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The snow is lying thick on the ground and frozen bodies are being found. Frozen by man, not nature. A serial killer is killing women, cutting them up with a chainsaw and then making ‘art’ with the pieces. It is a grisly case for Alton and Kane but absolutely superb!

The personal life of Jenna and Dave gets more complicated as they deal with a stalker and Jenna’s life is put in danger. I was hoping once again for more romance to develop between them but he is still mourning his wife.

We get to see the killer at work and his kidnap victims. This is hugely emotive as we gain a little sympathy for his past but mostly abject horror at his current actions. We are willing for his latest abductee Ava to escape but fear the worst due to the discovery that he may have killed dozens of women.

The pace of the action in Her Shallow Grave is fast and furious. The tension created by the plot and our witnessing the hostages and killer is maintained throughout. The ending was dramatic and I had no idea which of the suspects would turn out to be the killer.

DK Hood’s Kane and Alton series is such good quality, hooking the reader from the first to the last page. Each book could be read as a stand alone novel but I think reading the series as a whole is best to enjoy the progression on the characters and their relationships, both personal and professional.

I have previously reviewed books 4-8 on my blog: The Crying Season, Where Angels Fear, Whisper in the Night, Break the Silence, Her Broken Wings.

DK HOOD Media Kit:

Title: HER SHALLOW GRAVE

Author:  DK Hood

PUBLICATION DAY: 10/07/2020

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B087378QTGSocial

Apple: https://apple.co/2V88Oru

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2xyBosS

Google: https://bit.ly/2wEG93K

Description:

She runs her trembling fingers over the dark, damp walls surrounding her. Above her head, she hears heavy footsteps. She knows she has nowhere to hide and as the door to the cellar is flung open, she finally sees his face.

It’s winter in Black Rock Falls and, as tourists flock to the small town to take in the snowy mountain peaks, one visitor makes a sickening discovery. The frozen body of a young woman hangs from a tree on the outskirts of town. Detective Jenna Alton is called in to investigate.

Jenna’s stomach turns as she surveys the ice-cold remains, and she’s soon alerted to similar burial sites nearby. With no missing persons reported, Jenna and her deputy, David Kane, fear Black Rock Falls is being used as a dumping ground for bodies.

As the body count mounts up, Jenna is more determined than ever to find the person responsible. But as she tries to catch the killer out, he outsmarts her once again and Jenna begins to wonder if he knows her next move. Could he be closer to her than she thinks?

When the investigation takes Jenna to a homeless shelter right in the heart of the community, she fears for the life of a woman who hasn’t been seen for a few days. It’s clear the killer is beginning to escalate, so Jenna ramps up the investigation and puts herself in unthinkable danger. Can she catch the murderer off guard, or does he already know she’s on her way? Has Jenna finally met a killer she can’t catch?

If you like Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot, you will love this thrilling new book from bestselling crime author D.K. Hood.

**Each Kane and Alton book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone**

Author Bio:

I’ve always had a wicked sense of humour and was the kid who told the ghost stories around the campfire. I am lucky to have family all over the world and have spent many vacations in places from Paris France to Montana USA and Australia. I use the wonderful memories from these visits to enhance my stories.
My interest in the development of forensic science to solve crime goes back many years. I enjoy writing crime, mystery and thrillers. With many stories, waiting for me to write I’ll look forward to sharing many spine-tingling stories with you.

D.K. Hood is an active member of International Thriller Writers.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: www.dkhood.com

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DKHood_Author

The 10th book in the Calladine and Bayliss series, Dead Wicked sees the two lead detectives re-evaluating their personal and professional lives. Calladine has been acting DCI but doesn’t want to be stuck behind a desk so requests to return to his usual role. Bayliss’s partner walks out on her and their son but she instantly starts up a relationship with new member of the forensic team.

The case is nasty: drugs, murder, blackmail and ransomware. One of the main suspects is newly released from prison after a crime involving Calladine’s cousin. The new murders are in the same method as the old case. Can Calladine stop the killer before his own mother becomes the next victim…?

Calladine and Bayliss are very human and their personal issues bring a relatable and natural tone to the book. The arrival of a new DCI, Greco from one of Durrant’s other series, brings a new professional dynamic to the police team.

The murders are grisly and the computer hacking makes the book bang up to date. I have only read Dead Guilty (book 9 in the series) so am unsure if the historic crimes are ones that have been dealt with in earlier books.

I absolutely loved this book until the final chapter and epilogue which I felt needed a little more exploration of the motive and interrogation of the killer, but this didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment. It was a quick read as I literally couldn’t put it down! The action was fast paced, the momentum kept up with the short chapters and I was completely engrossed in the plot. I can’t wait for more of this series!

DEAD WICKED (Calladine & Bayliss #10) by Helen H Durrant

Looking for a brilliant best-selling crime mystery with great detectives?

DETECTIVES CALLADINE AND BAYLISS HUNT FOR A VICIOUS KILLER

The first victim is found on waste ground. His tongue has been cut out and stuffed down his throat.

Then another body is found dumped in a lake up in the hills. The same gruesome murder method is used.

And guess who the detectives’ new boss is? The incredibly difficult Stephen Greco.

A TWISTED KILLER . . . AND A WICKED TWIST

Meanwhile Ruth Bayliss’s personal life is falling part and someone is targeting local businesses with ransomware.

The prime suspect is a criminal Calladine thought he’d seen the last of.

WHO’S THE SERIAL KILLER AND WHO’S NEXT ON THE LIST?

Discover an absolutely unputdownable crime thriller from a best-selling author.

IN AN ENDING WITH A MASSIVE TWIST, THE DETECTIVES FIND EVERYTHING THEY BELIEVED IS WRONG.

If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will enjoy this exciting new crime fiction writer.

DEAD WICKED is book ten of a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine.

What readers are saying about the series

“I read it in one sitting.” Aileen

“This books has lots of twists and turns throughout and with a cracking ending to this brilliant book.” Nessa

“Really enjoyed this book.” Nerys

“Kept me guessing till the end.” Anna Maria

“I finished it in twenty-four hours and enjoyed every page.” Joan

THE DETECTIVES

Tom Calladine is a detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of twenty-one has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape.

Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-thirties, plain-speaking but loyal. She is balancing her professional life with looking after a small child.

THE SETTING

The fictional village of Leesdon is on the outskirts of an industrial northern English city. There is little work and a lot of crime. The bane of Calladine’s life is the Hobfield housing estate, breeding ground to all that is wrong with the area that he calls home.

HELEN H. DURRANT

OVER 1 MILLION BOOKS SOLD!

Helen is one of the ‘baby boomer’ generation and began writing when she retired from her job at a local college. Born in Edinburgh to an English father and Scottish the family settled in a Pennine village between the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is an environment which has shaped her stories.  Writing is a second career and, despite having a bus pass, keeps her busy, and tuned in.

Helen has grown-up family and five grandchildren.

BOOKS BY HELEN H. DURRANT

CALLADINE & BAYLISS SERIES:

• DEAD WRONG

• DEAD SILENT

• DEAD LIST

• DEAD LOST

• DEAD & BURIED

• DEAD NASTY

• DEAD JEALOUS

• DEAD BAD

• DEAD GUILTY

DI GRECO SERIES:

• DARK MURDER

• DARK HOUSES

• DARK TRADE

• DARK ANGEL

DI MATHEW BRINDLE SERIES:

• HIS THIRD VICTIM

• THE OTHER VICTIM

DCI RACHEL KING SERIES:

• NEXT VICTIM

• TWO VICTIMS

• WRONG VICTIM

LINKS

Twitter: @hhdurrant

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/helenhdurrant/about/?ref=page_internal

Lady Eleanor Swift is still trying to fit in to her new role as the lady of the manor. She attends a masked dance, trips over her dress and discovers a jewel theft and murder. The chief suspect is her love interest Lancelot but can she clear his name and find the real thief and killer…?

Death at the Dance is a light hearted murder mystery set in the 1920s so it has a classical Agatha Christie feel. It is the sequel to A Very English Murder but would work as a stand alone novel.

The characters really pull the plot along and I admit that I had almost lost interest in the plot itself as it is quite slow to develop, and we have little personal knowledge of the theft or murder except for their impact on the lead characters so it stays in the background. The murder victim is not someone we care about an the subsequent investigation does not invoke our sympathy for his untimely death. I felt that there could have been more inquiry into the jewel thefts to make this more prominent.

The gender, class and social distinctions are entertaining to read and make for interesting characters dynamics. The relationship and witty conversation between Eleanor and Clifford is simply divine. The subtlety and sarcasm in their exchanges is funny and has a natural feel which lifts the quality of the book. I really enjoyed the subversion of the usual role stereotypes and the obvious affection they have for each other.

The love triangle between Eleanor, Lancelot and Inspector Seldon adds an extra dimension and subplot. Eleanor’s surveillance of Lancelot’s friends allows us to witness another dimension to 1920s society: the sense of entitlement and ebullience of the upper classes in the interwar years. Eleanor is rightly disdainful of the group’s behaviour and I like her even more for being confident in herself.

Overall, Death at the Dance was an enjoyable book. I hope that there will be more development of the relationship between Eleanor and Lancelot in the next book as it was tricky with him in a prison cell!

Death at the Dance book description:

Author Bio:

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

Twitter:  @BrightVerity

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2YIyEEf