The Crime Warp

On November 7 th 1843 a young woman is found poisoned in Bromley, Kent, yet no one was ever arrested for this murder. This is an intriguing historical case the author Elisabeth Haynes uncovered while doing research at the National Archives in Kew for a different project. As a well-regarded author of novels and psychological thrillers, this compelling and well-written version of this true crime is a departure for her.  Drawing on coroner’s reports and witness statements, Haynes tries to reconstruct what actually happened on that fateful day, who might have been the perpetrator and the possible reason for this murder. In the process she creates a fascinating cast of characters all based on real people who knew Harriet, a victim in so many ways.   I don’t often come across murder mysteries where the murderer gets away with it. But that’s what happens more often than we like to admit, and even more so in the 19 th Century when forensic techniques were still in t...

Paradise Trees  Blurb He had found exactly the right spot in the woods. A little clearing, green and dim, encircled by tall trees. He would bring his lovely Helen here… This time, it was going to be perfect. When Alicia Bryson returns to her childhood home in a tiny Yorkshire village, she finds her estranged father frail and unab le to care for himself. Her daughter Jenny is delighted at the prospect of a whole summer playing in the woods at the bottom of the garden, but as soon as Alicia sets foot in Lower Banford, strange and disturbing memories begin to plague her. What happened in her father’s house, all those years ago? But coping with the uncertainty and arranging Bob's care plan aren’t Alicia’s only problems. Unknown to her, she has a stalker. Someone is watching, waiting, making plans of his own. To him, Alicia and Jenny are his beautiful Helens… and they should be in Paradise. Author bio Linda Huber grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, but went to work in...

Right up front I will admit my guilt and offer a full and frank confession – I am a history buff. There you go, not only am I a history buff – I also like to buff up on crime. And when history meets crime, well then ladies and gentlemen, that is what I call bliss. I had the great good fortune to come across ´Bloodmoon´ a historical mystery set in AD 671 written by Peter Tremayne. I loved the premise of Bloodmoon – Fidelma, a feisty Celtic noblewoman chasing down a dastardly crime in very early Christian Ireland, helped by her fusty East-Angles (not Saxon!) husband Eadulf and torque wearing and (at least in my mind) dishy Irish warrior Enda.  And if you thought that that this clever female crime-solver, lawyer and religious leader is an unlikely heroine for this period of history, think again. Peter Tremayne scores full marks for giving Celtic women their moment in history and illuminating not only a well crafted crime, but also shedding light on the indpendence and...

Today I’d like to introduce part 1 of a selection of interesting crime and mystery books. I hope you will find something that will pique your interest and keep you company as the nights draw in and the weather turns.  Exile by James Swallow : The second spy thriller featuring disgraced MI6 spy Marc Dane. A rollercoaster of action involving Somali pirates, vicious Eastern European gangs, a nuclear terrorist threat… A worthy follow-on to the popular ‘Nomad’. Published in 2017 by Zaffre. I’ll follow that with something unusual: The Parentations by Kate Mayfield . It’s not a crime novel but a sort of time-travel magical fiction novel with an element of mystery. Spanning three centuries in a London and Iceland setting, several related individuals find themselves having to guard a child from a gang who to seek to kidnap the boy to discover the secret that binds these mysterious people. Would you want to be immortal? How many lifetimes would you last before wanting to die?...