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Stop Dead (Iceland Mysteries Book Two) by Katrín Júlíusdóttir

 

Stop Dead (Iceland Mysteries Book Two) by Katrín Júlíusdóttir.

Published 21st May 2026 by Orenda Books.

Translated by Larissa Kyzer.

From the cover of the book:

Thousands of runners.

One killer.

Icelandic detective-in-training Sigurdís is studying criminal psychology in the USA, but her plans are thrown into disarray when she discovers that her boss and mentor, Garðar, has been put on leave from Reykjavík CID as a result of his investigation into Sigurdís’s father’s death.

Returning to Iceland to deal with the fallout, Sigurdís finds herself pulled into a disturbing case: controversial TV personality Olga Einarsdóttir has been stabbed to death during the Reykjavík Marathon. Struggling to locate a runner wearing bib number 1407, who was seen near the murdered woman during the race, the police soon discover that several masked runners were wearing the same number.

As the mystery deepens, Sigurdís and her fellow detective Unnar soon learn exactly how unpopular Olga was – not just with the interviewees she humiliated on live TV, but with her own son, her business partner, a widower who insists that she had a hand in his wife’s death, and her ex-husband, who died in suspicious circumstances thirty years ago…

As her exploration into Olga’s past becomes ever darker and more harrowing, Sigurdís must also face the truth about her own father, while searching for an attacker who will go to any lengths to cover up their crimes…

***********

Newly graduated from her criminal psychology studies in Florida, Icelandic detective-in-training Sigurdís is considering her options. It seems likely she will stay in the USA and apply to join the FBI, like her American boyfriend, Jeff, but then a phone call from back home changes everything. Sigurdís' boss, and mentor, Garðar, has been suspended after a recent audit of Reykjavík CID, and the investigation into the death of her father has been reopened. 

Sigurdís returns to Iceland to rejoin Reykjavík's CID team, and be near her troubled family and friends. She is soon drawn into a high profile murder case. TV journalist Olga Einarsdóttir has been stabbed to death while taking part in the Reykjavík Marathon, seemingly by a fellow runner, but this one solid clue is shown to be far less useful than the police hope when they discover more than one competitor was wearing the number 1407.

The case becomes even more complicated when the CID team realise quite how unpopular Olga was. Many people had cause to dislike her, from her own family to those upset by her controversial programmes, and it is going to take time eliminating them all from the investigation. Meanwhile, someone is stalking Sigurdís from the shadows...

Sigurdís is back in her second gripping adventure, picking up the threads of Katrín Júlíusdóttir's delicious debut, Dead Sweet. Sigurdís has been following a new direction, but she finds herself right back in the turmoil of her past, when the case into her father's apparent suicide is reopened. Although therapy has given her a way to start coming to terms with the trauma associated with growing up in a house blighted by domestic abuse, it takes all her new-found control to wade through the questions and difficult memories this turn of affairs throws up - not to mention the disruption this brings to her relationships with her brother and mother, and her police career. 

In parallel, Sigurdís and the CID team (hello again, handsome Unnar) have a very tricky investigation on their hands with the death of the very unpleasant Olga Einarsdóttir, whose murder opens up a whole can of bitter worms related to her present and her past. And the plot only thickens the more Sigurdís uncovers, opening up tangled lines of inquiry around past misdeeds, the lengths people will go to protect their secrets, legacy, and revenge - all classic Nordic Noir fare, with a chilling modern twist.

My favourite thing about Júlíusdóttir's writing is the way she blends the police procedural elements of her books with the personal lives of her characters. She uses themes of broken families and childhood trauma incredibly well, so the private lives of the characters complement her crime plots to perfection. It is psychologically fascinating to be in Sigurdís' head, especially when it comes to the strategies she is coming to rely on to bring light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. I loved the up-turn in her romantic life too - the chemistry between her and Unnar is a welcome addition the otherwise menacing mix (poor old Jeff, he never stood a chance).

This was a very satisfying second instalment of the series, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Stop Dead is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a proof of this book, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Katrín Júlíusdóttir has a political background and was a member of the Icelandic parliament from 2003 until 2016. Before she was elected to parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, was a store clerk and also worked the night shift at a pizza restaurant. She studied anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University. 

Katrin's debut novel, Dead Sweet, was published in English in 2023, and longlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize.

She is married to critically acclaimed author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys and live in Garðabær.

 May 2026 Reading Round-Up

May was an absolute stonking month on the book front - several of these will be making my

'Books of 2026' list!

I've been steeped in darkness; consumed with gothic gorgeousness; triumphed at the wins of unlikely helpmates; been there for hopeful beginnings, happy reunions, and heart-breaking endings; AND enjoyed the company of some incredible women!

You can find my reviews of these fourteen laughter-inducing and tear-jerking gems by clicking on the pictures below.

All Cats Are Grey by Susan Barratt

Greta Garbo and the Rise of the Modern Woman by Scott Reisfield

Falling for the Protagonist by Bex Goos

Beneath the Orange Blossom by Emma Cowell

Thornby Manor by Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes

Elizabeth and Marilyn by Julie Owen Moylan

The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie

Under the Blazing Sun by Jenny Lund Madsen

Dark is the Morning by Rupert Thomson

Body of Lies by Jo Callaghan

The Repentants by Kate Foster

Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Rose and Renzo by Carolyn O'Brien

Keep following for more incredible reads!

How can it be June already?!

Rose And Renzo by Carolyn O'Brien

 

Rose and Renzo by Carolyn O'Brien.

Published 16th May 2026 by Northodox Press.

From the cover of the book:

Manchester 1936

Fascism looms in Europe, and Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts are on the rise.

After the death of their father, two sisters arrive in Manchester's vibrant 'Little Italy': creative misfit, Rose, and her much older sister, Ivy. Fearing Rose's impulsiveness, Ivy seeks to control Rose, forcing her to give up her cherished place at art school.

Frustrated and desperate to pursue her passion, Rose meets Renzo, a painter arrived from Europe. Their connection is instant and powerful. Yet as their feelings deepen, Renzo's past in Mussolini's Italy remains a mystery.

As Blackshirts march across the city, Rose is drawn to the fight against fascism, even as she's compelled to face the devastating question: just which side is Renzo on?

***********

1936. After the death of their Reverend father, Rose and her much older sister Ivy move to the industrial centre of Ancoats, Manchester. Manchester's 'Little Italy' is a far cry from the quiet Cheshire countryside, but creative Rose is looking forward to attending the city's art school in the autumn, as her beloved late mother wished. Unfortunately, Ivy has other plans - seeking to control Rose's independent spirit, she forces her to give up her dream and take an office job at one of the city's mills.

Rose is desolate, and totally unsuited to office work. However, her heart lifts when she meets Italian artist Renzo, the nephew of their downstairs neighbour, kindly Zizi Lili. An instant connection sparks between them, and the seeds of romance begin to bloom. But the ugly rise of fascism on the international stage is infecting the city. Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts are determined to make Manchester a power base, and in 'Little Italy', where support for Mussolini and his cronies is openly spoken of, Mosley is finding sympathetic ears. Rose begins to wonder where Renzo's loyalties lie...

It makes my heart skip when I discover a novel that ticks every box on my literary want list, and Carolyn O'Brien has done just that with Rose and Renzo, a delicious love story set against the rise of fascism in the 1930s.

The story unfurls from the perspective of Rose, an artistically gifted twenty-year-old. For all her modern ideas, and fashionable shingled haircut, Rose still has a lot of growing up to do, particularly when it comes to the harsher side of life - and Ivy is determined that she should be shaken from her 'foolish' ways when she uproots them to live in Ancoats. 

Surrounded by poverty, and the grime of the mills, Rose remains resolute that she will fulfil her dream of attending Manchester Art School, especially when she meets Renzo, who seems to understand her inner artistic soul like no one since her mother. Even though she rejects Ivy's dour outlook, Rose gradually finds her eyes being opened to the plight of those affected by the actions of Mosley and his British Union of Fascist thugs. With her political awakening, she begins to question what Renzo believes in.

As someone endlessly fascinated by the between-the-wars period, I am so impressed by how much Carolyn covers in these pages. She brings time and place alive in a fractured city reeling from financial pressures, capturing how and why Mosley's propaganda provoked hatred and violence in the wake of worrying developments in Italy and Germany - and how the political landscape changed as a result.

And, Carolyn does so much more! Her characters are wonderfully vivid, springing from the page in all their 1930s glory - you will find figures to love and hate amongst them - and the chemistry between Rose and Renzo is electric. She delves beautifully into messy family dynamics through the difficult relationship between Rose and Ivy - such a gulf between them, fuelled by jealousy and loss. She explores the life-shattering impact of war, and how this ripples through time; touches on fashion, changing social attitudes, the class divide, faith, and immigrant communities... not to mention, prejudice, human frailty, ignorance, legacy, and even desire. She also does a stellar job of shining a light on the connection between art and politics, especially when it comes to expressing ideas and emotion.

One of my favourite things about this novel is the spectacular way Carolyn floods the story with themes of freedom and resistance, making it a timely reflection on the present. If this does not send you down rabbit holes about the past, and set you pondering on how history repeats itself, I will eat my fedora.

What an utter joy this novel is. It is packed to the gills with cleverly wielded themes, oozes historical detail, and celebrates both love and art through Rose and Renzo's heart-wrenching romance. I adored it, inhaling it in a single sitting, and it is one of my favourite novels of 2026, by far.

Carolyn's previous novel, The Song of Peterloo, is now firmly in my sights, and I wait expectantly for her next book!

Rose and Renzo is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Northodox Press for sending me a review copy of this book.

About the author:

Carolyn O’Brien is a historical fiction writer from Manchester. Her writing has a strong sense of the north-west of England and its radical past, as illustrated in her first novel The Song of Peterloo and Rose & Renzo.

The Song of Peterloo was published in 2019 to coincide with the Peterloo Massacre bicentenary commemorations. It was well reviewed and continues to be used as a teaching resource in schools and adult learning programmes.

Carolyn loved writing from an early age and read English at Cambridge University before qualifying as a solicitor. Prior to publication of her first novel, Carolyn enjoyed several successes with short stories including the Rome Short Story competition which she won and a shortlisting for the Bridport Prize, as well as publication on-line and in numerous anthologies and magazines.

She continues to live near Manchester with her family.

Carolyn can be found on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads as @carolynmanc

Carolyn is represented at Jenny Brown Associates by Lisa Highton.

Waiting On A Friend by Natalie Adler

 

Waiting on a Friend by Natalie Adler.

Published 26th May 2026 by riverrun.

From the cover of the book:

East Village, summer of 1984. Renata is a young dyke-about-town who has the ability to see ghosts, which has been happening more and more frequently as her friends have started dying of what has recently been named AIDS.

So, when her best friend Mark dies, she assumes she'll see him again. There's no way Mark wouldn't give her a chance to say goodbye, would he? But to her disappointment - and increasingly, her concern - Mark doesn't appear.

Renata has other problems, too. A mysterious, police-like force has begun ridding their East Village neighbourhood of anything abnormal or inexplicable. At first, she's sure they're scam artists, but it becomes clear they're actually trapping ghosts. With her band of lovably eccentric pals and lovers, Renata is determined to fight back against the erasure of her friends' memories and the sanitizing of her beloved New York.

Both heartbreaking and healing, tragic and triumphant, Waiting on a Friend is a magical retelling of queer history and a celebration of youth and camaraderie. With pathos and humour, empathy and an edge, Natalie Adler freshly reimagines the past for a new generation, reclaiming the spirit of resistance and determination that would become one of the era's defining legacies.

***********

East Village, New York. Summer, 1984. Renata is a young lesbian in New York City. It is a summer punctuated with loss after loss of her queer friends, which is particularly hard for her, as she has the gift of 'seeing dead people'

However, the one ghost she does want to see, that of her recently deceased gay best friend, Mark, refuses to appear. Instead, she is being haunted by Francois, a friend of theirs who died a particularly gruelling AIDS related death. Francois appears at inopportune moments, his face a mask of pain, frequently accompanied by piercing screams. It is a happening not conducive to conducting romantic relationships, so when she hears of the strange Manhattan Remediation organisation who claim to be able to remove 'discomfort' from your living situation she gives them a call...

Set against the heartrending AIDS and heroin crises of the mid-1980s, Natalie Adler's novel is a powerful exploration of loss, violence, stigma and prejudice. In the midst of a constant battering of grief, Renata is trying to negotiate her own childhood trauma with her addict mother, while wading through the appearances of ghosts all over New York - most significantly in her own flat, which Francois refuses to vacate. At the same time, she longs for a glimpse of her bestie Mark, who she has shared so much with, but who does not respond to her yearning.

Meanwhile the sinister Manhattan Remediation team are gadding about the city, hoovering up spirits in a way reminiscent of the (who you gonna call...?) Ghostbusters guys - and storing the troublesome spectres in a storage facility. Francois disturbing presence leads Renata to call for help from them, but she begins to suspect there is something odd about their intentions, that involves gentrifying the area for Yuppies to move in rather than helping out its unsettled eclectic residents.

The themes run thick and fast in this beautifully written novel, rich in explorations of loss, violence, stigma and prejudice. It is a time those of us old enough to have lived through cannot fail to forget. But it is not all darkness, as friendship, love, dark humour, and the journey towards emotional healing play a part in the story too. Renata's voice is incredibly vivid, and I loved how Adler delves into her struggles with the living at the expense of her preoccupation with the dead - especially when it comes to affairs of the heart. 

This is one of those books that lingers in the mind, not just for the difficult memories it evokes of time and place, but for the thought provoking way Adler echoes the elements of trapped ghosts in those about the people left behind and unable to move on. Highly recommended!

Waiting on a Friend is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to riverrun for sending me a proof of this book.

About the author:

Natalie Adler is an editor at Lux magazine. She was a 2022-23 Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow at the Center for Fiction. She has an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College and a PhD in comparative literature from Brown University. She is from New Jersey and lives in New York City.

The Repentants by Kate Foster

 

The Repentants by Kate Foster.

Published 28th May 2026 by Mantle.

From the cover of the book:

Her scandal. His revenge. The unforgettable new historical novel from award-winning author, Kate Foster.

St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. Two women are forced to publicly repent in church, one for adultery the other for breaching the sabbath. Wealthy housewife, Florrie, and salt serf, Eliza, form a quick and unusual bond over their mutual humiliation. So when Florrie's husband decides she must accompany him on a trade venture to Iceland, she insists Eliza comes as her maid.

Far from home, isolated and fearful, the two women grow ever closer. Then Florrie's husband reveals his sinister plan: he will leave her in Iceland, banished for the shame she has cast upon him. Florrie must escape, but when she turns to Eliza for help she realizes nothing is quite as it seems . . .

Inspired by an attempt by Scottish merchants to annex Iceland as a remote prison for the British Empire, The Repentants is a chilling tale of betrayal, exile and survival from the Women's Prize long-listed author of The Maiden, Kate Foster.

***********

St Monans, Fife, Scotland 1790. When wealthy housewife Florrie is tempted from her unfulfilling marriage bed into the arms of a Danish merchant, she hopes her infidelity will go unnoticed by her cold husband, Jonny. Unfortunately for Florrie, she is caught midst passionate tryst, and forced to repent her sins in front of St Monans' church congregation. 

Her public humiliation is shared by Eliza, a poor salt serf who works for Jonny as little more than a bonded slave. Eliza's sin is one of breaching the sabbath, and although she also claims to repent her transgressions, Florrie is fascinated by Eliza's independent spirit.

When Jonny decides his business interests lie in far-off Iceland, Florrie has to accompany him on this long journey. She insists that Eliza comes too, to act as her maid. The two women form an uncomfortable bond - both chaffing at being dragged to this strange land. But it is not until Jonny reveals his sinister plan, that the real danger of their situation is revealed...

I have loved every one of Kate Foster's previous novels, so had high hopes for The Reptentants - and I was not disappointed. It takes its inspiration from a bold plan by Scottish merchants and British entrepreneurs to establish a prison ship in Iceland, in an attempt to annex Iceland from Denmark as a British penal colony. The concept was eventually dropped in favour of sending British convicts to Australia, but Foster cleverly puts Jonny at the forefront of this aborted scheme, weaving him into history through a business proposal to use the prisoners as workers at a new salt works in Iceland - in cahoots with a silver-tongued Danish merchant, and devious Count Levitau, a deliciously melodramatic Dane who sees himself as the future overseer of Reykjavik.

The story moves between eighteenth century Scotland, Iceland and Demark, unfurling through the perspectives of Florrie, Eliza, and Hallgerd - an Icelandic woman with an absent husband, whose grand house Count Levitau is determined to lay claim to by nefarious means. Each woman is an unwilling participant in unfettered male ambition, and your spleen soon rises at the way they are treated.

Twists and turns abound as revelations are spilled about how the women's fates are connected, and their relationships pitch and toss as entitlement, spite, and recriminations enter the fray. But eventually they come together to fight a common enemy - the men who think they can use them as stepping stones to fortune - in a glorious tying up of storylines that will have you punching the air with revenge-filled glee.

Foster held me spellbound, infusing atmosphere, and reams of historical detail into her story - time and place thrum, and there is an unsettling urgency about the situations the women find themselves in that tugs at your emotions. Florrie, Eliza and Hallgerd are as beautifully drawn as I have come to expect from Foster, painted in authentic shades of grey. She excels in delving into their hopes and desires (sexual desire once again handled so well), showing how they are judged for wanting to take charge of their own lives.

Another cracking novel from Kate Foster, ringing with feminist themes - and an absolute must if you love stories about the forgotten voices of women in the past!

The Repentants is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and ausio formats.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me a proof of this book.

About the author:

Kate Foster worked as a national newspaper journalist for more than twenty years before becoming an author. Growing up in Edinburgh, she became fascinated by its history and often uses it as inspiration for her stories. Her previous novels include The Maiden, which won the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year and was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, The King’s Witches, and The Mourning Necklace. The Repentants is her fourth novel..

 She lives in Edinburgh with her two children.

Body Of Lies (Kat And Lock Book Four) by Jo Callaghan

 

Body of Lies (Kat And Lock Book Four) by Jo Callaghan.

Published 21st May 2026 by Simon and Schuster.

From the cover of the book:

Human suspicion. AI manipulation.

When truth can be rewritten, who can you trust?

DCS Kat Frank is back at the Future Policing Unit after a devastating loss - and straight into her most disturbing case yet.

On Halloween night, a local MP is found murdered. Beside the body is a taunting message in binary code, aimed directly at Kat:

Catch me if you can.

The victim was a vocal opponent of AI. The motive looks political. But as Kat investigates with her partner, AIDE Lock - the world’s first AI detective - the case spirals into something far more dangerous.

Then a cyberattack takes down the National Grid.

With the country in chaos and lives on the line, Kat and Lock must track a killer who is always one step ahead. But in a world of deepfakes, deception and digital ghosts, instinct is no longer enough.

Kat must decide whether to trust the one thing she still fears most: her AI partner.

Because this time, Lock may not just be solving the case.

He may be changing what it means to be human.

Can Kat stop a killer before the lights go out for good?

***********

DCS Kat Frank has not been home since the terrifying hostage situation that saw DI Rayan Hassan become collateral damage in a last ditch attempt to save her. Being back in the house means coming to terms with more loss and trauma - and deciding whether she can still trust her AI partner AIDE Lock. 

She and her FPU (Future Police Unit) team need to pick themselves up and get back to work without Hassan, and the opportunity presents itself when an anti-AI campaigning MP is murdered and strung up for all to see on a historic pillory in Coleshill.

There is something strange about this case from the start. The local powercut that coincided with the murder is odd, and the killer seems determined to taunt Kat and Lock. But the full scale of the dark motivation behind the crime only comes to light when a massive cyber attack on the National Grid brings the country to a dangerous standstill - just as the government are considering an AI bill which might see Lock finally get the body he desires... 

This concluding volume of the gripping Kat and Lock series is the most ambitious, tense, and thought-provoking of them all. When a slow-burn murder investigation blows wide open into a national security situation of epic proportions, Kat and her team must race against the clock to find a killer and a cyber-terrorist. With the country on its knees, and lives in the balance, Lock is central to the investigation, but can they trust him to have human interests as his priority in the light of recent events?

Callaghan goes all out in this story, and I was kept teetering on the edge of my seat as the twists and turns culminate in a jaw-dropping finale that is as chilling as it is emotional - one which is so cleverly fore-shadowed earlier in the story. Trust issues keep things interesting, and every member of the team has a vital part to play - plus Kat's son Cam on his trusty bicycle! 

I cannot wait to see what comes next from Jo Callaghan, because this has been quite a ride!

Body of Lies is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to The Book Club reviewers group on Facebook for providing me with an ecopy.

About the author:

Jo Callaghan works full time as a senior strategist, carrying out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. She was a student of the Writers' Academy Course (Penguin Random House) and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Writing Competition and Bath Novel Competition.

After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing In the Blink of an Eye, her debut crime novel, which explores learning to live with loss and what it means to be human.

She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she spends far too much time tweeting, and working  on further novels.

Dark Is The Morning by Rupert Thomson

Dark is the Morning by Rupert Thomson.

Published 7th May 2026 by Apollo.

From the cover of the book:

Sometimes love isn't where you belong

In a mountain village in the Abruzzo region of Italy, Gino, a troubled young man, realises that his childhood sweetheart Franca can give his life the happiness and stability he needs. They seem made for each other, and move to a remote house in the countryside - but there is something in Franca's past that haunts Gino.

Descending into pathological jealousy and resentment towards a married man who had been Franca's lover, Gino is unable to stop himself imagining the worst, and embarks on a violent path that has catastrophic consequences.

Shifting between tenderness and paranoia, beauty and tragedy, this is an extraordinary novel from one of the UK's most unpredictable and celebrated writers.

***********

Gino, is a young man with a troubled past, which almost everyone in his mountain village in Abruzzo, Italy, is familiar with. He becomes convinced that the only person who can give him the happiness he needs is Franca, the girl he has not seen since his childhood - the one who told him at nine years old that they would marry. Reconnecting with Franca seems like the most natural thing in the world, and they fall into a romance, certain they are destined for each other. 

They settle into married life in a remote farmhouse, and Franca quickly falls pregnant. This should be the happiest time of their lives, but Gino is struggling with the recent death of his father, and when their son is born he cannot comprehend how such a beautiful, magnetic child as Elio could possibly be his. Unable to reconcile himself to fatherhood, dark thoughts begin to rise in Gino's mind, fuelled by suspicion that Franca's former married lover is the father of their child... and his jealously leads him into violence.

This powerful novel begins, and ends, with chapters written from the perspective of Harry, a Brit who purchased a holiday home in Abruzzo when Gino was a child, and who had been friends with his father. In between, the story ebbs and flows through Gino's eyes, as he descends from happiness into destructive acts sparked by his obsession with Franca's ex lover. The structure works really well by immersing you in an almost stream of consciousness mental breakdown of a young man shaped by the difficult relationship he has with his own father, sandwiched between a prophetic prologue and viscerally affecting epilogue through the eyes of an outsider.

This is the kind of novel that slowly gets its claws into you. I gradually found myself completely immersed in Gino's transformation from hopeful lover to someone tortured by his inner thoughts. It is an uncomfortable experience being inside his head as he careers into a breakdown, but it is impossible to look away.

The title captures the tone of this novel beautifully, but there are moments of tenderness and friendship woven into the story that really show Thomson's skill in balancing light and shade - even if human frailty is the overwhelming theme. I especially admired the way his male characters are portrayed, with their inability to express emotion in a healthy way - though do not expect to find the same insight in his female characters, even Franca, who we only ever see through the gaze of Gino or Harry.

There is a fascinating thread of speculative wonder that runs through the novel in respect of Gino and Franca's child, with the occasional clever use of symbolism. Thomson has the ability to evoke a tangible feeling of place in this little corner of Italy that is astonishingly atmospheric too.

I was not sure what to expect of this book, but it has left with great respect for a writer (apparently one of David Bowie's favourite authors) who has not previously been on my radar. This one will stay with me for a long time. 

Dark is the Morning is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a proof of this book.

About the author:

Rupert Thomson is the author of eight highly acclaimed novels, of which Air and Fire and The Insult were shortlisted for the Writer's Guild Fiction Prize and the Guardian Fiction Prize respectively. 

His most recent novel, Death of a Murderer, was shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Novel Award. His memoir This Party's Got to Stop was published in 2009.

 

Under The Blazing Sun (Murder By The Book: Book Two) by Jenny Lund Madsen

 

Under the Blazing Sun (Murder by the Book: Book Two) by Jenny Lund Madsen.

Translated by Paul Russell Garrett.

Published 21st May 2026 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Hannah is miserable. Her love life is in ruins, her contract demands a sequel to her bestselling crime debut―and she’s out of ideas. After a mortifying TV interview, her agent ships her off to a sun-drenched Sicilian villa with a simple order: finish the book. No distractions. No excuses.

But inspiration doesn’t strike―murder does.

When a night out ends in murder, Hannah finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation… again. The police want her out of the way, and the only person who seems to believe her is a young but charming Italian police officer. That is, until she doesn’t.

Soon Hannah is chasing suspects, fleeing crime scenes, and doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming the next victim. She came to write a crime novel. Now she’s trapped inside one.

Dark, sly and deliciously atmospheric, Under the Blazing Sun is the second novel in the award-winning series featuring accidental sleuth and disgruntled literary author Hannah, whose pursuit of plot twists keeps turning dangerously real.

***********

Disgruntled Danish writer, Hannah Krause-Bendix, has mixed feelings about the success of her debut crime novel, Murder Island - the book she wrote for a dare on her writing retreat in Iceland, after becoming involved in a murder investigation. It may have brought her some financial breathing space, but how she despises the genre in comparison with her worthy literary novels. 

Her agent Bastian is now pestering her for the sequel she promised him, but in the midst of her writer's block woes, and frustration that her romance with her married Icelandic lover Margrét is not going as planned, she has zero plot ideas. After walking out on a TV interview in a huff, Bastian tries a last ditch attempt to get Hannah back to work by sending her off on another writing retreat - this time to a luxury villa, owned by a mysterious friend, on the Italian island of Sicily.

Sunny Sicily is an improvement on grey Copenhagen, but rather than inspiring ideas, the only thing flowing is the wine. Hannah's trip takes a fateful turn when she meets a wealthy Swedish couple, who invite her to spend the night at their palatial home. In an alcohol-induced haze she accepts, and somehow finds herself mixed up in another murder. The only way for her to prove she is not a suspect is to investigate the crime herself, and just maybe history will repeat itself by getting her writing juices flowing too... if she can stay alive long enough. 

Reluctant crime writer, Hannah is back in a sequel which is just as rollicking good fun as her previous Nordic adventure - this time in the sunny climes of Sicily. Under pressure to produce results, and in the wrong place at the wrong time when it comes to dastardly deeds (once again), Hannah has to brush off her sleuthing skills... accompanied with a glass of wine, or four.

In her typically egotistical, and completely chaotic, style, Hannah gets to work travelling over the island in her trusty yellow Fiat Panda, rubbing up the police and shady mafia-types the wrong way, and getting caught up in a love triangle with tricky consequences. Her less than professional (often inebriated) methods turn up surprising clues, leading to tense reckonings in the company of unexpected helpmates - and the plot for a brand new crime thriller (of course).

This is a thrilling crime caper, set against a fabulous backdrop, that is every bit as entertaining and atmospheric as the first Murder by the Book instalment Thirty Days of Darkness, albeit with a dramatic change in climate. The writing flows (hats off to excellent translation skills from Paul Russell Garrett), the plot thickens with well-wrought mystery, and the laughs come thick and fast, as the threads work themselves out in enjoyable whodunit style - with a side order of thought provoking themes around love, loss, and mafia corruption. It was a wonderful to see Hannah's literary nemesis Jørn Jensen returning with a bigger comic role, and there is a lovely emotional parting shot in the story that hints at intriguing developments in Hannah's love life too.

I swallowed it whole, loved every joyous moment, and cannot wait for book three!

Under the Blazing Sun is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to orenda Books for sending me a proof of this book, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to join this blog tour.

About the author:

Jenny Lund Madsen is one of Denmark’s most acclaimed screenwriters, known for international hits such as Rita and Follow the Money, as well as for her advocacy for better representation of sexual and ethnic minorities in Danish TV and film. She recently made her debut as a playwright with the critically acclaimed Audition (Aarhus Teater).

 Her debut literary thriller, Thirty Days of Darkness―the first in an addictive new series―won the Harald Mogensen Prize for Best Danish Crime Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the prestigious Glass Key Award. She lives in Denmark with her young family.

The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie

 

The Mysterious Mr Quin by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 20th April 2017 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1930.

From the cover of the book:

A mysterious stranger appears at a New Year’s Eve party, becoming the enigmatic sleuthing sidekick to the snobbish Mr Satterthwaite…

So far, it had been a typical New Year’s Eve house party. But Mr Satterthwaite – a keen observer of human nature – sensed that the real drama of the evening was yet to unfold.

So it proved when a mysterious stranger arrived after midnight. Who was this Mr Quin? And why did his presence have such a pronounced effect on Eleanor Portal, the woman with the dyed-black hair?

***********

This month's #ReadChristie2026 #BiggestBestBeloved celebratory theme is all about her short stories, and I took it as an opportunity to pick up a collection I have been meaning to read for ages.

The collection comprises twelve stories, which are somewhat of an oddity as they feature a partnership between the peculiar little Mr Satterthwaite (see also Three Act Tragedy and Dead Man's Mirror), and the very mysterious, not quite human, Harley Quin.

Each one involves the surprise arrival of Mr Quin, where Mr Satterthwaite is called upon to solve a mystery by looking at the facts in a different way. He is rather good at this, especially given his insightful mix of male AND female observational skills (something Christie is always keen to emphasise). Despite his misgivings, Satterthwaite gradually transforms from on-looker to being very much involved in the lives of others, with Quin as the serendipitous catalyst.

Overall, these stories are a melancholy bunch, despite Satterthwaite's genial temperament. They are heavily laced with dark emotions (and lots of references to suicides), but they stand out amongst Christie's crime canon because of the unusually overt supernatural nature of the strange Mr Quin. He appears and disappears without notice, makes veiled references to being an advocate for the dead, and occasonally displays his true motley colors and dark mask. It's all rather unsettling.

Christie considered these an 'epicure's taste', which I find fascinating. They are also rather special as being the only short story collection she wrote a dedication for, and the only time the dedication was to a fictional character - 'To Harlequin the Invisible'. 

I Am in two minds about this collection, as they contain a real mash-up of themes and settings, but if you are looking for a chance to see a different side of Christie then they are worth a read. My favourite was The World's End (one of Christie's favs too, apparently), with the charismatic, penny-pinching Duchess, which made me chuckle.

Hugh Fraser's narration of the audio book was perfect, as always. ❤

The Mysterious Mr Quin is available now in various formats.

About the author:

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.