No pantomime this Christmas? No live show to go to? Well never mind. Cat on a Piano Productions have recorded this gem just for you.
Emily is a spoilt, greedy child. Her mother is a right snobby cow. Poor old Styles – their ‘man’ – gets no love or respect, even at Christmas, He just gets to carry the shopping.
Totally overloaded with things that Emily wants wants WANTS! they spot a homeless man selling stories. Having finished telling a story to a plant, he is now telling one to a fly. But Emily wants a story NOW and so she must have one. The fly can wait.
But the storyteller doesn’t want their money. What he wants is their lives. And the story is not exactly what they expected.
Listen now to Hobb’s Christmas Adventure on Spotify (you can also listen on other platforms) to find out just what happens when Satan wants to be Santa. It’s hilarious (though I did shed a tear at the end).
Written by Chris Meekings
Directed by Emmeline Braefield
With Rebecca Daines
Kaitlin Howard
Rob Keeves
and Henry Douthwaite
The music is all performed by Amicantus Choir, led by Maddy Evans
About Cat on a Piano
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.
And if you really enjoyed Hobb’s Christmas Adventure, listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…
+ crime fiction, family, fiction, friendship, murder, Psychological fiction, review, secrets, thriller
The Other Mrs Miller by Allison M Dickson
Two women are watching each other
Phoebe Miller isn’t sure when the rusty car started showing up in the cul-de-sac she calls home, or why its driver would be spying on her. What could be interesting about an unhappy housewife who drowns her sorrows in ice cream and wine and barely leaves her house?
Only one knows why
When a new family moves in across the street–the exuberant Vicki, who just might become the gossipy best friend Phoebe’s always wanted, and her handsome college-bound son, Jake, who offers companionship of a different variety–Phoebe finds her dull routine infused with the excitement she’s been missing. But with her head turned she’s no longer focused on the woman in the car. And she really should be…
The Other Mrs. Miller serves up a delicious brew of dark secrets and stunning plot twists that will keep you captivated until the very last page.
My Review
As one of my fellow Pigeons commented The Other Mrs. Miller is ‘a book of two halves’. The first half is about Phoebe, a bored and almost agoraphobic, wealthy housewife, whose ghastly father Daniel has just died. A highly successful businessman. he was also a sexual abuser and his victims are just beginning to emerge from the woodwork. No wonder Phoebe is virtually in hiding. Her husband Wyatt is a therapist, but struggles with their own marriage and they are on the verge of breaking up.
Then a new family move in across the road. Vicki instantly becomes Phoebe’s new best friend, but not as ‘best’ as her gorgeous 18-year-old son Jake. He pops over to do the gardening and other favours. Think Desperate Housewives here. Vicki is married to Ron, a disgraced neurosurgeon, who has fled California following two negligence law suits. Lovely. Almost forgot – most of them drink themselves into oblivion. Must go with the territory.
But the most interesting plot-line for me is the blue car claiming to belong to a delivery driver for Executive Courier Services that is always always parked across the road and the mysterious woman who sits there. Is she watching Phoebe? And if so why?
The second half of the book focuses on Nadia. This is her story. Personally (probably because I found Phoebe so irritating) I preferred this half of the book. Nadia has secrets – lots of them – and she is clever and devious. Can we trust her? Can we trust Wyatt or anyone for that matter? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
I loved it even though the second half was at times ridiculously far-fetched. But that’s fiction for you.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Allison M. Dickson is the author of several well-reviewed independently published novels and short stories covering everything from horror and sci-fi to suspense.
A linen sheet, smooth with age. A box of buttons, mother-of-pearl and plastic, metal and glass, rattling and untethered. A hundred-year-old pin, forgotten in a hem. Fragile silks and fugitive dyes, fans and crinolines, and the faint mark on leather from a buckle now lost. Claire Wilcox has worked as a curator in Fashion at the Victoria & Albert Museum for most of her working life. Down cool, dark corridors and in quiet store rooms, she and her colleagues care for, catalogue and conserve clothes centuries old, the inscrutable remnants of lives long lost to history; the commonplace or remarkable things that survive the bodies they once encircled or adorned. In Patch Work, Wilcox deftly stitches together her dedicated study of fashion with the story of her own life lived in and through clothes. From her mother’s black wedding suit to the swirling patterns of her own silk kimono, her memoir unfolds in luminous prose the spellbinding power of the things we wear: their stories, their secrets, their power to transform and disguise and acts as portals to our pasts; the ways in which they measure out our lives, our gains and losses, and the ways we use them to write our stories.
My Review
A beautiful memoir but quite frustrating at times. It is a mixture of the author’s life working at the museum, mainly in Fashion at the V & A, interspersed with short vignettes about her family and life. Some of these were very moving and I must confess I found these more interesting than the museum stories, (though I particularly liked the part about Freda Kahlo which was quite heart-breaking). It’s very strange because I studied Fashion at The London College of Fashion in the 1970s so these extracts should have resonated more with me than they did.
The reason I found the book frustrating is because the family stories are not in chronological order and her friends and family members are not named. Sometimes I wasn’t sure what was happening.
But I think for me the main problem was that I am very busy at work and with Christmas, so I was a bit rushed. If I was reading on a sunny day in the garden, sipping a cocktail and listening to Classic FM, I would have enjoyed it more. However it is a beautifully written book, the language is poetic and descriptive. I think I may read it again one day when I have more time.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
+ adventure, fiction, MI5, MI6, political thriller, politics, review, spy story, terrorism, thriller
The Lies of Our Fathers (The Barnabas Trilogy Book 2) by Jonathan Mark
Antioch 1098. A Crusader knight saves the lives of a Muslim family.
A city under siege by the army of the First Crusade. Sickened by the slaughter of Muslims, an English knight rescues a family and helps them escape. In the midst of battle he discovers a holy secret. When the tide is turned and the Crusaders find themselves besieged within the walls of Antioch, the same Muslim family must risk their lives to save the English knight.
#TheLiesOfOurFathers @jonmark1956 @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours
Ankara 2000. An ancient bible is discovered.
An original version of the Gospel of Barnabas, supporting the Islamic view of Jesus and suppressed by the Christian church for centuries, is discovered by Turkish police in an anti- smuggling operation.
Iran 2005. A son hunts his terrorist father.
Richard Helford, MI6 agent, is searching for his father, a wanted terrorist. A search for the truth will take him from the Greek islands to the deserts of Iran, via Turkish occupied Cyprus. Embroiled in the bloody rivalries of Iranian politics, could his father be guilty of a murder that hurts Richard to the core of who he is? Richard must find the secret of the Crusader knight and the proof that the Gospel of Barnabas is not a forgery. Or will the assassination squads from the CIA and Mossad get there first?
What are The Lies of Our Fathers? The second novel in the Barnabas trilogy.
My Review
We begin with the story of Robert de Valogne in 11th century Antioch. This was the time of The Crusades. Robert kills a Muslim man who is going to kill him first in front of the man’s family. The wife is called Akila and he decides to rescue her and save her and her children from being slaughtered. Robert is tired of the killing and no longer believes in the Christian Crusade. He converts to Islam and marries Akila.
Now it is 2005 and we are following the story of Richard Helford, an MI6 agent who is trying to uncover the truth about the original Gospel of St Barnabas, which Christians have tried to suppress for centuries as it shows Islam as being as important as Christianity (correct me if I’m wrong). I have to admit that it all started to get a bit complicated at this point.
Richard’s girlfriend Becky is pregnant with his child, but in spite of having no involvement in politics, she has joined a women’s Islamic movement called Words of the Faithful run by Nadia, whose husband was killed for funding terrorism. Richard’s father David is also involved but on whose side? It is all very mysterious.
Everyone wants David dead but Richard manages to meet him in Crete, just before he disappears again. Everyone also seems to be after a couple of religious artefacts taken by Robert de Valogne from a dying priest, but this is no Indiana Jones. In comparison The Last Crusade is like Enid Blyton. (Apologies to Harrison Ford.)
The story then travels to Northern Turkish-occupied Cyprus, back to England and on to Iran where Richard seems to be kidnapped, beaten, blown up and imprisoned numerous times by all sorts of different political or religious factions. I gave up trying to work out who was who.
Each time someone kidnaps him, they tell him a different story but who is lying and who is telling the truth? I had no idea most of the time. Who can we trust? Can we trust Nadia or someone called Amira who is a double agent or any of the Iranian soldiers? I can’t pretend to understand what was going on much of the time but I did learn a lot about Islam, about the differences between Sunni and Shia and about the Crusades. Maybe if I had read the first Barnabas book The Last Messenger it would have been clearer. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the book. I tried to go with the flow and revel in the adventure without getting too involved in the politics. And I have huge admiration for the phenomenal volume of research that the author must have undertaken to write this story.
Many thanks to @damppebbles for inviting me to be part of #damppebblesblogtours
About the Author
Jonathan Mark worked for nearly forty years in the City of London financial district, he retired early to pursue his long held ambition to write novels. He shares his time between Essex and Cornwall and travels around the world to research material for his books.
To kick start his writing career he completed an MA in Crime and Thriller writing at City University London. At the time, this course was the only creative writing MA in the country which focused on commercial crime fiction. The Last Messenger was the novel submitted to complete the MA.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonmark1956
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathanmarkwriter
Website: https://jonathanmarkwriter.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanmarkwriter/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonathan-Mark/e/B072HCBT1F/
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3kWZwIn
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/35Wd8Q3
When eight-year-old Abbie Brown discovers a quiet pool of water while wandering through the woods behind her Oregon home, she wades out into it and discovers she’s not alone. A wild-haired boy in green stares at her from the other side of the water. Mesmerized, Abbie reaches down to him and is yanked underwater.
#FaeChild @hanejolly #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours
She emerges on the other side as an unwelcome visitor to the Otherworld, the land of the Fae, with only the boy Foster to guide her. Back in Oregon, a changeling lookalike has taken her place, bonding with her mother while her father, hiding a secret of his own, views the “girl” with suspicion.
In the courts of the Fae a truce has long been in place between Winter and Summer. What havoc might a human child wreak in the careful machinations of beings older than time? And to what lengths will Abbie’s father go to get her back?
My Review
Such a lovely book. If you are a fan of C S Lewis or Tolkein, then you will adore this tale of Elves and Fairies, changelings, wolves and other mythical folk. It’s whimsical and mystical and full of just enough excitement for eight year olds upwards without being too scary.
Abbie is a sweet child. At eight years old, she loves the outdoors, taking her shoes off and wandering into the forest with her Jack Russell Sammy. I have a 16 year old Jack Russell so Sammy is now officially my favourite dog in a novel – ever.
On one such occasion she is looking into the water when she is surprised by an Elven Boy and pulled into an another world – the Otherworld. It is here that she discovers that the boy is called Foster with whom she must travel to find her way back. Along the way she encounters another human called Charles, his companion Nadiene who is really a wolf and a Winter Elf called Gwyn. It’s a dangerous journey and not to be undertaken lightly but Abbie has no option if she wants to get home to dad Dan and mum Fiona.
Sometimes the story is told from Dan’s point of view. There is a lot we don’t know about him. In fact Abbie knows nothing at all about who or what he really is. And while Abbie is trying to get home, Dan is organising her return by invading the Otherworld. This is dangerous for him as we the reader, and eventually Abbie will discover. In fact Abbie is not what she seems either.
I love Fae Child and can’t wait to read it to my granddaughters. They are a bit young yet at six and four but it won’t be long. In fact the eldest will be able to read it to her sister in a while.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.
About the Author
Jane-Holly, an Oregon based writer, has been scribbling stories into notebooks and online for most of her life. She squeezes in time for her four kids, date nights at the movies with her husband, and explaining her first name to everyone she meets. She believes that, if creativity is directly correlated to how messy your house is, she might just be one of the most creative people on the planet.
Publication information
Pub date: December 15, 2020
Format: Fae Child will be in print and ebook:
https://www.amazon.com/Fae-Child-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B08KD5HF83
You can preorder both through the publisher’s website:
Fountain of youth? More like murderous medication!
Carrie Kromer pushes the boundaries of science, not her social life. The brilliant behavioural gerontologist’s idea of a good time is hanging out with her beloved lab rats and taking care of her elderly mother and the other eccentric old folks at the nursing home. So no one is more surprised than Carrie when she steals the lab’s top-secret, experimental medicine for ageing in reverse.
#CookingForCannibals @richleder @LaughRiotPress @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours
Two-time ex-con Johnny Fairfax dreams of culinary greatness. But when his corrupt parole officer tries to drag him from the nursing home kitchen, the suddenly young-again residents spring to his defence and murder the guy—and then request Johnny cook them an evidence devouring dinner to satisfy their insatiable side-effect appetite.
As their unexpected mutual attraction gets hot, Carrie and Johnny find themselves caught up with the authorities who arrive to investigate the killing. But even more dangerous than the man-eating not-so-senior citizens could be the arrival of death-dealing pharmaceutical hitmen.
Can Carrie and Johnny find true love in all this bloody madness?
Cooking for Cannibals is a dark comic thriller with a heaping helping of romance. If you like fast-paced plots, unconventional characters, and humour that crosses the line, then you’ll have a feast with Rich Leder’s wild ride.
My Review
Oh my goodness! This is like nothing I have ever read before. Hilarious, shocking, funny, dark and gross – what a ride. Not for the faint-hearted it includes murder, torture, rats, nudity, orgies, drugs, more rats, cannibalism, sex, torture (did I already mention torture?), even more rats – have I left anything out? Don’t think so. And all served – tattoo-boy Johnny Fairfax style – with panache-in-a-burger and a huge helping of dark humour.
I love the rats. I know I probably shouldn’t and most people hate them, but I love their little rat faces and their little rat feet. And the way Carrie adores them and kisses them on their little rat noses. She calls them her Greek Gods. Just the ones with the super powers that is. Bit like the geriatrics at the Copacabana Rest Home (except she doesn’t kiss them on their little wrinkled noses), who have not only turned back time but become lithe and gorgeous, sex mad and with a lust for devouring human flesh. Carrie gave them a pill that did this. She stole it and everyone wants it back including Sikorski the scientist who developed it.
Now everyone is after her – from the drop-dead gorgeous ‘fixer’ Eduardo Wolf to the pyromaniac ‘cleaner’ Constantine ‘Tino’ Antonov, from the Matrix twin cops to Johnny’s larger-than-life parole officer. Looks like there is only one way out. Kill ’em, cook ’em and feed ’em to the residents. I don’t know why I’m laughing. It’s really not funny – well actually it’s hilarious.
Many thanks to @damppebbles for inviting me to be part of #damppebblesblogtours
PS I don’t think Amazon will approve this review – I may have to leave a few things out.
About the Author
Rich Leder has been a working writer for more than three decades. His credits include 19 produced movies—television films for CBS, Lifetime, and Hallmark and feature films for Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, Longridge Productions, and Left Bank Films—and six novels for Laugh Riot Press.
He’s been the lead singer in a Detroit rock band, a restaurateur, a Little League coach, an indie film director, a literacy tutor, a magazine editor, a screenwriting coach, a wedding guru, a PTA board member, a commercial real estate agent, and a visiting artist for the UNCW Film Studies Department, among other things, all of which, it turns out, was grist for the mill.
He resides on the North Carolina coast with his awesome wife, Lulu, and is sustained by the visits home of their three fabulous children.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/richleder
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRichardLeder/
Website: https://richleder.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rich_leder/
Purchase Links:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3dK15Hy
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3nObXrZ
Publishing Information:Published by Laugh Riot Press on 14th January 2021
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, journalist, MI5, murder, murder mystery, police corruption, police drama, police procedural, political thriller, rape, revenge, review, secrets, serial killer, spy story, thriller, writing
Deadline by Geoff Major
Adam Ferranti was drinking away his waking hours, getting by in a regional newspaper in the North of England. An award-winning journalist, he moved to England to escape the media glare that followed his spectacular fall from grace at The Washington Post; only to be thrust back in it when a mysterious serial killer decides to make him his confidante.
#Deadline @GradusPrimus @ghpbooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours
DS Stephanie Walker is a successful member of the West Yorkshire Police force. Whilst she is tough and results-driven at work, with a fearsome reputation on the streets, she hides the domestic abuse she suffers at home.
She finds Ferranti exceptionally difficult to deal with, but he’s her only chance to stay close to what the elusive killer is planning next. Ferranti reluctantly complies with the Police, even though he is fighting his own personal demons, but when his best friend is murdered by the killer, it suddenly gets personal. And suddenly, no-one is quite who they seemed to be.
My Review
This was a very interesting book with some surprising twists. DS Stephanie Walker is a great main character and journalist Adam Ferranti is fascinating. Some or in fact most of the murders are very gory so be warned, but there are only about five of them! Or is it six? Seven even? I lost count.
At first I thought – this is going to be just another police procedural but it feels very different. It’s not just a serial killer thriller, it’s also a spy novel – there’s politics, MI5 are involved, plus police corruption and revenge.
Ferranti is the most interesting character, but I felt that certain aspects of his nature could have been explored a bit deeper. We know a lot about his background, his family and his time in Afghanistan but there is more to him than we at first realise.
Stephanie is married to Alex – a handsome model whose well-paid work has enabled them to live a lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately he has been losing work because of his temper and unpredictability and this has resulted in the rapid deterioration of their relationship. I did question how they ever got together in the first place – they seem so mismatched. Alex has turned to drink and has become physically abusive towards his wife but she is too ashamed to tell anyone.
I loved Ferranti’s driver Aarav Khatri whose biggest fear is that his parents will find out that he is a chauffeur with an old Nissan Leaf instead of studying to be a doctor. We really feel sorry for him.
But the best thing about this book is that it turns everything you expect on its head. The identity of the killer, who lives and who dies. Usually these outcomes are fairly predictable but not in this book. As a creative writing student I was told I had to ‘murder my darlings’ – metaphorically speaking that is. In other words get rid of unnecessary scenes/paragraphs/characters which do nothing to move the story forward even though you love them. This author takes that adage literally in Deadline. He’s not afraid to murder our darlings for real and often it will be totally shocking and unexpected. Very different and a brilliant read.
Many thanks to @damppebbles for inviting me to be part of #damppebblesblogtours
About the Author
A long time ago, Geoff Major had an idea for a story, whilst walking his girls to primary school. Two years ago, he decided he had the time and patience to try to write the story down. His wife was wholly supportive, so he turned from full-time to part-time for four months and now – 23 years after that idea first popped into his head – it has been published.
As a self-employed business consultant for 18 years and a fundraising adventurer for 10 years (including ski-trekking 50 miles, over 6 days and 6 nights, to the geographic North Pole), he now works for a debt charity whilst plotting his next three books.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GradusPrimus
Blog: https://lets-start-at-the-very-beginning.blogspot.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/primusgradus/
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2UAjMok
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3kALBrp
Waterstones: https://bit.ly/3kAt0Me
Welcome to Edwardian England. The Lord of the Manor is dead! The servants are our lead suspects and it’s up to you to unearth the evidence, seek out the suspects and catch the culprit in order to scupper the other sleuths, and win this game of murder
The Murder Mystery Card Game
The Manor House Murder
A game for 2 – 5 players | Age 14 +
£8.95 + p&p
www.foulplaygame.co.uk
info@afterdarkmurder.co.uk
Facebook:@afterdarkmystery | Twitter:@afterdarkmurder | Instagram:@afterdarkmurder
@damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours
There’s more than one way to catch a killer though. So what’s it gonna be? Good Cop or Bad Cop? These two game versions come with their own set of rules and tactics to crack the case and finger your suspect, but will you use fair play or FOUL PLAY?
The Game is Afoot! Playing as detective, you’ll need to find the three evidence cards that point to a specific suspect in order to catch a killer in this crazy criminal caper. Will you uncover them in the crime scene? Could the other detectives be willing to collaborate and share their findings? Or will you resort to more tricky tactics, and plunder the proof you need to solve this crime?
History of Foul Play
What’s a Murder Mystery Events Company to do?
With a pandemic sweeping the nation and no sign of being able to perform their confounding criminal cabarets or incredible interactive investigations any time soon, they needed to come up with a plan, another way to provide mystery to the masses (and provide income to keep themselves afloat)!
Well, lockdown does strange things to people, especially actors who can’t go out and perform. So one fateful evening, Ben & Lee Cooper-Muir decided to come up with a whole new way to murder people. Keeping their cards close to their chests they plotted and schemed until Foul Play : The Murder Mystery Card Game was born. So, what to do next? This is where After Dark enters the picture. After all, Ben and Lee were two of the operators of the infamous murder mystery company. Maybe they could collaborate to bring the game to the masses. When Lockdown restrictions were eased a top-secret meeting was held with the other criminal masterminds behind After Dark, Helen Burrows, Sophie Webster & Tom Fisher and a pact was made. The game would be launched and licensed under the After Dark banner. In true After Dark style, the team burst into action and then began the beta testing, design updates, promotional planning, character changes, proofing, proofing and more proofing until finally all the kinks were ironed out, mysteries solved, and FOUL PLAY came to life!
How to play
The full details of how to play are included with the pack of cards but here is a brief outline. They are also available on the website www.foulplaygame.co.uk.
Once your crime scene is set and cards dealt, the detective who has the highest number of red-backed cards in their hand goes first, if there is a tie then the more experienced (oldest) detective goes first.
On your turn, you can either play a card or discard a card.
PLAY A CARD
Place a card from your hand face up in front of you and state your play. If no one blocks your play with the block card then you can carry out the action on the card. Once the action is complete you must discard the card you played in the discard pile and then pick up a new card from the Evidence Locker. You pick up a card from the Evidence Locker after every card played.
DISCARD A CARD
If you don’t wish to play a card on your turn you can immediately discard a card (without showing anyone else what that card is) and pick up a new card from the Evidence Locker. Once the evidence locker is empty the discard pile is put in its place and a new discard pile is begun.
——————————
If a detective has only one card in their hand, certain cards can’t be played and must be simply discarded. Fair Play and Crime Scene are two such cards.
If a detective has all of their cards stolen then sadly their case has gone cold and they’re out of the game!
A minimum of two detectives in play are required in order for one to solve the crime and win the game.
Remember there are also two versions of the game – Good Cop and Bad Cop. There are some differences (which I won’t go into in detail) but the rules are basically the same.
The Suspects
Each suspect has varying attributes eg smoker, has keys, has a gun etc. Attributes are either A, B or C. The killer must have three of these attributes – one for each of A, B and C. So eg the killer is a smoker, has keys and wears glasses. I played bad cop and you need the killer card plus all three attributes in your hand to win. It makes more sense when you actually play – honestly.
My Review
I played with two people (including me), which is a shame because three or four would be far more fun. Unfortunately during second lock down and now being in Tier 2 it has been impossible to get together with my son and daughter-in-law who live 160 miles away and would LOVE this game. In fact they would probably dress up. If we were together we would all dress up. I thought about playing on Zoom but I have all the cards!
We went with the Bad Cop version, which uses the whole deck. It took about 20 mins or so to crack the case and find the killer. I think that is mainly due to there being only two of us. With four it would be harder as the cards would be more spread out.
I’m looking forward to getting together with my family soon so we can all play together. It’s something you can take on holiday and play anywhere (not on the plane though as the trays are too small) as all you need is a table which can accommodate the nine cards plus the Evidence Locker pile and the discard pile. All in all it’s great fun.
Many thanks to @damppebbles for inviting me to be part of #damppebblesblogtours
+ crime fiction, fiction, friendship, holiday, murder, relationships, review, secrets, thriller, writing
The Other Couple by Cathryn Grant
They planned a dream vacation. They got a trip to hell.
Maggie and Brad are on vacation at Lake Tahoe when they meet another couple, Skye and Joe. The four hit it off so well that Maggie invites their new friends to share her beautiful lakeside rental. What she doesn’t realize is Skye and Joe aren’t just some random couple. They have been watching Maggie and Brad, have chosen them carefully….
#TheOtherCouple @CathrynGrant @inkubatorbooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours
And now, when they discover that Maggie has a secret which could destroy her marriage, they start turning the screws, pushing their own sinister agenda. But have they chosen their victim wisely? Or does Maggie also have a dark side?
As the pressure builds, what should have been a dream vacation begins to look more like the inner circle of hell. Before it’s over all four will be changed forever – and at least one of them will be dead…
My Review
This was really good and so exciting. I woke early Sunday morning – it was my birthday – and just had to finish it. Just when you thought there couldn’t be any more twists there was another and another. I did guess one of them – I think we were supposed to – but I never guessed the final one. Never underestimate the quiet ones, the ones who everyone thinks are a bit dim and just go with the flow.
Brad and Maggie are on holiday at Lake Tahoe. Their rented home is beautiful, luxurious, secluded and peaceful. And too big for the two of them. Then they go out for a drink and it all changes. Joe and Skye engineer the initial meeting and Brad and Maggie have no idea they are being targeted. They seem so nice and friendly. Especially Skye. Poor things. They drove all the way from Florida in a van and their rental fell through. They were conned. Maggie invites them to stay in their huge house. Brad is cross. He feels that he and Maggie need this holiday to talk about their marriage and reconnect.
But all is not as it seems. Who are these people really and what do they want? We can guess but they don’t – yet. Because Maggie has a secret and Joe knows what it is. He wants money to keep quiet – lot’s of it. But Maggie is not playing ball. In the meantime Skye is connecting on Facebook with Maggie’s friends, including her lover Darren, who also happens to be a client of Brad. Now Brad’s marriage counselling business is also at risk, as well as their marriage. Maggie has a lot to lose. So she decides to fight back and that is when the trouble really starts.
Many thanks to @damppebbles for inviting me to be part of #damppebblesblogtours
About the Author
Cathryn Grant writes psychological thrillers, psychological suspense, and ghost stories. She’s the author of twenty-three novels. She’s loved crime fiction all her life and is endlessly fascinated by the twists and turns, and the dark corners of the human mind. When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats. Cathryn is the author of The Good Mother, The Assistant and other psychological thrillers. The Other Couple will be Cathryn’s fifth novel with Inkubator books.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathrynGrant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathrynGrant.Writer/
Website: https://www.cathryngrant.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathryngrant_fiction/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cathryn-Grant/e/B004G1I484?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1566901527&sr=8-3
+ anthology, Christmas, crime fiction, dark humour, fiction, murder, review, short stories, short story, writing
Afraid of the Christmas Lights: An Anthology of Crime Stories
by Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Rachael Blok, Heather Critchlow, Sara Collins , Elle Croft, James Delargy, Clare Empson, Jo Furniss, Sophie Hannah, T.E. Kinsey, N.J. Mackay, S.R. Masters, Phoebe Morgan, Dominic Nolan, Robert Scragg, Victoria Selman, Kate Simants, Adam Southward, Harriet Tyce
Festive Shorts from the Biggest Stars in Crime Fiction
My Review
Some of my favourite authors amongst these including Victoria Selman, Phoebe Morgan and James Delargy. I’ve selected a few of the ones I enjoyed the most to review.
An Unexpected Present by Phoebe Morgan
I love the very dark humour in this story. Calmly wrapping up her dead husband in Christmas paper – ‘Marks and Spencer’s paper isn’t cheap’ she thinks, ‘I was glad I’d be able to put it to good use’, and worrying that ‘the turkey isn’t going to cook itself’.
This was hilarious in that I just murdered my husband but I mustn’t let dinner spoil kind of way. Absolutely brilliant.
Hunted by Victoria Selman
Victoria gives us another dark story but this one has a real twist at the end. Did you guess? Short and sweet.
Especially at Christmas by Adam Southward
The darkest story of all. Even I struggled to find any humour in this one. Very clever and absolutely chilling.
Fresh Meat by Elle Croft
We kind of all guessed what was going to happen but it didn’t matter. The moral of the tale is never mess with a crazy cat lady. And anyone on Pigeonhole knows that you NEVER mess with the cat. Loved this story.
The Switch by James Delargy
This is so cleverly written. The narrator is telling us about a woman who killed her husband and two small children and is about to be executed. No humour here. He is talking to her in her last few moments before they pull the switch. The bit where they shave her head before she is electrocuted really got to me (I had to Google why they do this). This story stands out from all the others because it is so poignant and sad. I am a huge fan of this author and rightly so. So glad we got rid of the death penalty in this country years ago. It makes me shudder how they can still do this in some states of the US.
A Dog is for Life, not just for Christmas by Robert Scragg
Us Pigeons love a doggy tale just as much as we love a kitty tale (as long as the animals don’t get hurt) so this one was perfect. Never let your morals get in the way when someone hurts an animal. They must get their just desserts. Brilliant.
The Vigilante by Clare Empson
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, along comes my favourite. David loves Charles Dickens. A Victorian superhero. He also loves his wife. I read this story with tears in my eyes ( I admit I’ve been very emotional since hearing that the Bristol Zoo of my childhood memories is closing – well re-locating but that’s not the point). I digress. How beautiful and sad and totally original.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
+ anthology, Christmas, crime fiction, fiction, murder, murder mystery, review, short stories, short story, writing
Christmas Cookie Cozies: A Holiday Cozy Mystery Anthology
2020 is going to be the coziest holiday season yet with cozy mysteries from Ava Mallory, Summer Prescott, Jenna St. James, Laina Turner, Gretchen Allen, Joanna Campbell Slan, S. C. Merritt, Minnie Crockwell, Mona Marple, Rachael Stapleton and Loraine Hudson – along with their favourite holiday cookie recipe!
#ChristmasCookiesCozies2020 @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours
A fabulous collection of ‘long’ short stories – each one is almost a novella – with recipes at the end of each one. Cookies and Crime could be a fitting title for the whole collection but Caramelized Casualty has to be my favourite. I have listed each story with its resume followed by my own short review. And who better than to review stories about cookies than the cookie monster herself – Cookiebiscuit!
Many thanks to @damppebbles for inviting me to be part of #damppebblesblogtours
Summer Prescott – Hang Out the Stalkings
Someone is stealing Nancy’s cookies…will they steal her holiday spirit too?
I loved this story! But then it’s about a dog – Dolly the Poodle (she’s fine so don’t worry) – who gets stolen from the doggy grooming parlour while having a shampoo and clip. It’s sweet and heart-warming and I confess I shed a tear or three at the end. Poor Nancy. Who knew what rivalry went on in suburban dog parlours. There’s a mystery a-paw…
Laina Turner – Cookies and Crime
What is supposed to be a joy-filled awards ceremony for the Romero Boy Scouts turns out to be anything but when Jean Sartor, Scout co-leader, drops dead on stage. Trixie lands herself on the suspect list since she baked Christmas cookies for the ceremony. She knows she didn’t poison Jean, but who did?
A simple tale of murder, greed, lust and secrets. But who is guilty? More than one I suspect and Trixie is determined to find out – even though she is a suspect and is putting her own life in danger.
Rachael Stapleton – Christmas, Corpses & The Gingerbread Flip Flop
When house flippers Jack Young and Juniper Palmer purchase a colourful Queen Anne home, Juniper assumes the exterior gingerbread trim will be the most outlandish thing to see. That is until a prominent wine merchant dressed as Santa is murdered and Jack’s mother is caught on the naughty list.
I loved the supernatural element in this. Juniper can see ghosts. The type that come back to tell you about unfinished business. You usually then find out it’s a trick or even worse, aliens, but Juniper can really see them. I love a good haunting. It made the story for me.
Jenna St. James – Christmas Cookie Caper
When Ivy O’Brien learns her mother has been injured at the annual Couples Christmas Cookie Contest, she runs to the rescue. Looks like she needs to fill in for her mother and hunky policeman Anthony Romano has to help bake the cookie and question the suspects. Between dough-making disasters, nips of peppermint Schnapps, and rolling pin thefts, the pair slowly whittle down their suspect list.
Hilarious! The characters like Christmas Carol are so ridiculous but they made me smile. And Mr Ashcroft lining up the snowmen and worrying that one of his precious collection of rolling pins is missing. There’s even a ‘love’ interest in this one or at least the beginnings of one between Ivy and Romano. I have to admit this one was amongst my favourites.
S. C. Merritt – Caramelized Casualty
With the annual holiday unveiling of a giant gingerbread village quickly approaching, Kate Kennedy’s stress level is sky high. When one of the event’s diva celebrity chefs turns up dead, Kate decides she has no choice but to team up with the town’s newest detective if she’s going to pull off the big event. Can she expose the killer in time to save the event?
Love this. Those celebrity chefs are so up themselves. I hope they are not all like this in real life. A touch of dark humour (well more than a touch) and budding romance in this one. The murder puts Kate in a very sticky situation and her career depends on solving this viscous crime. Whoever thought you could be caramelized to death? Another favourite.
Gretchen Allen – Lost Claus
Charlotte Moss is one tough cookie, but her new job as Mrs. Claus isn’t what she expected. When Santa goes missing and a body is found, the most wonderful time of the year looks bleak.
Set in a shopping mall with three Santas, each with his own Mrs Claus and accompanying Elf. Who knew competition for the annual bonus could be so fierce? Olive wants to partner flirty Daniel but new girl Charlotte has taken her position, ex-Mrs Claus Erin has been murdered, Santa’s little helper Owen is acting very suspiciously and Kris (is that Kris Kringle?) has gone missing. Who dunnit? Charlotte is determined to find out.
Mona Marple – The Santa Run is Murderous Fun
Emily Monk’s run out of excuses not to take part in the annual Santa run, but the festivities are threatened when the long-running Santa Run champ is found dead the day before the race.
With a killer to be caught, and a Christmas dinner to be bought, Emily needs to think fast if she’s going to solve this case before Santa comes.
When the author is called Ms Marple, there has to be a mystery to solve. This one is based in England and it shows instantly in the writing style. I don’t know if they have Santa Runs in the US (I expect they do) but there’s always one in our local park here in Cheltenham. It’s big here – like Santa himself. Time for Emily, with the help of Uncle Cornelius, to solve the murder.
Loraine J. Hudson – Holly Jolly Misdeed
First, it’s a thieving Santa. Next, it’s a prowler that threatens Jenny’s peace. It all seems to revolve around a box of cookies. Why? And what’s next?
No bodies this time just a mystery over a box of cookies. Actually I loved this one. Poor Jenny stumbles upon an intruder searching through the gifts under the Christmas tree. She hits them over the head with a hockey stick and six year old daughter Ashley thinks mum has killed Santa. Once the perp is locked up Jenny spots a prowler in the garden. What could they be after and are the crimes connected? We’ll have to find out.
Minnie Crockwell – Death by Cookie
Sallie Chilcoat decides to get into the holiday spirit by baking up a batch of cookies for her lakeside condominium neighbours only to have one of them turn up dead – with the remains of her cookies! Did Sallie kill her neighbour with her vegan cookies?
Sallie doesn’t really do ‘neighbourliness’. She keeps herself to herself. But being Christmas, she decides to make some vegan cookies and leave them at her neighbours’ doors. Until she discovers an ant infestation and runs round looking to see if the cookies are still in the hallway. But one door is open and when she goes in she finds more than ants.
Ava Mallory – Christmas Cookie Catastrophe
When Consuelo “Cookie” Alvarez inherits a bakery from her aunt Birdie, she doesn’t expect to take her late aunt’s place in the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off. Now she has two weeks to perfect the super-secret recipe, but there are major obstacles in her way: she can’t bake, the recipe is missing, and her competitors are a who’s who of shady characters.
This story is about the theft of a recipe and no-one gets murdered. It’s a nice little yarn with a cast of unusual characters. A cozy Christmas tale with just a hint of possible romance.
Joanna Campbell Slan – How the Cookie Crumbles
Cara Mia Delgatto never met her maternal grandmother. But Nonie Josephina reaches out from the grave with a message for Cara: I left behind a treasure! Can Cara Mia find it before Santa comes to town?
A tale of four generations from Great-Granddad Poppy down to 20 year old Tommy, who everyone seems to want to hug, and their friends and family. Another cozy ‘mystery’ with a lovely, happy ending. No murders, no poisoned cookies, just a lot of love.
Purchase Links:
US Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08K97KLJ9
UK Amazon – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08K97KLJ9
+ adventure, crime fiction, dark humour, Detective novel, hostage, kidnapping, murder, police drama, review, secrets, writing
Kill a Stranger by Simon Kernick
They took your fiancée.
They framed you for murder.
You’re given one chance to save her. To clear your name.
You must kill someone for them.
They give you the time and place.
The weapon. The target.
You have less than 24 hours.
You only know that no-one can be trusted…and nothing is what it seems.
My Review
Very clever plotting with lots of twists and turns. Who can you trust? Well probably no-one. I found parts of this hilarious (I hope I was supposed to). These are the parts where Matt is concerned. Matt is a handsome actor, whose only TV role of any merit was as a police officer in Night Beat. He met Kate in Sri Lanka and stayed there to be with her. When confronted with her kidnapping and attempts to save her, he really hasn’t a clue and turns into Frank Spencer from Some Mothers do ‘ave ’em.
Kate is the most suspicious. Has she really been kidnapped or did she stage it herself. And if she did then why. Sir Hugh Roper is her father, but for years he had nothing to do with her. Her mother was the cleaner with whom he had a little dalliance. Ex-wife Diana is a gold-carat bitch who hates Hugh’s illegitimate offspring. Her own daughter Alana died and son Tom is the black sheep who has been disinherited. Any of them could be guilty.
DCI Cameron Doyle doesn’t trust any of them. He thinks they are all lying. He could be right.
When Matt discovers Kate has been kidnapped he will kill to get her back. Literally. He will have to murder someone in exchange for her safe release. Then it’s a race against time to save her. Don’t bother I say! She’s not what or who you think. It’s a great, fast-paced read that will keep you up at night trying to guess the truth.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Simon Kernick (born 1966 in Slough, Berkshire) is a British thriller/crime writer now living in Oxfordshire with his wife and two daughters. He attended Gillotts School, a comprehensive in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whilst he was a student his jobs included fruitpicker and Christmas-tree uprooter. He graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1991 with a degree in humanities.
Kernick had a passion for crime fiction writing from a young age and produced many short stories during his time at polytechnic. After graduating Kernick joined MMT Computing in London in early 1992, where a relative was the Chairman and Managing Director. Kernick was a key member of the sales team and was very highly regarded. However, he left the company after four years in the hope of trying to secure a publishing deal. Despite interest from a number of publishers Kernick was unable to secure a deal, so he joined the sales force of the specialist IT and Business Consultancy Metaskil plc in Aldermaston, Berkshire in 1998 where he remained until he secured his first book deal The Business of Dying in September 2001. His novel Relentless was recommended on Richard & Judy’s Summer book club 2007. It was the 8th best-selling paperback, and the best-selling thriller in the UK in the same year.
Bookchatter@Cookiebiscuit 