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.

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.

Vigil For The Dead by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A desolate moor. A burned body. A deadly conspiracy.
DCI Tom Raven is enjoying the long summer days when an encounter with an old army pal spouting conspiracy theories reignites long-buried memories he would rather forget.

A few days later, walkers crossing the North York Moors discover the burnt remains of a body beside a stone cross on a Bronze Age burial mound.

When the investigation leads to a top-secret military base, Raven is drawn into a plot that threatens national security. He must confront his mixed emotions about his own military past while in a race against time to unravel the conspiracy and catch the killer.

When a small group of walkers found the charred remains of a dead body in a deserted stretch of the moors DCI Tom Raven and his team are called in to investigate. Their early inquiries lead them to a nearby military base and all too soon the secrets and red tape begins to pile up. Can Tom and his team uncover what really happened?

I’ve been greatly enjoying this series and found this to be an exceptional addition. I really enjoyed the progress of Tom’s character and that of his team as well. I was particularly pleased that they’re all growing and moving on in their own ways and at their own rate. That felt very realistic and logical to me. While parts of the plotline felt a little far-fetched to me, the author didn’t stretch the boundaries of my disbelief too much and while I’m not sure all readers will enjoy some of the twists in the plot overall, I think most mystery readers should find the various overlaps and the multiple layers to the plot a solid and enjoyable read.

I also am getting used to the author regularly allows the last few pages to be a bit of a foreshadowing into the next book and while nothing very cliff-hanger-ish or spoilery occurred, I definitely have learned to have the next book or two on hand just in case I find myself desperate to read the next one hard on the heels of the current one.

A solid and well-paced British police procedural style of mystery novel this is a great series and an author I am growing to be a big fan of. With a solid cast of characters and a lovely smaller town setting I found this to be an easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable story.

Killing By Numbers by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A work of art. A mysterious number. A secret worth killing for.

When reclusive artist, Gabriel Quinn, is gunned down outside a gallery on Oxford High Street, Detective Inspector Bridget Hart investigates the world of contemporary art, where paintings can change hands for millions in the auction room.

Bridget is convinced that the last words spoken by the artist – a mysterious code of 8 digits and a letter – are key to unravelling the mystery of his death.

But when her ex-husband, Ben, now a senior detective with the Metropolitan Police in London shows up with new information about the murdered man, Bridget’s personal and professional lives are brought crashing together with dramatic consequences.

After her success with leading her first murder investigation, DI Bridget Hart is enjoying a well-earned day off and looking forward to a date later that evening at the opera. Her relaxing day is toppled, however, when she’s called in on a new investigation. A young artist has been shot outside a gallery on Oxford High Street and it’s up to Bridget and her team to discover what’s going on.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was very pleased to find this second book just as enjoyable. A solid British Police procedural style of murder mystery set in Oxford I found the pace and plotting to be well written and enjoyable to follow along as it unfolded. I really enjoyed the various characters of the main team and found the few secondary characters in Bridget’s personal life to be equally well written and an excellent source to round out Bridget and her day-to-day life.

There’s a bit of understandable conflict between Bridget and her teenage daughter. While I admit I found it a little annoying that Chloe was the typical teenager I have to give kudos to the authors for the fact she is realistic and utterly relatable to anyone who knows young adults around that difficult age. This also added some conflict to the plot without dropping too far into the usual “love life is a disaster” arena which gets a lot of use in many series like this.

Readers looking for a slightly different (i.e. non-Met, non-London based) British mystery should find this a refreshing change of pace. I liked it and am eager for the next in the series.

Deep Into That Darkness by M S Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A cold case to solve. New truths to uncover. A killer to catch.
When the body of one of his own colleagues is found in Scarborough harbour, DCI Tom Raven throws himself into finding out what led to the young man’s death.

The killing shows similarities to the unsolved murder of the victim’s own mother. Might his off-the-books investigation into her case have got him into deep water? Or could his death be related to the attacks on women that are taking place at night? The dead man left a trail of cryptic clues to his final movements that might lead Raven to the truth.

Drawn into Scarborough’s shady night life in his quest to find the killer, Raven faces temptations of his own.

When the body of one of their own is found floating in Scarborough Harbour, DCI Raven and his team know they need to pull out all the stops. Fairly certain from the beginning this tragic death is linked to a cold case from almost a decade ago, DCI Raven knows reopening the case will open fresh wounds for a number of people. But links between the cold case and a recent spate of assaults is soon hard to ignore, and the more the team investigate the previous cases, the more questions they find unanswered. Can they solve this before it’s too late for another of their own?

I have been enjoying these Yorkshire British mysteries and found this to be a really good addition. I definitely feel these two authors are starting to hit their stride and I really enjoyed this story. I found the team is really beginning to pull together and work cohesively together, I thought the plot was complicated enough to keep me guessing well into the story – and I was thrilled when, for the first time so far, the ending of this book didn’t directly hint or lead into the next one. I found that very refreshing.

A well plotted British police procedural style of book, I thought this plot had enough hooks and twists it should appeal to a wide range of mystery readers. While seeming very simple at the beginning I enjoyed the fact there were layers and complications that made the mystery a lot deeper than I had originally expected. I also enjoyed that while there were parts of the story I easily guessed, other parts took me by surprise so I think this book certainly should keep many readers guessing well into the story.

With interesting characters, a great police team and plenty of plot this was a good book.

The Dying of the Year by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A hit and run. A suspicious death. A vendetta.

Sam Earnshaw’s recovery from a year-long coma should be an occasion for celebration. Instead, he reveals that the hit and run incident that left him close to death was no accident. Someone deliberately pushed him into the path of a speeding vehicle.

As DCI Tom Raven leads the investigation into the attempted murder, he soon uncovers a web of dark secrets and lies. The attempt on Sam’s life is not the first time a killer has struck.

And it won’t be the last.

As the bodies mount up, Raven is forced into a race against time, whilst facing serious questions about his own life and future.

After a full year of sitting by the bedside of her comatose boyfriend, Becca is thrilled when – against all the odds – Sam finally wakes up. She is horrified, however, when Sam tells her the hit and run which had led to his coma all this time was an accident. Sam quickly insists this was not an accident at all, but that he’d been solidly pushed in front of that oncoming van. Becca rushes to tell her boss, DCI Raven and the team quickly goes about reinvestigating the case from a year earlier. Can they uncover what really went on after all this time?

I have been thoroughly enjoying this series and was pleased that this third installment was just as well plotted and well written as the two previous books. While the authors have a somewhat bad habit of strongly teasing the following book in the final few pages of the present book – not quite a cliffhanger ending but more than just a foreshadowing or tease – I can find little else that is wrong with this series. I enjoy the small and well-rounded cast of characters. The four main members of the team are well drawn and unique enough I can easily enjoy their strengths and weaknesses. I was also very impressed that this book – as have the others – stood well alone. There is very little baggage left over from previous books and so I strongly feel readers can pick this book by itself and still thoroughly enjoy the mystery within.

I was pleased a blast from Raven’s past came back into this story. There is very little carry over from his previous life in London and I saw this small opening into Raven’s past both interesting and well plotted into the story. The ongoing renovation to Raven’s house – a small bit of normalcy and amusement to my mind – helps keep the story rooted in reality and the different layers to the main mystery plot were all well handled.

Readers who enjoy a slightly slower paced British police procedural style of story should find this an enjoyable read and worth their time. I found the plot was woven quite well together and entirely believable.

Beneath Cold Earth by M S Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A buried skeleton. A dark conspiracy. A ruthless killer.
When flash floods unearth a human skeleton at a local beauty spot, DCI Tom Raven is called to investigate. Who is the dead man, and how did he end up there?

Help is on hand from forensic anthropologist Dr Chandice Jones who enjoys the challenge of working with old bones. But is Raven one challenge too many for her?

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Becca Shawcross is called to a local nursing home where an elderly resident has taken his own life. The death appears to be a routine case of suicide, but Becca has her suspicions. Could foul play be involved?

As the two investigations widen, Raven and Becca begin to find common threads. And when things take a sinister turn, they must work together to untangle the connections between the two deaths.

Because some secrets are best left buried.

When local flooding uncovers a long-buried skeleton DCI Tom Raven is intrigued, and even more committed when the beautiful forensic anthropologist Dr Chandice Jones can give him some of the answers he seeks. Meanwhile DS Becca Shawcross is convinced that a local elderly man did not commit suicide as his caregivers appear to believe, and when the evidence supports her intuition she finds herself quickly uncovering more than she ever expected. Can Becca and Tom each uncover the truth behind their respective mysteries?

This is the second book revolving around DCI Raven and his small team and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very well written British police procedural I definitely enjoyed the two main plots in this story. While I felt it a little cliched when the two threads wove together it didn’t feel overly fake or forced. I did however particularly like how it was Becca who joined the two cases together before Tom managed to find the links. I found that very cool.

I also really enjoyed a number of the secondary characters in this book – especially Violet in the nursing home. The only thing I do feel readers should be aware of is while the plot is very well handled and wrapped up in this book one of the longer story arcs revolving around Becca did end on somewhat of a cliffhanger. Readers who hate one book ending and it being fairly necessary to begin the next book immediately might need to ensure they have book 3 readily on hand. As this second book certainly finishes right where book three is about to begin and where from the blurb it appears the next investigation is right about to start.

I found this to be a well plotted murder mystery with two solid plots that interwove together very well. I am thoroughly enjoying the strong cast of secondary characters, and I also greatly enjoyed the strong historical context to this particular murder mystery. While there is somewhat of a cliffhanger ending which is clearly leading into the next book the plot itself is very well contained in this story and I do feel readers can certainly pick up this book and read it very much as a standalone. I am eager for the next in the series.

The Landscape Of Death by MS Morris
Publisher: Landmark Media
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A Murder. A Homecoming. A Day of Reckoning.
A man’s body washes up on a beach on the North Yorkshire coast with a single gunshot wound to the chest. The only clue to the victim’s identity is a ring engraved with two names.

DCI Tom Raven is back in his hometown of Scarborough for the first time in over thirty years. When offered the chance to lead the murder investigation, he takes it.

Raven quickly discovers that the prime suspect is his once teenage friend, now a wealthy but shady businessman. He finds an ally in Detective Sergeant Becca Shawcross, but not everyone in the team is on his side.

As Raven delves into the case, he is forced to confront the events that drove him away from Scarborough so many years ago. Given a chance to undo past mistakes, he must make the biggest decision of his life. But first he must learn who he can trust. Because lies can kill.

DCI Tom Raven left his hometown of Scarborough more than thirty years ago. He swore he’d never return, but when his father dies Tom decides to take a short break from his job at The Met and bury the man he hadn’t seen in three decades. When a man’s body washes up on the North Yorkshire beach, Tom finds himself drawn to investigate. He’d never considered returning home, but with little outside work to draw him back to London, he finds himself tempted to stay and close this case.

I found this to be an interesting and very well written British police procedural style of book. There are a number of strong secondary characters, and I enjoyed how while some felt a little overblown to me, the main core of the police team seemed varied, interesting and mostly realistic. I also enjoyed the way the authors managed to balance some areas of cliché along with a few new twists and freshness. It helped keep the plot moving well to my mind and when I’d think I had a good idea of what was going to happen something would turn slightly and I’d be back eagerly turning the pages.

Readers who prefer a more action-orientated plot might find this pace a little slow, but I really did prefer how there was enough detail and clues that the reader really could follow along and put it all together with the main characters. I am eager to read the next in the series.