Well … That’s another Easter over and done with then. Did you get any eggs? Over indulge in food feasts and chocolate? Why the heck not? One weekend a year, right? I have an egg, but it is currently untouched. I know! I ate peanuts instead. Have been enjoying the long weekend with a few walks around the area. Managed the canal, a pootle along the Severn and a very long overdue return visit to Haughmond Hill. Even found a few moments to stop and read too. Go me!
It’s been a strange old week for books. Mostly self sponsored this week. And quite a bit of it too! First up was a hardback of Dream Town by David Baldacci – love Aloysius Archer. I also treated myself to a few of the 2022 Quick Reads titles – such a great initiative supporting adult literacy and always entertaining little reads they are too. They were The Cutting Season by M.W. Craven; My Name Is Why by Lemn Sissay; The Swimmer by Graham Norton and Blind Spot by Paula Hawkins. I also bought the ecopy of The Black Mountain by Kate Mosse. And my pre-ordered signed of First Born by Will Dean arrived. Yay.
Four new Netgalley books in the week.The Fire Killer by Ross Greenwood; Death At The Dinner Party by Emma Davies for the blog tour. Meantime by Frankie Boyle (call it curiosity on my part) and The Binding Room by Nadine Matheson.
Order/preorder wise, I placed a few. The Reading Agency/Quick reads titles listed above, plus The Push by Ashley Audrain; Fatal Witness, the brand new Erika Foster thriller from Robert Bryndza; Taunting the Dead, Follow the Leader, Only The Brave, Broken Promises and Hidden Secrets by Mel Sherratt.
Books I have read
Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
It’s every parent’s nightmare.
Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger.
You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost.
That night you fall asleep in despair. Until you wake . . .
. . . and it is yesterday.
Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it.
Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and you don’t have a choice but to find them . . .
The Cutting Season by MW Craven
Poe’s just hanging around on a Saturday afternoon…
Dangling from a hook in a meat packing plant isn’t how Detective Sergeant Washington Poe wants to spend his weekend. He’s been punched and kicked and threatened, and when a contract killer arrives it seems things are about to go from bad to worse. He goes by the name of the Pale Man and he and his straight-edged razor have been feared all over London for twenty years.
But Poe knows two things the Pale Man doesn’t. Although it might seem like a hopeless situation, Poe has planned to be here all along. More importantly, a nerdy, computer whizz-kid called Tilly Bradshaw is watching his back. And now things are about to get interesting . . .
Death at the Dinner Party by Emma Davies
Francesca Eve, caterer extraordinaire, has come to Claremont House to work for the cream of society. A full breakfast spread? Simple. A glorious picnic lunch? Easy as pie. But a dead body for dinner was definitely not on the menu…
No sooner has Francesca Eve turned up for a jam-packed weekend of gourmet catering at a posh country house than she realises how challenging this event is set to be. Not only are the hosts wealthy – and demanding – beyond her wildest dreams, but each of the guests is more difficult than the last. But she never expected the host to turn up dead…
Suspicion falls on everyone in the house – could there be a murderer in their midst? Is the incredibly glamorous, and now extremely rich, widow really as upset as she’s making out? What secret is the housekeeper hiding? Whose money troubles are now forgotten? As the only person without a motive, Fran’s intimate knowledge of the house party puts her in the prime position to help the police.
As rumours swirl and guests’ pasts come to light, someone else is found dead. But when the police arrest their chief suspect, Fran becomes convinced they have the wrong person – the evidence is almost too neat to be true. So she decides to strike out alone, in the country house where the killer is still staying… Someone has killed twice to keep their secret safe. Will Fran be able to unmask them, or will this weekend turn out to be her deadliest job ever?
A page-turning cozy mystery packed with twists. If you love Faith Martin, M.C. Beaton and The Thursday Murder Club you’ll absolutely adore this unputdownable whodunnit.
The New Doctor At Peony Practice by Christie Barlow
Love Heart Lane – where friends are there for you no matter what
All’s fair in love and…medicine?
Dr Katie O’Neil has only been in Heartcross a few hours when she finds herself already ruffling feathers – not least with medical school nemesis and new colleague Ben Sanders.
Katie’s the woman Ben loves to hate and until now he’d hoped he’d never set eyes on her again but now she’s back – and living next door!
When a charity boat race down the River Heart puts the two in direct competition, sparks fly. The winner takes it all, but who will it be? And will their prize be far more than they were expecting…
Helen is a retired teacher living on the Irish coast. She enjoys the peace and quiet – despite the burden of Margaret, her unpleasant sister. Margaret arrived three years ago for a short holiday, but somehow managed to stay and worm her way into Helen’s life.
One day, Helen sees a man struggling in the sea and decides to investigate. She doesn’t quite know what it is, but something about it feels very strange…
Three full length and two short stories. Can’t complain about that. Admittedly, that has been only possible due to the bank holidays, but hey. Reading is reading. A full enough week on the blog, recap below:
#Review – The Dark Flood – Deon Meyer
#Review – The Last Super – Rachel Amphlett
#Review – The Final Round – Bernard O’Keeffe
#Review – Quicksand of Memory – Michael J Malone (Jen’s View)
#Review – Quicksand of Memory – Michael J Malone (Mandie’s View)
#Review – Murder at the Gardens – Lisa Cutts
#Review – Beloved Poison – E.S. Thomson
I’d call that a pretty tidy week. What do you reckon? This week sees me join not one, but FOUR blog tours. Glad I’m cutting back lol. Today is Six Days by Dani Atkins, tomorrow, The Fall by Rachel Blok, Wednesday The Shot by Sarah Sultoon and on Thursday First Born by Will Dean. All grand books so I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts with you all.
And that’s my lot. Hope you all have a wonderful week and are able to enjoy this final bank holiday of the weekend. I’m going to make the most of it as it’s back to the office in the morning (boo hiss).
Happy reading all
Jen xx
Jen Med's Book Reviews 