Newest Crime Reviews

	Murder at the Manor Hotel (Melissa Craig 4) by Betty Rowlands Crime Melissa Craig should have been getting on with writing her latest mystery novel but she'd been sidetracked into working on the script for a pantomime. It wasn't a traditional panto, but a spoof for the birthday party of a local millionaire, to be held on Halloween. It's got all the hallmarks of a mystery and a pantomime and it looks as though cast and audience are all in for a good time with the rehearsals being held in a luxury hotel. Well, they were until one member of the cast turns up dead in the cellar at the bottom of a steep flight of stairs. What was he doing there and why is the hotel manager acting so strangely? Full Review
	Gentleman Jack (DI Yates 7) by Christina James Crime The investigation into the thefts of farm machinery has been going on for months and it's getting DI Tim Yates down: he can't see where to go next. It's almost a relief when Jack Fovargue, agricultural entrepreneur and local celebrity is assaulted in the street, but no one can understand why Fovargue is so reluctant to help the police with their enquiries, or to press charges, particularly when a police officer was also assaulted. Yates is then diverted into the investigation which followed the discovery of the headless body of a woman in a canal near Lincoln: it's an interesting case but the downside is that the senior investigating officer is DI Michael Robinson. They're contemporaries but Robinson is bumptious and inclined to taking credit for other people's efforts. Full Review
	A Clean Death by Adriaan Verheul Thrillers, Crime Three very different men meet in the jungle, led there by fate. Davey sees conspiracies everywhere, Oliver seeks answers about the death of his father, and Captain Christmas leads a community of armed men, women and children, hidden far from justice in the forest. As the three men are brought together, the events could cause each to lose something of consequence: maybe illusion, maybe conviction, and maybe, just maybe, life itself… Full Review
	Where the Truth Lies (DI Ridpath) by M J Lee Crime DI Thomas Ridpath - call him Ridpath as he doesn't think Tom or Thomas suits him - looked to have a promising future in CID until he was forced to take extended sick leave nine months ago. He's back, but the word cancer leaves people doubting how well you really are, or are going to stay. Perhaps it would be better if he quietly retired? His wife, Polly, would like to see him in a desk job. Ridpath would like to be back in front-line policing, but all that's available to him is a secondment for three months as Coroner's Officer. If that's how it's got to be, then he'll do the best job he can. Full Review
	No Way Out by Cara Hunter Crime It was the end of the Christmas holidays and Felix House in an elite area of Oxford was on fire. Two children were dragged from the inferno: one, a toddler, was pronounced dead at the scene and the other, a boy on the cusp of his teens, died in hospital some days later. But where were the parents? Were their bodies in what remained of the house and which was being steadily cleared, or had they left the children at home alone? For DI Adam Fawley it's one of his most disturbing cases. He's still not got over the death of his son and there's every sign that his marriage is on the rocks. For his team it's just a heartbreaking, exhausting case. Full Review
	Cold Case (Bob Skinner) by Quintin Jardine Crime Bob Skinner left the police service in Scotland when it was amalgamated into one unit. He didn't believe in it then and he doesn't now and many serving officers would agree with him. He might be retired but he's hardly idle: he's contracted to spend one day a week working for a media group, but usually gives more. His family - six children now - is important to him. There's the occasional private commission, although he stops short of calling himself a private investigator, but he's just been presented with a problem which it's difficult to refuse. It's not the problem that's the difficulty - it's the person who is asking for help. Sir James Proud was Skinner's predecessor as Chief Constable and he's been approached by a blogger who feels that he has evidence that Proud was involved in a famous murder for which a man was convicted. He subsequently committed suicide whilst in prison - and went to his death denying that he was guilty. Full Review
	Red Snow by Will Dean Thrillers, crime Life in the small town of Gavrik is trying to return to normal, following the grim events of Dark Pines. As Tuva prepares to move on from both the death of her mother and her small hometown, she is drawn into another dark investigation. One suicide, and one murder. Are they connected? With black liquorice coins covering the murdered man's eyes, the hashtag #ferryman starts trending, and the local people stocking up on ammunition. With only a fortnight to investigate before moving to the South, Tuva is further troubled by a blizzard that descends on the town, cutting Gavrik off from the larger world. Desperate to stop the killer, Tuva must go delve deep into the heart of the community – but who's to say the Ferryman will let her go? Full Review
	And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott Crime, Thrillers We know there's something very strange going on as soon as we join the story: we begin by hearing how it's going to end and that someone must die. But that's just a hint: for the time being we're with two police persons. Stephanie's the sergeant and she has Jason, the probationer with her in the squad car, but Stephanie doesn't like where they're heading. The house is stunning, but the last time she was here it was because there was a dead body at the bottom of the stairs to the pool. This time there's been a 999 call with a woman screaming for help: the omens are not good and when they enter the house they find two tangled, blood-soaked bodies in the bed. They both look dead, but one of them moves - it's Evie Clark and she confesses to killing her partner. Full Review
	Wild Fire (Shetland, Book 8) by Ann Cleeves Crime An English family moved to the Shetlands in the hope of a better life, particularly for their young son, who is at the able end of the autistic spectrum. The wife is a designer of knitwear and she makes use of many of the traditional local patterns: some Shetlanders like the idea. Others feel that she's ripping them off for her own profit. The husband is an architect: he's extended the croft they bought. Many admire the way that he's continued the clean lines of the croft and retained the original building. Others... - well, you get the picture. The family can do no right, particularly as the son has an obsession with fire and set some paper alight in the school playground. The former owner of the croft, who had to sell up when he was in financial difficulties, hung himself in the bothy: there are those on the island who feel that the family is responsible for his death. Full Review
	Come and Find Me (DI Marnie Rome Book 5) by Sarah Hilary Crime There's no reason to think that Lara Chorley and Ruth Hull have anything in common, other than a rather strange infatuation with writing to Michael Vokey, a sadistic inmate of Cloverton Prison. They crave his attention and can't believe that he's as evil as his trial suggests. It might not have become important was it not for the riot at the prison, which ended up with Vokey killing two inmates, blinding and maiming more - and escaping under cover of the smoke from the fire he caused. Not surprisingly staff and inmates at Cloverton are unwilling to talk about where they think Vokey might be hiding out - they have wives, children and friends who might be at risk. Full Review
	Dead End (D I Kelly Porter) by Rachel Lynch Crime The seventh earl of Lowesdale was found hanging in his study by his teenage grandson, Zachary. Initially everyone assumed that the nonagenarian, hard-partying aristocrat had finally realised that the glories of his youth were long past and had decided to take the quick way out. When forensics discovered signs of foul play DI Kelly Porter was called in. It's not the only problem she has though: two young hikers have gone missing on the fells near Ullswater and she is in charge of the search. When they're not found within a couple of days her team uncover links to two other unsolved disappearances - and the girls all look startlingly similar. Full Review
	Charlesgate Confidential by Scott Von Doviak Crime, Crime (Historical) In 1946 a gang of criminals pull off an audacious art heist, making off with priceless works of art from a Boston Museum. These missing art works are never found. In 1988, a student finds himself caught up in the mystery of the missing art and hot on the trail of the multi-million-dollar reward. In 2014, the art is still missing and now dead bodies are turning up at the eponymous Charlesgate, filled with alumni celebrating their 25th reunion. As the body count rises, will we discover the truth behind the art theft decades earlier? Full Review
	Broken Things by Lauren Oliver Thrillers, Crime, Teens This is the problem with words and even stories: there is never one truth Summer, Mia and Brynn are obsessed with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn. They begin to believe it is real, that the world of Lovelorn is really materialising around them, and start writing their own fan-fiction sequel. One day, Summer is violently murdered in the woods where they all played and everyone thinks Mia and Brynn did it. Full Review
	A Tiding of Magpies: A Birder Murder Mystery by Steve Burrows Crime DCI Domenic Jejeune's most celebrated case was his rescue of the Home Secretary's daughter when she was kidnapped. It's always been his deep regret that he failed to rescue the man who was kidnapped with her and this has all resurfaced now that the case is being reviewed. Long-buried secrets are bound to come to light, even though the officer reviewing the case, DC Desdemona Gill, is a fan of his to the extent that it's almost embarrassing. The review isn't the only problem he has though: a body has been found on some waste ground, but it's so badly burned that identification is difficult - and made more difficult by the indecision of the Medical Examiner. Full Review
	The Darkness Around Her by Neil White Crime Lizzie Barnsley was escaping from her abusive boyfriend when she was murdered on the canal towpath on New Year's Eve. It obviously wasn't the boyfriend as he was still being held by Lizzie's friends at the pub, but before long Peter Box was arrested and charged. He'd sought treatment at the local hospital for an injury to his head which was the same shape as the heel of Lizzie's shoe - and her blood was on the shoe. Dan Grant was called in to represent Box, but there's a problem. Box won't talk - won't talk to the police or to Grant, so how is he to represent the man? And had Box killed Lizzie? It was obvious that he hadn't known her - so why would he kill her? Full Review
	Agatha Raisin and the Dead Ringer by M C Beaton Crime St Ethelred's Church in the idyllic Cotswold village of Thirk Magna has a team of dedicated bell ringers, with the keenest being twins Mavis and Millicent Dupin and when we first meet them they're preparing for the bishop's visit. Now you might be expecting an older, perhaps rather grey man, but this bishop is a little different. One description is 'sex on legs' and even Agatha Raisin is a little smitten - at first - but there's the merest whiff of a scandal about the bishop. It's the mystery of the bishop's ex-fiancee, local heiress Jennifer Toynby, who disappeared very suddenly and neither she nor her body have ever been found. Full Review
	Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of Death by M B Vincent General Fiction, Crime Dr Jess Castle, the self proclaimed failure of the prestigious Castle family has returned home to the sleepy, idyllic chocolate box town of Castle Kidbury. Rather than being delighted, her family are suspicious, especially her father, the judge. Luckily for Jess, she doesn't have to try too hard to dodge her family's suspicions as a series of gruesome local murders are taking place and that's all anyone is talking about. Jess accidentally finds herself in the thick of the investigation, and to her delight finds that she can actually be useful. But with the small population dwindling and the sense of danger moving ever closer to home, has Jess made a grave mistake getting involved? Full Review
	The Relentless Tide (DCI Daley) by Denzil Meyrick Crime The site was rumoured to have been the home of Viking warlord Somerled so the discovery by Professor Francombe and her team of archaeologists of the graves of three women initially caused great excitement, which rapidly turned to horror when they realised that the women had died just over twenty years ago. The graves would bring some closure though - these were the bodies of the three missing victims of the 'Midweek Murderer' who operated in Glasgow in the early to mid nineties. It was also an opportunity for DCI Jim Daley to confront a failure in his past. He'd been on the original case and the murderer had never been found. He'd also lost a close friend and made some enemies, one of whom would return to taunt him when Police Scotland's Cold Case Unit arrived on the scene. Full Review
	Under the Ice (DCI Jansen) by Rachael Blok Crime It's eleven days to Christmas and the cathedral city of St Albans is looking particularly festive with a covering of snow, but this belies the atmosphere: the body of a young girl has been found frozen in the local lake. DCI Jansen's only lead comes from Jenny Brennan - but can you put any credence on statements made by the sleep-deprived mother of a four month old child, particularly one who claims to have seen visions? Can you believe her statements that she's been sleep-walking in the middle of the night when she find evidence that the police have missed? When another girl goes missing the tiny city is in melt-down and for Jenny it all seems close to home. Far too close to home. Full Review
	So Many Doors by Oakley Hall Crime, Crime (Historical), Thrillers Vassilia Caroline Baird, known to all as V, is dead. Jack sits in his cell refusing to talk to the lawyer tasked with his defence. Starting at the murderous finale, Hall skillfully weaves together the stories of his key players, in a tale of love spanning decades and states, marriages and tragedies. By the time the truth is revealed, V will be dead but who else will lose their life? Full Review