Category Archives: book review

The Cold Shore by Rachel Amphlett

I’m pleased to welcome back Rachel Amphlett and her new book, The Cold Shore, to Celtic Connexions.

Cold Shore

Blurb

A chilling murder.

A coastal town full of secrets.

A detective with everything to prove.

When a man is found savagely murdered on an abandoned vessel off
the north Kent coast, what begins as a routine inquiry turns deadly.
Detective Gavin Piper had intended only a brief visit to assist his
superior officer – but when circumstance forces him to take
command, he finds himself leading his first homicide case in a place
that feels both unfamiliar and unforgiving.

As the investigation deepens, a key witness is found dead and dark
secrets begin to surface. With the body count rising and the pressure mounting, Gavin must race against the clock to find the only
surviving link – before the killer strikes again.

Will Gavin’s inexperience cost him more than just the case?
Or can he uncover the truth before it’s too late?

Cold Shore

Book Links

Goodreads: The Cold Shore

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/coldshore-zbt

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I’ve never been to the area where the author set it, but I’ve read others set there. It felt like I was coming home.

We meet a new Detective Constable (Gavin Piper), transferred to the area temporarily to aid his superior officer, not to investigate a murder.  As crime books go, there is always at least one murder, and usually more.

The author spun a tale as much about the crime as about the area.

This is the first book in this spin-off of the DI Kay Hunter series, so I was especially happy to know that. This is a series I’ll be reading. I’m so hooked; I can’t wait for the second book.

About the Author

Cold ShoreBefore turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial
assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.

A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

You can find out more about Rachel and her books at www.rachelamphlett.com

Follow Rachel at these Links:

Website:  www.rachelamphlett.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelamphlett.author

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rachelamphlett.bsky.social

What She Did by Lauren Dykovitz

What She Did is Lauren Dykovitz’s latest book. And she’s another new-to-me author.

Blurb

Liz has been watching the neighbors. One of them has noticed.

Liz McAdams knows a lot about her neighbors. Recently divorced, with time on her hands, she amuses herself by observing them as she walks her dog past their houses. And no life looks more wonderful than Sabrina Thompson’s. Beautiful, wealthy, married to a gorgeous husband, Sabrina seems to have it all.

But one day Liz sees something through Sabrina’s bedroom window – something that could blow her seemingly perfect marriage apart.
Liz is shocked and intrigued. She herself has always played by the rules and now she can’t help envying Sabrina’s reckless abandon as she risks everything for her own pleasure.

Fascinated, she starts to watch Sabrina’s every move. And soon realizes that her glamorous neighbor has some very dark secrets.

Then there is a chilling murder on this affluent street, and Liz wonders if Sabrina could be involved. Even more disturbing, Sabrina seems to have noticed that Liz has been shadowing her.

Leaving Liz with two terrifying questions – Is Sabrina a killer?

And what might she do to the woman who knows too much?

My Review

This book was a fairly easy read, told in alternating points of view from Sabrina, an unhappily married woman, and Liz, a recently divorced woman.

The only cringe-worthy bit about the book was the way Sabrina talked about her husband, Gavin (Gavey-poo), and another man, Ben (Benny-boo). But for Sabrina, that was totally in character for her.

The book left me wondering what would happen and to whom, but I didn’t see that last twist coming.

Overall, it was a good read.

Book Links

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258987902-what-she-did
Purchase Link https://mybook.to/whatshedid-zbt
Publication Day 30 September
Publisher Inkubator Books
Genre Psychological Thriller
Page Count 242 pdf pages
Series / Standalone Standalone

About Lauren Dykovitz


Lauren Dykovitz writes psychological thrillers and suspense novels. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Steve, and her black lab, Lucy. Lauren is a former police officer with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and sociology, as well as a minor in legal studies.
She has an unhealthy obsession with true crime and murder that makes her husband sleep with one eye open. Lauren has also self-published two memoirs about her mom’s battle with Early Onset Alzheimer’s.

Connect with Lauren

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/laurendykovitzauthor
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/laurendykovitzauthor

Eleven Hours to Murder by D.B. Borton

Today on Celtic Connexions, I’m reviewing Eleven Hours to Murder by D.B. Borton.

 

 

A cold case from the Swinging Sixties. A sassy senior sleuth. If Cat Caliban’s not your favorite crime-solving grandma, you just haven’t met her yet.

Meet Cat Caliban: former housewife, widow, cat lady — and private eye in training. Who said fifty-something was too old to start again?

But if Cat’s not old, the case that lands on her desk sure is. Back in the summer of ’69, rebellious teen Leila Perle secretly boarded a bus to Woodstock, and never came home.

What really happened at the legendary music festival — if the missing girl even made it there at all?

Some say that if you can remember the Sixties, you weren’t there. But Cat’s certain someone from the hazy, drug-addled era of peace, love and rock ‘n’ roll remembers exactly what happened to the missing music-lover.

And they’ll do anything to keep their terrible secret buried.

ELEVEN HOURS TO MURDER — a whip-smart, witty mystery featuring Cincinnati’s sharpest tongued sleuth, three cats, one retired Black cop friend with a very unruly beagle, and a case where justice is long overdue.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243115029-eleven-hours-to-murder-a-brand-new-gripping-and-witty-cozy-murder-myster

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/elevenhours-zbtbuy link(s)

My Review

This is the first book by D.B. Borton that I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It was well-written, and I loved the characters of Cat and Moses, as well as their friends. This is the eleventh book in the series, but I didn’t need to read any of the previous ones in order for this one to make sense to me.

The premise of the book is that a teenage girl goes off to Woodstock in August 1969 and never returns home. Cat and Moses (private detectives) are hired by the girl’s family to investigate the cold case.

I can’t tell you anymore because that would create a. spoiler and we don’t want that. If you want to know more, you’ll have to purchase the book.

About the Author

D. B. Borton is the author of two mystery series—the Cat Caliban series and the Gilda Liberty series —as well as the standalone mystery novels Smoke and Bayou City Burning and the humorous science fiction novel Second Coming.

In graduate school, Borton converted a lifetime of passionate reading and late-night movie-watching into a doctorate in English. She is Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Borton currently lives with Zoe the cat in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she gardens, practices aikido, a martial art, and, of course, reads.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dbborton
Website https://dbborton.com/

White Nile by Chris Fox

I’m hosting another ‘new-to-me’ author on my blog today. Chris Fox and his novel, White Nile, are in the limelight.

White Nile

Blurb

Captain James Hillsdon, an Iraq War veteran, is scarred by his tours of duty. Desperate for solace, he travels up the course of the River Nile in an act of soul-searching. When he reaches the city of Khartoum, Sudan, he makes a discovery that places him at the heart of a global crisis, and into the hands of two American officials.

But Hillsdon is hiding a secret, and the Americans know about it. If his secret is ever revealed, the consequences for Hillsdon’s family will be unthinkable. He needs to make a choice, but if he chooses poorly, there will be no escaping the repercussions.

White Nile

My Review

Once in a while, you need to read a book that pushes you out of your comfort zone. For me, this was that book.

James Hillsdon suffers from PTSD, and to get his mental health back on track, he travels to Khartoum, Sudan, for a much-deserved break. However, things don’t turn out that way for him, as he becomes entangled in a web of secrets, lies, and unspoken truths.

The flashbacks to his time in Iraq are vivid, but war is a gruesome affair. Chris did an excellent job writing the book. It kept me engaged since I wanted to know how it turned out for him.

I look forward to reading more of Chris’s books in the future.

Book Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221234410-white-nile

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/whitenile-zbt

About the Author

White Nile

Chris Fox was born in Bromley, southeast London, but he grew up in a Rutland village near the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire. He attended Stamford School and the University of Sheffield, before embarking on a career in Education. He has earned two master’s degrees, from the universities of Warwick and Oxford, respectively. When he gets a break from teaching, Chris enjoys playing cricket during the summer holidays. Other hobbies include reading, gardening and walking in the countryside. He lives in Oxford with his delightful greyhound, Lilly. White Nile is Chris’s second book. He has already started writing the sequel.

Follow Chris at

Twitter: https://x.com/CDFoxAuthor

Website: https://cdfox.weebly.com/

The Family Before Us by Tracy Martin-Summers

Please join me in welcoming Tracy Martin-Summers and her latest novel, The Family Before Us, to Celtic Connexions.
family

Blurb

I was only seven when I first met Eva. She stood at the front of the classroom, pale and petrified, clutching her hands as our teacher introduced her.

There was something about her—something that pulled me towards her immediately.

Maybe it was the sadness that lingered in her eyes, or her oversized, second-hand clothes, or the shoes so tight they pinched with every step.

Whatever it was, I knew I had to be her friend.

It’s ironic that her one simple mistake at the age of sixteen contributed to turning our lives upside down.

How was it that one single act of kindness exposed a web of inconceivable deceit, so mind-blowing, it was impossible to comprehend

What would you do if you discovered a secret so shocking that you no longer knew who you were?

How far would you go to protect the people you loved?

family

Book Links

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222383821-the-family-before-us

Purchase Link:  https://mybook.to/familybeforeus-zbt

My Review

Abandonment, bullying, deception. And behind it all? Someone in a position of trust.

The title made me think of Lisa Jewell and her books. This wasn’t like them at all. I flipped through the virtual pages, trying to figure it all out.

This is the first Tracy Martin-Summers book I’ve read, and it won’t be my last. I still get shivers when I think of the book.

About the Author

family

Tracy was born in Harrow Weald, Middlesex, growing up in a loving family home. She married her first husband in 1990, has two grown up children and two granddaughters.

She studied a variety of topics via moduled learning, embarking on City and Guilds and NVQ courses, ranging from a brief spell in hairdressing to administration and now works for a utility company in North West London.

Tracy has numerous hobbies ranging from landscape painting to landscape gardening and always likes to paint the scene, even if it’s changing the colour scheme,yet again, within her home.

Tracy has always enjoyed writing and used to write short stories for her own children’s amusement but it has only been in the last few years that she has taken this more seriously and has gone on to write her first police procedural psychological thriller series, comprising Gordon Square, Arlington Terrace and Keeper’s Lodge.

On the 1st August she released her latest psychological thriller 101 and is now already plotting her next book.

Tracy married her second husband in 2014 and now lives in Bedfordshire in a sleepy hamlet where she writes whenever she gets a spare moment.

Author Links

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TracyMartinSum1

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

Website:  www.tracymartinsummers.co.uk

The Queen of Cups by GB Williams #THEQUEENOFCUPSMURDERS

Today, the blog features something a little different. I’m reviewing The Queen of Cups by GB Williams.

Queen of Cups

BLURB

He’s determined to draw a better future. But his morning reading didn’t warn him about the muddy ditch of corpses…

South Wales. Detective Sergeant Madoc Palmer struggles to fit in. Committed to his job, the tarot reader hopes his transfer away from a sabotaging superior is a fresh start. Though he downplays his psychic ability as good instincts, the ploy is tested when two murders trigger strange visions.

As his abilities take an inexplicable leap forward, Palmer navigates the tricky task of guiding the sharp-eyed, evidence-following Detective Inspector Ruth Atkins to the identity of the decayed remains. With his suspicious new DI watching every move, the newcomer fears any slip of the tongue could get him laughed off the force.

Can he reveal his truth without destroying his life or letting a killer slip from their grasp?

Queen of Cups

LINK TO BUY

Queen of Cups

MY REVIEW

Anyone familiar with tarot will know the book’s title is a card in the deck. I can put everything I know about tarot cards in a doll-sized teacup. I know South Wales reasonably well, where the book is set. The book was engaging, and the characters were likable.  My lack of tarot knowledge did nothing to spoil my enjoyment of it.

The dynamics between the lead characters, DI Ruth Akins and DS Madoc Palmer, made it enjoyable.

I was lucky to get in on the ground floor with this book since it’s the first in a series of police procedurals.

A 5-star read, and I’ll be watching for more books by this author.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Queen of Cups

GB Williams specialises in complex, fast-paced crime novels. Her works include the recently expanded Locked Trilogy, The Elaine Blake Novels and the stand alone, The Chair. GB was shortlisted for the 2014 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition with the story Last Shakes, now available in Last Cut Casebook. GB is a member of the Crime Writers Association, Crime Cymru, and part of the organising team for Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival, as well as working as a writer and freelance structural editor. 

WEBSITE

HOME

For a free story, see books.gailbwilliams.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Facebook: @GBWilliamsCrimeWriter

Instagram: @gbwilliamsauthor

Threads: @gbwilliamsauthor

Blog:  GB Williams Crime Blog

Wild Flowers by Richard Robinson #WILDFLOWERS

Richard Robinson returns to Celtic Connexions with his second installment of the Topaz series, Wild Flowers.

Wild Flowers

BLURB

HIGH SEAS
HIGH STAKES

In ‘Wild Flowers,’ the second explosive instalment of the Topaz Files, inexperienced spy Jones Is thrust into the heart of danger aboard the General Eduardo—a colossal container ship laden with stolen arms worth millions.

Trapped and desperate, Jenny Richmond is the linchpin in a daring operation by the Topaz team, racing against time to recover the lethal cargo hijacked by the Russians and bound for clandestine camps in Belize.

But in the shadowy world of espionage, they are not alone. Joseph Armstrong, a double agent ensnared in a deadly game, is torn between his loyalty to Russia and a tempting offer from an enigmatic Zimbabwean farmer, Irvine Terre-Blanche.

What’s at stake?
Millions of pounds and the sinister secrets of the Wild Flowers Project.

As the operation hurtles towards a catastrophic finale, a band of retired spies join the fray, seeking one last explosive job in this high-octane thriller of deception and betrayal.

Wild Flowers

LINK  TO BUY

Wild Flowers

https://linktr.ee/thetopazfiles

MY REVIEW

This second installment of the Topaz series was a cracking good read. I reunited with characters from Book 1, like meeting old friends, and I met some new ones along the way—not all of whom were nice.

Richard’s characters leap off the page. There’s espionage, drama, danger, and a bit of comedic relief in the characters of Carl and Tom.  The author’s vivid descriptions of the scenes onboard the container ship made me feel like I was aboard. But if you want to learn more about them, you must read the books.

I can’t wait for book 3 in the series! Well done, Richard!

WEBSITE

https://www.thetopazfiles.com/

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Wild Flowers

Richard lives in East Anglia with his wife and two daughters. He is a trained journalist and spent his early years freelancing or in agency positions across the UK, including a stint in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s. He then transferred to the third sector, working in charities focusing on issues as diverse as international development (in India and Bangladesh), air ambulance operations, music and the creative industries, mental health and homelessness. He also acted as Chief Executive of the Olympic Park charity during London 2012.

He is currently the CEO of Hourglass, the UK’s only charity focused on ending the abuse and neglect of older people, a job he applied for after a family experience of neglect.

Richard wrote his first novel in the early 2000s but this has yet to see the light of day. Instead, he started with a new idea in 2020 and Topaz was born. He has written two more in the Topaz Files series, Wild Flowers and The Mainstay, which are expected to be published in 2024.

He is also happily in the dugout for Boxford Rovers F.C. on a Saturday, a committed cratedigger (vinyl collector) and can occasionally be seen in the stands at Loftus Road and Windsor Park.

AUTHOR LINKS

Twitter at @TheTopazFiles

Richard on Instagram at @r_we_r

Email Richard at thewash_house@live.co.uk

Trail of the Heart by Kathleen Pendoley

Today on Celtic Connexions, I’m welcoming Kathleen Pendoley and her novel, Trail of the Heart.
Kathleen Pendoley

Blurb

Marriage can be challenging, divorce harder still, which is how Jordan Roberts finds herself in the middle of a two thousand-mile backpacking journey. Resilient has become her middle name, and it’s about time she figured out what she wants without anyone else’s input.

Jordan is desperate for a few days’ rest, but her friends bail on her last minute due to a plumbing mishap. Not hanging her out to dry completely, they find a host willing to take her in.

Adam Beck is used to running things. Together, he and his lifelong friend, Jonathan Wilson, started their own robotics company. Leading the way in state-of-the-art surgical care, Advanced Automation is committed to saving lives.

Obligated to do his friend a favor, Adam gladly opens his doors to a woman who appears half vagrant, half forest sprite. Different in every way, Jordan soon has Adam considering a life outside the boardroom.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned. Accidents happen, and people get hurt. Ex-husbands refuse to stay away, and there are often strange goings-on in the forest.

Jordan attempts to meet each situation head-on, but when her best trail friend is hurt the most, will her newly found romance be strong enough to withstand the pressure?

Come along on a journey of dreams, some dashed, others fulfilled, and the best ones: those that come true.

Kathleen Pendoley

Book Links

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58705164-trail-of-the-heart

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

My Review

A good love story. I loved Jordan’s character and the group she hiked with. Her best friend, Edge, is a man of few words but is there for her. And then there’s Adam.

Kathleen Pendoley brought all the characters to life, each with their own foibles. I’ll definitely be reading more books from this author.

About Kathleen Pendoley

Kathleen Pendoley

Kathleen spends her days toggling between writing and anything active: walking in the woods with her pups, kayaking, bike riding, and cross-country skiing—weather permitting. A to-the-marrow New Englander, she’s obsessed with cake, yoga, and self-actualization. Her favorite place to connect with readers is on Facebook.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/authorkathleenpendoley

Kathleen Pendoley

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

#review ~ I NEED A DOCTOR by Janey Travis #giveaway

#review

I Need a Doctor

by

Janey Travis

#review

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: 15th July 2016

Publisher: Thornhill Print

Beauty and fame… a blessing or a curse?

Story synopsis: Loveless fashion model Nola Nichols thinks being beautiful is a curse; that is until she is cursed and her looks begin to fade just a week before the most important photo shoot of her career. In her attempts to get un-cursed, she finds herself taking part in a rather unconventional funeral, reveals one or two unrests in her own past, and falls madly in love with a doctor. Erm… that would be a witch doctor, right…?

#review

BUY LINKS

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

KOBO

iBOOKS

SMASHWORDS

What the Readers say:

“Just the right sprinkling of romance and humour.” Brook Cottage Books

“A very enjoyable and clever plot. Different, fresh and enjoyable.” Jenny in Neverland

“I couldn’t help but like Nola even though at times she is a proper diva.” Comet Babe’s Books

“I love all the quirky characters in the story and just the pure madness and fun of it all!” Books4U

“A nice balance of humour, sweet romance, morals and a spooky side!” The Little Reader Library

“A Five Star Read – I really enjoyed the light-hearted tone.”  Love Reading Love Books

Doctor Word Cloud bw Jpeg

REVIEW

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had read this book before when it was three separate novellas written under the author’s own name, Janice Horton. Now it’s back and bigger than better than before with the new title, I Need a Doctor, and her nom de plume, Janey Travis.

I Need a Doctor is a great read with larger than life characters. Even though Nola, whose real name is Nora, is selfish you can’t help but sympathize with her. After all, she believes a voodoo spell has been cast on her.

In an effort to have the spell removed, he takes part in a strange funeral ceremony with the son of the woman, Louis, who allegedly cast the spell on her.

Hilarity ensues when the rest of Louis’s voodoo practising family gets involved.

Voodoo spells, mayhem and mystery are all skilfully woven into the plot which keeps you turning the pages.

5 stars

I loved it!

ABOUT JANEY TRAVIS

JANEY TRAVIS

Janey Travis is currently travelling around the world chasing the sun while blogging, tweeting, writing fun-to-read novels and travel magazine features. Look out for her new light-hearted romantic comedy novel I Need a Doctor. You can catch up with her on Twitter: @janey_travis on Facebook: janeytravisbooks.

Janey also writes bestselling romantic adventure fiction as Janice Horton. Find out more at www.janicehorton.co.uk

Author Links:

Janey Travis on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/janeytravisbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janey_travis

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30623638-i-need-a-doctor

GIVEAWAY

An ecopy of the book (open internationally)
a Rafflecopter giveaway