BLOGATHON: Before Her Eyes - Jack Jordan

She can't see the killer. But the killer can see her...

Naomi Hannah has been blind since birth, living her life in darkness. Trapped in her claustrophobic hometown, she’s finally reached her breaking point.

But everything changes when she stumbles across the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. Not only that, but Naomi senses she isn’t alone at the scene… Someone is there with her. The killer is watching.

Naomi may not be able to see their face, but she is the only person who can identify them.

As the police begin their hunt and more victims are discovered, Naomi is forced to answer the question on which her fate hangs: why did the killer let her live?

And in a town this small, the murderer may still be close. Perhaps even before her very eyes...

What did I think?

Jack is back in the most eagerly anticipated book of the year!  There's nothing unusual about booklovers getting excited about books, but a new Jack Jordan book seems to whip us up into a frenzy as we all clamour to get our names on this exclusive list of early readers.  I've been a huge fan of Jack Jordan since reading his outstanding debut, Anything for Her, and it's wonderful to follow the journey of this super-talented young author as he heads towards his destiny at the top of the bestseller chart.  

I don't know where Jack Jordan gets his ideas from but they're all such good ones and Before Her Eyes is an absolute cracker!  It sounds simple with a blind woman being pursued by a killer she can't see but the descriptions of smell, sounds and touch were so visual that I felt as if my own senses had been heightened to cope with Naomi's blindness.  Jack Jordan is always so attuned to his characters that he can replicate their thoughts and feelings in the reader, without us even realising it.  Whilst reading Before Her Eyes I found myself noticing smells and sounds more than usual as I tried to empathise with the darkness in which Naomi lived.  

Although Naomi is understandably a very flawed character, she is a lot tougher than she thinks.  Naomi will always have strong feelings towards her ex-husband, Dane, as he saw her at her worst and naturally, Naomi feels safe with him.  As a blind woman, there's one thing that her other senses can't compensate for and that is the looks of admiration that Naomi receives from lovely DS Marcus Campbell.  Now this really is love at first sight but unfortunately Naomi can't see it and my heart broke for Marcus as had to be content with admiring Naomi from afar.

The story of the killer terrorising Naomi's town reminded me of spiderweb cracks on a mirror; as you follow one line of enquiry and end up at a dead end, you have to return to the centre to see where the story leads you.  At the centre of this web is a cold case: that of young Hayley Miller whose body has never been found.  Marcus is convinced that this recent spate of killings is linked to the Hayley Miller case but his boss doesn't share the same thoughts.  Marcus does a bit of digging on his own and finds that the latest victims were investigating the Hayley Miller case so he seems to be on the right track but, with a killer determined to stop the truth getting out about Hayley Miller, nobody in this town is safe.

I can guarantee that you will be glued to every single page of Before Her Eyes.  I read it so fast that I feel like I need to read it again at a much slower pace to fully appreciate the glorious, visual scenes painted by Jack Jordan's powerful words.  An absolutely sublime piece of fiction that entertained, amazed and down-right thrilled every inch of me.  A* - you're top of the class again, Mr Jordan!

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

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case (Conrad the Cat Detective Book 3) - L T Shearer

A crime gone unsolved for five years . . .

The life of Lulu Lewis, a retired police detective, took an unforgettable turn when Conrad first introduced himself to her. Unforgettable because:

a) Conrad is a special cat.

b) Special because he told her so.

Yes, that’s right, he can talk.

(For obvious reasons, this ability remains a closely guarded secret while they live together on her canal boat, The Lark.)

Visiting an old friend in Manchester, the pair stumble across a chilling news report about a trail of bodies found across the city that echo a string of cold case murders from Lulu’s past in London.

Joining forces with the local police, the pair must use every ounce of their intuition in order to find a connection between the seemingly random killings – and track down a ruthless murderer . . .

What did I think?

I didn't realise that this was the third book in a series when I picked it up but it can totally be read as a standalone because I loved it.  I am so pleased that I have found this fabulous cosy mystery series and I plan to read the first two books as I'm missing Conrad and Lulu already.

Lulu might have retired from the police force but she still has a copper's nose and Conrad has a cat's nose for sniffing out criminals too.  I absolutely loved the special relationship between Lulu and Conrad and how Conrad travels around on Lulu's shoulders.  Conrad is definitely more of a companion than a cat and it feels completely natural for Lulu to have two-way conversations with him.

I really liked the waterway setting that might suggest a gentle pacing but the cosy mystery plotline is so multi-stranded and compelling that I couldn't put the book down, reading it in half the time I expected.  It is even bringing a smile to my face now, especially thinking about part of the story when Lulu and Conrad are hot on the tail of a thief.

Completely original and incredibly compelling, The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case is the cosiest of cosy mysteries.  It entertained and delighted me, in addition to warming my heart and leaving a smile on my face.  L T Shearer has gained a new fan; I can't wait to read more about Lulu and Conrad.  A highly recommended read.

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:

L T Shearer has had a lifelong love of canal boats and calico cats, and both are combined in The Cat Who Caught a Killer, a one-of-a-kind debut crime novel. The story continues with The Cat Who Solved Three Murders and The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case. 

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BLOG TOUR: Disturbing the Bones - Andrew Davis and Jeff Biggers

Chicago detective Randall Jenkins has not been back home to the historic Civil Rights hotspot of Cairo, Illinois since the disappearance of his mother, a well-known journalist, several decades ago.

That all changes the day Dr. Molly Moore, an ambitious young archaeologist in the national spotlight for her groundbreaking high-tech discoveries, uncovers a set of strange bones at a huge 12,000-year-old site at a highway construction project.  With retired military general and contractor William Alexander breathing down her neck to cover up the dig, Molly and Randall soon find themselves in the middle of a wild military conspiracy.

The detective and archaeologist’s entwined family mysteries suddenly thrust them into the central position as the only people who can ensure the safety of the ongoing Chicago global peace summit. They must take on the rogue general who views any disarmament agreement as a clear and present danger to the United States. The fate of global peace and the lives of Molly and Randall hang in the balance.

Disturbing the Bones is a rip-roaring techno-thriller in the grand tradition of Michael Crichton, Scott Turow and Frederick Forsyth - a perfect Autumn blockbuster for those cosy nights in.

 

What did I think?

I was drawn to Disturbing the Bones because I have a keen interest in archaeology so I loved the setting; it's not Cairo, Egypt but Cairo, Illinois.  Finding bones at such a site is to be expected, but these bones are not ancient...

I loved Molly and her passion for archaeology, along with her protectiveness about the site, even when it places herself and her team in danger.  Veteran Chicago detective has a vested interest in Molly's find as he thinks the bones are those of his mother.  While all this is going on, America has a new president and she has plans to amend the constitution to which lots of people are opposed.

The plot is more political than I expected but it adds some extra spice to a gripping thriller.  I was incensed when certain things happened at the dig and I couldn't read fast enough to see how it would all play out.  The pacing certainly ramps up in the final third of the book and I couldn't put it down.

Fast-paced and action-packed, Disturbing the Bones is an entertaining and thought-provoking thriller.  I wouldn't be surprised to see it on the big screen at some point, especially as Andrew Davis is a renowned film director.  I enjoyed the book and would definitely be interested in seeing it on the big screen.

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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Finding Suzy: The Hunt for Missing Estate Agent Suzy Lamplugh and 'Mr Kipper' (Investigations by David Videcette) - David Videcette

 

How can someone just disappear?

Step inside a real-life, missing person investigation in this compelling, true crime must-read.

Uncover what happened to missing estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, as David Videcette takes you on a quest to unpick her mysterious disappearance and scrutinise the shadowy 'Mr Kipper'.

One overcast Monday in July 1986, 25-year-old estate agent Suzy Lamplugh vanished whilst showing a smart London property to a mysterious 'Mr Kipper'.

Despite the baffling case dominating the news and one of the largest missing persons cases ever mounted, police failed to find a shred of evidence establishing what had happened to her.

Sixteen years later, following a second investigation and under pressure from Suzy's desperate parents, police named convicted rapist and murderer John Cannan as their prime suspect. However, the Crown Prosecution Service refused to charge him, citing a lack of evidence.

High-profile searches were conducted, Suzy's body was never found. The trail that might lead investigators to her, long since lost.

Haunted by another missing person case, investigator and former Scotland Yard detective David Videcette has spent five years painstakingly reinvestigating Suzy's cold case disappearance.

Through a series of incredible new witness interviews and fresh groundbreaking analysis, he uncovers piece by piece what happened to Suzy and why the case was never solved.

People don't just disappear...

What did I think?

Wow!  This book is absolutely brilliant and I couldn't put it down.  I'm a huge fan of David Videcette's fiction books so just try and stop me reading his non-fiction, true crime account of the Suzy Lamplugh case.  I remember Suzy's disappearance in the summer of 1986 as we were given personal attack alarms at school.  If Suzy had had a personal attack alarm, would this be a different story today or would anybody have been around to hear it?

The Suzy Lamplugh 'story' is well known: estate agent Suzy went to show a house to Mr Kipper one lunchtime and never returned.  You may have noticed that I put 'story' in inverted commas as David Videcette's investigation proves that the story we know of Suzy's disappearance might as well be a work of fiction.  

David, along with his fellow investigator Caroline, look at the Suzy Lamplugh case with fresh eyes.  I loved the dynamic between David and Caroline, regularly playing good cop (David) and bad cop (Caroline) and it is clear that David has a lot of respect for his fellow investigator, which is more than can be said for some of the people that they interviewed.  Re-interviewing witnesses and asking the right questions, David Videcette sheds new light on to what may have happened to Suzy that day.  I'm not going to release any spoilers here but what I read is completely jaw-dropping and totally eye-opening.  

David's investigation is impeccable, leaving no stone unturned (and no cake uneaten) in his search for Suzy.  It's no surprise (and therefore not a spoiler) that the police haven't shown an ounce of interest in what David has found.  I wonder if Suzy's parents had been alive today, whether the police would be more inclined to take notice. Paul and Diana Lamplugh were heavily involved in the case, perhaps far too much as their desperation to find their daughter led to misrepresentations and false accusations.  

Of course I could write so much more about this fantastic book but I don't want to let anything slip.  David's writing is completely flawless and you'd be forgiven for forgetting that this is true crime, if the subject matter wasn't one of the UK's most famous unsolved cases.  It's a tragedy that Suzy's family never found out what happened to her, but they were never going to find her if they were looking in the wrong place.

Finding Suzy is absolutely brilliant, it's unputdownable, jaw-dropping and eye-opening.  It's the must-read book of the year, if not the decade.  Breathtaking true crime that's not to be missed.  So very highly recommended.

Many thanks to David Videcette for sending me a digital ARC to read and review.  This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Distant Dead: 8 (The Detective's Daughter) - Lesley Thomson

 

LONDON, 1940

Several neighbours heard the scream of the woman in the bombed-out house. One told the detective she thought the lady had seen a mouse. Another said it wasn't his business what went on behind closed doors. None of them imagined that a trusting young woman was being strangled by her lover.

TEWKESBURY, 2020

Beneath the vast stone arches of Tewkesbury Abbey, a man lies bleeding, close to death. He is the creator of a true-crime podcast which now will never air. He was investigating the murder of a 1940s police pathologist - had he come closer to the truth than he realised?

Stella Darnell has moved to Tewkesbury to escape from death, not to court it. But when this man dies in her arms, Stella, impelled to root out evil when she finds it, becomes determined to hunt down his killer and to bring the secrets he was searching for into the light...

What did I think?

When I picked up The Distant Dead, I didn't realise that it was book 8 in the Detective's Daughter series but I have to say that it works brilliantly as a standalone.  I didn't feel at all confused or disadvantaged by jumping in mid-series but I definitely want to go back and read the earlier books.

I'm always delighted to find maps inside books and The Distant Dead has something just as good: a plan of Tewkesbury Abbey.  With a real life 'googleable' setting, it's really easy to visualise a lot of the scenes in the abbey (as pictured on the cover).  I have to say that my imagination was way out regarding the cadaver tomb; I had never heard of them before so I had to google it and although it did make me go 'eww' I found the history of cadaver tombs fascinating.  I love books that teach me something as well as providing entertainment through their storytelling.

In a dual timeline setting, a spate of modern day murders have a link to a cold case from 1940.  The murder of Maple Greenhill in 1940 is just one of many wartime crimes that remain unsolved but it had a snowball effect that has repercussions throughout the following decades.  Fast forward to 2019 and Stella (the detective's daughter in the series of the same name) is thrust into the middle of a killing spree that could see her becoming the next victim if she gets too close to solving Maple's murder.

The Distant Dead is wonderfully plotted, there's so much going on that it's impossible to work out what's going to happen next.  It's so fast-paced and gripping that it makes the pages turn effortlessly and I was equally riveted by both timelines.  I loved Stella's friend Lucie; she's absolutely hilarious and slightly crazy but fiercely loyal.  It's the characters of Lucie and Stella that make me want to read the earlier books in the series - I really want to find out their stories.

The Distant Dead is a hugely enjoyable read; it's intriguing, surprising and very atmospheric.  Lesley Thomson's writing is so vivid that I could almost feel the chill of the abbey and hear the echo of whispers.  The Detective's Daughter series fans will devour this one and I've no doubt that Lesley Thomson will pick up a few new fans too.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; all opinions are my own.

My rating:

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iBooks

Kobo

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Waterstones

Bookshop.org

About the author:

Lesley Thomson is the author of the Detective's Daughter series of West London-set mysteries featuring private investigators Stella, a cleaner, and Jack, a tube driver. The first novel, The Detective's Daughter, became an ebook phenomenon in 2013, staying at number 1 in the digital charts for 3 months. Since then, the series has gone on to sell 800,000 copies worldwide. Lesley is an active member of the UK crimewriting community, and appeared at several crime festivals in 2019, including CrimeFest, Harrogate, Morecambe & Vice and Capital Crime. She lives in Lewes with her partner and her dog.

Follow Lesley:

Facebook: @LesleyThomsonNovelist

Twitter: @LesleyjmThomson

Website: lesleythomson.co.uk

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Six Stories (Six Stories #1) - Matt Wesolowski

One body

Six stories

Which one is true?

1997. Scarclaw Fell. The body of teenager Tom Jeffries is found at an outward bound centre. Verdict? Misadventure. But not everyone is convinced. And the truth of what happened in the beautiful but eerie fell is locked in the memories of the tight-knit group of friends who embarked on that fateful trip, and the flimsy testimony of those living nearby.

2017. Enter elusive investigative journalist Scott King, whose podcast examinations of complicated cases have rivalled the success of Serial, with his concealed identity making him a cult internet figure. In a series of six interviews, King attempts to work out how the dynamics of a group of idle teenagers conspired with the sinister legends surrounding the fell to result in Jeffries’ mysterious death. And who’s to blame…

As every interview unveils a new revelation, you’ll be forced to work out for yourself how Tom Jeffries died, and who is telling the truth.

What did I think?

What an absolutely awesome book!  I actually read this a few months ago but felt so completely breathless, speechless and overawed that I couldn't write my review straight away.  Yes, it really is THAT good.  In fact the book is so good that I have bought it twice; firstly on ebook (just so I had a copy of the book that everyone was raving about) and then I bought a special signed edition because I prefer the feel of a physical book in my hand.

I did listen to a few episodes of the podcast Serial, which this book is based on, but I have to admit that I lost interest quickly, which is the complete opposite to Six Stories.  Again, possibly due to the fact that I connect more with words on paper.  I loved the highly original form the book takes, being that of transcripts of a podcast by Scott King.  Scott discusses the mysterious and unexplained death of 15 year old Tom Jeffries which happened 20 years ago and interviews six people over six episodes of his podcast.  As each person tells their side of the story, I found myself wondering who to believe and really enjoyed sifting through the evidence.

Tragedy strikes at the Scarclaw Fell Woodlands Centre when a group of teenage 'Rangers' visit there; with heightened teenage emotions and scaring each other with local legends, it's Tom who ends up as collateral damage.  Scott King interviews some of the people who were there, but just how reliable are, not just their memories but, they themselves?&nbsp Weaving in the chilling local legends of Nanna Wrack and The Beast of Belkeld, you would be forgiven for thinking that something supernatural was at play.  Perhaps there was?  It certainly sounds plausible or is it just a handy scapegoat?

Not only is there an intriguing mystery to solve in a very fresh and original format, but some of the prose used by Matt Wesolowski is simply breathtaking.  There is a sentence where he describes frost which I have to share as it is so stunning:

"Frost freezes on the edges of the leaves, the trees glisten in the moonlight, and their branches caress the frozen earth like the withered fingers of some long-dead corpse."

Wow!  Just wow!  It gives me goosebumps just reading it again, as if I was lying on the frosty ground myself.  Matt's words are both beautiful and chilling; completely spellbinding and spine-tingling.

At the time of writing, there are now 4 instalments of Six Stories (yay!) and I'm excited to discover what Scott King will investigate next.  Six Stories is an outstanding crime debut from local Newcastle author, Matt Wesolowski; it's fresh, original, creepy, mysterious and completely addictive.  I think it's perhaps the most original and unusual book I have ever read.&nbsp An absolute must-read and highly recommended.  Well worth every single one of the five stars I have awarded it.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: Before Her Eyes - Jack Jordan

She can't see the killer

But the killer can see her...

Naomi Hannah has been blind since birth. Struggling with living in a small, claustrophobic town, Naomi contemplates ending her life. But then she stumbles across the body of a young woman who has been brutally murdered. She senses someone else there at the scene - watching her. Naomi may not be able to see the killer's face, but she is still the only person who can identify him.

As the police begin hunting the person responsible and more victims are discovered, Naomi is forced to answer the question on which her fate hangs: why did the killer let her live?

In a town this small, the murderer must be close, perhaps even before her very eyes...

What did I think?

Jack is back in the most eagerly anticipated book of the year!  There's nothing unusual about booklovers getting excited about books, but a new Jack Jordan book seems to whip us up into a frenzy as we all clamour to get our names on this exclusive list of early readers.  I've been a huge fan of Jack Jordan since reading his outstanding debut, Anything for Her, and it's wonderful to follow the journey of this super-talented young author as he heads towards his destiny at the top of the bestseller chart.  

I don't know where Jack Jordan gets his ideas from but they're all such good ones and Before Her Eyes is an absolute cracker!  It sounds simple with a blind woman being pursued by a killer she can't see but the descriptions of smell, sounds and touch were so visual that I felt as if my own senses had been heightened to cope with Naomi's blindness.  Jack Jordan is always so attuned to his characters that he can replicate their thoughts and feelings in the reader, without us even realising it.  Whilst reading Before Her Eyes I found myself noticing smells and sounds more than usual as I tried to empathise with the darkness in which Naomi lived.  

Although Naomi is understandably a very flawed character, she is a lot tougher than she thinks.  Naomi will always have strong feelings towards her ex-husband, Dane, as he saw her at her worst and naturally, Naomi feels safe with him.  As a blind woman, there's one thing that her other senses can't compensate for and that is the looks of admiration that Naomi receives from lovely DS Marcus Campbell.  Now this really is love at first sight but unfortunately Naomi can't see it and my heart broke for Marcus as had to be content with admiring Naomi from afar.

The story of the killer terrorising Naomi's town reminded me of spiderweb cracks on a mirror; as you follow one line of enquiry and end up at a dead end, you have to return to the centre to see where the story leads you.  At the centre of this web is a cold case: that of young Hayley Miller whose body has never been found.  Marcus is convinced that this recent spate of killings is linked to the Hayley Miller case but his boss doesn't share the same thoughts.  Marcus does a bit of digging on his own and finds that the latest victims were investigating the Hayley Miller case so he seems to be on the right track but, with a killer determined to stop the truth getting out about Hayley Miller, nobody in this town is safe.

I can guarantee that you will be glued to every single page of Before Her Eyes.  I read it so fast that I feel like I need to read it again at a much slower pace to fully appreciate the glorious, visual scenes painted by Jack Jordan's powerful words.  An absolutely sublime piece of fiction that entertained, amazed and down-right thrilled every inch of me.  A* - you're top of the class again, Mr Jordan!

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


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