A Cotswold Killing

Thea Osbourne has just gotten a job as a house sitter in the Cotswolds.  During the middle of the night on her first night there she hears a scream.  she doesn't do anything about it.  But late the next morning, while exploring the land where she is staying, she finds a body in the pond.  Later in the afternoon, she is informed that a few months earlier the brother of the victim had been shot and killed in the same field.

Thea's brother-in-law, James, is a plains clothes police officer and is quite concerned that she is staying to house-sit.  She decides that it is important to get to know her neighbours.

Following a minor car accident, Thea overhears a couple of her neighbours discussing something that sounds somewhat criminal.  She doesn't know what to make of it.  The funeral of the victim brings more questions and concerns to mind for Thea.

As the mystery unwinds author Rebecca Tope gives the reader an unusual conclusion.

Silent Court

Christopher Marlowe continues his spying for Francis Walshingham in the hopes of protecting Elizabethan England from invasion by Spain.  He is now assigned to travel to Delft to aid a Protestant leader there.

Marlowe decides to join a group of Egyptians who are conjurers and tumblers on their way to the fairs of Flanders.  The Egyptians don't welcome him with open arms, that is until he produces a small bag of gold.  They plan on stopping at Ely on their way to the coast to visit John Dee, someone Marlowe knows from the past.

Shortly after arriving at Dee's magic and death occur.

Meantime Joseph Fludd, Constable of Cambridge is in search of the Egyptians.  While he is away, a dastardly murder occurs.  Some blame the Egyptians, but it doesn't take long for Fludd to prove otherwise.

While in Delft, Marlowe and the Egyptians manage to save the life of William the Silent not once, but twice.  Where are the threats to his life coming from?  But it rouses one of the Egyptians to flee back to England in the darkness of the night, and Marlowe doesn't know which one it is.  He just knows that it is urgent to follow him.

In wrapping up this historical mystery, author M. J. Trow throws a few twists at the reader.  All-in-all a very good read.

Misterioso

DI Paul Hjelm has just diffused a hostage taking at the immigration centre.  unfortunately in the process he wounds thnpe hostage taker.  Fortunately,  no on else is hurt.  However, Hjelm is suspended for his actions.

Shortly afterwards Hjelm is approached by Detective Superintendent Jan-Olov Hultin who asks him to join a newly formed special branch of the police.  They are tasked with finding whoever is assassinating key players in the Swedish business world.  Two shots to the head, and retrieval of the bullets.

The A-Unit consists of only six members plus Hultin, who is in charge.  The members are paired off and given tasks to investigate.  Hjelm has three possible links the victims have to look into.  When the team meets next, they have very few links, however Hjelm has a potential victim they plan on guarding that night.

The plan doesn't work, as another victim goes down in similar circumstances.  However, this time one of the bullets is not retrieved.  Why not?  The team is now looking at two angles; the Russian mafia and business.  However, the investigation stalls when there are no new murders; for sometime, that is.  This time the murderer is interrupted in his routine.  Both bullets are left behind, as is the jazz tape he listens to after he kills.

A sudden inspiration turns into a lead for Hjelm and two of his team members.  They discover evidence that ties things together and gives them the name of the culprit.  While they are on the hunt, another murder occurs, and one of their team members is shot, but at a different place.

The culprit calls Hjelm to warn him off.  This leads the team to believe they know who the next victim is going to be.  Unfortunately he is missing.  A frantic search begins.

Author Arne Dahl has written a tremendous page turner here.  It is full of excitement and a wonderful read.  I am looking forward to the two sequels in this trilogy.

The Dark Lady

A German national has been murdered and Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend, and DS Bob Rutter are on scene to investigate.  It occurred near the hotel maintained by British Chemical Industries.  They are guided by Inspector Tim Chatterton, whom they have worked with before.  The local cops are sure that they have the culprit in custody.

It appears that the victim had been brought in by BCI to find ways to reduce staff.  Could this have been the reason or his murder?  Was Schulz, the victim, afraid of The Dark Lady, a local ghost?  As Woodend questions the workers at BCI, he send Rutter off to investigate the BCI plant in Hereford.  Rutter also is tasked with investigating where the victim has been a POW.  Woodend then sends him to Bavaria in search of more information.

Information gleaned by Rutter in Germany sends Woodend to Liverpool to follow up on a possible lead.  Rutter comes up with surprising information in a little church in Bavaria.  With what Woodend has discovered in Liverpool, he is able to solve the crime.  However, author Sally Spencer throws the reader a real curveball in the final pages.  An excellent read, hard to put down.

Out of the Dawn

Lassair is a 14 year old girl living in the Fens of England at the time when William the Conquerer has died.  She is learning the work of a herbalist and healer from her aunt, all because her grandmother had discovered her dowsing abilities.

Romain de la Flèche and Sibert want her help on a quest that they have in mind.  It means walking to the sea, and where Sibert's family used to live and which Romain's family was given after the Battle of Hastings.  Once there Lassair feels that it is a place of shadow and death.  She also comes to the realisation that Romain is using her and Sibert and they won't be recompensed for helping to find the treasure.

Lassair and Sibert quietly get the treasure, which turns out to be a small crown without Romain knowing.  However, he chases after them, but they escape.  Unfortunately malevolent forces are at work.  Back in their village, Romain's uncle comes in search of them.  They find the crown on Sibert, and charge him with theft, plus the murder of Romain.  Now some way must be found to prove Sibert's innocence.

She is forced to go through an ordeal to prove his innocence, but while she is doing that, the crown is stolen.  What follows is another ordeal for Lassair and Sibert.  Out of the Dawn is a good historical novel.

Dear Old

An elderly woman has been foully murdered and left with a bunch of daffodils stuffed in her mouth.  DS Bev Morriss has been assigned the case despite being severely hung over.  She has DC Ossama Khan to help her.  A new DI has been assigned to the team, and Bev is shocked that it is a woman, Danny Shields.  Shields immediately puts Morriss in her place.

A gang of youths has taken to attacking and robbing elderly women.  One of the gang members doesn't really fit in.  DI Shields comes up with an ID for the victim, however the following day, Morriss proves her wrong when the victim's friend comes forward with a positive identification of who it really is.  The question that is bothering the team is, why leave daffodils at the crime scene?

Two of the gang members have been arrested, but they are close-mouthed.  Late that night Morriss is unable to sleep, and glancing out her window she sees a person dressed all in black watching the house she shares with her mother and grandmother.  Why?

Morriss discovers hidden photos in the home of the last victim.  They cover the life of a young girl from her birth for 16 years.  What is their relevance?  Khan wonders if there is a link between the four victims.  Morriss' grandmother is attacked one night at home when Bev and her mother are out.  Fortunately she is not badly injured, and she saw the attacker because he had taken off his mask.  Also, daffodils had bee scattered behind the home.

When a young man comes forward, saying he was the murderer, DI Shields accepts it, but Morriss doesn't buy it.  Author Maureen Carter presents an unsurprising conclusion with a surprising end to it.  A well written novel with plenty of twists and turns, hard to put down.

Detective Inspector Huss

Richard von Knecht has fallen five stories from a building in Goteborg.  The ME tells  DI Irene Huss and DS Sven Andersson that it is definitely a homicide.  As Andersson's team begins to piece together information about the victim, it is discovered that he has a second son.

While the team is in the end of the day meeting an explosion is heard.  Just as the meeting is winding up, they are told that the explosion was where von Knecht's office was.  Further investigation indicates that the von Knecht's cleaning lady is missing.  A charred body found at the site of the explosion turns out to be the missing cleaning lady.  Evidence also points to there being a set of keys to von Knecht's home, office and country estate.  Police now fear that the life of his wife and son could be in jeopardy.

Before long the Hell's Angels and a drug scenario come into play.  It takes some work for the team to tie it all together.  Author Helene Tursten has written an engaging murder mystery.  This was a book that was hard to lut down.  I look forward to reading sequels.