#Blogtour The Fires by Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Fires by Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir.

About the Author

Icelandic author Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir studied history in Reykjavík and Salamanca and journalism at Columbia University in New York and previously worked in Copenhagen before moving back to Reykjavík, where she lives with her husband, children, and stepchildren. Her bestselling debut, Island (2016), was nominated for the Icelandic Women’s Literature Prize in 2017. Her highly anticipated third novel, The Fires, is a bestseller and viral hit in Iceland. 

Larissa Kyzer is a writer and translator of Icelandic literature. She holds an MA in literary translation from the University of Iceland as well as an MS in library and information science and a BA in comparative literature. Her translation of Kristín Eiríksdóttir’s A Fist or a Heart (Amazon Crossing) was awarded the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s 2019 translation prize. The same year, she was one of Princeton University’s translators in residence.

About the book

Anna Arnardóttir has fire in her blood. - A second-generation volcanologist, she’s Iceland’s leading expert on the fire-breathing giants that could, without warning, reduce a country to ash. 

Her work regularly puts her in harm’s way, but Anna never takes unnecessary risks, living an orderly, suburban life with her tax-lawyer husband and children. Then a series of earthquakes rocks Reykjavík, and Anna’s stable life is suddenly on shaky ground when she falls for Tómas Adler, a bohemian photographer. 

As Anna tumbles into a passionate affair, the earthquakes take a violent turn. Small volcanic eruptions herald disaster to come, but will she trust what she knows in her heart is about to happen? Or listen to her head and risk the safety of the entire nation? Having so much of her world and what she knows about herself upended, can she trust her instincts? 

The Fires is a lyrical, heart-stopping tale of survival and self-discovery about one woman’s reckoning with all she holds sacred―though it will take every fibre of her being.

Review

Not gonna lie - the science had me gripped. The entire story managed to be a learning experience and a cracking read at the same time. It was absolutely fascinating. I also really enjoyed the way the earth, the natural catastrophe, the living world around us, became something akin to an analogy for Anna and her actions. Specifically the way her emotions, wants and needs steer her into a dangerous direction.

As the area around her begins to erupt, move and catch fire, she becomes immersed in something equally as heady and destructive. Risk, risk more - she is the volcano.

I really want to talk about the last chapter - I can't without revealing too much. Let me just say that it brings the beauty, the pain and the lyrical prose full circle and ends with the woven nature of of coexistence between humans and the earth they walk upon. Beauty and cruelty, strength and weakness, the joy and the incredible loss.

There are so many nuances to this story that it is hard to do it justice. It isn't just about a woman and her connection to land she lives on and with, or one about her allowing herself to grow and take a trip of self-discovery. It takes her surroundings and relationships then deconstructs every aspect of them to then rebuild. All of it is enhanced by the very specific style of writing - a constant flow of dialogue, thoughts and events without making a differentiation between any of them.

Kudos to the translator too for doing this story justice in a non-original language. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this and can't wait to read more by this particular author. Loved it.

Buy The Fires at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Amazon Crossing pub date 1 Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Death And The Conjuror by Tom Mead

It's my turn on the Blogtour Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead.

About the Author

Tom Mead is a UK crime fiction author specialising in locked-room mysteries. He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the International Thriller Writers’ Organization. His debut novel is Death and the Conjuror, featuring magician-detective Joseph Spector.

Tom's acclaimed short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Lighthouse among others. Several of his pieces have also been anthologized, including 'Heatwave' in The Best Crime Stories of the Year 2021 (ed. Lee Child). He lives in Derbyshire. Follow @TomMeadAuthor on Twitter, Visit tommeadauthor.com

About the book

An enthralling locked-room murder mystery inspired by crime fiction of the Golden Age, Death and the Conjuror is the debut novel by acclaimed short-story writer Tom Mead.

1936, London. A celebrity psychiatrist is discovered dead in his locked study. There seems to be no way a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, Inspector Flint, the Scotland Yard detective on the case, calls on retired stage magician turned part-time sleuth Joseph Spector.

Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. As he and the Inspector interview the colourful cast of suspects, they uncovered no shortage of dark secrets - or motives for murder. And when a second murder occurs, this time in an impenetrable elevator, they realise the crime wave will become even more deadly unless they can catch the culprit soon.

Review

This is the first in the series about Joseph Spector, the magician of indeterminable age - legend has it (Joseph suggests) that it may be many years. It sort of gives him an air of mystery and perhaps even a shimmer of darkness.

Is that what others can feel instinctively, especially the people who are up to no good. A bit of projection going on there methinks. Either way the aura that the old magician surrounds himself with, either consciously or subconsciously, plays a major role in the way the characters interact and the story unfolds.

The story about a famous psychiatrist and how he meets his death by third party in a locked room. No murderer, no weapon, just a very confusing mystery in need of an expert in the guise of a magician. Who better to see beyond the veil of the most intricate deception?

What's not to like about a locked room scenario? When the readers has to to backtrack and remember all the clues to figure out the who and whydunnit. Spector is a main character who promises to deliver more from his past, his skills and of course the illusions and magic. Kudos for the epilogue - just the right way and right words to end the story. 

Buy Death and the Conjuror at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book, pub date 2 Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour A Stolen Memory by David Beckler

Antonia Conti returns in the explosive sequel to A Long Shadow! Don't miss A Stolen Memory by David Beckler.

About the Author

Born in Addis Ababa in 1960, David Beckler spent his first eight years living on an agricultural college in rural Ethiopia where his love of reading developed. After dropping out of university he became a firefighter and served nineteen years before leaving to start his own business. David began writing in 2010 and uses his work experiences to add realism to his fiction. 

The first in his Antonia Conti series, A Long Shadow, was inspired by David’s concerns about the growing role corruption and privatisation play in public life, and was published in October 2022. David lives in Manchester, his adopted home since 1984. Follow @DavidBeckler1 on Twitter, Visit davidbeckler.com

About the book

London, the near future. GRM, a shadowy company running private prisons, has introduced a programme to alter prisoners’ memories, removing those that led to their criminal behaviour. When journalist Antonia Conti hears rumours that the technology has deadly side effects, she decides to investigate.

Antonia has looked into GRM’s corrupt dealings with the government before – and she knows they are merciless. It’s not long before she finds herself narrowly escaping a horrific car accident that leaves a whistle blower dead. 

She enlists her old friend DI Russell Chapman to check out the supposed ‘accident,’ and discovers that he’s already investigating three other deaths that appear suspiciously linked to her own investigations.

But the deeper Antonia probes, the more her friends and colleagues are at risk. Whatever sinister experiments GRM are conducting, they are determined to keep them secret – by any means necessary. Can Antonia and Chapman thwart them before anyone else loses their mind – or their life? 

Review

Looking for solutions when it comes to criminal behaviour, seems like such an obvious thing to back and support. The current methods or justice system doesn't appear to be working - time for new solutions, right. The idea sounds very dystopian and a way to address quite a few deviant and violent behaviours. Erase the memories, reduce triggers that cause the behaviours - it all seems so simple.

Yeh, aside from the fact nothing is ever that easy I'm sure it would be a very profitable venture for any company. The real problem is that if you can manipulate people that easily, and their behaviour, then someone is going to use the technology for nefarious purposes. Enter this premise stage left.

This is the sequel to A Long Shadow, and I think it is fair to say both Conti and the author are just getting started. Corruption, greed and power is a very deep and endless source of material. The question is how Antonia is going to keep herself from being swallowed up by the pit.

The author gives us the kind of premise that can become a bit of a moral dilemma, in the sense that a lot of people could be persuaded to ignore the clear negative aspects of this idea and the collateral damage, because of the profit margin and many ways this can used to control, but also because the conscience of the do-gooders in society will be easily swayed by an easy-fix. A little bit like when everyone thought a lobotomy was an insta-fix for every and any illness.

This main character is getting a bit of a reputation for being fearless and relentless. Can't wait to see where this series goes next.

Buy A Stolen Memory at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Thomas & Mercer, pub date 19th January 2023 | £8.99 | Paperback Original. Buy at Amazon com.

#Review Exiles by Jane Harper

 

Yet another fantastic read and great story by Jane Harper!

About the Author

Jane Harper is the author of four internationally bestselling Australian mysteries, including The Dry. Her books are published in 40 territories and have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.

Jane has won numerous top awards including the CWA Gold Dagger, the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year and the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year. The 2021 movie adaptation of The Dry, starring Eric Bana, is one of the highest grossing Australian films of all time.

Jane worked as a print journalist for 13 years in both Australia and the UK, and now lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter and son. Follow @janeharperautho on Twitter

About the book

A mother disappears from a busy festival on a warm spring night. Her baby lies alone in a pram, her mother's possessions surrounding her, waiting for a return which never comes. A year later, Kim Gillespie's absence still casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather to welcome a new addition to the family.

Joining the celebrations on a rare break from work is federal investigator Aaron Falk, who begins to suspect that all is not as it seems.

As he looks into Kim's case, long-held secrets and resentments begin to come to the fore, secrets that show that her community is not as close as it appears. Falk will have to tread carefully if he is to expose the dark fractures at its heart, but sometimes it takes an outsider to get to the truth...

Review

A young baby abandoned in a pram in full view of everyone at a festival - mother gone and there are no clues to her whereabouts. Aaron Falk just happens to be one of the few witnesses to the events of that evening, and unfortunately the missing woman is connected to the family of good friends of his. 

When he returns a year later and the family jogs memories in the hope of an explanation he realises that there are a few things niggling him, he just can't quite figure out what they are.

Very much a Holmesian fallacy at play here - I couldn't think of a better scenario when the solution is absolutely directly linked to eliminating the impossible. The solution and truth is evident from the very beginning, and I couldn't decide whether that was intentional. It was the only clear possibility no matter which way everyone turned and searched. Was the story really about creating the frame for Falk to view his life in a different way?

The author creates an epi-centre, but the actual story is the surrounding area. Waves of emotions, complex relationship structures, memories and moments of energy and self that Kim has left in the wake of her mysterious disappearance.

I loved it, but then I do enjoy the way Harper writes and plots - I still think about The Lost Man a lot. It's the very specific way the author draws in the environment, the characters and the plot in equal measures. Simultaneously the way the story is fiction and reality - the kind of plot that you recognise in the people and world around you.

Buy Exiles at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Macmillan; pub date 2nd Feb. 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via MacMillan.

#Blogtour Hell Hath No Fury by Geoff Major

 It's my turn on the BlogTour Hell Hath No Fury by Geoff Major.

About the Author

This is Geoff Major’s second book. His first – Deadline – was published in 2020. Writing is his hobby, which he fits in-between full-time work, family, and completing unusual fundraising challenges. For more information, visit geoffmajor.info. He lives in Yorkshire, with his wife and their dog. Follow @GradusPrimus on Twitter, @primusgradus on Instagram 

About the book

They changed her life forever. Did they really think they could get away with it? - Evie Perry was a high-class escort whose way of life was abruptly and cruelly shattered by two drunken men. Stella Kendrick's husband committed suicide and left her with a legal battle and a debt of £6m, but he leaves her a message with the names of three men on it. Daniella Maddox is a world-class barrister, assigned to an indefensible case for a corrupt client, but one she must win to save her own life. 

Unbeknownst to them, fate has woven their lives into a twisted web.

Detective Sergeant Alan Armitage is mystified when he attends the scene of a triple murder, but he is very quickly joined in his hunt for the killer by Detective Sergeant Steve Denton from The Met, and Detective Sergeant Bob Williams from North Yorkshire CID. 

Along with Detective Constable Rachael Jones, they have to uncover who the murderer is and why they are killing people across the country. 

Their task is made even more difficult because a criminal known to most simply as The Broker gets closer to banking millions every time his team commits another murder.

Review

With three very different women, scenarios and eventually chains of crimes, it's hard to see what they could possibly have in common. Money, power - secrets? It's a fast paced often brutal tale that often reminds the reader just how unsavoury the world can be.

It was interesting how the author didn't really feel the need to present the reader with any sympathetic characters. They all range somewhere from sorta okay to completely irredeemable, even the collateral damage and victim aren't the kind of characters you feel empathy for. The exception might be the police officers who have to work together to solve the crimes, but first they have to recognise where some of the crimes might have a connection.  

Perhaps a reminder that there is no such thing as lily white and that we all have secrets. The perfect exterior everyone presents to the world can easily hide the crumbling interior. The story also serves as a reminder that there are plenty in society who believe others are expendable and only exist to fulfil their needs and wants.

It's a story about betrayal, revenge, power and greed. Death and destruction are strong motivators when the roots of anger and need for vengeance have become part of the fabric of your being.

Buy Hell Hath No Fury at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Grosvenor House Publishing, pub date 19 Jan. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Oscar of the Bismarck by Frances Y. Evan

 It's my turn on the Blogtour Oscar of the Bismarck by Frances Y. Evan.

About the Author

England was Frances’s childhood home.  She emigrated to the United States with her family as a teenager many years ago.  Although she loves America, a part of her heart always remains in the country of her birth.  

Frances has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember with her first audience consisting of neighbourhood playmates sitting on the curb listening to her tall tales. More recently, she has  written and told or performed her nautical themed stories for school children visiting on field trips at a local seaport association where she worked.  

She has visited numerous organizations, upon request, to speak about The Forgotten Flag, her first published work, and continues to visit classrooms at local schools to meet students who have read the book as part of their American History curriculum.

Frances worked for twelve years at Staples High School in Connecticut in the English and Social Studies Departments which provided the perfect environment to inspire her love of history and writing.  She has self-published several books, The Brass Bell, The Curse of the Shark’s Tooth, and Oscar of the Bismarck which are young adult stories, as well as St. Katherine’s Dock: Target Tower Bridge adult historical fiction.   While working at the school, she prepared presentations for teachers to enhance their curriculum and subject matter when it pertained to British history.  These have included the Elizabethan Era to better understand the time of Shakespeare, the Victorian Era to portray the time of Charles Dickens, and World War II – the British Homefront.  

When her mother passed away several years ago, she decided that her story must be told. Vera’s Story: Hidden Scars of War tells the tale of a not so ordinary, ordinary woman whose memories of war were never far below the surface. Follow @FrancesEvan7 on Twitter or @frany51/ on Instagram

About the book

Oscar the cat served on the German warship, Bismarck, as well as several British ships during World War II.

When the new battleship Bismarck is built, launched and commissioned, Oscar is there to witness it all. He is soon accepted by the crew and becomes the ship’s mascot as they embark on their mission.

Narrated from Oscar the cat’s point of view, he describes life at sea, the battles and the fate of his shipmates, as well as his own personal challenge to outwit, hunt and capture an elusive, sneaky, grey cat with little black ears! A wonderfully emotional and uplifting story, told from a very different perspective!

Review

Oscar certainly enjoys the leisurely life, the odd snack, naps in the sunshine, and paying close attention to his surroundings - it's not really a hard life for this particular cat. He inadvertently becomes part of history, part of war, and part of battle.

This was the first time I had heard of this particular story. I would say it's somewhere between historical myth and a glimmer of hope that became a legend. It's also exactly the kind of thing a cat would do, which makes hearing it in his own words even more entertaining.

It's does have an amusing element to it, despite the fact the historical events should be regarded with the serious note it deserves. The story perhaps also serves as a reminder that the young men on all sides were caught up in a war not of their making, and many of them lost their lives. The survivors lived with the trauma.

It's a read for both younger and older readers, and will probably make readers curious about other stories that give the sense of some hope and small joys in the midst of such chaos and violence.

Buy Oscar of the Bismarck at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Blossom Spring Publishing, pub date 9 Dec. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Ragman by J.G. Faherty

 It's my turn on the BlogTour Ragman by J.G. Faherty.

About the Author

A life-long resident of New York's haunted Hudson Valley, JG Faherty has been a finalist for both the Bram Stoker Award® (The Cure, Ghosts of Coronado Bay) and ITW Thriller Award (The Burning Time), and he is the author of 8 novels, 11 novellas, and more than 75 short stories. He writes adult and YA horror, science fiction, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. He grew up enthralled with the horror movies and books of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and as a child his favourite playground was a 17th-century cemetery. Which explains a lot. Follow @jgfaherty on Twitter, @jgfaherty/ on Instagram or visit jgfaherty.com

About the book

If you love a great horror tale with ancient mummies, a deluded priest and two oddball cops, then you're in for a treat...

In 1882, a group of British soldiers plunder an Egyptian temple and kill the high priest. The priest vows revenge, and is finally revived in the present day. 

He finds the great-grandson of the man who killed him, but they form an uneasy partnership to get back all the stolen artefacts and send all the descendants of the other soldiers to the Underworld. 

Two police officers, former partners who had a falling out, must put aside their differences as they go from trying to solve gruesome, unexplained murders to risking their lives to stop the supernatural mummy the priest has called forth.

Review

Probably should think twice about crossing a priest, they can get a bit cross, especially when it comes to stealing from the church. They can wreak havoc over generations. Kill and create killers to do their dirty work - all in the name of the gods they serve.

Is it just me or is there something extra creepy about calling this book Ragman? Probably is just me, but it gives it another layer than just reading about an awakened ancient mummy, which is more than enough to creep anyone out. 

Old school horror comes a calling with a modern angle, but a very much typical grudge bearing enemy who is willing to wait a very long time to get their revenge. If not the man he seeks, then a direct relative will do. It's certainly been a while since a mummy took centre stage in a modern day horror tale.

I do wonder if the read will be slightly different for those of us who grew up with monster movies, features that have a tongue-in-cheek feel about them. The fun with the scare.

Buy Ragman at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Flame Tree Press, pub date 10 Jan. 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Flame Tree Press.