The Murders at Fleat House By Lucinda Reilly

The Murders at Fleat House By Lucinda Reilly

The sudden death of a pupil in Fleat House at St Stephen’s – a small private boarding school in deepest Norfolk – is a shocking event that the headmaster is very keen to call a tragic accident.

But the local police cannot rule out foul play, and the case prompts the reluctant return of high-flying Detective Inspector Jazmine ‘Jazz’ Hunter to the force. Reunited with her loyal sergeant, she enters the closed world of the school and begins to probe the circumstances surrounding Charlie Cavendish’s tragic death.

When staff at the school close ranks, the disappearance of a young pupil and the death of an elderly classics master provide Jazz with important leads. But, while snow covers the landscape, a suspect goes missing.

As Jazz must confront her personal demons, a grim discovery at the school will make this the most challenging murder investigation of her career. Fleat House hides secrets darker than even Jazz could ever have imagined . . .

My Thoughts:

This is my first book by Lucinda and I really do not know why I had not read any of her books before. I picked this one as it sounded gritty and full of police drama and it really was gripping for me. A pupil dies at a private boarding school, but was it really a tragic accident? the police come into play and interview the people that were there that day but who is hiding a secret and why did the killer specifically kill this pupil? I like the police investigation side of this story, i was captivated when they were interviewing each person to see who may slip up. I thought I had it all worked out but then a twist came and ruined it. But I was utterly shocked when I found out the truth. I liked the mixed bag of characters and how they connected together. I need to start reading a few more of Lucinda’s previous books now as there are quite a few to get reading.

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Murder on the Christmas Express By Alexandra Benedict

Murder on the Christmas Express By Alexandra Benedict


CAN YOU SOLVE THE CASE? 

Eighteen passengers. Seven stops. One killer.

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train to the Highlands is derailed, along with the festive plans of its travellers. With the train stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere, a killer stalks its carriages, picking off passengers one by one. Those who sleep on the sleeper train may never wake again.

Can former Met detective Roz Parker find the killer before they kill again?

My Thoughts:

I love this type of whodunit read, I must say I absolutely love the front cover of this book the design is really cool. Eighteen passengers on a train and one person gets murdered but whodunit? We get to know all the characters first off and there are a few red herrings and twists that were not expected. Roz Parker is the one to work out who the killer is and if they will kill again and I really liked working alongside her to work out who the killer was. Some of the characters were likeable and some not so much so was a great mixture. It was a book I didn’t want to put down, but wanted to savour it too. I loved it and the ending was so good.

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The Christmas Appeal By Janice Hallett

The Christmas Appeal By Janice Hallett

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. But there’s not much good will among the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and someone is trying to ruin the panto before the curtain even goes up.

Plus, there’s the small matter of the dead Santa. Who had the victim on their naughty list? Read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts to discover the truth. Will the show go on?

My Thoughts:

The book is set around Christmas time where in a village a festive panto is being rehearsed for the big day. But so many things that could go wrong do go wrong. And to top it all off what has happened to Santa? He has ben found dead and the police have to piece together whodunit. Janice is a new author to me and I really enjoyed this read, I cannot wait to read more of her books. I love the mix of characters and I was not expecting it to be as funny as it was, it really surprised me how good this book was.

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A Little Christmas Magic By Suzanne Rogerson

A Little Christmas Magic By Suzanne Rogerson

From a much-loved family pet that goes missing to a neighbour in need.
Chance meetings and the kindness of strangers.
Overcoming trauma to help others and being prepared to make sacrifices.
A father rushing to get home to his kids in time for Christmas.

My Thoughts:

This is a lovely festive short story collection, which made me feel warm inside. It is a great pick up and put down read that would make the perfect Christmas gift for someone or for yourself. The stories are all of different lengths but I enjoyed them all nonetheless and you get eight stories which was just fantastic amount. I love Suzanne’s previous books so was excited to read this one which was a bit different but very enjoyable. My Favourite was definitely A Christmas Toast. I look forward to see what Suzanne’s next book will be about. A perfect Christmas read.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Four Weddings and a Christmas By Phillipa Ashley

Four Weddings and a Christmas By Phillipa Ashley

With her thriving business Cottage Angels, Freya Bolton prepares the Lake District’s holiday homes for Christmas visitors. It’s her job to think of everything, from cinnamon-scented candles to tasteful decorations and hampers of seasonal treats.

If only her love life were such a success… After being burned by past relationships, she’s now determined to steer clear of love for good.

So when she bumps into gorgeous – and single – ex-boyfriend Travis, a no-strings festive fling seems perfect.

But when her feelings for him begin to develop, is she on track for another romantic calamity? Or could this Christmas give her the gift of true love?

My Thoughts:

When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. Phillipa is one of my go to comfy cosy authors and I knew I would love it. It is one of her older books, but still a great comfort read and I could not wait to dive in. I loved the idea of the plot, it made me feel warm inside, Freya runs a business where she prepares holiday homes for visitors. I liked this idea as not many books are centred around this subject or maybe I have not read any. She has a great business that is doing really well but she does not have a certain someone in her life to share it with. Until an old flame turns up unexpectedly and Freya and Travis are thrown together whether they like it or not. It is set in the Lake District and this is my favourite place in the world. It felt as though I was coming home. You can guess the outcome of this story but it was such a comfort read that I did not mind. I loved it.

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The Vanishing Act By Sarah Ward

The Vanishing Act By Sarah Ward

When Mallory Dawson gets a call from a former colleague, Elsa, describing a strange scene, she initially thinks nothing of it. The teenage cleaner had gone into clean a holiday cottage in the forest to find a kettle boiling on the Aga, sandwiches half made and the family who were renting it gone.

DI Harri Evans, however, has a story about the place from the time he was in uniform. He was called out to a girl with scratches down her face claiming someone unseen had attacked her.

When the father of the missing family is found dead in their hire car there is an urgent hunt for the rest of the family. But their identities are false and there’s no hint of their history. How are the past and present connected?

My Thoughts:

This is book three in the Mallory Dawson Crime Thriller Series and can be read as a standalone. I have not read any books by this author but this one intrigued me. There are strange goings on in one of the remote holiday cottages, a cleaner has found some unsettling and quite frankly weird goings on as she went into clean for them. Mallory Dawson is the one to head up the investigation and see if she can piece together what happened to the family? but this holiday cottage holds a lot of memories are these things related? I liked how the story builds and I did not want to stop reading. I liked the mixture of characters and the plot was well thought through. I felt the first half was better than the first but I still enjoyed it. If you like a twist this is the book for you, as there are plenty. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading Sarah’s previous two.

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The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book By Agatha Christie

The Official Agatha Christie Puzzle Book By Agatha Christie

Brush off your moustache, collect your knitting needles and put your little grey cells to good use in the case of the missing librarian. With perplexing puzzles left scattered throughout the library to solve, can you complete them and follow the trail of the crime?

Begin by unscrambling these anagrams of Agatha Christie classics you’ll come across within…

My Thoughts:

I have never read any of Agatha Christies books but I will be after receiving this book, it is brilliant packed full of puzzles, crosswords and word searches. There is something for everyone and it is a nice sized book to get stuck into. I found there is different levels to the puzzles, some are easy and they get more harder but I like a challenge. A great book to complete with a friend or just for yourself to help with your brain exercises. Would make a great gift and the cover is stunning.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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Someone Else’s Shoes By Jojo Moyes

Someone Else’s Shoes By Jojo Moyes

Who are you when you are forced to walk in someone else’s shoes?

Meet Sam. Meet Nisha.

Two women living very different lives.

But when their paths cross, causing each a world of trouble – and finding some missing shoes is the only way to solve it – they’re left with a choice every woman must face: to walk alone, or stand together . . .

My Thoughts:

I have not read a book by Jojo for a while and realise that I really should catch up with her previous books as I always remember how good they are. I like how this book was spit into two. Two very different women living completely opposite lives. It was so good meeting both women and see how their lives are affected in certain ways. But what will happen when they meet? I love the strong female connection and how it made me feel. It was fun and exciting but also had an important message to go with it. This would be a great movie.

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Poppy’s Christmas Cracker By Leigh Russell

Poppy’s Christmas Cracker By Leigh Russell

A French patisserie opens in the village of Ashton Mead in time for Christmas. Local residents are pleased but Hannah, owner of the Sunshine Tea Shoppe, feels threatened by the competition.

When the owner of the patisserie is killed, Hannah is suspected of murdering her business rival. Her friend, Emily, is determined to clear Hannah’s name. She seems to be facing an impossible task… until her little dog Poppy makes a surprising discovery.

My Thoughts:

This is book four in the A Poppy Mystery Tale series and every bit as good as the previous books. This time we catch up with Poppy the dog and Emily who finds that Emily’s friend is in a spot of bother and needs help to find out who the real killer is. It was a great short story that has a great bunch of characters. Poppy is just the cutest of dogs and I love the way she helps her owner Emily. But can they solve this mystery this time? I loved reading this story.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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In the Blink of an Eye By Jo Callaghan

In the Blink of an Eye By Jo Callaghan

In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds.
Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye. 


DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal. 

AI versus human experience. 
Logic versus instinct.
With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic? 

My Thoughts:

I love a police procedural read, I always find that world very fascinating and eye opening. I found this read so much more than that though and really enjoyed reading about DCS Kat Frank and her world. DCS Kat is reviewing a case but whilst leading a new pilot programme things are not as easy as they seem. The case becomes a lot more than Kat could of realised. I was not sure what the AI part would be like but it captivated me seeing how AI is against a human being. It was a fascinating and insightful story that I could not put down. I cannot wait to read more of Jo’s books.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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