Category Archives: Crime/Thriller

Val Penny brings us Hunter’s Christmas and other stories

#HUNTERSCHRISTMASANDOTHERSTORIES

I’m thrilled to be part of this blog tour of short stories penned by Val Penny. New and old characters are found between the pages. The first story, Hunter’s Christmas, is a tie-in to her DI Hunter Crime Series.
Val Penny

 

Val Penny

Blurb

DI Hunter Wilson is looking forward to spending a holiday in India with his girlfriend Dr Meera Sharma, away from the cold, wet winter of Edinburgh. He looks to share his happiness with others when he is attacked by Santa Claus, he says.

His team swing into action to catch his attackers but then receive information about an elf found dead in a car park and a car stolen by Mrs Claus.

Are the crimes by these Christmas characters connected?

Can Hunter’s team restore peace and good will to Christmas?

Hunter’s Christmas and Other Stories includes tales about DI Hunter Wilson and DS Jane Renwick along with those about new and different characters in this gripping collection of short stories especially for crime fiction readers.

My Review


I found this collection of short stories most entertaining. I admit I was partial to the stories with characters from Val’s DI Hunter Wilson series, and its spin-off series featuring Jane Renwick and Rachael.

I loved the tie-in with Hunter’s Christmas to the sixth book in the series, Hunter’s Rules. Not sure if that classifies as a spoiler or not, but you can read the short story without having read the book or vice versa with no compromise.

Entertaining shorts. Just what a body needs after the Christmas holidays.

Book Links

amazon.co.uk

About Val Penny

Val Penny

Val Penny is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and two cats.

She has a Llb from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer.

However she has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories and novels. Her crime novels, The DI Hunter Wilson and Jane Renwick Thrillers, are published by SpellBound Books.

Author Links

Website – www.valpenny.com

Amazon Author Page – www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

Author Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Author Twitter Page –  @valeriepenny

Author Instagram Page – www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/

Her Mother’s Daughter by Brian O’Rourke

I’m pleased to be part of the book tour for Her Mother’s Daughter by Brian O’Rourke.
mother's daughter

 

 

 

mother's daughter
Blurb

Amanda writes dark fiction. Now one fan is bringing her work to life.

Amanda is enjoying her life – she’s a successful author who has finally managed to give up her day job.

But then an ex-colleague is murdered in an exact reenactment of a killing from one of Amanda’s books. Even worse, Amanda had publicly quarreled with the dead woman and now finds herself a person of interest to the police.

Then it happens a second time. Another person with whom Amanda had publicly fought is murdered. And again, the method used to kill is lifted straight from the pages of one of her books.

It’s clear that someone is out to get Amanda. But who? And why?

With the police seeing her as the prime suspect, Amanda is desperate to discover the person behind these grisly killings.

As she digs for the truth, Amanda is forced to look into her own family’s troubled past, where she uncovers a web of secrets and lies far more shocking than anything she has ever written…

Her Mother’s Daughter – the chilling psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The New Husband and The Only Son.

My Review

This book hooked me on page one and didn’t let go. Amanda, a crime novelist, has a painful past. Her mother has been running for years to avoid being captured and tried for murder. Now, people known to Amanda are being murdered and posed to match scenes in her crime novels. The murderer could be almost anyone. Her neighbour/best friend? Her fugitive mother? Her ex-boyfriend? The list of suspects is long, and the author kept me guessing right until he was ready to reveal who was behind these bizarre murders.

This is the first book I’ve read by Brian O’Rourke, and it certainly won’t be my last.

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202499063-her-mother-s-daughter

Buy Links – https://mybook.to/mothersdaughter-zbt

About the Author

mother's daughter
Brian R. O’Rourke has been writing stories since he was eight years old. A lifelong, avid reader, Brian believes that fiction has the power to change the world. He enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, playing the violin, and golfing.

This is his third psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.

You can follow Brian on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/brianr.orourke/

Emergency Drill by Chris Blackwater #review

I’m pleased to be taking part in the blog tour for Chris Blackwater’s novel, Emergency Drill.

Blurb for Emergency Drill

Shortlisted for the 2020 Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger award

Newly qualified offshore medic, Danny Verity, arrives on the Cuillin Alpha oil platform shortly before a storm damages the satellite system, severing the crew’s only mode of communication to the mainland.

Storm or sabotage?

Danny is forced to perform emergency surgery on an injured crewmate, whose accident he suspects was the result of sabotage. The man dies, a member of the crew disappears, and yet another is attacked.

Enter the Pied Piper, whose sinister announcements carry his threats through the entire platform.

While the North Sea rages around them, emotions and suspicions run high.

Danny knows he’s the only one who can stop the saboteur. But will the crew trust him?

With no way of calling in help and unable to risk escaping on the lifeboats, everyone aboard the oil platform is trapped. So is the killer… and Danny is determined to smoke him out.

emergency drill

My Review

emergencyI can’t imagine being on a North Sea oil rig at the best of times, let alone when the weather is foul, and you’ve lost contact with the mainland. Add in a murderer out there with you who is not only killing but sabotaging the systems, stir, and you’ve got Chris Blackwater’s novel Emergency Drill.
He brought together all the components of an unthinkable disaster and crafted a gripping read. The characters were well-rounded and likable. Danny Verity, the new medic onboard, tasks himself with saving the rig and his co-workers from disaster. Danny has his own baggage and is a great character, and I hope to see him in future books.
All in all, this was an enjoyable read.

Book Links

About the Author

emergency drill

Chris Blackwater is a writer and chartered engineer from Leeds, England. His first novel Emergency Drill, book 1 in the Danny Verity, PI series, set on a North Sea oil platform, was shortlisted for the 2020  CWA Debut Dagger Award. His short stories have appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies including contributions to the much-missed Mad Scientist Journal.

Book two in the series, Dead Crude, is  set in Orkney. Apart from Danny Verity, it features other characters who survived Emergency Drill. He is  working on a third book in the series, called Head Hunting.

Chris began writing to entertain himself whilst working on offshore oil platforms and remote power stations. His career has taken him all over the world to unusual locations and introduced him to some remarkable characters. In recent years Chris has gradually drifted down to the south coast of England where he spends his spare time learning to sail and play the flute, though not at the same time.

Follow Chris at these links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwaterauthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisblackwaterauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackwaterChris

Website: http://chrisblackwater.co.uk/

emergency drill

SpellBound Books Ltd. presents Hunter’s Secret by Val Penny ~ #HUNTERSSECRET

SpellBound
I’m thrilled to be a part of the blog tour for Hunter’s Secret, written by Val Penny and published by SpellBound Books Ltd.

SpellBound

Blurb

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson is called to the scene of a murder. DCs Tim Myerscough and Bear Zewedu found a corpse, but when Hunter arrives it has disappeared, and all is not as it seems.Hunter recalls the disappearance of a dead body thirty years earlier. The Major Incident Team is called in but sees no connection – it is too long ago. Hunter is determined to investigate the past and the present with the benefit of modern DNA testing.Tim has other problems in his life. His father, Sir Peter Myerscough, is released from jail. He, too, remembers the earlier murder. There is no love lost between Hunter and Sir Peter. Will Hunter accept help from his nemesis to catch a killer?

Hunter’s own secret is exciting and crucial to his future. Will it change his life? And can he keep Edinburgh safe?

Buy Link

amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CHN22Y3M

My Review

This is the best of the Hunter’s series books so far. Val Penny has outdone herself with this one. I’ve been to Edinburgh many times, and the scenes the author paints take me back there. I love her style!Plot twists and secrets, both past and present, are neatly tied up at the end, making Hunter’s Secret a most satisfying read.

About the Author

SpellBound

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs, including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.

Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd.

Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters, of whom she is justly proud, and lives with her husband and their cat.

Author Links

Website – https://www.valpenny.com

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

Author Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Author Twitter Page –  @valeriepenny

Author Instagram Page – https://www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/

SpellBound

DI Hunter Wilson is back in Hunter’s Blood by Val Penny #HUNTERSBLOOD

I’m happy to announce the forthcoming book in the DI Hunter Wilson Crime Series written by Val Penny.
DI Hunter Wilson

DI Hunter Wilson

BLURB

DI Hunter Wilson never has just one problem to solve. Three elderly women he knows have died in mysterious circumstances. Hunter appears to be the only link. A little girl goes missing on a cold winter’s night. When his team discovers cocaine hidden at the farm where she was living, the search becomes even more urgent. Why did the women die? And what did the child witness? Hunter must find the answers to these questions to ensure his family and his city are safe.

MY REVIEW

DI Hunter Wilson

First off, let me say how much I love Val’s writing. Her setting of Edinburgh comes to life through her words. Her characters are believable, likeable, and some are just downright nasty.

In this 4th book of the series, DI Hunter Wilson and his team are tasked with solving the murders of three elderly women, one of which is his aunt.

I read this book a few years ago when Darkstroke released it, but I had forgotten how gripping it was until I read it again, now published by SpellBound Books Ltd. It was like settling in with an old friend. The characters and their foibles immediately found their way back into the forefront of my memory, and they, the crimes, and the setting kept me glued to the virtual pages until I reached the end.

BUY LINK(S) HUNTER’S BLOOD

 

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

DI Hunter Wilson

Val Penny has an Llb degree from the University of Edinburgh and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store. Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction books, and novels. Her novels are published by SpellBound Books Ltd. Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Author Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/valerie.penny.739

Author Twitter Page @valeriepenny

Author Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/valerieepenny/

WEBSITE LINKS

Website – https://www.valpenny.com

Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Val-Penny/e/B07C4725TK

The Nanny by Eleonor Samuel

Eleonor Samuel is a new author to me, but I’ll definitely be reading more of her books!

Blurb

The Nanny . . .

India McKenzie lost her mother far too young. And now she’s lost her best friend, too.

She needs to escape, so she takes a job with a wealthy family.

They live in an isolated old manor house in the Derbyshire countryside. There’s never anyone around.

The parents are not exactly warm. It’s all piano practice and scheduling playdates.

Seven-year-old Alicia can be difficult sometimes, but really she’s just a sweet little girl who’s lonely. She needs a friend — not just a nanny.

Everyone says the grown-up son is dangerous. But India can’t help being drawn to him . . .

And there’s something no one talks about. A secret that this family will do anything to keep.

India became a nanny to finally find a family to call her own. Now that she’s found them — will they destroy her?

. . . She’s part of their family now.

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171817078-the-nanny-an-absolutely-breathtaking-psychological-thriller-with-a-stunn

Buy Link – https://mybook.to/thenanny-zbt

My Review

India needs to start a new life away from University in Leeds and finds herself employed as a Nanny for John and Julia Maine’s young daughter, Alicia.

It sounds straightforward, but it isn’t. India has secrets. The Maines have a skeleton or two in their closet, too. And then there’s the oldest son, Alex, who stays in the house for at least now.

Rumours and innuendo abound, and India has to determine which ones to believe and which not. If she isn’t careful, she could be in danger.

This book sucked me in from the beginning. I love psychological thrillers with plenty of suspicious characters, and this book had no shortage of them.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another twist took me in a different direction, and it wasn’t until the end that all was revealed.

Author Bio

Eleonor Samuel

Eleonor was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, and grew up in the fens, attending the King’s School Ely before moving to Nottingham to study medicine. Since graduating in 2011, Eleonor has worked as a children’s doctor in a number of hospitals and pursued her love of writing alongside her medical career. She married her husband Tim in Ely Cathedral in 2014, and they now live in rural Nottinghamshire with their two young children.

Eleonor’s Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EleonorSamuel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086500895050

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleonor.samuel/

Eleonor Samuel

Eleonor Samuel

DI Kate Young in A Truth for a Truth by Carol Wyer

Welcome to Celtic Connexions and one of today’s stops on the blog tour for A Truth for a Truth, featuring DI Kate Young by Carol Wyer, the fourth in this gripping series.

Young

BLURB

DI Kate Young’s team is hunting for a killer. What they don’t know…is that the killer is her.

DI Kate Young has known for years that her boss, Superintendent John Dickson, is a violent and evil man. But when she finally confronts him and accidentally shoots and kills him, she’s forced to cover her tracks before anyone can pin his death on her. With revelations about his corruption soon to become public knowledge, Kate sets up a trail of evidence to make it seem that Dickson has conveniently vanished…

But Kate knows the corruption doesn’t end with Dickson. As she heads up the team investigating his supposed disappearance, she also pursues other loose ends. Stanka, the sex worker who supplied the evidence against Dickson, leads her to crucial information on another corrupt officer, DI Harriet Khatri, and her dubious involvement with sex traffickers.

As the noose starts to tighten on Kate, she finds herself targeted by traffickers, the bent cops on her force and even her own team of detectives. Can she stay one step ahead of them all and bring Harriet to justice? Can she trust anyone around her? And can she possibly get away with murder?

 

My review

DI Kate Young

I loved this book!

This is the best one in this series, and the others were cracking excellent reads. Carol has a knack for creating tortured characters you want to love (or hate) and wraps them in a fast-paced plot that keeps you turning the virtual pages.

And the ending? I didn’t see that coming.

About Carol

Young

USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer’s crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.

A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.

In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Australia. The third, A Life For A Life, is due out March 15th, 2022, but is available to preorder.

Carol has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on BBC Breakfast television.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr. Grumpy who is very, very grumpy.

When not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

To learn more, go to www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter @carolewyer

You can also follow Carol at these links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolEWyer/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolwyer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolewyer
Website: www.carolwyer.co.uk

A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH #cover #reveal

Are you ready for the spectacular cover for DI Kate Young Book 5 – A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH? It’s a cracker, I can tell you. So without any further ado, let’s show this baby to the world!

TRUTH

Blurb

DI Kate Young’s team is hunting for a killer. What they don’t know…is that the killer is her.
DI Kate Young has known for years that her boss, Superintendent John Dickson, is a violent and evil man. But when she finally confronts him and accidentally shoots and kills him, she’s forced to cover her tracks before anyone can pin his death on her. With revelations about his corruption soon to become public knowledge, Kate sets up a trail of evidence to make it seem that Dickson has conveniently vanished…
But Kate knows the corruption doesn’t end with Dickson. As she heads up the team investigating his supposed disappearance, she also pursues other loose ends. Stanka, the sex worker who supplied the evidence against Dickson, leads her to crucial information on another corrupt officer, DI Harriet Khatri, and her dubious involvement with sex traffickers.
As the noose starts to tighten on Kate, she finds herself targeted by traffickers, the bent cops on her force and even her own team of detectives. Can she stay one step ahead of them all and bring Harriet to justice? Can she trust anyone around her? And can she possibly get away with murder?

PRE-ORDER LINKS

 
A TRUTH FOR A TRUTH will be released on April 4th, 2023 but is available to pre-order now:

Detective Kate Young series by #CarolWyer

Nobody can get into the mind of an erratic killer—except an unpredictable detective.

When a young man is found lying on a station platform with a hole in his head, DI Kate Young is called in to investigate the grisly murder. But the killing is no one-off. As bodies start to pile up, she is faced with what might be an impossible task—to hunt down a ruthless killer on a seemingly random rampage.

Meanwhile, Kate has her own demons to battle as she struggles to come to terms with her husband’s death. And she is hell-bent on exposing corruption within the force and bringing Superintendent John Dickson to justice. But with the trail of deception running deeper—and closer to home—than she could ever have imagined, she no longer knows who she can trust.

With her grip on reality slipping, Kate realises that maybe she and the killer are not so different after all. But time is running out and Kate is low on options. Can she catch the killer before she loses everything?

And now for the moment you’ve been waiting for. The cover for book 3 in the DI Kate Young series – A Life for A Life.

Detective

Out March 15th Available to pre order now.

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook

US: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook

“WOW! Gritty and tense. DI Kate Young is an exciting new lead character I can’t wait to see more of in this compelling series.” —K. L. Slater, bestselling author of Little Whispers and The Apartment

Release by Karen Moore #RELEASE #crime #mysteries

A husband is given an early release from prison. What could go wrong? Better yet, what could go right? Karen Moore spins her take on just that in her latest novel.

Karen

BLURB

When Hanna’s estranged mafioso husband, Luciano, is released early from a Sicilian prison, she fears he will come after her and her young daughter, Eva.

The revelation leaves her with a dilemma. Invited to Sicily to attend her best friend’s wedding, can she really take the risk?

But even staying at home in North Wales may not be safe. Something strange is going on at her old cottage in the hills. As the lines between Sicily and North Wales blur, Hanna uncovers a criminal operation that leads her to fear for Eva’s life all over again.

Will Hanna ever be able to release herself from Luciano’s grip? Or will her discovery lead her into even deeper danger?

Karen

ABOUT KAREN

Karen

Karen Moore is passionate about all things noir – crime, mystery, thrillers – and writes in that genre.

She has been writing all her life, mostly for work purposes, and is now delighted to be able to spend more time developing her own creative work.

Her debut novel, Torn, is a dark tale of intrigue and betrayal set in Sicily and North Wales. Release is the sequel, although it is written as a standalone novel for people who may not have read Torn.

Karen worked as a tour guide across Europe, North America and Canada, followed by a career in PR and marketing. She has lived in France and Italy, and is now based in Cheshire, England. Her cat, Lexi, often appears in her social media feeds.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

 FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/karenmooreauthor

TWITTER http://www.twitter.com/KarenMo35731701

BUY LINK

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Release-Karen-Moore/dp/B09BGG72N1/

Karen