Review: A Necessary Murder, by M. J Tjia

I first came into contact with M. J Tjia’s work almost exactly a year ago, with the great book She Be Damned, and here, we’re diving right back into the thick of things, into the lives of Heloise Chancey, Victorian courtesan and part-time mystery solver, and her mother, Amah, or Li Lee. This book continues…

Review: Now You See, by Max Manning

This was a twisting, turning rollercoaster of a novel, with thrills to spare. Taking us into the mind of the killer- and into the minds of two similarly conflicted, but very different protagonists, Max Manning has created a great murder mystery. The main story riffs on the common unease that many people have with the…

Review: The Development, by Jackie Kabler

A quick thank you before I start to Accent Press, who kindly sent me an advance copy of this book. So, The Development. This is the first book that I’ve read by Jackie Kabler- and the first in the Cora Baxter Mysteries, of which this is the third novel-  but she did an admirable job…

Review: The Smiling Man, by Joseph Knox

Grit and drama collide in this, the second in Joseph Knox’s excellent and dark Aidan Waits series. With intrigue in spades, this tightly-plotted thriller serves up a peek into the dark underbelly of Manchester. One of the first things that hits you about this novel is that it’s dark in only the way that a…

Review: Look for Me, by Lisa Gardner

I came into this series stone cold, so I was pretty impressed by how well this book set the scene! Introducing me to a world filled with well-rounded characters, shared histories and (of course) a juicy murder plot, this was an interesting, multi-layered story that I thoroughly enjoyed. We get to see this murder case…