Live and Deadly

The Last Line by Stephen Ronson @Stephen_Ronson @HodderFiction @HodderPublicity

Source: Review copy
Publication: 16 November from Hodder & Stoughton
PP: 336
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1399721233

My thanks to Stephen Ronson and Hodder Books for an advance copy for review

May 1940.

With Nazi forces sweeping across France, invasion seems imminent. The English Channel has never felt so narrow.

In rural Sussex, war veteran John Cook has been tasked with preparing the resistance effort, should the worst happen.

But even as the foreign threat looms, it’s rumours of a missing child that are troubling Cook. A twelve-year-old girl was evacuated from London and never seen again, and she’s just the tip of the iceberg – countless evacuees haven’t made it to their host families.

As Cook investigates, he uncovers a dark conspiracy that reaches to the highest ranks of society. He will do whatever it takes to make the culprits pay. There are some lines you just don’t cross.

At the centre of The Last Line, an historical thriller, is John Cook. He served in the First World War and went on to fight in Afghanistan. Now he is back home in Uckfield, Sussex, where he has spent his time turning the family farm back into some semblance of profitability, cutting a lonely figure as he toils.

He’s now contemplating how best to play a role in the war against Hitler and the Nazi fascists, something more than one of his wartime acquaintances has ideas about. Cook is an interesting man. He understands only too well the impact of war on men and that makes him able to live alongside those for whom the war has been a less than positive experience. He himself never really left the war behind.

When he left the farm to fight for his country he left behind a woman he loved. Tired of waiting, she married another man and John recognises that’s a pretty fair thing for her to have done. He’s an interesting man with his own very clear moral compass and he never hesitates when making a decision – he just makes it and acts instantly.

This leads him into some interesting situations, not least when Mary, a young local woman of his acquaintance is found brutally murdered on his land. She had stopped by looking to find information on a young female evacuee, Elizabeth, who has gone missing – and now Mary is dead and John was the last person to see her alive.

Acting in his own interests he begins to investigate and in the process he uncovers a range of deeply dodgy events and some pretty heinous adversaries. The deeper he digs, the more repugnant his findings and that in turn leads to his discovery of a horrendous set of crimes.

Stephen Ronson’s WW2 thriller is action packed and offers a fascinating glimpse into life in wartime Sussex and how Hitler’s advance through France was perceived by the British. He captures the sense of impending invasion amongst ordinary people as they prepare for the forces of darkness to breach their shores. John Cook is preparing his land to ensure that the enemy will have a hard time crossing it and this together with lots of other small touches add a real sense of authenticity to this gripping tale.

Ronson’s cast of characters is very well observed and offer alternative perspectives on what’s going on. In particular, the impoverished Lady Margaret proves to be both a great ally and an independent outspoken advocate for action. Cook’s adversaries are both loathsome and formidable

Verdict: Stephen Ronson keeps his pace brisk and the unsentimental approach of his characters leads to a thrilling read, full of action which is both violent and hard hitting. The Last Line is a terrific read; intelligent, morally challenging and with a great sense of time and place.

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Stephen Ronson grew up in Sussex, and spent a large part of his childhood exploring the woods and fields around Uckfield, many of which were still dotted with reminders of WW2 – pill boxes, tank traps, nissen huts, and graffiti left by soldiers awaiting D-Day. He is a passionate student of local history, and when he learnt about Auxiliary Units – groups of men who were instructed to lay low during the predicted nazi invasion and lead the fight back, he knew he had to write about a Sussex farmer, one with a love of the land, and a natural desire and ability to get the job done. Many of the locations and characters in the John Cook series are inspired by real places and real people. In particular, Stephen was inspired by his grandparents, Eric, Bessie, Peter and Vera, each of whom did their bit on the home front. Nowadays, Stephen divides his time between Vermont, USA, and Uckfield, East Sussex. When he’s not writing, he can be found renovating his house, or walking the woods and the fields.

Gaslight by Femi Kayode (Philip Taiwo #2) @FemiKay_Author @BloomsburyRaven

Source: Review copy
Publication: 9 November 2023 from Raven Books
PP: 400
ISBN-13: 978-1526617637

My thanks to Raven Books for an advance copy for review

We know you know. Talk and you’re next.’

Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu, pastor of a Nigerian megachurch, has been arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Folasade, the ‘First Lady’ of the church. The arrest was public, humiliating and sensational – sending shockwaves through Lagos – but throughout it all, Bishop Dawodu maintains his innocence.

Philip Taiwo, an acclaimed investigative psychologist, is asked by his sister, a member of the church’s congregation, to clear the pastor’s name. With no actual body, it looks to be a simple case and despite Philip’s dislike of organised religion, he agrees to take it on as a favour to his sister. Then the First Lady’s body is found in a nearby lake just as Philip’s beloved family come under attack from someone warning him off the case, and he realises that nothing to do with this investigation will be straightforward.

Was it murder or suicide? Is someone framing the Bishop or the First Lady?

I was really looking forward to reading Gaslight after Femi Kayode’s first book, The Light Seekers. In investigative psychologist Philip Taiwoo he has created a thoughtful, intelligent protagonist and one who is finding his way back to Nigerian culture after living for some years in America. It’s a step driven by his wife who has been horrified by the way she has seen her children profiled in America.

But as they quickly find out, Nigeria has its own profiling mechanisms and navigating their way through these is difficult, especially for their children.

Philip’s sister, Kenny, a Christian worshipper at Grace Church presided over by Bishop Jeremiah Dawodu, asks Philip to come and speak to the Church hierarchy. Folasade Dawodu, the Bishop’s wife, has disappeared and the Police are looking at Bishop Dawodu as a potential murderer, albeit there is, as yet, no body.

Philip, who doesn’t really do organised religion, agrees to help and takes a commission from the Church to look into Folasade’s disappearance. Femi Kayode paints a pretty bleak picture of Nigerian religion. His description of the roadside churches setting out their wares in distinct territories along the highway resembles no more than a series of casinos along the Los Angeles strip.

Kayode covers a lot of ground in this story which had me engrossed all the way through. His writing style is clear and well-paced but not overly dramatic, even when dealing with some pretty dramatic and traumatic events. He lets this story tell itself and it is all the better for that approach.

There’s a lot to process in this story – and Philip expertly picks his way through police corruption, the corruption in church fiefdoms that encourage blind faith and are willing to take money while giving nothing back. In this novel he deals with patriarchal attitudes to women and the abuse they suffer and, at the other end of the scale, the kind of racism Philip would just never expect to find in his native Nigeria has found its way into the heart of his family.

Gaslight is a dark story and as Philip investigates he uncovers some shocking information and with it a whole host of lies, fraud and deceit. In so doing he and his friend, security consultant Chika Makuochi, put their lives and those of their families, in danger

What started as a request for help from his upright sister turns into a nightmare in which it is hard to know who Philip can trust.

Verdict: Beautifully written, thought-provoking and contemporary, Gaslight is a wholly engrossing book that draws you in, makes you think and raises your temperature as you want the perpetrators caught just as much as the book’s protagonist. I loved this book and it is fast becoming a must read series.

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Femi Kayode trained as a clinical psychologist in Nigeria, before starting a career in advertising. He has created and written several prime-time TV shows. His debut novel, Lightseekers, was selected as a Best Crime Novel of the Month by The Times, Sunday Times, Independent, Guardian, Observer, Financial Times and Irish Times, was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award and was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. He lives in Windhoek, Namibia with his family.
Photo: Harriet Tyce

The Fake Wife by Sharon Bolton @AuthorSJBolton @orion_crime @OrionBooks

Source: Review copy
Publication: 9 November 2023 from Orion
PP: 368
ISBN-13: 978-1398709812

My thanks to Orion for an advance copy for review

Olive Anderson is dining alone at a hotel when a glamourous stranger joins her table, pretending to be her wife. What starts as a thrilling game quickly turns into something dangerous. But as much as the fake wife has her secrets, Olive just might have more . . .

On a cold wet week in November, there’s nothing better to curl up with than the latest Sharon Bolton book. The Fake Wife is a terrific psychological thriller, and one that keeps you turning those pages as Sharon Bolton drip feeds you clues and makes your head spin with explanations for the way her characters are behaving.

Sharon Bolton writes great characters. The pairing of DS Lexy Thomas and traffic cop PC Garry Mizon (who has twice failed his detective exams) is genius and the book follows them as they work through the steps of Olive Anderson, wife of Labour MP Michael Anderson, who has disappeared.

She sets a beguiling scene in a posh hotel in Hexham where Olive, a nurse, is dining alone. At least that was her plan, but the evening is hijacked in the most mysterious way and for Olive it turns into an evening she will never be able to forget.

Sharon Bolton plunges her readers straight into the heart of her story and from then on leads them into a fantastic dance as she unveils layers upon layers of plot and keeps them guessing all the way.

Secrets upon secrets are layered on her characters – and she does draw her characters so well that you can imagine them all. At the centre of Olive’s life is her husband, the patrician Labour MP and his frosty mother-in-law – mother of his first wife, Eloise, who died so tragically of cancer.

Sharon Bolton gives us circles of people which intersect with other circles until we are looking at a complex venn diagram where everyone has a connection to everyone else, and each individual circle is full of secrets, lies and harmful intent.

Our intrepid investigators have to trudge through snowdrifts and drive on precarious icy roads to track Olive down.

This is a dual timeline novel and the glimpses we are offered of the past very much inform us as to what might be going on in the present. Some of it is guessable; some of it is distinctly more difficult to penetrate.

There’s another missing person who may or may not have something to do with what’s happened to Olive and this wonderfully layered thriller interweaves domestic relationships with politics, villains and some shocking behaviour.

Verdict: This is a great read from Sharon Bolton. Great characters, superb plotting and all set against a frozen, dangerous background where two less experienced coppers follow their instincts to reveal a shocking and pretty horrifying story. It’s twisty, addictive, dark and thrilling. I really enjoyed it.

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Sharon Bolton grew up in a cotton-mill town in Lancashire and had an eclectic early career in marketing and public relations. She gave it up in 2000 to become a mother and a writer. Her first novel, Sacrifice, was voted Best New Read by Amazon.uk, whilst her second, Awakening, won the 2010 Mary Higgins Clark Award (part of the prestigious Edgars) in the US. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, the CWA Silver Dagger, the Theakston’s Prize for Best Thriller, the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Novel award, the Prix Du Polar in France and the Martin Beck award in Sweden.

The First 48 Hours by Simon Kernick @simonkernick @joe_thomas25 @headlinepg

Source: Review copy
Publication: 9 November 2023 from Headline
PP: 400
ISBN-13: 978-1472292407

My thanks to Joe Thomas and Headline for an advance copy for review

THE FIRST 48 HOURS….WILL DECIDE IF YOU LIVE OR DIE.

A COP NEEDS TO CRACK A DEADLY CASE

He’s a detective hunting cold-blooded killers, but does he know more than he admits?

A MOTHER HAS TO SAVE HER DAUGHTER

She’s a lawyer who must defend a murderer – but how far will she go to protect her only child?

A COUPLE WILL COMMIT THE PERFECT CRIME

They have a plan – but can they trust each other with their lives?

THREE STORIES. TWO DAYS. DOES ONE SECRET CONNECT THEM ALL?

THE FIRST 48 HOURS…MAY ALSO BE THEIR LAST.

Simon Kernick knows just how to capture his reader’s attention. His chapters are fast paced and tense. His opener is both intriguing and dramatic and before you reach the end of the chapter, you have signed on for the whole, very bumpy, ride.

Kernick doesn’t mess around. His characters often lack any redeeming features, and when he tells a story you know it’s going to have many twists and turns and like a scorpion, will always come with a sting in the tail.

The First 48 Hours is told by three very different characters. Keith Fisher is a Detective, newly demoted, in the National Crime Agency’s Anti-Kidnap Unit. His colleagues call him ‘Fish’ and though that’s not because he’s cold and slimy, it probably should be. For some time the Unit has been tracking a kidnap gang known as The Vanishers, whose tactics are both clever and ruthless.

Becca Barraclough has established a name and reputation for defending some of Britain’s most deadly killers. She is a defence barrister with a particularly loathsome list of clients. But she is also a mother and Kernick puts her an a position where she has to choose between her daughter and her client.

The Vanishers, the kidnappers Fish is tracking are an interesting pair with a fascinating relationship dynamic. Their profession offers a useful way of dealing with transgressors, even though their methods are such that most people are ready to comply with their demands.

Though each of these characters has a separate story thread, it soon becomes clear that the lives of all these characters are entwined in a deadly dance that leaves the reader reeling.

Simon Kernick has a very effective story telling technique. His pace is fast and the action furious. He brings his readers to the edge of their seats just in time to realise that there’s no-one in this book who is uncompromised and that’s going to make the outcome very tricky indeed.

You may not warm to these characters but my goodness you will want to know what happens to them, and though much of what happens is dark and more than a bit grim, Kernick elevates his story by giving us, in Fish, a character whose personality and turn of phrase just make you want to grin.

Verdict: The First 48 Hours is a finely tuned, unpredictable and duplicitous tale; expertly honed with plenty of tension and characters you’ll love to hate. Excellent pace, loads of tension and a beautiful, original plot left me spinning. The sting in this tale was a neat sucker punch.

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Simon Kernick is a number one bestseller and one of the UK’s most popular thriller writers, with huge hits including KILL A STRANGER, GOOD COP BAD COP, RELENTLESS, THE LAST 10 SECONDS, SIEGE and the BONE FIELD series.

Resurrection Walk (Bosch #37/Lincoln Lawyer #7) by Michael Connelly @Connellybooks @orion_crime @orionbooks

Source: Review copy
Publication: 9 November 2023 from Orion
PP: 416
ISBN-13: 978-1398718968

My thanks to Orion for an advance copy for review

THE PATH TO JUSTICE CAN BE PAVED WITH LIES

Defense attorney Mickey Haller – The Lincoln Lawyer – rides the wave of freeing a wrongfully convicted man from prison.

Inundated with pleas from incarcerated people claiming innocence, Haller enlists the help of ex-LAPD detective Harry Bosch to find the next case which could result in a resurrection walk.

When Bosch finds a needle in the haystack – a woman imprisoned for murdering her husband, a sheriff’s deputy – they discover evidence that doesn’t add up, and a department pushed for quick closure in the killing of one of its own.

But is this rushed justice – or something more sinister?

As they face a David versus Goliath court battle, the secrets which could lead to an innocent woman walking free could also mark the end of the Haller-Bosch dream team. . .

Resurrection Walk is a book that fans of Michael Connelly will love. It has everything you want in a book where Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller work together. The working together element of this story is not something Harry is particularly comfortable with for a couple of reasons. He isn’t really comfortable being this closely associated with a defence attorney, even if that attorney is his half-brother. And since an element of his work for Haller is driving him around in his eponymous Lincoln, neither is he willing to behave like Haller’s chauffeur.

So he insists on making Haller sit upfront with him and he gets very grumpy if Haller forgets. That’s not the only reason he’s grumpy though. He’s finally conceded to have treatment for his cancer and Haller has got him into an experimental treatment programme. Harry’s job with Haller gives him the medical insurance he needs to see his treatment through. But like all such treatments it is tiring and it comes with its own side effects that take both a physical and a mental toll.

On the upside, the work that he is doing for Haller is strictly on the side of the angels. As a famous attorney, Haller is besieged with convicts proclaiming their innocence and asking him to take up their cases. Bosch’s job for Haller is to do an initial sift of this correspondence to see if any of it looks like it might have merit.

Lucinda Sanz was convicted 5 years ago of the murder of her ex-husband and Sherriff’s deputy , Robert. On the recommendation of her lawyer, Frank Silver,she pled ‘no contest’ in a deal that gave her a lot less than the maximum jail time she’d have got had she pled not guilty.

But she always maintained her innocence and now, knowing that her teenage son is living in prime gang territory, she is desperate to get out of prison to stop him from falling under their protection. Bosch thinks her case sounds plausible and doing a dive into it, he thinks she may well be innocent.

Haller agrees and he prepares to take Lucinda’s case to Federal Court where he faces fierce opposition from Assistant Attorney General Hayden Morris and another attorney who raises Haller’s temperature.

It’s a fierce and furious court battle, full of tension that ranks as one of Connelly’s best. Bosch meanwhile is doing what he does best and is aiming to find the real killer.

The joy of this book is in the characters; their relationships and in the way that intimations of mortality percolate throughout the book. Time is running out for Harry and it is affecting him in a range of different ways. Meanwhile, the daughters of Haller and Bosch are in the wings, waiting for their moment.

Reading Resurrection Walk is an immersive, fantastic experience. The plot is smooth and expertly delivered with all the clever moments you’d expect, only even more tense and impactful than I expected. This is a strangely emotional book; there are moments of real vulnerability from Harry and it’s hard to read because he’s always been such a loadstone for certainty.

Resurrection Walk is a clever title for a brilliant book. Everything you’ve come to expect from Michael Connelly is here; a superb plot, fast pacing, a dual narrative that switches effortlessly between Haller and Bosch and characters that make you feel their vulnerabilities.

Verdict: Resurrection Walk is Connelly at his best. You really don’t want to miss this one. A top read.

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Michael Connelly is the author of thirty-four previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Dark Sacred Night, Two Kinds of Truth, and The Late Show. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series and the Lincoln Lawyer series, have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He is the executive producer of Bosch, starring Titus Welliver, and the creator and host of the podcast Murder Book. He spends his time in California and Florida.

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett @JaniceHallett @ViperBooks @RandomTTours

Source: Review copy
Publication: 26 October 2023 from Viper Books
PP: 208
ISBN-13: 978-1800817357

My thanks to Viper Books and Random Things Tours for an advance copy for review

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.

Of course there’s also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts.
Will the show go on?

A robin round should bring good cheer
Though in some minds it carries fear
Celia Halliday, Queen of this prose
sends it out to keep all on their toes.

In Lower Lockwood, Christmas cheer is on the rise,
The Fairway Players will stage a grand surprise.
A pantomime, “Jack and the Beanstalk” their aim,
To raise funds for the church roof, they claim.

But beneath the stage, where pantomime should bloom,
Lie shadows deep, and whispers in the gloom.
In the midst of festive songs and laughter,
There lurks a storm; just who is the gaffer?

Within this troupe, goodwill’s far from glowing,
Amongst these amateur dramatics, tension’s growing.
Sarah-Jane, our AmDram Chair, fends off these threats,
In her new position, courage she begets.

But who’s behind this feud, this cold attack,
And does the beanstalk conceal a hidden trap?
Asbestos fears, a looming danger seen,
Within that towering beanstalk’s painted sheen.

Someone’s bent on ruining the show,
Before the curtain rises; before the lights aglow.
Amidst the chaos, there’s a darker scene,
A body found, a mystery unforeseen.

Who could harbour such a wicked scheme,
And leave dead Santa in this wintry dream?
Femi and Charlotte, lawyers on the case,
Unravelling the secrets, at a steady pace.

They read round robins, emails, transcripts line by line,
Seeking the truth, the answers they’ll define.
Will the panto go on, despite this dark despair?
Can Christmas magic heal the rifts laid bare?

In Lower Lockwood, mysteries they’ll unmask,
As they journey through this tangled, twisted task.
For Jack and Beanstalk, heroes and foes,
Unveil a grisly tale amid murd’rous throes.

Gentle reader, pick up this book if you dare
And free the panto cast from this nightmare.

Verdict: Sadly, Janice Hallett does not write in rhyme. Despite this it is a read sublime. The Christmas Appeal, so rich in squeals, brings to us all some great reveals. So gentle reader, do not dither, buy this book and be a present giver.

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Janice Hallett is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal (a Waterstones
Thriller of the Month, the Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year and winner of the
CWA Debut Dagger award) and the Sunday Times bestsellers The Twyford Code and
The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels. She lives in West London.

Calico by Lee Goldberg @LeeGoldberg @severnhouse

Source: Review copy
Publication: 7 November 2023 from Severn House
PP: 320
ISBN-13: 978-1448310135

There’s a saying in Barstow, California, a decaying city in the scorching Mojave desert . . .The Interstate here only goes in one direction: Away.

But it’s the only place where ex-LAPD detective Beth McDade, after a staggering fall from grace, could get another badge . . . and a shot at redemption.

Over a century ago, and just a few miles further into the bleak landscape, a desperate stranger ended up in Calico, a struggling mining town, also hoping for a second chance.

His fate, all those years ago, and hers today are linked when Beth investigates an old skeleton dug up in a shallow, sandy grave . . . and also tries to identity a vagrant run-over by a distracted motorhome driver during a lightning storm.

Every disturbing clue she finds, every shocking discovery she makes, force Beth to confront her own troubled past . . . and a past that’s not her own . . . until it all smashes together in a revelation that could change the world.

You know you are onto a winner when you find yourself smiling as you read. I did that a lot while I was reading Lee Goldberg’s Calico. Our protagonist is Beth McDade, a detective working for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office in Barstow but based in the one horse town of Baker. Beth is smart, resilient, impulsive and slightly fatally attracted to men. That’s why she’s in Barstow and not still working for the LAPD.

Beth is indulging in her favourite off duty activity – her second favourite is visiting the wonderfully named Pour Decisions bar – when she gets a call. A man has been run down and killed outside a diner in the Mojave Desert by a couple driving a motorhome. An elderly couple were driving and momentarily distracted by a lightning strike, failed to see the man who ran straight into their path. He was wearing old, dirt caked vintage clothing and had nothing on him that could identify him, though his pockets contained some things that would not have been out of place in the late 1800’s.

The coroner tells Beth this is a tragedy rather than a crime. Further enquiries in the area lead to nothing – no-one seems to know who this man was.

Then Beth is asked to try and find a missing man. 35 year old Owen Slader is a chef and food writer/influencer. It transpires that he went missing on the same day, at the same time and in the same area as Beth’s hit and run corpse.

Calico is a dual timeline story that takes a deadly and puzzling police procedural, adds a pretty serious element of military secrecy and infuses it with a western flavour.

This is an enthralling book that kept me turning the pages with ever growing speed, keen to know where his story was going to go next. It is very well researched and because it is, Goldberg is able to bring us a vivid and authentic portrait of the town of Calico, where these mysteries converge.

Goldberg’s writing makes his characters feel like flesh and blood and enables us to root for them, even as he makes them twist and turn in this hydra like story.

Calico is a wonderful mixture of great dialogue, fascinating characters and historical accuracy. It takes Beth, with the help of Coroner Amanda Selby’s forensic science, to cast blazing light over the whole picture. Goldberg’s puzzle is well-paced, his sense of time and place is pitch perfect and his characters are terrific.

Verdict: It’s hard to say more without moving into spoiler territory, but Calico is such a well told tale that it deserves to find a huge audience. Even if you think it’s not for you, give it a try. I’m still smiling and that makes it a must read.

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Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including Lost Hills, the Ian Ludlow trilogy, fifteen Monk mysteries, and five internationally bestselling Fox & O’Hare books co-written with Janet Evanovich. He has also written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk, and is the co-creator of the hit Hallmark movie series Mystery 101. As an international television consultant, he has advised networks and studios in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, China, Sweden, and the Netherlands on the creation, writing, and production of episodic television series. He is also co-founder of the publishing company Brash Books.

Stigma (Blix and Ramm #4) by Jorn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger trs Megan Turney @LierHorst @EngerThomas @meganeturney @OrendaBooks

Source: Review copy
Publication: 12 October 2023 from Orenda Books
PP: 276
ISBN-13: 978-1914585760

My thanks to Orenda Books for an early copy for review

Alexander Blix is a broken man. Convicted for avenging his daughter’s death, he is now being held in one of Norway’s high-security prisons. Inside, the other prisoners take every opportunity to challenge and humiliate the former police investigator.

On the outside, Blix’s former colleagues have begun the hunt for a terrifying killer. Walter Kroos has escaped from prison in Germany and is making his way north. The only lead established by the police is that Kroos has a friend in Blix’s prison ward. And now they need Blix’s help.

Journalist Emma Ramm is one of Blix’s few visitors, and she becomes his ally as he struggles to connect the link between past and present, between the world inside and outside the prison walls.

And as he begins to piece things together, he identifies a woodland community in Norway where deeply scarred inhabitants foster deadly secrets… secrets that maybe the unravelling of everyone involved…

There’s so much to admire in this series which continues to defy expectations in the best possible way. The prose is restrained and lacks hyperbole, yet it is intensely personal and makes the reader feel emotional when the key protagonist will not give an inch of ground in this area.

Alexander Blix is pretty unfeeling right now. He’s in prison, sentenced to 12 years, keeping his head down because he knows the other inmates are just itching for their chance to take him down, however they can. Whatever regrets he has, they do not include inflicting vengeance on his daughter, Iselin’s murderer. The ringleader is Jarl Inge Ree, a notorious hardman who makes Blix’s life as miserable as he can.

Emma Ramm is Alexander’s sole visitor until he receives an unscheduled visit from his former boss, Gard Fosse, asking for his help. A prisoner has escaped from a German prison. Walter Kroos is a cold-blooded murderer and the authorities believe he is on his way to Norway. As far as Blix’s former colleagues can determine, Kroos only has one Norwegian connection – Jarl Inge Ree. So they come to Blix and ask for his help in getting information from his nemesis.

Emma Ramm, an online journalist, uses the information she gets from Blix, to get a head start on tracking Kroos, believed to be heading for the small village of Osen.

Thus begins a two strand approach to this story as Blix investigates inside the prison and Ramm gets ahead of Kroos’ trail by heading directly to Osen.

We know from the opening pages that Walter Kroos is a brutal killer, though why is the bigger question that runs through the whole of this novel. The claustrophobic setting of a small forest campsite beside the village of Osen lends a constricted atmosphere to a story where the secrets are held close and go back many years.

Much has happened to Blix and Ramm in the first three books and one of the reason I like this series so much is that the authors never hesitate to change things up and ensure that the reader is kept constantly engaged as the situation of our protagonists changes markedly. So it is too, with this book, which leaves us wondering if the trauma has all been too much to handle for our characters?

Verdict: Stigma is a compelling read – more of a why than a who when it comes to mystery, though there’s enough of both to keep you guessing. It is the driving narrative of short action packed chapters combined with some great psychological insight that leads to a wholly immersive, captivating read that is hard to put down. The writing duo might as well be one, because this is a seamless narrative that flows like crystal clear sparkling water and nary a seam between chapters. That it does so is also tribute to Megan Turney’s excellent translation skills which always make me forget I’m reading a translation.

I really, really hope we are in for more from this duo who are both immensely talented writers. A five star read for me.

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Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 internationally bestselling William Wisting series. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense. Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark has become a darkly gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer. Photo: Jarli and Jordon

Water by John Boyne @JohnBoyneBooks @DoubledayUK @TransworldBooks

Source: Review copy
Publication: 2 November 2023 from Doubleday
PP: 176
ISBN-13: 978-0241585122

My thanks to Doubleday for an advance copy for review

The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past.

But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes?

Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did – and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all.

Can you ever truly wash away your past?

Water is the first in a series of four individual stories with different narrators, which will comprise a literary quartet of Water, Fire, Earth and Air which form the four-novella sequence The Elements.

Water is the story of Vanessa, who has now changed her name to Willow, and her story is one of intense trauma coupled with the need to dig deep and understand her feelings of guilt and complicity.

It is remarkable how, in this short book, John Boyne is able to produce a soul searching novel that reaches into the depths of Vanessa’s soul and examines her search for understanding as she seeks a way to be at peace with herself.

Vanessa has left Dublin where she was at the centre of a storm of unwelcome attention and publicity. She has come to a remote island off the coast of Galway and she begins by changing both her name and her appearance, though she knows she is never far away from being recognised and found out.

We understand fairly quickly the life that Vanessa has led and what happened to drive her from Dublin; the questions she is asking of herself are simple: why did I not know – did I know?

On the island she lives a basic life. She interacts enough with the small community of locals to stop them being curious about her, but she asks few questions and gives little away about her own life.

She is adopted by a neighbour’s cat, aptly named Bananas, but largely her time is spent wandering and thinking about her life and the events that caused her to come to the island. She will visit the island’s church but take no part in the services. There is something about the attitudes of the church and the patriarchy that she feels are somehow complicit in the trauma that she is experiencing, though she likes and will talk to Ifechin, the local priest.

Surrounded by water; water having played a significant part in her own trauma, her feelings come to the surface when a young local man goes missing at sea.

‘The elements – water, fire, earth, air – are our greatest friends, our animators. They feed us, warm us, give us life, and yet conspire to kill us at every juncture.’

Vanessa learns of her neighbour’s circumstances and of the expectations the island places on their sons, from her neighbour’s son, the quiet but content farmer, Luke to the island’s sporting protégée. All of these encounters help us to consider whether we are who we want to be, or whether we can truly remake our lives the way we want them to be. For Vanessa, they also help her to determine whether she can go on; if her life is worth clinging onto to.

Verdict: John Boyne’s writing is lyrical and is infused with the metaphor of water. His compassion shines through and the character of Vanessa is so wholly beautifully drawn as to be exceptional. The portrait of a woman struggling with her own past is powerful and heart-rending and the whole is a moving story of change, acceptance and renewal.

On the strength of this, you really would not want to miss the other books in this quartet.

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John Boyne is the author of fifteen novels for adults, six for younger readers, and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet, and opera. His many international bestsellers include The Heart’s Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky. He has won four Irish Book Awards, including Author of the Year in 2022, along with a host of other international literary prizes. His novels are published in sixty languages.

Nowhere to Hide (Alex Drayce #1) by Max Luther @maxlutherauthor @Canelo_co @ThanhmaiUK

Source: Review copy
Publication: 12 October 2023 from Canelo Action
PP: 336
ISBN-13: 978-1804365809

A witness with a secret. 24 hours to keep it.

When the witness protection program fails catastrophically, Sarah Bennett is forced to go on the run, narrowly escaping with her life as she is hunted across London by the organised crime group she is imminently due to testify against.

23:59

With the National Crime Agency compromised, private bodyguard Alex Drayce is hired to find Sarah and keep her safe.

23:58

But with Britain’s most powerful criminals on their trail, he’ll need to use every weapon in his arsenal to keep them both alive. Because one thing is certain: Sarah knows something these people want to keep hidden, and they’ll go to any lengths to keep it a secret.

Nowhere to Hide, is Max Luther’s debut novel and takes place over a 24 hour period. This gives it a running start from the first paragraph and a relentless pace that does not stop. The National Crime Agency is protecting two witnesses in a high profile, high stakes trial and as we begin to read the opening stages, it appears that they’re not doing quite as well at the protecting element as you might expect. The witnesses are being targeted by an organised crime gang and it’s not long at all before a sophisticated take down whittles the witness total down to one.

Set mostly in London, this is a high octane, all guns blazing story that begins with a welter of gunfire and does not for a moment let up until the very last bullet has been fired.

Nowhere to Hide is full of gangland violence, so it’s both bloody and uncompromising. Realising that the National Crime Agency’s Witness Protection programme has been compromised, and suspecting that there may be a leak inside the Agency, Julie Adler, Case Manager with the Protected Persons Service decides to call in a favour. She asks freelance bodyguard Alex Drayce to protect their witness, Sarah Bennett.

Knowing nothing about the case nor the dangers it brings, Alex is no stranger to close protection work and he agrees to take on this job. Soon he and Sarah are on the run and they must learn to trust each other if both are to survive.

Dark and gritty with high speed chases, spectacular shoot outs and a plot line that is full of intrigue, Nowhere to Hide has the kind of pacing that leaves you breathless just from turning the pages.

Nowhere to Hide introduces some characters that we want to know more about. Alex himself is on a quest that is so personal he can’t or won’t discuss it, while Julie can’t sleep and is clearly hiding some deep trauma, from herself as well as her team mates.

Verdict: If you like the fast pacing of 24 and the high energy of a Mission Impossible, then Nowhere to Hide may be the book for you.

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As the son of a bookshop owner, Max Luther grew up immersed in literature, reading the likes of Roald Dahl and the Biggles books, before discovering crime fiction in adulthood. A lover of fast paced stories, whether on the screen or the page, he decided to try his hand at writing one of his own. Nowhere to Hide, a crime thriller starring private bodyguard Alex Drayce, is the first.