Thriller – Judefire33 – The Book Blog

My #BookReview of #Fearless by #MWCraven @MWCravenUK published by @LittleBrownUK on 29.6.2023 #BenKoenig

Five million reasons why Ben Koenig had to disappear. Only one to bring him back . . .

Ben Koenig is a ghost. He doesn’t exist any more.

Six years ago it was Koenig who headed up the US Marshal’s elite Special Ops group. They were the elite unit who hunted the bad guys – the really bad guys. They did this so no one else had to.

Until the day Koenig disappeared. He told no one why and he left no forwarding address. For six years he became a grey man. Invisible. He drifted from town to town, state to state. He was untraceable. It was as if he had never been.

But now Koenig’s face is on every television screen in the country. Someone from his past is trying to find him and they don’t care how they do it. In the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a town called Gauntlet, and there are people in there who have a secret they’ll do anything to protect. They’ve killed before and they will kill again.

Only this time they’ve made a mistake. They’ve dismissed Koenig as just another drifter – but they’re wrong. Because Koenig has a condition, a unique disorder that makes it impossible for him to experience fear. And now they’re about to find out what a truly fearless man is capable of. Because Koenig’s coming for them. And hell’s coming with him . . .

First I must say a huge thank you to Beth Wright at Little Brown Books for sending me a Proof copy of Fearless and a press pack, this is the most excited I’ve been to receive a book post for years! It is cherished and will be kept on my collectors shelf!

Onto Fearless, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will undoubtedly have heard of M.W Craven and his Washing Poe and Tilly Bradshaw novels, these are extremely gripping books with fabulous plots and mysteries throughout, and I’m a huge fan.

However Fearless is the first in a new series of books, about Ben Koenig a former US Marshall who has been off the radar for six years, no one knew where he was. But he is forced into the open when his former boss’s daughter goes missing, and it seems Ben is the only person able to locate her.

This book was just bloody superb, Ben Koenig is fearless ( you will find out more in the book) and his character is sublime, I loved him from the outset! Fearless is brutal, violent and an absolute BANGER of a novel. The way Mike Craven has written the story is pure perfection, you are totally invested from the first page and you follow Ben Koenig through some sticky situations. I loved the way there is so much research that has clearly gone into writing Fearless, the information included in this novel is so engaging and totally makes the character of Ben Koenig leap off the page!

This is a bloody, gritty, violent read of a thriller and I just adored it, I actually think this is M.W Craven’s best book he has written so far! It took me 2 days to read, I just could not put it down, it’s got that almost boys’ own adventure feeling to it, but with guns and stuff! This has to be in my top 5 books of the year, and I am pretty sure nothing will top it!

If you like a gripping, thriller then Fearless is going to be a book you will want to clear a few days for, to read as you will not be able to put it down! I cannot wait to see what happens to Ben Koenig is Book 2!

A HUGE 5-star rating for Fearless!

M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle, running away to join the army at the tender age of sixteen. He spent the next ten years travelling the world having fun, leaving in 1995 to complete a degree in social work with specialisms in criminology and substance misuse. Thirty-one years after leaving Cumbria, he returned to take up a probation officer position in Whitehaven, eventually working his way up to chief officer grade. Sixteen years later he took the plunge, accepted redundancy and became a full-time author. He now has entirely different motivations for trying to get inside the minds of criminals . . .
The Puppet Show, the first in a two-book deal he signed with the Little, Brown imprint, Constable in 2017, was released to critical acclaim in hardback in 2018. It has been sold in numerous foreign territories and the production company Studio Lambert, creators of the award-winning Three Girls, have optioned it for TV. The sequel, Black Summer, follows in June 2019.
M. W. Craven is married and lives in Carlisle with his wife, Joanne. When he isn’t out with his springer spaniel, or talking nonsense in the pub, he can be found at punk gigs and writing festivals up and down the country.

You can Pre-Order Fearless HERE

You can follow MW Craven on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

MW Craven has a website HERE

My #BookReview of #Trapped by @camillalackberg & @HenrikFexeus published by @HarperCollins

A shocking murder…
It’s a case, unlike anything Detective Mina Dabiri has seen before. A woman trapped inside a magician’s box, with swords pierced through. But this time, it’s not a magic trick. It’s murder.

A case which twists and turns…
Knowing she has a terrifying killer on her hands, Mina enlists the help of celebrity mentalist, Vincent Walder. Only he can give her an insight into the secret world of magic and illusions.

A ticking clock to stop a serial killer…
Mina and Vincent soon discover that the murder victim has the Roman numeral III engraved on her leg. The killer is counting down. There are going to be three more murders. And time is running out to stop them.

Well, I’m not sure where I’ve been, under a rock maybe? I had never heard of Camilla Lackberg until I received a copy of Cult from Pan Macmillan. After some investigating, I found I had missed out on some seriously good crime fiction from Sweden’s School of Writing.

So on entering Trapped, I was utterly transfixed with this novel!. I adored the two protagonists, in this new series ( hurrah!) – Mina Dalbri the Police Detective, who is brilliant at her job but fatally flawed with a severe and debilitating aversion to germs! ( I SO identified with this!!) And Vincent Walder, a celebrity mentalist, who has a special talent and knowledge of all things magic and illusion based.

Mina enlists Vincent’s help in tracking a killer who is intent on killing beginning with a very gag-inducing description of a woman trapped inside a magician’s box and pierced with swords. There will be more killings, but Mina and her team need Vincent to help find this crazed serial killer before more bodies turn up.

Trapped is a fantastically written novel, the plot of gripping and the in-depth character studies of both Mina and Vincent are just engrossing and sublime, and by introducing them both to us in Trapped so well, the readers will feel like they know them inside and out before the end of the novel. There is a fairly large cast of characters, but they all fit in so well with the plot outline and they work magnificently together with Mina and Vincent.

Trapped is a large book ( great if you don’t want it to end!) with 500+ pages, but I did not once feel any of the prose was a filler, I loved Trapped so much and am totally invested in both Mina and Vincents’s characters.

The storyline is true crime fiction, but there’s empathy, friendship, love and compassion entwined in this spectacular story!

A huge 5-star read for me, as always Swedish, Nordic and Icelandic Noir are great genres filled with some uber-talented authors like these 2! Cult is on my shelf ready to be read in June hopefully! And there is a Book 3 already!!

Born in 1974, Camilla Läckberg graduated from Gothenburg University of Economics, before moving to Stockholm where she worked for a few years as an economist. However, a course in creative writing triggered a drastic change of career. Her ten novels all became Swedish No. 1 bestsellers. She lives with her family in Stockholm.

Henrik Fexeus was born into an unsuspecting world in 1971. Around the time he began primary school, his interest in magic began. This would come to make his years of school a real trial, although not so much for Henrik himself as for the other kids.

In his teens, Henrik realized that magic is really a form of unconscious influence, an attempt to control other people’s beliefs and actions.
He’s still amazed that nobody told him how useful that knowledge would be for meeting girls.

He maintained his interest in the ways that people influence each other. Henrik has studied communication techniques and mental skills drawn from a number of different fields, from classical psychology to hypnosis, and has analyzed the use of influence in media, advertising, propaganda and memetics.
Today, he is Sweden’s most famous psychological manipulator, mental illusionist and conveyor of knowledge of unconscious communication and influence. Henrik has written fifteen books, that have sold more than 2 million copies, and have been translated into 35 languages worldwide. His books on communication are used to train everyone from international corporate leaders to therapists all over the world.

Henrik also excels on stage, whether it be in the role of lecturer or of mentalist. His own distinct brand of chicanery and genuine psychological techniques makes him a unique entertainer with sell-out shows.
He is also regularly seen on tv, both in his own programmes and as an expert guest in other productions. He has been given six international and national awards for his performances.

Henrik has been told that his powers are dangerous, but he denies that absolutely. Instead, he describes himself as a nice, easy-going guy who likes people.

Especially people who do what he wants.

You can buy Trapped & Cult HERE

You can follow Camilla Lackberg on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

You can follow Henrik Frexeus on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

#BlogTour #BookReview of #Seahurst by @salharris1 published by @saltpublishing on 15.5.2023 @RichardsonHelen

Evie Mathews and her son Alfie flee from her abusive partner Seth to spend New Year with her half-brother Luke at their late father’s summer home on the Suffolk Coast, only to find Seahurst abandoned and Luke missing.

Evie searches for her brother, filled with a deepening dread that something is very wrong at Seahurst and their father’s death may not have been suicide after all.

As Seahurst’s ancient and sinister secrets unfurl around her, Evie fears the souls of the dead will soon claim another terrible revenge.

Seahurst is a gripping, dark, spooky novel that had me turning the pages and devouring it in a matter of days.

The opening chapter sees us witness the horrendous demise of a woman purported to be a witch, and her children, centuries before. I actually found this so moving and spooky, that I knew Seahurst would deliver.

We follow Evie and her teenage son Alfie, as they arrive to meet her step-brother at Seahurst, a huge looming house set on the coast of Suffolk, near the ruins of an old Monastery which are falling into the sea at an alarming rate. The descriptions of the setting are amazing and made me really feel like I was viewing a movie in my head.

The story builds and builds and the feeling of foreboding is anxiety-inducing! It really had me with my heart in my mouth at times, without giving away any of the plots, it is a fantastic read. A wonderful rich cast of characters and a superb ending.

I will happily read another book by Sally Harris if Seahurst is anything to go by.

A gripping, spooky 5 star read.

S.A.Harris writes ghost stories and Gothic fiction. Her debut novel, Haverscroft, was published in 2019. Haverscroft was a semi-finalist in the Book Bloggers Novel of the Year Award 2020, a Halloween recommended read for Prima Magazine 2020, and one of Den of Geek’s Top Books 2019. Her second novel, Seahurst, will be published on 15th May 2023.
She won the Retreat West Crime Writer Competition in 2017, was shortlisted for The Fresher Prize First 500 Words of a Novel Competition and published in their anthology, Monsters in November 2018.
When not writing, S.A.Harris is a solicitor living with her husband and three children in Norwich, Norfolk. She tries to spend as much time as possible on the Suffolk coast, walking the beach at Covehithe, visiting cafes and bookshops in Southwold and wandering amongst the ruins of Greyfriars Medieval Friary at Dunwich.

You can buy Seahurst HERE

You can follow Sally Harris on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

Sally Harris has her own website HERE

#BookReview of #Unsolved by @h_critchlow @canelocrime #UnsolvedReadalong #TandemReadalong #TandemCollectiveUK

He won’t rest until he finds out the truth…

Cal Lovett is obsessed with finding justice for the families of missing people. His true-crime podcast is his way of helping others, even if he can’t help himself.

His sister, Margot, disappeared when he was a child. Only one man seems to know something. But he’s behind bars and can’t be trusted.

So when the family of a missing Scottish woman begs for his help, he heads to Aberdeenshire in search of the truth.

Does Cal have what it takes to unearth the secrets hiding in the hills? And what if he finds something that leads him back to the heart of his own family’s past?

Juno modelling Heather Crictchlow’s Unsolved

Thank you so so much to Tandem Collective UK for letting me be on my first Readalong with Unsolved.

So Unsolved is a debut crime fiction novel by Heather Critchlow. I was totally drawn to the book from the opening chapter. I loved the story of Cal Lovett, who is a true crime podcaster whose own sister went missing many years ago and was never found. This has driven him to host Finding Justice, a podcast that tries to give the victims of crime a voice. I loved Cal’s character, really cleverly written as someone who wants to help other families with missing relatives but also all the while struggling mentally with his own devasting past.

In Unsolved we see him head up to Scotland to help the family of Layla, who has asked Cal to find their daughter’s presumed killer ( they don’t have a body). In amongst so family challenges of his own, Cal takes his daughter Chrissie with him as she has been the victim of cyberbullying and needs to get away from her school.

I loved Unsolved, it was a very quick and easy read. The characters are really marvellous and I instantly wanted to read more about Cal and his daughter Chrissie, I suspect they will become a duo in future novels. The plot was also very well written, and in particular, I love that the victims of crime are heavily at the forefront of Unso0lved, as sometimes they get forgotten especially with serial killers.

I have to admit I did guess who the perp was, but I did not work out how Unsolved would get to that point, so the ending was a great crescendo and a surprise to me!.

An all-round excellent debut novel from an author who I look forward to reading the next book. And a really enjoyable readalong with the group too. A 4-star rating from me.

Heather Critchlow grew up in rural Aberdeenshire and trained as a business journalist after studying history and social science at the University of Cambridge. Her short stories have appeared in crime fiction anthologies Afraid of the Light, Afraid of the Christmas Lights and Afraid of the Shadows. She lives in St Albans, UK.

You can buy Unsolved HERE

You can follow Heather Critchlow on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

You can find Canelo Crimes’ other titles HERE

My #BookReview of #DeathUnderALittleSky the #Debut #Novel by @StigAbell published by @HarperCollinsUK

A detective ready for a new life…
For years, Jake Jackson has been a high-flying detective in London. But then one day he receives a letter from his reclusive uncle – he has left Jake his property in the middle of the countryside. For Jake, it is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.

A rural idyll the stuff of dreams…
At first, life in the middle of nowhere is everything Jake could wish for. His new home is beautiful, his surroundings are stunning, and he enjoys getting back to nature.

A death that disrupts everything…
But then, what starts as a fun village treasure hunt turns deadly, when a young woman’s bones are discovered. And Jake is thrust once again into the role of detective, as he tries to unearth a dangerous killer in this most unlikely of settings.

As you know I’m always on the lookout for debut Crime Novels and when I saw Death Under A Little Sky, I was immediately drawn in by the beautiful cover and the premise. And to be honest, the premise of being left a property in the middle of the countryside, sounded like a wish come true to me, but maybe not with these happenings!

Firstly, there’s a map, which I always rave about as there are never enough maps in books in my opinion! And secondly, you can tell that Stig Abell is a massive lover of crime fiction and thrillers, in the way he has woven many names into the storyline, a real homage to the greats! Plus our main protagonist Jake Jackson is also a fan, I just loved this.

So Jake has been left this gorgeous if the rustic property in the middle of the English Countryside, so he quits his job and failing relationship and heads off to “find himself”. The way that Stig has written the description of Little Sky and its surroundings, is absolutely magical and captivating, the surroundings and setting came alive from the page really well. This is also a fantastic view into one man’s psyche and how he learns to cope with the isolation after years of living in the City. As someone who would blooming love to be living in the middle of nowhere with nature all around, I really became friends with Jake and found him very lovable!

The plot is a creepy, twister of a ride and I didn’t guess the outcome until right before it showed itself on the pages, which is always good. The characters and cast are written with exceptional aplomb and I found there were several laugh-out-loud moments! For a debut crime fiction novel, this is really amazing and totally up there with the best… think Jane Harper but set in the undulating hills of the green and lush English countryside.

A magnificent read and a huge 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars from me. I hope there will be another crime fiction novel, and indeed another Jake Jackson novel would be superb. Well done Stig!

Stig Abell loves detective novels above any other literature, films, plays or television. This is the first one he has actually written. Away from books, he presents the breakfast show on Times Radio, a station he helped to launch in 2020. Before that he was a regular presenter on Radio 4’s Front Row and was the editor and publisher of the Times Literary Supplement. At one time or another he has written for almost every newspaper in Britain, and one or two in America as well. He lives in London with his wife, three children and two independent-minded cats called Boo and Ninja (his children named them, obviously).

You can buy Death Under A Little Sky HERE

You can follow Stig Abell on TWITTER INSTAGRAM

#BookReview of #TheFall by @GillyMacmillan published by @centurybooksuk on 25.5.2023 #CrimeFiction

Be careful what you wish for…

Nicole and Tom’s lives are changed overnight by a ten-million-pound lottery win.

Before they know it they’ve moved into a state-of-the-art Glass Barn conversion in the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire.

But their dream quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool, with a wound on his head.

Someone close to home must be responsible. But other than the young couple who live in the Manor, and their housekeeper in the Coach House next door, there’s no one around for miles.

Who among them is capable of murder?

This is my first read of a Gilly Macmillan novel.

The book starts with us jointing Nicole, the wife of Tom, returning to their hugely modern and newly built home, only to find Opera music blaring and no sign of Tom. On investigation she finds him …. Dead….

Tom and Nicole recently won the lottery and had their home, The Glass Barn built on a beautiful setting overlooking the River Wye, they’ve not stinted on anything, and everything is controlled from lights, to music, to blinds, by voice. An idyllic and lucky life you would think.

But after Toms body is found and the Police start investigating what looks like a suspicious death, things start to take a dark twist. Nicole finds solace in her neighbours Sasha and Olly, but all is not what it seems in their mansion, the nearest house to The Glass Barn.

This is a slow building novel of super tension and gripping fear, the way that Gilly MacMillan has written about how people can so easily become controlled, coercively, is absolutely excellent. I really don’t want to give any of the plot away, but suffice to say there were several shocks along the way in The Fall. The cast of characters are well written, although I didn’t like any of them! But that’s not to say that they don’t make the story, because they do! This is a close study of human nature and how having or not having money and status can drive people to do things that maybe the rest of us would never do!

A gripping read, full of tension and surprises. A 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating from me.

Gilly Macmillan is the internationally bestselling author of seven novels including WHAT SHE KNEW, THE PERFECT GIRL, ODD CHILD OUT, I KNOW YOU KNOW and THE NANNY, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, and THE LONG WEEKEND. THE FALL is coming on 25 May, 2023 in the UK and November 7, 2023 in the US and Canada.

A former art historian and photographer, Gilly studied at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She lives in Bristol, UK, with her husband and three children.

Her first novel, WHAT SHE KNEW, was a Target pick, a LibraryReads pick, an Indie Next pick, an Edgar award nominee, and an International Thriller Writers award finalist. THE NANNY was a Spring 2020 Richard & Judy WHSmith Book Club pick and TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH was named one of the best thrillers of 2020 by the New York Times.

Gilly’s novels have appeared on the New York Times, Sunday Times, Globe & Mail and Der Spiegel bestseller lists and have been translated into over 20 languages. She’s been described as ‘one heck of a good writer’ (Wall Street Journal) and her novels have been praised as ‘nuanced, completely addictive’ (People), ‘riveting’ (Publishers Weekly), and ‘visceral, emotionally charged…heart-wrenchingly well told’ (The Daily Mail).

You can buy The Fall HERE

You can follow Gilly Macmillan on TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

You can sign up to Gilly’s Newsletter on her website HERE

My #BookReview of #SpeakOfTheDevil by @Rose_Wldng published by @BaskervilleJMP on 22.6.2023

Seven women stand in shock in a seedy hotel room; a man’s severed head sits in the centre of the floor. Each of the women – the wife, the teenager, the ex, the journalist, the colleague, the friend, and the woman who raised him – has a very good reason to have done it, yet each swears she didn’t. In order to protect each other, they must figure out who did.

Against the ticking clock of a murder investigation, each woman’s secret is brought to light as the connections between them converge to reveal a killer.

A beautifully written debut thriller about love, loyalty, and manipulation, Speak of the Devil explores the roles in which women are cast in the lives of terrible men . . . and the fallout when they refuse to stay silent for one moment longer.

Huge thanks to Baskerville for kindly sending me a copy of Speak Of The Devil.

Speak Of The Devil is a fantastic feminist thriller, written by Rose Wilding, who I would imagine will go on to be ONE of the writers of our time!

The opening chapter sees the reader meet a group of seven women, on New Year’s Eve 1999, sitting in a semi-circle all facing a kind of altar with a head of a man on it!

We then move through the novel from the point of view of each of the seven women – Ana, Sarah, Kaysha, Josie, Maureen, Olive and Sadia – we find out from each of them how this man has impacted their lives and how they have all come to this moment.

And it is amazing how Rose Wilding has written Speak Of The Devil, each woman’s story slowly eases out with each page and each awful thing that our bodiless man has inflicted on them. It’s a tale of love, fear, abuse, hate, lies, control, correction and murder and it is brilliant. The cast is written with a real feel for how women act and feel in relationships where not everything is as it seems, the plot is wonderful and I love the fact that there is a lesbian lead character! I feel this is an important novel in today’s crime fiction as it lets women have a voice, and I blooming loved it! I could not put it down and read it over 2 days, a total page-turner from beginning to end!

A huge 5-star read and I cannot wait for Ms Wilding’s next novel – a fantastic talented writer. I hope Sperak Of The Devil wins prizes and accolades as it certainly deserves too!

Rose Wilding is a **queer, working class writer with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester**. She lived in Newcastle Upon Tyne until she was 27, where she worked in customer service, collecting idiosyncrasies from everyone she met.

You can buy Speak Of The Devil HERE

You can follow Rose Wilding on TWITTER INSTAGRAM

My #BookReview of #ForceOfHate by @gbpoliceadvisor published by @AllisonandBusby #JoHowe #Book2

When a firebomb attack at a Brighton travellers’ site kills women and children, Chief Superintendent Jo Howe has strong reason to believe the new, dubiously elected, far-right council leader is behind the murders.

Against the direct orders of her chief constable, Jo digs deeper into the killings. She uncovers a criminal ring of human trafficking and euthanasia all leading to a devastating plot which threatens thousands of lives and from which the murderous politician looks sure to walk away scot-free.

Well, what can I say about Force Of Hate apart from Wow! This is Graham Bartlett’s second book in the Jo Howe series, and it was sensational.

The storyline is frankly so realistic, being set in Brighton with a newly elected Council Leader who has extreme far-right tendencies, and CS Jo Howe being in his headlights and therefore in grave danger! I found Force Of Hate chilling in its realism and was utterly gripped by the plot from the opening chapter. Force of Hate is not for the faint-hearted, it is a hard-hitting police procedural, that will make you uncomfortable and unsettled, by the skilful way Grahm has written it.

It does follow on from book one, Bad For Good so I would advise reading that first if you haven’t already. The cast of characters is utterly real and so clearly written, Grahgam’s skill at making his cast jump off the page and make you FEEL something is second to none, and this along with the frankly frightening plot, made Force of Hate an instant 5-star read, that’s gripping, a page turner and sublime. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for book 3!

I waited so long for Force Of Hate to arrive but I’m so pleased I have my Goldsboro Books signed limited edition to go with Bad For Good.

Graham Bartlett **was a UK police officer in Sussex for thirty years and now he is a best-selling crime writer**. He mainly policed the city of Brighton and
Hove, rising to become a Chief Superintendent and its police commander.

You can BUY Force of Hate HERE

You can sign up to Graham Bartlett’s website HERE

You can follow Graham Bartlett on. TWITTER INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK

My #BookReview of #CanticleCreek by #AdrianHyland published by @ultimopress

Canticle Creek is a twisty crime thriller set in small town Australia.

When Adam Lawson’s wrecked car is found a kilometre from Daisy Baker’s body, the whole town assumes it’s an open and shut case. But Jesse Redpath isn’t from Canticle Creek. Where she comes from, the truth often hides in plain sight, but only if you know where to look. When Jesse starts to ask awkward questions, she uncovers a town full of contradictions and a cast of characters with dark pasts, secrets to hide and even more to lose.

As the temperature soars, and the ground bakes, the wilderness surrounding Canticle Creek becomes a powderkeg waiting to explode. All it needs is one spark.

Something drew me to the cover of Canticle Creek, and when i read the blurb I knew why. I love Australian novels, and Adrian Hyland is another new one for me.

This is a really gritty and sticky novel. Set in a small outback town full or prejudice and racism, the author writes with authority on both these subjects and manages to weave a very strong plot.

The characters were well written and I really felt myself investing with each turn of the page, Jesse Redpath our lead, is a bloody hard nut Ozzie Cop who goes to the small town of Canticle Creek to see whether the police there are doing their jobs properly, in looking into a young criminal known to her that has been charged with murder after events in the town. She takes her Dad along with her and so embarks on a mission to seek the truth, which leaves her in danger.

I loved the way Canticle Creek was written, the language is pure Australian slang which makes it so more realistic, however i did have to google a few words, but that’s a plus because I learnt something whilst reading!

A gripping crime thriller, set in the sulty, dry heat of the Australian summer, with relatable characters and a brilliant plot.

Another excellent novel from Ultimo Press, 5 star rating from me.

Adrian Hyland **spent many years in the Northern Territory, living and working among indigenous people**. He now teaches at LaTrobe University and lives in the north-east of Melbourne. His first novel, Diamond Dove won the 2007 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction.

You can buy Canticle Creek HERE

You can visit Ultimo Press HERE

#BookReview of #WhatTheShadowsHide #DIRidpath #9 by @WriterMJLee published by @CaneloCrime

To love and to cherish, till death did them part…

‘A brilliant thriller’ The Sun

Two desiccated bodies are found in each other’s arms in the bricked up room of a derelict Victorian warehouse. After six months of work, the police have nothing and Ridpath is finally called in to investigate. Dubbed the Romeo and Juliet murders by the press, so many questions remain unanswered.

Who are they? Why were they there? Who killed them? And why was the coroner so keen for him to work on this particular case?

Ridpath is plunged into his most difficult investigation yet, in a race against time to discover the truth. Has an unknown serial killer been operating in Manchester for the last twenty years?

Fast-paced, vicious and utterly compelling, the latest Ridpath novel is perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Damien Boyd.

I’ve been reading the DI Ridpath novels since I stumbled upon them a few years ago, so I was excited to get into What The Shadows Hide.

For those that don’t know MJ Lee’s Detective Inspector Thomas Ridpath is working for Manchester Police in the Major Investigations Team and he is also on loan to the Coroner as a Coroner’s Officer. Both these jobs can run smoothly together but also they can run poor Ridpath ragged, and so is the latest case.

Two bodies are found in a building that is due to be demolished, they were is a sealed room and Ridpath is called into find out who they were and their killer with only 8 days, as the Chief Constable then wants to shut down what is known as the Romeo and Juliet enquiry. On top of this his boss and friend at the coroners office, Mrs Challinor is brutally attacked and lays in a coma in hospital. Ridpath and his team are then given a temporary Coroner , who is very unlike Mrs Challinor and who I couldn’t stand!

Throw into this the fact that after loosing his wide Polly, Ridpath has to also bring up his only Daughter Evie, an intelligent 13 year old, but also one who does need her father around, and you have the makings of an excellent novel.

This is a fast paced story and the usual cast of supporting characters are there to help Ridpath during this latest adventure. I always love the attention to detail that MJ Lee expresses, the inner workings of a Coroner’s Officer and also the Police procedural sides are expertly written, and very realistic.

The story grips you and doesn’t let you go until you gat to the dual climatic ending. I read What The Shadows Hide over 2 days, and didn’t guess the perp until the very last minute, which is always the sign of a well written thriller.

Each Ridpath novel is set out in a similar format, but that doesn’t mean they are repetitive or staid, every one I’ve read has been excellent and well written. If you like a UK based thriller which looks at things from a different point of view to some of the others, whose central character Ridpath is portrayed as a hard working, intelligent, emotional man, then this series is for you.

I give What The Shadows Hide 4 ⭐️ stars.