Innocent Graves

Sixteen year old Deborah Harrison's body has been found in a graveyard.  She was on her way home after school on a foggy evening when she was attacked and strangled.

DCI Alan Banks is in charge of the investigation.  It isn't long before a suspect is apprehended.  As the trial progresses, author Peter Robinson gives the reader an insight into what the accused goes through in jail.  Defendent Owen Pierce has an excellent solicitor who manages to get him off.  However, Pierce's life becomes a living hell.

Banks is forced to take another look and reopen the case.  He must look at other potential suspects and look into the life of the victim.  However, as the new investigation gets underway, another 16 year old girl is found murdered in the same fashion.  Evidence found at the scene points to Pierce, who is arrested once again.

The following day Pierce is exonerated because he had been under police surveillance at the time of the second murder.  Someone had been trying to frame him.  Banks needs a new approach.  Once again he looks into the life of the original victim.  It is her missing diary that opens up a new avenue of query for Banks.  The diary also points to the murderer.

Peter Robinson has put together a fantastic murder mystery once again.  The first time I picked up a Peter Robinson murder mystery I became a fan of his writing.  I have read the other novels in the DCI Banks series, and had missed this particular novel, but am glad that I was given it as a gift.

A Bitter Chill

Aurelia continues to run her inn; it is four years after the attacks on the inn.  Her brother, Lucius, secretly comes to visit and to warn her and Albia that he must go under cover to investigate a conspiracy against Caesar.  In order to do that rumours about him being disgraced are going to be floated about.  Also, the two women are going to be implicated.  They are to expect people coming to check on them.  He also warns them that the Shadow of Death is the one who is behind the rumours.

Aurelia has also been warned of the Wolf-pack, men who are operating outside the law and are in the area.

Shortly afterwards as a snow storm is beginning, a fractious family arrives at the inn.  They are rich, and are searching for their son to prevent him from marrying a local girl.  It puts the staff of the inn into turmoil.

The following day one of the hay ricks goes up in flames, and the servant of the visiting senator is found murdered in the senator's bed.  Can Aurelia and Albia prove their innocence?  To top off the ill matters, the leader of a gang drops by to offer Aurelia a protection service.  She refuses it.

The gang later captures the son and two slaves demanding a ransom for them.  When Aurelia and the senator's secretary go to meet with the kidnappers, Aurelia can't stop thinking that the secretary is in collusion with the kidnappers.

Things turn serious when the senator is poisoned at a Saturnalia banquet.  Albia is accused.  Can Aurelia and Quintus prove her innocence and find the true murderer?  As they discuss the murder they realise that there are numerous potential culprits.  Can they find the culprit before there are more deaths.

Once again, author Jane Finnis has written an excellent historical murder mystery.  The reader is left guessing right up to the last minute, due to the many potential culprits.

Crowded Grave

A body has been found at an archeological dig near St. Denis.  Bruno, chief of police for St. Denis, has been called out to investigate because the body is a relatively new skeleton, not an ancient one.  Bruno's friend Fabiola is called to examine the skeleton.  She discovers what is possibly a bullet hole in the skull.

Bruno doesn't have time to stay at the site as he has been called by the brigadier of intelligence to a meeting.  He is asked to look after the perimeter security for an upcoming summit, which is intended to discuss Basque terrorism with Spanish counterparts.

St. Denis is given a new, young, gung ho female magistrate at this time.  Bruno wonders if he is going to have to tone down her rough edges to help her fit in to the community.

A day later a farmer shoots what he thought was a fox trying to get at his animals.  However, when he heard a scream, he was sure it was a human that he had shot.  Bruno has been investigating acts by animal rights people in the area.  Could this be another attempt?

Shortly afterwards a case of dynamite is stolen from a nearby quarry.  Is this the work of the animal activists or terrorists set on disrupting the summit?  It is at this time that the leader of the archeological dig disappears.  Bruno discovers some mysteries in his past as he searches his home.

As the investigation continues, surprising evidence comes to light tying a number of things together.  Author Martin Walker provides an exciting and tense conclusion to his latest novel about Bruno, Chief of Police.  An excellent read and sequel to "The Black Diamond".

The Nightingale Gallery

Edward III has died; John of Gaunt is regent and his 10 year old nephew is to be king.  Thomas Springwell thinks that now he will be able to control the realm because of his wealth.

Brother Athelstan serves as recorder and scrivener for the coroner, of London, Sir John Cranston.  They are called upon because Springwell as been murdered by one of his servants.  John of Gaunt feels that the death is a threat to his regency.

Athelstan and Cranston question the members of Springwell's household.  Athelstan comes away feeling something is amiss.  The following day a member of the aforementioned household is found hanging under London Bridge.  The sheriff is sure it is a suicide.

Later, both Athelstan and Cranston come to the conclusion that neither suicide was a suicide, but rather murder.  They now need to gather the evidence to prove it.  A few days later another member of the household is dead.  It is surely another murder.  Later in the day, the two are attacked, unsuccessfully, by a pair of footpads.  Obviously someone wants them to stop their investigation.  But the investigation will not be stopped, and the truth is presented to the remaining members of the household in front of the young king and John of Gaunt.

Author Paul Doherty has presented an excellent historical murder mystery, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The surprise ending was a good way to conclude it, too.

Tide of Death

Andy Horton is out jogging on the beach in the early morning in Portsmouth when he comes upon the naked body of a man.  He has just completed his suspension, but is not allowed to participate in the investigation.  However, when Cantelli picks up Horton to return him to the office, they divide instead to visit the victim's wife.

As the investigation proceeds, it is discovered that the body isn't the husband of the woman they thought it was.  Horton is still disgruntled about how his suspension came about.  He wants answers, and isn't afraid to push for them.  It results in him being run off the road on his motorbike.

Shortly after that a second body is found.  It is the man that they thought was the first victim.  It appears that he died first.  How closely tied are these two men and what is their connection to a local criminal?

The case takes a strange twist when the body of the young woman who had accused Horton of rape was found, and then the body of the local criminal is discovered by Horton and his cohort, despite Horton being on suspension once again.  Is someone higher up controlling things?

What follows is a surprising and quick end to the novel.  Author Pauline Rowson has provided the reader with a quick read, but I found the plot to be very tangled.

City of Dreadful Night

Brighton; and an armed police intervention has gone badly wrong.  Four people have been killed by the police.  Sarah Gilchrist, one of the armed officers, saw one man trying to escape with something in his hand.  He is killed by a sniper outside before she can stop him.  The object disappears.

Chief Constable Robert Watts initially supports his officers on principle, but is forced to resign when it comes out that he had had a fling with Gilchrist.  One one the commanding officers on the intervention has committed suicide, while two others have disappeared.  Watts feels that he has been set up, but how can he prove it?  He turns to his friend, and ex-SAS, James Tingley.

Meantime, Kate Simpson, a journalist, is looking into leads about murders that had occurred in 1934.  She has been given old police files that were found in the Brighton Pavilion.  She wants Watts to help look into the cold case.

At the same time, the body of one of the missing policemen has turned up.  He has been murdered and Sarah has brought it to the attention of Watts.  He is unable to do anything about it.

Tingley and Gilchrist are drawn into helping sort out the cold case.  Because Gilchrist is still working to gain information on the original blood bath someone torches her flat.  She begins to wonder if the police involved in the shooting are being picked off.

Author Peter Gutteridge leaves many questions unanswered as he draws the novel to a conclusion, leaving the reader wanting more.  I am looking forward to the sequel, "Last King of Brighton".

Get Out or Die

Auriela Marcella runs a little inn outside of Eburacum.  One morning after a wild party at the inn Aurelia finds a body outside the inn under an oak tree.  The young man appears to be a Roman soldier, and appears to be barely alive.  A small disc is found on the man and it is enscribed in Latin with the warning for all Romans to get out or die.

Aurelia arranges for a local native hunter, named Hawk, to scout the area of the attack.  She also meets with the head of the town council.  Something needs to be done to protect their security.

When two Roman soldiers appear wanting to take the injured man, Quintus,  Aurelia smells something fishy and prevents them.  She is also surprised when one of her guests turns out to be a cousin of hers.  It all becomes very confusing to Aurelia.

Quintus asks Aurelia to cover for him so he can do some local investigating.  Meanwhile, the murders continue.  Each body is left with a disc, and the same message.  Later, it becomes personal when Aurelia is attacked, and a threatening message left on one of her buildings.  She arranges for a barricade around her inn, which is later attacked.  She discovers during the attack that she has a traitor in their midst.

Author Jane Finnis presents an interesting and exciting conclusion to this historical novel.  Well written, and it has me looking forward to the sequel.