How do you catch a killer who thinks murder
is art?
Michael Fisher sees himself as an artist
rather than a killer and poses his victims to resemble famous paintings.
Detective Nick Kelly is called to attend
the latest crime scene and finds himself at the centre of a media storm. But
while the rest of the police department feels under pressure, Nick relishes the
attention.
Karen Kelly, Nick’s soon to be ex-wife,
watches in horror as this brutal game of cat and mouse plays out. But Karen has
secrets of her own.
And when another body is found, Nick is disturbed to discover he knows the victim and things start to get a little too close to home.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
THE ART OF MURDER by Rebecca Muddiman is a suspense/thriller
by a new to me author. Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of the
three main characters.
Detective Nick Kelly is on an NYPD team working the case of
an unknown serial killer who poses his victims to replicate famous paintings. As
the number of victims increases, the pressure is on from the media for more
information. Nick’s superior does not want the public to know how the victims
have been displayed, but Nick enjoys the spotlight and wants to release more
information.
Karen Kelly is cohabitating unharmoniously with Nick as they
wait for the court to decide which one of them gets their NYC apartment in
their divorce. Karen owns an independent bookstore which is struggling
financially and is generally unhappy with her life at this point in time. She
meets a nice man on her birthday while she is out on her own, but she had such
poor taste in picking Nick, she does not know if she can trust this charming
new man.
Michael Fisher wanted to be a famous artist. His father
belittled him and he dropped out of art school. Now he works on his personal
masterpieces to replicate famous master paintings to prove his talent to his
father and the world. The backdrops are painted, but the main figure is not. If
you are squandering your true talent, Michael will make a painting to feature
you.
I felt this book was predictable for about the first third of the story, but then the author does manage to insert a few curve balls that increase the suspense and pace. I enjoyed the serial killer in this book more than Nick and Karen. Nick is a narcissist in every sense of the word. Karen was a whiny wimp until the very end and I find it surprising that she even came through then, which somewhat limited the believability for me. This was a group of characters that I did not like, but the plot does have a few unique twists that carried me through to the end.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for allowing me to read this eARC in advance of release.
***
Rebecca Muddiman was born and raised in the North East and worked in the
NHS for many years. She has published six crime novels – Stolen, Gone,
Tell Me Lies, Murder in Slow Motion, No Place Like Home, and The Art of
Murder. Stolen won a Northern Writers Award in 2010 and
the Northern Crime Competition in 2012. She is also a screenwriter and was
selected for the London Screenwriters Festival Talent Campus in 2016.
Most of her spare time is spent
re-watching Game of Thrones, trying
to learn Danish, and dealing with two unruly dogs. Sometimes all at the same
time.
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for C.D. Reiss’ new release ONLY EVER YOU. This romance is different than the steamier, darker stories from this author. This romance is lighter and all about a reunited friendship, family, hope and love.
Below you will find an interview with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, an author biography and social media links, book summary and a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. Enjoy and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
***
Author Interview: CD Reiss
Please introduce your newest release.
Only Ever You is about a girl who planned for everything but never
got what she hoped for, and a dweeb who hoped he’d to marry the girl, but never
planned for it.
Rachel and Sebastian have an interesting history. They were friends as kids,
but have lost touch as adults…
They’re really strangers when they reunite at 30, but they’re burdened by what
they think they know about each other. Sebastian was supposed to be an artist
and Rachel was supposed to be a screenwriter. They have to shake all that stuff
loose before they can see each other. When they do, they’re strangers.
I think attraction between strangers is real.
Sexual heat is real. But “hearts and flowers” are earned. (I know
that sounds like I’m your dad telling you to mow lawns, but that’s where the magic
is. Not the lawns.) In the time just before you’re struck by lightning there’s
a real electricity. It’s pure potential and anything can go wrong. It’s the
best thing ever.
When they were kids they made up a ‘contract’ to get married at 30—which is
pretty much panned when they do meet up and have the most awkward first kiss
EVER. How do they overcome such an incredibly uncomfortable situation?
They overcome it by running away!
Sebastian is thinking “now or never” because he thinks Rachel’s never going to
think he’s any cooler than when she sees him in the office of his own company.
And she isn’t ready because her whole idea of herself is tied up in what a
failure she is. Neither one of them is feeling good enough about themselves to
have a really hot first kiss, which is the same reason they’re not ready to get
married.
***
Excerpt: Only Ever You by CD
Reiss
After
I left her and CJ with Lucinda, I spent the weekly staff meeting wondering if
Rachel was the same warrior I’d loved or if she was more the woman who’d held
her laptop to her chest as if she needed protection.
I was obsessed.
I had to know.
Her text came in as I was
leaving the meeting.
I need
to check that we’re kidding
Before I could finish
typing a response, I caught her coming out of the bathroom with her laptop
under her arm.
Alone. Me and her. Nothing
between us but the question of who we were and how we fit.
“Seb, I—”
She didn’t have a chance
to finish. I crowded her back into the bathroom and locked the door behind us.
“Kidding about what?” I
said.
“About getting married.”
“Why would that even be a
question?”
“Our parents have been in
negotiations about it.”
My mother couldn’t keep
herself from talking if she tried, and I was her favorite subject.
“It might be a little soon
for marriage, but—”
“Soon? I don’t like you
seeing what I do for a living while you’re in a glass-walled office overlooking
the ocean. I mean, I’m not marriage material, and the odds are that’s never
going to change.”
“I don’t see why a date’s
off the table.”
“Do you know what’s going
to happen if we date?”
The list of possibilities
was as long as my arm. I could have counted them off, from “We decide we hate
each other” to “We end up in bed.” But I didn’t, because I was still trying to
figure her out.
What did she want to hear?
With her wide eyes and
parted lips, what did she want? Did she have a fondest wish where I was
concerned? Was she leaning forward? Was her expression soft and yielding?
My mind spent too long
deciding what to say, so my body spoke for me.
I kissed her hard and was
met with teeth and stiff resistance. It was a kiss I’d wanted since I’d had
hairless armpits and a voice somewhere in the low soprano range. I’d dreamed
about it. Fantasized about it. Thought about it so hard in the middle of the
night I could practically feel it.
But never, ever in my
fantasies did she push me away so hard I fell back against a towel dispenser,
watching her face twist into surprised rage as the machine spit out a ragged
rectangle of brown paper.
“That was—”
“Messed up. I know.”
“Then why? What is wrong
with you?”
She was livid, just like
she would have been. Just like she should have been.
The tiger within Rachel
was in there, and my attempt to tease her out had probably alienated her. She’d
be right to never speak to me again.
“I’m sorry,” I said with
my hand on the door lock. “I misread you. It won’t happen again.”
I started to open the
door, but she held it closed.
“If we date, my mother’s
going to get her hopes up that I’m going to settle down. And I’m sorry, Seb,
but if we break up while she’s in chemo, it’s going to crush her.”
“You don’t even know if
she’s sick again.”
“You’re right.” She
pointed a rigid finger at me as if I were her mother. “I’m going to make her
tell me.”
“You’re really beautiful
when you’re telling it like it is.”
She slid her hand off the
door. Having been called out, the warrior was sent into hiding.
No. I wouldn’t accept
that. I wouldn’t allow it.
“Let’s just go out and
catch up,” I said. “Saturday.”
“Can’t. Saturday’s the
soonest I can talk to Mom.”
I unlocked the door. “I’m
sorry about . . . the thing.”
“Kissing me?”
“No, wasting paper towels.
Of course kissing you.”
“Next time, give a girl a
little warning.”
Next time? Her eyes darted
to the door. Was she calculating the distance to her getaway? Or making sure it
was closed?
“How about now?” I asked.
“Now what?”
“Fair warning. Now.”
I stepped a little closer
and put my hands on her arms. Not right away. I let them hover an inch away
before touching her to give her the chance to move away. A chance I was sure
she’d take.
“Seb, really?”
But she didn’t move away.
Not this time. When I laid
my hands on her biceps, she leaned in to me just a little. I smelled the floral
lotion on her skin and a hint of cool water on her breath.
“Really.” I slid the
laptop from her arms and placed it on the counter. “This is your warning.”
You’re
doing this. I cannot believe you’re doing this.
“It doesn’t feel like a
warning,” she said, and again—I noted—she didn’t move away.
“Flashing red lights.” My
lips brushed her cheek, heading for her mouth. She felt better than I ever
imagined. “A buzzer, maybe.”
“Just a kiss?” she asked,
her lips moving against mine.
Before I could consummate
what she was agreeing to, I was smacked by a swinging door.
“Oh!” CJ said. “I’m sorry!
I was looking for you.”
Rachel snatched up her
laptop and walked out. CJ raised an eyebrow with good reason, since I was in
the ladies’ room. I left, and we all gathered in the hall.
Awkward.
“Well,” Rachel said.
“Thanks for showing us your tedious financial-sector company.”
“Thank you for coming,” I
said and let them walk away. I could have done or said much more, but not
without getting her into trouble. She glanced back at me when they turned the
corner, as if she wanted to make sure I was still there.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
ONLY EVER YOU by
C.D. Reiss is a new contemporary romance not like any previous books I have
read from this author. I think dark, erotic and intense usually when I see this
author’s name, but this romance is different. Sebastian and Rachel’s story is
lighter, full of family, hope and love. The angst and steamy is still there,
but not as often and with a twist.
When Sebastian was in school, he was a stick thin, nerd who
was bullied.
Then a beautiful girl named Rachel moved in across the lane.
She became his best friend. She defended him and included him.
As they plan their futures, they decide on a back-up plan
and write a marriage contract stating if both are single when they turn thirty
years old, they will marry each other.
The future happens and it does not always go as planned. Rachel and Sebastian are both home for Christmas. Sebastian has become an extremely successful and gorgeous man. Rachel is still struggling in her career and has dated a string of losers. Nothing has gone as she planned, but she also would not have changed the time she put her career on hold to help her mother through her cancer.
Are they really going to go through with their marriage contract?
This is a very entertaining friends to lovers contemporary romance.
Sebastian is a hero we all love to cheer for. The dweeb to heart-throb, smart
to successful, but no matter the success, he is still very vulnerable. Rachel
was strong as a young girl, but she let fear and the wrong men make her doubt
herself to the point of losing her confidence in herself. As the two reunite,
they learn how they are still alike, but also different. This is a cute couple
with crazy family members and friends that love them and only want them to be
happy. The sex scenes occur towards the end of the book and there is a very
interesting twist involved, especially from this author.
This is one of those feel good, fun romances to enjoy curled
up on your favorite chair.
***
About the Book:
Title: Only Ever You
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary:
Rachel knew exactly
what turning thirty would be like. She had a plan, after all. First college,
then a climb up the professional ladder. Love, marriage, children. All of it
was on the schedule.
The cheap Hollywood
apartment wasn’t on the list. Neither was the string of heartbreaks. Or the
effect her mother’s cancer had on her career.
It’s hard to stay
practical and on point when everything takes a left turn.
Enter Sebastian,
the nerd across the street. The boy she defended when he couldn’t defend
himself. The best friend she promised she’d marry if life didn’t go according
to plan.
Not only is he
successful, confident, and gorgeous, but he also still has their handwritten
marriage contract.
No one goes through
with childhood wedding pacts.
That’s crazy.
But their families might just be crazy enough to rent a hall and set a date. All Rachel and Sebastian have to do is fall in love.
***
Author Biography:
CD Reiss is a New York Times bestselling
author. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the
fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God, but in the meantime, if you
call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well hauling buckets. Born in New
York City, Reiss moved to Hollywood, California, to get her master’s degree in
screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere—but it did
give her a big enough ego to write novels.
Reiss is frequently
referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut, which is flattering but hasn’t ever
gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you
should call her Christine. Text cdreiss to 77948 to get a
notification whenever she has a new release.
I am very excited to be a part of this Release Blitz for Riley Edward’s new romantic suspense NIXON’S PROMISE (Gemini Group Book 1). This book had me completely immersed in the romance, the two suspense plot-lines and the formation of the Gemini Group. This book had everything I am looking for in a romantic suspense!
Below you will find the book description, my book review, the author’s information and social media links and a Goodreads giveaway. Good luck on the Goodreads giveaway and I highly recommend you start this series now!
***
Book Description:
Former Navy SEAL Nixon Swagger was home.
After twelve years of service and twice as many deployments, all Nix wanted was quiet. He’d sought the solace of the land he’d grown up on and found the peace he needed to silence the noise and figure out his next move. Nixon’s stay was supposed to be temporary. He wasn’t supposed to meet a feisty, head-strong woman who made his pulse race and set his body on fire. Falling in love hadn’t been part of his plan. Taking a government contract to stop a homegrown terrorist group hadn’t been either, but when the organization threatens to attack Philadelphia, he had no choice but to accept.
McKenna Wilson was living. Every day was the same. Raising her two teenage siblings didn’t leave time for much else. Most days, she was okay with that. Then she bumped into the sexy war hero and, in an instant, her world changed. She had no idea falling for Nixon would be so dangerous. Now she was going head-to-head with the small-town’s dirty sheriff who was hell-bent on ruining Nixon and avenging a fifteen-year-old grudge. She’d lost her heart, but losing her life wasn’t part of the plan.
Nixon Swagger had learned a few things as a Navy SEAL—adapt, improvise, and overcome were among the many. In the middle of an inferno, so ominous even Dante wouldn’t buy a ticket, Nixon must adapt to his new surroundings and overcome multiple threats before he loses the woman he loves.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
YEAH! Riley Edwards is writing a whole new series featuring
more smokin’ hot former SEAL’s for us to fall in love and lust with.
NIXON’S PROMISE
(Gemini Group Book 1) by Riley Edwards is a romantic suspense that not only
gives you a feel good romance, a strong and drool-worthy alpha hero, an intelligent
and loving heroine and a page turning suspense, but also sets you up with more men
to follow into future books.
McKenna Wilson is trying her best to raise her two siblings
after the death of their father and mother, her step-mother. McKenna was hoping
small town life would be good for them all and give them time to slow down and
grieve, but the teens are having problems adjusting. While in town picking up
feed for their animals, McKenna is helped by the sexy war hero she heard was
back in town.
Former SEAL Nixon Swagger has been back home for six months.
He is looking for peace and quiet in his small hometown as he works to fix up
his family’s farm his father left him while he decides what he wants to do with
his future. Nixon has no plans to stay, but when he helps rescue a feisty brunette
beauty’s feed bag his plans instantly change. Nixon knows the McKenna is the
one woman for him and he will slowly work to intertwine their lives, but
sometimes small town history can interfere.
Just as Nixon and McKenna begin to see a future together,
Nixon is asked to get his old team together to help DHS with an anti-government
group, but not everything is as it seems. Nixon and his team find themselves
having to adapt on the fly with very little time to stop a plot that surprises
them all only to come home to a life-or-death situation that has culminated
from the past.
I could not put this book down! I love Nixon and McKenna. Nixon
is the type of alpha hero that everyone dreams about. He is completely in charge
and yet understanding and it is displayed in the way he helps McKenna with her
siblings’ teenage angst and grief, the way he protects McKenna and the way he
appreciates her intelligence and computer skills. McKenna always worried about
everyone else, so when Nixon was able to help her it was done out of love and
not control. Both of these characters are mature adults and respect each other.
The sex in this book is explicit and smokin’ hot. Get your fans ready!
There are two suspense threads in this book. There is a
story-line that revolves around corrupt local law enforcement that begins long
before this story and carries over into Nixon and McKenna’s present. There is
also a story-line that revolves around Nixon’s team of friends and the
formation of the Gemini Group which will lead into more stories in this series.
The pace of the suspense of both threads just keeps building and building into
not one, but two climaxes.
I highly recommend this book and author! I am also anxiously waiting for the other Gemini team members’ stories. You will definitely want to start this series now with book 1.
Riley Edwards is a bestselling multi-genre author, wife, and military mom. Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles but now resides on the east coast with her fantastic husband and children.
Riley writes heart-stopping romance with sexy alpha heroes and even stronger heroines. Riley’s favorite genres to write are romantic suspense and military romance.
I am very excited to once again be featuring a new Freya Barker romantic suspense book. This author’s heroes and heroines are always realistic portrayals, a little older and more seasoned by life, with an element of suspense that brings them together.
10-Code is the fourth book in the Rock Point/La Plata County FBI series. All of the books in this series are easily read as standalones, but believe me, you will want to read them all!
***
Book Description:
As a forty-one-year-old mother of three boys, working two jobs, Marya Berger doesn’t have the time or energy to consider a relationship. Especially after a lifetime of poor choices in the romance department. But when the disappearance of a young boy strikes a little too close to home, and a younger man she’s tried to ignore offers his help, she doesn’t stand in the way.
Single father, Dylan Barnes, the junior member of the La Plata County FBI team at thirty-three, has his focus firmly on his job and his son, Max. He’s certainly not looking to complicate his life, when he finds himself at his son’s soccer game, sitting beside the spirited brunette he can’t get out of his mind. Fate, however, appears to have different plans.
When an unspeakable crime draws the attention of the FBI, Dylan finds himself torn between his job and his instinctive need to protect Marya and her boys.
***
Goodreads book link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45158145-10-code?from_search=true
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
10-Code Rock
Point/La Plata County FBI Book 4 by Freya Barker is a new FBI romantic suspense
which returns to Rock Point and is the fourth book in this series. While there
is character crossover from the previous books in this series, it can be easily
read as a standalone without confusion.
Marya Berger had her dead-beat husband walk out on her and
their three boys five years ago. With the help of her mother and working two
jobs, she has done her best. Between the boys, her jobs and her past poor
dating choices, Marya does not have the time or energy for romance.
FBI agent Dylan Barnes is firmly focused on his career and
his son. He is very lucky to have his mother and step-dad close to help with
his son when his job interferes. At his son’s soccer game, Dylan is surprised
when Marya shows up. He learns her middle son plays on the team and the two
boys have a lot in common. This Marya is different than the buttoned up woman
he buys coffee from at the book store. She is spirited and sarcastic and he
finds he cannot quit thinking about her.
When a young boy the same age as both Marya and Dylan’s sons
disappears, and Marya’s ex-husband shows up out of the blue demanding to see
the boys, Dylan is torn between his job and his need to protect Marya and her
boys.
This is a wonderful romance with two people who truly
deserve each other and a HEA. The road had more than enough bumps in it between
Marya’s ex-husband, Dylan’s ex-fling and the suspense plot surrounding the
boys. The sex scenes are explicit and realistic as they try to just grab
whatever time is available as they deal with everything going on in their jobs
and lives. Ms. Barker has the characters dealing with what age to get children cell
phones, on-line gaming, predator danger and codes for dangerous situations.
This is another home run from this author. Her characters
are always flawed in ways everyone can relate to, the romance is hot and the
suspense keeps you turning the pages to the end. Excellent book, excellent
series and excellent author. I highly recommend you pick up a Freya Barker
romantic suspense and get reading!
***
***
About Freya:
Freya Barker inspires with her stories about ‘real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
She is the author of the Cedar Tree and Portland, ME Series, the Northern Lights Collection and the Rock Point Series. She is also co-author of the SnapShot Series.
To see Freya’s complete backlist, or to find out what is coming down the pipe, visit freyabarker.com.
My turn on the blog tour. I was riveted, repulsed, scared and engrossed the entire time I was immersed in this new suspense/thriller. One sitting was all I needed to fly through The Controller ( A Lynch and Rose Thriller Book 1) by Matt Brolly.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, author info, author social media and purchase links. I loved this edge-of-your-seat thriller!
***
Book Blurb:
From the bestselling author of the acclaimed
DCI Lambert series comes The Controller, a gripping serial killer thriller
introducing Sam Lynch and Special Agent Sandra Rose.
It is
six years since special agent Samuel Lynch left the FBI following the
disappearance of his son, Daniel. Lynch believes an underground organisation
known as The Railroad is responsible and has never
stopped searching.
When
Special Agent Sandra Rose investigates a house invasion gone wrong, she
discovers the assailant has the legendary, and infamous, Railroad tattoo carved
onto his back and he claims to know Daniel’s whereabouts.
Rose
draws Lynch in to her case, and together they become embroiled in
an unparalleled world of violence and evil.
It seems that to see his son again, Lynch will have to confront his greatest fear and face the ultimate test: an encounter with the Railroad’s enigmatic and deadly leader, The Controller.
***
My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE CONTROLLER (A
Lynch and Rose Thriller Book 1) by Matt Brolly is a fast-paced, high octane suspense/thriller
that I could not put down until the explosive end. A former and current FBI
agent work together to bring down an organization that is only spoken about as
a legend.
Special Agent Samuel Lynch left the FBI. He was forced out as he spent every minute investigating an underground organization known as The Railroad who he believed kidnapped his son and hundreds of others. Each time he gets close, his lead evaporates, but he will never stop searching until his son, Daniel is found.
Seven years have passed.
Special Agent Sandra Rose is sent to investigate a home
invasion were the killer sadistically eliminated an entire family. He is taken
into custody, but refuses to talk to anyone but Samuel Lynch. He claims to know
were Daniel is being held – alive.
Rose brings Lynch in and together they become entangled in a
world where no one can be trusted. As Rose works with her partner within the
system, Lynch will allow himself to be taken by The Controller, who is the
sadistic and deadly leader of The Railroad. He will do anything to see his son
again, but will it be the last thing he ever does?
This book drops you immediately into action that never lets
up. The author weaves Lynch and Rose’s backstories throughout without losing
momentum. There are gruesome scenes that are graphic, but this is a thriller
about an organization of sadists and I never felt the scenes were gratuitous. The
Controller was a truly scary psychopath who is still out there. (This is not a
secret, so I will be looking for him in future books.) All of the secondary characters
kept you guessing if they were good or bad which added to the tension.
I am very interested in following this duo to see how the
author handles each going forward. The next thrill ride cannot come soon
enough!
***
About Matt
Brolly:
Following his law degree where he developed an interest in criminal law,
Matt Brolly completed his Masters in Creative Writing at Glasgow University.
He is the bestselling author of the DCI Lambert
crime novels, Dead Eyed, Dead Lucky and Dead Embers. The fourth in the series,
Dead Time, was released by Canelo in May 2018 and a prequel, Dead Water, will
be published in September 2019. In 2020 the first of a new crime
series set in the West Country of the UK will be released by Thomas and Mercer
(Amazon Publishing).
The Controller, released in May 2019, is the first of a new thriller
series set in Texas.
Matt also writes children’s books as M.J.
Brolly. His first children’s book, The Sleeping Bug, was released by Oblong
Books in December 2018.
Matt lives in London with his wife and their two
young children. You can find out more about Matt at his website MattBrolly.co.uk or by
following him on twitter: @MattBrollyUK
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.
