Serpent’s Point by Kate Ellis

January 23, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Serpent’s Point by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Piatkus (Little, Brown Book Group)
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Serpent’s Point in South Devon is the focus of local legends. The large house on the headland is shrouded in an ancient tale of evil, and when a woman is found strangled on the coastal path, DI Wesley Peterson is called to investigate.

The woman had been house-sitting at Serpent’s Point and Wesley is surprised to discover that she was conducting an investigation into unsolved missing person cases. Could these enquires have led to her murder?

While the case takes Wesley to Yorkshire and the Cotswolds, archaeologist Neil Watson is making a dramatic discovery of his own in the fields near the house.

When a skeleton is uncovered, the pressure rises to find a killer, and Wesley and Neil realise that Serpent’s Point holds more secrets than anyone could have imagined.

Serpent’s Point house in South Devon is shrouded in ancient tales of evil, so when a woman house sitting there is found strangled on the coastal path DI Wesley Peterson and his team are called in to investigate. Can they sort out what is trapped in the past and what is very much in the present day?

I’ve been enjoying this British police procedural mystery series for over a year now and found this book to be an excellent addition to the series. While there’s a bunch of previous books, readers should feel comfortable picking this one up even if the author and series is new to them. The police team have quite a history together, but they work well enough that no real prior knowledge is needed. Also the plot line and simultaneous archaeology plot are both fully contained in this story and can easily be picked up.

Readers who prefer an action-oriented story might find this a little slow – but I personally thoroughly enjoy the slower unwinding of the mystery and piecing together of the clues. I admit I found parts of the mystery plot easy to guess but there were still a few twists I didn’t see coming so I was invested and interested the whole way through the book. I also really like how the historical and archaeology aspect winds together so well with the mystery and that’s a driving force keeping my attention for such a long running series.

Readers who enjoy mysteries and/or historical books should check this book and this series out.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Blessings and the Thief by Elaine Violette

January 20, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Blessings and the Thief by Elaine Violette
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Holiday, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Damien Reeves grudgingly agrees to host his ailing Uncle Lionel’s Christmas party at the Blackmoor Inn, a restored castle famous for absurd ghost lore. When he learns of petty thefts that have occurred among his uncle’s elderly friends, he hopes discovering the culprit might keep him from reliving his own tragic holiday memories. When a beautiful young woman arrives, a more enticing challenge appears.

Tessia Bennington is relieved to spend the holidays at the reputed haunted inn with her aunt and uncle after the man she’d expected to marry begged off. She enjoys the frolicking escapades of the aged partiers while ignoring the handsome host’s flirtations. What she can’t ignore is a ghostly presence seeking her help.

Neither Tess nor Damien could have imagined the bizarre events and this most unusual holiday. Will they part with special memories or shed their defenses and find happiness in each other?

Christmas is the perfect time for romance and ghost stories.

I enjoyed the gentle ambiance of this tale. The characters lived in a world where the most scandalous thing that could occur were a missing pair of gloves or two young lovers kissing for a moment when the elders weren’t looking. This was a place where everything always turns out well in the end even if there may also be a few mischievous ghosts rumpling the bedsheets or moving personal items around. There’s something to be said for spending time in such a peaceful world.

It would have been helpful to have more character development in this piece, especially considering how many people were staying at this inn over the holidays and how little time there was to get to know most of them. I found myself feeling sympathy for characters like Annabelle who tended to be described in ways that didn’t always paint her in the best light. While I’m not sure if this was the author’s intention, it made me wonder what she and other characters like her would be like if their virtues were highlighted instead as well as how this tale would be different if told from another perspective instead.

The paranormal subplot made me smile. I enjoyed learning the backstories of the various ghosts who were said to haunt Blackmoor Inn and seeing what the characters thought of them. Would they believe in ghosts or think that question was a silly one? Other readers should discover the answers to these questions for themselves, but I thought these scenes added depth and humor to the storyline.

Blessings and the Thief was a cozy Christmas tale.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Men in Books Aren’t Better by Amanda Nelson and Lisa-Marie Potter

January 17, 2025 By 2 Comments


Men in Books Aren’t Better by Amanda Nelson and Lisa-Marie Potter
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Pressured by her looming deadline and an unfinished romance manuscript, author Molly Covington applies her immersive research skills and goes all in. She hires a male companion for inspiration during three days of research in Las Vegas. Enter sexy, confident Jared Washington-an extreme sports enthusiast and relationship skeptic who moonlights as a Plus One male companion. Molly’s contract puts him within arm’s reach of buying his own business and making his dreams come true. The chemistry between her and Jared is surprisingly easy. Before their Vegas rendezvous comes to an end, one of them will need to lay all their cards on the table to discover if they’ll be lucky in love.

After reading the synopsis, I felt this book might be a perfect fit for my holiday vacation reading. When I opened to chapter one, the page opposite caught my eye—it was a “Praise for Amanda and Lisa-Marie” section featuring remarks from five authors. Their glowing reviews made me feel even more confident that I had chosen a winner. Without repeating their thoughts on Men in Books Aren’t Better, I wholeheartedly agree.

I thoroughly enjoyed the romance between the hero, Jared, and the heroine, Molly. Though my busy work schedule meant I had to start and stop several times, each time I picked it up, the story lifted my spirits. I connected deeply with the cast of characters, especially Molly, who was well-developed, grounded by a supportive family and co-workers, and yet carried the fame of being a number-one author with grace. Her quick wit and humor added so much charm to the story. While Molly had her share of baggage, it paled in comparison to Jared’s. Jared, to me, was like an adorable puppy needing to be saved—bless his heart. He, too, was quick-witted and had a great sense of humor. I especially loved the moments of flirtation, banter, and occasional miscommunication between Molly and Jared, which made their relationship feel authentic and relatable.

The writing style enhanced my enjoyment, particularly the dual perspectives from Molly and Jared. Their points of view on shared experiences added depth and revealed their vulnerabilities, making them all the more lovable. Jared had all the qualities of a perfect book boyfriend: handsome, smart, sensitive, kind, a little insecure, and an old-fashioned gentleman. Molly, on the other hand, was inquisitive, determined, intelligent, beautiful, honest, and a touch dramatic. Her wardrobe of Bon Jovi and Duran Duran T-shirts won me over completely.

The story is set in Las Vegas, marking Molly’s first visit, with Jared as her guide. Having vacationed there myself for the first time last year, I felt transported back to the vibrant city. The vivid descriptions and immersive writing allowed me to experience the sights, sounds, and energy of Las Vegas all over again.

The chemistry between Molly and Jared was a joy to witness as their relationship slowly unfolded. I couldn’t help but cheer when they finally achieved their Happily Ever After. By the end, I had a delightful book glow. This story made me smile from start to finish, and I would happily read it again. It’s a keeper for my library, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, heartwarming romance.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Yes, I Am a Vampire by Stephen Kozeniewski

January 15, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Yes, I Am a Vampire by Stephen Kozeniewski
Publisher: French Press Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Non-Fiction, Holiday, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, I swear I am not a vampire. Cross my heart and…eh, nevermind.

Just trust me, there are no vampires within these pages. Plenty of zombies, though. One of the short stories in this book features a zombie caveman, for instance. And another is called Exploding Shit Zombies. You can probably guess what that one’s about.

Not every story is zombie-themed, of course. I’ve also got a monster under the bed piece that’s pretty fucking scary. And in another, a bunch of little alien goblins take over a farmstead.

This isn’t just a short story collection, either. Half of it’s my autobiography. I guarantee you’ve never seen those two styles mashed together before.

I also guarantee you’ve never seen any fucking vampires before. Not here. Not anywhere. So let’s just drop it.

What do you mean, bloodstains all over the book? Don’t worry about those. Just wipe the gore off your fingers and dive in to…

Yes, I Am A Vampire

Truth and fiction are sometimes opposite faces of the same coin.

Before I dive into this collection, let’s talk about the notes that were included after each instalment to explain how the author came up with them and, in some cases, got them published. I’m the sort of reader who loves learning this sort of background information and always reads it. There were so many exciting tidbits here, many of which helped me enjoy certain stories even more than I had before. I definitely recommend checking out these sections if you don’t normally read them. They were well worth my time.

This may be the first time a swear word has ever appeared in one of my reviews for Long and Short Reviews, but I can’t talk about “Exploding Shit Zombies” without breaking that social convention for a moment. May my editor forgive me! Yes, the premise is exactly what it sounds like, and this fan of undead fiction who knows better than to use the common word for such creatures was quite curious to discover why these walkers are so full of, ahem, feces in this universe. The reason made a great deal of sense and made me wonder why this topic isn’t covered more often in this subgenre. I also enjoyed the jokes sprinkled throughout this one. They fit the tongue-in-cheek tone of it well.

The prehistoric setting of “The Man with Four Scars” grabbed my attention immediately, especially once I realized this was set at a time when hominids had just begun speaking a few words to each other but had not yet come up with the concept of names yet. The protagonist – or maybe I should say antagonist – was a violent and impulsive individual who was terribly jealous of anyone who was more intelligent than him. Creating such an unlikable main character is a brave choice even for the horror genre, and I kept reading as I wondered if there was going to be a moment when I was anything other than irritated by and frightened of the danger he posed to the other members of his tribe. My fingers are crossed I will find more prehistoric horror in the future as this was deliciously chilling to read.

Let’s see if I can include one of my favorite pieces, “The Old Man and the Seesaw,” in here without giving away any spoilers about it. This was set in a universe where there was a grey area between life and death that more and more folks were beginning to inhabit, and it specifically shared how the first person to survive in this hazy place managed to do so. I was impressed with how creative this was, especially given the vivid descriptions of what happened and how the living characters reacted to it.

One of my favorite parts of being a book reviewer is getting to know more about the authors who submit their work for review. It doesn’t happen all the time, of course, but every so often I get to read a funny anecdote about the author’s life in the preface or learn more about how their mind works by reading the notes some writers are generous enough to include after each short story in a collection or anthology. While I’ve never met Mr. Kozeniewski, reading this made me feel like I was fortunate enough to go out to a pub or a coffee house with him for a few hours and hear about some of the many creative ideas rattling around in his skull.

Yes, I Am a Vampire reminded me why I love this author’s work so much. What a treat!

Filed Under: Non-Fiction, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

A Calamity of Noble Houses by Amira Ghenim

January 14, 2025 By Leave a Comment


A Calamity of Noble Houses by Amira Ghenim
Publisher: Europa Editions
Genre: Historical, Fiction
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Tunisia, 1930s. Against the backdrop of a country in turmoil, in search of its identity, the lives and destinies of the members of two important upper-class families of Tunis intertwine: the Ennaifer family, with a rigidly conservative and patriarchal mentality, and the Rassaa, open-minded and progressive.

One terrible night in December 1935, the destiny of both families changes forever when Zbaida Ali Rassaa, the young wife of Mohsen Ennaifer, is accused of having had a clandestine love affair with Tahar Haddad, an intellectual of humble origins known for his union activism and support for women’s rights. The events of that fateful night are told by eleven different narrators, members of the two families, who recall them in different historical moments, from the 1940s to the present day. The result is a complex mosaic of secrets, memories, accusations, regrets, and emotions, taking the reader on an exciting journey through the stories of individuals caught up in the upheavals of history.

Set against the backdrop of Tunisia in the 1930s, readers see a country that is rebelling and trying to find itself. We discover this through the eyes of several characters living through the vibrant energy all around them. Certain things are forbidden and tried anyway.

Zbaida Ali Rassaa is accused of cheating on her husband with Tahar Hadda, a man of humble origins, but quite an interesting one. He is an activist and wants to improve the lot of women. The accusation of infidelity between the two characters creates great trouble for the families. As secrets are uncovered, readers get to know the characters on a more intimate level.

This story is an entertaining way to learn about an exotic culture in times past. It comes across as realistic. Though the book is educational, it is also fun to follow along with the different people being affected throughout the tale. Emotions will be evoked, and readers are sure to have their favorite characters while being thrown into a foreign yet relatable world.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Stone Chamber by Kate Ellis

January 13, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Stone Chamber by Kate Ellis
Publisher: Piatkus
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

On a summer evening, Robert and Greta Gerdner are shot dead at their home in the Devon countryside.

DI Wesley Peterson suspects the execution-style murders might be linked to Robert’s past police career – until Robert’s name is found on a list of people who’ve been sent tickets anonymously for a tour of Darkhole Grange, a former asylum on Dartmoor.

Wesley discovers that other names on the list have also died in mysterious circumstances and, as he is drawn into the chilling history of the asylum, he becomes convinced that it holds the key to the case.

When his friend, archaeologist Neil Watson, finds the skeleton of a woman buried in a sealed chamber dating back to the fifteenth century at his nearby dig, Wesley wonders whether there might be a connection between the ancient cell and the tragic events at Darkhole Grange.

With the clock ticking, Wesley must solve the puzzle, before the next person on the list meets a terrible end . . .

DI Wesley Peterson and his team are called in to investigate when Robert and Greta Gerdner are shot point blank in their Devon country home. Wesley suspects the execution like murder has ties back to Robert’s previous career in the Met – but Wesley and his team find Robert’s name along with others who have suffered from mysterious deaths all linked to a ghost tour of Darkhole Grange. Can Wesley and his team find what’s really going on?

I have been enjoying Ellis’ Wesley Peterson and Neil Watson’s Archaeology/British police procedural crossover books for over a year now. While there are nearly 30 books in the series, I feel that the writing and plotting is still going strong – and best of all this book definitely can be read as a standalone mystery/archaeology story. While there are things happening in the secondary character’s lives – Wesley’s colleague Rachel and with his son, Michael – these sub-plots can be easily picked up and understood and really no prior books need to be read to thoroughly enjoy this story.

I also really enjoyed the fact that the Archaeological side of the story with Neil and his newest excavation linked in strongly to Wesley and the murder mystery. Often these two parts to the book run side by side and don’t necessarily overlap or really link together. While I don’t mind this – I did find myself highly enjoying the fact that this time the two stories were solidly woven together and interacted a lot more strongly than I recall in the last few books.

I definitely feel readers should feel comfortable with picking up this book to see if they like Ellis’ writing style or if they want to see if the series would interest them. Like any long-running series individual books rise and fall – but I feel this is one of the stronger plotted and written books and would be a good place to dip your toe into the long series if you’re not certain and didn’t want to necessarily go right back to the start to have a go.

With an interesting murder mystery plot well woven around an archaeological dig and a strong historical plotline this is a different and interesting book that I enjoyed.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Behind the Red Wooden Door by Sofia Ulrikson

January 10, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Behind the Red Wooden Door by Sofia Ulrikson
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Young Adult (14 – 18 y.o.), LGBTQ, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed…

Following the departure of her only friend, Drew starts having strange dreams which feature a mysterious red, wooden door. Hesitant at first to explore this other world that feels as substantial as reality, she nonetheless finds herself drawn to the door upon witnessing a masked stranger with unconventional tendencies entering it alone.

Desperate to rectify her lonesome situation during her time awake, she endeavors to handle the weighty demands of her job and distant father. But when she meets Bonnie, an outgoing girl who reminds her of the best friend who left, Drew begins to wonder about the possibilities of second chances.

Still, the memory of her absent friend continues to haunt her, even in her sleep. As she works to unravel their mysteries, the effects of her dreams on her daily life become ever more apparent―for, as it seems, more than one hidden truth remains to be uncovered.

Once Drew has opened the door, things might not return to the way they used to be…

An emotional and fantastical exploration of mental health and healing, this beautifully written magical realism novel combines the cozy and heartfelt elements so beloved by readers of Lonely Castle in the Mirror and When the Coffee Gets Cold.

Change is possible, but it’s not always simple.

This was a sympathetic portrayal of how depression can sap a person’s energy and make even the smallest tasks feel all but impossible, and I was impressed by how accurate it was. Drew felt stuck in her stressful and low-paid retail position but couldn’t see how she could switch to something better anytime soon. When combined with other life difficulties, this made it hard for her to feel motivated or look for new opportunities. She was the sort of character I wanted to hug and give some genuine encouragement to.

With that being said, I struggled with the slow pacing and repetition. Drew noticed the red door multiple times before deciding if she wanted to open it to see what was inside, and even after that decision was made, she continued to put off making other choices that might have helped her in her journey to discover what that door meant and why it kept appearing in her nightmares. Yes, her depression went a long way in explaining why she behaved this way, but the pacing also made it difficult for me to remain highly interested in what might happen next because she continued agonizing over the same small decisions over and over again. This is something I’m saying as a reader who would have loved to give a higher rating and thought there was plenty of good in her story, too.

While I did see the ending coming in advance, it was still interesting to observe how Drew reacted to it once she figured out what was really going on. This wasn’t the sort of tale that needed a big plot twist in order to make everything work even though I continued to wish for more conflict and action at times. The quietness of it suited both Drew’s personality as well as what had happened earlier on in the storyline. She was the sort of person who would react well to gradually learning something that changed the way she thought about the world.

Behind the Red Wooden Door was thought provoking.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Dark Objects by Simon Toyne

January 8, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Dark Objects by Simon Toyne
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

How do you catch a killer if the victim doesn’t exist?

A glamorous woman is murdered in her ultra-luxurious London mansion and her husband goes missing. But according to public records, neither of them exists.

The only leads police have are several objects arranged around the woman’s body, including a set of keys and a book called How to Process a Murder by Laughton Rees—a book that appears to have helped the killer forensically cleanse the crime scene.

Laughton Rees is an academic who doesn’t usually work live cases after the brutal murder of her mother as a teen left her traumatized and emotionally scarred. But the presence of her book at this scene draws her unwillingly into the high-profile investigation and media circus that springs up around it. As the dark objects found beside the body lead her closer to the victim’s identity, a dangerous threat to Laughton and her daughter emerges, as well as painful memories of her past related to the man she has always blamed for her mother’s death: John Rees, Laughton’s father, the current Metropolitan Chief Commissioner and a man she has not spoken to in twenty years.

Laughton’s family was destroyed once and she built herself a new one. Now, she has to face her darkest fears and help catch a killer before this one is destroyed too.

DCI Tannehill Khan is a rising member of North London Murder Squad’s Homicide Assessment Team. While every homicide scene is different – he has never quite encountered one like this though. Amongst three other unusual objects carefully placed around the victim’s body, Laughton Rees’ “how to” instructional book about crime scenes and forensics was a glaring addition. With both Laughton and DCI Khan drawn deeper into the evolving mystery, can they overcome their own demons to find out what the murderer is really trying to achieve?

I found this to be a gripping police procedural/thriller story. I’ve read Toyne’s previous series revolving around Solomon Creed and greatly enjoyed them, so when I noticed he’d begun a new series I was quite happy to give it a crack – and I’m definitely glad I did.

Readers who enjoy British style police procedural stories should find this really appeals to their tastes. While the pace is a little slower and less action-orientated than other genres, I loved the slow build up – and really felt the tension and thriller aspect to the case was particularly well written by the author. I also greatly appreciated how there were multiple different threads running through and slowly tying together a number of the main characters, and by almost halfway in it because clear to me that many – or most – of these threads would soon form one much larger picture that I hadn’t been expecting.

The pieces of the puzzle start to come together as we work through the case from almost a half dozen different perspectives of those involved, and I really felt this helped build both the plot and the tension. I found this to be a really interesting and fresh thriller and by the last quarter or so I simply couldn’t put the book down and needed to binge it into the evening. There were a few twists – some I had guessed (or half guessed) and some took me completely by surprise. I find for me this is a mark of an excellent book; well written enough I could guess some things but still fresh and novel enough that it gave me a few surprises all the same.

Readers who can appreciate a slower pace but more complicated and layered plot with a solid mystery/thriller thrust and a strong police procedural aspect should find this a thoroughly enjoyable book. I’m quite eager for the next of these. Recommended.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

And Then You Were Gone by Ivy Logan

January 6, 2025 By Leave a Comment


And Then You Were Gone by Ivy Logan
Publisher: Notion Press; 1st edition
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult (14-18)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Nina, a popular fantasy author, maintains a reclusive existence. Aside from Nina’s work, her primary focus is her daughter, Sophie.

Incessant bullying at school and a public, mortifying falling out with another girl sparks a downward spiral in Sophie’s emotional state.

Nina watches helplessly as her daughter appears to be unable to move past this unfortunate event. Nina grows so consumed with Sophie’s suffering that she loses her desire to write. How does one help a teenage daughter in torment?

But then Nina has an idea—an unorthodox method to help her daughter. She is going to write a story—bringing in a special character into Sophie’s life. As the author, Nina can control the outcome of the story. Or can she?

As fiction and reality blur, Nina realizes that things have gotten out of hand. Is her story the blessing she hoped for or a curse she never expected?

“My beautiful girl, now gone – what if it’s forever?”

A unique and creative plot blurs the lines between fiction and reality. The narrative explores themes of bullying, family, and the power of storytelling. The book is primarily told through Sophie’s diary entries, spanning from ages 7 to 16, with her mother Nina providing responses.

Nina is a successful author of the Deadly Lives series. One diary entry that stands out to me is at the age of 10, Sophie asked her mother what would happen if Nina went to live in one of her books and why her mother needed to escape into a different world. As Sophie grows, her diary entries give us insight into her life, which is filled with both joy and the challenges of adolescence. She makes new friends, some of whom are not very nice. Sophie experiences bullying at school, but thankfully, she can express her feelings in her diary. Meanwhile, her mother worries and wants to help her.

The book clearly illustrates that Sophia has always had the love and support of her mother. Nina’s ex-husband, Sophie’s father, was an abusive figure who abandoned them before Sophie was born. As a result, Nina has become a fiercely protective mother, determined to shield Sophie from the bullying she experienced in high school. As a writer, Nina found solace in her words during her struggles with her ex-husband—could writing also help her daughter?

This story is thought-provoking and resonates strongly in today’s world. It beautifully depicts the powerful and emotional bond between mother and daughter, and the impact that adultescent bullying can have on an individual and family. Although this is a short read, it is artfully crafted. The desire to escape reality is something most of us readers think about. It’s pretty much why we read and/or write: to create a temporary world/moment of escape or entertainment from our current reality. For some, the mind is a powerful place; the stories we immerse ourselves in can both harm and protect us. While the book’s ending may leave some readers feeling unsettled, it conveys a hopeful message about the power of imagination and presents an optimistic conclusion that challenges society’s conventional views.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Murder On The Oxford Canal by Faith Martin

January 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder On The Oxford Canal by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books, London
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

MEET DI HILLARY GREENE, A POLICE WOMAN FIGHTING TO SAVE HER CAREER.

Not only has she lost her husband, but his actions have put her under investigation for corruption.

Then a bashed and broken body is found floating in the Oxford Canal. It looks like the victim fell off a boat, but Hillary is not so sure. Her investigation exposes a dark background to the death.

Can Hillary clear her name and get to the bottom of a fiendish conspiracy on the water?

DI Hillary Greene has lost her husband and her home, but she’s determined to cling to her police career. Under internal investigation to see if she was linked to her husband’s corruption, Hillary knows she has an uphill battle ahead of her. So she’s determined to give her best when she’s put in charge of a murder investigation into a dead body found floating in the Oxford Canal. Can Hillary clear her name and the case without any further damage?

This was a new to me author and series and I was delighted with how much I enjoyed it. Hillary is not a young woman – past forty – and having separated from her now-dead husband months ago having to reshuffle her entire life around what was proving to be a very acrimonious divorce as well as maintain her position as a DI as a woman in the local police force this main character had a number of differences to the usual British murder mystery books I enjoy but still was thoroughly relatable. I found myself quite invested in Hillary within the first few chapters and with a number of interesting – both good and bad – characters in the main cast I was pleasantly hooked quite early on in the story.

I also greatly enjoyed how the two main plotlines were written with equal weighting. The internal investigation into Hillary to find out if she knew of any corruption, but also the murder investigation. These two plots were separate but I thought the author did an admirable job of weaving them together in the storyline so neither one really overshadowed the other. I feel this also helped keep the pace of the story moving along at a good pace.

Like many British police procedural stories this isn’t an action-orientated story. Readers looking for thrills and a fast pace might not be satisfied here, but equally at no point did I feel this story was slow or dragged. I didn’t need to skip ahead to hurry things along so that was a pleasure too. For a first book in a series I enjoyed this and before the half way mark I had ordered the next two books to have ready.

With interesting characters, a relatable and enjoyably different main character and a solidly written murder mystery plot I found this a lovely book and am eager to continue in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »