***** NB This post first appeared as part of a Damppebbles Blog Tour. When the son of a hard-hearted Seattle mayor is accused of rape, it throws his mother’s candidacy for state governor into jeopardy. Meanwhile, crime-lab worker Clark is in trouble—with mounting debts and a threat to his wife’s career, the possibility of smoothing…
Category: Characters
‘Still You Sleep’ by Kate Vane
***** In her own place and with her family and a support worker nearby, Vikki Smith seems happy – until she is found dead by a burglar. With a video and Vikki’s name trending on social media, the trolls come out of the woodwork. But could one of them be responsible for her death, or…
‘The Hard Swim’ by Keith Dixon
***** During World War Two, a group of SAS soldiers are captured, shot and buried in a forest in the heart of France. Seventy years on, a young woman is targeted by a team of experienced killers who attempt to abduct her following a meeting at Edinburgh Zoo. Fortunately, PI Sam Dyke observes the would-be…
‘The Moving Toyshop’ by Edmund Crispin
**** Poet Richard Cadogan sets off for a much-needed holiday to Oxford. Arriving late one night, he becomes intrigued to find the door of a toyshop unlocked. Snooping around, he discovers the dead body of an elderly woman. Before he can do anything else, someone bops him on the head. Informing the police, Cadogan is…
‘No Love Lost’ by Robert Crouch
***** When Kent Fisher interviews a young woman as a prospective new employee, he gets a bit of a surprise. But agreeing to help track down the woman’s mother, who abandoned her as a baby, he also sets in motion a series of dramatic events that could change his life forever. Aided by cop pal…
‘Lucky Jim’ by Kingsley Amis
**** Lecturer Jim Dixon’s future in the History Department looks set to blossom, so long as he can forestall the amorous advances of Margaret, while trying to stay on the right side of Professor Welch and his annoying family. But getting lumbered with delivering a lecture on Merrie England isn’t Jim’s only problem… This edition…
‘How the Wired Weep’ by Ian Patrick
**** Covert ops detective Ed needs a network of informants. Recruiting Ben, a young man recently released from prison, he must find a way for them to work together. However, vicious gang leader Troy soon drops them into a difficult situation, putting them both at risk. Battling their individual loyalties, can the two men fight…
‘Back Side of a Blue Moon’ by Caleb Pirtle
***** In the East Texas town of Ashland, the Great Depression means times are hard. With money and jobs scarce, anyone with any sense is leaving town. For red-head Eudora Durant, something needs to change and when her violent and whoring husband disappears, townsfolk soon begin making assumptions. But then a stranger comes to town…
‘Deadly Harm’ by Owen Mullen
***** Five years after being abducted and held captive, Mackenzie Darroch is making a difference in the world. Running a refuge for abused women, things are going well. Then she’s thrown into a bizarre situation when she saves the life of a car-crash victim. But offering the woman a place to stay, has consequences –…
Violence in the Blood by Mark J Newman
**** Glasgow villain Malkie Thompson has ambitions. Feeling constrained by his boss McAlister, he decides to take over and establish his own firm, and if that means getting rid of anyone who stands in his way, that’s fine with him. This is a novella that introduces Mark Newman’s Crime Syndicate series. The plot rolls along…
Colin Garrow 