MJ Porter, author

I’m reviewing The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman #bookreview #blogtour #historicalfiction

I’m reviewing The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman #bookreview #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

A young Englishman captured by slavers must survive the snakepit that is seventeenth-century Venice.

1604. As pirates seeking slaves to sell in the markets of North Africa terrorise the coasts of Europe, headstrong Richard Sheriff and his sister Elizabeth are torn from their Devonshire home and thrust into a waking nightmare.

Richard’s skills as a blacksmith see him fetch a high price, but the pirate captain has other plans for Elizabeth and once they are separated, Richard has no idea of his sister’s fate. They must both learn to survive on a deadly voyage into the unknown.

Sold into servitude in Venice: glittering, vicious city of secrets, he is apprenticed to a knife maker. Richard’s talents soon win him renown… but haunted by his sister’s absence, he vows never to stop looking for her, knowing she would do the same for him.

First he must survive that city of ghosts. Will the siblings live to see each other again, or will they join the myriads lost to Venice, where life is cheap, profit is all, and escape nigh-on impossible?

A powerful historical adventure perfect for fans of Kate Mosse, Ken Follett and Robert Harris.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knife-Maker-Venice-David-Gilman/dp/1035910373

https://www.amazon.com/Knife-Maker-Venice-David-Gilman/dp/1035910373

My Review

The Knife Maker of Venice is a chunk of a book, following the events that befall Richard and Elizabeth, starting with a good punch, before moving somewhat into the future.

It is fraught with peril for our two main characters, although they’re far from the only two voices we hear. Richard is almost unbearably headstrong, and gets himself into many scrapes. Elizabeth is far from the naive individual we might originally suspect, although her story is teased out more slowly than Richard’s.

What follows is a deeply researched tale of life in the early 1600s, thrusting the reader into the possibly previously unknown world of slavers and what happened to those stolen away from the Devonshire coast.

I listened to the audio book for the novel, and very much enjoyed the narrator as he expertly brought the characters to life.

This does take a while to get going – there is a lot of action in the first third, but much of it takes place on the high seas where the author ensures we all know how miserable the voyage is for the unfortunate abductees.

An engaging read.

Meet the author

David Gilman has enjoyed many careers, including paratrooper, firefighter, and photographer. An award-winning author and screenwriter, he is the author of the critically acclaimed Master of War series of historical novels, and was shortlisted for the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize for The Last Horseman. He was longlisted for the same prize for The Englishman, the first book featuring ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Dan Raglan. David lives in Devon. Follow David on @davidgilmanuk, http://www.davidgilman.com, and facebook.com/davidgilman.author

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It’s time for a new Bradecote and Catchpoll historical mystery. I’m reviewing A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood #historicalmystery #bookreview #favouriteseries

Here’s the blurb

December, 1145.

Hamelin Isenmongere, trader in iron and charcoal from Gloucester, is considered by many to be the most popular man in Worcester. Why then is he found on the quayside near his warehouse with his head beaten in? As the winter bites, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Walkelin begin the hunt for a killer. However, matters are complicated when evidence leads them to Worcester Castle itself and the hunt for a spy in the midst of complicated political crosscurrents.

Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin must uncover whether the murder was an act of betrayal from close to home, or one that casts a shadow over the fight for England’s crown.

Purchase Link

My Review

Sarah Hawkswood’s medieval mysteries are some of my favourite books. I wish I could savour them when they’re released once a year, but I find myself reading far too quickly.

Her main characters, Bradecote, Catchpoll and Wakelin are determined and intrepid in their desire to solve each mystery presented to them.

I love this series of medieval mysteries set in and around Worcester, and A Shroud of Snow is a fab addition, and has certainly kept me cool during the recent heatwave.

Catchpoll and Walkelin find themselves summoned to the quayside on a bitterly cold morning where the body of Hamelin Isenmonger has been found. A convivial, generous trader, everyone wonders who on earth would have wanted to kill the man, with a whole host of suspects, from his wife to his ship’s commander.

What unfolds is another fine mystery, that sees our characters forced to question not just the underbelly of Worcester, but also those in high up places, as they work to make sense of the seemingly random series of events. While Walkelin and Catchpoll are contending with some of the local inhabitants, Bradecote has to contend with some haughty lords at the castle.

Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin are getting rather good at solving crimes, ferreting out those who speak falsehoods and getting to the crux of the matter as quickly as possible. This one had its fair share of politics to contend with as well, which I did sometimes get a little confused about, but luckily, I could remember what was happening in the wider world of the Anarchy.

It’s always a treat to get a new Bradecote & Catchpoll mystery and this one didn’t disappoint.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a bloody good historical mystery, and I promise you, soon the way the characters speak will become like second-nature to you, so don’t let it put you off!

Check out my reviews for other books in the series (I have read them all)

A Feast for the Ravens

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Book review The Eagle and the Wolf by Gordon Doherty #histfic #Romanfiction #BookReview

Here’s the blurb

As Hun hordes and Germanic tribes maraud through Imperial lands, two legendary men – Attila the Hun and the “Last of the Romans” General Flavius Aetius find their fortunes entangled with the chaos.

Flavius Aetius, a noble Roman son, is an outsider in a savage land. He has been banished, given as hostage to the barbaric Huns and sent to the edge of the world.

What the Huns do not know, however, is that his father and mother have been murdered in a coup. He is an orphan, with no value at all. His life hangs on a lie.

In this new harsh world, he manages to find one grudging ally, a young boy named Attila.

A brotherhood is formed. One that, the shamans foretell, will shatter the world.

https://amzn.to/4giOGfL

My Review

The Eagle and the Wolf is an enthralling read, revealing the world of the Huns through the eyes of their Roman adversary, and in doing so, exploring the strangeness of the Steppes for a Roman-born lad, even as Flavius becomes integrated into the community, accepting many of the integral parts of being a member of the Huns.

Our two main characters, Attila and Flavius, bond in the most unlikely of circumstances, in a true friendship. But, there are problems brewing for both of them. There are enemies where there should be friendships, and vice versa. There is a great deal of peril for the two young men as they grow to adulthood, and their friendship must survive despite a yawning physical difference between them.

As I know so little about the period, I was entirely swept away in the narrative, and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

The Eagle and the Wolf is a captivating, engrossing tale and I adored it.

Meet the author

Gordon is a Scottish writer, addicted to reading and writing historical fiction. His novels have been Amazon smash-hits, and have gone on to be translated and published in over a dozen languages worldwide.

Gordon’s love of history was first kindled by visits to the misty Roman ruins of Britain and the sun-baked antiquities of Turkey and Greece. His expeditions since have taken him all over the world and back and forth through time (metaphorically, at least), allowing him to write tales of the later Roman Empire, Byzantium, Classical Greece and the Bronze Age.

https://www.gordondoherty.co.uk/

Check out my reviews for Sons of Rome, Masters of Rome, Gods of Rome written by Gordon Doherty and Simon Turney.

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Check out my review for House of Thieves by Rachel Walkley #historicalmystery #blogtour #countryhousemystery

Check out my review for House of Thieves by Rachel Walkley #historicalmystery #blogtour #countryhousemystery @rararesources @raejcreations

Check out my review for House of Thieves by Rachel Walkley #historicalmystery #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

At Terrington Hall, objects are treasured while people are forgotten.

Chief conservator Amy is restoring the Hurly family’s guilt-stained hoard when a theft forces her to hire Harrison, a security adviser on a personal quest to uncover his own history.

Unknown to anyone, an invisible presence woven into the fabric of the house watches their every move.

When Harrison uncovers a room sealed for decades, the investigation shifts from simple theft to the resurrection of murderous secrets. In a house where the past is too heavy to escape, the dead don’t need bodies to tell their stories — they just need someone to listen.

One house. Two mysteries. Two centuries apart.

Trailer https://youtu.be/SpbHfueEYdU

Book cover for House of Thieves by Rachel Walkley

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H9HY2WZL

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9HY2WZL

https://books2read.com/u/m2gOqG

My Review

House of Thieves is an intriguing novel that follows the modern conservation of an old country house under the guidance of Amy. Into the midst comes Harrison, connected to the house through a long and tangled family history, and employed to discover how certain thefts have been occurring. There are also other modern characters, each with their own stories to tell, alongside the house, which seems to have largely discarded elements of its history.

Our narrator is (for much of the time) an otherworldly presence who says very little but offers hints about why she continues to haunt the property. The storyline slips back in time, and so we have two timelines: the present day and the early 1800s.

Because of all this, the storyline seems to move a little slowly in places. It takes a long time to discover exactly what’s happening, and why the thefts are even relevant. It takes even longer to begin to learn the ghost’s secrets, and when they do reveal themselves, they’re quite horrifying. This is where the novel is at its strongest, bringing together all these threads, which seem unconnected but aren’t.

It’s definitely a slow burn, but it rewards the reader as the pacing increases, and we almost don’t want to know what happened to our ghostly narrator.

House of Thieves is stuffed with delightful little details, just like Terrington Hall, and it’s almost as reluctant to give them up as the house is, but give them up to the reader it does.

Meet the author

Rachel Walkley is a former librarian and scientist who lives in the North West of England, where she spends her spare time making music and writing. Her debut novel, The Women of Heachley Hall, was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. Known for weaving together family secrets, magical mysteries, old houses and inspirational women, Rachel also writes gripping female-led crime novels under the pen name Rae Shaw.

Rachel Walkley’s author website

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I’m reviewing the new book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Italian Mysteries, Murder at Christmas by TA Williams #BookReview #BlogTour #CosyCrime #ContemporaryCrime

I’m reviewing the new book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Italian Mysteries, Murder at Christmas by TA Williams #BookReview #BlogTour #CosyCrime #ContemporaryCrime

Here’s the blurb

BRAND NEW instalment in the page-turning Armstrong & Oscar cozy mystery series, this time in the snowy Italian Alps.

A festive gathering…

Private investigator Dan Armstrong, accompanied by his wife and his canine sidekick, Oscar, are spending the days before Christmas in a luxurious Alpine chalet tucked away in a hidden valley. It should be the perfect escape, except the owner is in fear for his life.

A house full of secrets…

Amid perfect winter wonderland scenery, the more Dan discovers about his host and the other guests, he realises that all is not as it seems. What should be a happy family party is riddled with rancour, mistrust and hatred.

A killer in the snow?

Then the snow falls – fast and heavy – and within moments, someone is dead. Accident, suicide, or murder? As the snow closes in, Dan has to work out if he’s looking for a killer, or whether he and Oscar are barking up the wrong tree.

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Pompeii-At-Christmas-Williams-ebook/dp/B0F4VXZQVH

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Pompeii-At-Christmas-Williams-ebook/dp/B0F4VXZQVH

My Review

Murder in Rome is somehow the 16th book in the Armstrong and Oscar mysteries.

This latest outing sees Dan and his wife venturing into the Alps to meet a friend from an earlier mystery, and of course, there’s an ulterior motive as well. Is someone trying to kill their host, or is he simply paranoid?

Against the backdrop of a winter storm, Dan (and Oscar) feel their noses twitch and decide to find out exactly what is happening – if they can manage to do so between the meals being prepared for them. And, if it is murder on the mind, there are any number of potential suspects.

Murder at Christmas is a distinctly chilly mystery and the resolution, when it comes, is a little more nuanced than we readers might expect, but no less satisfying.

Check out my reviews for earlier books in the series, and be sure to start at book 1, Murder in Tuscany.

Meet the author

I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I studied languages at Nottingham University a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to work in Italy for seven years. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only thirteen years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

I started off writing romances but after 28 of them, I knew I wanted to try something different, and so the first of the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries, Murder in Tuscany, was born three years ago. I’ve been having a lot of fun ever since getting to know the dynamic duo (and introducing them to people all over the world). These books are cosy crime [a genre I didn’t even know existed when I started writing them). They are murder mysteries, but not gory, over-violent stuff, but stories designed to exercise the brain of the reader and to put a smile on their face. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations all over my beloved Italy.

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