The Seven Year dress by Paulette Mahurin

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

The Seven Year Dress was a moving story that cannot fail to draw the reader into the horrors of the holocaust.

We meet Helen Stein in the 1920s when life was good for her, although the shadow of Hitler’s Nazi Germany was creeping insidiously into her life. At first, these changes are unnoticeable and the disbelief of many of those who will be affected is well depicted. It is this disbelief that prevents many of them escaping while there is still time to do so.

Helen’s father, a well-respected attorney working for the government, loses everything, even his life. Her friend Max joins the Hitler Youth and then the SS, in an attempt to hide his homosexuality. But it is Max who comes to Helen’s rescue by hiding her in the cellar of his family’s farm, and he pays the price for this with his life. Helen and her brother remain in the cellar for 4 years before they are captured and sent to Auschwitz, where Helen, the only survivor of her family remains for the next three years, enduring all sorts of horrors before being rescued by the Russians.

Helen’s life is one of hardship, persecution, and torture, but her will to live ensures she is a survivor. This book is not easy to read, but I’m glad I did. 

Chris Longmuir

Black by Rose by Andrew Barrett: reviewed by Chris Longmuir

Black by Rose was a real page turner of a book. It follows several plot lines, and at times I found it difficult to figure out who the main characters were. This was not helped by a prologue that featured a murder for which a woman deliberately takes the blame and serves time in prison to protect her female lover. This plot line then lapses and does not return until much later in the book.

After the prologue the plot features on the murder of an undercover policeman and his family. During the course of the investigation we meet the forensics team, the police and a particularly vicious criminal family. I liked the multi-viewpoint style which allowed me to see into the minds of all of these.

However, the characters who really drew me in were Eddie and Ros and the obstacles to their love for each other. They are both part of the investigation and work in a forensics team with the police.

This is nail-biting stuff, action packed, full of pace and suspense. If it had a fault it was only the delay between the events in the prologue and the follow up of that part of the story.

Chris Longmuir

You can find the book at:-

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

24 Hours by Claire Seeber: reviewed by Chris Longmuir

I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started reading it, but I soon got drawn in, and by the end it had developed into a real page turner that kept me burning the midnight oil.

24 Hours is told in the first person which gives the story immediacy and a connection with the narrator, Laurie Smith. The structure, however, is unusual because it is written with alternate chapters, labelled ‘Now’ and ‘Then’. To begin with I liked the ‘Then’ chapters much more than the ‘Now’ ones which seemed to consist of Laurie running from some unknown danger which is difficult to identify, and I was unsure whether this danger to her and her absent child was real, or simply in her mind. Whereas the ‘Then’ chapters were back story leading up to the events that set her running.

The story starts with Laurie’s escape from a hotel fire in which her best friend dies. Laurie is convinced the fire was intended to kill her, and that the killer is still after her. Throughout the book, the chapters flip between the present and the past with a building sense of paranoia, as well as an understanding of the trauma she experienced during her marriage to Sid. But as the reader gets to know more about her past, suspicions increase, and it is not until the final pages we find out whether Laurie’s fears are justified, and if so who is she in danger from, or whether this is all in her mind. And I’m not going to tell you. Suffice to say, I didn’t see the twist coming at the end.

This was a good read, and once I got used to the structure, I really enjoyed it.

Chris Longmuir

You can find the book at:-

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Someone Else’s Skin by Sarah Hilary

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

After a slow start I became engrossed with this book which turned out to be a page turner.

The main theme is domestic abuse, but it’s abuse with a twist. Detective Inspector Marnie Rome, investigates a potential murder where the victim barely survives. He was knifed in the chest by his wife in the women’s shelter where she has sought refuge. DI Rome is also investigating the abduction of another woman from the same shelter, an Asian girl abused by her mother and brothers. The investigations do not run smoothly, and Marnie’s own troubled past affects her decision making, putting Detective Sergeant Noah Jake at serious risk from a deranged killer.

The women’s shelter had an authentic feel, as did the assortment of abused women, and I liked the characterisation of most of the characters. Among these characters, DI Marnie Rome, is obsessed with her foster brother who murdered her parents five years previously, and the need to know why he killed them. Hope, a downtrodden frail woman who uses a knife on her husband, Simone who befriends Hope, and Ayana, who is partially blind following a bleach attack by her brothers because she was not complying with her Asian culture.

But nothing is what it appears to be on the surface, and the twists are fast and furious. If you like suspense and thrills, this is a fascinating read.

Chris Longmuir

http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/

You can buy the book at Amazon.co.uk  or  Amazon.com

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

Silent Scream is a thrilling read. It’s an edge of the seat, page turner that kept me engrossed from the first page.

It starts off ten years in the past with five figures forming a pentagram round a freshly dug grave which is not adult sized.

Ten years later a disparate group of people are being killed by a serial killer. It takes time to identify the connection between them which is a burnt out children’s home. The murder victims are all former workers at this establishment. The story develops further when graves are discovered in the field next to the former children’s home, and the mystery becomes one of past and present.

The main character, Detective Inspector Kim Stone, is an offbeat young woman, brought up in the care system who has many ghosts of her own to conquer, including a paranoid shizophrenic mother, and a brother who died due to his mother’s neglect. Needless to say this investigation is one with particular resonations for her, and she is driven by the need to solve it. There are many twists and turns along the way, and I must admit I didn’t see the final twist coming, although I’m quite good at spotting these.

I can’t say any more, other than this is a great read.

Chris Longmuir

Get Silent Scream at Amazonco.uk

                              or Amazon.com

No Rest For the Dead by Jeffrey Deaver, David Baldacci, Alexander McCall Smith, Kathy Reichs et al

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

It was curiosity that led me to this book. Why? Because It is a crime novel written by twenty six different crime writers, all of them best sellers, and many of them my favourite authors. When I discovered the book it set me wondering what kind of novel a multitude of writers would produce, and how would each author's style contribute to the whole when there was such a variety of writing styles.

It is fair to say I read this book in a different way. Normally I would engross myself in the story, not interesting myself in stylistic issues, unless of course they grated. However, with this book I was conscious of each author's style and was giving consideration to how these contributed to the story, and was it in any way detrimental.

There were, of course, differences in style, although these were not obtrusive, and the story flowed well from the start. However, I was astonished when I noticed at least two of these authors indulged in head hopping in all of their scenes.

The story focuses round a woman who was executed for the murder of her husband ten years previously. The cop (it's set in the U.S.) is convinced she was innocent and sets out to look for the evidence to prove it. The book features an intriguing set of characters, and although they are well developed I found it difficult to relate to any of them, perhaps because the development was being done by different writers. Some characters appeared in the early part of the book and then vanished, again probably due to the way the book was being written. But the storyline was good and the plot well developed with each writer following on from where the previous writer had left off. The style of each chapter did vary a bit with some chapters passive and others so pacy it made my heart thump. But there was nothing so different that if I'd been reading the book in a different way would have caused me to stop reading.

My verdict? I like the book, I liked the story, and as an experiment in writing I would say it was successful.

Chris Longmuir

Get the book   at Amazon.co.uk

                        or Amazon.com

The Abomination By Jonathan Holt

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

I received The Abomination in my Crimefest goodybag, and casting my eyes over my book shelves this week for something new to read I thought I would give this novel a try despite never having heard of the author before. And I was glad I did, because this is one of the best crime fiction books I have read this year.

The book is partly murder, mystery, and partly conspiracy thriller, and it races along to make it the perfect page turner.

It is set in Venice, and starts with the body of a woman, dressed as a priest, who is washed up from the lagoon onto the steps of Santa Maria Della Salute. Apparently women priests, who are not accepted by the Catholic church, are known as ‘The Abomination’, hence the title of the book. The main character, Captain Kat Tapo of the Carabinieri, is teamed up with Detective-Colonel Aldo Piola to investigate the crime. Kat who has a modern attitude in respect of romantic relationships, soon embarks on an affair with the attractive Colonnello Piola.

The investigation throws up references to cults and black magic, but Kat is not convinced and believes the woman was a genuine priest and that the church is involved. Further complications occur when Second Lieutenant Holly Boland arrives at Camp Ederle, a US army base. She becomes involved in a freedom of information request from a journalist who is later murdered.

The third main character, Daniele Barbo is a reclusive computer nerd who designed and runs the Carnivia website, a virtual world where people can visit with complete anonymity. His website is being targeted, and various charges have been logged against him in respect of the usage of the website, and he is currently on bail from the court awaiting his sentence.

The three main characters, Kat, Holly and Daniele, combine forces when their investigative paths cross. The murders are only part of a wider conspiracy involving the military, the Italian Mafia, a dodgy security company, and the historic conflict in the former Yugoslavia, focusing on Croatia.

There are many twists and turns in this book, plus an exciting chase section in Croatia, and I simply could not stop reading until I reached the end. The Abomination is the first book in the Carnivia Trilogy, and I’ll definitely be reading the other two.

NB: There was only one thing I would criticise. I recommended the book to a friend who had difficulty finding it, so I checked the book out on Amazon. The reason for the difficulty was a change of title. It is now listed as The Boatman. Considering the book was published in 2013, I found this difficult to understand, and felt it could be confusing for readers.

Chris Longmuir

The Abomination/The Boatman at Amazon.co.uk

http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/

The Reek of Red Herrings by Catriona McPherson

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

This is the first Dandy Gilver book I’ve read, although it is not the first of the series. However, it read well as a standalone crime novel, and I did not feel I’d missed anything by not reading the earlier books first.

Set in 1930s Scotland, Dandy Gilver, and her partner, described as her trusty cohort, Alec Osborne, are employed to investigate when body parts keep turning up in barrels of salted herring. They set off to infiltrate the fishing community in a stormy, dismal fishing village on what is described as the ‘wave-lashed, wind-battered Banffshire coast’ in north-east Scotland.

In order to investigate without arousing the villagers’ suspicion, they describe themselves a philologists who wish to study the fishing community’s language. Their investigations also lead them to an unusual museum of stuffed animals, run by two men who are as odd as their museum.

The book is well written and the characters and customs of the fisherfolk are authentic. The language used flows well and I particularly liked some of the descriptions – sentences such as ‘The sea roared and surged, dark green as a bottle of blood, seething and shattering endlessly against the rocks.’

The weather dominates throughout the book. It is always wild and stormy, the rain never lets up, and it culminates in a storm that tears part of the coastline down, and isolates the village.

I enjoyed reading this book, however if I had a criticism it would be the use of ‘Scotch’ to describe places and people, when it should have been Scottish, but many readers would not pick up on this. It did surprise me though, because the author was born and educated in Scotland, so I would have thought she would have known that Scotch is only used for whisky and eggs, not people or places. On the other hand this basic error could have been caused at the editing stage by a publisher’s editor. I would certainly like to think that.

I did enjoy the book, it was a good read.

Chris Longmuir

The Reek of Red Herrings at Amazon.co.uk

http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/

How to Make a Living with your Writing by Joanna Penn

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

Joanna Penn is something of a guru in terms of self-publishing and she knows what she is talking about, so I simply had to read her new book How To Make a Living with your Writing.

Penn puts forward a business model in this book and is quick to point out that the book is not a get rich quick scheme. I would add that it is also not a how to write book. Instead, this is a book that is stuffed with tips on how to make a living from writing and is based on her personal experience.

Penn starts out by comparing traditional, indie and self-publishing, setting out the pros and cons of each one. She considers herself an indie author (independently published), and considers there is a difference between self-publishing and indie publishing. Self-publishing is doing everything yourself, and usually falls into the category of a hobby. On the other hand the indie works with top freelance professionals, such as editors and cover designers, to create a quality product, and is thus a business. An author has to decide where they fit on this spectrum, as not every approach will suit all authors.

One of the main themes, and one that she stresses is of the utmost importance, is that writers have the ability to develop multiple streams of income from each of their books. She quotes, ebooks, print books, and audio books, but she does not stop there. She goes on to suggest other aspects of earning a living from writing – things like product sales, affiliate income, consulting or coaching, professional speaking, advertising and sponsorship, and she has used all of these methods to maximise her income.

She sets out a series of first principles:-

Authors should –

1) Think of themselves as entrepreneurs.

2) Focus on creating scalable income – with scalable income you create once and sell the finished article over and over again. The time is spent once but the income continues.

3) Develop multiple streams of income and not just rely on the sale of ebooks and print books.

4) Think globally, both digital and mobile.

5) Decide on their definition of success, whether it is literary success or commercial success.

Penn presents a fair amount of information that is probably common knowledge, but she also expands this into interesting new ideas, and avenues of income generation that many authors may not have considered.

There is a lot to like in this book which is written in an easy conversational manner that makes it a pleasure to read.

Chris Longmuir

You can buy Joanna Penn’s book at Amazon.co.uk, and at Amazon.com

Behind Closed Doors by J J Marsh

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

Original and Exciting Crime Thriller

I loved this book, not only because it is a murder mystery, which is my favourite reading material, but because it was well written, original, exciting, and full of suspense. There aren’t enough adjectives to do justice to how much I was engrossed with this novel.

The characterisation was spot on. Beatrice Stubbs, a Scotland Yard detective sent to Zurich to lead an international investigative team, steps off the page and becomes very real. At times likeable, at others unlikeable, she is far from perfect as a person. Her flaws are realistic and she has an intriguing past I wanted to know more about. Likewise, her team present as realistic characters. I particularly liked Xavier the least experienced member, maybe because he seemed vulnerable in comparison to Sabine, the crime analyst; Keese, the e-crime and IT forensics specialist; Conceição, the DNA advisor; and of course Herr Källin, the uptight Zurich investigative officer who resents Beatrice’s presence. Each character was well differentiated, all with their own persona and traits.

The plot was an interesting and original one. a series of suicides linked by the same person’s DNA found at each scene. The flashbacks to how these deaths occurred was interwoven expertly into the narrative, making sure the reader was always one step ahead of the investigative team, and although the reveal was anticipated it still had enough twist to make it a surprise.

However, when Beatrice herself became a target it wasn’t totally unexpected, and I couldn’t help feeling she’d been a bit naive and trusting. I will say no more, because I don’t want to include a spoiler.

I really enjoyed this book, and because I bought the box set that means I have another two Beatrice Stubbs investigations to look forward to.

 

Chris Longmuir

 

Link for Behind Closed Doors

Link for the Beatrice Stubbs Box Set

Chris Longmuir Author Page

Blockbuster Books Broken Down by Kristen James

Book Review by Chris Longmuir

This simple guide is described as something to help authors with novel ideas, planning, plotting and writing, so I added it to my extensive library of writer’s guides.

It was an interesting and easy read, probably more suited to a writer at an early stage of their career, although there were snippets that would be useful to the more experienced writer as well.

 
What makes this book useful is the way it compares the different elements of story telling with best selling novels, paticularly those which have gone on to be made into films, and all the novels used are modern best sellers rather than classics. For example in the chapter which covers hooks, it not only describes what a hook is but it gives examples from novels such as Twilight, The Help, and The Hunger Games.
 

The book also includes exercises, an idea checklist, and a simple seven point novel map which a reader can compile to aid their writing. It illustrates each point with several examples from best selling fiction, which is helpful towards an understanding of the concept.

 
The main message of the book is that a writer can become a better writer by studying how best sellers work and breaking them down into their component parts. I know this is not a new idea, but the simple way it is demonstrated in this guide is bound to be useful to writers starting out on their journey to publication.
 

Chris Longmuir

Killer’s Countdown by Wendy H Jones

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

I love to read crime novels, I like the mystery element, the puzzle factor, and also the odd bit of gore, and this debut novel met all of my expectations. It was fast paced with an intriguing plot. the body count is high, and there seems no pattern in relation to the selection of victims. And with a lack of evidence, the police have nothing to work on.

 

D.I. Shona McKenzie makes for an interesting new character in crime fiction, and as this book is labelled the first in a series, I expect to meet her again in future books. In this story she is attempting to identify a killer who is stalking the streets of Dundee. And, as the body count increases, she realises she is looking for a ruthless and dangerous killer.

 

The police procedural aspects are realistic, and there is a real sense of police dynamics when working as a team. Characters are convincing, and settings are realistic, and in many cases recognisable, even though the impression is given that the weather in Dundee is always bad, rainy and cold.

The book was a page turner,with a thrilling denouement as the armed police search an isolated area, and Shona comes face to face with the killer in a confrontational scene where the stakes are, kill or be killed.

I think this may be one of the first British police procedurals I have read where the police use firearms, although I am sure there must be others, I just haven’t found them. So this makes for originality in the plot. I look forward to meeting D.I. Shona McKenzie again.

You can buy the book here:

Amazon.co.uk –

Amazon.com –

Chris Longmuir

 

 

House of the Wicked by D M Mitchell

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

I read and assessed many crime fiction novels for my non-fiction book Crime Fiction and the Indie Contribution, and House of the Wicked, by D M Mitchell, was one of the books I chose for my chapter on historical crime.

I chose this one after looking at D M Mitchell’s Amazon author page, where his work is compared to a selection of writers including Dean Koontz, who is a favourite of mine. However, when I started reading I had mixed feelings. It was written in a gothic style, and the writing was more literary than mainstream. As a result I was unable to get into the characters. There was also an excessive use of the pronoun ‘he’ which led to some confusion between the characters. Further confusion in the storytelling was caused by the frequent use of flashbacks with no transition between the past and present (in story terms). However, the flashbacks were needed, particularly as the book developed, but I would have appreciated knowing when it was a flashback.

The first part of the book was quite slow, concentrating on the background to the story. It was only after I passed the halfway point I started to become gripped, and it turned into a real page turner. Readers who like their historical fiction written in a historical style will probably find this book to their taste. However, if the reader finds the story slow to start, I would say persevere because the latter half of the book is an exciting read with an ending that surprised even me.

Despite the negatives for me in this book, there were also a lot of positives. Porthgarrow, the setting of the story, is a superstition ridden community. The people are suspicious of incomers and believe Baccan, a mythical creature, influences their lives. The story is atmospheric, and there is a real gothic feel to it as it fluctuates between crime and horror. I particularly liked the mystery surrounding the death of Jowan Connoch’s mother, and the aftermath that had for her son. The author uses language and imagery well which contributes to the overall feeling of doom and gloom, and there was a pervading sense of mystery throughout the whole book, although that did not always lead to suspense in the writing.

On the whole, I am glad I stuck with this book mainly because of the increasing pace in the latter half, the mystery, and the unexpected ending. And interestingly, this last book was the one that stayed with me the longest after I had moved to other categories, which I found surprising, considering my reaction to it at the time.

There is aways an unavoidable subjective element when assessing or reviewing a book, and the negatives for me rose from the fact I don’t particularly like my historical novels written with historical language, and in a historical way, nor do I like literary fiction. I like my crime fiction written in a pacy modern way, even though the story is set in the past. However, many readers like the historic writing style of historical fiction, therefore this book would have many positives for them. All I can say is, that despite my own initial reaction to the book, I would actually recommend it as a good read.

You can buy the book at:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

Chris Longmuir

You can find the assessment of many more books in Crime Fiction and the Indie Contribution, as well as information on publishing, the history of crime fiction, indie authors, and a description of many genres of crime and mystery fiction.

http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/

Amazon Author Page

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

Divided Loyalties by Dennis Hamley

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

It was only after I’d read several chapters of Divided Loyalties that I realised it was a continuation of Ellen’s People which I recently reviewed for Eclectic Electric.

Ellen’s People: Without Warning, was a book set during the First World War, and it told Ellen’s story from her point of view. This second book, which I understand is part of a trilogy, is set prior to, and during the Second World War. So, a lot of time has passed since the end of the first book.

Divided Loyalties differs in style from Ellen’s People because it is a multi-viewpoint novel. Instead of being Ellen’s story, it is the story of Ellen’s family, and it begins with chapters featuring Ellen’s sons, which was why I hadn’t made the connection with Ellen’s People at an earlier stage.

At the beginning of the story Ellen has been married to her German husband, Matthias Vogler, for nineteen years, and they have three of a family, Walter who is sixteen at the start of the book, Paul who is eleven, and Anna who is eight.

Walter, the elder son, is not a likeable character and he is deeply resentful of his germanic roots which makes him hate his father. Nevertheless, of the three children he is by far the strongest character and I was drawn into his story and became deeply interested in what happened to him. Paul and Anna were more likeable, and their characters were less conflicting, therefore less addictive for the reader. Ellen, was once again, finely drawn, and her problems and emotions are shared with the reader.

There were many divided loyalties in this story. Walter’s hatred of his family and his germanic origins. Ellen who is split between the two of them. Matthias, whose German relatives embrace the Nazi cause, and the emotional conflict this causes within him, because on the one hand he loves his German family, but on the other, he hates Nazism and everything it stands for, and is fiercely loyal to his adopted country. His loyalty, however, does not prevent his arrest as an enemy alien, and his internment, first in the Isle of Man and later in Canada.

As well as the emotional impact of the story, as the story progresses the reader is also taken onto the battlefields to follow Walter’s story as a rear gunner in the RAF, and the story of Helmut, his German cousin, first as a member of the Hitler Youth, then as a tank commander on the Eastern and Western Fronts. There is a sense of fear and disorganization, but also one of disillusionment in these sections.

This was a well written and absorbing novel with characters who became real people with the ability to strike up an emotional relationship with the reader. If this is the second book of a trilogy, I can’t wait to read the third.

Chris Longmuir

You can buy the ebook here

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/

Ellen’s People by Dennis Hamley

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

Ellen’s People is a book with hidden depths. On the surface it is a simple story of one girl’s perception of the life of her family in wartime Britain.

It starts with a recruitment drive for young men to join the army in the early days of the First World War, when Ellen’s brother Jack joins the army. Through Ellen’s eyes we follow the jingoistic speeches which whip up enthusiasm for the war, and her fears for her brother. There is a sense of patriotism, a call to the colours, and war fever. But this leads to mob violence reflecting hatred for ‘The Hun’ with sympathisers being given short shrift. This sets off a series of events which become quite nasty.

However, things settle down and life goes on as normal with the impression of the war being far away. Ellen’s life follows it’s usual pattern which is the norm for women at the time. She lives at home and engages in domestic duties, although there are hints that changes are afoot for women.

Ellen goes into service against the wishes of her parents and gradually starts to become more independent. It is a gradual process although, through the passage of time, she trains to be a nurse and eventually goes to Abbeville to nurse soldiers.

The effect of the war on the villagers seems negligible at first, and there is a normality to the lives of the family. It is as if the war is a far distant thing that does not impact on them, until Jack comes home with only one leg after an amputation. But, even then, the full horrors are not apparent, and this reflects the propaganda stance the government took on the Home Front, where the realities of the conflict were not shared with the populace.

Slowly the realistion of what the war is all about dawns on Ellen, although it does not really prepare her for the full horrors she will experience when she goes to Abbeville in Belgium to nurse dying and wounded servicemen.

Ellen is an engaging character with the ability to draw the reader right into her life. The normality of that life in the beginning, and the blinkered view people had to the war, contrasts with the reality of the war’s impact. The class system at the time and the powerlessness of servants is obvious, as is the gradual shift of power to women who want to work. There are many threads to this story, but none more so than Ellen’s gradual awakening to the full horrors of what war entails.

This is a book well worth reading, and one which will draw the reader in with a firm grip, and not let go until the final paragraph.

Chris Longmuir

You can buy the book here:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

The War in the Air; Volume 1 The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force, by Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

The War in the Air was a demanding, but interesting read. It was a fascinating account of the early development of aircraft and their role in World War I. It covered the early years of experimenting with flight in the 19th century, although there had already been flights involving hot air balloons, the first of which was the Montgolfier balloon in 1783. However, although there were airships in the 19th century, it was the Wright brothers who led the way with their flying machine in 1903. This led on to the development of airships and aircraft in the early years of the century. However, the main part of the book, deals with the contribution that these airships and aircraft made to World War I.

However, it was not until April 1918 that the Royal Air Force was formed. Prior to this there had been the Royal Flying Corps, and the Royal Naval Air Service. In 1918 both the services were amalgamated and became the Royal Air Force.

The Royal Flying Corps was the military branch of the service and was attached to the War Office. Its role was initially reconnaissance in the air, although later in the war that role expanded to include bombing. The different types of aeroplanes they used are well described.

The Royal Naval Air Service was the naval branch of the service and was attached to the Admiralty. Its role was to support the Navy, patrol the seas, and spot submarines. They also had a more active role in respect of bombing, gunnery, torpedo work, navigation, wireless telegraphy, and engineering. Their duties were therefore more various and complicated than those of the Royal Flying Corps, and the Royal Naval Air service had to fly seaplanes and airships as well as aeroplanes.

Some of the material in this book is quite factual, but there are also personal contributions which illustrate the difficulties in flying these early machines. It is a comprehensive look at the development of the air services and aerial warfare during World War I, when there were many dangers due to the fragility of machines and the risks entailed with flying during wartime.

This is a book that would appeal to readers who are interested in World War I and also in aircraft. The information it contains is invaluable.

Chris Longmuir

You can buy the book at:

Amazon.co uk

Amazon.com

At the time of writing the review the Kindle version was free, and the paperback was priced £9.60/$8.99

Charlotte Kills by Reb MacRath

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

This is the third Boss MacTavin mystery book by Reb MacRath, but it was the first one I had read. When writing a book it is often advised to start with a good hook, and this one had a really shocking hook. It started with Boss MacTavin in a meeting with a mafia don after receiving a hatbox containing his fiancee’s head, and I wondered if this was an indication of the type of book this was going to be.

Once I got past the shock factor I realised this was a book which in the golden age of crime fiction would have been called hard-boiled. It had a private investigator or PI, plus mafia thugs, a black widow, crooked cops, and plenty of violent action.

Boss MacTavin undertakes an investigation for Don Sal Vittale, a San Francisco mafia don. The Don wants him to look into the murder of his niece’s husband in Charlotte, but the problem for Boss is that the man accused of the killing is the son of Don Cordalini, an old adversary. The investigation starts off a series of action filled and violent events.

Boss MacTavin was an interesting main character. He’s a tough guy, with tough looks, and a battle scarred body. He also only has one eye, the result of a previous violent confrontation. The book was well written, the descriptions were excellent, and the atmosphere suited the story. Part one was action packed and typical of the hard-boiled style, the pace was fast, and violence proliferated. The pace seemed to change in part two, there was more planning and slightly less action, and seemed to become a sting novel which Boss MacTavin termed a Correction. Although this part had less action it had more mystery, and I was left guessing what the Correction was going to be, and along the way there were several twists. Needless to say, by the end all was clear.

I liked this book on several levels. Firstly, I liked the hard-boiled style of part one, which satisfied all the expectations of this style of book. The characters were good and realistic and played their roles well. The writing was atmospheric and descriptive, and the action scenes were also realistic. In part two, I like the mystery element and the twists, and when the sting finally took place it was a surprise.

Reading this book has made me want to read the first two Boss MacTavin books, although this book is a stand-alone and is perfectly understandable without reading the previous two.

Chris Longmuir

You can buy the book at:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

The Death Game by Chris Longmuir; reviewed by Kathleen Jones

T

The Death Game

by Chris Longmuir

Missing children, black magic in a graveyard, and an orphan’s refuge that is anything but . . .  The beginning of Chris Longmuir’s new novel promises a compelling plot. Add in a fascinating historical setting and you know you’re in for a good read.

The Death Game is set in Scotland just after the first world war.  The police force is a male enclave, handling matters deemed unsuitable for a decent woman to know about.  It was still a period when women were treated like children, to be protected and kept innocent and naive - though in reality rendered helpless and ignorant.  But at the end of the war a new women’s police force was set up - called the Women’s Police Patrols, drawing its recruits from the Women’s Police Volunteers and the Voluntary Women Patrols.   Many of the women in these groups were suffragettes.  The Women’s Police Patrols were more formal, wearing a uniform designed by Harrods. Soon its trained members were being deployed to regional forces, although not without a considerable amount of resistance. They were usually given the job of escorting lost children and dogs, dealing with prostitutes and taking statements from women.

Chris’s heroine (I will use that word dammit!), Kirsty Campbell, is sent to Dundee, where she encounters not just the hostility of the men she’s supposed to be working with, but also has to confront one of the most traumatic episodes from her past.  We soon see why she had to leave Dundee and why she chose the police service as a career.

I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about how the first police-women worked and the barriers they had to break down to be accepted (though modern police-women might suggest that some are still there). The historical setting is authentic and well-researched.  Kirsty Campbell is a fascinating character and I’m glad that there are going to be more novels featuring her as one of the first female detectives.  Kirsty’s personal situation is suitably complicated too - another hook to draw the reader into the next book.

A good read and well-recommended.

Chris Longmuir lives in a small seaside town on the east coast of Scotland. She considers herself a Scot because although she was born in Wiltshire she has lived in Scotland since the age of two. She is a crime novelist as well as a short story and article writer and has also published a very well received saga - 'A Salt Splashed Cradle'.   In 2009, Chris won the Dundee International Book Prize with her crime novel 'Dead Wood'.  She admits to ‘a lifetime addiction to the written word’.
You can find out more about Chris and her books at her website which is http://www.chrislongmuir.co.uk/

Kathleen Jones writes novels, biography and poetry and is published both traditionally and independently.  You can find her website at www.kathleenjones.co.uk  and she blogs regularly at 'A Writer's Life'.  

A Fatal Verdict by Tim Vicary

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

I’m an avid crime reader but must admit I don’t normally read court-room dramas. I’m not sure why that is, maybe it’s because I can’t get rid of the feeling that because the setting is a formal one, this will detract from the suspense of the story. However, I won this book in a competition, so it follows that I had to read it.  Well, I’m glad I did, because this was one of the most thrilling, page-turners I’ve read for some time.

The characters were completely realistic, and I was completely drawn in by Sarah Newby, who was no formal, dry as dust QC. She was a living, breathing character with her own family problems, and dilemmas. She dispelled the image of wig and gown, although she did wear them in court, but she also travelled to court on her high-powered motor bike, and when she was angry she revved the bike and drove dangerously at high speed.

The book starts with the discovery of the body of a young girl in the bath of her boyfriends flat. She is partially drowned and has slit wrists. It soon transpires that she hasn’t committed suicide, she has been murdered, with her boyfriend the main suspect. Sarah has the job of prosecuting him, and the resultant court case is full of suspense.

The girl’s family are destroyed by her death, and when the boyfriend is killed they become the prime suspects, and Sarah has the job of defending the mother who is charged with the murder.

It has to be said that the identity of each murderer is never in doubt, but the events leading from these murders provide enough suspense to satisfy the most dedicated crime reader.

This was the second book in the Sarah Newby series but it is not necessary to read them in order as this book did well as a stand-alone crime story. Needless to say I’ll now read the first book in the series, although I’ll have to buy that one, as it would be a fluke if I won that one in a competition as well.

Chris Longmuir

Buy the book at:

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

A salt-splashed cradle by Chris Longmuir

Review by Bill Kirton

Chris Longmuir’s books so far have been mysterious, suspenseful stories concerned with some of the darker depths of human nature. So it’s surprising to learn that this one (which was apparently written before the others) is a romance. But fans won’t be disappointed. Yes, it’s a romance but the murkier motives and actions are still in evidence.

It’s set in a fishing community on Scotland’s north-east coast in the 19^th century and the author’s familiarity with the setting and her research into the customs and attitudes of the time give it genuine authenticity. She’s recreated a time and place in which men and women have their roles, their own moralities and a fierce strength born of living lives dependent on both the sea’s bounty and its cruelties. She writes of its rhythms, of how men and women alike respond to its voice and its demands, and of the hard lives they live beside it.

The characters are varied and complex, none more so than Belle, the dangerous woman at the narrative’s centre. This is no straightforward, old-style heroine. She has strengths, weaknesses, needs and a beguiling mixture of sexual magnetism and insecurity. She belongs to this community and yet is apart from it and, as the threads of the story weave around her, her stature grows and she learns, among other things, how to say no.

A Salt Splashed Cradle carries more than one love story, but there are also others from which love is missing. The writer’s control of her material is as sure here as it is in her dark modern novels and the characters are just as vivid. She takes you back to harder, less cushioned times, creates atmospheric settings and leaves you really caring about what happens to her people.