#BlogTour Injections of Insanity by Lorraine Mace

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Injections of Insanity by Lorraine Mace. It's police procedural crime fiction with a main character who mixes work and home to the detriment of those around him. It's the third in the DI Sterling series.

About the Author
When not working on her D.I. Sterling Series, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum and is head judge for Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions.

A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer's ABC Checklist (Accent Press). Other books include children’s novel Vlad the Inhaler -Hero in the Making, and Notes from the Margin, a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.

Follow @lomace on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit lorrainemace.com  or thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com
Buy Injections of Insanity

About the book
Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling has just six weeks to solve a series of murders by insulin injection, with nothing to connect the victims except the manner of death and a note left at each crime scene.
The murderer, determined to avenge a wrong from many years earlier, gets close to his prey by assuming various identities.

Can Paolo win in his race against the pretender?

Review
This is the third book in the DI Sterling series and can absolutely be read as a standalone novel. Sterling's personal life and the changes therein do play a pivotal role in each book, but not in a way that disrupts, spoils or makes any of the books in the series confusing if not read in order.

In this book Sterling is drawn into the case of a killer who wants revenge. It's a complicated web, especially when it comes to the actual motive. The police struggle to find a connection to the deaths. The only thing they can agree on is that the killer has a pattern. They have no clue why or how the victims are connected, at least initially.

Simultaneously there is a storyline between Barbara and Sterling. Something is off and it is playing out at work,which is why Sterling is determined to get to the bottom of it. Perhaps he isn't quite ready for the repercussions of what she is dealing with, and certainly not for the other secret she is hiding. Then again maybe she isn't even aware of it herself.

I am purposely staying stumm on the killer and any other character who may lead to said killer, because it would reveal the whodunnit and the whytheydunnit. It's the kind of convoluted logic only a sick person can follow.

It's police procedural crime fiction with a main character who mixes work and home to the detriment of those around him. Mace writes her characters with plenty of real emotions. Sterling isn't just a policeman, he is a man with real problems and relationships.

Side note: The end - oh dear that little nugget of information is going to cause some interesting situations going forward.

Buy The Injections of Insanity at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Accent Press Ltd pub date 13 Jun. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Retriever of Souls (DI Sterling #1) and Children in Chains (DI Sterling #2) by Lorraine Mace.

#BlogBlitz Children in Chains by Lorraine Mace

It's my turn on the BlogTour Children in Chains by Lorraine Mace. It's police procedural crime fiction with a gritty realistic feel to it.

About the Author
When not working on her D.I. Sterling Series, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum and is head judge for Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions. A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer;s ABC Checklist (Accent Press). Other books include children’s novel Vlad the Inhaler - Hero in the Making, and Notes From the Margin, a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.

Follow @lomace on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit lorrainemace.com  or thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com
Buy Children in Chains

About the book
Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is determined to shut down the syndicate flooding Bradchester’s streets with young prostitutes.

When a child is murdered, Paolo becomes aware of a sinister network of abusers spread across Europe, and spanning all levels of society. But Joey, the shadowy leader of the gang, always seems to be one step ahead in the chase.

Has Paolo come up against a criminal he cannot defeat?

Review
This will be an uncomfortable read for some readers. It's quite graphic when it comes to the paedophilia, especially the interactions between the children and customers or kidnappers. It's not pleasant and can perhaps come across as a little gratuitous at times, however having read the first in the series, Retriever of Souls, I do think it's a Mace thing. Her schtick or particular style is to not only show the reader a spade is spade, but also to show them the dirt under the fingernails when someone is digging a grave with said spade.

In this second book in the DI Sterling series, Paolo stumbles across an insidious network of criminals that are supplying deviants with young children. It could be connected to the same syndicate who seem to have an endless supply of young prostitutes.

Mace gives her main character a lot of depth by balancing the crime element with his complex personal life and his equally as challenging professional life. His daughter is still suffering from the traumatic events of the last book and his team at work seems to be having some internal problems.

It's police procedural crime fiction with a gritty realistic feel to it. Mace doesn't mince words or care for the readers with a more delicate disposition. This is what that kind of crime looks like. There is no smoothing over the dirty details of the most heinous of crimes.

I was a little taken aback by the last few pages. I didn't expect that and found myself shaking my head and saying: 'Oh no, don't do it Sterling'.

Buy Children in Chains (DI Sterling #2) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Accent Press Ltd; pub date 12 Feb. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Retriever of Souls by Lorraine Mace

Children In Chains is on offer at 99p/99c across all Amazon stores until June 15.

#BlogBlitz Retriever of Souls by Lorraine Mace

Today it is my turn on the BlogTour Retriever of Souls by Lorraine Mace. It's a fast-paced violent crime thriller with a main character who brings his work home with him, and not in a good way.

About the Author
When not working on her D.I. Sterling Series, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum and is head judge for Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions. A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer;s ABC Checklist (Accent Press). Other books include children’s novel Vlad the Inhaler - Hero in the Making, and Notes From the Margin, a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.

Follow @lomace on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon,
Visit lorrainemace.com or thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com
Buy Retriever of Souls

About the book
Brought up believing that sex is the devil's work, a killer only finds release once he has saved his victim's souls. Abiding by his vision, he marks them as his. A gift to guide his chosen ones on the rightful path to redemption.

Detective Inspector Paolo Sterling is out to stop him, but Paolo has problems of his own. Hunting down the killer as the death toll rises, the lines soon blur between Paolo's personal and professional lives.

Review
This is quite graphic at times, especially when it comes to the sexually explicit nature of the crimes. To be fair the first chapter will give you a good idea of what to expect going forward. It's the first in the DI Sterling series, and given by the hits Sterling takes in this book, he has quite a few traumatic events to overcome, the next book should be interesting.

The killer in this story believes he is saving the souls of the women he tortures and kills. I actually disagree with this motive fuelled by religion. Give me a minute with him, so we can discuss just how much he enjoys the violence, the humiliation and the sexual aspect of his crimes. Anyone who has the foresight to plan certain parts of the crime, which suggest or misdirect the intention, they are not killing in a religious frenzy. Sorry, just calling the killer out.

It is up to Sterling and his team to find the man intent on saving souls, whilst getting he his deviant jollies at the same time. Unfortunately the arrow of guilt points in a few directions and Sterling takes his eye off the ball, which leads to a tragic mistake.

The male characters in the book tend to follow stereotypical misogynistic tropes, perhaps slightly unusual given the gender of the author, but perhaps Mace is trying to make a point by doing so. There are many men who live, love and flourish whilst living as one of these tropes. This is the reality for a lot of women in their interactions with men.

Let me just point out that I do not believe all men are driven by the need to dominate women or think it is their natural born privilege to take what they want from women. Ugga Ugga, cave man mentality. No, not all men are raised that way, but a fairly large group of them need to take a long hard look at their behaviour.

It's a fast-paced violent crime thriller with a main character who brings his work home with him, and not in a good way.

Buy Retriever of Souls (DI Sterling #1) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Accent Press Ltd; pub date 13 Dec. 2018. Buy at Amazon com.