Crime fiction author Rachel Amphlett has created a plot twist for mystery fans – a short story podcast.
Inspired by research from Bookwire that revealed Gen Z enjoys listening to crime stories as much as reading them, Rachel headed to the recording studio.
If you love audio drama or true crime podcasts, then Case Files: Short Crime Fiction Stories is just for you. With each episode of the series less than an hour, you can grab a crime fiction fix over lunch, while walking the dog, or in the gym. Season one will see a new story released each week from September 26 to October 31 and a second season is in production.
Rachel said: “True crime podcasts are popular, you’ve got scripted audio drama like radio plays, and you’ve got some people who take their audiobooks and serialise them. But as far as I can find, there are no crime fiction or murder mystery publishers regularly sharing new stories by their authors on podcasts.
“This got me thinking about whether I could reach a new demographic of readers through a different worldwide audience and nurture them into readers of my audiobooks, my ebooks, or my print books. It’s providing a connection between a podcast audience and an audiobook audience.”
Bookwire’s research found:
16 to 24-year-olds listen to podcasts more frequently than any other generation
They mainly consume media on the major music streaming platforms
43% of Gen Z stream audiobooks on Spotify
77% stream podcasts on Spotify
Rachel has written more than 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins. The USA Today bestselling author has created two detective series, Detective Kay Hunter and Detective Mark Turpin as well as thrillers featuring Dan Taylor and Eva Delacourt.
Inspired by reading books as a child, her aim is ‘to write gripping stories that you won’t want to put down’.
She said: “The first tales I fell in love with were written by Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Rod Serling and Roald Dahl.
“They wrote short stories where the good guys didn’t always win, where I found myself smiling at what the bad guys sometimes got away with. I’d often feel a shiver of anticipation as the page turned and the author posed the question “What if?” For example, what if a contract killer needed to see a chiropractor on a regular basis? And what if you discovered that your husband was a serial killer? What would you do?”
Case Files: Short Crime Fiction Stories is available on all major podcast apps including Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. For episode updates go to www.shortcrimestories.com.
Here are the links to sign up and listen:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/37azQCNLhDfQxq87teZma4
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/f5b8268a-96ff-461e-90d9-73ea5999bf44/case-files-short-crime-fiction-stories
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/case-files-short-crime-fiction-stories/id1643538895
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL2Nhc2UtZmlsZXMtc2hvcnQtY3JpbWUtZmljdGlvbi1zdG9yaWVz
Joe had a bad day at school. Everything went wrong…FIRSTLY, he had to read to the class and that was his worst nightmare, reading in front of everyone.
THEN, he scored an own goal in football.
LATER, after eating three chocolate eclairs at Gran’s house, she tells him about a raid in the bank this morning. The robbers had guns and monster masks! To Joe it sounded exciting, if only he could have been there too!
#TheTurkeyShedGang #RuthYoung @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour
But his opinion soon changes when he realises the danger his Gran is now faced with. She shows him a bag full of money that she picked up by mistake, thinking it was her shopping after the raid.
Joe decides the only thing to do to keep her safe is for them to go on the run. They must go before the police come to arrest her or worse still, the robbers find out she has their money. To add to his problems, Gran wants to take Mr Percival with them, a talking parrot she inherited from a neighbour.
A school boy, his gran and a parrot on the run, what could possibly go wrong?
My Review
A school boy, his gran and a parrot on the run, what could possibly go wrong? Well, everything it would seem.
Hilarious story aimed at 7 to 9 year olds and it’s perfect for this age group, whether the children are independent readers or the story is read to them. I particularly loved Mr Percival, a talking, often slightly rude, sulphur crested cockatoo. His vocabulary is better than some people I know. Pieces of eight. Shiver me timbers. He seems to know hundreds of words and phrases.
The story is actually written from Joe’s point of view so we can see how he imagines what trouble his gran would be in for making off with someone else’s money. They need to keep a low profile at all times. But where can they go and how will they get there? Incidentally, I’m hoping that we are seeing Gran from Joe’s point of view as she seems very old-fashioned to me and I’m older than her. She’s more like my granny from the sixties.
There is also a more serious side to the story. Joe has dyslexia, so reading out loud to the class really is a nightmare for him. He’s good at football, but when he scores an own goal it is just another disaster that day. Gran has the beginnings of dementia and forgets important things and we also learn that the family has money worries.
Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
Q & A with Scarlett Jordan, Age 8
What do you think of the cover?
Good. I’d pick it up in a shop.
Was the book funny?
Yes it was.
Did having a parrot with them add to the humour?
Yes definitely. The parrot was funny.
Who was your favourite character?
Mr Percival, the parrot!
Would you have behaved in the same way as Joe and go on the run?
Not sure. He’s quite childish, but then I am a year older than him.
Did you like Gran? Did you think she was old-fashioned compared to your two nannies?
I liked her. I didn’t really notice that she was old-fashioned.
Would you recommend this book to your friends?
Yes I think they would like it.
About the Author
Ruth has been a teacher for a very long time. She loves being in the classroom making learning fun and specialises in teaching reading and spelling. Now retired, Ruth teaches children with learning difficulties at her home and it doesn’t matter how old they are, she loves to help!
Ruth has always told stories to the children she teaches. Her book, The Turkey Shed Gang, is for 7–8-year-old independent readers. She also writes for dyslexic children in mind so that they can read a book, maybe with a little help, which is age appropriate for them.
When she’s not teaching, Ruth loves walking in the Surrey Hills where she lives with her husband, who is a retired airline Captain. They take every chance to travel worldwide and it’s on trips away that Ruth comes up with her ideas for her books, always scribbling notes down in her purple notebook which she carries everywhere.
Ruth loves baking bread and cakes and is always in the kitchen with her vast collection of cookery books. She has been interviewed by the BBC three times about writing, environmental issues and her work with dyslexic children, and had an article published in a national magazine for parents.
Follow her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruth.young.127
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ruthyoung6/
Buy Link – https://geni.us/5IaP4M
+ Australia, crime fiction, fiction, friendship, literature, murder, murder mystery, relationships, review, secrets, stalker, story within a story, USA, writer
The Woman in The Library by Sulari Gentill
In every person’s story, there is something to hide…
From award-winning author Sulari Gentill comes a mischievous, twisty crime novel in the vein of Only Murders in the Building and White Lotus.
Four strangers in the Reading Room at Boston Public Library are introduced by a scream. Caught up in the subsequent murder investigation, each one finds themselves revealing more than they intended about their pasts as they race to solve the murder before one of them gets hurt.
#TheWomanInTheLibrary @SulariGentill @ultimopress https://twitter.com/ultimopress #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour
Whilst their stories unfold, so does another.
Dear Hannah… As correspondence between the author and an avid fan becomes interwoven with the core tale, the boundaries between what is fiction and what is real life begin to blur, highlighting the lengths people will go to keep their secrets.
Through these entwined narratives, Gentill delves into the complicated nature of friendships, the lives we show versus the lives we lead and the ways in which art can imitate life. Or perhaps it’s the other way around?
A sharply thrilling literary adventure, The Woman in the Library is contemporary crime with a clever twist.
My Review
Before I say anything else, I must just say that I love the book cover. It immediately made me think of the original Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho even though it’s not really like any of the posters.
But now for the book itself. Well this was something completely different. It’s a murder mystery, but it’s also a story within a story, with a side story thrown in for good measure.
Hannah Tigone is a well-known, published, Australian author, writing a book about a young Australian writer – Winifred ‘Freddie’ Kincaid – who is living in Boston, USA (not the one here in Lincolnshire) having won the prestigious Sinclair scholarship. One day she goes to the Boston Public Library, where she sits at a table with three other people, psychology student Marigold Anastas, Harvard law graduate Whit Metters and author Cain McLeod, when suddenly they hear a blood-curdling scream. And it’s this that brings them together and their friendship blossoms.
In the meantime, Hannah has a superfan in budding writer Leo, who emails her constantly with comments and ideas. Living in Boston himself, he offers to help Hannah with American language usage and descriptions of local places. However, what starts out as Leo’s admiration for another author, begins to turn a bit creepy. He suggests more and more changes to Hannah’s story and seems to forget she is the successful one, not him. I also need to mention that the ‘Hannah – Leo’ story is set during the pandemic so Hannah is unable to travel to America herself, which is why Leo offers to help her.
I’m not sure if anyone reading this who has read the book will agree with me, but I really didn’t like Marigold. She is so needy and her constant stalking of Whit, turning up at Freddie’s uninvited, and then offering to stay and help and never taking the hint when Freddie says no it’s fine, drove me mad. She never seems to understand that Freddie needs some peace and some space to do her own work. Just …… off Marigold. You are supposed to be studying psychology but your empath mode seems to be permanently switched off.
The Woman In The Library is a fantastic book if you love crime fiction but want something just a bit different. It may take a while to work out who is who, but it’s worth it in the end. Full of twists and turns and some real surprises, it’s very clever, but in a good way. It also pays homage to a number of writers and film directors from the past including Hitchcock which is probably why the cover reminds me of Psycho.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.
About the Author
After setting out to study astrophysics, graduating in law and then abandoning her legal career to write books, Sulari now grows French black truffles on her farm in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains of NSW. Sulari is the author of The Rowland Sinclair Mysteries, historical crime fiction novels (ten in total) set in the 1930s. Sulari’s work has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Best First Book), the Davitt Award, the Ned Kelly Award and the ABIA. She won the Davitt Award for A Decline in Prophets, and the Ned Kelly Award for her most recent standalone novel, Crossing the Lines.
+ crime fiction, dark humour, Detective novel, fiction, haunting, history, murder, murder mystery, police drama, police procedural, review, superstition, witchcraft
Beneath The House of Sin (DCI Mike Saxby #1) by David Field
17 Cavendish Square. The home of the Pelican Club – a notorious upmarket brothel. Now the scene of a murder.
DCI Mike Saxby is the officer in charge. He’s straight-shooting and by-the-book. There are no grey areas – Saxby is called in to investigate the death of the madame, Linda Clifford but the case throws up more questions than answers, as well as a slew of suspects.
#BeneathTheHouseOfSin #DavidField @RedDragonbooks @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour
Saxby and his team also uncover secrets which involve the highest echelons of the police – and a centuries-old mystery of a murdered witch. Juggling issues, which concern both his family and his mis-matched personnel, Saxby struggles with the investigation.
As they begin to dig up the past, Saxby will be forced to face the depths of human depravity.
My Review
It’s like two separate books in one and the first two in a series, which I guess it is. I actually could not put this down, but not just because of the story but because I loved the characters. All of them, but particularly DCI Mike Saxby, his wife Alison, young police officer Cathy who reminds Mike of his daughter and keeps feeding him yoghurt so he can lose weight (orders from above ie Alison) and even boring Dave Petrie. Or Paperless Petrie as he is known, because he never does his admin. Mike is known as Paddington for reasons that will become clear and marmalade keeps turning up on his desk, usually on toast.
In fact the list of characters I loved is too long to mention here, but it’s the banter that really makes this book so readable. I often laughed out loud. One word of warning though. It is at times, VERY politically incorrect, but remember, this is the banter between the police officers and I’m sure it doesn’t reflect the author’s opinions, but you may be shocked.
The relationships are so much part of the book, I almost forgot that serious crimes had been committed. In the first half we have the murder of Linda Clifford, the madame of a posh brothel. How did she die, who killed her and what was the motive? The ‘how’ is easy to figure out, but the ‘why’ and ‘who’ are much harder. There are plenty of witnesses (though many scarpered as soon as the police arrived – no surprise there) but are any of them reliable. And who was the ‘sales rep’ who mysteriously replaced Linda’s usual drug dealer?.
The brothel also happens to be located in one of the town’s most infamous houses – built in the former forest where in the 1600s a so-called witch was wrongly hanged and the house is now reputed to be haunted. In its time as lots of things before it became a brothel – it was even a church – there have been far more strange and grisly deaths than is usual in one location.
Is it just coincidence or is there a link to the witch’s death? We all know that police officers don’t believe in coincidences and Mike Saxby is no exception. But is the witch the only connection or are there more sinister goings on much closer to home. Writer and journalist Jeremy Giles believes in the hauntings, though he is dismissed as a crank. But is he?
What a great book! Definitely one of my favourites of the year. Bring on many more books in the series. I can’t wait to read them all.
Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
David was born in post-war Nottingham and educated at Nottingham High School. After obtaining a Law degree he became a career-long criminal law practitioner and academic, emigrating in 1989 to Australia, where he still lives. Combining his two great loves of History and the English language he began writing historical novels as an escape from the realities of life in the criminal law, but did not begin to publish them until close to full-time retirement, when digital publishing offered a viable alternative to literary agencies, print publishers and rejection slips. Now blessed with all the time in the world, his former hobby has become a full-time occupation as he enjoys life in rural New South Wales with his wife, sons and grandchildren to keep him firmly grounded in the reality of the contemporary world.
Follow him at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063551498733
Website: https://davidfieldauthor.com/home/
Buy Links – https://geni.us/x5Af
The Other Side of Night begins with a man named David Asha writing about his biggest regret: his sudden separation from his son, Elliot. In his grief, David tells a story.
Next, we step into the life of Harriet Kealty, a police officer trying to clear her name after a lapse of judgment. She discovers a curious inscription in a secondhand book—a plea: Help me, he’s trying to kill me. Who wrote this note? Who is “he”?
This note leads Harri to David Asha, who was last seen stepping off a cliff. Police suspect he couldn’t cope after his wife’s sudden death. Still, why would this man jump and leave behind his young son? Quickly, Harri’s attention zeroes in on a person she knows all too well.
Ben Elmys: once the love of her life. A surrogate father to Elliot Asha and trusted friend to the Ashas.
Ben may also be a murderer.
My Review
I won’t say I went into this blind, but apart from the brief synopsis above, I didn’t read any reviews or any other information before I started. Therefore it was all a surprise.
When Elliot Asha’s mother Beth dies of cancer, his father David is distraught. So much so that he is last seen stepping off a cliff, his body never recovered. But why would he leave his beloved young son to cope on his own? It doesn’t make sense.
Harriett Kealty, sacked from the police force, doesn’t believe it either. But there is nothing she can do apart from go out on her own and investigate. And the first person she questions is the former love of her life – Ben Elmys. They met online, had two wonderful dates – it was love at first sight – and then on the third date, he ended the relationship. Harri was devastated. Ben also happens to be Elliot’s guardian and was best friends with the Ashas.
And that’s as far as I can go. Because everything else is too important to the story to reveal. There are secrets and twists that many people will adore; though many will find it all a bit far-fetched. But the one thing that is irrefutable is that it is a beautifully written tale of love and sacrifice that will have you in tears, both of joy and of sadness. Because for every choice there is a price to pay.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
British author and screenwriter Adam Hamdy works with studios and production companies on both sides of the Atlantic. As well as creating the Scott Pearce series, which comprises of Black 13 and Red Wolves, he is the author of the Pendulum trilogy, an epic series of conspiracy thriller novels. James Patterson described Pendulum as ‘one of the best thrillers of the year’, and the novel was a finalist for the Glass Bell Award for contemporary fiction. Pendulum was chosen as book of the month by Goldsboro Books and was selected for the BBC’s Radio 2 Book Club. Prior to embarking on his writing career, Adam was a strategy consultant and advised global businesses in the medical systems, robotics, technology and financial services sectors.
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, cosy mystery, fiction, podcast, private investigator, radio play, review, Theatrephonic
The Private Investigator by Cat On A Piano / Theatrephonic
The Private Investigator – Winter Reprise
When a dame gets under your skin…
The first time Mrs Tierney hired PI Webster, he was surprised to find that her missing ‘person’ Maurice was actually her cat. But when she asks him to work for her again, it’s quite different.
This time it’s serious and Mrs Tierney also happens to be very attractive.
Written by Barbara Jennings
Directed by Emmeline Braefield
Starring
Tom Black @blackly.jpg as PI Webster
and
Lydia Kenny @lid_ear_kenny as Mrs Tierney and Mrs Brody
Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions
Music:
Saxophone interludes were performed by Lydia Kenny
Blue Mood by Robert Munzinger
The Black Cat by Aaron Kenny
Jazz Mango by Joey Pecoraro
The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield
Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.
Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.
For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram @theatrephonic, or visit their Facebook page.
And if you really enjoyed this week’s episode, listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…
+ child abduction, childhood, community, fiction, forgiveness, loneliness, loss, love, motherhood, review
Safe With You by RM Ward
It used to be more of a community round here. I was going to say something like this wouldn’t have happened then, but it would, wouldn’t it? Maybe a lot of it was kept quiet. But was it really any safer? Is anywhere safe?
Kath has lived on the same London estate for decades. Lately she’s become friendly with the little girl next door, who is often left alone for hours at a time while her mum is at work.
They have a system. When Mina gets home from school to the empty flat, she knocks on the wall three times. Knock, knock, knock. I’m home safe and sound.
But one day Mina’s knock doesn’t come. Kath raises the alarm and the police begin the search. Kath was the only person looking out for Mina – now she might be the only one who can bring her home.
My Review
I know I’m always talking about red herrings, but Safe With You had so many and every single one a real possibility. And it’s one of the first books I have read where we can sympathise with characters who appear to have done some awful things.
Take Mina’s mum Sandy for instance. What a terrible mother! Lives in a tip, leaves her 11-year-old daughter alone for hours after school, never feeds her properly and then even stays out all night so she can have sex with her boss. How could we possibly feel sorry for her? But thanks to some clever writing we do.
Then we have Den from the cafe. Bullied by his father for being a wimp, forced to leave university under a cloud (we find out why eventually), an obvious suspect when it comes to Mina’s disappearance, but again we root for him because we can see his vulnerability.
The characters make mistakes – often dreadful ones – but that’s because they are human and we have to believe that almost everyone can be redeemed. They just need to atone, and I don’t mean in a religious way.
But eighty-something Kath is the main protagonist here and our narrator. She lives opposite Sandy and Mina in the same block of flats where she has lived for decades. Lately she’s become friendly with Mina, who is often left alone for hours at a time while her mum is at work. They have devised a system. When Mina gets home from school, she knocks on the wall three times. Knock, knock, knock. And Kath knocks back in reply. Until one day Mina doesn’t and Kath becomes worried.
And so we have the premise for the whole story. Where is Mina? Did she run away or was she taken? And if so who took her? Everyone is a suspect, and who can we believe?
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
R.M. Ward was born in Surrey and now lives in Bath with her husband and two dogs. She has two grown up children. She worked in local government for years before writing full-time. Her debut YA thriller, Numbers, published under Rachel Ward, won many regional awards in the UK and Europe, was released in 26 countries and is currently optioned for film. She has also written a cosy crime series, the Ant and Bea Mysteries, starting with The Cost of Living, set in and around a supermarket. Safe With You is her first psychological thriller with HQ Digital.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, grief, lies, loss, murder, private investigator, revenge, review, trafficking
The Tin Man by Brian W Caves
Almost eight years after ex Detective Sergeant Simeon Cain fell into the deepest, darkest hell when his wife committed suicide, he has managed to rebuild his life and is now running a private investigation agency.
He is hired to investigate a nine month old murder that the police have all but given up on, the killer has never been caught; the murder classed as a random violent mugging. Cain, finds himself thrown into a complex puzzle left behind by the murder victim, a translator who has by accident discovered information regarding drugs and people trafficking involving a Romanian gang and three prominent local business men.
#TheTinMan @brian_caves @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour
The daughter of the murdered man hires Simeon to do what he can to bring the real killer to justice, but all is not what it at first seems and Cain ends up fighting for his life and the life of a young Hungarian university student he has accidentally involved in the case. To the very end Cain is unaware that he has been manipulated right from the very start.
The Tin Man is the first of a new series, which you will not want to miss. The novel is full of action and intrigue and the series is set to grow. Brian Caves is a great storyteller and this book is pure action all the way through, with twists and turns aplenty. The plotting is genius…
My Review
I loved this book far more than I thought I would when I read the blurb. Simeon Cain is hired by a famous model to look into the murder of her father Edward Knox, nine months ago. The killer has never been found and the crime was decreed a mugging that went tragically wrong. But daughter Sam is not convinced and wants Simeon to look for clues.
Simeon Cain has a tragic past. His wife committed suicide – we later find out what happened to her – but he is still struggling to come to terms with it. As this is the first in a series we are slowly building his character and personality. He’s empathic and hard at the same time. He can be quite judgmental. He can get angry when he sees injustice. Like his friend Dean – still a police officer – he needs to turn over every stone. The smallest details niggle. And he notices things.
Each time we meet a new character he describes them in detail eg ‘He was about thirty-eight, shoulder length dark hair parted in the middle, dark eyes…He had on a white T-shirt, oil-stained jeans and scuffed work boots. He was shorter than me by a couple of inches and slighter in build…’
Now initially I found this quite odd (as a writer this goes against everything I was taught), but then I realised that being an ex-cop turned private detective, he was describing someone from the point of view of being a witness as in what can you tell me about the person you saw? Very clever rule-breaking which definitely works.
So much more I could say about this exciting new novel, but I can’t give anything away and there were some seriously unexpected twists, especially towards the end.
According to Simeon, the great James M. Cain (Simeon’s namesake a coincidence – I doubt it very much) wrote in his novel Double Indemnity, that there are three essential elements to a successful murder. One, help. Two, everything known in advance: the time, the place, the how. And three is the most important element of all: audacity. ‘I’d abridged Cain’s text, but that was the gist of it,’ says Simeon, ‘…and turned it around to suit what I needed to do…a huge risk, and it was an audacious plan.’
In fact the whole book is audacious, and Simeon takes risks that had me reeling in shock, literally. I was gobsmacked at one of the things he does. In fact more than one.
Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
From the Author
“I started out as an engineer, then an estate agent, followed by senior management roles in cable TV and telecoms. Spent a few years as a management consultant and now work in the language translation industry.
“I have played music all my life. Classically trained on the clarinet from the age of eight until fourteen when my world took a quantum leap forward after hearing Jimi Hendrix and Voodoo Child on the radio. I thought, wow, I gotta do that. I dumped the clarinet and I picked up the guitar and have never put it down. I have played alongside topflight musicians, both live and in studios.
“From a young age I read books like Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Black Beauty, Swallows and Amazons, then The Famous Five, Billy Bunter, Jennings and Derbyshire, Biggles, and Tarzan. Agatha Christie had a major impact as did Georges Simenon. I penned short stories at school – mostly adventure, but it wasn’t until I became hooked on American Crime Noir that my urge to write came crashing to the forefront of my mind. Reading Hammett, Chandler, Jim Thompson, Macdonald, and the master, James M. Cain had the same effect on my potential writing career as Hendrix had for my music.
“Currently, having been further influenced by the greats of Southern literature, I write crime stories based in the Deep South as well as UK based dark noir crime set in the county of Northamptonshire where I reside. Throw into the pot crime and horror short stories and novellas and you’ll have some idea of what goes on in my head.”
Follow Brian at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bwcaves
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/caves.brian/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brian_caves
Buy Links – https://geni.us/Xbs0Hw
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, murder, murder mystery, police corruption, police drama, police procedural, review, Scotland, Scottish Highlands, thriller, vigilante
The Night Watch (DS Max Craigie #3) by Neil Lancaster
He’ll watch you.
A lawyer is found dead at sunrise on a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. It was supposed to be his honeymoon, but now his wife will never see him again.
He’ll hunt you.
The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer’s last client – Scotland’s most notorious criminal… who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands.
He’ll leave you to die.
But this time the killer isn’t on the run; he’s on the investigation team. And the rules are different when the murderer is this close to home.
He knows their weaknesses, knows how to stay hidden, and he thinks he’s above the law…
My Review
Perfectly written and plotted, this is an author you can rely on to deliver a police procedural with added bite. Plus a great deal of action, plenty of murders and a lot of swearing from the boss. I don’t usually like swearing in books, but when DI Ross does it, it’s hilarious. ‘Craigie, why is it that I am in the f*”*ing office on my bastard own?’ is his opening line. Insults fly back and forth as they call each other names.
We’ve met DS Max Craigie twice before in Dead Man’s Grave and The Blood Tide, as well as the team – DI Ross Fraser ‘Ross-Boss’ and ‘fast-track Fannie’ DC Janie Calder. Then we have civilian intelligence agent Norma Kirk, Max’s old mate from their Flying Squad days – undercover cop Niall Hastings – and surveillance expert Barney (though he was in the second book). Plus a host of others.
Scott ‘The Axe’ Paterson thought he was ‘the hardest man in Edinburgh.’ But when he is acquitted of a crime everyone knew he had committed, someone decided that justice had to be done. ‘He was the worst of the worst, so he had to die.’
Then a lawyer is found dead at the foot of a cliff while on his honeymoon and he just happened to be the same lawyer who got Paterson off. Journalist Shuggie Gibson, or as Ross calls him ‘scumbag, gutter-sniping, parasitic shite’ thinks they are connected. Five years ago the same lawyer managed to get another drunken-driver Chick Wilson off a hit-and-run with a ‘not proven’ verdict. Three days later he’s found hanging from a tree in a park. Coincidence? No chance. Not in police work.
And that’s just the beginning. The story races along with no let-up as Max and Janie try to find out who is behind the vigilante killings before there is another one. And just when you think you know who is behind it, there is another twist and more suspects get thrown into the mix.
Another brilliant book from Mr Lancaster and I’m sure there will be lots more to come.
However…..we definitely do not hear enough this time from furry sidekick, running partner and cuteness-overload cockapoo Nutmeg. Come on Neil, he’s my favourite character. He needs his own show…
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author, and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Neil was born in Liverpool in the 1960s. He recently left the Metropolitan Police where he served for over twenty-five years, predominantly as a detective, leading and conducting investigations into some of the most serious criminals across the UK and beyond.
Neil acted as a surveillance and covert policing specialist, using all types of techniques to arrest and prosecute drug dealers, human traffickers, fraudsters, and murderers. During his career, he successfully prosecuted several wealthy and corrupt members of the legal profession who were involved in organised immigration crime. These prosecutions led to jail sentences, multi-million pound asset confiscations and disbarments.
Since retiring from the Metropolitan Police, Neil has relocated to the Scottish Highlands with his wife and son, where he mixes freelance investigations with writing.
+ crime fiction, dark humour, Detective novel, Edinburgh, fiction, murder, murder mystery, police drama, police procedural, review, thriller
Hunter’s Chase by Val Penny (Edinburgh Crime Mysteries #1)
Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.
Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding his city, and he needs to find the source, but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a golf course.
#HuntersChase @valeriepenny @SpellBoundBks @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours
Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder, but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman’s life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: Detective Constable Tim Myerscough, the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable Sir Peter Myerscough.
Hunter’s perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this first novel in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series.
My Review
When young, cocky, useless burglar Jamie Thompson is caught stealing valuables from the house of former Chief Constable and now Justice Minister, Sir Peter Myerscough, he makes a run for it. Unfortunately, with Sir Peter hot on his heels across the grounds of the prestigious Merchant’s Golf Club, he stumbles and breaks his ankle. But it’s not a tree stump or the 18th hole he trips over – it’s the decomposing body of a woman.
And so it begins. The body has barely been taken away and the post-mortem carried out, when DI Hunter Wilson witnesses another death – this time it’s that of a well-known local felon (allegedly) and it looks like murder. And if two bodies are not enough, we have a third though the young girl’s life is hanging in the balance. Finally we have the addition to the team in the shape of Tim Myerscough, son of Sir Peter, and Hunter is not well pleased. Not a fan of the father, it will take a lot for the over-privileged son to prove himself. Give him a chance – I really liked him.
Hunter’s Chase is a real mixture. A crime drama and police procedural, it also features drugs, fraud, stolen cars and some surprises. It’s clever and witty and at times it broke my heart. Some of the scenes are quite graphic – none more so than the in-depth description of Frankie’s treatment of his severe acne. Give me chopped up body parts and ritual crucifixions any day.
There are a lot of characters in this book. I really had to concentrate – all the members of the team including Jane, Rachael and ‘Bear’ (who I am sure we will meet again in the next three books), the pathologists, and also the families of Jamie, Frankie and the victims. Then we have the very shady car dealer Arjun Mansoor.
I loved the Edinburgh setting, the names of the pubs – eg The Persevere – that’s a new one on me and the way the author is slowly building the characters, fleshing them out ready for Book Two.
Plenty of twists to keep you guessing and plenty of police banter and dark humour. Loved it!
Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Val Penny has an Llb degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction, and novels. Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.
Follow her at:
Twitter : https://twitter.com/valeriepenny
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Authorvalpenny
Website : www.valpenny.com
Buy Link – https://geni.us/sMr9O
The Volunteers – we give consent.
The angels arrive in a flying box. Every three or four generations. They take a number of willing volunteers from the colony. They have consent.
But what happens to them afterwards?
A short story written by Silvandar
Directed by Emmeline Braefield
Narrated by Ashley Shiers
Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions
Music:
Starcrasher by TrackTribe
Into the Void by TrackTribe
Away by Patrick Patrikios
The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield
Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.
Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.
For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram @theatrephonic, or visit their Facebook page.
And if you really enjoyed this week’s episode, listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…
+ child abduction, family, fiction, grief, kidnapping, lies, loss, love, marriage, motherhood, obsession, Psychological fiction, review, secrets, twins
Into The Woods by Lorraine Murphy
A lost child. A broken marriage. A ticking time bomb.
Karen will do anything for her eight-year-old daughter, Scarlett. Even holding together a marriage that is way past broken.
So when Scarlett disappears from their rural home, Karen is one hundred percent focused on a single goal – finding her little girl as soon as possible.
#IntoTheWoods @MurphyLorr @inkubatorbooks @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour
And time is of the essence. Because Scarlett is profoundly deaf and would live in utter silence if it wasn’t for her high-tech hearing aids. Karen knows that within hours their batteries will run out, leaving her daughter even more isolated and vulnerable.
As the search for Scarlett intensifies, shocking secrets are revealed and Karen realises she may have to look for answers closer to home.
When the reason for Scarlett’s disappearance finally becomes clear, Karen finds she is living her own worst nightmare – her daughter is in deadly danger and time is running out.
My Review
A short, sharp book, so scary and atmospheric – at times I was almost too nervous to read on. Not helped by the fact that I have an eight-year-old granddaughter named Scarlett. Should I peek at the end to see what happens? I admit I’ve done this when there is a dog in the story, just to make sure it survives. Did I peek? I’m not saying.
Into The Woods is written from the point of view of three different characters, including Karen, Scarlett’s mum and her husband Paddy. Karen is not always likeable, but naturally we have sympathy for her situation.
Husband Paddy is a prat. I’m sorry but there’s not really much else I can say about him. In fact both Karen and Paddy are too obsessed with work. Paddy is never at home – he’s always away in London – and Karen is always on her phone, organising her next venture and living out her life on social media. Paddy never goes online. I wonder why.
A year ago, Karen spoke publicly about her early thoughts on motherhood. She admitted that she didn’t really want children, and talked about the depression she suffered as a result of everything that had happened to her, including Scarlett being born prematurely at 26 weeks and being profoundly deaf. And because of something she said, the backlash was enormous and venomous and she claims she was ‘cancelled’.
When Scarlett disappeared, Karen was so busy on the phone that she hadn’t realised her daughter was missing for over an hour. Paddy, of course, wasn’t there, and he hadn’t seen Scarlett since he left for London that morning. A perfect excuse to blame each other.
There is so much tension in their marriage, you wonder how they are still together. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife, something which is not lost on the police officers who are there to search for Scarlett. And it’s a race against time, as once the batteries in Scarlett’s cochlear implants run out, she will no longer hear anything and she will be terrified.
This was such a brilliant book. Full of tension and malice. Parts were almost unbearable to read. Just let it be said that no dogs were hurt in the making of this story. I can’t say any more…
Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Lorraine Murphy takes everyday situations and twists them into terrifying tales. She is the author of Into the Woods and numerous published, and winning, flash fiction stories. A software engineer by profession, she’s had many careers including slimming club leader, adult educator, charity co-founder, chairperson, activist and entrepreneur. As a teenager, she adored Stephen King and later found herself on the jury of an infamous murder trial.
When she’s not writing, Lorraine is always into something, whether it be competing in/for her local Toastmasters club or jumping out of a fully functional airplane. She lives in Westmeath, Ireland with her husband Brendan and three taller children.
Into The Woods is her first psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
Follow her at:
Twitter : https://twitter.com/MurphyLorr
Website : http://www.lorraineamurphy.com/
Buy Link – https://geni.us/VqrvU
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