Published 26-31 October 2022

I've expanded on my monthly listing. Here are 21 books published between 26 and 31 October 2022.

Blurbs and covers taken from Amazon.

Atkinson, Heather - The Cursed Heir #2 The Alardyce Trilogy 

Edinburgh 1896. At Alardyce House, the family are gathered to celebrate the engagement of the heir to the estate, Robert, to his childhood sweetheart. But what should be a precious memory for his mother Amy, is marred by darkness. For Robert’s biological father was a demon and a criminal, and now Robert is coming-of-age, disturbing reports are beginning to emerge about his behaviour.

Amy is torn between her love and loyalty to her son, her hope that she can save his soul, and her growing sense of dread that the streets of Edinburgh aren’t safe when Robert is in town. Meanwhile the increasing distance between Robert and his stepfather Henry threatens the peace of her loving marriage.

The Alardyce family is riven by secrets and scandal, but will this most cursed heir of all, be the one to ruin their reputation forever, or can the power of a mother’s love save them all?

Beaton, M C (with R W Green) - Agatha Raisin: Devil's Delight  #33 Agatha Raisin, Retired PR person, Cotswolds

 

Agatha and her assistant, Toni, are driving to their friend Bill Wong's wedding, thinking of nothing more than what the beautiful bride will be wearing when a terrified young man comes running down the country lane towards them wearing. . . nothing at all.

The encounter leads them to become embroiled with a naturist group, a disappearing corpse, fantasy games, witchcraft, an ice cream empire, intrigue and murder. In the meantime, Agatha's hectic life swirls along at dizzying pace, her private detective agency as busy as ever and her private affairs in turmoil - old loves to contend with and a new suitor on the scene.

Then she finds herself in deadly danger when she begins to close in on a suspected murderer and the sinister nature of the ice cream business leads her to a chilling conclusion. 

Brittany, Amanda - I'm Watching You

 

Quarry Lake. Twelve years ago. Three young women are attacked, all with long, dark hair. The attacker wears a yellow hi-vis jacket.

One is murdered.
One is left in a coma.
One escapes.

A small town lives in fear.

It’s Riona’s last summer before heading to university. One reckless night, she lets her two friends persuade her to spend the evening at Quarry Lake, drinking cider, sharing secrets, planning their futures.

They hear a scream and a splash. They’re scared but they feel they have to go and see what it is. But a sudden noise frightens them, and they run off.

NOW, Riona is back in her hometown, facing thirty with some of her dreams still intact.

They never did catch the Quarry Lake killer.

But one day Riona glimpses a mysterious figure in a hi-vis jacket. Staring intensely at her.

A note is shoved through her letterbox: I’m watching you.

Is the past coming back to threaten her? Is the killer back?

 

Broadfoot, Neil - Violent Ends #5 Connor Fraser, Stirling 

 

Having the wrong client can be murder...

The voice was smooth, cultured, almost tender as it oozed from the phone into Connor Fraser's ear. "I've heard about you, Mr Fraser, and I'm very impressed by your work. So I've decided to employ you. I am going to kill Father John Donnelly sometime in the next seven days. And you are going to stop me - or die trying. If you check your account, you'll see I've deposited £70,000. And, just to be fair, I'll give you an hour, starting now, to find Father Donnelly before the games begin. Refuse my offer, and someone you love will die. Good hunting, to both of us."

The thought it's a sick joke lasts for as long as it takes Connor to find that £70,000 has been deposited into his PayPal account, and for him to receive an email with a picture of his grandmother. With no choice but to make a deal with the devil, Connor races to unmask a killer before he strikes and uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades, threatening the people closest to him.

Buchanan, Tracy - Secrets Between Friends

The old house hides her darkest secret―and there’s no running away this time…

Twenty years ago, Liz left Easthaven to escape the memory of one tragic night at Lakewell Manor. Only she and her best friend Tamsin saw what really happened, and in the aftermath they drifted apart. Now she’s forced back after a nasty divorce, with two daughters in tow, the shadows of that terrible night lurking on every corner. With a custody battle looming, she’s one wrong move away from her life falling apart completely.

So when news arrives that Tamsin, too, is returning to Easthaven, Liz fears their reunion will bring the awful truth spilling out into the open. But when she finally meets Tamsin, now mistress of the clifftop house whose locked gates have guarded the friends’ secret all these years, she’s in for a surprise. Tamsin looks different, and she doesn’t remember Liz, let alone what happened that night…

Something is clearly wrong. But confronting Tamsin means reliving the nightmare Liz has been running from for twenty years. Can she risk exposing what happened that night, knowing that the truth will destroy everything?

Cambridge, Colleen - A Trace of Poison #2 Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to Agatha Christie

 

In England’s stately manor houses, murder is not generally a topic for polite conversation. Mallowan Hall, home to Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, is the exception. And housekeeper Phyllida Bright delights in discussing gory plot details with her friend and employer . . .
 
The neighboring village of Listleigh has also become a hub of grisly goings-on, thanks to a Murder Fête organized to benefit a local orphanage. Members of The Detection Club—a group of celebrated authors such as G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha herself—will congregate for charitable events, including a writing contest for aspiring authors. The winner gets an international publishing contract, and entrants have gathered for a cocktail party—managed by the inimitable Phyllida—when murder strikes too close even for her comfort.
 
It seems the victim imbibed a poisoned cocktail intended for Alastair Whittlesby, president of the local writers’ club. The insufferable Whittlesby is thought to be a shoo-in for the prize, and ambition is certainly a worthy motive. But narrowing down these suspects could leave even Phyllida’s favorite fictional detective, M. Poirot, twirling his moustache in frustration.
 
It’s a mystery too intriguing for Phyllida to resist, but one fraught with duplicity and danger, for every guest is an expert in murder—and how to get away with it . . .
 

 

Child Lee & Andrew -  No Plan B #27 Jack Reacher, ex MP, USA 

 

When your name is Jack Reacher, the truth is always worth doing time for.

Gerrardsville, Colorado. One tragic event. Two witnesses. Two conflicting accounts. One witness sees a woman throw herself in front of a bus - clearly suicide. The other witness is Jack Reacher. And he sees what really happened - a man in grey hoodie and jeans, swift and silent as a shadow, pushing the victim to her death, before grabbing her bag and sauntering away.

Reacher follows the killer, not knowing that this was no random act of violence. It is part of something much bigger...a sinister, secret conspiracy, with powerful people on the take, enmeshed in an elaborate plot that leaves no room for error. If any step is compromised, the threat will have to be quickly and permanently removed.

Because when the threat is Reacher, there is No Plan B...
 

Dalgliesh, J M - Angel of Death #12 Tom Janssen, Norfolk

 

 An innocent man has everything to fear...

When the partial remains of a young woman are unearthed during a violent storm, it falls to DI Tom Janssen and his team to discover her identity and what brought her there.

A man is released from prison having been the apparent victim of a miscarriage of justice and returns home to rural Norfolk. Questions are being asked, not only of the police and their flawed investigation, but also of the man himself. A loner, strange and disinterested, is he truly innocent? Convicted without a body, if he didn't commit the murder he was sent to jail for, then where is she? Has a guilty man managed to evade justice and get away with murder or has a killer been hiding within the community all along?

Tensions are running high among the locals, people are split, with some threatening to take justice into their own hands. Old wounds, still to fully heal, are reopened and everyone wants resolution. But will Tom and his team be able to offer it, or will the investigation reveal dark secrets, long harboured, that will tear families apart?

 

Giuliani, C P -  A Treasonous Path #2 Tom Walsingham 

 

When one deadly plot is foiled, another begins…

England, 1583

Tom Walsingham is back in London, being groomed for intelligence work by his spymaster cousin, Sir Francis.

An anonymous informer has started sending letters from the French ambassador’s residence, claiming to have bribed the man’s secretary to pass on information.

The informer has discovered messages between the French and Mary, Queen of Scots, which could harm the English Queen Elizabeth.

When someone who works for the French Ambassador is killed in suspicious circumstances, Sir Francis sends Tom to investigate the matter – and to uncover the identity of the informer.

Tom must find a way into the French Ambassador’s good graces and make friends within his retinue without giving himself away.

And as the news from Scotland grow more and more alarming, it becomes imperative that Tom unveils the identity of the secret informer and exposes the intrigues at play.

Can Tom unravel the mystery and protect the Queen? Will he unmask the killer?

Or could he find himself the target of a deadly plot…?

Gray, Lisa - The Dark Room

Ex–crime reporter Leonard Blaylock spends his days on an unusual hobby, developing strangers’ forgotten and discarded rolls of film. He loves the small mysteries the photographs reveal to him. Then Leonard finds something no one would ever expect, or want, to see captured on film―the murder of a young woman.

But that’s impossible, because the woman is already dead. Leonard was there when it happened five years earlier.

He has never been able to shake his guilt from that terrible night. It cost Leonard everything: his career, his fiancée, his future. But if the woman didn’t really die, then what actually happened?

Hill, Reginald - Dalziel and Pascoe Hunt the Christmas Killer & Other Stories 

 

A Christmassy crime collection – the perfect gift this winter!

A vicar nailed to a tree in Yorkshire.
The theft of a priceless artefact during a fire.
A detective forced to tell the truth for 24 hours.
A body hidden in a basement.

From the restless streets of London to the wilds of the Lake District, displaying all his trademark humour, playfulness and clever plotting, this landmark collection brings together the very best of Reginald Hill’s short stories for the first time, complete with a foreword from Val McDermid.

 

Lawler, Liz - The Nurse's Secret 

My husband has been murdered. Everyone thinks I did it. Now I have to prove my innocence but I can’t tell the truth. Because then I’d have to confess who I really am…

My name is Sarah Shaw. I’m a nurse. I’m working at the hospital on my usual night shift when I receive an urgent call from the nurse’s station. As I rush down the brightly lit corridor I see two police officers. And I know it’s terrible news…

The words blur together as the officer standing in front of me tells me that my husband William is dead.

We were only married for a few short months. Our life together hadn’t even started. Now I’m thirty years old and a widow.

As the investigation begins, all eyes are on me: the young wife.

Even if it would clear my name, I can’t tell them the truth about my shocking past. But when a young nurse is killed, it’s a clear warning. My life is in danger too…

Lloyd, Robert J - The Poison Machine #2 Hunt and Hooke, C17

 

1679. A year has passed since the sensational attempt to murder King Charles II. Harry Hunt - estranged from his mentor Robert Hooke and no longer employed by the Royal Society - meets Sir Jonas Moore, the King s Surveyor-General of the Board of Ordnance, in the remote and windswept marshes of Norfolk. There, workers draining the fenland have uncovered a skeleton. Accompanied by his friend Colonel Fields, an old soldier for Parliament, and Hooke's niece, Grace, Harry confirms Sir Jonas's suspicion: the body is that of a dwarf, Captain Jeffrey Hudson, once famously given to Queen Henrietta Maria in a pie.

During the Civil Wars, Hudson accompanied the Queen to France to sell the Royal Jewels to fund her husband's army. He was sent home in disgrace after shooting a man in a duel. But nobody knew Hudson was dead. Another man, working as a spy, has lived as him since his murder. Now, this imposter has disappeared, taking vital information with him. Sir Jonas orders Harry to find him. Harry's search takes him to Paris, another city bedevilled by conspiracies and intrigues. He navigates its salons and libraries, and learns of a terrible plot against the current Queen of England, Catherine of Bragança, and her gathering of Catholics in London. Assassins plan to poison them all...

McKenna, Clara - Murder at the Majestic Hotel #4 Stella and Lyndy, 1905

 

Against all expectations in Edwardian England, newly married American heiress Stella Kendrick and British aristocrat Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst are bucking traditions—and investigating murder—on their honeymoon . . .
 
Leaving behind tragedies surrounding their wedding at Morrington Hall, travel-worn Stella and Lyndy arrive at the grand Majestic Hotel in York to more misfortune—their stately honeymoon suite has been given away to Horace Wingrove, owner of England’s largest confectionery. Stella refuses to let an innocent booking mistake spoil the mood, but her optimism vanishes when Horace suffocates in the room where she and Lyndy should have stayed . . .
 
Unlike authorities on the scene, Stella can’t believe the business magnate’s death can be explained away as an accident. Troubling signs are everywhere—strange murmurs in the hallway, tight-lipped hotel staff, and a stolen secret recipe for Wingrave’s famous chocolate. Then there are Horace’s murky intentions for visiting the historic cathedral city, and those who were closely watching his every move . . .
 
As Stella and Lyndy tour Yorkshire and mingle with royals as husband and wife, they face a sinister mystery that puts their vows to the test. Can the couple work together to discover the truth about their romantic destination and the strange happenings haunting their trip before they’re treated to another terrifying surprise?

 

Morris, Vera - Death by the Sea #6 Anglian Detective Agency series 

 

Thorpeness, 1973. Wrongly exiled from London, Judge Neville Hanmer sought solace and a quiet life on the Suffolk coast. But then a face from the past unexpectedly resurfaces and he turns to The Anglian Detective Agency for help.

Laurel, Frank, and the rest of the team are busier than ever trying to solve the mysterious theft of rare plants from Yoxford Hall Gardens. But when Judge Hanmer doesn't show for their meeting, they find themselves embroiled in yet another case - one that will take them to darker places than they've ever been before.

With Laurel and Frank's relationship see-sawing out of control, can the team uncover the truth before it's too late? Or will a depraved killer succeed, and separate Laurel and Frank forever?
 

O'Connor, Carlene - No Strangers Here #1 Dimpna Wilde

 

Set in Ireland’s striking, rugged countryside, the USA Today bestselling author’s unsettling, atmospheric new crime fiction novel combines the eerie mood of Tana French and Louise Penny with the compulsively taut plotting of Dervla McTiernan and Lucy Foley, as an Irish veterinarian grapples with life, death, family dynamics, and the secrets at the heart of her small community…

On a rocky beach in the southwest of Ireland, the body of Johnny O’Reilly, sixty-nine years old and dressed in a suit and his dancing shoes, is propped on a boulder, staring sightlessly out to sea. A cryptic message is spelled out next to the body with sixty-nine polished black stones and a discarded vial of deadly veterinarian medication lies nearby. Johnny was a wealthy racehorse owner, known far and wide as The Dancing Man. In a town like Dingle, everyone knows a little something about everyone else. But dig a bit deeper, and there’s always much more to find. And when Detective Inspector Cormac O'Brien is dispatched out of Killarney to lead the murder inquiry, he's determined to unearth every last buried secret.
 
Dimpna Wilde hasn’t been home in years. As picturesque as Dingle may be for tourists in search of their roots and the perfect jumper, to her it means family drama and personal complications. In fairness, Dublin hasn’t worked out quite as she hoped either. Faced with a triple bombshell—her mother rumored to be in a relationship with Jimmy, her father’s dementia is escalating, and her brother is avoiding her calls—Dimpna moves back to clear her family of suspicion.
 
Despite plenty of other suspects, the guards are crawling over the Wildes. But the horse business can be a brutal one, and as Dimpna becomes more involved with her old acquaintances and haunts, the depth of lingering grudges becomes clear. Theft, extortion, jealousy and greed. As Dimpna takes over the family practice, she's in a race with the detective inspector to uncover the dark, twisting truth, no matter how close to home it strikes . . .

Rhodes, Kate - The Brutal Tide #6 DI Ben Kitto 

 

REVENGE
DI Ben Kitto made many enemies in his time working as an undercover officer for the Met police, none more ruthless and calculating than gang leader Craig Travis.
IS WORTH
Travis has longed to make Kitto pay for his role in getting him convicted – and that day has finally arrived. Now, a dark and twisted killer is heading for the Scilly Isles, one who has waited a long time for revenge.
WAITING FOR . . .
With Kitto busy investigating the discovery of a body on the islands and distracted by the imminent arrival of his first child, his defences are down. He has so much to lose.

And Travis will stop at nothing to take it all from him.
 

Sherratt, Mel - Twisted Lives #6 DS Allie Shenton 

 

Honour among thieves. Keep your enemies close. Loyalty is everything.

When DI Allie Shenton is called out to a murder suicide, it quickly becomes clear that it’s a double slaying, and there is a killer on the loose. The bodies are found in a property owned by local entrepreneur/drug dealer Kenny Webb. Several young women are staying there, they are refusing to talk and one of them is missing.

While she waits on forensic evidence, Allie decides to do what she does best. She takes to the community to see who will talk. Right now, she’s the only one who can get answers. But then a third murder rattles everyone. Another known dealer is taken out.

With lives and lies being twisted, Allie needs to work out how everything is connected. It’s clear someone is out to finish things. Can she and her team rid the streets of Kenny Webb and his gang of merrymen, once and for all? And in doing so, stop the top man, Terry Ryder, from getting out of prison?

Set within the gritty streets of Stoke-on-Trent, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with an emotional pull.

 

Slater, K L - The Girlfriend 

 

My husband’s dead. She’s at my door. She owns my home…

The doorbell rings, just days after my beloved husband’s sudden death. I don’t recognise the woman on our doorstep, with her buttery blonde highlights, a diamond bracelet identical to my own and a bouncing baby boy in her arms.

As I show her inside, I notice her eyes grow wide as she takes in our spacious hallway, and the big squashy sofas that we all used to pile on. She glances at the silver-framed family photos and my little daughter hiding behind my skirts.

She looks at me, her blue eyes serious. ‘I’m sorry’ she says. ‘I know this will be hard to hear. But I am your husband’s girlfriend. And this is his son.’

My world implodes. And then she tells me that she owns our home – and that she’s not going anywhere…
 

Tuomainen, Antti - The Moose Paradox #2 Rabbit Factor Trilogy tr. David Hackston 

 

Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears – and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands. Why won’t Toy of Finland Ltd sell the new Moose Chute to Henri when he needs it as the park’s main attraction?

Meanwhile, Henri’s relationship with artist Laura has reached breaking point, and, in order to survive this new chaotic world, he must push every calculation to its limits, before it’s too late…

Absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly poignant and full of nail-biting suspense, The Moose Paradox is the second instalment in the critically acclaimed, pitch-perfect Rabbit Factor Trilogy and things are messier than ever…
 

Wright, Susan Elliot - All You Ever Wanted 

 

You are inside.
With your husband and baby. Your life warm and calm and untroubled.
 
I am outside.
Alone. Looking in. Watching you.
                                               
You have all I ever wanted. 
Now it's time for you to share.

Published 18-25 October 2022

I've expanded on my monthly listing. Here are 11 books published between 18 and 25 October 2022.

Blurbs and covers taken from Amazon.

Beevis, Keri - The Sleepover 

When you’re a kid, you imagine monsters to have horns and fangs. That they hide under the bed or in the wardrobe. And you believe they can only come after you when it’s dark.
You don’t expect them to look like everyday people or that they may be someone you already know…

The summer in question started out with hot, fun-filled days and new friendships.
We had just turned thirteen and had our whole lives ahead of us.
But that was before her…
Before we became known as the Hixton Five and our lives become defined by one night.

It’s hard to believe twenty years have passed since she was locked away.
But now she’s free and strange things have started to happen.
When I close my eyes, the creeping anxiety and fear is overwhelming and all too real.
Because the monster is back, and I know she has a score to settle with us.

Brody, Frances - A Mansion for Murder #13 Kate Shackleton, Bradford, 1920s 

1930, Yorkshire. Intrigued by a mysterious letter from a stranger offering important information, Private Investigator Kate Shackleton arrives in the mill village of Saltaire. At nearby Milner Field mansion, overshadowed by its reputation for misfortune and untimely deaths, she expects to meet the letter writer, Ronnie Creswell.

Kate soon hears the shocking news that Ronnie has been killed. At first his death appears to be a tragic accident at the mill, but soon it becomes clear that Ronnie's demise was no mishap. Kate is enlisted to help investigate the murder.

Kate moves into the tower rooms at Milner Field, as she tries to uncover resentments, industrial espionage, and old secrets in the close-knit village. Although she doesn't believe in curses, she wonders what sinister truth lies behind this latest in the litany of deaths connected to the infamous Milner Field.

Then just when things couldn't get any worse, a young girl in the village goes missing, and Kate must use all her strength and skill to unravel the mystery around the mansion once and for all . . .

Comley, M A - To Punish Them (ebook only) #6 DI Sam Cobbs 

Evil lies beneath...

When teacher, Fern Mitchell is reported missing, DI Sam Cobbs and her team cling to the hope that she will turn up safe. However, they’re devastated when her body is found at a popular tourist location a week later.

The investigation takes a sinister turn when a second woman turns up dead and the team uncover a crucial link between the two victims.

During one of her most complexing and frustrating cases, Sam is forced to deal with the added pressure of letting go of her past, except someone close to her has other ideas.

Dixon, Helena - Murder on Board #10 Miss Underhay 

Kitty Underhay is drowning… in murder.

Kitty Underhay hopes for plain sailing as she caters a 21st birthday party for the Chief Constable’s daughter aboard a luxury paddle steamer. So her heart sinks when she learns that the man her fiancé Matthew has been tailing on orders from Whitehall, Gunther Freiburg, is aboard. And she’s even more horrified when she steps below deck to discover Gunther, dead in the engine room. One of the Chief Constable’s party must be responsible for his demise, but who, and why?

And the evening is on course for further disaster. As the lights go out around the candlelit cake, a terrible scream rings out over the merry hubbub. A priceless diamond necklace has been snatched from around the birthday girl’s neck… Something fishy is going on, but is this the work of the same sailing assassin, or is it a red herring?

With the local inspector in deep water having to investigate his own boss, Kitty and Matt dive in to help. But when Kitty’s eavesdropping puts her in mortal danger, will everything turn out shipshape, or will it be her turn to go swimming with the fishes…?

Hampton, Graeme - Shame the Devil #5 DI Denning and DS Fisher 

Sometimes catching a killer means looking close to home…

A young father is stabbed to death on his front doorstep in East London. Kieran Judd was a well-liked sports coach and family man, so why would he be targeted for such a brutal death?

D.I. Matthew Denning and D.S. Molly Fisher are quickly thrown into an investigation with no leads to follow … and when the body of respectable schoolteacher Susan Elliot is discovered, her murder mirroring that of Kieran’s, the case gets even more complex.

Faced with two murders with no obvious motive, East London Met worry that a random serial killer stalks their streets. But as Denning and Fisher uncover a dark secret linking the two victims, they are sent spiralling into an investigation in which exposing the truth will bring them directly into the sights of a killer with nothing to lose…

Marrs, John - Keep It in the Family

In this chilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple’s house hides terrible secrets―and not all of them are confined to the past.

Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a chilling message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their dream home was once a house of horrors.

In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can’t shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband.

Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family―but is it already too late?

Marston, Edward - The Railway Detective's Christmas Case #20 Det. Insp Colbeck, Scotland Yard, mid 19th Century 

December 1864. As a cold winter wind scours the Worcestershire countryside, an excursion train comes through a tunnel in the Malvern Hills to be confronted by a blockage on the line ahead. The driver manages to slow the train down so that the impact is minimised, but the passengers are alarmed. The first person to alight is Cyril Hubbleday, the man in charge of the excursion to the delightful spa town of Great Malvern. He walks to the front of the locomotive and as he is talking to the driver, fireman and guard, Hubbleday is shot dead by a sniper.

Christmas is coming all too soon and Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming are under pressure to solve the case quickly. However, with a number of disputes and enemies in the shadows behind the seasonal excursion and the investigation hampered by heavy snow, the hunt for a cold-blooded killer is far from straightforward.

Nattrass, Leonora - Blue Water #2 Laurence Jago, C18

Death came aboard with the cormorant. It arrived on the seventh day of our voyage...

This is the secret report of disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago, written on the mail ship Tankerville en route to Philadelphia. His mission is to aid the civil servant charged with carrying a vital treaty to Congress that will prevent the Americans from joining with the French in their war against Britain.

When the civil servant meets an unfortunate 'accidental' end, Laurence becomes the one person standing between Britain and disaster. It is his great chance to redeem himself at Whitehall - except that his predecessor has taken the secret of the treaty's hiding place to his watery grave.

As the ship is searched, Laurence quickly discovers that his fellow passengers - among them fugitive French aristocrats, an American plantation owner, an Irish actress and her performing bear - all have their own motives to find the treaty for themselves. And as a second death follows the first, Laurence must turn sleuth in order to find the killer before he has an 'accident' of his own.

Stafford, David - Skelton's Guide to Blazing Corpses #3 Arthur Skelton, Barrister 

Guy Fawkes Night, 5th November, 1930. Bonfires are blazing, rockets burst. In a country lane, revellers discover a car that has been set on fire. At first, they assume that this is the work of vandals taking the Guy Fawkes spirit a little too far, sitting at the wheel is a body, charred beyond recognition.

The initial assumption is that the owner of the car, Mr Harold Musgrave, a successful travelling salesman has taken his own life in a particularly grisly act of self-immolation. The post-mortem, however, reveals that Mr Musgrave was either unconscious or dead before the fire was lit. When Tommy Prosser, a local criminal, is charged with the murder, barrister Arthur Skelton believes him to be innocent, so sets out to ensure justice is served.

Watson, Sue - The Nursery

Then: Morning light shines into the nursery, casting shadows across the pale pink walls and wooden cot in the middle of the room. She opens the door expecting to hear the soft coo of her daughter Sofia stretching herself awake. But the room is silent. The cot is empty. Her little girl has vanished…

Now: Twelve years have passed, but Emily will never forget the night her life changed forever and she’s happy to have her daughter back beside her. A teenager now, Sofia – who was once a star student – is getting into trouble at school and she’s started asking questions about when she was a baby, but Emily can’t tell her what really happened the night she went missing. Nobody would understand why Emily did what she did, and if anyone ever found out, she could lose her daughter forever.

But when Emily catches Sofia messaging a stranger online, her heart pounds in her chest as she reads the last message received.

Your mother isn’t who you think she is.

Days later, Emily returns home to find the house silent. She checks every room but Sofia has vanished, again. She shudders as she remembers that night in the nursery. Has her past finally caught up with her? And is she already too late to save her precious daughter?

 Yarwood-Lovett, Sarah - A Cast of Falcons #2 Nell Ward

When the wedding of her oldest friend ends with a shocking murder, Dr Nell Ward is once again caught up in a web of subterfuge, secrets and lies...

When her childhood friend Percy announces she's engaged to handsome businessman Hawke McAnstruther, Dr Nell Ward rashly offers to host the wedding at Finchmere, her family's estate. But she hadn't anticipated Percy's parents' fiery disapproval of the groom.

The ceremony is barely over before Hawke's shady personal and professional life starts to unravel, and tension ripples through the assembled guests. When the wedding night ends with a shocking death, Nell, best-friend, Rav and DI James Clarke all find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie.

Surviving a terrifying threat to her own life, Nell has to face up to the truth. Not just about murder at Finchmere, but about where her heart truly lies...

Published 10-17 October 2022

I've expanded on my monthly listing. Here are 20 books published between 10 and 17 October 2022.

Blurbs and covers taken from Amazon.

Bolton, R P - My Lovely Daughter

My precious daughter. You have no idea how dangerous the world is. No idea of the horrors I’ve shielded you from. The things I’ve endured . . . our past.

We’ve been happy. We’ve been hidden. We’ve been safe.

But our perfect life is about to come crashing down.

Because they’ve found me. And they’re about to reveal my darkest secret . . . to you.

I’ll do anything to protect you, darling, because if you knew – I’d lose you forever.

You can never discover what I’ve done . . . or what I’m willing to do to keep you safe.

Broadribb, Steph - Death at Paradise Palms #2 The Retired Detectives Club

It looks like an open-and-shut case―until one of the Retired Detectives disappears…

When movie producer Cody Ziegler goes missing from The Homestead’s Millionaires’ Row, his wife, retired actress Olivia, immediately claims there’s foul play afoot. A million-dollar ransom demand soon follows, with clear instructions not to involve the cops. In desperation she enlists the help of Moira, Rick, Philip and Lizzie, aka the Retired Detectives Club.

Racing against the clock, the four retirees set to work. Sure, Cody had enemies―there’s a disgruntled employee, a jilted film-maker and a hundred other people who know how much he’s worth. But when it emerges that Cody’s apparently perfect marriage isn’t what it seems, even Olivia isn’t above suspicion.

When Cody’s car turns up in a nearby lake with a shocking surprise inside, the case becomes even more complicated. But with Philip and Lizzie’s marriage on the rocks, and threatening notes sending Moira into a spin, the Retired Detectives Club risks falling apart before getting any closer to the truth.

Can Moira and the gang find Cody before it’s too late? Or will this case see them lose in more ways than one?

de la Motte, Anders - Deeds of Autumn #Seasons Quartet tr. Marlane Delargy

ONE TRAGIC NIGHT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING

SOUTHERN SWEDEN, 1990
Five lifelong friends gather for a last farewell to their childhoods and each other at an abandoned quarry. The mood is effervescent, but under the surface tensions run deep as not everyone is ready to let go - or be left behind. When dawn breaks, only four remain alive. The police rule the death a tragic accident, but not everyone is convinced, and the incident remains an open wound in the community.

AUTUMN, 2017
When the old chief of police is replaced by Anna Vesper, a newly arrived detective from Stockholm, whispers and rumours about that night can no longer be silenced. Soon Anna is left with no choice but to ignore all warnings and reopen the case - while hoping her own sins won't catch up with her.

BUT SOMEONE WILL DO ANYTHING TO HIDE THE TRUTH . . .

Gradidge, Claire - A Conflict of Interests #3 Josephine Fox

June 1944, Romsey, England.

Josephine 'Jo' Fox is at an impasse since the unwelcome return of her wayward husband Richard. So, when he disappears again, she is neither concerned nor surprised - until a burning car is discovered with a body inside. And there are signs that Richard is somehow involved.

Jo is determined to find both her husband and answers, yet with her friend Bram Nash in hospital suffering an infection of his old war wound, she must do so alone. When information comes to light that implicates Bram too, Jo finds herself on a dangerous path to the truth.

But what will be left for her when all is revealed?

Halsall, Rona - The Wife Next Door

It was meant to be the perfect break-up…

Just because it’s over between us, doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. My ex-husband and I still care for each other a lot, and we are determined to put our sweet little boy, Toby first.

Now we’ve moved into houses right next door to each other, with each of our new partners and their children. We’ve even knocked down the garden fence, so Toby can easily run between our homes.

But it seems not everyone is happy about this big, blended stepfamily. I try to ignore the viciously-worded note in the ‘new home’ card, the red pen scrawled through my divorce paperwork, and the day I find myself locked into my house, all the keys suddenly missing…

But I can’t pretend it’s all in my head when a false accusation is made against me that could destroy my life – and Toby’s – forever.

Someone doesn’t like what’s happening under these two neighbouring roofs.

What they don’t know is that they’re messing with the wrong person. And that hell hath no fury like the wife next door…

Holten, Noelle - 6 Ripley Avenue

ONE HOUSE
EIGHT KILLERS
NO WITNESSES

Jeanette is the manager of a probation hostel that houses high risk offenders released on license.

At 3am one morning, she receives a call telling her a resident has been murdered.

Her whole team, along with the eight convicted murderers, are now all suspects in a crime no one saw committed…

Kaya, Kerry - Betrayal #1 The Tempests

A brand new gangland series by bestselling author Kerry Kaya!

Meet the Tempest family – and get ready for the storm.

Tracey Tempest adores her husband, Terry. But when on his 50th birthday, tragedy strikes, Tracey must face the terrifying prospect of a future without him. Desperate for answers and boiling with rage, Tracey wants revenge…

Together with her beloved sons, Ricky and Jamie, the Tempest family dig deeper into Terry’s past - who would want to kill him, and why?

But what they discover changes everything they knew about the man they loved and risks tearing their own family apart.

Can the Tempests weather the storm or will the past destroy them all?

Kitson, Bill - Skeletons in the Closet #15 Detective Mike Nash, Yorkshire

SOME FAMILIES HAVE MORE SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET THAN OTHERS . . .

Detective Mike Nash thought that moving back to Yorkshire from London would give him a quieter life. Little did he know . . .

A dead woman tied to a chair is found in a crumbling old cottage in the Yorkshire moors. She’s been there a long time.

Detective Mike Nash investigates. He soon uncovers a second body, down a well in the garden.

Then Nash’s team makes an even more grisly discovery. How many more skeletons are hidden in this tumbledown old cottage?

The suspicious death of the solicitor dealing with the property turns this cold-case investigation into an active hunt for a murderer.

Someone is killing to keep their secrets from coming to light. Detective Mike Nash must track them down before they strike again.

Leitch, Fiona - A Cornish Recipe for Murder #5 Jodie 'Nosey' Parker, Chef

Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is back!

When popular TV baking contest and national institution ‘The Best of British Baking Roadshow’ rolls into town and sets up camp in the grounds of Boskern House, a historic stately home near Penstowan, former police officer Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker finds herself competing to represent Cornwall in the grand final.

But with a fellow contestant who will stop at nothing to win and a drag queen host with secrets of their own, Jodie discovers that the roadshow doesn’t just have the ingredients for the perfect showstopper cake, but also for the perfect murder…

And when a body is found in the grounds of the house, Jodie is drawn into another high-stakes case along with local DCI Nathan Withers.

Can Jodie expose the culprit? Or will the murderer become the real showstopper?

MacBird, Bonnie - What Child is This? #5 Sherlock Holmes Adventure

It’s the season of peace and goodwill, but a Victorian Christmas is no holiday for the world’s most popular detective in this new book from Bonnie MacBird, author of the bestselling Sherlock Holmes novel Art in the Blood.

It’s Christmastime in London, and Sherlock Holmes takes on two cases. The angelic three-year-old child of a wealthy couple is the target of a vicious kidnapper, and a country aristocrat worries that his handsome, favourite son has mysteriously vanished from his London pied à terre. Holmes and Watson, aided by the colourful Heffie O’Malley, slip slide in the ice to ensure a merry Christmas is had by nearly everybody . . .

Martin, Lucy - The Choice #2 DS Ronnie Delmar, Halesworth

A stolen child. A missing woman. You can only save one.

A distressed young woman arrives at Halesworth police station in fear for her life, then vanishes.

Meanwhile, a local boy is snatched from his school playground.

But the answer to one lies with the other, and soon DS Ronnie Delmar is submerged deep in a world she could never have imagined.

Because to those who have created their own moral code, the truth is worth killing for...

Moncrieff, Ada - A Murder at the Theatre Royale #1 Daphne King, 1935

It's Christmas at London's Theatre Royale and journalist Daphne King is determined to solve an extraordinary mystery...

December 1935. Director Chester Harrison's production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop - London's Theatre Royale - a few days before Christmas.

Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: 'Scrooge' dies on stage, seemingly due to a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, an old rival of Chester's is murdered in a dressing room. Are those associated with the production being picked off one by one? Journalist Daphne King is determined to reveal the truth...

Moray, Keith - Death of a Poet #1 Ancient Egypt Murder Mysteries

Hanufer follows a trail of revenge…

275 BC, Alexandria

Hanufer of Crocodilopolis, newly appointed Overseer of the Police in Alexandria, is keen to prove himself worthy to both the citizens of the city and to the Pharaoh, Ptolemy Philadelphus.

When an altar is desecrated with a poem intended to insult the Pharaoh and his wife, Queen Arsinoe, Hanufer and his trusted sergeant Sabu are tasked with discovering who committed the outrage.

As the poet himself, Sotades the Obscene, was recently executed, Hanufer sets about finding out who else is familiar with his poetry.

Before long another poet is found murdered – a poem by Sotades left near the corpse as a macabre calling card.

With a growing number of murders to be investigated, Hanufer must make his mark and solve the mysteries.

But just where — and how high up — will the clues lead him?

Did Sotades really drown? Is there a serial killer on the loose in Alexandria?

And can Hanufer appease both the Pharoah and the gods?

Odden, Karen - Under a Veiled Moon #2 Inspector Corravan, Victorian London

September 1878. One night, as the pleasure boat the Princess Alice makes her daily trip up the Thames, she collides with the Bywell Castle, a huge iron-hulled collier. The Princess Alice shears apart, throwing all 600 passengers into the river; only 130 survive. It is the worst maritime disaster London has ever seen, and early clues point to sabotage by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who believe violence is the path to restoring Irish Home Rule. 
 
For Scotland Yard Inspector Michael Corravan, born in Ireland and adopted by the Irish Doyle family, the case presents a challenge. Accused by the Home Office of willfully disregarding the obvious conclusion, and berated by his Irish friends for bowing to prejudice, Corravan doggedly pursues the truth, knowing that if the Princess Alice disaster is pinned on the IRB, hopes for Home Rule could be dashed forever.

Corrovan’s dilemma is compounded by Colin, the youngest Doyle, who has joined James McCabe’s Irish gang. As violence in Whitechapel rises, Corravan strikes a deal with McCabe to get Colin out of harm’s way. But unbeknownst to Corravan, Colin bears longstanding resentments against his adopted brother and scorns his help.
 
As the newspapers link the IRB to further accidents, London threatens to devolve into terror and chaos. With the help of his young colleague, the loyal Mr. Stiles, and his friend Belinda Gale, Corravan uncovers the harrowing truth—one that will shake his faith in his countrymen, the law, and himself.

O'Reilly, Jude - Sleep When You're Dead #3 Michael North

In thirty-six hours, thousands of innocent people will die. There's not a second to waste. And no time for sleep...

Michael North has a bullet lodged in his brain which could kill him any second. That makes him the perfect MI5 asset: he's ruthless, loyal, brave. And, best of all, disposable.

Teenage computer expert Fangfang Yu does not feel the same way. She's determined to keep her friend out of danger – however many cyber laws she has to break to keep him alive.

Now North has been sent undercover into a doomsday cult on a remote Scottish island. He has thirty-six hours to stop their charismatic leader from inciting the murder of thousands. He can only do it with Fangfang's help – but when they uncover a shocking link between the cult and the dark heart of the US defence establishment, it doesn't just put North's life at risk... it threatens Fangfang too.

Perry, Anne - A Christmas Deliverance

The festive season is fast approaching, and Dr Crowe and his young apprentice Scuff are busy, as always, tending London's sick and wounded. This year, however, Crowe is increasingly distracted by memories of a former patient, Eliza Hollister, for whom he cared deeply.

When Crowe sees Ellie being bullied by her domineering fiancé in the street, he is convinced that she is marrying a man she doesn't love, and he is determined to find out why. While Crowe starts his investigations, Scuff is left to run the clinic - with a little help from a rather unexpected source. Forced to enter a dangerous world of blackmail and deception, will Crowe manage to reveal the truth before the bells ring out for Christmas?

A Christmas Deliverance is a heart-warming festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

Pine, Alex - The Winter Killer #3 DI James Walker, Cumbria

Christmas has arrived in Cumbria, and wedding bells are ringing.
But an ice-cold killer is waiting in the fells…

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, DI James Walker receives a phone call that puts paid to his Christmas break. During the wedding of the year at a lakeside hotel, the bride’s sister has vanished.

When Rachel left the wedding breakfast before her speech, newly-wed Libby was furious. But as the night went on with no sign of her maid-of-honour, Libby started to realise something was very, very wrong…

Before the wedding night is out, the lake is being searched for a body.

Something old, something new. One guest is a killer. The question is: who?

Rankin, Ian - A Heart Full of Headstones #24 Inspector Rebus, Edinburgh

John Rebus had been in court plenty of times, but this was his first time in the dock...

John Rebus stands accused: on trial for a crime that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Although it's not the first time the legendary detective has taken the law into his own hands, it might be the last.

What drove a good man to cross the line? Or have times changed, and the rules with them?

Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke faces Edinburgh's most explosive case in years, as a corrupt cop goes missing after claiming to harbour secrets that could sink the city's police force.

But in this investigation, it seems all roads lead to Rebus - and Clarke's twin loyalties to the public and the police will be tested to their limit.

A reckoning is coming - and John Rebus may be hearing the call for last orders...

Sigurdardottir, Lilja - Red as Blood #2 Arora tr. Quentin Bates 

When entrepreneur Flosi arrives home for dinner one night, he discovers that his house has been ransacked, and his wife Gudrun missing. A letter on the kitchen table confirms that she has been kidnapped. If Flosi doesn’t agree to pay an enormous ransom, Gudrun will be killed. 

Forbidden from contacting the police, he gets in touch with Áróra, who specialises in finding hidden assets, and she, alongside her detective friend Daniel, try to get to the bottom of the case without anyone catching on.

Meanwhile, Áróra and Daniel continue the puzzling, devastating search for Áróra’s sister Ísafold, who disappeared without trace. As fog descends, in a cold and rainy Icelandic autumn, the investigation becomes increasingly dangerous, and confusing. 

Chilling, twisty and unbearably tense, Red as Blood is the second instalment in the riveting, addictive An Áróra Investigation series, and everything is at stake…

Viner, P D - The Choice

To save your life

You must kill the one you love

Can you do it?

Sarah is madly in love with boyfriend Theo, and can’t wait to go on their first weekend away.

But by the end of the first night, Theo is dead. And Sarah has killed him. But she swears she had no choice.

She was forced to kill Theo because of something that happened a lifetime ago … something buried in her past.

Now, Sarah has one week to find the truth of what happened back then and prove her innocence, before she’s turned over to the police.

She’s spent years running from the truth – but now the choices of her past might destroy her future.