Mila and her agency are employed to look into a bequest which the deceased has stipulated must only be handed to the beneficiary or buried with them if they have died. The only clue to get Mila started is a photo and she immediately begins to investigate…
The Sea House is the third book in this mystery series set in Brittany, France. There are no spoilers about earlier cases but the personal plotline does continue.
The book begins with a woman desperately trying to keep her daughter safe. It then moves ahead to the present day and Mila being given the mission to unite the bequest with its beneficiary. Mila visits the home of the deceased looking for clues and is struck by the security measures. Elisabeth lived and died in fear and is now keeping her secrets beyond the grave.
On the personal side, Mila is waiting for test results on a body found in the search for her missing brother in law. For her niece’s sake she wants answers quickly, but when the results do arrive they are not what anyone expected. This leads to a lot of emotional turmoil which adds extra depth to the plot.
The atmosphere of suspense and tension is maintained well. Mila’s professional and personal elements provide balance to the plot and there were plenty of revelations in both parts. The style of writing is easy to read and I felt that the place descriptions brought France to life.
The Sea House has an intriguing and emotional mystery at its heart as well as the personal subplot.
The Sea House
A mysterious bequest and the legacy of a tragic love – only one person can unravel the hidden secrets of the past before it’s too late…
When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it must only be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is…
Elisabeth’s family turn to Touissants detective agency for help but, when Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson try to track Astrid down, their frustration soon mounts. Their only clue is a photo of two young women holding the hands of a tiny child. The women are smiling but Mila is haunted by the sadness in their eyes. Is this Astrid and Elisabeth and if so, who is the child? And why are there signs everywhere in Elisabeth’s home that the old woman was frightened despite her living a quiet life with no known enemies?
As Elisabeth and Astrid’s story slowly unfolds, Mila feels the walls of her home The Sea House closing in. And as the secrets finally begin to reveal themselves, she is ever more determined to carry out Elisabeth’s final wishes. Because what is inside that unprepossessing parcel might just save a life…
Louise Douglas is back in the Brittany seaside town of Morranez with a heart-stopping, heart-breaking, brilliantly written and utterly compelling mystery. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Lucinda Riley.
Author Bio –
Hello! I’m Louise, author of 12 novels mostly set in the Somerset countryside close to where I live and Sicily. I’m thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: @louisedouglasauthor
Twitter: LouiseDouglas3
Instagram: louisedouglas3
Bookbub profile: @lesley119
A French footballer has recently transferred and he and his wife are away on a trip when they home is targeted by thieves. The burglary takes on an added dimension when the footballer’s stepson arrives home with his bodyguard. The guard is shot dead and the boy is kidnapped. Can DCI Roscoe and DS Roy find Marcel before the kidnappers harm him…?
It Never Rains is the 6th book in the Roscoe and Roy series of police procedurals. It works perfectly well as a standalone book and there are no spoilers about earlier cases.
I loved this book. The action and drama start straight away and the pace doesn’t let up. Roscoe and Roy are dedicated officers and struggling to handle an overbearing colleague in a professional manner as he disparages their team. The police are anxious to resolve the case quickly due to the high publicity and the risk to Marcel’s life.
As well as the police investigation, we also see the experience of the kidnappers and Marcel. This really ramps up the tension as we fear for the boy’s safety. I felt desperately sorry for Marcel as he is held against his will, has epilepsy, and barely knows any English so is even more isolated and vulnerable.
There are plenty of twists and I kept guessing at who I thought was behind the kidnapping (I was wrong!) The writing is easy to read and I felt totally immersed in the lives of the characters. It was a surprisingly quick read, but I admit I couldn’t put it down!
It Never Rains is an excellent police procedural with a fab lead detective duo.
It Never Rains
It never rains but it pours . . .
When a ruthless gang burgles the home of a Premier League football player, DCI Gavin Roscoe and DS Sunita Roy suddenly have a murder and a kidnap on their hands.
The footballer’s stepson, Marcel, is taken from the palatial property whilst it is being ransacked, and his bodyguard is shot, stone cold dead.
To help them with their task, DI Parkes from the National Crime Agency’s Kidnap Unit joins the investigation but he has very different ideas about how the operation should be run.
While rain lashes the surrounding countryside, tempers rise, as do the flood waters.
Can the police track down this dangerous gang, unmask its malevolent ringleader, and reunite the boy with his family before it’s too late?
IT NEVER RAINS is the sixth book in the detectives Roy and Roscoe crime fiction series by Tony Bassett.
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Author Bio –
Tony Bassett is a former journalist who worked on regional and national newspapers in Britain for more than 40 years. He mainly reported on crime, show business, human interest and consumer topics. Now retired, he writes crime fiction.
Tony is best known for his series of novels set in the West Midlands. They feature Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Roscoe, an experienced detective and family man, and his sergeant, law graduate and resourceful problem-solver Sunita Roy.
The fifth book in the series, Heir To Murder, was judged first in the Mystery and Suspense (Police Procedurals) category in the American Fiction Awards in June 2024. The novel concerns a peer of the realm’s son found axed to death after a row over loud music. Two years earlier, his older brother mysteriously disappeared while hiking in Spain. Here is the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CPFNJNQJ
The series is published by The Book Folks, an independent London publisher specialising in crime fiction. Other books in the series (in order) are: Murder On Oxford Lane, The Crossbow Stalker, Murder Of A Doctor and Out for Revenge.
His stand-alone thriller Seat 97, about a man shot dead at a London concert hall, has also been published by The Book Folks. Two further works (the crime novel Smile Of The Stowaway and the spy novel The Lazarus Charter) were published by The Conrad Press.
Tony first developed a love of writing at the age of nine when he produced a junior school magazine. A few years later, his local vicar in Tunbridge Wells staged his play about the Biblical story of Naboth’s Vineyard. At Hull University, Tony was judged Time-Life Magazine student journalist of the year in 1971. Tony, who has five grown-up children, is a Life Member of the National Union of Journalists. He lives in South-East London with his partner Lin
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Sir Lance Hale is found dead after a party at his home. It is the third tragedy for the family but were all the deaths actually murder? Eve Mallow knows the family and wants to find the truth…
Mystery at Lockley Grange is the 13th book in the Eve Mallow series of amateur sleuth murder mysteries.
Eve used to be the nanny for the Hale children. Now they are all grown up and sadly one died after falling from a cliff. The mother of the family also died after being run down by her brother in law. Now Lance is killed too and Eve wants to find answers.
On the personal side, Eve and Robin are just weeks away from their wedding. Do they really have time to investigate a murder? Of course they do! As usual they are ably accompanied by Gus the dachshund and their friends. There are lots of suspects to ask questions and discover motives, and I was kept guessing by the twists of the plot.
I really like Eve’s character. Her inquisitiveness isn’t overwhelming but feels natural as part of her obituary writer career. She is gentle in manner and sensitive to the feelings of others, especially the recently bereaved. However, I also feel she has a spine of steel that gives her a determination to get justice for the victim.
Mystery at Lockley Grange is an enjoyable addition to this series of cosy murder mysteries.
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Book: Mystery at Lockley Grange
Author: Clare Chase
Pub Day: Nov 4th 2024
About the Book:
Famous diplomat Lance Hale is throwing a party at Lockley Grange to celebrate his latest award. But when he’s found face down in his swimming pool, Eve Mallow is sure someone thought he deserved to die…
It’s always an occasion when the Hale family descend on their country pile, Lockley Grange. Almost everyone in Saxford St Peter has been called upon to dust the rooms, tidy the garden, and cater for the party. Eve Mallow’s delighted to be invited: years ago she babysat for the Hale children, and she can’t wait to see how they turned out.
But the night will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. The following morning, Lance is found dead in his indoor pool. He’d been the life and soul of the party, but Eve saw him arguing with friends and family. She’s convinced it was no accident – especially when she finds a threatening note tucked into his desk drawer.
But who wanted to make sure indiscreet Lance was silenced for good? His right-hand woman, who could spill the family’s secrets, but won’t say a word? His older son, who’s drowning in debt, or his younger daughter, whose career he’d sabotaged?
As Eve sets to work at isolated Lockley Grange with loyal dachshund Gus at her heels, she uncovers past tragedies, blackmail and hidden cameras watching her every step. Eve knows she’s wading into dark waters… can she find the killer, or is she in over her head?
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.
You can find Clare’s website and blog at www.clarechase.com
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Wade Darling is accused of murdering his family. Days before the trial his lawyer dies and the case is handed to Neve Harper. She is keen to win until she is threatened with her darkest secret being exposed if she does…
Conviction is a legal thriller with strong psychological elements.
What a fab moral dilemma! Neve has a guilty conscience and now her secret gives others a hold over her. Her stepdaughter’s life is threatened too but to save them both she has to throw the case. Easier said than done as she has to look like she is doing a good job at defending Wade to avoiding casting suspicion on herself.
Neve wrangles with her conscience as she has to decide between her professional reputation and the danger to her family. The emotional turmoil she faces is easy to identify with and makes her very human even if we don’t agree with her choices.
There is plenty of drama and I loved the legal elements as the court case proceeds. The twists and turns of the trial were brought to life effectively and this felt really authentic. The blackmail is unpleasant and innocent people are caught in the crossfire which adds to the drama and tension. I thought that the atmosphere was maintained well and I was completely swept up in the plot. The ending left a final twist which was fab!
Conviction is a tense and gripping read.
Book blurb:
TO STEAL A MAN’S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION
Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground.
When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence.
A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.
Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.
Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.
For fans of Steve Cavanagh, Linwood Barclay and Gillian McAllister, introducing the latest novel from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.
