Off the Record

Jack Haldean has been asked by a friend if he knows anything about a recent double suicide.  The friend is wondering why his stepfather is so pleased about it.  He had been involved in a business proposal with both victims.  Haldean discusses the case with his good friend DI William Rackham of Scotland Yard.

Sometime after this, the son of one of the suicides is charged with the murder of another principal involved in the business proposal.  Although Rackham has his man, he isn’t one hundred percent sure.  He asks Haldean to chat with the alleged killer. 

Afterwards, Haldean begins his own investigation.  With a bit of experimentation, Haldean is able to prove the innocence of the accused.  So, who is the killer?  Rackham has to start over.  The next person to be arrested is Haldean’s friend who had started the whole investigation.  However, after Rackham and Haldean do a reconstruction, it seems that he too, is off the hook.

All-in-all, everything seems to be very confused.  How will Haldean and Rackham solve the case in which so many are suspect, yet not.  Author Dolores Gordon-Smith has a few answers for the reader, but don’t expect them until the closing pages.  A good, quick read.

Murder in Belleville

Aimee Leduc has just received a phone call from the sister of a good friend of hers.  The sister claims to be in trouble and asks Aimee to come and meet her.  As Aimee arrives at the meeting place a car explodes throwing shrapnel and people all over the place.  Fortunately, Aimee and Anais get away, but Anais is injured and men are following them. Using her smarts, Aimee gets them to Anais’ home.

Aimee discovers that the victim of the explosion may have two identities.  A pearl found by Aimee near the site of the explosion helps her garner a bit more information about the victim.

Later her godfather, Morbier, asks her to help him gather information about plastique, and its sources.  By doing that, it could help lead her to the people responsible for the car bomb.  However, it only leads her deeper into a cesspit of violence and terrorism.

Author Cara Black ‘s latest thriller with Aimee Leduc will have the reader wondering just who the criminals are and whether she will get out of this case alive.  A good, quick read.

Murder in the Marais

Aimee Leduc has been handed a file with a mysterious code in it.  She has been asked to break it and pass the results on to a woman.  She determines that it is an old Cold War code, and it should be easy to break.  She couldn’t be more wrong.  When she does break it, the computer simply provides her with a picture; a torn picture at that.

When Aimee delivers it to the person to whom it was to be given, she finds the body of a woman.  A swastika has been carved in her forehead.  The inspector who arrives is her godfather, Morbier.

The following morning, her partner, Rene Friant has an envelope left by the man who had given her the code.  Inside the envelope was fifty thousand francs and a note telling her to find the killer.  Yet, the following day, she receives a fax telling her to not get involved or she will end up dead.  Who knew of her planned investigation?

When the man who gave Aimee the initial case was knocked into a bus, she is surprised that Morbier is told to back off.  Shortly afterwards she herself is threatened in person by someone who claims to be with a government agency.  However, when she hacks into all the government agencies, she can find no evidence of him.

Before she knows it, Aimee is participating in a Neo-Nazi gathering. Her investigation is taking her back into the Nazi era of WWII.  Not long after this, someone breaks into her office and leaves a threatening message painted on the wall.  What has she gotten herself into?  No one wants the past dug up!

Author Cara Black has an interesting adventure ahead for Aimee and her partner, Rene as they go about solving this case.  Fast paced, full of action, this thriller is a very good read.

A Hundred Thousand Dragons

Jack Haldean is at a fancy dress ball when a car on a nearby road goes up in a ball of flame.  Once the fire has been put out, his friend, Arthur Stanton comments that the car must have been going very fast to have crashed as it did.  Haldean realises that he hadn’t heard a sound prior to the explosion.  That can only mean one thing - murder!

The following morning, Superintendent Ashley arrives on the scene.  Along with Haldean, they notice tire tracks and the imprints of shoes.  One set a man’s and the other a woman’s.  The constable protecting the scene indicates that a local man had reported his Rolls Royce had been stolen the night before.  It could be the burned out vehicle.  When they go to the owner’s place they find that he had had an argument with another man the day before.  He’s the one who took the vehicle and could be the body in the car.

There are suspects galore, but who is the victim?  Ashley and Haldean have their suspicions, but how to prove it?  It will require a trip to London for further investigation.  However, London only presents more questions.  Maybe the answers lie further afield.

Author Dolores Gordon-Smith’s latest thriller does take Haldean further afield and puts his life in jeopardy.  Will he be able to solve the crimes or go down in a ball of flames?  A good quick read.

Act of Murder

It’s early in the morning and DS Samuel Slevin of the Wigan Borough Police is just climbing the steps to the station when Captain Bell tells him to get to the Royal Hotel where a body awaits him.  A man has been badly mutilated in his bed while his wife slept alongside him.  She had taken Chlorodyne before going to bed, so slept through whatever happened.

As Slevin and Constable Bowery question the guests of the Royal, it is suggested that the victim liked young ladies.  That brings to the mind of Bowery an incident he had attended during the evening.  A man had apparently pushed his daughter down the stairs while chasing a man out of the house. While questioning the young woman at her house, the father and two ruffians burst in accosting Slevin and Bowery.  Fortunately the policemen got the better of the three and arrested them.  Do they now have the killer?

The post-mortem indicates that the victim had been partially suffocated before being mutilated.  Slevin is left wondering why there was asbestos dust in the victim’s nostrils.

Slevin is told of the widow having an argument with an actor at her hotel. He was acting in a nearby theatre and she claimed that he knew her husband and was offering his condolences.  However, when Slevin goes to his lodging house, he is lying on the floor having just recently collapsed.  Is he another victim?

Author Alan Wright’s murder mystery is not done, for there are a few more twists and surprises to the plot before all is revealed.  A good quick read.

Dissolution

Why has Matthew Shardlake been called to London by Lord Cromwell?  Could it have anything to do with the death of Queen Jane?  No, Cromwell wants him to investigate a murder at a monastery.

Shardlake takes his clerk, Mark Poer with him.  Once there, they find out that the previous commissioner had been beheaded in the kitchen one night.  That same night the altar had been desecrated and a relic stolen from the church.

When shown the body, Shardlake notes that the beheading was very neat, as if done by a very sharp sword.  As Shardlake explores the monastery, he discovers that it’s possible that the killer could have entered through the crumbling back wall.  The killer didn’t necessarily have to be one of the monks.

It is at this time that a novice in the monastery dies in suspicious circumstances.  Brother Guy, the infirmarian, examines the body and tells Shardlake that the death was due to belladonna being put in his drink.  Shardlake now has another murder on his hands.

Shardlake has noticed something sparkling in the bottom of the monastery pond.  He has Mark go into the pond and bring it out.  It turns out to be a sword, but also two other things come up with it.  A monk’s habit and the body of a woman!  The habit’s owner is quickly identified and the body is likely that if a woman who had worked in the infirmary and had gone missing two years ago.

How many more deaths will there be before Shardlake can solve the crimes?  Author C. J. Sansom has the reader trying to figure out who the culprit is before Shardlake can.  There are a few devious plot twists before all is revealed.  A thoroughly enjoyable read, leaving me looking forward to reading the the sequels.

Blood Will Follow

Surprisingly both Ulfar and Audun survived the sacking of Stenvik by King Olav.  Now they have decided to go their separate ways.  Meanwhile back in Stenvik, King Olav has received a message from Hakon to the far north.  Valgard suggests that Olav take up the challenge and advance on Hakon’s stronghold despite it being autumn.  That would prevent him from gaining strength during the winter months.

Ulfar decides that he needs to head home to tell Geiri’s father of his death at Stenvik.  Audun is unsure what to do other than get as far away from Stenvik as possible, so he heads south to the coast.  Along the way each meets an old man who presents them each with a special gift.

To the north, King Olav’s army easily defeats Hakon at Trondheim.  It doesn’t take long for Olav to impose the White Christ on the community.  As he works to do that, Valgard continues to ingratiate himself upon the king.

Ulfar’s arrival in Uppsala is not a happy one.  He is injured, but the woman who cares for him is Inga from Stenvik.  She informs him that Valgard was behind Geiri’s death and Ulfar’s troubles.  Ulfar decides that he needs special help to get his vengeance.  He goes in search of Audun.

Author Snorri Kristjansson’s second book in the Valhalla Saga is full of adventure and plenty of blood letting for Ulfar and Audun.  What will happen when they meet up with Valgard?  The reader will just have to read the third in this trilogy.  A good historical fiction filled with the fantasy of the old Norse gods.

A Missed Murder

Jack Blackjack has been tasked with another assassination.  This time he is to rid his master, John Blount, of one Jeffry of Shoreditch who in turn has been assigned the task of causing problems for the Lady Elizabeth.  However, during a night of drinking, Blackjack received a message from Blount cancelling the need for the assassination, and targeting someone else, so he has to go out into the night to find Humfrie, who Blackjack has tasked with the killing.

However, when he finds the initial target still standing, Blackjack accidentally causes him to fall into the Thames!  What now?  He still has to attend to the second target, but they search high and low with no success.   Helping Blackjack and Humfrie are the girl, Agnis, who brought Blackjack the message, and Humfrie’s daughter Jen.

As Blackjack’s hunt progresses he seems to get himself into more and more life threatening situations.  There are men seeking to put an end to his life.  After one such incident he comes to the realisation that Agnis is the common denominator.  What can he do to get his life back on an even keel?

Author Michael Jecks has plenty of adventures awaiting poor Jack Blackjack in this historical novel.  Some are amusing and others downright dangerous.  Life was not easy in old London Town, and Blackjack’s experiences reflect that.  A good read for fans of historical fiction.

In the Dark

DS Quinn and DC Gislingham have been called out to a house under renovation in North Oxford.  The owner of the house claims he saw the face of a girl through the basement wall, which was crumbling.  Upon breaking into the house next door they find an old man who might be suffering from Alzheimer’s, and locked in a room in the basement they find a woman, badly dehydrated and a little boy.

DI Adam Fawley, after studying the evidence so far gathered, suggests that the woman could be a woman who went missing about two years ago.  The age of the boy who had been trapped in the room with her would appear to match the time she has been missing.

Then the forensic investigators discover a body underneath a shed in the back of the yard where the woman and toddler were found.  The pathologist, Colin Boddie, provides Fawley with some interesting evidence, which he suggests Fawley keep quiet about.  Dental records show that the body is the woman who went missing a couple of years ago.

As the investigation progresses new information is discovered, so new lines of inquiry are opened.  But, where will they lead?

Author Cara Hunter’s latest murder mystery is another convoluted story, which seems to lead everywhere, yet nowhere.  Fast paced, non-stop investigation, which keeps the reader involved.  I enjoyed this read and highly recommend it.

As If By Magic

Detective Inspector Bill Rackham is having a quiet beer with his friend Jack Haldean when he mentions a curious case to Haldean.  A man had been caught red-handed running out of a house by police.  He claimed to have seen a murder in the kitchen.  When the police investigated, there was no body.  The man was not charged and was hospitalised.  When Rackham mentions the name, Haldean is sure that he knows the man.

The man, George Lassiter has an interesting story to tell Haldean.  He was home in South Africa when he saw an ad in a newspaper suggesting that he travel to London to pick up a legacy.  However, when he arrives in London the solicitor informs him that someone has already made off with it, having apparently presented the necessary credentials.  Haldean decides to help Lassiter find out who had claimed the legacy.

Meanwhile, Rackham is busy dealing with the mystery of a missing man.  When he speaks to the man’s wife, her description of the missing man makes Rackham sure that the missing man is in the morgue.

Lassiter’s mystery deepens when he discovers in a street guide that a person having the same name as him lives in the house where he claims he saw a murder.  It turns out that the house is home to his grandfather!  While they are getting to know each other, Rackham shows up with the woman whose husband is missing.  She has identified the body and now wants to be with her friend who was married to Lassiter’s cousin.

Haldean is shocked when Rackham tells him that the now identified dead man had kept newspaper cuttings of murders of women.  This seems to also identify him as their killer of those women.  However, some time later another woman is murdered.  Is there another killer at large or were they mistaken about the dead man?

Author Dolores Gordon-Smith has plenty of twists to this plot before the reader learns who is behind the killings and other troubles that the Lassiter family is experiencing.  Another good, quick read.

The Soul of Discretion

DCI Simon Serrailler has been asked to go under cover in a prison in the hopes that he can get a paedophile to provide the names of the rest of his group.  Once in the prison, Serrailler would have no contact with his family and friends.  His only way of making contact with his control would be through a special watch he is to wear.

As he learns the stories of his fellow inmates, Serrailler begins to feel dirty.  His own cover story sickens him.  Fortunately it is a story that convinces the mark he is after.  So much so that the mark takes Serrailler with him when he makes a jail break.

Can Serrailler get the information from his mark now that they have escaped?  Will he be trusted or will they be going their separate ways?

The remaining pages of Susan Hill’s thriller are full of suspense and action.  Due to the topic, it is a tough read and must have been a tough job to write.  Intense and mind gripping.

Rome's Executioner

Sabinus, brother of Vespasian, has been sent from Rome to work with his brother to capture Rhoteces, a priest, and take him back to Rome where Antonia plans on giving him to Emperor Tiberius.  This way she will show him that he is in danger of being overthrown by Sejanus.  Already Nero Germanicus and Drusus have been taken into custody and Caligula could be the next to be imprisoned.

Capturing Rhoteces is not going to be an easy task, as there are men who are tasked with killing Vespasian as soon as possible.  Men close to him will die on this mission.  When they get to their destination, Vespasian and Sabinus find out that Rhoteces is in a city currently under siege by the Roman army.  Vespasian also has to put up with a known spy in their midst; Centurion Caelus.

Despite all of this, Vespasian’s small crew does manage to capture Rhoteces.  Now they must get him to Rome, safely.  However, Rhoteces puts a curse on the ship that is to carry them before it can sail.  Pirates along the way aren’t sufficient to stop Vespasian from getting to Rome. 

Life in Rome will not be easy either.  When the brothers hear of a potential attack on the home of their parents they quickly ride to the defence of the homestead.  Killing the attackers forces them into isolation for a time.  When Vespasian is recalled to Rome, he is unsure of his reception.

Will Sejanus manage to usurp Tiberius, or will the mad emperor overcome threats to his reign from Capri?  Author Robert Fabbri has written an excellent novel of this time, basing his story on actual facts.  It is hard to believe in the violence and depravities of the time, but such was life in the Roman Empire. A thoroughly enjoyable read, and hard to put down.

A Perfect Death

In South Devon, a farmer reported flames in an area near his farm late one night.  When the firemen put them out, they discovered a body.  DCI Gerry Heffernan will have to attend to this case without his DI Wesley Peterson as he and his wife are vacationing in France.  He does have DS Rachel Tracey at hand, though.  Pathologist Colin Bowman, after examining the scene is sure that they have a murder of a woman on their hands.

Meanwhile, Peterson has been approached by an old university mate to see if he could look into a girl who had gone missing in the area Peterson and his wife, Pam, call home.  When the man doesn’t show up for a second meeting with information about the missing girl, they decide to do a bit of investigating.

Back home Tracey and Heffernan think that they have identified the victim.  However, DNA evidence proves that the victim is not who they thought it was.

The evening of the Petersons’ return home, an old cottage was torched.  Unbeknownst to the arsonist there was someone inside, and that person died.  Peterson is shocked when this victim turns out to be the man he and Pam had met in France.  Also the missing girl’s car was found nearby.  DNA this time matches the missing girl.  Who could have committed this brutal murder?

Could it be connected to a murder that had occurred over seven hundred years before?  Peterson’s friend, Dr. Neil Watson, is excavating an archeological site near where the girl was burned to death.  The site he is working on was the home of a man who had burned his wife to death for infidelity.  Is history repeating itself?

Author Kate Ellis has some secrets up her sleeve in this murder mystery, and although there are more deaths to come, there are also some surprises.  With the twists to the plot and the interesting conclusion, this is a very good read.

Swords of Good Men

Ulfar Thormodsson and his cousin Geiri are in Stenvik in the hopes of expanding trade between their community and this one.  Ulfar is entranced by a young woman and is unable to speak on behalf of the pair while Geiri makes a terrible botch of it.

Meanwhile Sigurd Aegisson, headman in Stenvik has been confronted by Friar Johann who has told him of a horde of invaders headed their way.  What is he supposed to do?  Search for the invaders or stand pat to defend the community?

At the same time, King Olav Tryggvason is gathering a huge army, which he intends to use to remove the old gods from Norway and replace with the White Christ.

Skargrim, leader of the invaders behind Skuld, a woman who has amazing powers, gathers many fighters Wyrmsey, which is an island not far from Stenvik.  His first act is to have a couple of his scouts burn a few ships in Stenvik and poison its well.  They also left a horse’s head in the square on a pole.  Sigurd’s reaction is to tell his people not to have any fear.

Not long after this the town is attacked by outlaws.  Are they part of Skargrim’s force?  Locked inside the walls of Stenvik, it is Ulfar who first notices the sixty-three ships of Skargrim advancing from the sea.  What’s the future of the town now?  Can King Olav arrive in time to counter the invaders from the sea?

Author Snorri Kristjansson is very descriptive in outlining the final battle for Stenvik.  There is lots of action with a couple of surprises at the very end.  When I started reading this historical fiction novel, I was unsure of what I was getting into, but it turned out to be a very good read.

Close to Home

DI Adam Fawley and DC Chris Gislingham have been called out in the early hours to a home where a young girl has gone missing.  Could Daisy have been abducted?  DC Verity Everett, assigned to door-to-door reports that a woman had seen a man carrying a girl in the area.  The girl seemed to have been crying.

DNA found on bloodied tights found near the home are not a match for Daisy.  Then a techie shows pictures from the evening the girl went missing.  There was another girl there dressed in the same way as the missing one.

The parents aren’t really cooperative, however when it is discovered that the husband has been on a dating site, the wife brings in incriminating evidence against him.  When news of his being on a dating site is leaked the home is fire bombed.  Fortunately, the mother and her son managed to escape.  The husband had been turned out of the home, so he was not there.  In turn, the husband provides potentially incriminating evidence against the wife.  Are they trying to frame each other?

Fawley finds that his case is going topsy-turvy.  Author Cara Hunter has Fawley’s team gathering evidence that points to only one suspect.  Twist upon twist!

This was a murder mystery, which I started reading late one afternoon.  I could not put it down!  Had I not had to go to work the next day, I would have stayed up all night to finish it.  Kudos to the author!  I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequels!

A Sea of Gold

Tyger has been ordered to the Mediterranean.  Sir Thomas Kydd impulsively bets 20 guineas with Cochrane of the Imperiuse as to which frigate would anchor there first.  Due to fog in Port Mahon, it was impossible to determine which ship had arrived first.

As their work begins, Cochrane, who has a few months seniority on Kydd, takes charge, much to the chagrin of Kydd.  It will take some time for the two men to understand each other.  Once they do, they begin to take the war to the French by destroying their semaphore stations along the coast.

Meanwhile, back in London, the powers that be are scheming a way to bring Austria onside in the war against Bonaparte.  It will be very costly and they decide to bring in Kydd’s old friend Nicholas Renzi, now known as Lord Farndon.  It will require subterfuge and high finance.

An engagement in the Mediterranean resulted in damage to the Tyger, which could not be repaired there, so it was back to England for repairs for the ship and a three week layover.

When the French fleet break out of Brest, the English Channel fleet force them to seek protection at Rochefort.  However, once settled in there, the English can’t simply sail in and destroy them in a set battle.  The admiralty order Cochrane to take fireships and assault the French.  He asks that Kydd help him with the enterprise.  Unfortunately the enterprise was only partially successful.

Kydd also has an enterprise going ahead in England, which could prove to be the saving of his household or his ruination.  Author Julian Stockwin has plenty of action awaiting Kydd, his brother-in-law and of course the crew of the Tyger, which will mean death and destruction for someone.

Mad About the Boy?

It is 1923 and there is a summer ball being held at Hesperus to celebrate the silver anniversary of Alice and Phillip Rivers.  Unfortunately, one of the guests mars the celebration by committing suicide.

Jack Haldean, nephew of the Rivers isn’t sure that it was a suicide.  How can he convince the police, since the Chief Constable has already declared it a suicide?

The following morning a Russian turns up at the house and accosts one of the guests.  Alfred Charnock, a relative of the Rivers, speaks Russian to him and then turfs him out of the house.  He apparently is a Bolshevik!

Haldean and three of his friends work at some theories amongst themselves.  A maid had heard what she thought was a shot.  Could it have been a firework?  After checking in the fireplace, where a firework might have gone off, the group agree that the so-called suicide could very well have been a murder.  Then it comes to light that the victim, who worked for a lord, might not have been the intended victim.  Maybe the lord, who in reality is a bit of a scammer, was the intended victim.

Could this be true, because he is stabbed to death in his room the next day!  It appears that the culprit is Haldean’s good friend, Arthur Stanton, and he is caught red handed!

Haldean’s friend, Superintendent Ashley, returns to begin the investigation.  However a few days later, late at night, just as Haldean and his friends are returning from Brighton, their car is highjacked and another of his friends is taken hostage.  Everyone is sure that Russians were involved in the kidnapping.  One of the girls is also sure that they intended to kill Haldean, but fortunately, he was only wounded in the arm.  What’s going on?

Author Dolores Gordon-Smith has some twists to her plot and a few surprises with hints at suspects before drawing this murder mystery to a close.  A good quick read.

A Fete Worse Than Death

Major Jack Haldean is visiting his cousins at a fete hosted by his aunt.  He is surprised when a man he really had no use for from the Flying Corps comes up to him in the beer tent.  Later in the afternoon the same man is found dead in the fortune teller’s tent.

Haldean is a writer of detective mysteries, so he wants to pump Superintendent Ashley for information.  Ashley has a plethora of suspects.  Haldean offers his services to Ashley as he had recently helped The Yard with an investigation.

The following morning Ashley calls Haldean to a local pub where a man has been found shot to death in the room of the previous victim.  Ashley had checked the room the previous evening and all was right.  Haldean has no idea who the new victim is.  They learn he is from London.

Up in London with the help of Inspector Rackham, who Haldean had helped earlier, they get into the victims’ flat.  There they discover a pendant belonging to Haldean’s cousin, Isabelle.  How had it come to be there?

While in London Haldean takes the opportunity to research records at the War Office.  Will it help figure out anything about the two victims?  Searching the records gives Haldean the idea that the murders could have something to do with blackmail.  After discussing it on the way home, Ashley is of the same mind.  It points to someone close to Haldean’s cousins.

How can Haldean and Ashley find the culprit?  It is going to take an inadvertent meeting with a little girl that will provide Haldean with a potential answer.  Author Dolores Gordon-Smith has lots of twists and surprises for the reader in this murder mystery.  A good, quick read.

The Judge Hunter

Balthasar de St. Michel is feckless in the eyes of his brother-in-law, Samuel Pepys.  He is constantly bothering Pepys in the hopes that he will provide some sort of work.  Balty, as Pepys calls him, is surprised when Lord Downing gives him the job of hunting for two judges who were involved in the execution of the former king.  The problem is, Balty has to travel to New England.

When Balty arrives in Boston he finds that it truly is a Puritan stronghold.  It is a few days before his contact, Hiram Huncks, makes himself known to Balty.  They leave Boston in unusual circumstances.  Their next stop is New Haven.  It doesn’t take long for the pair to get into trouble with the locals.  An accident has Huncks paralysed and Balty concussed.

It’s during their recovery that Balty learns that there is more to their mission than just finding the two judges.  Once recovered, they learn that the judges have moved on to New Amsterdam.  However, moments after arriving in New Amsterdam, the city is shut up, and the pair is taken into custody.  It seems that four British ships have also arrived in the area.

Can the pair achieve their two objectives or will the Dutch frustrate them?  Author Christopher Buckley’s historical novel is a fun, quick read, and based on historical fact.  Quite enjoyable.