Stonebridge is a small town on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Most of its inhabitants are friendly, happy people. Most of them… Because bad things happen even in the happiest of places. It’s a good thing, then, that Adam Whyte and Colin McLaughlin call Stonebridge home. Armed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of detective shows, a misplaced sense of confidence and a keen desire to see justice done, these two are the closest thing the town has to saviours. Which isn’t that reassuring…
THE CURIOUS DISPATCH OF DANIEL COSTELLO
Wedding bells are chiming in the idyllic, coastal town of Stonebridge. For Sam and Emily, it should be the happiest day of their lives. But, on the morning of the ceremony, the best man is found dead. The police quickly write his death off as a tragic accident, but something doesn’t seem right to wedding guest and groomsman, Adam Whyte. Armed with an encyclopedic, but ultimately ridiculous knowledge of television detective shows and an unwarranted confidence in his own abilities, Adam and his best friend (and willing Watson) Colin, set out to uncover what actually happened to Daniel Costello.
This is my first review of an #AudioBook and I was so pleased to be invited to this #AudioBlogTour.
Chris McDonald’s Stonebridge mysteries are really well written and so I was looking forward to listening to the Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello. The storyline is lighthearted and funny but with a serious murder plot in the background. I loved the narrative by Stephen Armstrong, one because he is from Northern Ireland and two because he has just the right pitch to set the mystery off, I felt he was really playing the parts of the main two characters (Adam & Colin) extremely well. I liked the fact that the chapters are short and snappy and the narrative was clear and crisp so a fantastic audio recording from @isisaudio
The Curious dispatch of Daniel Costello is a great mystery, it is sold as a cozy mystery but it’s a gripping listen and the way the two amateur sleuths manage to get to the crux of the mystery and unmask the murderer is really well written and crafted.
A murder mystery in the style of the olden days and a nod to the great Agatha christie but bought bang up to date with Chris McDonald’s brilliant prose. Very cleverly set in today’s world with highly relatable characters, and the best part is there are 4 other books in the series to listen to or read after this!
A 5 star listen from me!
Chris McDonald grew up in Northern Ireland before settling in Manchester via Lancaster and London. He is the author A Wash of Black, the first in the DI Erika Piper series, as well as the forthcoming second – Whispers In The Dark. He has also recently dabbled in writing cosy crimes, as a remedy for the darkness. The first in the Stonebridge Mysteries will be released in early 2021. He is a full-time teacher, husband, father to two beautiful girls and a regular voice on The Blood Brothers Podcast. He is a fan of 5-a-side football, heavy metal and dogs.
You can buy the Audiobook HERE You can buy the Print Books HERE
All books are also available in Digital format HERE
A huge thank you to Pam Lecky for being my 4th Guest Author on my blog, and for answering my questions….. Enjoy!
I’d like to start by asking, have you always wanted to be a writer? And have you always been drawn to the Historical novel?
Hi Jude, and thanks for having me on your blog.
No, it never occurred to me to become a writer, but the signs were there. I dabbled in poetry as a teenager (and yes; it was awful stuff!) and did some writing for a community magazine in my late teens, but I never imagined I’d eventually become a full-time writer of fiction. However, from an early age, books were on my radar.
My father was an avid reader and one of my earliest memories is of him bringing me to our local library to get my first library card. Again, my father read a lot of non-fiction history and loved to watch historical drama on the tv. I absorbed it all, and it certainly influenced my taste in books as I got older. When my father bought me the complete works of Jane Austen, that was it—I was hooked and raced off to read every classic I could get my hands on.
Did you have to do much research for the characters in Her Secret War?
Yes, I did, but thankfully, I love doing research. However, up to now, my books have been set in the late Victorian era, a time I’m very comfortable and familiar with at this stage. Luckily, I have always been fascinated by world wars and tend to watch anything related on TV, such as documentaries or movies. However, it was my agent’s suggestion that I explore writing a WW2 story with a strong Irish flavour. That made my antennae twitch. At the time, I was editing Footprints in the Sand, which is set in Victorian Egypt, so I had to be careful not to mix up my timelines and include Spitfires flying over the Great Pyramid or corset-wearing heroines in Blitzed London!
The greatest challenge was getting up to speed on day-to-day life. I knew a lot about the timeline and events of the war, but it was the nitty-gritty details of life in Britain on the Homefront during those terrible years that I needed to research. Basically, I had to read a lot and thankfully, there is an enormous amount of wonderful material out there, from eyewitness accounts to newsreels.
The plot and storyline of Her Secret War, is amazing and has many twists, how did you come up with the idea?
When I started to write the book, I knew only two things: it had to be an Irish story and it had to be an espionage novel. Essentially, the story is about spies and fifth columnists, and luckily, I came across a fantastic book by Tim Tate, Hitler’s British Traitors, which not only gave me a huge amount of background information but also threw up a few plot ideas too (always a bonus!).
Both my family and local history inspired Her Secret War. My mother and her sisters left rural Ireland to work in Britain during WW2. One aunt was following her boyfriend, who had joined the RAF, and she went to work in a factory making munitions. Another aunt wanted to study nursing, and my mother was a ‘clippie’ (bus conductor) on the Birmingham buses. Her Secret War is not their story, but there are glimpses of their experiences hidden amongst the fiction. The bombing of North Strand, which opens the book, happened only a few miles from where I grew up and as a young child, I passed the bombed-out sites regularly on the bus, knowing nothing about them. I was in my late teens before I learned of the bombing and the relevant history.
WW2 Clippie
Bombing North Strand Dublin WW2
Who would you like to see playing the parts of Sarah and Rob ifHer Secret War was turned into a Movie/TV Show?
It would have to be an Irish actress to play Sarah. I loved Niamh Walsh in Smother—I think she would do a great job. As for Rob, I think Oliver Jackson-Cohen would suit the role perfectly.
Niamh Walsh
Oliver Jackson-Cohen
As a child growing up, were you an avid reader? Do you have a favourite childhood book?
I was an only child and spent a lot of time on my own, so I listened to a lot of music and read a huge amount. As a child, I was a fan of Enid Blyton books. The Secret Seven series was my favourite.
Do you have a favourite Author or favourite book of all time?
I greatly admire Georgette Heyer’s books—she was a wonderful writer. No one else comes close when it comes to writing romance, not least because she was a master of creating such wonderful, well-rounded characters and there is always humour in her books. My favourite book of hers is Faro’s Daughter. However, her detective stories weren’t as good. For that genre, my favourite will always be Dorothy L Sayers (who doesn’t love the characters of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane?).
How many books have you written, and which is your favourite?
I have now written six novels and one collection of short stories. It is always difficult to pick a favourite, but I really did enjoy writing thesequel to Her Secret War, which will be coming out in April next year. Her Last Betrayal follows on immediately from the first book and takes Sarah on quite a roller-coaster ride with plenty of action and a good old dollop of romance, too.
Do you play music when writing, and if so what’s your favourite?
Yes, I usually have music playing in the background, unless I’m doing line editing or proofreading when you must concentrate one hundred percent. What music I play really depends on my mood. The era I’m writing about can also be an influence. For instance, I played quite a bit of swing music while writing Her Secret War. Most of the time, it will be instrumental music that isn’t too distracting but great for setting a mood. I also find, when I hit those writers’ block moments, that it is listening to music and relaxing that usually helps.
What’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received?
The complete works of Jane Austen from my father, which still has pride of place on my bookshelf. It ignited my love of the classics and made me a huge fan of historical fiction too.
Are you currently writing another book?
I am in the final editing stages for two books. The third book in my Lucy Lawrence Series, The Art of Deception, is due for release in December, and Her Last Betrayal, the second book featuring Sarah Gillespie and MI5, is slated for release in April 2022. Currently, I am putting together synopses for future books, including a psychological thriller, which is an entirely new genre for me.
Pam is an Irish historical fiction author with Avon Books UK/Harper Collins. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, The Crime Writers’ Association and the Society of Authors. She is represented by Thérèse Coen, at the Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency, London.
From an early age, Pam had a particular fascination with all things historical, from food and clothes to architecture and social history, so it is little surprise that her books are set against historical backdrops, from the late Victorian era right up to and including WW2.
June 2019 saw the publication of the first book in Pam’s historical mystery series – The Lucy Lawrence Mysteries. No Stone Unturned is a fast-paced adventure set in 1886 and was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion. Footprints in the Sand, the second book, set in Egypt, was published in March 2020 and won a Silver Medal in the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Awards 2020. Pam is currently working on the third book in the series.
Her debut novel, The Bowes Inheritance, was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion and was shortlisted for the Carousel Aware Prize 2016 and longlisted for the Historical Novel Society 2016 Indie Award. Her Secret War a WW2 Historical Novel is the first book of two with Avon Books UK/Harper Collins and tells the story of an Irish girl who travels to England only to be caught up in the dark world of espionage, where lies and treachery reign
She is also rather fond of short stories and writes both contemporary and historical tales, all of which can be found on Amazon.
At the age of twelve, Eve Black was the only member of her family to survive an encounter with serial attacker the Nothing Man. Now an adult, she is obsessed with identifying the man who destroyed her life.
Supermarket security guard Jim Doyle has just started reading The Nothing Man–the true-crime memoir Eve has written about her efforts to track down her family’s killer. As he turns each page, his rage grows. Because Jim’s not just interested in reading about the Nothing Man. He is the Nothing Man.
Jim soon begins to realize how dangerously close Eve is getting to the truth. He knows she won’t give up until she finds him. He has no choice but to stop her first …
This was my first read by Catherine Ryan Howard and I really had no idea what to expect, I had bought The Nothing Man with her latest book, 56 Days. So i started reading…well from the first few pages i was totally obsessed!
The very unique and unusual storyline set my book-reading soul alight! I was up until 3am the first night reading it, and it creeped me out so much i had to go and check the back door was locked (not that that made me feel any safer!). The characters are so well written, the plot of amazing and the descriptions of crimes were so real, that i was physically anxious and felt them, if you know what I mean.
I wont give away any of the storyline, but i must say that the two leading characters are very different, are very real, and gave me a visceral reaction to both! Emotions all over the place in this book. And the underlying threat and creepiness made my anxiety spike, and lead me to pop an extra pill, BUT that is surely the mark of an exceptional book!
The pace is high-octane all the way through and to be honest i never really had any expectations as to the ending, but it was very well done!
An edge of your seat, thriller, so intelligently and brilliantly written, its gone straight into my own Top 10 of the year, and quite frankly, if you’re a Crime Fiction fan it should be on your read list, up there with likes of Silence Of The lambs, a truly superb book. It needs to win ALL the prizes in my humble opinion!
If i could rate this 10 out of 5 I would! Bloody brilliant! I am now a fan of Ms Howard and look forward to reading 53 Days.
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