or if it had been just a kneetrembler, she would want to wash her hands and apron. Either way, she would be looking for a puddle. There would be time for Nash to cosh and rob his prey just after the man had passed by the gas lamp. By the time the woman appeared he would be gone. If she was of a mind to, there would be time for her to give the man a kick in the ribs as she stepped over him. Nash liked to think she would. 

The time dragged frustratingly. 

Blimey, thought Nash, he’s taking his bleeding time. I’m standing here like two of eels!

Nash’s mind wandered, thinking of the most recent occasion he had himself been attacked. It was an occupational hazard for anyone in his line of business. There were always others out there looking to wreak violence for the same reason as him. The hunter became the hunted. There had been two of them. He had left them both lying in pain on the cobbles. It would have been worse for them, but he saw how young and poverty-stricken they looked; just lads with their arses hanging out their trousers, trying to earn a crust.

There was movement. The man had re-entered the lit part of the square and was coming towards him. Nash’s fingers curled around the cosh inside his right pocket. While his mind had been wandering, he had not been his usual alert self, but instinct now told him to have a quick look about him before making his move. 

It was just as well he did. A uniformed policeman was walking towards him. He was not taking any particular interest in Nash and would soon pass by and be gone, so the attack was only postponed for a moment or two. Turning towards the officer, Nash felt in his left pocket for a dog-end and a Lucifer match, both of which he kept there for precisely moments like this, struck the match on the brickwork of the wall at his side, curled both hands around it and lit the cigarette now in his mouth. He then walked towards the policeman, looked straight ahead till almost in front of him before glancing his way casually, momentarily as he passed. It was exactly what an innocent man just going about his business would do. The uniformed man returned the glance but no more than that and continued making his way down the street. Nash feigned the cigarette going out, clicking his tongue with irritation as he stopped to relight it, turning his body slightly as he cupped his hands again, and glanced back. 

The constable stopped suddenly. Nash cursed to himself, but then let out his breath in relief when he saw why the uniformed man had stopped. He was unfurling his raincoat. Another shower had started. Suitably attired against the elements, the policeman turned the next corner and disappeared out of sight. Nash saw no sign of his quarry. He surmised the man had obviously spotted the policeman too and retreated into the darkest part of the square waiting for the coast to clear. 

Nash knew he would have to move quickly now to catch his man in the square. He started to retrace his steps but within a second his prey appeared, looking about him in all directions, eyes wide open, staring wildly. Taken by surprise, Nash averted his gaze, put his head down and carried on walking past. He felt the man’s stare boring in to the back of his neck, before hearing footsteps moving off in the opposite direction. 

Nash crossed the street at once, so he had an angle to look in the direction of the footsteps without turning around. The man was scuttling away, head down just as Nash would have expected. But suddenly he slowed to a stroll and straightened, stretching his neck out like a clerk in a collar a size too small. He was making a conscious effort to appear at ease with the world and his place in. Nash looked on with a grim expression. He thought it amazing what a quick bit of ‘how’s your father’ could do. 

The immediate moment to strike had gone, but Nash would follow him till the moment was again right to pounce. He ducked into the dark part of the square where the man had just had his pleasure, to wait a few seconds before following him again. There was no sign of the woman. She should have been out by now. 

Nash wondered if her client had hurt the poor old cow. 

He stepped quickly along to check on her. He would still have time to return to his slow-moving prey. It was pitch-dark but he could just about make out the dim outline of what appeared to be a pile of scattered old clothes. He took another few steps closer and saw it was the body of a woman. She was dead. 

Nash struck a match. The woman’s sexual area had been attacked with a knife, her throat cut and face slashed. A replacement match enabled Nash to note that whilst there was blood, given the horrendous damage done to the body, remarkably little of it.

He had seen many terrible things, instigated some of them, but this was not right. This was pure evil. He lurched back into the alley, then back to the street and stopped to look along it in both directions. No coppers. Nobody else either, except at the far end of the street, a man in a deerstalker was folding away a large slaughterman’s knife in on itself before slipping it into a coat pocket. 

Nash started to run after the figure, but he could not get his breath. It was like he normally felt at the end of a run round the marshes. He could not make any sense of it. Then his lungs began to fill. But accompanying the oxygen coursing through him was anger and unease in equal measure. 

People notice runners, he thought, especially at night. If you’re running, you’ve been up to something. Dogs bark; chase after you. Coppers get interested. Seen running away from a murder, his neck would be stretched for sure and not like a clerks’ in a tight collar. 

Nash slowed to a walk. The killer, little more than twenty yards away, set off again. Nash took a deep lungful of putrid air through his nostrils and followed. Fearful of losing his target in the darkness, he closed the gap. He was now within the man’s earshot so needed to sprint forward and overpower him before he had time to reach for his knife. Nash was about to strike when he hesitated and stopped in his tracks. A thought had struck him like a lightning bolt. He allowed the man to go on his way, unmolested. 

Nash had made a profound decision. He had chosen not to attack the man the moment it dawned on him that he was following the Whitechapel Murderer. 

The Blurb

Whitechapel 1888; a killer is on the loose and the newspapers are ensuring the nation knows all about not just the crimes but the terrible living conditions in which they are being perpetrated.

Nashey, a tough, scary yet charismatic man of the night, whose mother had to prostitute herself when he was a boy, knows the identity of the killer but keeps it a secret. He believes the publicity generated by the murders is forcing the authorities to address the poverty and degradation in the area. He allows the killer to remain free (whilst ensuring no more women are attacked) so the unsolved murders continue to dominate the headlines. He meets Sookey, an eccentric middle-class slummer and civilising influence. The two of them share a mutual friend, Mary Kelly, a fiery young prostitute whose back-story tells of how she was reduced to such a life.

To fund his surveillance of the killer, Nashey agrees, against his better judgement, to assist an old adversary to commit a daring night robbery under the noses of the huge police presence in the area.

Is it too late for Nashey and Mary to correct their mistakes?

My review

My review will appear later in April.

Whitechapel Autumn of Error can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Ian Porter is a historian, lecturer, public speaker and walks guide. He has a particular interest in women’s history and social history. His novels are renowned for being extremely well researched and historically accurate. Whitechapel Autumn of Error is a typically feminist, social history novel that brings the dark streets of the East End 1888 to life. He has written several other novels including the highly acclaimed Suffragette Autumn Women’s Spring, set during the fight for the vote for women, and a Plague On Both Your Houses, set in both London & Berlin in 1918/19 during the final months of the Great War and the Spanish Flu. Ian is getting on a bit (well, aged 69). His grandparents were young adults living in East London at the time of the Whitechapel Murders.  

Don’t forget to check out the other stops on this blog tour:

Honour Among Spies #MerleNygate #HonourAmongSpies

By Merle Nygate https://merlenygate.com/ @MerleNygate

Published by Bedford Square Publishers https://bedfordsquarepublishers.co.uk/ @bedsqpublishers (an imprint of No Exit Press https://noexit.co.uk/ @noexitpress)

401 pages ISBN 9781915798381

Publication date 11 April 2024

Honour Among Spies is the second book in the Eli Amiran series.

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

My review

Eli Amiran is Mossad’s head of station in London, a man under pressure both personally and professionally. Still processing the fallout from a disastrous operation, that cost the life of one of his operatives, he needs to prove he is still up to the job, still able to operate at the top.

An unexpected opportunity arises following a courtesy meeting with Nicolai, his new Russian counterpart in London. The plan is certainly audacious and high stakes, but if successful will produce significant results; a long shot but occasionally they do come off. The Russians are desperate to secure a supply of drones. Eli realises that a long-term embedded Israeli asset might be to introduce special chips provided by Mossad into the drones, effectively a ‘poison pill’ to provide data and controls to them.

A regular meeting with CIA and MI5 colleagues highlights an unwanted distraction. A group of right leaning evangelist Christians are relocating to the UK and should be placed firmly on all watchlists. A bit of a headache but it provides Eli with an opportunity to sideline some office irritants.

There note at the start of the novel stating that it was written prior to the events of October 2023, when there was a significant shift to the geo-political landscape in the Middle East. Certainly, the timing feels almost prescient and as you read along there’s a sense that it could almost be in real time. Very eerie.

This is the real dirty business of espionage on the page, with little of the 60’s glamour. There are high-tech gadgets, but these are for surveillance rather than exploding pens and laser watches of James Bond’s Q division. Many feel we are living in a world where almost our every move is observed and nothing you read here will dispel that idea. Even the more outlandish proposals are so plausible they may well be grounded in reality. Perhaps George Orwell was essentially correct in 1984.

This is a novel about the deceit and betrayal within the ‘spy game’, which are invoked with convincing intensity. It’s a dirty profession, much depending upon the ability to convince others to betray their government, country and people. The reader gets an insight into the recruitment process, summarised by the acronym MICE, money, ideology, coercion and ego. An unpleasant job, but one that must be done, regardless of the human cost. Crime fiction readers are used to their heroes have troubled personal lives, here it is ratcheted up several notches, as they literally must live a lie. Relationships are based upon trust, how far can a partner be trusted when they cannot speak the truth, something Eli comes to discover.

Espionage is frequently likened to a game and reading this story the parallels are easy to spot. If it is a game, then it is one of strategy and subterfuge, like a complex three-dimensional game of chess, albeit one when pieces are lost from the board it may well be fatal. Here the author has done a fabulous job of building a complex plot around two apparently disparate threads which naturally come together. This kind of plotting cannot be rushed, so naturally much of the story is quite steady, which might disappoint the fans of out and out thrillers, but my advice would be to stick with it and you will be rewarded. The first threequarters is like winding up a clockwork toy, building up the anticipation gradually with just one more turn… Then the lever is flipped, it explodes into action and there is the delayed gratification. There is a release of anger, violence, scenes of real jeopardy and even a touch of gratuitous torture but delivered with an emotional intensity. These are heat of the moment actions not those of a cold-blooded psychopath.

It is a story of conflicted characters and how they deal with their issues alongside their work. Eli and Gal’s marriage has become tainted by guilt and lies, with early clues to the angst to come. Asset Petra has her own relationship issues with Matt but it is her recruitment of 22 year old Tom that begins to trouble her. Tom wants to become a famous investigative journalist and is excited at the opportunity presented, on that will put him in grave danger. Petra’s deception begins to bother her, Tom’s enthusiasm and naivety may prevent her from ‘deactivating’ him as he believes he is a journalist and not a spy. Then there is a double agent, or at least one who tries to play more than one side. The motivation here appears to be purely financial, but the repercussions are far reaching.

Honour Among Spies perfectly captures the intensity, danger and deceit within the world of espionage.

Honour Among Spies can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

Merle Nygate is a screenwriter, script editor, screenwriting lecturer and
novelist; she’s worked on BAFTA winning TV, New York Festival audio drama
and written original sitcoms; previously she worked for BBC Comedy
Commissioning as well as writing and script editing across multiple genres.
Most recently, Merle completed her first espionage novel which won the Little
Brown/UEA Crime Fiction Award. It was described by the judge as ‘outstanding’.

Don’t forget to check out all the other reviews on this blog tour:

Edge of the Land #MalcolmHollingdrake #EdgeOfTheLand

By Malcolm Hollingdrake https://malcolmhollingdrakeauthor.co.uk @MHollingdrake

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

262 pages ISBN 9781915817419

Publication date 16 April 2024

Edge of the Land is the third book in the Merseyside Crime Series. Click on the link to read my review of Catch as Catch Can the first book in the 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 of course the author for the invitation to participate.

The cover

A distinctive local landmark is always a great bet for a cover and this one is magnificent. It’s a clocktower from Liverpool Docks which ends up playing a part in the story. If you visit Liverpool it’s something to look out for.

• 

My review

The waterways of the Liverpool docks contain many ghosts and shadows. It’s a place to disappear… a place to die. (from the blurb)

Well, that should grab the attention of the potential reader and it’s a great summary of the novel.

The death of one homeless alcoholic on the streets sadly is no shock; just another tragic statistic, someone with bad luck, let down by the system or by family and friends. A second death in similar circumstances a couple of days later, registers as unusual with the police, but there seems to be no connection or suspicious circumstances for now. However, it will soon become clear that they have a serial killer on their hands…

Danny Maynard is a young man who is no stranger to trouble and has already served time for drugs offences. When attacked and savagely beaten on the orders of a drugs gang, he denies it to the police and goes on the run. Slipping into the shadows, he is off their radar but DI April Decent and DS Skeeter Warlock are fearful for his safety. Danny does appear to be a survivor though and a resourceful one, as he leaves a series of clues behind like a trail of virtual breadcrumbs.

A two-strand storyline with one baffling and motiveless; the other with a puzzle at its core. The plotting is very clever to make this story come together and maintain the intrigue throughout.

The murder of the homeless people is quite shocking in its callousness, such that the reader will think who would do such a thing and why? This feeling is accentuated by the humanity which the author gives these victims, their circumstances may tragic, but these are people with feelings trying to keep hold of some semblance of dignity. There are sadly many such people on our streets and they all have a story to tell, sometimes it is just bad luck or a need to escape abuse that sees them there.

The puzzle is a cracker, it takes the form of photographs left behind on a mobile phone. These are subtle clues though, the pictures are not easy to decipher as they’re taken odd angles, are close ups or part details. A real rebus for the squad to solve, as they embark on a Magical Mystery Tour of the City requiring a team effort to solve. Different officers latch onto things they recognise, which is more realistic than a Sherlock like supersleuth figuring it all out. It’s all very cleverly assembled and I’m sure that people familiar with Liverpool will enjoy identifying the locations as they read along. It’s a little bit harder for those of us with little knowledge of the city, it’s a shame that these photographs are not reproduced even if just on his website.

One thing is clear though is the affection the author has for Liverpool, which brings a vibrancy to the prose. He doesn’t avoid the grubby, seedy, run down parts of the city, they are used to pronounced effect, as are the waterways of canals and working dock areas. Overall, though, the portrayal is that of a modern, vibrant city, one that is changing but steadfastly proud of its heritage and welcoming to the visitor. Buy the book, organise your city break now and check out the landmarks, statues and musical past.

Another fine aspect is that not all the characters are polarised, but rather shown is shades of light and dark. Danny can hardly be regarded as good, but as the reader discovers more of his background he will be seen in a more sympathetic light, and I found myself rooting for him. A common theme throughout is whether characters possess the capacity to change, to escape their past and even break the cycle of brutality. It has been established that the victims of abuse can go on to be an abuser themselves, but it doesn’t have to be so if other opportunities are presented. It can also fester as a desire for revenge.

April and Skeeter are great central characters, determined but also well balanced and they provide counterpoint to the angst of the storyline. It’s not all about them tough as DC Kasum Kapoor DC Tony Price do much of the leg work, as you would expect their rank to. They also inject banter and light-hearted moments. Overall, the chemistry between the team members becomes believable.

The clues are a fantastic way of controlling the pace of the narrative; no matter what resources and urgency the police introduce there is always a feeling that they are a couple of steps behind. Then the tipping point is reached, and everything unwinds a race against time. Nothing about the story is given away cheaply, so the jigsaw pieces only start to fit together in the final chapters, leaving a satisfying finale that demonstrates we all need a plan in life.

Edge of the Land is an thrilling police procedural packed with contrasts and mystery.

Edge of the Land can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Photograph (c) Tony Bithell

You could say that the writing was clearly on the wall for someone born in a library that they might aspire to be an author, but to get to that point Malcolm Hollingdrake has travelled a circuitous route. Malcolm worked in education for many years, including teaching in Cairo for a while. Malcolm has been happily married to Debbie for over forty years. They met in their first weekend at Ripon college through strange and unusual circumstances. Serendipity was certainly cupid on that occasion. Malcolm has written a number of successful short stories, has twelve books now published in the Harrogate Crime Series. He is also working on the third book of the Merseyside Crime Series which Hobeck will be publishing. The books introduce us to DI April Decent and DS Skeeter Warlock. Malcolm has enjoyed many diverse hobbies including flying light aircraft, gliders and paragliders, learning to fly at Liverpool Airport, designing and making leaded windows and collecting works by Northern artists.

Don’t forget to check out all the other great reviews on this blog tour:

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The Kitchen #SimoneBuchholz #TheKitchen

By Simone Buchholz @ohneKlippo

Translated by Rachel Ward http://www.forwardtranslations.co.uk/ @FwdTranslations

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

276 pages ISBN 9781916788077

Publication date 11 April 2024

The Kitchen is the seventh Chastity Riley novel published by Orenda Books and the second of the Chastity Reloaded series. Click on the link to read my earlier reviews of Blue Night, Hotel Cartegena, River Clyde and The Acapulco.

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 @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publisher.

The cover

Once again, the neon sign style, this time against the backdrop of Hamburg and a lovely variant of the skull and crossbones motif. A great cover.

My review

Chastity Riley is busy preparing for a case against a gang of human traffickers, men recruiting young Romanian women and girls with promises of legitimate work, but which of course ends up as prostitution. After their spirit is broken by rape, they are effectively prisoners expected to service ten men a day. The evidence is strong, but Chastity is determined that the case must be watertight; these men must pay for what they have done.

Hamburg is suffering from a heat wave, with no respite on the dusty streets, conjuring up images of spaghetti westerns to Chastity. Here she imagines she strides like Clint Eastwood, cigarette in mouth rather than a cigar as she brings law and order…

When neatly packaged male body parts are washed up on the river Elbe the police are stumped, they have head, hands and feet but no torso. A policewoman remarks to Chastity that the parcels are too well wrapped to have been done by a man. Then parts of a second body wash up. A pattern developed; both victims were men who treated women abominably.

Klatsche finds Chastity’s best friend Carla in a terrible state, she’s been brutally attacked by two men. Chastity persuades Carla to report the attack to the police, but she discovers that to them it’s just another case number added to a log jammed system. Progress is slow, almost to a state of callous disregard.

Another scorching addition to a fabulous series, one that slices to the heart of the matter, the ill treatment of women by some men. I’m sure it’s happened throughout human history, but in our modern civilised world it is still far too common. A timely novel as women’s hard-fought rights are under threat.   

The author has a very individual style, with pared back prose where all superfluous words and actions are excised, leaving a story with laser like focus. What the reader is left with is a series of remarkable character vignettes, some weird, some funny, whilst others are touching, interspaced with events ranging from bizarre to the mundane. This slightly staccato form may not be to every reader’s taste but it’s never dull or boring. The prose is sharp, concise and at times very witty; the chapters are short and punchy, one being merely a single sentence, but somehow they seem just right. A perfect example where less is actually more, the reader focusing on every single word. Once again Rachel Ward does a wonderful job of translating from German but keeping all these characteristics within a text that flows almost rhythmically at times.

There are elements of the hard-boiled, but there are no detailed descriptions of how characters are dress or a cigarette is rolled, instead there is more of a delve into the character and motivation of the key players. The events of this story having a profound effect upon Chastity who is very much a woman of justice, one who believes in the sanctity of the law. Instead, she is first ambivalent and then seriously conflicted, as can be expected when events affect a loved one or someone close. It’s almost as if we can see her moral compass wilding spinning as events unfold and we are presented with a very different Chastity. A bit of moral ambiguity to be faced up to, the obviously question being what we would do in just such a situation.

It is left to Chastity’s former boss Faller to provide the wisdom of the ages. Every day he sits by the old lighthouse with a fishing rod, though he appears to have little interest in catching anything. Like The Buddha masquerading as a garden gnome as he contemplates long-term retirement, it is Faller who provides the equilibrium Chastity so desperately needs.

The story arc may well become apparent, I certainly had more than an inkling, but dare I say may be more enjoyable because of this. In the way that Oliver Hardy comes crashing through a roof or chimney and is hit by a cascade of bricks, we know there will be one final one a couple of seconds later and still we wait and that’s the biggest laugh. Here we have a serious, painful subject suffused with a some very dark and macabre humour that enhances the message rather than diluting it. The balance is perfection.

The dialogue is a joy, succinct and punchy, buzzing along with a sense of energy. Chastity is a whip smart wit with a knack for the well timed put down or withering rebuke, even when they are not vocalised.

The imagery of life in kitchens and butchery figure throughout, amongst the short diversions are how to eviscerate and prepare a pig along with a recipe for black pudding, actions necessary for the diner to experience sumptuous meals. It also proves to be something of a metaphor for aspects of humanity we try to ignore.    

In The Kitchen violence against women is spatchcocked for all to see and served with a piquant sauce of macabre humour. As they say if you can’t stand the heat…

The Kitchen can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. The critically acclaimed Beton Rouge, Mexico Street, Hotel Cartagena and River Clyde all followed in the Chastity Riley series, with The Acapulco out in 2023. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.

The translator

Rachel Ward is a freelance translator of literary and creative texts from German and French to English. Having always been an avid reader and enjoyed word games and puzzles, she discovered a flair for languages at school and went on to study modern languages at the University of East Anglia. She spent the third year working as a language assistant at two grammar schools in Saaebrücken, Germany. During her final year, she realised that she wanted to put these skills and passions to use professionally and applied for UEA’s MA in Literary Translation, which she completed in 2002. Her published translations include Traitor by Gudrun Pausewang and Red Rage by Brigitte Blobel, and she is a member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting.

Don’t forget to check out the other great reviews on this blog tour:

Reading across the world – April: Germany – The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz; Denmark – Back From The Dead by Heidi Amsinck; Sark – The Stranger’s Companion by Mary Horlock #Germany #Denmark #Sark

After last month’s two visits to South America, my April reviews will be much nearer to home, all three being in Europe. Two are novels in series that I already am familiar with and the other is an unusual novel set in the Channel Islands.

The first stop is Hamburg in Germany for The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz, which I will be reviewing as part of the Random Things blog tour (on 15 April). This is book seven in the Chasity Riley series. If you are not familiar with the series then you are in for a treat. Chastity is a State Prosecutor but is more like a hard-boiled PI at times, with a tough kick-ass streak, whilst remaining some vulnerabilities and poor taste in men. The prose is fantastic, almost lyrical at times but totally stripped back as if every single word has been carefully considered.

Previous reviews in this series Blue Night, Hotel Cartegena, River Clyde and The Acapulco.

The Kitchen by Simone Buccholz

Published by Orenda Books on 11 April 2024

When neatly packed male body parts wash up by the River Elbe, Hamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues begin a perplexing investigation.

As the murdered men are identified, it becomes clear that they all had a history of abuse towards women, leading Riley to wonder if it would actually be in society’s best interests to catch the killers.

But when her best friend Carla is attacked, and the police show little interest in tracking down the offender, Chastity takes matters into her own hands and as a link between the two cases emerges, horrifying revelations threaten Chastity’s own moral compass … and put everything at risk.

The award-winning, critically acclaimed Chastity Riley series returns with a slick, hard-boiled, darkly funny thriller that tackles issues of violence and the
difference between law and justice with devastating insight, and an ending you
will never see coming…

Then on 25 April 2024 it is on to Copenhagen in Denmark for Back From The Dead by Heidi Amsinck which again is for the Random Things blog tour. This is book three in the Jensen series, which is another one of my personal favourites. Jensen is a freelance journalist who has returned to Copenhagen after a period in London. Can she find enough of a reason to make her stay? Her former lover DI Henrik Jungersen has split from his wife to add further complexity to Jensen’s life.

Previous reviews in this series The Call me Jensen and The Girl in the Photo.

Back from the Dead by Heidi Amsinck

Published by Muswell Press 18 April 2024

A Missing person … a headless corpse … Jensen is on the case.

June, and as Copenhagen swelters under record temperatures, a headless corpse surfaces in the murky harbour, landing a new case on the desk of DI Henrik Jungersen, just as his holiday is about to start.

Elsewhere in the city, Syrian refugee Aziz Almasi, driver to Esben Nørregaard MP has vanished. Fearing a link to shady contacts from his past, Nørregaard appeals to crime reporter Jensen to investigate.

Could the body in the harbour be Aziz? Jensen turns to former lover Henrik for help. As events spiral dangerously out of control, they are thrown together once more in the pursuit of evil, in a case more twisted and, more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.

Inbetween these two blog tours I will be posting my review of a novel set on the island of Sark in the Channel Islands which is set in 1933.

The Stranger’s Companion by Mary Horlock

Published by Baskerville on 20 June 2024

October 1933

With a population of five hundred souls, isolated Sark has a reputation for being ‘the island where nothing ever happens’. Until, one day, the neatly folded clothes of an unknown man and woman are discovered abandoned at a coastal beauty spot. As the search for the missing couple catches the attention of first the local and then national newspapers, Sark finds itself front-page news.

When young islander Phyllis Carey returns to Sark from England she throws herself into solving the mystery. As Phyll digs through swirls of gossip, ghost stories and dark rumours in search of the truth, she crosses paths with Everard Hyde, a surprise visitor from her past. As press coverage builds to fever pitch, long-suppressed secrets from Phyll’s and Everard’s shared, shadowy history begin to surface.

The Stranger’s Companion is a beguiling historical mystery inspired by a real-life crime, which remains unsolved to this day.