I have recently watched the TV drama Painkiller, so when Rachel offered me the chance to read A Painkiller to Die For it seemed too good to miss. The Blurb It was difficult for Will Jeavons to imagine just how his life could possibly get any better. Having overcome a traumatic childhood, he had gone on to study molecular pharmacology and win tenure as a lecturer at his beloved Cambridge University.

One of the great things about Capital Crime was the fact you get to not only see loads of authors and hear about lots of new books, you also get chances to win proofs, and I was one of the lucky ones who got to win a copy of the new novel by Adele Parks, Eyes On You.  Eyes On You begins with Amy. At 15 she witnessed her Father murdering his mistress, and her testimony was the reason he got sent to prison. Years later Amy is working in Oodles for Noodles (love that name) and Oil walks in.

One of the bonuses of volunteering for a book charity is that you often get to borrow books that are donated before they go out (obviously so that you can then recommend them to those who want recommendations!) and this was one of those that I hadn’t heard about before. Seven Lies introduces us to best friends Jane and Marnie. Friends since childhood nothing can come between them, not even marriage. However Jane never liked Marnie’s husband, and maybe if she hadn’t lied then Marnie’s husband might not be dead.

So this month I turned 50. To be honest I was actually quite pleased to reach this milestone. 40 I was not happy about, 40 just felt old (you can read about that meltdown here) Whereas 50 didn’t bother me. I know that shouldn’t be the case. I’d been warned that waking up at 50 turns you overnight into an extra in the Golden Girls. Suddenly you can’t get up without groaning, hair sprouts in unlikely places and a good night out finishes at 8pm with a cup of cocoa and an episode of Antiques Roadshow (to be fair that sounds like me anyway minus the antiques roadshow) Yet I didn’t really get that feeling, I felt strangly elated.

It’s the 1980s in a small Welsh village and Debbie is in trouble again. In her mind all she is doing is telling the truth as she records it in her kajagoogoo notebook, but to the rest of the village she is just a trouble maker. This time she is in so much trouble that all she can do is run away.

One Beautiful Year of Normal starts with August Caine receiving a call from an attorney to tell her that her Aunt Helen has died. However as far as August was aware her Aunt had died years before or so her Mum had always told her. August returns to the Southern town of Savannah to try and find out the truth. As she starts to uncover her family secrets, and her already fragile mind begins to splinter, the truth soon becomes something she wishes would have stayed hidden.

I was lucky enough to be invited onto the blog tour for the latest novel by Simon Beckett thanks to Tracey at Compulsive Readers Tours and of course I wasn’t going to turn down that opportunity.  The Bone Garden is the latest outing for Dr David Hunter. The forensic anthropologist is on his way to help at a case when a fierce storm hits and a wrong turn leads him to have to take shelter in a remote village. 

This was a book I picked up at the Capital Crime Festival back in June, but saved to read closer to Christmas and it turned out to be the perfect festive read. In Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife, six strangers have all been invited to spend Christmas at the mysterious Midwinter Trust. Their task is to solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote village in North Yorkshire, with the promise of a life-changing prize for the winner.

When Damiano emailed to see if I would like a copy of his debut novel the premise sounded to good to miss and I wasn’t disappointed. Bastard introduces us to a narrator who is basically a bastard. A rich, bored, people watcher who is also a vigilante, his aim in life is to clear the world of other bastards. The abusive, the violent and the racist, he is going to rid the world of the bad.

Sometimes blog tours are like buses, none for ages and then two turn up at once (which is exactly not like buses if you ask me, they rarely turn up in my experience!) so another huge thank you to Rachel and her random resources for the chance to be part of this. What Goes Around by Michael Wendroff begins with the police storming a drug den in a small American town.

The Gameshow by Alexander Raphael introduces us to 6 disgraced celebrities who have been given the chance to try and redeem themselves in public by taking part in a new controversial reality game show. As well as a chance to win a large cash prize, it's an opportunity to recover their reputation. However will the prize be worth the consequences?

I have read nearly all of Lisa Gardner’s previous novels so was pleased to be invited to take part in the blog tour for her latest book Kiss Her Goodbye. Kiss Her Goodbye is the latest instalment of the Frankie Elkin series. Frankie spends her life searching for missing people. This time she is in Tucson, Arizona. Frankie has been asked to try and find Sabera, a young Afghan refugee who has disappeared leaving behind her daughter and husband.

I have read Charlotte’s previous novels so was pleased to be offered the chance to read and review her latest one A Deadly Inheritance which is out today. A Deadly Inheritance introduces us to Detective Caius Beauchamp who has recently become a rich heir due to some weird ‘inheritance tetris’. He is called to what appears to be a botched burglary until he gets a tip off about the families rather less than squeaky clean background.

You always know that when you read a Will Carver book it’s going to be something that bit different so when I was invited to be part of the blog tour for his latest novel Kill Them With Kindness I jumped at the chance. Kill Them With Kindness begins with a deadly threat heading towards the UK, a threat that has already killed half of China in a horrific way.

When I was offered a book that was described as Succession meets The White Lotus I clearly couldn’t say no, and that’s exactly what was delivered. How The Other Half die by Rachel North introduces us to Geri. Head of an incredibly successful business founded by her Grandfather she invites her estranged brothers children to her private island to celebrate her 70th birthday and to announce who she wants as her successor.

I was recently lucky enough to see Sophie Hannah talk at the York Literature Festival which was a great session and I am a big fan. Therefore I was really pleased to be accepted for a netgalley copy of her latest novel, No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done Well it’s certainly no lie to say that this is going to be a very difficult book to review without giving any spoilers.

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this from Faber. In The Note by Alafair Burke we meet May, Lauren and Kelsey who have been friends for years since meeting at a summer camp. After having not seen each other for years they are now heading to the Hamptons to reconnect and enjoy some sunshine. However when a drunken meeting with a couple of strangers leads to a silly prank going awry they soon become the centre of a police investigation that threatens to blow all their lives apart.

I have been a big fan of Alex North for many years since initially meeting him in Harrogate at the festival a while ago. So I was very excited to be accepted for a netgalley preview of his latest novel Man Made of Smoke. In The Man Made of Smoke, Dan has been haunted by a crime he was involved with as a child when he narrowly escaped a notorious serial killer.

It’s release day for Jack Warr number 5 and I was lucky enough to get an advance copy as part of the blog tour. Crucified by Lynda La Plante takes up where Pure Evil left off. Jack put away a sadistic serial killer and should be enjoying some time off with his family however the past is starting to catch up with him and he is suffering from violent nightmares that are terrifying for his wife.

Back to back Lynda La Plante is never a bad thing so next up was Pure Evil, number 4 in the Jack Warr Series. In Pure Evil it seems that Jack is given a nice simple case. A young man, Rodney Middleton, has been arrested for armed assault. However when Jack is warned by his boss DCI Ridley that they have only scratched the surface of the crimes, Warr soon begins to dig into the man’s past and starts to uncover something much more sinister.

I am absolutely loving reading through the Jack Warr series from Lynda La Plante and book three was no exception. Vanished starts with Avril, an eccentric widow who claims that her former lodger Adam is stalking her. Initially passed off as a slightly batty old woman DS Jack Warr is the only one who believes her. He is soon proved right when things take a turn to the darker side and Avril is found brutally murdered in her home.

I am a big fan of Lynda La Plante and very much enjoyed reading through her back catalogue of Tennison novels last year so was very pleased to be invited to another ‘blogathon’ this time focusing on detective Jack Warr. DC Jack Warr and his partner Maggie have just moved to London. Maggie has a busy job as a doctor but Jack is still trying to find his passion until he is drawn into an investigation that will challenge him to a different level.

When Faber and Faber got in touch to invite me onto the blog tour for one of their new debut authors of course I said yes! Death on Ice by R. O. Thorp introduces us to the Blanchard twins, Rose and Finn. They are marine biologists who are on a luxury Artic cruise for work, alongside an assortment of passengers who are there to enjoy themselves.

I have to caveat this review by saying it’s not my normal type of thing. It’s not really a crime novel in the usual sense, yet it was an intriguing premise so I was pleased to be invited onto the blog tour. Baby Teeth follows Claire who after years of trying to have a baby becomes pregnant. Having recently moved to a new city with her husband, she has left behind her family and friends, and is struggling to fit in a work so feels very lonely.

Welcome to WWW Wednesday and a very happy book-filled New Year to you! I hope you have a wonderful 2025 full of brilliant books. This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived …

When the email inviting me to read a debut novel described as A perfect blend of the Nordic noir of The Bridge television series and the Italianate luxury of The Talented Mr Ripley dropped into my inbox of course I couldn’t say no. The Less Unkind introduces us to Pico, a language student studying in Copenhagen who gets a summer job working for the eccentric art dealer Antonio Bartrum.

So admitedly from the cover the doesn't look like my usual type of book. However when I was invited to review what was described as a political thriller I thought I'd give it a go. Coming Clean starts when Veselina arrives in England having left behind tragedy in Bulgaria, against the wishes of her family. Too proud to admit her mistake when her dream turns sour, she takes work as a maid for politician Gerard Fosh, tipped to be the next Prime Minister, and his wife Alison, also an MP with secret desires of her own.