strange and random happenstance

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
Published by: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: October 17th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 112 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Ashley Smith and Emma Chapman might look alike and matriculate at The Courtauld Institute of Art in London but that is where their similarities begin and end. Ashley is American, parentless, and never says the right thing. Whereas Emma is posh, wears cashmere, and grew up surrounded by her family in a manor house in the Cotswolds. She's perfect and always knows the right thing to say. Like when she heard that Ashley would be spending Christmas alone and invited her to join the family celebrations at Stravewood Hall. That was just the absolutely perfect thing to say and do. And here Ashley thought that Emma didn't like her. Now they will be the best of friends. Ashley is off to Clevemoor for Christmas! It's like something out of a romance novel or a murder mystery, a house that's all stone and stained glass and beams across the ceiling and servants quarters! But the real attraction comes in the form of Emma's brother, Adam. He's like Michelangelo's "David" come alive, but with cigarette breath and a penchant for whiskey. If Ashley's luck holds she might actually be in a romance. Though Ashley can't deny the evidence of her eyes when she goes with the siblings to the local pup, the Sheepfold. There she learns about Joanna Davies, a girl who went missing last summer, who might just have been dating Adam. He was questioned by the police and some still suspect him. But the oddest part is that Joanna and Ashley look alike. Her holiday is veering quickly toward the Gothic, a little bit creepy, and little bit sexy. Though Adam then fucks off back to London so Ashley doesn't know what to make of that. Especially as he left her a lovely Christmas present, a white cashmere scarf to keep her warm. Warm on her walks through the woods where she sees a menacing figure with a big bushy beard. Gothic thriller it is then now that the romantic lead has left. She shouldn't have doubted it when she's the doppelganger of a dead girl. Or when Emma returns to Stravewood Hall after being accosted by the menacing figure of Father Christmas. The same figure Ashley had seen. And that is all Ashley wrote. Because her diary ends prior to her brutal death. A diary that Emma has kept all these years with a newspaper article clipped and saved in the back detailing Ashley's murder. Because Emma "killed "Ashley. Set her up as the perfect victim. But why?

This is a novella in two parts. The first part, Ashley's diary, is perfection. It contains the hopes and desires of a young girl who is lovestruck and experiencing the Christmas of her dreams. Until it devolves into a nightmare. The second part is Emma explaining what actually happened and the guilt that weighs her down as she lives under another name in a country far from her family. Because the truth is, pause for spoiler, her brother, Adam, is a serial killer. And all his victims remind him of his sister. Because obviously he's working up to killing her. Which means way back in the eighties she invited Ashley to Stravewood Hall to be her brother's next victim. Ashley was the sacrificial lamb. Which is interesting when you look back on the events of her time in the Cotswolds. I actually liken it to what happened in season two of The White Lotus. Greg takes Tonya to Italy so that his old acquaintances, the 'Evil Gays,' can kill her. She's given the holiday of anyone's dreams. She is treated like a princess. In other words, she is given the treatment that you would give your dog on it's last day alive. Now I'm not denigrating dogs, I'm denigrating any humans who use the excuse of giving someone a perfect experience as some sort of balancing of the scales prior to murder. You can not balance out the scales here. One really good Christmas is not worth a lifetime of Christmases. Now if the person was actually dying, like said dog, well, then it's a sweet denouement to a life, not the brutal theft of a future. The problem I have with this second half is the ghostly aspect. We went from a top-notch, moody, thriller of a period piece with a lovesick narrator to a pale imitation of A Christmas Carol. Yes, Emma has a few more literal ghosts in her closet, but I feel like she should have had some sort of epiphany earlier. It shouldn't have taken her thirty years to get up the courage to rat out her brother. Because it wasn't just Ashley and Joanna, oh no, he's been killing all along. He's racked up quite the body count and if you were connected to one of the victims, how would you feel knowing that there was this person out there who could have stopped it? Personally Emma being haunted and on the run her entire life doesn't in the least make up for not speaking up. She's been a coward her entire life and, with regard to Ashley, a conspirator. I mean, I'll give the story props for trying something new, and I did enjoy it, it's just that it could have been something more. Something original, not Dickensian part deux.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Christmas Carol, Ashley Smith, Charles Dickens, Christmas, Cotswolds, Emma Chapman, Gothic, Manor House, Murder Most Foul, Mystery, Novella, Peter Swanson, Serial Killer, The Christmas Guest, The White Lotus

The Great Deceiver by Elly Griffiths
Published by: Quercus Publishing
Publication Date: October 24th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Anyone who has ever tread the boards knows that performers are a rum lot. The distillation of this can be seen in the places they lay their heads. 84 Marine Parade is a boarding house run for vaudeville types by Linda Knight with the help of her live-in maid Annie. There's a comradery there as most of those currently in residence are performing in Larry Buxton's nostalgic review down on the pier. Which is why the murder of Cherry Underwood shocks them all. WDC Meg Connolly is on the scene in Brighton talking to the boarders while Max Mephisto is learning about the murder from the prime suspect. Up in London. Ted English, The Great Deceiver, has fled Brighton to accost his old colleague and beg him for help. Cherry was Ted's assistant. Having heard that Max is close to the head of Brighton police he has come to ask that he put in a good word. Which Max is willing to do, mainly just to get ride of Ted, as Max has places to be and a new granddaughter to see. While back in Brighton Meg is getting to know the denizens on the house, a strongwoman, Ida Lupin, a double act, the comedians Geoffrey Bigg and Perry Small, and singer Mario Fontana, AKA John Lomax. All with names and professions evoking the glory days of variety which is seeing a bit of a resurgence as the country embraces nostalgia. Because this is such a tight, incestuous community, where everyone has worked with everyone at some time or other Max's help would be much appreciated. Even if he doesn't exactly clear Ted's name, instead linking Ted to a rather notorious crowd of performers. The most famous of which is Gordon Palgrave. Pal is a nasty piece of work, especially when it comes to women. Cherry was his assistant for a time but now he's in television with a hit show. Literally. It's called Hug or Hit. It doesn't take a genius to work out the premise. But he's the genius who came up with it. He ran with Ted English, Tommy Horton, Rex King, and Dazzling Dave Dunkley back in the day. They passed around their assistants just like they passed around their wives. Dazzling Dave has been tapped to replace Ted English in the nostalgia show. His assistant, Joanie Waters, used to work for Tommy Horton, but he's now in a home, and she's fond of Dave, he's an eternal optimist, thinking that the next thing will be their big break, despite both of them getting on in years. Joanie is the second victim. This second murder opens new doors and indicates they have a serial killer on their hands. A serial killer who is targeting this group and this show. While Emma and Sam have been hired by Cherry's family to find her killer, they're willing to pool their resources with Edgar, Meg, and Max to catch a killer. And Max has an idea. The show is transferring to the West End and has an opening. Max wants to tread the boards again. Is their any chance that WDC Meg Connolly would like to go undercover as his assistant to catch a killer? It might be their only option.

As anyone who has been following my reviews knows that I was less than kind to this series when it skipped ahead a decade between the forth and fifth books. I still stand by this criticism, it was well deserved. Characters I had known and loved had changed so radically that I no longer recognized them. It was all anger and friction and just, not the series I loved. So why did I like this book? Well, I could be cynical, it is after all in my nature, and say that in the three years between reading The Midnight Hour and The Great Deceiver that I had missed the characters so much that I was willing to accept them no matter how inferior their current iterations were. But I actually don't think this is the case. I think that while The Midnight Hour had done a little to try to right this sinking ship that started taking on water with Now You See Them, The Great Deceiver found stability. The reason is actually quite simple. The characters have adjusted to their new roles and their complicated intertwined lives and instead of being at loggerheads they decided to pull together. The internecine politics have settled. Emma is no longer as jealous of Edgar and Meg. Edgar is encouraging of Emma and Sam's private detective agency. Max and Sam are somehow still a thing which is probably the main thing that still doesn't work, but I'm willing to overlook it in that I felt the magic again. A lot of this has to do with firmly entrenching this mystery within the vaudeville world again. I know as time goes on and the world moves on, vaudeville became less and less a thing and television was taking over, but that's what makes these mysteries work. They're old fashioned with a hint of modernity sneaking in. Which is why the lost decade was such a disservice to this series as a whole. But here Elly Griffiths latches on to, not just the bygone days, but to the very real reckoning of #MeToo. The creepy Pal and his cronies. These are men who are not good people and never were. Women were disposable to them and even interchangeable to a certain extent. Which is why I loved seeing them brought to their just desserts. Men in power need to be held accountable, and the sad thing is, especially during the sixties, women were never in power. Which is why Max's daughter and Meg are such important characters. I at first didn't like Meg in the least. She didn't work. And, well, Ruby, she was just in the way of Emma and Edgar finding their HEA. But now, I can see why Elly Griffiths is reforming the series with them. They are the future. Ruby and her Bewitched like television stardom while also being a single mother! Meg realizing she can be with whomever she wants, cops or sexy travelers. Though where I really felt Meg shine was as Max's assistant. They worked out a routine that played to the strengths of both and was about this female assistant, this shadow, being, for once, the equal of the magician. She's ready to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. I just hope that this series continues. That I can get the word out there somehow that readers shouldn't give up. Because I had, and then I ordered this book from Waterstones because at least I'd have a signed first edition from an author whose work I had previously loved and was so pleasantly surprised I can't begin to actually properly express how I feel. My thoughts and words are a tad jumbled even after writing this. Just pick it up and see if you agree.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: #MeToo, Boarding House, Brighton, Elly Griffiths, Magic Men, Max Mephisto, Murder, Murder Most Foul, Nostalgia, Now You See Them, Serial Killer, Television, The Great Deceiver, The Midnight Hour, Vaudeville

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: January 17th, 2023
Format: Kindle, 384 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

In a family of killers a reunion at a remote sky resort might not be the best idea. But that is exactly what is about to happen. Ernest could have warned them. Afterall he writes books on how to write murder mysteries, particularly those that adhere to the commandments laid out by Golden Age writers like Agatha Christie. But no one's been talking to him for the last three years because three years previously Ernest Cunningham broke the cardinal rule of the family, he talked to the police. His brother Michael ended up in prison for a murder Ernest saw him commit. Their mother hasn't forgiven Ernest for this. Now on the eve of Michael's release the family has gathered in a place they could well be stranded in, if the right conditions happen. Which of course they will. Because his tale is a tale of killers. Ernest's mother, his father, his step-father, his step-sister, his brother, his sister-in-law, his aunt, his wife, and yes, even Ernest himself, are all killers and when killers gather death is on the table. The first body is found the next day. Thankfully it isn't a member of the family. Yet. But that doesn't exactly rule them out. Though his step-sister, Sofia, a doctor, is quick to point out the death is odd. Very odd. As in, it has all the hallmarks of a serial killer going by the moniker of the Black Tongue. And it looks like the corpse, which they've nicknamed Green Boots, might be his latest victim. Could one of his family be not just a killer but a serial killer? And could they now be trapped up on the mountain with them? Of course is the answer that Ernest should have expected. At least Michael couldn't possibly be the killer as he was still in prison when the murder occured. But Michael was lying. He got out a day early because he's been having an affair with Ernest's soon to be ex-wife. And, actually, Ernest has to give his brother a little credit for breaking up an almost completely dead marriage from inside prison. That's if their affair didn't start earlier... Because the truth is this family isn't exactly one for the truth. They keep their cards close and only show them when they have no other options. Their secrets could literally kill them as the snow closes in and Ernest realizes that he's been focusing on the wrong thing. He's been too enamoured with playing detective. He's been in love with being the lead of one of those books he outlines for others to imitate. He should have paid better attention. He should have realized why his family has the rule about the police. He should have realized a lot of things. Hopefully it's not to late for him.

The title of this book is purposely misleading. The way the reveal is set up the title is imperative for the misdirection, for the misunderstanding that has led to the situation Ernest Cunningham has found himself in. And yet the title does a disservice to the book. When you start reading a story and are told from the very beginning that everyone is a killer you instantly have no vested interest in their survival. All these people killed someone so why should I care if they get killed? Of course Benjamin Stevenson plays with the concept of what is a killer throughout the book trying to give you a deeper understanding of the characters, but it's too little too late. I care not for all these relatives, I care not for Ernest, they can literally all die for all I care, and, well, a few of them do. I wanted to like this book more it's just that I didn't. Ernest has a unique voice, but it's not a narrative voice that flows. The writing in this book is clunky. I kept thinking of other authors who have a similar writing style, Lisa Lutz sprang quickly to mind, as did Jasper Fforde and Lemony Snicket. They all have their own unique voice and singularly original style that Benjamin Stevenson attempted to do here, but their work is polished, precise, you don't find yourself rereading a sentence five times over just to see if you drew the correct meaning from it. And that's what frustrated me so much with this book, here's someone actually bothering in this day and age to adhere to the standards of Golden Age mysteries and fair play instead of infuriating the reader with impossible reveals, unreliable narrators, or endings that just didn't make sense, and I couldn't be bothered. If I didn't have a pathological need to finish every book I start combined with this being a read for my book club, I honestly don't know if I would have finished it. There is such unrealized potential. This book is now the start of a series, which should surprise no one, nor should the fact it already has a deal with HBO. All I can hope for is that going forward, in both mediums, the characters, and minimally Ernest, should be someone we can root for. Someone we can get behind. Because writing can be polished, characters can evolve, but starting on such unsound footing makes me hesitant to continue on the journey ahead. I hear Ernest is going on a train ride. I do wonder if I'll join him. Someday.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Benjamin Stevenson, Ernest Cunningham, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Fair Play, For the Love of Book Clubs, Golden Age of Detection, HBO, Jasper Fforde, Lemony Snicket, Lisa Lutz, Serial Killer

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 944 Pages
Rating: ★
To Buy

Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are presented with an intriguing case. Margot Bamborough disappeared in 1974. She was never found. Forty years later her daughter Anna just wants answers. She hires Cormoran and Robin to investigate the disappearance. If they turn up nothing within a year Anna has promised her wife that she will accept that she will never know what happened to her mother and move on with her life. The reason Anna reached out to Cormoran in particular is that him being a "celebrity" private investigator he might be able to interview the prime suspect in Margot's disappearance, Dennis Creed. Dennis Creed, known my the sobriquet The Essex Butcher, abducted, imprisoned, raped, and murdered at least seven women between 1968 and 1976. Margot's disappearance falling during his active years before his subsequent arrest and imprisonment in Broadmoor has always made him a person of interest. But he doesn't do interviews and he definitely doesn't answer questions. That might change if the person talking to him were famous. Creed loves publicity. But getting clearance to see Creed is going to take a while so Cormoran and Robin start by tracking down every single person directly and tangentially connected to the disappearance. This takes time as it's been over forty years. They also find leads that the cops missed, such as a connection to organized crime. But there are only so many times you can poor over the pages of The Demon of Paradise Park before you have to resort to sheer luck that a new clue will land in your lap. What's more is that Cormoran and Robin's personal lives are more out of control than ever before. Cormoran is often having to hare off to Cornwall at a moment's notice because his Aunt Joan, the woman who was more a mother to him than his own mother, is dying of Cancer. And as for his ex Charlotte, if she has her way she will really be out of his life for good this time. As for Robin, what should have been a fairly straightforward divorce from Matthew, seeing as he cheated on her, is turning into a nightmare. She wants to move on, get her money from the sale of their home, find a new signature scent, and start fresh. Will the two investigators find closure for themselves and their client or will they always be left wondering what went wrong?

When the initial buzz quickly rose to a clamor for Troubled Blood and it looked like J.K. Rowling was going all in on being a TERF I was willing to withhold my judgement until I had read the book. I fully admit she's a horrible human being but perhaps that didn't translate to her writing. Perhaps? Ever since I was young and first learned about Lewis Carroll I have been able, to an extent, to separate a book I love from the author. Of course it helps that in his case he's not profiting off my purchases. So I approached Troubled Blood with an open mind and quickly saw that all the reviews I've read have gotten it wrong. Yes, this book is transphobic. Yet the transphobia in this instance is a common murder mystery trope that needs to be retired wherein to lure in female victims a male will dress as a female so they feel safe until the realize they're not. Far more troubling to me was the homophobia, sexism, sexual harassment, and exploitation of the mentally handicapped. But again, while the way these topics were handled in the book physically repulsed me this isn't what we need to be talking about when we talk about this book. Because there's no way calling this book out on these atrocities will actually make J.K. Rowling sit up and take notice. She is unrepentant in her hate. So while yes, this book needs to be called out, she won't listen and just say it's part of "cancel culture." Therefore I want to change the narrative. This book isn't bad because of the deplorable author spewing her hate, it's just a badly written book and everything else is just extra shit piled on top. I have this feeling that when this book arrived at her publishers they realized she had finally gone all in on being a deplorable and no editor touched this book. They didn't want to wade into the cesspit that is everything about this book. The plot is boring. There is no driving force what with the case being a cold case. There is no jeopardy. Months go by between any developments and the plot just plods along. Also, why is Robin so obsessed with finding a new "signature scent?" I get that she's trying to leave her life with Matthew behind, but she's a PI, she's tailing people all the time, don't you think that a PI shouldn't announce their presence with a whiff of perfume? For an author and series I loved it took me over a month to force my way to the meandering finish. So please, hate on this book not just for the hate but for the bad writing, it's deserving of both.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cold Case, Cormoran Strike, Dennis Creed, Deplorable, Hate, Homophobia, J.K. Rowling, Murder Most Foul, Robert Galbraith, Robin Ellacott, Serial Killer, Sexism, Sexual Harassment, TERF, Transphobia, Troubled Blood

Who would have thought when Harlan Coben signed his five year multi-million dollar Netflix deal in 2018 it would bring about this interesting subgenre of transplanting his American stories onto British soil with beautiful house and cars you doubt any of the characters can actually afford and Richard Armitage always on hand. I for one am glad this came about. They are immanently bingeable and tie everything up so nice and neat at the end with a large helping of loss that they are perfectly suited to the times we find ourselves in. Not to mention the casting, oh dear lord, it's like someone stole a peak at my list of favorite actors and brought them all together for one project. Or that Richard Armitage is actually getting to show what a great actor he is. I feel so bad for some of the productions he's ended up in, yes, I'm looking at you Hobbit franchise! The miniseries follows Cassie, a stripper, who left that life behind seventeen years previously and is now about to get married to the father of her three children when she makes one little mistake and her past life bleeds into the present with a trail of bodies, often at the hands of a young couple who are musical theater buffs and whose "thing" is choreographed killing. It's riveting and absurd all at the same time. And while I was able to guess the real serial killer due to that old system of means, motive, opportunity, and casting, leaning heavily on the casting, the reveal is so magnificently acted that figuring out who the killer is in advance doesn't diminish the reveal. But what made me really love this production was Eddie Izzard. I have been a fan of Eddie since I first saw Dressed to Kill when it aired on HBO in the summer 1999, right after the David Bowie VH1 Legends episode aired that Eddie just happened to narrate. The following year was the first time I saw her on stage. I have seen Eddie on stage almost more times than I can count, and the most recent time in 2017 I actually got to meet her. Eddie as the drug addict lawyer Harry Sutton who helps anyone down on their luck was the linchpin of this series. Troubled yet wanting to do better, wanting to help. The dinner Harry has at Cassie's house with her family, for a moment it shows what Cassie's life could be with the past and the present as one. But more than that, I am very glad that someone on the production is obviously an Eddie Izzard fan and added a little something special to the set design. I mean, they HAD to name that pet shop Harry runs his law practice out of Hannibal's Animals after Eddie's bit about strapping two elephants to your feet and skying down the alps right? I mean, there's the other possibility that it's named after the TV series she and Richard Armitage both played killers on... But I like to think it's about the elephants.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Bingeing, Britain, Cush Jumbo, David Bowie, Dressed to Kill, Eddie Izzard, Harlan Coben, HBO, James Nesbitt, Netflix, Richard Armitage, Sarah Parish, Serial Killer, Stay Close, The Hobbit

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown's dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor - and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later.

You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.

Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January - and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could've been her. And the worst part is, January's killer has never been brought to justice.

When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she's walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers - genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who's gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January's. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January's murder once and for all.

But the police, Natalie's family, the townspeople - they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie's disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January's case feels. Could January's killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?

Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?"

Who better to write a book about someone going home a solving a cold case than a true crime podcaster?

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Turns out that reading nothing but true crime isn't exactly conducive to modern dating - and one woman is going to have to learn how to give love a chance when she's used to suspecting the worst.

PhD candidate Phoebe Walsh has always been obsessed with true crime. She's even analyzing the genre in her dissertation - if she can manage to finish writing it. It's hard to find the time while she spends the summer in Florida, cleaning out her childhood home, dealing with her obnoxiously good-natured younger brother, and grappling with the complicated feelings of mourning a father she hadn't had a relationship with for years.

It doesn't help that she's low-key convinced that her new neighbor, Sam Dennings, is a serial killer (he may dress business casual by day, but at night he's clearly up to something). It's not long before Phoebe realizes that Sam might be something much scarier - a genuinely nice guy who can pierce her armor to reach her vulnerable heart."

That old story of is he a killer or is he my perfect man...

A Cornish Recipe for Murder by Fiona Leitch
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Kindle, 263 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jodie 'Nosey' Parker is back!

When popular TV baking contest and national institution 'The Best of British Baking Roadshow' rolls into town and sets up camp in the grounds of Boskern House, a historic stately home near Penstowan, former police officer Jodie 'Nosey' Parker finds herself competing to represent Cornwall in the grand final.

But with a fellow contestant who will stop at nothing to win and a drag queen host with secrets of their own, Jodie discovers that the roadshow doesn't just have the ingredients for the perfect showstopper cake, but also for the perfect murder...

And when a body is found in the grounds of the house, Jodie is drawn into another high-stakes case along with local DCI Nathan Withers.

Can Jodie expose the culprit? Or will the murderer become the real showstopper?"

Anything vaguely Bake Off themed with murder is my jam. Or should I make that jam roll?

The Life of Crime by Martin Edwards
Published by: Collins Crime Club
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 599 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the first major history of crime fiction in fifty years, The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators traces the evolution of the genre from the eighteenth century to the present, offering brand-new perspective on the world's most popular form of fiction.

Author Martin Edwards is a multi-award-winning crime novelist, the President of the Detection Club, archivist of the Crime Writers' Association and series consultant to the British Library's highly successful series of crime classics, and therefore uniquely qualified to write this book. He has been a widely respected genre commentator for more than thirty years, winning the CWA Diamond Dagger for making a significant contribution to crime writing in 2020, when he also compiled and published Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club and the novel Mortmain Hall. His critically acclaimed The Golden Age of Murder (Collins Crime Club, 2015) was a landmark study of Detective Fiction between the wars.

The Life of Crime is the result of a lifetime of reading and enjoying all types of crime fiction, old and new, from around the world. In what will surely be regarded as his magnum opus, Martin Edwards has thrown himself undaunted into the breadth and complexity of the genre to write an authoritative - and readable - study of its development and evolution. With crime fiction being read more widely than ever around the world, and with individual authors increasingly the subject of extensive academic study, his expert distillation of more than two centuries of extraordinary books and authors - from the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann to the novels of Patricia Cornwell - into one coherent history is an extraordinary feat and makes for compelling reading."

Who doesn't want to read a history of crime fiction?

The Manhattan Girls by Gill Paul
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's a 1920s version of Sex and the City, as Dorothy Parker - one of the wittiest women who ever wielded a pen - and her three friends navigate life, love, and careers in New York City. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Beatriz Williams, and Renée Rosen.

NEW YORK CITY 1921: The war is over, fashions are daring, and bootleg liquor is abundant. Here four extraordinary women form a bridge group that grows into a firm friendship.

Dorothy Parker: renowned wit, member of the Algonquin Round Table, and more fragile than she seems. Jane Grant: first female reporter for the New York Times, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leach: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.

Their romances flourish and falter while their goals sometimes seem impossible to reach and their friendship deepens against the backdrop of turbulent New York City, where new speakeasies open and close, jazz music flows through the air, and bathtub gin fills their glasses.

They gossip, they comfort each other, and they offer support through the setbacks. But their biggest challenge is keeping their dear friend Dottie safe from herself.

In this brilliant new novel from the bestselling and acclaimed author of Jackie and Maria and The Secret Wife, readers will fall right into Jazz Age New York and into the inner lives of these groundbreaking, influential women."

While I can't wait to read this, I will point out that if she knew what Sex and the City was Dorothy Parker would not be pleased by the comparison.

Second Spear by Kerstin Hall
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: August 16th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Kerstin Hall's Second Spear is the thrilling follow-up to the Nommo Award finalist, The Border Keeper.

After surviving the schemes of a vengeful goddess and learning some shattering truths about her former life, the warrior Tyn feels estranged from her role guarding her ruler. Grappling with knowledge of her identity, she unleashes her frustrations on all the wrong people.

When an old enemy returns wielding an unstoppable, realm-crushing weapon and Tyn is swept up in the path of destruction, she must make a choice about who she is and who she wants to be."

To break your fantasy funk!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alicia Thompson, Ashley Flowers, Cornwall, Crime Fiction, Crime Junkie, Dorothy Parker, Fiona Leitch, GBBO, Gill Paul, Jane Grant, Kerstin Hall, Martin Edwards, Podcast, Serial Killer, The New Yorker, True Crime

Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: June 29th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Charlie needs to get away from campus. She needs to flee to her grandmother's house. The fall semester has been a killer. Literally. Her unique and funny roommate Maddy was murdered by The Campus Killer. What's worse is that Charlie might have seen Maddy's killer. Only problem is, Charlie's memory isn't exactly reliable. Ever since her parents died she has taken refuge in old movies. Whenever the world gets to be too much she starts hallucinating. Her brain flips a switch and turns on a projector, making the world around her into a movie. These "movies in her mind" started at her parents funeral and happened again that fateful night when she was angry at Maddy and stormed off, turning back once to see someone lighting Maddy's cigarette. Someone she can't identify no matter how hard she tries. She has barely been able to leave the dorm room she shared with Maddy since then. As the Thanksgiving holiday nears Charlie has decided to head home. To leave New Jersey, and her boyfriend, possibly forever. She can't think that far ahead, to the end of the semester, all she can think of is to flee. This is 1991. There aren't many options for her to get back to Ohio aside from the campus rideshare board. There she meets Josh. Josh looks just like the kind of upright college student whom you could trust to get you home. And despite everything that has happened to her Charlie is willing to trust Josh with her life. Her boyfriend Robbie tells her that if at anytime something feels wrong or off to call him and tell him that "things took a detour." Charlie likes that, it's very Hollywood. Plus, if things feel off she doesn't even have to get in Josh's car. But when he pulls up she does. She puts on Maddy's red coat and gets in the car and before they even reach the interstate she's wondering if she's made a mistake. Things just seem off about Josh. He doesn't know campus landmarks despite claiming to work there. But Charlie knows her own mind isn't to be trusted. She lapses into movie memories and montages all the time. Though wouldn't a clever killer use her illness to trap her? Are they even heading to Ohio or was that just a convenient lie to get her in the car? So the question becomes, is she safe anywhere when her own mind is playing tricks on her? Or did things just take a detour?

Every once in awhile there's a book you just can't wait to get your hands on. For me there's just a handful of authors that I adore but I am usually able to wangle an advance reading copy because of my blog. Note, I set up my blog to get free books, now I get free books, blog's purpose justified! The problem with a Riley Sager book is that keeping a tight lid on spoilers is the number one priority of the publishers so... despite Dutton loving me in the past I had to wait like all the other plebs. AND face rejection on a handful of e-galley sites. Such. False. Hope. Which meant my expectations kept getting higher and higher. There was even a few minutes when I thought of buying Survive the Night for my Kindle because I couldn't wait for my physical copy to arrive! But I patiently waited, and the more I waited, the less likely the book was going to live up to my expectations if I'm honest. And the thing I kept seeing and hearing again and again without even looking for spoilers was that you would either love or loath the twist. Now I'm one of those people who assume everything will have a twist, but I don't want to be told because then I'm hyper aware. I'm like Roy on the cannibalism episode of The IT Crowd "Moss and the German," I do not want to be guessing when and what the twist is. I remember going to see The Village and because M. Night Shyamalan was the twist king, well, my friend Matt and I made a game of it and started correctly guessing the twists long before they happened. That wasn't a fun trip to the movies in regards to enjoying the movie. So Survive the Night came and I read it in virtually one sitting, which is surprising for me as I read at a speaking pace. Yes, I saw the twist coming, and honestly, I don't think it deserved the moniker if I'm honest. This is a thriller that's twisting constantly, like a tooth about to be pulled out. It's a ride that you're waiting to end because you want to know what happens and because, if I'm honest, Charlie is kind of an annoying unreliable narrator. So yes, there are lots of tropes and twists but it's more the movie references that are at the heart of this book. If you're a film geek like me, well, it comes together in a nice bow at the end and you kind of forget the bumps in the road along the way. If you don't like films... well, you might be in for a bumpy ride.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: ARCs, Dutton, Films, Going Gothic, Hollywood, M. Night Shyamalan, Murder, Rideshare, Riley Sager, Serial Killer, Survive the Night, The Campus Killer, The IT Crowd, The Village, Tropes, Twist, Unreliable Narrator

The thing about David Tennant is you usually think of him as "the good guy." He was THE DOCTOR! Yes, there's the rare psychopath thrown in there, hello Kilgrave! But by and large he's the one bringing the baddies to justice, from killers of children to killers of song, and yes, I'm talking about Broadchurch and Blackpool. So it's interesting when he slips into the role of someone so evil and vile as Dennis Nilsen, the Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least a dozen young men in the late seventies and early eighties. He literally became Dennis Nilsen. It was beyond eerie. His flat affect, his casual way of discussing murder, everything came together to be the performance of a lifetime so much so that after the first few scenes you had to be remembered that this was David Tennant and NOT Dennis Nilsen. In fact there's one little trick they use in this adaptation that I usually disapprove of but which works to stunning effect here. I'm a stickler for shows that rely on old news footage thus breaking the forth wall. My problem is is that it usually doesn't work. It feels too out of place. Better to replace the footage with scenes you recreate. At first that is what I thought they were doing here. I literally thought the news footage was recreated to have David Tennant as Dennis Nilsen. It wasn't. This blew me away. David had nailed his performance so perfectly from appearance to body language that I couldn't tell the difference between scenes shot for this show and actual footage of Nilsen from the time of his arrest and trial. It's lucky I had the second season of Staged to binge after this three part series so that I could get the image of David Tennant as a serial killer out of my mind. But it's not just Tennant who shines, Jason Watkins, known for his rather deliciously over-the-top characters, many villainous, he's played over the years here brings in a wonderfully subtle performance as Brian Masters, whose book, Killing for Company, this miniseries is based on. The scenes between him and Tennant in the prison where they're having one on one conversations is the heart of this show. Watkins is able to show detachment when he needs to but also subtle disgust, of the level that will keep the channels open to Nilsen but not strip him fully of his humanity. Take it from me, who has watched a LOT of shows about serial killers over the years, this is one you don't want to miss.  

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Blackpool, Brian Masters, Broadchurch, David Tennant, Dennis Nilsen, Des, Jason Watkins, Kilgrave, Killing for Company, Necrophilia, News Footage, Serial Killer, Sundance, The Doctor

Starting out in a whorehouse and ending in a prison with heavy Jack the Ripper overtones throughout makes The Charmer feel a bit off-brand and risque for Masterpiece Theatre. But it was the late eighties, perhaps they were trying to embrace an audience fed on years of Dynasty and Dallas? And you can't say it doesn't grab your attention with the charming yet menacing turn by Nigel Havers as Ralph Gorse, a man who'd never say no to a ligature. But knowing it's based on a series of books by Patrick Hamilton, the master of despair and dread, who supposedly based the character of Gorse on a serial killer, you can't say you didn't know what you were getting into...Unless you totally forgot about Patrick Hamilton's pedigree of Rope and Gaslight like I had, then you're watching the show slightly baffled that what you thought was going to be a nice little romp in the thirties veers into very dark territory. In fact, this note should have been passed along to whomever did the music, it's a little too cheerful, if you get my drift, and you'll get the Cole Porter song "You're the Top" stuck in your head for days. The material is primarily pulled from the second volume in Hamilton's series, Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse, which I think would have been a far better title. Because while Gorse is a charming gigolo working his way into weary women's lives for a bit of lucre it's really the cat and mouse game between him and Mr. Stimpson that drives the plot. Mr. Stimpson feels that Ralph thwarted his love affair with Joan Plumleigh-Bruce, played divinely by Rosemary Leach. And OF COURSE Ralph did. But the problem is even if Ralph is a psychopath with sociopathic tenancies, he's not this dogmatic hypocritical stick in the mud that is everything Mr. Stimpson is. I'm not sure if it's because of how Bernard Hepton plays the roll or just how Mr. Stimpson is written, but you want him to lose. You want him to lose so bad. Yet ironically he is the voice of reason. But while there are reviewers who claim they wanted Ralph to get away with his crimes, I did not. I wanted accountability for everyone and for Joan to come out on top. Well, two out of three isn't bad.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cole Porter, Dallas, Dynasty, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Gaslight, Masterpiece Theatre, Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse, Nigel Havers, Patrick Hamilton, Ralph Gorse, Rope, Serial Killer, The Charmer

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Published by: Scholastic Press,
Publication Date: May 19th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
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The official patter:
"Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute...and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes."

Because, what better way to distract yourself from the collapse of civilization than to read about a favorite post apocalyptic world?

Lost in Space: Infinity's Edge by Kevin Emerson
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 19th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The second thrilling, original novel based on Netflix's smash hit Lost in Space! This all-new story focuses on twelve-year-old Will Robinson and his closest friend and greatest protector - a mysterious Robot with a dangerous past.

The Robinsons - Will, his two teenage sisters, and their parents - are members of a colonist group who had been traveling across the galaxy to establish a new home, only to have had their ship attached and stranded on an alien planet. Just when they had finally managed to get off-world, the Robinsons were thrown off course yet again and were sent drifting toward an unknown location.

Now, six months later, the Robinsons are stuck on an inhospitable water planet with no contact from their fellow colonists or from Will's beloved Robot. The twelve-year-old doesn't have any friends in his new home, until he discovers a mysterious girl...from the future. Her name is Clare, and she desperately needs Will's help to save her family. Will is eager to bond with his new friend, but - little does he know - something sinister lurks just beneath her surface. Can Will find a way to help Clare while keeping his own family safe?"

Here's a Lost in Space book to help you cope with the fact we're only getting one more season of the show. 

These Women by Ivy Pochada
Published by: Ecco
Publication Date: May 19th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
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The official patter:
"From the award-winning author of Wonder Valley and Visitation Street comes a serial killer story like you’ve never seen before - a literary thriller of female empowerment and social change. In West Adams, a rapidly changing part of South Los Angeles, they’re referred to as “these women.” These women on the corner...These women in the club...These women who won’t stop asking questions... These women who got what they deserved...

In her masterful new novel, Ivy Pochoda creates a kaleidoscope of loss, power, and hope featuring five very different women whose lives are steeped in danger and anguish. They’re connected by one man and his deadly obsession, though not all of them know that yet. There’s Dorian, still adrift after her daughter’s murder remains unsolved; Julianna, a young dancer nicknamed Jujubee, who lives hard and fast, resisting anyone trying to slow her down; Essie, a brilliant vice cop who sees a crime pattern emerging where no one else does; Marella, a daring performance artist whose work has long pushed boundaries but now puts her in peril; and Anneke, a quiet woman who has turned a willfully blind eye to those around her for far too long. The careful existence they have built for themselves starts to crumble when two murders rock their neighborhood.

Written with beauty and grit, tension and grace, These Women is a glorious display of storytelling, a once-in-a-generation novel."

Just reading the description you know this IS going to be a different kind of serial killer story. AKA, just what I need at the moment.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ivy Pochoda, Kevin Emerson, Lost in Space, Netflix, Serial Killer, Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The Hunger Games, These Women