Murder Under The Midnight Sun by Stella Blómkvist BLOG TOUR #MurderUnderTheMidnightSun #StellaBlomkvist t. @graskeggur @CorylusB #BookReview

 

What does a woman do when her husband's charged with the frenzied killing of her father and her best friend? 

She calls in Stella Blómkvist to investigate - however unwelcome the truth could turn out to be. 

Smart, ruthless and with a flexible moral code all of her own, razor-tongued lawyer Stella Blómkvist is also dealing with a desperate deathbed request to track down a young woman who vanished a decade ago. 

It looks like a dead end, but she agrees to pick up the stone-cold trail - and she never gives up, even if the police did a long time ago. 

Then there's the mystery behind the arm that emerges from an ice cap, with a mysterious ruby ring on one frozen finger? 

How does this connect to another unexplained disappearance, and why were the police at the time so keen to write it off as a tragic accident? 

Brutal present-day crimes have their roots in the past that some people would prefer to stay forgotten. 

As Stella pieces together the fragments, is she getting too close to the truth and making herself a target for ruthless men determined to conceal secret sins?

Murder Under The Midnight Sun by Stella Blómkvist is published by Corylus Books on 3 May 2024 and is translated by Quentin Bates. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this blog tour. 

I read and reviewed Murder At The Residence;  the first of the Stella Blómkvist series that Corylus published last year and really enjoyed it. I was so pleased to find that there are more and eagerly dived into this second book. 

Just like the first book, this is short novel of just over 200 pages. However the author manages to include so much into it. It's a fast paced thriller, filled with mystery and unexpected turns and led by the wonder that is Reykjavik lawyer Stella.  Blómkvist is both the author and the lead character in this series which is told in the first person in her unique, often funny voice. 

For a very small country, Iceland certainly has its share of crimes; murder, strange unsolved disappearances and a lot of political corruption and intrigue. Stella comes across all of these in this novel. She is asked to look into the disappearance of young British woman who was travelling by motorbike through Iceland nine years ago. Julia MacKenzie went missing, neither her body or her motorbike were ever found. The police investigation came to nothing. Her mother is dying from terminal cancer and it is her last wish to find out what happened to her daughter and Stella takes on the case. 

She also becomes involved in helping her reporter friend who is being threatened with legal action regarding claims he's made on his blog. Whilst at first, this appears to be pretty straightforward, this case takes a sinister turn and Stella is soon investigating murder. 

Add the fact that Stella stumbled upon a frozen severed arm, with a distinctive ring on one of the fingers after having an accident on an ice cap and there's certainly plenty to keep the reader entertained, and to keep Stella busy. 

Stella is a one-of-a-kind character, she likes a drink or two, she's a master of the art of seduction, with few worries about her conquest's status. If she fancies them, then they are fair game! She's also a devoted and loving mother to her small daughter, and she carries so much baggage connected to her own parents. It's a heady mix and makes Stella a totally fascinating character for sure. 

Expertly translated from Icelandic by Quentin Bates, this is another gripping chapter in the Stella Blómkvist series. The true identity of the author has never been revealed and I'm beginning to think that it may be a male author, although I'm happy to be proved wrong if we ever find out. 

Quirky, unusual and packed with thrills in a excellently described setting. Highly recommended. 

Stella Blómkvist has been a bestselling series in Iceland since the first book appeared in
the 1990s and has attracted an international audience since the TV series starring Heiða Reed aired. 

The books have been published under a pseudonym that still hasn’t been cracked. The question of Stella Blómkvist’s identity is one that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…

Quentin Bates has personal and professional roots in Iceland that go very deep. 

He is an author of series of nine crime novels and novellas featuring the Reykjavik detective Gunnhildur (Gunna) Gísladóttir. 

In addition to his own fiction, he has translated many works of Iceland’s coolest writers into English, including books by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Guðlaugur Arason, Einar Kárason, Óskar Guðmundsson, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Jónína Leosdottir and Ragnar Jónasson. 

Quentin was instrumental in launching Iceland Noir in 2013, the crime fiction festival in Reykjavik.

https://corylusbooks.com/ 

Twitter: @CorylusB @graskeggur 

https://www.facebook.com/CorylusBooks

https://www.facebook.com/graskeggur 

https://www.facebook.com/stella.blomkvist 

Maggie In The Middle by Debbie Viggiano BLOG TOUR #MaggieInTheMiddle @DebbieViggiano @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

When Maggie King turned sixty, she thought her life complete.

Now she’s sixty-one, and everything has gone horribly wrong.

Husband Greg has abruptly upped and left leaving Maggie bewildered. But there’s no time to question his departure because her ancient parents are all-consuming.

Once fondly referred to as the Golden Oldies, they’re now the BOBs – Bad-Tempered Old Buggers.

Sister Freya is never available to help, and Maggie is rapidly reaching the end of her tether.

She wants her life – and husband – back.

Instead, she’s trapped in what has been coined the Sandwich Generation – supporting both children and parents – except this particular sarnie is in danger of falling apart.

Maggie needs to learn that when life is like a club sandwich, it needs the best ingredients – and that includes lashings of love and some knee-trembling romance!

Maggie In The Middle by Debbie Viggiano was published on 1 May 2024 by Unicorn Publishing. As part of this Rachel's Random Resources Blog Tour I am delighted to shine a spotlight on the book for you today. 

Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she
cares to remember, a legal secretary. 

She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. 

Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy... apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. 

 

TWITTER:   @DebbieViggiano

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/debbie.viggiano.5/ 

INSTAGRAM: @debbieviggiano

Greener by Gráinne Murphy #Greener @GraMurphy @Legend_Times_ #BookReview #IrishLiterature

 

As teenagers, Helen, Annie and Laura were inseparable, bonding over family, boys, and their dreams for the future. But when school ended, so did their friendship.

Twenty-five years later, a snowstorm forces the three women to spend time together, leaving them wondering if they can reconcile the gap between who they are and who they used to be.

GREENER is an exploration of the changing dynamics of adult friendships and asks whether old friends can ever let us become new people.

Greener by Gráinne Murphy was published on 18 April 2024 by Legend Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I have become such a fan of this author, I read and reviewed Where The Edge Is in 2020, and Winter People in 2022. Those were two very special books and Greener is another one. The writing is sublime, the characters are carefully and beautifully crafted and the sense of place is just magnificent. Reading Greener is like dropping in on old friends, even though you've never met them before.

Greener is the literary equivalent of visiting a fine portrait gallery. The author has created vibrant, realistic and utterly believable character, and as she reveals a little more about them, be it their background, or their innermost thoughts, it's like looking at a painting and discovering those little extras that you didn't spot when you first looked. 

The story is set during the pandemic, but it is not about the pandemic. The restrictions on travelling have prevented Helen from travelling home to Ireland to visit her father who has suffered a stroke. However, she's arrived now and although she's very grateful that her old friend Annie has taken such care of her father in her absence, she struggles to come to terms with their relationship. Annie moved in during the pandemic, to make things easier for them both and Helen now feels as though this house, where she grew up is no longer really her home.

Helen, Annie and Laura were childhood friends. So very close back in the day, sharing new experiences and secrets. Each of them had their own difficulties. Helen, the daughter of a famous soap opera star and a delicate mother often felt surplus, although she wanted for nothing materially, she would have liked more attention. Annie and Laura were both brought up by single mothers, but this seemed to be the only real thing that they had in common. Like most of us, they grew up, got on with their lives and lost touch. Now as bad weather sets in and they find themselves having to spend time together, they rediscover each other, carefully and with trepidation. All of them quite anxious, not sure of where they stand. 

This is a character led story that examines relationships between parent and daughter and also the complexities of female friendships. There's no doubt that women make more of relationships than men, that they have longer memories, that they often have distorted views of things done and words uttered, often many years ago. Murphy has such skill in unpicking these relationships, she can convey to the reader the tiniest nuance, the most explosive memories, and it is utterly beautiful and compelling. There are poignant, heart breaking moments, there are discoveries that make the reader understand why the adult woman is who she is today. There are regrets and there is love. 

Another captivating novel from this hugely talented writer. I love it and highly recommend it. 

Gráinne grew up and currently resides in rural West Cork, working as a self-employed
language editor specialising in human rights and environmental issues. 

Some of Gráinne’s earlier novels were shortlisted for the Caledonia Novel Award 2019, the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2019, the Luke Bitmead Bursary 2016 and the Virginia Prize for Fiction 2014. 

In short fiction, her story Further West placed third in the Zoetrope All-Story Contest 2018, and was long-listed for the Sunday Times Audible short story award in 2021. 

Gráinne’s last novel, Winter People, was published by Legend Press in 2022.

www.grainnemurphy.ie

X @GraMurphy

Instagram @gramurphywriter

The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz BLOG TOUR #TheKitchen @ohneKlippo @OrendaBooks t. @FwdTranslations #ChastityReloaded

 

When neatly packed male body parts wash up by the River Elbe, Hamburg State Prosecutor Chastity Riley and her colleagues begin a perplexing investigation.

As the murdered men are identified, it becomes clear that they all had a history of abuse towards women, leading Riley to wonder if it would actually be in society’s best interests to catch the killers.

But when her best friend Carla is attacked, and the police show little interest in tracking down the offenders, Chastity takes matters into her own hands. As a link between the two cases emerges, horrifying revelations threaten Chastity’s own moral compass, and put everything at risk…

The Kitchen by Simone Buchholz was published on 11 April 2024 by Orenda Books and is translated by Rachel Ward. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour. 

The Kitchen is the second in the Chastity Reloaded series, although not the second in the entire series of Chastity Riley books. In her last book; The Acapulco (published 2023), Simone Buchholz took her readers back to the days when Chastity Riley was fairly new in her role as State Prosecutor in Hamburg, Germany. The Kitchen follows The Acapulco, and whilst yes, this is a series, this book is also a fabulous novel that can be read as a stand alone story. 

So, explanations of context out of the way .... what about The Kitchen?

Oh my goodness, it is just so good to welcome Chastity Riley back into my life. She is one of the greatest creations that I've ever come across. A strong, independent woman, living and working in what is predominantly a man's world, but holding her own for sure. She's flawed, of course, but she's loyal and honest and determined to make the world a better place. 

It's the height of summer in Hamburg and the temperatures are rising daily. Almost unheard of heat envelops the city, bringing out the drinkers on street corners, making people lethargic and angry. It's not a nice heat and doesn't show Hamburg at its best. 

Chastity is finishing off the paperwork for the last case she worked on. A case that affected her deeply, more young women traumatised and exploited by men, she gets very angry. When male body parts are found in the city, neatly packaged up, Chastity can't quite find the anger that she had for the last case.  When another body is found and the link between these men seems to be that they all have a history of violence towards women, it's even harder for her.  However, she's a professional and she and her team are determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. 

Interwoven between chapters, there's a narrative from an unknown source. This narrative is frightening and anger inducing, a whole sorry tale of the experiences of a woman at the hands of men. Not always overly violence, but intrusive, unwelcome and intimidating. The narrator is angry. 

This is a truly brilliant piece of writing. It's a short novel that packs such a punch. Simone Buchholz writes with a passion and insight that makes the skin creep at times. It is wonderfully translated from German by Rachel Ward, and thank goodness, for I'd hate to think that I would miss out on this exceptional series. 

Very dark at times, with a clear message and packed with colourful, complex, often disturbed characters. I realised just what was happening a couple of minutes before Chastity did, and it is horrifying, yet the action that Chastity takes when she solves the case is unexpected, but extremely satisfying. 

Another perfectly formed novel in the Chastity Riley series. Highly recommended. 

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. 

In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the Krimi ZEIT Best of Crime List for months. 

The critically acclaimed Beton Rouge, Mexico Street, Hotel Cartagena and River Clyde all followed in the Chastity Riley series. 

Hotel Cartagena won the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger in 2022. 

The Acapulco (2023) marked the beginning of the Chastity Reloaded series, with The Kitchen out in 2024. 

She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.

Rachel Ward is a freelance translator of literary and creative texts from German and
French to English. 

Having always been an avid reader and enjoyed word games and puzzles, she discovered a flair for languages at school and went on to study modern languages at the University of East Anglia. 

She spent the third year working as a language assistant at two grammar schools in Saaebrücken, Germany. 

During her final year, she realised that she wanted to put these skills and passions to use professionally and applied for UEA’s MA in Literary Translation, which she completed in 2002. 

Her published translations include Traitor by Gudrun Pausewang and Red Rage by Brigitte Blobel, and she is a Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting.

Follow Rachel on Twitter @FwdTranslations, and on her website www.forwardtranslations.co.uk

The Family Home by Lorraine Mace BLOG TOUR #TheFamilyHome @lomace @AccentPress @rararesources #BookSpotlight

 

IS BLOOD ALWAYS THICKER THAN WATER?

Sally has lived in fear of her husband long enough. But after twenty years of suffering, she has been left with nothing of her own and no one to turn to - except her estranged sister, Alison.

When Alison agrees to help Sally escape, she knows she must return to the one place she was told never to show her face again - the family home - and confront her father once more.

But soon, Sally begins to suspect that all is not as it seems, and as she is forced to face the ghosts of the past, she discovers there may be secrets hidden in her own memory that are best left buried . . .

A twisting and compulsive page-turner, with a shocking twist. If you love Keri Beevis, L H Stacey and K. L. Slater, you'll love The Family Home.

The Family Home by Lorraine Mace was published on 25 April 2024 by Headline Accent. I am delighted to shine a spotlight on this book as part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources. 

Born and raised in South East London, Lorraine lived and worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo and in France before settling on the Costa del Sol in Spain. 

She lives with her partner in a traditional Spanish village inland from the coast and enjoys sampling the regional dishes and ever-changing tapas in the local bars. 

Her knowledge of Spanish is expanding. 

To stop her waistline from doing the same, she runs five times a week.

Lorraine is the author of the D.I. Sterling series and two psychological thrillers, The Guest and The Family Home.

 

Website: www.lorrainemace.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lomace 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mace_lorraine/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorraineMaceAuthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1336955.Lorraine_Mace

The French Cookery School by Caroline James #TheFrenchCookerySchool @CarolineJames12 @0neMoreChapter_ @rararesources #MyLifeInBooks

 

Mix together a group of mature students:

A culinary Sloane, a take-away cook and a food journalist.

Add in:

A handsome host

Season with:

A celebrity chef

Bring to the boil:

At a luxurious cookery school in France!

Waltho Williams has no idea what he’s letting himself in for when he opens the doors of La Maison du Paradis, his beautiful French home. But with dwindling funds, a cookery school seems like the ideal business plan. 

Running away from an impending divorce, super-snob Caroline Carrington hopes a luxurious cookery holiday will put her back on her feet. Blackpool fish and chip café owner Fran Cartwright thinks she’s won the lottery when her husband Sid books her on a week working alongside a celebrity chef. Meanwhile, feeling she is fading at fifty, journalist Sally Parker-Brown hopes her press week covering the cookery course will enable her to boost her career.

But will the eclectic group be a recipe for success, or will the mismatched relationships sink like a souffle? 

Whip out an apron, grab a wooden spoon and take a culinary trip to La Maison du Paradis, then sit back and enjoy The French Cookery School!

The French Cookery School by Caroline James was published on 25 April 2024 by One More Chapter. As part of this Blog Tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources, I am delighted to welcome the author here to Random Things today. She's telling us about the books that are special to her, in My Life In Books 

My Life in Books - Caroline James 

Hello Anne and many thanks for inviting me to your excellent blog as I celebrate the publication of my new novel, The French Cookery School 

The Drifters – James A Michener

I was about fifteen when I first read this book, and it left such an impression on me that I left home a little while later. It is a powerful story about a group of young runaways from different backgrounds who meet in Torremolinos in the summer of ’69. Full of disenchantment and feeling adrift from the world during the Vietnam era, they travel to exotic locations with their hopes and dreams and experience a ‘summer of love’. It is a brilliant historical account of that era. Although it may feel outdated today, it is as powerful now as it was then.

Stirred But Not Shaken – Keith Floyd

“Food is Life. Life is Food.”

Keith Floyd is the most eloquent food writer and a brilliant cook. Cook, not chef – this was his term for himself. In this memoir about his roller-coaster life, he tells us of lost fortunes, four wives, the fame that he never really came to terms with and the ups and downs of his illustrious career. I adored Keith Floyd, and even today, many years after his death, I love to watch re-runs of his hilarious yet informative shows. But it was his writing style that hooked me. Floyd on food is like a symphony, a marriage of the best cuisine and finely honed descriptions that linger long after the taste buds have died. I followed Floyd’s footsteps to his beloved Kinsale to set a novel there, and he inspired me to write my own culinary tale. 

The Old Wives Tale – Arnold Bennet

I grew up in Cheshire on Stoke on Trent’s borders, near the five towns featured in this story. Arnold Bennet draws on his experience of life in the Potteries. The period detail is excellent as is the historical perspective of the German siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. The main characters are the Baines sisters, who grew up in a local general store and the story is told from their viewpoints, tracing the arc of two very different lives. I have always been impressed that the author wrote so brilliantly from a woman’s perspective. It’s been a writing bible for me, and I’ve read it many times.

The Catcher in the Rye – J D Salinger

“A universally loved classic of twentieth-century literature.”

This is a story of disaffected youth, and having loathed my Grammar school, I was drawn to this book as a teen. I feel this is a book that you either love or hate. Holden Caulfield is a privileged but damaged sixteen-year-old privately educated in New York in the fifties. I felt connected to the character, possibly because my school years were also damaged. It’s about coming to terms with life through the eyes of a young person and navigating the challenges of growing up. It is a book I often return to. 

Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain

I’ve spent my life working in the hospitality industry, and I remember that I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough when I read this gripping expose from the King of the tell-all behind the culinary scenes. This isn’t about the cosy celebrity lives of the chefs we see on TV; this is a no-holds-barred on what really went on in the kitchens that Bourdain worked in during his fascinating life on the road. In the literary version of Kitchen Nightmares, he was ahead of his time, and his writing is superb.

The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron

My go-to book for inspiration. The Artist’s Way is a twelve-week programme that intends to capture the universe’s creative energy and thus undo your creative blocks. Using Julia Cameron’s carefully tested exercises – I found my writing life transformed. When I started writing in later life, I had no idea how to begin. Through the pages of this book, my first manuscript was born, and when I feel closed in and unable to turn up at the page, this is where I return. It’s a personal journey, but one I feel lucky to have trodden.

My favourite quotes:  

 

“Don’t let the old man in.” Clint Eastwood

“Don’t think twice, it’s alright.” Bob Dylan

Huge thanks again, Anne, and I do hope that readers enjoy The French Cookery School  - I wish you and your visitors many happy reading hours. 

Warmest wishes, Caroline xx

Caroline James always wanted to write, but instead of taking a literary route, followed a career in the
hospitality industry, which included owning a pub and a beautiful country house hotel. 

She was also a media agent representing celebrity chefs. 

When she finally glued her rear to a chair and began to write, the words flowed, and several novels later, she has gained many bestseller badges for her books.

The French Cookery School is Caroline’s tenth novel. 

Previously, The Cruise, described as: ‘Girl power for the over sixties!’ was an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller. 

Caroline’s hilarious novels include The Spa Break and The Best Boomerville Hotel, depicted as ‘Britain’s answer to the Best Marigold Hotel’.

She likes to write in Venus, her holiday home on wheels and in her spare time, walks with Fred, her Westie, or swims in a local lake. 

Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the SOA, ARRA and the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists. 

She is also a speaker with many amusing talks heard by a variety of audiences, including cruise ship guests.

www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk

Twitter: @CarolineJames12

Facebook: Caroline James Author

Insta: Caroline James Author 

Danger With Lashings of Caviar by Liz Hinds BLOG TOUR #DangerWithLashingsofCaviar @LizHindsAuthor @RandomTTours #BookExtract

When Tabby wakes up in a rubbish skip - again - she decides the time has come for action. 

The bad guys might have got away with it so far but it's time to turn the tables. 

With the help of her mum, a disgraced policeman, a farting dog, and two homeless friends Tabby is determined to bring the handsome criminal millionaire to justice.

And she was only supposed to be making a few sandwiches.

 Danger With Lashings of Caviar by Liz Hinds is published in April 2024. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from Danger With Lashings of Caviar by Liz Hinds 

This is getting plain silly. When you wake up and find

yourself gagged and bound in a sack — and, from the

smell, in a rubbish skip at that — and your first

thought isn’t, “What happened?” but, “Oh no, not again,” it’s

time to take a long hard look at your life.

And that’s what I’m going to do. Just as soon as I get out of here.

In books gorgeous crime-fighting females regularly find

themselves in these positions but I’m not a crime-fighter. Nor

am I gorgeous. Pretty maybe on a good day. But I make

sandwiches for a living. So where did it all go wrong?

I shake my head to help me think but it hurts so much I

whimper pathetically instead. It’s not like this in films. You

never see Bruce Willis begging for paracetamol. I groan. Or I

would but my mouth is taped so it comes out as more of a

small grunt.

And to think that three months ago I thought my day was

exciting if I had an order for a hummus and red pepper pitta

wrap. But that was before I met Jack Billington.

My name is Tabitha Fielding — although most people call

me Tabby — I’m twenty-eight years old, I live with my

mother, and I make sandwiches for a living. So far so normal.

Okay, a single woman living with her mother might not be

your idea of normal but it works for me. At least it does on a

good day. On other — that is most — days I resolve to get my

own place before she drives me scatty, but just as I’m scanning through the accommodation to rent in the local newspaper my mother calls to say Eastenders is on and did I want a chocolate biscuit with my tea and that’s that.

But where was I? Oh, yes, Jack Billington.

I’m a golden-retriever-loving granny, who enjoys walking by the sea or in the woods, who eats too much chocolate and gets over-excited when the Welsh team plays rugby. 

I have self-published three novels, This Time Last Year, and its sequel, This Year Maybe, and The Dog-walking Club, but I'm also an experienced freelance writer and author of several non-fiction books published by Hodder & Stoughton, Scripture Union and Kevin Mayhew. 

I’ve also produced two podcasts.

My everyday blog: www.liz-and-harvey.blogspot.com

My website: https://lizhinds.online/

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Twitter @LizHindsAuthor