I’ve been useless at blogging over the last year and written very few reviews. I’m going to try and do better in 2023 but there are no guarantees! However, I’m going to kick off by sharing my thoughts on my Christmas reads.
Murder at the Christmas Carols by Izzie Harper (aka Vicky Newham)
The Blurb
A dead carol singer. Three women sleuths. Not your average village Christmas.
All Ellie Blix wants is to make it to New Year without any more disasters. She’s juggling jobs and looking after a sick daughter. Then her mother-in-law moves in and won’t stop interfering.
It’s the week before Christmas in the snowy village of Lower Wootton. When Andrea Burdett, Ellie’s estranged schoolfriend, collapses at the village carols, it quickly becomes clear she’s been murdered. Feeling guilty about the recent row she and Andrea had, and under suspicion herself, Ellie teams up with her daughter and mother-in-law to follow the clues and solve the mystery – much to the annoyance of Ellie’s detective inspector ex-husband.
Then a second villager is found dead. Can the three Blix women find the killer and return the community to safety?
My Review
This is a brand-new cosy crime series set in Kent. Ellie Blix runs her own cleaning company in Lower Wotton (a fictional village). When an estranged friend dies suddenly before Ellie’s eyes, she feels compelled to find out why. With help from her daughter, Zoe, and her mother-in-law, Sylvia, the three women use their connections in the village to get some answers.
This was a delightful, light crime read that was just perfect to read at Christmas. I loved the characters of Ellie, Zoe and Sylvia. Izzie Harper has created the right balance between them of love and irritation – in other words, a normal family! The plot was interesting and had an unusual twist that I hadn’t seen coming. I believe there is more to come from the Blix women and I look forward to reading them.
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
The Blurb
It is an ordinary Thursday and things should finally be returning to normal.
Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers.
Then, a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill . . . or be killed.
As the cold case turns white hot, Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), while Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim chase down clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?
My Review
Book three in the Thursday Murder Club series and Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim are like old friends now. It’s easy to slip back into their company. The supporting cast of Donna, Chris and Bogdan are back too, along with another cold case murder to investigate. This one is unusual though, as the body was never discovered. Elizabeth finds she’s in danger now and has to confront a person from her past.
The two threads interweave making a great storyline. Joyce is my favourite character and it’s clear she’s learning a lot from Elizabeth, judging by some of the things she gets up to in the book. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist as it hadn’t crossed my mind at all. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next book as there are a few things left unanswered.
The Mother by T.M. Logan
The Blurb
Framed for murder. Now she’s free . . .
A woman attends a funeral, standing in the shadows and watching in agony as her sons grieve. But she is unable to comfort them – or reveal her secret.
A decade earlier, Heather gets her children ready for bed and awaits the return of her husband Liam, little realising that this is the last night they will spend together as a family. Because tomorrow she will be accused of Liam’s murder.
Ten years ago Heather lost everything. Now she will stop at nothing to clear her name – and to get her children back . . .
My Review
It’s a long time since I read a book in twenty-four hours but I couldn’t put this down. Normally, Logan starts with an ordinary family and then something bad happens to them. In The Mother, we start the other way round with a shattered family. Heather is released on parole after serving ten years in prison for the murder of her husband. Her two sons have been raised by their paternal grandparents. Her parole conditions mean that she’s not allowed contact with her family, nor anyone connected to the case. But Heather is innocent and is going to do whatever it takes to prove it.
This is written in first person from Heather’s viewpoint. I found it to be completely immersive, as though I was right there next to Heather. I felt all her emotions as she tried to adjust to life outside of prison and attempted to clear her name. The pace is quick and Logan builds in the right amount of paranoia and distrust. Once more (I’m clearly losing my touch), I hadn’t guessed the twist and I thought it worked extremely well. I think this is T.M. Logan’s best book to date and I really hope Channel 5 option this one to televise.
Murder at the Christmas Carols and The Bullet That Missed are available to buy now. The Mother will be published on March 2nd but can be pre ordered. Just click on the links below.
Murder at the Christmas Carols
joykluver 