#Review by Lou of Murder on the Dancefloor @marshisms @BoldWoodBooks @RachelsRandomResources #CosyCrime #CrimeFiction

Murder On The Dancefloor
By Katie Marsh

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Murder On the Dancefloor, over the years from music to books and this one is also worth noting. Find out more in the blurb, my review and about the author below…

Blurb

They DID promise her a killer hen weekend…

Jeanie’s getting married, and – despite her completely impossible four sisters – her best friends Clio and Amber are determined to give her a bachelorette weekend to remember. They’re in matching pink T-shirts and the drinks are flowing…

But the night turns out to be unforgettable for all the wrong reasons when a girl turns up dead on the dancefloor. And – even though she’s a stranger – she is wearing one of Jeanie’s hen T-shirts.

Who is she? And why are the police convinced that the hens are involved? Can the newly-formed Bad Girls Detective Agency solve the murder? And in time to get Jeanie up the aisle?

Unputdownable mystery set on the English coast – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Bad Sisters and How to Kill Your Family.

Review

Humour and murder combined makes for a darkly entertaining read.
Meet Clio, Jeannie and Amber on Jeannie’s hen night. It should’ve gone without a hitch in the nightclub, except people are found dead. The intrepid trio resolve to find out the who and why this happened, in this cosy crime.

As well as trying to solve a murder, there’s friendship and life situations to be encountered, such as offspring going off to university, over-bearing family, choices to be made when it comes to a former boss. It makes it all an interesting read with characters you can get involved with, alongside the mystery to solve.

Murder on the Dance Floor is an entertaining, mysterious read to settle into for a relaxed time.

About The Author

Katie wrote romantic fiction before turning to crime. Her debut novel was a World Book Night pick and her books are published in ten languages.

She lives in the English countryside and loves strong coffee and pretending to be in charge of her children. ‘How Not to Murder your Ex’, the first in her Bad Girls Detective Agency series is out now, published by Boldwood Books. The next instalment, ‘Murder on the Dancefloor,’ follows in March 2024.

#Review By Lou of Nosy Neighbours by Freya Sampson @SampsonF @CompulsiveReaders #BlogTour #NosyNeighbours #Mystery #ContemporaryFiction

Nosy Neighbours
By Freya Sampson

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Even the nosy neighbours have their uses in this mysteriously uplifting book that shows secrets behind doors…
Find out more about what else Freya Sampson has written, after the blurb and my review for Nosy Neighbours, of which I am part of today’s Compulsive Readers blog tour.

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Blurb

wp-17121378864754635228069390080063You can choose your home, but you can’t choose who lives next door . . .

Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, especially not in crumbling Shelley House. The other residents think she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past and looking for somewhere to belong.

Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House for longer than anyone else, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Dorothy may spend her days spying on the neighbours, but she has a closely guarded secret herself – and a good reason for barely leaving her home.

When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home; and even less likely detectives when they suspect that foul play is coming from within Shelley House . . .

Review

Kat is a mysterious character. She doesn’t really feel like she belongs anywhere and is someone who’s an intriguing slow-burn to warm to. Dorothy on the other-hand isn’t the nicest of people and also harbours a deep secret.
As you delve deeper into their lives and those of other residents of Shelley House, you soon learn why they are how they are. There are moments of great emotion and others that are rather funny.

Cantankerous Dorothy is the longest serving tenant of Shelley House and likes to keep a good, keen eye on everything and everyone. She’s quite possibly the nosiest woman, but it turns out not to be a bad thing. Apart from sorting the mail, taking the rubbish out, she knows everyone, which turns out to be good for trying to work has the motive and opportunity to attack Joseph, the landlord.
This and the horrifying news that their home is going to be demolished, has the residents rallying around and unexpected alliances being forged. This, in-turn gives it the feel-good factor.

It’s an involving book that’s easy to get caught up in.

About the Author

Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library, The Girl on The 88 Bus (or for the US, known as The Lost Ticket) and Nosy Neighbours.

She studied history at Cambridge University and worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries about everything from the British royal family to neighbours from hell.
She lives in London with her husband, children and cats.

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#Review By Lou of #TheatrePlay -Murder In The Dark @OriginalTheatre @InTheDark #MurderInTheDark

Murder In The Dark
Written by Torben Betts
Directed By Philip Franks

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Torben Betts is a writer of many plays for the Original Theatre Company. It was brilliant to see Original Theatre hit Scotland again. This theatre company does seem to have some rather interesting, intriguing shows both online and on-stage, such as A Cold Supper Behind Harrods and The Habit of Art, to name a couple I watched and gave favourable reviews of. I reckon it’s one to watch out for. They sure get great writers and cast into their productions. It’s refreshing to see their productions actually tour to different theatres.  I saw this one at The Pavilion in Glasgow.

Murder In The Dark

Cast

       Susie Blake plays Mrs Bateman                         Tom Chambers plays Danny
Rebecca Charles plays Rebecca                          Johnny Green plays Jake
Owen Oakenshott plays William                       Laura White plays Sarah

Synopsis

What happens when the lights go out? 

It’s New Year’s Eve, when a car crash on a deserted road brings famous but troubled singer Danny Sierra and his dysfunctional family to an isolated holiday cottage in rural England.  
 
From the moment they arrive, a sequence of inexplicable events begin to occur… and then the lights go out… As the tension rises and deeply buried secrets come to light, you’ll find nothing is quite as it seems. 
From the mind of acclaimed writer Torben Betts and produced by the award-winning Original Theatre, who brought you the smash hit production of The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie, Murder in The Dark will have you on the edge of your seats until the final chilling twist.

Are you brave enough to uncover the truth?  

Starring TV and stage favourite Tom Chambers (Holby City, Casualty, Waterloo Road, Father Brown and Strictly Come Dancing champion) and produced by the award-winning Original Theatre (The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie, Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art).

Cast also includes Rebecca Charles (The Dresser), Jonny Green (It’s a Sin), Owen Oakeshott (Witness for the Prosecution) and Laura White (Doctors). 

Review

“Three Blind Mice, Three Blind Mice…” A well-known nursery rhyme that runs through the play as does a song, that ends up sticking in your head – “Murder In The Dark”.
Chilling, thought-provoking with intensity that builds, to a certain extent to an almighty crescendo of a twist at the end. The psychological element that weaves and builds throughout makes this play captivating.
And yet, it is entertaining with unexpected humour for a good deal of the play.
Set, in an old house where the lights don’t always work, but the tv mysteriously turns on at certain points, there are many twists that just keep coming. I won’t say what as this would spoil the play.

Murder In The Dark is a play that plays with your mind long after it’s finished. The minute it ends, it causes much chatter about what’s just been seen, especially how the end plays out.

Tom Chambers plays the tormented Danny absolutely magnificently. Throughout, he gives such a strong and impressively convincing performance, with great stage-presence.
I’d seen him once before on-stage (and lots on TV) in Private Lives and was most impressed, and he absolutely still lives up to and even exceeded expectations in Murder In The Dark. 
Susie Blake brings much mysteriousness and a chilling air to the piece and is marvellous. She may well make your spine-tingle and she carries her character off wonderfully.
The rest of the cast also bring strong, powerful performances to what is a rather weird, yet compelling and intriguing play.
They’re all actors who are highly watchable and to watch out to see what else they do too, whether it’s screen or stage.

If you ever get a chance to see it, whilst it is on a proper, full UK tour, then I very much recommend it for your “what to see on-stage” list.

Check out Original Theatre Here: Original Theatre

#Extract from Chapter 4 of Whispers Through Time By Melanie Robertson-King @RobertsoKing #ReadingBetweenTheLines #BlogTour

Extract from Whispers Through Time
By Melanie Robertson-King

Today I am delighted to be able to present the blurb and an extract from chapter 4 of Whispers Through Time, thanks to Lynsey at Reading Between The Lines and the author, Melanie Robertson-King. It sounds mysteriously eerie to me.

Whispers Through Time

Blurb

A historic Canadian property becomes the canvas for a tale that spans generations. In 1914, a tragedy unfolded, leaving scars that linger far beyond the passage of time. In 1947, a visionary purchases the haunted remnants, seeking a new beginning for his family, but his young daughter senses a ghost from the far past. In the present, urban explorers unlock the secrets of the past while running a web design company. Photographs and sketches capture the essence of the property, documenting the whispers of spirits from another era. As the explorers navigate the abandoned corridors and forgotten chambers, the photographs unveil subtle anomalies until supernatural phenomena manifest that defy explanation. Amidst the subtle changes in decor and the flickering candle flames frozen in time, the explorers find themselves entangled in a mystery transcending the boundaries of the living and the dead, forcing the urban explorers to confront the unresolved secrets that echo through the corridors of time. Is a structure just that, or can it house remnants of horror, pain and sin? The urban explorers find they must confront the unresolved secrets that echo through the corridors of time.

#Review of The Life Of Riley – Unbreakable By Tom Allen @TomAllenAuthor #MiddleGrade

The Life Of Riley
By Tom Allen

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I happened to be lucky and win an copy of book 1 of the Middle-Grade football based nove – The Life Of Riley from Reading Rocks. I will be donating it to the community library for a class of kids who are football fans and love books on it. It’s a book that deals with other issues too, which makes it great for getting sporty kids and non-sporty kids into this series. I highly recommend it and you can find the reasons why in my review below.

The LIfe of Riley

Blurb

Riley Adams has three passions in life: family, friends and football. Despite often finding school difficult, Riley finds happiness in friendships with his ‘band of brothers and sisters’, who play for his beloved Highfield Flyers FC.

Riley and the Flyers learn to play together and focus, bringing them great moments and taking them close to glory. Rivalries form and the desire to win grows until…

Riley’s world is turned upside down when his mum receives life-changing news.

Can he really care about football again? What will happen to Mum? How will he cope with life now?

Review

The Life of Riley is excellently pitched for 9-12 year olds. It’s part of the Football Dream Series. Football series of books are growing and kids are enthused by them. This one has all the sporty, football excitement you would expect, whilst also dealing with other life issues. Riley’s mum isn’t well and his concern feels real. He also knows a thing or two about bullies. There’s also the friendships he builds along the way and how this helps him to cope with some very sad news. It shows how caring and pulling together can bring some positivity and build some resilience. 
It’s all very relatable for children. It may spark conversation or just some quiet thought.
The ups and downs of the game and life is balanced really well.
The chapters are short with characters you can really care about, with a life-affirming plot, it’s a book I reckon many children will enjoy.

 

#Review By Lou of This Is Not A Pipe By David Jarvis @David_Jarvis_ #ThisIsNotAPipe – A Mike Kingdom Story #CrimeFiction #Thriller

This Is Not A Pipe
By David Jarvis

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Is this a pipe or what? This Is Not A Pipe… so come and discover more in the blurb and then my review of the second Mike Kingdom story. Book 1 is, The Tip Of The Iceberg. Thanks to David Jarvis for the book, in-exchange of a free, honest review.

This Is Not A Pipe

Blurb

How would you go about finding a relative if they had gone missing abroad?

For Michaela ‘Mike’ Kingdom, this should have been all in a day’s work. After all, she had previously been a search analyst for the CIA in London. Unfortunately, she didn’t know which name her brother-in-law was using, what he was doing or even in which country he was working. His phone had been used in Málaga three weeks previously and then gone dead. Her initial investigations were off to a slow start until the killing of a British government minister in France on his way to Spain gave her that vital first clue. That’s all Mike Kingdom needed – until she befriended a fish gutter’s dog, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

This Is Not a Pipe – like its predecessor, The Tip of the Iceberg – is a thought-provoking and gripping story that follows Mike Kingdom as she ventures into the field for a second time.

Review

Michaela “Mike” Kingdom gets a visit from her former boss, head of the CIA, London branch, not a particularly welcome one, but it turns out to be important. What ensues is deftly plotted and fast-paced to try and discover what has happened to her relative, who is deemed missing.
There’s also a significant murder, that moves the investigation onwards.

It’s a tense and tightly written book of geo-politics, current topics such as G20 summits and gas pipelines, with also a mystery to also be solved.
It also takes on quite the adventure, where there are some rather interesting supporting characters to also meet.
It also, surprisingly, does have some humour that lifts it quite nicely. When there is humour, it feels quite natural and fits well.
The intricate plot, with great settings is gripping enough to make you want to keep reading to the very end to discover what happens, and how it all ends.

I will also add my congratulations in that David Jarvis has now joined many authors who publish with Hobeck Books, a great indy crime book publisher.