THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper is a slow burn, atmospheric
murder mystery set in the unforgiving and remote Australian Outback.
The apparent suicide of Cameron Bright seems to be just
another tragedy in this family’s story. A well liked family man, no one can
understand why he would leave his well-stocked vehicle and walk to the
Stockman’s Grave in the deadly heat of the Outback summer to die.
When Nathan Bright meets his youngest brother Bub at the
fence-line between his and the family’s properties at the Stockman’s Grave to
recover his brother’s body, Nathan has more questions than answers. The local
police believe it is a suicide, but Nathan has trouble believing. He returns to
the family homestead to help, but the past returns to haunt him as well as the
secrets his brother was hiding.
As the family grieves, Nathan’s suspicion grows that there
may be a murderer among them.
This is one of those books you start and just fall into the
intrigue of the location and mystery. Ms. Harper’s description of the heat and
dry in the Outback in the summer pulls you in and makes you believe you can
feel the isolation and danger of the location for the families that live there.
My opinion of the point-of-view main character, Nathan changes continually with
each new family revelation Ms. Harper weaves into the story. The secondary
characters are all hiding their own secrets and add to the feeling of surprise
and dread with each revelation. The resolution of the mystery was a surprise I
did not see coming which makes this a truly memorable read.
I absolutely LOVED this new historical cozy mystery!
THE RIGHT SORT OF MAN
(Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery Book 1) by Allison Montclair ticked off all of
my favorite things in a historical cozy mystery. The time and place is the
immediate years post WWII in London. The characters are appropriate to the
time, realistic, extremely entertaining and smart. The plot is full of
interesting twists and red herrings.
Two very different women meet at the wedding of a mutual
friend and form an instant friendship. With their individual talents, they
decide to start a business venture called The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau. Iris
Sparks is quick witted, impulsive and secretive in regards to her time during
the war. Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge is a war widow with a young son, Ronnie who
is now destined to become the next Lord Bainbridge. While very different on the
surface, both women fit well together with their individual strengths and
abilities.
As their fledgling business is starting to take off, one of
their newest clients, Tillie LaSalle is found murdered and Scotland Yard arrests
the prospective husband Iris and Gwen paired her with. The detectives believe
they have their man, but Gwen refuses to believe in Mr. Trower’s guilt. To
clear his name and rescue their business, Iris and Gwen decide to investigate
on their own using the skills and contacts each has acquired during the recent
war.
As the pair investigate the murder, they find themselves
surrounded by individuals involved in all forms of illegal post-war activities.
Will Iris and Gwen be able to save Mr. Trower and their new business without
becoming victims themselves?
I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved these characters.
As the mystery plot keeps you turning the pages, so does each revelation in
regards to Iris and Gwen’s pasts. The main characters, the secondary characters
and the mystery plot make this a perfect historical cozy mystery read. I highly
recommend this book and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
Thanks very much to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur
Books for allowing me to read this eARC. It was definitely my pleasure!
My turn on the blog tour today. I am excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for the first book in a new P.I. cozy mystery series set in Wales by a new to me author. MURDER ON THE ROCKS (Jordan Jenner Mysteries Book 1) by J.S. Strange will keep you guessing.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, author info, social media links and purchase links. Enjoy!
***
Book Blurb:
When PI Jordan Jenner returns to work following the death of his mother, his first case involves a murdered writer…
James Fairview has been killed. As a member of a prestigious writing group hosted by bestselling author Joseph Gordon in the heart of Cardiff, Jordan not only has to cope with solving the mystery, but also deal with press attention.
As Jordan investigates, he discovers his mother’s death may not have been so simple. And when another writer is murdered, Jordan realises the killer could strike again…
A murdered writer, a mysterious death, and a group with jealousy at its heart, this is Jenner’s toughest case yet.
A cozy murder mystery with a gay male detective, Murder on the Rocks is the first in the Jordan Jenner Mysteries series. If you’re a fan of classic whodunits you will love this!
A perfect read for those looking for Welsh crime fiction.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
MURDER ON THE ROCKS (Jordan Jenner Mysteries Book 1) by J.S.
Strange is a new cozy P.I. mystery. It is the first in a series set in Wales
and by a new to me author. This mystery has a unique lead character and the
murder occurs within a prestigious writer’s group of not so friendly
competitors.
Freelance P.I. Jordan Jenner has just returned to work after compassionate leave for the death of his mother. DCI Vanessa Carter calls Jordan in to her new crime scene for assistance. James Fairview, a wannabe author is found poisoned at a writers’ group meeting. He is a member of bestselling author, Joseph Gordon’s writing group in Cardiff.
As Jordan investigates the private lives of the members of
the writers’ group and tries to find the killer, he finds out that his mother
knew Joseph Gordon and her death may be related in some way. Every turn has
Jordan drawn deeper into this web of lies and the killer may not be done yet.
Jordan is an intriguing main character. He is not the nicest
person, but he is intelligent and determined. I also have not read any
mysteries with a gay P.I. protagonist. The plot itself has many twists, turns
and red herrings that kept me reading and guessing right up to the end. Since
this is a cozy mystery, you are able to avoid the strict, true-to-life police
procedures and rules.
The murder mystery is all tied up in the end, but there is a
bit of a personal cliffhanger that will easily lead those of us who want more
into the next book. I am very glad I tried this new to me author and can highly
recommend this book. I am looking forward to many more mysteries in this
series.
***
About J.S.
Strange:
J.S. Strange is an author from Wales,
United Kingdom. He writes crime, mystery and horror. His first novels,
published in 2016 and 2017, were set in an apocalyptic London. Murder on the
Rocks, is the first in a cozy crime mystery series, featuring a leading gay
male detective.
Murder on the Rocks was written by Strange for many reasons. One of those
reasons was a lack of representation within the crime genre, particularly with
detectives and sleuths. Strange created Jordan Jenner, a private investigator,
who lives and works in Cardiff. Murder on the Rocks was written with the
intention of shining light on Cardiff, and bringing Cardiff, and furthermore,
Wales, into the crime genre.
Strange’s previous works, such as ‘Winter Smith: London Burning’, also explored
LGBT themes, and featured socialite Winter Smith escaping a zombie apocalypse.
‘London’s Burning’ became an Amazon best-seller in LGBT fiction.
When Strange doesn’t write, he works in television. He also presents a radio
show all about the paranormal. He has an enthusiasm for Britney Spears and
cats.
I want to share this Feature Post and Book Review for BAYOU CITY BURNING (Harry and Dizzy Lark Book 1) by D.B. Borton which is being released June 1st. Below you will find a synopsis, an excerpt from the book, my book review and the author’s bio and social media.
This is a historical crime mystery set in the 1960’s in Houston, TX with a father/daughter hard-boiled detective duo. Oh, and did I mention the daughter is 12 years old! I highly recommend this first book in this new series and cannot wait to read more.
***
Synopsis
Houston, 1961
Texas’ slickest politician has lost his presidential bid to a good-looking naval hero from Massachusetts. President Kennedy wants to put a man on the moon, and the Freedom Riders are raising morale for local civil rights activists.
Sleepy backwater Houston finds itself short on air conditioning just when things are heating up.
In a seedy downtown office, a well-dressed out-of-towner hires P.I. Harry Lark to tail two D.C. visitors looking to build NASA a space center. The more Harry finds, the more he suspects he’s working for the wrong side, and vows to wash his hands of the case. Meanwhile, Harry’s twelve-year-old daughter Dizzy is puzzling over a mystery of her own—she’s running a lost-and-found out of a suburban garage and is unexpectedly hired to find a missing dad who’s supposed to be dead and buried.
When Harry’s client turns up dead in his office, and mobsters start hounding him for cash, Harry realizes he needs the help he can get, even if it comes from his daughter. As Harry and Dizzy’s cases converge, thing is clear: some wants Houston to look like a lawless Wild West cowtown. Together, Harry and Dizzy are going to find out who that is.
***
Excerpt
It was there, and then it wasn’t: a grainy, pockmarked triangle slashed by a dark shadow. First the edges blurred into an impres sionist dream of earth tones and light, then the cut of a thin shadow skimmed across the surface, and then—darkness. Nothing to see, no matter how I strained my eyes.
Static, like a windstorm against a microphone, accented by highpitched beeps.
A calm male voice: “Contact light. Okay, engine stop.” Then another voice, a familiar twang, Texan: “We copy you down, Eagle.” The first voice again: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”
Later, I heard that about five million people all over the world were doing exactly what I was doing at that moment. I had a summer job as a day camp counselor at the local Y, but they sent everybody home early that day—kids, counselors, and staff—to watch two men land on the moon, just like President Kennedy had promised they would eight years before. In the thrill of the moment, it was hard to predict what people would remember afterward. Probably they’d remember the words, “The Eagle has landed.” But I’d remember the part that came before. I’d remember the first word in that announcement: Houston.
If it hadn’t been for my old man, that word might have been different.
Some people regard my father Harry as a two-bit shamus. They see him as a licensed peeper with a gun under his coat and the ethics of an alligator lizard. I’ve seen him that way myself. But he’s got his principles. And I knew as I sat in our chilly living room, curtains drawn against the blazing star that lit up the lunar surface and melted the Texas sidewalks, that this was his gift to me: that word.
He didn’t have to do it. The other side was safer, and they paid better, too. But I was his little girl, and he wanted to make me happy.
“Where’s your secretary?” He angled a thumb over his shoulder toward the outer office. Two rings winked at me, a diamond and a signet.
“She must’ve stepped out,” I said noncommittally.
Jeanie had “stepped out” about six months ago when I’d traded her salary for a set of braces for my son. I liked to keep up appearances, though, so I hung an old sweater from the back of Jeanie’s chair and sprayed it with perfume from time to time—mostly rejects from my daughter’s Christmas gift exchanges. I filed some things on Jeanie’s desk instead of in the wastebasket and kept a page in the typewriter. But what did he care, unless he was worried about witnesses?
I nodded at the wooden chair in front of my desk and angled a packet of Winstons in his direction. “What can I do for you?”
He slung his raincoat over the arm of the chair. It dripped small dark stains onto the rug. He took a cigarette and we lit up. Then he settled back in the chair and grimaced. I studied his tie, waiting for him to speak. It was the same slate gray as the suit and thin as a razor blade.
“I need some information about an event that’s taking place here next week,” he said. “In town, I mean.” He waved his cigarette in the direction of the window and grimaced. The grimace told me that he’d never consider promoting Houston from a backwater berg to a city. His voice was flat and forgettable—the kind of voice that could have read the daily stock report. “And what would that be?”
“Two men are coming down from Washington, DC. I want to know what they’re doing here, where they go, who they see. Pictures, too.”
“What’s the beef?” I said.
“Let’s say that I suspect these men of conspiring to defraud taxpayers by engaging in certain underhanded practices that stand to damage my business interests and those of my associates.” He was looking at Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was hanging on my wall, when he said it. If Ike didn’t like this story, he didn’t say so. I didn’t like it, but I was in hock to a certain orthodontist, so I refrained from comment.
“Let’s say that,” I said. “And you would be Mr.—?”
“Smith.” His gaze returned to me and his eyelids dropped to halfmast over the cigarette smoke. “My name is Smith.”
“Well, Mr. Smith,” I said, “I get fifty dollars a day plus expenses.”
“Isn’t that a little steep?” he said.
I shrugged. “I have to pay for the air conditioning.” Besides, his suit told me he could afford it.
He gestured with his cigarette. “And I suppose all the other private dicks in Houston have to pay for air conditioning, too.”
I grinned. “You’re welcome to go ask them.”
I left it up to him to imagine spending the hours between now and his departure time sitting in a Houston office without air conditioning instead of cooling his heels in a lounge near the airport. I felt sure he was doing it, too.
“Yeah, all right,” he said.
My marks were Philip Miller and John Parsons. Their work had something to do with space research.
“What kind of space research?” I said, frowning. “You mean for business expansion?”
“Hey, that’s right.” He pointed the cigarette at me. “Business expansion. But the business is space—outer space.”
My phone rang. The voice on the other end was accusatory. “You were supposed to pick me up ten minutes ago for the orthodontist.”
Since he’d become a teenager, my son Hal addressed me in one of three tones of voice—bored, superior, and disgruntled. He’d found it harder to manage since he’d acquired a mouthful of metal and rubber bands, but not impossible.
I pretended to check my desk calendar and make a notation. “Yes, that’s fine,” I said. “I’ll be there.”
“I’m going to be late for the orthodontist,” Hal said.
“That’s all right. Happy to help out. Thanks for calling.” I hung up and raised my eyes to my visitor. “Where were we?”
“Space.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” I said.
“I don’t, either,” he said. “But there’s business involved, and a lot of money. That’s all you have to know.”
The two men were due to arrive the following Tuesday at Houston International. He didn’t know the time or the flight, but he gave me photographs of the men. The photographs looked like my kind of photograph—stuff taken with a telephoto lens when the subject didn’t know he was being photographed.
He glanced out the window next to the one with the air conditioner. City buildings gleamed in the rain but there wasn’t much else to look at except the Weather Ball on top of the Texas National Bank, which blinked to show that precipitation was expected. It didn’t matter to him; he was blowing town anyway, the sooner the better. He counted out four twenties and laid them on my desk. “That enough to get you started?” he asked. I nodded. He told me he’d come back in a week at the same time.
He was already swabbing the back of his neck with the wet handkerchief as he stood up.
“What if I have to get in touch with you before then?” I said.
“Save it.” He turned his back and headed for the door.
I stood at the window and watched him emerge from the building downstairs, his raincoat over his head like a pup tent. The Chinese laundry on the first floor was kicking up a lot of steam and he gave it a wide berth, stepping gingerly to keep his Italian leather shoes out of the puddles. Then he disappeared around the corner, so I didn’t get to see his car, if he had one. It was probably a rental, anyway. I had already decided that tailing him at this point was a losing proposition. He’d paid me enough to start the work he wanted me to do, but not enough to give me the trouble of tailing him.
Besides, I had a date with my surly teenaged son. I pocketed the twenties and hoped that my daughter’s teeth all stayed as straight as a drill sergeant.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
BAYOU CITY BURNING (Harry and Dizzy Lark Book 1) by D.B.
Borton is a new P.I. mystery story and the beginning of a new series. Set in
Houston, TX in the 1960’s this father/daughter team are so much fun to get to
know and follow as their separate investigations merge into one intriguing
mystery case. Did I mention that Dizzy is only 12 years old?
P.I. Harry Lark is happy when a well-dressed out-of-towner shows
up at his office. He has orthodontist bills to pay for his son. All he has to
do is follow two men from D.C. and let his client know where they go in Houston
and who they see. When Harry discovers he is not the only one following these
men, he starts to wonder what his client is really interested in.
Desdemona “Dizzy” Lark is not your average 12 year old girl.
She has started a business with her two best friends, B.D. and Mel out of her family’s
garage. Lost and Found finds lost items collected from the neighborhood and you
can have them returned or purchase them for a small trade or fee. Dizzy and her
friends are Nancy Drew fans and Dizzy wants to become a P.I. just like her Dad.
As Dizzy and the girls are sitting around the garage, little
7 year old Sissy Heffelman walks up and tells the girls she wants them to find
her daddy. An expensive Barbie doll was sent to Sissy on her birthday and she
believes it is from her father even though he was supposedly killed in a
terrible train wreck weeks before. They take Sissy’s case.
As the girls work their case, Harry’s client is killed in
his office while searching for something after breaking in in the night. Harry
has mobsters showing up from Chicago and Tampa all looking for something that
Harry knows nothing about. Houston got rid of the mob years ago, so why are
they back? All of a sudden in once quiet Houston there are bombings tied to
picketers and the dockworkers are striking. When Harry and Dizzy begin to compare
their cases, they find the two may be connected by a single incident.
This is such a fun, entertaining and intriguing mystery. Harry’s dialogue is filled with old-fashioned hard-boiled P.I. lingo that at first was a little jarring, but then it just blends right into the whole narrative and I could not imagine him talking any other way. It was especially entertaining when Dizzy used the same lingo. Harry and Dizzy have a unique relationship that had me laughing out loud at times. Set in the 1960’s, the author realistically writes about race relations, dirty politicians and the mafia. There are many twists and turns in this fast moving plot that kept me guessing.
I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read more mysteries with this father/daughter duo.
***
Author Bio and Social Media
D. B. Borton is the author of two mystery novel series, the Cat Caliban series (Berkley,
Hilliard and Harris) and the Gilda Liberty series (Fawcett), as well as
recent novels Second Comingand Smoke.
She has published academic
work on film, women’s literature, and the
supernatural; she is co-author of Haunting the House of Fiction: Feminist
Perspectives on Ghost Stories by American Women and Ghost Stories by
British and American Women.
She also wrote for Ms. magazine.
A native Texan, Borton became an ardent admirer
of Nancy Drew at a young age. At the age of fourteen, she acquired her own blue
roadster, trained on Houston freeways, and began her travels. She also began a
lifetime of political activism, working only for candidates who lost. She left
Texas about the time everyone else arrived.
D. B. currently teaches writing, film, and
literature at Ohio Wesleyan University.
I love reading the first book in a new mystery series and finding new characters to follow. I am also always happy when the ending has a twist that I was not expecting. This book has both.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, and the author’s information and social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Blurb:
Is someone trying to frame psychologist Pippa Durrant for the brutal murder of a woman she’s never even met?
It certainly seems that way when Pippa’s photo is found on the body of murdered lottery winner, Leanne Smith.
Pippa soon finds herself a suspect at the centre of a huge media storm. But she has an invaluable skill set – she is a human polygraph, expertly trained to spot lies and deceit. Skills she will need to help her to solve the mystery of who killed Leanne before it destroys her career – and her life.
But every cloud has a silver lining and this one arrives in the shape of DS Joe Swain. Initially suspicious of Pippa, he comes to trust her and to value her lie detection skills. Soon it’s clear there’s a definite spark between them….
Then, when another body turns up, Pippa realises her reputation isn’t the only thing in danger. Can she identify the killer before she becomes the next victim?
Fatal Fortune is the electrifying first book in the Dr. Pippa Durrant Thriller Series. If you like edge-of-your-seat action, clever sleuths, and shocking twists, then you’ll love Miranda Rijks’ gripping crime novel.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
FATAL FORTUNE (A Dr. Pippa Durrant Mystery Book 1) by
Miranda Rijks is the first book in a new mystery series featuring psychologist
Dr. Pippa Durrant.
Leanne Smith won the lottery. As she plans for her future,
Leanne is found murdered and a photo of Pippa is left on her body, but Pippa
does not know Leanne or her family. Pippa does not like being a suspect. She is
losing her private practice clients due to the notoriety so she agrees to work
with DS Swain to get her life back.
Pippa has a talent for criminal work. She was a forensic
psychologist while working on her PhD and has studied micro expressions as a
way of being able to read the truth in facial expressions. She is like a human lie
detector. She has also studied graphology. Pippa changed to more main stream
private practice after the loss of her daughter and the disintegration of her
marriage.
DS Joe Swain is at first suspicious of Pippa, but as he gets
to know her and verifies her background, he starts to trust her and her skills.
As they work together, he seems interested in more than just Pippa’s
professional assistance.
Another dead body and another picture of Pippa on the body
with a threat written on the back. Will Pippa and Joe be able to identify the
killer before Pippa becomes the third victim?
I liked the fast paced murder mystery plot in this story. It kept me turning the pages. The twist at the end was not what I was expecting and that always makes me happy. The characters were realistically flawed and each has secrets that they are trying to keep. I still have questions in regards to Pippa’s professional and personal past which I hope will be answered in future books. I also will be interested to read how the author handles Pippa and Joe’s attraction.
I enjoyed this first mystery in the series and am looking
forward to reading more.
***
About Miranda
Rijks:
Miranda Rijks is a writer of suspense
novels. I WANT YOU GONE is her first psychological thriller.
Miranda has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre.
She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of
years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now
she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex,
England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.
Up next is FATAL FORTUNE, the first of three books in a mystery romance series
that will be published in May 2019. They feature Dr Pippa Durrant, a
psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police
getting embroiled in some scary stuff!
Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so you can reach out to her at www.mirandarijks.com
I am very happy to be a part of the Blog Blitz for Heleyne Hammersley’s new book BAD SEED (DI Kate Fletcher Book #3). This Feature Post contains a book blurb, my book review and the author’s social media info.
Even though this is the third book in the series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone and it is definitely a page-turner. (I will be going back to read the first two books, too.) I love Kate and all of her team. I am hooked on another British police procedural series!
***
Bad Seed Blurb
When the body of a woman is discovered near
Doncaster’s red light district, DI Kate Fletcher is called to the scene.
The victim has an abdominal wound that looks
like a Caesarean incision, leading the police to believe she may have been
pregnant.
Kate’s team establish the woman’s identity
but it soon becomes clear that those close to her have something to hide.
The post-mortem reveals the victim wasn’t
pregnant and, when a second body is discovered with similar wounds, the police
realise they are hunting for a serial killer with a sinister fixation.
Can Kate solve the case before another
woman dies?
And can a ruthless, methodical killer be brought to justice?
***
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
BAD SEED (DI Kate Fletcher Book #3) by Heleyne Hammersley is
the latest DI Kate Fletcher British police procedural in the series. This is
the first book I have read in this series by this author and it is easily read
as a standalone. I enjoyed it so much, I will definitely be going back to read
the first two books.
DI Kate Fletcher is called to the scene of a gruesome murder victim found dumped in a field. The victim has been strangled, raped and had her abdomen sliced open with a precision cut similar to a Caesarean incision. She was not pregnant. As Kate’s team works to identify the woman, they soon discover that those around her are hiding something.
When a second body is found with similar wounds, Kate
believes they may have a serial killer. Can Kate and her team catch this methodical killer before
another woman dies?
This is a fast paced procedural that kept me turning the
pages. Ms. Hammersley’s writing pulls you in and with all the twists and turns I
could not put it down. I love DI Kate Fletcher. A strong female lead character
done well. The whole team makes a great cast of secondary characters that I
hope to learn more about as I follow the series.
I can highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read
more in the series!
***
Author Info
Heleyne
Hammersley is a British writer based in Cumbria. She writes psychological
suspense thrillers and crime novels.
Heleyne has been writing since junior school –
her first work was a collection of poems called ‘Give Them the Works’ when she
was ten years old. The poems were carefully handwritten on plain paper and tied
together with knitting wool.
When she’s not writing, Heleyne can often be
found wandering on the fells or in the local park with her dog.
