LOOKING GOOD DEAD by Stephen Puleston

 

LOOKING GOOD DEAD by Stephen Puleston- Crime

A woman is found murdered in her exclusive clothes shop, Looking Good, dressed in clothes from a bygone era which she was fond of. She has a string of businesses, so the police wonder if this and money could perhaps be the motive. Inspector Drake and team are on the case and when another body is found in clothing of the same era something strange is going on. Alternate chapters tell of the perpetrator making his plans. 

This is part of a series but happily stands alone - I hadn’t read all of the others (but may well do in the future). I liked Drake who came across well and found myself turning the pages very easily as this is well written and captivating. There are lots of twists and turns keeping the reader invested right the way through. A well thought out plot and clever writing make this an enjoyable, entertaining read. 

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog

----------------------------------------------------------

Looking Good Dead (Inspector Drake Book 12)

Can DI Drake uncover the mysterious connection between two unconnected victims dressed in 1930s attire before more deaths? Two startled shop assistants find the body of well-known businesswoman June Bennett hanging in a shop premises she owns. Drake and his team immediately suspect her death is linked to the parties she organised where revellers wore 1930s style clothes. As suspicion falls upon her husband, the investigation takes an unexpected turn when the team uncovers 'spin-off' parties of a more scandalous nature. With the sudden death of an unrelated bank manager, Inspector Drake faces the formidable task of establishing a motive that links both victims. Tension escalates as the killer taunts Drake with chilling photographs from the scene of the second murder, attracting a deluge of media attention. Yet, Drake is determined to stay resolute, drawing upon the echoes of his past battles? Looking Good Dead is the twelfth book in the dynamic Inspector Drake crime series. If you like police procedurals, clever mysteries, and gripping page-turners, then you’ll love Stephen Puleston’s unnerving whodunit.

STEPHEN PULESTON Stephen Puleston was born in Holyhead/Caergybi, Ynys Môn, in Wales. After leaving university he trained and practised as a lawyer. He is now a full time author presently writing two crime series. Both are based in Wales, a country rich in history and spectacular scenery. The Inspector Ian Drake books involve a detective inspector based in North Wales, the area where he was born and raised, who faces his own demons while solving gruesome murders. The Inspector John Marco series follows the adventures of John Marco an inspector based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. He’s from a Welsh-Italian family catching the killers at large in the bustling city of Cardiff. All the novels in the Inspector Drake and Marco series are available as audiobooks. All are narrated by experienced professional actors. Stephen lives with his family in Ynys Môn/Anglesey.

The Writer by Miranda Smith

 The Writer by Miranda Smith-psychological thriller

Becca is trying to be a writer but struggling. She has written one book which so far has been rejected and now appears to have writer's block. She is encouraged by her writing group to do short stories to “clear the palette” and slowly begins to write long into the night after having a nightmare. For the last ten years she has been occasionally receiving black hearts with short rather threatening messages on them, she knows not from whom and hence the police can't do anything. Ten years ago, she and a friend were unwittingly caught up in a crime that happened to another close friend. Becca then discovers that local crimes are reflecting her work and the crime of the past. Could someone in the group be behind this and if so why?

This was a read that bloomed as I read it. A nice steady beginning and then the pace accelerated. There are lots of twists and turns which kept me wondering right the way through and I couldn't wait to find out as to who the perpetrator was and if my guess was correct (which switched a few times along the way- I was still wrong!). A brilliant premise, so very well executed. A thrilling, gripping read.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter (X) or Threads @nickisbookblog

----------------------------------------------------------

Book Description:

Her body was found close to the university. She was on her way home after a night out. Just like in the story I wrote…

Every Monday, I meet my writing group in a warm, lively bar to drink a glass of wine or two. It’s the highlight of my week. But now something terrible is happening.

At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal. My tires were slashed. A woman was hit by a car outside my apartment. Then, yesterday, someone was murdered. And all the details are copied from the stories we shared.

Am I going mad, or is someone in my group a killer?

I thought they were the only people I could trust, since what happened ten years ago. But now I’m terrified one of them knows the truth that lies buried in all my work—the secret I’ve tried so hard to hide. And they want to make me pay for it.

I have to know who’s bringing my stories to life… but will the answer cost me everything?

A completely unputdownable psychological thriller that will have you glued to the pages! If you like Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware and The Wife Between Us, then you’ll love The Writer.

Author Bio:

Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.

https://mirandasmithwriter.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MirandaSmithAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/mirandasmithwriter/

https://twitter.com/msmithbooks

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Miranda Smith here: https://www.bookouture.com/miranda-smith

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CS6QFGL9social

Bloodshed on the Boards by Judy Leigh

 

Bloodshed on the Boards by Judy Leigh- Crime/ Mystery

We are back in Cornwall with Morwenna and her friends. This is the second in the series but happily stands alone. There’s a play in town and when the unpopular director, owner and lead is killed on stage for real there are plenty of suspects, but there is one who knows Morwenna will be using her detective skills to discover the real perpetrator. The police have said it's a natural death from a heart attack but Morwenna is sure that there is more to it and the more she finds out the more someone is threatening her- but who?

This is one of those reads that you can happily sit by the fire and snuggle down with. One that puts the reader in the heart of the action and in Cornwall, and occasionally in the sea as Morwenna swims. There’s a great cast of characters who make you feel at home and mentions of scones and jam and toasted teacakes after a bracing swim. This is another of Judy’s wonderful reads that is more than thoroughly enjoyable. It's a cozy type mystery with family, drama and even a little romance thrown in, showing that you are never too old- for anything if you put your mind to it. A brilliantly entertaining read, I look forward to more in the series. 

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog

----------------------------------------------------------

Bloodshed on the Boards There is excitement in the air as the travelling theatre arrives in Seal Bay. When The Spriggan Travelling Theatre Company arrives in Seal Bay to perform a Cornish version of King Arthur the locals flock to be entertained. But for Morwenna Mutton, sexagenarian librarian, wild swimming enthusiast and amateur sleuth, the theatre brings intrigue too. Actor and director Daniel Kitto is not the most popular member of the cast and unbeknownst to him, his role of Uther Pendragon on the opening night is to be his swansong. In front of a horrified audience, he collapses during the dying moments of the performance in a pool of fake blood, and although the police are content that the causes of his death are natural, Morwenna isn’t so sure. And once it becomes clear that there are a number of people who stand to gain from Daniel’s death, Morwenna’s investigation takes a dangerous turn. If you love Miss Marple and The Thursday Murder Club, then you'll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries. Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/bloodshedboardssocial

Author Bio – Judy Leigh is the USA Today bestselling author of The Old Girls’ Network and Five French Hens and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset. Social Media Links – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judyleighuk Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudyLeighWriter Instagram: Judy Leigh (@judyrleigh) • Instagram photos and videos Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JudyLeighNews Bookbub profile: Judy Leigh Books - BookBub

My Perfect Marriage by AJ Campbell

 

My Perfect Marriafge by A.J. Campbell-psychological thriller

Ashleigh and her family are at the lavish birthday party of their friends Lucy and Lee’s daughter who is friends with their son. Lucy and Lee were childhood friends of Lucy’s husband Danny so when there is a noise and a shout, no one is more surprised than Ashleigh to find her husband holding a hammer, covered in blood and standing over a body. What on earth has happened? Danny wouldn't hurt anyone…. Would he?

OMG! A brilliantly written book that had me racing through it. It's incredibly well crafted, with short snappy chapters each one making the reader want more. There are umpteen twists and turns, each leading to different possible scenarios as to what happened and why. I felt for Ashleigh and her predicament and how she wants to protect her family. It’s an edge of your seat read, one that had my heart racing. Loved it.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog

-------------------------------

My Perfect Marriage: A completely addictive and unputdownable thriller with heart-racing twists

 

My husband is accused of killing my best friend. Can I trust anything he says?

It feels like all the air has been knocked out of me. My best friend is dead, killed at her own daughter’s birthday party. All I want to do is run into my husband’s loving arms. But he’s in handcuffs, covered in her blood. His voice quivers, almost sobbing as officers put him in the police car. ‘You don’t think I did this, do you? I was trying to save her.’

At first, I’m sure he couldn’t have done it. The man I love wouldn’t hurt anyone. But as I try to prove that he didn’t murder Lucy, secrets begin unravelling…

It starts with the messages between the two of them. Initially, they seem innocent enough. But the more I look, the more I become convinced they were having an affair. Then I find out about his divorce lawyer…

Suddenly my whole life feels like a lie. If he was hiding his plan to leave me for Lucy, can I believe his protests that he is innocent? And if he really did murder his lover, what else is he capable of?

An unputdownable thriller that will keep you up all night! This gripping read is perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Woman in the Window and Shari Lapena.

 

https://geni.us/B0CQP9HSLQsocial

 

AJ CAMPBELL is an Amazon bestselling author of six psychological suspense novels and promises stories full of twists, turns and torment. Her fourth book The Phone Call was released in July 2022, and it topped the Amazon charts for several months. It was shortlisted for the Adult Prize for Fiction at the Selfie Book Awards 2023. She released her fifth novel The Wrong Key in January 2023.

AJ draws inspiration for her stories from seemingly unbelievable situations in which ordinary people find themselves. She creates compelling characters that resonate with her readers. AJ lives in the UK on the Essex / Hertfordshire border with her husband, sons, and cocker spaniel, Max. She is a dog lover, Netflix junkie, and a wine and Asian food enthusiast. And, either reading, watching TV, or writing, AJ enjoys nothing more than getting stuck into a twisty story!

Thank you for visiting my Amazon author page. Click the 'follow' button to hear about my new releases. I love to chat with my readers, so please connect with me via the links below:

WEBSITE: www.ajcampbellauthor.com

EMAIL: aj@ajcampbellauthor.com

INSTAGRAM: ajcampbellauthor

FACEBOOK: ajcampbellauthor

The Day Shelley Wodehouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson

 

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson- Women's Fiction

Shelley wakes up to find herself in hospital, in intensive care so she knows things are fairly bad. No-one will talk to her about what happened and she asks if there have been any visitors as it transpires that she has been there a few days. As she begins to think about things she is taken back to her childhood and alternating chapters tell about Shelley growing up and about some of her past. There’s a shadow to both parts, something recurring which Shelley can't quite piece together as yet but as she does she starts to see a pattern. What really happened and will Shelley be able to remember?

I love Laura’s books. She has the fantastic skill of writing a character so that the reader quickly feels in on the story and invested in the person and situation they find themselves in. I had to stop several times and take a breath as it was poignant, reminding me of different times in my own life and feeling for Shelley in her situation. It's one of those books that I desperately wanted to find out what happened but at the same time didnt want it to end, it's so beautifully written. Laura is one of those very special authors, one whose books I would read without hesitation or even reading the synopsis. Stunning, brilliant and every other superlative. One of my books of the year. 

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog

----------------------------------------------------------

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up When Shelley Woodhouse wakes up in hospital from a coma, the first thing she says is that her husband must be arrested. He’s the reason she’s in here. She knows it. She remembers what he did. Clearly as anything. But there are things Shelley has forgotten too, including parts of her childhood. And as those start to come back to her, so do other memories. Ones with the power to change everything. But can she trust these new memories, or what anyone around her is telling her? And who is the mysterious hospital volunteer who brings her food and keeps making her smile? Is it possible to find your future when you're confused about your past. Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/shelleywoodhousesocial

Author Bio – Laura Pearson is the author of four novels. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a top ten bestseller in the US. Laura lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, their two children, and a cat who likes to lie on her keyboard while she tries to write. Social Media Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraPAuthor Twitter (20) Laura Pearson (@LauraPAuthor) / X (twitter.com) Instagram Laura Pearson (@laurapauthor) • Instagram photos and videos Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/LauraPearsonNews Bookbub profile: Laura Pearson Books - BookBub

AFTER I'M GONE by Clare Boyd

 

AFTER I'M GONE by Clare Boyd-psychological thriller

Emily is looking after her two nieces after her sister Charlotte was found dead in a locked bathroom, having fallen and hit her head fatally. She adores the girls but never wanted to be a parent herself. She thinks this is probably due to how her relationship with her mother was and still is, however Charlotte made her promise she would look after the girls if anything happened to her as she didn't trust anyone else. The girl's father left many years ago and now has a new family in Ireland. When she finds inconsistencies in what happened the night Charlotte died, she fears the girls may be hiding something from her. Can she find out the truth of what happened to her sister whilst still protecting her family?

Wow! I found myself happily turning and turning, ever wanting to find out more. I liked Emily and felt for her own heartbreak whilst trying to sort out those around her. Grief is a strange master and manifests in many ways in different people. This is sensitively very well written of how things can either fall apart or bond in the aftermath of such an event. A clever, well thought out twisty premise. A real page turner. 

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter (X) or Threads @nickisbookblog

-------------------------------

A grieving family. A sister’s promise. A secret that will tear them apart…

My husband Olly and I share a perfect life, our evenings spent curled in our candlelit flat talking about all the places we’ll travel. But my world is shattered with the news that my sister has died in a tragic accident, leaving her two girls, Hayleyand Mia, behind. The secret I’ve buried deep in my heart means I was never meant to be a mother – but I made a promise to my sister. I’m all the girls have now.

I give them everything – school on time in clean uniforms, our family’s favourite chocolate-laced chilli bubbling on the stove when they get home – but I never imagined being a mother would be this hard. Hayley and I used to be so close, but now she’s a ball of rage, screaming and lashing out wildly. Olly and I are reaching breaking point.

Then I find a Polaroid picture hidden in one of the girl’s rooms: Hayley is lying about the night her mother died.

I need to find the truth – before anyone else does. Even if it means digging up the secrets that have held this family together for years. Even if it means revealing my own…

But when I do, will there by anything left of this fragile family to save?

A totally gripping and heart-wrenching story about keeping promises and dark secrets – and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love. Readers of Amanda Prowse, Jojo Moyes and Diane Chamberlain won’t want to miss this stunning page-turner.

Nowhere to Hide by Keri Beevis

 

Nowhere To Hide by Keri Beevis - Psychological Thriller

Callie has allegedly died, her belongings were found but not a body. At least that's what her former partner Duncan is meant to think. In reality she has moved and gone to live with some old friends in Norfolk. Duncan is a celebrity and to begin with Callie couldn't believe that he was interested in her. She has gone from a confident young woman to one who questions every move she makes. Duncan was very controlling and punished her for any wrong move- from violence to shutting her away for hours on end and worse. Alternating chapters tell of her life with Duncan and since the escape. When she hears noises around the cottage she is terrified that Duncan could have found her. Can she stay hidden and more to the point stay safe?

Ooh! This is another cracker of a read from Keri. There’s a palpable tension between the pages which grew the further I got into the book. It is unsettling in parts, but maybe few realise that this type of thing does happen in real life and books like this raise awareness of both domestic abuse and coercive control. A brilliant plot that kept me enthralled all the way through. Clever, calculated and chilling. One to keep you up all night reading. 

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog

------------------------------------

Nowhere To Hide

Passion, obsession, cruelty, control. There is no limit to how far some people will go for love. Duncan Stone is one of the country's most eligible and handsome bachelors, and he wants to take me, Callie Parker, on a date. At first I am surprised and flattered, the envy of my friends. Then when our whirlwind romance escalates and he asks me to move in with him, it's like a dream come true. But as I get to really know my new boyfriend, my fairytale turns into a nightmare. Duncan is no Prince Charming. He is the Devil. Isolated from my friends and family, watched day and night, a prisoner in my own life, I know if I am going to survive, I need to escape. When a chance encounter with an old friend throws me a lifeline, I realise this is my live or die moment, and I find a hiding place deep in the Norfolk countryside. I'm supposed to feel safe here, so why do I hear footsteps outside my hideaway late at night, and sense that someone is watching me? Is it paranoia, or has Duncan managed to find me? Or perhaps the danger is closer to home than I realise. Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/nowheretohidesocial

Author Bio –

Keri Beevis is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and romantic suspense mysteries, including the very successful Dying to Tell, published by Bloodhound. She sets many of her books in the county of Norfolk, where she was born and still lives and which provides much of her inspiration.

Social Media Links – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allaboutbeev Twitter: https://twitter.com/keribeevis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keri.beevis/ Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KeriBeevisnews Bookbub profile: Keri Beevis Books - BookBub