Three people’s lives are about to intertwine in a devastating way. Sajid Khan is the father of Aliyah who has disappeared after entering the United States in the company of another young woman who has just died in a devastating suicide bombing. He finds himself heading to the US himself to find his daughter. Greg is a veteran from Afghanistan who is part of a terrorist network who has just made its first strike but is preparing for a much larger attack. But he is having his doubts, especially as he has fallen in love with Aliyah. He is determined that they need to get away – but can he convin ..read more

It’s a jungle out there… After disappearing after the pilot episode, the Randy Newman theme tune is back to herald the second series of Monk. As you may recall, I’ve been revisiting this series as it’s appeared on Netflix in the UK, and it is ideal TV for me. Funny, moving and with a mystery to boot. What more could I ask for? So it’s basically continuing the themes of series one with no significant tweaks. Trudy still isn’t Melora Hardin, Monk’s desire for reinstatement only appears significantly in one episode but this is a series with some extremely strong episodes. So let’s take a look at ..read more

Summerview Secondary School is where the youth of Dewstow go to get their education for life – and most importantly, from Margery and Clementine’s point of view, to get a well-cooked sensible lunch. Life is all pretty straightforward for the pair until the kitchen manager is found dead inside the walk-in freezer. The police are more than happy to declare it an accidental death, but Margery and Clementine are certain something nefarious is going on, especially when they too are “accidentally” locked in the freezer. As no one else seems inclined to find the truth, they take it on themselves to ..read more

Right, that’s April done and dusted. Another year old – don’t ask how many – and, more importantly, a bundle of books read. On top of that, I’ve reviewed a TV series and an audio drama, it’s been quite a busy month. Which is good, because now’s the time that school gets really busy, so getting my challenges back on track – one of them anyway – is a good achievement. Challenge-wise, I’m far behind on most of them, but the most important one, namely 120 books in the year, is back on track, as I’m now on 41 for the year – I’m ahead of the game, yippee! That’s entirely thanks to the fourteen books ..read more

Things weren’t looking great for Mildred Crest. Traumatised by the revelation that her fiancé had cancelled their engagement due to his massive gambling debts, she heads west, meeting Fern Driscoll along the way. Fern gives her a lift, but when the car crashes and Fern is killed, Mildred sees an opportunity – take on Fern’s identity. The bag containing four thousand dollars in cash probably helped matters too. But things aren’t as straightforward – that’s definitely not the right word – as that. Soon, an insurance investigator pays a visit and sees a potential target for blackmail. He pays a ..read more

Another country house, another weekend party. This time, the host is Dr Thurston, a happily (?) married man who has invited a number of his friends to stay with him. The first night, however, three screams are heard from upstairs. After the bolted door (from the inside, obviously) is broken down, Thurston’s wife is found dead, her throat cut. The only exit is through the window, but there’s no evidence of escape that way… It seems to be an impossible crime… Luckily, the upper-class crime solver Lord Simon Plimsoll is soon on the scene. As is the eccentric foreign detective Amer Picon, he of t ..read more

1940, and at the University of St Andrews, the Merfolk are meeting on a nearby beach. To clarify, the Merfolk are a university society that discuss all manner of art and literature and the few of them remaining in the summer break are discussing the classic crime book The Casebook of Orion Hood by Sarah Joan Watson. When one of the group, Athena, reveals that they once witnessed a murder, each member of the group receives a message from her to meet her at the nearby castle. Athena is seen to enter the gatehouse but never makes it into the courtyard. But after the courtyard is searched and det ..read more

Another country house, another weekend party. This time, the host is Dr Thurston, a happily (?) married man who has invited a number of his friends to stay with him. The first night, however, three screams are heard from upstairs. After the bolted door (from the inside, obviously) is broken down, Thurston’s wife is found dead, her throat cut. The only exit is through the window, but there’s no evidence of escape that way… It seems to be an impossible crime… Luckily, the upper-class crime solver Lord Simon Plimsoll is soon on the scene. As is the eccentric foreign detective Amer Picon, he of t ..read more

1940, and at the University of St Andrews, the Merfolk are meeting on a nearby beach. To clarify, the Merfolk are a university society that discuss all manner of art and literature and the few of them remaining in the summer break are discussing the classic crime book The Casebook of Orion Hood by Sarah Joan Watson. When one of the group, Athena, reveals that they once witnessed a murder, each member of the group receives a message from her to meet her at the nearby castle. Athena is seen to enter the gatehouse but never makes it into the courtyard. But after the courtyard is searched and det ..read more

Fifty years ago, a young woman was killed in Ilfracombe, stabbed through the heart by a sharp metal crucifix. The killer was sent to jail and Ruth Lyle was buried and mostly forgotten about. Exactly fifty years later, in the same location, an elderly woman is found dead. She had been stabbed through the heart by the same metal crucifix. And even more strangely, the woman’s name was Ruth Lyle. DI Jan Talantire is faced with the most baffling case of her career – how can a woman be murdered twice in exactly the same way? A new author to me, Nick Louth has written 12 books in the DCI Craig Gilla ..read more