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Death On The Nile by Agatha Christie

 

Death On The Nile by Agatha Christie.

This edition published October 2020 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1937.

From the cover of the book:

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. 

She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: ‘I’d like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.’ 

Yet in this exotic setting nothing is ever quite what it seems…

***********

Hercule Poirot's holiday in Egypt is disrupted when glamorous heiress Linnet Doyle (née Ridgeway) is shot through the head, and her valuable string of pearls looted, during a cruise down the Nile .

Linnet seemed to have everything - beauty, style and money - but when she stole her best friend's fiancé, Simon Doyle, she made a dangerous enemy. For the wronged woman, Jacqueline de Bellefort, followed the happy couple on their honeymoon trip, vowing to get her revenge.

Jacqueline is the obvious suspect, but although she certainly shot and injured her former lover that fateful night, she has a cast-iron alibi for the murder of Linnet. Can Poirot get to the bottom of what really happened on the Karnak?

Death on the Nile is one of Christie's finest mysteries, and one of my earliest forays into the work of the Queen of Crime. It was an easy pick to celebrate this month's #ReadChristie prompt of 'Biggest Impact on You as a Young Reader', and it has been far too long since I last read it!

The plot throws together a motley collection of genteel and larger than life characters, some of whom have murky motives for being aboard the Karnak that involve a lot more than sight-seeing - a nice middle-class mother with devoted son, dodgy financiers, anarchists, a light-fingered American society blue-blood, an amorous Austrian doctor, a dipsomaniac authoresses with despairing daughter, and a variety of companions surround the troubled love-triangle at the centre of the plot.

There is much fun to be had as Poirot is reunited with perspicacious old pal and Secret Service Agent Colonel Race, and they traverse difficult conversations with murder and larceny suspects who they are sure are not revealing all they know. Of course, Poirot eventually gets to the truth, casting aside the many red herrings, once he has discovered quite what falling masonry, a gun thrown overboard, running feet, mysterious splashings in the night, a blackmailing maid, a decorative rosary, and an empty bottle of nail varnish all reveal about who killed Linnet and pilfered her precious baubles.

This book has everything - arguably Christie's best ensemble cast (certainly my favourite - how can you fail to be charmed by Mrs Allerton, Cornelia Robson, and the flamboyant Salome Otterbourne), a devilishly twisty plot filled with passion and precise planning, and a gloriously exotic setting. It is rich in psychological themes and dysfunctional relationships (especially when it comes to reflections on love), and wonderfully on-point when it comes to time and place. 

I chose to revisits this gem via the audiobook narrated appropriately by David Suchet (my favourite little Belgian Detective of them all), and it was an utter joy from start to finish. 

Death on the Nile is available to buy now in multiple 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.

Son (Kari Voss Mysteries Book One) by Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger.

 

Son (Kari Voss Mysteries Book One) by Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger.

Published in paperback 26th March 2026 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Everyone here is lying…

Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.

Still grieving for her dead husband, and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.

When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well…

With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son's disappearance, but Kari's own life, too…

***********

Seven years ago Kari Voss' son, Vetle, went missing from the village of Son, on his ninth birthday. It was an unbearable blow for a woman grieving the loss of her husband, but the hope that Vetle is still alive keeps her going through the sleepless nights.

When two sixteen-year-old girls are brutally murdered at a summer cottage in Son, Kari's job as a consultant for the Oslo police, specialising in body language and memory, drags her right back into the past. The girls were Vetle's childhood friends, and the police think they have the person responsible in custody - Vetle's former best friend, Jesper.

Kari is convinced Jesper is innocent, but her instincts tell her he is holding something back about what he knows. Kari, with the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, decides to investigate the murders herself. She soon realises that everyone here is lying about what happened that night, but does that make them capable of murder?

When two brilliant authors like Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger decide to team up, you know that magic is going to happen! The first part of their brand new joint venture, the Kari Voss Mysteries, is everything that I wanted it to be and more, thrumming with suspense and the luscious noir vibes that have made their names.

Kari Voss makes a fresh and exciting protagonist for a crime story of this kind, as she is neither a police officer, nor a private detective. Instead, she is an acknowledged expert in her own field, whose impressive skills have dubbed her the 'human lie detector'. 

Alongside the police procedural elements (sometimes from Norum, and sometimes from Kari herself), Gustawsson and Enger weave in lashings of lovely stuff about body language and the unpredictable nature of memory, hinging the twists and turns on exceptionally clever psychological reveals that go far beyond those uncovered by more conventional means - backed up with informative explanations about Kari's techniques, which fit naturally into her inner musings and the conversations she carefully manipulates with the small cast of characters. As expected, everyone in Son is hiding something, but Kari eventually gets to the truth about the murders - and finally has some answers about Vetle's disappearance too. 

The resulting story is a Nordic noir journey through the darkest of small-town secrets and lies, made up of an addictive blend of fact, fiction, atmosphere, and visceral chills - and it leaves you with a parting kiss that will have your counting the days until book two arrives. I cannot wait! 

*A version of this review was originally published in March 2025 for hardcover publication.

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

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the authors:

Johana Gustawsson:

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in nineteen countries. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding – a number one bestseller in France and the first in a new series – will be published in 2022. Johana lives in London with her Swedish husband and their three sons. 

Thomas Enger:

Thomas Enger is a former journalist. He made his debut with the crime novel Burned (Skinndød) in 2010, which became an international sensation before publication. Burned is the first in a series of five books about the journalist Henning Juul, which delves into the depths of Oslo’s underbelly, skewering the corridors of dirty politics and nailing the fast-moving world of 24-hour news. Rights to the series have been sold to 28 countries to date. In 2013 Enger published his first book for young adults, a dark fantasy thriller called The Evil Legacy, for which he won the U-prize (best book Young Adult). Killer Instinct, another Young Adult suspense novel, was published in Norway in 2017. Rights have been sold to Germany and Iceland. Enger also composes music, and he lives in Oslo.

Strangerland by Monika Radojevic

 

Strangerland by Monika Radojevic.

Published 5th March 2026 by Merky Books.

From the cover of the book:

London, 1990. Zivoin is newly arrived in a strange country. The dependable oldest son, he works all hours of the day and night, sending every penny he can save back to his family. On the news, he watches his homeland, Yugoslavia, slowly fracturing.

Thousands of miles away, in the tropical heat of Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to leave behind the country – and the family – she loves dearly. Bright and ambitious, she strives to give her parents the life they deserve, even if it takes her far from them.

A chance meeting throws Alegria and Zivoin together – and for a brief moment, they feel at home. But their journey is just beginning, and what follows will draw them irresistibly across countries and continents, leaving them both forever changed.

The powerful, exhilarating debut novel from an award-winning new voice in fiction, Strangerland is a heartfelt testament to the endurance that has come to define a generation of immigrants. Above all, it is a soaring, emotionally rich story about the power of love to transcend languages, borders and time.

***********

London, 1990. As the oldest son, Zivoin has taken on the responsibility of helping to support his family. Working all the hours he can in a strange country is taking its toll, but he hopes the money he sends back to Yugoslavia will go some way to helping his family traverse troubled times in his homeland.

Meanwhile, in Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to travel thousands of miles to London. Her plan is to join her sister there for three months to earn enough to help her family prosper - if she can make it past the immigration officials.

When the two meet in London, something sparks between them. Somehow spending time with each other makes them feel like they are home. The attraction grows into love, but there are so many obstacles in the way of their relationship...

Based on the true story of how her parents met, Monika Radojevic weaves a spellbinding novel that portrays how the power of love can surpass the obstacles of language, nationality, economics, and even impending war.

Against an evocative backdrop of far reaching political turmoil, from the resignation of Margaret Thatcher, ructions in the Middle East, financial instability in Brazil, and the fracturing of Yugoslavia, our two young people meet and fall in love. Happiness is surely guaranteed, but there are many trials to be endured before they can be together. 

Radojevic writes her characters with warmth and authenticity, and all the little popular culture references work so well. I soon took the lovers, their families, and their friends to heart - following them all through immigration difficulties; the gulf between them in terms of their experiences and backgrounds; the strangeness of living and working illegally in a foreign country; and the near impossibility of finding a place they can settle down together. 

She touches beautifully on so much about family ties, identity, and belonging, as Zivoin and Alegria take significant risks to pursue their romantic journey. I laughed and cried with them, and at times my heart was lodged firmly in my throat, especially when the lovers must enter dangerous territory to cement their relationship. And I am so impressed with they way she floods this story with the many ways in which the disintegration of Yugoslavia impacts the characters, even though the actual nitty of the looming war happens largely in the wings.

Sweeping and irresistibly absorbing, this is an eloquent debut novel that thrums with vibes of time and place. Radojevic is a shining new voice in fiction who really deserves your time. I look forward to watching her career develop.

Strangerland is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Merky Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for and honest review.

About the author:

Monika Radojevic is a Brazilian-Montenegrin writer and poet who was born and raised in London. She spent years working in the feminist and political sector, and her writing is a continuous exploration of power dynamics, inequality and freedom.

Monika is the inaugural winner of the #Merky Books New Writers' prize, and writes to make sense of life. She has previously published a volume of poetry, Teeth in the Back of My Neck, and a short story collection, A Beautiful Lack of Consequence. Strangerland is her debut novel.

Reaper (City Of Shadows Book Two) by Vanda Symon

 

Reaper (City Of Shadows Book Two) by Vanda Symon.

Published 12th March 2026 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

The City looks away … but someone is watching…

A killer is hunting Auckland's homeless. No one cares. No one but Max. These are his people.

Max Grimes is homeless, living on the streets of Auckland – among the forgotten, the invisible. But now someone is hunting the homeless, killing them one by one. No one cares. Except Max.

Trying to put his shattered life back together, Max is pulled into a deadly game when a face from his past reappears, reopening wounds he thought were long buried.

As whispers of a Grim Reaper spread terror through the city, Max must race against time – not only to find the killer, but to outrun the ghosts chasing him.

Because if he fails, he'll be next.

***********

Former police officer Max Grimes is living on the streets of Auckland, one of the invisible homeless people no one seems to care about. But the homeless are suddenly the focus of public attention - for all the wrong reasons. Someone is hunting the homeless from the shadows, murdering them one-by-one for reasons unknown.

Dubbed the Grim Reaper, the killer has Max and his fellow 'invisibles' running scared, with nowhere to hide. Can Max find the Reaper before the ghosts of his own past claim him?

The story unfurls from the perspectives of Max, his former colleague DS Meredith Peters of the Auckland police force, and the unnamed Reaper. Moving back and forth between their separate narratives, the three voices allow Symon to explore different aspects of the story - Max, as potential prey, desperately trying to discover who is killing his friends in Auckland's gritty under-belly; Meredith, battling to stay in-charge of a high-profile case mired in politics; and the Reaper, an increasingly unhinged killer getting into his murderous stride.

Max's own part in the story is complicated when the past that haunts him intrudes as he is trying to get his life back on track, in the form of Shane McFarlane, the man whose son killed Max's daughter. McFarlane asks Max to help him find the drug dealers who sent his son off the rails, and despite Max's reservations he agrees - only to find himself part of the murder investigation.

I did find myself at a bit of a disadvantage in not having read the first book in this new series, Faceless, as so much of this story relates to Max's traumatic past, but having loved Symon's Sam Shephard books I knew she would not steer me wrong... and I was right. The crime elements are carefully wrought to immerse you in a gripping stand-alone case, as Max and Meredith attempt to discover the identity of the Reaper - someone who is warming to his task, while pursuing a vendetta against Max. Lashings of layered mystery around the Reaper's intentions keeps you on your toes, and the McFarlane sub-plot blends seamlessly into the central plot to ramp the suspense factor up to the max.

Weaving through the story Symon employs really interesting themes, largely around the plight of the 'invisible' homeless people she gives a voice to in this new series. By examining ways in which ordinary people fall through the cracks when their lives become overwhelmed with challenges, and highlighting how society prefers to ignore them when they do, the story gets a powerful thought-provoking kick.

This is a different side to New Zealand noir than I am used to, but it absolutely fulfils the brief of page-turner with a social conscience. Tense, atmospheric, and psychologically fascinating, this is thriller writing with heart and soul.

Reaper is available to buy now n 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 an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Vanda Symon lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. As well as being a crime writer, she has a PhD in science communication and is a researcher at the Centre for Pacific Health at the University of Otago.

Overkill was shortlisted for the 2019 CWA John Creasey Debut Dagger Award and she is a three-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel for her critically acclaimed Sam Shephard series.

Vanda produces and hosts 'Write On', a monthly radio show focusing on the world of books at Otago Access Radio. When she isn’t working or writing, Vanda can be found in the garden, or on the business end of a fencing foil.

Unreliable Narrator by Araminta Hall

 

Unreliable Narrator by Araminta Hall.

Published 5th March 2026 by Pan Macmillan.

From the cover of the book:

YOUR SECRETS AREN'T SAFE.

Ten years ago, Hope left Somerset with a fatal secret and a broken heart. She has spent a decade in the shadows, living a quiet life of penance to protect the man she once loved - the world-famous author Ambrose Glencourt.

YOUR LIFE IS NOT YOUR OWN.

Then, she opens his latest bestseller. To the world, it’s a brilliant work of fiction. To Hope, it’s a betrayal. Every private moment, every dark truth, and every ‘fatal disaster’ from that summer is laid bare on the page.

YOUR TRUTH IS A LIE.

But Ambrose has changed the ending. In his version of the story, Hope isn't the victim. She’s the villain.

Now, Hope must step out of the shadows to reclaim her narrative. But in a world of glamorous elites and whispered secrets, who will believe the word of an unreliable woman against the word of a literary icon?

Two narrators. One truth. And a secret worth killing for.

***********

Ten years ago, Hope spent a fateful summer working for famous author Ambrose (Rosie) Glencourt, as he was writing his bestseller The Ruined Girl. It was both the best and worst time of her life. Since then, she has been living an isolated life to protect him from the secret of how that summer ended in tragedy.

Rosie has now let it be known that he is writing a sequel, and this brings a host of memories rushing back for Hope. She has never read The Ruined Girl, but decides the time is nigh to pick it up. What she discovers sends her reeling. The Ruined Girl is obviously based on Hope's life, and the secrets she has been keeping are here for all to see.

It is time for Hope to step out of the shadows and reclaim her own story... 

The novel begins with Hope discovering that Rosie betrayed her by laying bare a twisted version of the events of that summer as the plot for The Ruined Girl - the book he was struggling to write in 2016. Through the pages of the journal Hope kept when she worked with Rosie, she takes us back in time to that heady summer, when she was overwhelmed by the stark difference in her own life and the bohemian existence of Rosie and his artist wife Delia.

Seduced by the ease. elegance, and shabby chic charm of their country estate Shadowlands, Hope becomes immersed in the glamour of their lives, falling for their sort-of-adopted son Tom. Negotiating an emotional minefield she has no idea how to traverse, desperate to fit in, and caught between simmering feelings for Tom, Rosie and Delia, the long-hot summer takes a dangerous turn (loved the metaphoric presence of the hornets nest in the cupboard). All Hope's dreams come crashing down in a moment of violence that she feels she must carry the guilt for.

As Hope's version of events ends, the sumptuous literary style morphs into an intriguing mix of psychological thriller and police procedural in the present. Typical of Araminta Hall, she now turns everything on its head. In order for Hope to reclaim her life she must attempt to prove her version of events is the truth, but battling against the prestige of the now lauded author and his wife is far from easy... and the full meaning of the title ' Unreliable Narrator' comes into its own!

The twists and turns come thick and fast in this second part of the book, and although not all the elements work as slickly as they could (the domestic abuse side-plot sits clumsily amongst all the other cleverly wielded threads) the direction the story takes here is edge-of-your-seat exciting.

Then, to top it all, Hall tugs on the meaty feminist themes to tie up the novel in the most glorious of endings, subverting the premise into one which will have you punching the air with glee. Absolute genius!

Packed with lovely themes about control, abuse, passion, dysfunction, and reclaiming your own narrative this is just as thought-provoking and addictive as I hoped it would be. For me, the best bits lie in the stonking literary delights of the coming-of-age first part of the book (more please Araminta Hall), but the whole thing is a delicious concoction. I swallowed it whole!

Unreliable Narrator is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Araminta Hall is a journalist and teacher. She is the author of five previous novels, including her first novel, Everything and Nothing, which was published in 2011 and became a Richard and Judy read that year. She is the great niece of Dodie Smith and the great granddaughter of Lawrence Beesley, who survived the Titanic and wrote a bestselling account of the tragedy in the book, The Loss of the SS Titanic.

She teaches creative writing at New Writing South Brighton, where she lives with her husband and three children.

Witch Trial by Harriet Tyce

 

Witch Trial by Harriet Tyce.

Published 26th February 2026 by Wildfire.

From the cover of the book:

When 18-year-old Christian Shaw is found dead in an Edinburgh park, the city reels - and the shock only deepens when police charge her best friends, Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth, with her murder.

As their trial begins and headlines scream for justice, rumours of bullying spiral into something darker: whispers of rituals, obsession, and a teenage pact gone wrong.

But then the girls take the stand - revealing a chilling defence no one saw coming - and the jury must question everything: the motives, the evidence, even their own judgement.

Who's telling the truth? Who can be trusted?

And what really happened to Christian Shaw?

Let the Witch Trial begin . . .

***********

When eighteen-year-old Christian Shaw's body is found in an Edinburgh park, ominously surrounded by crows and with a rictus grimace of terror on her face, a media frenzy ensues - made worse when her school friends Eliza Lawson and Isobel Smyth are charged with her murder.

The trial is now about to begin, and the country holds its breath for gory details of how and why Eliza and Isobel allegedly scared Christian to death through occult means, knowing she suffered from a dangerous heart condition.

As the prosecution begins its case, it becomes clear that the defence Eliza and Isobel will employ not only sets them at odds with each other, but relies on 'facts' which must surely be pure delusion. Who is telling the truth? The jury must decide...

The story unfurls from the point of view of heart surgeon Matthew Phillips, who has been called to serve on the jury for the sensational case (with additional snippets from the witnesses as they are called to testify). Through his eyes, the tense high court drama plays out, immersing you in his thoughts on the the accused, the defence and prosecution cases, the testimony of the witnesses, his fellow jurors, and some of the people who have come to view the proceedings. In parallel, Tyce treats you to an intriguing fly-on-the-wall view of Matthew's troubled personal life, and the fracturing of his mental health as he begins to question reality and his role in the case.

Tyce beautifully portrays the ever-changing landscape in the courtroom, keeping you on a knife-edge as prosecution and defence play their hands, and the jurors navigate the difficult process of coming to a majority verdict. The suspense is pitched to perfection, with cracking reveals timed to shift your perspective on what really happened, especially when it comes to the deliciously nostalgic dark vein of horror that runs through the whole story. And then, when you are good and disoriented, Tyce pulls a blinder in the final swathes of the novel (and pokes a little fun at herself too). 

Along the way, Tyce elegantly explores a wealth of themes to tweak your emotions and provoke your thoughts... perception, unorthodox beliefs, views on witchcraft (powerful echoes of witch trials through the ages), attitudes towards those who are a little different, mental health, and even the legal system itself. And there is a lot to reflect on when it comes to bullying, cruelty, jealousy, guilt, parent-child relationships, stress, and the complexities of female friendships.

I consumed it whole, unable to look away for a second. Absolute genius!

Witch Trial is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Wildfire for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University before doing a law conversion course at City University. She practiced as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade, and subsequently completed an MA in Creative Writing/Crime Fiction at the University of East Anglia. She lives in north London.  

The Murder Pool (Stella Blomkvist Book Four) by Stella Blómkvist

 

The Murder Pool (Stella Blómkvist Book Four) by Stella Blómkvist.

Translated by Quentin Bates.

Published 5th March 2026 by Corylus Books.

From the cover of the book:

Sometimes murder runs in the family. Or does it?

When a well-known artist is found in Snorri's Pool with an axe buried deep in his chest, Stella Blómkvist is immediately thrown in at the deep end, brought in to defend the apparently harmless young man the police have in their sights as the killer.

The man's mother had spent time prison, convicted of the killing of a personal trainer, despite her protestations of innocence. Stella can't help being drawn into both the cold case and this fresh murder, with a trail of guilt that stretches half-way around the world.

As if she doesn't have enough to keep her busy, Stella's pursuing a political high-flyer suspected of being a serial rapist, and defending a senior police officer on corruption charges that have all the hallmarks of a vendetta. But the toughest challenges Stella faces are among her own loved ones…

With a razor-sharp tongue and a moral compass all of her own, Stella Blómkvist has a talent for attracting trouble. Her trademark explosive mix of murder, intrigue and surprise has made this of Iceland's best-loved crime series.

***********

With a lot on her mind, controversial Icelandic lawyer Stella Blómkvist goes for a night-time stroll, only to come across the body of a well-known artist in Snorri's Pool. It is immediately obvious that the man is dead, given the axe buried deep in his chest.

Already in the process of helping a woman prove her innocence over a conviction that had her imprisoned for the murder of her personal trainer lover years before, Stella now finds herself also defending the woman's young son - who the police believe is guilty of the brutal crime after acting as a model for the artist.

Meanwhile, Stella is also trying to bring down a powerful political advisor whose reign as a serial rapist has been allowed to continuing unchallenged, and defending a senior policeman from serious charges of bribery and collusion with the Icelandic criminal fraternity.

It is business as usual for Stella Blómkvist...

Stella Blómkvist, the ball-busting legal creation of the mysterious best-selling author of the same name, is back with her fourth gripping adventure, translated into English by Quentin Bates. And this time she has more on her drama-laden plate than ever.

Stella's new-found happiness with her wife, Rannveig, is clouded with worries, but the pressure of work is not about to let up for an instant. Stella finds herself in the midst of several tricky investigations at the same time, all of which have links with secrets and lies from the past - some of which touch Stella's own fiery encounters with very bad criminal types and the upper echelons of political and business circles.

The separate threads of murder, sexual misconduct, corruption, and revenge become increasingly tangled together, and Stella is off ruffling feathers; using her contacts to ferret out dirt; dropping hints into all the right ears; flying about in her silver merc; and using her forthright attitude to her advantage. The action comes thick and fast, punctuated by tense courtroom scenes, and there are many exciting twists and turns on the the way to hidden truths on several fronts.

Without a doubt, this is Stella's most complicated story to date. With so many parallel cases there is a lot to keep track of, particularly when it comes to remembering who's who in the rogues gallery. However, a Stella Blómkvist story is always a gritty fun-ride, with bags of suspense, and this is no exception. Stella's uncompromising attitude keeps you entertained throughout, and drives the plot onwards to satisfying conclusions (and intriguing moral dilemmas). I really enjoyed how many faces from the previous books made appearances, and Blómkvist makes excellent use of the echoing themes of dysfunctional families, ambition, sexual abuse, vendettas, and double-dealing.

A one-sitting read - superbly translated by Quentin Bates, as always. I am already looking forward to book five!

The Murder Pool is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Corylus Books for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Ewa Sherman for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

With a devoted following in Iceland where the Stella Blómkvist books have been a bestselling series since their appearance in the 1990s, the books have been published under a pseudonym – and the author’s identity remains a firmly under wraps.

Who is behind Nordic Noir’s best-kept secret is a question that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery...

About the translator:

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language, a new profession and a family…

He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland – and as a translator he has worked with some of Iceland’s coolest writers, including Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Sólveig Pálsdóttir, Stella Blómkvist, Einar Kárason, Ragnar Jónasson, Jónína Leósdóttir, Óskar Guðmundsson and more.

The Harvey Girl (The Harvey Girls Mysteries Book One) by Dana Stabenow

 

The Harvey Girl (The Harvey Girls Mysteries Book One) by Dana Stabenow.

Published 5th March 2026 by Aries.

From the cover of the book:

WELCOME TO THE GILDED AGE. WHERE NOT EVERYTHING GLITTERS.

1890. The New Mexico Territory is a lawless frontier where criminals steal money and land alike with impunity. Everyone wears a six-gun and is ready and willing to draw it.

In the new city of Montaña Roja, Fred Harvey's growing empire is threatened by the robberies plaguing his newest Harvey House restaurant. To get justice, he needs a skilled detective to go undercover and procure answers to questions the law will not ask.

The assignment falls to Clare Wright, a young Pinkerton agent. Disguised as one of Harvey's famous hostesses, Clare travels west where she risks being exposed at every step of her investigation. To get answers - and to get out alive - there are only two things she can trust: her instincts, and her derringer.

***********

1890. The New Mexico Territory is opening up fast. The march of civilisation is not far behind, but for now lawlessness is the name of the frontier game. Entrepreneur Fred Harvey is making the most of the opportunities offered in the Wild West by extending his chain of Harvey House restaurants into New Mexico, but frequent train robberies are threatening his empire. He needs someone to go undercover in his newest restaurant in Montaña Roja to put a stop to the thefts - especially now the culprits have upped their game to include murder.

Young Pinkerton agent Clare Wright is the perfect person for the job. Disguised as one of Harvey's famous hostesses, a Harvey Girl, she heads west to investigate - armed with her notebook and trusty derringer...

I am partial to a mystery set in the good old Wild West, so I was instantly attracted to this exciting novel from Dana Stabenow - especially as it is set in the intriguing Gilded Age (a term taken from a novel by Mark Twain, who makes an entertaining appearance).

Unfurling largely from the perspective of ingenious, kick-ass detective Clare, the story begins with her wrapping-up an investigation in Bienville, Mississippi (via a fascinating prologue about her origins, which becomes relevant later in the story). A meeting with a perplexed Fred Harvey and Clare's Pinkerton employers then sends her out west to New Mexico, for an incognito job that will test her sleuthing skills and her mettle to the max. 

Montaña Roja is a revelation for Clare. Awed by the scenery, shocked by the lack of competent law enforcement, and bemused by the shenanigans of the local business mogul and his cronies, she sets to work ferreting out those responsible for the daring railroad raids - even though she is exhausted by the amount of work expected of her as a Harvey Girl. With a little help from some strategically placed hired gun-types (famous faces amongst them), and the steadfast women in Montaña Roja, Clare's investigation produces surprising results that spark a highly enjoyable, fast-paced finale that channels the Wild West vibe to perfection.

Stabenow perfectly balances this gripping adventure on the knife-edge of a new territory teetering between lawlessness and civilisation. Boom town fever, and the spread of the railroad are opening up the west, and she does an excellent job of immersing you in all the contradictions of a town where killings happen openly in the streets, while robber barons build gaudy mansions funded by back-room deals, and ordinary citizens go about their lives. The plot blends western fun with a compelling crime story, and encompasses fascinating political, geographical and historical detail - much of which sent me down rabbit holes, especially about Fred Harvey and Harvey Girls, who I had not heard about before. 

I galloped (pun intended) through Clare's atmospheric escapade, and cannot wait for the next instalment of the series!

The Harvey Girl is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Aries for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Dana Stabenow was born in Anchorage, Alaska and raised on a 75-foot fishing tender. She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere and found it in writing. Her first book in the bestselling Kate Shugak series, A Cold Day for Murder, received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

The Other Moctezuma Girls by Sofia Robleda

 

The Other Moctezuma Girls by Sofia Robleda.

Published 24th February 2026 by Amazon Crossing.

From the cover of the book:

In sixteenth-century Mexico, a fearless young woman strives to uncover the secrets her mother kept as the last Aztec empress in a sweeping historical epic by the author of Daughter of Fire.

Tenochtitlan, 1551. Thirty years after the Spanish Conquest destroyed everything she loved, the last Aztec empress has passed and left behind a pristine yet tenuous legacy for her children. As her last will and testament is read out, her daughter Isabel suspects that another account of her mother’s life may exist, hidden away, chapter by chapter, in the Valley of Mexico. Following each clue, Isabel is determined to find out who her mother really was and to discover the secrets she buried in order to survive.

Joined by her siblings and a handsome young cook named Juan, Isabel embarks on a perilous journey to piece together the past—a journey that will force the party to brave the brutal viceroyal court, face fearsome legends in mystical chinampas, and trek through desert, fire, and snow. As Isabel’s feelings for Juan grow, she confronts everything she thought she knew about her Spanish father, her empress mother, and herself.

 Facing everything from the tunnels of ancient pyramids to the summit of an active volcano, Isabel will meet every challenge to fulfil an epic quest for the truth.

***********

1551, Tenochtitlan, Mexico. Tecuichpoch, the last Aztec empress (known as Isabel Moctezuma), has died leaving behind a will that causes consternation amongst her children. Brothers and sisters have been set against each other over Tecuichpoch's wishes. And for her youngest daughters, Isabel and Catina, the retired life of nuns in a convent beckons.

But Isabel has other ideas. A stunning tapestry left behind by their beloved mother convinces Isabel that there is more to her life than she revealed. Fleeing the wrath of their embittered elder brothers, Isabel, Catina (who is deaf), their closest brother Nano, and a young Moorish cook named Juan, set off on a dangerous quest to discover the real story of the last Aztec empress.

Inspired by what little remains about the life of Tecuichpoch and her children, Sofia Robleda weaves an utterly absorbing adventure, set thirty years after the Spanish Conquest, that delves into the fascinating, and heart-wrenching history of sixteenth century Mexico. 

The story unfurls from the perspective of fiery Isabel, beginning with a gripping scene where the reading of Tecuichpoch's will sets the seeds for sibling discontent amongst her seven children. When their Spanish father Juan Cano heads to his mother country to attend to the endless political wrangling that has kept Tecuichpoch's empire intact, discontent spills over into shocking violence - spurring Isabel, Catina, and Nano to escape, with the threat of their older brothers' wrath constantly dogging their heels.

In the company of Juan, the handsome gentle cook (who has a sad story of his own to tell), the siblings find themselves in ever more perilous situations in locations related to Tecuichpoch's life, on a quest for a series of diaries she has left behind. Each diary tells them a little more about her history, from her childhood as the favourite daughter of Emperor Moctezuma, through to her experiences following the Spanish Conquest at the hands of infamous Conquistador Hernán Cortés and her six husbands. 

Robleda pitches this story beautifully, incorporating the kind of history that sends you down endless rabbit holes into a heart-pounding adventure at the side of the three siblings, Juan, and a host of unexpected allies. Each stage of the quest brings alive the life of suffering and sacrifice Tecuichpoch endured, explaining the decisions she made in order to survive the destruction of everything she knew when the Conquistadors arrived, and vividly juxtaposes aspects of pre-Hispanic old world with the new reality under cruel Spanish rule.

Along the way, the Isabel, Catina, and Nano learn things about themselves, their relationships with full and half-siblings, their father, the sides of their mother they never knew, and the history of their country. A slow-burn romance between Isabel and Juan intertwines all the fast-paced, mystery-laden loveliness, for top-notch emotional content too. 

I could not put this book down. The characters are wonderful, especially the fire-brand women who shine through the entire novel; the well-written, coming of age plot captures you completely; and Robleda's passion for Mexico in all its complexity sings out. I learned so much about the uncomfortable history of the Spanish Conquest, and the powerful legacy of pre-Hispanic culture. And all the little touches around Catina's deafness added an intriguing extra dimension.

The forewords about Mexica history, Nahuatl pronunciation, and inclusion of a handy Family Tree were so helpful before embarking on the story - and for fellow fans of such things, there is even a map to help you navigate the journey of Isabel and her companions!

Highly recommended to lovers of captivating historical fiction (with an undercurrent of magical realism and folklore) that opens your heart and mind to the past in the best way possible. I loved it from atmospheric beginning to the clever twist in the tail at the end!

I also recommend signing up to Sofia Robleda's newsletter via the link at the end of the book for some welcome bonus content.

The Other Moctezuma Girls is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Folk PR for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to join this blog tour.

About the author:

Sofia Robleda is a Mexican writer and author of Daughter of Fire. She spent her childhood and adolescence in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, and completed her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia. She currently lives in the UK with her husband and son, and splits her time between writing, raising her son, and working as a psychologist, supporting people with brain injuries and neurological conditions.