Best Crime Books and More

The Summer Of Serendipity by Ali McNamara

Synopsis: One summer, property seeker, Serendipity Parker finds herself on the beautiful west coast of Ireland, hunting for a home for a wealthy Irish client. But when she finds the perfect house in the small town of Ballykiltara, there’s a problem; nobody seems to know who owns it.

‘The Welcome House’ is a local legend. Its front door is always open for those in need of shelter, and there’s always a plentiful supply of food in the cupboards for the hungry or poor.

While Ren desperately tries to find the owner to see if she can negotiate a sale, she begins to delve deeper into the history and legends that surround the old house and the town. But for a woman who has always been focussed on her work, she’s remarkably distracted by Finn, the attractive manager of the local hotel. Continue reading “The Summer Of Serendipity by Ali McNamara”

Stolen by Paul Finch (Lucy Clayburn 3)

Paul Finch Stolen

How do you find the missing when there’s no trail to follow?

DC Lucy Clayburn is having a tough time of it. Not only is her estranged father one of the North West’s toughest gangsters, but she is in the midst of one of the biggest police operations of her life.

Members of the public have started to disappear, taken from the streets as they’re going about their every day lives. But no bodies are appearing – it’s almost as if the victims never existed.

Lucy must chase a trail of dead ends and false starts as the disappearances mount up. But when her father gets caught in the crossfire, the investigation suddenly becomes a whole lot more bloody…

My Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Stolen by Paul Finch (Lucy Clayburn 3)”

BLOG TOUR: Amazing Grace by Kim Nash

Amazing Grace Synopsis: She’s taking her life back, one step at a time…

Grace thought she had it all. Living in the beautiful village of Little Ollington, along with head teacher husband Mark and gorgeous son, Archie, she devoted herself to being the perfect mum and the perfect wife, her little family giving her everything she ever wanted.

Until that fateful day when she walked in on Mark kissing his secretary – and her perfect life fell apart.

Now she’s a single mum to Archie, trying to find her way in life and keep things together for his sake. Saturday nights consist of a Chinese takeaway eaten in front of the TV clad in greying pyjamas, and she can’t remember the last time she had a kiss from anyone aside from her dog, Becks…

Grace’s life needs a shake up – fast. So when gorgeous gardener Vinnie turns up on her doorstep, his twinkling eyes suggesting that he might be interested in more than just her conifers, she might just have found the answer to her prayers. But as Grace falls deeper for Vinnie, ten-year-old Archie fears that his mum finding love means she’ll never reconcile with the dad he loves.

So when ex-husband Mark begs her for another chance, telling her he’s changed from the man that broke her heart, Grace finds herself with an impossible dilemma. Should she take back Mark and reunite the family that Archie loves? Or risk it all for a new chance of happiness?

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: Amazing Grace by Kim Nash”

The Edge by Jessie Keane (Ruby Darke #3)

Synopsis: With a mind sharper than a razor blade it was only a matter of time before Ruby Darke fought her way to the top. From humble beginnings she became the queen of London’s retail, but she didn’t get there by obeying the law.

Now with her son Kit and daughter Daisy finally by her side she’s ready to start a new chapter in her life, but, unknown to all of them, enemies are circling.

There aren’t many who threaten Ruby Darke and live to tell the tale. But this time, she may just have met her match.

If you live on the edge, you may just die on it . . .

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “The Edge by Jessie Keane (Ruby Darke #3)”

The Cottage on Sunshine Beach by Holly Martin (Sandcastle Bay #2)

Synopsis: Melody Rosewood loves her new home in idyllic Sandcastle Bay. The beautiful little cottage on the edge of Sunshine Beach, with its bright yellow door and view of the sea has captured her heart. And she loves being close by to her family and best friend Tori Graham.

Life by the sea is pretty much perfect, there’s just one thing missing…

Gorgeous Jamie Jackson, with his cheeky grin and adorable puppy, works as a sculptor opposite Melody’s jewellery shop. From the moment he and Melody meet sparks fly. But despite their instant attraction, a past heartache is holding Jamie back.

As Melody starts to make a life for herself in the close-knit, quirky seaside community, she realises Jamie could be the one for her. But as the two of them take a chance on romance, it’s one dating disaster after another. Are they destined to always be just good friends?

Or will Melody finally find her happily-ever-after in Sandcastle Bay?

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “The Cottage on Sunshine Beach by Holly Martin (Sandcastle Bay #2)”

Lawless by Jessie Keane (Ruby Darke #2)

Synopsis: Only the lawless will survive . . .

It is 1975 and Ruby Darke is struggling to deal with the brutal murder of her lover, Michael Ward.

As her children, Daisy and Kit, battle their own demons, her retail empire starts to crumble.

Meanwhile, after the revenge killing of Tito Danieri, Kit is the lowest he’s ever been. But soon doubt is thrown over whether Kit killed the right person, and now the Danieris are out for his blood and the blood of the entire Darke family.

As the bodies pile up, the chase is on – can the Darkes resolve their own family conflicts and find Michael Ward’s true killer before the vengeful Danieris kill them? Or will they take the law into their own hands . . .

My Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “Lawless by Jessie Keane (Ruby Darke #2)”

Stay Dead by Jessie Keane (Annie Carter #6)

Synopsis: Annie Carter finally believes that life is good.

She and Max are back together and she has a new and uncomplicated life sunning herself in Barbados. It’s what she’s always dreamed of.

Then she gets the news that her old friend Dolly Farrell is dead, and suddenly she finds herself back in London and hunting down a murderer with only one thing on her mind . . . revenge.

But the hunter can so quickly become the hunted, and Annie has been keeping too many secrets. She’s crossed and bettered a lot of people over the years, but this time the enemy is a lot closer to home and she may just have met her match . .

My Rating: 4/5

My Review: Mmmmm, I had kind of mixed feelings about this book but ultimately it was still a cracking read. It’s been (covers head in shame) 5 years (yes you read that correctly) since I last read a Jessie Keane and I was a little concerned at how relevant it would feel in my mind. However, that little worry was unfounded as the minute I started reading it all came rushing back. What I would say is that to really enjoy this book you are better reading the series in order to allow you a little bit more background knowledge.

We join Annie in Barbados where she feels like her life is finally returning to some normalcy. However she then receives a call that changes everything and her whole world looks like it’s about to end. Her long time friend Dolly has been found dead and it looks like murder. Annie jumps straight back on a plane to London with a view to finding who is responsible and making them pay. What Annie didn’t account for was her own people turning on her and she is surprised to find out that she isn’t sure why.

There were elements of this story that I loved but there were also elements that just didn’t sit right with me. Seeing how certain people treated Annie, it felt like a stretch but maybe that’s because I have had such a long gap between books. That aside, it was great to see some closure on one particular element of the story. The writing was excellent as it always is, but I think maybe now her other series is more in the front of my mind and maybe Annie Carter and Co could take a back seat for a while.

BLOG TOUR: No Looking Back by Alex Kane

No Looking Back

Synopsis: ‘I’ve fled from my husband and the only life I’ve ever known. I’m terrified that if he finds me, I’ll never find myself.’

Kat is trapped in a world where she has never belonged. As a traveller, she has always felt lost, especially since the death of her parents in a fire when she was fourteen years old. Having been taken on by the Denton family as their own, Kat falls in love with their son, tearaway Jimmy. His charm soon wears off and Kat finds herself married to a controlling and violent thug.

Sixteen years later, Kat decides enough is enough and begins plotting her escape from a lifetime of abuse.

Stripped of her personality, Kat has no idea how to start again but she finds an unlikely ally in her sister-in-law Ellie who shows Kat that she is not alone.

Kat and Ellie Denton begin their venture into a new world, where they meet new people and build new lives. But Kat still wants to know more about her parents’ past and when she seeks the location of an address on the back of a family photograph, Kat begins to uncover more than she expected including a revelation that will lead Kat back to the traveller site she had been so desperate to escape from.

Will she find the answers she is looking for, or will she fall prey to the violent Jimmy Denton once more?

Kat’s Rating: 5/5 Continue reading “BLOG TOUR: No Looking Back by Alex Kane”

The Christmas Wish by Tilly Tennant

Synopsis: Christmas is coming but it doesn’t feel that way for Esme. Jilted by her cheating fiancée Warren and mourning the death of her beloved grandmother she’s determined not to let life beat her and books a trip to Lapland, on a holiday that her grandmother had always dreamed of taking.

Beneath the indigo skies of Lapland, love is the last thing on Esme’s mind but she can’t ignore a spark with Zach, a broodingly handsome actor, also nursing a broken heart. But when Esme is bombarded by messages from Warren promising he’s changed and she discovers that Zach is hiding something-will her head be turned? And when a trip to the northern lights reveals the full extent Zach’s own secret past is there any hope that Esme will get the happy ending that her grandmother wished for her?

My Rating: 3/5 Continue reading “The Christmas Wish by Tilly Tennant”

Cross Justice by James Patterson (Alex Cross #23)

Synopsis: When his cousin stands accused of a terrible murder, Alex Cross returns to his North Carolina hometown for the first time in thirty years.

As he strives to prove his cousin’s innocence amid small-town corruption and prejudice, Cross unearths a family secret that makes him question everything he thought he knew.

Chasing the ghosts of the past, Cross is pulled into a case baffling local police: a grisly string of murders, all of socialites. Hot on the trail of a brutal killer as well as his own past, Cross knows the answers he finds might be fatal…

My Rating: 4/5 Continue reading “Cross Justice by James Patterson (Alex Cross #23)”