The K Handshape

Dr. Leo Forgach has called his friend DS Christine Morris of the OPP at 5:00 a. m. to help him search for his missing daughter, Deirdre.  Unfortunately they find her body in the lake, weighted down with stones in her pocket and a scarf tightly embedded in her neck.

Morris is a member of a profiling team, and they set to work on the case.  Deirdre was deaf, and worked at a centre for the deaf.  Morris has difficulty getting information from Deirdre's friends, Hannah and Jessica, not only because they are friends, but because they are reticent to tell anything.

Morris and Forgach are shocked when they see his son from a previous marriage and Deirdre together on CCTV.  What is the meaning behind it?

Morris receives a letter mixed in with her mail that is threatening in the same manner of a letter received by Deirdre.  How did the perp find out where she lived to be able to hand deliver the letter?  It isn't long after that that Deirdre's daughter, Joy is abducted.  Fortunately she is later found safe and sound, but that doesn't solve the case.  More work needs to be done in the investigation to do that.

Author Maureen Jennings has written a very good thriller that leads the reader in several directions before presenting the killer.  A good read.

The Trip to Jerusalem

Westfield's Men are leaving London because of the summer plague.  As a result, several members of the crew and players are being dropped for austerity measures.  Nicholas Bracewell is sure that one of the players in the group was taken not by the plague, but rather was murdered.

As Westfield's Men travel northwards they come across town after town in which Banbury's Men, their arch-rival group has played; not only played, but used their plays!  Their band of merry men is lessened by one when young Richard Honeydew is kidnapped late one night. 

In search of Richard, Nicholas is confronted by a madwoman, who at first believes he is Christ, and when Nicholas persuades her he isn't, she demands he take her to York to see the Archbishop.  Further into his search for Richard, Nicholas runs afoul of the kidnappers.  How will he get himself and the company out of the mess that they are in?

Once again author Edward Marston has presented an exciting mystery about Elizabethan England.  An enjoyable read.

The Fourth Crow

Gil Cunningham has been called out to examine a young woman who has been beaten and murdered while she was tied to St. Mungo's Cross.  Gil must now investigate and find the murderer.  When the victim's maid comes to wash the body she is adamant that is isn't her mistress.  What has become of the woman who was originally tied to the cross?  Who is the dead woman found hanging on the cross?

Gil is aided in his investigation by his father-in-law and intern Lowrie.  They discover that the dead woman worked as a prostitute at an inn.  The following day, the body of one of the vergers of St. Mungo's church is found stuffed down the well of the church.  He had been murdered in the same fashion as the dead woman on the cross.

It isn't long after this that a third person is murdered, it is the guardian of the missing woman. Are the murders connected, or are they of different actions? Gil needs to figure that out.  Meantime, his wife finds the missing woman.  It is the threat of excommunication that finally brings the murderer out into the open.  Unfortunately the guilt exists for only one murder.  Who committed the other?  Gil sets out to find that out.

This is Book 9 in the Gil Cunningham series by author Pat McIntosh.  She once again tells an intriguing story of murder and mayhem in medieval times.  A good read.

Killer's Island

Maria Wern is an off duty police officer in Visby, Sweden, when she comes across a group of men beating a young boy.  She intervenes and is badly beaten herself.  Unfortunately the boy is so badly beaten that he dies.

Later, Linn Bogren is accosted by the same group of men that beat Wern.  They try to force her, but fortunately a neighbour and his dogs come along.  Bogren wonders if she is safe in her own home now.  She keeps her cell phone and a kitchen knife on her bedside table as a result of her fear.

Erika Lund, a forensic investigator with the police and friend of Wern are called to a decapitated body in the centre of town one morning.  The body turns out to be Bogren.

Harry Molin is a hypochondriac who isn't convinced that his doctor, Anders Ahlstrom is up to the job.  He also lives near Linn Bogren.  He becomes the next victim, and is found hanging in the house of policeman, Per Arvidsson, who also lives nearby.  Is there something that ties the three together?  Erika Lund has found a small 'k' at both scenes.  Is it a signature of the murderer?

Author Anna Jansson continually throws out little hints and clues as to who the perpetrator could be.  Tantalising as they may be, the reader is left unsure when the next hint is thrown up.  Although the story gets off to a slow start as Jansson introduces the main characters, she does a great job of building tension.  A great read.

According to the Evidence

It is 1955 and Dr. Richard Pryor has been called out to what appears to be an accident at a mechanic's shop.  A tractor under repair has dropped onto a man.  However, upon examination, Pryor isn't so sure.  He will know more when he does an autopsy.

With the help of his partner, Dr. Angela Bray, Pryor is able to determine that the victim was strangled and then hung before being crushed by the tractor.  DI Crippen definitely has a homicide on his hands.

Pryor has also been asked to serve as a witness for the defence in the case of a vet who has been charged with injecting his ill wife with potassium chloride to hasten her death.  Pryor is able to turn to recent developments in forensic medicine to help the defence solicitors with their case.

A suicide brings the case of the tractor homicide to a close.  However, calls to Europe and America are in order to confirm information needed for the other case.

Meantime, the army brings Pryor a case; is it an accidental killing or a murder. Since it happened in the Middle East, he has only grainy autopsy pictures to look at.  The bullet is also still there.  An exhumation of the soldier is needed to gather more information.  That exhumation would prove Pryor's theory.

Author Bernard Knight presents forensic evidence in great detail as he takes the reader through the Assizes Court and murder trial.  A fascinating read.

A Perfect Hell

This is the story of the First Special Service Force, in World War II,  a joint force of Canada and the USA, which fought in Italy, and which the Germans called "The Black Devils".

Creating the joint force was a special task.  It was organised by the Americans, and training occurred at a base in Montana.  A major concern initially was that the Canadians and Americans would not blend as each had their own traditions.  However, the men did blend throughout their training to become a single, specially trained killing machine.  And, although this is a blended fighting group, the focus of this book is on Canadians serving in The Black Devils.

The initial plan for the force was to attack Norway, for which they had especially trained.  However, when Lt. Colonel Robert Frederick arrived in London after his force had completed its training, he found out that Norway was a no go.  However, they were given the task of getting the island of Kiska back from the Japanese.  Unfortunately when they got there, they discovered that the Japanese had scarpered.  Meantime, Italy had been invaded, so the special force was transferred there.

The first battle results in the first telegrams home announcing wounds and deaths.  General Mark Clarke's promise of being in Rome within a week was not to be as the Germans fought very hard defensively.

After fighting in the mountains of Italy, the Force is then sent to Anzio, where they are given the task of defending the right quarter of the beach head.  To be safer at Anzio, it was decided that the Force would be the aggressors instead of defenders of the beach.  This meant night time raids.  Within a week, they had pushed the Germans back 1 400 metres.  It was here, due to using soot from burnt corks to camouflage their faces, that the Force would earn the nickname "The Black Devils".

When the breakout at Anzio finally comes, it is like World War I all over again; out of the trenches at 7:00 a. m. following an artillery barrage.  The breakout is successful, but costly.  Unfortunately General Mark Clark decides that he wants to take Rome instead of his given objective.  As a result, the Germans escape encirclement to fight another day.  The next task given to the Force is to create a flying column and enter Rome first.

The Force was given the opportunity of some R & R south of Rome before training for an invasion of southern France.  D-Day had occurred in Normandy and the Germans were in retreat now.  It is in southern France that the Force was disbanded; an event that no German force had been able to do.  It was a very tough time for both Canadians and Americans, many tears were shed by men who had become such a strong fighting force of the Allies.

Author John Nadler has provided readers with a brilliant description of the events involving the "Black Devils".  He hasn't withheld anything, showing how gruesome war is.  Wounds, and death on the battlefield leave nothing to the imagination.  Well written, well worth the read for fans of military history.

The Summer of Dead Toys

Inspector Hector Salgado has just returned from an imposed holiday in Buenos Aires.  Superintendent Savall doesn't want him working on the case which led to his suspension.  So, Savall asks him to look into the death of Joana Vidal's son as he doesn't think there is much to it.  Apparently Marc simply fell from a window, landing on his head.

Salgado is given Agent Leire Castro to help with the investigation.  They begin their investigation at Marc's former school.  Next, they visit Gina Marti, Marc's girlfriend.  They are surprised to find Marc's friend, Aleix Rovira there.  Castro is sure that Gina is leaving something out of her story.  She also finds out that Marc was wearing a different t-shirt prior to his death.  When they go through Marc's stuff they find the original t-shirt with what appears to be blood stains on it.

As Salgado and Castro's investigation continues, Rovira's name comes up in interesting ways.  Things take a twist when Gina commits suicide.  Salgado keeps thinking 'too many dead'.  He also begins to wonder if the deaths are tied to an event in the past.  Due to the suspension case hanging over Salgado, he feels his family is threatened.  It strikes close to home when his neighbour is brutally assaulted.

Tension mounts as author Antonio Hill wraps up this intriguing murder mystery.  An intensely good read and I am looking forward to sequels.

Don't Look Back

Ragnhild is a trusting six year old girl.  So, when a man in an old van offers her a ride home, she accepts.  Konrad Sejer of the Norwegian police is involved in the search for her and is told by a boy who is searching for Ragnhild that she was seen in a van.  After a frustrating and terrifying six hours, Ragnhild turns up safe and sound.

A short time later, Ragnhild's mother calls Sejer and tells him that her daughter had seen a woman lying by a lake on her way home.  The woman had no clothes on.  Sejer and his team find the body and determine that she is quite young, and couldn't have been dead long as volunteers searching for Ragnhild had swept the area earlier.

Later that night, the victim is identified when the parents show up to report her missing.  Sejer spends a lot of time trying to get to know the victim through questioning those who knew her best.  He discovers from Ragnhild and Raymond saw a car travelling at a high speed from the are of the body.  Will their drawings help capture the murderer?

The autopsy discovers that Annie, the victim, died of forced drowning.  Also, she would have been dead in a matter of months anyway as she had liver cancer.  As the investigation continues more evidence comes to light pointing to the true culprit.

Author Karin Fossum has given the reader a good murder mystery to read.  I look forward to reading more from her.