<
>
A majestic castle by a Scottish loch, a glass of whisky by a roaring fire, stockings hung by the chimney… and a body? It’s a midwinter murder for Kitty Underhay!
Winter, 1935. Lightly dusted with snow and nestled on the edge of a sweeping Scottish loch, Finnglach Castle looks positively magical. Kitty Underhay, her husband Matt and their beloved dog Bertie are delighted to be celebrating the new year with a Hogmanay party, but just after midnight, a shot rings out across the grounds…
Their host, Lord Barlas, is dead, murdered in the snow. The killer’s footprints have vanished and the gun is missing. With the snow-covered castle completely cut off, and a killer in their midst, Kitty and Matt need to work fast to find the culprit before someone else ends up dead.
As the weather worsens, the guests begin discussing dark Highland stories about evil spirits. But with an anxious daughter, a new wife set to inherit a fortune and a suspicious spiritual adviser, Kitty is sure the killer is close at hand. Can she, Matt and Bertie sniff out the treacherous culprit in time for haggis and whisky or will they find themselves skating on dangerously thin ice?
Buy Link(s): https://geni.us/B0CDHGNWHYsocial
My Review:
What’s not to love in a mystery novel set at Christmas time, in an manor in the Highland, with a cast of characters that would be perfect in a Golden Age Novel, and some gothic elements?
I can find no fault and I loved this novel. I was grabbed since they arrive in the Highland and couldn’t stop reading until I read the last page in the novel.
There are secrets, twists, surprises and a lot of entertaining moments in this novel. Kitty and Matt are a great couple and I love their stories.
This one is a very good one as it’s entertaining and a page turner.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The Author:
Helena Dixon splits her time between the Black Country and Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930’s set cozy crime.
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nelldixonauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NellDixon
Website: http://www.nelldixon.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenadixonuk
Bookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/helena-dixon
The little girl looked like an angel in her thin white robe, her long black hair spread around her head like a dark halo on the snow. Her hands rested on her chest, fingers interlaced as if she had fallen asleep while praying. But she would never wake up again…
When Detective Lottie Parker receives news that a child’s body has been found in the frozen grounds of the cathedral, a shiver runs down her spine. She’s terrified it will be eight-year-old Willow Devine, reported missing that morning.
But when she arrives at the cathedral, holding a photo of Willow with her blonde ponytail and gap-toothed smile, she gets a terrible shock. The body is a young girl, wrapped in a white shroud, a rosary clutched in her frozen fingers. But her hair is dark, not fair. This girl isn’t Willow but another eight-year-old, Naomi.
Desperate to find a connection between the two girls and to find Willow before it is too late, Lottie speaks to the girls’ families and discovers that both girls were altar servers at the cathedral. The charismatic priest Father Maguire has a watertight alibi for the time the girls went missing, but Lottie suspects the confused old lady traumatised by the discovery of Naomi’s body is hiding something…
A day later, Willow’s little body is found wrapped in a white robe in the snowy grounds of a church across town. Lottie is devastated, convinced now that she can’t trust anyone, least of all the girls’ parents. Why did Willow’s mother claim the girls didn’t know each other? And why are there no photos of Naomi in her mother’s shabby house?
But when a little boy from the choir goes missing too, Lottie realises she must spread her net wider. Can she stop this twisted killer before another precious life is stolen?
Buy Link: Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CDC4V8W7social
My Review:
This novel grabbed me at the first page and let me go when I reached the end. It moved, made me feel for all the victims root for Lottie, her family, and hope that Sergio could be back to a loving home.
Sometimes I felt the cold, the chilly atmosphere and how the characters were damaged and hurt.
It’s a tense and fast paced story, a story that moved me and I felt a lot of rage as there’s a lot of victims but some are more hurt by the adults’ choices
The excellent storytelling and the short chapter made me turn pages and it was a bad case of just-another-chapter as there was a new surprising twist any time I wanted to stop reading
Patricia Gibney delivers another story that keeps hooked. Moving, heartbreaking and entertaining.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The Author
Patricia is the million-copy bestselling author of the DI Lottie Parker series. She yearned to be a writer after reading Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene and even wanted to be Nancy Drew when she grew up. She has now grown up (she thinks) but the closest she’s come to Nancy Drew is writing crime!
In 2009, after her husband died, she retired from her job and started writing seriously. Fascinated by people and their quirky characteristics, she always carries a notebook to scribble down observations.
Patricia also loves to paint in watercolour and lives in the Irish midlands with her children.
https://patriciagibney.com/
https://www.facebook.com/trisha460/
https://twitter.com/trisha460
https://www.instagram.com/patricia_gibney_author/
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Patricia Gibney here:
https://www.bookouture.com/patricia-gibney
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
(Source: danzasullacqua.wordpress.com)
AD.60 and Brittania is in chaos. Boudica has had a taste of victory against the formidable veterans in Camulodunum and she won’t stop now. How will Roman heroes Macro and Cato fare against the notorious Queen of the Britons?
A quick response to the rapidly advancing rebel forces, Governor Suetonius takes command leading his army to the besieged Londinium with prefect Cato and a mounted escort in tow.
The grim reality of Britannia slipping deeper into chaos and hysteria becomes unmistakable as tribal warriors continue to swell the ranks of Boudica’s forces. Both Cato and Suetonius confront the sobering truth that minimal preparations have been made to confront a full-scale insurrection.
Meanwhile, in Londinium, a heart-wrenching revelation unfolds. Centurion Macro is among those missing following the Camulodunum massacre. Has Cato’s loyal comrade, who has faced countless battles, met his ultimate challenge? As disaster looms, Cato readies himself for the next strategic move. Can he dare to hope that Macro, marked by battle and unflinching courage, has managed to evade these bloodthirsty rebels?
In this pivotal military campaign, Cato knows that only one man he trusts stands beside him, and the fate of the Empire in Britannia hangs in the balance.
Book page: https://www.headline.co.uk/titles/simon-scarrow/rebellion-eagles-of-empire-22/9781472287076/
My Review:
Note: you can read this book as a stand-alone but I think it’s a sort of follow-up to Death to the Emperor, the previous novel in this long series.
Boudica’s rebellion is described in a lot of books but I think this one that describe is it could have been. It was gory, violent, sometime very cruel insurrection, a sort of guerrilla that nearly defeated Rome.
The author did a good job in described the sense of confusion, the excitement, the violence.
This age is not known for any type of Geneva treaty or piety, the Roman pietas is the sense of loyalty not any type of kindness
The novel is fast paced, action packed, with some heartbreaking moments. There’s a lot violence and some scenes are a graphic description of what it was described by the historian so you’d better skip them if you are squeamish.
I was happy to catch up with Cato and Marco, felt for them and hope to read soon their new story as the aftermath of the rebellion won’t be easy.
This story kept me reading till late in the night as I wanted to be sure that my favourite characters were going to survive.
The storytelling is excellent and it’s well researched. There’s a lot of attention to the details.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The Author:
Simon Scarrow is a Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author with several million copies of his books sold worldwide. After a childhood spent travelling the world, he pursued his great love of history as a teacher, before becoming a full-time writer. His Roman soldier heroes Cato and Macro made their debut in 2000 in UNDER THE EAGLE and have subsequently appeared in many bestsellers in the Eagles of the Empire series, including CENTURION, INVICTUS and DAY OF THE CAESARS. Many of the series have been Sunday Times bestsellers. REBELLION marks no.22 of Simon’s Eagles of the Empire Novels.
Simon Scarrow is also the author of a quartet of novels about the lives of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon Bonaparte, YOUNG BLOODS, THE GENERALS, FIRE AND SWORD and THE FIELDS OF DEATH; a novel about the 1565 Siege of Malta, SWORD & SCIMITAR; HEARTS OF STONE, set in Greece during the Second World War; and PLAYING WITH DEATH, a contemporary thriller written with Lee Francis. He also wrote the novels ARENA and INVADER with T. J. Andrews. His first Berlin thriller, BLACKOUT set in WW2 Berlin and first published in 2021 was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick with DEAD OF NIGHT following to critical acclaim earlier in 2023.
Simon and ‘Eagle of the Empire’ series:
Simon’s inspiration for the “Eagle of the Empire” series stems from a fascination with the Roman Empire’s military and political intricacies. Scarrow’s meticulous research and dedication to historical accuracy are evident in his works, where he skillfully weaves narratives around real historical events and figures. Simon has been inspired by his own life and experiences and sees himself in both his main characters Cato and Marco - Cato being who he was as a student and Marco who he has grown up to be. He has a knack for immersing readers in the ancient world and through his novels, he invites readers to embark on those journeys back in time, where empires clash in battles that have shaped the course of human history but encourages us to draw parallels to the political now through his stories of the then.
Website: https://www.simonscarrow.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SimonScarrow
(Source: danzasullacqua.wordpress.com)
Saltwater Cottages, Saxford’s new arts and crafts centre, is as pretty as a picture. But when murder makes a blot on the landscape, Eve Mallow must draw on all her detective skills to solve the case!
When beautiful Saltwater Cottages opens, offering art courses in charming surroundings, Eve Mallow and best friend Viv sign up straight away. Viv’s brother Simon is in charge, and they all want him to succeed.
But from the start, Eve finds herself in a sticky situation. Famous guest artist Nena Field is a complete nightmare, painting everyone in a bad light. So when Eve finds her body in Blind-Eye Wood, there’s no shortage of suspects. But who could have hated her enough to take her life? Was it the curiously over-qualified cook, the secretive manager, or the chatty receptionist, mysteriously missing at the time of the murder?
Determined to find the killer and save Simon’s business, Eve sets to work sketching out a theory of the crime. Nena was working on a secret painting when she died, which has now vanished without a trace, and Eve is convinced it holds the answers she needs. But when all her best suspects seem to have alibis, Eve is forced back to the drawing board.
Then Eve has her own brush with death, and realises she must be on the right track. But what did she see or hear at Saltwater Cottages, and can she find the killer before they paint her out of the picture?
Buy Link(s): https://geni.us/B0C49XRKDXsocial
My Review:
This is a solid and entertaining mystery but I don’t know it Clare Chase would be able to write a boring or bad mystery.
Eve and the cast of characters are enough to keep you reading till late in the night as they’re well plotted and relatable.
As Eve writes obituary anytime it’s like looking at a different side of the life of relevant people. There’s always a lot of darkness, secrets and some very dangerous enemies.
This is one of the strong point of this series: even if we know that Eve will investigate we are always feeling like she’s working and the information she’s collecting are part of her work.
I wasn’t a fan of the victim, she’s one of those characters that you hope will play a role as a victim. There’s a lot of twists and surprises and I loved the solution
Another well plotted novel that kept reading and guessing, another story that kept reading till late in the night.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The Author
Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.
Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.
Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city.
She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.
As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.
You can find Clare’s website and blog at www.clarechase.com
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClareChaseAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareChase_
Website: www.clarechase.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarechaseauthor/
Bookouture email signup: https://www.bookouture.com/clare-chase
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 fiberglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto evenbefore 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?
Book Page: https://serpentstail.com/work/the-christmas-appeal/
My Review:
Janice Hallett only writes clever and entertaining books, this one is the perfect example of how she mixes humour, social satire and a description of the relationship amongst the member of the The Fairway Players.
There’s a good balance amongst these elements: the power plays, the snobism and class distinction, the secrets hidden behind the facade.
I had a lot of fun but I think there was also food for thought as sharp and witty social remarks are spot on.
This is a story set at Christmas time but it’s not a Christmas story. There’s any magic moment with the snow falling, there’s plenty of very funny moments.
It was a great follow up to The Appeal, an original and fresh novel that I read in one sitting.
I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The Author:
Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, will be published by Viper in 2022. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.
Social links: https://linktr.ee/janicehallett
The URL you requested could not be found.
Help center