Rachel’s Random Resources – Page 16

Today, I’m sharing my review for Death Comes to Santa Fe by Amanda Allen #histfic #historicalfiction #blogtour

Here’s the blurb

Former New York darling turned amateur sleuth Madeline Vaughn-Alwin is once again thrown into a colourful yet deadly web of secrets, lies and soirees to die for!

It’s the week of Fiesta in Santa Fe and Maddie is looking forward to enjoying the celebrations. But as ‘Old Man Gloom’ Zozobra goes up in flames, so too do Maddie’s hopes for a carefree life . . . Human remains are found in the dying embers of Zozobra, and then Maddie and her dashing beau Dr David Cole find a body washed up in the arroyo at the edge of town.

Soon identified as Ricardo Montoya, a wealthy businessman and head of one of the most affluent families in Santa Fe . . . the plot starts to thicken. While his beautiful wife Catalina and her complicated children seem less than heartbroken at his untimely demise, and with many disgruntled locals crawling out of the woodwork, Maddie is surrounded by suspects.

With the celebrations of Fiesta continuing around them, Maddie and her ‘Detection Posse’ get busy infiltrating the best parties and hobnobbing with old and new faces – but can they bring the murderer to justice before they strike again?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.com/Death-Comes-Santa-Revival-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BXPZ9C8P

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Comes-Santa-Revival-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BXPZ9C8P

My Review

Death Comes to Santa Fe offers a detailed and descriptive view of life in Santa Fe in the 1920s, with its speakeasies, artists’ circle and of course, Fiesta. As the third book in a series, it took me a while to get into the novel and the characters, and it also took some time for our ‘body’ to appear. However, once the murder had actually occurred the flow of the novel improved, and the resolution of the mystery was well brought about, and it kept me guessing until the final ‘big reveal.’

Our main character, Maddie, is an interesting woman, if perhaps a bit too likely to wax lyrical about converting every view she sees into a painting. She divides her time between dancing, drinking, painting, and generally having a good time while slowly falling in love with Dr. David and determining to solve this new murder that’s rocked her town. The supporting cast is equally colourful and offers a lovely depth to the story.

A charming historical mystery stuffed with historical details.

Meet the author

Amanda wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen–a vast historical epic starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class (and her parents wondered why math was not her strongest subject…)

She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times BOOKReviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Santa Fe with two rescue dogs, a wonderful husband, and far too many books and royal memorabilia collections.

When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network–even though she doesn’t cook.

Connect with Amanda

Website Instagram Facebook TikTok

Follow the Death Comes to Santa Fe blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources

Amanda Allen also writes as Amanda McCabe. Check out my review for Flora Flowerdew.

I’m excited to be revealing the covers for The Drumbeats trilogy by Julia Ibbotson on the blog today #histfic

Here’s the blurbs

Drumbeats

It’s 1965, and 18 year old Jess escapes her stifling English home for a gap year in Ghana, West Africa. But it’s a time of political turbulence across the region. Fighting to keep her young love who waits back in England, she’s thrown into the physical and emotional dangers of civil war, tragedy and the conflict of a disturbing new relationship. And why do the drumbeats haunt her dreams?

This is a rite of passage story which takes the reader hand in hand with Jess on her journey towards the complexities and mysteries of a disconcerting adult world.

This is the first novel in the acclaimed Drumbeats trilogy: Drumbeats, Walking in the Rain, Finding Jess.

For fans of Dinah Jefferies, Kate Morton, Rachel Hore, Jenny Ashcroft

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/Drumbeats1

Walking in the Rain

Jess happily marries the love of her life. She wants to feel safe, secure and loved. But gradually it becomes clear that her beloved husband is not the man she thought him to be.

She survived war and injury in Africa, but can she now survive the biggest challenge of her life?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/WalkingintheRain1

Finding Jess

On the brink of losing everything, and still haunted by her past and the Ghanaian drumbeats that haunt her life, Jess feels that she can no longer trust anyone but herself. Then she’s mysteriously sent a newspaper clipping of a temporary job in Ghana. Could this be her lifeline? Can she turn back time and find herself again? And what, exactly, will she find?

Finding Jess is a passionate study of love and betrayal – and one woman’s bid to reclaim her self-belief and trust. It’s a feel-good story of a woman’s strength and spirit rising above adversity.

This is the finale of Jess’s story.

Purchase Link

https://myBook.to/FindingJess1

Meet the author

Award-winning author Julia Ibbotson herself spent an exciting time in Ghana, West Africa, teaching and nursing (like Jess in her books), and always vowed to write about the country and its past. And so, the Drumbeats Trilogy was born. She’s also fascinated by history, especially by the medieval world, and concepts of time travel, and has written haunting time-slips of romance and mystery partly set in the Anglo-Saxon period. She studied English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language, literature and history, and has a PhD in linguistics. She wrote her first novel at age 10, but became a school teacher, then university lecturer and researcher. Her love of writing never left her and to date she’s written 9 books, with a 10^th on the way. She’s a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, Society of Authors and the Historical Novel Society.

Connect with the author

Author website: Facebook Author page: Twitter:

Pinterest page: includes boards with pics and images that inspired each book

Goodreads author page: Instagram:

RNA (Romantic Novelists Association) website author page

Today I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for a new historical mystery, Mayhem in the Mountains by Kelly Oliver #blogtour #BoldwoodBooks

Here’s the blurb:

1918 Italy

When a deadly blizzard traps Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane in the Dolomite Mountains, it’s all downhill from here.Their hotel is snowed-in, and no one can get in or out. Then a man is found dead in his locked hotel room – and the killer is still on the premises. But with no murder weapon and too many suspects, their investigation is treading on thin ice.

The colder it gets outside, the hotter it gets inside as Fiona squares off with both her beloved Archie and her nemesis Fredricks. With her love-life on a slippery-slope, Fiona risks everything in one bold move…

As fast and twisty as a downhill slalom, this slick new cozy from Kelly Oliver will have you melting into a puddle of laughter.

Snap in and enjoy the ride.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/mayhemmountainssocial

My Review

Mayhem in the Mountains picks up where Covert in Cairo ends; only our intrepid file clerk-turned-spy has exchanged the heat of the desert for the cold of Italy in January. And it is very cold and quite miserable and were it not for tea, toast (and marmalade), and a few trusty Sherlock Holmes stories, Fiona would be quite bored.

But never fear, when Fredricks finally arrives (late, don’t you know) a chain of events starts, beginning with an avalanche that culminates in the need to investigate a perplexing murder case, and one that becomes increasingly perplexing as we learn more and more about probable events.

Interwoven with fictional portrayals of real people, including Mussolini, Mayhem in the Mountains is a fine mystery that only Fiona seems eager to solve. At the same time, other characters are more concerned with the war effort and a few shady shenanigans between MI5 and sister organisations.

There is a real vibrancy to these tales. Fiona might on occasion seem a little too focused on only one thing -proving to her boss that she deserves to escape from Room 40 at the War Office – but that doesn’t stop her from being determined to do the right thing, even if others don’t always agree with her. Her morality means she often stands slightly to the side of her supposed allies and fellow spies.

A vibrant, entertaining read, sure to appeal to fans of historical mysteries, and with just the right amount of historical detail.

Check out my review for books 1 and 2 in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery books Chaos at Carnegie Hall and Covert in Cairo.

Meet the Author

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Connect with Kelly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyoliverauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kellyoliverbook

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kellyoliverbooks/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/KellyOlivernews

Follow the Mayhem in the Mountains blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources

Today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for Brothers of the Sword by Peter Gibbons #histfic #blogtour

Here’s the blurb:

An epic battle where heroes fight and die to protect a Kingdom from Viking invasion…

991AD
King Aethelred the Unready’s Kingdom of the English is threatened. Olaf Tryggvason and his fleet of Viking warships snap at the coastal edges like ravenous wolves, and Sweyn Forkbeard, King of the Danes, has landed in East Anglia with an army of battle-hardened warriors.

Ealdorman Byrhtnoth of Essex must stand against them faced with overwhelming odds, forging his legend in the blood of his deadly enemies.

By his side, his Thegn, Beornoth, a brutal warrior and savage Saxon fighter is torn between his need to protect his loved ones, and his duty to fight for his Lord.

As the Vikings raid and slaughter, Beornoth is forced to fight for the survival of his oath sworn brothers, his Lord, and the Kingdom itself when all roads lead to the fateful Battle of Maldon.

Can Beornoth protect his people and survive one of the most famous battles of the Viking Age?

A thrilling story, packed with war, vengeance and visceral combat.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/brothersswordsocial

My Review

Brothers of the Sword is the third book in the Saxon Warrior Series, which began with Warrior and Protector, and Storm of War set during the early 990s in Saxon England. Æthelred II is the king of the English, but the Viking raiders have begun to turn their eyes once more toward England. The second viking age is underway.

Beornoth is a man with divided loyalties, to his wife, his warriors and Ealdorman Byrhtnoth. His enemy, Olaf Tryggvason, has sworn vengeance against him, while Sweyn, king of Denmark, has also laid claim to parts of East Anglia and perhaps turned some of the English to his side as well. Worse, both enemies know of one another and might well be allies. Does the riddling contest that Beornoth loses to Sweyn portend what is to come? (I was pleased to have solved the riddles along with the characters:))

What follows is a blood drenched battle, between Vikings and the English, which, alas, is only ever going to have one outcome, but which ebbs and flows, as does the tide on Northey Island.

While the ending may never be in doubt (it can’t be, as it’s based on the surviving Battle of Maldon poem), Brothers of the Sword is sure to thrill readers as it reaches its blood-drenched finale.

Meet the Author

Peter Gibbons is a financial advisor and author of the highly acclaimed Viking Blood and Blade trilogy. He comes to Boldwood with his new Saxon Warrior series, set around the 900 AD Viking invasion during the reign of King Athelred the Unready. He originates from Liverpool and now lives with his family in County Kildare.

Connect with Peter

Facebook: Peter Gibbons Author – Home | Facebook

Twitter: Peter Gibbons Author (@AuthorGibbons) / Twitter

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/PeterGibbonsNews

Instagram: Peter Gibbons Author (@petermgibbons) • Instagram photos and videos

Follow the Brothers of the Sword blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources

It’s my turn on the #Judgement by Edie Baylis #NewRelease #blogtour #gangland

Here’s the blurb:

Samantha Reynold and Seb Stoker are looking forward to the future together. With all the recent trials and tribulations from the past seemingly over, their new life together looks brighter than ever…or does it?

Because unbeknownst to them both, danger is circling….

Marina Devlin wants to destroy her sister Samantha once and for all and will stop at nothing to have her revenge. And judgment day is looming.
In this final encounter…only one can survive.

A gripping new gangland story perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Heather Atkinson and Caz Finlay.

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/Judgementsocial

My Review

Judgement is book 5 in The Allegiance series. I’ve not read Book 1, but I’ve read all the subsequent books in the series. This is not at all my usual genre, but having read book 2, I was entirely hooked and have been enjoying the series ever since.

I really adore the tight plot lines and the fact that Edie so carefully lays the breadcrumbs and then leads the reader on. The premise for this one is that only one of the half-sisters can survive, and there are times when as despicable as Marina is, you’re not entirely sure you want it to be Samantha either, and that is the joy of this book and this set of characters. When I read book 2, I said that none of the characters is likeable, and they’re not – they don’t really have any redeeming qualities -supposed goodies or supposed baddies – they’re all up to no good. And yet at the same time, you can’t stop reading about them:)

A really fabulous series – even for those who wouldn’t usually read Gangland – such as me. Highly recommended. The storyline is tight and twisty, and the outcome is never assured. Great entertainment.

Check out my reviews for

Fallout

Vendetta

Payback

Connect with Edie

Edie Baylis a successful self-published author of dark gritty thrillers with violent background settings. She lives in Worcestershire, has a history of owning daft cars and several motorbikes and is licensed to run a pub. She has signed a five-book deal with Boldwood and the first book in her new ganglit series, set in Birmingham, was published in January 2022.

Connect with Edie

Facebook: Twitter:

Instagram: Newsletter Sign Up:

Bookbub profile:

Sherlock Holmes & The Silver Cord by M.K.Wiseman is on the blog today #blogtour #bookreview #newrelease

Here’s the blurb:

“I speak of magic, Mr. Holmes.”

Mr. Percy Simmons, leader of London’s Theosophical Order of Odic Forces, is fully aware that his is not a case which Mr. Sherlock Holmes would ordinarily take up.

These are not ordinary times, however.

For something, some unquiet demon within Holmes stirs into discomfiting wakefulness under the occultist’s words. The unassuming Mr. Simmons has spoken of good and evil with the sort of certainty of soul that Sherlock yearns for. A certainty which has eluded Holmes for the three years in which the world thought him dead. While, for all intents, constructions, and purposes, he was dead.

But six months ago, Sherlock Holmes returned to Baker Street, declared himself alive to friend and foe alike, took up his old rooms, his profession, and his partnership with Dr. J. Watson—only to find himself haunted still by questions which had followed him out of the dreadful chasm of Reichenbach Falls:

Why? Why had he survived when his enemy had not? To what end? And had there ever, truly, been such a thing as justice? Such a thing as good or evil?

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.com/dp/173446416X

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/173446416X

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sherlock-holmes-the-silver-cord

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sherlock-holmes-the-silver-cord-m-k-wiseman/1143402437

My Review

Sherlock Holmes and the Silver Cord takes place in the aftermath of the events that see Holmes thought dead, alongside Moriarty. Restless after his three years away from Baker Street, Holmes takes every case coming his way until two seem to collide – the one certainly involving magic, the other, perhaps doing the same.

As with all good Holmes stories, the impossible slowly attains some explanation, in these perplexing cases, with Watson on hand to provide some much needed perspective for the ‘ordinary’ reader, as opposed to the brilliance of Holmes. And yet Holmes is bedevilled by his own demons – he has his own questions to ask and perhaps seek answers for – about good and evil and how he fits in the grand scheme of things.

This is perhaps a more perceptive Holmes than we might expect, and yet still very much fitting our expectations of how he acts and thinks, and this novel is, as the author admits, their attempt to answer some of the unsolved questions about Holmes that have bedevilled her about what happened to Holmes after the events with Moriarty.

A really enjoyable read – sure to appeal to fans of Holmes – and while Holmes might be struggling with his inner demons, he’s still able to conclude the mysteries presented to him in Sherlock Holmes and the Silver Cord.

Check out my link for Sherlock Holmes and the Singular Affair.

Meet the author

M. K. Wiseman has degrees in Interarts & Technology and Library & Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her office, therefore, is a curious mix of storyboards and reference materials. Both help immensely in the writing of historical novels. She currently resides in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Connect with M.K.Wiseman

https://www.tiktok.com/@faublesfables

https://twitter.com/FaublesFables

https://www.facebook.com/FaublesFables/

https://www.instagram.com/faublesfables/

Book review for Artful Antics at St Bride’s by Debbie Young #blogtour #bookreview

Here’s the blurb:

When English teacher Gemma Lamb’s school flat is wrecked by storms, maverick headmistress Hairnet insists the girls must fund its repair by setting up their own businesses – the start of a series of hilarious unintended consequences.

Meanwhile Gemma’s worries are compounded by the arrival of bossy new girl Frieda Ehrlich, sponsored by a mysterious local tycoon whose wealth is of dubious origins. Fearful for the school’s reputation, Gemma recruits an old friend to help investigate the tycoon’s credentials, jeopardising her romance with sports teacher Joe Spryke.

What is Frieda hiding? Why is her sponsor living in a derelict manor house? Why is his chauffeur such a crazed driver? And what has become of McPhee, Hairnet’s precious black cat? With a little help from her friends, Gemma is determined to solve these mysteries, restore her flat and save the school.

For anyone who loved St Trinian’s – old or new – or read Malory Towers as a kid. St Brides is the perfect read for you!

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/Artfulanticssocial

My Review

Artful Antics at St Bride’s is book four in the St Bride’s series of boarding school books for grown-ups.

Taking place immediately after the events of book 3, Gemma returns to work to find her staff flat in turmoil, and she’s not the only one. The old building is in much need of some repair work. And so sets in motion the decision to allow the students to begin their own businesses in the hope of making some money to fund the repairs. And, while that’s happening, a mysterious and rather grumpy new student arrives mid-term and causes a few problems.

What, I hear you say, does all this have to do with art? Well, the new student suggests the Sixth Form hold an art exhibition to sell their work, and of course, her father is invited, alongside the man who’s sponsoring her time at the school.

As we’ve come to expect with a St Bride’s story, not all is as it seems. Gemma is determined to get to the bottom of the story about the ruined house that the new girl’s sponsor and father are currently living in – uninhabitable is not the word – added to which, Max Security is also acting strangely, and then McPhee disappears as well.

I do love the St Bride’s series. The tales are gently told but engaging and keep the reader guessing until the end. Perfect for relaxing after a hard day at work or when you just want a bit of ‘chill time.’ They’re lovely, escapist fiction for all those who grew up on the Chalet School, Malory Towers, Trebizon and St Claires stories.

Read my reviews for the earlier books in the series

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Meet the Author

Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing. She is bringing both her series to Boldwood in a 13-book contract. They will be publishing several new titles in each series and republishing the backlist, starting in September 2022.

Connect with Debbie

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDebbieYoung

Twitter https://twitter.com/DebbieYoungBN

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/debbieyoungauthor/

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/DebbieYoungNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/debbie-young

Follow the St Bride’s blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources

Book review for A Killing at Smugglers Cove by Michelle Salter #historicalmystery #cosycrime #highlyrecommended

Here’s the blurb

Wartime secrets, smugglers’ caves, skeletal remains. And the holiday’s only just begun…

July 1923 – Iris Woodmore travels to Devon with her friends Percy Baverstock and Millicent Nightingale for her father’s wedding to Katherine Keats.

But when Millicent uncovers skeletal remains hidden on the private beach of Katherine’s former home, Iris begins to suspect her future stepmother is not what she seems.

The police reveal the dead man is a smuggler who went missing in 1918, and when a new murder occurs, they realise a killer is in their midst. The link between both murders is Katherine. Could Iris’s own father be in danger?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/Killingsmugglerssocial

My Review

I adore the Iris Woodmore mystery series, and A Killing at Smugglers Cove does not disappoint.

Moving away from Walden, where many of the previous adventures have taken place, Iris is on holiday, if you can call it a holiday, when it’s for her father’s remarriage. But no sooner does she arrive than a body is discovered, or rather, the skeletal remains of a body.

Iris, of course, can’t help but involve herself, especially as it’s possible her soon-to-be stepmother might somehow be involved, and that might just prevent her father from marrying again – not that she ever quite says as much.

What ensues is a delightfully twisty tale, interwoven with what a holiday in the 1920s might have been like and featuring her trusty sidekicks alongside her.

A Killing At Smugglers Cove is filled with rich period drama, including a lesson in smuggling and avoiding the excise men, and the mystery, as in the first three books, is perfectly staged and well-developed, poignant and unexpected.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the Iris Woodmore Mysteries are a firm favourite of mine – rich with period detail but with a damn fine mystery as well. Highly recommended.

Check out my review for Death at Crookham Hall, Murder at Waldenmere Lake, The Body at Carnival Bridge.

Meet the author

Michelle Salter is a historical crime fiction writer based in northeast Hampshire. Many local locations appear in her mystery novels. She’s also a copywriter and has written features for national magazines. When she’s not writing, Michelle can be found knee-deep in mud at her local nature reserve. She enjoys working with a team of volunteers undertaking conservation activities.

Connect with Michelle

Facebook:

Twitter:

Instagram:

Bookbub profile:

Newsletter Sign Up

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Book review A Courtesan’s Worth by Felicity George, a Regency steamy romance #blogtour #histfic #RegencyRomance

Here’s the blurb

A mistress cannot marry for love…

As one of the famous Preece sisters, Kitty is the most sought-after courtesan in London. But with the vicious Duke of Gillingham scaring away any man who looks her way, securing a new arrangement with a wealthy gentleman will be no easy feat. Kitty’s only hope to find someone suitable is through her loyal and cherished friend, the Reverend Sidney Wakefield.

Sidney has devoted his life to the church, but it was never by choice. He is a writer and Kitty his muse. As he is roped into Kitty’s plotting, he begins to realise that protecting her from the malevolent Duke comes at a price – and it might mean losing Kitty to someone else entirely.

As Kitty and Sidney try to find a way out, it becomes clear that years of friendship have developed into something deeper. Except that they are from different worlds and Kitty’s heart has never been hers to give away…

Purchase Link

https://bit.ly/3Js0bA7

My Review

A Courtesan’s Worth is a steamy Regency romance featuring Kitty, London’s most expensive courtesan, and Sydney, a vicar who’s struck up a friendship with Kitty, and believes Kitty is the muse that inspires his writing. What neither of them seem to realise is that they love one another. Sydney, somewhat blind to Kitty’s role in society, believes they should marry, if only he had the money. Kitty, with the responsibility for ensuring her sisters, and their many illegitimate offspring, are well provided for in life, feels the weight of pressure, for all she seems tired of the life of a courtesan where she has no choice other than to become attached to the man with the largest purse strings, many of whom are odious and aged.

What ensues is a tale of love and desire, passion and sometimes hatred, as the pair try to negotiate their way to be together even though there are obstacles in their way, Kitty’s sister, and the Duke who wishes to employ Kitty’s skills, being the main ones. There’s also a pugilist, Butcher, while Sydney’s brother, the heir to the fortune, is also somewhat dismissive of it all.

This has a lovely feel to it. There are all the elements you’d expect to find in a Regency romance set in London, but we also see some of the ‘other’ side as well. The life that Kitty leads is explained in some detail, and the way society views her adds a new flavour to the genre you know and love.

The story moves quite rapidly, building to the thing we all love about Regency Romances, the many obstacles and people in their way and the eventual satisfying resolution of the romance between Kitty and Sydney. There is also a rather fabulous twist in the last few pages.

A lively, and intriguing tale sure to delight fans of the genre and with an eye to the social history of Regency courtesans which is highly enjoyable.

Meet the author

Felicity George is a writer and teacher from Toronto, where she lives with her husband, her two teenage children, a large cat, and a tiny dog. A lifelong devotee of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, Felicity adores a happily-ever-after. A Courtesan’s Worth is book two in the Gentlemen of London series.

Connect with the author

On Twitter: Felicity George

On Facebook: Felicity George, Author

Book review for Terminal Black by Colin Garrow on the blog #blogtour #review #thriller

Here’s the blurb:

A stolen identity. A hitman. A bent cop.

Relic Black takes things that don’t belong to him—credit cards, golf clubs, toothbrushes. But when a hitman mistakes him for someone else, Relic lands himself in a difficult situation. With a dead man on his hands and a guilty conscience, he sets off to save the life of the man whose identity he has stolen. And that’s when the real trouble starts…

Purchase Link

https://geni.us/m2Ax

My Review

Terminal Black is a tight and twisty thriller set in Scotland, complete with accents (for some of the characters) and a cast of increasingly nasty individuals.

The story is really well constructed. There is much going on in this book, and a lot of people are up to no good and in it only for themselves. The bent copper, the angry wife, Relic himself, as well as a couple of bad ‘uns as well.

The plot moves quickly, taking the reader around much of Inverness and Nairn, with a little sidestep to Dundee. If you don’t know the area, don’t worry. If you do know the area, you’ll enjoy hearing the names of places you perhaps visit often. I certainly felt as though I knew the layout of the story, and that helped me, but I don’t think it’s necessary to enjoy this tale of a ‘hit’ gone wrong and the wrong man, in the wrong place, at very much the wrong time.

A thoroughly enjoyable thriller with a fast pace and a few characters you’re going to love to hate, and with a delightful twist in the closing pages. Another fabulous read from Colin Garrow – do be aware of the adult content and strong language.

Meet the Author

Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland. He has worked in a plethora of professions including: taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. All Colin’s books are available as eBooks and paperback.

His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, Word Bohemia, Every Day Fiction, The Grind, A3 Review, 1,000 Words, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. He currently lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories, poems and the occasional song.

He also makes rather nice cakes.