Rewind, Recap: Weekly Update W/E 18/12/22

And here we are. One week before ‘the big day’. For me, the big day will consist of a traditional curry lunch – yum – and, if the weather permits, post lunch walk. That’s it as far as festive celebrations go. Beyond that I intend to sleep, read and do precious little else until I go back to work on January 4th.

Speaking of tradition, this weekend saw us undertake the annual trip to the National Memorial Arboretum for their Illuminated Arboretum trail. Always a lovely walk and supporting a very worthy charity too. always respectful to the memorials, each year brings something a little different but is always a treat. Not even too cold this weekend either which was a blessing given recent weather conditions.

Not too many books bought or downloaded this week. I bought e-book copies of Genesis by Chris Carter and The Safe House by Louise Mumford, and downloaded A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle (06 March) in readiness for the blog tour.

That was my lot book wise. A very quiet week! Then again with postal strikes and Christmas breaks looming, it’s hardly a surprise.

Books I have read

Devil’s Way by Robert Bryndza

When Private Investigator Kate Marshall is rushed to hospital after being pulled into a riptide current in the sea, the near-death experience leaves her shaken. During her recovery, she befriends Jean, an elderly lady on the same ward. Jean tells the harrowing story of how her three-year-old grandson, Charlie, went missing eleven years ago during a camping trip on Dartmoor.

By the time Kate is well enough to go home, she’s agreed to take on the case, but when Kate and her trusty sidekick Tristan start to look at the events of that fateful night, they discover that Jean has a dark past that could have put Charlie in jeopardy.

Was Charlie abducted? Or did he fall into Devil’s Way? A rushing river that vanishes into a gorge close to where they were camping.

When Kate and Tristan discover that a social worker who flagged concerns about Jean and her daughter was found brutally murdered shortly after Charlie vanished, it makes them question everything they thought they knew about the family…

Filled with twists and turns, Devil’s Way is the fourth Kate Marshall novel and the most gripping and satisfying yet!

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The Forcing by Paul E. Hardisty

Civilisation is collapsing. Frustrated and angry after years of denial and inaction, a ‘government of youth’ has taken power in North America, and deemed all those older than a prescribed age responsible for the current state of the world, and decreed they should be ‘relocated’, their property and assets confiscated.

David Ashworth, known by his friends and students as Teacher, and his wife May, find themselves among the thousands being moved to ‘new accommodation’ in the abandoned southern deserts – thrown together with a wealthy industrialist and his wife, a high court lawyer, two recent immigrants to America, and a hospital worker. Together, they must come to terms with their new lives in a land rendered unrecognisable.

As the terrible truth of their situation is revealed, lured by rumours of a tropical sanctuary where they can live in peace, they plan a perilous escape. But the world outside is more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And for those who survive, nothing will ever be the same again…

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A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle

ulia Bird can’t wait to attend the annual village party at the local stately home, with its tea tents, cake stalls, and… dead body in the maze?

The annual village celebration at Berrywick House is underway, complete with over-decorated cake stalls, fiercely contested flower competitions, and even a maze for the disappointed losers to hide in. Julia Bird, now a well-known – even notorious – member of the community, with her trusty Labrador Jake, has thrown herself headlong into the festivities. But her reputation for adding drama to any event stands up yet again when she discovers a dead body in the maze…

It seems Ursula Benjamin, village know-it-all and prickly baking competition participant, has been strangled – and the killer has to be someone at the fete. As Julia grapples with finding yet another murder in Berrywick, she starts to wonder, could one of the competitive cake-bakers have taken the contest to deadly new heights? Or is there something darker in Ursula’s life that led to her untimely demise?

Embroiled once again in a murder enquiry, Julia isn’t about to leave the investigation to the police. Like it or not, she’s involved, and she’s going to help them solve the mystery. But when there’s another death, and it’s clear the murders aren’t isolated incidents, the stakes become even higher. Can Julia figure out the identity of the killer, and prevent any further dastardly deeds, before the wholesome spirit of the village is ruined forever?

If you like utterly gripping English mysteries, then you’ll love A Village Fete Murder. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands.

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No blog tours this week. In fact the only posts will be Bookvent posts as we’re now taking a week or so off from blogmin to just enjoy reading for a change. Who knew that was still a thing? Busy busy week on the blog last week though. Recap below:

#Review – The Girl in The River – Rita Herron
#Bookvent Day Twelve – The Botanist – M.W. Craven
#Review – Razorblade Tears – S.A. Cosby
#Bookvent Day Thirteen – The Twist of a Knife – Anthony Horowitz
#Review – Dashboard Elvis Is Dead – David F. Ross
#Bookvent Day Fourteen – The Lost Man of Bombay – Vaseem Khan
#Review – A Heart Full of Headstones – Ian Rankin
#Bookvent Day Fifteen – The Skeleton Key – Erin Kelly
#Review – Death on the Rhine – Heather Peck
#Bookvent Day Sixteen – The Other Side of Night – Adam Hamdy
#Bookvent Day Seventeen – Black Hearts – Doug Johnstone
#Bookvent Day Eighteen – The Butcher and the Wren – Alaina Urquhart

So that is us done. Have yourselves a very lovely festive season, however and whatever you celebrate, and we’ll see you on the other side.

Jen x