The Long Call

DI Matthew Venn has been called out to the beach where a body has been found by a dog walker.  The police constable first on the scene discovered that the man had been stabbed.  Waiting for him at the scene are DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May.

A couple of days later a woman with Down syndrome is reported missing.  Venn is sure that there is a possible connection to the missing man.  He now has two investigations on his hands.

Jen has a key handed to her that belonged to the dead man.  Ross is able to find an address where had previously lived.  Along with Venn, they go to the address, only to discover that it has been turned over by someone in search of something.  Could it have been money the man supposedly had?

Speaking to a lawyer who the dead man had consulted, Venn learns that he had sent them a massive cheque for safe keeping.  Why would he have done that?  Are more vulnerable women going to be in danger?

Author Ann Cleeves has begun an new series with Venn and his team.  The first murder mystery is compelling and concludes with a few surprises.  A very good read from this prolific author.

Winding up the Serpent

DI Joanna Piercy has a couple of crime issues in her small town; someone has stolen several hundred Royal Doulton figures, and someone else has started providing drugs at the local school.

However, it is a case that DS Mike Korpanski brings to her that grasps her attention.  A nurse hasn’t shown up at work.  Uniforms sent to the house find it locked and a frantic dog barking inside.  Once inside, Piercy finds the nurse dead on her bed.  So, is it a suicide or a murder?  Piercy is sure it is murder, while Korpanski, who was overlooked when Piercy was appointed DI, contests her ideas.

Pathologist Mat Levin is unable to find any cause of death during the autopsy.  One thing that stands out about the dead woman is that she seems to have had a lot of money.  How could a nurse have that kind of money?  Blackmail?  If so, who was she blackmailing?

Based on an article in a medical journal, Levin thinks that the dead woman could have been killed using a substance natural to the human body - insulin could have been injected into her.  An overdose would kill.

So who was the killer?  Author Priscilla Masters’ killer is a surprise.  Piercy is slowly able to unwrap the mystery, and with help, solve the theft of the Royal Doulton figures. Masters has written a very good murder mystery, and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

None the Wiser

DC Jan West has had to travel a narrow, muddy path to approach the narrow boat DS Mark Turpin is on.  She is even less impressed when his dog, Hamish, leaves muddy paw prints on her trousers.  They are to go to a murder scene.

The victim is a priest who was killed in his own church.  His tongue had been removed before his throat was slashed.  At the scene of the crime, pathologist, Gillian Appleworth, outlines what is known.  Jan doesn’t understand the apparent animosity between her and Turpin.  She shortly learns that Appleworth is the sister to Turpin’s ex-wife.

Back at the station, Turpin is introduced to DI Ewan Kennedy.  Kennedy quickly informs Turpin that he will be Deputy SIO.

A few nights later there is another murder.  In this case, the victim, also a priest, has had his eyes gouged out.  DI Kennedy wants Turpin at the upcoming press conference.  A reporter asks him about his health, because he had recently been involved in a near death experience.  Turpin responds that Kennedy had specifically asked for him.

Jan wonders if the killer is finished?  Will he kill again?  An article that Turpin reads in a newspaper gives him a potential idea as to why the killer is striking out at priests.  It is not surprising when a third priest is attacked, fortunately he is alive, but missing part of his ear.  A piece of evidence leads to them bringing in a suspect.

Do they have their man?  Author Rachel Amphlett has written an excellent, fast paced thriller that concludes with a real surprise.  Why did the killer kill?  You will find yourself turning pages to follow the investigation and the answer to the above question.  An excellent read and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

The Innocence of Father Brown

The first book in the series about Father Brown consists of a number of short stories.  Here are a few in this book.

Father Brown has tricked the great thief, Flambeau, by a simple switch.  Flambeau wanted a jewelled cross, which Father Brown was about to mail off,  but the simple priest had tricked him.  A Parisian detective, Valentin, is on hand to capture Flambeau as he tells Father Brown to hand over the cross.

Some time later a decapitated corpse is found in Valentin’s garden after a dinner party.  How had it come to be there, since Valentin’s property was surrounded by a high wall, and he was not a dinner guest?  The following morning the head of the supposed killer is found nearby.  Who could the killer be?

Flambeau’s last theft was thwarted by Father Brown.  It happened at Christmas and was exceptionally easy.  However, it didn’t take Father Brown long to figure out.

I found some of the stories interesting, however at the same time I found author G. K. Chesterton’s format of short stories to be choppy, as there was no continuous story format.  I’m not sure if I will continue with the series.

The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau

Manfred Baumann works in a bank and attends a restaurant in Saint-Louis regularly where a young woman by the name of Adele works. He is surprised one day when she isn’t there, and is informed by the proprietor that she hadn’t shown up for any of her shifts.

The following afternoon Inspector Gorski shows up at his door and began questioning him about the disappearance of Adele Bedeau.  Manfred denies having seen her since the last time in the restaurant, but in reality he had seen her get on a scooter with a young man after leaving the restaurant.  Why did he lie?

The following Monday at lunchtime, Gorski meets Manfred at the restaurant and again asks him if he had seen anything.  Once again, Manfred lies.  Later the young man on the scooter speaks to Gorski, and reveals that he had seen Manfred when he had met Adele.  Gorski brings Manfred in for questioning.  He maintains his lies.

What kind of trouble are his lies going to get Manfred into?  Author Raymond Brunet’s psychological thriller shines the light on a man who has a troubled past and leads an unextraordinary life.  Gorski solves a murder, but will he be able to solve the disappearance of Adele?  An interesting read with some surprising revelations by the translator Graeme Macrae Burnet.

The Book of Fires

A miracle has occurred at St. Erconwald!  A man who was badly scarred in an accident has had a full recovery while visiting the church.  Meanwhile, in London, three men have died after being covered with an oily substance and then lit on fire.  The most recent one occurred right in front of the coroner, Sir John Cranston.

Athelstan and Cranston meet at Cranston’s favourite pub and exchange stories.  The Regent wants the pair to investigate the killings by Greek Fire, while the Bishop’s Curia will investigate the miracle at St. Erconwald.

Fingers are pointed at the clerk of a man who had apparently been poisoned by his wife.  She had been executed for his death, but the clerk has disappeared.  He may well be the person responsible for the fiery killings.  An attack on Athelstan and Cranston results in a torchbearer being burned to death.  Who was the real target?

Can the pair find the killer before they are killed?  Will there be more deaths?  What role do the Upright Men have in all of this?  It will take some serious deductions by Athelstan before he can find the truth.

Author Paul Doherty has written another excellent historical thriller, and doesn’t hint at nor reveal the killer until the dying pages.  Be prepared to be surprised with the revelations, for indeed the story is based on Revelations.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The de Luce family is shocked to find a dead bird on their back doorstep with a postage stamp impaled on its beak.  The father takes it especially bad.  Youngest daughter, Flavia, wonders why her father had been so frightened.

The following morning, just before sunrise, Flavia tripped over a body in the garden.  Flavia has heard her father talking to the man in the garden the night before.  They had talked about killing another person.  Flavia begins her own investigation.  However, shortly afterwards her father is taken away by the police.

Flavia gets to visit her father in the jail, and learns much about the victim, who her father had known in school.  It all comes down to a missing stamp.

That stamp is going to result in young Flavia getting into a fair bit of trouble, yet in the end solving the murder.  This is author Alan Bradley‘s first book in a series, which will prove to be a fun series to read.

The Art of Dying

Will Raven and his friend Henry are in Berlin when they are attacked by cutpurses.  In the melee, Henry is shot in the leg.  Back in their room Raven has to perform surgery.  He is capably helped by the two young women who were with them at the time they were attacked.

Back in Edinburgh, Sarah Fisher has continued to work at the practice of Dr. Simpson.  She is with a patient when he announces that Will Raven will be joining his practice.  Raven is shocked to learn, upon his return, that Sarah is no longer a miss, but rather Mrs. Banks.

Shortly after his return, Sarah tells him that Dr. Simpson has been accused of negligence by another doctor because a patient in his care had died.  Initially Raven refuses to help Sarah in her quest to vindicate Simpson.  However, later he relents.  Their first quest for information proves that Simpson had done no wrong, but they have no visible proof.

Speaking to the husband of the dead woman, Raven comes to a realisation that he had seen something similar recently.  He and Sarah soon learn that there were three deaths with the same symptoms, and all attended by the same nurse!  Sarah is sure that something sinister is going on.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s husband is dying of a tumour in his mouth.  He does not want to be a burden on her and has asked Raven to ease his going.  He also wants Raven to be there for Sarah.

What follows is both terrifying for Sarah and Raven.  More deaths will occur before they can identify the culprit.  There are surprises awaiting the pair and the reader.  I can only hope that author Ambrose Parry will soon have a sequel to this murder mystery.

Broken Souls

DS Lottie Parker and her DS, Mark Boyd have been called to the scene of a suicide.  However, Parker feels that something is off about this suicide.  The young woman is dressed in a new wedding dress.  Several hours later they are called to another scene where a young woman has apparently also committed suicide by throwing herself off a building.  She too, is in a wedding dress.  Her wedding was to have been the following day.  This is the third suicide in the area in a very short time.

Parker is convinced that both deaths are suspicious.  When they speak to the fiancé of the second woman, they learn that she had an eight year old daughter.  Contacting the place she would normally be at, they find that the girl is missing.  Two suspicious deaths and a missing child!  What is going on?

The following morning Parker is informed that the missing girl is the daughter of a lawyer who used to work as defence council for gangs in Dublin.  Could that be a factor in her disappearance?  Parker quickly gets her team to work on all three cases.  She is under pressure from Acting Superintendent McMahon.

Pathologist Jane Dore is able to find a connection between the two deaths, plus possibly the third suicide.  If so, they have a serial killer on their hands!  Can they get him before he kills again?

Author Patricia Gibney has many trials and tribulations ahead for Parker and her team.  This thriller is a real page turner, and hard to put down.  There are a few real surprises for the reader in the concluding pages.  Enjoy!

Broken Bones

A baby has been dropped off at the police station and D. I. Kim Stone has no idea what to do, and social services aren’t available to come.  DS Bryant is the only person she can turn to.  Bryant called in reinforcements in the form of DS Kevin Dawson and DC Stacey Wood.  They all wanted to see Stone with a baby.

However, just as Bryant was about to change its nappy, Stone received a call about a body.  It is a young woman, a sex worker.

The following day there are three women at the station claiming the child is theirs.  By the time Dawson and Wood return to the station there is a fourth woman claiming the child as hers.  It doesn’t take long for them to eliminate each of the women as not the mother.

Stone requests two officers to help the team with their two investigations.  DS Austin Penn is seconded to the team.  Stone is surprised when a note with just a name on it is slipped through her mail slot.  She learns that the name belongs to a sixteen year old girl, who apparently committed suicide and had been on the game.  Is there a connection to the recent victim?

How many more young women are going to die, or can Stone’s team stop the killer.  Author Angela Marsons thriller is fast paced and hard to put down.  The conclusion is not just inevitable, but also surprising.  An excellent read.

Candle Flame

London coroner Sir John Cranston has demanded that Athelstan join him at the site of a brutal murder, the tavern known as The Candle-Flame is the site of not one murder, but several!  One of the victims was a tax collector, so in addition to his death there was a considerable amount of money stolen.

The question arises; how did the killer do his gruesome work and escape, leaving the Barbican locked on the inside?  Athelstan and Cranston begin their investigation by questioning the other guests in the tavern.  It is easy to determine that the guests all hated the tax collector.  Shortly after this one of the guests is found murdered in his room.  Athelstan is sure that this victim may have seen the killer of the others and in turn been killed as a result.

One of the victim’s guards is missing.  Could he be the killer?  Cranston learns from one of his informants that the Upright Men had nothing to do with the deaths at the Barbican, and they have offered a bounty for information.  Athelstan is surprised when the missing guard shows up at his church claiming sanctuary.  However well locked in the fugitive is, he is killed there later.

How will Athelstan solve the conundrum of seemingly impossible murders?  Author Paul Doherty has the solutions, but he won’t share them until the final pages of the book.  There will be surprises for the reader.  Enjoy the read!