BLOG TOUR: Living is a Problem (The Skelfs Book 6) - Doug Johnstone

The Skelf women are back on an even keel after everything they’ve been through. But when a funeral they’re conducting is attacked by a drone, Jenny fears they’re in the middle of an Edinburgh gangland vendetta.

At the same time, Yana, a Ukrainian member of the refugee choir that plays with Dorothy’s band, has gone missing. Searching for her leads Dorothy into strange and ominous territory.

And Brodie, the newest member of the extended Skelf family, comes to Hannah with a case: Something or someone has been disturbing the grave of his stillborn son.

Everything is changing for the Skelfs... Dorothy’s boyfriend Thomas is suffering PTSD after previous violent trauma, Jenny and Archie are becoming close, and Hannah’s case leads her to consider the curious concept of panpsychism, which brings new danger, while ghosts from the family’s past return to threaten their very lives...

 

What did I think?

This wonderful series just keeps getting better and better, and I have to say it's been brilliant from the start.  Living is a Problem is book six in The Skelfs series and if you haven't discovered The Skelf women yet, you really need to pick up this book (and the previous ones).  

I have read every book in the series but I am still astonished at the twisted imagination of Doug Johnstone.  Some kind of drama often unfolds at one of the funerals the Skelfs are conducting so I shouldn't have been surprised when such an event occurs at the start of the book.  It's the actual details of the event that had me suppressing a snigger and applauding Doug Johnstone's ingenuity and amazing dark humour.

The Skelfs are both undertakers and private investigators, two businesses that work surprisingly well together.  The Skelf women are so strong and have developed so fully over the series that they are almost as familiar to me as my own family.  

I love the amount of new things I learn whilst reading a Doug Johnstone book, whilst being thoroughly entertained by the outstanding multi-stranded storyline.  There are elements of science, music and alternative funerals to inform and provoke the reader without being bamboozled.  Doug Johnstone reminds me of Mr Benn (a reference you'll get if you are of a certain age) as he is an outstanding author, a talented musician and he has a PhD in experimental nuclear physics.

Compelling, entertaining and incredibly original, Living is a Problem is another unputdownable and unmissable instalment in The Skelfs series.  Very highly recommended and an easy five stars from me.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Doug Johnstone is the author of seventeen novels, many of which have been bestsellers. 

The Space Between Us was chosen for BBC Two’s Between the Covers, while Black Hearts was shortlisted for and The Big Chill was longlisted for Theakston Crime Novel of the Year. Three of his books – A Dark Matter, Breakers and The Jump – have been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. Doug has taught creative writing or been writer in residence at universities, schools, writing retreats, festivals, prisons and a funeral home.

He’s also been an arts journalist for 25 years. He is a songwriter and musician with six albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also co-founder of the Scotland Writers Football Club and lives in Edinburgh with his family.

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You Could Make a Killing: Short Story Collection Book 2 - Simon Bewick

 

You Could Make a Killing is a collection of 14 twist-in-the-tale mystery tales by Simon Bewick, author of Basement Tales.

Featuring all-new stories that will keep you guessing until the last line, delve into You Could Make a Killing for twisted tales about killers and victims, cops and robbers, the good and the bad and some things in between that might just blur the line…

Read the new collection from Simon Bewick, and find out why readers have called him, ‘reminiscent of M.R. James’, ‘the new voice in horror’ and ‘one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction’.

Look inside and discover:

•A man who won’t take any more when he’s pushed too far, only to discover that speed really can kill

•A teenage boy living in the aftermath of his best friend’s murder…who may be the next target in the killer’s sights

•A bedtime story that is anything that could just be your worst nightmare

•Two veteran killers who will do whatever it takes to train up their new apprentice

And much, much more…

What did I think?

I don't read many short stories as I find them a bit flat and unfulfilling but Simon Bewick has certainly changed my opinion after reading You Could Make a Killing.  I found his stories gripping, intriguing, intelligent and clever; they are certainly full of surprises.

Just putting the stories aside for a moment, I absolutely loved the section at the end of the book where Simon Bewick includes a note on each story; his inspiration behind the story, his research and his personal thoughts on the piece.  It's like getting into mind of an author and it really made me think how some mundane, everyday things can be turned into a gripping and intriguing story if you have the writing ability.

Now on to the stories and I would say they are quite varied but one thing they have in common is that they are most definitely on the dark side.  The writing has quite an American feel to it and feels heavily influenced by The Sopranos as there is more than one gangster-style tale but there's nothing wrong with that; it all fits the theme of the story perfectly.

I can't possibly review all 14 stories, but I can certainly pick out a few of note.  My absolute hands-down favourite is The Drive In which went in such an unexpected direction that I couldn't contain my gasp of surprise at the end.  Doctor Death could have been an episode in The Sopranos and I bet the writers are kicking themselves that they didn't think of it.  Another one of note is Bedtime Story which simultaneously horrified me and pulled at my heartstrings.  To be honest, there isn't one that I would say I didn't like.

You Could Make a Killing is an excellent collection of short stories that will shock, surprise and horrify the reader.  The quality of writing is excellent and the storytelling is punchy and intriguing; it's a cracking collection of dark and disturbing tales to read by the fireside on a cold, dark night.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Layer Cake - J. J. Connolly

 

Layer cake (n): a metaphor for the murky layers of the criminal world.

Smooth-talking drug dealer X has a plan to quietly bankroll enough cash to retire before his thirtieth birthday. Operating under the polished veneer of a legitimate businessman, his mantra is to keep a low profile and run a tight operation until it’s time to get out .

When kingpin Jimmy Price asks him to find the wayward daughter of a wealthy socialite who’s been running around with a cokehead, he accepts the job with the promise that after this he can leave the criminal world behind with Jimmy’s blessing. Oh, and he needs to find a buyer for two million ecstasy pills acquired by a crew of lowly, loud-mouth gangsters, the Yahoos. Simple enough, until an assassin named Klaus arrives to scratch him off his list, revealing this job is much more than it seems at first.

From the glitz of the London club scene of the 1990’s to the underbelly of its criminal world, Layer Cake is the best in British crime fiction.

What did I think?

I didn't realise that Layer Cake was a book before it was a film until the 20th Anniversary edition of the book was advertised.  I watched the film before I read the book so I was intrigued to see how they would compare.  I really wanted to be able to say that the book was better, which it is to a degree, but J. J. Connolly wrote both the book and the screenplay so the film storyline follows the book very closely indeed.  Reading the book actually enhanced the film for me as I got to know the characters better and accessed more details of the story.

One thing I struggled with at first was the usage of slang in the book so I found myself stopping to google things every few minutes.  It does give massive authenticity to the story but I could've done with a little glossary at the end of the book where I could look up things like boob, lolly pops and lionels.  The slang is completely necessary though as it immerses the reader into the heart of drug-fuelled London and it feels like the main character is talking to you and taking you into his confidence.

There is no honour among thieves and there are no friends in the drug scene.  It's all very cutthroat and it's a business that the main character, X, wants to retire from as he approaches his 30th birthday.  The drug scene is kind of like a beehive with a king instead of a queen at the top and various levels of workers beneath him, hence the title of the book: Layer Cake.  X just wants to make enough money so that he can spend his days sitting on a beach sipping cocktails in the sun, but getting out of the business might not be that easy.  When he is given a strange task to find a missing girl, X becomes the hunter and the hunted.

Dark, gritty, brutal and brilliant, Layer Cake is a stunning portrayal of the British drug scene in the noughties.  The writing is so vivid and fresh that you feel as if there is a movie being projected into your brain from J. J. Connolly's intense and authentic words.  You've seen the film, now read the book; it's an absolute classic.

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

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: Rubicon - Ian Patrick

Two cops, both on different sides of the law – both with the same gangland boss in their sights.

Sam Batford is an undercover officer with the Metropolitan Police who will stop at nothing to get his hands on fearsome crime-lord Vincenzo Guardino’s drug supply.

DCI Klara Winter runs a team on the National Crime Agency, she’s also chasing down Guardino, but unlike Sam Batford she’s determined to bring the gangster to justice and get his drugs off the streets.

Set in a time of austerity and police cuts where opportunities for corruption are rife, Rubicon is a tense, dark thriller that is definitely not for the faint hearted.

What did I think?

Filled to the brim with tension and gangland-style danger, I read Rubicon far too quickly; it is so fast-paced that I found it virtually impossible to put down but wished I'd read a bit slower to savour every perfectly written detail.  

I really liked Sam Batford; he reminded me of Harry Bosch, doing whatever is necessary to bring the criminal to justice.  Batford is ex-army and has a much darker side than Bosch, so much so that I often questioned his motivation; I wondered whether he had gone so far undercover that he didn't know which side he was on.  Batford is such a wonderful character in this way as he is so unpredictable and even though his character is very well developed in Rubicon, I don't think we've even scratched the surface of him yet.

DCI Klara Winter has the delight of trying to control Sam Batford.  Her frustration and exasperation was evident in the log she is keeping of her thought processes and decision making.  It is clear from the start that she doesn't want to work with Batford so her log entries are a brilliant insight into how her working relationship with Batford is panning out.  I laughed out loud at her candid thoughts on first meeting Batford and found myself growing to like her for her honesty.

I was going to say that this would make an excellent TV adaptation, as I could easily visualise somebody like Tom Hardy as Sam Batford and Rosamund Pike playing Klara Winter, but when I popped over to Amazon for the buy link I noticed that it has already been optioned by the BBC.  I will definitely be watching the series and recommending it to all my friends and family.  I think it'll be like mixing Bosch with the Sopranos, adding a dash of British flavour and seeing it all play out in London.  I can't wait to see it so I think I will read the book again while I'm waiting.

Rubicon is a highly entertaining, full-throttle gangland thriller.  With such an unpredictable protagonist, Ian Patrick tied my brain in knots and had me on the edge of my seat; I needed to stop and catch my breath when I finished it.  An outstanding debut and hopefully there are plenty more Sam Batford stories to follow.

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

My rating:

Buy Rubicon direct from Fahrenheit Press: http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/books_rubicon.html

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Educated in Nottingham, Ian left school at sixteen. After three years in the Civil Service he moved to London for a career in the Metropolitan Police.

He spent twenty-seven years as a police officer, the majority as a detective within the Specialist Operations Command. A career in policing is a career in writing. Ian has been used to carrying a book and pen and making notes.

Now retired, the need to write didn’t leave and evolved into fiction.


Ian’s Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IPatrick_Author
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ian-Patrick/e/B075VB1MP4/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1



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