1939, Max is Polish by birth but grew up in Germany. With war looming, he decides to head home and parachutes into Poland. He injures himself and is found by Helena’s family who nurse him back to health. 1995, Helena reflects on life and love…
The Airman’s Girl is an historical novel set in 1939 and 1995.
Helena is a young Polish woman who is becoming increasingly fearful about the looming Nazi invasion. The Nazis view the Poles as almost as ethnically dangerous as the Jews, plus her family work with the mentally ill which the Nazis abhor. She and her siblings have the opportunity to escape to England but they stay, with dire consequences as the Nazis round up Polish people into concentration camps.
Max has been brought up in Germany by his father who opposed the Nazi regime. Now his father is dead, there is nothing to tie him to Germany any more. He is so desperate to return to Poland that he jumps out of a plane and parachutes to the ground, injuring himself in the fall. Both main characters are brave and determined, and very easy to like which creates a feeling of dread at what may happen to them.
The book is written from various first person perspectives including Helena and Max, as well as the diaries of Helena’s father. This allows us to see the story from different sides and gives us a more intimate knowledge of their thoughts and feelings. The author has researched the experience of the Poles during the war and this provides additional detail which brings the plot, locations and era to life.
The Airman’s Girl is an enjoyable and emotional historical novel.
The Airman’s Girl: A gripping and moving World War 2 historical novel
About the book:
Poland, 1939: As I stare into the German pilot’s frightened eyes, I realise I have no choice but to help him. And in that moment, I know that this young man, and this decision, will change my life forever…
When a German pilot crashes over my parents’ farmland, at first I am terrified. Who is this man? And should I help him, or have him arrested? But when I look into his eyes for the first time, I feel in my heart that I must do everything I can to save this stranger’s life.
As I begin to secretly nurse his injuries, he tells me his name is Max. And as we share whispered candlelit conversations, he admits that he didn’t crash his plane, but parachuted over Poland to defect from the Nazis. And as he slowly tells me his story, I realise I am falling in love with this man – with his bravery, and his determination to do what is right, no matter the cost.
But when the Nazis arrive, the small world we have built together is shattered in an instant. And when the Germans arrest me and my twin siblings, dragging us to a camp in the dead of night, I know that our only chance of survival, our only hope, is to be rescued.
As I sit in my cell, I think of what Max told me. He held my hand and promised me that if we were arrested, he would go undercover as a German soldier and save us. But will the guards believe his story? And, even if they do, will he make it to us before it is too late?
Based on a true story, this heartbreaking and emotional wartime novel follows one couple’s love story, and their courage in the face of unimaginable odds. An incredibly gripping and moving story, perfect for readers of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and The Alice Network.
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Author bio
Carly Schabowski worked as a journalist in both North Cyprus and Australia before returning to Oxford, where she studied for an MA and then a PhD in creative writing at Oxford Brookes University. Carly now teaches at Oxford Brookes University as an associate lecturer in Creative Writing for first and second-year English literature students.
Author social media
Instagram: @carlyschabowskiauthor
Newlywed Kitty Bryant is feeling a little underwhelmed by married life. She is less involved with her grandmother’s hotel but has a limited role in her husband’s private investigato business. She is encouraged to help organise the town’s beauty pageant to keep her busy. But someone doesn’t want the pageant to go ahead and then one of the entrants is murdered…
Murder at the Beauty Pageant is the 12th book in the Kitty Underhay (now Bryant!) cosy murder mystery series.
Poor Kitty is feeling sorry for herself as she struggles to adapt to her new life as a married woman. I felt sorry for her too as we’ve been waiting a long time for this marriage to happen! She throws herself into the organisation of the beauty pageant in honour of George V’s silver jubilee (hoping to avoid the disaster of a recent bonny baby competition…) I liked the inclusion of a big royal event as our own King’s coronation is imminent.
Warning letters start arriving for the organisers, judges and contestants but the contest continues until one woman is found dead. Kitty and Matt have to contend with a former foe in the persona of a new police inspector. He is not keen on their involvement but luckily they have the support of other police officers. There are a limited number of suspects for the pair to investigate, and a mix of clues and red herrings along the way.
Murder at the Beauty Pageant is an enjoyable addition to the series and the usual momentum is maintained despite the change to the main characters’ personal and professional lives.
Book Description:
Kitty Underhay is awarding first place… to murder.
Spring, 1935. Newlywed Kitty Underhay has been enlisted by her old nemesis Mrs Craven to help organise the Miss Dartmouth Jubilee pageant at the Dolphin Hotel. Being bossed around by her arch enemy is not quite what Kitty had in mind for the start of her married life, but she’s excited to launch the glamorous show. Sparkling smiles are quickly replaced by audible gasps however, when one of the girls goes missing during the interval…
When pretty Peggy Blaine is discovered dead, Kitty can’t help but notice that none of the other contestants seem particularly shocked. Can jealousy over a sash and a diamante tiara be a motive for murder?
But when she discovers the threatening notes the young women have received, Kitty enlists her husband Matt to figure out who’s scaring the competitors. However, before Matt can speak to them, another entrant turns up dead after an apparently accidental overdose. Taking part in a beauty pageant seems to have turned into a fatal occupation!
The daring duo are sure that someone close to the girls is responsible. But can they sort the harmless face powders from the fatal poisons before it’s too late? Or will Kitty and Matt find they are next to be crowned… with death?
An utter joy! Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Lee Strauss will fall head over heels for this utterly compelling and totally charming historical cozy mystery!
Author Bio:
Helena Dixon is the author of the best-selling Miss Underhay murder mystery series and
lives in Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a
cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and
housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010
as Nell Dixon.
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A baby’s pram is pulled from a lake and a tiny skeleton is found inside. A woman confesses but her story doesn’t match up with the evidence…
The Bone House is the third book set in Slayton. I have not read the previous books: there are mentions of past events but no spoilers.
This book is seriously creepy. It is a curious mix of chilling horror and police procedural that I found interesting and engaging.
In the present day, hundreds of crows have mysteriously died and the pond is dredged to remove their carcasses. But a baby in a pram is found as well. Cora confesses yet she has an exceedingly troubled history. Police officer Sarah Noble needs to unpick the lies and secrets from the truth when Cora’s confession doesn’t make sense in light of the forensic evidence. Cora has a haunting past which saw her stepfather murder her mother. Then her own life spiralled out of control with a teen pregnancy.
Most of the book is written in the third person to show Cora and Sarah’s experiences as the case progresses. Some chapters show a little boy Elliott who has nightmares or a psychic connection to the case. Other chapters show a first person viewpoint of a dangerous man who is stalking Cora and has sinister knowledge of the past and present.
Sarah is a dedicated cop with a potential romantic angle towards her partner Richie. She forms strong friendships and these help her to make a difference to the community. Sarah is kind and caring yet also brave and determined. I liked the strength of her character and was rooting for her to uncover the truth. Meanwhile Cora is vulnerable and damaged so I wanted her to find peace and move away from her past.
The Bone House is a creepy and sinister book. I am eager to read the earlier books in the series.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When hundreds of birds fall from the sky into Slayton’s lake in a terrifying freak event, the waters are dredged – revealing a dark, long-held secret.
An old pram is pulled from the depths, with the bones of a baby still strapped inside.
It’s the moment that new mother, Cora, has been dreading since she moved to Slayton – because someone knows, and is going to make her pay.
With the help of forensic anthropologist Sophia Hudson, and the extraordinary young Elliott Carter, Detective Sarah Noble gets to the bottom of a cold case that refuses to stay in the past. Will she survive the secrets of the bone house?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post and International #1 Bestselling Author. Shortlisted by the International Thriller Awards for best ebook 2017, the Killer Nashville Best Police Procedural 2018 and the Audie awards 2022. Over 1.5 million books sold.
Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives in a village outside the city of Lincoln. A former police detective, she has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.
Caroline writes psychological and crime thrillers. Her stand alone thriller Silent Victim reached No.1 in the Amazon charts in the UK, USA and Australia and was the winner of the Reader’s Favourite Awards in the psychological thriller category. It has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’.
The first in her Amy Winter series, Truth And Lies, has been optioned for TV.
A man is left brutally beaten in a park with words cut into his flesh. His dying words tell the police to look for a twin. Within days there are more victims, all horrifically killed and words carved into their bodies. Can DS Smith find the killer before more people are attacked?
The Twin is the 22nd book in the DS Jason Smith series. There are references to the previous book, The Viaduct, although no spoilers about the specifics of that case.
A savage hammer attack leaves the police horrified. The victim lives long enough to leave a clue to the perpetrator but another body is quickly discovered. The descriptions of the bodies are graphic and disturbing but the violence is not directly depicted.
The majority of the book is written to focus on the police investigation. There is some tension amongst the team based on events in the last book. One person in particular is struggling to fit in and Smith needs to negotiate this relationship carefully.
There are also some chapters which show The Twin’s perspective and gradually reveal his story and motive. I felt mixed emotions as the man is obviously emotionally damaged yet his actions are abhorrent.
The narrative is fast paced, dialogue-led and there are plenty of red herrings and twists which kept me guessing.
The Twin is an intriguing and grisly crime fiction novel. I love the police team and this series is just so good!
The Twin (A DS Jason Smith Thriller Book 22)
From bestselling author: Stewart Giles comes another brilliant addition to the Detective Jason Smith series.
‘This isn’t about you.’
The first victim is lucky. He is mutilated beyond belief, but he is allowed to live.
The second isn’t so fortunate. But the words carved into his chest are the same.
And when a third man is found with the same four words etched into his skin, Detective Jason Smith is wide awake.
Smith manages to get two words out of the first victim before he dies.
The Twin.
Who is this Twin?
Nobody knows, but he’s about to send Smith and the team into the stuff of nightmares.
What readers are saying about THE TWIN
Oh wow! I’m in awe of crime writers- just when you think you have seen (read) everything, something that surprises you comes along and also blows you away. This is that read.- Misfits Farm
This is a gritty read with some dark scenes. But to offset that, there is quite a bit of humour throughout. I love the way Stewart writes about Jason’s family. They come across as an everyday family, even with what Jason and Whitten deal with on a regular basis. Great storytelling. – Maureen
THE TWIN kicks off with a horrific discovery. Chilling, gruesome incidents keep your heart racing. The labyrinthine path to unravel the bewildering mystery will freeze you on the edge of your seat. Riveting chapters with unforeseen twists and turns send the pages flying by. Suspense builds during a tension filled race against time that culminates in a shocking finish you’ll never see coming. – Eileen
Its got every twist imaginable and hard to believe how a twisted mind can do this to innocent normal people, fantastic read to open your eyes, leaving you hanging on wanting the next chapter, and I LOVED IT. – Booklover Bev
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English at 3 universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey, the Detective Liam O’Reilly series. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
Twitter: @stewartgiles
1911, Scotland. Maud McIntyre defies convention by setting up her own detective agency with her former maid Daisy Cameron. Their first case begins as a jewel theft but swiftly turns into a murder investigation…
The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency is the first book in a new series to feature Maud and Daisy as they establish themselves as female private detectives.
The Duchess of Duddingston is hosting a house party and she doesn’t want the notorious jewel thief to target her guests. She hires Maud and Daisy to attend the party but nobody expects a murder to take place. The pair seem to solve the case quite quickly and then move on to three new cases in Edinburgh (a missing bride to be, stolen letters and a vanished Pekingese).
I enjoyed the historical elements to the plot. The world is three years away from war, the suffragettes are campaigning for the vote, King George V has recently been crowned. Maud feels passionately about women’s rights and is determined to succeed in her own venture as a private detective despite the prejudice against her. The class and social norms also play a key role in the investigations.
The cases interconnect cleverly and I found myself rooting for Maud and Daisy to uncover the truth. They are both hugely easy to like although I did feel that the Scottish dialect was applied a little haphazardly. There is a wonderful frisson of romantic tension mixed with antagonism between Maud and Lord Urquhart over the course of the book.
The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency was a very enjoyable cosy murder mystery. I look forward to reading more about Maud and Daisy’s adventures in the future.
Book Description:
When Maud McIntyre sets up her own private detective agency, she never imagines her first case will involve murder… A mystery in the Highlands? The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency is on the case!
Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the Duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewellery thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve…
Undercover with Daisy as her maid, Maud follows a trail of clues across the Duddingston House estate. And as she meets the weekend guests, she hopes one of them will reveal themselves as the jewellery thief. But when one of the house guests is discovered dead, Maud and Daisy realise they’re not only hunting precious gems, but a murderer…
As Maud and Daisy investigate, they realise that a connection in Edinburgh might hold a vital clue that will help them solve the case. Travelling back to the city, Maud hopes that what she and Daisy uncover will help them piece together the mystery.
But when Maud receives a telephone call from the Duchess requesting urgent assistance, she realises that the murderer didn’t have just one victim in mind. Speeding down the drive to Duddingston House, Maud and Daisy hear gunshots ring out across the estate. Will they reach the Duchess in time to save her? And might they catch the murderer in the act?
A warm page-turning historical whodunnit, perfect for fans of the mysteries of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright, T.E. Kinsey and Catherine Coles.
Author Bio:
Lydia Travers was born in London. She moved progressively north until settling with her husband in a village on the edge of the Scottish Highlands. She has raised children, bred dogs and kept chickens; and for as long as she can remember has written for pleasure. A former legal academic and practitioner with a PhD in criminology, she now runs self-catering holiday accommodation, sings in a local choir and is walked daily by the family dog.
Lydia also writes as Linda Tyler and her first novel under that name, Revenge of the Spanish Princess, won a 2018 Romance Writers of America competition for the beginning of an historical romance. Her second novel The Laird’s Secret was Commended in the 2021 Scottish Association of Writers’ Pitlochry Quaich competition for the beginning of a romantic novel. Mischief in Midlothian won the 2022 Scottish Association of Writers’ Constable Silver Stag trophy. She has had a number of short stories published in magazines, journals and anthologies in the UK, the USA and Australia.
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Audio:
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