A young man wakes in a shallow grave in a wood. He manages to escape being buried alive but disappears from hospital before he can be interviewed properly by police. His friend Max is still missing and the police call the cadaver dogs in to search the woods…
Death in Bacton Wood is the third book in the Norfolk Murders series. I have previously read and reviewed the first two books in the series (Death on Cromer Beach and Death at Paradise Park) but it is not necessary to have read the earlier books and there are no spoilers.
DS Ashley Knight is ready for the next stage in her career and also moving forward with her relationship with a colleague. But her focus in entirely on her new case. The opening chapter is pretty horrific as a man wakes to find he has been buried alive. Thankfully he escapes but the police are frantic to locate his friend who may not have been so lucky.
Ashley and her team find themselves working against an Italian family with criminal gang connections. Drugs, people trafficking and gang rivalry all add to the potential motives and suspects for the police to investigate. Most of the book is written in the present day to show the developments in the case but there are some very emotive chapters set in the past that show the desperate struggle of migrants to reach the UK.
The pace of the plot is rapid and the chapters are reasonably short. This maintains the tension and I liked that the twists kept surprising me and sustained the mystery until the end. The writing style brought events and characters to life and there are some big emotional scenes that were utterly gripping.
Death in Bacton Wood is a tense and engaging police procedural.
Death in Bacton Wood
A family’s secrets lie buried. The time has come to uncover the truth…
When a mud-splattered man staggers from Bacton Wood with a terrifying tale about being buried alive, DS Ashley Knight and her team are called in to investigate. Soon, another victim is found, and more men are missing – all with connections to the well-known Vialli family.
The Major Investigation Team find themselves attempting to untangle a case that stretches from Eastern Europe through to North Norfolk. Along with rookie detective, the whip-smart Hector Fade, Ashley is in a race against time trying to help a family who seem determined to take matters into their own hands. And when Ashley suspects there is a department rat, the stakes get even higher.
As the evidence continues to point in different directions, and as new victims are uncovered thick and fast, Ashley and Hector begin to fear they have finally met their match in a killer too ruthless and clever to be caught.
I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King’s School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.
I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I’m still a little stunned by the pace of it now.
Fifty Years of Fear book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then after working in sales management all my life, i randomly spent four years as a prison officer. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours.
It’s surprising for me to realise I’ve written ten books now. There are two strands, one where the books concern lives affected by prison, and then my detective series starring DI John Barton. The first Barton book, The Snow Killer hit the coveted number one spot on KOBO, with the second and third in the series not far behind.
Years ago, Dan Armstrong was involved in a case that saw Bianca Moretti jailed. Now she turns to him when a murder takes place on her father’s retreat. Dan is surprised but accepts the case. Will he agree with local police that the death was an accident or with Bianca who is convinced it was murder…?
Murder on the Italian Riviera is the 7th book to feature private detective Dan Armstrong and his labrador Oscar as they investigate crime in Italy.
Bianca is certain that a death on her father’s property was murder but the local police have dismissed it as a tragic accident. Dan agrees to help her as he feels some regret about his part in her being imprisoned in the past. There is plenty of humour and self conscious detail for Dan as he discovers the Moretti’s retreat is for naturists. To fit in and investigate he needs to strip off!
I really like Dan’s character. He is written very naturally and I could identify with him as he second guesses himself, makes a mess with his girlfriend, and attempts to rein in Oscar’s exuberance. Dan has to rely on his own investigative skills now that he does not have an official police role and resources to support him. The Italian setting beyond the nudist location is brought to life with descriptions of places and food.
Murder on the Italian Riviera is an enjoyable crime and private detective novel and I loved the humour that came from the reaction to the naturist retreat.
Murder on the Italian Riviera
A brand-new cozy crime series set in gorgeous Tuscany…It’s murder in paradise!
An ex-con…
Private investigator Dan Armstrong is no stranger to working with criminals, but when he’s approached for help by Bianca Moretti, he’s on high alert. Bianca is intelligent and beautiful, and Dan likes her, but he also once sent her to prison…
A suspicious death…
Bianca explains that a guest has been found dead at her father’s luxurious and private retreat on the beautiful Italian Riviera. The police are sure the death is accidental, but Bianca is convinced the man’s been murdered. Dan’s sure he can get to the bottom of things…as long as Bianca is telling him the whole truth.
A very revealing case!
But when Dan arrives at the resort, he’s in for a shock. He finds that the place is a naturist retreat, and everybody is walking around stark naked! Dan is determined to discover the truth, but this is going to mean revealing a whole lot more of himself than he expected.
Can Dan sniff out the truth about this case before Oscar’s cold wet nose causes havoc?
I write under the androgynous name T A Williams because 65% of books are read by women. In my first book one of the (female) characters suggests the imbalance is due to the fact that men spend too much time getting drunk and watching football. I couldn’t possibly comment. Ask my wife…
I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing romance and whodunnits. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. Murder mystery is all very well, but it needs to put a smile on your face, so that’s why I like to inject some humour. I’m having a lot of fun writing the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series set in sunny Italy. They are all standalone books but if you really want to do it properly, start with the first one in the series, Murder in Tuscany. If my books can whisk you away to gorgeous locations, put a smile on your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.
I‘ve lived all over Europe, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away in south west England. I love the place. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes and thatched cottages in many of my books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador.
I’ve been writing since I was 14 and that is well over half a century ago. However, underneath this bald, wrinkly exterior, there beats the heart of a youngster. My wife is convinced I will never grow up. I hope she’s right.
It’s been quite a pants week. My cough came back and then was followed by a stonking cold. I have also had loads of work on so have had to power on through feeling grot. But let’s focus on good things! Starting with me reaching 1000 days continuous play on Duolingo. My French, German and Italian understanding is good but I worry about speaking them if I do ever go abroad.
Bank holiday weekend has arrived and I’m looking forward to an extra day off to get better. But being a mum doesn’t take a break and, despite wanting to be in bed, I made a cauliflower and broccoli cheese and need to go shopping for school shoes for the kids. On a happy note though, making the cheese sauce has inspired me to get back in the kitchen again and start experimenting with vegan and gluten free versions as I’ve become a bit stuck in a rut.
A competition for the village’s best garden is interrupted by the discovery of a dead body. Does Cleo’s death have a connection to another death 25 years ago?
Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove is the 12th book to feature obituary writer and amateur sleuth Eve Mallow.
Secrets, lies, hidden tunnels, affairs, personal and professional animosity, a suspicious death in the past: this book has it all! Eve is inundated with suspects and motives as she begins to investigate the life and death of jeweller Cleo Marbeck. She is ably supported as always by her beau Robin and dachshund Gus as well as other villagers who have joined her friendship group over the series of books.
There are plenty of plot threads and secrets to reveal so the mystery is sustained until the end of the book. The writing style is easy to read and the village life felt authentic. The deaths are not described in graphic detail, in keeping with the cosy crime genre. I liked the emphasis on the characters and their relationships for underpinning the plot and resolution of the case.
Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery in the English countryside.
Saxford St Peter is having an open gardens day! But one of the villagers has murder, not marigolds, in mind… And now Eve Mallow needs to unearth a killer.
Everyone in Saxford is delighted when jeweller Cleo Marbeck suggests a prize for the village’s best garden. Flowers are planted, grass is cut, and the competition is on. But the event only digs up dirt… Twenty-five years ago, a young woman fell to her death in Cleo’s house, and rumours soon resurface about Cleo’s part in the tragedy.
Eve’s best friend Viv is hosting Stevie, her son’s fiancée, ahead of the wedding. On the open garden day, Stevie has a horrible flashback: the memory of a woman lying at the bottom of a staircase. But she sees it in a totally different house from the one where Honor died…
Hours later Cleo’s body is found, drowned in her own pond. Almost everyone in Saxford has been in and out of her garden, sowing suspicion everywhere. But Eve is convinced the flashback has triggered the crime… and when the police turn their sights on Stevie, she’ll have to work fast to solve the case and save the wedding.
So who wanted Cleo in the ground? The son of the woman who died, out for revenge? The employee passed over for promotion? Her long-term lover, who she refused to marry? And why do so many suspects live on Meadowsweet Grove?
When someone else takes a tumble downstairs, Eve knows she’s close to grubbing up the truth. But can she catch the killer or is she heading for a fatal fall?
A page-turning and completely charming English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett.
Author Bio
Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.
Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.
Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.
As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.
TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi antisemitic ideology and violence
1943, Germany. Jews in hiding. Nazi officers working against their leadership. Friends and family in danger of being denounced and arrested at every turn…
The Berlin Wife’s Vow is an historical book set during the second half of WW2. It is the fourth book in a series and I do feel that I would have benefitted from reading the earlier books to better understand the journey the characters have been on. I was able to catch up quickly but it did feel a little like I’d been dropped into the middle of a story.
There are a wealth of characters introduced to us at the start of the book. All of them are struggling to cope with life in Germany under the Nazis and are united in wanting to subvert the regime. Edith is married to a Jew and has been rejected by her brother who is a Nazi officer at an extermination camp. Her other brother is involved with resistance, putting his life in danger. Thea is brutally beaten until she agrees to betray others, while Helga and her family are trying to help those at risk of arrest and deportation.
Initially I was unsure of the wife and vow in question so felt that the title and book blurb didn’t quite match the plot (this was before I realised that it was the 4th book in a series). However, I understood better later in the book as events progressed. The writing style is easy to read and the characters were all depicted authentically and vividly brought to life. There is unpleasant violence and attitudes as you would expect due to the historical and geographical setting but these were not gratuitous. This was balanced by the kindness, love and hope that the characters cling to as they battle the worst of humanity.
The author has clearly researched the background for the book and has invested a lot in her characters and plot development over the series. My degree is in history and I have studied Nazi Germany a lot but I enjoyed being shown new perspectives and lesser known events such as the Rosenstrasse protest.
The Berlin Wife’s Vow is an engaging, emotional and well researched historical novel.
Book Description:
She kneels by her husband, his face contorted with pain. “You must get yourself to safety,” he tells her. She grips his hand tighter as a tear tracks down her drawn, pale face. “I promised to stay beside you. I will keep that vow to the end.”
Berlin, 1944. Edith Falkenstein weeps with joy when the crowds of brave women protesting on Rosenstrasse manage to save their Jewish relatives, including her husband Julius, from deportation to the camps.
Julius once believed abiding by the rules would shield him and his wife. But now he knows better: there is no such thing as mercy from the Nazis, and they must do all they can to save others. Their apartment, long stripped of its luxurious furnishings, might offer little protection from the frigid winter air, but it has become a place of secret shelter—though it puts all their lives at risk.
As bombs rain a thunder of devastation on the city and Soviet soldiers close in from the east, the Nazis have only become more desperate, and more deadly. For the inhabitants, their only option is to flee. But when another raid leaves Julius critically injured, Edith realises he is far too frail to make the perilous journey. She closes her eyes and prays for a miracle.
The final days of the war are here, but there is no cause for celebration in Berlin, where death lingers on every corner. Their love has been the source of their strength and survival all these long years, but will either of them live to see the end?
An absolutely page-turning and deeply heartrending story of one woman’s promise to protect the people she loves. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
Author Bio:
Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.
Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.
