Reviews

Your name: Roshni Radia Your blog’s name: The Gymkhana Club Blog’s URL: Gymkhanaclub.me Which types of books do you review?: I review and read all genres of books. Crime books are a passion of mine and I tweet about them all the time too What do you like about… Read More

Your name: Lisa Hall Your blog’s name: Reading Room with a View Blog’s URL: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk Which types of books do you review? I review most genres, but crime and psychological thrillers are my favourite. What do you like about crime fiction? I just love the twists and turns that come with reading crime… Read More

Your name: Stephen Your blog’s name: Dark Readers Blog’s URL: www.dark-readers.com Which types of books do you review? Everything, YA, Fantasy, Crime, Horror What do you like about crime fiction? That it is a timeless genre, fitting so well into so many aspects of fiction, not just in its… Read More

Kate Stephenson introduces the first title to be published on our brand new Killer Reads digital-first imprint. INTRODUCES I was blown away by Chris Curran’s debut novel, Mindsight, and I knew… Read More

Earlier this year, we offered two Killer Readers the chance to review Andrew Taylor’s book, Scent of Death. Yesterday, Andrew was awarded the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger for Scent of Death, the third time he has won the award! Let’s see what the reviewers thought… I confess I am… Read More

She closed her eyes and he was gone – who is watching him now? When Carrie’s five-year old son, Charlie, disappeared on a Norfolk beach, her world was destroyed. Now, three years on, her marriage crushed by grief and the uncertainty around Charlie’s fate, Carrie keeps herself distracted by running a… Read More

From the No. 1 bestselling author of The American Boy comes a brilliant new historical thriller set during the American War of Independence. Manhattan, 1778. A city of secrets, profiteers, loyalists and double agents. As the last part of America under British rule, New York is home to a swelling tide of refugees seeking justice from the British crown. Edward Savill is sent from London to investigate the claims of dispossessed loyalists. No sooner does he land than he becomes embroiled in the case of a gentleman murdered in the city’s notorious Canvas Town. An escaped slave hangs for the crime, but Savill is convinced they have executed the wrong man. Read More

Stockholm, Sweden On a summer’s evening a young woman’s body is discovered aboard an abandoned boat. The likely cause of death is drowning, but her clothes are completely dry. A man is found hung in his apartment. His death looks like suicide, although there is nothing to climb… Read More

Oxford, 1583. A place of learning. And murderous schemes.  England is rife with plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth and return the country to the Catholic faith. Defending the realm through his network of agents, the Queen’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham works tirelessly to hunt down all traitors.  His… Read More

A body is found in the sweating heat of an Alabama night; headless, words inked on the skin. Detective Carson Ryder is good at this sort of thing – crazies and freaks. To his eyes it is no crime of passion, and when another mutilated victim turns up his… Read More

 Christmas holidays are always incredibly busy, so we've only had three reviews back so far - but luckily for us, they are absolute crackers! They gave 5 stars for this brilliant psychological thriller from the author of the Dalziel and Pascoe series. Anyway, you can read what they said for yourselves...   Patricia Thompson writes: This is definitely a five star read and one of the best books I've read for a long time. The Woodcutter in the title is Wolf Hadda who we meet properly on his wedding anniversary when his house is raided and he's arrested for crimes which he insists he hasn't committed and has no knowledge of. Gradually we begin to learn more of Wolf and his past and present and he's a believable character who had me rooting for him and for his innocence to be proved throughout the book. This is a book which I read at breakneck speed as I couldn't wait to find out more and more about Wolf, boy and man. For anyone who is familiar with Reginald Hill from his Dalziel and Pascoe books, this is a departure from his usual style and not a Yorkshire Moor in the whole book, just some gritty characters who you find yourself warming to as soon as they're introduced and others you dislike immediately which I think is a sign of some excellent story writing as the reader is totally absorbed into the story and everyone in it. After I'd turned the last page I was left with a sadness that it had come to an end. A thoroughly enjoyable book which you both want to finish to tie all the loose ends up and a sense of loss that it is all over. I'm sure Wolf will stay in my head for a long time as his character was so believable that you don't want to say goodbye to him.   Carol Peace writes: A great standalone book, a definite 5 out of 5.   A great book and a great mystery. The book revelations keep you glued and you just have to read the next page to find out what the conclusion will be.  Jo Barry writes: With the recent death of Reginald Hill the literary world has lost a writer at the top of his game, however he could not have asked for a finer swansong than The Woodcutter. Five stars. Read More

In September, we gave four readers a chance to review Lucifer's Tears by James Thompson, a new name on the scandi-crime scene. So what did our readers think? Read on to find out... Helen Lowry writes: This is a novel featuring Inspector Kari Vaara, set in the freezing snow of Finland. A woman's body is found tortured and brutally murdered, with her lover lying next to her covered in blood. On the face of it, it looks straightforward, but Vaara isn't convinced he lover is the murderer, if only due to the fact that both parties had been tasered.   The woman's arrogant husband, Ivan Filippov, shows very little emotion at his wife's death and becomes a suspect in Vaara's eyes. The problem being, he is very well connected in the city and proves to be a more than worthy adversary of the detective. As the story moves on, Vaara discovers that Filippov is heavily into S & M and there are links with many of the city's great and good, and wealthy. Always good for a potential cover-up and lack of discretion. Be warned, the book does have its share of a brutality, not just with the murder, but with equally brutal sex. The descriptions of S & M are fairly graphic and not for the faint hearted or timid.   As if one brutal murder isn't enough to solve, Vaara's boss asks him to investigate allegations regarding one of Finland's war heroes as a possible war criminal. The problem being that the man in question was in the war with Vaara's beloved grandfather, who might also have played a part in this. At the same time, his heavily pregnant wife's brother and sister are over from the States. John, her brother, being a problem all of his own. His new detective partner is also a bit on the reckless side, adding to his problems.   Vaara suffers from excruciating migraines, controlled by pills and drink, and he doesn't know whether this is down to all the stress he is under or something more sinister. His neurologist brother makes him a swift appointment for an MRI scan.   I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can quite readily state it has that page turning quality. Apart from the main murder plot, there are plenty of sub-stories to keep the reader's interest, and to wonder if they all tie in as the book draws to a conclusion. Plus, an interesting aside is an all too brief history of Finland, told as part of the narration.   Well recommended. Read More