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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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

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-