BLOG TOUR: The Hidden Eye (The Merseyside Crime Series Book 4) - Malcolm Hollingdrake

The Hidden Eye is the breathtaking fourth novel in the thrilling Merseyside crime series from Malcolm Hollingdrake, author of the best-selling Harrogate crime series.

Antisocial behaviour is on the rise on the streets of Liverpool. Swift and silent, a sinister gang is patrolling the city on electric motorbikes, scouting for opportunities to steal.

DI April Decent and her trusted team of detectives are facing a complex series of crimes including the cold case of a young woman who died almost a year earlier. The perpetrator remains in the shadows, a traumatised past leaving them hell-bent on atonement, hoping to find a way to cleanse their soul of guilt.

‘The Controller’ of the gang pulls their strings, their orders becoming ever more ambitious and demanding, until a robbery goes wrong, and a gang member is arrested.

Can DI April Decent’s trusted police team manage to piece together the fragmented trail of evidence and track down this malevolent puppet master? Can they make Liverpool’s streets feel safer once more?

The Hidden Eye is ideal for fans of Simon McCleave, J M Dalgliesh and Ian Rankin.

 

What did I think?

The Hidden Eye is the fourth book in The Merseyside Crime series but I think you can read and enjoy it as a standalone, however, you will definitely want to read the earlier books once you have read it.

DI April Decent is the main character who links the series together but the crime itself is a self-contained storyline and what an absolute belter it is.  It had me riveted from start to finish as April and her team scour the streets of Liverpool in search of the mastermind behind the latest crime wave.

The city of Liverpool is brought to life and feels almost like a character itself.  I have been to Liverpool, although I'm not familiar with a lot of the places mentioned in The Hidden Eye, but I could easily visualise it in my mind.  

Filled with intrigue and packed with suspense, The Hidden Eye is an outstanding crime novel in a magnificent series.  I love Malcolm Hollingdrake's descriptive writing; he creates such vivid scenes with such carefully considered words and it's a real joy to read his books.  A highly recommended read.

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

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BLOG TOUR: Edge of the Land (The Merseyside Crime Series Book 3) - Malcolm Hollingdrake

Edge of the Land is the thrilling third novel in the Merseyside crime series from Malcolm Hollingdrake, author of the best-selling Harrogate crime series.

The waterways of the Liverpool docks contain many ghosts and shadows. It’s a place to disappear… a place to die.

Detective Inspector April Decent and Detective Sergeant Skeeter Warlock are fearful for the welfare of a vulnerable young man injured in an attack ordered by drug dealers. Originally questioned at the scene, the young man denies the attack and refuses to co-operate with the police. He soon disappears. Clues to his whereabouts are sown, a cry for help maybe, but he remains elusive.

At the same time, the team are dealing with a spate of deaths in the city. The one thing the deaths have in common: the victims are all homeless and seemingly ravaged by addiction. Initially, the deaths are not considered to be suspicious as there is no obvious connection. Soon the hallmarks of murder are discovered and a hunt for a potential serial killer is on.

Is there a link between the missing man and the deaths? Could he be the vital piece of the puzzle which will solve the mystery behind the brutal murders?

 

What did I think?

Edge of the Land is the third book in The Merseyside Crime Series and it can most definitely be read as a standalone as I haven't read the first two books in the series and I absolutely loved it.

As soon as I turned the first page of Edge of the Land I knew I was in for a literary treat.  Malcolm Hollingdrake's exquisite writing sets such a vivid scene that I felt as if I'd dived head first into the book and found myself in Liverpool.  I've been a fan of Malcolm Hollingdrake's writing for many years now and just when I think he's at the top of his game, he goes and raises the bar again.

The city of Liverpool and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal are almost characters in their own right as they seem to live and breathe throughout the book.  The main characters are so well drawn that I had to keep reminding myself that they aren't real people.  I was sad to leave them when I turned the final page but it has definitely encouraged me to revisit DI Decent and DS Warlock by reading the previous books in the series.

Perfectly plotted and exquisitely crafted, Edge of the Land is a magnificent piece of crime fiction and you'll be hard pressed to find a better one...until Malcolm writes his next book.

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

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BLOG TOUR: Playing the Pools - David M. Sindall

The sheet is pulled back; the body is face down. He looks to the left shoulder for no more than a second or two and sees a tattoo. It’s a Tranmere Rovers crest, with the club’s motto, ‘Lux et Robur’, indelibly marked on the yellowing skin.

He knows who this is. He nods again.

In 1960s Liverpool, life is hard for Reggie Kellison. His marriage is stalling, baby number six is on its way, a fall out at work has put his nose out of joint and the football team he supports offers little relief.

But Reggie has a plan.

If it works it could give him the life, lover, and money he dreams of. If it doesn’t, a jail sentence could be on the cards.

Either way, he can only find out by risking everything, and playing the pools.

 

What did I think?

Playing the Pools is a very entertaining novel and quite a quick read at just over 200 pages long.  The prologue (which is mentioned in the synopsis) is an immediate hook and I couldn't read fast enough to find out which Tranmere Rovers fan the body belonged to.  Even though I got carried along with the brilliant story, that question kept popping back into my head and where money is concerned, it could be absolutely anyone.

I loved the 1960s Liverpool setting, even more so as I visited this wonderful city in 2019 and recognised a lot of the places mentioned in the book.  With a foot in both gambling and retail camps, Littlewoods must have been one of the biggest employers in Liverpool in the 1960s and Littlewoods Pools is where the main character of Reggie Kellison works.

Reggie comes up with a brilliant idea to improve Littlewoods Pools' business but this is rejected by his employer, only to be resurrected a few months down the line as if it wasn't Reggie's idea in the first place.  This made me so mad!  It's not the first time I have heard of this happening and it seems like employers will do anything to get out of paying a bonus on an incentive scheme that they have created; it's shocking as they are basically stealing intellectual property from their employees.  No wonder employees become aggrieved and start working to rule or planning to get their own back like Reggie does.

David M. Sindall has included characters, places and events that are very personal to him and I love how this not only inspired his story but brought the whole book to life.  I found it very nostalgic as my Dad and I used to play the pools in the 1980s and we used to look forward to the knock on the door from the 'pools man' to hand over our coupon then eagerly watch the football results for score draws on Saturday evening, although I can't ever remember us winning anything.

Entertaining and nostalgic, Playing the Pools is very well written and held my interest throughout.  It's something a bit different from the norm and well worth a read.

I chose to read an ARC that I received from the publisher and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

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The Angels of Lovely Lane (Lovely Lane #1) - Nadine Dorries

It is 1953 and five very different girls are arriving at the nurses' home in Lovely Lane, Liverpool, to start their training at St Angelus Hospital.

Dana has escaped from her family farm on the west coast of Ireland. Victoria is running away from a debt-ridden aristocratic background. Beth is an army brat and throws her lot in with bitchy Celia Forsyth. And Pammy has come from quite the wrong side of the tracks in Liverpool.

The world in which they now find themselves is complicated and hierarchical, with rules that must be obeyed. Everyone has their place at St Angelus and woe betide anyone who strays from it.

But when an unknown girl is admitted, after a botched late abortion in a backstreet kitchen, a tragedy begins to unfold which will rock the world of St Angelus to its foundations.

What did I think?

Although I do tend to call this type of book a "Mammy's book", I did rather enjoy my first Nadine Dorries book, Ruby Flynn, so I had no qualms about reading another and hopping on the blog tour bus.  I didn't enjoy this one as much as Ruby Flynn, but I think anybody who likes a Liverpool family saga type book will absolutely love it.

The book starts in Liverpool in 1940 with Emily Haycock returning home to her sick mother, dreaming of one day becoming a St Angelus nurse.  As the air-raid sirens sound, Emily is near the docks with her heavily pregnant neighbour, Maisie Tanner.  As the bombs fall Emily worries about her family and as the sun rises on a new day, life will never be the same for Emily.

Twelve years later, Emily is Nursing Director at St Angelus Hospital and keen to keep her lowly origins hidden from the high and mighty consultants and snooty Matron.  When a new bunch of trainee nurses arrive at St Angelus, Emily keeps her eye on Pammy Tanner, the baby that Maisie was carrying on that fateful night in the air-raid shelter.  Pammy makes friends with Dana Brogan, a farm girl from Ireland, and Victoria Baker, a rich girl from an aristocratic family.  These unlikely friends form a strong alliance as they stick together to help each other pass their training and become Angels of Lovely Lane.

The NHS was formed in 1948 and it was really interesting to read about the resistance to this new regime, that I'm sure was very true to life.  As changes and improvements were made to medicine, the old consultants and matrons were left behind as junior doctors and trainee nurses embraced the new culture.  It's amazing how far we have come from these early days of the NHS; just think of how quickly women leave hospital after childbirth now, in the not so olden days they would have been confined to weeks of bed rest.

There are a lot of characters in this book and it sometimes got confusing.  I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be; Emily or Dana.  Although there is a lot going on, there are some interesting and tragic stories unfolding and I would be interested to read the next book to see how the characters have developed.

The Angels of Lovely Lane is a solid introduction to a new series of books by Nadine Dorries; although it felt a bit busy as we have been introduced to so many characters at once, I firmly believe that all will slot into place when it is read as part of a series.

I received this book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, in exchange for an honest review.

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Ruby Flynn - Nadine Dorries

The darkest sin casts the longest shadow... RUBY FLYNN, set in Ireland and Liverpool, is the enthralling story of a family haunted by ancient wrongs.

The FitzDeanes are wealthy. They have Ballyford Castle in Ireland and a growing shipping business in Liverpool. But Lady FitzDeane is unable to provide an heir. All of her five boys have died in infancy. There are whispers that the family is cursed - punished for a terrible mistake long buried in the past.

When young Ruby Flynn, an orphan reared and educated by nuns, arrives at Ballyford to work as a nursery maid, she cannot shake the feeling that she has been there before. But when?

Soon rumours and strong emotions are swirling around the beautiful girl with red hair, green eyes - and a mysterious past. Who is she really? And what will her arrival mean for this powerful family, riven by tragedy?

What did I think?

It's been a long time since I've read what I call a 'Mammy's book' (aka family saga) so I was quite surprised at how much I did actually enjoy Ruby Flynn.  I really enjoyed the linguistic style of Nadine's writing as I could almost hear the Irish or Scouse accents of the characters in my head.  As expected, it was an easy read with a slightly predictable ending but there were some events in the book that were quite unexpected, to say the least.

The book starts as a young Ruby is found during the 'great storm' with her dead parents and taken to the local convent.  On her arrival at the convent there is an incident with a precious vase so we are under no illusion that Ruby is a strong feisty character and not a poor little orphan as you might have expected.  I thought that there might have been more interaction with the nun characters as they are usually normally wicked or hilarious but they seem to play a very small part in the story.  As Ruby gets older she is chosen to go to work in the nursery of Ballyford, which I imagined to look a bit like Downton Abbey.   There are, however, no children in the nursery at Ballyford, allegedly due to the legendary curse.  This was such a terribly sad story in itself as the lady of the house refuses to leave the empty nursery.

The master of the house, Charles FitzDeane, decides to set up a shipping business with Rory Doyle, the local bad guy who he thinks of as a friend, and needs little excuse to spend more and more time in Liverpool.  It is no surprise that Charles ends up leading a double life to escape the sadness that awaits him back home.  Then on a visit back to Ballyford he is captivated by the red hair and green eyes belonging to Ruby, and finds it easier to spend more time in Ireland.  Charles and Ruby share a past that Ruby is completely unaware of and it was intriguing to watch the story of the past unfold.  

It has the usual tried and tested successful formula of the rich man in the big house and the poor servant girl but what sets this apart are the unexpected, and sometimes tragic, twists and turns that the book takes us on.  It's well worth a read for those who enjoyed Nadine Dorries' Four Streets Trilogy or if you're partial to a good old Catherine Cookson style family saga.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, in exchange for an honest review.

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