Top Ten Reads for 2020 @william1shaw @ameranwar @Rod_WR @crimethrillgirl @richardosman @willrdean @MandaJJennings @AnyaLipska @WhittyAuthor @elisabeth04liz

Oh boy, what a year! There’s been more trauma and action in this year than in a crime novel! The one thing that’s helped me get through is reading. I haven’t done as many blog tours this year and next year it will be even fewer. Two of my own novels will be published in 2021 and I hope to bring you details about my debut soon. But I will continue to read! I’ve read some wonderful books that were first published last year so I can’t include them in my top ten. First up is Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession. This is such a wonderful book and if you’re looking for a heart-warming read this Christmas then this is perfect. You can read my review here. If you can cope with a more traumatic story then The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri is superb. You can read my review here. Intensity and passion run through Mine by Clare Empson and you can read my review here.

Moving onto published books from 2020! It’s been another great year for novels but also frustrating. Some books have been pushed back until 2021 while others have made it out into the world but not with the fanfare they deserve. Cancellation of book launches and literary festivals has been hard for the party-loving Crime writers and bloggers. So giving an online shout-out is more important than ever. It’s been a difficult choice, as ever, but here are the first seven of my top ten reads in no particular order.

Grave’s End by William Shaw

William Shaw has been a steadfast feature in my top ten reads over a few years now. The problem is that he writes such fabulous books with my favourite female police detective – DS Alex Cupidi. In Grave’s End though she is upstaged by a very unusual narrator. You’ll need to read my review to find out more.

 

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club achieved something that no other crime book has done this year – it made me laugh, a lot! It’s a wondrous cosy crime mystery and more are planned! Here’s my review.  

 

The Storm by Amanda Jennings.

This brooding and intense novel deals with the theme of coercive control against the backdrop of Cornwall and is sensitively written. Read my review here.

 

Black River by Will Dean

We move north to Sweden for my next top ten read but thankfully it’s summer in Black River. Will Dean has brought Tuva Moodyson back to Gavrik to find her best friend, Tammy, who’s gone missing. Here’s my review.

 

Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb

Lori Anderson is back and reunited with JT. They’re coerced into doing a job for the FBI and what ensues is one of the best locked room mysteries I’ve ever read. Here are my thoughts.

 

Back to the UK for the next two and in particular, London.

Blood Red City by Rod Reynolds

I absolutely loved Rod Reynolds’ Charlie Yates series set in 1940s USA. But in Blood Red City, Rod has moved into the 21st century and London. His characters Lydia Wright and Michael Stringer make full use of public transport as they investigate a possible murder. To find out more, here’s my review.

 

Stone Cold Trouble by Amer Anwar

 

Zaq and Jags are back and it’s not long before trouble finds them again in Southall, this time in the form of a stolen necklace. This is a fast paced book and no one writes fight scenes as well as Amer. Read my review here.

So now we’ve reached the top three. Coming in third is…

 

Body Language by AK Turner

Cassie Raven is the new girl on the block in forensic crime novels but what a character! As a mortuary technician, she deals with what appear to be mundane cases. However, Cassie has a unique gift that reveals to her how someone may have died. It’s brilliantly written and I hope we hear more of Cassie in the future. Here’s my review.

 

In second place…

 

The Lost Lights of St. Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford

I don’t always read crime and my favourite non-crime novel this year is The Lost Lights of St. Kilda. It’s historical and romantic with a touch of thriller. It’s beautifully written with exquisite descriptions of the setting and the way of life for the inhabitants of St. Kilda. It is simply glorious. Here are more of my thoughts.

 

And so to my top read of 2020. There’s no surprise here really as I’ve been shouting about my love for this book for months now.

 

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

A sweeping, American saga with the best teenage character you will ever read. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you won’t want it to end. It is extraordinary. Here’s my full review.

There you go, that’s my top ten reads of 2020. If you want to buy any of them then, if possible, please consider using uk.bookshop.org as they’re helping to raise funds for independent bookshops. But of course, other options are available.

All I have left to say is that I really hope you’re able to have a good Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year!

December First Monday Crime – The Open House by Sam Carrington @sam_carrington1 @1stMondayCrime @AvonBooksUK @SJIHolliday @AnyaLipska @deborah_masson

The fourth author on our December panel is Sam Carrington. Sam will be joining us from her home in Devon. The Open House is Sam’s sixth book and will be published on the 10th December. Before I give you my review, here’s the blurb.

The Blurb

Everyone’s welcome. But not everyone leaves…

Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their Devon family home. But despite the desirable location, the house isn’t moving. Not a single viewing so far.
 
When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber agrees, even as she worries about their gossiping neighbours attending and snooping around their home.
 
But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people enter her house that afternoon, and only twelve leave.
 
Someone doesn’t want the house to sell, and is willing to do anything to stop it…

My Review

Moving house is supposed to be one of the most challenging and stressful tasks you can undertake. But before you even move, you may have a property to sell. After splitting from her husband, Amber Miller is facing that problem and it appears no one wants to buy her house despite the best efforts of her estate agent. In desperation she agrees to hold an open house where several prospective buyers wander round the property. Watching on her smart doorbell app, she counts thirteen people in but only twelve out. At least she thinks so. As strange things start to happen in the house, Amber wonders if maybe she hadn’t miscounted after all. As much as she wants to sell her home, Amber’s not going to be forced out of it and begins to investigate.

Sam Carrington has done what she does best and takes an ordinary situation to a whole new dimension. Having strangers look at your house is bad enough but thinking they might still be there is beyond weird. I was starting to feel as creeped out and paranoid as Amber was.

The story is told by three people – Amber, her mother-in-law, Barb and a mystery narrator. As much as Amber wants to leave, Barb is doing her best to make sure Amber and the grandchildren stay in what had previously been her house. And the mystery narrator? Well that person is seeking the truth, regardless of the cost.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this book and the tension steadily builds. As I was reading I had a few ideas about it all and one of them was partially right. The ending still took me by surprise though.

Overall this is another fantastic psychological thriller by Sam Carrington.

You can pre order The Open House here. Or buy from your local bookshop from the 10th December.

Don’t forget to join us on Monday 7th December at 7.30pm GMT on our Facebook page when I’ll be chatting to Sam Carrington, Deborah Masson, Susi Holliday and A.K. Turner.

 

The Author

Sam Carrington lives in Devon with her husband, two border terriers and a cat. She has three adult children and a new grandson! She worked for the NHS for fifteen years, during which time she qualified as a nurse. Following the completion of a psychology degree she went to work for the prison service as an Offending Behaviour Programme Facilitator. Her experiences within this field inspired her writing. She left the service to spend time with her family and to follow her dream of being a novelist.

SAVING SOPHIE, her debut psychological thriller, published in September 2016. It became a Kindle eBook bestseller, with the paperback hitting The Bookseller Heatseeker chart at #8. Sam was named an Amazon Rising Star of 2016. Her second psychological thriller, BAD SISTER, published in 2017 followed by ONE LITTLE LIE in July 2018. THE MISSING WIFE published in June 2019 and her fifth, I DARE YOU published on 12th December. Sam’s sixth psychological thriller THE OPEN HOUSE will be publishing in December 2020.

You can find out about Sam’s novels, upcoming events and book news at samcarringtonauthor.com

December First Monday Crime – Out for Blood by Deborah Masson @deborah_masson @1stMondayCrime @TransworldBooks @SJIHolliday @sam_carrington1 @AnyaLipska

As much as I miss our live First Monday Crime panels, being online does offer one advantage. Our authors don’t have to travel to London which makes it easier for those further afield. So we’re very excited to have award-winning author, Deborah Masson, join us from her home in Aberdeen. Deborah won the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2020 for Hold Your Tongue, featuring DI Eve Hunter. Out for Blood is the next book in the series. Before I share my review, here’s the blurb.

The Blurb

A young man, the son of an influential businessman, is discovered dead in his central Aberdeen apartment.

Hours later, a teenaged girl with no identification is found hanged in a suspected suicide.

As DI Eve Hunter and her team investigate the two cases, they find themselves in a tug-of-war between privilege and poverty; between the elite and those on the fringes of society.

Then an unexpected breakthrough leads them to the shocking conclusion: that those in power have been at the top for too long – and now, someone is going to desperate lengths to bring them down…

Can they stop someone who is dead set on revenge, no matter the cost?

My Review

I absolutely loved Deborah’s debut, Hold Your Tongue. DI Eve Hunter is back with her team (DS Mark Cooper, DC Scott Ferguson and DC Jo Mearns) in Out for Blood, investigating two incidents in Aberdeen. One is the murder of a young man, the other an apparent suicide of a young woman. It isn’t long though before the pathologist discovers that the young woman was actually murdered.

Masson explores the horrific nature of the sex trafficking trade. She does so with a keen sense of justice. Born as a consequence of rape, DI Eve Hunter is the perfect police officer to take this on board. She’s a powerful voice for female victims of crime.

The young man comes from a wealthy family but Eve and her team treat all victims the same. It doesn’t matter how much power and wealth is put in her way, she’s willing to knock it down and ruffle feathers to get to the truth.

Having read the first book I settled into this story quickly. There’s great camaraderie between Hunter and her officers and they’re a more cohesive team this time round. The viewpoint switches between them which is useful with two cases to investigate. There are other intriguing characters that we hear from but I’m not going to say too much about them. The plot moves at a fast pace and there’s great energy throughout the story. Not once did it sag.

The location of Aberdeen is put to good use once more as Eve and her team move from the highest of society to the lowest of the low. Although who is ‘high’ and who is ‘low’ isn’t always easy to tell.

I don’t know if this was a ‘tricky’ second book for Deborah Masson to write but it was an absolute delight to read. I can see this series running for quite some time as we’re beginning to discover more about the officers. And I’m really hoping that a TV company will option this brilliant series soon.

You can buy the e-book and pre order the paperback (out on the 10th Dec) here. Or support your local bookshop and buy from them.

Deborah will be telling us more about DI Eve Hunter on Monday 7th December on our Facebook page at 7.30pm GMT. All you have to do to join us is like our page and then tune in. Susi Holliday, Sam Carrington and A.K. Turner will be with us too.

The Author

Deborah Masson was born and bred in Aberdeen, Scotland. Always restless and fighting against being a responsible adult, she worked in several jobs including secretarial, marketing, reporting for the city’s freebie newspaper and a stint as a postie – to name but a few.

Through it all, she always read crime fiction and, when motherhood finally settled her into being an adult (maybe even a responsible one) she turned her hand to writing what she loved. Deborah started with short stories and flash fiction whilst her daughter napped and, when she later welcomed her son into the world, she decided to challenge her writing further through online courses with Professional Writing Academy and Faber Academy. Her debut novel, Hold Your Tongue, is the result of those courses.

December First Monday Crime – The Last Resort by Susi Holliday @SJIHolliday @1stMondayCrime @AnyaLipska @sam_carrington1 @deborah_masson

We’re thrilled that Susi Holliday will be joining us for our December panel on Monday 7th December at 7.30pm GMT along with A.K. Turner, Sam Carrington and Deborah Masson. We’ll be live streaming to our Facebook page. Before I share my review, here’s the blurb.

The Blurb

Seven strangers. Seven secrets. One perfect crime.

When Amelia is invited to an all-expenses-paid retreat on a private island, the mysterious offer is too good to refuse. Along with six other strangers, she’s told they’re here to test a brand-new product for Timeo Technologies. But the guests’ excitement soon turns to terror when the real reason for their summons becomes clear.

Each guest has a guilty secret. And when they’re all forced to wear a memory-tracking device that reveals their dark and shameful deeds to their fellow guests, there’s no hiding from the past. This is no luxury retreat—it’s a trap they can’t get out of.

As the clock counts down to the lavish end-of-day party they’ve been promised, injuries and in-fighting split the group. But with no escape from the island—or the other guests’ most shocking secrets—Amelia begins to suspect that her only hope for survival is to be the last one standing. Can she confront her own dark past to uncover the truth—before it’s too late to get out?

My Review

There are many reality TV programmes now featuring people (famous and non-famous) going to islands for challenges, adventures and if they’re lucky, a bit of luxury. So if you were to receive an invitation saying you’d be chosen to scout out a new resort with a twist, it might seem plausible, especially if the invite plays to your skillset, your job or just your ego.

Amelia is a caring and compassionate young woman. She’s an aid worker and has dedicated her life to helping others. She’s not entirely sure why she’s been invited to try out this new resort but suspects it may have something to do with having a cool head in the middle of a crisis. The others on the trip seem more likely candidates to Amelia. Brenda is a hedge fund manager, Lucy a journalist, Scott a health advisor, James a photographer, Giles a gamer and his girlfriend Tiggy, a social media influencer. A very unlikely bunch of people but they all have skills and influence that would benefit the resort. But if they’re going to survive they’ll have to work together. Because this isn’t a luxury resort but a place of fear.

I’ve read all of Susi Holliday’s books and what impresses me most is her versatility. She’s gone from a police detective to ghost stories to a killer train journey. In The Last Resort, she focuses on technology. If this book had been written thirty years ago it might have been considered sci-fi. Technology has moved on so fast now that this story feels like the very near future. It’s a tense read as the tech does it’s best to split the group as they endure the terrors of the island.

As well as the fascinating insight into technology, we find out more about the guests, their greatest fears and the secrets they’re hiding. I’m not going to say what those things are but it’s interesting to see how Susi’s characters justify their actions to assuage their own guilt.

The Last Resort takes place in one day. It’s an intense, dramatic countdown to the evening where the participants will receive their just deserts for taking part. And I don’t mean eclairs. I was gripped from the beginning and had literally no idea how it was going to end. I wasn’t disappointed. So if you’re invited to attend a luxury resort that involves testing some new technology, unless it’s The Gadget Show, run for the hills!

You can buy The Last Resort here.

 

The Author

Susi (S.J.I.) Holliday grew up in East Lothian, Scotland. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize. She lives in London (except when she’s in Edinburgh) and she loves to travel the world.

Her serial killer thriller “The Deaths of December”, featuring Detective Sergeant Eddie Carmine and Detective Constable Becky Greene was a festive hit in 2017.

Her next two releases, “The Last Resort” and “Substitute” are due out from Thomas & Mercer late 2020 and summer 2021 – both of these books are suspense thrillers with a technological element (a blend of Black Mirror, Tales of the Unexpected and The Twilight Zone).

Writing as SJI Holliday, she also has three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: “Black Wood”, “Willow Walk” and “The Damselfly” – all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray.

Also as SJI Holliday, her spooky mystery “The Lingering” was released in September 2018, followed by “Violet” – a psychological thriller set on the Trans-Siberian Express – in September 2019. “Violet” has been optioned for film.

You can find out more at her website: http://www.sjiholliday.com and on Facebook and Twitter @SJIHolliday. Sign-up for updates and giveaways here: http://eepurl.com/beHpez