My Review (4 stars out of 5) Kay Scarpetta finds herself quite literally in deep water when the body of an investigative reporter is found in the Elizabeth River. Digging into the reasons for the man’s death, Scarpetta is already suspicious about the odd phone call reporting the death before the police were notified. Along…
Category: murder
‘The Skeleton Road’ by Val McDermid
My Review (5 stars out of 5) The discovery of a skeleton on the roof of a gothic building in Edinburgh gives Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie a difficult starting point. The task of identifying the bones, which have lain there for several years, means the lack of evidence leaves the team little to go…
‘Friends in Need’ by Joy Mutter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Taxi driver Andrew Southgate has no problems bedding women. Short of cash, he’s not short of happiness. Until, that is, he starts lusting after Viviana – wife of his best pal, Mike. While Mike often helps Andrew financially, he begins to suspect there may be something going on…
‘Mr Mercedes’ by Stephen King
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Recently retired detective Bill Hodges is tormented by ‘the Mercedes massacre’, a case he couldn’t solve. Now, a letter from the killer gets him thinking. Maybe there’s away he can hunt this guy down himself and bring the perp to justice. But his retired stance means he could…
‘Dead Wrong’ by Cath Staincliffe
My Review (4 stars out of 5) In the summer of Euro ’96, Manchester is targeted by an IRA Bomb. In the midst of the ensuing confusion, private investigator Sal Kilkenny takes on two new clients – both very frightened. One is the victim of a stalker, while the other, a teenager, is terrified of…
‘Slow Horses’ by Mick Herron
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Jackson Lamb rules the roost at Slough House – a dumping ground for spies who messed up. Nicknamed the slow horses, his team deal with the mundane and the boring instead of being out in the field like proper spies. But with the kidnapping of a young Asian…
‘Under the Dome’ by Stephen King
My Review (5 stars out of 5) A small New England town is suddenly wrenched from the rest of the world when an invisible forcefield drops over it. Cars, planes, and people smash into the dome causing horror and panic. Iraq War veteran Dale Barbara is on his way out of the town when the…
‘Dead Man’s Time’ by Peter James
My Review (4 stars out of 5) Detective Superintendent Roy Grace must investigate a vicious robbery at a Brighton mansion, which soon turns to murder when an old woman dies. The search for valuable antiques stolen from the house pits Grace against the dead woman’s brother, who is keen to recover one particular item, as…
‘The Pottery Cottage Murders’ by Carol Ann Lee and Peter Howse
My Review (5 stars out of 5) In January 1977, escaped prisoner Billy Hughes entered the home of Gill Moran and her family, threatening their lives. Keeping them in separate rooms, he secretly murdered five members of the family one by one. After three days, Hughes took Gill with him to flee, but by then…
‘Arsenic at Ascot’ by Kelly Oliver
My Review (4 stars out of 5) This is book four in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery series, and the first I’ve read by this author. Well-known mistress of disguise and wartime spy, Fiona Figg, finds herself shunted around the war office dealing with mundane tasks, rather than getting to grips with espionage…
Colin Garrow 