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Other Crime Novels
Falling Off Air by Catherine Sampson
Television reporter Robin Ballantyne is on maternity leave looking after her twins, when she is horrified to witness the death of her celebrity neighbour Paula Carmichael, a prominent social activist and Labour MP. Soon questions arise as to whether Paula Carmichael committed suicide or was murdered.At first an innocent bystander, Robin soon finds herself suspected of murder when Adam Wills the father of her twins is killed. Is there a link between his and Paula Carmichael’s death? Soon Robins finds herself in terrible danger, but knows that she has to find the real killer before she too is killed.
Mrs Boris recommended this book to me and I thought it would be one of those ‘girly’ books you can find on her web pages. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t and was in fact a damned good thriller & excellent first novel! Boris
Stalin’s Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith
Senior Investigator, Arkady Renko, pariah of the Prosecutor’s Office has been assigned a new case. It is election time and the ghost of Joseph Stalin has started to appear to passengers on the platform of one of Moscow’s Metro stations. Things aren’t going at all well for Renko, his girlfriend Eva is very friendly with a hero of the Chechen war and Renko fears he’ll lose her to him and Zhenya his adopted son has gone missing. All is not as it appears with the ‘ghost’ either and Renko soon finds himself getting into danger when he stubbornly continues to investigate matters. With the body count rapidly rising, will Renko soon too become a ghost?
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Kinsey Millhone has been asked to investigate the truth behind the disappearance of Violet Sullivan, who in 1953 drove off in her brand new Chevy, leaving behind her husband and daughter daisy and was never seen again. Thirty five years later, daisy is still not reconciled with what happens and wants closure. Reluctant to investigate, Kinsey agrees to spend a few days on the case, thinking that that Violet drove off to pastures new. She finds a lot of people shared in Violet’s life and some want their secrets kept hidden. As Kinsey begins to discover what happened, her own life is under threat.
Free Fall by John Francome
Pat Vincent an ambitious jockey, devises an ingenious scam to make himself rich and risks going to prison if he gets caught. His girl-friend Zoe is a talented jockey who has a chance of becoming champion apprentice, if she isn’t distracted by her sister Harriet’s marital problems. Harriet’s husband, Andy, is also Pat’s partner-in-crime and walks his dog each along the local cliffs, until one day he fails to return home. What really happened on Andy’s last walk? Was he murdered? Or did he fall by accident? An enthralling mystery, well-seasoned with a dash of romance that anyone would enjoy.
Out of Mind by Catherine Sampson
Robin Ballatyne was introduced in Catherine Sampson’s debut novel ‘Falling Off Air’. This story takes place about two years after the events of that novel and this time Robin is directing a ‘missing persons’ series for the Corporation. One of Robin’s own colleagues, Melanie Jacobs has gone missing and Robin includes her in the series. As Melanie starts to investigate Melanie’s disappearance she soon uncovers a web of deceit and comes to the attention of shadowy figures in the Corporation who would rather not have Robin delving too deep into Melanie’s past. As before Robin is having to juggle with the demands of her three year old twins, Gilbert her criminal father and the love of her life, DCI Finney.
The Funeral Boat by Kate Ellis
DS Wesley Peterson, detective and spare time archaeologist is looking for Ingeborg Larsen, a missing Danish Tourist. In Neston, Wesley’s friend, archaeologist Neil Watson is excavating around the local parish church. Not far away a possible Viking burial is discovered, exciting interest in both Wesley & Neil. Meantime Wesley’s boss, Gerry Heffernan, believes that Ingeborg’s disappearance may be linked to a spate of brutal robberies and that she may have witnessed something she shouldn’t have. Or is her disappearance linked to far older events? It seems that this may not have been Ingeborg’s first visit to Neston. Wesley investigates in this intriguing and well written story.
Playing God by Barbara Whitehead
A classic whodunit and the first in Barbara Whitehead’s brilliant series set in York, one of Boris’ favourite cities. Set during York’s Medieval Mystery Cycle season, hero Tom Churchyard finds himself caught up in intrigue and mystery when dangerous mishaps occur on the set, culminating in an apparently accidental death. Or is it? Read the book, preferably in York in one of its wonderful pubs like ‘Ye Olde Starre Inne’ in Stonegate for example.
The Bone Garden by Kate Ellis
Both Mr & Mrs Boris like DS Wesley Peterson, Kate Ellis’ detective with an archaeological background. This time he is investigating the stabbing to death of a man whose only clue to his identity is a newspaper cutting, about the restoration of some long lost Devonshire gardens. Did the gardener do it? Boris Knows.
Both Mr & Mrs Boris like DS Wesley Peterson, Kate Ellis’ detective with an archaeological background. This time he is investigating the stabbing to death of a man whose only clue to his identity is a newspaper cutting, about the restoration of some long lost Devonshire gardens. Did the gardener do it? Boris Knows.
The Death of Dalziel by Reginald Hill
Can the Fat Man really be dead? Has he at last sung his last aria? Doubtful, know the resilience and many talents of Yorkshires finest. He seems so when Superintendent Andy Dalziel is caught in a terrorist bomb blast, but is all that it seems? Who are the mysterious Knights Templar? Why are they bring the Iraq war to Yorkshire? DCI Peter Pascoe has his work cut out to solve this one and when he is seconded to the Combined Anti-Terrorism Unit he finds he has entered a very murky world. An excellent read and more like Reginald Hill’s earlier Dalziel and Pascoe novels, before they got a little too introspective and politically correct for Boris’ taste. This one was back on track though.
It was bad enough to lose Morse from Crime fiction, but to lose Andy Dalziel as well! Catastrophic! Boris
The Blood Detective by Dan Waddell
When two youths find the mutilated corpse of a man in a London churchyard, the only clue to the man’s identity are some numbers and letters carved on the man’s chest. Believing that the numbers and letters could be a reference to some sort of registration document such as a birth or death certificate, Nigel Barnes, a specialist in compiling family trees, is asked to assist the detectives investigating the case. Nigel finds out that the reference relates to the death certificate of an Albert Beck who was murdered in 1879. Researching into accounts of Beck’s murder, Nigel learns that he was the victim of a serial killer . When a second body is discovered it becomes very apparent a modern day killer is copying the murders of 1879 and that if the present day killings follow the pattern of the past, the death toll will continue to rise. More disturbingly, it appears that the present day victims are linked by bloodline to people who were involved in the trial of the man who was eventually convicted of the 1879 murders. Nigel will need all his genealogical skills to track down their descendants and the police will need all their skills to trap the killer.
Mrs B read this first and dared me to read it over Halloween. She’d read it first, you know she likes these ghoulish novels. I have to say it was excellent and if there’s a sequel I’ll read that too & no Mrs B it wasn’t my teeth chattering , it was the wind rattling the letter box. Boris
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A Cure for all Diseases by Reginald Hill
Well, Cap Marvell meant well when she fixed up Andy with some bed rest in a plush clinic. Andy Dalziel however isn’t the man to lie back & convalesce when murder & mayhem break out around him, even if DCI Peter Pascoe his more than competent lieutenant and Weildy have the job in hand and Sandytown seemed such a sleepy pleasant place! Still as Andy would say when new age alternative therapies come into conflict with good old fashioned medicine, then there’s bound to be trouble. Shapely psychologist Charlotte Heywood (one of Stompy Heywood’s brood out at Willingden) lends Andy a hand, but all is not as it seems and as the bodies mount up (and they do!) Pascoes begins to wonder who is running the case, him or Andy? All comes right in the end however and Andy even saves Peter’s bacon, but perhaps the less said about that, the better!
Angel’s Share by Mike Ripley
This book follows on from ‘Angel in the House’ and by now Angel and Amy have moved to their new home ‘The Old Rosemary Branch’ deep in the Cambridgeshire countryside. Angel is still working at Rudgard & Blugden’s and has been given a new case, finding retired Civil Servant, James Ellrington’s former girlfriend Maggie Hayes. R&B’s man in the North, Ossie Oesterlein known as ‘Double O’ is enlisted to help with this matter and finds that Maggie married her old boss Simon Pennington and now lives on the South Coast. Ossie comes up with an address, but in return Angel has to help him out with a matter of his own. Ossie was scammed out of £970 and Ossie wants his money back. Into darkest Hackney, home territory for Angel they venture where Angel comes up against the ‘Computer Kid’, the perpetrator of the scam. With the help of Springsteen(Angel’s notorious killer cat) who lends a paw, Angel gets the ‘Computer Kid’ to give the money back. Following up Ossies lead Angel goes off to find Maggie Hayes but finds that reuniting the former lovers is not an easy task and not without dangers of it own.
Another brilliant book in the Angel Series. Angel’s cat Springsteen reminds Boris of a Cat that the Boris family had called Tabitha. She had a lot of Springsteen’s characteristics and was the first cat that Boris knew who growled(yes, growled) when the refuse collectors came on Bin day. She even taught all of our subsequent cats to do the same!! Funnily enough Ethelred never came to harm with her, though Boris still has some scars!! Boris
Angel in the House by Mike Ripley
Boris had truly forgotten how good Mike Ripley’s ‘Angel’ series were, until he read this one during January just past. Roy Angel married to fashion diva Amy May has led a very care free life up to now, but Amy is pregnant and things are about to change. First Amy wants to move out of London and into the country! Then she wants Angel to get a job!! Very quickly Angel finds himself looking for a house from Amy’s list of suitable properties and worse, taking up employment with Rudgard & Blugden Confidential Investigations. Worse still, Amy doesn’t want Angel’s trusty black cab ‘Armstrong’ littering up the drive whilst potential buyers are viewing their property and he has to temporarily part company with it. Angel soon finds that working for the once all female staffed Rudgard & Blugden isn’t a bed of roses either. They expect him to work every day and solve cases!! His first one is to find out who is stealing quantities of Botox from Olivier Zaborski’s Pharmaceuticals company. What part in the chemicals disappearance do vivacious, red-headed Salsa dancing Cassandra Quinn and Misha, her Russian boyfriend play in this? Angel with the able assistance of security expert Frank Lemarquand set out to find out.
Reading this certainly made a dark Winter’s day a lot brighter. If you’ve not read an ‘Angel’ novel before do so as soon as possible. Boris
A Killing Frost by R.D.Wingfield
Insubordinate, irreverent, not politically correct, DI Frost is a copper very much of the old, old school., but Jack Frost gets the job done even when the odds are very much stacked against him. Frost is very much up against it in this novel, not only are crimes to be solved stacking up, DCI Skinner his new boss is conniving with Superintendent Mullet to get shot of Frost once and for all. Jack having fiddled his car expenses has given them the perfect opportunity and he knows his days are numbered. Like a true trouper however, Frost gets on with the job in hand. A supermarket has reported poisoned stock , a human foot has been discovered in Denton woods, a multiple rapist is on the loose, then the crime wave reaches new terrifying heights when two young girls are reported missing, can an exhausted Jack Frost solve the crimes, find the girls and save his job? Or will he be driven from Denton and exiled to Lexton the absolute pits! Entralling to the very last page, if you haven’t read Frost before do so you’re missing a treat.
A Touch of Frost by R.D. Wingfield
D.I. Jack Frost although officially on duty is determined to sneak off to a colleague’s leaving party. Unfortunately the best laid plans of Jack go awry and he finds himself visiting the scene of the death of well known local junkie, Ben Cornish, whose body has been found blocking up the drain of a Denton public lavatory. Not an auspicious start to the evening and things go from bad to worse when he is next called to local businessman, Max Dawson’s house whose daughter has gone missing. A multiple rapist on the loose and Jack therefore knows that the prognosis for the girl turning up safely is not good and when a body is found, things look very dark indeed. To add to the mix, the Coconut Grove, Denton’s notorious strip joint has been robbed and to cap it all the pampered son of the local MP is suspected of a hit-and-run offence. With the surly DC Martin Webster, a former Detective Inspector demoted for hitting a senior officer, in tow, Jack knows he is going to have his work cut out if he is going to clear up all these crimes and keep Police Superintendent Mullet off his back. And of course Jack had forgotten to do the overtime returns and the crime statistics!
Jack Frost is from the era when the local bobby gave tearaway's a clip round the ear! Still at least there was no ‘water boarding’ then. Boris