Dr Anna Jones is a confident heart surgeon. But her life changes forever when her son is kidnapped and she is told to kill a patient in order to free him. Can she put her morals to one side to save her son?
Do No Harm is a medical thriller set in the UK.
Anna has been through a rough break up and lives with anxiety and mum guilt. She frequently feels like her career gets in the way of spending time with her son. Now Zack’s life is in danger from a terrifying gang and Anna is forced to confront the idea of losing him forever if she doesn’t give in to their demands. How will she cope if she kills a patient yet she knows the gang are serious as they murder her friend and neighbour Paula…
The book is written from the first person perspectives of Anna and also Margot, a pregnant nurse with spiralling debts who is thieving from her colleagues, and Rachel, the police officer in charge of Paula’s murder case. This allows us a greater depth of understanding about their emotions and the reasoning behind their decisions.
The premise of the book taps into all of our worst fears. Our natural desire to protect those we love, particularly our children, and it made me wonder how far I would go to save them. Added to this is the tension and pressure of hospitals, the fear of not waking up from an operation and of being vulnerable. The book is fast paced and the change of perspective maintained the momentum.
Do No Harm is a dramatic and tense medical thriller.
Simon and Ryan are planning to open a new restaurant but a body is found behind a wall during the refurbishments. The police are painfully slow to investigate so the king’s niece Lady Rossex steps in to help her friends get their project back on track by catching the killer…
A Death of Fresh Air is part of the Right Royal Cozy Investigation series of murder mysteries. There are no spoilers about earlier cases but the personal relationships have developed over the series.
As soon as the book mentioned that the old chef had gone to Australia during the last refurbishment and never returned, followed by the decision to remove a wall, I KNEW they would find his body! Lady Bea’s boyfriend is no longer part of the royal police protection so isn’t leading the case and the new detective is sooooo sloooooow! Bea and Perry have no choice but to try to save the restaurant’s opening night by finding the killer themselves.
The victim didn’t seem to have any enemies so the first task is to look for potential motives. Things get tense in a professional kitchen so was one of his colleagues to blame? Or how about his ex girlfriend who claims to have ended the relationship? There are lots of plot twists and red herrings for Bea and Perry to wade through, ably supported by their friends and Daisy the dog!
In tandem with the murder investigation, the other main feature of the plot is Bea’s feelings towards Rich and the future. The conclusion of the case was a complete surprise, but more importantly the relationship of Rich and Bea has a pleasing development that will melt the hardest heart (yes, even mine!)
A Death of Fresh Air was a hugely enjoyable cosy murder mystery and I loved the royal aspect as usual.
A Death Of Fresh Air
In a charming seaside town, secrets don’t stay buried for long…
Body of Chef Found in Wall Three Years After He ‘Left to go to Australia’
Human remains found inside the wall of a disused building have now been identified as those of Victor Blackwell. He was the head chef at Windstanton’s The Seaside Lounge until just over three years ago, when, according his friends, he left for a job in Australia. Detective Inspector Albert Finch from Fenshire’s Cold Case Unit has asked for anyone who has information about the chef’s movements three years ago to come forward.
We have no choice! With only three weeks until the Grand Opening, the last thing Bea and Perry need is the grim discovery of a skeleton in the wall of Simon and Ryan’s soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. But when it’s designated a crime scene, and the policeman in charge of the investigation into Vic’s murder refuses to let them have access to continue the refurbishment, they have no other option than to investigate the murder themselves or risk letting Simon and Ryan down.
But in a town where everyone harbours secrets, can they uncover the truth in time or will SaltAir’s opening be a damp squib?
Purchase Link
Author Bio –
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
Social Media Links –
Catherine Howard has been seen as a temptress, an abused child, an innocent, a whore. A review of primary resources aims to provide a more accurate depiction of an executed queen…
Young & Fair & Damned is a non fiction history book set in the sixteenth century with a focus on the life and times of Henry VIII’s fifth queen Catherine Howard.
Catherine Howard was only a teenager when she became queen of England, wife to the notorious king Henry VIII. Less than 2 years later she was beheaded just like her cousin Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife.
Unfortunately there is not much documented about Catherine at the time. This book does a good job of searching out primary sources of historical evidence to piece together details of Catherine’s life. I liked the parts of the book that focussed on Catherine and her experiences. There is a lot of supposition as is necessary due to the sparcity of documents and it is clear that each historian puts their own spin on evidence.
As is common with history books about a narrow subject, the author relies on wider information to fill the pages. The author acknowledges this and states his aim is to reveal the environment that created Catherine’s experience. So we have background information about Catherine’s family and other notable figures of the time. Foreign policy, economics and politics also feature heavily but their direct relevance to Catherine’s life is minimal.
I listened to the audio version of this book and thought the writing style flowed well.
Young & Damned & Fair is well researched but struggles to relate all of its material to its specific subject of Catherine Howard.
Book blurb:
Written with an exciting combination of narrative flair and historical authority, this interpretation of the tragic life of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, breaks new ground in our understanding of the very young woman who became queen at a time of unprecedented social and political tension and whose terrible errors in judgment quickly led her to the executioner’s block.
On the morning of July 28, 1540, as King Henry’s VIII’s former confidante Thomas Cromwell was being led to his execution, a teenager named Catherine Howard began her reign as queen of a country simmering with rebellion and terrifying uncertainty. Sixteen months later, the king’s fifth wife would follow her cousin Anne Boleyn to the scaffold, having been convicted of adultery and high treason.
The broad outlines of Catherine’s career might be familiar, but her story up until now has been incomplete. Unlike previous accounts of her life, which portray her as a naïve victim of an ambitious family, this compelling and authoritative biography will shed new light on Catherine Howard’s rise and downfall by reexamining her motives and showing her in her context, a milieu that goes beyond her family and the influential men of the court to include the aristocrats and, most critically, the servants who surrounded her and who, in the end, conspired against her. By illuminating Catherine’s entwined upstairs/downstairs worlds as well as societal tensions beyond the palace walls, the author offers a fascinating portrayal of court life in the sixteenth century and a fresh analysis of the forces beyond Catherine’s control that led to her execution—from diplomatic pressure and international politics to the long-festering resentments against the queen’s household at court.
Including a forgotten text of Catherine’s confession in her own words, color illustrations, family tree, map, and extensive notes, Young and Damned and Fair changes our understanding of one of history’s most famous women while telling the compelling and very human story of complex individuals attempting to survive in a dangerous age.
Lady Eleanor is enjoying a holiday in Egypt and is travelling down the Nile with her steadfast butler Clifford when a death occurs on board. The captain believes it was a suicide but Ellie is certain there is a murderer on the boat…
Murder on the Nile is the 19th book in the Lady Eleanor Swift series of cosy historical murder mysteries.
Ellie had booked hersef onto a bit of a ramshackle boat and Clifford is unimpressed. The situation further deteriorates when they meet the other passengers and then one of them ends up dead. The suicide note doesn;t fool Eleanor for a second and she is instantly convinced that the death was murder. The captain and chief of police are more skeptical and she needs to prove to them that there is a killer on board.
As usual in this series, there are plenty of antics, escapades and outright danger for Ellie to navigate. Luckily she has the ever brilliant Clifford by her side. Unfortunately, her fiance Hugh does not feature at all in this book and there are only a few chapters with the wonderful ladies and pets.
The historical and geographical research for this book brings the plot to life effectively. I particularly enjoyed the archaeology fever described as well as the political situation which added authenticity. Ellie subverts gender and class norms to forge ahead with life, seizing every moment. She has great respect for everyone irrespective of their social status, and this is hugely endearing.
Murder on the Nile is an enjoyable cosy historical murder mystery. Obviously the title and scenerio are reminiscent of the legendary Christie and this book is a great addition to the Lady Swift series.
Book Description:
A cruise down the Nile, a camel ride around the pyramids, lunch in the shadow of the Sphinx… And a very dead body!
1924. Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler Clifford are touring the great, ancient sights of Egypt on a much-anticipated extended vacation. But when the pair arrive at the docks in Cairo expecting to board the luxurious paddle steamer advertised in their brochure, they are baffled by the crumbling old cruiser waiting for them. And things only go from bad to worse as death stalks the decks of the SS Cleopatra…
Two days into the trip one of their fellow passengers, Lieutenant Baxter, is found shot dead in his locked cabin. Immediately suspicious and desperate to see justice done, Eleanor discovers a half-finished note addressed to her hidden in Baxter’s travelling trunk. In it he asks her to deliver a vitally important letter to the authorities at their next stop down river: a priceless treasure worthy of a king has been stolen and an innocent man’s life hangs in the balance.
But before the sands of time wipe away all evidence on board, Eleanor must uncover who among the other travellers wanted Baxter dead. Was it the anxious archaeologist who doesn’t have an alibi, the reptile expert with a passion for the murderous Nile crocodile or the art dealer with a devious secret?
With the killer readying to strike again much closer to home, can Eleanor dig up the truth before she’s trapped in a tomb under the pyramids forever?
A gripping and twisty 1920s murder mystery set in Egypt, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss!
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.
Buy Link:
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
A young woman’s body is discovered early one morning. The race to find the killer intensifies when another woman is reported missing…
Her Last Walk Home is the 14th book in the DI Lottie Parker series of police procedurals set in Ireland. There are no spoilers about Lottie’s past cases but her personal circumstances have developed over the series.
A young woman goes out for a date but never returns home. Her body is found and a murder investigation launched but another young woman is already missing. There are interesting juxtapositions with Lottie and her own family circumstances which makes the case more personal for her. Lottie and her lover Boyd have some personal issues to resolve. They want to progress with their relationship but their family situations make it tricky. Then they find another body!
The majority of the book focuses on Lottie and her investigation. But some chapters show the victim and perpetrator, both of which adds significantly to the tension. We also see the victims’ families and there is a subplot about child neglect which is highly emotive. I found the ending a little confusing as a lots of strands seem to pull together at once.
I actually listened to the audio version of this book and really enjoyed the experience. The narrator does a good job with bringing the text to life and I liked the Irish accent.
Her Last Walk Home is an enjoyable police procedural and I like the development of the characters over the series.
Book Description:
Her shoes pinched as she shivered in the cold night air. She just wanted to get home. A taxi slowed to a halt next to her, and as she buckled her seat belt, she noticed the child’s seat next to her and felt safe. But when she saw his eyes in the mirror, a shiver of terror shook her to her core…
When a young woman’s body is found on a patch of wet grass in the early hours of the morning, Detective Lottie Parker mourns the young life so brutally snatched away. Looking at the victim’s flimsy strappy top, damp from the dew and soaked with blood, it is clear that this young girl never came home from a night out. Lottie’s heart breaks as she thinks of the girl’s parents finding their daughter’s empty bed and she vows to catch the murderer.
The young woman is soon identified as Laura Nolan, and Lottie watches the blood drain from her mother Diana’s face when she tells her the terrible news. Diana reveals that Laura was on a date the night she was killed, but she doesn’t know who with… and Laura’s empty bedroom with make-up scattered across her dressing table offers no clues.
Lottie and her team rush to trace Laura’s last moments. But hope at a potential breakthrough turns to horror for Lottie when another young woman, Shannon Kenny is reported missing, last seen climbing into a taxi with a broken light, close to the same bar.
But then, Lottie discovers a connection between Laura and Shannon that totally overturns everything she thought she knew. The killer didn’t stalk these two young women at random. He knew exactly who they were and where they would be. But can Lottie stop him before he strikes again?
A completely compelling page-turner from bestselling author Patricia Gibney. If you like Rachel McLean, Kendra Elliott and Robert Dugoni, Her Last Walk Home will have you hooked.
Author Bio:
Patricia is the million-copy bestselling author of the DI Lottie Parker series. She yearned to be a writer after reading Enid Blyton and Carolyn Keene and even wanted to be Nancy Drew when she grew up. She has now grown up (she thinks) but the closest she’s come to Nancy Drew is writing crime!
In 2009, after her husband died, she retired from her job and started writing seriously. Fascinated by people and their quirky characteristics, she always carries a notebook to scribble down observations.
Patricia also loves to paint in watercolour and lives in the Irish midlands with her children.
Buy Link:
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
