BLOG TOUR: Catford Dogs - Andy Burn

Catford, South-east London, 2003. Miles Askew, charming but feckless, works for a small-time private investigation agency. Born to privilege, at 38 his career and relationships are a car crash.

One August weekend Miles’ easy existence is obliterated when a lover gives him an alarming ultimatum, and a seemingly straightforward investigation into local greyhound racing erupts with the suspicious death of a colleague.

As Miles desperately grapples for atonement and justice, he is forced to confront both ruthless criminal conspirators and his own conflicted loyalties. Bribery, blackmail and violent death play out against a shifting social backdrop of Blair’s England and Catford’s criminal past, and Miles finds the odds of escaping unscathed increasingly stacked against him.

 

What did I think?

I just had to read Catford Dogs as soon as I heard about it as I remember finding its name very amusing when I saw it listed in the racing pages as a youngster.  With corruption both on and off the track, the book delivered so much more than I expected and I absolutely loved it.

There are some great characters in the book and I loved the main character of private investigator Miles Askew.  He's never really had to work hard for anything in his life but he certainly needs to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in when he's put on the case of strange goings on at the dog track.  Dogs that should be winning are losing but the owners and trainers can't work out what's going on so one owner turns to Fox Forensics to solve the case.

As Miles digs deeper into events at the track, he uncovers a fraud that goes deeper than he could ever have imagined and it's a little too close to home for his liking.  As the various threads of the story weave through the prose they all come together beautifully at the end to reveal a stunning tapestry that shocked, surprised and entertained me.

I loved everything about this book: the gritty, descriptive writing, the well-developed, colourful characters, the unusual setting and the riveting, fast-paced plot.  I am delighted to see 'Miles Askew Book One' printed on the cover as I have a very good feeling about this series and I can't wait to read more.  Very highly recommended.

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

My rating:

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About the author:

Andy Burn spent years making stuff up for business presentations before pivoting to the novel as a medium for writing fiction. A glittering portfolio career of board level experience in finance, property and media, or an inebriated stagger from one shaky rock to another while trying to dodge the bullet? Opinions vary but either way Andy’s working life has brought him into close contact with the best and worst of the business world. The bullies, the corrupt, the greedy, the charlatans, and the bullshit pedlars, but some pretty decent people too. He’s also slept in a refugee camp and blown stuff up in North Africa, studied Matisse, and walked hundreds of miles of coastline for good causes. Life experience peppers his writing. In his spare time he takes divots off golf courses or oils his gun collection. He lives in West Somerset with a very tolerant family and some intolerant dogs. 

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BLOG TOUR: Rendered Incapable (The Quirk Files Book 4) - A B Morgan

Peddyr and Connie Quirk head for the Isle of Man, hoping for a well-deserved break from their private investigation business. However, in an underhand move by Peddyr’s cousin Superintendent Eddie Cadogan, their hotel booking is changed, and they are redirected to Hodge Fell Farm with its farm shop, butchery, café, and quaint holiday cottages.

 

When they meet their hosts - including a certain Nick Popadopoulos - a relaxing holiday of bracing walks by the sea is quickly replaced by pigs, adultery, soap-making, drag queens, smoked sausages, scams and skulduggery. In their quest to work out what despicable scheme Nick has underway, Peddyr and Connie soon realise that not everyone is being honest with them. Time is not on their side, and they must rely on their wits to act before someone gets away with murder.

 

What did I think?

I started reading The Quirk Files at book 3 so Rendered Incapable is definitely a book you can read as a standalone and it's a thoroughly enjoyable one at that.  I love husband and wife private investigators Peddyr and Connie Quirk whose individual skills complement each other and they always get to the bottom of the mystery.

Set on the Isle of Man, where Peddyr is from, I really enjoyed my virtual exploration of the island but this wouldn't be a Quirk Files book without a mystery to solve.  The Quirks' holiday soon turns into an investigation when Peddyr's cousin convinces him to look into one of the local residents. Nick Popadopoulos.

The book begins with Nick in a bit of a predicament and if I felt sorry for him at the start, I certainly changed my mind pretty sharpish as the story unfolds.  Just what is he up to?  No good, that's what!  As if his wandering eye isn't bad enough, it's pretty scary to see what lengths he will go to in order to get what he wants.

Very intricately plotted and written with a lot of humour, Rendered Incapable is incredibly entertaining.  Even just Connie's version of Nick's surname is enough to still make me laugh when I think about it.  There's a lot going on in the book but it never gets confusing and I love how it all comes together at the end.  It's a cracking read and one I'm happy to recommend.

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

My rating:

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Hobeck Books

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BLOG TOUR: Black Hearts (The Skelfs Book 4) - Doug Johnstone

The Skelf women live in the shadow of death every day, running the family funeral directors and private investigator business in Edinburgh. But now their own grief interwines with that of their clients, as they are left reeling by shocking past events.

A fist-fight by an open grave leads Dorothy to investigate the possibility of a faked death, while a young woman’s obsession with Hannah threatens her relationship with Indy and puts them both in mortal danger. An elderly man claims he’s being abused by the ghost of his late wife, while ghosts of another kind come back to haunt Jenny from the grave … pushing her to breaking point.

As the Skelfs struggle with increasingly unnerving cases and chilling danger lurks close to home, it becomes clear that grief, in all its forms, can be deadly…

 

What did I think?

I love The Skelfs series so I was very excited to read Black Hearts and I was not disappointed.  This series is just getting better and better and I hope Doug Johnstone has a lot more ideas up his sleeve for the Skelf women as I don't ever want this series to end.

You could read Black Hearts as a standalone as it has a brilliant self-contained plot, however, to fully appreciate the characters it is better to read the previous books in the series.  There is just enough of their backstories included in the book to intrigue and inform new readers without being too repetitive for long-standing fans of the series.

I'm purposefully avoiding talking about any of the various threads of the plot as it would spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but oh my word it's a good 'un.  Each character has something different to deal with and I couldn't read fast enough to see how it would all end; I certainly couldn't have predicted any of it.

I love how Doug Johnstone explores grief in all of The Skelf novels but Black Hearts is particularly poignant as it mentions something from Japanese culture that some readers may have never heard of before.  It allowed us to see a bit more behind Dorothy's character and it shows us that grief never leaves us, it merely becomes less painful as time goes on.

Unpredictable, suspenseful and addictive, Black Hearts is another fantastic installment in The Skelfs series.  I've loved every single one of them; keep 'em coming, Doug!

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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UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of twelve novels, most recently The Great Silence, described as ‘A novel [that] underlines just how accomplished Johnstone has become’ by the Daily Mail. He has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year three times, and the Capital Crime Best Independent Voice one; The Big Chill was longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions, and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

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BLOG TOUR: The Last Girl to Die - Helen Fields

In search of a new life, seventeen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.

Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.

The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?

 

What did I think?

WOW!  What a book!  The Last Girl to Die is a book I will be recommending for a very long time.  It is filled with mystery and intrigue that hooked me from the start but it is the razor-sharp plotting that makes it a memorable read.  

When an American teenager goes missing on the Isle of Mull, her parents hire a Canadian private investigator, Sadie Lavesque.  This invasion of foreigners on Mull creates a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere for Sadie as she is faced with the suspicion and mistrust of the islanders.  Sadie can't count on the local police to help her and things only get worse for her when she finds a body...and then another...

I cannot even begin to tell you how good this book is and no review I write will go anywhere near to doing it justice.  It's a book that you just have to read and experience for yourself.  Helen Fields intricately weaves mysteries and folklore of ancient Mull into this gripping and atmospheric thriller making it a completely unforgettable novel.  

Shocking, disturbing and jawdropping, The Last Girl to Die is an impressive and completely haunting thriller.  Helen Fields is my newly crowned Queen of Twists and I felt like my brain had gone 12 rounds in the boxing ring as the twists and shocks pummelled me from all angles.  Very highly recommended - don't miss this one!

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

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Cherry Slice (A Cherry Pi Mystery) - Jennifer Stone

Reality TV turns deadly in Cherry Hinton's first case

When Kenny Thorpe, a contestant on Expose TV's Big Blubber, the hot new celebrity weight-loss show, is murdered on live television in front of 3 million viewers, the case seems pretty watertight. After all, everyone saw Martin do it, didn't they?

Cherry Hinton knows there's more to this than meets the eye. As an investigative reporter, she went undercover on dating show Caravan of Love... but after getting in too deep with one of the other contestants, she was caught knickerless in front of the nation. Humiliated, fired and heartbroken, she has fled to Brentwood, where she opens a cake shop, and tries to forget all about Expose.

But when Kenny Thorpe's sister walks into her shop with a letter that turns the case inside out, Cherry realises it's down to her to expose the real killer.

What did I think?

I was drawn to Cherry Slice, not only by the mouthwatering cake on the cover, but by the story being set around the hilariously named reality TV weight loss show: Big Blubber.  I think because I found the show name so funny, I expected Cherry Slice to be quite funny but, although I did laugh at some of the clever show names, I reminded myself that it's a murder mystery not a joke book. 

When Martin appeared to murder fellow contestant Kenny on live TV, he has little choice but to plead guilty.  When Kenny's sister claims that Martin is innocent, she turn to Kenny's old schoolfriend Cherry Hinton to uncover the truth.  'Who killed Kenny?' is the theme of the book and I have to admit to having a little South Park snigger every time I read it.

After being disgraced on TV whilst working undercover to expose vote rigging, Cherry returns home to run a cake shop.  Cherry creates some lovely cakes with clever names and I found the visits from her social media obsessed friend, Kelsey, very entertaining.  Kelsey even gets a cake named after her: a Kelsey Bun.

I really enjoyed the investigative side to the story and the big reveal at the end is absolutely brilliant.  Although I didn't quite connect with Cherry at first, she certainly grew on me and I loved her run-ins with local policeman and one-time crush, Jacob.  This is a part of Cherry's story that is 'to be continued' and leaves the reader not necessarily hanging but interested enough to look forward to the next instalment.

Cherry Slice is a fun, murder mystery with an intriguing storyline and an occasional giggle; it's a great parody of reality TV and social media obsessives.  A light, entertaining read and a good start to a new series.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




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The Last Honeytrap (Florence Love 1) - Louise Lee

If you love to curl up with Miranda Dickinson or The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes was your favourite, The Last Honeytrap will delight you with its rapidfire, irreverent humour.

Scot 'Scat' Delaney is a world famous jazz singer. He has ample opportunity to stray and his girlfriend, Alice, needs to know she can trust him.

Introducing Florence Love, Private Investigator.

Florence has just ten days to entrap an A-Lister. Whilst sticking to her cardinal rule:

One kiss, with tongues, five seconds - case closed.

A master of body language, evolutionary science and nifty disguises, her approach is unconventional, her success rate excellent. But targets are rarely as beautiful as Scat. Never fall for the target.

That is very bad form indeed.

The Last Honeytrap marks the energetic launch of a brilliant new series. Once you've met Florence Love, you'll see the world in glorious technicolour at last.

What did I think?

I expected this to be light, amusing chick lit but, due to two very strong storylines and a vivacious heroine, it was so much better than that and I really enjoyed it.  Florence Love is more than a private investigator, she is an entrapment specialist proving or disproving the fidelity of her clients’ partners.  Although I didn’t rocket through this book, once I got to about half way through I was hooked.  The story is twofold; that of Florence’s latest entrapment and the mysterious disappearance of her mother.

I loved the relationship that Florence has with her brother, Michael, as Florence really looks out for him and is so protective.  When Florence and Michael’s mother went missing, her car was found burned out with a male corpse inside leading to an abundance of questions for the reader:  Who is the mystery man?  What was he to her mother?  Where is her mother?  As Florence starts to dig she uncovers family secrets that she wishes she’d left buried.

The entrapment storyline was really clever too as Florence tries desperately not to fall in love with Scott Delaney, the sexy Irish singer.  What will happen when Scott’s fiancé sees the video of the final entrapment?  Will Scott realise Florence is the woman of his dreams?  All of these questions and more are answered as the final brilliant and surprising entrapment is played out.

With a smart, feisty heroine like Florence Love this is sure to be a great series and I look forward to the next book The Last Bigamist as Florence heads to Italy in search of her mother.

I received this book from the publisher, Headline, via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Dark Hours - Ryan David Jahn

Private Investigator Damien Lamb: a man hardened by life and seeking justice against those who have wronged society. When the vulnerable Abigail walks into his office asking Lamb to retrieve her daughter from the confines of infamous cult, the Children of God, Lamb can't help but fall for her story. And so begins a breath-taking and dangerous journey as Lamb attempts to rescue Abigail's daughter, Lily, and bring down the charming yet heinous leader of the cult, Rhett Mosley. But Abigail's motivations might not be as clear as they first seem and Lamb finds himself in more danger than he could ever have imagined . . .

What did I think?

I really enjoyed this book, although there were some parts that were a bit gruesome.  At times I was reading whilst my eyes were trying to squeeze shut so they didn't have to experience the events on the page!

It took me a little while to get into it as there are no speech marks around conversations, so I wasn't sure if my anal-brain would be able to cope with it.  I'm so glad that I persevered as I hardly noticed they were missing in the end.

Damien seemed a bit of a typical seedy PI at first, but I very soon realised that he cares enough about his client to do whatever it takes. I just never imagined to what extent he would have to go to get Lily back.  The scenes in the feed-shed will stay with me for quite some time and if this book is ever made into a film, I will have to hide behind the sofa during that part.

The female characters of Abigail and Lily were given an interesting history.  Due to her history, it wasn't surprisingly that Abigail found herself in the cult.  She was lucky to break free but I did wonder about her motivations for trying to get Lily back - was she more interested in the money or her daughter?  I felt really sorry for Lily, as all she had ever known was the cult but it was interesting that a part of her realised that the things Rhett Mosley did weren't right.

Mosley was a great character - a supposed man of God with the characteristics of a devil.  He was ultimately motivated by greed and I wondered what he planned to do with his piles of cash in the end.  Perhaps slip all of his "children" a suicide pill, then head off to Vegas for a weekend of debauchery before setting up a new cult.  To find out what does actually happen to him, you'll just have to read the book!

This a really fast-paced thriller that gets under your skin and is written so vividly that there were many grimaces and gasps of horror.

I received this book from the publisher, Pan Macmillan, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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