What I read in December 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Considering the fact that December is such a busy month, I was very pleased with the amount of reading I did.
I was trying hard to finish off a couple of memes, and many of the books were read on my Kindle.

1. 4.3, THE SHADOW WOMAN, Ake Edwardson - translated
2. 4.3, CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION, Peter Robinson - Canadian author
3. 4.5, ANTIDOTE TO MURDER, Felicity Young - Australian author
4. 4.5, THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS, Sara Blaedel - translated (Danish) 
5. 4.4, NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH, James Hadley Chase - British author, US setting
6. 4.4, THE RULES OF THE GAME, Georges Simenon  - translated but set in USA
7. 4.5, ENIGMA OF CHINA, Qiu Xiaolong - set in modern Shanghai 
8. 4.8, A FEARSOME DOUBT, Charles Todd - audio book, set in 1919
9. 4.0, MURDER UNDERGROUND, Mavis Doriel Hay - Vintage crime, written in 1934
10. 4.4, THE FLIGHT OF THE FALCON, Daphne du Maurier - vintage crime, written 1965
11. 4.4, A TIME TO KILL, John Grisham - vintage crime, written in 1989 

My Pick of the Month was A FEARSOME DOUBT by Charles Todd

See what others have listed as their pick of the month.

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month December 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for December 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in November 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

A much slower reading month this time, but all the books were well worth the time.

1. 5.0, THE SON, Jo Nesbo - translated
2. 4.4, STAR FALL, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles - British police procedural 
3. 4.4, COUNSEL OF CHOICE, Stuart Littlemore - Australian author
4. 4.6, THE SOUL OF DISCRETION, Susan Hill - British police procedural 
5. 4.5, THE ENGLISH LADY MURDERERS' SOCIETY, Jim Williams
6. 4.9, THE LONG WAY HOME, Louise Penny  

My Pick of the Month was THE SON by Jo Nesbo

See what others have listed as their pick of the month.

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month November 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for November 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in October 1914

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Quite a productive reading month with long plane trips between USA and Australia contributing wads of time.
I've now read 120 books for the year and hope to make about 140 by the end of December.

I finished off the Global Reading Challenge for 2014, and also the Aussie Author Challenge for 2014. The latter required me to read some books outside crime fiction - hence the books by Xanthe Mallett (true crime) and Richard Flanagan, the Man Booker prize winner..

All my reading has been done on my Kindle or the Kindle App on my iPad, and you will see that the majority of books have been sourced from NetGalley as review copies, with the result that I have "met" a number of new-to-me-authors.

1. 4.6, CURTAIN CALL, Anthony Quinn - new to me author, British
2. 4.5, HAPPINESS IS EASY, Edney Silvestre - new to me author, Global Reading Challenge
3. 3.7, HOTEL BRASIL, Frei Betto - new to me author, Global Reading Challenge
4. 3.6, MURDER ON THE SECOND TEE, Ian Simpson - new to me author, British, NetGalley
5. 4.5, MOTHERS WHO MURDER, Xanthe Mallett - Australian setting, NetGalley
6. 4.6, SHROUD OF EVIL, Pauline Rowson - NetGalley, British
7. 4.1, THE CROSSWORD MURDER, Nero Blanc - NetGalley, American
8. 4.4, AFTER THE SILENCE, Jake Woodhouse - debut title, British, set in Amsterdam
9. 4.7, THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH - Richard Flanagan - Man Booker Prize winner 
10. 4.3, A FATAL TIDE, Steve Sailah - Australian, NetGalley 
11. 4.5, THE TOMB IN TURKEY, Simon Brett -  cozy, NetGalley
12. 2.5, MOSCOW BOUND, Adrian Churchward - British, NetGalley

My Pick of the Month was SHROUD OF EVIL by Pauline Rowson, the most recent in her Andy Horton series set in Portsmouth.

See what others have listed as their pick of the month.

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month October 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for October 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in September 2014

This month has been a bit of a slower reading month although I did reach the 100 titles for 2014 milestone.
Some good Australian authors for you to check out.

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

1. 3.9, THE WALLS OF JERICHO, Jack Bunyan - British police procedural
2. 4.6, THE MURDER BAG, Tony Parsons - British police procedural, audio book 
3. 4.5, QUICK, Steve Worland - Australian author, kindle, NetGalley 
4. 4.5, THE SILKWORM, Robert Galbraith - British (pseudonym of J.K. Rowling)
5. 4.7, ALREADY DEAD, Jaye Ford - Australian author, Kindle, NetGalley 
6. 4.5, CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?, Caroline Overington - Australian author, Kindle, Net Galley  
7. 4.3, ELEPHANTS CAN REMEMBER, Agatha Christie
8. 3.8, POSTERN OF FATE, Agatha Christie
9. 4.5, THE CRITIC, Peter May
10. 4.6, CURTAIN: POIROT'S LAST CASE, Agatha Christie

My Pick of the month is Jaye Ford's  ALREADY DEAD, although there were some others to consider too.

See what others have listed as their pick of the month.

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month September 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for September 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in August 2014

Another varied reading month, some excellent ones.

1. 4.4, DOG WILL HAVE HIS DAY, Fred Vargas - translated- most peculiar story.
2. 4.2, THE CINDERELLA KILLER, Simon Brett - British cozy
3. 5.0, SWIMMING IN THE DARK, Paddy Richardson- New Zealand author 
4. 4.4, BUNDORI, Laura Joh Rowland - historical Japan 
5. 4.4, DANGEROUS LIAISON, Vicki Tyley - Aussie author, audio book
6. 4.5, CHRISTINE FALLS, Benjamin Black - #1 in the Quirke series
7. 4.9, IN THE MORNING I'LL BE GONE, Adrian McKinty - Aussie author 
8. 4.9, HARBOUR STREET, Ann Cleeves - British author, audio book 
9. 4.4, NEMESIS, Agatha Christie  - Agatha Christie Reading Challenge
10. 3.8, A BLUNT INSTRUMENT, Georgette Heyer - Vintage Mystery challenge 

My Pick of the Month was SWIMMING IN THE DARK by Paddy Richardson but you can see from the list that there were a couple of close seconds.

If you've never read anything by Paddy Richardson, this is a good one to start with, and you'll be looking for more.

See what others have chosen this month

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month August 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for August 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in July 2014

I caught up with some Australian authors, some Vintage crime, and a British author I should have read a few years ago.

1. 4.7, THE LOST GIRLS, Wendy James -  Aussie author
2. 3.5, THE CARTOGRAPHER, Peter Twohig - Aussie author
3. 4.6, THE CONFESSION, Charles Todd - audio book
4. 4.8, HOLY ORDERS, Benjamin Black - British
5. 4.2, MURDER IN THE MONASTERY, Lesley Cookman - cozy, British
6. 4.7, ELIZABETH IS MISSING, Emma Healey
7. 4.6, STRANGE SHORES, Arnaldur Indridason - translated
8. 3.7, THE FOOTPRINTS ON THE CEILING, Clayton Rawson - Vintage crime
9. 3.9, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE, Mary Roberts Rinehart - Vintage crime
10. 4.0, DEATH-WATCH, John Dickson-Carr - NetGalley, Vintage crime
11. 4.3, FINAL CURTAIN, Ed Ifkovic - NetGalley
12. 5.0, LIFE OR DEATH, Michael Robotham - Aussie author

My pick of the month had to be Michael Robotham's July publication LIFE OR DEATH.
It is a stand-alone and it will be interesting to see how readers react to it.

Synopsis (Net Galley)

Why would a man escape from prison the day before he's due to be released?

Audie Palmer has spent a decade in prison for an armed robbery in which four people died, including two of the gang. Seven million dollars has never been recovered and everybody believes that Audie knows where the money is.

For ten years he has been beaten, stabbed, throttled and threatened almost daily by prison guards, inmates and criminal gangs, who all want to answer this same question, but suddenly Audie vanishes, the day before he's due to be released.

Everybody wants to find Audie, but he's not running. Instead he's trying to save a life . . . and not just his own.

See my review

See what others have chosen this month

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month July 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for July 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in June 2014

I seem to have been reading a little more slowly this month. Nevertheless I have found a new translated author, caught up with some Vintage reads (V), and a couple of new-to-me authors (N).

1. 4.3, GIDEON'S RIDE, J.J. Marric writing as John Creasey - Vintage crime fiction
   
2. 4.7, I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE, Maurizio de Giovanni - translated(N)
3. 4.8, CINDERELLA GIRL, Carin Gerhardsen   - translated (N)
4. 4.1, GREY MASK, Patricia Wentworth - Vintage crime fiction
5. 4.7, THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE, Carin Gerhardsen - translated
6. 4.5, EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE, Peter May - kindle, Net Galley
7. 4.5, APPLE TREE YARD, Louise Doughty - kindle
8. 4.6, FALLING GLASS, Adrian McKinty  - Australian author, audio book
9. 4.6, ELEMENTAL, Amanda Curtin - Australian author, not crime fiction

My Pick of the Month is CINDERELLA GIRL by Carin Gerhardsen  but I WILL HAVE VENGEANCE by Maurizio de Giovanni came a close second.

Synopsis (Publisher)

Three-year-old Hanna wakes up to find she has been abandoned.  Her family is gone.  The house is locked.  She is trapped.

Meanwhile, a teenage girl has been found murdered aboard the Cinderella, a cruise ship that sails between Sweden and Finland.

Detective Chief Inspector Conny Sjöberg visits the girl's home to deliver the tragic news.  But as he investigates it becomes chillingly clear that the girl's younger sister will meet a similar fate - unless the police can crack the case and trap this elusive and vicious killer.

And all this time, somewhere in Stockholm, a little girl waits to be found and rescued. . .

Read my review

See what others have nominated for their Pick of the Month

 

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month June 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for June 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in May 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Lots of very satisfying reading this month, a couple of Australian authors (A) and some new to me authors (*)

1. 4.5, BURIAL OF GHOSTS, Ann Cleeves
2. 2.0, PASSENGER TO FRANKFURT, Agatha Christie
3. 4.5, THE AMBER FURY, Natalie Haynes *
4. 4.5, SILENT KILL, Peter Corris A
5. 4.6, DEATH IN A STRANGE COUNTRY, Donna Leon
6. 4.5, GIDEON'S MONTH, J.J. Marric
7. 4.5, REDEMPTION, Jussi Adler-Olsen - translated 
8. 3.6, THE ALAMUT AMBUSH, Anthony Price
9. 4.9, ST KILDA BLUES - Geoffrey McGeachin A 
10. 4.8, PRESENT DARKNESS, Malla Nunn A 
11. 4.4, THE SILVERSMITH'S WIFE, Sophia Tobin *
12. 4.5, THE DOCTOR OF THESSALY, Anne Zouroudi

My pick of the month is ST KILDA BLUES by Geoffrey McGeachin

Synopsis (Publisher)

Melbourne's first serial killer is at work and only one man can stop him.

It's 1967, the summer of love, and in swinging Melbourne Detective Sergeant Charlie Berlin has been hauled out of exile in the Fraud Squad to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl, the daughter of a powerful and politically connected property developer. As Berlin's inquiries uncover more missing girls he gets an uneasy feeling he may be dealing with the city's first serial killer.

Berlin's investigation leads him through inner-city discothèques, hip photographic studios, the emerging drug culture and into the seedy back streets of St Kilda. The investigation also brings up ghosts of Berlin's past, disturbing memories of the casual murder of a young woman he witnessed in dying days of WW11.

As in war, some victories come at a terrible cost and Berlin will have to face an awful truth and endure an unimaginable loss before his investigation is over.

ST KILDA BLUES is the third novel in the Charlie Berlin series. Both previous novels, THE DIGGERS REST HOTEL and BLACKWATTLE CREEK, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Fiction in 2011 and 2013 respectively

See what I thought of it.

See what others have chosen for their Pick of the Month

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month May 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for May 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in April 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Lots of very satisfying reading this month, mainly British authors, including a couple of new-to-me ones.**

1. 4.3, THE STRANGLING ON THE STAGE, Simon Brett
2. 4.8, THE WHITE CORRIDOR, Christopher Fowler  - audio book
3. 4.5, HALLOWE'EN PARTY, Agatha Christie 
4. 4.5, THE FIRE DANCE, Helene Tursten - translated 
5. 4.7, THE DISCOURTESY OF DEATH, William Brodrick **
6. 4.5, THE INSPECTOR BARLACH MYSTERIES, Friedrich Durrenmatt - translated, Vintage crime fiction 
7. 4.9, A WHISPERED NAME, William Brodrick **
8. 4.7, HUNTING SHADOWS, Charles Todd - audio book
9. 4.4, THE LABYRINTH MAKERS, Anthony Price -audio book **
10. 4.4, THE GHOST RUNNER, Parker Bilal

My pick of the month is A WHISPERED NAME by William Brodrick
This is #3 in the Father Anselm series.

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

'To keep quiet about something so important ...well, it's almost a lie, wouldn't you say?' When Father Anselm meets Kate Seymour in the cemetery at Larkwood, he is dismayed to hear her allegation. Herbert Moore had been one of the founding fathers of the Priory, revered by all who met him, a man who'd shaped Anselm's own vocation.

The idea that someone could look on his grave and speak of a lie is inconceivable. But Anselm soon learns that Herbert did indeed have secrets in his past that he kept hidden all his life.

In 1917, during the terrible slaughter of the Passchendale campaign, a soldier faced a court martial for desertion. Herbert, charged with a responsibility that would change the course of his life, sat upon the panel that judged him. In coming to understand the court martial, Anselm discovers its true significance: a secret victory that transformed the young Captain Moore and shone a light upon the horror of war.

See what I thought of it.

See what others have chosen for their Pick of the Month

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month April 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for April 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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What I read in March 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Lots of good well-crafted reading this month.
Five Australian authors** for you to find.

1. 4.6, VISITATION STREET, Ivy Pochoda
2. 4.5, BLOOD SECRET, Jaye Ford** 
3. 4.7, SAINTS OF THE SHADOW BIBLE, Ian Rankin
4. 4.4, DEATH BY BEAUTY, Gabrielle Lord **
5. 4.6, THE MINOR ADJUSTMENT BEAUTY SALON, Alexander McCall Smith
6. 4.8, FATAL IMPACT, Kathryn Fox**
7. 4.4, DRIVE BY, Michael Duffy**
8. 4.8, DEAD CAT BOUNCE, Peter Cotton** 

My pick of the month is Peter Cotton's DEAD CAT BOUNCE but only by a narrow margin from FATAL IMPACT by Kathryn Fox

Synopsis (Scribe)

A federal election campaign is thrown into chaos when a popular government minister goes missing and then turns up dead on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.

With Detective Darren Glass and the Australian Federal Police on the case, the investigation into the minister’s murder quickly becomes entangled in a game of high-stakes politics. And all the while, the body count mounts.

Glass’s suspects include some of the most powerful people in the land. With the nation in shock and wanting answers fast, Glass has to negotiate a murky world of shifting allegiances, half-truths, and finger pointing, where everyone has a motive for murder.

And no one is safe — not even the prime minister. As election day nears, Glass risks everything for a breakthrough in the case, and his life is soon hanging by a thread. But if he thought he’d hit rock bottom, he was wrong … See My Take

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month March 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

Many crime fiction bloggers write a summary post at the end of each month listing what they've read, and some, like me, even go as far as naming their pick of the month.

This meme is an attempt to aggregate those summary posts.
It is an invitation to you to write your own summary post for March 2014, identify your crime fiction best read of the month, and add your post's URL to the Mr Linky below.
If Mr Linky does not appear for you, leave the URL in a comment and I will add it myself.

You can list all the books you've read in the past month on your post, even if some of them are not crime fiction, but I'd like you to nominate your crime fiction pick of the month.

That will be what you will list in Mr Linky too -
e.g.
ROSEANNA, Maj Sjowall & Per Wahloo - MiP (or Kerrie)

You are welcome to use the image on your post and it would be great if you could link your post back to this post on MYSTERIES in PARADISE.

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