Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 05/09/21

Well here we are. September. Start of meteorological autumn. Slow countdown to Halloween and Christmas. Or maybe not so slow. Who knows anymore. Time appears to have no meaning whatsoever. No idea where the past week has gone. Long weekend and short work week melting into another long weekend that didn’t exactly go as expected. But I found Mint Malteaser Reindeers so it’s not all bad news. How was you week? Did you do anything fun? See anything fun? Read anything fun? I’ve been reading but my concentration has been, at best, variable. At worst? Well … you’ll see. Did manage to get a nice walk around Ironbridge last monday and around my town yesterday though, so saw my baby swans. Not so baby now it seems. Slowly turning white and soon be ready to strike out on their own … Happy/sad times.

This week was all about book buys. No review copies, but still loads to bookpost and I could not be happier. My signed copies of Ann Cleeves The Heron’s Cry; Will Dean’s Black River (delayed by Covid – very delayed); Eva Björg Ægisdottir’s Girls Who Lie; Ian Rankin & William McIlvanney’s The Dark Remains and Val McDermid’s 1979 and copies of Agatha Christie’s The Tuesday Club Murders and Stuart MacBride’s Sawbones. I think you’ll agree that is one absolutely awesome week of bookage.

MIght have placed a few orders/preorders during the week too. As you do. The Silence by Yrsa Sigurdardottir; Never Seen Again by Paul Finch; The Cold Killer by Ross Greenwood; Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi and My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. Two books from Netgalley – Survivor’s Guilt by Michael Wood and Her Perfect Twin by Sarah Bonner.

And that’s my lot. But it’s probably enough, right?

Books I have read

Trick or Treat by Katerina Diamond

TRICK OR TREAT?

When six-year-old Marcus is taken from outside his house on Halloween it shakes his quiet neighbourhood to the core.

Everyone was ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Now the unthinkable has happened.

TRUTH OR LIES?

As Detective Imogen Grey arrives to question Marcus’s parents, they tell her there has been a mistake. Their son is just fine.

But if that’s true, where is Marcus?

INNOCENT OR GUILTY?

Imogen becomes locked in a race against time to find the missing child and uncover the truth. Can she discover what’s happened to Marcus before it’s too late?

A completely addictive page-turner, perfect for fans of Cara Hunter, TM Logan and Shari Lapena.

Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley

The third novel in the fantastic Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu crime series is set in the southern Kalahari area of Botswana – a place full of buried lost cities, incredible hidden wealth, ancient gods and, for thousands of years, home to the nomadic Bushmen.

When a fractious ranger named Monzo is found dead, fallen into a donga – a dry ravine – surrounded by three Bushmen, the local police arrest the nomads. Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu is on the case, which reunites him with his old school friend Khumanego, a Bushman and now an advocate for his people. Khumanego believes the arrests are motivated by racist antagonism from the police, as the Bushmen are claiming that they were at the murder scene because they were trying to help. Soon after Monzo’s death, Detective ‘Kubu’ learns of another case involving two botany students on their way back from a specimen-collecting trip but who were later found dead, seemingly poisoned, at a campground. Could the deaths be connected?

Many Deadly Returns – 21 Years of The Murder Squad

Murder Squad, a group of award-winning crime and mystery writers, celebrate their twenty-first birthday with a bang in this criminally good collection of short stories.

A dawn swim turns deadly in a brand-new short story starring DCI Vera Stanhope . . . Two bored cell-mates play a game with chilling results . . . A hen night in an isolated cottage brings new meaning to ‘I will survive’ . . . A train traveller teaches a valuable lesson in reading labels . . . A day at the seaside turns stormy for a woman who doesn’t care for foreigners . . . A wealthy retiree makes a new friend who connects her to the Other Side . . . and much much more.

Short, sharp and packed with twists, these 21 unputdownable tales showcase Murder Squad’s range and talent throughout the years. So why not treat yourself to a slice of murderously moreish fiction, and join us in wishing the squad ‘Many Deadly Returns’.

With stories by Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms and Cath Staincliffe, as well as John Baker, Chaz Brenchley and Stuart Pawson.

So that was my lot this week. Not the most productive but it could be worse. Busy week on the blog, recap below:

#Review – Ouija – Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Mandie)
#Review – Terms of Restitution – Denzil Meyrick
#Review – The Dark Remains – William McIlvanney & Ian Rankin
#Review – The Heron’s Cry – Ann Cleeves
#Review – Black Reed Bay – Rod Reynolds (Mandie)

We’ve a full week ahead too. Lots of great books to share including three blog tour reviews – Resistance by Mara Timon; My Name is Jensen by Heidi Amsinck and Five Minds by Guy Morpuss.