A Green Equinox by Elizabeth Mavor #AGreenEquinox #ElizabethMavor @ViragoBooks @lucy_martin20 #BookerPrizeShortlist

 

Hero Kinoull is an antiquarian bookseller whose sedate life in the picturesque English town of Beaudesert is turned upside down between the spring and autumn equinoxes of a single year. First her quiet but forbidden liaison with Hugh Shafto, the curator of the country's finest collection of Rococo art, comes to an abrupt halt when she develops an adoration for his straight-talking, do-gooding wife Belle.

But this relationship leads to other, even more unexpected feelings for Belle's widowed mother-in-law, the majestic Kate Shafto, who spends her days tending her garden and sailing her handmade boats in the waters of the miniature archipelago she's constructed in a disused gravel pit.

A Green Equinox by Elizabeth Mavor. Shortlisted for the 1973 Booker Prize, this forgotten classic is reissued by Virago on 7 September 2023 after being out of print for decades. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. People who are familiar with my reviews will know that I rarely review anything considered to be a 'classic'. I have to admit that I do struggle at times with language that seems a little old-fashioned, or very literary. However, the themes of this story really resonate with me,  and feel so very relevant today, all these years later. I can imagine that at the time of publication, this novel was considered to be groundbreaking, dealing as it does, with female sexuality and the exploration of gender. 

It is a short novel, just under 200 pages and I read it whilst travelling to and from London on the train. Over three hours of totally uninterrupted reading, and whilst, yes, at first, I found it difficult to settle into, I was soon immersed into the world of the lead character: Hero Kinoull.

Hero is a middle-aged woman, living in a small English town. She owns a bookshop and is particularly interested in old books; re-binding them and wallowing in their beauty.  Hero is having an affair with married Hugh Shafto who is the curator of a fine art collection. They share a love of old things, of beautiful things and the preservation of those things. 

Hero has never met Hugh's wife Belle, despite the fact that they all live in the same small town. When, one day, Belle comes into Hero's shop to ask her to put up a poster, she is both appalled, but also intrigued by this woman.  Belle is a person who takes action, whether it be about the H bomb, pollution or race relations, Belle will take up the cause. 

Hero finds herself drawn to Belle, despite Hugh's dismay and soon Belle is the object of her adoration. However, there is another woman, one who is even more intriguing. A woman who lives by herself, sailing boats in a disused gravel pit and tending her garden; this is Hugh's mother Kate, and Hero really has found her soul mate. 

It sounds like a simple plot, and really it is, however, it is the underlying themes that really resonate. The things that some of the characters say and experience are as striking and current today as they were probably unconventional back then. 

It is a 'wordy' book, filled with drama such as typhoid, suicide and a drowning. It can be a bleak read at times, but it is a fine exploration of women's issues, with strong female characters who are beautifully created. 

Born in Glasgow and educated at Oxford, where she was reputedly the first woman to edit the university magazine, Elizabeth Mavor (1927–2013) was the author of five novels and numerous works of nonfiction. 

Drawn to the lives of women who flouted convention, her most celebrated works include two historical biographies: The Virgin Mistress: A Study in Survival (1964), about Elizabeth Pierrepont, Duchess of Kingston, an English courtesan famous for her adventurous lifestyle; and The Ladies of Llangollen (1971), the story of cross-dressing aristocratic companions Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby. 

Mavor was married to the cartoonist and illustrator Haro Hodson, with whom she had two sons.

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard BLOG TOUR #TheTrap @cathryanhoward @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

Stranded on a dark road in the middle of the night, a young woman accepts a lift from a passing stranger. It's the nightmare scenario that every girl is warned about, and she knows the dangers all too well - but what other choice does she have?

As they drive, she alternates between fear and relief - one moment thinking he is just a good man doing a good thing, the next convinced he's a monster. But when he delivers her safely to her destination, she realizes her fears were unfounded.

And her heart sinks. Because a monster is what she's looking for.

She'll try again tomorrow night. But will the man who took her sister take the bait?

The Trap by Catherine Ryan Howard was published by Bantam / Transworld on 17 August 2023. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour 

Ohh, this is a twisty read full of unexpected surprises, packed with characters who range from the most insidious of voices, to those who you want to keep safe. A story that kept me gripped over a Bank Holiday weekend. I read this in a couple of sittings, glued to the pages as the plot slowly unfolded. 

The opening chapter find a young woman, in the early hours of the morning, walking along a deserted road. When a car pulls up beside her, she gets in. The reader is privy to her thoughts and it is a little bit terrifying at first, and then that hook is dropped! It's not what we thought, although it's not quite what Lucy thought either! 

Operation Tide is the name of the police investigation into missing women in Wexford, Ireland. So far, there are three women who have vanished, although Tide wasn't established until the third one. Lucy, whose sister Nikki has been missing for a very long time gets angry when she thinks about the time wasted that could have been spent looking for Nikki. She's angry that nothing happened until a pretty, seventeen-year-old went missing. She's desperate to know where Nikki is, and what happened, and has she suffered. Is she alive?  Lucy has her own way of trying to find out, and it's dangerous and she knows it. 

The two lead players in Operation Tide are Denise, the Family Liaison Officer, and Angela, a civilian in the Missing Persons Unit who is determined to become a Guard, if she can ever pass the fitness test. Denise is keen to involve Angela in the operation, she recognises someone who is clever and able to take orders. Denise gives lots of orders, and whilst she is blunt and forceful, she's a damn good copper. 

Woven between the chapters that concern the investigation are chapters told from the point of view of the unknown person who is responsible for the crimes. These chapters are so very creepy, the reader can imagine this guy, sitting in his car, justifying his actions and comparing himself to a mountain climber. These parts add a dark tension to the story and are very clever. 

The Trap is told through many voices, with varying points of view and can be quite complex at times. However it is thrilling and engaging story, with a few reveals that really surprised me. 

With an ending that will leave the reader wondering and pondering (I love those type of endings), this is a great psychological thriller packed with a colourful cast of characters and with an incredible sense of place. Recommended

It's worth reading the Author Notes at the back of the book. Catherine Ryan Howard talks about some true-life cases of missing women in Ireland, and of course, this sent me down a fascinating Google rabbit hole.

CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD is an internationally bestselling author from Cork, Ireland. 

Her work has been shortlisted for the CWA's John Creasey New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Dagger awards, and in 2019 her novel THE LIAR'S GIRL was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. 

THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 bestseller in her native Ireland. 

She currently lives in Dublin, where she divides her time between the desk and the sofa.

@cathryanhoward

Infinite Stranger by Wendy Skorupski BLOG TOUR #InfiniteStranger @WendyMSkorupski @RandomTTours #BookExtract

 

On a snowy February morning in 1978, eighteen-year-old Leah Cavanagh meets Brother Matthew Haddon while on a retreat with her Catholic girls’ school. The four days she spends at Greystones Abbey in the wilds of North Yorkshire will have a profound impact not only on her own life, but also on that of her single mother Molly, who never recovered from the murder of her fiancé in 1956.

Leah and Matthew start writing to each other. Soon a tentative friendship develops, with a hint of more. The longing that Leah feels is shared vicariously by Molly, who sees something of her late fiancé in a photograph that Leah shows her of the handsome young monk. When Leah leaves home to study at music college, her feelings for Matthew deepen and she has difficulty committing to other relationships.

Over the coming years Leah keeps returning to Greystones Abbey, spurred by her infatuation for Matthew. The forbidden desire between them grows in intensity with each visit, until it seems impossible that the monk’s vows of chastity will remain unbroken. Soon Leah finds herself unable to break free - neither from her controlling mother, nor her enigmatic yet tortured monk - and realizes that choices will have to be made.

Infinite Stranger by Wendy Skorupski was published in June 2023. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from Infinite Stranger by Wendy Skorupski

Lichfield, July 1983

Tomorrow is my wedding day.

Those words could be the lyrics to a song, don’t you think? A joyful song; one that injects your veins with a rush of adrenaline, giddiness, the narcotic urge to dance. I can feel a strong beat there. Tomorrow is my wedding day. Four-four time. Could be a tango, then. I can already picture myself on the dance floor: slow, thigh-clinging strides in sync with my partner’s, the occasional unexpected lurch as he tips me backwards – long hair tum- bling away from my face, eyes shut in concentration as said partner holds me firmly round the waist to make sure I don’t topple over completely, hitting the parquet with a thump.

I meant to say groom, not partner. Because come tomorrow, that’s what he’ll be. And I his wife. Mr and Mrs. His and hers. Happily ever after.

The zone where fairy tales fear to tread.

So tomorrow I’m getting married and you should be here with me, Mother. You should be sitting by my side, in the living room of my tum- bledown cottage in Lichfield, keeping me company on my last night as a single woman. Your feet should be propped up on the coffee table; mine tucked beneath me. You always liked stretching out your feet, because you said it was good for the circulation. Our hands should be cradling mugs of hot milky coffee, our lips blowing the steam away before taking that first sip. The TV should be on, tuned into an old black and white film – Bette Davis perhaps, or better still, Vivien Leigh, your favourite, because in your youth everyone said you had a Scarlett O’Hara smile. And later at night, before making our way up the staircase to our respective bedrooms, we could have a final peek at my wedding dress. There it’ll be, hanging outside the wardrobe in all its sequinned finery, catching the glow from the lightbulb as we step inside my room and flick the switch by the door, transposing drabness into magic: a shimmering satin splendour. In fact, rather like you.

You should be here on this special night, supporting me, calming my nerves, stroking my face, murmuring, It’ll be fine, darling. It’ll be fine. 

But you’re not here. Instead of cradling a mug of coffee in my hands, I’m clutching a letter. A crumpled letter, with fine calligraphy that’s smudged with water stains. Tears, actually. A letter you never knew about, because I slipped it in my bag before you had the chance to spot it in the hall at Belle View on my last visit home. Good job I was standing there at the time, putting on my jacket and getting ready to leave at the very moment the postman pushed the envelope through the letter box. You were in the kitchen, clattering about by the sink, washing up mugs, delaying the bitter sorrow of parting. So I stole the letter - which was addressed to you but definitely from him, because I recognised his handwriting - and I read it on the inter-city train from Lyneham-on-Sea to Birmingham, then the local one to Lichfield. I read it multiple times, on both journeys. Every word of it. That’s when I knew there was no point in calling off the wedding. That’s when it finally hit home that there was no other way.

Wendy Skorupski had an international upbringing in Cyprus and Vienna and graduated
from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in England. She lives in the beautiful historic city of Krakow in Southern Poland and works in the field of international education. Her first dream was to be a concert pianist, just like Leah Cavanagh in her latest novel, Infinite Stranger, therefore she writes about this little-known world from first-hand experience. Infinite Stranger was also inspired by the murder of Wendy’s late mother’s fiancé, Peter Fox - a tragic event that changed the course of her life and provided the backdrop to the novel.

Wendy is the mother of three wonderful children and the owner of a stubborn but loveable Belgian Malinois. During her daily brisk walks with this high-energy dog, ideas for her writing abound.

Wendy is also the author of the novel, Once Upon a Thousand Hills, available on Amazon. She is currently working on her next novel.

Wendy’s blog can be found on: wendyskorupski.com

Murder at the Residence by Stella Blómkvist Trans. Quentin Bates BLOG TOUR #MurderAtTheResidence #StellaBlomkvist @Graskegur @CorylusB #BookReview

 

It’s New Year and Iceland is still reeling from the effects of the financial crash when a notorious financier is found beaten to death after a high-profile reception at the President’s residence.

The police are certain they have the killer – or do they? Determined to get to the truth, maverick lawyer Stella Blómkvist isn’t so sure.

A stripper disappears from one of city’s seediest nightspots, and nobody but Stella seems interested in finding her. A drug mule cooling his heels in a prison cell refuses to speak to anyone but Stella – although she’s never heard of him. An old man makes a deathbed confession and request for Stella to find the family he lost long ago.

With a sharp tongue and a moral compass all of her own, Stella Blómkvist has a talent for attracting trouble and she’s as at home in the corridors of power as in the dark corners of Reykjavík’s underworld.

Stella Blómkvist delivers an explosive mix of murder, intrigue and surprise, and is one of Iceland’s best-loved crime series.

Murder at the Residence by Stella Blómkvist was published by Corylus Books on 28 August 2023 and is translated by Quentin Bates. My thanks to the publisher who sent my book for review as part of this Blog Tour. 

This is the first of the Stella Blómkvist books to be translated for Corylus Books. The series is huge in Iceland and is also a major TV series. I hadn't heard of these books before, but after reading this first one, I'm already a fan! 

Stella is fabulous lead character, she's spiky, unusual, sometimes naughty and always on the ball. Whilst this is a relatively short novel of just over 250 pages, it is a truly a belter of a read. Packed with action, mystery and a great dose of humour too.

Stella is a well-known lawyer in Reykjavík, she often gets involved in cases that she thinks are being mishandled by the police. She really doesn't have much time for the force at all, nicknaming them 'the blackbirds' and speaking about them with scorn and mistrust. 

This story opens on New Year's Eve, Iceland is still recovering from the recent financial crash and Stella really wants to get drunk and have a good night. She's a solitary figure, roaming the streets and these scenes really set the reader up to discover more about her, and about the country. 

The President has hosted a very high profile drinks party at his residence and one of his guests, a very well know financier is found battered to death at a nearby church. The police are certain that they have the killer, but Stella is not so sure. She makes it her goal to discover the truth, whilst also working on her current cases. 

As Stella questions more and more people and begins to find links in all of her cases, the mystery deepens. The police chief is not happy about her so-called interference, and the local crime underworld are certainly not pleased that she's involved either. 

I love the character of Stella, she's a breath of fresh air in what can often be an genre overcrowded by stereotypical male characters. The insight into the workings of the Icelandic government, along with the darkest criminal behaviour is excellent, and readers will see that actually, there's not that much of a difference between them! Surprise, surprise. 

A fabulous introduction to Stella, I'm really looking forward to the next books in the series. 

The tales featuring razor-tongued Reykjavík lawyer Stella Blómkvist – with her taste for
neat whiskey, a liking for easy money and a moral compass all of her own – have been bestsellers in Iceland since the first of Stella’s escapades appeared in print back in the 1990s.

Since then, the author who calls herself (or himself) Stella Blómkvist has managed to remain anonymous. There has been endless speculation about who really writes the Stella Blómkvist novels, with the spotlight having focused over the years on numerous politicians, authors, journalists and others in the public eye. But so far the pseudonym still hasn’t been cracked.

The question of Stella Blómkvist’s identity is one that crops up regularly, but it looks like it’s going to remain a mystery…

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap
year working in Iceland. 

He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice which have been published worldwide. 

He has translated all of Ragnar Jonasson' s Dark Iceland series.

Three Card Murder by J L Blackhurst @JennyBlackhurst @HQstories @beccimansell #ThreeCardMurder #BookReview

 

DI Tess Fox’s first murder scene has two big problems. One, the victim was thrown from the balcony of a flat locked from the inside. Two, Tess knows him.

But the biggest problem of all is Tess’s half-sister, Sarah. She has links to the deceased and has the skills and criminal background to mastermind a locked-room murder. But she’s a con-artist, not a killer.

When two more bodies turn up, Tess now has three locked room mysteries to solve and even more reason to be suspicious of Sarah. Can she trust someone who breaks the law for a living, even if she is family?

Three Card Murder by J L Blackhurst is published on 31 August 2023 by HQ. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

J L Blackhurst is better know as Jenny Blackhurst, the author of some amazing psychological thrillers that I would highly recommend. I was fascinated to see that she had written a police procedural, more of a traditional crime novel using a pseudonym, and was very eager to read it.

I have to comment on the amazing cover for this novel. I think it is so striking and will really stand out on the bookshop shelves, something a little different and a fabulous design. 

Three Card Murder is an outstanding read, I was hooked from the first chapter, totally pulled in by the intriguing and mysterious prologue that features two girls at a fairground. When the story begins, these two girl are now women. Tess is a Detective Inspector and Sarah is an expert con-artist. They are also half-sisters, with the same father, but have had very little to do with one another through their lives.  Tess was brought up by a mother who didn't like to talk about her dad, and when she did finally meet him and Sarah, things didn't work out so well. These women have a massive secret, one that could destroy their lives, and certainly put Tess out of a job. 

Tess is working on her first murder case. It appears that the victim's throat was cut before he was pushed off the balcony of his flat. However, the flat is locked from the inside and there's absolutely no way that the murderer can have left the building unseen. Another major issue is the fact that Tess knows the victim, and the clue that she finds at the scene tells her that the murderer knows that. 

Tess has no option but to contact Sarah, for this case is linked to the events of years ago, and there's only Sarah who knows the truth. This leads to the sisters trying to create a relationship that is very strained, yet essential if they are to solve the crime, but keep their secret safe. 

The story moves at a fast paced and is filled with incredible con tricks. Sarah really is a master at her craft, taught well by their father and at the top of her game. Even the smallest cons are incredible; and had me totally intrigued throughout. 

Both female lead characters are so well created, with their back stories and current lifestyles portrayed very well, the reader cannot help but cheer them both on, despite Sarah's trickery and life of fraud! 

Blackhurst knits the story together so well, and the final reveal is not one that I anticipated, or expected.

This is an exciting and satisfying read, one that kept me gripped throughout and I really do hope that we can expect more from Tess and Sarah. Highly recommended.

J.L. Blackhurst is a pseudonym for Jenny Blackhurst who was born and grew up in Shropshire, where she still lives with her husband, two boys and two beagles. 

She has a Masters degree in Occupational Psychology and has worked in administration for the Fire Service and retail management before leaving to write full time. 

She wrote her first book, How I Lost You after giving birth to her son in 2011 and since has written seven psychological thrillers, her first of which won her a silver Nielsen award and became a kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a Spiegel Bestselleren in Germany. 

She can solve a Rubix cube in three minutes.

@JennyBlackhurst

@jennyblackhurstauthor

The Girl Who Never Came Back by Suzanne Goldring #BooksOnTour @SuzanneGoldring @bookouture #TheGirlWhoNeverCameBack #WWIIFiction #BookReview

 

Someone is trying to hide what really happened to her. I must do anything to discover the truth. Even risk my own life….

Paris 1945. I sent nineteen-year-old Phyllis, my youngest recruit, into a city crawling with enemy soldiers. But she was smart as a tack, and her gold-flecked hazel eyes could capture anyone’s hearts. I was certain she would succeed. But then she disappeared without a trace. And no one will help me discover what happened to her.

I am desperate to find her – the girl I told to lie to her family about where she was going. She was excited to be doing her bit, but she was young and naïve. It was my job to make her understand the peril she would face. Is it my fault she is missing?

Now I creep into a beautiful house on a tree-lined street, the headquarters of cold-hearted German soldiers. It was the last place she was seen. I trail my fingers along the gilded furniture and see the light dance off the glittering chandeliers. On the top floor, I find the dates inscribed by beaten prisoners, and my heart sinks as I realise she was shown no mercy here.

As I search for the answers her family are begging for, I learn that the girl I swore to protect was moved around in secret. And when I find a message scratched on a food tin in a damp cell, I know I am getting closer to Phyllis at last…

But there are some who want the secrets of the war to be left in the past. Someone is sending me threatening letters, trying to scare me to stop... In finding answers about the girl who haunts my dreams, am I not only risking her life but my own too?

A heartbreaking, and completely unputdownable World War Two page-turner about the extraordinary bravery of women in the war. Fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and The Midwife of Auschwitz will be utterly glued to this unforgettable novel.

The Girl Who Never Came Back by Suzanne Goldring was published on 23 August 2023 by Bookouture. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review and for inviting me to be part of the Books On Tour. 

This is a sweeping historical fiction novel that spans the decades, concentrating on the women who served in the Special Operations Executive during World War Two. Goldring writes with authority and passion, it is clear that she's done such a lot of in-depth research and has produced a novel that is both educating and entertaining, although there are scenes within that are utterly heartbreaking and she does not shy away from the horrors of war. 

The story begins in the present day, at the funeral of Sylvia, an elderly lady who lived in a remote thatched cottage with her life long friend Peg. Peg and Sylvia both played their part in the war. Peg worked underground in a factory, whilst Sylvia also claimed that she did 'a lot of filing'.

The reader is taken back to war time as we follow Sylvia who does a lot more than just filing. She recruits and trains volunteer women who will become part of the Special Operative Executive. Daring and fearless, they are parachuted into France, to work alongside the resistance against the Germans. Sylvia has special affection for one of these girls; Phyllis; a nineteen-year-old beauty who is dignified and brave. 

Interwoven throughout the narrative are two separate threads; we see snippets from the Special Operative Executive training manual, and then we have copies of letters that Sylvia receives. These letters are disturbing, almost threatening at times, and are sent by the brother of Phyllis.

Phyllis doesn't return from France. Lots of the women don't return, and Sylvia is determined to track each one of them and discover what happened to them. It is this journey that exposes the true horror of what happened to some of the women whilst being held in various camps. The violence and brutality that they endured, their total and utter loyalty to their country and the way that some of the German soldiers speak about these women is eye opening and horrific. 

Sylvia spends the rest of her life feeling guilty about her 'girls'. The slightest bang can set her off, and the regular letters from Phyllis' brother cast a shadow over her life forever. 

Suzanne Goldring has created some exceptional characters within this novel. Sylvia who is dedicated, yet empathic and caring. Peg who is innocent and somewhat naive at times, but a loyal friend, and of course Phyllis who along with the other women who gave their lives in the war are the real heroes of this story.

Historical fiction at its finest and entrenched in the truth. Highly recommended. 

Following an eventful career as a public relations consultant, specialising in business and travel, Suzanne Goldring turned to writing the kind of novels she likes to read, about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Whether she is working in her thatched cottage in Hampshire or her seaside home in North Cornwall, Suzanne finds inspiration in the secrets hidden by everyday life.

https://suzannegoldring.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/suzannegoldringauthor

https://twitter.com/suzannegoldring

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Suzanne Goldring here: https://www.bookouture.com/suzanne-goldring

Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan #DeathofaLesserGod @VaseemKhanUK @HodderBooks #MalabarHouse #BookReview

 

In the fourth rip-roaring thriller in the award-winning Malabar House series, Persis and Archie travel to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where they collide head-on with the prejudices and bloody politics of an era engulfed in flame.

Can a white man receive justice in post-colonial India?

Bombay, 1950

James Whitby, sentenced to death for the murder of prominent lawyer and former Quit India activist Fareed Mazumdar, is less than two weeks from a date with the gallows. In a last-ditch attempt to save his son, Whitby's father forces a new investigation into the killing.

The investigation leads Inspector Persis Wadia of the Bombay Police to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where, with the help of Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, she uncovers a possible link to a second case, the brutal murder of an African-American G.I. during the Calcutta Killings of 1946.

Are the cases connected? And if Whitby didn't murder Mazumdar, then who did?

Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan was published in hardback on 10 August 2023 by Hodder, and is the fourth in the Malabar House series. My thanks to the author and publisher who sent my copy for review. 

What I really love about historical fiction is that I always feel as though I've learned something, and Vaseem Khan really does educate his readers in this series. It is a tightly woven crime thriller, splattered with some laugh out loud humour, populated by characters who are vibrant and wonderfully portrayed whilst also being so informing. His research is faultless, and for anyone who would like to know more about this period in history, you can't go far wrong with this series, especially if you love crime fiction too. 

Inspector Persis Wadia is very well known in Bombay, the first female inspector in the police, and this is especially noteworthy given the attitude of most men towards women in the country. She's bright and determined, she takes risks and never gives up on her convictions, certainly a force to be reckoned with and able to give most men a good run for her money. In Death of a Lesser God, she has a new sidekick, another female; Seema. Seema is a young, impressionable woman who has had a tough life, but sees Persis as a role model and someone to aspire to, despite the fact that she's led into some very dangerous situations whilst accompanying her to Calcutta. 

Persis is asked to re-investigate a case that appears to be clear cut and finished. James Whitby, a white man, born in India and from a family who were very powerful during the English reign has been found guilty of murdering lawyer Fareed Mazumdar. Whitby's father insists that this verdict is investigated and Persis is the woman for the job. 

With the help of her old friend, Scotland Yard criminalist Archie Blackfinch, she is led to Calcutta where she discovers a potential link to another murder. An African-American GI was murdered a few years ago, and everything that Persis learns about that case makes her think that there's far more to it, and to Whitby's case too.

This is tension filled story, encompassing two major cities. Readers are treated to the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the city streets, along with discovering the corruption and determination of those in power to ensure that they stay there.  Persis is a fabulous character who readers will back all of the way and the story takes many twists and turns, adding surprises and shocks galore.
I adore Khan's descriptions of characters in the story, some of them made me laugh out loud, he creates such a visual image and seems to do it so easily. It's certainly a skill to bring characters to life so colourfully. 

This is a wonderful series. Entertaining, educating and thrilling. Highly recommended. 

Vaseem Khan is the author of two crime series set in India: the Baby Ganesh Agency series, and the
Malabar House historical crime novels.

His first book, The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra, was a Times bestseller and has been translated into 16 languages. Midnight at Malabar House won the CWA Historical Fiction Dagger in 2021 and was shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.

Vaseem was born in London, but spent a decade working in India as a management consultant.

www.vaseemkhan.com

X / Twitter @VaseemKhanUK

Instagram @vaseemkhanwriter