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The Devil Comes Calling by Annette Dashofy

Jan26

Mesmerising & Gripping

The Devil Comes Calling by Annette Dashofy is a fabulous contemporary crime suspense that totally gripped me from the start. It is the third book in A Detective Honeywell Mystery series but can be read as a stand-alone. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

Matthias Honeywell is a very likable lead character. He is not without his flaws, and it is these imperfections that make him incredibly realistic and easy to relate to.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic. There are some menacing thugs; and some Teflon-coated villains – surely sooner or later, something will stick to them!

Most of the characters act as their personality suggests – until the superb ending when one character decides enough is enough! I did not spot that coming!

Murder and mayhem; arson and lies; revenge and secrets – The Devil Comes Calling has it all. And there are those who are in pursuit of truth and justice. Detective Honeywell and his partner are relentless as they seek out the perpetrators of crime.

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The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood

Jan14

All For One

The Mysterious Affair Of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood is a marvellous contemporary cosy crime novel and the perfect way to spend an afternoon. It is part of the Marlow Murder Club series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed meeting up once more with the three amateur sleuths. They are all ladies of a certain age, reminding me of three Miss Marples! Plus, there is their side-kick, a female police officer.

When two local men end up dead, the three women spring into action, assuming there must be a link. They set about to investigate the crimes. There is a new male police officer in charge, whom they have to scheme against as he doesn’t want their help.

The past returns to bite Judith Potts. It is a time she does not wish to re-visit, but the ghosts must be laid to rest.

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A Lesson In Cruelty by Harriet Tyce

Jan10

Absolutely Superb – Down The Rabbit Hole

A Lesson In Cruelty by Harriet Tyce is a superb contemporary psychological suspense that I just could not put down.

The author has created a marvellous plotline that is extremely well executed. We witness lives that intersect. People in the wrong places at the wrong time become embroiled in a story that is not of their own making.

We witness a broken criminal justice system. A character, guilty of hubris, believes he knows better.

Like moths to the flame, women are drawn to a weak-willed man who ultimately loves no one but himself.

A character is drowning in guilt. She does not believe that she deserves kindness. “She remembers his words in the cell, that’s tough, a kinder judge than she’s ever been to herself.” It is hard for her to trust anyone, especially those who are kind.

Guilt is the bed fellow of loss. “The past is a different country… All those hours spent in pursuit of her career, time robbed from her family, from everything that really mattered.” Only when everything is gone, does a character realise what was really important.

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Voices From The Dead by Tony Bassett

Jan10

Highly Entertaining

Voices From The Dead by Tony Bassett is a marvellous contemporary crime novel that I really enjoyed. It is the eighth book in the Detectives Roy & Roscoe series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces as once more, the Central England police force is taxed with solving a double murder.

Tony Bassett has created a fabulous plotline with small branches sprouting from the main trunk. The reader is thrown the same crumbs as the detectives as we all try to guess the perpetrator. I fell for a few red herrings along the way.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic. The villains were definitely shady. The police force was relentless in its’ pursuit of justice.

Characters’ lives had inter-connected with others over the years. There were definitely some shady characters to contend with.

I thoroughly enjoyed Voices From The Dead. It was a highly entertaining novel that kept me glued and guessing.

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