The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen BLOG TOUR #TheBurningStones @antti_tuomainen @OrendaBooks #BookReview

 

Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder…

A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?

 The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.

 And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…

 From the international bestselling author of The Man Who Died and The Rabbit Factor, comes a darkly funny, delightfully tense new thriller that showcases humanity at its most bare – in middle age, suspected of murder and, of course, in a sauna…

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen is published on 24 October 2024 by Orenda Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. The book is translated by David Hackston. 

It is almost ten years since I read my first Antti Tuomainen novel. That was The Mine back in 2016, I was so impressed by that first read and have devoured all of his translated works ever since. 

You know how sometimes you only have to hear one chord played by a guitarist and you know immediately who it is? Well, this is how I feel about Tuomainen's writing. As soon as you begin to read, it screams Antti at you. He is unique and just one of a kind.

Being Finnish, this author knows a lot about saunas, and in The Burning Stones we are treated to an opening chapter that shows just how dangerous sitting amongst red hot coals can be. Ilmo Räty has recently been made head of Steam Devil; a long standing company that supplies sauna stoves throughout the country. Sitting back to enjoy a sauna, Ilmo has no idea what is in store. He doesn't leave the sauna. An intruder makes sure of that, and Ilmo is welded to the bench as the temperatures rise. Dead.

Steam Devil is a company doing well, with a small but very eclectic group of staff. Erkki 'The Stove King' Ruusula, founder and main shareholder of the business is standing down and every one of his staff are in line to take over, now that Ilmo is no longer around. Fifty-three year old Anni Korpinen, super saleswoman, is the favourite to take over his role and is now the lead suspect in the murder of Ilmo. 

We follow Anni as she tries her best to prove her innocence and also does her own investigation into what really took place that day. Anni is a complex character, she loves a sauna, she's married to a man who is far more interested in Formula One racing and she often looks back on her past, with regret. 

This is a laugh out loud hilarious story at times. Tuomainen's characters are wonderfully formed, each and every one of them are totally unique, and their interactions with each other are so fabulous to follow.  

Once more, this talented, original, funny and very fine author has delivered a story to savour. One to chuckle at, one to discover the world of the sauna business and one to experience the wonders of the Finnish landscape. Recommended by me. 

Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. 

In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. 

In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. 

With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller and has been released as a TV series, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. 

Palm Beach Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’, and Little Siberia (2019) was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. 

The Rabbit Factor, the prequel to The Moose Paradox and The Beaver Theory, will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios.

X @antti_tuomainen

Frankie by Graham Norton #Frankie #GrahamNorton @CoronetBooks @HodderBooks #BookReview

 

Always on the periphery, looking on, young Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage - after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now old, Frankie finds it easier to forget the life that came before.

Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her London flat, there to keep an eye on her as she recovers from a fall. A memory is sparked, and the past crackles into life as Damian listens to the story Frankie has kept stored away all these years.

Travelling from post-war Ireland to 1960s New York - a city full of art, larger than life characters and turmoil - Frankie shares a world in which friendship and chance encounters collide. A place where, for a while, life blazes with an intensity that can't last but will perhaps live on in other ways and in other people. But as Frankie's past slowly emerges, her spirit and endurance are revealed as undeniable . . . and unforgettable.

Frankie by Graham Norton was published on 12 September 2024 by Coronet. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I was talking to a friend about this book and told her that I could easily read a book by Graham Norton every month. He writes so beautifully, his characterisation is exquisite and he does not shy away from dealing with the darker issues in life.

All too often, I hear people say that they refuse to read a book written by a 'celebrity' author. I really don't understand this stance. I'm not sure why anyone assumes that just because someone was well known for something else before they published a novel, then they cannot write. As far as I am aware, most novelists had other professions, some still do, yet are accepted as writers. I know of police officers, doctors, nurses, comedians, scientists who have all written fiction, I can't believe that anyone assumes that they are unable to write just because it wasn't their first profession. There, that's out of the way, had to be said! 

Back to this wonderful book. It's a slim volume at just over 300 pages but my goodness, it is packed with drama and intensity. We meet lead character Frankie as an elderly woman who has recently had a fall. Despite her misgivings, her friend Nor has arranged for a carer to visit Frankie in her London flat. Just to make sure that she is OK. The carer is young, Irish gay man Damien; a man who has his own struggles in life. Frankie and Damien connect via their shared culture, they both originally come from County Cork, and it is not long before Frankie feels comfortable enough to share stories about her long life with him. 

What a wonderful, full life Frankie has led, although she has never felt that way herself. She always felt a little on the edge. Overshadowed by Nor, and by her choice of partners through the years. However, she has left a legacy that will live on forever and as she regales Damien with her tales, we learn so much about her. 

From her tragic childhood in Ireland, through a loveless marriage and then on to London, followed by the bright lights of New York. Frankie really found herself, she also found her crowd. She experienced hard times, she had many disappointments, but she also had huge successes. 

Norton's handling of some of the darkest of issues, most especially the tragedy of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s is outstanding. We learn to love the characters, we cry with them, we grieve for them. It is startling and sweeping. 

Frankie is an utter triumph. I loved everything about it, from the detailed narrative to the warm and appealing characters, to the wonderfully described settings. Highly recommended. 

Graham Norton was born on April 4, 1963 in County Cork, Ireland. 

He is an actor and writer, known for Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), So Graham Norton (1998) and Soul (2020). 

He has been married to Jono McLeod since July 10, 2022.

Instagram @grahnort

X @TheGNShow

The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham #TheWrongHands @MarkBillingham @BooksSphere #BookReview #DetectiveDeclanMiller

 

This is one case Miller won't want to open . . .

Unconventional Detective Declan Miller has a problem. Still desperate to solve the murder of his wife, a young man has just appeared on his doorstep with a briefcase . . . containing a pair of severed hands.

Miller knows this case is proof of a contract killing commissioned by local ne'er do well Wayne Cutler - a man he suspects might also be responsible for his wife's death. Now Miller has leverage, but unfortunately he also has something that both Cutler and a villainous fast-food kingpin are desperate to get hold of.

Chuck in a Midsomer Murders-obsessed hitman, a psychotic welder and a woman driven over the edge by a wayward Crème Egg, and Miller is in a mess that even he might not be able to dance his way out of.

The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham was published in hardback on 20 June 2024 by Sphere and is the second in the Detective Miller series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I adore this series, I read the first book; The Last Dance,  back in March 2023 when I was on holiday in the Canary Islands, it is becoming a holiday reading habit as I read this one in sunny Cyprus a few weeks ago. 

It was so good to be back with Declan Miller and his team again. They find themselves dealing with a very unusual investigation, and Miller is right at the front of it. It's not every night that someone appears on your doorstep clutching a case that contains two severed hands.  Miller is intrigued, a little horrified, but determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. He may not be quite conventional in his initial dealings with the evidence, but as soon as he reports the incident, things start to move. 

Mark Billingham has such a dry, wry humour that runs through his stories, this brings some light to what could be a really dark story. However, Miller is not just a funny guy, he's also still very vulnerable, grieving for his wife who was murdered and ever determined to catch the killer. He suspects that there are people involved in this current case who could answer some questions about his wife too. 

Miller and his partner, DS Sarah Xiu work so well together. Billingham has really expanded their personalities, allowing themselves, and the reader to learn more about each of them, and creating a partnership that whilst unusual, really does work. 

I love everything about this series, from the ballrooms of Blackpool to the dirty, grubby backstreets of the town that are usually hidden. The characters shines like lights from the page, the humour is subtle and adds so much and the plot line is fascinating and tense. Another fabulous instalment in this new series. 

Mark Billingham is one of the UK's most acclaimed and popular crime writers. A former

actor, television writer and stand-up comedian, his series of novels featuring D.I. Tom Thorne has twice won him the Crime Novel Of The Year Award as well as the Sherlock Award for Best British Detective and been nominated for seven CWA Daggers. His standalone thriller IN THE DARK was chosen as one of the twelve best books of the year by the Times and his debut novel, SLEEPYHEAD was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 books that had shaped the decade. Each of his novels has been a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.

A television series based on the Thorne novels was screened in Autumn 2010, starring David Morrissey as Tom Thorne and a BBC series based on the standalone thrillers IN THE DARK and TIME OF DEATH was shown in 2017.

Mark is also a member of Fun Lovin' Crime Writers. Performing alongside Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville, Doug Johnstone and Luca Veste, this band of frustrated rockers murders songs for fun at literary festivals worldwide.

www.markbillingham.com

X @MarkBillingham

Rough Justice by Biba Pearce BLOG TOUR #RoughJustice #BibaPearce #ShrapNelson #BookReview

 

A Murder She Can't Ignore. A Truth She Must Uncover.

For Shrap Nelson, ex-military police sergeant and homeless veteran, the charred body under the bridge isn’t just another victim—it’s Doug, the man who once saved her life. Now, she’s determined to find his killer, no matter the cost.

As Shrap digs deeper, she’s pulled into London’s violent underworld, where powerful enemies lurk in the shadows. Hunted by a ruthless adversary and haunted by her own demons, Shrap must choose between giving in to her fears or finding the truth.

Doug gave her a second chance. She’ll make sure his death doesn’t go unpunished.

Rough Justice by Biba Pearce was published on 24 September 2024 by Mortlake Press. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour.

There's a reason why Biba Pearce was shortlisted for a Crime Writer's Association Dagger Award a few years ago; she's a fine crime author and this first book in her new series is an explosive, compelling read with an incredible lead character. Shrap Nelson is a woman unlike any other that I've read about. She's vulnerable, but so strong. She's reliable, yet questions herself all of the time. She's the type of woman who you'd certainly want on your side, and not as an enemy.

Shrap lives on the streets of London. She served in the Military Police for years, fighting in the most dangerous of places, seeing things that should never be seen, experiencing events that have changed her. However, it is the effects of the PTSD that are her worse enemies now. Shrap gave up her life, her home, her relationship to live on the streets. Trying to escape, but never quite getting there. 

When Shrap's old mate Doug is accused of the murder of a dancer in the city, and is then found dead himself, she knows that Doug was innocent. She also knows that he didn't take his own life, and despite her own inner battles and the dangers she faces, she is determined to clear his name. Doug saved her, she wants to save his reputation. 

DC Gareth Trevelyan has recently moved to the area from another part of London, he has his own baggage to deal with and when he's assigned these cases, at first it all seems clear cut. Then he meets Shrap and there's a spark, despite her appearance, her mystery, her current living conditions he can see that there's more to Shrap than meets the eye. Before long, they are working together. Not officially of course, but Shrap can be invisible, she's clever, she's working it all out. 

This is a compelling, exciting crime story that had me gripped. Not only is the plotting superb, but the characters are just perfectly created. Pearce brings London to life too, as Shrap walks the streets, both the glitzy touristy areas, and the mean, dark back streets, the reader really can get a feel for the place. 

There's some violence, but it is done with flair and style, not overly bloody and just adds depth to the dangers that Shrap and Gareth face along the way. 

An excellent beginning to a new series. I can't wait to meet Shrap and Gareth again soon. 

Biba Pearce is a crime writer and author of the Kenzie Gilmore, Dalton Savage and DCI
Rob Miller series. 

Her books have been shortlisted for the Feathered Quill and the CWA Debut Dagger awards, and The Marlow Murders was voted best crime fiction book in the Indie Excellence Book Awards.

Biba lives in leafy Surrey with her family and when she isn’t writing, can be found walking along the Thames River path - near to where many of her books are set - or rambling through the countryside.

Download a FREE Kenzie Gilmore prequel novella at her website bibapearce dot com.

Facebook : AuthorBibaPearce

Instagram @author_bibapearce

Broken Ghosts by J D Oswald #BrokenGhosts @SirBenfro @WildfireBks #BookReview

Spring, 1985. Twelve year old Phoebe MacDonald's world is falling apart.

She has just buried her parents, a fire at their family home claiming both in a freak accident. Now she must leave Scotland, the only place she has ever known, and go to live with her uncle Louis and aunt Maude in their home in the Welsh woods.

As spring turns to summer, Phoebe falls slowly into the rhythm of life with her eccentric guardians in their curious home. But there is no one her age in the nearby village, and she is lonely until she meets a strange girl, Gwyneth, who wanders the surrounding forest barefoot and alone.

Outsiders both, the two girls form a strong bond, though nobody else seems to believe that Gwyneth is real. Phoebe knows better, and soon with her new friend's help, she begins to see the woods for what they truly are - a place of magic and wonder, where the line between life and death is blurred. Where spirits roam and secrets fester.

Something happened here, a lifetime ago. A wrong that yearns to be put right. The answer is within Phoebe's grasp, but will revealing it put her in grave danger?

For the woods hold a dark truth, and some will do anything to keep it in the shadows.

Broken Ghosts by J D Oswald was published on 12 September 2024 by Wildfire in hardback. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

J D Oswald is better known as James Oswald, the author of the much acclaimed Inspector McLean series. In Broken Ghosts, he has taken a new turn with this writing, creating a beautiful, lyrical coming of age story. Immersed in myth, folk lore and incorporating a setting that is a wonderful as the superbly created characters that populate the tale. 

I love a dual time line story, and Oswald has managed to depict his lead character Phoebe perfectly, both as a young, grieving child and then in her later adult years. The two parts of the novel are seamlessly woven together, allowing the reader to take Phoebe's life journey along side her. 

Twelve year old Phoebe is returning from a school trip. It's not been the greatest of days and she is looking forward to getting home. As she turns the corner of her street, she sees the emergency vehicles, just outside her home. This is the point where Phoebe's comfortable life ends. Her parents are dead, after a fire in the house. Phoebe is now alone, frightened, stricken with grief. 

After spending her entire life in Scotland, Phoebe must now move to Wales. She's been given a home by her Uncle Louis and Aunt Maud. Their home, deep in a Welsh woods is nothing like Phoebe has ever known. Their style of living, whilst kind and caring, is so very strange. There are no other children nearby, no television, nothing to do. Louis is an author and the house is full of books, not having previously been a big reader, Phoebe begins to read the slightly odd romance novels that Louis is sent for review. She also has to avoid Maud's attempts to get her to help with the gardening, so begins to explore the surrounding woods. This is when she meets Gwyneth; a strange girl, around the same age, but dressed strangely and full of tales of local folk. 

As Phoebe and Gwyneth's friendship develops, despite the fact that nobody else has met her, or even believes that she exists, they discover so much more about the woods and things that have happening there historically. 

In the more modern part of the novel, Phoebe has returned to Wales, to close up the house after the death of Maud. During these parts, the reader learns more about the family, and about Phoebe's life since those early days in the woods. 

This is a magical, enchanting novel that is an utterly compelling, and quite beautiful read. The author's ability to get into the mind of a young girl is startling and his depiction of the woods and the local landscape, along with the small community nearby is perfectly done. 

Lyrical, haunting and such a wonderful novel. Highly recommended. 

James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries. The first two of these, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award. Set in an Edinburgh not so different to the one we all know, Detective Inspector Tony McLean is the unlucky policeman who can see beneath the surface of ordinary criminal life to the dark, menacing evil that lurks beneath.

James has also introduced the world to Detective Constable Constance 'Con' Fairchild, whose first outing was in the acclaimed No Time To Cry.

As J D Oswald, James has written a classic fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro. Inspired by the language and folklore of Wales, it follows the adventures of a young dragon, Sir Benfro, in a land where his kind have been hunted near to extinction by men. The whole series is now available in print, ebook and audio formats.

James has pursued a varied career - from Wine Merchant to International Carriage Driving Course Builder via Call Centre Operative and professional Sheep Shit Sampler (true). He moved out of the caravan when Storm Gertrude blew the Dutch barn down on top of it, and now lives in a proper house with two dogs, two cats and a long-suffering partner. He farms Highland cows by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.

www.jamesoswald.co.uk

X @SirBenfro

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena #WhatHaveYouDone @sharilapena @TransworldBooks #BookReview

 

Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill.

The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked.

But this morning all of that will change.

Because Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer.

How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia.

Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.

And one innocent question could be deadly.

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena was published on 18 July 2024 by Bantam / Transworld. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I read this one whilst on holiday in Cyprus and like most of her previous novels, I flew through it really quickly. Shari Lapena writes page-turners that are almost impossible to put down. Her writing style is fast and furious, her plot lines intriguing and I never really knew who to trust in this one. 

When a local farmer see vultures circling in one of his fields, he expects to find a dead deer. However, he is utterly shocked to find the body of a young girl from the local town of Fairhill Dead, naked and a feast for the birds of prey. 

The victim, Diana Chambers is a popular, bright, pretty girl from the sleepy town where nothing usually happens. Raised by her loving single mother with a boyfriend who adores her, the whole town is rocked to its core by her death. 

Detectives from the Vermont State Police are called in to investigate the crime and what appears to be a small town with nothing happening is soon exposed as a hotbed of suspects. There are so many people associated with Diana, so many who have a motive, but who in Fairhill is the killer? 

Lapena tells the story in varying points of view, making for even more confusion for the reader, she's a clever author for sure, just when you think .... ahhh, yes, it was them ..... you hear from another character and your mind is changed, quick as a flash. I enjoyed these short, snappy chapters, they fit the plot so well, it's almost unrelenting at times and makes the reader increase their speed as the pace increases too. 

Interestingly, the reader also hears from Diana herself, with short chapters from her point of view as a ghost, looking down on the town, watching the investigation. It's an unusual thing for an author to do, but works very well. I enjoyed those parts which add a depth to the narrative. 

This is a quick, intense and satisfying read from an author who is at the top of her game. 

Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of the thrillers The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, Not a Happy Family and Everyone Here is Lying which have all been Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. 

Her books have been sold in forty territories around the world. 

She lives in Toronto.

Facebook: ShariLapena

X: @sharilapena

Instagram: @sharilapena

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins #TheBlueHour #PaulaHawkins @DoubledayUK #BookReview

 

WELCOME TO ERIS - A SCOTTISH TIDAL ISLAND WITH ONLY ONE HOUSE, ONE INHABITANT,

ONE WAY OUT. . .

A place that is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once the hideaway of Vanessa, a famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.

Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, Grace receives an unexpected visitor.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins is published in hardback on 10 October 2024 by Doubleday. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I have read and reviewed all of Paula Hawkins' previous novels and really believe that she gets better and better with each book. There is an intensity to her writing that draws in the readers so steadily. There is no doubt that she takes risks in her writing, she is ambitious in her plots and with her characters, and for me, this really works. 

Hawkins sets her story on Eris, an isolated island, off the coast of Scotland. Eris is cut off from the mainland for twelve hours each day and is the home of Grace. 

Grace spent many years of her life caring for famous artist Vanessa, a woman whose work was surrounded by mystery and scandal. Not only was she a solitary, insular woman, she was also the wife of a man who was unfaithful to her, a man who mysteriously disappeared from Eris many years ago. 

Grace guards Vanessa's memory and her remaining artefacts with a bulldog approach. However, these were left in Vanessa's will to the Fairburn Foundation, owned by a man who could be seen as one of Vanessa's arch enemies during her life. 

Becker is the curator of the Fairburn collection, so far, they only have a few of Vanessa's works and are waiting for Grace to hand over the remains of the collection. One of the pieces that they do own is currently on show at Tate London, and when Becker is informed by Tate that it contains a human bone, he knows that he has to visit Eris, to find out more. 

And so begins the strange and tumultuous relationship between Becker and Grace. Both of them are a little obsessed with Vanessa, but for differing reasons. Told in varying points of view, the reader learns more about Becker and his odd relationship with his employers. We see how various members of the Fairburn family treat him and how he struggles to really become part of the Foundation. 

Meanwhile, the author cleverly interweaves snippets from Vanessa's own diaries and letters, spinning a whole other side to this incredibly atmospheric and twisty tale of regrets, revenge and lost love. 

The Blue Hour is a slow burn of a novel, with characters who are perfectly created in a setting that sends shivers down the spine. Once again, Hawkins has produced an irresistible, gripping story that I was completely immersed in from page one. 

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. 

Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. 

Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. 

Paula’s most recent thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant No.1 bestsellers. 

In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards. 

Her upcoming thriller, The Blue Hour, will be published around the world in October 2024.

www.paulahawkinsbooks.com

Instagram @paulahawkins2020