Review Roundup: Connelly, Dalbuono, Downing, Fossum, Nickson, Quinn, Randall, Russell, Seymour, Webster, Wilson

Here are 12 reviews which have been added to the Euro Crime website today, all have appeared on the blog since last time.

You can keep up to date with Euro Crime by following the blog and/or liking the Euro Crime Facebook page and follow on Twitter, @eurocrime.

New Reviews

I briefly review Michael Connelly's latest Bosch, The Crossing and float the idea of reading some of his earlier books over the summer;

Susan reviews The Few by Nadia Dalbuono, which introduces Scarmarcio of the Roman police;

Terry reviews David Downing's One Man's Flag and Silesian Station;

I also review Karin Fossum's The Drowned Boy tr. Kari Dickson which sees the return of the empathetic Inspector Sejer;

Michelle reviews Chris Nickson's Two Bronze Pennies, the second in the Tom Parker series set in 1890s Leeds;

Lynn reviews Anthony J Quinn's Silence, the third in the Celcius Daly series set in Northern Ireland;

Amanda reviews Anne Randall's Silenced, the second in the Wheeler and Ross series (the first was Riven written as A J McCreanor);

Amanda also reviews Leigh Russell's Blood Axe, the third in the DS Ian Peterson series;


Terry also reviews Gerald Seymour's No Mortal Thing;

Lynn also reviews A Body in Barcelona by Jason Webster, the fifth in the Max Camara series

and Michelle also reviews The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson.








Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, along with releases by year.

Review: The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson

The Wrong Girl by Laura Wilson, February 2016, 384 pages, Quercus, ISBN: 1782063129

Reviewed by Michelle Peckham.
(Read more of Michelle's reviews for Euro Crime here.)

Suzie’s daughter Molly is a ten-year-old girl, who thinks she has been stolen, and that her real parents are the ones looking for their child, a girl called Phoebe who was kidnapped some time ago and never found. Suzie herself was given up for adoption forty-four years ago by her mother, Janice.

Six months ago, Suzie decided to get in contact with her real mother, but the letter was opened by Janice’s brother Dan. One thing led to another, and Suzie went to live with Dan at the Old Rectory in Norfolk. But now Dan, only sixty-six years old has died suddenly, and Suzie has to call Janice to introduce herself for the first time, and to give her the bad news about her brother.

Why would a sixty-six-year-old man apparently die in his sleep: a natural death, or not? How will Janice cope with meeting her daughter for the first time, and her grand daughter Molly? And what is Joe Vincent, the band member that Janice used to hang out with back in the late 60s doing living just down the road from the Rectory?

It’s the start of a long complex unravelling story with a theme of missing young girls. It reaches deep into the past, uncovering the story of the men in the band that Janice used to hang out with back in the 60s. Part of the story telling is driven forward by Molly, who finally decides to ‘escape’ and find her real parents. As Janice and Suzie try to find her, Janice starts to uncover some unexpected links to her own family past, secrets and lies, the truth untold, as she is lifted out of her comfortable existence, and also has to find out how all of this is linked into what happened to Dan.

THE WRONG GIRL is an interesting and well told story, with Janice a rather unlikely heroine, driven forward by circumstances towards a dramatic denouement.

Michelle Peckham, February 2016

New Reviews: Fossum, Henry, James, Johnstone, Lawton, Rendell, Roberts, Vichi, Wilson

This week's set of reviews, added to Euro Crime today, is a mixture of new reviews and a catch-up of those posted directly on the blog in the last two weeks, so you may have read some of them before if you're a regular :).

News you may have missed in the last few days:

1. Margot Kinberg's has edited, contributed to and published an e-anthology of short stories, the proceeds from which are going to Maxine Clarke's (Petrona) preferred charity, the Princess Alice Hospice.
2. Borgen is back on BBC4 next weekend.
3. A "new" Hercule Poirot novella is available as an ebook.

Keep up to date with stories like these (and more) by following the blog and/or liking the Euro Crime Facebook page.

New Reviews

I review Karin Fossum's I Can See in the Dark, tr. James Anderson, a non-Sejer standalone;

Terry Halligan reviews James Henry's Morning Frost, the third in this well-received prequel series based on R D Wingfield's characters;

Michelle Peckham reviews Peter James's Dead Man's Time, the ninth in the Roy Grace series, which is now out in paperback;

Rich Westwood reviews Doug Johnstone's Gone Again, also just out in paperback;

Susan White reviews the re-released Second Violin by John Lawton, set during WWII;

Terry also reviews the new "Wexford" novel from Ruth Rendell - No Man's Nightingale - no rest for the retired chief inspector;

Another recent paperback release is Mark Roberts's The Sixth Soul reviewed here by Amanda Gillies;

Lynn Harvey reviews Marco Vichi's Death in Florence, tr. Stephen Sartarelli the fourth in the Inspector Bordelli series set in 1960s Italy

and Lynn also reviews Laura Wilson's The Riot the fifth in the DI Stratton series set in post WWII London.




Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year.

New Reviews: Brookmyre, Drake, Kent, Kernick, Larsson, Rhodes, Siger, Webster, Wilson

There won't be any new reviews next weekend but here are 9 excellent new reviews...

(NB. Don't forget to vote in the International Dagger Polls.)

Rich Westwood reviews Chris Brookmyre's, Where the Bones are Buried, set in Glasgow and now available in paperback;

Amanda Gillies goes back to Ancient Egypt for Nick Drake's third Rahotep mystery, Egypt: The Book of Chaos;

Lynn Harvey travels to the Solomon Islands for G W Kent's One Blood the sequel to Devil-Devil;

Terry Halligan reviews Siege by the UK's equivalent to Harlan Coben: Simon Kernick;

Laura Root reviews the long-awaited UK release of Asa Larsson's The Black Path, tr. Marlaine Delargy (NB. This title precedes Until Thy Wrath Be Past);

Susan White reviews Kate Rhodes's debut Crossbones Yard the first in the Alice Quentin, psychologist series;

Terry also reviews Jeffrey Siger's Target: Tinos the fourth in his Greek series;

Geoff Jones reviews Jason Webster's A Death in Valencia, the sequel to his acclaimed Or the Bull Kills You

and Maxine Clarke reviews the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger 2012 shortlisted A Willing Victim the fourth in Laura Wilson's Ted Stratton series.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive.

Forthcoming titles can be found by author or date or by category, here along with releases by year.

New Reviews: Barone, Bradley, Dobbs, Knox, Perissinotto, Templeton, Wilson & New Competition

A brand new competition for April:
Win a copy of Apostle Rising by Richard Godwin UK & Europe only.

Here are this week's reviews:

Terry Halligan reviews Sam Barone's historical saga with lots of fighting: Quest for Honour which he enjoyed very much;

Lizzie Hayes reviews Alan Bradley's A Red Herring Without Mustard, the third in the Flavia de Luce series, which was a "delightful read";

Guest reviewer, author Sarah Hilary reviews Michael Dobbs's Old Enemies calling it a "whip-tight thriller";

Amanda Gillies reviews Tom Knox's Bible of the Dead, a globe-trotting thriller which she highly recommends;

Maxine Clarke reviews Alessandro Perissinotto's Blood Sisters, tr. Howard Curtis writing that it is "a compelling tale";

A few days ago on this blog I reviewed the audio book of Aline Templeton's Lamb to the Slaughter which is another one of her excellent whodunnits set in Galloway

and Paul Blackburn reviews Laura Wilson's A Capital Crime, the third in the WW2-era Stratton series, which is now out in paperback.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found by author or date, here.

Laura Wilson - Publishing Deal

Laura Wilson's successful DI Stratton series is now to be published by Quercus:

Quercus is pleased to announce that crime writer Laura Wilson, winner of the 2008 Ellis Peters Award for her novel Stratton’s War, has moved to them from Orion for her next two books in the D.I. Stratton series. The books feature a London detective working in the West End during the 40s and 50s. Quercus will publish Austerity, a novel exploring the notorious Christie case, in 2010. The agent is Jane Gregory.

Laura Wilson said: I had a very happy ten years being published by Orion, who were incredibly supportive. I’m sad to be leaving, but I’m absolutely delighted to be reunited with my original editor, the incomparable Jane Wood, at Quercus.

Jane Wood said: I’ve published Laura since her first novel, A Little Death, appeared in 1999 and I’m thrilled to be working with her again The Stratton books are more than great crime novels; they chart the dramatic changes in people’s lives during and after the Second World War. We’re delighted to welcome Laura to the Quercus list.

One Book - One Cover - Two Titles

Laura Wilson's Stratton's War will be published as The Innocent Spy in the US in July. The sequel, An Empty Death, will be published (in the UK) in July also.

New Reviews: Becker, Chattam, Hudson, James, Montalban, Wilson

This is my 1000th post on the blog, hard to believe!

Here are this week's new reviews and details of the current competition:

Latest Reviews:

Amanda Gillies is very taken with James Becker's The First Apostle calling it an "utterly spellbinding book" and one you should seek out;

I was very disappointed with The Cairo Diary by Maxim Chattam which has both logistical and linguistical faults;

Guest reviewer Rik Shepherd takes a look at Death Comes by Amphora by Roger Hudson which is set in Ancient Athens; he finds the background information can swamp the plot at times;

In the first of a two part look at the latest from Baronesses James and Rendell, Fiona Walker reviews The Private Patient by P D James; check back next week for her review of The Birthday Present by Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell);

Mike Ripley reviews Tattoo by Manuel Vazquez Montalban the second in the Pepe Carvalho series which has just been published in English for the first time

and Maxine Clarke reviews Laura Wilson's Stratton's War which she calls "an excellent book: a fully rounded novel of London in the Blitz in the summer of 1940".

Current Competition:

Win a copy of Our Lady of Pain by Elena Forbes*

* restrictions apply (ends 31 August)

New Reviews on Euro Crime

Here are this week's new reviews and a reminder of March's competition:

Latest Reviews:

Lindsay Davis has a significant rival according to Pat Austin in her review of Ruso and the Demented Doctor by R S Downie;

Moving on from Roman Britain to the fourteenth century, Terry Halligan finds Susanna Gregory's To Kill or Cure a fine read for the winter days (and nights);

Maxine Clarke gives the thumbs up to Ritual by Mo Hayder in which series character Jack Caffrey moves to Bristol (NB the home of Crimefest in June);

Maxine's working her way through Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series, in time for the new one in June, and sends on her review of the second in the series, The Pure in Heart

and Mike Ripley praises Stratton's War by Laura Wilson calling it "not only an outstanding crime story, but a wonderful historical novel".


Current Competition (closing date 31 March):

Win a copy of A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley (UK & Europe only)

(geographical restrictions are in brackets)