I was invited to attend the official programme announcement event in London this year, but unfortunately couldn’t make it. However, I did squeal with excitement when the newsletter dropped in my inbox not too long ago! The line-up in incredible, and I was so excited to see S.E. Lynes and Sue Watson taking part in the murder mystery dinner. Enough waffle from me though… here are the details and you can find the full programme line up HERE. Also make sure you read until the end… exciting stuff to share!   The full line-up for the 2023 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival has been ..read more

Crimewave Heads to Bristol A crimewave is headed to Bristol as CrimeFest sees more than 150 authors take part in the crime fiction convention this May. CrimeFest, which is sponsored by Specsavers, has revealed its full line up for the four-day celebration of the UK’s most popular genre, hosted at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 May, 2023. Alongside 2023 featured guests – stalwarts of the genre, Mark Billingham and Elly Griffiths – around 50 panels will explore everything from crime fiction set during World War Two, to the crime genre in the digital age. Panellis ..read more

I know! I know! I read both these books aaaages ago but I’m still playing catch up on reviews so bear with me. Two of my favourite authors, favourite series and favourite female leads! Police procedurals are my go to genre and both these authors never disappoint. Today I’m reviewing Mel Sherratt’s BROKEN PROMISES and Michael Wood’s SILENT VICTIM.   Detective Allie Shenton (Book 4) ~ My thoughts: Set in Stoke, Broken Promises touches upon found family, trauma, justice for victims and so much more! Allie Shenton is one of my favourite female detectives (yes, I have quite a few but she is u ..read more

He always said she was just a friend… What if she’d kill for more? Sophie is perfect. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and when she smiles her wide, open, caring smile, her teeth sparkle. Everybody loves her. So would I, except she’s my husband Mike’s best friend, and sometimes they seem a little too close for comfort. This summer, Sophie is renting the grand house next door, bringing over fancy wine, offering to babysit our beautiful three-year-old daughter. It’s nice, actually. She’s smart and funny. Maybe the way she is with Mike – squeezing his arm, tilting her head when she laughs at hi ..read more

Jeez louise – what a brilliant book! I loved the concept behind He Said, She Said by Erin Kelly. Filled with secrets and lies this twisty thriller had me glued to my kindle. Told mainly from two POV’s: His (Kit) and Hers (Laura) it was cleverly written and as the reader, I felt I knew more than the characters but still had some shocking OMFG moments thrown my way. I really enjoyed how eclipses featured in the book and related to the characters themselves. There are three who featured heavily – Kit, Laura & Beth with a fourth (Jamie) that plays a significant role in the story but you don ..read more

I’m reviewing TWO books today and not my usual genre but bear with me as there are murders, crimes of all kinds in fact, just not in this world! Perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and From Blood and Ash, this new, fantasy romance about a half-fey boy and his personal guard preventing a war between the realms. Wychwood, the realm of the fey prepare for war against the humans who hate, hunt and kill them for coin. Aided by the unclaimed, destructive power of the murdered, forgotten Winter Court, they ready their numbers for complete domination of the human realm. All until Robin Va ..read more

A man looking for his cat has an unfortunate accident, a widow’s neighborhood is under siege by horrific monsters, but she couldn’t be bothered to lend a helping hand, a strange man is pining after the love of his life, but not everything is at it seems, a woman whose girlfriend was taken from this world will do whatever it takes to bring her back, and a man tries one more time to save his failing relationship, but things go horribly, horribly wrong. In The Endless and Other Stories, Brandon Baker’s first published collection, we read 5 different horror stories of individuals that find themse ..read more

‘REPENT BEFORE YOU DIE … OR MAY YOU NEVER R.I.P.’ Threatening fake commemorative plaques, vigilante killings, a Jewish community in an English town – what’s the link? The clock is ticking to the next murder. After witnessing a racist incident in a small Hertfordshire town, journalist Shanna Regan uncovers a series of threatening fake commemorative plaques. Each of these historic markers highlights someone’s misdemeanour rather than a good deed. Delving deeper, Shanna discovers these plaques are linked to vigilante killings spanning several decades, with ties to the local Jewish community. As ..read more

Helmand, 2004: Afghanistan’s most lawless province, where nearly 90 per cent of the world’s opium is grown. Pink and lilac poppies flutter innocently in the breeze in fields that stretch for miles and miles along the Helmand River south of the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. Gangsters and warlords battle for supremacy in the lucrative trade, territories well-known, and fiercely contested. Well Diggers, an Anglo-Dutch NGO helping the farming community, comes under attack. One man is dead and another man is missing – suspected kidnapped, so head of security Ginger Jameson calls in his old frie ..read more

Reykjavík detective Soffía finds herself struggling to cope with a single-handed investigation into a spate of malicious acts taking place across the city, and enlists help from an unexpected direction. Her psychologist ex-husband Adam has advised the police before, but with Covid raging in the city, would prefer to stay holed up in his basement flat as he deals with challenges in both his working and private life. He grudgingly agrees to work with Soffía, as the stakes in the investigation are continually raised. Working out who bears a grudge that goes deep enough to lead to murder, they un ..read more