Missing in St Ives by Deborah Fowler

 

Merril had recently moved back to St Ives, idyllic quiet life in Cornwall. Helping out pro bono for various cases she likes the slower pace of life. Her friend Jane, in the midst of a messy divorce asks her to have her 16 year old daughter for the holidays. Not her ideal way of spending her time, she does not want to add to her friends worries and Emily comes to Cornwall. Emily turns out to be grumpy and rude and on her second day disappears from the cottage.

Now Merlin has to face Emily’s parents and the local Police to uncover how an absolute newcomer to the area can be abducted and why. When a ransom order comes in Police realise that their suspects know Emily’s background, her home (in Bristol) and now they have to join the links. The detectives work is excellent, until the kidnapper is shot dead whilst picking up the ransom with the police unaware of where Emily is being held. The only clue from the recording, is the sound of a curlew, found only in specific parts of the vast isolated area of Cornwall.

Alongside this kidnapping, the story of Billy with minor misdemeanours to his name now caught threatening a shop keeper with a knife, totally out of character and now tight lipped with fear, as to who put him up to this. Peddling drugs to very young children, the tragic death of a toddler who consumed the drugs thinking it was candy, the subsequent suicide of a 17 year old who couldn’t live with the guilt of bringing home the drugs, and the round up of the gang responsible for bringing the drugs to Cornwall is the other part of the story. Merlin is the support for Billy throughout the case. I personally didn’t not think Billy’s story though a good one had a bearing on Emily’s story which was a kidnapping and a ransom gone wrong.

Sent by Allison & Busby for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Murder at the Duomo by T A Williams

 

Oscar is the sidekick but a very important one. Uncovering clues at a vital part of an investigation and helping to push it forward is his specialty. We have his boss the retired English private investigator, who lives in idyllic Tuscany with Anna his partner. The other party is Commissario Virgilio who calls on Dan when an investigation involves the English.

This one was a puzzle. A crowded cathedral, the Duomo. Tristan Angel found murdered in a confessional with professional skill. Tristan, an extremely wealthy arms dealer, secretive and close lipped had come with a bunch of associates to his villa in Tuscany to fine tune business. Whom he was going to meet no one knew, and the investigation is hindered mainly by the lack of general knowledge of the inner dealings of this conglomerate. When a second murder by poison takes place within the villa itself the number of suspects is confined to the associates themselves, and then the third attempted murder which was not successful reconfirms. Now the painstaking background check starts and what links may have been missed.

With accounts of scenic Tuscany plus the mouth watering food, and the mystery murder is very much a page turner. The story held my interest throughout because once the initial suspects became themselves victims, it was not easy to find the actual murderer.

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

Round Up the Unusual Suspects by Elizabeth Crowens

 

A WWII background we have Babs and Guy in their next adventure of being private detectives on a film set. The set is chaotic, the figures are bigger than life, the producers and directors have enormous egos, uncontrollable tempers and three suspicious deaths occur. It is also the story where the two get married for convenience only.

There is the homosexuality theme and the fear of discovery, recruitment to the forces, and the biggest problem for Babs, the internment in camps of people of Japanese ancestry, now considered aliens and enemies of the state. Her attempts to hide Mr Otake are admirable but she is working flat out to solve a murder as well.

The story has a lot going on and keeping track of it all is not easy. It gives a good account of how studios worked in that time, and very little was orderly or pleasant.

Sent by Level Best Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Tag You’re It by Kerry Wilkinson

 

A reality show. Contestants from 18 to 80. Everyday one person is IT and has to tag someone with a phrase or get someone to do something. The prize money is big, and everyday with one game or the other, the money gets added to. The contestants come from a wide range of backgrounds and very quickly begin to develop small cliques with people whom they are comfortable with but the theme of Don’t Trust Anybody has to apply because almost all are focussed on winning.

When one of their number is found dead, the detectives have a problem of finding out who killed this contestant and why. Secrets so deeply concealed that no one can work out the links within some of the contestants. 

Surprising at every stage, this novel keeps you wanting to know what the end is like. Human nature with all its frailties displayed. A very good story.

Sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Case of the Murdered Muckraker by Rob Osler

 

Harriet is an intrepid private investigator. She is a lesbian keeping her secret closely guarded, this being Chicago at the turn of the twentieth century. Not the easiest time for a woman to be different, following a career that makes her distinctive. Not much help or support from colleagues which makes investigation, not just harder but lonely.

The story was a good one and all the characters stood out. Harriet had to work mainly alone, and this was an investigation with no holds barred, dealing with ruthless politicians who were extremely corrupt and who did not even think of Harriet as the opposition. That she had the grudging support of her boss was a good thing, because that did help.

Being gay and keeping it secret to the end was also hard because Harriet did feel that there were like minded people, but it was a topic that could not be spoken about. I do hope that we will have a sequel to this story. I’ll look forward to that.

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

The Three by Kelsey O’Brien

 

1791 England. Interesting times and we have people living dangerously on the edge.  Matthew is a skilled corset maker and his business is steadily on the rise. He came from nothing and has clawed himself up, setting up a business which is seen as successful. Though catering to the elite, he is still on the outside of society until he takes up with the aristocratic Henry with whom he falls in love. The danger of keeping a liaison like this secret is a must as it is a criminal offence. Matthew moves into Henry’s house as a private corset maker to Henry’s wife Elina so that the deception can continue.

So far the story is nothing untoward because society had many secrets swept under the Carpet, and ignored by polite society so that surfaces are not ruffled and secrets are kept hidden. Discovering that his lovers wife was well into revolutionary politics which she had kept carefully hidden was a surprise. Supporting her in her movement to popularise her ideas was not part of Matthew’s duties but he sympathised with Elina’s position in the household and then began his surreptitious life of helping Eliza without Henry’s knowledge.

The reckoning was coming and it did. It was sobering, difficult and emotional to process, but it was excellent reading.

The book was sent by Hera Books for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

The Shark House by Sara Ackerman

 

Set in Hawaii we have a story of a woman working in a man’s world (yes this is 1998) having to face a patronizing attitude because of her gender, despite being highly qualified for the job. A marine biologist by profession Minnow Gray on her subject of sharks, is at variance with the authorities on the islands. A few shark attacks, resulting in severe injury and a death are creating a pall over the tourist dependent islands. The powers that be would like to have a shark hunt and eliminate the threat, but Minnow knows that there is more to the attacks and does it warrant a hunt of these endangered mammals.

The story is very descriptive of the islands themselves, the myths and legends of the islanders themselves are brought into the story as a backdrop the reality of business and local politics. Striking a balance is not going to be easy and Minnow becomes a target because of her opposition to the hunt. This is a story about the natural world and the power of nature and things humans are still trying to understand. 

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