Author: Mark Bailey

A Necessary Evil (Sam Wyndham 2) by Abir Mukherjee

Vintage, Paperback, 384 pages

Published 15^th March 2018

ISBN13: 978 1 784704773 (Paperback)

 It is India, 1920 – an India which is changing but history is still ever present.

Captain Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee of the Calcutta Police Force are at the talks about the establishment of the Chamber of Princes – not for security but to meet the son of a Maharajah who was at school with Sergeant Banerjee.

They set off with him back to the Grand Hotel to discuss “a matter of delicacy??? when Crown Prince Adhir is assassinated – they catch his murderer but the real question is who was behind the murderer.

Thus they set off to the fabulously wealthy kingdom of Sambalpore – home to tigers, elephants, diamond mines and the beautiful Palace of the Sun for the funeral. Here they discover a kingdom riven with suppressed conflict as Prince Adhir was a moderniser whose attitudes – and romantic relationship – may have upset the more religious elements of his country, while his brother – now in line to the throne – appears to be a feckless playboy.

Wyndham and Banerjee desperately try to unravel the mystery behind the assassination but become entangled in a dangerous world where those in power live by their own rules and those who cross their paths pay with their lives.

 

Like its predecessor ( A Rising Man ) this is a well-researched book with Calcutta and India beautifully and atmospherically described.

The relationship between Sam and his Indian Sergeant is strengthening and they provide a complementary skill set to tackle the investigation of the crime.

This is, once again, both a very good historical novel and a very good thriller and the next book in the series is pre-ordered in Hardback.

 

Victoria Gilbert – A Murder for the Books

Paperback: 336 pages (28 December 2017)

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

ISBN: 978-1683314394 (HB)

Amy Webber was a librarian at Clarion University but after finding her boyfriend in a compromising position she leaves both the University and him (he is on the Faculty). Now she is living with her aunt and working in a small town library.

The small town is Taylorsford (a very small town which is basically one main road with an out of town shopping development) and she is happy getting to know her regulars – one of whom is Doris Virts, who is suffering from dementia. When she goes missing, Amy and her assistant Sunny keep an eye out for her and when Amy’s new neighbour Richard Muir asks to see the library archive, they find the body of elderly Doris Virts. Who would want to kill an old lady and why was she in the library archive anyway?

 

This is a fun mystery with a romance (you can guess from the start that Amy is very likely to hook up with the handsome Richard). In fact there are two mysteries – the murder of Doris Virts in the present day and an old case where Eleanora Cooper was accused of killing her husband but found not guilty when articles by Richard’s Great-Uncle swayed public opinion outside the town in her favour.

 

This is the first in a series and there is a lot of scene setting but it is well done and they are all interesting characters from Aunt Lydia (who may have secrets Amy doesn’t yet know about) to the County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy (Bradley Tucker) – Taylorsfords most eligible bachelor but rebuffed by Amy and dumped by Sunny.

This is the start of what promises to be a nice enjoyable cosy series which I will follow.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers, via NetGalley, for review.

Luca Veste – The Bone Keeper

Paperback: 432 pages (8 March 2018)

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

ISBN: 978- 1471141411 (PB)

This is a standalone by Luca Veste who is best known for his series of novels featuring DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi.

 

20 years ago, four teenagers went exploring in the local woods seeking to find to the supposed home of The Bone Keeper. Only three of them returned.

Now, a horrifically injured woman is found wandering the streets of Liverpool claiming to have fled the Bone Keeper.  DC Louise Henderson must convince sceptical colleagues that this urban myth might be flesh and blood.  When a body is unearthed in the woodland the woman has fled from the case takes on a much darker tone.

The disappeared have been found. And their killer is watching every move the police make.

 

This is a mix of the horror and the crime novel which will grip you throughout.

Like many of his books this is not at all cozy being quite dark at points but it will make you think and make you keep turning the page.

My copy was provided by the publishers via Netgalley.

Elly Griffiths – The Vanishing Box (2017)

Quercus, Hardcover, 368 pages

Published: 2^nd November 2017

ISBN13: 978-1784297008

The Vanishing Box is the 4^th in the Stephens and Mephisto Mystery series by Elly Griffiths (probably best known for the Ruth Galloway novels).

It is Christmas 1953 and Max Mephisto & his daughter Ruby are headlining Brighton Hippodrome, an achievement only slightly marred by one of the less-than-savoury supporting acts – a tableau show of naked ‘living statues’ a la the Windmill Theatre. This might seem to have nothing in common with DI Edgar Stephens’ investigation into the death of a quiet flowerseller who was left by her killer posed as Lady Jane Grey at her execution.

If there is one thing that the old comrades have learned it is that, in Brighton, the line between art and life – and death – is all too easily blurred.

 

Once again there is excellent characterisation, especially of the 5 main protagonists (Max Mephisto, DI Edgar Stephens and his 2 sergeants, Emma Holmes and Bob Willis; Ruby – Maxs daughter and Edgars fiancée ) all who contrast with each other nicely. Personally I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the recent of the Magic Men and even Max seems to be less prominent than before.

The mystery element is well handled with twists and turns but a very fair outcome – I guessed the type of killer, although not the name,  very early on.

What really makes these books for me is the high level of accurate detail from the 1950s which creates a convincing world.

My copy was provided by the publishers, Quercus, via Netgalley.

The Liar in the Library by Simon Brett (2017)

Kindle & Hardback: 192 pages (September 2017)

Publisher: Creme de la Crime (trade paperback & cased), Severn House Digital (Kindle)

ISBN: 978-1-78029-101-7 (cased)

978-1-78029-508-4 (trade paper)

978-1-78010-919-0 (e-book)

THE LIAR IN THE LIBRARY is the 18th of the Fethering series of novels by Simon Brett.

Successful author Burton St Clair has been booked to give a talk at Fethering Library. Knowing that his old friend Jude lives in the area he invites her to come along although they haven’t met for twenty years. Jude quickly finds that St Clair hasn’t changed and is still very much a ladies man with an overly large ego and a shaky relationship with the truth.

Jude didn’t suspect that the evening would end in sudden violent death (although she should have at least suspected that it might have given her previous investigations with her friend Carole).

Jude finds that, because of evidence from St Clairs ex-wife about an alleged affair that Jude had with St Clair, that she has become the main suspect. So she has to enlist the help of her neighbour to solve the murder so she does not get arrested for committing it.

 

As with the previous Fethering novels you get a good solid character driven novel in an interesting milieu with characters who are believable if perhaps a teensy bit over the top and an interesting whodunit at its heart although you don’t get a key clue as to motive until quite some time into the novel.

This is a nice traditional cozy mystery with just a little bit of dark humour and I would recommend as a nice light read although I personally do prefer Simon Bretts other 3 series (Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter and Blotto & Twinks).

My copy was provided by the publishers, Severn House, via Netgalley.

The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (2017)

Century, Hardcover, 400 pages

Published: 24^th August 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1780896847 (cased)

 

The Word is Murder is the first in a series of crime novels by Anthony Horowitz starring Detective Michael Hawthorne

 

The story starts with the strangling of a wealthy woman six hours after she’s arranged her own funeral (presumed to be burglary gone wrong) and a very private detective contacting an author who met the detective when working on a television script.

The author (Anthony Horrowitz) then takes us on a journey to uncover how this woman died as the sidekick to Hawthorne – an ex-Police detective who is working with the police again.

 

As you may well have gathered from the brief synopsis of the start of this novel it seems to be a rather intriguing mix of fact and fiction. Some of the details seem based upon real people with the names and some details changed.

This blurring of fact and fiction adds another level to what is a very competent whodunnit with lots of twists and turns but a sense of fair play. You can see Anthony Horowitz’s background in the film & TV industry here as the style of writing is very visual but you can figure out what is going on. I suspect it may well be optioned for film & TV somewhere down the line.

I would recommend this as a good read although the blurring of fact and fiction could well irritate some readers.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers on NetGalley.

A Talent for Murder by Andrew Wilson (2017)

Simon & Schuster UK, Hardcover, 416 pages

Published: 6^th April 2017 (e-book), 18^th May 2017 (UK – cased)

ISBN-13: 978-1471148217 (cased)

 

Agatha Christie is in London to visit her literary agent being preoccupied and flustered in the knowledge that her husband Archie is having an affair. She is about to board a train when she feels a light touch on her back which causes her to lose her balance – she then feels someone pulling her to safety from the rush of the incoming train.

What should have been her lucky escape is nothing of the sort as a a terrifying sequence of events begins as her rescuer is not a guardian angel but a blackmailer determined to exploit her talent for murder to kill on his behalf.

 

This is very readable if you are fan of Agatha Christie as the characters refers back to our own work and it is a very good plot which does engage you. However, I have some issues with this book as I didn’t really agree with the characterisation of Agatha Christie for most of the time as I found it hard to believe that, no matter what the circumstances, she would consider committing the murder. This could be argued as artistic license perhaps on the part of the author.

 

What is undoubtedly true is that this book is very well researched – the non-fiction “Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days??? by Jared Cade is perhaps an interesting after-read to learn more about the disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926.

 

It will be interesting to see what direction Mr Wilson takes Agatha Christie in for the next book “A Different Kind of Evil???.

 

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers on NetGalley.

A TV Heads up

My 2016 discovery at Eurocrime, Y Llyfrgell / The Library Suicides is on S4C on Sunday 30th April 2017 at 21:00.

When famous author Elena Wdig commits suicide, her twin daughters, librarians Nan and Ana, are lost without her. Elena’s final words suggest that her biographer, Eben, murdered her. One night, the twins set off to avenge their mother’s death at the National Library of Wales, but are disrupted by night porter Dan, who is unwillingly caught up in the saga. Directed by award-winning director Euros Lyn, and based on Fflur Dafydd’s best-selling novel, this offbeat thriller explores the secrets and lies at the heart of storytelling, and asks who has the right to tell the story. Starring Catrin Stewart and Dyfan Dwyfor

Sally Spencer – The Hidden (2017)

Severn House, Hardcover, 192 pages

Published: 31^st March 2017 (UK)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7278-8707-8 (cased), 978-1-84751-812-5 (trade paper), 978-1-78010-876-6 (e-book)

 

Death in Disguise is the 12^th in the DCI Monika Paniatowski Police Procedural series by Sally Spencer.

The prologue has the daughters of PC Michael Knightly finding the body of a woman in the grounds of a local country house – he recognises her as DCI Monika Paniatowski.

Her team believe that the girl found dead in the woods is the victim of a ritual killing by a secret society in the heart of Whitebridge. But without Paniatowski to back them up they are forced to treat it as a domestic by the ambitious DCI ‘Rhino’ Dixon. Therefore Meadows, Crane and Beresford operate by themselves – cutting corners, ignoring procedure, and running the risk that their careers could be brought to an abrupt and dramatic end.

Monika knows who the killer is and also knows that he is stalking her daughter Louisa but there is nothing she can do about it as she is one of the killer’s victims too and is lying in a coma – hearing everything, but unable to move or speak!

 

This is a good solid police procedural which is well researched and plotted and you are kept engaged as the plot twists and turns. The absence of Paniatowski is an issue but the other characters make up for it especially DS Kate Meadows and Louisa Paniatowski.

Again, I would recommend it to fans of police procedurals in general but especially those set in Britain.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers on NetGalley.

 

Mrs Pargeter’s Public Relations by Simon Brett (2016)

This is the 8^th of the Mrs Melita Pargeter novels by Simon Brett and is published just 2 years after the last one (MRS PARGETER’S PRINCIPLE).

 

Mrs Pargeters generosity gets the better of her when she accompanies her friend, Jasmine Angold, to a charity reception for PhiliPussies – a charity that seeks to rehabilitate stray cats from the Greek island of Atmos into caring English homes. There is a shock for Mrs Pargeter when she meets a woman who claims to be the sister of her late husband. This meeting leads to some unwelcome digging into past secrets, a body being found in Epping Fores and an eventful trip to Greece.

 

The two main parts of the enjoyment of a Mrs Pargeter book are still here – the light comedy and the characters. The associates of the late Mr Pargeter (and now their children) are realistic up to a point but they have a light comic twist whilst Mrs Melita Pargeter herself is a force of nature who has huge loyalty to her late husband’s memory although she might just be suspecting more now that not everything he did was entirely within the letter of the law.

I was less convinced about the plot this time (the device that can beat all electronic and mechanical locks was more than a bit hard to believe in) and the violence level is higher than has been usual for this series. I still like it but not as much as I did its predecessors.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for a review copy.