Caroline

I was sent an EPUB version of this book by the author, in exchange for an honest review, so here goes.
A Nose For Murder is described as a not-so-cosy mystery. I'll go along with that. It does contain a mystery, the murder of a drag queen. Another murder quickly follows. It is there that any resemblance to a cosy mystery ends. What follows is a lighthearted romp packed with eccentric characters such as Sylvie, a psychic and ex-wife of the first victim, and a wannabe Miss Marple.
A Nose For Murder is a send up of all those cosy Miss Marple mysteries, but it is highly enjoyable and humorous to boot.

John Connolly; he's a masterful storyteller, isn't he? I enjoy his writing so much I'd probably give his shopping list five stars. But I'm not here to review his shopping list. Instead, allow me to tell you what I thought of Night and Day.

As you've probably guessed, I enjoyed this book immensely. Nine brand new short stories, and an essay on the old Hammer classic, Horror Express; what's not to like?
The short stories were superb, providing chills, a sense of unease, and a little humour. I loved The Bear, and The Mire at Fox Tor. The two stories set in the Caxton Lending Library and Book Depository were my favourites however.

I didn't expect to be entertained by the essay on Horror Express, but I was. I do love a Hammer Horror, but I must confess, I haven't seen Horror Express. I do plan to watch it sometime soon, and then I will read the essay again, and perhaps appreciate it a little more.

So there you have it folks. While Horror Express: Extended Edition might not appeal to everyone, if tales of ghosts and the supernatural are your bag, you can't go wrong with Night and Day.

Mu favourite heroine is back, and investigating the disappearance of a young girl. This leads her to the residents of Rose Farm, a group of survivalists, all of whom seem to have something to hide. Alongside this investigation, Tuva is battling her demons. She is haunted by the shooting of her beloved Noora and cannot accept that Noora will never come back to her.
Fast paced and thrilling.

Deceit is the first book in a new series by Jónína Leósdóttir, and the first of Jónína's books to be translated into English by Quentin Bates, an established author in his own right.
Deceit is set in Reykjavík, in the early days of the Covid19 pandemic. The main protagonists are Sóffia, who is a detective with the Reykjavík police, and her ex-husband Adam, a psychologist, originally from England. Sóffia enlists the help of Adam as she sets out to investigate a series of malicious acts against certain businesses in the city.
The story incorporates many issues besides Covid19, such as bullying, transgender issues and terminal illness.
I enjoyed this book, although I failed to warm to Sóffia. I hope that more of Leósdóttir's books will be translated into English.

Thorne's worst nightmare begins in this, the 18th book in the series. The Murder Book sees the return of Thorne's nemesis, who will stop at nothing to make Thorne pay.
A cracking great read.

Jórn Lier Horst has created a very compelling and addictive series with a very likeable hero, William Wisting.
Snow Fall sees Wisting drawn into the world of online amateur crime sleuths, as he looks into the disappearance of a Norwegian woman who has been active on just such a website.
The investigation takes him to Spain, where the woman's family have a holiday home.
Horst sets the scene slowly, but the reader feels the tension mount, chapter by chapter.
A must read for all fans of Scandi Noir.

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are incredibly talented, established authors in their own right, but as the co-authors of the Blix and Ramm series, they are quite the dynamic duo, and oh my, what gripping, tension filled books they turn out.
Victim is the latest book in the Blix and Ramm series, and oh did it mess with my head. Blix has a new sidekick you see, a four legged one, and I always worry about the fate of the four legged characters. (Spoiler alert: he was fine. )

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.

Ever wondered how the characters of Pride and Prejudice would cope with social media? Well wonder no more.
Pride and Prejudice on Social Media does exactly what it says on the tin, or the book cover in this instance. The Bennetts, Bingleys and Mr. D'Arcy are all to be found on various social media platforms.

This satirical retelling of the Jane Austen classic may be silly, but it's also hilarious. I remember having to study Pride and Prejudice for English Lit many years ago, and not enjoying it very much. Oh how my teenaged self would have loved this.

Twenty-five years ago I stumbled across a copy of a book called Every Dead Thing in my local library. According to the blurb, it was the debut novel by a young man named John Connolly. I was intrigued by the rest of the blurb but, I must confess, it was the cover that caught my eye initially. I checked out that book, and so began my love affair with Charlie Parker.
Here we are, twenty-five years later, and my love for Charlie hasn't diminished. If anything, it's grown stronger. I missed him while he was having his little break last year, but absence has made my heart grow fonder.
The Instruments of Darkness is the 21st book in the Charlie Parker series and sees Charlie working for lawyer Moxie Castin, who is defense lawyer for a woman accused of murdering her child. The subsequent investigation will take Charlie deep into Maine, and bring him into contact with evil once again.
The Fulci brothers, Paulie and Tony, make a welcome return, as do Angel and Louis. Like Charlie, Angel and Louis have become a little slower, but they still answer the call to assist Charlie.
The supernatural element I have come to expect is present in the form of a wendigo, and a woman who hears the voices of the dead.
The Instruments of Darkness is a gripping, but poignant read. It engages the reader, and triggers many emotions.
For me it is also a reunion with old, much loved friends.

Hercules Road by Francis Cottam is the sequel to The Firefighter, and is set during the Blitz.
Ex-firefighter Jack Finlay has completed training in Scotland with a commando unit, and is sent on a mission to France to rescue an agent who has been compromised.
Hercules Road makes for compelling, poignant reading. The story is told so well it draws the reader, one can almost hear the bombs drop over London, and visualise the burnt out buildings. Francis Cottam is indeed a master storyteller.

This is a little cracker of a book, which had me on the edge of my seat. Driscoll doesn't waste any time getting to the meat of the story; there's no slow build up, nope, it's straight in there with every parent's worst nightmare....child abduction.

Dark themes are the order of the day; child abduction, murder, religious mania, and brute control.
This is definitely not a book for the faint hearted.
Despite, or maybe because of, these themes, Close Your Eyes is a captivating, suspenseful read.

The Playdate is the story of Sara who, along with her husband Adam and daughter Lexie, has relocated from London to Dublin, Adam's place of birth.
Sara tries to make friends with some of the mums she meets at the gates of her daughter's new school every morning. It's specifically the yummy mummies that she'd like to befriend, and one in particular; Vanessa, mother of Polly whom Lexie is in awe of.
This is the story of what can go wrong when you host a playdate in an attempt to impress a yummy mummy, the repercussions for all involved.
The Playdate is a thrilling, suspenseful, psychological read that really packs a punch.

A new murder investigation that sees Wisting travel to Lithuania in search of answers.

The Wisting series is Nordic Noir at its best, and never disappoints. The Traitor is the latest book in the series, and once again Jørn Lier Horst delivers a well paced, action packed thriller that hits the ground running.
The book begins with a landslide which causes the destruction of several houses, and we are privy to the heroic efforts of Wisting to save a young girl trapped in the rubble of her home.
The discovery of a body in yet more rubble the next day, causes confusion amongst the police, as all residents had been accounted for.
What follows is a gripping read that leaves the reader on the edge of their seat.

A new book from Stuart MacBride is always something to look forward to, so I was like a child on Christmas morning when this latest offering landed in my kindle.
In a Place of Darkness could aptly describe the setting of the book, as we return to Oldcastle, where the rain is incessant.
The first person we meet is Detective Constable Angus MacVicar. He's fresh out of uniform and has now joined Department O, who are on the hunt for the Fortnight Killer, so dubbed because he, well that's self explanatory.
Being part of the team means babysitting forensic profiler Dr. Jonathan Fife, on loan from the FBI.
In a Place of Darkness is dark, but MacBride's trademark humour helps to alleviate some of that darkness.
It's a long book, but oh so worth travelling down that long and windy road with Angus, especially for that explosive finale. Action packed, and with characters that you will either love, or love to hate, all in all it's a cracking great read.

The Logan MacRae series just gets better with each book. Packed with dark humour and darker villains, every book in the series is a must read.

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. The Parker series never gets tired, it goes from strength to strength. A Game of Ghosts is, hands down, the best in the series. However, I've said that about it's predecessors.
Never have I felt so strongly about the main characters in a book. I care about them, I worry about them, I want them to make it to the last page.
I feel at a loss now because I will have to wait 12 whole months for the next book. Aargh, the suspense. !!!

Brilliant first book in a new series by Lilja Sigurdardottir. I'm hooked and can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Hats off to Will Dean. He's only gone and done it again. He's taken the locked room mystery and turned it on its head. For locked room read hyperbaric chamber.
Picture, if you will, 6 people in a very small chamber, locked in and breathing a mixture of helium and oxygen. Then one by one, they begin to die. Sounds like “And Then There Were None” crossed with Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.
This is no cosy mystery though. It's on-the-edge-of-your-seat, panic inducing, suspense. It is claustrophobia writ large. And oh boy, that ending. See, that's the thing I love about Will Dean. He never gives you a straightforward ending, but he does take you on quite the journey.

Carl Morck and his assistants Assad and Rose investigate a possible kidnapping after a message in a bottle lands on their desk. Their subsequent enquiries lead them to suspect there have been more kidnappings in the intervening years.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This was a nice little psychological thriller. Maybe a little slow to start off, but when the pace picks up, it's game on.
Our protagonist is Alexandra, an aesthetics practitioner. She has it all; a successful business, a townhouse in Brighton, a husband and two children. She also has a secret past, and someone is keen to remind her of it.
There are one or two creepy moments in the book, such as the arrival of the first origami bird, and that constant feeling Alexandra has of being watched.

The follow up to Cold as hell, and, dare I say it, better than its predecessor. With more twists and turns than a rollercoaster ride, Red as Blood is one thrilling read.

Stuart MacBride is best known for his Ash Henderson and Logan MacRae series of books, set in Oldcastle and Aberdeen respectively.
Sawbones is something of a different beast. For one thing, it's a novella, but boy is it action packed. MacBride can cram a lot into just 68 pages, but let me assure you, it's not rushed.
There's a change of location too; Sawbones is set in the good old US of A.
Fast paced, action packed and pretty brutal, Sawbones is a thrilling read.

A Logan MacRae novella, set during the Scottish vote for Independence. Packed with the dark humour I've come to love, this was an enjoyable short read.