Breadcrumbs and Blindsides

Three murders, one on Ferris wheel and two at a magic show, occur in this 1930s locked room adventure.  Classically written and deliciously complicated. 4/5

A decent 'Thursday Murder Club' / 'Strangers on a Train' type whodunnit set in Marlow where three murders, committed with the same antique Luger, are investigated by three ladies in their 70s. 4/5

A psychological thriller set as a multiple whodunnit around the murder of a mother and daughter by either the husband or the other daughter... An event which is posed to repeat itself in the husband's new marriage. A very well written page turner. 4/5

A novel in the genre of women who due to some factor, in this case sleep deprivation / prior sleep walking, becomes mentally impaired with her daily interactions, in this case the abduction of her baby about a year earlier.   This novel is particularly well-written, though the initial unfold comes without any breadcrumbs. The second unfold similarly follows with almost no breadcrumbs.  This despite, the novel is extremely engaging.  4/5

A cross-over novel, taking from the two main current flavours in UK crime fiction, i.e. locked room and aged amateur sleuths. Very well written, so as to keep one guessing right to the end. 4/5

A claustrophobic psychological thriller about two women who share a birthday.  However it soon becomes clear that the willingness of one of these women to bring the other into her podcasts will lead to dreadful consequences.  Extremely well-written and thoroughly engaging. 5/5

A warm and funny little whodunnit, which will crawl into the heart of its readers. Set in San Fransisco around the life of Vera Wong and a death in her "world famous" tea house. 4/5

"Lineage" is a medium paced, first-person, supernatural whodunnit, with suspense and gore similar to that which one would find in a well-written horror novel. The Novel is set in a "spooky"!old house which the protagonist purchased on a whim, as he believes that the "house" basically "spirit" writes for him, while he is going through a spell of writer's block due to an "irrational" fear by him that his deceased abusive father , would come back to life. The novel cleverly relies on a dual unfold , i.e., middle and end, so as to stretch the suspense. An extremely unique but very well written novel, especially around the psychological state of the proponent. 5/5

Cleave has one of the most unique writing styles in the thriller genre and his style usually (as is the case here) finds its outlet in the minds of serial killers and those who 'hunt' them. The black comedy in this novel, is some of his best work, and on par with his Slow Joe character. It's extremely fast moving with many macabre twists and turns. 5/5

Colleen Hoover is known for her romantic writing. Something which, admittedly she does very well. This novel is somewhat darker and an interesting final twist, whilst still having enough on the romantic side to keep the interests of her longtime readers. A fine foray into darker writing, which will serve her well, as the combination of her normal writing and something a bit darker comes very naturally to Hoover. 4/5

I do not often refer to a crime thriller as a powerful novel, but this brutal novel is just that. It is extreme social commentary without being preachy and whilst still being a totally engaging thriller.5/5

A dark thriller focussing on a serial rapist and killer who operated in two parts of Sarah's life, eight years and two relationships apart.  Slaughter's visceral crime depiction is balanced by the backstory of her relationships with Jeremy and Will.  The breadcrumbs leading to the whodunnit is one of the best Slaughter has ever written. 4/5

A much lighter novella, and concise prequel to "The Good Daughter". A great little legal yarn, with some decent character development and a well developed plot twist. 3.5/5

Two young girls are the victims of a hellish attack connected to their defense attorney father. 28 years later a school shooting brings them back together as adult lawyers having lived very different lives. As always Slaughter brings us a plethora of, more often than not, visceral twists and turns. This novel is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish and is not recommended for the squimish. 4/5

Two cases being investigated by Varg Veum become intertwined when the missing persons case also involves employees of an off-course ship he is investigating. An old-school gumshoe novel with loads of twists and turns. As always Staalesen is a bit stingy with his breadcrumbs and attentive reading is required to figure out the whodunnits. 3.5/5

A 15 year old girls commits suicide and it appears that she was driven to it by anonymous cyber bullying.  Her sister hires a hacker in her plight for vengeance.  One of those books you just cannot put down.  Very clever, clean and unique writing. So many twists and turns. 5/5

The final novel in the "You Me Fun" black comedy series, sees our actuary having to deal with a new competitor to You Me Fun, who does not charge entry fees and even gives food away. During a night-time clandestine spying expedition to the new venture our actuary comes face to face with the murder of the owner and becomes embroiled in a much deeper mystery. Tuomainen is brilliant at writing dark comedy and this final novel in the series is no exception. 4/5

A brilliantly compact Christmas murder mystery, to make any Christmas eve very special. The art of writing a fine novella is running strong in Swanson's veins. 4/5

"Palace of Shadows" is a gothic horror set in the Yorkshire Moors in 1899. The novel focuses on the lives of a number of people involved in the building of the largest manor house ever built and dark reasons for it being built as well as a number of unexplained deaths which occurred during the building process. Celestin, best known for his mafia-styled "City Blues Quartet", masterfully changes pace and adapts to the eerie oppressive writing style, so well known through the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. On a secondary level, the novel is an absolute treasure trove of metaphors and remarks on the era, human nature, religion and so much more. The juxtaposition between the "Palace of Shadows" and William Morris' "Red House" (Palace of Beauty) is something to behold. 5/5

In the latest novel in the Cormorant Strike series, Robin infiltrates a cult to find and attempt to extract the son of the firm's elderly client. However, (as always) some murders take place and the firm finds out that the cult is even more evil than initially thought.  A real page-turner with a plethora of twists and turns leading to a number of unexpected plot twists.  A must read for a follower of the series and a great read for the occasional reader of crime fiction. 4/5

In Dark Angel, Ruth is invited to a small Italian village by an old colleague to provide her expert opinion on an old skeleton uncovered during a dig. During the visit (inevitably) someone is murdered and some obscure events occur which leads to Ruth becoming more embroiled in uncovering the actual events.  Not a bad novel for a slow Sunday afternoon, though the storyline could have done with more complexity. The whodunnits are well written and there are a few twists and turns and the development of the backstory is as always decent without detracting from the whodunnits.  3/5

Rebus returns as the ailing ex-CID officer, this time to investigate a missing (presumed dead) person at the behest of Big Ger Cafferty.  As so often happens, Rebus' investigation intersects with other murders, leading to multiple reveals.  The whodunnits are as always impeccably set out and the eventual climax is bittersweet.  4/5

The first book in the Ray Carney series of Whitehead's historical crime fictions set in Harlem circa late fifties and early sixties. The novel introduces us to Carney, a furniture salesman, who supplements his business by selling the odd "slightly used" item. The novel is broken into timepieces, as always beautifully written in true Whitehead style. This "Harlem crime noir" offers everything from heists to robberies from the most infamous Manhattan family centered around Carney, who edges a future for his family against the risk of dealing with "dangerous men" . One would be forgiven for assuming Whitehead grew up in Harlem in the time period. The descriptive writing is effortless, personal and rings true in every regard. A crime novel in the Southern noir style but also a deep reflection on everyday life in Harlem during the mentioned era. 4/5.

In the latest novel in the Thursday Murder Club series,  the gang investigates the murder of one of Stephen's friends against the backstory of Stephen's unfortunate increasing dementia.  As always we learn more about each character and the new characters from the previous novels get more meat around the bones.  The whodunnits are all well-conceived and properly developed, but in this novel it is the emotion around Stephen, which is at the heart of the novel.  It is beautifully written and one cannot help but share in that emotion and maybe shed a tear. 4.5/5

Yet another very enjoyable read in the Thursday Murder Club murder noir series.  The whodunnit is again very decent, with a good amount of breadcrumbs.  The ancillary story regarding the KGB agent and crypto money launderer is a bit cringe worthy, but it kinda works in the context. The pace is a bit off but not enough to detract from the enjoyment of the novel. 3.5/5