Brother Cadfael had given up a life of adventure to now have a quiet
life of contemplation in his herb garden in the Benedictine abbey in
Shrewsbury. He requests to travel to Wales to be part of a delegation
that hopes to bring the bones of St. Winifred to the abbey. But, how
would the Welsh, where the saint is buried, take the idea of her being
taken away from them?
It doesn’t take long for the delegation to find out that the little
community where the saint is buried is not in favour of her being
moved. Rhisiart, leader of the local community, speaks strongly against
letting the saint’s bones go, and is angered when Prior Robert offers
him money for the bones. The following day the pair are to meet for
dinner for further negotiations, however Rhisiart doesn’t show up. A
search is mounted and he is later found dead with an arrow imbedded in
his chest.
Cadfael immediately began investigating the body and the area about.
Prior Robert accuses the boyfriend of the daughter of the victim, and
she stands up for him, in turn accusing the prior. Threatened, the
boyfriend runs. Cadfael is certain that the boyfriend is not the
killer.
The following day, the community decides that Prior Robert can take the
bones of St. Winifred. The prior declares three days of vigil and
prayer at the gravesite beforehand.
Having now had the opportunity to closer examine the body of the victim,
Cadfael determines that he had been stabbed from behind first and then
an arrow inserted from the front. Who would do such a vile thing?
Cadfael thinks he has the culprit at hand, and the suspect confesses to
other things, but not the murder. So, if they don’t have the killer,
what are they left with?
Author Ellis Peters has a few twists and surprises left in her first Cadfael chronicle. A good quick read.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Monday, January 28, 2019
The Lost Child
DI Lottie Parker and DS Mark Boyd are at the scene of a brutal murder,
but the victim isn’t who they thought it would be. Late the following
day, the daughter of the victim is discovered at the hospital with
serious head injuries and her tongue removed.
A cottage fire results in one man dead and another in serious condition. There is a smell of cannibis Could it be connected to the murder? It turns out that one of the victims of the fire is the boyfriend of the granddaughter of the murder victim. And now she has gone missing.
When quantities of heroin are found in the boyfriend’s home, Parker’s superintendent calls in the national drug unit. Parker now has limited time to find the missing girl and solve her murder case.
How many more deaths will happen before they can solve the case. Is it all drug related or is there more to it than meets the eye? Author Patricia Gibney cooks up a fine mess in this murder mystery, complete with a shocking twist at the end. A thoroughly enjoyable read, which I could not put down!
A cottage fire results in one man dead and another in serious condition. There is a smell of cannibis Could it be connected to the murder? It turns out that one of the victims of the fire is the boyfriend of the granddaughter of the murder victim. And now she has gone missing.
When quantities of heroin are found in the boyfriend’s home, Parker’s superintendent calls in the national drug unit. Parker now has limited time to find the missing girl and solve her murder case.
How many more deaths will happen before they can solve the case. Is it all drug related or is there more to it than meets the eye? Author Patricia Gibney cooks up a fine mess in this murder mystery, complete with a shocking twist at the end. A thoroughly enjoyable read, which I could not put down!
Saturday, January 26, 2019
The Skeleton Room
DCI Gerry Heffernan and DI Wesley Peterson have been called out to an
old girls’ boarding school, now under renovation, where a skeleton has
been discovered in a room sealed off long ago. Just as they were
preparing to return to the station, Peterson received a call about a
body being found in the sea not far away.
It turns out that the skeleton was likely walled up in the sixties, so would have to be investigated. The body found in the sea is quickly identified and appears that she had been killed under suspicious circumstances.
Heffernan and Peterson are able to the former headmistress of the girls’ school and she is able to provide information that links to the new owner of the building.
DC Steve Carstairs has been researching some similar deaths to the one in the sea that had happened in the past. He discovers some similarities. Could they all have been perpetrated by the same person? Could they have a serial killer on their hands? It appears that they have their suspect, too.
However, Peterson isn’t sure that the suspect that they have is the right one. Carstairs’ research leads to an insurance scam. Now to find out who is behind it. Author Kate Ellis has a surprising conclusion to this mystery. This is a good quick read, and thoroughly enjoyable. I also recommend reading the author’s historical note after the conclusion of the novel.
It turns out that the skeleton was likely walled up in the sixties, so would have to be investigated. The body found in the sea is quickly identified and appears that she had been killed under suspicious circumstances.
Heffernan and Peterson are able to the former headmistress of the girls’ school and she is able to provide information that links to the new owner of the building.
DC Steve Carstairs has been researching some similar deaths to the one in the sea that had happened in the past. He discovers some similarities. Could they all have been perpetrated by the same person? Could they have a serial killer on their hands? It appears that they have their suspect, too.
However, Peterson isn’t sure that the suspect that they have is the right one. Carstairs’ research leads to an insurance scam. Now to find out who is behind it. Author Kate Ellis has a surprising conclusion to this mystery. This is a good quick read, and thoroughly enjoyable. I also recommend reading the author’s historical note after the conclusion of the novel.
Thursday, January 24, 2019
The Iberian Flame
Sir Thomas Kydd is back home from the Baltic. While in Tavistock he
encounters Captain Marceau, a French prisoner of war, held on parole.
By posting a bond, Kydd is able to invite the man to dine with him and
Persephone.
Later while in Ivybridge, Kydd speaks to four Swedes on the Exeter stage. It is Persephone who realises that they are not Swedish, and when he speaks to them in French, they realise that they are French officers trying to escape captivity. With the help of Persephone he is able to alert the authorities. There is more to this escape plan than meets the eye.
Not long after this, Kydd’s ship, Tyger, is ordered to join Admiral Collingwood’s fleet in the Mediterranean. However on the way there another admiral orders Kydd to follow a French fleet, which has broken out of its port. Upon discovering the French fleet, Kydd shadows it. Before long, it appears that the French are headed to the Mediterranean where it could join with the Toulon fleet and be unbeatable by anything the British could throw at them. Fortunately nothing comes of it
Meanwhile, Napoleon’s army has marched into Spain on its way to take over Portugal. Tyger is back outside Cadiz as part of the blockade fleet. Kydd’s friend, Nicholas Renzi, now known as Lord Farndon, has been asked to go to Spain in the hopes that the Spanish will informally begin talks with Britain to break away from Napoleon.
Napoleon has removed the king of Spain from power and replaced him with his brother, Joseph, who he had appointed King of Naples earlier. Will the people rise up in revolt, and can Renzi be the one to help them? How long will Napoleon’s Marshall Murat, stand for a revolution before he uses force to put it down brutally? The next question is, can Renzi get out of Spain and back to England?
The end result is peace! Britain and Spain are now allies against the French! To Kydd’s surprise an invasion is in the works under the leadership of Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley. Fortunately, Kydd knows of a secure place on the Portugal coast where the army can be set down.
The French quickly capitulate, and are given terms, which allow them to be shipped back to France. Would Napoleon stand for this humiliation? Of course not!
What follows, author Julian Stockwin details very well. The British army saved by the navy to fight again another day. For fans of historical fiction, this is a very good read.
Later while in Ivybridge, Kydd speaks to four Swedes on the Exeter stage. It is Persephone who realises that they are not Swedish, and when he speaks to them in French, they realise that they are French officers trying to escape captivity. With the help of Persephone he is able to alert the authorities. There is more to this escape plan than meets the eye.
Not long after this, Kydd’s ship, Tyger, is ordered to join Admiral Collingwood’s fleet in the Mediterranean. However on the way there another admiral orders Kydd to follow a French fleet, which has broken out of its port. Upon discovering the French fleet, Kydd shadows it. Before long, it appears that the French are headed to the Mediterranean where it could join with the Toulon fleet and be unbeatable by anything the British could throw at them. Fortunately nothing comes of it
Meanwhile, Napoleon’s army has marched into Spain on its way to take over Portugal. Tyger is back outside Cadiz as part of the blockade fleet. Kydd’s friend, Nicholas Renzi, now known as Lord Farndon, has been asked to go to Spain in the hopes that the Spanish will informally begin talks with Britain to break away from Napoleon.
Napoleon has removed the king of Spain from power and replaced him with his brother, Joseph, who he had appointed King of Naples earlier. Will the people rise up in revolt, and can Renzi be the one to help them? How long will Napoleon’s Marshall Murat, stand for a revolution before he uses force to put it down brutally? The next question is, can Renzi get out of Spain and back to England?
The end result is peace! Britain and Spain are now allies against the French! To Kydd’s surprise an invasion is in the works under the leadership of Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley. Fortunately, Kydd knows of a secure place on the Portugal coast where the army can be set down.
The French quickly capitulate, and are given terms, which allow them to be shipped back to France. Would Napoleon stand for this humiliation? Of course not!
What follows, author Julian Stockwin details very well. The British army saved by the navy to fight again another day. For fans of historical fiction, this is a very good read.
Monday, January 21, 2019
The Painted Doom
DI Wesley Peterson and DCI Gerry Heffernan have been called out to the
countryside where the body of a man has been discovered by a farmer.
There is a gunshot in the centre of the man’s forehead. After several
minutes, Heffernan recognises the man as the leader of a rock band from
years ago.
Later Peterson and DS Rachel Tracey discover blood stains and what appears to be a bullet hole in a vacant house. Later that evening a young lady confesses to Heffernan that she had helped to move a body from that same house at the behest of her boss, an estate agent.
The same morning that the suspect is brought in for questioning, a woman reports that her teenage son is missing. The family lived where the body had been discovered. Might he have seen something? Heffernan is convinced that he has the killer, but Peterson isn’t, he also feels that the murder and the missing boy are somehow connected.
When a shop owner is attacked and left for dead, a new case opens up. Peterson feels that there is some connection to the murder, as the victim had been seen near the murder victim’s home.
Can Peterson and Heffernan’s team connect the dots or will the killer get away with it? What role will medieval letters sold by the missing lad have in helping to solve the mystery? Author Kate Ellis intertwines a medieval story of doom into a modern mystery leading to a good, quick read.
Later Peterson and DS Rachel Tracey discover blood stains and what appears to be a bullet hole in a vacant house. Later that evening a young lady confesses to Heffernan that she had helped to move a body from that same house at the behest of her boss, an estate agent.
The same morning that the suspect is brought in for questioning, a woman reports that her teenage son is missing. The family lived where the body had been discovered. Might he have seen something? Heffernan is convinced that he has the killer, but Peterson isn’t, he also feels that the murder and the missing boy are somehow connected.
When a shop owner is attacked and left for dead, a new case opens up. Peterson feels that there is some connection to the murder, as the victim had been seen near the murder victim’s home.
Can Peterson and Heffernan’s team connect the dots or will the killer get away with it? What role will medieval letters sold by the missing lad have in helping to solve the mystery? Author Kate Ellis intertwines a medieval story of doom into a modern mystery leading to a good, quick read.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
The Pale House
It is November 1944; Captain Gregor Reinhardt is in Vienna and finds
himself suddenly transferred to the Feldjaegerkorps - military police.
By March he is back in Sarajevo area where his unit has discovered a
massacre of civilians plus the killings of some soldiers.
Back in Sarajevo, Reinhardt is given the responsibility of coordinating the Feldjaegerkorps within the city. However, not far in the back of his mind is the massacre. He also meets with a judge by the name of Dreyer, whom he had known in the past. Dreyer wants Reinhardt’s help in getting a major in charge of a penal battalion for corruption. Reinhardt feels that he really can’t help.
Later he is called out to where three Feldjaegerkorps men were attacked. Two are dead. Casting about, Reinhardt discovers another set of bodies, all shot and disfigured. They were also at some time tied up. He plans to keep the investigation from the local police. His investigation leads him back to the witnesses to the massacre outside Sarajevo. However, they have disappeared.
Shortly after this, the local secret police, known as the Ustase, show Reinhardt several bodies. In this case they are their own men, who they claim were killed by partisans. The leader of the police then shows him the brutal way they are controlling the populace.
Will Reinhardt have time to complete his investigation before the partisans take the city or will he be part of the army escaping to the north before the onslaught? Or will the Ustase kill him?
Author Luke McCallin ‘ second novel in this series has plenty of action awaiting Reinhardt. Betrayal is a way of life amongst the Ustase and some German soldiers as they try to find a way to survive the war. Another exciting and enjoyable read by this author.
Back in Sarajevo, Reinhardt is given the responsibility of coordinating the Feldjaegerkorps within the city. However, not far in the back of his mind is the massacre. He also meets with a judge by the name of Dreyer, whom he had known in the past. Dreyer wants Reinhardt’s help in getting a major in charge of a penal battalion for corruption. Reinhardt feels that he really can’t help.
Later he is called out to where three Feldjaegerkorps men were attacked. Two are dead. Casting about, Reinhardt discovers another set of bodies, all shot and disfigured. They were also at some time tied up. He plans to keep the investigation from the local police. His investigation leads him back to the witnesses to the massacre outside Sarajevo. However, they have disappeared.
Shortly after this, the local secret police, known as the Ustase, show Reinhardt several bodies. In this case they are their own men, who they claim were killed by partisans. The leader of the police then shows him the brutal way they are controlling the populace.
Will Reinhardt have time to complete his investigation before the partisans take the city or will he be part of the army escaping to the north before the onslaught? Or will the Ustase kill him?
Author Luke McCallin ‘ second novel in this series has plenty of action awaiting Reinhardt. Betrayal is a way of life amongst the Ustase and some German soldiers as they try to find a way to survive the war. Another exciting and enjoyable read by this author.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
The Risk of Darkness
DCI Simon Serrailler has been seconded to the North Riding Yorkshire
where a child has gone missing. The evening of his first day there
another child is abducted, however this time there are witnesses.
Fortunately this results in the capture of the person who took the child
and the release of the child. Now the police need to find the other
child.
The day after returning to his own patch, Serrailler finds himself involved in a hostage taking. A man has taken Reverend Jane Fitzroy hostage in her home. Fortunately the hostage taking comes to a safe, positive conclusion.
Forensic evidence shows that the other child had been in the kidnapper’s car. It also shows that there was another child in there, but who?
Author Susan Hill’s psychological thriller has many victims in it, from the kidnapped and murdered children to people that are the victims of random acts of violence. Although none seem related, all are in one way or another. The reader is left with lots to think about at the end of this novel.
The day after returning to his own patch, Serrailler finds himself involved in a hostage taking. A man has taken Reverend Jane Fitzroy hostage in her home. Fortunately the hostage taking comes to a safe, positive conclusion.
Forensic evidence shows that the other child had been in the kidnapper’s car. It also shows that there was another child in there, but who?
Author Susan Hill’s psychological thriller has many victims in it, from the kidnapped and murdered children to people that are the victims of random acts of violence. Although none seem related, all are in one way or another. The reader is left with lots to think about at the end of this novel.
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