My Review (5 stars out of 5) In Rome, Daniel Beckett takes on a risky assignment, using an attractive Italian waitress as cover. Unfortunately, Beckett’s plan goes askew, and he discovers his companion may not be what she seems… This short story is a prequel to the PI Daniel Beckett series and the first I’ve…
Month: May 2025
‘A Pact with the Devil’ by Anna Legat
My Review (4 stars out of 5) 1491, Cracow, Kingdom of Poland. University students Nicolaus Copernicus and his brother Andreas find themselves enmeshed in a devilish mystery when alchemist Doctor Faustus is found hanging over a crucible of boiling tar with a pentagon carved into his chest. A man is arrested on suspicion of murder…
‘Troubled Times for Tilly’ by Kay Seeley
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book 2 in the Water Gypsy series, though you don’t have to have read the first one to understand what’s already happened. Tilly and Sam strive to make a safe home for themselves and their children, though Tilly’s older son—Joey—is the offspring of a wealthy father,…
‘Story of a Murder’ by Hallie Rubenhold
My Review (5 stars out of 5) (Audiobook) The story of legendary wife-murderer Dr Crippen, told with an emphasis on his victim and the women who knew and worked with her. When music hall artiste Belle Elmore disappears from her north London home, the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild want to know why. Pestering the police…
‘Summer Paths’ An Anthology
Welcome to my spot on the blog tour for Summer Paths, via Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources The Blurb This, the fourth and final selection of stories, completes the Seasonal Paths series created by a consortium of best-selling and award-winning North Atlantic writers. In this anthology you will encounter unintentional consequences, love in later life,…
‘Doors Open’ by Ian Rankin
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Self-made rich bloke Mike Mackenzie is bored. On the lookout for something exciting to grab his attention, and having a keen interest in art, he decides to target Edinburgh’s National Gallery of Scotland. Along with a few pals and a well-known gangster, he hatches a plan that will…
‘Caravan of Nightmares and Other Short Stories’ by Joy Mutter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) I’ve read most of Ms Mutter’s books, so I usually know what to except when a new tome appears on her Amazon page. This is the second time she’s penned a collection of short stories and like most of her writing there’s a dark side to more than…
‘You Never Know with Women’ by James Hadley Chase
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Professional stripper Veda Rux steals an expensive Cellini dagger from a millionaire’s house – seemingly during a sleepwalking incident. The woman’s agent, Cornelius Gorman, ropes in dodgy PI Floyd Jackson, in a bid to return the dagger to the millionaire’s safe before he learns it’s missing. Jackson thinks…
Colin Garrow 