Another week passes us by in a blur. Probably for the best right now as I’m not sure any of us want to dwell too long on what is happening in the wider world. We have that luxury afforded us, unlike far too many others, and it makes you appreciate the little things. I got through another mad week at work, ate some lovely cake, found Raspberry Malteser Biscuits, and a big fat donut, went on a couple of walks and bought a book. Also managed to bring a smile to someone’s face, so all in all not a bad week. I’m in the office today for the first time since before Christmas, starting the transition to a new kind of hybrid working where tie will be split between working in the office and working at home. It’s going to be odd, but is long overdue and in a strange way I’m looking forward to it, even if I don’t actually like the peopley bit of being in an office 😉.
The book I purchased was Sundial by Catriona Ward. I’ve been eyeing it up and when I saw it in the bookshop this weekend, it seemed like fate was determining it must be bought. No book post this week, and only one Netgalley title which is for a tour – Murder At The Gardens by Lisa Cutts. Two new books bought – The Blood Tide by Neil Lancaster and a preorder of Bamburgh by LJ Ross. Quite week by my standards, but a quality one.
Books I have read
Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins
THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.
THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family – Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie – has vanished from the house without a trace.
THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.
One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.
In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden’s bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three words:
Make
Them
Stop.
What happens next?
Outside by Ragnar Jónasson
In a deadly Icelandic snowstorm, four friends seek shelter in an abandoned hunting lodge. Miles from help, and knowing they will die out in the cold, they break in, hoping to wait out the storm until morning.
But nothing can prepare them for what’s inside . . .
With no other option, they are forced to spend a long and terrifying night in the cabin: watching as intently and silently as they themselves are being watched.
As the night darkens, old secrets spill into the light, and tensions rise between the four friends. Soon it’s clear that what they’ve discovered in the cabin is far from the only mystery lurking there.
Nor the only thing to be afraid of . . .
Murder At The Gardens by Lisa Cutts
A lovely day out takes a dark turn when a complaining customer is found dead… Luckily amateur sleuth Belinda Penshurst is on the scene – and ready to investigate!
Belinda Penshurst has always loved Brabourne Gardens. A keen animal lover, she enjoys walking its winding paths and listening to the excited squeals of schoolchildren encountering the kind of wildlife you don’t normally find in England. So when one of the visitors is found strangled, she’s determined to learn whodunnit – and why.
The victim, Simon Carter, had a reputation for making trouble… But surely that’s not a good enough reason to want him dead. Together with retired detective Harry Powell, Belinda investigates the goings-on behind the scenes, and learns that some of the staff are more savage than the animals.
Is it Estelle Samuels, the anti-social owner, who clearly has something to hide? Or the security guard who takes his job too seriously? Most worrying of all, Belinda’s ex Ivan was there when the body was found, and she’s determined to clear his name. As suspicions swirl, one thing’s for sure: if Belinda keeps following the killer’s tracks, she might find herself in their sights…
Can she sniff out a murderer, before she becomes prey?
A completely unputdownable and charming cozy mystery. Fans of M.C. Beaton, H.Y. Hanna or Emily Organ will love the Belinda Penshurst series!
Three books – can’t complain at that really. I’ve been listening to an audiobook during the week too, and another book has been started so I am happy. Still completing a book every couple of days which is no mean feat with the hours I’ve been working. Busy enough week on the blog with a half dozen reviews – recap below:
#Review – Nasty Little Cuts – Tina Baker
#Review – One For Sorrow – Helen Fields
#Review – The Clockwork Girl – Anna Mazzola
#Review – Twelve Secrets – Robert Gold
#Review – The Blood Is Still – Douglas Skelton
#Review – The Anniversary – Laura Marshall
Looking forward to the week ahead. Two days off work (yay) and a day tripped planned for one of them so, who knows, might even have something interesting to talk about next week. Don’t hold me to it though …
Hope you have a lovely week full of bookish distraction.
Jen x
Jen Med's Book Reviews 
Raspberry Malteser Biscuits could be interesting. Shall have to defer any purchase until Easter though since I’m trying to avoid chocolate. Finding it really hard.
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I am pretending to be trying to be good and failing miserably lol
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