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: OUR HOLIDAY, Louise Candlish

• 
  This title read as an e-book on Borrow Box through my local library
  
• Format: eBook
• Imprint: HQ
• ISBN: 9780008614638
• Pages: 384
• Publication Date: 4th July 2024
• A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick
• longlisted for the 2025 Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year Award  

Synopsis (publisher)

Charlotte and Perry long for summers at Cliff View, their gorgeous holiday home overlooking the turquoise waters of Pine Ridge. And now that city friends Amy and Linus have bought a property nearby, they plan lazy weeks of sun, sea and sipping rosé on Charlotte’s summerhouse veranda.

But there’s trouble in paradise…

A rising tide of resentment towards second-home owners is heading their way and small acts of criminal damage are escalating into something more menacing. By the end of the summer, families and friendships will be torn apart and Pine Ridge will be known for more than its sun-drenched beaches.

It will be known for murder…

My Take

Set in an English coastal town where many locals are in temporary housing such as caravans, while there are many holiday rentals which are only taken up during August. A local campaign against second-home owners NJIA (Not Just In August) are particularly incensed by in-comers who are adding extra cottages to their land, and are conducting a campaign against them. There are several side plots which add to the story.

Highly recommended. 

My rating: 4.7

I've also read

5.0, THE OTHER PASSENGER

4.7, OUR HOUSE

4.8, THE ONLY SUSPECT

4.6, THE HEIGHTS  

Review: THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING FRENCHMAN, H. L. Marsay

• This edition read as an e-book on Kindle (AmazonAU)
• 
  ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXP7YRDP
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tule Publishing, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 13 August 2024
  
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1962707633
• Book 3 of 4: The Lady in Blue Mysteries 

Synopsis  (AmazonAU)

Even in war, your enemies can linger too close to home…

While war and revolution continue to ravage Europe, Dorothy Peto embraces her new role at Scotland Yard as she and several detectives investigate a series of jewel thefts. Then Dorothy is tasked with assisting the inscrutable Inspector Derwent and the charming Colonel Lamarchant to find a missing French aristocrat. Their enquiries take them to a country house in Yorkshire, that’s been converted to a hospital for wounded soldiers and was the last place the Frenchman visited. However, the more questions they ask, the more questions they have.

When the body of a man suspected of being the marquis is discovered, the investigative team returns to London, but the dead man is a stranger. Dorothy speculates that the death, the jewel thefts and the missing Frenchman may be connected. She finds herself tangled in a web of conscientious objectors, Irish republicans and communist agitators, and not everyone is who they appear to be.

My Take

I must confess that I haven't read earlier titles in this series but this one seems to work well enough as a stand-alone. However while the story was interesting, it didn't feel particularly enriched by the historical period in which it is set.

It comes with this disclaimer: Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent. 

My rating: 4.4

I have also read

4.4, A LONG SHADOW -#1

4.4, A VIKING SHADOW - #2 

4.4, A GHOSTLY SHADOW -#3

4.4, A ROMAN SHADOW -#4

4.5, A FORGOTTEN SHADOW #5

4.5, A CHRISTMAS SHADOW #6

Review: THE HAWK IS DEAD, Peter James

• 
  this edition published by Pan Macmillan 2025
  
• ISBN 978-1-5290-9007-9
• 470 pages
• Roy Grace #22 

Synopsis (publisher)

Roy Grace never dreamed a murder investigation would take him deep into Buckingham Palace . . .

Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, is aboard the Royal Train heading to a charity event in Sussex when disaster strikes – the train is derailed.

A tragic accident or a planned attack?

When, minutes later, a trusted aide is shot dead by a sniper, the police have their answer.

Despite all the evidence, Roy Grace is not convinced The Queen was the intended target. But he finds himself alone in his suspicions.

Fighting against the scepticism of his colleagues and the Palace itself, Grace pursues his own investigation. But when there is a second murder, the stakes rise even higher, and Grace is at risk of being embroiled in a very public catastrophe – and in mortal danger.

Failure at this level is not an option. But time is running out before a killer in the Palace will strike again . . .

Roy Grace is back with his most difficult case yet in the gripping new instalment from number one bestselling author Peter James.

My Take

I am of course familiar with the Roy Grace series, possible more from television than from the books,  as I have discovered in checking what I have actually read (see my list below). I recognise now that it something I should remedy.

This was an excellent read, well constructed, with a credible plot, and also elements of humour such as the naming of the king as HMTK, and little puzzles to engage the reader.

I should point out that there is a plot similarity with a book that I read some weeks ago where the late Queen was the sleuth: 4.4, A THREE DOG PROBLEM - written in 2021. I won't discuss the elements of similarity - you will recognise them when you come across them.

My rating: 5.0

I've also read

• DEAD MAN'S FOOTSTEPS
• NOT DEAD ENOUGH
• 5.0, DEAD TOMORROW
• 4.8, DEAD LIKE YOU  

Review: WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT, Nicci French

• 
  This edition published by Simon & Schuster 2026
• ISBN 978-1-3985-2419-4
• 434 pages  

Synopsis (publisher) 

After nearly thirty years in prison for the murder of his university friend Leo Bauer, Tyler Green is finally free. Meeting up with the group of friends who were there the night that Leo died, Tyler is looking to reconnect – but he’s also looking for answers. When another friend is found dead that night, his new found freedom is put in jeopardy. Detective Maud O’Connor is called to investigate – but can she discover the truth, or is Tyler Green never going to be free?

My Take

Tyler Green, young university student, convicted of murdering one of his friends, spends nearly 30 years in gaol as a result. He knows he didn't commit the murder which means that one of the others did. Now, nearly 30 years later, he has been freed under licence and he is determined to find out who did.

He arranges to meet everyone at dinner and to confront them all at once. At the very least he wants them to understand what losing 30 years of his life has been like.  And then he wants to wash his hands of them. But things don't go well and before the night is out another is killed in the same way, each of his friends has been confronted by some home-truths, and Tyler is back in prison.

Detective Maude O'Connor is under a lot of pressure to solve this murder quickly and it takes all of her intuition to get it done. The story moves at a cracking pace.

Highly recommended. 

My rating: 5.0

I've also read

4.3, BLUE MONDAY

4.5, TUESDAY'S GONE

4.7, WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY

4.7, FRIDAY ON MY MIND

4.7, THE LYING ROOM

4.5, DAY OF THE DEAD

4.7, SECRET SMILE

4.6, THE UNHEARD 

4.8, THE FAVOUR

5..0, HAS ANYONE SEEN CHARLOTTE SALTER?

5.0. THE LAST DAYS OF KIRA MULLAN 

 

Review: FAKE DEATH, Victoria Tait

• 
  This edition read on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09TLDS3G1
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kanga Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 8 April 2022
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 198 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1838436100
• Book 1 of 12 ‏ : ‎ A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery 

Synopsis  (Amazon)

One dead body. Multiple identities. Can an amateur sleuth see through the charade before she becomes the next victim?

Young widow Dotty Sayers is delighted with her new auction house job in Britain’s picturesque Cotswolds, until she discovers she’s about to lose her home and her chance at a fresh start. Disguising her disappointment, she reluctantly takes part in an autumn parade, but the day’s pageantry is tarnished when an unknown man is found dead.

The police ask Dotty to appraise items from the victim’s home, but rather than learning his name, she uncovers a trail of false identities. When one of them leads to a client, her search for the truth takes a fatal turn.

Can Dotty unmask the killer before she becomes the next victim?

Fake Death is the first book in the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, a British cozy set in the Cotswolds among an auction house and close-knit village community. Featuring a young military widow turned amateur sleuth who is still finding her feet and building a found family, it delivers a clue driven mystery with multiple identities and no graphic content, perfect for readers who enjoy traditional whodunnits, antiques, and small town secrets with a modern, character focused touch. 

My Take

This novel has all the hallmarks of the beginning of the series - a lot of characters, heaps of information to absorb. For me, the name of the main character took a bit of getting over (see my note elsewhere about coat-tails) and I also found her a bit "soft" as a character. Straightening out who is who and who does what in the antiques firm that Dotty has joined was a challenge. So in reality it is a series that you really need to read from the beginning, one where accumulated knowledge will be an advantage.

The setting seems rather loosely based on those television shows we all watch like Antiques Road Show and Bargain Hunt. The extra element of a crime or two happening in this setting has potential but to be honest Dotty is going to have to get stronger to be a satisfactory sleuth.

In addition a number of the other characters seem to have extensive background stories attached to them, only partially revealed, and at times I had the feeling of having come in in mid-conversation. 

My rating: 4.3

About the author - website

Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm—best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake. 

Review: DEAD END, Leigh Russell

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00796E1W6
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Exit Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 26 May 2011
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 463 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781842433560
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1842434369
• Book 3 of 24 ‏ : ‎ DI Geraldine Steel   

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Headmistress Abigail Kirby is found dead with her tongue cut out.

A potential witness has been murdered.

And for DI Geraldine Steel, the stakes have been raised higher. Abigail's teenage daughter, Lucy, is missing, believed to have run away with a girl she met online.

With a serial killer on the loose and a shocking discovery, Geraldine's own life is in danger, could it be too late to save her?

My Take

Another good read. Headmistress Abigail Kirby was a good administrator, not particularly popular with students, and her daughter Lucy is bullied mercilessly, but who would hate Abigail enough to cut her tongue out.

I had "discovered" the killer by about half way through, but that didn't put me off finishing the book.  

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• 4.4, CUT SHORT - #1
• 4.6, ROAD CLOSED - #2 
• 4.4, JOURNEY TO DEATH (Lucy Hall #1) 

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: NOT QUITE DEAD YET, Holly Jackson

• 
  This edition a trade paperback supplied by my local library
  
• Published by Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK, 2025
• ISBN 978-0-241-75369-9
• 430 pages 

Synopsis (publisher)

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead.
Twenty-seven years old, she’s back living with her parents, waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says. Her parents have their doubts. Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm.

Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend. She may only have seven days – if she even makes it that long – but Jet is absolutely determined to finally prove her doubters wrong.
Jet is going to solve her own murder.

My Take

Effectively Jet Mason is dead, or she will be about 7 days after an assailant struck her on the head in her own home. And Holly is determined to find out who "killed" her. Time is short, and the search is not something that Jet can put off which is what she usually does.

So we the readers are along with Jet for the ride, piecing the evidence together, willing her to live long enough to solve the mystery. An unusual scenario.

My rating: 4.6

About the author

Holly Jackson (born 6 December 1992) is a British author of mystery novels. She is best known for her A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series. 

Review: CUT SHORT, Leigh Russell

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Kindle (AmazonAU)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00796E1IA
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Exit Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 23 May 2012
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 435 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1842435830
• Book 1 of 24 ‏ : ‎ DI Geraldine Steel  

 Synopsis  (AmazonAU)

When D.I. Geraldine Steel relocates to the quiet rural town of Woolsmarsh, she expects to find her new home to be somewhere where nothing much ever happens; a place where she can battle her demons in private.

But when she finds herself pitted against a twisted killer preying on local young women she quickly discovers how wrong she is...

My Take

We know who the murderer is from about half way through this story, but we spend a lot of time learning about Geraldine Steel, as is appropriate for the beginning of a series, and also about the team she is working in.

Geraldine is a very thorough detective, willing to go over the evidence countless times. There are clues within the story about the nature of the killer, and the reason why he is attacking young women. 

A series with promise. 

My rating: 4.4

About the author

Leigh Russell has sold over a million crime fiction novels. Her Geraldine Steel titles published by No Exit Press have appeared on many bestseller lists, and reached #1 on kindle. Leigh's work has been nominated for several major awards, including the CWA New Blood Dagger and CWA Dagger in the Library, and her books have been optioned by major television production company Avalon Television. She chairs the CWA Debut Dagger Award judges and is a Consultant Royal Literary Fellow.

Leigh has also written stand alone thrillers, a dystopian novel, and a historical novel for Bloodhound Books, and the Lucy Hall international mystery series published by Thomas and Mercer.

Find out more about Leigh on her website http://www.leighrussell.co.uk where news, reviews and interviews are posted, with a schedule of Leigh's appearances. You can contact Leigh via her website, where you can subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on Twitter and FaceBook. 

Review: HUNTED, Abir Mukherjee

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Kindle (Amazon.com.au)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CCKTMN5G
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Digital, 2204
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 468 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529926514  
• ** WINNER OF THE CRIME & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2025 **
• * WINNER OF THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIAR CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2025**
• A TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR 

Synopsis  

The clock is ticking. Who will find them first?

The epic and thrilling story of two parents thrown together to stop their children from committing an unthinkable crime.

A missing daughter. Suspected of plotting a terror attack in the US.

A father arrested. Police storm Heathrow Airport to bring him in for questioning about his daughter.

A terrifying connection. In Florida, a mother discovers a link between her son and the missing girl, fearing they have been radicalised.

Hunted. On the run from the authorities, the two parents are thrown together to find their children before the FBI does and more lives are lost.

My Take

The author's first stand alone novel, a political thriller with global themes where young people take revenge, carry bombs into public places, are seduced into taking violent action.

Two parents travel the world to try to rescue their children.

Breathtaking. 

My rating: 4.6 

I've also read

• 4.4, A RISING MAN
•  4.5, A NECESSARY EVIL 

Review: WINTER DEAD, Lynne McEwan

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on Libby, provided by my local library
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canelo Crime, Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 6, 2025
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1835980699
• Book 6 of 6 ‏ : ‎ Detective Shona Oliver  

Synopsis (publisher)

How do you solve a murder when you don't have the body?

A blood-soaked hammer is discovered in a lorryload of wood delivered to a local pub. DI Shona Oliver appears to have a murder weapon, but where is the victim?

Then a call comes in that local forest ranger and ex-soldier John MacFarlane isn't answering his phone. There's no sign of MacFarlane at his cottage, and the only clue the team have to go on is a bloody trail in the snow which ends abruptly and leads to nowhere. A manhunt begins.

It seems something from MacFarlance's past may have caught up with him. But what exactly is unclear. And Shona has her own past to contend with when someone from long ago makes an unexpected reappearance. Can she keep her head in the game? 

My Take

I've gone against my usual principles and have plucked this novel from the end of a series. The plot is provoking. A blood stained hammer seems to indicate there may be a body somewhere. A missing ranger is identified. And then a popular poet goes missing and Shona needs to organise a search for him too. 

Resources are stretched with the arrival of a huge coastal storm, a hang glider crashes against a cliff, and the personal problems intervene. Well constructed and involving. 

My rating: 4.6

About the author

Glasgow-born Lynne McEwan is a former newspaper photographer turned crime author. She’s covered stories including the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the first Gulf War in addition to many high profile murder cases. Her DI Shona Oliver series is set on the beautiful Solway Firth which forms the border between Scotland and England, and where Shona is also a lifeboat volunteer. Lynne is an alumni of the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing programme with an MA (Crime Fiction). She splits her time between Lincoln and Scotland. 

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. 

Review: A DEADLY AFFAIR IN THE DALES, Maria Malone

• 
   This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DWT1MG35
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Exit Press, Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 14, 2025
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 303 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1835012291
• (Wren & Wilson 1) Kindle Edition
• alternative title: Death in the Countryside 

Synopsis (Amazon)

A delightful Yorkshire cosy mystery with a detective sergeant, her loyal spaniel and a town full of secrets.
Meet Sergeant Ali Wren and her trusty companion Officer Police Dog Wilson, a springer spaniel with a nose for trouble. Together they serve the small Yorkshire town of Heft, where everyone knows everyone else's business. And if they don't, that's a cause for concern…

Ali, who has just returned home to Heft, needs all her diplomatic skills, not to mention a huge sense of humour, to navigate the requirements of her job. Drama lurks around every corner, from rogue parking in the disabled bays to a feud between the long-established Hooley bakery and a fancy new 'cakery-bakery'. When Brian Bright reports his wife Melody missing, at first Ali thinks it's just another routine case. The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that Melody has simply left, tired of playing a supporting role to Brian's obsession with classic cars and his first (dead) wife.

But something niggles. When Ali and Wilson doggedly continue their investigation, they find there was more to Melody than anyone realised – and more to her disappearance too…

My Take

I have thoroughly enjoyed this new cozy, and look forward to another when it comes.

The author has created strong characters and believable scenarios. The plot features a number of spin-offs and reminded me a little in structure of local writer Garry Disher's Hirsch series which is not as cozy but also describes the role played by a local policeman.

5.0, BITTER WASH ROAD - Hirsch #1 - aka HELL TO PAY

5.0, PEACE- Hirsch #2

5.0, CONSOLATION - Hirsch #3

4.7, DAY'S END- Hirsch #4

4.7, MISCHANCE CREEK - Hirsch #5 

My rating: 4.5

About the author
Maria Malone's first crime novel, A Deadly Affair in the Dales (published as Death in the Countryside in the US) is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Heft, and features Sergeant Ali Wren and her trusty police dog, Officer Wilson, a spaniel with a nose for trouble.

Maria worked in print journalism and television before ghostwriting for many years, working with extraordinary people on their autobiographies. A former Yorkshire Press Awards Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year, she lives in the North-East of England.   

Review: THE CUT THROAT TRIAL, S.J. Fleet

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0F74L6DHV
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador, Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2025
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1761773204 
• THE FIRST LEGAL THRILLER FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING SECRET BARRISTER WRITING AS S. J. FLEET 
  

Synopsis (Amazon)

It is one of the biggest trials of the year. Three seventeen-year-old boys are accused of the brutal murder of an elderly teacher on New Year's Eve.

Each boy denies it.
Each points the finger at the other two.
But they can’t all be innocent.

The three defence barristers have only one job: to persuade the jury that their client is not guilty. But they’re up against a prosecutor who needs to win the case, no matter the cost.

Because when the game is murder, the competition is deadly.

Launching a brilliant new voice in crime fiction, a criminal barrister with an incomparable insider’s knowledge, The Cut Throat Trial is the most gripping thriller of the year. 

My Take

I have thought very hard about the implications of starting this year's reviews with book with a rating of 5.0, but have decided that I really can't give it less.

The story involves a British murder trial where a jury is required to give a verdict of guilty or not guilty against each of 3 teenagers accused of murdering an elderly retired teacher. The narrative is very detailed and is told from multiple points of view: of the judge, the prosecutor and the defence lawyers, as well as the accused. It is virtually a "warts and all" narrative, considering what has influenced each of the boys, what is disclosed to the jury, what the verdicts were and why, and then what really happened.  It successfully puts the reader in the position of a member of the jury, trying to come to the right decision. 

This book reminded me very strongly of DICE by Claire Baylis in which a jury in New Zealand is required to give the verdict on several charges in a rape case involving four teenagers. That novel focussed on the points of view of the jury.

My rating: 5.0 

About the author

S.J. Fleet is the pen name of The Secret Barrister, a bestselling author and junior barrister specialising in criminal law.

They write for many publications and are the author of the award-winning blog 'The Secret Barrister'. They regularly appear in national print and broadcast media, and in 2020 Channel 4 News produced a four-part documentary series, The Secret Barrister: Disordered Justice.

Their debut book, The Secret Barrister: Stories of The Law and How It's Broken, was a Sunday Times number one bestseller and spent more than a year in the top-ten bestseller charts. It won the Books Are My Bag Non-Fiction Book of the Year award and was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year and the Specsavers Non-Fiction Book of the Year.