***** (Audiobook) When wealthy and eccentric widow Mary Emsley is found dead at her home on 17th August 1860, the resulting murder inquiry grips the nation. Faced with several suspects, the police home in on two individuals, finally narrowing it down to one man – James Mullins. Convicted and hanged for the killing, the Mullins…
Category: mystery
Author Interview – Lex Lander
Creator of the Andrew Warner Manhunter series, author Lex Lander talk about characters, place and Brigitte Bardot… Thinking back to when you started writing, is there anything you would do differently in terms of the writing, or in getting your books to market? I started at…
‘Bad Debts’ by Peter Temple
(Five Stars) Occasional lawyer and part-time sleuth, Jack Irish is used to trouble. Taking work as a debt-collector he idles away his spare time at the racetrack or helping out in a cabinetmaker’s shop. But when a former client leaves a message on Jack’s…
Writing the Fifties
NB This piece first appeared on B for Bookreview, as part of the ‘Blood on the Tyne: Body Parts’ Blog Tour. Beginning a new murder/mystery series is always fun, but sometimes it can throw up a few additional challenges, so how did the first book in the Rosie Robson series get…
‘They All Love Jack’ by Bruce Robinson
They All Love Jack (Audiobook) Ever since a mysterious figure ripped his way through the East End of London in the late 1880s, writers and filmmakers have focused on the identity of the perpetrator. The mystery of Jack the Ripper still exudes a fascination to…
‘I May Kill You’ by Keith Dixon
My Review (5 stars out of 5) When a series of mysterious, threatening notes are sent out to hundreds of apparently unconnected people, ex-cop Ben Buckland is shocked to learn his teenage daughter has also been targeted. Though no longer on the ‘force’ Ben seeks help from former colleague and old flame Serena, triggering bad…
‘The House in the Woods’ by Mark Dawson
The House in the Woods A shooting at a remote farmhouse on Christmas Eve launches DCI Mackenzie Jones and her team on a murder investigation. On the face of it, the culprit seems all too obvious—a murder/suicide by an unstable sibling leaves…
‘No Mercy’ by Robert Crouch
No Mercy Following the apparent suicide of a Highways Inspector, Environmental health Officer Kent Fisher wonders if everything is as clear-cut as it appears. When bolshy restaurateur Samson Capote is found dead in his own freezer, it seems too much of a coincidence, but…
‘The Murders at White House Farm’ by Carol Ann Lee
The Murders at White House Farm (Audiobook) The deaths of Nevill and June Bamber, their daughter Sheila and her two young sons on 7th August 1985, sparked a massive police investigation. As the murder weapon was found on her body and all windows and doors appeared to be secure, it seemed reasonable that…
‘The Pale Horse’ by Agatha Christie
The Pale Horse Following the murder of a priest, a mysterious list of names is found in his shoe. When the list is linked to a spate of recent deaths and a trio of strange women at The Pale Horse Inn, Mark Easterbrook sets about discovering what’s going on. Along with his sidekick,…
Colin Garrow 