Category Archives: Crime

November 22, 2025 · 4:56 pm

Down Cemetery Road – Mick Herron

Down Cemetery Road – Mick Herron

I have been making my way through Mick Herron’s Slow Horses series and when I saw the adaptation of this on Apple, I decided to give it a go.

Here’s the blurb …

CWA Gold Dagger winner Mick Herron’s debut novel introduces Sarah Tucker, whose search for a missing child unravels a murderous conspiracy.

 When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a young girl disappears in the aftermath, Sarah Tucker—a young married woman, bored and unhappy with domestic life—becomes obsessed with finding her. Accustomed to dull chores in a childless household and hosting her husband’s wearisome business clients for dinner, Sarah suddenly finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew, as her investigation reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead. What begins in a peaceful neighborhood reaches its climax on a remote, unwelcoming Scottish island as the search puts Sarah in league with a man who finds himself being hunted down by murderous official forces.

I didn’t realise this was his debut novel – it is certainly very good, with all of his trademarks. Self-serving spooks, witty dialogue and no character is safe (there is no plot armour).

It’s twisty and turny and there was one very unexpected event (no spoilers). I am looking forward to watching the adaptation now.

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November 5, 2025 · 4:28 pm

Glass Houses (Gamache 13) – Louise Penny

Glass Houses – Louise Penny

I do like a Gamache story (I think there is 20 of them!).

Here’s the blurb for this one…

When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead.

From the moment the creature’s shadow falls over the village, Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Quebec, suspects it has deep roots and a dark purpose. Yet he does nothing. What can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized.

But when the figure vanishes overnight and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied.

Months later, on a steamy July day, as the trial for the accused begins in Montréal, Chief Superintendent Gamache continues to struggle with actions he set in motion that bitter November from which there is no going back. More than the accused is on trial. Gamache’s own conscience is standing in judgment.

In her latest utterly gripping book, number-one New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny shatters the conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi called the court of conscience. A court that supersedes all others.

This story is told over two time-frames. When the murder occurred (around Halloween) and when the murderer went on trial (July the following year). There are sneaky things afoot – a hidden door, perjury, feigned incompetence and a few red herrings as well.

Like all of the Gamache novels, it is beautifully written and we learn a bit about Cobradors (here is an article about them), although our Cobrador is more of a conscience than a debt collector.

A review

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October 12, 2025 · 12:33 pm

Clouds of Witnesses – Dorothy L Sayers

Clouds of Witnesses – Dorothy L Sayers

I enjoyed the first Peter Wimsey story, so when I was looking for something easy to listen to (after Villette), I chose this one. I am very keen to get to Gaudy Night, but that is book number 10.

Here’s the blurb …

Rustic old Riddlesdale Lodge was a Wimsey family retreat filled with country pleasures and the thrill of the hunt — until the game turned up human and quite dead. He lay among the chrysanthemums, wore slippers and a dinner jacket and was Lord Peter’s brother-in-law-to-be. His accused murderer was Wimsey’s own brother, and if murder set all in the family wasn’t enough to boggle the unflappable Lord Wimsey, perhaps a few twists of fate would be — a mysterious vanishing midnight letter from Egypt…a grieving fiancee with suitcase in hand…and a bullet destined for one very special Wimsey.

I love everything about these novels. The settings, the language, the way of life, the characters – Lord Peter, Bunter and Inspector Parker (clearly in love with Lady Mary). I like how the crimes are solved. But it’s not just a cozy mystery they have some emotional heft to them.

A review.

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August 17, 2025 · 11:53 am

Whose Body – Dorothy L Sayers

Whose Body – Dorothy L Sayers

After reading Square Haunting, I was keen to read Dorothy L Sayers. This is the first of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. I listened to this one, narrated by Robert Bathurst.

Here’s the blurb …

It was the body of a tall stout man. On his dead face, a handsome pair of gold pince-nez mocked death with grotesque elegance.

The body wore nothing else.

Lord Peter Wimsey knew immediately what the corpse was supposed to be. His problem was to find out whose body had found its way into Mr Alfred Thipp’s Battersea bathroom.

I loved it, and the crime was fiendish. All of the characters are brilliant – Lord Wimsey, his valet Bunter, fellow detective Mr Parker, and his mother the Dowager Duchess. I imagine all of these characters will reappear in future novels.

The setting is very 1920s London, with Lord Peter needing to dress appropriately for every social event, everyone is ‘jolly decent’ – even the murderer! These are well-written and lots of fun. I shall definitely be reading more. I am quite keen to get to Gaudy Night and Harriet Vane, but I shall read them in order.

A review.

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August 14, 2025 · 2:02 pm

The Nature of the Beast (Gamache #11) – Louise Penny

The Nature of the Beast – Louise Penny

I love these books.

Here’s the blurb …

Hardly a day goes by when nine year old Laurent Lepage doesn’t cry wolf. From alien invasions, to walking trees, to winged beasts in the woods, to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.

But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.

And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet.

And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here.

A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back.

Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that, in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.

As usual this is beautifully written. There are lots of literary and biblical references. Plus some hints about what Gamache might do next (I started with number 12, so I know where he goes next). There is evil at the heart of this one, multiple deaths, a serial killer, spies and a reckoning for Ruth.

A review.

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July 31, 2025 · 3:03 pm

Joe Country – Mick Herron

Joe Country – Mick Herron

I have been slowly making my way through the Slough House series – this is number 6.

Here’s the blurb …

‘We’re spies,’ said Lamb. ‘All kinds of outlandish shit goes on.’

Like the ringing of a dead man’s phone, or an unwelcome guest at a funeral . . .

In Slough House memories are stirring, all of them bad. Catherine Standish is buying booze again, Louisa Guy is raking over the ashes of lost love, and new recruit Lech Wicinski, whose sins make him outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process.

Meanwhile, in Regent’s Park, Diana Taverner’s tenure as First Desk is running into difficulties. If she’s going to make the Service fit for purpose, she might have to make deals with a familiar old devil . . .

And with winter taking its grip Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can’t ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible breaks cover at last, Lamb sends the slow horses out to even the score.

This time, they’re heading into joe country.

And they’re not all coming home.

I love the way Mick Herron writes – the way he describes sunlight like a person.

There is a high body count in this one and some of my favourite characters didn’t make it out alive. But that has always been the case, don’t get too attached.

It is terrifying to think that the secret service might actually be like this.

A review

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July 22, 2025 · 3:08 pm

The Long Way Home (Gamache #10) – Louise Penny

The Long Way Home – Louise Penny

I love these Gamache novels. This one was more about finding a missing person (but don’t worry there was still a very well planned murder).

Here’s the blurb …

Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he sits on a bench holding a small book, The Balm in Gilead, in his large hands. “There is a balm in Gilead,” his neighbor Clara Morrow reads from the dust jacket, “to make the wounded whole.”

While Gamache doesn’t talk about his wounds and his balm, Clara tells him about hers. Peter, her artist husband, has failed to come home. Failed to show up as promised on the first anniversary of their separation. She wants Gamache’s help to find him. Having finally found sanctuary, Gamache feels a near revulsion at the thought of leaving Three Pines. “There’s power enough in Heaven,” he finishes the quote as he contemplates the quiet village, “to cure a sin-sick soul.” And then he gets up. And joins her.

Together with his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Myrna Landers, they journey deeper and deeper into Québec. And deeper and deeper into the soul of Peter Morrow. A man so desperate to recapture his fame as an artist, he would sell that soul. And may have. The journey takes them further and further from Three Pines, to the very mouth of the great St. Lawrence River. To an area so desolate, so damned, the first mariners called it “the land God gave to Cain.” And there they discover the terrible damage done by a sin-sick soul.

This one ventures out of Three Pines to the wilderness of Québec – there are small planes, rollicking boats (there is a bit of humour in the rooms they are assigned on the boat), art discussions – is there a 10th muse?, and is Ruth in love?

There is kindness, friendship, love and the occasional awful person.

A review.

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July 19, 2025 · 3:53 pm

Maisie Dobbs – Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs – Jacqueline Winspear

I have been wanting to read this book for ages, but it was difficult to find a copy. I just checked and there is a kindle version, so I am not sure what my problem was, but in the end I ordered it from Stefan’s Books.

Here’s the blurb …

Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator, began her working life at the age of thirteen as a servant in a Belgravia mansion, only to be discovered reading in the library by her employer, Lady Rowan Compton. Fearing dismissal, Maisie is shocked when she discovers that her thirst for education is to be supported by Lady Rowan and a family friend, Dr. Maurice Blanche. But The Great War intervenes in Maisie’s plans, and soon after commencement of her studies at Girton College, Cambridge, Maisie enlists for nursing service overseas.
Years later, in 1929, having apprenticed to the renowned Maurice Blanche, a man revered for his work with Scotland Yard, Maisie sets up her own business. Her first assignment, a seemingly tedious inquiry involving a case of suspected infidelity, takes her not only on the trail of a killer, but back to the war she had tried so hard to forget.

I do enjoy things set in the early 20th century. This was delightful. Full of lovely historical detail with good characters and an intriguing mystery/crime to solve.

I believe there is eighteen books in the series, so that will keep me going for a while (plus I am still making my way through the Gamache series).

A review

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July 1, 2025 · 4:16 pm

How the Light Gets In (#9) – Louise Penny

How The Light Gets In – Louise Penny

I love Inspector Gamache books and after the last one – The Beautiful Mystery – I had to read this one.

I wondered if this was the planned ending for these novels – it ends in a very satisfying manner (all mysteries solved and relationships sorted). As there is no gap in the publishing schedule, maybe this one was never intended to be the end (all good because I love them and I have about ten more to go).

Here’s the blurb …

Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it’s a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté de Québec. Most of his best agents have left or been transferred out of the Homicide Department; his old friend and lieutenant Jean-Guy Beauvoir hasn’t spoken to him in months; and hostile forces are lining up against him.

When Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers, in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city for a few hours. Myrna’s longtime friend, who was due to spend Christmas in the village, has failed to arrive. When Chief Inspector Gamache presses for information, Myrna is reluctant to reveal her friend’s name. Mystified, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people not just in North America but in the world, and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo.

As events come to a head at the Sûreté, Gamache is drawn ever deeper into the world of Three Pines. Increasingly, he is not only investigating the disappearance of Myrna’s friend but also seeking a safe place for himself and his still-loyal colleagues—if such a refuge exists amid mounting danger. Is there peace to be found even in Three Pines, and at what cost to Gamache and the people he holds dear?

Gamache is quite sneaky in this one and it is only at the end, you appreciate how sneaky he has been over several years – definitely playing the long game.

There is beautiful settings, the usual cast of characters (although Reine-Marie is in Paris) and an interesting case to solve as well as the shenanigans in the Sûreté.

A review.

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June 25, 2025 · 8:12 pm

The Beautiful Mystery (#8) – Louise Penny

The Beautiful Mystery – Louise Penny

I do like Inspector Gamache books. I have been listening to this one – read by Adam Sims.

Here is the blurb …

No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Québec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.”

But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. But before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.

This one is not set in Three Pines, but in an isolated monastery (Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups). It has all things that I love about Gamache novels – great settings, interesting plot, and intriguing characters. There is some political intrigue in the Sûreté bureaucracy – Gamache didn’t get rid of all of the rot when he arrested Arnaud – I think it will continue for a few more novels. The way this one ended (no spoilers) made me a bit sad, so I have quickly started number 9.

A review.

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