Caroline

So intrigued was I by the blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it. I didn't realise, however, that it is the eighth book of a series. But do you know what, guys and gals? It doesn't matter, because it can be read as a standalone.
Witness 8 is a gritty, gripping page turner and was, for me, the perfect introduction to Eddie “Fly” Flynn, the con man turned defense attorney. I liked Eddie, and I liked his legal team. This book was so enjoyable I even liked Mr. Christmas.
The story is told from several POV'S, Eddie's being the only one in the first person. It is a complex story, with several strands and sub plots, but it's worth sticking with, particularly for the ending.
Eddie Flynn now has a new fan, and I look forward to reading his back catalogue.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the digital ARC.

Isolation island is Louise Minchin's debut, and it's a little cracker. I must confess that I'm not a fan of reality shows, but when I read the blurb for this book, I was intrigued. I love a good whodunnit with an atmospheric setting.
“So what's it all about?”, I hear you ask. Well, if you've read the blurb you'll know that ten celebrities are sent to a remote Scottish island to take part in a new reality show. Things don't go according to plan. There are health and safety issues, punishments for breaking rules and discord amongst the celebrities. Then two of the celebrities are murdered, and the remainder find themselves cut off from the outside world thanks to a storm.
As soon as the celebrities arrive on the island, you can feel the tension. There is a sense of menace from the outset. The remoteness of the island, and the harsh conditions, help to create the atmosphere. The characters aren't particularly endearing either. I genuinely only liked two of them, but I'm not saying who.
There were enough twists and turns in the story to keep me guessing.
All in all Isolation Island was an engaging, thrilling page turner.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the digital ARC.

Meet the Wisterns, dysfunctional family extraordinaire. There's Anthony, financial wizard and CEO of Wismere Investments, his ice-queen wife Olivia, and their four grown up children, Jemima, Fred, Lyra and Clara. To the outside world they appear to have it all; money, status and good looks. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What A Way To Go centres around Anthony's unfortunate demise on his 60th birthday, for which his wife Olivia has thrown an elaborate party.
His death is eventually ruled as accidental, but not everyone is satisfied with the ruling. Enter the self named “The Sleuth”, a True Crime fanatic who believes Anthony was murdered, and embarks on an amateur investigation of their own, posting live recordings of their progress on YouTube.
The story is told from three POV'S: Olivia, The Sleuth, and Anthony. That's right folks, Anthony still has his say. Following his demise he finds himself in Death's departure lounge, watching over his family as he tries to remember how he died.
I really enjoyed this book. It was so well written everyone was a suspect, and I had a lot of fun trying to work out who killed Anthony. The big reveal, when it came, took me by surprise.
I loved the dark humour, and the characters, even though they didn't have a single redeeming quality between them.
What A Way To Go is a head scratcher of a whodunnit.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Raising Hare is the story of one woman's determination to save the life of a leveret, and how in doing so, the leveret changed her life for the better.
Chloe Dalton was once a busy woman, in a job that took her to far flung places. Then the Covid19 pandemic arrived and the whole of the UK went into lockdown. Unable to work in her London office, Chloe moved into her barn conversion in the country. It was here, whilst out for a walk, that she met the newly born leveret.
Chloe's account of how she cared for the leveret, how she watched it grow into adulthood, and how it allowed her to be a part of its life is truly heartwarming.
I've lived in rural Ireland for most of my life, and I've only seen a hare on two occasions. Apart from the the superstitions that surround them, I knew nothing about hares or their habitat before I picked up this book.
Raising Hare is probably the most beautiful, moving book I have read this year.
Thanks to Canongate Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Picture the scene; seven people wake up in a remote mansion, with no idea how they got there. A disembodied voice tells them they have been gathered there because of their connection to the murder of three people, four years previously. One or more of them is guilty, and the voice wants them to confess in order avoid consequences.
What follows is a fast paced, white knuckle ride of a thriller. The story unfolds along two timelines, now and four years previously.
None of the characters are particularly likeable, though some are more odious than others. Some of them have a secret from their past they would like to keep hidden, and each of them has a possible motive for the murders.
The story is crafted so well that when the final reveal came it stopped me in my tracks. I was so sure I had it right! Hats off to you Mr. Kernick, I didn't see that one coming.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

As soon as the robotic doll came pedalling along on its little bicycle, I knew this book was going to creep me out. I hate dolls, you see. The robot dog I could handle because I love dogs, but this chappie on the bicycle, no thanks. I half expected him to say “Let's play a game”.
So there we have it, I hadn't met William yet, and already I was creeped out. Things could only get better, right? Well, yes as it happens. The book may be a bit slow to get going, but it's worth sticking with. Some of the characters (the human ones, that is) are a tad annoying, but again, it's worth sticking with it, particularly for that twist at the end.
All in all, William makes for super creepy reading, perfect for Halloween.
Thanks to John Murray Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Within the Circle is the explosive (pardon the pun) first book in the new Nova series by Swedish crime writer Arne Dahl.
Nova are a newly formed team within the National Operations Department (NOD.) Led by Chief Inspector Eva Nyman, the team are tasked with finding an alleged climate change activist who has been responsible for several bombs. Eva believes the bomber is her former disgraced boss, Lukas Frisell.
What follows is a a taut, tense thriller, where all is not as it seems. A slow burn to begin with, when the pace picks up, it hits the ground running.
Within the Circle was a gritty, thoroughly enjoyable read, and a great start to a new series.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

The couple that kills together, stays together. Or do they? That's pretty much the premise of A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage. Meet Fox and Haze Cabot, a beautiful young couple living the suburban dream with their young daughter, Bibi. All is not as it seems however, as the couple have a secret; they are serial killers.

Calling all thriller lovers! You might want to mark February 13th 2025 on your calendars. “Why?”, I hear you ask. Well, I'll tell you why. That's the day The Inheritance is published, and trust me folks, you don't want to miss this gem.
You'll be wanting me to tell you what it's all about, I expect. I'm not going to give you a plot synopsis, that would give too much away. What I will tell you is that the story's central characters are the Agarwal family, as dysfunctional a family as you will ever find. I give you Raj and Shalini Agarwal and their three children, Myra, Aseem, and Aisha, and Aseem's wife Zoe. All of them have secrets they'd prefer the rest of the family didn't find out. All of them are skilled liars. One of them is going to die.

The story is mostly told from the POV'S of Zoe and Myra, but sometimes we hear from Aisha.

The setting for the story is an isolated island off the coast of Scotland, which lends an eerie atmosphere to the book.

The Inheritance is a gripping, suspenseful, brutally shocking tale of secrets and lies, and murder. The revelations at the very end will leave you reeling.

What are you waiting for peeps. Preorder this today.

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I must confess I have read very little by Agatha Christie. Yes, I know this is most unusual considering how much I love a good whodunnit or locked room mystery. I have no explanation for this; I just never got around to reading them.
Anyway, you can probably imagine my delight when I received this digital ARC of this special edition to read and review. Many thanks HarperCollins UK and Netgalley.

To say that I enjoyed this classic whodunnit would be an understatement. I was totally immersed in it, and with good reason. You see, the final chapter was missing. When I got to the end, I had to submit who I thought the killer was. Then, and only then, would I receive the final chapter. Brilliant, no?
I relished the idea of exercising my little grey cells. Alas, I am no Poirot, nor Miss Marple. I fear Inspector Clousseau would have made the correct deductions.
The fun was in the trying though, and if I had read this before, it wouldn't have been half as much fun.
I will definitely be adding more Agatha Christie titles to my reading list, but I'm not sure they will top this.
The special collector's edition will be available on 10/10/2024. Thanks again to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Tuva Moodyson is back folks, and I'm not going to lie, I did a little dance when I was approved for this ARC....thank you Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton.
In Ice Town we follow Tuva to Esseberg, otherwise known as Ice Town. There is only one way in and one way out of Esseberg....a tunnel, which closes every night.
An 18 year old boy, Peter Hedberg, is missing. Peter is deaf, and for this reason Tuva feels that she needs to write about his disappearance. It's not long before a body is found.
That's all I'm going to say regarding the plot. Anyone familiar with this series will know that things are never straightforward where Tuva is concerned.
Ice Town is a chilling story, and I don't just mean in the sense that it's set in deepest winter in the north of Sweden. Brrr!!!

I didn't realise, until I was a couple of chapters in, that Helle's Hound is actually part of a series. As it is book #2 however, I didn't feel as though I'd missed anything crucial. I do really want to read book #1 though.
Back to Helle's Hound.

This was my first time reading anything by Tom Hindle, and boy, what an introduction to him it was! To say that I enjoyed it would be a fair assessment. It really was a delightful read.
In Death in the Arctic, Hindle has taken the locked room, cosy mystery of the Christie era, and given it a modern spin. Not for him the isolated country mansion. Oh no, the locked room in this case is on an airship, and said airship is flying over the Arctic. Brrrr!!! ❄
As with every locked room mystery, one needs suspects, and there are no shortage of them here, with 8 guests and 8 crew aboard the airship. There is also the obligatory amateur sleuth, and red herrings aplenty.
The characters were likeable, even the killer. What I loved the most though, was the setting (Tromsø in Norway, and Longyearbyen, in Norway's Svalbard archipelago), and the whole concept of the airship.
All in all, Death in the Arctic was a very entertaining, exceedingly enjoyable read. ❄
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meet Kitty Collins, influencer turned vegan serial killer. Yes, you read that correctly, serial killer. But Kitty isn't your common or garden variety serial killer. Like Dexter, Kitty only kills those who deserve it. Men who are misogynists, men who have hurt her friends, or hurt her. Men who hurt women and get away with it.
Kitty is an heiress. She's beautiful, she has friends who care about her, she has a boyfriend who adores her, and she now has a stalker of sorts, who appears to want to do her harm. Can Kitty get to him first?
I Bet You'd Look Good In A Coffin is actually the second Kitty Collins book, but it can be read as a standalone.
I loved this book. With its dark themes and black humour, it was a thrilling and fun read.
Thanks to HQ Stories and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This title will be available on 30/01/2025.

This truly is a wonderful collection of long forgotten vampire (vampyre) stories, lovingly collected for this anthology in 2011.

Vintage Vampire Stories brings together a whole host of vampires; who knew there were so many variations!

Lovers of classic or gothic horror, will love this anthology. Those who like their vampires of the Twilight variety, probably won't.

My only problem with this anthology was the number of typos in the kindle edition. Otherwise, a most enjoyable read in the run up to Halloween. 👻🎃

The Terror is one of those books that you're either going to love or hate; there's no inbetween. I loved it. I started with mixed feelings because I had watched the TV adaptation (which I also loved ) and I wondered which I would love more....📖 vs. 📺 Turns out I love them equally.

The Terror is a wonderful mix of historical fact and supernatural fiction. It is also quite a lengthy tome, so if long books and nautical history aren't your thing, then perhaps this isn't the book for you. ⚓

I take my hat off to the author for his scene setting. I shivered my way through this book, as if I was stuck in the Arctic. ❄🌨

It's a tough read in places; the symptoms of scurvy, the attacks on the men, the living conditions, the betrayals; it's all harrowing, it's scary, and a lot of it is sadly true.

So there you have it; The Terror is a blend of fact and fiction that is nail biting, terrifying and sad. It raises your hopes, and just as quickly dashes them again.

I really wasn't expecting to get into the festive spirit so soon, but life is full of surprises. The Christmas Eve Murders was also a surprise, and quite a pleasant one at that. Also, check out the author's name; Noelle. If that doesn't scream Christmas, I don't know what does.🎄

And so to the book. Well, The Christmas Eve Murders does exactly what it says in the blurb. It's set on Christmas Eve, and there are indeed murders. This is in essence a cosy, locked room mystery. Allow me to set the scene for you. A quaint village in the Yorkshire Dales. A a young woman, Edinburgh bound, finds herself stranded in the village after her car breaks down. There is no mobile phone reception, and it's snowing heavily. A kindly old gentleman takes her to the village inn, where she will have to stay until the snow stops. ❄

Most of the characters are likeable although, as the murder investigation progresses, they provide quite the pool of suspects. (I have to confess that Barkley was my favourite. 🐕)

If you like your mysteries cosy and festive with, a dash of humour, then treat yourself to this book. You'll be glad you did. 🎄

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I love Alice Feeney's books. They're great psychological, domestic thrillers with a twisty twist at the end. You could say Alice is the queen of the twisty twist. She has outdone herself with this one.

On the day he discovers he is a New York Times bestselling author, Grady Green's wife, Abby, disappears. One year later, Abby is still missing, and Grady has been unable to write another book. His agent offers him the use of a cabin she owns on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. With his dog, Columbo, for company, Grady sets off for the island of Amberley.

Cue strange goings on that Grady attributes to his insomnia.

I'm not going to give away any more of the plot, except to say that all is not as it seems on the island.

Beautiful Ugly is compulsive reading. It's edge-of-your-seat stuff, and when that final twist comes it takes you by surprise. Nope, didn't see that one coming. 👀

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

As debut novels go, The Dark Hours is a pretty compelling, gripping read. From the opening chapters the reader is sucked in, and once started, the compulsion to continue reading is strong.

The main protagonist is retired garda inspector Julia Harte. If that makes you think of retirement homes and amateur sleuths, then allow me to disabuse you of that notion. This is not a cosy mystery.

In 1994, Julia was part of a team on the hunt for a serial killer. In 2024 she is assisting Cork gardaí hunt down a killer whose crimes mirror those from 1994.

The Dark Hours is well paced, with an intricately woven plot. Unfortunately, the characters aren't very likeable, although 2024 Julia is far more agreeable than 1994 Julia. My favourite character was Mutt, who is, erm, a dog. 🐕

I enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more by Amy Jordan.

Thanks to HQ Stories and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this when I started to read it. Although not a total luddite, and capable of navigating around various social media platforms, I will admit to not understanding the whole influencer/branding concept. And that's what this book is about: "Mom" influencers. I don't know if that is actually a thing. If it is, I hope the reality is better than the fictional representation.

The story centres around Chiara and Adrienne, twins who had been close, but drifted apart after Chiara married and became a mother. After one of her posts on Instagram goes viral, Chiara is invited to a weekend summit hosted by a mommy influencer. She fails to return home.

Determined to succeed where she believes the police have failed, Adrienne buys a ticket for the next summit, to find out what really happened to Chiara.

It took me a while to warm to Adrienne, but I found myself rooting for her by the halfway point. Those mommy influencers though, nope. I didn't care for them at all. They were like a cross between the Stepford Wives and the Midwich Cuckoos.

Bizarre characters aside, Follow Me was a well paced, entertaining read.

This book is part of Amazon's March First Reads.

There's so much I want to say about this book, but I just don't know where to begin. I'm going to assume that you've read the blurb, so I'm not going to give you a synopsis of the book. I am, however, going to tell you that this book may be triggering for you, dealing, as it does, with some sensitive subjects.

The Day of the Roaring is first and foremost a police procedural, but it also deals with the issues of racism, sexism, misogyny, and female genital mutilation (FGM) and the wall of silence that surrounds this barbaric practice.

This is quite a busy book, told from multiple POV's, and with quite the cast of characters. It can feel overwhelming at times, but trust me, it's worth sticking with this thought provoking, gritty read.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I was lucky enough to win a copy of For Our Sins in a competition back in February, but I couldn't read it straight away, as I was a few books behind. I was champing at the bit, but these things can't be rushed. My patience was finally rewarded peeps, and I am now fully caught up. So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on For Our Sins.

I think those five stars at the top speak for themselves, don't you? I would give more if possible, because I loved it so much. Although it's marked up as Tony McLean #13, make no mistake, For Our Sins is very much a Janie Harrison vehicle, and boy does she deliver.

Don't worry, Tony is there, just not centre stage. There's also a new Detective Superintendent, who makes Dagwood look positively saintly.

Organised Crime, clerical abuse and misogyny are the central themes, and of course there are murders too.

Well paced and deftly plotted, For Our Sins is an engaging, gritty read.

What sorcery is this? How is it possible to turn a whole host of WhatsApp group messages and college intranet group chats into a twisty mystery, where nothing is as it seems? Once again, I have survived that particular rabbit hole.

The Examiner is the story of six students on a newly formed art course. Five of them are mature (I use the word mature in the loosest possible way) students, the sixth barely out of her teens. The most mismatched, volatile group you are ever likely to encounter.

Then, one of the group goes missing, but the others appear to be covering it up. One thing's for sure, all is not as it appears to be on this particular art course.

As with all of Hallett's books, nothing is straightforward in The Examiner. Just when I thought I had it sussed, the other shoe dropped, and then another, and another. 👞

None of the characters are particularly likeable, but even that made the whole experience enjoyable.

If you're looking for a riveting, fun read, go get yourself a copy of The Examiner. You'll be glad you did.

Crikey! What a roller coaster ride that was. I needed a few hours to get my thoughts straight, and so here we are. 🎢

It's hard to believe that You Are Fatally Invited is a debut novel. So complex is the plot, with its many twists and turns and obligatory red herrings, it certainly felt like the work of someone who has being turning out murder mysteries for quite some time. ✒

Six mystery writers are invited by another mystery writer, who has lived in anonymity for many years, to a writers retreat on an island. Overseeing the retreat is Mila, an events coordinator. Riddles, games and tropes are the order of the day. Until one of the guests is murdered. 🗡

You Are Fatally Invited is the locked room mystery turned on its head. There are locked rooms, and an island cut off from the mainland because of a storm. ⛈ The story has the feel of a game of Cluedo about it, indeed one of the games to be played by the writers is similar to Cluedo. 🗝

I loved this book. It was fun trying to work out who the anonymous mystery writer was, and sort out who amongst the guests did what. The various twists and turns, and the multiple POV's which threw out red herrings, made this nigh on impossible, but therein lay the fun.

You Are Fatally Invited won't be to everyone's taste, but for yours truly it was a little cracker of a book.

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.