Liquid, Fragile, Perishable #CarolynKuebler #LiquidFragilePerishable

By Carolyn Kuebler https://www.carolynkuebler.com/

Published by Melville House https://mhpbooks.com/ @melvillehouse

343 pages ISBN 9781685891091

Publication date 9 May 2024

I was sent a paperback Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank Tom at the publisher for arranging this.

The Cover

Quite an unusual, stand out cover, with a picture of a honeycomb. Bee keeping is central to the story so rather apt.

My review

A debut novel, albeit from a woman steeped in the literary world, and a rather bold one at that. There is no real central plot that drives the novel, instead it is more structured like a collage of individual character-based stories. These stories manage to intersect, overlap or run parallel and represent just over a year in the lives of the inhabitants of a small rural, New England community. These stories reflect the joy, pain, pleasures and hardships faced by people and include most of what life has to offer. There are aspects of ‘the circle of life’ story but by covering only a year it concentrates on a series of personal journeys travelled by the townsfolk.   

The central picture of the collage is a simple teenage love story, where boy meets girl and they are instantly besotted. The boy is Willoughby (Will) Culper a city boy whose parents have just moved to the country and he is having a summer at home, before college. The girl is Dorothy (Honey) Mitchell the over protected daughter of evangelical Christian beekeepers. A story of star-crossed lovers that is captivating, with measures of joy and tragedy, and in keeping with classic literature.

Will’s parents have moved from New York; his mother Sarah wants to get back into weaving after a long break, whereas environmentalist father has the wanderlust and wants to travel and write more about global warming and conservation.

Honey’s parents David and Ruth (fine biblical names) run an apiary and during the winter months David does missionary work in the form of volunteering in Haiti and badly effected places. Their biggest fear revolves around the health of their hives under the threat of Colony Collapse Disorder.

There are conflicts and opposites everywhere. There are monied city types moving to the quiet of the countryside whilst the impoverished local economy drives country folk in the opposite direction in search of a better standard of life. Parents wanting a safe, relaxed rural upbringing for their children, who long for excitement. A situation to be found throughout small town American and indeed much of the developed world.  

This is a close-knit community where people have few other options than to try to get along with each other. Friendships form, develop and mature, including a story of love coming later in life. Problems are shared, conflict and tragedy bring people unexpectedly together as they learn to live with each other. Teenagers mature and blossom, even those from the local ne’er-do-wells reflect and consider their futures.

An unconventional but beautifully written novel that captures modern life in a rural environment with all the hardships entailed. It is surprisingly positive and upbeat with a message that there usually is a way forward if we trust in ourselves and those around us.  

All the time in the background there are the bees to show us our short comings, teaching us to find our role and how to live in harmony with each other. Existence is fragile, our story flows like a liquid and we are all perishable, destined to return to the earth; nature is a wonderful thing and must be treasured.

Liquid, Fragile, Perishable is a haunting and deeply touching look at the lives and hopes of the heart of America.

Liquid, Fragile, Perishable can be purchased via the Bookshop org here

The author

Carolyn Kuebler’s debut novel, Liquid, Fragile, Perishable, is forthcoming from Melville House in 2024. Carolyn was a co-founder of the literary magazine Rain Taxi and for the past ten years she has been the editor of the New England Review. Her stories and essays have been published in The Common and Colorado Review, among others, and “Wildflower Season,” published in The Massachusetts Review, won the 2022 John Burroughs Award for Nature Essay. She has published dozens of book reviews, small-press profiles, and author interviews in Publishers Weekly, Review of Contemporary Fiction, Rain Taxi, City Pages, and others. 

Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Carolyn has an MFA from Bard College and a BA from Middlebury College. She worked for years as a bookseller at Borders Book Shop in Minneapolis and the Hungry Mind in St. Paul, before heading to New York, where she was an editor at Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. In addition to editing NER, she is currently a justice of the peace, a volunteer with 350 Vermont, a bad bird-watcher, and an even worse gardener. She lives in Middlebury with her husband, Christopher, and daughter, Vivian Ross.

Source: Author’s website

The Midnight Man #JulieAnderson #TheMidnightMan

By Julie Anderson https://julieandersonwriter.com/ @jjulieanderson

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

336 pages ISBN 9781915817365

Publication date 30 April 2024

The Midnight Man is the first novel in the Clapham Trilogy.

I was sent an electronic copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Zoe at Zooloos Book Tours https://taplink.cc/zooloosbooktours @ZooloosBT for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publisher.

The cover

What a fabulous cover! My first impression was that it captured the Film Noir movie posters of the period, but with the wording there are elements of the Pop Art movement. Then there’s the tunnel and hints of a rolling mist, if that doesn’t grab you then what will?

My review

It’s winter 1946 in Clapham and the paths of two young women are about to fatefully cross. Faye Smith is the canteen manager at the South London Hospital for Women and Children, the only hospital of its kind, for women and staffed by almost entirely women. Faye is diligent and hardworking so is likely to do well and get further promotion, which will be useful for her cash strapped family. She is also street smart and misses nothing.

Eleanor Peveril has just returned from Germany, where, as a legal secretary she was assisting at the Nuremberg trials. Now no longer needed, she faces an uncertain future which has already turned bleaker, as she has been conned by a landlady and seen her fiancé Patrick with another woman. With nowhere to go and no cash, she follows some nurses into the hospital canteen to warm up and scrounge any leftovers. She stands out to Faye, who gets people to rally round in support, and there begins an unlikely friendship.

A young nurse goes missing and eventually her body is found in one of the deep tunnels, which were used to shelter in during bombings, behind a locked door. Ellie heard an altercation on the night the nurse disappeared and so feels personally involved and is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. In her new friend Faye, she finds a willing confederate as they face danger and demons in the pursuit of the truth.

The cover suggests period noir, but don’t expect a Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler homage, this is much more with two female central characters and takes a female perspective. The start is a little low key, at least by modern standards, but is constructed to create the meeting and friendship of Ellie and Faye. After this it quickly gets into its stride and moves along briskly like a consultant on his morning rounds before golf.

The setting is an absolute gem, a real place with a fascinating history, but one probably unknown even just a few miles away. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a novel where such a magnificent setting is utilised so well, from the canteen to the staffrooms, from the wards to the boiler room all exploited for atmosphere just like the best film directors would. The author has managed to incorporate snippets of its inspiring creation, history and ethos within the story arc as mere incidentals, but together they show how much the place was loved without derailing the action. The action itself is nicely judged and has the period noir feel about such that one can almost imagine it written at that time.

The use of the deep shelters and underground tunnels are another master stroke, bringing the prospects of mystery, danger, darkness and fear. Again, a real feature incorporated within the storyline that helps to enhance the feeling of time and place. It also brought a sense the film version of The Third Man when Harry Lime tries to escape through the Vienna sewers, and naturally the earworm of Anton Karas’ zither playing.

The period is set in is another excellent choice by the author and one that experienced great change. Its 1946, the war is over soldiers and auxiliaries are returning to a country bombed and battered and still facing rationing and hardship. The country has relied upon women to keep running during the war, working on farms and in armament factories, yet they are expected to make way for the returning men. Ellie and Faye are two women who want to remain in the world of work and not become the wife or ‘property’ of a man. The timing is critical for another reason, the formation of the welfare state and at its core the NHS. With hindsight we see it as one of the country’s greatest achievements, but here the uncertainty around it introduces a degree of angst in some characters, they want it to be better but will it be, but at the same time great optimism in others. The stark cost of illness pre-NHS is laid bare, as suffered within Faye’s family and is something few alive will now remember.

The friendship between Faye and Ellie is the glue that holds the story together. Its one of those odd relationships of opposites in background. Faye is working class and wily whereas Ellie is a vicar’s daughter and naïve, but their core beliefs align; two different women who stand for the same thing and neither want to be constrained by the old social norms. I suspect that men and women will have differing perspectives on their friendship, how quickly they become friends, and the ups and downs may feel unlikely to a male reader, but there are distinct social differences between the sexes.

The character cameos are brilliant, the stern (Paddington) stare of Matron sent a shiver down my spine, and I was just reading about it, the crooks had a menacing edge without being too obvious and Beryl is perfect as the no-nonsense Glaswegian nurse. The dialogue is nicely judged with enough to place it in London without getting all ‘geezer’ or indeed hardboiled. It also eschewed the modernisms we so easily fall into, again giving the right period feel.

I guess with the first book of a prospective trilogy the acid test is, are you ready for book two; I can’t wait!

The Midnight Man is a fabulous piece of historical fiction that melds crime noir with social history and feminist interests.

The Midnight Man can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Julie Anderson is the CWA Dagger listed author of three Whitehall thrillers and a short series of historical adventure stories for young adults. Before becoming a crime fiction writer, she was a senior civil servant, working across a variety of departments and agencies, including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Unlike her protagonists, however, she doesn’t know where (all) the bodies are buried.

She writes crime fiction reviews for Time and Leisure Magazine and is a co-founder and Trustee of the Clapham Book Festival.

She lives in south London where her latest crime fiction series is set, returning to her first love of writing historical fiction with The Midnight Man, to be published by Hobeck.

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

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:

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:

The Red Hollow #NatalieMarlow #TheRedHollow

By Natalie Marlow @NatalieMarlow2

Published by Baskerville (an imprint of John Murray Press) https://www.johnmurraypress.co.uk/landing-page/baskerville-imprint/ @BaskervilleJMP

320 pages ISBN 9781399801843

Publication date 28 March 2024

I was allowed access to a pdf review copy on Net Galley https://www.netgalley.com/ @NetGalley.  Thanks to the Author and Publisher for organising this.

The cover

What a fabulous cover, the closer you look the more you notice, even down to the wallpaper pattern. It captures the period, the location and protagonists whilst giving a noirish feel with the clever use of the colour scheme.

My review

Its now 1934 and Phyll Hall has joined William Garrett’s private enquiry agency. Business is somewhat slow and will continue to be so until they get back on the right side of ‘Shifty Shirley’. Phyll’s brother Freddy, is another victim of the war and resides in a residential home, whilst being treated for his nerves. When the home’s psychiatrist, Dr Moon, calls saying that he has a problem he wishes them to investigate, William reluctantly agrees, reminding Phyll that it is his son’s christening that weekend.

The residential home is Red Hollow a former grand house set in a hamlet in the Warwickshire countryside. Recently there have been a series of incidents that at first appeared to be nothing more than pranks, but they have escalated into something more disturbing including a death. Now both patients and staff are leaving, and the charismatic Dr Moon is struggling to keep the sanitorium open.

Are William and Phyll looking for a flesh and blood prankster or something more malevolent? Local folklore has it that a young girl was murdered and her ghost returns in the guise of The Mermaid of Red Hollow when the hamlet floods. Then she can take her revenge on the misogynist men who mistreat women.

It’s great to have William back along with Phyll who I feel is a captivating character. The insulting jibe, calling her Burlington Bertie was brilliantly on point for the time and had me chuckling more than once. This time Queenie the boss of the waterways criminal gang and old friend (and more) to William grabs much more of the limelight.

The setting is wonderfully evoked; the grand hall starting to fade. It’s the 1930’s so the servant class has all but vanished with The First World War, and more owners realise that they cannot hope to afford the upkeep of these grand old Halls. Here the owner has moved into a tower in the gardens, leaving the main building to Dr Moon to use. There is also a church containing creepy symbolism and a crypt in the grounds. Almost all the plot is located within these buildings and the estate, allowing for a tight claustrophobic feel to story that is only enhanced by the periodic failure on the electricity generator. At times the tension is palpable.

The style is certainly unusual marrying elements of the noir genre with the supernatural. The setting might have suggested the traditional gothic, but it was the occult references that took over my imagination. Aleister Crowley that man of many guises, artist, novelist, philosopher, magician, adventurer and creator of the Thelema religion is referenced and has some malign influences on the characters. He’s certainly a man who has divided opinion, some regarding him as the most dangerous man in Britain (well he might have been in Leamington Spa where he was born) whereas others, like William just guffawed at the so called ‘Sex Magick’ man. The references are sparing and are used to give flavour to the plot. After all these are the days of the wealthy decadents dabbling in the dark arts for amusement rather than genuine attempts at satanic rites.

The men in the sanitorium are troubled souls with damaged minds, so the evocation of the folklore mermaid to their suggestive state could easily terrify them. The work of Dr Moon also leaves them more susceptible to the idea that the supernatural can manifest into physical form.  

William is still a man trying to recover from his wartime experiences and here he is dealing with men who have suffered just as he has. The reader gets to see more of the man beneath the carapace he has created to protect his feelings, the empathetic man as well as the deeply troubled one. He quickly finds an ally in Dr Moon, though as he comes to find out his methods are somewhat unusual. These techniques lead to some distinctly odd but wonderfully entertaining scenes that marry perfectly with the overall feel of the storyline. William also has flashbacks to his past that come to explain how he ended up with Queenie and Ronnie working on the narrowboats. These are cleverly segued into the story and just a few short paragraphs end up explaining so much about him.

Queenie ends up gatecrashing the investigation, bringing her marvellous combination no nonsense, ball breaking and tough love matriarch to the storyline. As well she might do as we discover that she knows more than initially thought and ends up spilling secrets. Queenie is not a woman to be crossed, but at times appears to have met her match. William sees a different side to Queenie that may change their relationship later in the series.

Tension and anxiety are cleverly built up throughout the story only to be released as a sudden crack of violence or relief of a false alarm. The violence is bloody and will have some readers wincing as the mermaid appears to wreak her revenge on men. The action scenes are thrilling, the villains are menacing and there is a real sense of danger.      

The author

Natalie Marlow is an historical novelist with a fascination for the people and landscapes of the Midlands. Much of her writing takes inspiration from the stories her grandparents told. She holds an MA in Creative Writing (Crime Writing) from the University of East Anglia and is part-way through a PhD at Birkbeck, University of London. She lives in Warwickshire with her family. (Source: Publisher’s website)

Dark Rooms #LyndaLaPlante #DarkRooms

By Lynda Le Plante https://lyndalaplante.com/ @LaPlanteLynda

Narrated by Rachel Atkins

Published by Bonnier Audio, Zaffre (an imprint of Bonnier Books UK) https://www.bonnierbooks.co.uk/imprints/zaffre/ @ZaffreBooks

336 pages (9 hours 52 minutes) ISBN 9781804180334 (PB)

Publication date 18 August 2022

Dark Rooms is the eighth novel the Jane Tennison Thriller Series.

I reviewed an audiobook using the BorrowBox library app https://www.borrowbox.com/ @BorrowBox. I would like to thank Tracy Fenton @Tr4cyF3nt0n from Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to take part in the #TEAMTENNISON review project.

Clink on the links to read my reviews of Tennison, Hidden Killers, Good Friday, Murder Mile, The Dirty Dozen, Blunt Force and Unholy Murder. My review of Taste of Blood the nineth novel in the series will be posted on this blog in the first week in May.

The Cover

A nice atmospheric cover, consistent with the series, featuring (presumably) Jane approaching an imposing property, which is a key setting for the story.

The narration

Another excellent job by Rachel Atkins, who demonstrates a good range of voices, including a fabulous portrayal of family matriarch Beatrice. She is an English woman who has lived in Australia for some years and so has an accent that takes part of both, but also needs to cover a breadth of emotions.

My review

Jane has finally been promoted to Detective Inspector. It was a tough, obstacle strewn, route for her, including the obligatory return to uniform for a year, but now she has made it, her career is set to take off.

As with the previous novel in the series, Unholy Murder, it is the 1980s building boom that throws up a desperate case for Jane to investigate. Builders are busy working on a prestigious property development at a large house that had previously been converted into flats. The property has a substantial but neglected garden and a full-length cellar with a tunnel leading off to an old bomb shelter, all of which the residents were denied access to. When the builders finally make their way into to shelter, they are faced with a grisly sight, a partly decomposed body of a young woman chained to a bed. After her success investigating the convent case and noting the similarities with this one, DCI Wayne Carter passes the job on to Jane. A decision he will come to regret.

When visiting the scene after the CSI officers have left, eagle-eyed Jane spots two concrete blocks strapped together in a dark corner. Her interest duly piqued, she has them removed and when the strap, which is in fact a monogrammed belt, is cut the remains of a baby are found. Forensics determine that the body of the baby was wrapped up whilst it was still alive, and its corpse has been there at least twenty years. This makes no matter to Jane; in her mind everyone deserves justice and the truth must be discovered.

Police progress is hampered because the property’s owner is a wealthy heiress, who is now living in a care home, suffering from dementia and uncommunicative. Her affairs have passed via a power of attorney to her nephew Jason, a brash young man who immediately raises Jane’s hackles.

Dark Rooms is the perfect title for a novel where there are dank basements, the dark rooms associated with photography and a subject matter that is both morbid and disturbing. Family life is central to both the cases, but it is not a case of happy families as Jane pursues the secrets of a painful past.

The modern case is resolved quickly and is a sad case of the desperate actions of somebody at their wits end. It is the older case that takes up the bulk of the story and what bleak story it turns out to be. Some secrets should not be revealed as Jane is to discover. It also proves to be painful to DCI Carter as his budget is blown to pieces by a request from Jane to go to Australia to conduct interviews.

Jane goes about things in her usual manner, upsetting those around her, acting on instinct and taking risks. She does come to realise that when her superiors say she is not enough of a team player, they may have a point, as she puts herself in real danger. That is when the steady, methodical storyline bursts into action. A tough and painful lesson learned, but will she act upon it in future.

Jane gets to work with a young DC called Timothy Taylor (a Pavlovian response from me here is ‘A pint of Landlord please’) which brings a different vibe to the interactions as she teaches him the way to get himself into trouble. At first, he appears to be a naive and ‘wet behind the ears’ lad living at home (think Private Pike) but as the story develops, we can see him grow, showing tenacity and adaptability. Most of all he is a loyal partner and that is exactly what Jane needs at this time.

It’s not all grim for Jane though as she finds a new love interest, one not connected with the force, and builders make a start on renovating her new house for her.

The trip to Australia is a great interlude, from the accommodation (in Kings Cross), the heat (Tim takes a tweed jacket) to the real ‘bonzer’ Aussies. Just one of those occasional fillips a long-running series needs to refresh it and spark new life. Jane certainly uncovers the story of a kind of life that people flee across the world to escape.

The final resolution comes back in the UK and it is not as Jane envisioned. There is a telling, heart pouring out, scene when she realises the pain and suffering that has resurfaced because of her relentless pursuit of the truth. She has a brilliant track record of crime solving but she also needs to develop empathy and accept that even her actions have consequences.

Jane Tennison finds shocking secrets are held within Dark Rooms.

Dark Rooms can be purchased from the Bookshop.org here.

The author

Lynda La Plante (born Lynda Titchmarsh) is a British author, screenwriter, and erstwhile actress (her performances in Rentaghost and other programmes were under her stage name of Lynda Marchal), best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series.

Her first TV series as a scriptwriter was the six part robbery series Widows, in 1983, in which the widows of four armed robbers carry out a heist planned by their deceased husbands.

In 1991 ITV released Prime Suspect which has now run to seven series and stars Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. (In the United States Prime Suspect airs on PBS as part of the anthology program Mystery!) In 1993 La Plante won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her work on the series. In 1992 she wrote at TV movie called Seekers, starring Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, produced by Sarah Lawson.

She formed her own television production company, La Plante Productions, in 1994 and as La Plante Productions she wrote and produced the sequel to Widows, the equally gutsy She’s Out (ITV, 1995). The name “La Plante” comes from her marriage to writer Richard La Plante, author of the book Mantis and Hog Fever. La Plante divorced Lynda in the early 1990s.

Her output continued with The Governor (ITV 1995-96), a series focusing on the female governor of a high security prison, and was followed by a string of ratings pulling miniseries: the psycho killer nightmare events of Trial & Retribution (ITV 1997-), the widows’ revenge of the murders of their husbands & children Bella Mafia (1997) (starring Vanessa Redgrave), the undercover police unit operations of Supply and Demand (ITV 1998), videogame/internet murder mystery Killer Net (Channel 4 1998) and the female criminal profiler cases of Mind Games (ITV 2001).

Two additions to the Trial and Retribution miniseries were broadcast during 2006.

Source: Goodreads profile

Never Forgive You #HillyBarmby #NeverForgiveYou

By Hilly Barmby https://www.hillybarmbyauthor.com/ @Hilly_Barmby

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

317 pages ISBN 9781915817396

Publication date 26 March 2024

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 in the Blog Tour.

The Cover

A very attractive cover with a great strapline.

My review

The briefest of prologues, you killed him and we won’t forgive or forget…

Hetty has been Davey’s girlfriend for a year. They are from very different backgrounds, but they are good together. Now they are heading over to France, with his twin sisters Ailsa and Juliette, for the wedding of their cousin Isabelle to Jean-Jacques (JJ) a right leaning politician. The prospect of a glamorous country wedding at a house as big as a chateau should them buzzing with joy, but Hetty is already feeling out of her depth being a council estate girl whilst the others are wealthy and well educated. The vibes are not good either, she realises there are some unresolved family tensions.

Ailsa for one doesn’t want to return to the house, despite it being a place of many happy childhood memories. Something happened during their last visit eight years ago which almost split the family asunder. Still, they must go through with the wedding celebration and put the past aside for the sake of the family.

The day is running like clockwork until the groom becomes unwell. Initially thought to be down to nerves and then a mild stomach upset is suggested, but as the day goes on, he doesn’t show signs of recovery. No matter, the party must go on…

The setting is fabulous, a big house in the French countryside and the preparations for the wedding. The reader is given a glimpse of another life and the different traditions surrounding a familiar event. There is also the sense of another way of life for Archie and Romilly, Isabel’s parents, who behave like they are lord and lady of the manor, well he is a High Court judge. The locals may go the events and parties that they organise, but they will forever be English outsiders and the local gypsies are especially wary.

The story can be split into two sections the preparation for the big day and the events that follow. The preparation essentially sets the scene in France, fleshes out the relationships between the characters both current day and through the events of the past. The reader is left in no doubt that something serious happened eight years ago, that someone knows the truth and it is going to be told. This section I think will particularly appeal to younger readers as it centres on the young adults.

Whilst the first part might feel a little pedestrian, the big day onwards explodes into incident much like poor JJs digestive tract. Again, there is a thread from eight years ago which is played out along with the current day and there are regular switches between the two. What results is two reveals, as the momentous events are exposed, together with the implications for the current day. Here the plot is wonderfully constructed, with actions mirrored and moral conundrums faced as the truth is ‘bleached in the sunshine’ and revenge sought. Revenge is the driving force but ultimately love is the key. Readers who love the ‘golden age’ style of reveal will appreciate how this is all exposed.

The feeling of change is all pervading throughout the story. The past incidents of 2016 follow straight from the Brexit vote, with the characters realising change was inevitable, but at that time nobody knew just how much or in what way. Then there are the events which hasten the separation and change the relationships for good. Throughout the current scenes there is the sense that there will be some kind of resolution, though what exactly is unknown.

The story is told through multiple perspectives, mainly Hetty and Ailsa, so the flow is not always linear as occasional back steps are taken to see events through the eyes of another.

Hetty is the central character and is quiet and unassuming, mainly due to her background, so she tries to avoid the limelight. She does want to become accepted by the family though, if just for her relationship with Davey. She has something of an inferiority complex, coming from humble beginnings unlike the rest of the characters, but there is an honesty about her. All she needs to do is develop a little self confidence and brazen things out, she’s the equal of any and better than most around her. She’s also a crime fiction reader, which raises her to an elite status in my mind, and this reading preference ends up becoming useful. True crime aficionados will also be nodding in agreement as Hetty demonstrates her knowledge on one aspect of the crime, with actions that echo a notorious UK killer.

Ailsa appears to be the main antagonist, doing little to elicit the approval of the reader; she is a snobbish clotheshorse of a young woman with an acid tongue, referring to Hetty as ‘the ginger mouse’. A perfect character for just such a story and I found myself thinking please don’t change. She is the epitome of the attitudes of the family, where image, prestige and position trump all feelings, where ‘marrying well’ matters more than love.

Never Forgive You skewers the pretentions of wealth, class and status with a searing tale of revenge.

Never Forgive You can be purchased direct from the publisher here.

The author

Hilly attended Rochester College of Art to experience an excellent Foundation Course, which led to a degree course in Graphic Design at Central School of Art and Design in London. Here, she led a colourful life, which she has woven into many of her stories.

After her degree course, she went on a woodworking course to make furniture. Combining her art and woodworking skills, she got a stall at Covent Garden Craft Market to sell hand-made chess and backgammon sets.

She moved to Brighton, a fabulous city and this is where Best Served Cold is set. After teaching Design Technology for fifteen years, she gave it all up to relocate to Órgiva in southern Spain. She has been here for the last seven years, living happily in an old farmhouse on an organic fruit farm in the mountains, with her partner and two rescue dogs.

Hilly is also part of Artists’ Network Alpujarra (ANA), a community of artists who have exhibited extensively in the region of the Alpujarra. She also makes ceramics, jewellery, and up-cycles anything not nailed down.

Source: Publisher’s website

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

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City on Fire #GrahamBartlett #CityOnFire

By Graham Bartlett https://policeadvisor.co.uk/ @gbpoliceadvisor

Published by Allison & Busby https://www.allisonandbusby.com/ @AllisonandBusby

350 pages ISBN 9780749030513 (HB)

Publication date 21 March 2024

City on Fire is the third novel in the Chief Superintendent Jo Howe series. Click on the link to read my review of the second book in the series Force of Hate.

I was allowed access to a pdf review copy on Net Galley.  Thanks to Josie at Allison & Busby for the invitation to join the blog tour and of course the Author.

The cover

A curious but quite striking cover. A picture of the Brighton sea-front but the title font picked out in flames, for reasons which will become clear.

• 

My review

Chief Superintendent Jo Howe is determined to tackle the scourge of drugs on the streets of Brighton, a city that is turning into the drugs capital of England. Jo is only too aware that drug habits fuel crime, as addicts need easy cash to feed their addiction, and it destroys lives. This she knows from bitter experience as her sister Caroline succumbed to heroin, a life in dirty squats and on the streets, which led ultimately to her death. This death is still raw to Jo, she feels she let Caroline down, that she could have done more to help her. She now cannot atone for this sense of guilt to Caroline, but she is determined to help as many as she can who are in this predicament. She is the driving force behind Operation Eradicate, a two-pronged attack at the problem. Not only is there a concerted effort to reduce supply but also to get users into rehabilitation programs, and a new pharmaceutical heroin substitute being trialled is having a positive result. A somewhat controversial approach that needs time to mature, but not everyone is so positive.

The new drug is made by Respite Pharmaceuticals a company owned by Sir Ben Parsons, a formidable self-made millionaire with a vast web of useful contacts, people in high places. Respite has obviously invested millions is developing and patenting the drug, money that Sir Ben needs to earn back. However, in his eyes Operation Eradicate is proving to be too successful, curing addicts reduces his customer base which is bad for business. He wants complacent addicts hooked for the long term on the substitute. He needs to stop Howe and her scheme, and he thinks he knows how to do it.

Dark days ahead for Jo in a city about to explode.

One thing guaranteed from the author is authenticity, the policing, their actions and communications feel right, but without being dragged down by an obsession with procedure. The action is given every chance to develop and flow. Its not just the policing though, where he writes about the inter-agency work, the voluntary sector NGOs and prisons it comes over as though from experience rather than research. What a great asset when a writing a novel such as this.

If you have read the earlier novels in the series, you will know Jo is a strong and determined woman who is respected and admired by her peers. In this story she is really put through the wringer, dropped into heaps of jeopardy both personal and reputational, such that it almost brings about her complete mental destruction. A woman who is schemed against but also making poor judgement calls when under extreme pressure, which is both understandable and realistic. Stress effects people in different ways but we can all get to the point that Jo does where every step, every choice makes the situation worse.

It starts with a betrayal, from her loving and understanding journalist husband of all people. It is a professional one, forced to do it by editor, rather than a relationship betrayal with another woman. Once under the media microscope the pressure starts to mount, and Jo’s professionalism comes into doubt. That is merely the start as officers face threats and personal attacks causing support for Jo to dwindle and an increase of sick leave. When the supply of the synthetic drug dries up (thanks to carefully planning by Sir Ben) the streets boil over.

A fabulous description of a cold and calculating plan being executed step by step. Sir Ben has the contacts, the wealth and he also has the dirt on people and is not averse to a spot of blackmail to get his way. There is a suspicion amongst the public that some within the establishment can orchestrate cover ups, but here we can see such power wielded to destroy an individual. Something truly chilling to read.

It is the motivation of Sir Ben that interested me. Here we have a hugely successful businessman, one who enjoys the trappings of success, who is willing to destroy lives just to earn his drug development costs back. Apparently heartless, but then we learn of his poor mother, suffering from early onset dementia, whom he cares dearly for and lives at his house. There are some very touching scenes where he is comforting her which I am sure some carers will recognise. A real dichotomy of a man. I would have liked the relationship with his mother developed more, as we never discover how the dynamics were forged. Was she domineering, was he repressed, there is no mention of a love life for Sir Ben.

His obsession with finding a cure for his mother leads to a magnificently dramatic confrontation, one that has building up from the start. Action fans you are well catered for too, with bursts of aggression, bloodshed and personal jeopardy as momentum and tension are skilfully built up and released throughout, and at times you have to catch your breath.

At the core of the story is the notion that drugs companies just want to treat patients, to alleviate their symptoms rather than cure them. For them it’s a high stakes gamble to develop a drug, but being corporations, they want to earn profits and not just benefit mankind. What begins as an unlikely concept becomes a chilling possibility the more you think about it. There is a huge health and charity sector dedicated to developing and curing a vast array of diseases form cancer to Alzheimer’s, yet any success is a threat to their existence. A moral conundrum which we can only hope is addressed in an ethical way.

City on Fire is a convincing police procedural where a chilling businessman is determined to destroy the lives of those who get in his way.

City on Fire can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

Graham Bartlett rose to become chief superintendent and the divisional commander of Brighton and Hove police. His first non-fiction book Death Comes Knocking was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, which he then followed with Babes in the Wood. He co-wrote these books with bestselling author, Peter James, and has since published Bad for Good and Force of Hate starring Chief Superintendent Jo Howe. Bartlett is also a police procedural and crime advisor helping scores of authors and TV writers inject authenticity into their work.

Source: Publisher’s website

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

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