Review: THE MODEL MURDER, Amanda Hampson

• 
  this edition published by Penguin Books 2026
  
• ISBN 978-1-76135-034-4
• 324 pages  

Synopsis (publisher)

Never underestimate a tea lady.

Sydney, 1968. When a popular local man is murdered, police are quick to pin the blame on his glamorous model fiancée, who has since disappeared. But Hazel suspects a criminal cover-up and rallies the tea ladies to investigate; a quest that brings danger right to her door.

Meanwhile, Merl’s long-buried family secret threatens to unravel her carefully constructed life. When she stumbles on evidence that her detective son-in-law is corrupt, she’s forced to swallow her pride and reunite with the other tea ladies, enlisting their help to expose him.

Betty becomes immersed in a local theatre group where there is more drama offstage than on it, further complicated by her infatuation with the enigmatic leading man.
Irene aspires to a new career as a debt collector but her first case has more frustrations and obstacles than she bargained for, even with the help of a new weapon. 

My Take

Although a cozy, I found the plot had too many strands, and I seemed constantly to be getting the main characters muddled up.

My rating: 4.3 

I've also read

4.4, THE TEA LADIES

4.4, THE CRYPTIC CLUE 

Review: THE BOY IN THE HEADLIGHTS, Samuel Bjork

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby courtesy of my local library
• Published: 21 March 2019
• ISBN: 9781473508651 
  
• Imprint: Transworld Digital
• Format: EBook
• Pages: 384
• (The third book in the Holger Munch & Mia Kruger series) 
• Translated by Charlotte Barslund 

Synopsis (publisher) 

Winter 1996. An old man is driving home when his headlights catch an animal on the empty road up ahead. He stamps hard on the brakes. But it is not an animal at all. It is a young boy, frightened and alone, with a set of deer antlers strapped firmly to his head.

Fourteen years later, a body is found in a mountain lake. Within weeks, three people have died. Each time, the killer has left a clue, inviting Special Investigations Detectives Munch and Krüger to play a deadly game - a game they cannot possibly win. Against the most dangerous and terrifying kind of serial killer. One who chooses their victims completely at random.

To find the killer they must look deep within their own dark pasts, but how can you stop a murderer when you cannot begin to predict their next move?

How can you stop a murderer when you cannot predict their next move? A serial killer is choosing his victims at random, it is a detective's worst nightmare and the ultimate challenge for Munch and Kruger.

Mindless killer? Or do they know exactly what they're doing?

My Take

This novel is set some 15 years after Mia Kruger first joined the Special Investigations Unit on Holger Munch's initiative. Since then the unit has had a chequered history, although uniquely successful, and Mia has suffered some mental health and drug issues. But Mia still has special skills to bring to the cases that the unit takes on. She is not entirely trusted by her colleagues which adds complexity to their cases.

Each of the incidents that make up this case do not at first appear to be connected but pathology reports reveal features in common. They need Mia to work out the other links. This case in particular is very complicated but draws the reader in so that you want to resolve it.

My rating: 4.5

I have also read

4.4, I'M TRAVELLING ALONE #1

4.7, THE WOLF #4

Review: MAD MABEL, Sally Hepworth

• 
  This edition read on Libby, through my local library
  
• Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group, released 21 April 2026 

Synopsis (Overdrive)

From New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth comes a twisty tale of justice, redemption, and one irrepressible woman who's not done breaking the rules just yet.

Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea—or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.

Because Elsie hasn't always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller—Australia's youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she's kept her secret buried for decades.

Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest—the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.

So Mabel does what she's always done best—she takes matters into her own hands.

Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who's finally ready to tell her side of the story?

Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who's spent a lifetime being underestimated—and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.

My Take:

Another exceptional story from Sally Hepworth. 

Mabel has always wondered why it has been so difficult to acquire friends, why her father seems to dislike her so much, and what she has done to deserve the nickname of "Mad Mabel". 

Looking back, Mabel has seemed to be followed around by death, and to be honest, she has been Australia's youngest convicted killer - of two people, not just one. But there have been at least two other deaths at her door, and now there appears to be a fifth. But, hang on, Mabel knows she at least she hasn't been responsible for the recent death of her elderly neighbour. This account reveals how the other four were linked to her.

It makes you think about how often unkindness was her lot.  A story written with touches of humour and empathy. And if it hadn't been for Mabel's bosom buddy Daphne, and her latest "friend" Persephone....

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.5, THE MOTHER IN LAW

4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 

4.7, THE SOULMATE

4.8, DARLING GIRLS

4.7, THE YOUNGER WIFE 

4.7, THE GOOD SISTER

Review: THREE REASONS FOR REVENGE, Dervla McTiernan

• 
  this title a library book from my local library
  
• Published by Harper Collins Publishers Australia 2026
• ISBN 978-1-4607-6016-1
• 326 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Three gifts. Three victims. One deadly game.

Alexis Turner walks into the police station to report an assault. By the end of the day, she is nowhere to be found.

Soon after she disappears, three identical packages arrive at three very different doors: a respected psychologist's home, a socialite's mansion, and a struggling single father's run-down apartment. Inside, each gift is perfectly tailored to its recipient - and each will tear apart the life of its intended victim.

Detective Sergeant Judith Lee is smart and experienced, but this is no ordinary case. Someone with intimate knowledge of their targets is orchestrating these attacks. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt each victim where they're most vulnerable. And she's convinced that somehow, it connects back to Alexis Turner.

As she races to uncover the connection between three seemingly unrelated people, Judith discovers she's no longer just investigating the game - she's being forced to play.

My Take

This standalone is a complex, tightly plotted, and increasingly layered story. It starts with a university student reporting an assault by a clinical psychologist, and following that there is roll out of what seem to be individual stories, but each is connected to the last. We see glimmers but really are not offered the final shocking connections until the very end. Meanwhile Detective Sergeant Judith Lee faces her own demons.

A story of planned vengeance, and systemic failure in a number of ways. 

Highly recommended. 

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.8, THE RUIN -#1

4.8, THE SCHOLAR - #2

4.8, THE GOOD TURN  -#3

4.6, THE MURDER RULE

4.6, THE MURDER RULE 

4.8, WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

4.8, THE UNQUIET GRAVE - #4 

Review: LETHAL VENGEANCE, Robert Bryndza

• 
  This title read as a library book and on my Kindle
  
• Published by Raven Street Publishing 2024
• ISBN 978-1-914547-19-5
• 412 pages
• #8 Erika Foster series 

 Synopsis (author website)

A powerful man is found dead. Bound. Gagged. Exposed. . .

The Met wants it buried. Detective Erika Foster wants the truth.

When Detective Erika Foster arrives at the home of prominent politician Neville Lomas, she finds a scene straight out of a nightmare: the man is naked, hog-tied, and very much dead. The official cause? Natural. The case? Closed—by order of the top brass.

But two months later, when a famous casting director and a Premier League footballer are found murdered in eerily similar circumstances, Erika knows this is no coincidence. Someone is out for vengeance—and they’re just getting started.

As the body count rises, Erika’s investigation leads to a bizarre twist: CCTV footage reveals five female suspects... all with the same face. And the deeper she digs, the more she uncovers a shadowy trail leading to a high-end sex worker who knows too much—and may be the key to unraveling a scandal the Met will do anything to keep buried.

In a race against time, Erika must untangle a web of lies, secrets, and powerful enemies before the killer strikes again. But in a case where nothing is what it seems, one wrong move could be her last.

Smart, fast-paced, and packed with jaw-dropping twists, Lethal Vengeance is a crime thriller that grips from the first page to the explosive finale. Can be read as a standalone story.

My Take

A very intense read with Erika always just hanging on to the management of her case. She gradually establishes links between 4 murder victims and uncovers a killer acting out vengeance for what these people had done to her in the past.

Just a note: I began reading this in paperback until halfway through the glue binding the spine cracked and the book became loose leaf. I finished it on my Kindle. 

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

Erika Foster

• 4.6, DARK WATER - #1
• 4.8, THE NIGHT STALKER - #2
• 4.8, THE GIRL IN THE ICE - #3
• 4.8, LAST BREATH - #4
• 4.7, COLD BLOOD - #5
• 4.6. DEADLY SECRETS - #6

Kate Marshall

• 4.7, NINE ELMS - #1
• 4.7, SHADOW SANDS - #2 
• 4.6, DARKNESS FALLS - #3

Review: MISTAKE CREEK, Rachel Amphlett

• 
  this edition a library book(large print) from my local library
  
• Saxon Publishing 2015
• ISBN 978-0-6483664-1-6
• 376 pages
• Author website 

Synopsis (author website)

One road out. Six strangers. And a killer who hasn’t finished yet.

Nina O'Brien returns to the remote Mistake Creek Truck Stop to settle her father’s affairs and sell the crumbling remains of her childhood home. She doesn't expect to be fighting for her life.

As a savage, drought-breaking storm lashes the Central Valley, triggering flash floods and landslides, Nina and a small group of travellers barricade themselves inside the truck stop’s walls, cut off from the rest of the world.

The phone lines are dead, the power is out, and the only road to safety is submerged.

The fragile sanctuary shatters when a bloodied, incoherent stranger collapses across the threshold. He brings more than just his injuries – he carries a chilling warning.

Don't trust anyone.

After the discovery of a murdered traveller and trapped with strangers who all have something to hide, Nina realises that the most dangerous element isn’t the storm – it could be the person standing right next to her.

On a night defined by suspicion and betrayal, Nina must outmanoeuvre a killer who is just getting started…

Street‑sharp crime thriller with pressure that never lets up and knife‑clean turns. Ideal for readers who want page‑turning suspense with a strong sense of place. Perfect for fans of Jack Gatland, Andrew Turpin and Jack Slater. 

My Take

Set in California, this story is a fast paced thriller, focussed on a plot to release a poison into the air breathed by citizens of a city, by disgruntled ex-soldiers. The execution of the plot takes place during a storm which brings flooding and the collapse of communications. FBI agents have infiltrated a cell of dissidents.

I see that the author has dual American and Australian citizenship and thought there were many Australian overtones in the writing (although there were no direct references to Australia). Very readable.

My rating: 4.6

About the author Author website 

Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.

USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett has published over 40 titles featuring detectives, vigilantes and assassins. Her fast paced, gripping reads have readers hooked from page one, and are available from major retailers and libraries worldwide.

Rachel’s stories are available in eBook, print and audiobook formats from libraries and retailers as well as her own shop on this website.

A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship. 

Review: THE PREDICAMENT, William Boyd

• 
  This edition made available as an e-book through my local library on Libby
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin (General UK), Publication date ‏ : ‎ 14 July 2026
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1405978414
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1405978415 
• Gabriel Dax #2 (in trilogy)

Synopsis (publisher)

Gabriel Dax returns in this elegant, twisting mystery of espionage and obsession and takes the reader deep into one of history's most infamous assassinations.

Gabriel Dax, travel writer and accidental spy, is back in the shadows. Unable to resist the allure of his MI6 handler, Faith Green, he has returned to a life of secrets and subterfuge. Dax is sent to Guatemala under the guise of covering a tinderbox presidential election, where the ruthless decisions of the Mafia provoke pitch-black warfare in collusion with the CIA.

As political turmoil erupts, Gabriel's reluctant involvement deepens. His escape plan leads him to West Berlin, where he uncovers a chilling realisation - there is a plot to assassinate magnetic young President John F. Kennedy. In a race against time, Gabriel must navigate deceit and danger, knowing that the stakes have never been higher.

The Predicament, the second novel in the bestselling espionage trilogy starring Gabriel Dax, William Boyd weaves a masterful tale of suspense, loyalty, love and the dark temptations of spy craft.

My Take

Espionage is not really my "thing" but experience has shown me that William Boyd tells a good tale and this one deals with an era I have lived through and refers to events that I have known about.

A good tale, with excellent characterisation. 

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.7, GABRIEL'S MOON - #1

4.6, RESTLESS 

Review: MAIGRET IN VICHY, Georges Simenon

• 
  this edition from my local library
  
• first published 1968,
• this edition published by Penguin Random House UK Classics 2025
• translated by Ros Schwartz 2019 
• ISBN 978-0-241-78818-9
• 171 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Inspector Maigret and his wife take a much-needed rest cure in the spa town of Vichy, where they quickly become used to the leisurely pace of life. But when a woman who they regularly pass by on their daily strolls is murdered, Maigret can't help but offer his assistance to the local investigation – no matter where it leads.

My Take

Maigret and his wife have slipped into a quiet routine in Vichy, taking the waters and walking for hours every day.  Maigret isn't really ill, just tired. On the recommendation of his doctor, they will be in Vichy for 3 weeks, taking the cure. They take delight in observing others who are doing the same.

And then a woman they see regularly is murdered. The detective in charge of the investigation is someone Maigret trained and he jumps at the chance to participate although he delights in not being in charge. He wants to know the woman's background and is even more curious when he meets her sister. The tale he eventually uncovers is a sordid one indeed: one of great duplicity. 

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

4.4, MAIGRET & the MAN on the BOULEVARD

4.5, MAIGRET & THE HEADLESS CORPSE

4.3, PIETR THE LATVIAN

THE LATE MONSIEUR GALLET

4.4, THE RULES OF THE GAME

4.2, THE MAN WHO WATCHED THE TRAINS GO BY

4.3, THE CARTER OF LA PROVIDENCE

4.3, LOCK NO 1. Maigret #18

4.0, MAIGRET IN NEW YORK

4.2, A MAN'S HEAD 

4.4, THE CAT 

4.4, THE TRAIN 

4.5, THE LITTLE MAN FROM ARCHANGEL 

Review: DEAD FALL LAKE, S. R. White

• 
  this edition supplied by my local library,
  
• published  by Headline Publishing 2026
• ISBN 978-1-03-542666-9
• 261 pages
• #5 in the Dana Russo series 

Synopsis (publisher)

Deep in the Australian wilderness, a famed sinkhole renowned as a stunning freediving spot attracts people from all over the world. But there’s a dark, puzzling mystery when a local sports hero – and the glamorous face of a high-adrenaline video channel – is found dead far beneath the surface.

Despite diving the sinkhole hundreds of times, his lifeless body is discovered dressed in normal clothes, handcuffed to a supply line. With no witnesses – and evidence submerged 30 metres underwater – how can Detective Dana Russo unravel such a shocking case?

My Take

The historical setting is Covid in 2020 in remote Australia (perhaps Western Victoria). The detectives have had to come from Carlton and the pandemic means that there are all sorts of restrictions related to social contact and mask wearing is mandatory. While I have read a number of novels written during the pandemic, not so many are set in the period. (Here are some I've read)

In addition the two female detectives are both "damaged" in some way and bring their own limitations to the investigation. The sinkhole has been used in the past in colonial Australia as a place of execution and makes the death of a free diver even more macabre or ironic. The sinkhole has vertical sides and very clear filtered water. 

I found the investigation quite technical and slow reading at times. I hadn't really managed to pick the murderer - perhaps not enough clues for me?

My rating: 4.6 

I've also read

4.6, HERMIT  - #1

Review: THE HOUSEMAID, Freida McFadden

• 
  this edition from my local library
  
• paperback edition published 2023 by Bookouture  
• ISBN 987-1-4087-2851-2
• 328 pages 

Synopsis (publisher) 

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

My Take

Another excellent twisty tale. You just get used to the direction this book is taking, and think you have it all figured out, and it goes around another corner. And I don't think anything prepares you for the way it ends. 

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.5, THE TENANT

4.5, DO NOT DISTURB 

4.5, WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

4.7, DEAR DEBBIE 

Review: REYKJAVIK, Ragnar Jonasson & Katrin Jakobsdottir

• 
  this edition a paperback published by Penguin Random House UK 2023
  
• first published in Icelandic 2022
• translated into English by Victoria Cribb
• made available by my local library 
• ISBN 978-0-241-62600-9
• 371 pages 

Synopsis (publisher)

An ice-cold mystery haunts Reykjavík in 1986, in this heart-stopping new crime novel co-written by the Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdottir

What happened to Lara?

Iceland, 1956. Fourteen-year-old Lara spends the summer on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík.

In early August, the girl disappears without a trace.

The mystery becomes Iceland's greatest unsolved case. What happened to the young girl? Is she still alive? Did she leave the island, or did something happen to her there?

Thirty years later, journalist Valur Robertsson begins his own investigation into Lara's case. But as he draws closer to discovering the secret, it's soon clear that this is a mystery someone will stop at nothing to keep unsolved...

My Take

The book is dedicated to Agatha Christie, and certainly there are some Christie-like effects to the plot. The story takes place over 30 years, from the mysterious disappearance of 14 year old Lara to the climax of the story in 1986, the year of the celebration of Iceland's 200th Anniversary.

I thought the Icelandic climate played a less-than-usual role in the story. There were plenty of red herrings and the eventual revelation of the murderer came as a real surprise in true Christie fashion.  

My rating: 4.7

I've also read (by Ragnar Jonasson)

4.4, THE MIST

4.5, WHITE OUT 

4.5, WINTERKILL 

4.6, THE MIST

4.6, RUPTURE 

4.7, THE DARKNESS 

Review: DEAR DEBBIE, Freida McFadden

• 
  This edition a paperback supplied by my local library
  
• Published 2026 by Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press
• isbn-13: 978-1-4642-6649-2
• 327 pages   

 Synopsis (publisher)

Sometimes, enough is enough…

Debbie Mullen is losing it. For years, she has compiled all of her best advice into her column, Dear Debbie, where the wives of New England come for sympathy and neighborly advice. Through her work, Debbie has heard from countless women who are ignored, belittled, or even abused by their husbands. And Debbie does her best to guide them in the right direction. 

Or at least, she did. 

These days, Debbie’s life seems to be spiraling out of control. She just lost her job. Something strange is happening with her teenage daughters. And her husband is keeping secrets, according to the tracking app she installed on his phone. Now, Debbie’s done being the bigger person. She’s done being reasonable and practical. It’s time to take her own advice. 

And now it’s time for payback against all the people in her life who deserve it the most.

My Take

I am really hooked on this author. All the stories by her that I have read have been instantly engaging, and all have had a twist in the tail, usually in a direction you are not expecting. In this one, the principal character, Debbie, gets away with murder, but you do have to ask yourself if her victims didn't deserve what happened.  

My Rating: 4.7

I've also read

4.5, THE TENANT

4.5, DO NOT DISTURB 

4.5, WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

Review: HOME BEFORE DARK, Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir

• 
  This edition a hardback from my local library
  
• First published in Iceland by Verold Publishing 2023
• First published in UK by Orenda Books in 2025
• English translation by Victoria Cribb
• ISBN 978-1-916788-60-2
• 305 pages 

Synopsis (publisher)

Struggling to separate her dreams from reality, a young woman investigates the disappearance of her sister ten years earlier … worried that she might be next. A breathtaking, twisty standalone thriller from the international bestselling author of the Forbidden Iceland series…

November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister’s name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time.

But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsí and her penpal had agreed to meet.

November, 1977. Stína’s disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for Marsí. It’s from her penpal, and he’s still out there…

Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, Marsí returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own.

But Marsí has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her sanity, it seems she can’t even trust her own memories.

And her sister’s killer is still on the loose…

My Take

Other reviewers have called this book a "twisty thriller" which it certainly is. It has a characteristically complex Icelandic plot. Two time frames set against family trauma and the unsolved disappearance ten years before of Marsi's older sister.  Marsi's mother struggles to cope with mental problems resulting from what happened to her during World War II.  Unsettled family life has led to Stina, the older sister, a talented artist, resolving to leave home as soon as she can and when she disappears, no-one is sure that she hasn't gone voluntarily. 

The plot is complex with a cast of players. And in the end, a surprising resolution.

My rating: 4.8

About the author: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

Born in Akranes in 1988, Eva moved to Trondheim, Norway to study my MSc in Globalisation when she was 25. After moving back home having completed her MSc, she knew it was time to start working on her novel. Eva has wanted to write books since she was 15 years old, having won a short story contest in Iceland. Eva worked as a stewardess to make ends meet while she wrote her first novel, The Creak on the Stairs. The book went on to win the CWA Debut Dagger, the Blackbird Award, was shortlisted (twice) for the Capital Crime Readers’ Awards, and became a number one bestseller in Iceland. The critically acclaimed Girls Who Lie (book two in the Forbidden Icelandseries) soon followed, with Night Shadows (book three) following suit. You Can’t See Me (book four) is out in 2023. Eva lives with her husband and three children in Reykjavík. 

Review: THE NEW NEIGHBOURS, Claire Douglas

• 
  this edition a trade paperback from my local library
  
• published Penguin Random House 2025
• ISBN 978-1-405-95764-9
• 391 pages 

Synopsis (publisher)

Lena overhears a conversation she shouldn’t have.

She’s sure her new neighbours – the Morgans – are planning a crime.

Her family say she’s mistaken.
They are a lovely, friendly couple.
She should forget it.

Yet Lena can’t.

And the more she investigates,
the worse her suspicions.

But Lena hasn’t counted on one thing.

A secret from her own past. One the Morgans seem connected to.

And which puts Lena in terrible danger . . .

My Take

I've found that I have always enjoyed stories by Claire Douglas, and this one did not disappoint, even if slightly more complex than I had expected to be. Still, a satisfying read. 

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.6, THE COUPLE AT NO. 9

4.6, JUST LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS

4.7, LAST SEEN ALIVE 

4.5, THEN SHE VANISHES 

Review: UNIFORM JUSTICE, Donna Leon

• 
  This edition a book from my local library
  
• Published by Penguin Books 2004
• ISBN 978-0-09-953665-9
• 326 pages
• #12/33 in the Brunetti series  

Synopsis (publisher)

When a young cadet is found hanged at a military academy, Commissario Brunetti's investigation entangles him in the strange and stormy politics of Venice's powerful elite

Neither Commissario Brunetti nor his wife Paola have ever had much sympathy for the Italian armed forces, so when a young cadet is found hanged, at Venice's elite military academy, Brunetti's emotions are complex: pity and sorrow at the death of a boy close in age to his own son, and contempt and irritation for the arrogance and high-handedness of the boy's teachers and fellow students.

The young man is the son of an ex-politician, a man of an impeccable integrity all too rare in Italian politics. But as Brunetti - and the indispensable Signorina Elettra - investigate further, no one seems willing to talk. Is this the natural reluctance of Italians to involve themselves with the authorities, or is Brunetti facing a conspiracy of silence?

My Take

This case sits very badly with Guido Brunetti. He can't accept that a 17 year old with his life before him would commit suicide, and he doesn't like the way his fellow students are so non-commital about the boy. Brunetti also thinks there is something very wrong with the reaction of the boy's father to his son's death.

A very thought provoking read which tells you a lot about Brunetti's principles and the way the system works. 

My rating: 4.7 

I've also read

ABOUT FACE

THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY

4.4, A QUESTION OF BELIEF

4.5, BEASTLY THINGS

4.4, QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP

3.9, THE JEWELS OF PARADISE

4.8, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

4.5, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, Donna Leon - abridged audio version

4.6, DEATH IN A STRANGE COUNTRY

4.7, BY ITS COVER

4.5, THE GOLDEN GOOSE

4.8, THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH

4.5, FALLING IN LOVE

4.8, EARTHLY REMAINS

4.6, TRANSIENT DESIRES - #30

4.7, SO SHALL YOU REAP - #32 

4.6, GIVE UNTO OTHERS - #31

4.6, A REFINER'S FIRE - #33 

 

Review: THE DARKNESS, Ragnar Jonasson

• 
  This book read as an e-book on Libby from my local library
  
• The Darkness (2018)
• (The first book in the Hulda series)
• Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb  

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

Spanning the icy streets of Reykjavik, the Icelandic highlands and cold, isolated fjords, The Darkness is an atmospheric thriller from Ragnar Jónasson, one of the most exciting names in Nordic Noir.

The body of a young Russian woman washes up on an Icelandic shore. After a cursory investigation, the death is declared a suicide and the case is quietly closed.

Over a year later Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavík police is forced into early retirement at 64. She dreads the loneliness, and the memories of her dark past that threaten to come back to haunt her. But before she leaves she is given two weeks to solve a single cold case of her choice. She knows which one: the Russian woman whose hope for asylum ended on the dark, cold shore of an unfamiliar country. Soon Hulda discovers that another young woman vanished at the same time, and that no one is telling her the whole story. Even her colleagues in the police seem determined to put the brakes on her investigation. Meanwhile the clock is ticking.

Hulda will find the killer, even if it means putting her own life in danger. 

My Take

Another title that I'm reading for discussion with my U3A Crime Fiction Group. 

Although it is the first in the Hulda series, chronologically it is the last in her story. I recently read THE MIST and I think I have read them in the correct chronological order. I am wondering if this "out of order" feature is actually based on the discovery of the books by the English publisher.

Hulda is not ready for retirement but her boss has already discovered a younger person to replace her. Hulda has a reputation of being hard to work with, although over the years she has achieved incredible results, but she is not a team player.  

My Rating: 4.7

I've also read

• 4.4, THE MIST
• 4.5, WHITE OUT 
• 4.5, WINTERKILL 
• 4.6, THE MIST
• 4.6, RUPTURE   

Hulda Series
   1. The Darkness (2018)
   2. The Island (2019)
   3. The Mist (2020)  

Review: RUPTURE, Ragnar Jonasson

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby, provided by my local library 
  
• published in English originally 2016, in Icelandic 2012
• translated by Quentin Bates 
• The fourth book in the Dark Iceland series 

Synopsis (Fantastic Fiction)

1955.Two young couples move to the uninhabited, isolated fjord of Hedinsfjörður. Their stay ends abruptly when one of the women meets her death in mysterious circumstances. The case is never solved. Fifty years later an old photograph comes to light, and it becomes clear that the couples may not have been alone on the fjord after all…

In nearby Siglufjörður, young policeman Ari Thór tries to piece together what really happened that fateful night, in a town where no one wants to know, where secrets are a way of life. He's assisted by Ísrún, a news reporter in Reykjavik, who is investigating an increasingly chilling case of her own. Things take a sinister turn when a child goes missing in broad daylight. With a stalker on the loose, and the town of Siglufjörður in quarantine, the past might just come back to haunt them.

Haunting, frightening and complex, Rupture is a dark and atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland's foremost crime writers.

My Take

I seem to be reading books by this Icelandic author all out of order. This title I am reading for discussion with my U3A Crime Reading Group.

However, a saving grace, you do seem to be able to read them as stand-alones, and they do make compelling reads.   

This story in RUPTURE does not originally seem to involve a crime, until detective Ari Thor, time on his hands because the town is in lockdown, doing a favour for a friend, works out that there is a mystery in the old photo from 50 years before.  A great puzzle. 

My rating: 4.6 

I've also read

• 4.4, THE MIST
• 4.5, WHITE OUT 
• 4.5, WINTERKILL 
• 4.6, THE MIST 

 Dark Iceland series in English
   1. Snowblind (2015)
   2. Nightblind (2015)
   3. Blackout (2016)
   4. Rupture (2016)
   5. Whiteout (2017)
   6. Winterkill (2020) 

Hulda
   1. The Darkness (2018)
   2. The Island (2019)
   3. The Mist (2020) 

Review: THE MIST, Ragnar Jonasson

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby, supplied by my local library
  
• Published: 16 February 2021
• ISBN: 9781405934886
• Pages: 352  

Synopsis (publisher)

The final nail-biting instalment in the critically acclaimed Hidden Iceland series

1987. An isolated farm house in the east of Iceland.

The snowstorm should have shut everybody out. But it didn't.

The couple should never have let him in. But they did.

An unexpected guest, a liar, a killer. Not all will survive the night. And Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir will be haunted forever.

My Take

As you do sometimes, I was half way through this book when I realised that the story was familiar, but as I couldn't remember how it finished, I continued.

The fact that it was the third in a series meant nothing to me, and it works well as a standalone.

Two days before Christmas, in a blinding snow storm, a knock comes at the door of an isolated farm house in East Iceland. Only two people live there, but they are expecting their daughter to come for Christmas.They can't turn the stranger away and invite him to stay the night in the hope that the storm will have abated in the morning and he can be on his way.. The phone landline dies and the power goes out, and Erla, the wife, doesn't believe the tale the stranger asks them to believe. Her husband is more trusting.

And so murder is committed.

By the time the investigation begins Detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir from Reyjkavik has just returned to work and she probably shouldn't have been there, but she feels it is better to be occupied, rather than be at home mourning her loss.

As Hulda unpacks what has happened at the farm house, she make connections, some of which the reader has probably suspected, but some that come as a complete surprise. 

Be sure to ask yourself the meaning of the title. 

My rating: 4.6

I have also read

• 4.4, THE MIST
• 4.5, WHITE OUT 
• 4.5, WINTERKILL 

Review: BLOOD PACT, Fiona McIntosh

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby provided by my local library
  
• Published: 2 December 2025, Penguin Australia
• ISBN: 9781761343612
• Pages: 384
• #6 Jack Hawkesworth series  

Synopsis (Publisher)
Detective Superintendent Jack Hawksworth is seconded by counter-terrorism to investigate a spate of domestic events. First it was needles in strawberries, then tampering with lipstick samplers and baby formula. But when toxic mushrooms enter the market system and a death occurs, a wave of terror is set to sweep the country. Breaking news of a possible serial killer only heightens the alarm.

There are no leads, no DNA, no witnesses, no CCTV footage. Jack and his team must work on instinct to figure out why someone would want to harm innocent victims, each of them curiously linked to a single blood transfusion.

When a hospital bomb threat erupts, it is up to the team to prevent the inevitable bloodshed. The clock is ticking, and no one is safe from the possibility of a tragedy on a catastrophic scale.

My Take

A quality offering from a local (Adelaide) author which moves at a fast pace and is filled with believable scenarios and well drawn characters. I regret that I haven't read all in this series and should remedy that some time.

There are plenty of red herrings as Jack's team attempts to identify the person behind the domestic terrorist events, and then a real surprise as the perpetrator is identified and we move into the culmination.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• BYE BYE BABY
• 4.4, FOUL PLAY, Fiona McIntosh

Review: THE HOUSE IN THE WATER, Victoria Darke (aka Victoria Scott)

• 
  this edition, large print, supplied by my local library
  
• published by Boldwood Books 2024
• ISBN 978-1-83561-692-5
• 498 pages 

Synopsis (publisher)

A secluded house. A lost notebook. A wartime secret.

1942: Young Irish nurse Ellen arrives at May Day House, tasked with helping the men there rehabilitate. But there’s something strange about the house, surrounded by water, on its own island in the Thames. And then there are the men: traumatised by their experiences of war, and subject to troubling methods in a desperate race to get them back to duty. As Ellen gets drawn into the world of May Day House, she starts to realise this will be no place to hide away from her own troubles…

2013: Philip and Meredith are the proud new owners of May Day House. Following a string of tragedies, the couple have moved to the area in search of a new start. But all is not what it seems in the riverside community. As their plans for the rundown house meet resistance from the neighbours, Meredith finds herself slowly unravelling: she hears voices on the water, sees figures where there can be no one there. When she finds an old notebook from the war, she seeks solace in the stories about the former patients of the island.

But will shadows from the past threaten her future happiness – and even her life?

My Take

The publisher refers to this story as a "Gothic timeslip novel", the first time I have seen that term used. It is set in two time frames, 70 years apart, around a house on a small island on the Thames, used as a hospital during World War II for soldiers suffering from the trauma they experienced in the war.

The new owners of May Day House are hoping to renovate it and bring new life to it but local residents are very much opposed to their plans. There are overtones of memories of the past reaching out into the present. This aspect of the story is very well done.

Meredith is certain that there are things that her husband Phillip is not telling her, and his absences as an airline pilot put additional stress on her already fragile mind.

Recommended.  

My rating: 4.5

About the Author

Victoria Scott has been a journalist for many media outlets including the BBC and The Telegraph. She is the author of three novels published by Head of Zeus. Her first book for Boldwood is a Gothic timeslip novel, The House in the Water.