Reviews: Cordy, Edwardson, Franklin, Sapper, White, Winspear

There are three competitions running this month; the prizes are: The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke, Relics of the Dead by Ariana Franklin and Blood Law by Steven Hague (some restrictions apply).

Here are this week's reviews, which stick a bit closer to home this time round:

Michelle Peckham reviews the mass market paperback edition of The Source by Michael Cordy summing it up as "one for the beach";

Maxine Clarke reviews the paperback edition of Frozen Tracks by Ake Edwardson writing that it "a satisfying read, both in terms of plot and characterisation";

Norman Price reviews Relics of the Dead by Ariana Franklin (apa Grave Goods in the US). He finds lead character Adelia "a beguiling heroine in a fascinating historical setting" (Win a copy this month);

Rik Shepherd is unimpressed by Bulldog Drummond by Sapper wondering why it's such a 'classic';

Amanda Gillies reports that it's business as usual in Neil White's strong Garrett/McGanity series, of which Last Rites is the third

and Terry Halligan praises Jacqueline Winspear highly for her latest Maisie Dobbs outing, Among the Mad.

Previous reviews can be found in the review archive and forthcoming titles can be found here.

New Reviews: Hill, McCoy, Monroe, Theorin, Tursten, White

Here are this week's new reviews:

Latest Reviews:

After seeing Suzette A Hill at CrimeFest in June, I knew I had to try her series which features 'talking animals'. The first one in the series is A Load of Old Bones and didn't disappoint though most of the story is in fact told by a human;

Terry Halligan reviews the latest in the 'Mad' Carew series from Ken McCoy: Loser calling it an "enjoyable, hard to put down book";

Pat Austin, really, really didn't like Blood Lines by Grace Monroe but managed to finish it out of public duty to the rest of us;

In contrast, the pressure's being applied, first by Maxine, and now by Norman Price to find the time asap to read Johan Theorin's Echoes from the Dead - Norman writes that it was "the most gripping crime fiction novel I have read so far this year";

Maxine Clarke's now up to date (for the moment) with the English translations of Helene Tursten's Inspector Huss series with the latest, The Glass Devil, in which Huss spends a lot of time in England

and Amanda Gillies enjoys the second book from Neil White: Lost Souls and finds it as good as his debut, Fallen Idols.

New Reviews: Camilleri, Conway, Larsson, Schenkel, Upson and White

Here are this week's new reviews and details of the new competition (which is open to all):

Latest Reviews:

Euro Crime's Camilleri expert, Norman Price, strikes again as he reviews the latest Montalbano novel - The Paper Moon - which he says is "another little gem";

Geoff Jones reviews the new title from Peter Conway, Deadly Obsession - the latest of his books to contain the theme of "incest and corporal punishment";

Maxine Clarke reviews the paperback edition of The Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson calling it a "rich story" with a slightly unsatisfying ending;

Maxine reviews a short but not sweet offering from Quercus in the shape of Andrea Maria Schenkel's The Murder Farm, a fictionalised version of the real-life murder of a whole family;

I review Nicola Upson's An Expert in Murder where Josephine Tey enters the real world of murder in London's West End

and Amanda Gillies calls Fallen Idols by Neil White "a masterpiece".


Current Competition (closing date 30 June):

Win a copy of Death on a Branch Line by Andrew Martin*

* no restrictions on entrants

New Competition for May

I've an extra competition running for the second part of May. Avon are giving away 4 copies of Lost Souls by Neil White.


Enter the competition here (UK/Europe residents only).