Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy BLOG TOUR #Deadbeat @PendulumCentral @RandomTTours #BookExtract

 

The author of the Scott Pearce series (Black 13, Red Wolves, White Fire) is back with a taut thriller following a desperate single father as he searches for the anonymous employer who hired him as a hitman.

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. 

Divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. 

But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. 

Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.

Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy was published on 3 December 2024 by Pendulum Central. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy

AN ANGRY GOD had snapped his fingers in my skull, killing half

my brain cells and traumatizing the leftovers. I opened my eyes and got lightning flashes across my vision. White fireworks that were regular features of my worst hangovers.

But who was I kidding?

I wasn’t hungover.

I was still wasted.

Last night’s session with Jim had run up my tab at Rick’s Bar like

the counter on a gas crisis fuel pump. Jim and I had rounded off the

night by doing a couple of lines of K in the fetid cesspit Rick calls a

men’s room, and my world had taken on a muffled, comatose, “fill in

the blanks” quality. I have no idea how I got back to the tiny rathole I

leased by the Long Beach Freeway. It was a dump, but it was my dump, and most of the stains on the threadbare faux-Persian rug were mine, so I didn’t mind coming round face down on the raggedy red floor.

There was thunder to go with the lightning flashes, and it took me a moment to realize the cracking noises weren’t imagined. Someone

was banging on the front door, no more than ten feet from my head.

“Open up, sir. Mr. Collard, we know you’re in there.”

I glanced around to see shapes at my window. My eyes wouldn’t focus properly, but the blocks of dark color suggested man-shaped lumps in uniform.

“Open up,” someone else said, rapping on the window.

“Yeah. Okay,” I replied, voice hoarse, throat raw.

Had I thrown up? I belched some bile, which burned when I swallowed.

Tequila, rum, vodka, and bourbon had all featured in past me’s

smorgasbord of drinks. Booze always convinced me I was invincible,and the more I drank the more invincible I became. I didn’t feel invincible now, though.

Left hand on the 1970s teak coffee table I’d found in a thrift shop,

and I pushed myself onto my side. Right hand on the arm of the green

corduroy couch someone over in Compton left in front of their house,

and I forced myself up from the floor. The room whirled like a

spinning top. Thankfully I wouldn’t have to do anything as complicated as get dressed. I was still clothed in my light jeans and a blue checked shirt worn unbuttoned over a black T-shirt, all crumpled and stained. I looked down at my bare feet and wondered where my shoes and socks were.

A mystery for another time, I thought as I staggered to the door.

Adam Hamdy is a bestselling British author and screenwriter who works with studios and
production companies on both sides of the Atlantic. 

He's currently adapting his novel Black 13 for Ringside Studios, and is developing his original screenplay, The Fear in Their Eyes with December Films.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney #BeautifulUgly @alicewriterland @panmacmillan #BookReview

 

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife as she’s driving home to share some exciting news. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by a cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there . . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Wives think their husbands will change, but they don’t.

Husbands think their wives won’t change, but they do.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney is published in hardback on 30 January 2025 by Macmillan. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Prepare yourselves folks; this one takes you one of the most twisty, mind bending rides that you will ever encounter. What appears to be an almost run-of-the-mill 'missing wife' mystery turns into a complex, psychologically chilling story. Narrated by two narrators who appear to be increasingly unreliable and populated by a cast of some of the strangest, most bizarre characters that I've ever read. This is a novel that pushes the reader's boundaries but grips with a very firm fist. 

Grady Green was a New York Times best selling author. It's difficult to imagine that just one year ago he was celebrating the success of his latest book. Twelve months on and he's a broken man. He is unable to write, he lives in a dingy hotel with his dog, he has no friends, no money and is most probably an alcoholic. Why?  Well, on the night that he found out that his book was a best seller, his phoned his wife Abby; she was driving home, with celebratory fish and chips. Whilst on the phone, Grady heard Abby stop the car, telling him that there was a woman laying in the road. Although Grady begged her to stay in the car, Abby got out. That was the last time that Grady heard from her. He dashed to the scene but Abby was gone, and she's still missing. 

Grady's agent is worried about him and offers him the chance to stay on the remote Scottish island of Amberley, in a cabin previously owned by a top author. Grady packs his car, takes his dog Columbo and makes the long journey to the ferry to the island.  However, he's not given the warmest of welcomes by the woman who runs the ferry, and is also Sheriff of Amberley. He has to leave his car on the mainland, and carry essentials to the cabin. 

Amberley has just twenty-five residents and as Grady meets each one of them, he realises that the community is a little strange. Everyone that he meets seems to know who he is. The most frightening thing for Grady is that he thinks that he sees his wife Abby on the island, not once, but a few times. However, he's aware that he's exhausted, his insomnia could be making him hallucinate, how on earth could Abby be here? 

Grady makes a very strange discovery under the floorboards of the cabin, it's quite macabre but is also the answer to his predicament. He gets on and begins to write his book. 

I'm not going to go into more detail about the plot, but it's an absolute belter. With characters who are perfectly created, yet always quite bizarre and the incredible setting of the wildness of the island, this author has produced a totally unpredictable, dark, chilling and extremely clever thriller. 

Highly recommended by me. 

Alice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. 

Her books have been translated into over thirty-five languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including Rock Paper Scissors, which is being made into a TV series by the producer of The Crown. 

Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. 

You can follow Alice on Instagram and Twitter: @alicewriterland

To find out the latest book and TV news, or to sign up for Alice's free newsletter, please visit: www.alicefeeney.com

White Slave by Cathy Thompson BLOG TOUR #WhiteSlave #CathyThompson @Abibiman_Publis @RandomTTours #Prize #Competition #Giveaway #Win

 

A former slave tells of an escapade involving him leading out a group of slaves from their former master, confronting the reality of racism in New Orleans in the 1800s, some years before the abolition. 

But did this in fact happen? Or could his retelling of the escape he led be what remains of the trauma of having been a slave himself?

It is a story of revenge and cowardice, of hypocrisy and community, of deep-rooted violence and the effect that leaves on the mind, but also a story about how the imagination serves as a place to hide away from that violence. 

White Slave by Cathy Thompson was published on 14 September 2024 by Abibiman Publishing. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I have one copy to give away today.

Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in the blog post.  UK entries only please. 

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of White Slave by Cathy Thompson

Cuckoo In The Nest by Fran Hill #CuckooInTheNest @franhill123 @Legend_Press #BookReview

 

It’s the heatwave summer of 1976 and 14-year-old would be poet Jackie Chadwick is newly fostered by the Walls. She desperately needs stability, but their insecure, jealous teenage daughter isn't happy about the cuckoo in the nest and sets about ousting her.

When her attempts to do so lead to near-tragedy – and the Walls’ veneer of middle-class respectability begins to crumble – everyone in the household is forced to reassess what really matters.

Funny and poignant, Cuckoo in the Nest is inspired by Fran Hill’s own experience of being fostered. A glorious coming of age story set in the summer of 1976.

Cuckoo In The Nest by Fran Hill was published in paperback on 23 April 2023 by Legend Press. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I have to own up that this book has been sitting on my shelf for a very long time. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to pick it up, but, oh my goodness, I am so happy that I've finally read it. I have a copy of the follow up; Home Bird, which will be published in March next year, and it's now firmly on my Christmas reading list. 

Many years ago, at the beginning of the 2000s, I became a volunteer mentor, working with young people who were either in the care system, or were at risk of being taken into care. I then went on to get paid employment with the same organisation and spent four years managing a project, recruiting and supporting volunteers to work with young people in the care system. I continued to work directly with them too. These were both the happiest, and the most emotional and challenging years of my career. Whilst it was my job to try to teach the young people, I also learnt so much from them. I will never forget some of them, their stories, their situations, their lives. 

Fran Hill uses her own experience of being fostered to create a wonderfully rich novel that is filled with warmth, humour and charm. 

Jackie is fourteen years old. Her mother died of cancer and she lives in a terraced council house with her father. Her Dad was a fireman, many years ago, but more recently he has just been a drunk. He lives his life through the bottom of a whiskey glass, slobbing around in dirty underwear, too lazy to climb the stairs. Jackie does her best, sometimes he is forced to steal food to make sure that they have something to eat. She tries to care for her Dad, but really she wants to be cared for herself. Jackie is intelligent, funny, sarcastic and loving. She is vulnerable and covers that by uttering hilarious one-liners and writing poetry. 

Things cannot continue though and her teachers have noticed the bruises. Jackie is to be fostered and her social worker takes to her to meet the Walls family. Parents Bridget and Nick and their own fourteen year old daughter, Amanda. 

What follows is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that will pull at the hardest of heart strings. As Jackie tries her best to fit in with her new family; welcomed by the adults, but derided by Amanda, she has many challenges to overcome. 

The Walls have their own secrets, skeletons in the cupboard, firmly being hidden by Bridget's constant preparation of food, Nick's escapes to his shed and Amanda's increasingly destructive behaviour. 

Throughout the novel, Jackie carries on. She takes things in her stride, rarely exposing her own feelings, unless it is in the form of a poem, but still managing to create new friendships, whilst constantly worrying about her Dad, especially when she is told that he in now in prison. 

Set in the searing hot summer of 1976, which I also remember very well, this is a brilliantly written novel. The characters are vibrant, colourful and realistic. The 1970s setting, with the food, the TV programmes and most of all, that overwhelming heat adds so much to what is already a evocative and nostalgic novel. 

Highly recommended by me. I'm really looking forward to finding out more about Jackie in the next novel.

Fran Hill is a 60-year-old self-employed English teacher and writer with two previous books; a memoir and a self-published novella.

Cuckoo In The Nest is her first full-length work of fiction.

She has written extensively for the Times Educational Supplement and lives in Warwickshire with her gardener husband.

She has two grandchildren. 

www.franhill.co.uk

X @franhill123

Instagram @franhill123

Bluesky @franhill123.bsky.social

Broken Madonna by Anna Lucia BLOG TOUR #BrokenMadonna @AHaywardWriter @RandomTTours #BookExtract

 

Italy 1949

At an orphanage in the poverty-stricken Apennine Mountains, 15-year-old Adelina has only one younger friend - enigmatic, fragile Elisabetta.

When Elisabetta claims to see the Madonna by the river, Adelina has doubts. But after Elisabetta appears to heal Giulio, an injured and traumatised young soldier, crowds flock to witness the mystery of Elisabetta’s miracles.

Adelina can no longer contain her misgivings and seeks out scheming priest, Padre Bosco. As the secrets of the past begin to unravel, Adelina, Elisabetta and Giulio each have to confront who or what to believe.

Soon they face a terrible reckoning which will cause deep ripples in all their lives, reaching across the years to 1990s England.

Broken Madonna by Anna Lucia was published on 16 November 2024 by Fluency Publishing. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour today, I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you. 

Extract from Broken Madonna by Anna Lucia

Prologue 22 June 1938

River Mollarino, Apennine Mountains, Italy

Forgive me, piccina mia, little one.

Icy water rises up and grabs at the woman’s stretched, empty belly. In the makeshift sling her newborn baby wails, strong fists and feet against her mother’s swollen breasts. The baby opens her pale blue eyes, eyes that belong to a much older soul, and looks up.

The woman presses her pockets, feeling the weight of the pebbles, and she lifts her hand towards her child’s face. Her fingertips hesitate on the baby’s soft skin, the dimple on her right cheek.

She can’t do it.

Her hands plunge back into the water, and she tears at her pockets. The stones are too heavy.

The river pounds downstream, glistening in the moonlight, and swallows the wretched cries from the baby’s tiny body.

As the woman tries to edge backwards, her feet struggle on the slippery riverbed.

‘Almost safe, tesoro,’ she lies, as the baby lets out a terrified cry. 

A wave hits the woman’s side.

All at once, they’re sucked down, deep into the water.

No, no, per l’amore di Dio, no.

The sling is unravelling.

The woman kicks with all her strength, but the water pulls her this way and that. Her back strikes a boulder, hard. Suddenly her head breaks the surface of the water. She’s gasping for breath, the sling clutched tight in her hand, but there is no weight to it.

‘Elisabetta!’

Her scream echoes across the valley. The water is dragging her back into its cold embrace as she hears a voice.

A young man, crying out, thrashing in the water nearby. Just before she disappears, she sees her child in his arms.

Born in England to older Italian immigrant parents, Anna Lucia spent long, hot summers in the Apennine mountain village they had left behind to escape poverty and lack of opportunity. In the local dialect, she listened to the stories of elderly relatives about a time, place and way of life that was far, far removed from 1970s and 1980s suburbia.

Those voices, particularly of strong women who led tough lives, never went away, neither did the echoes of Catholicism.

Anna has been awarded support for her writing from Arts Council England, and also writes short stories, flash fiction and poetry. She is Chair of Trustees of literature development agency, New Writing South.

When not writing, Anna is likely to be found gardening, walking in nature or dancing the Charleston. She has broad interests in spirituality and dream analysis and reads tarot and astrology charts. She lives in Brighton, England.

X @AHaywardWriter 

IG @authorannalucia

The Killing Sense by Sam Blake #TheKillingSense @samblakebooks @CorvusBooks #BookReview

 

Danger is closer than you think...

Single Mum Kate Wilde has escaped an abusive marriage and hasn't had a holiday in years, so when she wins a five-day trip to Paris to learn about perfume - in a competition she can't remember entering - it's a dream come true. Or is it?

Almost as soon as she arrives, Kate's ex texts with evidence that he's in Paris too. Kate can feel she's being watched, and she's sure someone has been in her apartment. Then she discovers that there's a killer in the city focusing on red headed women like her. And his kill count is rising.

Who should she fear the most?

All Kate's senses are on alert. But can her instincts keep her safe?

The Killing Sense by Sam Blake is published on 2 January 2025 by Corvus. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I have spent a wet and windy weekend curled up on the settee with The Killing Sense, it has been a perfect couple of days to explore this twisty tale of mystery suspense in the wonderful setting of modern-day Paris. It is not a short novel, but the writing grips so well that I found myself flying through the pages, desperate to find out just what was in store for the characters next. 

Kate Wilde is a single parent, her marriage was filled with violence and threats. She has a restraining order out against her ex-husband Erik and she and her small daughter Hanna are making a new life together, with the help of Kate's loyal sister Orna. 

Kate is on her way to Paris. It's the first time that she's left Hanna in the care of Orna, and whilst she is excited to have won a Facebook competition that involves a whole week in Paris, along with a course in perfume-making, she is still deeply worried about her daughter. Especially as Erik continues to send threatening texts, he wants to see his daughter. 

Meanwhile, the reader is privy to information that very few people are aware of. Workers in the sewers below the streets of Paris have discovered a severed head. The head of a woman with red hair. 

It is that titan hair that sets the scene for the entire novel. Readers are not aware of why red-heads will be targeted until the very end reveal, but it's terrifying. Kate has red hair. 

Blake introduces a vast and colourful cast of characters to her readers. Kate's apartment for the week is situated in a beautiful old building and the woman in charge of the residence is elegant and self assured. Around the corner is a cafe. Agathe works in the cafe when she's not studying, and she and Kate soon hit it off. However, Agathe's flat mate Sandrine has recently disappeared. Sandrine also had red hair.

Whilst travelling to Paris, Kate was seated opposite a man named Daniel. Daniel is British, ex-military and very friendly. He's on a mission to track down an antique perfume bottle on behalf of his elderly aunt. Kate and Daniel meet again whilst in Paris and their relationship develops, he feels protective of her, she's unsure, but Daniel seems like a good, kind man. Someone she can rely on, especially as she suspects that someone, maybe Erik has been entering her apartment when she's not there. Things have moved, bottles of expensive perfumes and lotions have been left there, someone has cleaned her hair brush. Kate is very uneasy, but feels unable to do anything about it. 

This is a very cleverly plotted novel, with characters who at first, seem totally disconnected to one another, but as the story emerges, the reader begins to make the links, it is subtle and expertly executed. 

I was on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end of the story as everything begins to tie together and we realise just how much danger Kate is in. I was totally thrown by events that are revealed, it almost creeps up on the reader, taking them by surprise. 

Perfectly created characters in a setting that will entrance the reader, this is a gripping and tension filled novel that will chill readers to the bone. Highly recommended. 

Sam Blake has been writing fiction since her husband set sail across the Atlantic for eight weeks and she had an idea for a book.

She has had a string of No. 1 bestsellers, including Keep Your Eyes on Me and Remember My Name, and has been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year three times.

Sam is the Chair of the Society of Authors and has served on the board of the Crime Writer's Association, as well as being the founder of Europe's biggest online writer's magazine, Writing.ie.

Originally from St. Albans in Hertfordshire, Sam now lives at the foot of the Wicklow Mountains, near Dublin in Ireland.

Follow her on social @samblakebooks. Visit www.samblakebooks.com for news and events and get a bonus free thriller when you subscribe to her newsletter.

Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg #SpoiltCreatures @aetwigg @TinderPress #BookReview

 

They thought they knew everything about us. The kind of women we were.

It was a place for women. A remote farm tucked away in the Kent Downs. A safe space.

When Iris - newly single and living at home with her mother - meets the mysterious and beguiling Hazel, who lives in a women's commune, she finds herself drawn into the possibility of a new start away from the world of men who have only let her down. Here, at Breach House, the women can be loud and dirty, live and eat abundantly, all while under the leadership of their gargantuan matriarch, Blythe.

But even among the women, there are power struggles, cruelty and transgressions that threaten their precarious way of life. When a group of men arrives on the farm, the commune's existence is thrown into question, hurtling Iris and the other women towards an act of devastating violence.

Fierce and unapologetic, Spoilt Creatures is an intoxicating debut about transgression, sisterhood and the seductive nature of obsession. It pulls back the skin of patriarchal violence and examines the female rage that lurks beneath.

Spoilt Creatures by Amy Twigg was published in hardback on 6 June 2024 by Tinder Press. The paperback edition will be published on 27 March 2025. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I first came across Amy Twigg many years ago via her book review blog. I always admired her carefully thought out and extremely well written reviews and it is no surprise to me that she has gone on to write this perfectly crafted novel. Not only that, but she was voted one of the ten best debut novelists of 2024 by The Observer. 

Spoilt Creatures is everything that I want and need from a novel. I am a huge fan of stories that are based around communes/cults and Breach House is the perfect example of how a group of people can be brought together, for varying reasons, and fall under the spell of someone who is far more powerful than them, 

Told in the first person by Iris, the newest inhabitant of Breach House, the narrative has an almost dream like quality to it at times. Iris has always been something of an ordinary woman, haunted by the death of her father when she was a teen, and continuing a strained relationship with her mother. Iris and her live in boyfriend Nathan have recently parted, and she finds herself back in her childhood bedroom, living with her mother, surrounded by things that are too familiar, working in yet another short term job.

When Iris meets Hazel for the first time, she is is intrigued and more than a little bit smitten. This woman who eats artichokes straight from the jar taken directly from the shop shelf. This woman who feels mysterious and who is both welcoming, yet cold and distant at the same time. Iris has seen Hazel before though, in the woods a few days ago, she watched as Hazel picked wild mushrooms. Something about her making her stare for too long. 

Hazel lives at Breach House. A farmhouse outside of the village, occupied by women only and overseen by matriarch Blythe. Iris is increasingly intrigued by the house and telephones constantly in the hope that she can join them. Eventually, she is allowed to visit, and she stays. Breach House is different to anywhere that Iris has ever been before, the occupants are an eclectic mix of young and older women. Some live and sleep there, some of them arrive during day time only and then return to their families. All of them are running, or hiding from something.

Blythe is a large woman. Strong, rugged, takes no prisoners, runs a tight house and is respected by all of the other women. However, she does need to keep a close eye on them, and if her glance strays, then some of the women begin to act like children would. Pushing the boundaries, taking risks. 

It is one of these events that is the downfall of Breach House and all of those who live there. The women's inability to stick to the rules leads to paranoia and distrust, and eventually to tragedy and to horrific violence. 

Twigg's writing is luscious. Her description of Breach House, both inside and the surrounding area is just delicious. The shimmering, blistering heat as the sun beats down on the women and the plants, followed by the torrential rainfall. This adds such depth to what is already a simmering hot pot of angst and anger. 

There are some characters who really stand out, those who take the lead roles and these are beautifully created. Terribly flawed, yet with their own vulnerabilities, there's a passionate anger that flows through them all, moving the story on and creating a feeling of doubt within the reader at times. 

A novel filled with female anger, full of often misguided friendships and the alienation of a group of people who don't fit the norm. An excellent read. Highly recommended by me. 

Amy Twigg was born in Kent, and is currently based in Surrey. 

Her novel Spoilt Creatures won the BPA Pitch Prize and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition. 

In 2024, she was selected as one of the Observer's Best New Novelists.

Spoilt Creatures is her first novel.

X @aetwigg

Instagram @aetwigg

Blue Sky @aetwigg.bsky.social

Love Me Til Wednesday by Suzanne Lissaman BLOG TOUR #LoveMeTilWednesday @slissamanauthor @RandomTTours #Prize #Giveaway #Competition #Win

 

54-year-old Lisa's former singing career is getting a surprise reboot, but will her relationship with her now famous ex get a reboot too?

With Lisa's daughter getting ready to head off to uni, her ex-husband demands his share of the family home. It's the catalyst she needs to prompt her to escape her mundane job and embark on an entertaining journey back into the limelight, discovering some jaw-dropping secrets.

Follow Lisa as she navigates the chaos of midlife, friendship, and unexpected romance in this charming romantic comedy.

Love Me Till Wednesday is a second chance, closed-door romance set in London in the 1990s and the present day. It's the first in a new series from the author of Be More Octopus.

Love Me Til Wednesday by Suzanne Lissaman was published on 31 October 2024 by Octosulis Publishing. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour I am delighted to have one copy to give away.

Entry is simple; just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK entries only please

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of Love Me Til Wednesday by Suzanne Lissaman

Suzanne Lissaman is an award-winning romantic comedy writer based in the UK. 

She's also an artist and photographer. 

She lives in the West Midlands with her husband, children, and a demanding but adorable cat. 

Her debut novel, Be More Octopus, won the Romantic Novelists' Association Debut Romantic Novel Award 2024.

Be one of the first people to hear about Suzanne's latest books and freebies by signing up for Suzanne's book club on her website. 

There might be the occasional cat picture too.

www.suzannelissaman.com

City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan #CityOfDestruction @VaseemKhanUK @HodderBooks #MalabarHouseSeries #BookReview

 

Bombay, 1951. A political rally ends in tragedy when India's first female police detective, Persis Wadia, kills a lone gunman as he attempts to assassinate the divisive new defence minister, a man calling for war with India's new post-Independence neighbours.

With the Malabar House team tasked to hunt down the assassin's co-conspirators - aided by agents from Britain's MI6 security service - Persis is quickly relegated to the sidelines. But then she is given a second case, the burned body of an unidentified white man found on a Bombay beach. As she pursues both investigations - with and without official sanction - she soon finds herself headed to the country's capital, New Delhi, a city where ancient and modern India openly clash.

Meanwhile, Persis's colleague, Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, lies in a hospital fighting for his life as all around him the country tears itself apart in the prelude to war...

City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan is published in hardback on 28 November 2024 by Hodder. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

It's hard to find a better historical crime fiction series than the Malabar House series from Vaseem Khan. These books are a heady mix of historical fact, mystery stories and the progression of our lead characters; Persis Wadia and Archie Blackfinch. You will be hard pressed to find a more diverse and unlikely crime fighting duo than these two. Persis; the first female detective in India, with a rich cultural background, having seen the rise of India and neighbouring Pakistan, and also the terror and destruction caused by recent events.  Archie Blackfinch, the staid British detective, based in the heat of India, but still dresses like the formal Englishman that he is. 

In City of Destruction Persis is without her trusty sidekick for most of the story. The novel begins with an attempted assassination. A gunman attempts to shoot the country's defence minister, a man who is dividing the nation with his calls for war. Persis blocks the assassination, but the young gunman is killed. Whilst it is clear that she was only doing her job, she struggles with his death, especially as he spoke to her with his dying breath and thrust something into her hand that is very mysterious. 

And so, Persis, in her usual headstrong way takes on this case, even though she's informed by her superiors that she shouldn't.  Members of the British MI6 service have been drafted in and it's clear that Persis is not wanted on the scene. This does not stop her and she finds herself becoming more and more involved; determined to find out more about the lone gunman and who was controlling him.

Meanwhile, a white man's body is found on the rocks by the sea. Burnt beyond recognition, but killed from a blow to the head. Persis is given this case, and whilst she'd rather be involved in the political drama, it's not long before this case also consumes her. 

This is a complex and multi woven story, with some incredibly well created characters. It is filled with Khan's humour, some of his descriptions, especially of people made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Despite Persis' many flaws, one cannot help but really like her, her determination to get to the bottom of things, to find justice, to face danger and to keep going is so admirable. 

I do like to see the other side of her though. The times when she is at home with her father Sam, in their bookshop. Her memories of her late mother, and of course, her constant musings about Archie, and especially when she discovers that he may not have been entirely truthful with her in the past. 

The writing is charming, fascinating, educating. The plot line is skilful and gripping and the characters are a joy. The sense of place is so colourful, you can almost smell the streets of Bombay. Highly recommended. 

Vaseem Khan is the author of two award-winning crime series set in India, the Baby
Ganesh Agency series set in modern Mumbai, and the Malabar House historical crime novels set in 1950s Bombay. His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020, and is translated into 16 languages. The second in the series won the Shamus Award in the US. In 2018, he was awarded the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture and Theatre Award for Literature. Vaseem was born in England, but spent a decade working in India. In 2021, Midnight at Malabar House won the Crime Writers Association Historical Dagger, the world’s premier award for historical crime fiction. His latest book is The Lost Man of Bombay.

For more information about the world of his books please visit vaseemkhan.com where you can also keep abreast of Vaseem’s latest goings-on, competitions, events, and extracts from upcoming books via his newsletter.

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