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Come and Find Me by Sarah Hilary

come and find meDI Marnie Rome is back and, for me, it couldn’t come a moment too soon as I was in need of a book in my favourite genre that left me feeling completely satisfied and a lot less grumpy that I been with recent reads.

I love Marnie because, whilst she’s go baggage, she’s also normal.  Her past bothers her, colours her present, but isn’t all consuming.  She still manages to have normal relationships with her partner and her team and she doesn’t go running off on her own every two seconds to prove something to herself.  

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#LetsDiscuss2018: Am I becoming as grumpy as my characters

Gossiping WomenRecently, I have been feeling a bit grumpy when it comes to reading.  I can’t say it’s a slump because I’m still reading books at pretty much the same rate I always have.  But, picking those books up just isn’t giving me the thrill it once did, even with some of my favourite authors.

I’ve been scratching my head as to the why a fair bit and I think I’ve come to a conclusion that too many of the people in the pages are grumpy, ornery or just down-right angry and it’s beginning to rub off on me.

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The Guilty Ones by Joy Ellis

The Guilty Ones Joy EllisWhen DI Jackman’s sister-in-law commits suicide, his family finds it hard to believe.  She was a loving wife and mother and didn’t seem to have any real cares in the world.

His partner, DI Marie Evans, finds it so hard to believe she becomes convinced not all is as it first appears.  It’s a belief that becomes a reality as first one then two more suicide victims are found, neither of which are quite what they seem.

It looks like someone has come up with a very clever way of committing murder – by getting his or her victims to do it themselves. It’s also a very clever idea of a book, one I enjoyed as I watched the police scramble to figure out just who was behind some rather vicious attacks on seemingly innocent people.

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Weekly update: 11th March, 2018

Morning all and happy Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day to everyone in the UK and anywhere else in the world celebrating motherhood today. Mine was supposed to start with a lie in and breakfast in bed. Unfortunately, the cat had other ideas and decided the best mother’s day present would be a live bird flying around the living room. Cue my six o’clock wake up and a very tired me. Hopefully afternoon tea this afternoon will perk me up a bit. It will be a nice end to a busy-ish week, one that didn’t see me do much blogging beyond reviews – though, I still got three of those in so I’m not complaining….

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A Kill for the Poet by Simon Maltman

A Kill for a Poet

Brian Caskey is a bit of a mess.  A former cop, he drinks too much, smokes too much, has mental health problems, and has got himself involved in something he probably shouldn’t have gotten himself involved in.

He is also a writer of 1940’s crime fiction, with a main character who drinks too much, smokes too much and has got himself involved in something he probably shouldn’t have.

Both Brian and his detective live in Northern Ireland, a place where people seem to have a bit of an edge to them but also don’t take life too seriously unless they have to.  Neither seem to have had much luck in life, living alone and on the edge of the “real world”

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Let Me Lie by Clare Mackintosh

Let me Lie

Let Me Lie is another book by Clare Mackintosh that is hard to describe because one wrong word and you let out a plot twist – and possibly spoil the book for anyone who hasn’t read it.

It starts with Anna, home with her eight year old daughter Ella and mourning the loss of her mother a year earlier and her father seven months before that.  Both committed suicide, jumping off the cliffs at Beachy Head.

Or, at least the police and coroner say they committed suicide; Anna isn’t so sure and, when a card telling her to think again turns up on her doorstep, she becomes convinced her parents were murdered. Now, to persuade the police.

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The Dark Lake by Sarah Bailey

The Dark Lake

When the body of a young and popular teacher turns up in the waters of Sonny Lake, the first detective called to the scene is Sergeant Gemma Woodstock, a local who not only knows the area but also the victim – Rosalind Ryan, at least in passing (they went to school together).

The connection, Gem insists, is slight.  The relationship between the two women non-existent.  So she stays on the case, along with her partner Felix. Unfortunately, Gem isn’t quite telling the truth; she has a history with Rosalind (Rose), holding a secret that might put the case in jeopardy.

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Splinter in the Blood by Ashley Dyer

splinter in the blood

Splinter in the Blood is one of those books that opens with a scene that can’t help but hook you.  A police officer at the scene of a crime, the shooting of another officer, who – instead of calling it in – is destroying the evidence.

The victim is DCI Greg Carver. And the officer destroying the evidence his partner, Ruth Lake.  Why, it’s not clear – just as it’s not clear if Ruth is a dirty cop or a good one making bad decisions.

She seems good, I have to say, dogged and determined to figure out who shot Carver – and finish the case they were both already working on, the Thorn Killer, a serial killer loose on the streets of Liverpool. But there is always, all the way through the book (well until the climax) that nagging doubt.

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Tuesday Intro: Willnot by James Sallis

Once again I’m linking up again with Vicky at I’d Rather Be At The Beach who hosts a post every Tuesday for people to share the first chapter/paragraph of the book they are reading, or thinking of reading soon.

This week, I’m planning on starting Willnot by James Sallis as part of a buddy read but also to – hopefully – regain my faith in one of my favourite authors after a not so great read of one of his books a few weeks ago.  Here’s what it’s about…

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Weekly update: 25th February, 2018

Hi All and Happy Sunday – I hope you are having a good weekend.  This is my first weekly update for a few weeks and it’s nice to be back.  There’s been no reason for my absence other than not getting organised enough to write a post.  Life keeps getting in the way!  I have been lucky to get more freelance work (yay!) and we’ve also had friends visiting (more yays!) and half-term in there.  Now, though, life is back to something like normality so I hope to get reading and posting regularly again this week.

Still, I didn’t do bad with three posts last week – all reviews….