Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson (Paperback Release)

 

Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson.

Translated by David Warriner.

Published in paperback 7th November 2024 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Don’t...

Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she’s asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found.

Emma must work alone, and with the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide?

Trust...

As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants.

When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate, and memories of his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman’s tragic death somehow hold the key?

Anyone...

Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past – Viking rites and tainted love – and Scandinavia’s deepest, darkest winter…

***********

Art appraiser Emma Lindahl is sent by a prestigious auction house to value the rumoured treasure trove of antiques at the manor house of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, the Gussmans. She is anxious to live up to the responsibility placed upon her, but the location of the manor house on the island of Storholmen makes her feel uneasy, given the island's connection to the brutal murder of a young girl nine years ago.

When Emma arrives at the house, the sheer scale of the job ahead of her does nothing to alleviate her nerves, especially as the Gussman family seem almost hostile to her presence. Moving from room to room on the ridiculously strict timetable dictated by the family, the days begin to blur into one, despite the remarkable array of artefacts within them... until she makes a shocking discovery that could be a piece of the puzzle to the mystery of the murder that has made this island infamous.

Detective Karl Rosén is tortured by his inability to solve the murder of 'the hanging girl' on the island of Storholmen nine years ago. When the body of another young girl is found in the freezing waters off the island, bearing similar marks, he is hopeful that her death may unlock the answers to these bizarre ritualised killings. Emma's discovery brings her and Karl together, and they unexpectedly find themselves teaming up in an attempt to finally bring a murderer to justice, but they are unprepared for the secrets from the past that they uncover - secrets of Viking rites and dark deeds that touch upon their own tragedies...

Johana Gustawsson is the queen of the a gritty noir crime story threaded with the icy chill of horrors from your darkest nightmares, and in Yule Island she proves once again that she can do this with consummate skill. This novel is packed with troubled characters hiding secrets, including Emma and Karl our unlikely crime-busting pair, and the deeply unsettling location of Storholmen makes the ideal backdrop for Gustawsson to weave her spell-binding magic against.

In a masterclass of plotting and misdirection, the story unfurls in the past and present with elements of fast-paced, macabre treasure hunt, and slow-burn Gothic hair-raiser, which come together in a delicious whole. Gustawsson subtly seduces you into falling into all her well-laid traps, before flooring you with oh so beautifully contrived twists and turns - which I promise, you will not see coming - and to top it all, in a spark of absolute genius, she drops in a moment of exquisite clarity that only the very best writers can pull off.

Bursting with echoing themes of motherhood and madness, Viking rituals and intense relationships, this is a novel which completely consumes you and scares you witless. The unbearable tension, the claustrophobic atmosphere, the visceral chills, and the images Gustawsson conjures in your imagination... all this will linger long after you have closed the cover on this stonking thriller. I am so impressed with the work of translator David Warrinder here too, maintaining pace and spot on tone throughout.

Yule Island easily made it on to the list of my books of 2023, when it came out in hardback - and you can now discover its creepy delights in paperback. It is, quite simply, sublime.

**Review originally published for release of the hardback edition in November 2023.

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

About the author:

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.

About the translator:

David Warner translates from French and nurtures a healthy passion for Franco, Nordic and British crime fiction. Growing up in deepest Yorkshire, he developed incurable Francophilia at an early age. Emerging from Oxford with a Modern Languages degree he narrowly escaped the graduate rat race by hopping on a plane to Canada – and never looked back. More than a decade into a high-powered commercial translation career, he listened to his heart and turned his hand to the delicate art of literary translation. David has lived in France and Quebec, and now calls beautiful British Columbia home.

The Last Princess: The Daughter Of The House Of Dragons (Book One)

 

The Last Princess: The Daughter of the House of Dragons (Book One) by Ellen Alpsten.

Published 7th November 2024 by Sunbird Stories.

From the cover of the book:

Young and beautiful Gytha Godwinson is the envy of England when her father Harold seizes the country’s crown in early 1066. Soon triumph turns to terror as an evil star appears, heralding the end of an era and a new beginning for Britain. Her family and the country seem cursed. But even as she suffers loss, betrayal and humiliation, Gytha is determined to regain what is rightfully hers.

In a stunning re-telling of 1066, international bestselling author Ellen Alpsten has created a captivating new heroine in Gytha Godwinson: 'The Last Princess' is a bridge between myth and modernity. Witness the truth about the end of England's ancient house, the demise of a cursed kingdom and the emergence of a new empire. In a time when women were seen as cup-bearers, peace-weavers and memory-keepers, Gytha Godwinson is a true daughter of the House of Dragons and dares to write world-history.

***********

Beautiful, flame-haired Gytha Godwinson's life undergoes great change when her father's machinations lead to him seizing the crown in 1066, to become Harold II. Now a princess of England, this elevation in status brings with it the realisation that the price has been the betrayal of her mother, his hand-fasted bride Edith Swanneck, whose fortune has made him an important man - and his own family.

Life at court, with an alluring new step-mother from Mercia, takes some adjustment, and Harold's reign is under threat from the beginning. One invasion is repulsed, but Harold's fate is sealed when William the Conqueror is victorious at the battle of Hastings in 1066. The future of Gytha and her remaining family is now uncertain, but she is determined they will regain what they have lost...

Having adored both of Ellen Alpsten's previous novels, Tsarina and The Tsarina's Daughter, I could not wait to get stuck into The Last Princess: The Daughter of the House of Dragons - the first in a glorious new series about Gytha Godwinson, daughter of the ill-fated King Harold II.

Most of us are familiar with the tale of Harold II, of Battle of Hastings fame, whose brief reign was brought to an end by the invasion of William the Conqueror, but I confess that I knew very little about what happened to Harold's family. In this novel, Alpsten weaves a, intricate retelling of the events of 1066, and the aftermath, through the eyes of Harold's charismatic daughter, Gytha.

The book begins in 1065, when the Godwinsons' Christmas celebrations are brought to a shocking end, mired in recriminations and betrayals that mark trouble and sorrow for the whole family. In the months that follow, while Harold achieves his aim of taking the crown for himself, history tells that his reign will be cut short by violence. The toll on the family is hard, especially for the Godwinson women, who we get to know through Gytha - and we come to understand that she is far more than the meek maiden she is supposed to be.

Alpsten brings Anglo Saxon England with all its ambition-fed troubles alive, and she gives intriguing insight into the dream of Harold to unite the kingdoms under one banner - she also shows that the momentous events to come are caused by troubles within the Godwinson family rather than from outside enemies.

The story really takes off following Harold's demise, when Gytha and two of her brothers flee the country and head to Denmark, hoping to raise an army to regain their birthright. Old hatreds lurk behind the appearance of hospitality, and although Gytha's quest brings her love and friendship in unexpected places, it is also filled with perils she learns the hardest lessons from. I was completely won over by Gytha's courage and determination, and Alpsten weaves fact and fiction to create a stonking adventure tale that kept my heart firmly in my mouth.

I really enjoyed that Gytha and her fellow female characters are the focus of the novel, and leap fully-formed from the page. Some capture you heart with their everyday struggles under the toughest of conditions, and others chill you to the core as they plot the darkest of evil deeds. Alpsten beautifully captures this period in history too, with lashings of lovely social history in a time when old and new ways are uneasy bedfellows, especially when it comes to Norse traditions and the growth of the Christian faith. 

This is historical fiction as it is supposed to be consumed, and I devoured this book from cover to cover, my heart beating in time with the wonderful, flame-haired Gytha. It seems incredible to me that this is the first time I have heard of her, because her story is truly remarkable - and in a twist of epic proportions actually leads on to what happens in Alpsten's Tsarina years in the future! I cannot wait to read more of Gytha's story in the next book, The Sunrise Queen, coming in autumn 2025!

The Last Princess: Daughter of the House of Dragons is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook.

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

About the author:

Ellen Alpsten was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands, where she dressed up her many pets and forced them to listen to her stories.

Upon graduating from the 'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris', she worked as a news-anchor for Bloomberg TV London. While working gruesome night shifts on breakfast TV, she started to write in earnest, every day, after work, a nap and a run. So much for burning midnight oil!

Today, Ellen works as an author and as a journalist for international publications such as Vogue, Standpoint, and CN Traveller. She lives in London with her husband, three sons, and a moody fox red Labrador.

'Tsarina' is her debut novel.​

For more information about her literary life follow her on social media.

Black Storms by Teresa Solana

 

Black Storms by Teresa Solana.

Translated by Peter Bush.

Published in ebook 25th October 2024 and in paperback 1st November 2024 by Corylus Books.

From the cover of the book:

A country that doesn't acknowledge its past is destined to repeat its mistakes...

Why murder a sick old man nearing retirement? An investigation into the death of a professor at the University of Barcelona seems particularly baffling for Deputy Inspector Norma Forester of the Catalan police, as word from the top confirms she's the one to lead this case.

The granddaughter of an English member of the International Brigades, Norma has a colourful family life, with a forensic doctor husband, a hippy mother, a squatter daughter and an aunt, a nun in an enclosed order, who operates as a hacker from her austere convent cell.

This blended family sometimes helps and often hinders Norma's investigations.

It seems the spectres of the past have not yet been laid to rest, and there are people who can neither forgive nor forget the cruelties of the Spanish Civil War and all that followed.

***********

Deputy Inspector Norma Forester of the Catalan police is holding a family party to celebrate her birthday with her forensic doctor husband, Octavi, when the call comes through that they are both required at the scene of a bizarre murder. Someone has killed an elderly professor at the University of Barcelona, and the high profile nature of his family connections means that Norma's tact and discretion will be required to lead the investigation. 

As Norma and her team get to work, she discovers that there are links to the case that go back to the dark days of the Civil War, and a secret that someone wants to stay buried...

Black Storms is the first part in a crime series featuring Deputy Inspector Norma Forester, now available for the first time in English from Corylus Books, beautifully translated by Peter Bush to maintain every ounce of suspense and pace.

We meet Norma in the midst of her birthday celebrations, which introduces us to her lively, blended family, and then in close order, to the eccentric bunch of police officers that she works with. There are a lot of colourful characters to get your head around right from the word go, but Solana's style allows you to get to know them and all their foibles very quickly - and many of them you will get to absolutely love as they both help and hinder Norma with her investigation... but more on that later.

The story unfurls as both a suspenseful investigation into the death of the aged professor with plenty of grit, and as an absolutely compelling family drama full of emotion and nicely employed humour. Norma is a great protagonist, driving the plot as she swaps back and forth between pursuing leads in the case, dealing with all the situations that arise in her hectic family life and workplace, and reconciling her own romantic entanglements. Solana does an excellent job of bringing the character of Barcelona alive in the process. 

There are lovely echoing themes that gradually emerge, cleverly connecting the police investigation with the long shadows of the Spanish Civil War, and the current political situation, and I loved how Solana links the ghosts of injustices and betrayals that still run deep in the Spanish psyche to all aspects of the story - including Norma's fascinating family history, which is fully explained in an epilogue that fills in all the poignant gaps about her quirky family set-up. And speaking of family, Norma's family is an absolute joy. I came to know and love so many of them while the crime elements played out, even when their antics were problematic. My stand-out favourite is Norma's unconventional aunt, who is both a nun and a consummate hacker - and whose skills turn out to be crucial in cracking the case!

This is a pacy, fun and thought provoking introduction to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I hope that more instalments will follow in English, because I really need more of Norma, her family, and her oddball work colleagues - especially Aunt Margarida!

Black Storms 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 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Teresa Solana is a multi-award-winning Catalan crime writer and literary translator, renowned for her inventive, distinctive style.

Her first crime series has been translated into several languages, and her short story collection The First Prehistoric Serial Killer was longlisted for the CWA Short Story Dagger Award in 2019.

Black Storms is full of Teresa Solana’s signature humour, but also reflects social issues and acknowledges the weight of history that is part of Catalonia’s psyche.

About the translator:

Peter Bush is one of the most distinguished literary translators into English, and has translated from French, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as from Catalan.

Not only active as a translator, he has also been a key figure in developing literary translation as an academic discipline.

 October 2024 Reading Round-Up

A slow start to October, due to a rotten sinus infection, but I managed to pick up a few shorter reads to make a round total of fifteen very different books - there are some stunners amongst them too!

You can find your way to my reviews of this selection by clicking on the pictures below...

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers

The Lost Lover by Karen Swan

The Little Provence Book Shop by Gillian Harvey

Stupid Stories for Tough Times by Andrew Crowther

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen

Tales of the Damned by Matt Ralphs and Taylor Dolan
Escape Castle Dracula by Sam Fern and Adam Allori

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie

Dark as Night by Lilja Sigurdardóttir

Home for Christmas by Heidi Swain

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde

Because She Looked Away by Alison Bruce

Leaving by Roxana Robinson

After the Fire by Charlotte Rixon

The Volcano Daughters by Gina Maria Balibrera

We're getting into proper festive read territory now so expect some more Christmas reads coming up... and more!

If you like what you see here, why not visit my Instagram page for more?

You can find me at @brownflopsy.

The Volcano Daughters by Gina Maria Balibrera

 

The Volcano Daughters by Gina Maria Balibrera.

Published 3rd October 2024 by Oneworld.

From the cover of the book:

A searingly original novel about sisterhood, art, and a community of women who refuse to be silenced.

Nine-year-old Graciela is raised in the shadow of El Salvador's Izalco volcano, until the day she is taken to the capital city by the country's fearsome – and fearsomely superstitious – dictator, who believes her to be a muse capable of foreseeing the future.

There, Graciela meets Consuelo, the sister she never knew existed. Consuelo is everything she is not – volatile, dreamy and teenaged – yet despite their differences, the sisters form an unlikely bond. When the dictator's brutality is finally unleashed, El Salvador is forever changed. Graciela and Consuelo survive the massacre, but most of their community are not so lucky.

From San Salvador to Los Angeles, Paris to San Francisco, the sisters create a new future for themselves. But the story of those they left behind is not yet over. Their voices, once just a whimper, now shout louder than ever. Listen.

***********

Nine-year-old Graciela and her friends are raised in a village that lies in the shadow of El Salvador's Izalco volcano. Her happiness is shattered when she is dragged from the arms of her mother and taken to the home of her late father in the capital city, San Salvador.

Here she meets Consuelo, the older sister she did not know existed, and learns that her fate is to become the orcale of El Salvador's capricious dictator. The sisters struggle with the sacrifices they are expected to make, and long for freedom, finding comfort in each other's presence. But disaster comes when El Salvador's tyrant unleashes his violence on the country, and those they love best.

The Volcano Daughters is a powerful story of two sisters, set against the backdrop of El Salvador's violent past, covering the period of 1914 to 1942. Its format is somewhat unconventional, being a blend of historical fiction that shines a light on the country's dark past, through the experiences of the sisters, and a magical realism retelling through the voices of their fellow 'volcano daughters', who are victims of a wide-spread massacre born of the dictator's wrath.

The first part of the novel concerns itself with the villagers in the shadow of the Izalco volcano, then moves onto the course of the lives of the sisters in San Salvador, and beyond to the places that the tide of history takes them to in the wake of the massacre - Los Angeles, San Francisco and Paris. Throughout, the voices of Lourdes, Maria, Cora and Lucia, who have become all-seeing spirits (and sometime ghosts), guide the story, taking up the role of narrators through their own storytelling passages and conversations. 

It did take me a while to get my head around the story, as the text is Spanish heavy, and the pace is quite rambling, but an intriguing pattern takes shape. Consuelo and Graciela's parts in the tale are overshadowed by the legacy of the trauma that follows them through their lives, which makes the book pretty hard hitting, but there are moments of tenderness and love amongst the pain. There is also plenty of social history to enjoy from their poignant journeys, not least when it comes to El Salvador, and I found myself going down a lot of rabbit holes to discover more about its political history. The sections set in Hollywood and Paris are especially atmospheric, and Balibrera's exploration of the nature of art is fascinating.

For me, what makes this book is the way Lourdes, Maria, Cora and Lucia dip in and out with their observations on the lives of the sisters, filling in parts of the story where Consuelo and Graciela do not have the words to tell their own truths. I really enjoyed how their separate personalities, and strength of character, shine through these sections, and they save the story from becoming too grim with their irreverence and humour in what is ultimately, a terribly sad chronicle. 

There are shades of Isabel Allende in this novel which is nice to see in a debut. I look forward to seeing how the writing career of Gina Maria Balibrera develops.

The Volcano Daughters is available to buy now in hardcover and ebook formats.

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

About the author:

GINA MARÍA BALIBRERA earned an MFA in Prose from the University of Michigan's Helen Zell Writers' Program. She's been awarded grants from Aspen Words, Tin House, the Rackham Institute, and the Periplus Collective, as well as a Tyson Award, the Aura Estrada Prize, and the Under the Volcano Sandra Cisneros Fellowship. Her work has appeared in the Boston Review, Latino Book Review, Pleiades, The Wandering Song: An Anthology of the Central American Diaspora, and elsewhere. She lives in Ann Arbor, MI, with her family.

Leaving by Roxana Robinson

 

Leaving by Roxana Robinson.

Published in paperback 3rd October 2024 by Magpie.

From the cover of the book:

High school sweethearts, Sarah and Warren, have grand plans for an adventurous future together, but when a misunderstanding causes them to part ways, they end up marrying other people.

When they meet again at sixty, their lives have been carved into very different shapes. Sarah lives outside New York; Warren lives in Boston. Sarah is divorced, Warren still married, and both have grown up children. When they reconnect, they feel the rekindled spark of love and desire - a spark that has been dead for so long. 

But are they willing to risk destroying all that they have built separately for the chance of a future together?

***********

Sarah and Warren were high-school sweethearts, but a misunderstanding led to them parting during their college years. Both went on marry other partners and settle into family life. Now sixty-years-old, their lives have taken different paths, but a chance meeting between them at the opera gives them pause for thought.

Sarah is divorced and although a busy mother and grandmother with lots of outside interests, she is often lonely in her large house just outside New York. The thought of being with Warren again is tempting. For Warren, in Boston, things are more complicated. To all intents and purposes his long marriage is a happy one - at least in the eyes of his wife and daughter, but he cannot get Sarah out of his mind. What would they be willing to risk to be together?

Leaving is a heart-breaking novel that examines many different facets of what 'leaving' means, through the eyes of former lovers who meet again in later life. The story unfurls through the points of view of Sarah and Warren, who realise that the spark between them has never died, despite not having seen each other for a considerable number of years, and having followed completely separate lives.

As a divorcee, Sarah is easily able to put aside her concern for Warren's marital state for a second chance at happiness, but there are still hard decisions to be made that are not immediately evident. While, for Warren, the necessity of breaking up his stale marriage to pursue a life with Sarah is bound to be difficult, he is unprepared for the acrimony this leads to from not just his wife, but unexpectedly, from the grown daughter he thought would be understanding. No matter how sure they are that they belong together, things are more complicated than they thought, and the sacrices required might just be too hard.

Robinson's writing is staggeringly beautiful and evokes a wealth of intense emotions as she follows Sarah and Warren's painful journey. Soaring hearts and rekindled passions are all consuming at first, but when the couple have to get into the nitty-gritty of the things they must leave behind in order to be together, their idealistic dreams take a pounding - and interestingly this is not just about the impact of betrayal and hurt feelings on Warren's family and what this means for his future, but also how this affects Sarah's view of the things and places she has learned to find comfort in since her divorce, which I found very thought provoking.

This is one of those incredible books that you know will stay with you for ever, not just for the immensely powerful threads of yearning and heartbreak that are the riveting focus of Sarah and Warren's story. Robinson cleverly delves into other aspects of leaving and loss around multi-generational relationships that really resonate too. I loved how she weaves in Sarah's poignant memories of her parents, and the utterly compelling parallel story that plays out with her daughter left me breathless. Be prepared for tears...

Leaving is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback and ebook.

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

About the author:

Roxana Robinson is the author of six novels, three collections of short stories, and a biography of Georgia O’Keeffe. Her books have been chosen as New York Times Notable Books and as New York Times Editors’ Choices. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s and elsewhere. She is the recipient of many awards, including the Barnes & Noble “Writers for Writers” Award. She teaches in the MFA Program at Hunter College. She lives in Connecticut.

Gothic Horror Feature: Tales of the Damned by Matt Ralphs and Taylor Dolan and Escape Castle Dracula by

 

Tales of the Damned: A Collection of Classic Horror Stories by Matt Ralphs (Author), and Taylor Dolan (Illustrator).

Published 14th September 2023 by Big Picture Press.

From the cover of the book:

Tales of ghosts, monsters and murderers have terrified and delighted readers for thousands of years.

This spine-chilling collection features retellings of eight classic horror stories. From the disturbing short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, to gothic classics and chilling ghost stories, this striking anthology is the perfect introduction to the world of horror.

Includes:
Dracula
Frankenstein
The Masque of the Red Death
Bluebeard
And many more...

Written by Matt Ralphs and with vivid illustrations by artist Taylor Dolan.

Escape Castle Dracula by Sam Fern (Author), and Adam Allori (Illustrator).

Published 12th September 2024 by Big Picture Books.

From the cover of the book:

THE BLOODTHIRSTY COUNT DRACULA HAS TRAPPED YOU INSIDE HIS CASTLE!

CAN YOU ESCAPE?

Readers will be transported into the pages of 14 classic horror stories in their quest to escape from Count Dracula's castle. Aid Victor Frankenstein create his monster, help Dr Jekyll escape the clutches of Mr Hyde, and lay the vicious ghost of the headless horseman to rest forever. Trace your way through labyrinthine mazes and solve intricate puzzles, learning about some of the most terrifying tales in literature as you go.

Illustrated in astonishing detail by Adam Allori, this stylish and immersive puzzle book will appeal to readers of all ages.

***********

This spooky season I am celebrating with two wonderful books for Gothic horror lovers, which have kindly been gifted to me by Big Picture Press. Both are beautifully produced in hardback with full colour illustrations throughout (and splendid end papers), which are a feast for the eyes of even the most demanding lover of the macabre.

Tales of the Damned by Matt Ralphs, beautifully illustrated by Taylor Dolan, contains seven retellings of classic horror stories of varying lengths, and from different genres, such as The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and the traditional fairy tale Red Riding Hood. There is an eighth, chilling, original story to send shivers up your spine by Matt Ralphs too, entitled Vasilisa the Daughter. An intriguing introduction prefaces the collection, and each story is followed by a fascinating postscript delving into its history and special features. 

These tales are gruesome indeed, and absolutely perfect for an adult audience (older teens too). Ralphs does an excellent job in his retellings, and cleverly condenses down the essentials of the novels to maintain the atmosphere and story incredibly well. I thoroughly enjoyed them all.

Escape Castle Dracula by Sam Fern, intricately illustrated by Adam Allori, makes a great companion piece to Tales of the Damned. This book is a Gothic puzzle adventure for horror fans of all ages (middle grade upwards). The setting is Dracula's castle and an introduction by vampire hunter Van Helsing asks the reader to solve a series of challenging logic and observational puzzles based around classic Gothic stories, in order to escape the clutches of the Count and his vampiric lady friends. 

These are excellent fun and reference a lovely range of stories, from The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stephenson, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and even Shakespeare's Macbeth. The puzzles do not require prior knowledge of the stories (younger readers are unlikely to know most of them), but they are definitely more entertaining if you do know about the plots and characters involved. Many of them are pretty tricky to solve, which gives you lots of time to take in all the incredible detail in the pictures!

Both books would make great gifts for Gothic horror fans!

Tales of the Damned and Escape Castle Dracula are available to buy now.

Thank you to Big Picture Books for gifting me copies of these books in return for an honest review.

About the authors:

Matt Ralphs writes fiction and non-fiction for children. He has published books for Nosy Crow, Flying Eye, DK, Macmillan, Phaidon Kids, Templar, Big Picture Press, Titan Books and Oxford University Press. He lives in England on a boat called Nostromo.

Sam Fern grew up in a handful of quiet English villages, then went off to London for something to do. Inspired by anything fantastical, Sam's stories have been published in a number of literary magazines.

Adam Allori is a UK based concept artist and designer. He studied concept art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, Poland. Escape Castle Dracula will be his first book.

 

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen

 

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen.

Translated by David Hackston.

Published 24th October 2024 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder…

A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?

The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.

And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…

From the international bestselling author of The Man Who Died and The Rabbit Factor, comes a darkly funny, delightfully tense new thriller that showcases humanity at its most bare – in middle age, suspected of murder and, of course, in a sauna…

***********

When Ilmo Rӓty, heir apparent at the illustrious Steam Devil, is burned to a crisp in his home sauna, top salesperson Anni Korpinen, next in line as head of the steam-stove company,  falls under suspicion as the cold-blooded murderer. The thing is, Anni knows she is innocent, despite the damning evidence stacking up against her. Middle-aged Anni acknowledges she is not cut out to be a sleuth, but if she does not find out who really killed the unfortunate Ilmo from among her rivals fast, then she is in big trouble...

An Antti Tuomainen novel is always a breath of Finnish fresh air, full of dark humour and heart-felt emotion, weaving through a cracking crime story, and this is no exception. The story unfurls from the point of view of fifty-something Anni, who has spent the last twenty years working her way up to the top of the ladder selling the fine steam-stoves installed in the world's best saunas. She enjoys her job, which takes her away from the cares of a marriage that is long past its sell-by date, to a husband more interested in Formula one racing than her. 

Finding herself in the spotlight as number one suspect in a very odd murder, especially as she is now the likely successor to her boss, Erkki 'Stove King' Ruusula, Anni is up against it - but she is more of a Sherlock Holmes than she thinks herself to be. Digging into the shenanigans of her fellow employees at Stove Devil, she comes across some intriguing clues that might put her on the trail of the real killer... if she can stay alive long enough, of course.

All the delightfully absurd situations and characters I have come to expect in one of Tumainen's books are here, cleverly sprinkled throughout the story to provide Anni with perplexing trials to overcome - deliciously awkward conversations, ridiculous planted evidence (I give you enchantingly named, stolen 'bumlets', and sauna ladles in places they were never intended to be), a steam-stove client fixated on true crime, mambo-loving Erkki, and a police detective unable to let an old grudge about an enormous elk go... such fun! There is so much poignancy in many of these situations and relationships too, that Tuomainen touches on with tenderness in that gentle way he has - particularly around marital troubles, dementia, and second-chance love. And, as always, there is a left-of-field mystery that keeps you guessing right until the end. Excellent translation work from David Hackston once again too!

I loved Anni, and the way she transforms herself throughout this story, making her way out of the middle-aged rut she has fallen into, and reigniting the fire in her belly like the steam-stoves she sells, to battle the odds, banish her ghosts and find the happiness she deserves. 

Nordic noir the Antti Tuomainen way is an absolute joy.

The Burning Stones 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 in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. 

In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. 

With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller and has been released as a TV series, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’, and Little Siberia (2019) was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the prequel to The Moose Paradox and The Beaver Theory, will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios.

About the translator:

David Hackston is a British Translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The Hummingbird, The Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories. 

In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.

Because She Looked Away (Ronnie Blake Book One) by Alison Bruce

 

Because She Looked Away (Ronnie Blake Book One) by Alison Bruce.

Published 26th September 2024 by Constable.

From the cover of the book:

After the sudden death of her sister, devastated detective DS Ronnie Blake relocates to Cambridge to help her brother Alex raise their sister's young son, Noah. She reports for her first day but instead finds herself being questioned by a special investigations unit, nicknamed the DEAD Team.

With a small group of six, led by DI Fenton, the once-successful DEAD team has a single outstanding case, Operation Byron, and the failure to resolve it threatens the unit's existence. Their most promising lead is an anonymous note linking three seemingly unconnected people: a convicted fraudster, a dead academic... and Ronnie's sister Jodie.

When Ronnie is denied information about Operation Byron, she follows a lead slipped to her by Malachi, the youngest member of the team, and makes a discovery which links Operation Byron to a disturbing unsolved murder. She is rapidly drawn into an intricate web of deceit, buried secrets and tragedy and the discovery that her connection to Cambridge is far darker than she could ever have guessed.

***********

Still reeling from the sudden death of her sister, DS Ronnie Blake relocates to Cambridge to help her brother, Alex, raise the son she left behind, eight-year-old Noah. Ronnie knows this is going to bring big changes on the personal and professional fronts, but she does not expect her first day with the Cambridgeshire police force to be quite so strange.

Rather than getting back to work, Ronnie is called in to answer questions about her sister's death as part of Operation Byron, an extortion investigation being conducted by a special unit nicknamed the DEAD team. She is then unceremoniously sent home to await approval to recommence active duties.

Ronnie refuses to be kept in the dark about what her sister's death could possibly have to do with a spate of bizarre blackmail cases. Her persistence results in the new member of the team, Malachi, passing her a tip-off about three seemingly unconnected names that have been sent anonymously to the investigative team - one of them being the name of her sister. 

It is not long before Ronnie uncovers a lead which appears to connect Operation Byron to a shocking local murder, and she is seconded to the DEAD team to help with the investigation - with strict instructions not to venture into territory about her own sister's possible part in the case. But Ronnie, never known for her ability to work well with others, is determined to find out exactly why her sister died. She is unprepared for the dark secrets and lies she discovers in Cambridge's leafy environs - and quite what they mean for her own family...

This is the first part in a new crime series set in Cambridge by Alison Bruce, featuring DS Ronnie Blake. We meet Ronnie at a difficult time in her life when she is trying to adjust to taking on the unfamiliar role of co-parent to her young nephew, Noah, while also having to get used to living in a new city and beginning a new job.

If all this was not enough to cope with, Ronnie is thrown into the deep end of a difficult case that no one wants, within a team struggling for its own survival - not to mention one which gives her a whole new perspective on the death of her sister. Ronnie is not a team player, so suddenly having to work closely with a small group of officers she does not know is less than ideal, but unexpectedly she finds herself striking up a working relationship with young DC Malachi Henry, who is newly appointed to the team and still feels something of an outsider. It is a match made in heaven, and I loved how their relationship develops over the course of the story, with eager, wise-beyond-his-years, hot chocolate-loving Malachi knocking off some of the hard edges Ronnie has cultivated over the course of her career, as they go about giving Operation Byron the impetus it needs to reach a conclusion.

This is not your average police procedural, as it gives a fascinating oblique view of the workings of a force mired in tricky internal politics, with clashing personalities and complicated boundary issues, through the eyes of a tiny, specialst team desperate to prove themselves. Loose cannon Ronnie is caught between loyalties she does not fully understand, with an agenda of her own, and this feeds into all the beautifully wielded threads of mystery that run through the story. The Cambridge setting is so atmospheric, the pacing and build up of tension are spot-on, and Bruce knows how to create oodles of misdirection to have you casting a suspicious eye at practically every character when it comes to the chilling truth that lies behind a tangled web of dark deeds. 

Bruce explores lovely, wide-ranging themes in this book, examining different sides of family relationships; how much we really know about those close to us; ambition; corruption; academia; sexual violence; grief; and personal responsibility. The characters are well drawn, and she uses them nicely to evoke a whole range of keenly felt emotions - particularly when it comes to Ronnie and the way she is finally able to process the loss of her sister. Her relationship with Noah and her brother Alex, much like the budding partnership she forges with Malachi, provide much needed warmth to cut through the darker parts of the story too.

This is my first Alison Bruce novel and I am mightily impressed. I was drawn in from page one and remained completely absorbed right to the final page. What a cracking start to a new series - I cannot wait for book two! 

Because She Looked Away is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.

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

About the author:

Alison Bruce is the author of eight crime novels and two non-fiction titles. Her first novel, Cambridge Blue (2008), was described by Publishers Weekly as an ‘assured debut’ and introduced both detective, DC Gary Goodhew, and her trademark Cambridge setting. She went on to complete the DC Goodhew series with a further six novels before writing the psychological thriller I Did It for Us.

Alison Bruce was born in Croydon and grew up in Wiltshire before moving to Cambridgeshire in 1998. Alison worked as an electroplater, taxi driving and band promoter and spent ten years working in the IT industry before leaving to concentrate on completing her first novel.

Alison is a proud supporter of local libraries and is the patron of Lakenheath Library in Suffolk. Alison teaches creative writing at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.

The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side by Agatha Christie

 

The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 11th May 2023 by Harper Collins.

Originally published 1962.

From the cover of the book:

A movie star.
A deadly cocktail.
A murder.

When glamorous Marina Gregg came to live in St Mary Mead, tongues were sure to wag.

But, with a local gossip’s sudden death, has one tongue wagged a bit too much?

As the police chase false leads, and two more victims meet untimely ends, Miss Marple starts to ask her own questions.

What secrets might link a peaceful English village and a star of the silver screen?

Never underestimate Miss Marple...

***********

When aging movie star, Marina Gregg, moves to St Mary Mead, the locals can hardly contain themselves. There is lots of talk about the transformation of Gossington Hall, former home of Dolly Bantry who has retired to the East Lodge, particularly when it comes to marble bathrooms - and the chance for a glimpse of the make-over comes with the annual fete at the grounds of the Hall in aid of St John Ambulance.

Marina Gregg and her husband, film director Jason Rudd, open their doors to chosen members of the St Mary Mead community during the fete, including local do-gooder Heather Badcock, a life-long fan of the star. Everyone is shocked when a few minutes after boring her her idol with a long tale of a former meeting, Heather Badcock collapses and dies - a victim of a poisoning.

Who could have wanted to kill annoying, but apparently harmless Heather? Was the poison intended for another? Miss Marple has a few ideas...

Written in 1962, this book begins with Miss Marple reflecting on the the big changes that have happened in St Mary Mead, particularly when it comes to the 'development' which has attracted a whole new crowd of residents to the village. She is also very much regretting the meddlesome presence of nurse-companion Miss Knight, foisted on her with good intentions by her nephew Raymond, who insists on treating the wily old sleuth as a fragile creature in her dotage.

The fun begins when a murder happens at the newly transformed Gossington Hall, where Hollywood royalty, Marina Gregg, has set up home. Tongues which were already wagging are sent into over-drive speculating at the unlikely murder of one of the residents of the 'development'. Scotland Yard, under the auspices of my very favourite Marple detective, Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock, have a tough time working out exactly what has gone on here, but fortunately he is able to rely on the razor-sharp instincts of his 'aunt' Jane.

Christie has a ball in this story by delving into clashes between old and new, beginning within St Mary Mead itself and then broadening the plot to encompass the madness of the Hollywood film scene. As she always does well, social change and the passing years are examined with remarkable insight, but, ultimately, this mystery hinges on the timeless emotions that motivate us all, which Miss Marple understands - particularly when it comes to revenge.

There are some lovely interactions in this story. Miss Marple's quiet battle with Miss Knight is full of comic moments, and her conversations with Dermot are wonderful, with much twinkling on her side and admiration on his. Dolly is as marvellous as always, and proves key to unravelling the whole business with her observations about Tennyson's lyrical ballad The Lady of Shallot, which gives the novel its title. Many of the other characters are unlikeable for one reason or another, but this all adds to the delicious pot for Christie to exploit with her twisty imagination, and there is intriguing poignancy in the motive that drives the murderer to go on their killing spree - this is really one where you find yourself questioning what you would do under the circumstances too (or maybe that is just me?).

I had not read this one before, although was aware of the story from the excellent Joan Hickson adaptation (my favourite Miss Marple). Inevitably, there is much more to be enjoyed in Christie's original text, which was a joy.

This is my October pick for #ReadChristie2024 as a book written by Christie in the 1960s/70s and I loved it from start to finish. 

The Mirror Crack'd from Side To Side is available to buy 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.