
Cruising to Murder
Cruising to Murder
by Mark McCrum
Severn House
Severn House Publishers
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Oct 2018
Review
What is better than a holiday? A holiday complete with murder. Cruising to Murder turns the traditional manor house mystery on its ear by using a luxury cruise as the setting. Isolated from authorities with a multitude of suspects on board, author/sleuth Francis Meadowes is tasked with solving two puzzling deaths - that of a wealthy woman who fell ove

In Cold Chocolate
In Cold Chocolate
A Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery
by Dorothy St. James
Crooked Lane Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 21 Sep 2018 Review Chocolate- check. Sea turtles- check. Murder- check. In Cold Chocolate is a cozy with bite. Charity Penn loves her chocolate shop and the town of Camellia Beach, despite the relatives of the woman who left her the shop causing problems, and her boyfriend’s crazy ex making wild threats and accusations. When Charity accompanies Alth

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
by Stuart Turton
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
Sourcebooks Landmark
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 04 Sep 2018 Review The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is one of the most unusual and memorable mysteries that I’ve read. It is easy to compare it to Groundhog Day where the protagonist repeats the same day until he gets it right and Quantum Leap, where the protagonist inhabits the bodies of different people trying to make things right. Both give yo

Murder Takes a Turn
Murder Takes a Turn
A British country house mystery
by Eric Brown
Severn House
Historical Fiction
Pub Date 01 Jul 2018 Review There is nothing quite like a well written, originally plotted manor house mystery. Murder Takes a Turn is an exemplary manor house mystery complete with a wide cast of characters, each with a motive and potentially the opportunity to murder the victim. Denbigh Connaught has long been a terror, with a long list of wronged acquaintances, including

Only the Dead
Only The Dead
A sinister game of revenge
by Malcolm Hollingdrake
Bloodhound Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 20 Nov 2016 Review Only the Dead is an interesting police procedural, differing from the norm in that for one of the two cases you already know the culprit. More than that, you sympathize with him despite his terrible acts. His mother was tormented and killed by her carers. His acts are retribution, designed to draw attention. But this plot line is only part o

Fire on the Fens
FIRE ON THE FENS
by JOY ELLIS
Joffe Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 30 May 2018 Review Joy Ellis’s newest novel Fire on the Fens demonstrates why she is one of the foremost authors of British police procedurals. The cases that challenge Nikki Galena and her team are believable but never formulaic or repetitive. As you read the Nikki Galena novels and come to know her, Joseph Easter and the rest of her team, they become like family. They care about their job and reade

Death on Dartmoor
Death On Dartmoor
A West Country Crime Mystery Book 2
by Bernie Steadman
Bloodhound Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 25 Jun 2018 Review Death on Dartmoor is an excellent British police procedural. DI Hellier and his team are three dimensional, the differences in their personalities, talents and approaches making for a realistic investigation. They have lives beyond their jobs. The cases they are faced with are daunting. In the one, they have a pair of teens, one dea

Shadow Play
Shadow Play
A British police procedural
by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Severn House
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Feb 2018 Review Everyone lies to police. For what reason - now that is the kicker. When the body of a businessman is discovered in the yard of Eli Simpson’s car workshop, Bill Slider and his team have little to build an investigation on - until a girlfriend identifies his body and offers the team their first clue. Mr King was someone’s right hand man, and someo

Beware the Past
BEWARE THE PAST
by JOY ELLIS
Joffe Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 19 Dec 2017 Review Joy Ellis has a talent for writing gritty police procedurals that make you feel strongly about the central characters. You empathize with their hopes and their fears. As DCI Matt Ballard approaches retirement he is haunted by one case that of three boys who were brutally murdered in the remote Gibbet Fen. The killings stopped when the suspect was killed in a hit and run, but Ballar

A Long Way Down
Long Way Down, A
by Ken McCoy
Severn House Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Nov 2017 Review A Long Way Down is a bit different from your average police procedural. Sep Black is a DI, but he acts as a lone wolf, bending the rules in order to get results. His newest case both intrigues him and falls under the purview of the team to which he is assigned, the cold case squad. A journalist’s wife is convinced that her husband’s death is related to a case he was investigating-