Thank lord for that – what a hellish week that was. Work, for one thing, but mostly because of the weather. Being British, I know we should never curse good weather, but there is good and then there is the fiery pits of hell, and I’m pretty sure we’ve spent this past week experiencing the latter. Heat I can do – it’s the humidity that kills me. But then we should probably be thankful, as there are far worse events happening around the world right now. A couple of uncomfortable nights sleep is a small price to pay in the grand scheme of things. And I got more reading done so …

Good week book wise. Two orders delivered – The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly which I received from No Alibi’s Bookshop in Belfast and The Turnglass by Gareth Rubin (signed edition) from The Portobello Bookshop.

A few older titles ordered in hardback as well – The Devil’s Playground by Craig Russell; Force of Hate by Graham Bartlett; and a new pre-order as the publisher suckered me in with a foil hardcover – The Watch Maker’s Hand by Jeffery Deaver (23 November). One new NetGalley book – The First 48 Hours by Simon Kernick (09 November).

I must also say thank you to HarperCollins for sending a copy of Anna O by Matthew Blake which I won for completing a Readers Room survey. It’s out 01 Feb 2024.

Amazingly, that’s my lot for this week. I know – I can’t believe it either!

Books I have read

Jackdaw by Daniel Cole (10 Oct)

From the Sunday Times and international bestselling author of Ragdoll, comes a heart-in-your-mouth unputdownable thriller that will keep you up all night!

Daughter of a notorious murderer herself, Detective Scarlett Delaneyhasn’t been on the force for long when she finds herself heading up a mystifying new case. With three seemingly impossible murders to date, leaving each of the victims with calling-card scratches, the killer known only as “Jackdaw” feels untouchable… uncatchable, always claiming a shiny keepsake before disappearing into thin air.

That is until Scarlett encounters Henry Devlin, a charismatic but dangerous criminal with his own reasons for pursuing the Jackdaw. Together, they form an uneasy alliance, but as they get closer to their prey, the threat surrounding Scarlett intensifies – from the growing suspicions of her partner on the force, Henry’s ruthlessly efficient employers… and, most terrifyingly, from the very monster that she is so desperately chasing…

The Man Who Didn’t Burn by Ian Moore (12 Oct)

When an English expat is brutally murdered, his charred corpse left on a Loire Valley hillside, the police turn to juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard to find the perpetrator.

Instead, Lombard discovers a wealth of secrets, grudges and feuds in the idyllic town of Saint-Genèse-sur-Loire. He begins to suspect that the remaining members of the Comité des Fêtes know more about the death than they are letting on.

But rather than towards an arrest, each clue he uncovers seems to point in one, unexpected direction: Joan of Arc. Is the answer to the murder hiding in the barroom gossip of the Lion d’Or? Or in another century altogether?

The thrilling new crime series from The Times-bestselling author of Death and Croissants

Wish You Were Dead by Peter James

Wish You Were Dead is a Quick Read short story from bestselling author Peter James.

Roy Grace and his family have left Sussex behind for a week’s holiday in France. The website promised a grand house, but when they arrive the place is very different from the pictures. And it soon becomes clear that their holiday nightmare is only just beginning.

An old enemy of Roy, a lowlife criminal he had put behind bars, is now out of jail – and out for revenge. He knows where Roy and his family have gone on holiday. Of course he does. He’s been hacking their emails – and they are in the perfect spot for him to pay Roy back . . .

Past Lying by Val McDermid (12 Oct)

Edinburgh, haunted by the ghosts of its many writers, is also the cold case beat of DCI Karen Pirie. So she shouldn’t be surprised when an author’s manuscript appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime.

Karen can’t ignore the plot’s chilling similarities to the unsolved case of an Edinburgh University student who vanished from her own doorstep. The manuscript seems to be the key to unlocking what happened to Lara Hardie, but there’s a problem: the author died before he finished it.

As Karen digs deeper, she uncovers a spiralling game of betrayal and revenge, where lies are indistinguishable from the truth and with more than one unexpected twist . . .

The Queen of Crime Val McDermid is at the top of her game in her most gripping and fiendishly clever case yet.

I’m pretty happy with that. I have completed a BETA read this weekend too, got all of my reviews up to date, and been dipping into a short story anthology to run alongside my book-book reads for when I’m in bed with the light off, so that’s pretty productive, don’t you think?

A solid week on the blog – recap below:

#Review – The Devil Stone – Caro Ramsay
#Review – Cleaner – Brandi Wells
#Press Release – Bloody Scotland reveals McIlvanney Prize Finalists
#Review – Ruin Beach – Kate Rhodes
#Review – Trust In Me – Luca Veste
#Review – Murder at the Residence – Stella Blómkvist

The week ahead is paved with reviews. I’m super busy at work and have plans for next weekend too (IYKYK) so not sure how the reading will go, but we’ll see. Three blog tours this week – The Traitor by Ava Glass (14 Sept) tomorrow; The Murmurs by Michael J Malone (14 Sept) on Wednesday; and The Short Straw by Holly Seddon (14 Sept – very popular day that) on Friday – so it’s nice to have a quiet start to the week for a change.

That’s me all done for this week. Hope you all have a cooler, and bookishly productive week. See you next time.

Jen x