Two Heads Are Better Than One

Dann McDorman

Publication Date: 24/10/23

Publisher: Raven Books

SYNOPSIS

‘Any respectable practitioner must follow the rules in making the truth – however skilfully camouflaged by lies – accessible to all’

It’s the Fourth of July weekend at the prestigious West Heart country club. Gathered for cocktails on the first evening are just some of the guests: the club president, the treasurer, the snooping schoolboy, the bereaved father, the taciturn caretaker, the prospective member…

And there will also be a body.

And a private detective.

And a fiendish mystery to solve.

But everything else is all to play for.

And you are about to find out that you have a role to play in this mystery too…

West Heart Kill is an outrageously original and imaginative murder mystery that is both a love letter to the greats of classic crime fiction and a brilliant puzzle the likes of which you will never have read before.

MY REVIEW

Well I’m not entirely sure what to make of this one. It is unlike anything I have read, which is a good thing. I like to find something different as I read so many books! I have slept on it and will now have a go at a review.

It is a murder mystery, wrapped in a manual for murder mystery writing with the addition of some history of writing murder mysteries! It is rather a complex read, challenging, and it is a marmite read for sure!

The novel is set in and around West Heart country club in the US. The members are a bunch of quite unlikeable characters. A private detective is hired to ‘look out for anything unusual’.

As the story progresses, it continues to be interrupted by the ‘narrator’, breaking the fourth wall, who writes about such points as the rules of writing murder mystery stories, how us as readers are probably feeling about the book, what we think is going on, and he includes various historical facts and case studies.

A very unusual book, and despite my concentration on the actual mystery constantly being interrupted I didn’t find it too much of a problem as the story itself is quite a slow burner.

I did not work out whodunnit so my sleuthing skills are not up to scratch. I feel it bud a book I will get more out of during a second read now I know what it is all about!

I would definitely recommend giving it a read if you want to read something completely different. Just don’t expect a straightforward novel.

Many thanks to Raven Books for sending me a proof.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dann McDorman is an Emmy-nominated TV news producer who has also worked as a newspaper reporter, book reviewer, and cabinetmaker. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.

Janice Hallett

Published: 26/10/23

Publisher: Viper

SYNOPSIS

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up.

Of course there’s also the matter of the dead body. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

MY REVIEW

Just brilliant! This needs to be on everyone’s Christmas list!

I love Janice’s books they are so uniquely written in emails, texts, WhatsApp chats, interview notes etc.

In this case, a retired KC has sent paperwork from a case for two new criminal lawyers to see if they can work out ‘whodunnit’.

It revolves around a Christmas amateur dramatics production of Jack and The Beanstalk and we get first hand evidence of all the backstabbing going on behind the ‘conversations. The first ‘round Robin’ Christmas letter from Celia had me in stitches! I absolutely hate those things and Celia took it to another level, with her husband being given an OBE (only because his brother-in-law is on the honours committee) and their daughter who took a break (dropped out) of Oxford (Brooke’s) university! And she even had a dig at the current chair of the dramatics group.

There were so many laugh out loud moments as the play turns into a farce and then a murder mystery.

Poor Sarah-Jane, the chair of the group, keeps a level head throughout some hilarious setbacks such as buying drugs instead of sweets by mistake, and having to rescue her husband from a wheelie bin. Not to mention the possible asbestos in the beanstalk! What a woman! She was my favourite character. I hoped nasty Celia would get her comeuppance.

I didn’t manage to solve the mystery!

Huge thanks to Rachel at Rachel Quin Marketing for sending me an amazing goodie pack with an early copy of the book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and co-wrote the feature film Retreat, a psychological thriller starring Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton and Jamie Bell. The Appeal is her first novel, and The Twyford Code her second.

Brian Price

Published 17/10/23

Publisher Hobeck Books

SYNOPSIS

A shattering revenge attack
Mexton’s Major Crimes team is targeted by an Albanian crime gang as an explosion rips through the unit’s base.

For DC Mel Cotton – the attack is all too personal
DC Tom Ferris is seriously injured in the blast. His fiancée, Mel, maybe physically unharmed but she’s dealing with wounds you can’t see. She’s determined to return to work, but is she ready?

Death on her doorstep
Mel’s latest case is close to home – investigating a body found in her and Tom’s garden, the body of someone last heard of in Australia. Can she catch the murderer? And can anyone stop the Albanian crime gang on their ruthless campaign of revenge?

MY REVIEW

This is the fourth in the DC Mel Cotton series and I have enjoyed them all. Fabulously written police procedural / crime thriller.

This one starts with a bomb exploding outside the police station, killing police officers, civilian staff and a few unfortunate passers by. Despite the shock, and many being wounded, the police officers regroup and stand fast in their determination to bring those responsible to justice.

There are two main threads to this novel. The first is the investigation into the bombers, a particularly nasty group of Albanians who sought revenge from actions taken by the police in a previous book. They are into all sorts of bad things and I thoroughly enjoyed following the investigation which would hopefully catch them and get them off the streets.

As her fiancé received life altering injuries in the blast, Mel is asked to carry on investigating the body found in her back garden. This investigation procedure was very different but again I enjoyed how step by step the case developed.

And what a satisfying ending to the novel.

The mention of Poison perfume took me back a few years! I remember the bottle and I still blame it for my aversion to perfume!

Brian is a very talented thriller writer, catching the attention of the reader from the first page and keeping the action going. The build up to the final scene had me on the edge of my seat as I read faster and faster!

I hope there will be more in this series.

Many thanks to Rebecca at Hobeck Books for inviting me onto the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brian Price is a chemist and biologist who retired from the Environment Agency in 2016. He is the author of Crime Writing: How to write the science and runs a website offering tips on science for crime writers (www.crimewriterscience.co.uk). He taught science and technology courses for the Open University for 26 years. He has advised number of leading crime writers on scientific aspects of crime.

Brian’s first crime novel, Fatal Trade, was published, as an ebook and paperback, by Hobeck Books on 14th September 2021. A free novella, Fatal Beginnings, is available from Hobeck Books at http://www.hobeck.net. The sequel, Fatal Hate, was published in April 2022 and third novel in the series, Fatal Dose, came out on 31st January 2023. Fatal Blow, the fourth book, is due out on 17th October.

Several of his short stories appear in the anthologies Cuckoo, Lock and Key and Seventy Three, produced by the writing group Writers in Stone, and he has had stories published in the charity anthologies, The Dark Side of Christmas and Cooking the Books (published by Hobeck). His short story The Scent of an Ending appeared in the Crime Writers Association collection Music of the Night.

Find out more about Brian at http://www.brianpriceauthor.co.uk

Murray Bailey

SYNOPSIS

Judge not the man

Charles Balcombe cannot control his alter ego.
BlackJack is killing for fun and DI Munro knows his partnership with Balcombe can’t continue.
While Balcombe seeks help, Munro is asked to work for the Hong Kong governor’s aide-de-camp. He seems to be sidelined as Garrett resumes his hunt for the Squeezed-heart murderer.
But people have secrets and the more Munro investigates, the murkier they seem. When people start dying and with Balcombe’s help, Munro tries to get to the bottom of a conspiracy of silence.
Will he find the truth?
Will Garrett catch his killer?
Will Balcombe learn the truth about himself?
As the psychoanalyst told him: a third of the mind is darkness. If you dig too deep, be prepared. You won’t like what you find there.

This is book three of the series which should be read in order.

MY REVIEW

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t know how Murray does it, but I only had to pick up this book to be immediately immersed back in the world of Charles Balcombe aka BlackJack.

The descriptions of Hong Kong. The characters. The plot. Everything fits together perfectly.

In this third instalment of the series, and I highly recommend reading the first two before this one, we find BlackJack, the alter ego of Charles Balcombe, getting more out of control in his hunger for killing. He has no memory of his actions as BlackJack. He is having nightmares – and I’ll not forgive Murray for putting the spider one in my head! – and begins visiting a psychoanalyst to try to control BlackJack and his nightmares.

His ‘good’ persona, Balcombe, is helping DI Munro with a private investigation into a missing girl. As an experienced investigator he is an asset, but Munro is getting increasingly wary of BlackJack. In addition, one of Munro’s colleagues is convinced Balcombe is BlackJack, he just needs to catch him. Can Balcombe continue to evade capture?

Balcombe’s rickshaw driver Albert is still providing his transport. She is a great character.

Love love love this series. Murray is such a talented writer.

Thank you, Murray, for inviting me onto the blog tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Murray Bailey Is the author of Amazon bestseller Map of the Dead, the first of the series based on his interest in Egyptology. His main series however is the Ash Carter thrillers, inspired by his father’s experience in the Royal Military Police in Singapore in the early 1950s.

Murray is well traveled, having worked in the US, South America and a number of European countries throughout his career as a management consultant. However he also managed to find the time to edit books, contribute to articles and act as a part-time magazine editor.

Murray lives on the south coast of England with his family and a dog called Teddy.

Liz Fenwick

Publication date: 11 October 2023

Publisher: EMF Press

SYNOPSIS

All she wants for Christmas is peace and quiet, and to be alone…

Theo Pascoe is relieved she finally has her cottage back to herself, after her beloved son, wife, and grandson move out to their new home. Christmas is fast approaching and she’s fully booked doing the work she loves, preparing Christmas decorations for the local hotel, running wreath-making workshops, and dressing clients homes for the holidays.

However her family and friend think they know best – that she is suffering from empty-nest syndrome and what she really needs is some romance back in her life. But that’s the last thing Theo wants right now!

As Christmas Day approaches Theo is looking forward to spending the day quietly at home, with just her cat for company. But she has just one last home to decorate when a sudden cold snap catches everyone by surprise and she finds herself stranded in a remote house with a client. Theo just wanted to spend Christmas alone, but it seems fate has other plans?

MY REVIEW

If you want to read this gorgeous novella, I would highly recommend you read A River Between Us which is a wonderful dual timeline novel featuring Theo and her move to Boatman’s Cottage, and this novella takes place later.

A River Between Us is one of those books which has stayed with me. I thoroughly enjoyed coming back to visit Theo and her cat, Cat. Having had her son, his wife and new baby living with her during lockdown, she is looking forward to having the cottage back to herself and spending a quiet Christmas alone. Then Erik from Sweden comes into her life, having signed up for 4 of her wreath making classes.

Christmas feel good romances don’t get much better than this and it can be read in one cozy sitting!

Strong characters, a snowy setting and now I’ll be looking for a wreath making workshop!

Thank you Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour.

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Novelist, slave to two cats and dreamer turned doer….

Award winning author of The Cornish House, A Cornish Affair, A Cornish Stranger, Under A Cornish Sky, The Returning Tide, One Cornish Summer, The Path to the Sea, The River Between Us, The Secret Shore and the novella A Cornish Christmas Carol. She lives in Cornwall with her husband and spends her time wrangling two mad cats, plot walking, reading and procrastinating on social media.

The novella, Delivering Christmas, is out on 11 October 2023 and she’s writing her next novel.

Her books are available in Dutch, Germany, Portuguese, French, Estonia, Norwegian, Danish, Turkish, Swedish, Latvian, Serbian, Czech, Hungarian, Italian and Finnish

Jo Thomas

SYNOPSIS

Chloë can’t wait for Christmas . . . to be over!

Her son Ruben is staying with his dad this year and Chloe is planning to ignore the holidays all together. Her only nod to the season is the advent calendar Ruben left her, to help count down the days till he’s home again.

But then, a voicemail from Berry and Brandy, Heir Hunters, changes everything…

In Québec, Canada, there’s a plot of land Chloë may be entitled to. Surely, it’s a scam. Or could it be just the escape she needs right now? They’re offering to pay for her flights . . . and Ruben’s latest note in the advent calendar tells her to ‘say yes!’

So with 22 days until Christmas, Chloë finds herself on a plane to Canada

And suddenly, her new countdown to Christmas involves a log cabin in the middle of a snowy forest, a community that’s worried for its future, a gruff lumberjack who gives her butterflies and a lot of pancakes with maple syrup . . .

This Christmas is full of surprises!

MY REVIEW

This is my first Christmas read of the year, and oh my goodness, I just loved everything about it!

I am quite a softie and often have a tear at the end of a romance book but this is the first time I have full on cried in the first chapter!

Single mother Chloe’s 12 year old son Reuben is going to New York for a month to spend Christmas with his dad and his new family. Chloe is distraught but tries to hide it. That was my heart strings tugged to snapping point!

I just loved the setting of the little Canadian town Chloe travels to, to check out a potential inheritance of a piece of land from a distant relative. But it is such an important piece of land for the town how can she bring herself to sell; even though the money would mean so much for her and her son.

The descriptions of the snowy town, the diner run by heavily pregnant Bea, the handsome owner of the hardware story, the turkey who likes to follow Jo! There is a wonderful community spirit and all the residents give her a warm welcome, and the feeling of belonging she is searching for. But she only has a few weeks before she must go back home for Reuben and leave this all behind.

I adored Reuben’s advent calendar which he personally made for his mother with little positive messages in each pouch. Simple things like ‘sing like no one is listening’. Such a lovely idea and as the weeks went on, many of the towns folk wanted to know what Reuben’s message of the day was!

Jo’s description of the maple trees and how special they were to the community, as they would harvest the sap to make maple syrup. That is something I have learned from this book. The people in this village love their maple syrup so much they include it in everything – both sweet and savoury recipes! There are a few recipes in the back of the book to try. You’re going to need maple syrup of course.

I absolutely loved Jo’s last book, Summer at the Ice Cream Cafe and didn’t think she could top that but I think she has. She is now an auto read author for me.

Huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour for this unforgettable book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show.

Jo’s debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan HessayonAward and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her recent book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook and in every one of her novels Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching.

 Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.

Tim Powers

Publication date: 12/10/23

Publisher: Head of Zeus

SYNOPSIS

Howarth, 1846.

In a parsonage at the edge of the moors, a widowed rector lives with his family: three daughters and their dissolute brother, Bramwell.

Though the future will celebrate Charlotte, Emily and Anne, right now they are unknown, their genius concealed. In just a few short years they will all be dead, and it will be middle sister Emily’s chance encounter with a grievously wounded man on the moor that sets them on the path to their doom.

For there is an ancient pagan secret haunting the moors, a dark inheritance in the family bloodline and something terrible buried under an ogham-inscribed slab in the church. Not only are their lives at stake, but their very souls.

My Brother’s Keeper is an atmospheric gothic novel that mixes diabolical hatred and vengeance with the supreme power of love to conjure dark magic from the tragic fate of the Brontë sisters.

MY REVIEW

Well if you are expecting an historical fiction retelling of the Brontës, you will be half right!

This is a retelling with a heck of a difference. It involves ghosts and werewolves and more scary stuff!

It’s a gothic tale verging on a horror story.

I think this one is best read without much idea of the storyline so I’m not going to say too much. You need to go into it blind for the full enjoyable experience.

It features three of the sisters, their brother and father, and it includes a lot of known facts about the family. Their writing. Patrick, the father, being from Ireland and changing his surname when he arrived in England and eventually becoming a minister. He lived with his family lived in the parsonage next to his church in Haworth. But I’m not sure Emily ever met an injured man called Mr Curzon who was a werewolf hunter.

I loved the writing style which kept me glued and one particular thread had me on the edge of my seat. Definitely a great Halloween read!

Emily was a wonderful strong character but the hero of the story for me was her protective bullmastif, Keeper, who went everywhere with her.

Loved it! And that cover – what a talented designer.

Thank you Jade at Ad Astra Fiction / Head of Zeus for my proof copy and my spot on the tour. I absolutely need to buy the finished book as I am interested to read the author’s notes and why he chose the Brontë family to base this story on.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tim Powers is the author of 17 science fiction and fantasy novels, including The Anubis Gates, Declare, and On Stranger Tides, which was the basis of the fourth, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie. His work has won the World Fantasy Award, Philip K. Dick memorial award, and the Locus Poll award, and has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Along with K. W. Jeter and James Blaylock, Powers is considered one of the founders of steampunk. He lives in San Bernadino, with his wife of more than 40 years, Serena.

Nicola May

Publication date: 4/10/23

Publisher: Nowell Publishing

SYNOPSIS

When soap actor Sabrina Swift loses her way due to a public scandal, she packs up her life, heads to Cornwall and randomly finds herself running a Christmas gift shop in the quaint and quirky Ferry Lane Market.
Changing her looks and identity to keep her anonymity, the newcomer starts to make friends and enemies as she walks a frosty path in the established community.
And as rumours start circling that the outside market is going to be shut down, Sabrina is not only ensconced in an unexpected love triangle but is also faced with a difficult decision that could alter both her life and those of the inhabitants of Hartmouth forever.
Charming characters and a beautifully written setting make for a delightful and uplifting tale that explores themes of self-discovery, belonging and the importance of following your heart.

Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holiday-Romance-Ferry-Lane-Market-ebook/dp/B0CC342XY6
https://www.amazon.com/Holiday-Romance-Ferry-Lane-Market-ebook/dp/B0CC342XY6

MY REVIEW

It has been a while since I read the wonderful Ferry Lane Market series but I knew I would be immersed again in the wonderful atmosphere and the friendly banter of the market traders and I absolutely was! It felt like I was revisiting a favourite holiday resort and meeting up with old friends.

When Jilly finds her fiancé has been cheating, she runs away to the holiday cottage they had rented for their honeymoon. Using a different name and changing her appearance, as she is well known, she begins to find her place with new friends who accept her just for herself and not as a famous actress. In a very unplanned decision, she opens a temporary Christmas and gifts shop on the main street alongside all the other shops we know well from the rest of the series.

But as a reporter starts sniffing around will her cover be blown, and what will her new friends think of her deception?

A gorgeous story about finding where you belong, and realising when you need to let go.

I hope Nicola decides to carry on writing more of the Ferry Lane series, as I will never tire of reading them.

Thank you Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the blog tour.

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicola May is a rom-com superstar. She is the author of sixteen romantic comedies, all of which have appeared in the Kindle bestseller charts. Two of them won awards at the Festival of Romance, and another was named ebook of the week in The Sun. The Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay became the
best-selling Kindle book in the UK, across all genres, in January 2019, and was Amazon’s third-bestselling novel in that year.

Social Media Links –
http://www.nicolamay.com
W: http://www.nicolamay.com
Nicola May – Home | Facebook
i: https://www.instagram.com/author_nicola/

Tom Mead

Publication date: 12/10/23

Publisher: Head of Zeus

SYNOPSIS

Illusionist turned sleuth Joseph Spector investigates a sinister conundrum at a 1930s theatre in this thrilling new mystery novel from Tom Mead, author of Death and the Conjuror, one of Publishers Weekly’s Mysteries of the Year 2022.

1938, London. Young lawyer Edmund Ibbs has a new client: a woman accused of shooting her husband in the already infamous ‘Ferris Wheel Murder’ case.

The case proves to be a web of conspiracy, and Ibbs himself is accused when a second suspicious death occurs, during a magic act at the crowded Pomegranate Theatre.

Also present at the theatre is Joseph Spector, illusionist turned highly respected sleuth. Spector begins to investigate the mystery, but when anotherbody is discovered later that same night, all evidence points to Ibbs being guilty.

With time against him, and a host of hangers-on all having something to hide, can Spector uncover the guilty party, or will he and Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard conclude that Ibbs is the culprit after all?

MY REVIEW

Amateur magician Edmund Ibbs is looking forward to reading his new book, written by an unknown author and spilling the secrets of magic tricks.

Unfortunately he has to put it to one side as he has a job as a lawyer, currently on the defence team of a woman in prison for murdering her husband in the ‘ferris wheel’ murder case. She is adamant she is innocent.

Was her husband an inside man for the robbery at the bank he worked at which resulted in the murder of the security guard?

When he finishes work, Ibbs then visits a theatre to watch Paolini, a famous magician. Only now he is at the centre of more murders at the theatre, which initially appear to be impossible to solve. Are they linked to the ferris wheel murder?

It felt like I was reading a Sherlock Holmes novel. However Joseph Spector, a retired magician, is the Holmes character in this novel, and in this series of novels, helping the police with cases which appear to involve some kind of magic or illusion. For me, Ibbs was more the main character in this one. Doing his best to defend a woman in what the police think is an open and shut case.

An enjoyable read. Very cleverly plotted. Impossible to work out! I will be going back and reading the first in this series.

Thank you Poppy and Sophie at Ransom PR for my stop on the tour and copy of the book.

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Mead is a UK crime fiction author specialising in locked-room mysteries. He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the International Thriller Writers’ Organization. His debut novel is DEATH AND THE CONJUROR, featuring magician-detective Joseph Spector.

Catherine Cooper

Publication date: 12/10/23

Publisher: Harper Collins

SYNOPSIS

The perfect escape, or the perfect trap?

When a select group of influencers and journalists receive an exclusive invitation to a luxury resort in the Maldives, it seems like the ultimate press trip.

But when the island is cut off during a storm and people start dying, it looks like someone has murder in mind.

Are the guests really who they seem to be, or does each one of them have a secret to hide?

Something they would kill for?

Lose yourself in the latest twisty page-turner from the queen of glamorous crime, Catherine Cooper.

MY REVIEW

I’m a big fan of Catherine’s writing and have now read all four of her novels, and all have been 5 star reads for me.

I enjoyed the dual timeline element of this one. The first revealing the circumstances leading to the death of a 17 year old girl at a party in 1990. The second timeline being in the present, and set in a holiday resort in the Maldives, where a handful of reporters and social media influencers have been invited prior to the official opening. The owners are hoping they will write great reviews about the resort, and the turtle rescue centre the owners have set up.

The holiday is not quite as expected when accidents begin to happen, and then one of the group is found dead.

Obviously the two timelines are somehow connected, but I had no idea how or who could be responsible.

There are a few short chapters along the way, written by the murderer, which give a few clues, but I still hadn’t figured it out before the very clever reveal.

Absolutely loved the descriptions of the luxurious holiday resort set on a remote island in the Maldives, with attentive staff and Michelin star chefs. Shame about the deaths!

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the tour and my copy of the book.

BLOG TOUR HOSTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CATHERINE COOPER is a freelance journalist writing for many national newspapers and magazines, specialising in travel. She also makes regular appearances as a talking head on daytime TV. She lives in France with her husband and two teenage children.
Her debut thriller THE CHALET was a top five Sunday Times bestseller and spent three weeks in the Kindle top 100. THE ISLAND is her fourth novel.