Bloodhound Books – Rosepoint Publishing

Nothing Left of Me by Alex Walters #BookReview #NoirCrime

Book Blurb:

After a stakeout turns deadly, Detective Sergeant Jack Mellor’s life spirals out of control. Struggling with guilt, he quits the force and retreats to the remote northern Highlands, seeking seclusion. But peace is hard to find.

When he’s hired to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, Mellor is reluctantly drawn back into a world of corruption, crime, and deceit. As disturbing secrets emerge, his new life begins to unravel. Complicating matters, his ex-partner Maddie reappears, and a potential new romance is shattered. As Mellor digs deeper, he uncovers a horrifying operation—with shocking connections to those he thought he could trust.

Betrayed and disillusioned, Mellor faces the darkest moments of his life. But as his world crumbles, will a glimmer of hope emerge? And in the hauntingly beautiful Highlands, with only a loyal dog for company, can Mellor overcome his demons and bring the guilty to justice?

His Review:

Retiring from the Scottish police force in Glasgow, Mellor, a former police officer settles in the remote Scottish Highlands. He meets a lovely lady named Lorne and they are immediately smitten with each other. His near-death experience at the hands of a local thug, however, leaves him scarred and paranoid. When she is killed before their date, he disappears to his remote cabin in shock again and wonders why he seems to be a target.

The Highlands are remote but murders seem to happen all around him. Will he be the next candidate? Powerful people seem to be at play here, and when an ex-partner suddenly shows up, he’s left wondering why, and whether or not he can trust her. The storyline turns darker and it’s clear there are disturbing complications to his investigation of a missing person. The outlook is bleak.

Although a rather slow burn start, the plot line turns complex with fully-developed characters. This well-written story reveals that even Northern Scotland is not immune to greed and the violence rampant throughout our planet. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These thoughts are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Noir Crime, Private Investigator Mysteries, Murder
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
ASIN: B0DN1CRHN1
Print Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: December 18, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Alex has worked in the oil industry, broadcasting and banking and has run a consultancy working mainly in the criminal justice sector including police, prisons and probation.

As Michael Walters, he published three crime thrillers set in modern-day Mongolia, now re-published as by Alex Walters in completely new, re-edited versions. As Alex Walters he has written two thrillers set in and around Manchester featuring the undercover officer, Marie Donovan, Trust No-One and Nowhere to Hide. Late Checkout was the first in a series of crime thrillers featuring, alongside Marie Donovan, the rather distinctive DCI Kenny Murrain, who has subsequently appeared in four more books, Dark Corners, Snow Fallen, Stilled Voices and Life Remains. Alex is also the author of the DI Alec McKay series set in and around Scotland’s Black Isle, which currently comprises five books, Candles and Roses, Death Parts Us, Their Final Act, Expiry Date and For Their Sins, published by Bloodhound Books, with a sixth book coming in 2022. He had also written a standalone historical thriller called Winterman, also published by Bloodhound Books. His latest series is set in the Peak District and features DI Annie Delamere. The first three books in the series, Small Mercies, Lost Hours and Bad Terms, are available now from Canelo.

Alex lives in the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands where he runs the Solus Or Writing Retreat with his wife, occasional sons and frequent cats.

He can be contacted at: mike@whitmuir.com

Website:https://www.alexwaltersauthor.com/

Twitter: @mikewalters60

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexwaltersauthor/

Details of the Solus Or Writing Retreat can be found at: http://www.solusorwritingretreat.co.uk

Happy Holidays--Have a great Sunday!

The Keeper of Secrets by Maria McDonald – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

A brand new completely gripping historical novel.

Book Blurb:

One lie changes a family’s path for generations—and finally brings them back to Ireland, in this saga by the author of The Devil’s Own.

In May 1917 the Americans sailed into Cork to join the Great War. When they left two years later, they brought their war brides with them, including Lizzie McCarthy. Still reeling from the tragic death of her sister Maggie, Lizzie leaves Ireland hoping for a better life with her new husband Ed Anderson.

Lizzie soon finds that America is not the land of opportunity she thought it was. Despite the obstacles in her path, she makes a good life for herself and her family. Ed’s sisters become her closest friends and allies. At home, Ireland’s bloody civil war ends. Lizzie’s brother Jimmy joins her and becomes part of the family until he feels compelled to return to a new independent Ireland.

But another conflict is on the horizon, and as their family grows and plants roots in America, they take the once-unimaginable step of boarding a plane and visiting Ireland. Once there, will Lizzie finally learn the truth about her sister’s death?

My Review:

Just in time for Reading Ireland Month (and my second contribution) comes a book from Irish author Maria McDonald. This author provides varied engrossing tales of historical fiction based on familiar characters—in this case, Irish WWI war brides.

In 1976, Beth in Florida, grapples with the tapes of her grandmother, Lizzie, and the startling revelations of her life in Ireland and the marriage to Ed Anderson, a sailor who takes her back to the US following the end of WWI.

Ed gets a job and Lizzie meets his family and gratefully begins the assimilation of life in America. Ed’s two sisters prove her new best friends and she begins a forty-plus year odyssey of life in America, watching both his family and her own grow, evolve, and emerge over the years through hardship and small triumphs.

The storytelling is compelling—following the lives and their progress, developments in both countries, the tragedies, and the impact of events that influenced both countries from prohibition and the depression, WWII, and the US President John F. Kennedy.

There is an interesting well-plotted twist and pace that keeps engagement. Lizzie is well-developed and sympathetic, as are support characters, although a couple of them take an unexpected course of action. The tension of the tightly held secrets holds the suspense in the background, always a cloud over the characters.

Only the tapes will relinquish the long-held and history-changing truths, although these too include a couple surprises. The conclusion becomes an ah ha! and satisfying moment.

I’ve read and enjoyed each of the author’s books, always finding tidbits I can tuck away, particularly in The Devil’s Own.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Sibling Fiction, 20^th Century Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
ASIN: B0CTJC31PF
Print Length: 310 pages
Publication Date: March 26, 2024
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Originally from Belfast, Maria McDonald lives in Kildare, with her husband Gerry.

Maria is an avid reader who loves to write but only indulged in her passion for writing fiction after retirement. Since then, her short stories and articles have been published in Woman’s Way and Ireland’s Own, as well as numerous anthologies; Intermissions, Grattan Street Press Melbourne; Same page anthology, University College Cork; Fragments of Time, Amber Publishers. Maria is a founder member of Ink Tank Writing Group, based in Newbridge library and contributed to their anthologies, Timeless in Kildare and Let Me Tell You Something.

Since signing with Bloodhound Books she published two historical fiction novels in 2023, The Devil’s Own and Tangled Webs. The Keeper of Secrets, her third novel with Bloodhound Books, is due for release in March 2024

https://twitter.com/mariamacwriter

The Devil’s Own: A tantalizing historical mystery by Maria McDonald – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

A set of century-old diaries found in an attic draws an Irish couple into a tale of murder and madness, in this absorbing new suspense.

After forty years in the Irish army, Brian is looking forward to retiring and spending time with his wife—though he worries about adjusting to civilian life. While clearing the attic before they move house, he makes a discovery: three journals dating back to the early twentieth century.

One was written by Arthur, an ex-Connaught Ranger; another by Arthur’s wife, Edith, a colonel’s daughter; and the third by Henry, a British soldier and Arthur’s best friend.

Brian and his wife are soon engrossed in reading the diaries and following the intertwined stories of these three people from the past. But it soon becomes chillingly clear that these diaries contain more than the daily adventures of ordinary lives. Because one of the three is a killer . . .

My Review:

Well, how much fun was this?

This is one of those that I continued to read, fascinated, while my breakfast cereal became soggy.

A dual timeline novel that begins approximately 1880 to 1924 and the other present day. The main POV is that of Brian, retiring after spending forty years in the Irish army. His wife is thrilled with the new digs they’ve planned for years and eagerly looking forward to retiring with her hubby. It’s when Brian tackles the attic of the home previously occupied by myriad military families that he discovers journals hidden in a covered chest that date back a century where the real mystery suspense begins.

Brian and Jean become engrossed in reading what must have been the separate diaries of Arthur and his wife Edith, and that of Henry, Arthur’s best friend. The journals, however, turn rather dark and Henry’s diary becomes shocking.

The journals take turns as the narrative progresses through the story of Arthur as an orphaned child and his eventual history with the Connaught Rangers. Edith has given up being the privileged child of an officer stationed in India at the Curragh Camp with all the privileges attendant to the British military of the time. Their union is marred by Arthur’s drinking encouraged by his army buddy Henry.

I loved the chapters with Arthur and Edith; Henry’s chapters turn grisly as he describes his exploits. The descriptions of the bases or camps are vivid with detail and include interesting tidbits of military life of the time. The characters are fully developed and evoke immersion into the storyline, creating a bond between both the current angst-filled Brian and the tragedy of Edith’s marriage.

So engrossing the laying out of the backstory of the individuals, it’s easy to be fully invested in them by the time the well-plotted and paced storyline plays out. I suspicioned Henry’s story early on, but the novel is so absorbing I had no problem burying myself in the pages in a race to the conclusion.

Gripping, it is indeed tantalizing and a particularly satisfying read. As with most journeys, the fun is not always in the destination—it’s the ride.

I previously read Charlie Mac back in May 2018 and enjoyed it. The author outdid herself this time–loved it. I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Bloodhound Books and the author that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. This is one that will make my suggested favorites list for #readingirelandmonth in March.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Thrillers, Psychological Fiction
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
ASIN: B0BQ6LP15Y
Print Length: 348 pages
Publication Date: January 11, 2023
Source: Bloodhound Books and the author