Seperated at Death by J J Salkeld

A wonderful typically English book, a good read, great characters.

The teenage daughter of a wealthy Kendal family is found strangled in Serpentine Woods. This DI Andy Hall's third ever murder case and leads are hard to come by, and his personal life is in crisis. Meanwhile, his Sergeant, ex-Marine Ian Mann is faced with a very puzzling case, involving a local bad lad who suddenly seems to be scaling the ladder of criminality. Are the two cases connected? Can Hall and his team crack the murder case, and offer the very coldest of comfort to the bereaved family?

Separated at Death is the first in The Lakeland Murders Police procedural novel series, set in and around England's beautiful Lake District, and introduces the team of DI Hall, DS Mann and DC Jane Francis, a former research scientist and the newest member of Kendal CID.

Mat Coward's review of Separated at Death appeared in the Morning Star on the 19th of June 2013:

"If you like your police procedurals to be thoroughly British - and stuffed cover to cover with them - then I recommend Separated At Death by JJ Salkeld (currently only available as an e-book, £1.53).

The beautiful Lake District has plenty of problems the tourists don't see but even so Kendal CID's Andy Hall is rarely called upon to investigate a murder.

When the teenage daughter of a leading local businessman is found killed, with no evidence of a sexual motive for her death, DI Hall and his team look closely at her family and friends.

With the police suffering from austerity budgets and merger threats, Hall is painfully aware that the resources he spends on this investigation could mean job losses next year.

Separated At Death is a solidly plotted, well-peopled and a very enjoyable start to what looks like a most promising series."

Fatal Legacy by Elizabeth Corley

A great book, thoroughly enjoyed it.

All is not what it seems at the respectable firm Wainwright Enterprises. When the managing director Arthur Wainwright dies in a suspicious accident, his last will and testament throws the business and family into turmoil. Not only was Wainwright far, far richer than anyone had imagined, but, to the horror of the rest of the family, he has left the bulk of his estate to his nephew Alex and Alex's wife Sally.

Ghost in the Machine by Ed James

A brilliant book, i loved it.

Detective Constable Scott Cullen of Lothian and Borders has only been three months in CID as a full DC. He is assigned a Missing Persons case which has stretched his uniform colleagues. Caroline Adamson - a young, recently divorced mother from Edinburgh - has disappeared whilst on a date.

The more Cullen digs into her disappearance, the more he unravels her private life. Who was she on a date with? What happened during her divorce from Rob Thomson? As Cullen's own private life gets messier and the relationship with his DI deteriorates, Caroline's body turns up and he finds himself hunting for a ghost in the machine.

Book one of the Scott Cullen series.

Kiss the Girls by James Patterson

A fantastic read, with an unexpected ending.

In the most suspenseful thriller yet from the author of Along Came a Spide and Jack and Jill, Detective Alex Cross is on the trail of 2 murderers who may be working together. Casanova preys on talented college women from the Carolinas to Florida. The Gentleman Caller is terrorizing Los Angeles. The case takes Cross coast to coast and to the Deep South, where his niece, a law student, has been abducted. Will she be the next victim of one, or both, of the killers?

Backlash by Lynda La Plante

An amazing book, well worth a read.

Late night on a notorious high-rise estate in Hackney a white van is being driven erratically. The driver is pulled over by the police and questioned. A woman on the street after a long evening's drinking...She never makes it home. A suspect...an arrest...a confession...A case done and dusted! Five years earlier, a 13-year-old girl disappeared in broad daylight on a busy London street. DCS James Langton headed the investigation; the case was never closed. It has haunted him ever since. And now comes another confession, to this murder, and to one more besides. Too good to be true! DCI Anna Travis, pulled into the fray, isn't so sure that they have their man. Then the suspect changes his story...

Disappear by Iain Edward Henn

A great book, i enjoyed every minute of it.

On a rain-drenched night, a young husband runs to the corner shop - and never returns. Eighteen years later, his body reappears. -Reappears, wearing the same clothes, and on the same street, from which he went missing. -Reappears, and is the victim of a hit/run driver. He looks exactly the same now as when he vanished. His widow, Jennifer Parkes, is determined to solve this enigma once and for all. Other bodies are found. All missing eighteen years. None seem to have aged. On the trail of a vicious killer, Jennifer and homicide detective Neil Lachlan are drawn into a human minefield of deception and terror; into the depths of a mystery that baffles the police and defies logic. Investigating at the forefront of scientific and medical technologies, they confront a threat that is much closer than either of them could ever have imagined. Praise for Iain Edward Henn, (author of The Delta Chain, an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarterfinalist and an Amazon UK - Mystery and Thrillers bestseller): "The novel's pacing is solid...hooks readers into caring about the chase..." - Publisher's Weekly. "...bona fide suspense...thoroughly compelling..." - Renee Washburn, Apex Reviews "Fast paced, great plot...hard to put down..." - from Amazon.com

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Last Line by M Pepper Langlinais

When Holmes returns to his childhood home after the death of his brother, Watson is confronted with the delicious opportunity to pry into his reticent friend's family history.

The Assassins Village by Faith Mortimer

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, all the twists and turns made it amusing.

When an expatriate theatrical group gather to discuss their next play there will be murder. A blackmailer stalks their picturesque Cypriot village. The group is riven with jealousies, rivalry, sexual tension and illicit affairs.

Unbeknown to each other they all attempt to find solutions to their problems. Some believe it lies in murder. Can they find the blackmailer? And can they find that all important 'little black book' - the chronicle of their misdeeds.

A body is discovered and Diana turns detective to draw up a suspects list. After the police get involved one of the suspects is found hanged - is this another murder or suicide? Was he indeed hanged? A visit to a villager's home uncovers an ancient assassin's device. Could this be the murder weapon? Is it possible that an assassin lives at the heart of this formerly peaceful and idyllic mountain village?

Love, hate, murder and high drama all feature in this classic historical detective story. With a long list of suspects, some dramatic twists and the odd red herring, the reader is left guessing until the final curtain. (Approx 93,000 words).

This is the first in the Diana Rivers series; Children of the Plantation and The Surgeon's Blade are also available on Amazon. Book four, Camera Action...Murder! Is now available.

Caribbean Moon by Rick Murcer

A brilliant book, i love the setting and the storyline.

Small-town detective/workaholic, Manny Williams, is thrilled with the prospect of finally taking the long-awaited vacation he had promised his wife, Louise.

The couple’s exotic getaway begins in sunny San Juan, Puerto Rico, by attending the June wedding of a fellow Lansing police officer, followed with an incredible week-long Southern Caribbean cruise on the glamorous Ocean Duchess. Tropical paradise appears to be a perfect recipe for desperately needed R and R...until the first dead body.

A bizarre, seemingly random murder in their posh San Juan Hotel, and the heinous cruise ship deaths of two of Lansing’s law enforcement family, brings Manny, and his unique skills, out of cruise mode and head-long into the FBI-led investigation. Manny soon discovers that in this killer’s twisted perception nothing is off limits, prompting a race against time that could cost him everything.

If you like edge-of-your-seat thrillers laced with humor, you'll love this!

Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke by Justin Richards

I felt this book was quite naive, in storyline and writing style, but there again i suppose it is aimed at the youth.

Madame Vastra, the fabled Lizard Woman of Paternoster Row, knew death in many shapes and forms. But perhaps one of the most bizarre of these was death by snow...On a cold day in December, two young boys, tired of sweeping snow from the workhouse yard, decide to build a snowman - and are confronted with a strange and grisly mystery. In horrified fascination, they watch as their snowman begins to bleed...The search for answers to this impossible event will plunge Harry into the most hazardous - and exhilarating - adventure of his life. He will encounter a hideous troll. He will dine with a mysterious parlour maid. And he will help the Great Detective, Madame Vastra, save the world from the terrifying Devil in the Smoke.

Race Amazon by Andy Lucas

 A brilliant book, well written, the plot twisting and turning, it had everything.

James Pace, ex-RAF helicopter pilot and amateur cameraman, is still wondering what to do with his life when a child's bullet nearly kills him. Dragged unwillingly into the limelight, he is quickly recruited as a video diarist for a charity race, set deep within the remote Amazon basin. Drawn into a deadly political game, he soon finds himself cut off from help and fighting to survive against terrifying odds. Forced to take the battle to his enemy, he must risk everything to find a way out of the jungle alive and discover a terrifying truth. Contract killing, kidnap, ruthless ambition, and a roller coaster adventure that he never signed up for!

Inspector George Gently

Series 5 - 3. The Lost Child

3/4. A middle-class couple's adopted child is kidnapped, a case that takes Gently and Bacchus to a home where unmarried mothers are forced to give up their babies. Suspicion initially falls upon the natural mother, who is thought to have `stolen' her baby back. But further investigations reveal a much darker side to the adoption home itself and raise questions as to how far this seemingly perfect couple were prepared to go to become parents. Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby star, with Mark Gatiss, Helen Baxendale and Alison Steadman.

An Axe to Grind by A A Fair

Being unable to find this book on Goodreads, i did a search on Fantastic Fiction and found it was a  pseudonym used by Erle Stanley Gardner.
This is a book in the  Donald Lam and Bertha Cool series, i have to say i wasn't terribly impressed, it was set in wartime America, and i felt it wasn't portrayed very well.

The Mask of Atreus by A J Hartley

It was a good interesting book, with likeable characters, twisted and turned along the way, i did begin to see who the 'villain' was but it in no way detracted from the story.


From Goodreads - An obscure museum's dead proprietor lies in a secret room surrounded by one of the world's most astonishing collections of Greek antiquities. Only a priceless Mycenaean death mask has been taken, along with the bones of a legendary hero thought to exist only in ancient myth. Looted by the Nazis, the treasures are still being sought by those whose dreams of glory remain undefeated.

The mask is an unparalleled discovery that will be a force for devastating retribution in the wrong hands. But by the time museum curator Deborah Miller learns the truth, it may be too late not only to save herself--but to reveal to the world the awesome secret she's uncovered

On the Fifth Day by A.J. Hartley

An interesting and exciting book never heard of this author a most entertaining read, i empathised with all the characters.

From Goodreads - The death of a priest is met with suspicion by his brother Thomas, who knows that his sibling died while researching Christian symbols. But Thomas and curator Deborah Miller aren't alone in retracing the priest's final steps. They're followed by fanatics desperate to hide the secret stumbled upon by Thomas's brother-and willing to kill to keep it buried forever.

The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson

Another good read in this final one of the series, however, i do think that the first one The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is by far the best in the trilogy

From Goodreads - Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Vengeance Lies in Wait by Janice B Scott

I got this book as a Birthday Present, it is set in Norfolk and the story centres around a woman rector. It was a very good story set round human intrigues passions and jealousies. The characters were very well presented and i got very involved in them.

When Rev. Polly Hewitt arrives as rector in a new parish, disturbing things happen to her. It seems that someone is out to get her, but who is targeting her and why?

The culmination is when Polly is taking a funeral, but discovers there is already a body in the grave. Who is the murder victim and who is the murderer?

When Polly tries to find out for herself, events escalate and she is soon in danger.

Set in the Norfolk countryside, this tale of intrigue in small villages with the unlikely backdrop of the Church of England, will grip you from the beginning.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

This is based on the TV series Castle which i enjoy, but i did find the book disappointing, i didn't relate to the characters, and got confused between characters, i found the storyline most disjointed.

A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

I have wanted to read this book for quite some time, eventually i got hold of it and was most disappointed, it had all the elements i enjoy for a good read, crime, fantasy, supernatural, however, i found the characters very shallow and couldn't get to grip with them, i kept losing track of the plot, eventually i gave up.

My name is Peter Grant and until January I was just probationary constable in that mighty army for justice known to all right-thinking people as the Metropolitan Police Service (as the Filth to everybody else). My only concerns in life were how to avoid a transfer to the Case Progression Unit - we do paperwork so real coppers don't have to - and finding a way to climb into the panties of the outrageously perky WPC Leslie May. Then one night, in pursuance of a murder inquiry, I tried to take a witness statement from someone who was dead but disturbingly voluable, and that brought me to the attention of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in England.

Now I'm a Detective Constable and a trainee wizard, the first apprentice in fifty years, and my world has become somewhat more complicated: nests of vampires in Purley, negotiating a truce between the warring god and goddess of the Thames, and digging up graves in Covent Garden . . . and there's something festering at the heart of the city I love, a malicious vengeful spirit that takes ordinary Londoners and twists them into grotesque mannequins to act out its drama of violence and despair.

The spirit of riot and rebellion has awakened in the city, and it's falling to me to bring order out of chaos - or die trying. Which, I don't mind telling you, would involve a hell of a lot of paperwork.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

I saw this book in the Library a couple of days after watching the film, so decided to have a read, it is very close to the film, however, it is a typical teen book, somehow couldn't get my teeth into it.

They said his uncle Ian died in a car accident. Alex Rider knows that’s a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle’s car confirm the truth. But nothing can prepare him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for Britain’s top-secret intelligence agency. Enlisted to find his uncle’s killers and complete Ian’s final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse, with no way out. The original novel that started the worldwide phenomenon is now a major motion picture!