Book Review: DARK CORNERS by Megan Goldin

 

Title: DARK CORNERS

Author:  Megan Goldin

Read: October 2023

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description: 

 

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

My musings:

 

Now this was a real thriller in every sense of the word! If I had been thoroughly intrigued by Rachel Krall in THE NIGHT SWIM, I have now totally fallen for this intelligent, plucky, kick-ass character in DARK CORNERS.

 

Rachel Krall is intrigued when she is invited by the FBI to talk to prisoner Terry Bailey, a man convicted of aggravated burglary but also under suspicion of having killed several sex workers. Police are concerned that he is somehow involved in the disappearance of a young social media influencer, Maddison Logan, who hasn’t been seen since visiting Terry in jail two days ago. Since Maddison’s caravan has been found abandoned in a nearby state forest, with video evidence that suggests she was taken by force, police are speculating that Terry’s alleged accomplice is involved and time is running out to find her alive. The only lead the police have is a scribbled note Terry passed to Maddison during her visit, which clearly shows Rachel’s name.

 

In true Rachel Krall fashion, she is not intimidated by the increasing danger the investigation puts her in and resists the FBI’s efforts to get her out of the way once her visit has proven to be a dead end. Being both intelligent and nosy, Rachel asks the right questions to the right people, which leads to a surprising discovery – one that may put her in danger herself.

 

I loved everything about this thriller, from the intriguing premise to the clue-by-clue reveal. As in THE NIGHT SWIM, Rachel Krall’s popular true crime podcast features as a separate POV, telling part of the story from the perspective of the victims. This unique approach not only gave the book a very contemporary and relevant edge, but it also humanised the silent victims of crime – the relatives of the dead and missing left behind with their grief. I also appreciated how Goldin managed to incorporate a villain’s POV without going over the top or giving away spoilers prematurely, which is a fine balancing act not always achieved by crime writers. As the tension mounted it became impossible to put the book down, as I had to find out the answers! As an aside, I found the subplot of BuzzCon and the world of social media influencers most intriguing. I also loved getting to know Rachel a bit better and – whilst usually not a fan of romance in crime thrillers – was enjoying the hopeful and positive vibe it presented here.

  

Summary:

Edgy, taut and very cleverly plotted, this was a total winner for me and I cannot recommend it highly enough. I can also fully vouch for the audio version, which made the podcast elements sound authentic and lent different voices to the characters.

Book Review: WOLF PACK by Will Dean (Tuva Moodyson #5)

 

Title: WOLF PACK

Author: Will Dean

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Read: September 2022

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

A closed community

Rose Farm is home to a group of survivalists, completely cut off from the outside world. Until now.

A missing person

A young woman goes missing within the perimeter of the farm compound. Can Tuva talk her way inside the tight-knit group to find her story?

A frantic search

As Tuva attempts to unmask the culprit, she gains unique access to the residents. But soon she finds herself in danger of the pack turning against her – will she make her way back to safety so she can expose the truth?

Will Dean’s most heart-pounding Tuva Moodyson thriller yet takes Tuva to her absolute limits in exposing a heinous crime, and in her own personal life. Can she, and will she, do the right thing?

My musings:

 

Oh how I love Tuva Moodyson! This series is just getting better and better.

 

Tuva has had her fair share of tragedy and is still reeling from the incident that almost killed her lover and put her in a coma. She now feels like she has little to lose, which is perhaps the reason she throws herself headlong into trying to solve another mystery, consequences be damned. A young woman has gone missing up near the mysterious Rose Farm, and no one is talking. It’s the sort of challenge Tuva cannot resist, even if it puts herself in danger.

 

With Tuva, Dean has created a strong, enigmatic, kick-ass female character who has not only overcome adversity (Tuva is deaf), but also never shies away from setting injustices right. Supported by a cast of weird and wonderful characters, and a remote, small-town setting, this series never disappoints. Over the previous four books, we have become very familiar with the small forest town of Gavrik and its inhabitants, and they all make a disappearance here. Whether it’s the creepy wood-turning sisters you’ve been hoping to catch up with, or the whiff of Tammy’s amazing cooking, Dean makes sure they are not forgotten.

 

I felt sad for Tuva in this one, because part of her bravery and determination not to back down reflects her inner loneliness after the tragedy that stole the love of her life from her. So perhaps this is the reason this book seemed more melancholy to me than its predecessors, even though it’s a solid mystery with lots of action and nail-biting scenes where Tuva puts herself in danger. For me, it’s the characters and the setting that make this series so irresistible, though of course I’m not knocking the well-plotted mystery that holds it all together (which I won’t go into here because it’s best to delve in blind for maximum surprise value).

 

The Tuva Moodyson series remains one of my favourite crime series and one I can’t get enough of. I hope that we will see a lot more of Tuva in future.

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE WITCH HUNTER by Max Seeck

 

Title: THE WITCH HUNTER

Author:  Max Seeck

Read: November 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

A bestselling author’s wife has been found dead in a gorgeous black evening gown, sitting at the head of a formally set dinner table. Her most chilling feature—her face is frozen in a ghastly smile.

At first it seems as though a deranged psychopath is reenacting the gruesome murders from The Witch Hunter, the bestseller written by the victim’s husband. But investigator Jessica Niemi soon realizes she’s not looking for a single killer but rather for dozens of believers in a sinister form of witchcraft.

They know her every move and are always one step ahead. As the bodies start piling up, Jessica knows they won’t stop until they get what they want. And when her dark past comes to light, Jessica finds herself battling her own demons while desperately trying to catch a coven of killers before they claim their next victim. 

 

My musings:

 

Nordic Noir is my favourite genre, so when I stumbled across Max Seeck’s latest novel, THE ICE COVEN, it appealed to me straight away. But seeing it is part two of a series, I thought I should probably read the first book to get a better background on the characters – and I am glad I did! THE WITCH HUNTER sports a rich cast of characters, from multiple murder victims and perpetrators to a whole squad of detectives, which at times had me frantically scouring previous pages to keep track of who was who. Luckily the puzzle to solve was intriguing enough to keep me glued to the pages. By the end of the book, I finally felt that I had a good grasp of all the members of the detective squad, which should set me up nicely for Book 2 and made this a worthwhile endeavour.

 

With many of the dark elements that make the genre so appealing to me, the story captured me very quickly and I wanted to know the answers. The icy atmospheric setting and the theme of witchcraft inspired murders in a Finnish seaside suburb made this book extra intriguing. I did feel at times that a few details and nuances got lost in translation, though, and I am still not sure if I totally understood the final unravelling of all the threads. However, the character of Jessica Niemi and the delicious armchair travel setting in Finland will definitely make me come back for more and I can see that this is a series I can easily get addicted to.

Book Review: THE CORPSE FLOWER by Anne Mette Hancock

 

Title: THE CORPSE FLOWER

Author:  Anne Mette Hancock

Publisher:  Swift Press

Read: November 2021

Expected publication: 3 March 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

It's early September in Copenhagen and 36-year-old journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. Then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and ominous letters from alleged killer Anna Kiel, who is wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young lawyer three years earlier.

The letters keep coming, and hint at a connection between Anna and Heloise. As Heloise starts digging deeper, she realizes that, to tell Anna's story, she will have to revisit the darkest parts of her own past - confronting someone she swore she'd never see again.

 

My musings:

THE CORPSE FLOWER is Nordic Noir at its finest!

 

I admit that I probably would have passed right by this book had I not heard about it from a friend. It’s a bit misleading, because the “corpse flower” in the title does not refer to actual corpses, but to a large Indonesian plant (Amorphophallus titanium) which emits a stench similar to that of rotting flesh, thus attracting flies and carrion beetles to its flowers to pollinate them. In the book, the flower has a certain significance to one of its characters. So if you were put off by the images of rotting corpses the title evokes, fear not!

 

The story may start off innocently enough, a bit slow even. But don’t be fooled! As with any mystery that involves a whole investigative team – in this case Danish investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan and homicide detective Erik Schäfer – there is a bit of character building to set the scene, as was the case here. We also have an elusive killer, a woman named Anna Kiel, who is on the run after brutally murdering a lawyer in his home. When she contacts Heloise by writing her cryptic letters, she is as much in the dark as we are! Who is Anna Kiel? Why did she kill a man? And what is her connection to Heloise?

 

As the story unfolds, Heloise will not only put herself in the path of danger, but she will uncover a dark, horrible secret that fits in well with the genre. I really liked Heloise as the lead. She is enigmatic, fearless and suitably flawed herself to give her a good backstory. Ditto with Erik Schäfer – I would love to see them both back in future books. Because Heloise is the person we get to hear most from, this is not your typical police procedural, which perhaps made the path to the final reveal  more relatable as Heloise has to use her own incentive and investigative skills without the privilege of police databases and resources.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, THE CORPSE FLOWER had all the dark elements I love in the Nordic Noir genre, plus two enigmatic lead characters who I would love to see back in future books. Once the story gets rolling, it will lead you into murky waters and topics troubled enough to haunt you in your nightmares. With an overall theme of justice and revenge, the story gradually built tension until I could not tear myself away and had to read late into the night until I had all the answers. A great book from a new voice in Danish crime fiction!

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift Press for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: BAD APPLES by Will Dean (Tuva Moodyson #4)

 

Title: BAD APPLES

Author:  Will Dean

Publisher:  Oneworld Publications

Read: August 2021

Expected publication: 7 October 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

Book Description:

 

It only takes one...

A murder

A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated

A festival

A cultish hilltop community ‘celebrates’ Pan Night after the apple harvest

A race against time

As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper. Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…

 

My musings:

 

If you’re looking for a creepy thriller with a gloomy, atmospheric setting this Halloween, then look no further! Noone writes a creepy forest better than Will Dean.

 

I’ve been a fan of the Tuva Moodyson series since the start and snapped up the book as soon as I could press “request” on Netgalley (thank you so much for granting me my wish!). Tuva, a journalist in a small remote Swedish town, stumbles once again into disaster when she comes across a decapitated corpse in the creepy forest surrounding the town. Even though it’s hard to believe, things go even further downhill from here. I love the way Dean’s mind works, and how he manages to create sinister scenes out of seemingly harmless everyday situations. For example, the image of the child biting into a rotten apple (mind the book’s title) was so creepy I am still thinking about it, and this was nothing compared to Dean’s other creations: the sinister trolls carved by the two creepy sisters, the balloons made out of animal intestines, the stuffed animals with dental work, a forest teeming with slugs and poisonous mushrooms etc etc. Dean writes in a way that brings all these nightmarish images to life like a dark creepy movie, and I loved every minute of it!

 

Dean has run with the Halloween topic and made it firmly his own. Though Halloween is celebrated by the children in Gavrik, the small neighbouring hilltown of Visberg has their own dark tradition: Pan Night. It makes Halloween a candyland paradise in comparison, because the happenings on Pan Night, to which only locals are invited, are very sinister indeed. And of course Tuva, who can never resist putting herself in danger, manages a sneak peak that will almost be her undoing.

 

Tuva is one of my favourite characters in crime fiction. Even though she is one tough cookie, Dean also manages to paint her vulnerable side: the grief for her deceased parents, her addictions, her deafness, her struggles with her sexuality. I was happy to see that she has not only made some great friends in Gavrik, but has also found love with Noora, grounding her somewhat. Being a journalist rather than a detective, Tuva leads us into the murder investigation from a completely different angle, which makes this series extra special to me.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, BAD APPLES is another deliciously dark instalment in Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series, and maybe his creepiest yet? And even though he ending was wayyyyy out there, I loved the reel of dark and spooky images the book created in my mind. Coming out just in time for Halloween it’s the perfect spooky read to get into the spirit of the season – if you haven’t discovered this series yet, what are you waiting for?

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: CONSOLATION by Gary Disher

 

Title: CONSOLATION

Author:  Gary Disher

Publisher:  Serpent’s Tail

Read: June 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

Book Description:

 

Winter in Tiverton.

Constable Paul Hirschhausen has a snowdropper on his patch. Someone is stealing women’s underwear, and Hirsch knows enough about that kind of crime—how it can escalate—not to take it lightly.

But the more immediate concerns are a call from the high school, a teacher worried about a student who may be in danger at home. Another call, a different school: a man enraged about the principal’s treatment of his daughter.

A little girl in harm’s way and an elderly woman in danger. An absent father who isn’t where he’s supposed to be; another who flees to the back country armed with a rifle. Families under pressure. And the cold, seeping feeling that something is very, very wrong.

 

My musings:

 

Three things made me fall instantly in love with the Paul Hirschhausen series: 1) it’s set in rural Australia; 2) Hirsch is just such a decent, likeable cop who really cares about his community; 3) the events happening in the series are not far-fetched, twisty stories but reflect the darker side of a real-life small community (it’s all very relatable). Plus, Garry Disher is a seasoned author who knows how to spin a good yarn!

 

In the midst of a cold, South Australian winter, Constable Paul Hirschhausen (“Hirsch”) has a few problems on his hands. Someone in the community has been stealing old ladies’ knickers off their clotheslines, leaving the senior citizens of Tiverton and Redruth up in arms. On top of that, Hirsch is sent on a welfare check to a remote farmhouse to address a teacher’s concerns about one of her home-schooled pupils. And, just as he is trying to sort these issues out, a parent goes berserk at the local school, prompting pupils and teachers to barricade themselves inside the classrooms until the fracas has died down. It’s all in a day’s work for Hisch, who spends his days driving around the area to check on the vulnerable members of his community and making sure that law and order is being upheld by the rowdier ones.

 

There are many different storylines and multiple characters that drive the many threads Disher weaves together in CONSOLATION, which made for an intriguing and fast-paced read with the hallmark atmospheric setting that makes this series so compelling. Disher isn’t out to trick his readers with sleighs of hand, killer twists or red herrings galore, and yet it takes a clever armchair detective to follow all the clues and solve the mysteries in the same time as Hirsch does. I love Disher’s innate understanding of the obstacles a lone copper in a small rural town faces on a daily basis: the isolation, the weather, the fact that everyone knows everyone else’s business, just to name a few. I also appreciated the undertone of menace as evil crawls out of the cracks and makes the town an unsafe place.

 

CONSOLATION, just like its prequels, is a novel that reads like a good yarn at the local pub, catching up on all the town gossip, the speculation and the scandals. It’s both a comfort read as well as one you will be loathe to put down because of the many different mysteries Hirsch is juggling, and you really want to find out the answers.

 

Summary:

 

CONSOLATION has a little bit for everyone: crimes to solve, lots of intriguing backstories, true to life characters and the bleak, vast landscape that typifies Australian noir. I highly recommend this series to readers who love an atmospheric read told by a master of the genre and led by one of the most likeable small town cops you will ever encounter in a crime novel. I look forward to my next Hirsch-fix!

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Serpent's Tail for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: WINTERKILL by Ragnar Jónasson

 

Title: WINTERKILL

Author:  Ragnar Jónasson

Publisher:  Orenda Publishing

Read: March 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.

Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he’s separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air.

Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes ‘She was murdered’ again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death…

As the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth … one that will leave no one unscathed.

Chilling, claustrophobic and disturbing, Winterkill marks the startling conclusion to the million-copy bestselling Dark Iceland series and cements Ragnar Jónasson as one of the most exciting authors in crime fiction.

What attracted me to this book:

 

I love Icelandic crime thrillers, and the Dark Iceland series has been a great joy to read right from the start. I was excited to get back to Siglufjörður and read about Ari Thór Arason’s latest case, which involves the apparent suicide of a nineteen-year-old local girl who jumped to her death from a balcony.

My musings:

 

Ari Thór’s estranged partner and son are visiting over Easter, and again he struggles to find time for both family and his job, a battle that is only to real for police or emergency workers, especially in a place as remote as  Siglufjörður. I really felt for Ari Thór, who is only too keen to write the girl’s death off as the suicide it appears to be and enjoy spending time with his son, and yet also hears his inner warning bells chime that all is not as it seems.

 

After travelling to Iceland two years ago, I can vividly picture the small remote town of Siglufjörður, now made slightly more accessible by a new road and tunnel. Jonasson is a master at creating atmosphere and tension through his setting, and this latest instalment in the series is no exception. As the mystery slowly unravels and all its layers are being stripped to reveal the tragic truth, I was thoroughly hooked.

 

All in all, WINTERKILL is a slow-burning, character driven and highly atmospheric read from a master of Iceland noir. It contains all the elements that make this genre so irresistible for me, and I was hoping for many more books in the series, but found out that this may be the last one. I will miss visiting Siglufjörður! Whilst WINTERKILL can be read as a standalone, I would recommend starting the series from book one, as Ari Thór’s backstory adds a lot of depth to the mystery. Highly recommend the whole series!

 

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Orenda Books for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

What do SILVER and BLOODLINE have in common?

 

My January 2021 self-imposed reading goal of letting my mood guide me in selecting books that are already on my shelf is off to a flying start! On first glance, my first two choices, SILVER and BLOODLINE don’t have much in common. SILVER: male Aussie author, middle-aged male protagonist, rural small town Australian setting, murder, present time, intrigue, conspiracy, secrets and the past coming back to haunt you. BLOODLINE: female US author, young female protagonist, rural small town Minnesotan setting, 1968 timeline, creepy neighbours, danger is closing in. But I found a common theme running through both novels that is obviously my go-to theme right now.

 

Two little words may give you a clue: small town. Both novels really make the most of their small town settings, creating a sinister, tense, claustrophobic atmosphere that had me frantically turning the pages. And whilst I had many theories, the ultimate reveal, definitely straying into the realm of the elaborate conspiracy theory in both stories, ultimately came as a surprise.

 

SILVER is the second book in the Martin Scarsden series, and if you have read and enjoyed SCRUBLANDS you will be pleased to know that Hammer has once again evoked his powers to create a tense, atmospheric novel set in rural Australia. This time, Martin takes us to the coast, to Port Silver, the town he grew up in and which he has tried so hard to escape. He is not off to a good start, however, stumbling into a murder scene within a few pages of the opening chapter, and things soon go wrong from here.

 

In typical Hammer style, from here follows a multi-layers plot with many colourful characters and diverse threads that ultimately connect in an action packed finale that I could not have seen coming. If you like a simple whodunit where you can use your own detective skills to follow the clues, you might soon find yourself out of depth here, but for those of us who are looking for a totally original and unpredictable premise, this book is perfect. I loved the tense, claustrophobic setting that evokes many a small coastal Australian town, and I knew the area he was describing from previous travel, which made it all the more vivid in my mind. You will be hard pressed to find a better setting than this, it really was armchair travel at its best! I also appreciated learning more about Martin’s past, which really fleshed him out as a character I can’t wait to revisit in TRUST, the next book in the series.

 

 

BLOODLINE is my first book by Jess Lourey, but I was instantly drawn to its 1968 timeline and its small rural Minnesotan town setting. Even more so when I heard that it was based on a true unsolved crime that had been committed in the author’s own home town! I was pleased to find that the lead was an enigmatic, plucky young woman, who is finding herself stranded in Lilydale, her boyfriend’s hometown. Joan, a city girl through and through, finds the overly friendly gestures of her new neighbours strangely intrusive, and as time progresses even threatening. The small idyllic town seems to harbour a darkness that is not immediately obvious on the surface, but which becomes more menacing as the townspeople hear of Joan’s pregnancy. Suddenly, everyone seems to be watching her every move. But worse, her boyfriend and close friend believe that it is all in her mind. Is Joan going crazy, or is there really something sinister afoot in Lilydale? From here follows a dark, sinister tale of secrets that definitely strayed into the realm of the conspiracy theory towards the end. But whilst it required a bit of suspension of disbelief, the claustrophobic atmosphere had woven its evil web and I was totally hooked and invested in the story. With my penchant for sinister small town settings I discovered that I had already bought the author’s previous novel, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS, which is also set in rural Minnesota. I can’t wait to read it!

 

So here we are, and I am very pleased with the start of my reading year. Living in a small town myself, I see the potential for dark secrets festering in a seemingly idyllic setting. If you could set a mystery anywhere, what backdrop would you chose?

Book Review: PEACE by Garry Disher

 

Title: PEACE

Author:  Garry Disher

Publisher:  Serpent’s Tail

Read: September 2020

Expected publication: 6 October 2020

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Constable Paul Hirschhausen runs a one-cop station in the dry farming country south of the Flinders Ranges. He's still new in town but the community work-welfare checks and working bees-is starting to pay off. Now Christmas is here and, apart from a grass fire, two boys stealing a ute and Brenda Flann entering the front bar of the pub without exiting her car, Hirsch's life has been peaceful.

Until he's called to a strange, vicious incident in Kitchener Street. And Sydney police ask him to look in on a family living outside town on a forgotten back road.

Suddenly, it doesn't look like a season of goodwill at all.

What attracted me to this book:

 

I love nothing better than a compelling, gritty Australian thriller with an atmospheric setting, and I am happy to report that – TA DA! – this fitted that description to a T. An average rating of above 4 on Goodreads of the Paul Hirschhausen series should give you a good indication that this was a great read, and I am even more excited that there are already two more books out in this series!

My musings:

 

Set in a remote, rural South Australian town, it doesn’t get more atmospheric than this. Farms affected by drought and its many repercussions, small town politics and a cop who has been posted there as a punishment all set the stage perfectly. Hirsch was an enigmatic character I liked immediately, and I don’t think that anything could really ruffle his feathers too much as he always keeps a calm and composed demeanour even in circumstances that made my blood boil just reading about them. Starting off slowly with descriptions of the one-cop town Hirsch has been stationed in, and brimming with interesting hardy Aussie characters like you only find in the bush, the book inexorably wove its spell over me. By the time the book released its true grittiness, I was well and truly hooked and could not put it down!

 

Seeing how much I love rural Aussie crime, I cannot believe that I have never read any other books by Garry Disher before! It is obvious that he has an innate understanding of the bush and what makes people in rural areas of this vast land tick, because each and every character literally leapt off the pages. Some were so authentic that I was sure I had met them at some point during our own stints of living in remote Australia, which made it even more intriguing. But even if you have never set foot on Australian soil, Disher’s vivid descriptions of his setting and his cleverly constructed plot will soon catch you in their intricately woven web. For fans of more hyped up books, such as THE DRY or SCRUBLANDS, this is a must read!  Am willing to bet that you will enjoy this gritty tale equally as much.

 

 

Summary:

 

All in all, PEACE should be on every bookshelf of readers who love rural noir or who appreciate a great atmospheric small town setting. Don’t be fooled by the book’s innocuous start, because the gritty bits will soon be washed in by the tide and you will be swept up by the story and dumped back to shore, emotionally wrung out and probably tired from reading all night! I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Serpent’s Tail for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE CUTTING PLACE (Maeve Kerrigan #9) by Jane Casey

Title: THE CUTTING PLACE (Maeve Kerrigan #9)

Author:  Jane Casey
Read: June 2020

Expected publication: 3 November 2020

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

Everyone's heard the rumours about elite gentlemen's clubs, where the champagne flows freely, the parties are the height of decadence . . . and the secrets are darker than you could possibly imagine.

DS Maeve Kerrigan finds herself in an unfamiliar world of wealth, luxury and ruthless behaviour when she investigates the murder of a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves. Paige was working on a story about the Chiron Club, a private society for the richest and most privileged men in London. Then she disappeared. 

It's clear to Maeve that the members have many secrets. But Maeve is hiding secrets of her own – even from her partner DI Josh Derwent. Will she uncover the truth about Paige’s death? Or will time run out for Maeve first?

What attracted me to this book:

Jane Casey’s latest instalment in the DI Maeve Kerrigan series once again affirms that this is one of my favourite crime series. Having read every book in the series from when Maeve made her first appearance in THE BURNING, I have been eagerly been looking forward to every book. Now at Book 9, I am still enjoying the series as much as ever!

My musings:

Whilst I recommend reading the series from Book 1 to get the most out of the homicide team’s dynamics, Casey offers individual stories that could easily be read as stand alones. In THE CUTTING PLACE, Maeve gets embroiled in the investigation into a sinister secret society that has been linked to the dismembered body of a young journalist washed up on the banks of the Thames. All of Casey’s novels are original and well plotted, and her latest book was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the creepy vibes as Maeve tries to look into the murky depths of the Chiron Club, though I must confess that the dynamics between Maeve and her nemesis Josh Derwent remained my favourite part. Their constant bickering and sniping whilst they are secretly great mates was good fun to read – Derwent’s quick wit and his political incorrectness as these two clash always raises eyebrows as well as a chuckle.

Summary:

It’s difficult to name favourites in an overall great series, but this book is definitely among them, as we get to see a more vulnerable side to both Maeve and Josh. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to continuing following Maeve and Josh on their adventures.

Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: BLACK RIVER by Will Dean

Title: BLACK RIVER

Author: Will Dean
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Read: March 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.

FEAR

Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing.

SECRETS

Racing back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar, Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts?

LIES

Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?

What attracted me to this book:

Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series has been one of my favourite series since Tuva first made her appearance in DARK PINES, making BLACK RIVER one of my most anticipated books this year!

My musings:

Dean knows how to write an atmospheric, dark and claustrophobic thriller, and whilst each one of his books is set in the same place, he manages to bring a new perspective into his setting with every story. So whilst we first met Tuva in a wintry Gavrik, which was chilling in every way, the events in BLACK RIVER are taking part around midsommar, the time of 24 hour daylight around the Nordic summer solstice. It’s a credit to Dean’s skill as a crime writer to make this happy, light and summery period as dark and chilling as his wintry settings!

The best thing about a good series is the ability to get closer to your characters with every instalment, and I have enjoyed finding out more about Tuva’s life as she embarks on yet another adventure. This time Tuva has a lot more emotional involvement in her investigation, as it’s her best friend Tami who has disappeared into the dark and sinister forest around Gavrik. Apparently Dean lives in a cabin in the woods, where he writes his books – and his intimate knowledge of the dark Swedish forest really shows. Fans of the series will be pleased (or terrified) to see some of the forest’s more sinister inhabitants back, such as the creepy wood carving sisters and the sleazy paramedic who once locked Tuva in his car. There are many more odd characters that make an appearance here, ranging from slightly off-centre to downright scary. You will even find some other forest critters here that may haunt your nightmares long after you have turned the last page. To put it simply: I loved it!

Whilst Dean relies heavily on his claustrophobic setting and his characters to set a scene that is loaded with an undercurrent of danger and menace which never totally lets up, I also found his observations of Swedish culture and custom that pepper the story interesting. Tuva, with her eye for detail and her sharp, often cynical sense of humour, gives a good social commentary that added a lot more depth to the story than found in many other contemporary crime novels.

Summary:

In summary, BLACK RIVER is another unputdownable instalment in the Tuva Moodyson series. Unsettling, dark and tense, it makes for a perfect crime read with a protagonist who does not fit any stereotype. With her indestructible sense of justice, her courage and her determination, Tuva is one of my favourite fictional amateur detectives. Complimented by a rich cast of characters ranging from oddball to downright creepy, and the type of dark atmospheric setting that has become Dean’s hallmark, this series remains one of my all-time favourite Nordic crime series. I can’t wait to see more of Tuva in future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.