Including the book that I just finished, which will be in my December and January post, I have read thirty-nine to date with a goal of thirty-five for the year. Pretty chuffed with that as I set out to do my personal best as a reader to support local and international crime fiction! Without further ado, here are the six crime novels that made my rating as “good reads” for October and November, along with what I’m reading next.
Disclaimer:
Being a crime fiction addict and lover of series books, expect lots of my reading to fall into these categories. You can also expect to only hear about the books I have enjoyed – but as I have honed my selections to my tastes over the years, I am rarely disappointed, and I get that reading enjoyment is subjective anyway. I love to jump over to Goodreads and share the books I’ve enjoyed with the reading community, and this led me to posting my standouts in a “Good Reads” column each month or so.
Deadfall (standalone) Lyndon Stacey – 4.5 stars
Expecting a Dick Francis type of read with Deadfall, I got all the horsey world but in a kind of enjoyable, gentle, Midsomer Murders style, except that the aristocrats weren’t necessarily the ones to dislike. In Deadfall, Linc Tremayne is heir to a viscountcy and manager of his father’s Dorset estate. But he has to work hard for the privilege – his dad cuts him no slack and is far from supportive of his dream to ride on the British Olympic eventing team. In fact, Linc has to stable his horse with his friends, the Hathaways. Arriving at the stables late one night, Linc is run off the road, then discovers young Abby Hathaway unconscious and all the tack stolen. As Abby fights for her life, Linc feels compelled to track down the thieves, to stop them before they do someone else harm. A series of warnings and close calls draws Linc further and further into danger, along with his newfound love, Josie. It seems someone is out to kill him (or them). Why? And how can he stop them? There was much to enjoy about Deadfall, and perhaps I landed on it in just the right mood, but I would be keen to read more by Lyndon Stacey.
The Great Divide (standalone or perhaps Detective Jake Hunter #1?) LJM Owen – 4.5 stars
LJM Owen has a new protagonist, new setting and new style going in her latest outing, The Great Divide: police detective Jake Hunter, who is escaping his life back in Melbourne; atmospheric, very small-town Tasmania; and a darker, contemporary narrative. All three diversions from Owen’s Dr Elizabeth Pimms series—which I thoroughly enjoy in its own right—worked well for me and I look forward to more of Jake Hunter, hopefully. The Great Divide starts with a missing child and then the discovery of the body of a former headmistress of a local children’s home…and the woman has clearly suffered in both life and death. Hunter is new to his posting, an outsider from the mainland with his own troubles, and he is having trouble fitting in with his colleagues and the townsfolk. As he probes for answers, he struggles to find many of those who previously resided at the home, and many answers about the home itself. But he knows these children were damaged and something horrendous happened that ties in with the current spate of murder and violence in the small community. While he doesn’t know who around him he can trust, he must follow his instincts, and the forensics to uncover the truth.
Bring Them Home (DS Karen Hart #1) DS Butler – 4 stars
Bring Them Home is the first instalment in the British detective series starring DS Karen Hart and my first read of this author. In this novel, two young girls disappear from their primary school in the small village of Heighington. They were spotted leaving and it is unknown if they were lured away, meeting someone or just up to mischief, but coming so soon after the unsolved disappearance of another, older girl locally, the small community, the girls’ families and the police all fear the worst. Detective Karen Hart is on the team investigating the current disappearance and can’t let go her certainty that this case and the previous MISPER are linked. Hart is also still struggling with her own tragedy and her objectivity is under question by her new boss as she homes in on the suspects. Can she trust her instincts or is her DI right? Can they bring the girls home safely? I enjoyed the author’s style in Bring Them Home, along with the setting and characterisation, so I’m looking forward to the next instalment.
Where Secrets Lie (DS Karen Hart #2) DS Butler – 4.5 stars
Where Secrets Lie is the second outing in the Detective Karen Hart series. In this instalment, police attend the property of an old man who has fallen—or was pushed—down his internal stairs. While there, they discover decomposed human remains in a suitcase behind a locked door, and along with that a note saying, “It’s time to pay for your crime.” Thanks to clever forensics, the body is ID’d as former teacher, Oliver Fox, who vanished from the village thirty years ago. Detective Hart and her team soon uncover a plethora of secrets about Fox, his family, and past colleagues and students, their inquiries complicated by the interference of his brother, a retired senior police officer. Are the whispers of child abuse relevant to Fox’s death? Who killed him? Is it the same person who sent the threatening note to the old man and is on a spree of violence now? While not surprised by the ending, I liked it and found Where Secrets Lie to be a lively, engaging story with twists and frustrations, and a cast of core characters who I want to learn more of.
Safe With Me (standalone) KL Slater – 4 stars
UK psychological thriller Safe With Me centres around Anna – what is happening to her now and what went on thirteen years ago that scarred her for life. The question of how reliable she is as a narrator is constant as we follow her from the scene of a car and motorbike accident, where she witnesses the woman—Carla—who caused her such devastation doing it again to someone else, this time young rider, Liam. Anna’s ordered, solitary existence, her work in a postal delivery, her relationship with her elderly neighbour all slide at an alarming rate from there. How far will she take her thirst for revenge? As we slowly learn more of Anna’s past, interwoven with events happening now, we start to question is there more going on and who she can trust? Safe With Me was an enjoyable read.
Why She Ran (Detective Iris Locke #2) Geraldine Hogan – 4.5 stars
Why She Ran is the second book in the Detective Iris Locke series, but though I haven’t read the first, that did not get in the way of my enjoyment. Enough backstory is provided, without undue spoilers, that I read and enjoyed this as a standalone…but I am very tempted to read the first instalment now. I’m an avid crime reader but found the Irish tones to this gripping thriller and style of the author Geraldine Hogan gave a freshness to this mystery, and I loved the Irish setting. And there is plenty of story in this novel! Detectives Iris Locke and her offsider Slattery are terrific characters with intriguing histories and challenges. But there is plenty of substance to the main storyline in Why She Ran, keeping me intrigued all the way. Eleanor Marshall is a girl from a privileged family who should be enjoying an enviable lifestyle, instead of being locked away with other delinquents. And she should be completely safe. But after the young nurse supervising her is brutally murdered one night, Eleanor absconds. While searchers hunt for her in the woods near the Comeragh mountains, her sister is also killed, and the pressure falls on Detective Iris Locke to piece it all together and show her aptitude for permanent promotion. Who wanted the nurse dead and why? And how does her father’s earlier death link in…if at all? Why also kill Eleanor’s sister? And is Eleanor herself the murderer or in grave danger? After reading Why She Ran, I am keen for more by this author. With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy. Why She Ran releases on 19 December 2019.
I have just jumped into The Subjects by Australian author Sarah Hopkins, and am enjoying it so far. I’ll have more great crime reads to share with you in the New Year.
Meanwhile, thank you for your wonderful support in 2019. May you and yours have a safe and enjoyable festive season. Best wishes for 2020 and happy reading!
Cheers, Sandi
