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This isn't the sort of book I tend to read these days. I used to be a big fan of science fiction, but in recent years, have largely moved away from it (except Star Trek, obviously!). But I won an advanced copy at Harrogate Crime Festival. The premise was certainly intriguing enough; pair a human detective with an advanced AI-powered hologram. It's a concept that has been explored many different ways over the years. The problem is that usually, the author has the idea, but not always the technical understanding and the books tend to become rather fantastical. Which is fine, and not a criticism, but ST aside, I tend to have a low tolerance for 'made up science'.

I'm delighted to say that the author, Jo Callaghan has NOT stretched the bounds of credibility.

AIDE Locke - the name given to the artificial officer - is based on technology that is entirely plausible for a book set two or three years from now. Even better, the book is a damned-good police procedural. The central character, DCS Kat Frank, is well-crafted and sympathetic, and she has been surrounded by a fully fleshed out supporting cast. According to the acknowledgments, this is the first in a series, and it makes for a very strong start. I'll certainly be following it.
The investigation surrounds missing people. Frank grudgingly agrees to take part in a pilot project, working alongside Locke, looking at older missing persons cases. The theory is that the AI's ability to process massive amounts of data millions of times faster than human officers, would be ideal in an investigation. Locke is very much a work in process, and the interactions between it and Frank, and others, is at times amusing, at other times cringe-worthy. Of course, Kat learns as much from him as he learns from her.
The book is set in Warwickshire, an area I am familiar with, and it is pleasing to see an area that doesn't often feature in crime novels.
The motivation for the disappearances is coldly plausible. I'm not going to say anymore, to avoid spoilers, suffice to say that I have some background in the area, and was impressed. The author has relevant contacts, and has used them to good effect. Again, the acknowledgments reveal that the writer has personal experience of the emotional themes running through the novel, and therefore it feels authentic.
All in all, definitely a recommended read. 

What a cracking read! I picked this up as a freebie a few months ago, but it sat on my TBR pile for longer than it should. Simon Toyne is an author and TV producer - if you can find his series "Written In Blood" where he interviews crime fiction authors about real-life cases that have inspired his writing, I heartily recommend it.

In brief, a woman - one half of a 'perfect' couple - is brutally murdered in her own home, in a wealthy London suburb. Her body is found by the couple's cleaner, posed with a number of objects, including a copy of How To Process A Murder, by troubled criminologist, Laughton Rees. Her husband is missing.
DCI Tannahill Khan is assigned the case. What unfolds is an excellently crafted police procedural, with plenty of twists, turns and misdirections. Khan is a well-formed and sympathetic character, but arguably the principal character is Laughton Rees. She has a complex and tragic background, which led her to becoming an expert in the field of criminology, but which has left her reluctant to leave the theoretical comfort of academia and teaching to examine live cases. Unfortunately, the presence of her book at the scene means that she has little choice but to become involved.

What I like about this book, is that in addition to it being an excellent detective novel, is the well-layered and complex characters. They have a rich background that makes them compelling to read. Laughton's own tragic past, which has coloured her relationship with her daughter, brings emotional depth to the character. We also see glimpses through the killer's eyes. This not only adds depth to the narrative, but also ratchets up the tension, as we see him watching those who are trying to bring him to justice. It makes the characters feel more vulnerable.

The relationship between Khan and Rees grows and matures throughout the book, and by the end of the story I found myself hoping that the author chooses to visit them again in future.

Another highly recommended read. 

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If there's one thing more exciting than getting a parcel, it's getting an unexpected parcel. So I was thrilled a few weeks ago when I opened a mysterious package to find a proof copy of the latest DS Max Craigie novel, The Night Watch, sent to me by Neil Lancaster's publicist.
Now first of all, I want to remind you of the rules for this blog. I only recommend books that I've enjoyed, it doesn't matter if the author is a mate. The first two in the series have been top notch - and I'm delighted to tell you that this series just keeps on getting better.

This outing is a real whodunnit. The book kicks off with two murders; a recently released convict and a prominent defence solicitor. Pretty soon, Craigie's team are called in to oversee the investigation, since there are links to past events that might indicate corruption.
I'm not going to outline the plot here - read it for yourself and enjoy the ride. But as ever the central mystery is satisfying complex, there are some terrific action scenes and it packs an emotional punch.

Best of all, Craigie, his ever reliable sidekick Janey Calder, and gloriously foul-mouthed boss, Ross Fraser (and Nutmeg the cockapoo), are all back, on sparkling form, along with Barney their slightly dodgy covert surveillance technician and Norma their IT whizz.
This is the third go around the block for these characters, and it really shows. Lancaster writes them like old friends. The dialogue is pacy and confident, and laugh-out-loud funny at times. Lancaster is an ex-detective, and so the detail is spot on, whilst never being too onerous. Fans of the series will be delighted to find that all of the characters get their chance to shine, with genuine growth and development, but newcomers to the books are given everything they need to join in the fun.

Max, Ross and Janie are fast becoming one of my favourite crime teams.  The book isn't out until September, but I am already waiting impatiently for book 4.
Highly recommended!

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What a treat! Today's #RecommendedRead is The Botanist, M.W. Craven's latest Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw masterpiece. I've reviewed others in the series (The Curator and Dead Ground), but this time I was fortunate enough to get an early copy.
Yes I am being hyperbolic, but I don't care. I devoured it in 3 days and it is absolutely fantastic.
Washington Poe, former soldier, and now a detective working for the National Crime Agency, specialises in serial killers and the most fiendish of crimes, and in this book he is given a doozy. The Botanist is targeting high-profile victims, and they just can't figure out how the killer is getting to the targets. At the same time, Poe's friend, series-regular, pathologist Professor Estelle Doyle, is arrested for the murder of her father. ALL the evidence points towards her, but Poe and Tilly know that she can't possibly be guilty.
Poe hates locked room mysteries - but here he has two, and the stakes couldn't be higher, both personally and professionally.
Mike Craven has crafted an enviable series that ticks all the boxes. Central to the books is the wonderful pairing of Poe, and gifted analyst, Tilly Bradshaw. The chemistry of this mismatched duo is what sets them apart. Poe is taciturn, rude and technically inept, but he is a brilliant and tenacious detective who's never met a meat dish he doesn't love. Tilly is a technical genius, whose early cloistered upbringing amongst other intellectual giants, has left her with few social skills, and a wide-eyed naivete and forthright manner that is refreshing, toe-curlingly cringeworthy and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Much to Poe's disgust, she's also a vegetarian.
What's great is the way the author's own dry wit comes across in the narrative, and the book is full of quotable lines.
The fact is, that Craven could have given these two any investigation, and the books would have been popular and fun reads. But he hasn't. The investigations here are fiendishly clever, locked room mysteries. And the answers when they come are brilliant, but obvious when you look back and ignore the expertly placed misdirection.
What's especially impressive is the pacing. Despite two complex and detailed investigations, and the need for the series' trademark Tilly and Poe diversions off topic, the book gallops along. You get a huge amount for your money, yet the book feels neither rushed or overly long.
And on a personal note, as the title of the book suggests, the books rely on a degree of scientific expertise. Through the need for Tilly to explain everything to Poe, the readers are also kept in the loop, and it doesn't become burdensome. The science is a little out of my own area of biology, but as best I can tell is accurate and plausible. Craven has wisely taken advice from advisors such as fellow writer Brian Price, who he has credited in the acknowledgments.
All in all, the book is an excellently crafted novel, from a writer at the top of his (and anyone's) game.
If he wasn't such a nice bloke, and I didn't enjoy these books so much, I'd hate him!
The Botanist is out on June 2nd and is sure to be showered with accolades.
Have you had a chance to read The Botanist yet? Is it on your TBR pile? Feel free to comment here, or on social media.
Happy reading!
Paul

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I admit it, I'm pretty late to the party for this one, pardon the pun.
I first encountered Michael Connelly's detective Renee Ballard when she crossed paths with the long-established Harry Bosch in Dark Sacred Night.
For some reason, I hadn't quite twigged that this was her second outing. The Late Show introduces this fascinating new character, and is entirely her own show (pardon another pun).
The premise is somewhat different to his other books. Ballard is a member of the late show - the night shift. The LAPD cops who pick up everything that happens when the regular detectives have ended for the day. They get the ball rolling on investigations, but often hand them over to other divisions, such as Robbery Homicide or burglary. They rarely close cases, or see them through to the end. This suits Ballard's partner just fine, but frustrates her.
The late show is something of a punishment duty - Ballard was banished to it because of a betrayal that we learn more about over the course of the book.
For those used to a more 'traditional' detective story, that opens with the big crime that needs solving and then follows the investigation, the initial pace may seem slow. Stick with it. Connelly is setting the scene as we follow Ballard through her shift, dealing with everything from the theft of a credit card to a brutal assault and a multiple murder. I really enjoyed it for a change, and buried within there are the seeds of the tale that will follow.
The book is ultimately a very satisfying story, with a coherent but slightly unusual structure. More importantly, it introduces us to the character that will, I suspect, one day take the torch from Harry Bosch.
Ballard is based on a real-life LAPD detective that Connelly is keen to acknowledge publicly. Tough and somewhat brittle after her betrayal, she is a fascinating character. Brought up in Hawaii, she lives her life in a camper van bedecked with her beloved paddleboards, and sleeps in a tent on the beach during the day, accompanied by her loyal rescue dog, Lola.
Renee Ballard is a great character who works well with Harry Bosch, but I highly recommend this book as an introduction to her as a fully-fledged individual. Will she one day shoulder Harry's mantle? Only Michael Connelly knows, but if she does, this book marks her as a worthy successor.

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#TeamPoe or #TeamTilly? It's a question increasingly asked by the legions of fans of M.W. Craven's award-winning Washington Poe series and it's not hard to see why so many have fallen in love with Craven's wonderfully taciturn Poe and the gloriously naïve, and delightfully quirky, Tilly Bradshaw.
This is the third outing for this brilliant duo, and if you are wondering why I am only just reviewing the third in the series, when the fourth has already been released to such acclaim, it is because I have forced myself to ration this genuine pleasure.
For many writers, just creating such a compelling cast of characters would be enough. You could place these two in the centre of an average thriller and they would be good enough to carry the book, even if other aspects of the story failed to excite. Yet Craven has resisted the temptation to take the easy route. The Curator, like The Puppet Show and Black Summer before it, features an intricate and clever plot that is both shocking and ingenious. Marry it with Poe and Tilly, and you have an absolute winner. If you haven't yet read any of this series, I recommend you start at the beginning with The Puppet Show; not because you need to - you can easily read The Curator as a standalone - but why deprive yourself of getting to know them from the beginning of their journey, and watching them evolve?

In this outing, National Crime Agency detective, Washington Poe and his analyst side-kick, Tilly Bradshaw, are called back to Cumbria to investigate a serial killer. His signature is the placing of body parts in unusual places that defy explanation, along with the cryptic code #BSC6. The opening of chapter one will ensure you think twice about taking part in the office secret Santa this year.
I'm not going to recap the plot here, to do so would deprive you of the pleasure of discovering it for yourself. Suffice to say, it is wonderfully complex, creepy and shocking. Several times Craven leads us to what appears to be the final solution, before spinning on a sixpence and showing us that, despite appearances, we've got it all wrong. When it finally comes, the answer is satisfying, unexpected and upsetting in equal measure.

Part of what makes these books such a pleasure to read is the interaction between the characters, but that would be nothing without Craven's wry and humorous prose. He's not afraid to place some of the best lines into the mouth of the narrator, rather than the characters, and you'll find yourself laughing out loud at his witty turns of phrase. In addition, Craven has a real love for Cumbria and its breath-taking scenery (and weather). If ever there was a series that deserved to be adapted for the screen, this is it.  
As to whether I am #TeamTilly or #TeamPoe - well I'm neither. They are two halves of a whole and to separate them wouldn't work.

I can't recommend this highly enough, and it will take all of my will-power not to go out read the next in the series, Dead Ground, immediately - maybe I'll fill the void with a couple of the short stories, from Cut Short? 

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Liz and I will be taking part in a live online panel with Roz Watkins and Jane Bettany as part of National Crime Readers Month at 19:30h BST Tuesday 15th June.
"Crafting a Compelling Copper".
For a FREE ticket, follow this eventbrite link.
There will be a 30% discount code on featured books for all attendees.
I look forward to seeing you there!

Unbound Ties is the seventh novel in Liz Mistry's DI Gus McGuire series.
This is my first foray into Gus McGuire's world, but it won't be my last.
The story centres around the ritualistic murder of pregnant women. This is bad enough, but McGuire soon finds that the killings are linked to his own mother's troubled childhood in the foster care system.
McGuire is a fantastic character. Driven and dedicated, he chafes at being side-lined from the main investigation, especially when the case means so much to him personally.


Picking up an ongoing series so far into it can be difficult sometimes, but Mistry finds the correct  balance between hints at key events in previous books and not giving too much away. It left this reader keen to read more about McGuire and his team's prior adventures.
McGuire is surrounded by a rich cast of supporting characters. From the flatulent Crime Scene Manager Hissing Sid and eccentric forensic psychologist Carlton to his loyal team of officers, Alice, Compo and Taffy, all are vividly and uniquely portrayed. I enjoyed the banter and repartee between these series regulars, and again, Mistry makes new readers want to go back to earlier books in the series to learn more about them.
The ritualistic murders are brilliantly plotted and the skilful shifting of perspective between McGuire, the killer and other characters draws the reader into the narrative without ever being distracting.
Mistry sets her books in Bradford, a place she knows intimately, and her characters reflect the vibrant and multicultural nature of the city.
Unlike many authors, Mistry hasn't shied away from referencing Covid19, but it is done skilfully with a light touch. References to restrictions, and the impact they have on day-to-day policing are mentioned, but they simply add authenticity and fix the book's place in time, without impacting the story or jarring the reader. Those for whom reading is an escape from reality can safely pick-up this book without fear of the real world intruding.
This is a cleverly plotted story, with a well-crafted protagonist and fiendish villain. I thoroughly recommend it.

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Dark Memories is the third in Liz Mistry's DS Nikki Parekh series, and the title is perfect.
This is a book about memory; about a past that has haunted Nikki Parekh and her family for decades. In her afterword, Mistry says that she had wanted to write this book since starting the series, but waiting until the third book was a genius decision. I haven't read the previous entries, but when I picked this up, I felt right at home. There is a rich cast of supporting characters, all with their own history - hinted at but not spoiled for those of us who haven't read those stories - and Parekh is a complex, layered character. By penning two books before this, Mistry has been able to craft a world that she knows intimately, with players that she  - and the reader - really care about; including readers that are new to the series and have no prior emotional investment. That's a remarkable achievement.

The story starts with the discovery of a homeless person in Bradford, the Yorkshire town that Mistry sets all of her books in. The case is seemingly routine and progress frustratingly slow, until a newspaper clipping sent to Nikki Parekh makes her wonder if she has a personal connection to the case. A second murder appears unrelated - except for the arrival of another note. By the time the third body is discovered, her link to the murders becomes undeniable - this one is in the house across the street from where she spent her traumatic childhood.
Mistry's treatment of Parekh is brutal and uncompromising in this book, and she deals sensitively with some very upsetting issues. But there are also glimmers of light. Parekh's love for her family is at the centre of the novel, and at work, the unflinching loyalty of her partner DC Sajid Malik and their easy banter counterbalance the darkness.

I really enjoyed this, and it is definitely a #RecommendedRead.

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Roz and I will be taking part in a live online panel with Jane Bettany and Liz Mistry as part of National Crime Readers Month at 19:30h BST Tuesday 15th June.
"Crafting a Compelling Copper".
For a FREE ticket, follow this eventbrite link.
There will be a 30% discount code on featured books for all attendees.
I look forward to seeing you there!

Cut to the Bone is the third in Roz Watkin's DI Meg Dalton series and I wish I had met her sooner.
The story concerns the disappearance of a young women from a pig abattoir. Taking place over a scorching summer, and set in the Peak District, there is so much I enjoyed about this book.
First of all the central mystery. It is a real, meaty investigation (pardon the pun). There are several viable suspects from the outset, all of whom have their own dark secrets. As the book unfolds, we learn how their lives intertwined, decades before the disappearance of the victim.
All of Watkins books are set in fictionalised versions of places that the author is familiar with. If you visit her website, she lists the real-life town that she bases each book on, something I've never seen before. This gives the book a really strong sense of place, and so the history and legends that she invents for the town, which are integral to the story, are anchored to the real location and feel more authentic.
The themes in the book are disturbing, and Watkins is unafraid to push the boundaries, but it's deftly handled and suitable for all but the most squeamish. The final reveal, when it comes is original and unexpected, but all the clues were there.


But my favourite thing about this book is DI Meg Dalton herself. Aside from occasional forays into the past, the narration is mostly first person from the perspective of Meg. A strong, accomplished detective, she is nevertheless self-critical and her inner monologue is brilliantly witty, and her unspoken thoughts are sometimes gloriously inappropriate. I found myself laughing some times, and feeling slightly guilty at other times, as Meg had naughty thoughts that I might share, but would also never say out loud.
Watkins has built a world around Meg, populated by interesting characters that each share a  relationship with her. Having not read any of the earlier books in the series, I look forward to going back and getting to know them before the next instalment.
This is a very enjoyable #RecommendedRead.

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Jane and I will be taking part in a live online panel with Roz Watkins and Liz Mistry as part of National Crime Readers Month at 19:30h BST Tuesday 15th June.
"Crafting a Compelling Copper".
For a FREE ticket, follow this eventbrite link.
There will be a 30% discount code on featured books for all attendees.
I look forward to seeing you there!

Today's #RecommendedRead is the first entry in Jane Bettany's new DI Isabel Blood series.
A brother and sister renovating an old house stumble across skeletal remains buried in the garden. For DI Isabel Blood, the discovery transports her to her own past - for the house is the one in which she spent the first years of her childhood. Furthermore, the bones have been buried in the ground for decades - could she finally have an answer to the mystery of what happened to her father, whose disappearance has haunted her for forty years?


Jane Bettany's new protagonist is refreshingly original for the genre. Middle-aged, male detectives are popular in crime fiction, but as is the case in so many fields of entertainment, we rarely see women of this age portrayed (Ann Cleaves' Vera notwithstanding). The road to publication for In Cold Blood was an interesting one. Bettany was already an accomplished short story writer, and creative writing tutor. This, her debut novel, was the winning entry in a unique competition held by HQ Digital and Gransnet - the criteria being a novel written by a woman over forty, writing a female character the same age.
Isabel Blood is fifty-five years old, with a teenage daughter.  We see her juggling being a parent with her work, whilst coping with the emotional fallout from the discovery of the body. The book is set in Derbyshire, and has a strong sense of place.
The story itself is tightly plotted and a real headscratcher. The first in a series, it introduces us to Isabel and a host of other, well-crafted supporting characters that are sure to become series regulars. As the investigation progresses, it twists and turns. There are deeply satisfying revelations and reversals and the two stories, the professional and the personal, are equally important and expertly intertwined. The unfolding mystery is imaginative and original, and Bettany deals with difficult issues sensitively and compassionately.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Time constraints meant it took me several days to read it, and I found myself really looking forward to picking it up again.
This is a very promising start to a series that I am certain to follow.
Highly recommended.