Lie To Me (Detective Karen Hart Book 12) - D. S. Butler

As soon as he picks up the phone, Arnie knows something is terribly wrong. ‘We’ve found him. Damon’s finally been found.’ For thirty-five years, DS Arnie Hodgson believed his childhood friend was dead. But he didn’t die back then. He was murdered yesterday.

DS Karen Hart’s heart breaks for her colleague as she joins the investigation, but soon the case takes a darker turn. Burned into Damon’s chest is a vivid scarlet mark—a Victorian branding iron shaped like a scythe. Why did Damon vanish that night? And why has someone killed him now?

As Karen and Arnie track down his old friends in the small coastal town of Humberston, they become sure answers lie buried in Arnie’s past; they were all together at the fairground that summer night thirty-five years ago when Damon disappeared. And when the detectives uncover another body, it’s clear someone will kill to keep their secrets buried.

Then another person close to Arnie is brutally murdered—with the same vivid scarlet mark seared into their skin. And when a driver tries to run Arnie down in a car, he must finally confront a terrifying question: is one of his old friends a killer? And if so, can he bring them to justice before they turn on him next?

 

What did I think?

Whether Lie To Me is your first or your twelfth Detective Karen Hart book, it's an absolute cracker!  You can definitely read it as a standalone but make space on your bookshelf as I can guarantee that you will want to read all of the earlier books too.

The story revolves around a group of old schoolfriends who are clearly hiding something about the night Finn died and Damon went missing.  Arnie is now in the police force but he has lived with the guilt of not knowing what happened that night 35 years ago because he was too drunk to stay awake.  When Damon's body turns up, this is Arnie's chance to put things right but he is too close to the case so DS Karen Hart joins forces with him.

The police investigation is a real page-turner and it is interspersed with chapters belonging to a chilling voice who knows exactly what happened that night.  As suspicion falls on all of Arnie's old friends, I didn't know who to believe or trust as one of them is clearly willing to kill to keep that secret well buried.  I was definitely pointing my finger at every single one of them at one point or another and I didn't work it out until very close to the big reveal.

Filled with tension, suspense and danger, Lie To Me is a gripping and fast-paced crime thriller.  I definitely want to read the earlier books in the series now and I can't wait for Karen Hart's story to continue.  A very highly recommend read.

I received a gifted paperback for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: Paper Trails - Amelia Thorne

It’s 1989 in London, the Cold War between East and West is finally coming to an end, and thirteen-year-old Milly has a school project to find out about her family history. But all she knows is that her grandad was a doorman at the Savoy – and that, long ago, he was supposedly a Russian prince, back when Russia still had princes. Could that really be true?

So, when she discovers an old diary written in Russian, she enlists the help of her schoolfriend Ilya, whose family has fled the Soviet Union, to unravel Nicolai’s story.

As they piece together the unbelievable details of his escape from the Red Army, the adventures, the hardships and the love he encountered as he made his way across Europe, Milly sees an opportunity to heal the tragedies of the past – with unexpected consequences.

 

What did I think?

Paper Trails is a YA novel with a 13-year-old protagonist and, even though I'm 'slightly' older than the target audience, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It hooked me from the start with Milly's interest in finding out more about her family history after being laughed at in school for claiming her grandad was a Russian prince.  Now this is 1989 so there's no world wide web on which to do her research so Milly does some digging around at home and finds an old diary written in Russian. 

Oh my goodness, the diary entries are heartbreaking but Amelia Thorne writes with sensitivity and respect so that younger readers will not be distressed by the events of the Russian civil war.  I loved that Milly asked a Russian schoolfriend to translate the diary and it was nice to see a platonic friendship, despite being at an age where hormones are starting to rage.

The family history story is very intriguing and it is like a jigsaw with pieces spread around the world.  It wasn't until I finished reading that i realised how clever the cover was with all the little facets of the story depicted in beautiful images.

Atmospheric, nostalgic and poignant, Paper Trails is a wonderful book that completely captivated and charmed me.  I couldn't put it down once I picked it up and read it in one sitting.  It's absolutely brilliant and I loved it!

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the bookstagram tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BOOK TOUR: Crone - Keith Rosson

 

A haunting, fearsome story of a father searching for his missing daughter and finding darkness—both human and not—at every turn, from the author of the “exciting, suspenseful, horrifying” (Stephen King) Fever House. 

Eli Lamp is a broken man. An ex-detective, ex-addict, and long-grieving father whose daughter, Hannah, disappeared a decade before, Eli decimated his old life investigating her abduction and is now indebted to the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, as an enforcer. 

But when the son of the Crooked Wheel’s boss is viciously murdered, Eli is met with a simple demand: Find out who killed him and your debt to the Wheel is clear forever. You’re free. This pursuit brings him into the orbit of Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see her before she went missing. Soon, Eli and Avery are entwined in a hunt for answers that spans decades and brings churning to the surface a conspiracy linking not only these current tragedies, but the buried sorrows of Eli’s past. 

And though none of them dare say the word "witch," at least not out loud, something lurks in the woods, bent-backed and black-eyed, clawed and vengeful, looming ever closer. . . .

What did I think?

Crone is my first Keith Rosson book and it certainly won't be my last; it's absolutely fantastic!  It's a horror but it's also a crime thriller with a missing girl mystery at its heart.

Nobody knows what happened to Hannah Lamp after she got into a van and left her friend Avery out in the rain.  Avery has to live with the guilt and Hannah's ex-detective father Eli is haunted by the one case he couldn't solve.  I can understand why Eli turned to drugs as his life has crumbled to dust around him, first losing his wife in childbirth and then losing his only daughter, closely followed by his job.

With motorbike gangs and creepy creatures it's like a cross between Sons of Anarchy and Supernatural.  It's certainly dark and there's a bit of gore but it's not gorey for the sake of it; I did get a bit stomach clenchy at times but I loved it and there was no way I was tearing my eyes away from the page for a single second.

Crone is a book that is impossible to put down once you pick it up.  I was hooked from the very first page and raced through it in order to find out what happened to Hannah.  It was worse than I imagined though and I was both devastated and furious.

This is one OUTSTANDING book; it's dark, gritty and filled with fury.  I absolutely loved it and really can't recommend it highly enough.  This isn't just horror, this is Black Crow horror and it is simply magnificent.

I received a gifted hardback proof to read and review for the UK Book Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Black Crow Books

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BLOG TOUR: Dead Man's Run (Ash Carter Near East Crime-Thriller Book 5) - Murray Bailey

The war may have ended, but the cover-ups never did.

Israel 1950. SIB Captain Ash Carter is called into the British 'embassy' to report on the death-in-service of a consular officer. Despite assurances that there is nothing suspicious, Carter begins a challenging investigation - one that the authorities disprove of. And the deeper he digs, the more complex it appears.

Meeting an Israeli private detective, investigating a linked crime, Carter forms an uneasy alliance. Together, they uncover something too shocking to be believed without hard proof. With the highest of political stakes, distrust at every turn, deceit, kidnapping and murder, Carter must find a balance between the law, justice and revenge.

Dead Man's Run is the fifth historical crime novel in the Ash Carter Near East series but can be read as a stand-alone

 

What did I think?

Dead Man's Run is book five in the Ash Carter Near East Crime Thriller series and, although I've read a number of books starring Ash Carter, this is the first one I have read in this particular series.  It can be read as a standalone as I enjoyed it but I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the earlier books in the series first.

I think of Ash Carter as kind of a James Bond character but without the cool gadgets.  He's not afraid to get his hands dirty and is always at the heart of the action.  There's certainly a lot of action packed into the book as Ash investigates an apparent suicide that takes him in a very dark and dangerous direction.  I didn't know who he could trust and even those who Ash has trusted in the past appear to have deceived him.

It's very atmospheric as it's set in 1950 and I loved the Israeli setting.  It did take me a while to get into the story but the pacing certainly ramps up in the second half of the book along with the danger levels.  I even learnt something I didn't know about post-war escape routes and I have been fascinated by my further reading about this.

Intriguing, atmospheric and action-packed, Dead Man's Run is another thrilling Ash Carter novel that entertained me from the start to the end.  It's well worth a read.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Murder at the Tower (DCI Viv Lee Mystery Series Book 1) - Stacey Murray

For seven hundred years, Yeoman Warders have guarded the Tower of London, where their homes are inside the walls and where the gates are locked at night.

One of them, Tony Warboys, is on night watch duty, patrolling the ancient grounds. But he won't live to see the sun rise. When his body is found on the cobbles by the peculiar figure of the Tower Ravenmaster, the Met quickly discover that Tony had no shortage of enemies.

As they navigate the intriguing world and hierarchy of the Tower, and public fascination with the case mounts, DCI Viv Lee uncovers shocking secrets which could rock the place to its foundations.

But can she catch the killer before she kills her career?

Murder At The Tower is a classic whodunnit set in the present-day Tower of London.

 

What did I think?

WOW!  Murder at the Tower is an absolutely cracking murder mystery and there is no better location for a locked room mystery than the fortress that is the Tower of London.

You don't need to be familiar with the Tower to enjoy the story as there is a map at the front of the book and I do love a map!  I did visit the Tower about 30 years ago and of course you can see images online but Stacey Murray really brings the location to life with her wonderful descriptions. 

I don't think anyone is that bothered about the victim as Tony Warboys ruffled more than the ravens' feathers.  It literally could have been any one of his colleagues as they all had motive through their dislike of him and means, being ex-military, but who had the opportunity?  

Enter DCI Viv Lee and what a fabulous character she is.  I am so excited that this is just the first book of hopefully many starring this sharp, witty and tenacious female detective.  I simply couldn't read it fast enough and raced through it in two sittings.  I didn't have a clue 'whodunnit' and I think I had every single character under suspicion at one point or another.

Filled with mystery and suspense, Murder at the Tower is a whodunnit that Agatha Christie would have been proud of.  A high bar has been set for book two and I can't wait to see how Stacey Murray follows this magnificent book.  It's an absolutely superb murder mystery and a very highly recommended read.

I received a gifted paperback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Hobeck Books

Amazon

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BOOKSTAGRAM TOUR: The Lost Soldier / Arnie Eats an Ice Cream - Elizabeth Heapy

One man. Two lives. No clean escape.

A wry, haunting, mental and physical descent into a fractured heart, soul, and mind.

Presented in an unconventional tête‑bêche (head-to-tail; tail-to-head) format, The Lost Soldier / Arnie Eats an Ice Cream serves as more than just a novel; it introduces a unique reader experience: you do not simply read this book; you listen to it; you wrestle with it; you embrace it; you navigate it; physically turning the pages and then the entire volume to uncover the mirrored halves of a single, devastating truth.

Part I: The Lost Soldier

Narrated by renowned psychiatrist Dr Elizabeth Heapy, FRCPsych, this dispassionate account tracks Stephen's clinical descent. Born into the shadowed prestige of the British Special Forces, he faces a life that was expected but never arrives. The deaths of his father, mother, and best friend in quick succession anchor him in an unmanageable internal conflict. Burdened by grief, and despite mounting mental and physical challenges, Stephen becomes an unlikely, deeply unsettled vigilante. The Fatman rises.

Part II: Arnie Eats an Ice Cream

Written by Anonymous voice, the narrative pivots 180 degrees. The narrative shifts focus from the reasons behind Stephen's fall to the inevitable 'what', which represents the true purpose his life was always moving towards. Set against the volatile backdrop of 1970s-90s sectarianism, crime, and politics, Stephen's internal history propels him toward a real-world, high-profile, historical event that altered the course of history forever. The Fatman falls.

Why this book is different:

• The unique Tête‑Bêche Structure: A physical metaphor for a fractured heart and soul. The reader must flip the book itself to confront the next side of his life story
• Fractured Consciousness: Inspired by 'show your working out' in maths exams: Stylistic strike-throughs expose alternative thinking and suppressed truths Stephen cannot admit to, even to himself
• A Cinematic Experience: A curated pre-1996 soundtrack underscores mood and tension, borrowing the emotional language of film to deepen every chapter

But who is Claire? But who is Alyson?

Darkly humane and emotionally resonant, with humour and irony woven throughout, The Lost Soldier / Arnie Eats an Ice Cream examines how an ordinary life veers into extraordinary consequences. It asks not only how to read the book, but also how to judge the man at its centre and determine where his fiction ends, where his reality begins, and where it ends again.

 

What did I think?

I didn't know what a Tête‑Bêche book was before reading The Lost Soldier / Arnie Eats an Ice Cream and what an amazing experience this was.  I have to say it's a physically challenging book as it is large and heavy but well worth 'picking up', albeit in a metaphorical way rather than literal.

It is very unusual, not just the flip book style but the writing style with some words crossed out, but still visible to read, and other words redacted for security reasons.  This is Stephen Cooper's story and it's both heartbreaking and harrowing.

The Lost Soldier is the story of Stephen's life from childhood to a certain point in time that changed the course of his life.  In this part he meets Claire and it's very much a 'what might have been' had events not conspired against him. 

Arnie Eats an Ice Cream sounds like perhaps a fun story but wow it is dark.  Stephen's story interweaves with some real events that I actually found difficult to read about because it brought it all back into my mind.  Not that it's something I had forgotten, but seeing it written about from Stephen's point of view was quite upsetting, such is the power of the writing.  I don't want to say what the events were as it will spoil it for others but, as disturbing as it was, it really kept me turning the pages rapidly.

The chapters are quite long but once you get into the story, it's difficult to put down.  I felt totally invested in Stephen's life and there are many shocks and surprises along the way as his life isn't exactly smooth sailing.  The book also has a playlist with songs stated to accompany the events that have just taken place and they matched perfectly.

Perhaps one of the most unusual books I have ever read, The Lost Soldier / Arnie Eats an Ice Cream is certainly one of the most unforgettable too.  A highly recommended read.

I received a gifted hardback for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Doghouse Press

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Circle of Shadows - Marisa Linton

It's 1904, and being a detective - let alone an occult detective - is no profession for a woman. But that won't stop Evie Winstanley.

When her father, a collector of occult books, dies in strange circumstances, Evie is determined to investigate. Her only lead: a cryptic mention of the 'Circle of Shadows.' From a chilling séance on the lonely Yorkshire moors to the sinister, hedonistic halls of Oxford's elite, Evie hunts for answers, stalked by whispers of an ancient monster and an ever-shifting, ominous symbol.

But when a young woman's body surfaces in the Cherwell, bearing that same mark, Evie uncovers a truth far more terrifying than a single murder. Now, Evie isn't just seeking justice; she's fighting to save her sister, in a dark and twisted adventure where gilded boys unleash hell and defiant women must pick up the pieces. Nothing will stop her investigation, not outraging Edwardian notions of female propriety, and certainly not offers of romance.

Blending historical fantasy with Golden Age classic crime, Circle of Shadows is a dark and twisty adventure through an occult Edwardian England where wealthy boys toy with powers they don't understand, and a lone woman takes a stand against them. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes, The Frozen People and Rivers of London.

 

What did I think?

Circle of Shadows is Marisa Linton's debut adult fiction novel and it is a cracker.  I loved every single page of it and didn't want to end...it does actually end like it's the start of a series and I hope it isn't the last we've seen of Evie Winstanley.

It does have hints of Sherlock Holmes about it but with a very strong and tenacious female main character who I absolutely loved.  It's Edwardian England where women should be seen and not heard but Evie Winstanley is determined to break that mould.

Marisa Linton takes the reader on an atmospheric journey from the rugged landscape of the Yorkshire moors to the historic streets of Oxford.  The séance that Evie attends is one of the most vivid scenes I have ever read and I almost jumped out of my seat when I was reading.  I love how sceptical Evie is though and she is determined to investigate to find out the truth.

It's a fabulous mystery as well as a haunting historical fiction novel and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.  I read it in two sittings and would have easily read it in one if I didn't have to sleep!

Circle of Shadows is an evocative and compelling historical mystery that surprised and delighted me.  I really enjoyed it and hope to read more of Evie's adventures in the future.

I received a gifted hardback to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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