MYSTERIES in PARADISE

Review: THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY, Agatha Christie

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:32:00 +0000

This edition read on my tablet as a free downloadable pdf
Originally published 1931
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0046REG94
this edition Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (October 14, 2010)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
AKA THE MURDER AT HAZELMOOR (title for USA publication)
My original review (2009) and then another in 2022

Synopsis

A seance in a snowbound Dartmoor house predicts a grisly murder…

In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: ‘Captain Trevelyan… dead… murder.’

Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot…

My Take

I am re-reading this novel with my U3A Agatha Christie Reading Group and look forward to discussing it with them. I think it works quite well as a stand-alone mystery that has some romantic elements thrown in.

So here are some of the elements in the novel we will discuss

The role of the seance as the harbinger of death. How did that work? Who was it that told the gathering that the message was for Major Burnaby?
What are the relationships between the various characters? (How did they keep track of the characters? There are a lot of them)
Why have Miss Willett and Mrs Willett really taken Captain Trevelyan's house?
What is the role of Emily Trefusis in solving the murder?
How effective is Inspector Narracott and what is the role of Mr Duke?
Who are the most memorable characters? What makes them so?
Which are the most effective red herrings?
This novel is a stand-alone, although I think at this stage Agatha Christie was still looking for a suitable sleuth. Will Inspector Narracott appear in future novels do you think?
What does the isolation of Sittaford House make you think of? What about the escaped convict scenario?
How credible is the secondary plot (the Willett scenario)
What did you think of Charles Enderby? How good is he as a journalist?
Why did the murderer commit the murder? Is the reason given plausible?
Why did ITV decide to turn it into a Marple rather than leave it as a stand-alone. How does changing the plot for television make it more attractive?

We usually watch a television version of it after our discussion but of course the ITV version is a Miss Marple, with a very much altered plot. I have put that at the bottom of this page in case you don't want to know the details. I am not sure whether the group will want to watch this as it is so dissimilar to the original.

One of the things we are finding as a reading group is how difficult it is to borrow an Agatha Christie novel (a printed book rather than an e-copy).

My rating: 4.5

All my Agatha Christie Reviews.

The Television version

The Sittaford Mystery is the fourth episode of the second series of Agatha Christie's Marple. It was broadcast on ITV by Granada Television on 30 April 2006. The screenplay was written by Stephen Churchett and the episode was directed by Paul Unwin. It was an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name although originally Miss Marple was not involved.

Synopsis

When Clive Trevelyan - Member of Parliament, war hero and heir apparent to Prime Minister Winston Churchill - is killed, Miss Marple sets about to solve the case. Trevelyan has made his fortune many years before in Egypt having secretly uncovered a lost tomb. He is killed during a major snowstorm when there are no police available. There are several possible suspects including Trevelyan's ward, James Pearson and his fiancée Emily Trefusis; his political agent, John Enderby; a journalist Charles Burnaby; a visiting American Martin Zimmerman; and several other apparently disinterested parties. A convict has also escaped from Dartmoor prison. Miss Marple concludes that Trevelyan's murder is related to his days in Egypt and sets about to identify the murderer.

Comparison with the original story

The Sittaford Mystery was not originally a Miss Marple book. Some plot elements from the original are retained but spun together differently to result in a totally new story. Most of the characters are new and even the few who have some part of the original names now have totally different backstories.

The identity of the killer is not the same as in the novel.
Several characters have different names than in the novel.
Several characters are omitted or changed.

Review: VALUED FOR MURDER, Victoria Tait

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 01:12:00 +0000

Read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TRXWWNG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 10 June 2022
Print length ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915413000
Book 2 of 12 ‏ : ‎ A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery

Synopsis (Amazon)

An antique TV show. A dead celebrity expert. Can a shy amateur sleuth step into the lime-light and expose a murderer?

Dotty Sayers is enjoying her job in a Cotswold auction house. When she’s offered a place on an antique TV show, she nervously agrees to a makeover and is surprised by the admiring glances she receives. But working at a historic country hotel, she realises the production is in jeopardy when, at the bottom of the circular staircase, one of the experts is found dead.

Dotty can’t help wondering if the death was accidental or if someone else was involved. She promises to stay in the background and leave the investigation to the police, but this amateur detective can’t help uncovering clues. When she returns from viewing a priceless sculpture, and finds her British blue cat missing, she knows she’ll struggle to keep the show on the road.

Can Dotty emerge from behind the scenes and identify the killer?

Valued for Murder is a British cozy mystery featuring a shy but determined amateur sleuth, a behind‑the‑scenes antique TV show, a suspicious “accidental” death in a country‑house hotel, and a missing beloved cat. It blends small‑village charm, light humour, and a slow‑burn personal journey as Dotty steps out of the shadows, navigates prickly TV personalities and nosy locals, and pieces together clues the professionals overlook. Perfect for readers who enjoy closed-circle whodunits, gentle peril rather than gore, and character‑driven mysteries set against quintessentially English, Cotswold scenery.

My Take

As you can see, I have persisted with this series and I have found this outing marginally better that the previous one FAKE DEATH. Dotty is showing potential and is a stronger character. The plot has a couple of nice elements.

So I will be reading more.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

4.3, FAKE DEATH - #1

Review: FAKE DEATH, Victoria Tait

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:49:00 +0000

This edition read on my Kindle (Amazon)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TLDS3G1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 8 April 2022
Print length ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1838436100
Book 1 of 12 ‏ : ‎ A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery

Synopsis (Amazon)

One dead body. Multiple identities. Can an amateur sleuth see through the charade before she becomes the next victim?

Young widow Dotty Sayers is delighted with her new auction house job in Britain’s picturesque Cotswolds, until she discovers she’s about to lose her home and her chance at a fresh start. Disguising her disappointment, she reluctantly takes part in an autumn parade, but the day’s pageantry is tarnished when an unknown man is found dead.

The police ask Dotty to appraise items from the victim’s home, but rather than learning his name, she uncovers a trail of false identities. When one of them leads to a client, her search for the truth takes a fatal turn.

Can Dotty unmask the killer before she becomes the next victim?

Fake Death is the first book in the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, a British cozy set in the Cotswolds among an auction house and close-knit village community. Featuring a young military widow turned amateur sleuth who is still finding her feet and building a found family, it delivers a clue driven mystery with multiple identities and no graphic content, perfect for readers who enjoy traditional whodunnits, antiques, and small town secrets with a modern, character focused touch.

My Take

This novel has all the hallmarks of the beginning of the series - a lot of characters, heaps of information to absorb. For me, the name of the main character took a bit of getting over (see my note elsewhere about coat-tails) and I also found her a bit "soft" as a character. Straightening out who is who and who does what in the antiques firm that Dotty has joined was a challenge. So in reality it is a series that you really need to read from the beginning, one where accumulated knowledge will be an advantage.

The setting seems rather loosely based on those television shows we all watch like Antiques Road Show and Bargain Hunt. The extra element of a crime or two happening in this setting has potential but to be honest Dotty is going to have to get stronger to be a satisfactory sleuth.

In addition a number of the other characters seem to have extensive background stories attached to them, only partially revealed, and at times I had the feeling of having come in in mid-conversation.

My rating: 4.3

About the author - website

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm—best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Review: THE HOUSEMAID, Freida McFadden

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:14:00 +0000

this edition from my local library
paperback edition published 2023 by Bookouture
ISBN 987-1-4087-2851-2
328 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

My Take

Another excellent twisty tale. You just get used to the direction this book is taking, and think you have it all figured out, and it goes around another corner. And I don't think anything prepares you for the way it ends.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.5, THE TENANT

4.5, DO NOT DISTURB

4.5, WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

4.7, DEAR DEBBIE

Review: REYKJAVIK, Ragnar Jonasson & Katrin Jakobsdottir

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 02:58:00 +0000

this edition a paperback published by Penguin Random House UK 2023
first published in Icelandic 2022
translated into English by Victoria Cribb
made available by my local library
ISBN 978-0-241-62600-9
371 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

An ice-cold mystery haunts Reykjavík in 1986, in this heart-stopping new crime novel co-written by the Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdottir

What happened to Lara?

Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lara spends the summer on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík.

In early August, the girl disappears without a trace.

The mystery becomes Iceland's greatest unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there?

Thirty years later, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lara's case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, it's soon clear that this is a mystery someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved...

My Take

The book is dedicated to Agatha Christie, and certainly there are some Christie-like effects to the plot. The story takes place over 30 years, from the mysterious disappearance of 14 year old Lara to the climax of the story in 1986, the year of the celebration of Iceland's 200th Anniversary.

I thought the Icelandic climate played a less-than-usual role in the story. There were plenty of red herrings and the eventual revelation of the murderer came as a real surprise in true Christie fashion.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read (by Ragnar Jonasson)

Review: THE WOMAN IN SUITE 11, Ruth Ware

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:12:00 +0000

This edition an e-book read on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DJMGTT6R
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster UK, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 17 July 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398526754
Book 2 of 2 ‏ : ‎ Lo Blacklock

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Paradise comes at a price . . .

The stunning mountain views. The beautiful shore of Lake Geneva. The terrified woman held in the suite belonging to the hotel’s millionaire owner.

Lo Blacklock’s all-expenses paid trip to a luxury Swiss chateau should have been the ideal return to work. But as her past catches up with her, the millionaire’s mistress demanding that Lo help her escape, and a body turning up in the room next door, forces Lo to ask how far would she go to help someone she’s not even sure she can trust…

My Take

This story is the sequel to 4.4, THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 which was published nearly 10 years ago. In fact 10 years has elapsed in "real time" since the events that took place in that story.

The offer of an all-expenses-paid jaunt to Switzerland has come at just the right time for Laura Blacklock who is more than ready to re-start her career as a travel journalist. In the last ten years she has married, written a book about what happened on the Aurora ten years ago, had two children, and become an American citizen living in New York.

Laura is astounded to find that 3 other people from the Aurora incident have also been invited to the conference in Geneva, which is the launch of a new style of tourism by a very wealthy family firm. And then she discovers that the person behind the invitation is none other than Carrie from the Aurora ten years before. Laura discovers that Carrie has plans of her own.

There is an interesting section in the author's notes at the end of the book about writing a sequel to the earlier book.

It is nearly 10 years since I have read THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10, and my memories of what happened were a bit fragmentary, always a bit of a problem in reading a sequel.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.8, IN A DARK, DARK WOOD

4.4, THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10

4.8, THE DEATH OF MRS WESTAWAY

5.0, THE TURN OF THE KEY

4.6, THE IT GIRL

4.8, ZERO DAYS

4.8, ONE BY ONE

4.7, ONE PERFECT COUPLE

Review: DEAR DEBBIE, Freida McFadden

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:02:00 +0000

This edition a paperback supplied by my local library
Published 2026 by Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press
isbn-13: 978-1-4642-6649-2
327 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Sometimes, enough is enough…

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction.

Or at least, she did.

These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice.

And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.

My Take

I am really hooked on this author. All the stories by her that I have read have been instantly engaging, and all have had a twist in the tail, usually in a direction you are not expecting. In this one, the principal character, Debbie, gets away with murder, but you do have to ask yourself if her victims didn't deserve what happened.

My Rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.5, THE TENANT

4.5, DO NOT DISTURB

4.5, WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

Review: HOME BEFORE DARK, Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 02:19:00 +0000

This edition a hardback from my local library
First published in Iceland by Verold Publishing 2023
First published in UK by Orenda Books in 2025
English translation by Victoria Cribb
ISBN 978-1-916788-60-2
305 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Struggling to separate her dreams from reality, a young woman investigates the disappearance of her sister ten years earlier … worried that she might be next. A breathtaking, twisty standalone thriller from the international bestselling author of the Forbidden Iceland series…

November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister’s name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time.

But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsí and her penpal had agreed to meet.

November, 1977. Stína’s disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for Marsí. It’s from her penpal, and he’s still out there…

Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, Marsí returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own.

But Marsí has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her sanity, it seems she can’t even trust her own memories.

And her sister’s killer is still on the loose…

My Take

Other reviewers have called this book a "twisty thriller" which it certainly is. It has a characteristically complex Icelandic plot. Two time frames set against family trauma and the unsolved disappearance ten years before of Marsi's older sister. Marsi's mother struggles to cope with mental problems resulting from what happened to her during World War II. Unsettled family life has led to Stina, the older sister, a talented artist, resolving to leave home as soon as she can and when she disappears, no-one is sure that she hasn't gone voluntarily.

The plot is complex with a cast of players. And in the end, a surprising resolution.

My rating: 4.8

About the author: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva moved to Trondheim, Norway to study my MSc in Globalisation when she was 25. After moving back home having completed her MSc, she knew it was time to start working on her novel. Eva has wanted to write books since she was 15 years old, having won a short story contest in Iceland. Eva worked as a stewardess to make ends meet while she wrote her first novel, The Creak on the Stairs. The book went on to win the CWA Debut Dagger, the Blackbird Award, was shortlisted (twice) for the Capital Crime Readers’ Awards, and became a number one bestseller in Iceland. The critically acclaimed Girls Who Lie (book two in the Forbidden Icelandseries) soon followed, with Night Shadows (book three) following suit. You Can’t See Me (book four) is out in 2023. Eva lives with her husband and three children in Reykjavík.

Review: A THREE DOG PROBLEM, S.J. Bennett

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:25:00 +0000

This title read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08L3P7CZP
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zaffre, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 11 November 2021
Print length ‏ : ‎ 356 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1838774851
Book 2 of 5 ‏ : ‎ Her Majesty the Queen Investigates

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Queen Elizabeth II is having a royal nightmare.

A referendum divides the nation, a tumultuous election grips the United States - and the body of a staff member is found dead beside Buckingham Palace swimming pool.

Is it a tragic accident, as the police think? Or is something more sinister going on?

As Her Majesty looks for answers, her trusted assistant, Rozie, is on the trail of a treasured painting that once hung outside the Queen's bedroom.

But when Rozie receives a threatening anonymous letter, Elizabeth knows dark forces are at work - and far too close to home. After all, though the staff and public may not realise it, she is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen's eye to see connections where no one else can . . .

My Take

I enjoyed this book far more than I had expected to. So much so that I will very likely read another in the future. The author tells us at the end that the character that she has drawn for Queen Elizabeth II is largely fictitious but I think she has done well, making her very likeable, energetic, clever, and hardworking even at 90. Ditto for Prince Phillip.

Rating: 4.4

About the Author

SJ Bennett is the author of the bestselling mystery series featuring Queen Elizabeth II.

The books in the series so far are: 1 The Windsor Knot, 2 A Three Dog Problem (published as All The Queen's Men in North America), 3 Murder Most Royal, 4 A Death in Diamonds, 5 The Queen Who Came in From the Cold, 6 Death on the Royal Yacht (published 2026)

She has written over a dozen novels for both adults and children, and her award-winning books have been translated into over 20 languages. She lives in London.

Sophia's podcast for aspiring writers - Prepublished - is available via her website. It features interviews with Sophie Hannah, Justine Picardie, Jenny Colgan, Sara Collins and many more.

You can find her at her website: sjbennettbooks

Review: WIN, Harlan Coben

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 04:33:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on Libby from my local library
Published: 3 August 2021
ISBN: 9781787462991
Imprint: Arrow
Pages: 448

Synopsis (publisher)

Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors, and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.

Until now.

On New York's Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead not only on Patricia's kidnapping but also on another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them towards one man.

Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up in this dead man's apartment. But he's interested - especially when the FBI tell him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism, and that he may still be at large.

The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades. But Win has three things the FBI does not:: a personal connection to the case, a large fortune, and his own unique brand of justice ...

My Take

Win is a man who has grown up in a world of privelege, and spends his time solving mysteries, usually for others bu this time mysteries are connected to him. How is it that a case and a painting he owns have turned up in the apartment of a murdered man?

The connections are not ones he expected to discover.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.4, CAUGHT

4.3, DON'T LET GO

4.3, NO SECOND CHANCE

Review: DEAD END, Leigh Russell

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 03:51:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00796E1W6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Exit Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 26 May 2011
Print length ‏ : ‎ 463 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781842433560
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1842434369
Book 3 of 24 ‏ : ‎ DI Geraldine Steel

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Headmistress Abigail Kirby is found dead with her tongue cut out.

A potential witness has been murdered.

And for DI Geraldine Steel, the stakes have been raised higher. Abigail's teenage daughter, Lucy, is missing, believed to have run away with a girl she met online.

With a serial killer on the loose and a shocking discovery, Geraldine's own life is in danger, could it be too late to save her?

My Take

Another good read. Headmistress Abigail Kirby was a good administrator, not particularly popular with students, and her daughter Lucy is bullied mercilessly, but who would hate Abigail enough to cut her tongue out.

I had "discovered" the killer by about half way through, but that didn't put me off finishing the book.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

Review: WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? Freida McFadden

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 05:06:00 +0000

This edition from my local library
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Poisoned Pen Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 3 March 2026
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1464268525
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1464268526

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others.

Influencer and baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she'd rather you didn't know.

Like... Where did her son go when he snuck out late at night? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows?

And what's buried in her backyard?

April's secrets are enough to destroy her.

I'll make sure of that.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden peels back the layers of a seemingly flawless life to expose a picture of obsession, deception, and the quiet menace that waits just beyond the frame.

My Take

There are several twists in this plot as well as some narration that leaves you wondering who is reliable and who isn't. Quite a creepy story.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.5, THE TENANT

4.5, DO NOT DISTURB

Review: DEAD MAN DEEP, Lynne McEwan

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 04:29:00 +0000

this edition read as an e-book on Libby through my local library
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canelo Crime, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 4 August 2022
Print length ‏ : ‎ 299 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1800324336
Book 2 of 6: Detective Shona Oliver

Synopsis (Publisher)

Nothing stays buried forever

Lifeboat volunteer DI Shona Oliver receives a Mayday call coming from Kilcatrin Island. Upon the beach is the badly burned body of a man, and a boy lies gravely injured nearby. Strewn around them are scores of Second World War incendiary bombs, presumably washed up by the tide from Beaufort's Dyke, an offshore arms dump deep in the Irish Sea.

The dead man is a local fisherman his son the other victim and it rocks the tight-knit community on the shores of the Solway Firth. As lead detective, Shona has to maintain a professional distance. But she can't ignore the hardship that her neighbours who make a living at sea are experiencing. Anger is directed at the Ministry of Defence when the fallout threatens tourism, and livelihoods including Shona's own family B&B business are at risk.

Suspicious behaviour seems to be found at every turn. It's impossible for Shona to get to the truth unless she can gain the trust of those who know more than they've been willing to reveal. But blind loyalty may mean she's too late to save those still in danger including herself.

The second instalment in an exciting new Scottish crime series featuring a detective with nerves of steel.

My Take

Plenty of things to think about in this story and a very strong central character at the centre of the story in Detective Shona Oliver. I like the mixture of Shona's work, volunteer activities, and her personal life.

I will be looking for the next.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.7, IN DARK WATER

Review: THE FIRST LAW OF THE BUSH, Geoff Parkes

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 01:28:00 +0000

This edition from my local library
published Penguin 2026
ISBN 978-1-76134-931-7
346 pages

Synopsis (Publisher)

Set in the 1990s in New Zealand’s King Country, The First Law of the Bush is the scintillating new rural noir from the author of When The Deep, Dark Bush Swallows You Whole.

It’s a beautiful day to be alive, Bill Dickerson thought, seconds before he tumbled from the viaduct onto the jagged rocks below . . .

His awful death made national news. But still, one year on, Bill’s widow Carol has received no explanation about what happened. Was it suicide? An accident? Maybe murder?

So Carol hires lawyer Ryan Bradley in her fight for justice. Ryan has just returned to the remote town of Nashville after ten years away, so he’s in no position to turn down work.

Except the case seems hopeless from the start. Bill’s employer is denying responsibility, Carol’s friends are shunning her, and the only witnesses – co-workers Gav Coates and Wati Reynolds – can shed no light on the tragic fall. Even Senior Sergeant ‘Stinger’ Nettle is too busy turning a blind eye to Wati’s illegal schemes to dig deeper into the death.

But in small towns, nothing is quite what it seems. And for one Nashville resident the wrong question will come at a deadly price . . .

My Take

An engrossing read. The real reason for Bill Dickerson's death comes as a total surprise. The plot is well constructed with a number of sub-plots that are well executed. An author to watch and I will certainly be reading his debut title., When the Deep, Dark Bush Swallows You Whole.

My rating: 4.8

About the author

Born and raised in rural New Zealand, Geoff Parkes now lives in Melbourne. For the last twelve years he’s written a weekly opinion column for The Roar, Australia’s leading on-line sports website. He is the author of two crime novels, When the Deep, Dark Bush Swallows You Whole and The First Law of the Bush.

Review: ROAD CLOSED, Leigh Russell

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 05:17:00 +0000

This title read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00796E9IM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Exit Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 30 May 2010
Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781842434260
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1842434260
Book 2 of 24 ‏ : ‎ DI Geraldine Steel

Synopsis (Amazon)

When a man dies in a gas explosion, the police suspect arson. The Murder Investigation Team are called in to investigate.

The case takes on a new and terrible twist when a local villain is viciously attacked.

As the police enquiries lead from the expensive Harchester Hill estate to the local brothel, a witness dies in a hit-and-run.

Was it coincidence - or cold-blooded murder?

My Take

What a good series to have discovered. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this, the second in the series, and look forward to the next. The plots are pleasingly complex, the characters well drawn, and the scenarios believable.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.4, CUT SHORT - #1

4.4, JOURNEY TO DEATH (Lucy Hall #1)

Review: THE IN CROWD, Charlotte Vassell

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 04:37:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CLKZMT6D
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 2 April 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 433 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571376247
Book 2 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp
WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL 2025

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Being in is everything.

Calliope Foster is standing, Pimms in hand, under tasteful bunting at a Richmond garden party. She's here to toast her best friend's engagement.

Being out is murder.

Meanwhile, just a stone's throw away, police are pulling a body out of the river Thames. The drowning appears to be a tragic accident - but as Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp is about to discover, the death is connected to this gathering of who's who in a way that could very well spell scandal.

There may be a wedding to plan, but a dead body will unravel even the best-laid plans . . .

My Take

Perhaps my enjoyment of this novel was too drastically affected by the fact that it is #2 in in the series, but to be honest I think I was too much turned off by the disclaimer "Agatha Christie meets Made in Chelsea in this witty and addictive whodunnit". Those of you who follow my blog know that I object particularly to the "coat-tails" syndrome, and in this case I saw little in this novel to remind me of, or to pay tribute to, Agatha Christie.

In fact I found this novel tedious reading. Hence my rating.

My rating: 3.3

About the Author
Charlotte Vassell studied History at the University of Liverpool and completed a Masters in Art History at SOAS, University of London, before training as an actor at Drama Studio London. Other than treading the boards Charlotte has also worked in advertising, executive search, and as a purveyor of silk top hats.

Review: THE NEW NEIGHBOURS, Claire Douglas

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 07:41:00 +0000

this edition a trade paperback from my local library
published Penguin Random House 2025
ISBN 978-1-405-95764-9
391 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Lena overhears a conversation she shouldn’t have.

She’s sure her new neighbours – the Morgans – are planning a crime.

Her family say she’s mistaken.
They are a lovely, friendly couple.
She should forget it.

Yet Lena can’t.

And the more she investigates,
the worse her suspicions.

But Lena hasn’t counted on one thing.

A secret from her own past. One the Morgans seem connected to.

And which puts Lena in terrible danger . . .

My Take

I've found that I have always enjoyed stories by Claire Douglas, and this one did not disappoint, even if slightly more complex than I had expected to be. Still, a satisfying read.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.6, THE COUPLE AT NO. 9

4.6, JUST LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS

4.7, LAST SEEN ALIVE

4.5, THEN SHE VANISHES

Review: UNIFORM JUSTICE, Donna Leon

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 07:20:00 +0000

This edition a book from my local library
Published by Penguin Books 2004
ISBN 978-0-09-953665-9
326 pages
#12/33 in the Brunetti series

Synopsis (publisher)

When a young cadet is found hanged at a military academy, Commissario Brunetti's investigation entangles him in the strange and stormy politics of Venice's powerful elite

Neither Commissario Brunetti nor his wife Paola have ever had much sympathy for the Italian armed forces, so when a young cadet is found hanged, at Venice's elite military academy, Brunetti's emotions are complex: pity and sorrow at the death of a boy close in age to his own son, and contempt and irritation for the arrogance and high-handedness of the boy's teachers and fellow students.

The young man is the son of an ex-politician, a man of an impeccable integrity all too rare in Italian politics. But as Brunetti - and the indispensable Signorina Elettra - investigate further, no one seems willing to talk. Is this the natural reluctance of Italians to involve themselves with the authorities, or is Brunetti facing a conspiracy of silence?

My Take

This case sits very badly with Guido Brunetti. He can't accept that a 17 year old with his life before him would commit suicide, and he doesn't like the way his fellow students are so non-commital about the boy. Brunetti also thinks there is something very wrong with the reaction of the boy's father to his son's death.

A very thought provoking read which tells you a lot about Brunetti's principles and the way the system works.

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

ABOUT FACE

THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

4.4, A QUESTION OF BELIEF

4.5, BEASTLY THINGS

4.4, QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP

3.9, THE JEWELS OF PARADISE

4.8, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

4.5, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, Donna Leon - abridged audio version

4.6, DEATH IN A STRANGE COUNTRY

4.7, BY ITS COVER

4.5, THE GOLDEN GOOSE

4.8, THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH

4.5, FALLING IN LOVE

4.8, EARTHLY REMAINS

4.6, TRANSIENT DESIRES - #30

4.7, SO SHALL YOU REAP - #32

4.6, GIVE UNTO OTHERS - #31

4.6, A REFINER'S FIRE - #33

Review: NOT QUITE DEAD YET, Holly Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 06:52:00 +0000

This edition a trade paperback supplied by my local library
Published by Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK, 2025
ISBN 978-0-241-75369-9
430 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.
Twenty-seven years old, she’s back living with her parents, waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says. Her parents have their doubts. Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm.

Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend. She may only have seven days – if she even makes it that long – but Jet is absolutely determined to finally prove her doubters wrong.
Jet is going to solve her own murder.

My Take

Effectively Jet Mason is dead, or she will be about 7 days after an assailant struck her on the head in her own home. And Holly is determined to find out who "killed" her. Time is short, and the search is not something that Jet can put off which is what she usually does.

So we the readers are along with Jet for the ride, piecing the evidence together, willing her to live long enough to solve the mystery. An unusual scenario.

My rating: 4.6

About the author

Holly Jackson (born 6 December 1992) is a British author of mystery novels. She is best known for her A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series.

Review: THE BIG FOUR, Agatha Christie

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:47:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
Originally published 1927
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0FZLLJ87M, Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zenith Velvet Ink Publishing, 3 November 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-1070126516
Book 5 of 38 ‏ : ‎ Hercule Poirot

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Four ruthless masterminds. One brilliant detective. A conspiracy that spans the world.
When a mysterious visitor collapses at Hercule Poirot's doorstep, the great detective is drawn into a web of international intrigue unlike anything he has faced before.

Behind a series of murders, kidnappings, and coded messages lies the sinister organization known only as The Big Four — a secret alliance plotting to dominate the world through power, fear, and manipulation.
With Captain Hastings by his side, Poirot must match wits against the most formidable enemies of his career — including a criminal genius whose intelligence rivals his own.

The Big Four combines Christie's razor-sharp plotting with the tension of an international thriller, delivering relentless twists, deadly traps, and a mystery that tests the limits of Poirot's legendary "little grey cells."

My Take

I was surprised how much I enjoyed re-reading this novel for at least the fourth time. This time I have read it for discussion with my U3A Agatha Christie reading group.

It is set after the First World War which has not ended in the sort of peace that the "winners" have envisaged, and in particular world politics seem to be destined to dominated by forces of evil. In particular an international intrigue of four people, three of whom Poirot has identified, but the identity of Number 4 is a puzzle, a chameleon whose physical characteristics appear to be different each time he makes an appearance.

To me the Poirot who features in this story is a stronger, almost younger, character than the man who appears in later novels. He is also held in high regard by those who "matter" in international governments, and certainly the Big Four regard him as important opponent, someone who needs to be dealt with.

The novel apparently began life as a series of short stories featuring Poirot with a connecting theme, although in same cases the connections are tenuous. It was then turned into a full length book and published after Christie's disappearance and re-appearance in 1926, and the resultant publicity seems to have ensured that it was a sales hit.

I found the Wikipedia article useful.

My previous reviews are here and here

My rating: 4.4

All my Agatha Christie reviews.

Review: THE DARKNESS, Ragnar Jonasson

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 04:04:00 +0000

This book read as an e-book on Libby from my local library
The Darkness (2018)
(The first book in the Hulda series)
Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

Spanning the icy streets of Reykjavik, the Icelandic highlands and cold, isolated fjords, The Darkness is an atmospheric thriller from Ragnar Jónasson, one of the most exciting names in Nordic Noir.

The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. After a cursory investigation, the death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed.

Over a year later Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced into early retirement at 64. She dreads the loneliness, and the memories of her dark past that threaten to come back to haunt her. But before she leaves she is given two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice. She knows which one: the Russian woman whose hope for asylum ended on the dark, cold shore of an unfamiliar country. Soon Hulda discovers that another young woman vanished at the same time, and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation. Meanwhile the clock is ticking.

Hulda will find the killer, even if it means putting her own life in danger.

My Take

Another title that I'm reading for discussion with my U3A Crime Fiction Group.

Although it is the first in the Hulda series, chronologically it is the last in her story. I recently read THE MIST and I think I have read them in the correct chronological order. I am wondering if this "out of order" feature is actually based on the discovery of the books by the English publisher.

Hulda is not ready for retirement but her boss has already discovered a younger person to replace her. Hulda has a reputation of being hard to work with, although over the years she has achieved incredible results, but she is not a team player.

My Rating: 4.7

I've also read

Hulda Series
1. The Darkness (2018)
2. The Island (2019)
3. The Mist (2020)

Review: RUPTURE, Ragnar Jonasson

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 03:34:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on Libby, provided by my local library
published in English originally 2016, in Icelandic 2012
translated by Quentin Bates
The fourth book in the Dark Iceland series

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

1955.Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He's assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik, who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them.

Haunting, frightening and complex, Rupture is a dark and atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland's foremost crime writers.

My Take

I seem to be reading books by this Icelandic author all out of order. This title I am reading for discussion with my U3A Crime Reading Group.

However, a saving grace, you do seem to be able to read them as stand-alones, and they do make compelling reads.

This story in RUPTURE does not originally seem to involve a crime, until detective Ari Thor, time on his hands because the town is in lockdown, doing a favour for a friend, works out that there is a mystery in the old photo from 50 years before. A great puzzle.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

Dark Iceland series in English
1. Snowblind (2015)
2. Nightblind (2015)
3. Blackout (2016)
4. Rupture (2016)
5. Whiteout (2017)
6. Winterkill (2020)

Hulda
1. The Darkness (2018)
2. The Island (2019)
3. The Mist (2020)

Review: THE SNACK THIEF, Andrea Camilleri

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 02:50:00 +0000

This edition read on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
Translated by Stephen Sartarelli
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006NV9C4K
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 October 2005
Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1743291474
Book 3 of 28 ‏ : ‎ Inspector Montalbano Mysteries

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

The third novel in Camilleri's savagely witty and hauntingly atmospheric Sicilian mystery series featuring Inspector Montalbano.

Never has Inspector Montalbano's character - a unique blend of humor, cynicism, compassion, earthiness, and love of good food - been more compelling than in Andrea Camilleri's third Montalbano novel, The Snack Thief.

When an elderly man is stabbed to death in an elevator and a crewman on an Italian fishing trawler is machine-gunned by a Tunisian patrol boat off Sicily's coast, only Inspector Montalbano suspects a link between the two incidents. His investigation leads to the beautiful Karima, an impoverished house cleaner and sometime prostitute, whose young son steals other school children's mid-morning snacks. But Karima disappears, and the young snack thief's life - as well as Montalbano's - is endangered when the inspector exposes a viper's nest of government corruption and international intrigue.

My Take

I have only read a couple of novels by this highly rated Italian author. This one I am reading for discussion with my U3A Crime Fiction Reading Group.

Inspector Montalbano is a fascinating and vivid character, an unusual detective, a man with a rough exterior and a tender interior. The plot combines the discovery of a local murder with the death of a trawlerman off the coast of Sicily in international waters.

The human side of Montalbano gets an outing too as he and his girl friend become involved in creating an instant family.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.5, AUGUST HEAT - #10
4.2, ROUNDING THE MARK - #7

Review: CUT SHORT, Leigh Russell

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 05:03:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on Kindle (AmazonAU)
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00796E1IA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Exit Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 23 May 2012
Print length ‏ : ‎ 435 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1842435830
Book 1 of 24 ‏ : ‎ DI Geraldine Steel

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

When D.I. Geraldine Steel relocates to the quiet rural town of Woolsmarsh, she expects to find her new home to be somewhere where nothing much ever happens; a place where she can battle her demons in private.

But when she finds herself pitted against a twisted killer preying on local young women she quickly discovers how wrong she is...

My Take

We know who the murderer is from about half way through this story, but we spend a lot of time learning about Geraldine Steel, as is appropriate for the beginning of a series, and also about the team she is working in.

Geraldine is a very thorough detective, willing to go over the evidence countless times. There are clues within the story about the nature of the killer, and the reason why he is attacking young women.

A series with promise.

My rating: 4.4

About the author

Leigh Russell has sold over a million crime fiction novels. Her Geraldine Steel titles published by No Exit Press have appeared on many bestseller lists, and reached #1 on kindle. Leigh's work has been nominated for several major awards, including the CWA New Blood Dagger and CWA Dagger in the Library, and her books have been optioned by major television production company Avalon Television. She chairs the CWA Debut Dagger Award judges and is a Consultant Royal Literary Fellow.

Leigh has also written stand alone thrillers, a dystopian novel, and a historical novel for Bloodhound Books, and the Lucy Hall international mystery series published by Thomas and Mercer.

Find out more about Leigh on her website http://www.leighrussell.co.uk where news, reviews and interviews are posted, with a schedule of Leigh's appearances. You can contact Leigh via her website, where you can subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on Twitter and FaceBook.

Review: THE MIST, Ragnar Jonasson

noreply@blogger.com (Kerrie) — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 22:37:00 +0000

This edition read as an e-book on Libby, supplied by my local library
Published: 16 February 2021
ISBN: 9781405934886
Pages: 352

Synopsis (publisher)

The final nail-biting instalment in the critically acclaimed Hidden Iceland series

1987. An isolated farm house in the east of Iceland.

The snowstorm should have shut everybody out. But it didn't.

The couple should never have let him in. But they did.

An unexpected guest, a liar, a killer. Not all will survive the night. And Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir will be haunted forever.

My Take

As you do sometimes, I was half way through this book when I realised that the story was familiar, but as I couldn't remember how it finished, I continued.

The fact that it was the third in a series meant nothing to me, and it works well as a standalone.

Two days before Christmas, in a blinding snow storm, a knock comes at the door of an isolated farm house in East Iceland. Only two people live there, but they are expecting their daughter to come for Christmas.They can't turn the stranger away and invite him to stay the night in the hope that the storm will have abated in the morning and he can be on his way.. The phone landline dies and the power goes out, and Erla, the wife, doesn't believe the tale the stranger asks them to believe. Her husband is more trusting.

And so murder is committed.

By the time the investigation begins Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir from Reyjkavik has just returned to work and she probably shouldn't have been there, but she feels it is better to be occupied, rather than be at home mourning her loss.

As Hulda unpacks what has happened at the farm house, she make connections, some of which the reader has probably suspected, but some that come as a complete surprise.

Be sure to ask yourself the meaning of the title.

My rating: 4.6

I have also read