This Little Piggy by Bea Davenport

Description from Goodreads:

"It's the summer of 1984 and there is a sense of unease on the troubled Sweetmeadows estate. The residents are in shock after the suspicious death of a baby and tension is growing due to the ongoing miners' strike.

Journalist Clare Jackson follows the story as police bungle the inquiry and struggle to contain the escalating violence. Haunted by a personal trauma she can't face up to, Clare is shadowed by nine-year-old Amy, a bright but neglected little girl who seems to know more about the incident than she's letting on.

As the days go on and the killer is not found, Clare ignores warnings not to get too close to her stories and, in doing so, puts her own life in jeopardy."

📖📖📖📖📖📖

This is another book that has been on my "to be read" pile since 2015!! I really have no excuse!

Set in the North East of England in 1984 at the height of the miners' strike, this is a story that captivated me from the start.

A baby is dead under suspicious circumstances and Clare is tasked with reporting the story but as she does so, she becomes embroiled in the life of a young girl (Amy) who seems to have seen what happened but can what she is saying be trusted or is she just making things up?  Clare has her own baggage both in her personal and working life and this is well depicted and explored making her believable but some of her choices questionable.  The development of the relationship between Clare and Amy felt authentic for the time the book was set it ... I don't think you would have got away with this had this been set in a later time period.

The book is told from Clare's perspective and this was a refreshing change as it gave a different insight into a murder "investigation" from someone other than a Police Officer.  The backdrop of the miners' strike and the run-down estate created additional tension and unease throughout.  The pace of the book was good if a little slow in places and I did work out quite early on who the murderer was but found it interesting to see how the story developed and was surprised how long it took for others to work it out!

Overall, a pretty good read and I want to thank Legend Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review but also apologise to them for taking so long to get round to it.

📖📖📖📖📖📖

Connect with the author:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

The Murder House (DCI Matilda Darke #5) by Michael Wood

Blurb from Goodreads:

"It’s the most disturbing crime scene DCI Matilda Darke has ever seen…

The morning after a wedding reception at a beautiful suburban home in Sheffield, the bride’s entire family are stabbed to death – in a frenzied attack more violent than anything DCI Matilda Darke could have imagined.

Forensics point to a burglar on the run across the country. But cracks are starting to appear in Matilda’s team, someone is playing games with the evidence – and the killer might be closer to home than they thought…"

📖📖📖📖📖📖

This is the fifth in this series starring DCI Matilda Darke but only the second I have read having previous been lucky enough to read the first in the series "For Reasons Unknown" which introduced DCI Darke to the world.  Having missed the books in-between and although I have likely missed out on a lot of back story, I didn't feel it detracted from my enjoyment of this book and I felt it worked well as a standalone.

This book starts with the gruesome and brutal murder of 3 family members on the night they were celebrating a family wedding.  This is a seemingly motiveless crime against a perfect family ... but can there be such a thing?  What follows is the complex investigation by DCI Darke and her Homicide and Major Investigation Team.

The characters are interesting, likeable (mostly) and believable and I quickly became invested in them and their lives.  The plot is complex with multiple layers and lines of enquiry and with twists and turns and red herrings aplenty; it certainly kept me on my toes from start to finish and didn't disappoint.

The Murder House is a dark, gripping, thrilling and well paced story which I have no hesitation in recommending to lovers of crime novels like myself and thank you to One More Chapter (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

📖📖📖📖📖📖

Connect with the author:

Twitter

Facebook

Liar Liar (DS Grace Allendale #3) by Mel Sherratt

Description from Goodreads:

"The truth can be a dangerous thing…

When a young boy is thrown from a balcony in a block of flats, DS Grace Allendale witnesses the shocking aftermath of the tragic event. But despite everything, no one will admit to seeing who did it – and the parents will only tell the police that it was an accident.

Determined to bring the perpetrator to justice, Grace must sort the truth from the lies in a case that takes her into the darkest corners of the criminal world – and strikes closer to home than she could have ever imagined..."

📖📖📖📖📖📖

Mel Sherratt describes herself as a "meddler of words" and I am not going to argue with her!  I would also put her in the category as one of THE best crime writers in the UK that I have had the pleasure to read and one where I have never been disappointed.

Here we have another great story full of mystery and twists and one which I found hard to stop reading way too late into the night.  This is book 3 in the series however, I don't think you have to have read the other 2 in order to enjoy this and I certainly feel it works well as a standalone.

Each and every character, both goodies and baddies, are well developed; their circumstances believable and scarily plausible.  The setting is perfect and so well described I felt I was there.  The pace is fast and engrossing with plenty of action and a fare amount of violence and scenes of peril right from the start however, this shouldn't come as a surprise if you've read the blurb.

The book is written with alternating chapters of the present and the past and rather than this complicating matters, it provided an insight into one of the main characters' motivations and justifications as to why she responds as she does.  There are several strands that could all have a bearing on the investigation and rather than cause confusion, added to the mystery and intrigue making this an engrossing book and one which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys gritty, realistic and absorbing reads.

Thanks go to Avon Books UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

📖📖📖📖📖📖

Connect with the author:

Twitter

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Signature Kill (Frank Behr #4) by David Levien

Blurb from Goodreads:

"He's going to leave his mark on you

The gripping new Frank Behr novel from David Levien, author of City of the Sun. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Chris Carter.

The serial killer:
He's disturbed and dark. Very dark. For this man, killing is like a craving he just can't satisfy. Death is his art and his victims simply his materials. But half the fun is in the planning, and this killer knows how to plan, and how to stay unseen.

The cop:
Frank Behr isn't even a cop. He used to be a cop, but now he's just a man, down on his luck, and tangled up in a whole lot of trouble. When he discovers a connection between a missing persons case and one of the serial killer's victims, he is forced to go it alone to find the culprit.

The wrong side of evil:
This is a hunt that will push Behr to the limits of his skills, and the limits of his morals. Because as Behr is drawn further into this killer's grotesque mind, he finds that the line between good and evil is more grey than he ever imagined."

🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮

This is another book that has been on my "to be read" list since 2015 and I have finally got round to reading it and so pleased I did as I really enjoyed it.  Although this is book 4 in the Frank Behr series, I haven't read any of the others and I admit that it would probably be better to read the others in order to get some clarity and background to Frank but having said that, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of this book so will say it works well as a standalone.

This is a pretty disturbing story written from Frank's perspective and that of the killer; this I think was genius in that it gave Frank a strong voice and made him come alive but it also did the same for the killer which was chilling and oddly satisfying but perfect for this book.

The writing style was excellent and easy to read; the suspense and action scenes were described perfectly and all the characters were well developed and authentic.

This is a gritty, dark, atmospheric and suspenseful read that I found gripping and very difficult to put down; I will certainly read more of this series and from this author but hopefully won't delay it so long next time.

Thank you to RandomHouseUK / Transworld Publishers via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮

Connect with the author:

Twitter

Facebook

Dead and Buried by John Brennan

Description from Goodreads:

"You can bury a body, but you can’t bury the past.

Sometimes, doing the right thing can change your life forever. When vet Conor Maguire agreed to dispose of a corpse for his wife’s desperate brother, Patrick, he prayed that would be the end of the matter. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Now Conor is returning to Belfast after five years self-imposed exile. He wants to rebuild his shattered life with the family he left behind, but the past won’t leave him alone. Patrick has risen through the ranks of gangland criminality, and wants Conor’s help once more. This time he isn’t asking nicely."

🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮

I am ashamed to say that this book has been in my "to be read" pile since it was published in 2015; my New Year's Resolution for 2020 is to read at least 1 book per month from my pile in order to get through the backlog - this is the first of the year so doing pretty well so far!

Anyway, this is a pretty good read and although the subject matter is harrowing at times, I enjoyed it and found it an engaging and riveting read.

The book alternates between the past and the present and follows the story of Conor amongst the backdrop of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland during the 1990's and the present day; I admit you do have to have your wits about you when reading in order not to get confused as to which time you are in however, I found it quite easy to stay on track and only had to check back a couple of times to double check.

The story is told from Conor's perspective throughout and his character is well developed and believable as are all the main characters in this book.  What I particularly liked and which felt authentic, was how the internal battle Conor fought with himself around trying to do the right thing whilst being forced to do wrong in order to protect himself and his family.

This is a dark and gritty story with plenty of action and scenes of peril; the writing is at a good pace and easy to read with the difficulties Conor faces being a Catholic married to a Protestant being dealt with sensitively and, in my opinion, without bias towards either side.

Overall, a pretty good thriller set in a time and place that few books I have read previously have touched upon and I would certainly read further books from this author.

Thank you to Carina UK/HQ Digital and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮