Today is my turn on the Damppebbles Blog Tour for an exciting new standalone international political thriller by a new to me author. I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE BEIJING CONSPIRACY by Shamini Flint.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
A LONG-LOST DAUGHTER. AN EXPLOSIVE SECRET. A LETHAL CONSPIRACY.
Ex-Delta Force soldier Jack Ford is trying to put the past behind him. But when he receives a letter from someone he hasn’t spoken to in thirty years, claiming he has a daughter, he can’t resist investigating for himself.
Soon he’s on a plane to China, a country he hasn’t returned to since witnessing the atrocities of the Tiananmen Square massacre. But on his search he stumbles upon a document which both the Chinese and American governments are desperately chasing. Now Jack is trapped in an impossible dilemma: save his daughter or prevent a new world war where thousands will lose their lives.
THE BEIJING CONSPIRACY by Shamini Flint is a high intensity international political thriller by a new to me author. This standalone has two fast-paced, high octane timeline plots intertwining around players from the Chinese government and the last American administration past and present.
Retired Delta Force Ranger Jack Ford receives a letter from China telling him he has a daughter he never knew he had. In 1989, Jack was a young idealistic spy attached to the Chinese embassy who fell in love with a Chinese student leader involved in the Tiananmen Square uprising. Why now, thirty years later has Xia revealed this news and asked him to return to Beijing?
This story is a thrill ride from start to finish with plenty of intrigue, back-stabbing, action and even some cutting humor at our past President’s expense. Jack is a stereotypical older, disillusioned soldier protagonist, but he was still different enough to have me rooting for his success. The secondary characters all have their own agendas and could never be taken at face value. I easily read this book in one sitting because I did not want to put it down.
I can recommend this thriller and I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.
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About the Author
Shamini Flint was born and brought up in Malaysia. Having studied law at Cambridge University, she travelled extensively throughout Asia for her work as a corporate lawyer, before becoming a writer, part-time lecturer and environmental activist. Shamini now lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. She is the author of the highly acclaimed Inspector Singh mystery series.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Damppebbles Blog Tour for an exciting new thriller – DOUBLE IDENTITY by Alison Morton.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
Deeply in love, a chic Parisian lifestyle before her. Now she’s facing prison for murder.
It’s three days since Mel des Pittones threw in her job as an intelligence analyst with the French special forces to marry financial trader Gérard Rohlbert. But her dream turns to nightmare when she wakes to find him dead in bed beside her.
Her horror deepens when she’s accused of his murder. Met Police detective Jeff McCracken wants to pin Gérard’s death on her. Mel must track down the real killer, even if that means being forced to work with the obnoxious McCracken.
But as she unpicks her fiancé’s past, she discovers his shocking secret life. To get to the truth, she has to go undercover—and finds almost everybody around her is hiding a second self.
Mel can trust nobody. Can she uncover the real killer before they stop her?
A stunning new thriller from the author of the award-winning Roma Nova series, fans of Daniel Silva, Stella Rimington or Chris Pavone will love Double Identity.
DOUBLE IDENTITY by Alison Morton is a completely engaging, fast-paced thriller that grabbed me from page one. This is a new to me author with an amazing new heroine who is a former French Intelligence Analyst Special Forces soldier with dual French and English citizenship.
Melisende “Mel” des Pittones has retired from the French Army to get married to Gerard Rohlbert who is a financial trader. As the story begins, they are in England and Mel wakes up with a clouded mind and a dead fiance next to her in bed. Even with her years of service in the army, Mel is accused of the murder and Met Police DI Jeff McCracken is determined to find proof of her guilt.
Mel and McCracken end up working together in a new EU investigative service to find out the truth about her fiance’s murder. Everyone seems to be hiding secrets and Mel is not sure who she can trust. Will she be able to uncover the killer before she becomes the next victim?
This is one of those perfect thrillers that you just cannot put down and you keep turning the pages until you get to the end. Mel is a wonderful new protagonist who is as intelligent and tough as any of the male protagonists out there in other thriller series. Her international background adds to my interest in her and makes the plot even more believable as she chases answers all over Europe. McCracken is an interesting character who goes from believing Mel is guilty of murder, to just being obnoxious, to actually being a viable believable partner for her.
I highly recommend this new international thriller heroine and this fast-paced read!
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About the Author
Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers series featuring tough, but compassionate heroines. She blends her deep love of France with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical, adventure and thriller fiction. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.
“Grips like a vice – a writer to watch out for” says crime thriller writer Adrian Magson about Roma Nova series starter INCEPTIO. All six full-length Roma Nova thrillers have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO were selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.
Now Alison continues to write thrillers and drink wine in France with her husband.
Published in paperback and digital formats by Pulcheria Press on 7th January 2021
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Other worksby Alison Morton
The Carina strand INCEPTIO where New Yorker Karen Brown is thrown into a new life in mysterious Roma Nova and fights to stay alive with a killer hunting her CARINA, a novella, Carina’s first mission abroad. What could go wrong? PERFIDITAS, six years on, where betrayal and rebellion are in the air, threatening to topple Roma Nova and ruin Carina’s life. SUCCESSIO, where a mistake from the past threatens to destroy the next generation.
The Aurelia strand AURELIA, in late 1960s Roma Nova, Aurelia Mitela battles her life-long nemesis, silver smuggling and is forced to choose between her love, her child and her country NEXUS Mid 1970s, London, where a simple favour for a friend becomes a chilling pursuit across Europe INSURRECTIO, where Aurelia Mitela struggles against a manipulative tyrant grabbing power. But it may already be too late to save Roma Nova… RETALIO, a classic tale of resistance and retribution – the endgame between Aurelia and Caius
Extras ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories from AD 370 to the present
Contributions ‘A Roman Intervenes‘ in 1066 Turned Upside Down How Galla Mitela, Roma Novan imperial councillor, attempts to stop the Norman invasion of England. One of a series of possible alternative outcomes of 1066.
‘The Mystery of Victory’ in Rubicon (HWA/Sharpe Books) What did happen to the Altar of Victory in the dusk of the Roman Empire?
‘The Idealist’ in Betrayal (Historical Fictioneers, 2020)
Non Fiction Military or civilians? The curious anomaly of the German Women’s Auxiliary Services during the Second World War.
The 500 Word Writing Buddy: 35 Inner Secrets for the New Writer
Today I am excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on this Release Blitz from Buoni Amici Press. DISSECTING MEREDITH (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Series, On Call Book #6) by Freya Barker is another wonderful addition to this series!
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
Since taking over the county coroner’s office, Meredith “Doc” Carter has been working hard to gain the respect of both her peers and local authorities. Reporting the circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one is often a thankless part of her job. Still, those are the easier cases. Random body parts turning up are substantially more troublesome, and when the facts don’t line up Meredith reaches out to entomologist, Casey Shea for answers.
Detective Jay VanDyken has admired Doc from the sidelines. His recent promotion comes with the added benefit of dealing directly with the silver-haired forensic pathologist, an opportunity he doesn’t plan on wasting. The discovery of partial remains have Jay and Meredith working closely together, but breaking down the pieces to build their case is not the only challenge. Their developing relationship has its own share of problems.
DISSECTING MEREDITH (Police and Fire Operation Alpha Series, On Call Book #6) by Freya Barker is another great addition to the On Call series. Ms. Barker once again delivers an interesting crime investigation, suspense that keeps you turning the pages and a realistic, mature romance. This book is easily read as a standalone, but there is crossover of characters from other books.
Detective Jay VanDyken may be a new detective, but he has been a uniform cop for almost twenty years. Jay was comfortable in his previous position, but decides he needs to move up in the force to be worthy of a silver haired coroner he finds intriguing. The discovery of partial remains allows Jay to work closely with Meredith and he is determined to not only solve the case, but to build a relationship with Meredith.
Meredith Carter is independent, intelligent and has worked hard to gain the respect of her employees and local law enforcement since taking over the Durango Coroner’s Office. She is intrigued by the partial remains and the quiet VanDyken, but she is worried about remaining professional and respected by her peers.
As Meredith investigates the body parts for clues, they pile up and the more she learns, the more danger she is in. Can Jay keep this independent woman safe while working the case and attempting to build a relationship?
I am always excited to get my hands on the latest Freya Barker romantic suspense. The characters are mature and realistically written and I want to be friends with them all. I love Meredith and Jay together! They both are so independent and yet they are perfect together. Their romance grows at a believable pace. Since they have already been eyeing each other for the last few years, their dialogue and romance flows naturally on the page. Add in the suspense of an interesting investigation and good friends from previous books and you have a great read.
I highly recommend this latest On Call romantic suspense and all the books in this series!
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Today I am excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Damppebbles Blog Tour for SEVEN DAYS (DI Jack MacIntosh Book #2) by Michelle Kidd.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
One killer. One city. One week.
July 2012 and a serial killer is terrorising the streets of London. With the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympic Games in just seven days time, Detective Inspector Jack MacIntosh and his team at the Metropolitan Police have one week to find him. With the killer’s motives unknown, and a mysterious clue being left at each scene, the case takes on a menacing and personal twist. Distracted by his own demons, will DI Jack MacIntosh solve the case before it is too late?
SEVEN DAYS (DI Jack MacIntosh Book #2) by Michelle Kidd is the exciting new book in the DI Jack MacIntosh series. Once again, Ms. Kidd has written a page turner that kept me guessing the identity of killer incorrectly well into the night. While this book’s plot is a complete investigation, to get all of the backstory on all the characters, I feel it is helpful to start with “The Phoenix Project” which is book #1 in this fast-paced thriller/British police procedural series.
It is July 2012 and DI Jack MacIntosh and his team are assigned the monumental case of capturing a serial killer in just seven days before the Opening Ceremonies for the London Summer Olympics. Women’s bodies are being discovered strangled and dumped in London parks. There appear to be no ties to connect the victims and all of them have been thoroughly cleaned of all forensic evidence.
As the days count down, Jack works to discover the killer while still fighting demons from his past that could cloud his judgement when it is most important. The killer has Isabel. Will Jack and his team be able to uncover the killer before it is too late?
It was great to be reunited with the characters from the first book and introduced to DS Carmichael in this one. One minor problem was I did feel Jack had too many flashbacks written into the story and at times they slowed the pace a bit, but I did realize they were included to show the extent of his PTSD which he has never dealt with in his adulthood. I love not only Ms. Kidd’s intricately written plot twists and surprises that comprise the individual book’s plotline, but also her ability to still leave small threads that arc over all the books in the series without making you feel cheated.
I recommend this second book in this series and I am anxiously waiting for the next!
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Aboutthe Author
Michelle Kidd is a self-published author known for the Detective Inspector Jack MacIntosh series of novels.
Michelle qualified as a lawyer in the early 1990s and spent the best part of ten years practising civil and criminal litigation.
But the dream to write books was never far from her mind and in 2008 she began writing the manuscript that would become the first DI Jack MacIntosh novel – The Phoenix Project. The book took eighteen months to write, but spent the next eight years gathering dust underneath the bed.
In 2018 Michelle self-published The Phoenix Project and had not looked back since. There are currently three DI Jack MacIntosh novels, with a fourth in progress.
Michelle works full time for the NHS and lives in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. She enjoys reading, wine and cats – not necessarily in that order J
Today is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review on the Damppebbles Blog Tour for DARK TRUTHS (A Will Traynor Forensic Mystery Book #1) by A.J. Cross.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
A fresh case lays bare old bones for DI Watt’s team
When a young woman’s body is discovered on a popular jogging trail in Birmingham, Detective Inspector Bernard Watts and his team are plunged into a disturbing murder investigation. Not only has the woman been violently stabbed – her head is missing.
When a close examination of the crime scene results in a shocking discovery linking the present murder to a past crime, criminologist Will Traynor is brought in to assist the police. Aware of Traynor’s troubled past, Watts is sceptical that Will can contribute anything useful to the investigation.
DARK TRUTHS (A Will Traynor Forensic Mystery Book #1) by A.J. Cross is the first book in a new series with criminologist Will Traynor. This book is a police procedural/mystery/thriller mash-up that takes the reader through a step-by-step investigation of a horrific murder.
DI Bernard Watts is assigned the case of a female body found on a jogging trail stabbed several times in the chest without a head. As he walks the scene with the new rookie, PC Chloe Judd they discover a skull without a body which does not belong to the body on the trail. The body is recent, but the skull is at least a decade old.
With the possibility of a serial killer, Watt’s boss informs him that criminologist Will Traynor will be joining his team, but Watt knows of Traynor’s troubled past and is not happy with this decision.
Will Watt be able to keep his inexperienced and brash rookie in line and learn to trust Traynor’s theories to bring a successful conclusion to this present murder which seems to be tied to several missing persons from the past?
I really enjoyed all the characters introduced in this book: the experienced detective, the abrasive rookie, the intelligent and kind pathologist and the criminologist with a tragic past. They all worked together well in the story to bring the clues and plot twists to a satisfying conclusion in the past and present mysteries. My problem was that DI Bernard Watts was more of a lead character than Will Traynor, who the book and new series is supposed to feature. This fact does not detract from the story itself; it just does not lead where I thought it would. I am looking forward to a return of all these characters in the future.
Overall, a strong investigative story to begin the series, but I will be looking for more of a lead role from Will Traynor in future books.
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About the Author
A.J. Cross is a forensic psychologist with over twenty years’ experience in the field. She lives in Birmingham with her jazz-musician husband and is the author of five Kate Hanson mysteries.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Damppebbles blog tour for the first book in a hopefully new crime fiction/mystery series featuring DI Kate Young. AN EYE FOR AN EYE (Detective Kate Young Book #1) by Carol Wyer.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the authors social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.
DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.
But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.
As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?
AN EYE FOR AN EYE (Detective Kate Young Book #1) by Carol Wyer is the first book in a hopefully new British police procedural crime fiction/mystery series featuring DI Kate Young.
DI Kate Young is suffering after a traumatic incident. She is having flashbacks and taking pills and alcohol to cope. After a narrowly avoiding hurting a civilian, her superintendent places her on forced leave in March.
Just three months later, Kate’s friend and fellow officer DCI Chase comes to tell her she is requested specifically for a murder investigation by her superintendent. In a small team, just two of her fellow officers, DS Morgan Meredith and DS Emma Donaldson, they work diligently to track down a ruthless killer who tortures his victims and taunts the police. This case is a tangled web of secrets, lies and vengeance.
Everyone worries about Kate’s mental state, but Kate is determined to prove she is able to work the evidence and clues step-by-step to catch the killer.
I could not put this book down! Kate is an absolutely stellar new main character that I am looking forward to following. Her personal story, which is intertwined in bits throughout the entire book, had me as intrigued as the crime/mystery itself. The plot moves at a steady pace and is full of red herrings and twists. Although the murders are gruesome, they do not occur on the page and are only discussed and in the forensics after the fact.
This book has me wanting the next book immediately! I highly recommend this new British police procedural crime fiction and author.
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About the Author
USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.
A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.
To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.
When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
