#ThrowbackThursday ~ The Lewis Man by Peter May ~ #Mystery and #Drama in the Outer Hebrides

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Crime, Drama, Murder, Mystery, Uncategorized by Cathy

The Lewis Man is the second book in the fabulous Lewis Trilogy by Peter May. I listened to the audiobooks (this one relaesed in 2012), performed brilliantly by Peter Forbes.

My Thoughts

On the Isle of Lewis peat cutting is considered a social activity, with families, friends and neighbours all joining in and working together. Trenches are dug and the peat cut and stacked as it has been for centuries. Only this time the peat cutters uncover more than they bargained for when an almost perfectly preserved body is discovered. Initially the police surgeon thinks the body could have been there for hundreds of years, it was only when a tattoo becomes visible they realise the young man had been murdered much more recently.

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21May2021

#SpotlightFeature ~ The Afrikaner by Arianna Dagnino @aridagni #GuestPost #FridayReads

Posted in Audiobook, Guest Post, Spotlight by Cathy

Today I’m showcasing The Afrikaner by Arianna Dagnino, described as ‘ a hybrid form that mixes history, science, magic & the love for the outdoors.’

I asked Arianna if she could tell us about the inspiration for The Afrikaner and her time as an international reporter…

Landing from what was then regarded as “enlightened”, free and democratic Europe and finding ourselves in the turmoil of a society caught in dramatic transition – between the end of apartheid (the 40-year long period of racial segregation imposed on the peoples of South Africa) and the first democratically elected black government. Those were the years, 1996-2000 in which my husband and I worked in South Africa as international reporters for the Italian press.

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4May2021

Find You First by Linwood Barclay @AudiobookReview @linwood_barclay #ContemporaryThriller #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Contemporary Fiction, Thriller by Cathy

Author: Linwood Barclay

Performed by George Newbern

Released on Audible March 2021, and published by HQ

Category: Contemporary Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tech millionaire Miles Cookson has more money than he can ever spend, and everything he could dream of—except time. He has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and there is a fifty percent chance that it can be passed on to the next generation. For Miles, this means taking a long hard look at his past . . .

After Miles Cookson gets a devastating diagnosis, his initial reaction is angry denial followed by reluctant acceptance. All his millions can’t help him now. The one time he’d give it all up for a positive outcome. There’s also a chance his illness could be passed on to any children. The trouble is, Miles doesn’t know if he has any, who they might be or how many are out there.

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18Mar2021

#ThrowbackThursday ~ Abuse Of Discretion (Dre Thomas #3) by Pamela Samuels Young #LegalThriller #Audiobook

Posted in Audiobook, Courtroom Drama, Legal, Thriller, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

Abuse of Discretion is a fast moving, tense and well written courtroom drama, made all the more so because it involves children who have no comprehension of the trouble they can bring upon themselves.

This is an excellent legal thriller series. Angela Evans used to be an Assistant US Attorney, now she’s a criminal defence attorney. Her relationship with Andre Thomas, a reformed drug dealer, compromised her previous post and, although Dre promised to leave his criminal past behind him, the past hasn’t done with him yet.

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9Mar2021

Dumb Witness (Hercule Poirot Book 16) by Agatha Christie #MurderMystery #AudiobookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Crime, Murder, Mystery by Cathy

Author: Agatha Christie

Performed by Hugh Fraser

Category: Murder, Mystery, Book Review

Everyone blamed Emily’s accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thought about her fall, the more convinced she became that one of her relatives was trying to kill her. On April 17th she wrote her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously he didn’t receive the letter until June 28th…

When Miss Emily Arundel died, not unexpectedly as her health had been delicate, the contents of her will caused a variety of emotions, including surprise, anger, criticism, excitement and gossip. The residents of Market Basing talked and speculated for weeks, and theories were numerous. Although Miss Lawson, Miss Arundel’s companion, professed to be as astonished as everyone else when the will was read, not everyone believed her, especially the Arundel family.

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25Feb2021

#ThrowbackThursday ~ State vs Lassiter (Jake Lassiter Series) by Paul Levine #LegalThriller

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Legal, Murder, Mystery, Thriller, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

The Jake Lassiter series was one I really enjoyed. State vs Lassiter is one of the later ones, released in May 2017 by Brilliance Audio and performed by Luke Daniels.

My Thoughts

Life is good for Jake Lassiter, ex Miami Dolphins linebacker turned lawyer…..until he wakes up on the beach with the hangover from hell and no memory of how he got there. He and his lover, Pamela Baylins were spending a romantic weekend at the Fontainebleau Hotel, courtesy of a grateful client.

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16Feb2021

The Burning Girls by C. J. Tudor @cjtudor #AudiobookReview #Thriller #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Supernatural, Thriller by Cathy

Author: C. J. Tudor

Published: January 2021 by Michael Joseph

Category: Contemporary Fiction, Horror, Supernatural, Thriller, Book Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

500 years ago: eight martyrs were burnt to death

30 years ago: two teenagers vanished without trace

Two months ago: the vicar committed suicide

Welcome to Chapel Croft.

Single parent Rev. Jack Brooks and her teenage daughter Flo, moved to Chapel Croft ostensibly for a new start, and for Jack a chance to perhaps find some peace. An ‘unfortunate situation’, as described by the residing bishop in her Nottingham parish, resulted in a move neither Jack or Flo wanted to a much smaller parish in rural Sussex. It was an interim position until a full time replacement could be found. However, no-one had seen fit to mention that the last vicar had committed suicide.

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11Feb2021

#ThrowbackThursday ~ Sealskin by Su Bristow #MagicalRealism #Selkies

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Throwback Thursday by Cathy

Sealskin was released as an audiobook in Februaury 2017 and performed extremely well by Angus King.

My Thoughts

Based on the selkie myths, this is a wonderfully original debut novel. An extraordinary tale with dark undercurrents, it’s about the power of love, magic, forgiveness and conversely violence, loss and atonement. It explores the meaning of community, the story giving the impression of being set in times gone by, which combined with the complexities of living in a small fishing village, intensifies the atmosphere. When life could be extremely harsh, villagers didn’t stray far from home and weather and sea dictated their way of life.

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15Jan2021

Mini #AudiobookReviews ~ Murder Under The Sun/Killing Time/Still Dead by @neilmustard & @katonahprod #Cherringham #CosyMurderMystery #FridayReads

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Cosy Mystery, Crime, Murder, Mystery by Cathy

Cherringham is a long running cosy mystery series of shorts, featuring Sarah Edwards and Jack Brennan and narrated perfectly by Neil Dudgeon. Each story is complete, with character development and lives evolving as the time frame moves on. Great for a quick listen and I enjoy catching up with the characters.

Jack, a retired NYPD homicide detective, relocated to the Cotswolds after his wife died and now lives on an old Dutch barge moored at Cherringham, with his dog Riley. Sarah Edwards, a web designer, returned to Cherringham from London with her two children when her husband left the family for his boss. She now runs her own company. She and Jack are Cherringham’s answer to private investigators, except they help out for free.

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15Dec2020

The Searcher by Tana French ~ Set in Ireland ~ Character Driven #LiteraryFiction #Audiobook #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted in Audiobook, Book Review, Contemporary, Crime, Literary Fiction, Murder/Mystery by Cathy

Author: Tana French

Performed by Roger Clark

Released: November 2020 by Penguin Audio

Category: Murder, Mystery, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.

But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can’t make himself walk away.