Burnout by Claire MacLeary

This excellent review is the first written by my sister, Camayo. She and I are reviewing books and working on this blog together. Thanks, Cam. See you soon!

Grateful thanks to Contraband for sending us a review copy of this book.

Burnout by Claire MacLeary. March 2018. Contraband. £8.99. 288 pages. Paperback. ISBN 978-1-912235-11-7.
 
This book is described as a crime novel exploring sexual abuse in the era of Weinstein, Westminster and #MeToo. It’s the second novel in the series by Claire MacLeary centring around the unlikely crime fighting duo; Maggie and Wilma. Whilst I had not read the first in the instalment it did not affect my enjoyment of this story at all.
The story follows Maggie and Wilma and their growing Private Detective Agency, particularly a case with a new client who believes her husband is trying to kill her. It also follows the friendship of Maggie and Wilma, the (often strained) relationships with their families and other friends. Maggie and Wilma are very different to each other, and yet equally likeable, and a refreshing change to a mostly masculine led world of crime fighting.  
The duo fight over whether or not to take on the new client, and as the story unravels they discover that abuse needs not be just physical, but emotional or sexual as well; and in fact it’s the long term psychological toll that’s the most damaging.
I very much enjoyed this novel, both the story line covering something that is not often in crime novels and very relevant at the moment and also that the leading characters, the crime-fighting duo where a pair of older ladies. They held their own, tackled the mainstream power and dealt with abuse issues affecting women. I look forward to reading more from this author.
 
- Camayo Hyde
 

Care to Die by Tana Collins

This review was originally posted here last year. It is being bumped up before Tana’s third book is reviewed, to complete the set.

This is book number 2.

Care to Die by Tana Collins. 2017. Bloodhound Books. Paperback. £8.99. 277pp. ISBN 978-1-912175-28-4.

The second book by Tana Collins, CARE TO DIE, is certainly one that you shouldn't miss. This second in the series for recently demoted DI Jim Carruthers and his very capable DS Andrea Fletcher, is even more engrossing than the first. The book is so well written that it is impossible to guess who the murderer is and, when you do find out their identity, it comes as a big shock. Collins says it took her five years to write CARE TO DIE. Her attention to detail and the quality of the end result do justice to the amount of effort that she has put in to producing this fantastic novel.

In brief, the body of an elderly man is discovered in a nature reserve on the outskirts of Castletown, in Fife - where the series is set. The man isn't particularly well known and digging up information on why he might have been stabbed as viciously as he has proves to be difficult for Carruthers and Fletcher. To make matters worse, both of them are struggling with serious issues in their private lives - Carruthers’ brother has had a heart attack and Fletcher is having to deal with her ex after a rather unpleasant break up. It is hard for them to stay focused but then another body is discovered in the same area and it seems as if the deaths could be linked to both men having worked in a children's home that used to be on the site. Theories and potential suspects abound but when Fletcher is assaulted, and a possible link is made to old, unproven, accusations of child abuse, the pair have no choice but to put their problems aside and solve the case before any more lives are lost.

If you enjoyed ROBBING THE DEAD, the previous book in this series, then you are going to love this one! It has your mind working in over drive, trying to solve the clues and identify the murderer, but is full of clever twists and turns that mean solving the case is just as difficult for the reader as it is for Carruthers and Fletcher. A first rate novel, and one that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last, CARE TO DIE is one of those books where the story has hold of you long after you have finished reading it. So far I am greatly enjoying reading Tana Collins’ work and am eagerly awaiting her third in this excellent series.

Highly recommended.

Robbing the Dead by Tana Collins

This was written for Eurocrime in 2017. This is Tana’s Debut. She is now writing book 4 in this series.

Robbing the Dead by Tana Collins (2017) Bloodhound Books. 276pp. Paperback. £8.99. ISBN 978-0-9956926-9-5.

This nail-biting debut by Tana Collins introduces her detective, DCI Jim Carruthers, and heralds the arrival of another top notch author of Scottish crime fiction. Set in a small town, called Castleton - that is roughly based on St. Andrews but still has an operational RAF base close by, the novel is a treasure trove of interesting locations that will hook in readers who are past and present residents of this unique university town and keep their attention right to the very last page.

The story starts with a particularly gruesome murder in the town, in a back alley. You are drip fed the fact that the victim is a young Welshman, a member of the RAF and knows his assailant, and also find out about the creepy person watching events unfold. That is all you find out. Even the police don't know much more but very soon this killing is upstaged by a car bomb and what looks like attempted murder. Theories abound but all centre on the fact that somebody doesn't like the intended victim’s opinions of the Welsh, particularly Welsh terrorist groups and those who are fighting for freedom. Carruthers, newly arrived in town, is thought to be out of depth on this case and outside help is drafted in, in the form of terror expert McGhee, who once tried to seduce Carruthers’ now ex-wife. There is no love lost between the men and tensions rise as his eyes fall on Andrea Fletcher; Carruthers’ extremely efficient and capable DS.

In their hunt for the intended victim, who has simply vanished, the would-be murderer, and a motive for this crime, as well as still trying to sort out first murder, Carruthers and Fletcher find themselves face-to-face with aftermath of Bloody Sunday and have to join the dots to find out how everything is connected. They must hurry if they are to be successful as they are not the only ones looking for answers and, indeed, justice.

I loved this book! The story is captivating, well-written and has an ending that you can't see coming. Jim Carruthers is an extremely likeable cop, with enough personal trauma to make him interesting as well as good at his job. The prospect of more books about him and DS Fletcher, in their fight against crime in not-so-sleepy Castleton, is very exciting. In ROBBING THE DEAD Tana Collins has shown, extremely effectively, that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Extremely highly recommended

THE CALLER

This review was written for EUROCIME in 2017.

THE CALLER by Chris Carter. 2017. Simon & Schuster. Hardback. 471pp. £12.99. ISBN 978-1-4711-5630-4.

This is the eighth book in Carter's excellent series featuring LAPD detectives Hunter and Garcia and it is simply fantastic: riddled with tension, plot twists and nastiness, the story is gruesome enough to give you nightmares and addictive enough to keep you up late as you simply must know who did it. Carter takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride and leaves you exhausted at the end.

The story is chilling enough to give Hollywood blockbusters, like SAW, serious competition. It starts with the brutal demise of a decent, sweet, young woman and goes downhill from there. The killer adds a unique twist to his approach as he video calls the close friend or partner of his victim and, after asking questions that give the recipient of the call a fleeting feeling they might be able to save a life, graphically kills their loved one in front of them.

Hunter is completely stuck. He has no real leads, as the killer is extremely good at covering his tracks, and spends many sleepless nights going over things. The killer is also patient and meticulous. Starting with notes made of letters cut from newspapers, he stalks his victims for months, terrifying them, until making his move. One thing is for sure - the killer doesn't waste time and the discovery of a second victim a few nights later takes things up a level. Hunter needs results, especially when the husband of the second victim decides to start an investigation of his own. Hunter has a sharp mind and a keen eye for detail. You really hope he can get to the bottom of this one but, at the same time, really can't see how he can. With his boss anxious for results and the killer upping his game, the pressure is on for Hunter to deliver.

Chris Carter is Brazilian born and writes about cases in America. He qualifies for Eurocrime as he currently lives in London. In his past life he worked in Michigan as part of the District Attorney's Criminal Psychology team. There is no doubt that his experience adds an edge to his work and brings his killers shockingly to life. His opening chapters in this latest novel are first rate and leave you in doubt that this is going to be an excellent book!

Highly Recommended

AFTER HE DIED

AFTER HE DIED by Michael Malone. September 2018. Orenda books. £8.99. 300pp. Paperback. ISBN: 978-1912374335.

Books by Michael Malone always take you on an emotional roller coaster ride and this, his tenth creation, is no exception. Dealing with another painful topic - death of a spouse - and managing to skilfully turn the aftermath of the tragic event into a psychological thriller is no mean feat. Once again I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, mixed with the exhaustion of closely experiencing someone else’s agonies. Malone’s work continues to go from strength to strength and I am delighted to have been introduced to this first rate author’s work.

When we first meet Paula she has just had her world ripped from under her. Her husband has had a heart attack and died. Suddenly and unexpectedly and far too young. She finds the funeral extremely difficult - all the well meaning faces of people she doesn’t know - and longs to escape. When a young woman secretly slips her a note and disappears, Paula is confused. But not as confused as she will become soon after, when she reads the note and goes on to discover that her late husband is not the person she thought he was. Thomas, the successful business man, seems to have been involved in criminal activities in Glasgow, accrued vast wealth through less-than-savoury dealings and may even be responsible for murder. Paula refuses to believe it but is forced into taking action when her home is broken into and her safety threatened.

With her life in danger and her world turned upside down, can she get to the bottom of everything and somehow still hold onto her memories of her husband being the good man she always thought he was, or has she truly been deceived for years? Paula must dig deep into her memories to search for clues to the truth as well as find some strength to continue, when all she wants is to sleep.

A fabulous book. Full of twists and shocks, for you as well as for Paula. A timely reminder for all of us that not everything, or everyone, is as it first appears.

If you have yet to read anything by Michael Malone, then AFTER HE DIED is an excellent place to start. Next please!

Extremely Highly Recommended.

A House of Ghosts

A HOUSE OF GHOSTS by W.C.Ryan. October 2018. Zaffre. £12.99 Hardcover. 432pp. ISBN 978-1-785-76651-0

What a fantastic book! The story telling skills of W.C. Ryan are first rate. This novel is exquisitely crafted and winds you up to a fabulously spine chilling crescendo. The reader can visualise the ghosts in the story along with the characters who have this ability and it is all so naturally presented it is far more frightening than a hyped up horror film. This is not the first book by this author that I have had the pleasure to read. He never disappoints me.

Set at the time of WWI, Donovan is summoned by his boss, C, and sent to Blackwater Abbey for the weekend to attend a seance. We are drip fed the “whys and wherefores” extremely slowly and don’t find out the exact reason for his posting until much later. Indeed, apart from being told there is more to Donovan than meets the eye, and that he is a soldier on secondment to the War Office, we don’t know much about him at all. This adds to his appeal. He seems to be an attractive character and maybe something of a spy. Sent with him on this mission is Kate, an intelligent young woman who also works for C. Her parents are attending the seance, to try and make contact with their son who is missing in action, presumed dead. Kate knows the hosts for the weekend, Lord and Lady Highmount, as she used to be engaged to their son, who is also dead. She is reluctant to go and worried about the outcome, as she is gifted with the ability to see supernatural beings, and knows from previous visits that the house is full of ghosts - who are aware of the fact that she can see them.

To add to the tension, the house is located on an island off the Devon coast and the visitors are taken across to it in a small boat. There is a storm brewing and over the course of the first night it worsens in its intensity; with blizzards and gales lashing the house in a fury. Very appropriate for the claustrophobic setting of the novel and our first introduction to the ghostly visitors who have some very revealing things to say. Lord Highmount is involved in weapons development for the war effort and the secrets being kept in the house are not only supernatural ones. Plans for some of his weapons have reached the wrong hands and Donovan’s task is to track down the guilty party. This is not as easy as it seems and he and Kate soon see bodies begin to pile up around them. The climax to the story will leave you breathless and, with no sign of the storm abating, you can only hope that the rescue party will arrive before it is too late.

If you like crime fiction that stays with you long after you have finished the book, then you will most definitely love W.C. Ryan’s latest offering. It is full of sinister action and suspicious characters, while Donovan and Kate are fantastically likeable and work well together, with just the right amount of attraction between them to keep things interesting.

With grateful thanks to the publisher, Zaffre, for sending me a review copy of this book.

Extremely highly recommended.

CROSS PURPOSE

Another older review. New ones are coming soon!

Cross Purpose by Claire MacLeary. February 2017. Contraband. 360pp Paperback £8.99. ISBN 978-19101-9264-1

Another fantastic new voice in the Scottish noir scene. Maggie and Wilma, the two main characters in this book, are driven to survive against the odds and in so doing carve themselves a niche in the murky world of private detecting - an arena dominated by men.

The story is set in Aberdeen and begins with death. A natural, albeit untimely, death that leaves a woman without her husband and children without a father. The man who died is an honest man who left the police force in dishonourable circumstances, which leaves his family without financial support. Desperately in need of an income that is greater than her current part-time support teacher's salary, Maggie reluctantly decides to take over her husbands business. Her neighbour Wilma, a loud, uncultured, overweight woman, who contrasts Maggie in every way, becomes an unexpected ally and together they drag the detective business back onto its feet. Clients slowly take them on and the money starts to come in. It looks as if they will do very well. Behind everything, though, is Maggie's desire to clear her husband's name with the police. She digs around and finds out things that land her in hot water but keeps on, determined to reach her goal.

At the same time there is another death. This one is not so clear cut and results in the body of a young woman being found, partially clothed and violated, in a graveyard. Despite being warned off, Maggie accidentally ends up on the trail of the murderer, as it ties in with her own surveillance of the area. You, the reader, are taken on a rough ride, over the waste ground in that part of Aberdeen, as you get sucked into the case and want Maggie to get the closure she deserves before the police catch up with her.

An excellent novel of strength and survival in the face of adversity. It would have been so easy for Maggie to give up but she doesn't. It is also the story of unlikely friendship. Two women who are the polar opposites of each other overcome their prejudices and discover they are not so different after all. Contraband, now not such an unknown Scottish publisher, goes from strength to strength and the books it publishes are always first rate!

Many thanks to Contraband for sending me the review copy of this book. Highly recommended.

THE PASSENGER BY F.R. TALLIS

I wrote this review a couple of years ago. The book is still one of my favourites.

The Passenger by F.R.Tallis. 2016. Picador. Hardback £12.99. 371pp. ISBN 978-0-230-77055-3.

F.R.Tallis is an accomplished, award winning author and a clinical psychologist. In this latest book he tells a sombre tale of SS officer Siegfried Lorenz and the happenings on his U-boat, U-330, while WWII rages around him. It is a thought-provoking read: the hero of the story and his crew are all too human and vulnerable as they struggle with the horrible conditions onboard and attempt to do their duty during the war.

All starts out ordinarily enough, despite the fact that you, the reader, empathise with a member of the "Other Side". Lorenz and his men have a mission to destroy as many enemy boats as possible but are then sent north to collect two mysterious prisoners that they are to take with them. Given no information on what they are really doing, the crew are uneasy about the prisoners but they follow Lorenz's orders and everyone soon settles down again. Lorenz is particularly disturbed by the book of ancient runes that one of his prisoners has on his person but this becomes the smallest thing for the crew to worry about because disaster strikes and the mission takes a sinister turn. Not long afterwards, the crew begin to sense something strange on their boat. People have accidents and insist they were pushed, while Lorenz himself sees people on his boat that shouldn't be there. With suspected hauntings and everyone unhappy, their home furlough is much appreciated - but when they return to the boat, Lorenzo realises their troubles are only just beginning.

I read this book while it was really cold recently. The frosty conditions outside made the icy chill of the ocean in this moving story even more unwelcoming and I could easily imagine myself to be on the U-boat with Lorenz and his crew, enduring the stench and the mound as they battled to survive. An excellent read that left me with a cold, empty feeling after it was over, as well as a new appreciation of the bravery of these vulnerable men. The book is a little different to the usual for Eurocrime, so I am grateful to both Karen and Picador for giving me the opportunity to read and review it.

Extremely Highly Recommended

Shadow Conflict by Will Jordan

(Ryan Drake book 7). 14 August 2017. Canelo Digital Publishing. 300pp. Ebook. ISBN: 9781910859728.

This latest book by the talented Will Jordan is his best yet. It is edge of the seat stuff right from the beginning and it is impossible to predict what is going to happen from one moment to the next. Plus, being an ebook, you can whizz the pages along quicker than with a paper book, so the action scenes can get really fast and stressful! Jordan’s books are always fantastic and I am very excited when I am asked to review one. As is the norm with Will Jordan, his knowledge of guns and other weaponry is very obvious and he gives just the right amount of information to provide authenticity. We are not overloaded with too much stuff or distracted from the fast pace of the plot.

In this instalment, Drake and Anya have been separated from each other but are still caught up in their fight to reunite with their friends, as well as free themselves of rogue deputy CIA director, Marcus Cain. The seriousness of their situations intensify and at times you cannot imagine how they will make it. On the run, injured, exhausted and unable to trust anyone, the pair are stretched to their limits just trying to survive. Help comes for Anya in the form of Alex Yates, the computer whizz kid who she has turned to in the past, while Drake finds a companion in the beautiful Lenka, who appears right when he needs her most. This time Anya’s plan to catch Cain involves kidnapping someone very dear to him but the details of the handover are breathtakingly risky and someone might just lose their life before the day is done.

If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers then you are going to love this book. In order to enjoy SHADOW CONFLICT to its full, it is best to read the others in this fabulous series first. The characters are first rate and the books are a fast read because they are simply too good to put down.

Next please!
Extremely Highly Recommended

Care to Die by Tana Collins

Care to Die by Tana Collins. 2017. Bloodhound Books. Paperback. £8.99. 277pp. ISBN 978-1-912175-28-4.

The second book by Tana Collins, CARE TO DIE, is certainly one that you shouldn't miss. This second in the series for recently demoted DI Jim Carruthers and his very capable DS Andrea Fletcher, is even more engrossing than the first. The book is so well written that it is impossible to guess who the murderer is and, when you do find out their identity, it comes as a big shock. Collins says it took her five years to write CARE TO DIE. Her attention to detail and the quality of the end result do justice to the amount of effort that she has put in to producing this fantastic novel.

In brief, the body of an elderly man is discovered in a nature reserve on the outskirts of Castletown, in Fife - where the series is set. The man isn't particularly well known and digging up information on why he might have been stabbed as viciously as he has proves to be difficult for Carruthers and Fletcher. To make matters worse, both of them are struggling with serious issues in their private lives - Carruthers’ brother has had a heart attack and Fletcher is having to deal with her ex after a rather unpleasant break up. It is hard for them to stay focused but then another body is discovered in the same area and it seems as if the deaths could be linked to both men having worked in a children's home that used to be on the site. Theories and potential suspects abound but when Fletcher is assaulted, and a possible link is made to old, unproven, accusations of child abuse, the pair have no choice but to put their problems aside and solve the case before any more lives are lost.

If you enjoyed ROBBING THE DEAD, the previous book in this series, then you are going to love this one! It has your mind working in over drive, trying to solve the clues and identify the murderer, but is full of clever twists and turns that mean solving the case is just as difficult for the reader as it is for Carruthers and Fletcher. A first rate novel, and one that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last, CARE TO DIE is one of those books where the story has hold of you long after you have finished reading it. So far I am greatly enjoying reading Tana Collins’ work and am eagerly awaiting her third in this excellent series.

Highly recommended.

A Suitable Lie by Michael J. Malone

A Suitable Lie by Michael J. Malone. 2016. Orenda Books. Paperback £8.99. 371pp. ISBN 978-1-910633-49-6

There would appear to be no end to the talents of Michael J. Malone. In a short space of time he has shown himself capable of a range of fabulous different novels – from a first rate series featuring a haunted, but highly skilled DI, to a gangster novel, then an extremely sensitive and moving biography and now this. A SUITABLE LIE is a domestic noir thriller that will have your emotions churning and your thoughts all over the place. Such was my emotional involvement in the story that I stayed up late and read the whole book in a single day.

The story is a shocking role reversal and Malone writes it so effectively it makes you wonder how much of himself is in the main character. In brief, Andy Boyd is a young widower and single parent. Persuaded to go out with his brother for a change, he meets a wonderful young woman and can’t quite believe his luck. After a whirlwind romance, they marry but straight away things start to go wrong. Andy ends up in A&E on his wedding night but dismisses his black eye as an accident. This proves to be a big mistake, however, as his lovely Anna is far more than a beautiful face. The violence escalates and Andy struggles to maintain the impression that he has an idyllic home-life. Unwilling to reveal himself as a victim, Andy tries to battle on behind a façade that is starting to let the cracks show, but Anna has other plans for her new husband and he may not be strong enough to ride out the storm.

This is a very emotional and disturbing novel, particularly because of the role reversal it contains. Domestic violence is usually the husband beating the wife and the men that are victims of it are often laughed at and deemed to be weak. For this very reason, Andy fears he will be unable to tell anyone as he cannot face the ridicule, even if Anna ends up landing one punch too many. The characters in the story are all very real and Andy is a very likeable chap – handsome, rugby playing and doting on his young son. You hope against hope for him to have his happy ending but at the same time cannot see a resolution to his problems.

A sensitively, well-written look at the life of a young man who is telling lie after lie to keep his darkest secret hidden. If you like books about taboos, that speak to you and make you think, then you are going to love this one!

Extremely Highly Recommended.

Cross Purpose by Claire MacLeary

The wonderful people at Contraband have sent me a copy of this book. Here is my review....

Cross Purpose by Claire MacLeary. February 2017. Contraband. 360pp Paperback £8.99. ISBN 978-19101-9264-1

Another fantastic new voice in the Scottish noir scene. Maggie and Wilma, the two main characters in this book, are driven to survive against the odds and in so doing carve themselves a niche in the murky world of private detecting - an arena dominated by men.

The story is set in Aberdeen and begins with death. A natural, albeit untimely, death that leaves a woman without her husband and children without a father. The man who died is an honest man who left the police force in dishonourable circumstances, which leaves his family without financial support. Desperately in need of an income that is greater than her current part-time support teacher's salary, Maggie reluctantly decides to take over her husbands business. Her neighbour Wilma, a loud, uncultured, overweight woman, who contrasts Maggie in every way, becomes an unexpected ally and together they drag the detective business back onto its feet. Clients slowly take them on and the money starts to come in. It looks as if they will do very well. Behind everything, though, is Maggie's desire to clear her husband's name with the police. She digs around and finds out things that land her in hot water but keeps on, determined to reach her goal.

At the same time there is another death. This one is not so clear cut and results in the body of a young woman being found, partially clothed and violated, in a graveyard. Despite being warned off, Maggie accidentally ends up on the trail of the murderer, as it ties in with her own surveillance of the area. You, the reader, are taken on a rough ride, over the waste ground in that part of Aberdeen, as you get sucked into the case and want Maggie to get the closure she deserves before the police catch up with her.

An excellent novel of strength and survival in the face of adversity. It would have been so easy for Maggie to give up but she doesn't. It is also the story of unlikely friendship. Two women who are the polar opposites of each other overcome their prejudices and discover they are not so different after all. Contraband, now not such an unknown Scottish publisher, goes from strength to strength and the books it publishes are always first rate!

Many thanks to Contraband for sending me the review copy of this book. Highly recommended.

March 2017.

A Plague of Crows

Blasted Heath, that fantastic ebook publishing company, very kindly sent me a review copy of Douglas Lindsay's latest masterpiece.


Here is my review....

A Plague of Crows by Douglas Lindsay. 2013. Kindle Edition. Blasted Heath. EPub. 488kb, 280 Pages

Another resounding success by Douglas Lindsay, this darkly disturbing novel will have you looking at crows in a completely different light. Number 2 in Lindsay’s series to feature DI Hutton; a man who is tortured by his behaviour in Bosnia in times gone by and seems hell bent on punishing himself forever because of it, this book is very different to his series on the hilarious demon barber, Barney Thomson, but is equally excellent.

The start of the story sees DI Hutton returning to work after having been suspended for inappropriate behaviour - attacking a colleague after he was attacked by him for sleeping with his wife. Hutton is initially relaxed and reasonably together, as he has just spent four months living in a tent in the Highlands, but it isn’t long before the pressure of his new case starts to push him towards his old ways. A PLAGUE OF CROWS focuses mostly on Hutton, his private torture and his endless pursuit of women to sleep with, and very little is said about the murderer at all, apart from his modus operandi and the aftermath of when he strikes. The method of murder is particularly brutal and is very likely to disturb you if you think about it too much. I wont spoil it for you here, but crows do play an important part in the operation.

Lindsay has again shown the world what an excellent craftsman he is. This book starts off well and gets better and better with every turn of the page. It is blacker than black and keeps you guessing right until the very end. The book also has that clever way of invading your thoughts during the day when you are not reading it; making you unable to let go and desperate to be able to continue. By half way I was so sucked in that I upset several friends with graphic descriptions of what was happening.

If you like very dark and disturbing fiction, that is superbly written and beautifully addictive, then this one is definitely for you. You don’t have to have read the first DI Hutton book in order to enjoy this one – except you should read it because it is so damn brilliant!

Extremely Highly recommended.

The Chessmen

This year has seen the publication of the final section of two fantastic trilogies that I have been enthusiastically following. The first, SANCTUS by Simon Toyne, is reviewed on Eurocrime, with the final book, THE TOWER, being reviewed this week. The second, THE BLACKHOUSE trilogy by Peter May, is also mostly reviewed on Eurocrime. The final instalment, THE CHESSMEN, is reviewed below.....



The Chessmen by Peter May. 2013. Quercus. Hardback £14.99. 383pp. ISBN 978-0-85738-223-8.

Finally. The long-awaited conclusion of The Blackhouse trilogy by this awesome author. Someone else has reviewed it for Eurocrime, so I am adding my thoughts to my own blog instead. Once again, the book is set on the Isle of Lewis and has former policeman Finn MacLeod as its main character. I love this trilogy. My Dad, whose father came from Lewis, and who has been there several times, says he loves the books too and that they portray even the tiniest details of Island life accurately. Praise indeed and well deserved, I think.

In this final installment, Finn is now living with Marsaili, his childhood love, and has a job as head of security for the local laird, who has a bit of a problem with poachers. One of these turns out to be Whistler, one of Finn's old school friends, who takes the odd fish for his own needs and doesn't see why he can't. Finn and Whistler exchange angry words and then end up out on the moor at night together, in a storm. Despite their anger with each other, Whistler saves Finn, who is not properly equipped for the conditions, and they take shelter in a small bothy, near a loch. In the morning, to their horror, the loch has disappeared and the vanishing water has exposed an old airplane. Closer inspection shows it to belong to Roddy, another old school pal, who died some 18 years before when his plane disappeared. And now here it is, complete with a body that must be Roddy. Fin is shocked. The resulting investigations shock him still more and he is pushed to the limit, both in terms of loyalty to friends, past and present, as well as having to face the truths that are finally exposed.

One of the interesting points about the book, as well as the gripping storyline, is the way it is written. Alternate chapters follow a time-shift pattern, between the present and aspects of Finn's past, as he thinks about how things used to be during his time as a roadie for Amran, an extremely popular band that had its beginnings as a group of high school students playing gigs at the weekends on the island. The parts of the story written in the present don't flow in a chronological order either, so you have to keep your wits about you in order to keep up! However, you won't be disappointed.

THE CHESSMEN is a fantastic end to an amazing trilogy. I have been totally enchanted by these books and am keen to read more by Peter May, starting with copying my Dad and reading his China series on my Kindle!

Extremely Highly Recommended.

A Higher Duty

No Exit Press very kindly sent me A HIGHER DUTY by Peter Murphy to review.
Here are my thoughts on this most excellent book...



A Higher Duty by Peter Murphy. February 2013. No Exit Press. Paperback. £7.99. 351pp. ISBN 978-1-84243-668-4.

This beautifully written book had me captivated from start to finish. It is chock-full of the language and behaviour that was expected from lawyers, barristers and their families in the 1960s. Peter Murphy is himself highly familiar with the Law, having worked as an advocate for a number of years and being involved as defense council in the Yugoslavian War Crimes tribunal at The Hague. You can sense his years of experience dripping from the pages of his book, adding authenticity and interest to the tale. A HIGHER DUTY is Murphy’s second novel, and the first of his that I have read. I am keen to get my hands on his first one, REMOVAL, now as well!

The story starts in Cambridge in 1960, at a Rugby Club dinner. As usual, too much alcohol is consumed but then the high jinks of the young men lead to the accidental death of a fellow student. In shame the guilty parties are gathered together and arrested, only to have the matter mysteriously quashed and brushed under the carpet. All is not forgotten, however, since Clive Overton, the ringleader, is subsequently sent down from Cambridge in disgrace by his outraged father. He goes to America and is ordered to stay away from England for the rest of his life.

Two years later, we join up with the activities of the successful London Chambers overseen by Bernard Wesley QC. An initially straightforward divorce case is brought forward for representation and it looks as if it will be uneventful, until the barrister given the case, Kenneth Gaskell, stupidly starts an affair with his client, Anne Dougherty, and they are found out. Making the scandal public knowledge will be the ruin of everyone who works in the chambers. Bernard, who thinks of Kenneth as his own son, is shocked beyond belief and takes refuge at home to seek an answer to the issue. Help comes in the form of a random phone call from America and the cunning plan that Bernard devises, based on the code of conduct of certain individuals, will rock the foundations of the very Bar itself.

I loved this book! Everything, from the way it is written, to the way the barristers address each other, had me interested and engaged. I could vividly imagine Bernard Wesley’s chambers and feel the ever-present importance of protocol and correct behaviour. As it says on the cover, you are a fan of TVs Silk, then you are going to just love this book. I couldn’t put it better myself!

Highly recommended.

Man and Lewis Man

Here is another guest blog from Man. Following on from enjoying The Blackhouse by Peter May, these are his thoughts on the second book in this trilogy, The Lewis Man....



After having enjoyed The Blackhouse by Peter May, I wanted to return to windswept Lewis, and the lives of its island folk. As I found a Kindle in my Christmas stocking The Lewis Man was my second purchase (after the long-sought Irving Wallace novel, The Man) though it was my first Kindle read. And what a good read it was...


The Lewis Man starts with a corpse being dug out from a peat bog. Fin Macleod, our hero from The Blackhouse, permanently resettled in Lewis (albeit bedding down in a tent) and trying to rekindle his youthful relationship with his old flame Marsaili, launches an unofficial investigation into the mystery of the deceased. In a refreshing change from many crime series, while Fin drives the story on in the present, the narrative focuses upon Marsaili's father, Tormod MacDonald. Tormod is stricken with Alzheimers and haunted by fragments of his childhood in the grim shortage-ridden austerity Britain of the early 50s. Past and present weave together into a dark tale of post-war wrongs reaching down through the years.



I'd recommend curling up with the Lewis Man on a cold'n'gusty winter's night, 4/5.


Once this Man has finished The Man he looks forward to reading The Chessmen, the conclusion to Peter May's atmospheric trilogy.


Thank you again to Amanda for allowing me to blog!



Thanks, Man. You are welcome. Please feel free to review books for us anytime.

DEITY by Steven Dunne

I was very kindly sent DEITY by its publisher, Headline, some months ago. Here, finally, is my review. This was not a Kindle book, but rather the traditional paper variety.


I loved this book and sincerely hope that the review does it justice!



Deity by Steven Dunne. 2012. Headline. Paperback £6.99. 533pp. ISBN 978-0-7553-8368-9.

This book was simply awesome! Thanks to its extremely disturbing, original, story line and it being very well written, I was hooked right from the start and zipped through it really quickly. I love books that mess with my head and this one certainly did that.

DI Damen Brook is a far from happy man. He lives a lonely life, in a spartan cottage in Derbyshire, with an empty fridge, and lives to work, haunted by his failure to catch a serial killer known as The Reaper and still fragile after his mental breakdown. A body is discovered in a local river and thought to be a jumper until the autopsy reveals a distinct absence of lungs. Brook and his team check with funeral homes and mortuaries to ensure that no bodies have gone missing recently. Then the appearance of a second body in a similar state suggests this is the work of a particularly gruesome killer who likes to mummify his victims. Brook is determined to find the responsible party but is suddenly taken off the case when four college students go missing. Initially this is thought to be quite straightforward; the students’ passports are missing and it looks as if they have gone off on holiday together. However, Brook is not so sure and is convinced there is more to this case than meets the eye. The fact that all of the teenagers come from dysfunctional homes, and are struggling with more than the average amount of teenage angst, makes him fear the worst. Things come to a head when his own daughter, who is visiting for a short while, goes missing, and Brook is in a race against the clock to save her as well as himself.

This book deals very well with the traumas of growing up and discovering that life is not guaranteed to be the plain-sailing “do anything you want, darling” breeze that children are led to believe by well-meaning parents. It also focuses on how people crave their 15 minutes of fame and how some will do just about anything to get it. The twist at the end of DEITY is one of the best I have read for a long time. I thought that I had guessed the ending pretty early on and was simply delighted to be proved wrong. Happily, there are more books featuring DI Damen Brooks and I am really looking forward to getting my hands on them.

Extremely highly recommended.

In Memoriam

It was a great shock to discover that Maxine Clarke, one of the best known and best loved crime fiction reviewers, had passed away.

Although I never met her in person, she was one of the first to welcome me "on board" when I joined the Eurocrime team and was always extremely encouraging about my reviews. She said she loved to read them - praise indeed from someone who wrote reviews as well as she did and worked for NATURE; that most hallowed scientific journal that every biologist dreams of publishing in.

As you can see, she even commented on my Tombstoning review - the last post on this blog. I shall treasure her warm remark. It was a delight to read and is now all the more precious.

Maxine was so friendly and took time to make you feel welcome. There is now a huge hole in the crime fiction reviewing community. I am sure that every one of us will feel her loss.

Can I extend my thoughts and prayers to her friends and family, who must be missing her most dreadfully. I hope the outpouring of love and best wishes from around the world in response to the sad news will do just a little to warm your hearts in the days ahead.

Amanda xx

Tombstoning by Doug Johnstone

This latest review of another highly recommended read has been produced with the help of my parrot, Milly. She has been flicking pomegranate juice at me to aid inspiration. Let me assure you that pomegranate juice in the eye stings rather a lot! Little monkey!

Tombstoning by Doug Johnstone. July 2012. Epub £1.71. 256 pages (estimated).

This deliciously disturbing tale was first published by Penguin in 2006. In July of this year it became available in Kindle format and can be purchased in either version from Amazon.

TOMBSTONING is Doug Johnstone’s first novel and is simply fabulous. Although it is less polished than his latest book, HIT AND RUN (still my Eurocrime Number 1 for 2012), it radiates with the talent that Johnstone is chock-full of and I love it. This is another book that messes with your head: a sure fire way to get onto my favourites list.

David Lindsay was born and raised in Arbroath. His best friend falls off a cliff in mysterious circumstances just before his 18th birthday, and David is the last person to see him alive. Churning with more questions than answers, he turns tail and runs, all the way to Edinburgh, where he stays and tries to forget. One day many years later he receives an email, from a certain Nicola Cruikshank, that turns his comfortable, if tedious, life upside down. Nicola has news of a school reunion and David, or Dave, as he now calls himself, is invited. David’s heart does a double flip, as Nicola was the girl at school that he fancied. He nervously replies and ends up meeting Nicola for her to arm-twist him into going to the reunion. Delighted that Nicola is still extremely attractive, he agrees to go and a few Saturdays later finds himself driving northward on a journey that will bring him head on with his childhood traumas. Instead of being a cathartic putting to rest of the past, the trip uncovers a whole hornets’ nest of trouble and once again David finds himself seeing the broken body of a friend, dead at the bottom of the cliffs. Who, or what, is the cause of this latest ‘accident’? Its timing is too good to be a coincidence and, with a finger of suspicion pointing at him, David takes it upon himself to find out the answers.

By far the best part of TOMBSTONING, for me, is Johnstone’s vivid description of David’s feelings towards the school reunion and the subsequent behaviour of his supposed ‘grown up’ school mates, that were nasty back in the day and are still pretty unpleasant people. I love the way the story keeps you guessing and hoping that things turn out OK (that’s the thing with Johnstone – there is no guarantee of a happy ending). The central characters are well developed and likeable and the pace of the story keeps you hanging on, wondering.

I have given this book 4 stars in my Amazon review. While I like it enormously, it isn’t as good as Johnstone’s later offerings, so I can’t give it 5 stars. Having said that, I do think this author is awesome and am delighted to have two more of his books waiting patiently on my ‘to be read’ pile!

Links to reviews

Here are some links to reviews on Eurocrime that have been written for books by the authors I went to see at Bloody Scotland.....


Allan Guthrie Savage Night Slammer

Craig Russell A Fear of Dark Water, The Deep Dark Sleep

Karen Campbell Shadowplay, Proof of Life

Denise Mina The Field of Blood, The Last Breath

Ann Cleeves Silent Voices, White Nights

Peter May The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man

Gordon Ferris The Hanging Shed, Bitter Water

Russel MacLean The Lost Sister