A Very Novel Murder by Ellie Alexander

 

Annie has opened her detective agency, after successfully launching her bookshop. Now she awaits her first client. In a small village she expected to have to deal with missing cats, unfaithful husbands and cases of vandalism. Her first enquiry was an eye opener - someone who thought her partner could be Agatha Christie s own son and brought stuff to support her claim. The other, an elderly lady brought in a full scale murder enquiry with lots of arguments to support her case.

Kelly had been June’s friend and despite being very young had befriended June or that was the story. June despite local police ruling it a death by accident, (Kelly was found drowned in a bath tub), June was suspicious of the boy friend, Kelly’s surfing coach and also the girl who shared the flat. 

Initial investigations supported Annie’s suspicions that everything was not what it seemed and the local police got involved again. What followed was a plethora of crimes, and several suspects. The actual murderer was able to hoodwink two sharp detectives and the local police force almost to the end.

Excellent detective work.

Sent by Storm Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Chateau Murder by Greg Mosse

 

Set in an isolated snow bound setting the first death of an old butler seemed like an accident waiting to happen.. Zoe has been invited by her friends to come. It seems like a desperate summons. When she arrives 

however, the friend is evasive and an occasion for a chat seems almost impossible. Undercurrents run high between the aged twin brothers, and having three ex wives on the premises does not augur well. The only child on the premises is strange as well, moulded and influenced by very complicated adults.

The story is a complicated one and I didn’t see the end or the murderer clearly at all. The setting was descriptive and the characters were very varied. 

Sent by Hodder & Stoughton for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Star Society by Gabriella Saab

 

Two sisters both fled Nazi occupied Netherlands and have established careers. One is the bright young star of Hollywood, with a past she has kept carefully hidden, and the other a career woman. An investigator- her job to find out as much as possible about the wave of Communism hitting Hollywood, focussing mainly on her sister Ada.

The story weaves through the lives of producers, agents and stars in Ada’s circuit, along with the focus of Ingrid’s investigation. Intertwined with this is the search for the Nazi who made Ada’s life miserable and who was responsible for the death and disappearance of many Jews in the Netherlands.

With inspiration from the story of Audrey Hepburn, this was a detailed and very factual story of what transpired both during and after Nazi occupation. The story of resilience of survival and the bond of sisterhood makes it a very emotional read.

Sent by Harper Muse for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Revenge of Odessa by Frederick Forsyth with Tony Kent

 

The storyline is eye catching. Fifty years after revealing the secrets of Odessa Peter is now retired from his journalistic beat for the safety of his grandson. Georg however is no shrinking Violet and follows his grandfather in the dangerous hunt. Odessa is alive and well just under another name and playing a waiting game.

The premise was good but the story falls flat and was disappointing particularly when it carries the Forsyth name.

Sent by Random House UK Transworld Publishers.

A Deadly Clue by Victoria Albert

 

Cameron Clewe and Jane Hunter are not just employer and employees. Jane works curating Cam’s vast library but they have also worked on suspicious death cases before.  Involving the powerful Stewart family, an encounter with one of the family whilst collecting a parcel of books, Jane comes across an odd note which could be linked to the high profile suicide of Kimberley Stewart. When and before Cam and Jane even begin working on their suspicions, another death happens. This too is certified as a death by an overdose and seems too convenient to be acceptable.

Working with very little information, and against a very powerful family who has no compunction in threats of every kind Cam and Jane are determined to get to the truth, especially after a third death occurs. Alongside the murder investigation, is also the puzzling mystery and whereabouts of Cam’s father now missing for years and with a backdrop of estrangement from his family. Maybe we would hear more of this intriguing backstory in another episode.

A fairly convoluted investigation, but an interesting one.

Sent by Crooked Lane Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Murder Hi Jinks and the Peridot Cufflinks by Lynn Rankin-Esquer

 

Izzy is part of a team with her sister in an organisation co-op. A business that helps people clear, declutter and organise their living space so that they can think clearly and live basically organised lives. Izzy is also psychic and though she tries to close her mind to warnings, she is sometimes caught quite unaware in some homes she helps to clear, much to the dismay of her very focused sister.

The latest happening is bizarre when she gets signals for a man who was murdered, and though all the obvious signs is his gold digger wife, it is actually not so. The police assigned to the case know about her abilities and though one of them is skeptical (at the beginning only) the other knows from personal experience not to take Izzy’s forecasts lightly. The story unravels with many side issues, another murder and more insights. The biggest danger is that the murder weapon had Izzy’s fingerprints on them, and though the reasoning behind it is quite plausible (she was part of the cleaning crew of the murder victims household), her involvement cannot be ignored.

There is a nice balance of murder and humour including all the characters involved, which added interesting to the story.

Sent by Xandl Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa Kelly

 

I seem to be reading mystery/murder stories across the years from the very modern to much earlier times and every year in between.

This one with a Regency theme sees our Austen characters in a clever who dun it. It’s the festive season and Emma faces a very surprising announcement. Her father widowed (and rather grumpy) has announced his intention to marry the excitable Miss Bates. Emma has to hand over the reigns of running the household to another lady. Something she finds hard to do and move to Donwell Abbey neglected and run down and make it a comfortable home.

A splendid party is somewhat marred by the sudden death of a maid Prudence and then the rumours begin to fly. Emma’s enquiries unearths several unsettling claims which are whispered about in the locality, ending with the arrest of Mr Larkins, Emma’s steward and one whom she and her husband George trust implicitly. The feelings of the locals and the judge are against Mr Larkins who is of Irish descent (not very popular amongst the English villagers). Emma and George have their hands full when they unearth a smuggling ring, involving villagers, servants of the Abbey and a gang of ruthless men determined to see the hapless Mr Larkins hang.

A very interesting mystery murder cozy set in very English surroundings of a different age.

Sent by Kensington Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.