Helsinki, 1982. Recently divorced postal worker Ilmari Nieminen has promised his daughter a piano for Christmas, but with six days to go – and no money – he’s desperate.
A last-minute job offers a solution: transport a valuable antique sofa to Kilpisjärvi, the northernmost town in Finland.
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With the sofa secured in the back of his van, Ilmari stops at a gas station, and an old friend turns up, offering to fix his faulty wipers, on the condition that he tags along. Soon after, a persistent Saab 96 appears in the rearview mirror. And then a bright-yellow Lada.
That’s when Ilmari realises that he is transporting something truly special.
And that’s when Ilmari realises he might be in serious trouble…
My Review
I love that the ‘heroes’ of the author’s books all have mundane jobs. In The Adventure Park trilogy, our intrepid hero Henri Koskinen was an actuary, who had inherited the YouMeFun theme park with all the drama that ensued. Not a spy, or a detective, or a brain surgeon, but basically an accountant. Then in The Burning Stones, Anni Korpinen sold saunas. And not even the whole flaming thing, just the stove.
In The Winter Job, it’s 1982 when we meet postal worker Ilmari Nieminen. There’s nothing special about him. Recently divorced, he wants to buy his daughter a piano for Christmas, but he doesn’t have enough money, so he agrees to deliver a sofa to Kilpisjärvi, the northernmost town in Finland. The sofa is admittedly a valuable antique, but surely it’s not valuable enough for the chase that follows.
Firstly, there’s the Lada, a really old-fashioned looking car made in the Soviet Union. It came in a variety of colours, including a bright lemon yellow. Driven by two mismatched communists, Anneli and Erkki, they want to use the sofa to raise money for their cause. But they are also being pursued by crazy Otto in his Saab 96, who has a different agenda. What does he know that they don’t? Something crucial of course. And don’t get in his way if you want to stay alive. Ilmari teams up with his old school friend Antero, but can he trust him? Or does Antero have his own agenda?
It’s often very dark, very gruesome, and very funny, all at the same time. And the method of killing the man who stole his leather jacket at a party is almost as bad as the first murder in The Burning Stones, which will remain branded on my memory for years to come. Antti Tuomainen’s books are unique in their humour and weirdness – once read, never forgotten. And again, the translation is perfectly seamless.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, his third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards and now a Finnish TV series. Palm Beach, Finland (2018) and Little Siberia (2019) were shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the first book in the trilogy will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios, and the first two books were international bestsellers. Antti lives in Helsinki with his wife.
About Orenda Books
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.
2026 has been a good year for audiobooks, so once again I am giving them their own post.
I could have chosen all of them to be honest, but I only pick four each time.
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
I’m a huge fan of Victorian Gothic mysteries so my first Kate Foster read The Repentants was a little early for me, set in Scotland in 1790. The Mourning Necklace, also set in Scotland, begins in 1724, so even earlier. But no matter as I loved this as well.
The books opens with Maggie Dickson surviving her own hanging. How is that even possible? She wakes up in a coffin and makes her way home to her family. The revelation is far more complicated than a simple survival. But we have to read on to find out.
The book then goes back in time to tell us how Maggie ended up being hanged and what for. Nowadays it beggars belief, but that’s how things were for women in the 18th century.
For my full review click here
Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak
Shibby Magee is definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far. One cannot help but love Shibby and her twin sister Dorah, both such endearing characters in their own right. And so many of the others are memorable, if not always likeable, like housekeeper Alice Duffy, Traveller and best friend Kitty Dooley, father Benny, Moochie de Barra, and the spiteful, judgmental Nanny Magee.
The book follows a dual timeline. We briefly meet a pregnant Shibby, aged 45, at the beginning, then jump back to the twins as children on the day their mother, Vera Coffey, walks out and leaves them behind. We follow their lives as they attend the local Catholic school, befriend Kitty, and try to connect with Benny, who runs the bakery. Nanny Magee is horrible to them, so Alice becomes their surrogate mother. I loved the warmth and humour in this part of the book. Eventually the twins are sent to boarding school in England.
For my full review click here
The Beholders by Hester Musson
I never expected to love this as much as I did. I had never heard of this author, but Gothic is my favourite genre.
When the old lady that housemaid Harriett looks after is dying, she asks her to take care of Clara, wife of popular Liberal MP Ralph Gethin at Finton Hall. But all is not as it seems. While Gethin is considered to be a good man, looking after the poor and needy, even destined for the top job, he is in fact a monster. He is cruel to his wife and allows all sorts of unsavoury things to go on in the house.
Of course no-one would believe Clara, who is considered to be unstable. She doesn’t even appear to care for their baby son Edward. But Clara has an agenda and it involves Harriett, but it could put both of them in mortal danger.
For my full review click here
The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
This is not my first book by this author – I read Daughters of Night in February 2021 – I had completely forgotten. But The Square of Sevens is in a different league. One of my favourite books of the year, it is so cleverly plotted, it literally took my breath away.
Set in London, Bath, Devon and Cornwall, our main character, simply known as Red, is initially a child of eight or nine, travelling with her father ‘making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of ‘The Square of Sevens’.** Red can already read the cards and they are getting along nicely until her father dies and she is taken in by Robert Antrobus, who is fascinated by all things scholarly. It is here that Red becomes a lady, now known as Rachel Antrobus.
For my full review click here
+ 1980s, abuse, audio book, audio drama, child abuse, fiction, lies, review, secrets
An American Tragedy by Dan Flanigan – Peter O’Keefe Crime series
A nation in panic. A teacher accused. O’Keefe steps into the storm.
During the 1988 Satanic Panic, fear is a weapon—and justice is on trial.
The summer of 1988 is boiling with hysteria. Across America, accusations of hidden cults and ritual crimes are destroying reputations, families, and lives. Peter O’Keefe wants nothing more than to stabilize his PI agency and rebuild trust with his daughter. But when her favorite teacher, Miss Ginny, is charged with unspeakable crimes, everything changes.
From the first moment O’Keefe hears the case, he senses the truth has been drowned out by fear. Evidence is thin. Allegations shift. And the figures driving the prosecution—shadowy child-protection zealots—are more interested in convictions than justice.
Audiobook Bookstagram Tour: 24th Sept – 3rd Oct
Genre: Crime | Mystery | Thriller
Length: 12 hours 23 minutes
Taking the case means stepping into a political firestorm. It means risking the fragile progress he’s made with his daughter. And it means standing almost alone against a culture consumed by paranoia.
As O’Keefe digs deeper, he uncovers manipulated testimonies, hidden agendas, and a system buckling under public pressure. The closer he gets to exposing the truth, the more dangerous the case becomes—for Miss Ginny, for the children, and for O’Keefe himself.
In a nation blinded by fear, one man must decide what justice is worth—and who he’s willing to become to defend it.
Meet Peter O’Keefe—scarred, relentless, and a hero for our times.
My Review
I can’t stop thinking about this book. It really hit me in the gut. And my children being of a similar age as the ‘victims’ (four and two in 1988), I struggle to imagine the way they were interrogated by the so-called child protection agents, and even by their own parents.
“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth”, is a law of propaganda often attributed to the Nazi Joseph Goebbels. Among psychologists something like this is known as the “illusion of truth” effect. And we are talking about adults regardless of education, intelligence or background. And the child protection agents are similar to the propagandists.
Children as young as four or five have no idea about the kind of atrocities they were supposed to have been subjected to. But if you tell them enough times that it did, and shame them into believing they are stupid, unfair to their friends, or repressing the truth if they don’t remember, then what do you have but coercion and another form of child abuse? The use of anatomically correct dolls and puppets was used to show the children what supposedly happened. Some of it appears so outlandish that it makes you wonder how the parents fell for it.
But this was the ‘satanic panic’ (or moral panic) of the late 1980s referred to in the book. It almost took hold in the UK, but I was not aware of it at the time. You only have to look at current politics in the US to see how certain things can take hold almost to the point of hysteria, and then come over here. I’m just not sure we are quite so easily deluded – apologies to our friends over the pond. Maybe it’s more to do with apathy than anything else.
I can’t say I ‘enjoyed’ the book, because it’s not the sort of book you can enjoy as such. It made me sad, angry and ultimately frustrated. I so wanted a positive outcome, I wanted it not to have happened, but this was a story about the truth, not some Hollywood, happy-ever-after, sugary slop.
And please be aware that some of the details were extremely unsavoury and hard to read. But don’t give up – it’s well worth sticking with it.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #AnAmericanTragedy audiobook tour.
About the Author
Dan Flanigan is an award-winning novelist, playwright, poet, and former attorney. Holding a PhD in History and a JD, he enjoyed a distinguished legal career specialising in civil rights and financial law before turning his lifelong passion for creative writing into a full-time pursuit.
Since 2019, Dan has published four novels in his acclaimed Peter O’Keefe detective series, along with a poetry collection, Tenebrae: A Memoir of Love and Death, and a collection of short fiction, Dewdrops. He has also written several stage plays and continues to champion child protection through his work on the Board of Directors of Childhood USA, the US arm of the World Childhood Foundation.
Dan divides his time between Kansas City, New York, and Los Angeles, while finding inspiration in the natural beauty of the Catskills, the San Juan Islands, and British Columbia.
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When the remains of a young woman and a baby are uncovered on a derelict farm, Detective Elma is drawn into a disturbing investigation, as a young mother settling in Akranes realises danger may be closer than she ever expected… The multi-award-winning, international bestselling Forbidden Iceland series continues…
`She uses complex plots to explore how monsters are made and demonstrate that “evil can lurk behind the most attractive of smiles”. Her many characters are people not puppets and she delights in pulling the rug from under their –and our – feet. If you have never read Aegisdottir, now is the time to start´ Mark Sanderson, The Times
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When the skeletons of a young woman and a baby are uncovered on a long-abandoned farm in Hvalfjörður, it is clear they were buried years apart. West Iceland CID begins to investigate the disturbing discovery, aware that someone has gone to great lengths to keep the past hidden.
In Akranes, Karitas, a young single mother seeking a new start, settles in with her four-year-old son and rents a basement flat from an eccentric landlord. A cautious sense of happiness returns when she meets the boy next door.
But when news breaks that a local girl has been murdered, Karitas must decide who she can trust, knowing that one wrong choice could place her and her child in danger. Detective Elma is drawn into the case, forced to navigate long-hidden family secrets to understand a killer’s motive, while trying to hold together her increasingly troubled relationship with Sævar.
Dark, atmospheric and rich with psychological suspense, The Last Tenant confirms Eva Björg Ægisdóttir as one of Iceland’s finest crime writers, as a meticulous investigation and a series of unsettling discoveries draw a close-knit community towards a reckoning no one can escape…
My Review
I think of all the books I’ve read by this author – six including The Last Tenant – this is my favourite (just overtaking The Creak On The Stairs). I’m not sure why, maybe it’s just the idea of the unknown woman and the baby buried where no-one would find them – till now. It was very sad, even more so when we discover who they are.
Single mother Karitas and her four-year old son Bessi have just moved to Akranes and taken a basement flat in the home of a strange elderly man called Baldvin. She finds him unnerving and creepy, but her son seems to really like him. He tells her that she is one of three ‘suns’ in his life, one of which is his daughter. It’s in their names.
Soon Karitas meets a young man called Kristófer, with whom she tentatively begins a ‘relationship’. He lives next door with his father Hermann and young wife Rós. Hermann owns a pharmacy where Rós also works and they are pretty well off.
In the meantime Detective Elma has been in a relationship with one of her colleagues Sævar, and they are still together, now with a toddler in tow. Her boss Hörður is still on the scene, though he doesn’t figure that much in this latest story. Elma is investigating the discovery of the bodies, as well as the disappearance six years ago of a young woman named Sólrún, believed to have taken her own life.
This was a fantastic book with so many nasty and suspicious characters going back to the 1960s and 1970s, and linked to the abandoned farm in Hvalfjörður where the bodies were found. And just when you think you’ve solved the mystery, everything changes and you have to start again. So cleverly plotted, I just adored it. More from this author please.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #TheLastTenant #blogtour
About the Author
Born in Akranes, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir studied for an MSc in Globalisation in Norway before returning to Iceland and deciding to write a novel. Her debut, The Creak on the Stairs, was published in 2018, becoming a bestseller in Iceland and going on to win the Blackbird Award and the Storytel Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year. It was published in English by Orenda Books in 2020, and became a number-one bestseller in ebook, shortlisting for Capital Crime’s Amazon Publishing Awards in two categories, and winning the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger. Girls Who Lie, Night Shadows, You Can’t See Me and Boys Who Hurt soon followed suit, shortlisting for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger, the Capital Crime Awards, and the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. You Can’t See Me won the Storytel Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year in Iceland in 2023. In 2024, Eva won Iceland’s prestigious Crime Fiction Award, the Blood Drop, for Home before Dark and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key. The Forbidden Iceland series has established Eva as one of Iceland’s bestselling and most distinguished crime writers, and her books are published in eighteen languages with more than a million copies sold.
Follow her on @evaaegisdottir
About Orenda Books
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.
Honey is no ordinary Labrador pup – she’s a dog with a mission!
She’s worried about planet Earth and wants to be green, but there are limits to what a dog can achieve, especially when her best pal Jimmy the Poodle gets involved.
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Join these mischievous eco-warriors with waggy tails as they try their best to save the planet one paw print at a time!
My Review
I don’t often give 5 stars to children’s picture books, but this one deserves every star. It’s not just that the illustrations are so cute and fun, it’s also that the subject matter is relevant and important, and younger children (and hopefully mums and dads) will relate to it.
Honey is a canine eco-warrior, a doggy Greta Thunberg. Honey isn’t quite the same level of environmental activist as Greta – she’s a dog at the end of the day – but she can still do her bit, as we all can if we follow her lead (no pun intended).
Look, she can even read the newspaper. There’s a climate crisis and Honey knows what to do, even if it includes shredding the paper with the help of her friend Jimmy the Poodle. OK, so I admit I made up the bit about reading the newspaper, but you know what I mean.
There are so many things we can all do to help, including switching off all unnecessary lights when we go to bed and Honey turns them off if the adults have forgotten. My dog Patch is too small to reach or I’m sure she’d do the same. She doesn’t chew shoes though which is a plus but she hates plastic and chews it to bits. A good reason for avoiding plastic whenever we can.
I loved this book and can’t wait to read it to my granddaughters next time they come to stay and to Patch so she can be an eco-warrior too.
Many thanks to #HyggeBookTours for inviting me to be part of the #HoneysHelpfulHints #blogtour.
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The chapter book for science-mad 7–9 year olds who devour facts AND stories. Space and Time aren’t just characters — they’re the questions your child already asks at bedtime.
When two unlikely friends discover a portal hidden inside a library clock, every chapter hurtles them through a different corner of the universe — black holes, time loops, ancient stars — and back home before breakfast.
Perfect for fans of Treehouse who want their laughs with a little more wonder, or young readers graduating from Horrible Science who are ready for their first proper adventure series.
✔ Short punchy chapters — ideal for newly independent readers
✔ Every adventure sneaks in real science kids actually remember
✔ Series potential — collect all the missions
✔ Brilliant birthday or Christmas gift for curious 7, 8 and 9 year olds
Give them a book they’ll finish in a weekend and beg to read again.
My Review
Space and Time are best friends. They go to a school called the Faraway School of Discovery, the best school in the galaxy. “It was located at the very edge of the known universe and all the smartest children wanted to go here.”
The holidays were over and the children travelled to Faraway in a rocket. It was made of glass and totally see-through. Space was new and didn’t know a soul. Then she met Time and they became firm friends.
They soon found out that they had something in common. The school played a game called Galaxy Quest (think Quidditch in Harry Potter) and it turned out that both Space and Time had the potential to be very good at it. Time was fast and Space was canny, but first year students weren’t accepted into established teams. So they decided to set up their own and call it The Stargazers.
Each team needed five players, so they needed to find three more. Time was obviously the Hunter and Space would be the Navigator. It didn’t take long to find the others.
They were so good that they kept on winning, but like a tennis game won on aces, it got boring and the audiences got smaller. So Time decided to play differently and they lost the game. Space and Time had a massive argument and didn’t speak to each other again. The Stargazers were disbanded.
After the holidays a new student arrived. His name was Albert. He was very clever and wanted to be a famous scientist, but more than anything, he wanted to reunite Space and Time. So how did he get on?
This is a story about friendship but t’s also about pride and what happens if you can’t admit when you are in the wrong and be the first to step forward. It’s a great book for 7 – 9 year olds who are ready for chapter books, and teaches them a lot about science.
Many thanks to the author for a review copy.
About the Author
Karl P.J. Hobbes is a daydreamer and writer based out of London, UK. Karl enjoys long walks in the rain and searching for the meaning of life.
The Adventures of Space and Time is Karl’s first independently published work. The idea for this book came to Karl one day when he was thinking about the perfect gift for his hypothetical grandchildren.
Website
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St. Barnabus’ church in Middlehurst runs a fortnightly Knitting Circle, which is well attended until one of the group is murdered in the choir stalls during one of the Knitting Circle sessions.
When investigating officers D.I. Jack Cunliffe and D.C. Gil Brennan arrive, they discover the dead woman, Lorraine Prendergast wasn’t particularly well liked and a number of potential killers soon cross paths with Jack and Gil. Meanwhile, a new arrival in the village, in the shape of ex Detective Chief Inspector, Grayson Mulvaney, begins to take an interest in the events at church and becomes a friend of the verger, who herself is on the suspect list as the potential killer – until a second murder takes place in the village. Panic begins to set in when it is revealed the second woman was also a member of the Knitting Circle.
Genre: Cosy Crime Murder Mystery
Publisher: Provoco Publishing
Who is killing off the old ladies of Middlehurst and who is going to be the next victim? Join D.I. Cunliffe and D.C. Brennan as they race against time, and a very clever killer to protect the remaining members of the Knitting Circle.
The Knitting Circle is the first cosy crime, murder mystery novel written by established author, Jane Murray, who is better known for her seasonal Christmas novellas and Valentine’s Day novels. Jane also writes psychological thrillers under her pseudonym D.C. Cummings – the Devil’s House is out now and the second novel in the trilogy, The Devil’s Advocate is currently in progress. A second Jack and Gil Murder Mystery is planned soon.
My Review
I used to work for a large department store just before I retired and we had a knitting circle called Knit and Natter. We just called it Stitch and Bitch. I couldn’t help thinking about the name when reading the Knitting Circle.
This was jolly good fun in that cosy crime sort of way. The first murder is quite grisly, but related to knitting it’s amusingly appropriate (if you have my warped sense of humour that is). The victim Lorraine Prendergast was unpopular, so if the police asked who might want to kill her, the response would no doubt be ‘form an orderly queue’.
The second victim Hortense was killed using a different MO, but she also belonged to the Knitting Circle. She was in her eighties at least, so who would want to kill her and what is the connection to Lorraine?
The police in the form of DI (Columbo) Cunliffe, complete with the shabby raincoat, and his young sidekick DC Gil Brennan, are sent to investigate. Jack manages to ruffle more than a few feathers in the process. He also gets help from ex Detective Chief Inspector, Grayson Mulvaney, who has recently moved to Middlehurst, and is more interested in the verger Julia Brookes, than the church where the Knitting Circle meets once a fortnight. Even one of the vicars is shady.
So is everyone linked in some way and are they who they say they are? It was entertaining trying to work it all out and make the connections, but I was sad at the end.
Many thanks to Hygge Book Tours for inviting me to be part of #TheKnittingCircle #blogtour
About the Author
Homing Pigeon Scouser. Blue. Gobby. Oldish. God botherer Christian type. May have a glass of wine in hand. Writes a bit.
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+ adventure, austria, fiction, gothic, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, murder, review, supernatural, Victorian Britain
The Thief and the Labyrinth by Alys Clare A World’s End Bureau Victorian Mystery #6
A missing girl. A charming thief. And a case that doesn’t add up.
November, 1882. American agents Henry and Johanna McClellan arrive in London on an urgent mission: track down Bruno Schmidt, a silver-tongued lecturer and suspected thief who has eloped with a young woman called Ava.
Ava’s powerful father wants her home — as discreetly and quickly as possible.
But the McClellans are strangers to England, so they take their problem to the World’s End Bureau and its two private investigators, Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham.
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At first, the case looks straightforward. A runaway romance. A clever conman. A trail leading across Victorian Europe that should be easy to follow.
But Schmidt is no ordinary fortune hunter. He’s spent years plundering treasures from ancient Mediterranean sites, and the hunt for him draws Lily and Felix towards a secret about a labyrinth that’s lain undisturbed for millennia.
The deeper they dig, the less things add up. Is Ava really a victim? And what are the McClellans themselves so afraid of?
As the lies multiply, Lily and Felix start to realize that their clients’ secrets might turn this missing person inquiry into a deadly affair.
My Review
I really enjoyed this book, though I have to admit I was initially unsure about the labyrinth element, but it wasn’t too distracting in the end. I like a bit of the supernatural – ghosts and such like – in a Gothic mystery, but I’m suspicious of something lurking underground or being hidden for centuries, in case it turns out to be a demon or a vampire. Luckily in this case it wasn’t either.
It’s 1882 and Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham run the of private investigation bureau known as the World’s End Bureau. Lily owns the business, while Felix works for her, though in reality they are more like work partners. Both would like it to be more personal, but are too afraid to admit it to one another.
Then Henry and Johanna McClellan arrive in London, and engage Lily and Felix to help them find a young lady called Ava. She’s an American who ran off with her lecturer – a man twice her age. His name is Bruno Schmidt and he’s an archaeologist from Vienna. Except in reality he’s a conman who plunders treasures and sells them to the highest bidder. He could even be a killer. Ava’s millionaire father has hired the McClellans to find her.
But why do the McClellands need the World’s End Bureau when they are also investigators? They say it’s because they don’t know London. But is that the real reason?
So Lily and Felix begin an exciting journey of discovery – and not just in the search for Ava. It will take them all over the country, and Europe, often to my neck of the woods. They are both very modern for the late 19th century, but that is what Felix loves about Lily. Her spirit and her independence.
I really hope there is a book 7 as I’d love to read more about Lily and Felix, but I have a feeling that this is the last in the series.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of #TheThiefandtheLabyrinth #blogtour.
About the Author
Alys Clare is the pen name used by Elizabeth Harris for the Hawkenlye series of historical mysteries.
She lives in the English countryside where her novels are set. She went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent. She is the author of the Aelf Fen, Hawkenlye, Gabriel Taverner and World’s End Bureau Mysteries.
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An orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England searches for answers about her long-dead mother and uncovers shocking secrets in this immersive and atmospheric saga perfect for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry.
Cornwall, 1730: A young girl known only as Red travels with her father making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of the Square of Sevens. Shortly before he dies, her father entrusts Red’s care to a gentleman scholar, along with a document containing the secret of the Square of Sevens technique.
Raised as a lady amidst the Georgian splendor of Bath, Red’s fortune-telling delights in high society. But she cannot ignore the questions that gnaw at her soul: who was her mother? How did she die? And who are the mysterious enemies her father was always terrified would find him?
The pursuit of these mysteries takes her from Cornwall and Bath to London and Devon, from the rough ribaldry of the Bartholomew Fair to the grand houses of two of the most powerful families in England. And while Red’s quest brings her the possibility of great reward, it also leads to grave danger.
Laura Shepherd-Robinson, has written a dazzling and Dickensian story of mystery and intrigue, with audacious twists and turns.
My Review
This is not my first book by this author – I read Daughters of Night in February 2021 – I had completely forgotten. But The Square of Sevens is in a different league. One of my favourite books of the year, it is so cleverly plotted, it literally took my breath away.
Set in London, Bath, Devon and Cornwall, our main character, simply known as Red, is initially a child of eight or nine, travelling with her father ‘making a living predicting fortunes using the ancient Cornish method of ‘The Square of Sevens’.** Red can already read the cards and they are getting along nicely until her father dies and she is taken in by Robert Antrobus, who is fascinated by all things scholarly. It is here that Red becomes a lady, now known as Rachel Antrobus.
I don’t know Bath at all really, but I do know Devon and Cornwall, and I am actually reading this while staying in Mullion. I recognise many of the places mentioned in the book.
As Rachel grows into a young woman, she discovers that she is related to one of the richest and most powerful families in the country, and she worms her way into their affections by telling their fortunes. She has her eye on what should be her rightful inheritance, and to be honest will stop at almost nothing to get it. But the family will literally stop at nothing to prevent her, including murder.
However, there is a massive twist at the end, which really changes the whole narrative. And I do love an unreliable narrator! But that’s all I can say for now.
** Born in 1858, Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson was an American writer, who wrote under the pseudonym Xavier Mayne. In 1896, Stevenson published The Square of Sevens, and the Parallelogram: An Authoritative Method of Cartomancy with a Prefatory Note by the real Robert Antrobus that was supposedly written in 1735. However, it is believed that Prime-Stevenson was the author and that The Square of Sevens wasn’t a real method of cartomancy at the time of the book. Source Wikipedia
About the Author
Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. Laura worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband, Adrian.
Cerberus Archegetes is the fourth book in the Gods Galore series about the Olympian Gods in the 21st Century AD.
Before the Olympian Gods, the Universe was ruled by the Titans. Locked away for thousands of years in Tartarus, these former rulers manage to escape and are determined to reign once more.
Soon in control of the Underworld, the Titans are unaware of a sinister force in their midst ready to take advantage of the chaos they have brought about.
With the Olympians unable to break through the Titans’ formidable defences, Cerberus, the three-headed dog, believes he knows how to re-establish the old order. Accompanied by three companions, he sets out on a quest into the outer reaches of the Underworld. The very future of the Universe will depend on whether they succeed or not!
My Review
When I read Pimlico People, my favourite character was Cerberus, the three-headed, Mars bar eating dog who guards the Underworld. Well, it appears I am not alone. Apparently everyone loved Cerberus so he is basically the hero of this story, as well as the title character.
What can I say about Cerberus Archegetes except that it’s a romp of epic proportions. There are gods, goddesses, mermaids, Titans, fiends, Knights of the Round Table (arise Sir Cerberus), battles and lots of silliness. In fact at times I was reminded of Monty Python and The Holy Grail – I was expecting someone to say ‘Tis but a scratch,’ after having their arm cut off. Luckily there is no arm cutting off, but plenty of being boiled in a cauldron or impaled on a stake (though Vlad the impaler, together with Attila the Hun, Ivan the Terrible, Genghis Khan and others are ‘goodies’ in this, since dying and changing sides so to speak).
It’s quite hard to work out who is who at times, or which generation they belong to, as so many of them married their own brothers or sisters, so it gets very complicated. Incest was obviously accepted in those days. If you read Rupert’s Greek Gods on TikTok you can get more information on Cronus, a Titan God, Rhea, his wife, Athene, Goddess of Wisdom, Poseidon, King of the Seas, Hades, King of the Underworld, Hebe, Goddess of Youth, and Gaia, Mother Earth, to name but a few.
There were times I felt I was reading in a parallel universe, but Cerberus was always at the forefront to keep me on my toes and grounded in reality. Did I really just say that?
It’s crazy, hilarious and surreal in equal measures, just a bit overlong in the first half – then the action really ramps up. Let the battle begin. Woof, woof, growl, growl.
Many thanks to #HyggeBookTours for inviting me to be part of the #CerberusArchegetes #blog tour.
About the Author
Rupert is a Cambridge graduate. He was born in Manchester but has lived most of his adult life in Central London. He has always been an avid reader and in recent years decided to take up writing himself. His books have one overriding objective which is TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH!
His first book, Gods Galore, was published in November 2021 and this was followed by The Four Horsemen, in April 2023. His third novel, Pimlico People, was published in October 2024. Cerberus Archegetes is the fourth book in the Gods Galore series
In addition, he has written Greek Gods on TikTok which recounts various myths about the Greek Gods in the Classical World.
Connect with Rupert
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rupertstanbury/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070534804639
X/Formerly Twitter: https://x.com/RupertStanbury
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rupertstanbury
Book Links
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com
Purchase Link: www.amazon.co.uk
A heartwarming mystery filled with books, secrets and second chances, perfect for fans of Freya Sampson, Evie Woods and Sally Page – and everyone who loves books about books.
Sometimes the right story leads you home . . .
When bestselling author Helen finds herself at the centre of a scandal, she escapes to Rathbrooke Hall on a remote island off the Northumberland coast. Tasked with cataloguing the books of a reclusive collector she’s relieved to be out of the glare of publicity, even if the locals are less than welcoming.
#TheHiddenLibrary X/Twitter #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours
Instagram @sharongoslingauthor @randomthingtours #bookstagram #blogtour
But as she spends more time among the dusty bookshelves and rare first editions, she uncovers clues to a secret collection of books that could save the island – and the community that she’s begun to feel part of. Can she unravel the mystery of the hidden library and can she trust Thiago, a charming librarian with secrets of his own?
My Review
Until I’d finished this book, I didn’t realise that this isn’t the first time I’ve read this author. I read The Forgotten Garden two years ago. In fact I was on the blog tour and it was one of my favourite books of the year.
The Hidden Library is probably a bit too ‘romancy’ for me and I would have liked a more sinister, Gothic element. Maybe hidden skeletons buried in the walls (you’ll know where I mean when you get to it), whispering galleries and warnings written in condensation on the mirror. But I still read it in two sittings and couldn’t wait to turn the pages. If I was on holiday I’d probably have read it in one go.
I felt really sorry for Helen when the film contract for her best selling novel is pulled because she had an affair with a famous, married actor. Her friend Melanie suggests she was completely taken in by his lies and he’s basically thrown her under the bus. She says that no, she is entirely responsible, but I’m with Melanie. She was very young when she met him and totally naive.
I really enjoyed it and the other characters were well drawn and relatable. Rufus is the wizened old gardener who lives in the lighthouse. Martha is the housekeeper, whose daughter Cora is a teenage brat. Rathbrooke Hall was the domain of the late Cyril Gissing who collected rare and ancient books, aided by Spanish ‘pirate’ Thiago Montera. Helen, escaping the fallout of her disastrous life is there to catalogue the books and artefacts. But she finds a lot more than she bargained for. Highly recommended holiday read, when you want something mysterious, but not too scary.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #TheHiddenLibrary #blog tour
About the Author
Sharon started her career as an entertainment journalist, writing non-fiction books about film and television. She is also the author of multiple children’s books. Sharon and her husband live in a small village in northern Cumbria. She can be found on Instagram @sharongoslingauthor
Janus Lodge isn’t your typical retirement community.
Sylvia Abercrombie and her knitting-obsessed gang of octogenarians are feisty, foul- mouthed, and fiercely protective of their home.
So when a shady developer plots to evict them and build a ‘gentlemen’s club’, they hatch an audacious plan to save their sanctuary – by starting a secret knitwear empire with a scandalous twist.
#KnitOneHeistOne X/Twitter @BadsvilleBroad @noexitpress #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours
Instagram @badsvillebroad @noexitpress @randomthingstours #blogtour #bookstagram
As sales skyrocket, secrets unravel, and Sylvia’s ex-husband lurks in the shadows, the gang must pull off the ultimate heist to protect their beloved Lodge.
Hilarious and heartfelt, Knit One, Heist One is a riotous romp proving that age is no barrier to action.
My Review
This was very funny. A group of octogenarians start knitting their way to raise enough money to buy their residential home Janus Lodge, and soon they appear to have built an empire. The premise is quite unique, made even more so by what they are knitting and it’s not tea cosies. As they say, sex sells.
So why are they doing it? Well it turns out that a local ‘gangster’ Dennis ‘Grinder’ Mahoney wants to buy the home and turn it into a ‘gentleman’s club’. He enlists the help of his mate (blackmails him really) Fergus Lamont, but unfortunately Fergus’s parents live in one of the home’s apartments. They never see their son, who can’t be bothered to visit, unless he wants something.
The selling price of the Lodge, is £3.5 million, so that’s a lot of knitting….and wool. But nothing gets past the old dears, particularly Sylvia Abercrombie, who swears like a trooper in spite of being in a wheelchair, Harriett Knox, a diminutive woman who knows all about technology, which will come in very handy later on, and a host of others, including the mysterious and anti-social Gregor.
When they find themselves slightly short of the amount needed to save the lodge, they turn to kidnapping and robbery. When faced with a criminal, what else could they do?
Knit One Heist One isn’t my usual genre and some of the humour was a bit lost on me, but Sylvia’s story of how she ended up in a wheelchair was very moving and poignant, and I feel without the contrast, the book would not have been nearly as good.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of the #KnitOneHeistOne #blogtour
About the Author
Donna Moore was born in 1962 and led a sheltered childhood in a small English village. A crime fiction fan from a young age, Donna wanted to be one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and fight crime with the aid of only a basket of cucumber sandwiches and a bottle of ginger beer.
She spent her spare time following mysterious strangers around the village – especially those with cockney accents and a couple of days’ growth of stubble – until a complaint from the new local vicar put a stop to her sleuthing career.
Website: donnamooreauthor.com
