When Shadows Fall (DS Max Craigie #6) by Neil Lancaster

 

✴✴✴ due to be published 27-March-2025 ✴✴✴

Description from Goodreads:

"A TRAGIC DEATH

When the body of Leanne Wilson is found at the bottom of a Scottish mountain, it is classified as a tragic accident. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

A RISING BODY COUNT

Then DS Max Craigie discovers that five other women in the last year have died by falling off mountains, and something feels very wrong. They were all experienced climbers and alone when they died. This can only mean one thing: there’s a killer on the loose.

A KILLER IN THE SHADOWS

The more Max investigates, the more he believes that they are dealing with something much bigger than a lone serial killer. With five victims and conflicting clues, how do you catch someone committing the perfect crime?"

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I admit to being a fan of Neil Lancaster and of his Max Craigie series so could not miss the opportunity of reading book 6 in the series and I definitely wasn't disappointed; I was hooked and loved it from start to finish.  You can read it as a standalone but I would definitely suggest you read the others in the series as you miss a lot of the character and relationship development and you won't be disappointed.

This addition is another cracker; with fantastic recurring characters (Ross being one of my favourites with Barney in hot pursuit!) and a few new ones that have only added to the excellent ensemble.  The story is disturbing but absolutely riveting and, sadly, not beyond the realms of reality.  The pace is fast and totally engrossing and the language used by Mr Lancaster paints vivid pictures of the landscape and perilous situations clearly.

What can I say?  This instalment is a triumph; a brilliant book and one I would highly recommend as I would the rest of the series and many thanks to the author, HQ and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, an excellent addition to a brilliant series.

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The Secret Detective Agency (The Secret Detective Agency #1) by Helena Dixon [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Kristin Atherton 🎙🎙🎙
 

Description from Goodreads:

"Meet Miss Jane Treen–the coffee-drinking cat lover dressed head to toe in tweed, who just happens to be a secret super sleuth!

London, 1941: Miss Jane Treen is at her desk, strong black coffee in hand and fluffy ginger cat by her side, when her top-secret government work is interrupted by an urgent call to Devon. A woman has been found dead in a lake in a place where she shouldn’t have been. Jane needs to gather the clues and find the killer before someone else from the agency gets hurt…

Shy and handsome code-breaker Arthur Cilento is bewildered by the arrival of the efficient Miss Treen and her cat Marmaduke. She bursts into his life unexpectedly, forcing him out of his comfort zone. The reluctant colleagues huddle near the warmth of a crackling fire in Arthur's country home, working to piece together the murderous puzzle at hand.

In the sleepy Devon village, someone is hiding something: but is it the busybody vicar and his sister, the dutiful housekeeper and her secretive son, the stern librarian, or someone else altogether? And who were the people with the woman in the lake on the day she died?

No sooner have Arthur and Jane have drawn up a list of suspects, than a parcel reveals a clue that sends them in hot pursuit of a coded diary stashed in a village church. But as the heavy wooden door slams behind them and a key turns in the lock, one thing is they need to unravel the truth and crack this code before the killer decides their number is up…

But if they can catch the culprit in time, might this unusual pair become the finest crime-solving partnership since Holmes and Watson hung up their hats…?"

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This is the first in a new cozy mystery series starring Jane Treen and Arthur Cilento which was a pleasure to listen to and an entertaining murder-mystery set during World War 2.

The author has created three great characters in Jane, Arthur and his 'man-servant' Benson; they make a great team although I admit it took me a while to warm to Jane as she is quite a prickly person; she certainly tests Arthur's patience with her love of smoking and no-nonsense manner.

The story does take a little bit to get going but once it does, it is intriguing and compelling with a very satisfying ending.  The narration was excellent although I think it would have been even better had there been a male narrator as well but Kristen did a great job nevertheless.

Overall, despite the slow start, I thoroughly enjoyed it and many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this very enjoyable cozy murder-mystery and a decent start to a new series and one which I look forward to following.

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The Enemy Within (James Ryker #13) by Rob Sinclair

Description from Goodreads:

 

"Ex-intelligence agent James Ryker has done many things in the past he’d prefer to forget. The last time he saw Gregor Minko - son to one of Ukraine’s most dangerous and politically influential arms dealers – Gregor was a scared 6-year-old boy in need of protection. But Ryker had to walk away. The boy wasn’t the mission.

Twenty years on Ryker is approached by two strangers in Antibes, France, asking for his help in finding Gregor – now going by the name of Gregor Rebrov. With a back catalogue of ‘crimes against the Russian state’, Gregor has escaped from a gulag in Siberia and is now in the wind.

Fuelled by old demons and painful memories of his own brutal actions in the past, Ryker finds himself once again in the thick of a complicated race against time and who knows how many of the world’s secret services, to find Gregor and get some answers.

As answers turn into more questions, they lead Ryker closer to home… and he can’t shake the feeling that he may be to blame."

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I have read a few of Rob Sinclair's books which I have thoroughly enjoyed but this is only the second in this series that I have read however, I think it works well as a standalone.

Told from a dual timeline and set in various countries, this is a great story that has fantastic characters, an excellent plot, loads of action, suspense and thrills and all written at a great, fast pace, this is a really good action/adventure/spy/thriller so will appeal to many.  There are violent scenes but only what you would expect for this type of book and nothing that is over the top ... well I didn't think so.  

Excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed and many thanks  to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this, the latest in the James Ryker series.

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Murder on Line One by Jeremy Vine [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙Narrated by Jeremy Vine🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"The first in a brand new murder mystery series now!

There's a killer on the airwaves … and they're calling for you.

Darkness looms over sunny Sidmouth, when an unsolved murder comes to the attention of late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis.

Recently sacked from his beloved job after a devastating tragedy, Edward is cast adrift – until he meets Stevie, whose grandmother, a devoted listener, died in a suspicious fire last year. Well, nobody hurts his listeners and helping Stevie might just give him the purpose he needs.

Joined by his old fling, Kim, they discover Stevie's grandmother wasn't the only one of his listeners targeted – this is just the tip of the iceberg.

But who is pursuing his ageing audience and why? And can Edward, Stevie and Kim get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late?"

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Unfortunately, this was a 'did not finish' book for me. I just couldn't get on with Jeremy Vine's voice as the narrator - I found him stilted and didn't project the characters very well. I don't mind listening to him on the radio but he shouldn't have narrated this book which ruined it for me. As a consequence, I couldn't get into the story or the characters so had to stop listening.

Unless the narrator is changed, I will not be following this series but thank you to the author, HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this book.

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The Train That Took You Away by Catherine Hokin [Audiobook]

🎙🎙🎙 Narrated by Sarah Durham 🎙🎙🎙

Description from Goodreads:

"Berlin, 1938. I wipe the tears streaming down my darling son’s face, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “I promise I will find you, my love. No matter what…”

Ever since the Nazis came to power, violence has spread through the city Esther Spielmann once called home. Each night she prays her family will be spared. But when her husband and father are murdered alongside fellow Jews during Kristallnacht, she has no choice but to send her beloved son, Sascha, to safety.

Esther’s heart breaks as she watches his thin legs trembling in the cold as he is ushered with the other crying children towards the Kindertransport. As the train leaves in a cloud of smoke, she thinks of the painting of the two of them hanging in their house. In it, they are tightly embracing and laughing, everything just as it should be. She vows that she will hold him like this once again. But has Esther made a promise she can’t possibly keep?"

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This is a heartbreaking but powerful story of the intertwined stories of Esther, a Jewish mother, and Amalie, an art conservator.  

Esther Spielman, loses her family and sends her son away during Nazi occupation; she has to fight for survival in the hope that she will be reunited with her son.   Amalie, driven to protect art from Nazi looters, remains in Berlin, going against her family's pleading to return home to England; her experiences there fuel her continued fight for justice when she is forced back home.

I'm not going to go any further into the story but will say that it had me riveted from the very beginning with the narration of Sarah Durham being second to none and really bringing each of the various characters to life.

Highly recommended for people who enjoy reading books from this time period and many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this excellent audiobook.

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