Dead Guilty is the first Calladine and Bayliss book that I have read but I have read one of Helen H. Durrant’s books from another series previously (Next Victim). There were several points in the book that refers to events in the preceeding books and this frustrated me a little as I wanted more detail (time to go and read those other books!)
A child is abducted. Calladine’s own home is broken into. Vigilantes walk the streets. Drugs are being distributed.
How are these crimes linked?
This is the challenge that the police are challenged with solving. At first they seem to be separate events but as more evidence for each case presents itself, the police realise that they are closely linked. The next problem is that high up in the police hierarchy is someone who doesn’t want the answers found…
In this book we see a lot more of Calladine than we do of Bayliss. His personality shines through the book as we see the end of his romantic relationship, the announcement that he is to be a grandfather, and his interactions with both criminals and their victims. The drugs crimes feel personal as they take place in his neighbourhood.
This is a very good police procedure novel and it is easy to get drawn into the emotions of Calladine as he struggles to uncover the truth in light of obstacles including obstruction from his own superiors.
DEAD GUILTY (Calladine & Bayliss #9) by Helen Durrant
Looking for a brilliant best-selling crime mystery with great detectives?
Detective Calladine and Bayliss hunt for a missing child in a mystery with a shocking ending.
Sophie Alder is the three-year-old daughter of local factory owner, Richard Alder. Richard and his wife Annie are locals from the rough housing estate who’ve made it big.
Plus, there’s a crime wave in Leesworth and the police can’t cope. One thief even dares to break into Calladine’s house.
A number of local men have formed a vigilante group. On one of their patrols they catch the burglar and he ends up dead.
The investigation is complicated and the detectives keep hearing about a shadowy figure called “Street,” the mastermind behind the increase in drugs and theft.
With two more murders and Calladine’s personal life in turmoil, the detectives face against time to find “Street” and the missing child.
In an ending with a huge twist, the detectives find everything they believed is turned upside down.
If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will enjoy this exciting new crime fiction writer.
DEAD GUILTY is book nine of a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine.
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 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.
DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVOURITE MYSTERY SERIES NOW
THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES
Book 1: DEAD WRONG
Book 2: DEAD SILENT
Book 3: DEAD LIST
Book 4: DEAD LOST
Book 5: DEAD & BURIED
Book 6: DEAD NASTY
Book 7: DEAD JEALOUS
Book 8: DEAD BAD
Book 9: DEAD GUILTY
THE DCI GRECO BOOKSBook 1: DARK MURDER
Book 2: DARK HOUSES
Book 3: DARK TRADE
Book 4: DARK ANGEL
MATT BRINDLE
Book 1: HIS THIRD VICTIM
Book 2: THE OTHER VICTIM
HELEN H. DURRANT
OVER 750,000 books sold of her Calladine & Bayliss and DI Greco Series
I’m one of the ‘baby boomer’ generation. I was born in Edinburgh to an English father and Scottish mother. My father was from the North West of England and this was where the family settled.
I know the area well, both the good and the bad, and so I set my books here. Sitting between two counties, Lancashire and Yorkshire, and between the city and the hills, it offers a rich mix of the industrial and the countryside and all the character therein. I always planned to write crime novels — to create the characters in my books. Since my retirement from a busy teaching job in FE, this is what I’ve done — almost to exclusion of anything else!
I have a grown-up family and five grandchildren. They see me as something of an eccentric — always on my laptop writing away. Writing is something of a second career and, despite having a bus pass, keeps me busy, young and tuned in the world as it currently is.
Twitter @hhdurrant
TRIGGER WARNING: this book deals with infertility, adoption, IVF and child illness
I hope there were not too many spoilers in the above warning and that it won’t put you off reading this book.
Not My Daughter is devastating but also beautiful.
Milly has grown up knowing she is adopted and it has shaped her whole identitiy. She has her own fertility problems and is told she will never carry a biological child. Her best friend Anna immediately offers to donate an egg so that Milly can realise her dream of becoming a mother.
The IVF is successful and Milly becomes pregnant. However, it awakens emotions in Anna that she has hidden for nearly 20 years due to a termination.
Milly’s pregnancy is fraught with tension but nothing prepares her for the difficulties she faces caring for a newborn. Anna steps in to help care for baby Alice but her input results in the destruction of her friendship with Milly.
Fast forward a few years and Alice is displaying worrying symptoms so Milly calls Anna is desperation. The outcome is devastating for everyone including the reader!
This book really is an emotional rollercoaster and, despite the immense sadness, it is a masterclass in modern writing. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the friends so we can experience their viewpoint and understand their decisions. I have read The Secrets We Keep from author Kate Hewitt previously and she used the same tactic to engage the reader.
Not My Daughter raises many issues that are relevant to our society as well as increasing awareness of a rare disease.
Simply stunning.
NOT MY DAUGHTER by Kate Hewitt
Book blurb
Anna’s hands tense on Alice and she hesitates. In that endless pause, I see all I need to know. She doesn’t want to give Alice to me – not now, and not ever. And part of me doesn’t even blame her…
Milly always dreamed of being a mother. Adopted herself, she has always imagined a powerful intimate connection with a child of her own. So when she and her husband Matt are told they can’t have children, her dreams are shattered.
But then their loved ones offer the ultimate gift – Milly’s best friend Anna and Matt’s brother Jack will be donors so that Milly can carry a child and finally have a chance to be a mother. And with everyone accepting and open, Milly believes that nothing could go wrong.
Except none of the four people involved are prepared for the feelings that will threaten their most important relationships as their precious, longed-for daughter Alice grows up…
But when Alice turns four, she receives a heartbreaking diagnosis. And the four people who love her best will have to decide what it means to be a parent, and to make decisions with far-reaching and devastating consequences… for Alice, and for themselves.
A powerful, heart-breaking novel guaranteed to make you cry, for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, and Gracie’s Secret.
It’s been another busy month and I have enjoyed discovering new vegan products.
April has been dominated by two main events: Zach’s birthday and Easter, yay!
As Zach’s mum, I wanted a treat for myself to celebrate my amazing child producing ability so we went to Bella Italia in Windsor: yum!
Moving on to Easter and here are the eggs I treated myself to. Chocolate is one of the things that has been easiest to give up so these are lasting me ages as I only have a little at a time.
The final day of the Easter holidays and we had a vegan roast dinner, using Linda MacCartney’s beef roast with red wine and shallot gaze. We had to have potatoes in 3 different ways to satisfy the demands of three unreasonable children. My first attempt at a cheese sauce was ok and I used nutritional yeast for the first time.
Pudding was apple crumble (delighted to discover that Stork block is vegan so my usual recipe was actually vegan anyway!) with vegan squirty cream.
My favourite new food products that I have found this month are a chilli from the frozen section in Aldi. It seves 2 and has a deep smoky flavour which I liked but Chris didn’t. Bird’s Eye have brought out some new vegan options for their Green Cuisine range and I tried out these sausages which tasted fab but the packet only held 6 🙁
Slightly out of season but I have been crazy about soup this month! I had a go at making my own, cheating a little by using prepared veg. So quick, easy and tasty. For something even quicker, supermarkets have a fab range available.
Another two meals out I simply have to mention as they were truly amazing: Slug and Lettuce in Portsmouth and Mimosa in Camberley.
The menu for Slug and Lettuce was available online, making it easy for me to plan ahead. The chilli was delicious and I enjoyed the different flavours and textures.
Mimosa is a buffet style restaurant with many different Asian flavours. I was slightly concerned due to the issues I’d had with Harvester who claimed they couldn’t label their salad bar. However, Mimosa couldn’t be better. Each dish was clearly labelled with allergens and vegan options were easy to spot.
On the non food front, I have been to a vegan festival in Portsmouth. Like the Brighton one I attended last month, I found it very inspirational and it was lovely to chat with the stall holders and discover new products. I also picked up lots of ideas for becoming more eco friendly by making sustainable choices.
Last but not least, I was sent some vegan scented candles from Newshome Candles. I had not really given much consideration to the wax used in candles and how this exploits bees. However, I love candles especially giving them as gifts so I am pleased that there is a vegan alternative. Each small candle lasts for an incredible 18 hours. They are organic and use essential oils to give them their scent.
Need a recap on my vegan finds? See how I got on in February and March 🙂
This is such a powerful book!
I will, however, give a trigger warning as it does deal with domestic abuse…
What She Saw tells the story of Leona, a jewellery maker who lives in the Lake District with her partner Scott and teenaged daughter Beth.
Beth is struggling with the pressure of school bullies and, as a mother, this was heartbreaking to read. Leona is haunted by memories of Ria and throughout the course of the book we learn about the relationship between the women.
Ria’s life was governed by the initially charming Gareth who became increasingly controlling and then physically abusive.
One night Ria fought back…
There are lots of twists and turns in this book, hints of potential plot developments that we as readers need to wait for the author to reveal. There are several points where the reader is misdirected so as not to trust a character and this increases the anticipation and fear for the characters.
The characters of Leona, Ria and Beth share the narrative so each chapter shows one of their perspectives. This allows the reader a deeper insight into their emotional stance and is a powerful device to engage the reader.
What She Saw was really well written and totally absorbing: I can’t wait for Wendy’s next book!
Author: Wendy Clarke
Book: What She Saw
Publication Day: 01/05/2019
Buy Links:
Description:
She lied to her daughter to save her family.
Everyone knows Leona would do anything for her daughter Beth: she moved to Church Langdon to send Beth to the best school, worked hard to build a successful business to support them and found them the perfect little cottage to call home. Leona and Beth hike together, shop together, share their hopes and fears with one another. People say they’re more like best friends than mother and daughter.
It’s the relationship every mother dreams of.
But their closeness means that Beth struggles to make friends. Her mother has kept her sheltered from the world. She’s more reliant on her mother’s love. More vulnerable.
When Beth finds an envelope hidden under the floorboards of their home, the contents make her heart stop. Everything she thought she knew about her mother is a lie. And she realises there is no one she can turn to for help.
What if you’ve been protected from strangers your whole life, but the one person you can’t trust is the person closest to home?
What She Saw is a gripping psychological thriller with an incredible twist that will make your jaw drop. If you love The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl or anything by B. A. Paris you’ll be consumed by this.
Author Bio:
Wendy Clarke started her career writing short fiction and serials for national women’s magazines. After having over three hundred short stories published, she progressed to writing novels. With a degree in psychology, and intrigued with how the human mind can affect behaviour, it was inevitable that she would eventually want to explore her darker side.
What She Saw is her debut psychological thriller, published by Bookouture, with a second coming out in August 2019.
In her previous life, Wendy has published three collections of short stories and has been a short story judge for the Chiltern Writers Group, Nottingham Writers Group and The Society of Women Writers and journalists.
Wendy lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex and when not writing is usually dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food
Author Social Media Links
Day 111: Easter Sunday and a trip to Basing House to enjoy a Civil War reenactment with my parents
Day 112: final day of the holidays and a vegan roast dinner with potaties served in 3 ways due to awkward kid palates! My first attempt at a cheese sauce using nutritional yeast was quite successful
Day 113: back to school (and work for me). Anya had to take in the Tudor house she made over the holidays ready for burning in the Great Fire of London later in the week
Day 114: loving the apple blossom in our garden
Day 115: first time I have ever seen vacuum packed wool! It plumped up really well so it’s a good way of posting!
Day 116: Friday at last and time to break open my vegan Easter eggs at last 🙂
Day 117: Zach wide eyed in amusement at himself in my nightie. Plus I’ve had a hair cut
