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: The Facade - Angela Clegg

She built the perfect life. Now someone is determined to destroy it. 

Tara Mayfield fought her way out of the gutter to build her very own fairytale. Once a girl with nothing, she is now the successful CEO of a beauty empire, with wealth, influence and a devoted husband who believes in the woman she has become. But Tara has never told him the whole truth.

When two million pounds connected to a powerful crime boss vanishes, Tara is framed for the theft. Suddenly the criminal world is closing in on her again, and the man who helped her rise from nothing now believes she has betrayed him.

With dangerous enemies demanding answers and the police starting to uncover secrets from her past, Tara has only days to find who's trying to ruin her. Because this isn't just about stolen money. Someone believes Tara once got away with murder, and they're determined to drag her back into the darkness she fought so hard to escape.

Now Tara faces an impossible choice: tell the truth and risk losing everything she's built, or protect her perfect life by becoming the woman she once was…

The Facade is a fast-paced crime thriller about secrets, revenge and a past that won't stay buried, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Gillian McAllister.

 

What did I think?

The Facade is Angela Clegg's debut novel and what a corker it is.  It grabbed my attention from the start and kept me riveted throughout.

Businesswoman Tara is such an intriguing character.  I felt sorry for her at first when her past very publicly comes back to haunt her but she is one tough cookie and she didn't need my pity as she is more than capable of looking after herself.  Just how capable she is becomes very apparent as the book progresses.

The tough female main character reminded me a little of the early Martina Cole books but less sweary.  The story twisted and turned to keep me on my toes and I could never tell what was going to happen next.  It is quite dark and gritty in places but incredibly entertaining and I loved it.  It's like a cross between The Sopranos and Eastenders with danger and drama around every corner.

Filled with tension and suspense, The Facade is a fabulous debut novel and I will be keeping an eye out for what Angela Clegg writes next.  I enjoyed it and think it's well worth a read.

I received a gifted paperback for the LBT Bookstagram Tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Scars of Silence - Johana Gustawsson, translated by David Warriner

When two teenagers are found brutally murdered on the island of Lidingö, dressed in white tunics and wearing crowns of candles, former French police officer Maïa Rehn joins local Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery with a shockingly dark heart. The highly anticipated sequel to the international bestselling gothic mystery, Yule Island.

___________

Twenty-three years ago, a young woman was murdered on the Swedish island of Lidingö.

The island has kept its silence.

Until now…

As autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the island is plunged into chaos: in the space of a week, two teenaged boys are murdered. Their bodies are left deep in the forest, dressed in white tunics with crowns of candles on their heads, like offerings to Saint Lucia.

Maïa Rehn has fled Paris for Lidingö after a family tragedy. But when the murders shake the island community, the former police commissioner is drawn into the heart of the investigation, joining Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery as chilling as the Nordic winter.

As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that a wind of vengeance is blowing through the archipelago, unearthing secrets that are as scandalous as they are inhuman.

But what if the victims weren't who they seemed? What if those long silenced have finally found a way to strike back?

How far would they go to make their tormentors pay?

And you – how far would you go? 

What did I think?

Scars of Silence is the second book in the Lidingö Mysteries series, however, it can definitely be read as a standalone as I haven't read Yule Island but I was completely blown away by this breathtaking book.

What starts out as a murder mystery turns into something much darker and devastating.  I don't think I have made a note of so many quotes when reading a book.  Johana Gustawsson's eloquent words have been beautifully translated by David Warriner to stun and provoke the reader as the shocks and reveals just keep on coming.

I was completely mesmerised by the writing and hooked by the plot but I am pleased that I read Scars of Silence as part of a readalong as it gave me a chance to devour and digest the words I had read each day.  I even flicked back to revisit a few pages that were particularly affecting and memorable for me.  So, thank you to Orenda Books for inviting me to take part.

Both main characters have a lot going on in their personal life in addition to investigating a recent spate of murders that seem to be mirroring a convicted crime from the past.  My heart was breaking for Maïa as her tragic story was revealed and I didn't realise how much I had come to care about Aleksander until he experiences a devastating event in his own life.

Powerful, haunting and oh so very thought-provoking, Scars of Silence is an outstanding book that hooked me from the start and kept packing the punches in, leaving me completely devastated and stunned at the end.  I will definitely be adding Yule Island to my TBR and more than likely every other book that Johana Gustawsson has written.  

A very highly recommended read that is absolutely unmissable and completely unforgettable. 

I received a gifted paperback for the Orenda Books Readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Orenda Books

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Little Red Death - A. K. Benedict

ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU'VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .

 

DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.

 

But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.

 

Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . . 

 

What did I think?

Little Red Death is described as "A mind-bending murder mystery like nothing you've read before".  Well consider my mind well and truly bent - I didn't know whether I was coming or going!

I love fairy tale retellings so I wanted to read this book as soon as I heard about it and it's a clever idea, although it sometimes felt a bit too clever for me.  I didn't particularly like any of the characters, although there is a very good reason for that (no spoilers here through).  One of the characters is an author who is forced to write dark fairy tales for the Grimm Ripper to bring to life and I rather enjoyed the book within a book part of the story.

There are some dark and gory scenes to shock and delight the reader and they are very vividly described.  I sometimes struggled a little with the descriptive writing as I just didn't get some of the analogies but they were quite entertaining. 

Little Red Death is an entertaining read that is imaginative and very dark.  I think it might appeal more to fantasy readers than crime thriller fans but give it a read and make your own mind up.

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

My rating:

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UK.Bookshop.org

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About the author:

A. K. (ALEXANDRA) BENEDICT is a best-selling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts.  Educated at Cambridge, Sussex and Clown School, she has been an indie-rock singer, an actor, RLF Fellow,  and a composer for film and TV, as well as teaching and running the prestigious MA in Crime Thrillers at City University. She is now a full-time writer and creative coach. 

As A. K. Benedict, she writes acclaimed short stories, high-concept novels and award-winning audio drama  for Big Finish, Audible UK, Audible US and BBC Sounds, among others. She won the Scribe Award for her  Doctor Who radio drama, The Calendar Man, and was shortlisted for the eDunnit Novel Award for The Beauty of Murder and the BBC Audio Drama Podcast Award for Children of the Stones. As Alexandra Benedict she writes puzzle-filled Christmas mysteries, of which The Christmas Murder Game and Murder on the Christmas Express were both bestsellers and The Christmas Murder Game was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Her most recent festive thriller, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, was published in 2023. 

She lives on the south coast of England with writer Guy Adams, their daughter, Verity, and dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford. 

Follow her on X @ak_benedict and Instagram @a.k.benedict.

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BLOG TOUR: Marshal of Snowdonia Paperback – Simon McCleave

Living and working in Snowdonia was always retired detective Frank Marshal's dream. Until a phone call asking for his help turns it into his worst nightmare.

Retired detective Frank Marshal lives in a remote part of Snowdonia with his wife Rachel who is suffering from dementia. Working as a park ranger, Frank gets a phone call from close friend Annie, a retired judge. Her sister Meg has gone missing from a local caravan park and she needs his help to find her.

As Frank and Annie start to unravel the dark secrets of Meg's life, it seems at first that her disappearance might be linked to her nephew and a drug deal gone wrong. In a shocking twist, their investigation leads them to a series of murders in North Wales from the 1990s and a possible miscarriage of justice.

Can Frank and Annie uncover the sinister truth so they find her sister in time to save her? Or will a brutal serial killer add Meg to his list of victims?

Marshal of Snowdonia is the first book in the Frank Marshal Crime Thriller series from multi-million bestselling author Simon McCleave. If you like dark thrillers, psychologically complex characters and shocking twits, then you'll love Simon McCleave's pulse-pounding new novel.

What did I think?

Marshal of Snowdonia is the first book in a new series from crime thriller author Simon McCleave and what an absolute belter it is - I  raced through it and couldn't put it down.  It's the first book by Simon McCleave that I have read and it has certainly whetted my appetite to read more of his books.

Once a detective, always a detective - that's how I see Frank Marshal.  Frank may have retired but he doesn't hesitate to do a little investigating of his own when his friend's sister goes missing.  Annie is close to her sister Meg but there's a lot about her life that she doesn't know.  Uncovering Meg's secrets leads Frank and Annie into a web of danger and sheds new light on a series of murders that the police thought were solved.

This book is so good and I loved everything about it.  The plotting is exquisite as the story twists and turns to shock, surprise and delight the reader.  The character development is breathtaking as I really felt as if I got to know Frank throughout the course of the book, making me look forward to his next adventure.

Unpredicatable and unputdownable, Marshal of Snowdonia is an outstanding crime thriller novel and an electrifying start to an exciting new series.  Very highly recommended.

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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