Murder & Revenge

It has all been a bit quiet round here again, and so with a quick whistlestop tour of some books recently read I give you Murder and Revenge!

A debut novel which although is not set in the past, very much the present. It uses the past in the form of antiques to create a fascinating plot.

Freya’s mentor Arthur Crockleford dies under mysterious circumstances and when a note received to Freya not long before his death intrigues her, means she has to return to the village she swore to leave behind. When discovering some journals it seems that she has to investigate not just his death but something that happened to her in the past.

When her instincts draw her and her eccentric aunt, who was a delight to see come to life off the page take them to a big country house, full of antiques, the mystery is very much ready to be solved.

As a debut cosy mystery, this will tick all the boxes for those who love the genre. However, it was a bit slow in places and seemed rather cumbersome in its approach to plot and I did flounder a bit whilst reading it. That said it has the beginnings of an interesting series and the use of antiques to learn about the past will appeal to many.

Tom Hindle has a way with his crime novels, of them being very relevant and very succinct in there plotting and characterisation. This his third was no exception.

Set on an Italian island, in a castle, surrounded y Lake Garda is the perfect setting for the wedding of the year. However it turns out it is also the perfect place for murder. Very much in the locked room mystery – the culprit has to be someone on the island. The police have allgedly been called but there seems to be a delay.

With a delay, does that mean more bodies could start stacking up?

The wedding of influencer seems very in fashion at the moment and it shone a not particularly good light on the behind scenes of this choice of career and the ripple effect it has on all those around them. Of course a murder is not going to help matters.

Cleverly told from different perspectives, girlfriend of groom’s brother, best man, the influencers assistant, hotel manager and over different periods of time running up to that fatal moment and then beyond. I raced through the book to get to finding out who is going to be the body (I worked that one out) and then who was the culprit and why (I think I got that one too!)

Just because I followed the clues, and could see the influence that the author has had from other great crime writers, this did not detract in any way from the book and therefore it was a delight to read and I really recommend Tom Hindle.

Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned. In this case Maude Horton wants revenge on the person or person that killed her sister Constance.

Constance had run away from home and joined the ship Makepeace a vessel making its way to the Artic Passage through unchartered territory, disguised as a man. Her journals are returned and it is from this that Maude realises what her Sister was caught up in and seeks revenge.

Told through the journals of Constance, we are taken into the frozen unchartered land and see how survival was the first and only skill needed. Answers are needed and her sister Maude, back in Victorian London is trying to find the answers as we see her seek the truth. Then we are introduced to Stowe, someone who has been on vessels and is well known amongst the money lenders in London.

Can all of this mystery be solved and revenge served before the end of the book?

This is one of the most fascinating books I have read for a while, I felt like I was in the heart of Victorian London and imagined Dickens was lurking on street corners observing his next characters for his book. I was taken to the rather interesting aspects of a Royal Navy that I don’t recognise from working with it today. All in all a perfect historical mystery fiction book for fans of that genre.

Thank you to the publlishers via netgalley for the opportunity to read this books.

All our available now.

Thank you also to all my blog readers, who return and are currently content with these snappy short reviews as I tackle the backlog and life in general!