In Love And Murder by MS Morris

October 24, 2025 By Leave a Comment


In Love And Murder by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

Deception. Death. A Deal with the Devil.

When Dr Nathan Frost, a lecturer in German literature at Oxford University, is invited to a lavish party at the country house of a wealthy businessman, he knows there’ll be a price to pay. After all, as an expert on the legend of Faust and Mephistopheles, he can recognise a deal with the devil easily enough. But even he’s not expecting such a sinister end to the evening.

Called to investigate a suspicious death at a country house, Detective Inspector Bridget Hart is surprised to find a government minister among the party guests. Her team must navigate powerful interests to find the truth. But in a world of favours, backhanders and corruption, nothing is as it seems and nobody can be trusted.

Set amongst the dreaming spires of Oxford University, the Bridget Hart series is perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, JR Ellis, Faith Martin and classic British murder mysteries.

DI Bridget Hart and her team are called in to a local university when one of their Professors wakes up after a house party sleeping next to a young dead college student. The lecturer admits he has no recollection of the evening before after feeling unwell and going to bed. With numerous important people at the party and plenty of pressure for quick answers, can DI Hart navigate her way around the various conflicting accounts of that evening?

I have been enjoying this series and find that it has a good balance between the mystery of the British police procedural mystery and various growth and sub-plots involving the secondary characters and their personal lives. While it seems DI Hart’s personal life is finally starting to even out a little I was interested that two of her team members seemed to be entering murky waters. I thought the workplace romance – and all the issues that can cause – strongly relatable, but admit I was a little disappointed both by the cliched aspect of the “misunderstandings/jealousy” theme and also how both the characters fell into the trap of miscommunication. While utterly relatable and very common, I do find it a little annoying sometimes how cliched this sort of sub-plot can come across at times.

That said, I admit the romantic entanglements of the team made an excellent contrast to the murder plot, and made the various characters extremely realistic and empathetic. I also found the mystery plot itself interesting and set at a good pace. I was pleased that there were aspects to the plot I did guess early on, but there were still a few twists I didn’t see coming so I felt both proud of my own investigative skills but remained interested because there were enough aspects that were fresh and surprising to me.

I found this to be a very well written and solidly plotted British murder mystery. I am enjoying this series and can strongly recommend both the author and these works.

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The Curator by M.W. Craven

October 22, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Curator by M.W. Craven
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It’s Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6

Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren’t even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?

And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn’t think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he’s dealing with someone far, far worse – a man who calls himself the Curator.

And nothing will ever be the same again . . .

It’s Christmas, but when what appears to be a serial killer leaves a pair of severed fingers from three victims all over Cumbria Washington Poe, Tilly and their team are called in to try and work out what’s really going on. And while their boss, Stephanie Flynn is heavily pregnant and refusing to start her maternity leave, there are more than a few things on each of their minds. Can Poe and Tilly figure out who is behind everything before their time runs out?

I have been greatly enjoying this series but found this to be a particularly strong addition. While I don’t feel it necessary to have read both the previous books to thoroughly enjoy this third outing, I must admit I feel I enjoyed the deeper emotional connection I had knowing about Poe, Tilly and Flynn’s previous cases and shared working history. I believe I would have still thoroughly enjoyed this story had I picked it up alone – but I’m glad I’ve read the previous two and can strongly recommend them as well.

I also absolutely loved how about halfway through the book the entire plot was pretty much thrown on its head. I thought the author wrote this part exceptionally well as it fundamentally changed the whole plotline without making Poe or any of the police officers seem like idiots. I can’t recall reading a book previously where such a massive twist occurred without much forewarning and wasn’t due to severe ineptitude on the detective’s part, so I really thought this was an excellent twist and made the second half of the book even more intense to my mind.

While many British police procedurals have a slow and steady pace – as this one does also – I absolutely feel there is a steady ramping up of the intensity and I admit I had to stay up past my bedtime (on a work night too!) to read the last 10% of the story because I simply couldn’t put it down and go to sleep, I needed to know how it all unfolded.

An excellent book and a brilliant series, one I am happily and thoroughly addicted to.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Dragon’s Breath by Rhys Dylan

October 13, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Dragon’s Breath by Rhys Dylan
Publisher: Wyrmwood Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

In the mountains, some secrets are deadlier than the storms.

A man wanders lost on a filthy night in the Black mountains of Wales.

Despite the valiant efforts of the rescue services, he does not survive.

Is this an accident? Or malice aforethought?

DCI Warlow and team are drawn into a mystery that soon spirals into more deaths and a poisonous trade.

A devious killer is abroad. One that cares for nothing other than their own twisted greed. The dragon’s breath taints everything it touches.

And no one is safe.

DCI Warlow and his team are called in to investigate when a young electrician is left to die in a remote region in the Black Mountains. With plenty of questions – and a distraught family left behind – can they unravel what really happened, when everything merely leads to more questions.

I have been greatly enjoying this series and found this to be a particularly strong addition to the collective. While it’s clear there is plenty of working history and connections now between the team, I still found this mystery to be suitable for new readers to pick up and begin fresh. While there are a few references to things that occurred in previous books broadly speaking I thought there was nothing too onerous or difficult for readers to easily pick up and understand. More importantly, the murder mystery within this book was clearly defined and contained in this story.

I admit I felt a greater connection to the characters knowing their shared history. I was also pleased the team’s personal lives all seemed to make some good progress. In particular DCI Warlow had a breakthrough that’s been clearly needed for at least the last few books, and we also had some good progress with Catrin and her personal storyline which was just lovely to see. This all felt really satisfying along with a very well written murder mystery. I was pleased that I guessed quite a bit of the plot – but there were still enough surprises and freshness to the plot that some of the twists I didn’t see coming at all.

I found this to be a good balance between characters personal story arcs progressing and a well written and deeply interesting murder mystery. The Welsh setting was an absolutely bonus – and this remains the only Welsh mystery series I know of. A lovely change of pace and tone to the more usual British police procedural style of books and a series I can strongly recommend. Thoroughly enjoyable.

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The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham

October 8, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Dying Hours by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Recently demoted for stepping out of line once too often, prickly inspector Tom Thorne is convinced that a spate of suicides among the elderly in south London is something more sinister. When his concerns are dismissed by former colleagues at the CID, and even by his patient girlfriend, Thorne can only trust himself and his best friend—gay pub-crawling pathologist Phil Hendricks—with his suspicions of murder.

Thorne draws a chilling connection between the deaths and a controversial case three decades old. But by going solo with his investigation, he not only risks the lives of those closest to him, but also further endangers those being targeted by a deranged killer—a man with the power and cold-blooded motives to coerce his vulnerable victims toward a breathtaking end.

Recently demoted Tom Thorne pushed his luck too far in his previous case and – to the glee of some of the upper brass – has been newly demoted back into Uniform. Booted from his beloved Murder Investigations, cut off from his usual team and colleagues, Tom is hating his day to day grind and trying desperately to keep his head above water. When Tom is convinced a cluster of elderly suicides is related no one will listen to him, and even when he swallows his pride and asks for someone to look into it further he is brutally brushed off and put in his place. Willing to risk everything – including the trust and livelihoods of the very few friends he has remaining – can Tom gamble everything on what he becomes more and more convinced is a killer who equally has absolutely nothing to lose and a mission to complete.

I have found this to be an interesting, gritty and at times even harsh British police procedural series. While the main character – Tom Thorne – has often pushed the boundaries and irked his superiors his previous case ended on a desperate note and Thorne reacted accordingly. Unlike his many previous times, this case resulted in his demotion and removal from his beloved Murder team. I found this massive shift in Thorne’s duties to be gripping reading and an interesting change of pace. I was pleased that much of his character remains unchanged and his sense of self and purpose while battered appears intact.

Readers picking this book up with no prior experience may find there are a few gaps they need to fill but I definitely think this book can still be enjoyed on it’s own merits. The writing is quite British and the tone of the book (and series, really) is quite different to many other murder mysteries. This might not be a comfortable tone for many readers, but I have been really enjoying it for the most part.

I equally liked how there were snippets through the book from the killer’s perspective. As the reader I was heartened to know that Thorne wasn’t going off the deep end (as some other characters thought) but watching Thorne struggle and put everything together was the usual gripping read. While still not a comfortable read I definitely feel this book should be suitable for most mystery readers, especially those who like a more British style of gritty plotline.

A strongly plotted and well paced mystery – I’m eager for the next book.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Do No Evil by MS Morris

October 3, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Do No Evil by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Old friendships. Dark secrets. Deadly lies.

When Detective Inspector Bridget Hart returns to her old Oxford college for a reunion dinner, she’s hoping for a fun weekend catching up with old friends. But the reunion takes a macabre turn when body parts are served up at the college feast, and one of her friends is found murdered.

With Bridget’s arch rival Inspector Baxter leading the murder enquiry, and herself a potential suspect, Bridget is forbidden from taking part in the investigation. But that doesn’t stop her from carrying out her own private enquiries.

Bridget soon realises that the murderer is someone known to her. And as the weekend continues and more bodies are found, it becomes clear that they will stop at nothing to get what they want. Can Bridget uncover the dark secrets of the past in time to halt the killing, or will she be next on the murderer’s list?

Set amongst the dreaming spires of Oxford University, the Bridget Hart series is perfect for fans of Elly Griffiths, JR Ellis, Faith Martin and classic British murder mysteries.

DI Bridget Hart has returned to her old college for a reunion dinner. Having lost touch with even her closest friends from those much younger and happier days, Bridget is equal parts excited and dreading the reconnection to her past. Before the night can really get under way though – body parts are served in the soup bowl laid before the head of the table at the college feast. Even though she can’t officially investigate, Bridget finds she has more at stake with this case than any previous one she has come across.

This is the third book in this series, and I am quite enjoying it. While it’s a very solidly plotted British police procedural murder mystery set it Oxford, I was pleased that this book really stands quite well on its own. As this book is still quite early in the series there isn’t a huge amount of baggage – or history – between the team members, and I actually quite enjoyed having a very different character leading the investigation and knocking heads with Bridget.

There is a sort-of blossoming romance between two of Bridget’s team which I also found added a bit of interest to the story and these things along with the solid mystery plot really helped the book feel well rounded to me and multi-dimensional.

Readers who are used to faster paced novels – or more action orientated books might not find the pace of this story suits their tastes. And British mysteries often have a bit of a different tone or voice to them – so I can understand if this book isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. With a number of different characters circling around, a well written and layered plot and even a bit of “closed room” mystery aspect to it this book really ticked a lot of good boxes for me and I look forward to the next one in the series.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Shhh! A Flash Fiction Library by Matthew Roy Davey

October 2, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Shhh! A Flash Fiction Library by Matthew Roy Davey
Publisher: Chapeltown Books
Genre: Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Welcome to the flash fiction library where the shelves are groaning with bitesize fiction.

Libraries are quiet places, ordered places, places of intellect, culture and civilization. But hiding inside are words that can explode like bombs, words to anger and appall, to titillate and tease, words to amuse and entertain. Which will you choose to read first?

Matthew Roy Davey offers us a wealth of bijou tales in his perfectly formed Shhh!

If one can’t decide what to read, why not read a little of everything?

One of my favorite tales in this collection was “A Tent on a Hill.” It showed what happened to a student named Henry who kept staring at a tent on a nearby hill instead of listening to his teacher. He had good reasons for his attention difficulties that were revealed later on, but what I really enjoyed about his days at school was how curious he was about the world around him. What a sweet and imaginative kid he seemed to be!

Some of these pieces were so short and sparse that I struggled to connect with them. This is something I’m saying as a reader who enjoys flash fiction in general, but I do need something vivid or unusual for my mind to latch onto for stories that are only a few paragraphs long. “All That I’ve Done” was one example of this. It was written from the perspective of a serial killer who had an unusual regret in life. If only he or she had more time to explain to the reader why this was so important to them!

“Ball Bag Stew,” which followed a group of scientists who had just received a message from extraterrestrials living on a faraway planet in another solar system, was another good read. I was intrigued by how these characters reacted to the news that other intelligent beings exist in our universe as well as by what they decided to do with this information. This could have easily been a much longer piece, but I was satisfied by what was shared.

Shhh! A Flash Fiction Library was an interesting mixture of genres.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Last Throw by Rhys Dylan

October 1, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Last Throw by Rhys Dylan
Publisher: Wyrmwood Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

This time, it’s more than personal.

Within the tranquil confines of a west Wales village, peace gives way to pandemonium as a trivial theft transforms into a devastating tragedy.

DCI Evan Warlow confronts what initially appears to be a straightforward case, only to find himself ensnared in a web of deceit. And when a routine press assignment also exposes a team member to a malevolent scheme, chaos begins to spiral.

From idyllic coastlines to rugged peaks, Warlow races across diverse landscapes in pursuit of answers and to foil a deadly adversary. In an electrifying narrative of suspense and sacrifice, he must forge unconventional alliances to tilt the scales in his favour before it’s too late.

DCI Warlow and his team are called in when a robbery at a remote convenience store appears to end in the car park in a murder. Before the team can really grapple with the conflicting evidence one of their own falls into mortal peril and the team need to divide their time between their fresh murder case – and a situation that is anything but routine.

I have been greatly enjoying this series and the more personal case in this story has been brewing for the last few books. In that sense it was a relief to finally have both some momentum on this case but many of the threads for this have now been tied up. This author has a tendency to frequently leave some items of various plotlines weave through multiple books so I was really happy to see a few of these finally resolved, though do admit there are clearly a few items still remaining for the next few books.

I also really loved how Rhys finally got to really spear-head his own case here. As one of the junior members of the team I was impressed and quite happy to see how far he’s grown and come in this series and while there was of course still some oversight from the senior members I had a lot of pride and emotional investment in Rhys and his flourishing in his career so that was wonderful to read.

While I do think this book can be read independently there is still a fair bit of cross over now between previous books. I feel the plots and team members can be enjoyed just with this story – but for a richer and more emotional connection I do feel at least some of the previous books should be read for a deeper understanding. This is a series worth the investment.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Murder In The Family by Faith Martin

September 25, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Murder In The Family by Faith Martin
Publisher: Joffe Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Fern

15–year-old Billy Davies is found dead in his father’s shed. A pair of gardening shears thrust brutally into his chest.

DI Hillary Greene tries to get to the bottom of this baffling crime.

How had Billy come into contact with such a vicious killer? Who wanted him dead and why? The investigation reveals that the teenager was not such an innocent young man.

Meanwhile, Hillary’s having a tough time at work. She’s been passed over for promotion, and her reliable constable Tommy Lynch is to be transferred out. But Hillary won’t let distractions get in the way of solving crimes.

To catch this killer, Hillary will need to dig deep into the dark secrets of a small community.

DI Hillary Greene and her team are called onto the murder of a 15 year old teenage boy. Found stabbed in his father’s shed, there doesn’t appear to be an easy explanation as to who – or why – anyone would want his young man dead. As Hillary and her team investigate, they only really turn up more questions and no real motive for such a vicious killing. Can they work out what happened before anything else happens?

I’ve been really enjoying this series with a strong, single and forty-something female lead character. While in many ways a standard British Police Procedural story I find the characters – and Hillary’s in particular – refreshing and different enough to really capture and retain my attention. I also enjoyed the fact that this wasn’t an easy plotline and while the victim had been up to a number of shenanigans nothing initially seemed to warrant murder and in particular it took a bit of digging for the characters to really get a feel for what might have been going on in the background.

With a number of solid secondary characters – and the definite wind of change appearing to come through the series on a personal note for a number of these supporting team members – this story felt fresh, and the overall arc of the series seemed like there was no chance of things getting stale. Finally, I did enjoy that it appears Hillary might also be getting a bit of a personal sub-plot in the coming few books with a few interesting character twists as well.

I found this to be a well-rounded series with interesting characters, a well written and paced plotline and a good dollop of British police procedural murder-mystery. Readers who enjoy this genre should give this book a try – or even go back to the start of the series and enjoy them all. It’s worth the trip.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Good As Dead by Mark Billingham

September 23, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Good As Dead by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

The Crime

The customers in a London convenience store are taken captive. Among them is young mother, Detective Helen Weeks. She is told her life depends on the co-operation of one of her colleagues – detective Tom Thorne.

The Demand

Akhtar is desperate to know what really happened to his beloved son, who died a year before in prison. He is convinced the death was not an accident and forces the one man who knows more about the case than any other, Thorne, to re-investigate.

The Twist

What Thorne discovers will upend everything he thought he knew about the fate of those he’s put away…but will it be enough to fulfill the wishes of a grieving and potentially violent father?

Single mother and police officer Helen Weeks stops off in her local newsagents on her daily morning stop on the way to work. Waiting at the till it’s the last place she expects to come across any violence – and in the blink of the eye she finds herself being held hostage. The Indian owner has finally been pushed over the edge and his only demand is that DI Tom Thorne re-investigate the sudden death of the newagent’s son a year earlier in youth custody. Thorne immediately springs into action and is quickly astonished to find that the death really is suspicious and well worth looking into again.

I have found this to be an excellent British police procedural style mystery series – gritty and at times bleak. These last few books have been a little less harsh and while I still find these books gripping Thorne is definitely growing as a character and has a few – tenuous – connections and relationships. The fact a civilian and police officer are being held hostage absolutely gives this book a push into making crazy fast decisions and Thorne definitely crosses a few lines to keep the momentum of the case moving forward. Readers looking for a gentle or softer style of police mystery might not find what they’re after here – but readers who have some experience of this series should absolutely know what a ride they’re in for.

I was pleased this book resolved everything within the confines of the book – occasionally the author can leave threads hanging or leave small items unresolved and I was glad that didn’t occur here. Indeed we’re given a brief glimpse of Thorne sorting through the consequences of his actions and I really enjoyed this resolution to the story and his actions. I was very happy with the ending of this book and am eager to begin the next in the series.

Readers looking for a gritty, fast paced British mystery should find this an enjoyable book. While it’s definitely not required to read anything previous to this to thoroughly enjoy the story, characters and plotline I will admit having at least a few of the previous DI Tom Thorne books under you belt will help the reader understand the style and set up of the series and might make this a richer and deeper experience. That said, it would be just fine to pick this book up by itself and begin enjoying this series immediately.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien by Brit Griffin

September 22, 2025 By Leave a Comment


The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien by Brit Griffin
Publisher: Latitude 46
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A gothic tale from deep within the boreal forest…

Violence and greed have intruded into a wild and remote land. It’s 1907, and silver fever has drawn thousands of men into a fledgling mining camp in the heart of the wilderness. Modesto O’Brien, fortune-teller and detective, is there too – but he isn’t looking for riches. He’s seeking revenge.

O’Brien soon finds himself entangled with the mysterious Nail sisters, Lucy and Lily. On the run from their past and headed for trouble, Lily turns to O’Brien when Lucy goes missing. But what should have been a straightforward case of kidnapping pulls O’Brien into a world of ancient myths, magic, and male violence.

As he searches for Lucy, O’Brien fears that dark forces are emerging from the ravaged landscape. Mesmerized by a nightmarish creature stalking the wilderness, and haunted by his past, O’Brien struggles to maintain his grip on reality as he faces hard choices about loyalty, sacrifice, and revenge.

Sometimes a kernel of truth is more than enough to get things started.

One of my favorite horror tropes is the existence of ominous woods, and the nearly-endless forests described in this tale were definitely filled with danger. I’ll leave it up to other readers to decide for themselves where the supernatural explanations ended and the realistic one began for the many ways a person could be injured or die out there, but what I can say is that the ambiguity of that in certain scenes only made me more interested in parsing out all of the possibilities.

The large cast of characters meant that I didn’t get to know most of the characters as well as I would have liked to and I sometimes mixed their names up. It would have been helpful to have more time to figure out who was who, perhaps with more vivid descriptions of their personalities, interests, and physical features so that I could more easily imagine what it would be like to meet them. As much as I wanted to give this tale a higher rating, my confusion in this area prevented me from doing so.

This was a good example of how to keep an audience guessing with exactly the right number of clues about what was really going on. The mystery storyline was my favourite one, and I kept changing my mind about what might happen next. There is definitely something to be said for keeping an audience on their toes. Reading this made me hope that the author releases another book soon as I’d sure like to have the opportunity to review it.

The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien was deliciously scary.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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