Ice Lake @johnlenahan @KillerReads #BlogTour

About Ice Lake

…WHERE EVERYBODY LIES. AND SOME PEOPLE KILL…

An electrifying debut crime novel and the first in a new series featuring psychologist Harry Cull. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Peter May.

AN ABANDONDED BODY
Deep in the woods of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the body of a man is found – shot three times, dumped under the trees where the local kids will find him.

A HAUNTED PSYCHOLOGIST
Psychologist Harry Cull, tormented by his past, arrives in the picturesque town of Ice Lake to help with the murder investigation. There he unravels a web of lies and deceit that leads to the dark heart of a community torn apart by fracking, drugs and murder.

A DESPERATE KILLER
It’s not long before the second corpse turns up, this time a lawyer left for dead in the forest, and Harry finds himself on the trail of a twisted killer – who will do anything to keep the town’s darkest secrets buried.

My review of Ice Lake

I absolutely loved this book! I had no idea of what to expect when I opened the first page of Ice Lake. Would it be a grizzly crime thriller? Would it feature a handsome and witty male protagonist? Would it be an exciting and enjoyable read that offered a completely different take on the crime genre of today? The answer to all these questions is yes, and so much more.

Harry Cull is invited to Ice Lake, situated in Northeastern Pennsylvania, by his friend , State Trooper Eric Cirba. A body was found in the woods, and it is up to the local police and Harry to find out who the murderer is. And all I will say is that this realty is one twisted killer.

As soon as I started to read Ice Lake, I knew that I would love it, and this was partly responsible to the strong and likeable character of Harry Cull. It only took me a few pages to fully realise his character and that the two of us would soon become friends. He's that type of guy, you can't help but like him. Throughout the course of the book we learn more about him, his past and why he does what he does. It's not just Harry who fascinated me, but all of the characters were interesting in their own way, even Todd who runs the local 'store'. I gradually warmed to him over the book.  Another character who I loved was that of MK, Harry's neighbour, a nurse and a woman who is not afraid to speak her mind and do her own thing.

This book is packed full of  dark humour, and this works refreshingly well, given the dark subject matter. This kind of humour is right up my street. It doesn't make light of what is happening, but rather helps to give balance and a time to reflect upon what has happened. I found Harry to be a very funny guy, as were most of the inhabitants, albeit it in a subtle sarcastic way.

Ice Lake deals with some serious issues, those of drugs, fracking and dangerous lies, but all issues are there at the heart of the story, they are part of it, part of who the characters are and the story helps to explain what it is like to live in modern Northeastern Pennsylvania, in a remote area. I have no idea what this life must be like, but the descriptions of the environment and the people living there, helped me to feel as if I was living there, breathing the smell of the woods and drinking coffee in Todd's.

Ice Lake was such an enjoyable read. I am so very happy that this book is the start of a new series, as I want to learn more about Harry... and 'that's no lie'...

With thanks to Killer Reads for the advanced manuscript copy

Ice Lake is published by Killer Reads an imprint of Harper Collins on 7 July 2017. It is available from Amazon here.

About the author

John Lenahan is a popular TV magician who toured with Jack Dee, Lenny Henry and Victoria Wood. He starred on a prime time BBC1 TV show, had his own BBC2 series, and was the voice of the toaster in ‘Red Dwarf’. His fantasy trilogy Shadowmagic, an award-winning podcast that received over 100,000 downloads, was published by HarperCollins and sold over 70,000 copies across all editions. Ice Lake is his debut crime novel, the first in a new series featuring psychologist Harry Cull.

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The Secret Wound by Deirdre Quiery

About The Secret Wound

Deirdre Quiery's follow up to the critical success of Eden Burning, The Secret Wound draws the reader into a complex web of relationships within the ex-pat community in Mallorca, discovering their dangerous secrets...and a potential murderer in their midst. One of their number carries a dark and deadly secret from their past, and has murderous plans for a fellow ex-pat. Can any of the close- knit community discover the brutal plans before they are all put in mortal danger? Deirdre Quiery's gripping thriller is not just an addictive page turner, but provides a compelling exploration of human emotion and desires, and the terrible costs of jealousy and ambition. Perfect for fans of Jane Corry and Amanda Brooke.

My review of The Secret Wound

The Secret Wound is a psychological thriller that for me explored family and the neanng of life. This was so much more than a murder mystery. This is a book that explores the inner workings of the mind and how our childhood effects who we are. This really is a deep thinking book.

The novel is set in Belfast, and then Mallorca, during 2013.  At the beginning we are introduced to Gurtha, who is visiting the home of his ageing parents, Nuala and Paddy. However what he is greeted with is his dead mother, at the bottom of the stairs. This is such a powerful opening to a novel and I was instantly hooked. Who had killed Nuala and why? We then follow Gurtha as he tries to find out who killed his beloved mother, and in doing so the plot takes on a sinister turn of events.

It is after his mother's funeral that Gurtha is persuaded to go on a 40 day sabbatical to Mallorca after his mother's death. A close family friend, Cormelia, lives out there and she makes all the necessary arrangements for him to have much needed time away from Belfast.  This is the time for him to re evaluate life, to put his life into perspective. As I have already mentioned this is a very deep thinking book about the bigger picture, with a murder mystery at its very core.

Gurtha is a motivational speaker, he runs art exhibitions, and is a lecturer on the subject of  Conciousness Studies. The essence of his character, and the way in which he deals with his grief is reflected in the themes of the book. The book also has many wonderful life affirming quotes from J Rumi, a Persian poet from the 1200s. When I read the first quote, at the very beginning of the novel, about how a wound allows light to enter the body, I just knew that I was in for a completely different type of physiological thriller/murder mystery, and I was right. I also believe that these quotes are directed at Gurtha, at his time of grief. His relationship with his mother was extremely close, some may say cloying. This book, although a psychological murder mystery is also a book about grief and coming to terms with loss.

What the author does so wonderfully well is to beautifully evoke both Belfast, and then the ex-pat community who live in Soller, Mallorca. I have been to neither Belfast nor Mallorca, but I felt as if I was there and that I knew every nook and  cranny of the spaces that these characters inhabited. There are many wonderful and colourful characters within the novel. Paddy I have to admit was my absolute favourite.  I never truly got to grips with Cornelia, for me she was an enigma from the very beginning, and because of this she did intrigue me. I needed to know more about her life, her past, and I did learn these things as the novel progressed.

The Secret Wound is a beautiful story and one which I find hard to box into a genre. It is beautifully written, lyrical at times, and simply tells the story of what it is to love and to be loved. It is a story about grief and of why people choose to commit murder. The Secret Wound hooked me in from the very beginning and I was so sad to read the final words. Highly recommended.

The Secret Wound, published by Urbane Publications on 9 June. 2017, is available on Amazon here.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Reader Copy.

About the author

Deirdre Quiery was born in Belfast in 1957. She was 14 when her family were evicted from their home in North Belfast during 'The Troubles'. The family then 'squatted on 'The Peace Line' - the frontier of violence between the Catholic District called Ardoyne and the Protestant Shankill Road. These experiences over the next 10 years which included being held hostage, two uncles being murdered and three car bombs exploding outside her home in North Belfast, inspired "Eden Burning".

In search of adventure, Deirdre gave up her full time job, sold her home in Oxford and travelled to Mallorca with her husband and cat and while living in an olive grove with no running water, no TV, no internet and there found the inspiration for her second novel "The Secret Wound" to be published by Urbane Publications in June 2017 which is set in Northern Ireland and Mallorca.

Deirdre loves to not only write but paints, exploring myths and symbols in both writing and painting.

She was First Prize Winner of the Alexander Imich Competition in the USA for inspirational writing about the human condition. Her debut novel "Eden Burning" was nominated for the People's Prize in the UK.

Miss Christie Regrets by Guy Fraser-Sampson

About Miss Christie Regrets

“a neatly lacquered puzzle-box filled with golden-age trickery, as warm and timeless as crumpets and honey; a murder to curl up by the fire with on a winter’s night” - Christopher Fowler, author of the bestselling Bryant and May mysteries

The second in the Hampstead Murders series opens with a sudden death at an iconic local venue, which some of the team believe may be connected with an unsolved murder featuring Cold War betrayals worthy of George Smiley. It soon emerges that none other than Agatha Christie herself may be the key witness who is able to provide the missing link.

As with its bestselling predecessor, Death in Profile, the book develops the lives and loves of the team at 'Hampstead Nick'. While the next phase of a complicated love triangle plays itself out, the protagonists, struggling to crack not one but two apparently insoluble murders, face issues of national security in working alongside Special Branch.

On one level a classic whodunit, this quirky and intelligent read harks back not only to the world of Agatha Christie, but also to the Cold War thrillers of John Le Carre, making it a worthy successor to Death in Profile which was dubbed 'a love letter to the detective novel'.

My Review of Miss Christie Regrets

This is the first novel I have read by Guy Fraser-Sampson, and what a treat it was. This is the second book in the Hampstead Murders series, so I now need to go back and read the first book!

So, this book begins with a couple visiting Burgh House, a museum that is located in Hampstead, London. From the very first page, I was transported back in time because of the description of these two characters and the way in which they spoke to one other. It is while Detective Sergeant Kate Willis and her boyfriend, psychologist Peter Collins, are visiting the museum, that a murder takes place. As Kate is already at the scene, even though she is off duty, she calls it in and the investigation begins.

A man is found murdered in his office, slumped at his desk, and so the museum is closed and everyone within the building is questioned by the police. From this very moment, I had no idea who had committed the murder, as there were several suspects throughout, and I was genuinely shocked to find out the killer's identity at the end of the book. What is so very clever about this novel, is that there is a second mystery to be solved, that which surrounds a corpse that is found in a nearby block of flats, that are being renovated. Although the two murders are apparently unrelated, Detective Superintendent  Simon Collinson, who has been called in to oversee this particular murder, is convinced that the two murders are linked. What ensues is a highly enjoyable murder mystery that is reads like a classic detective story from days gone by. The entire tone of this novel, from the way in which the police work is carried out, to the language that is used, harks back to the Golden Age of detective writing. Although set in the present day, it really does feel as though you are reading a classic piece of detection work, and I found this such a treat.The Agatha Christie element of the story stems from a link to the block of flats where the corpse is found. I don't want to spoil the plot, but this aspect is very interesting, and if you love Agatha Christie novels, then you will love this plot twist.

As well as investigating the two murders, past and present, we also have some very interesting relationships that are unravelled before us and a gentle love triangle that needs to be resolved. Kate Willis lives with her boyfriend, Peter Collins, but she is also in love with Detective Sergeant Bob Metcalf, whom she works with. This love triangle is a complicated one. Peter lives in a fantasy world that is inspired by the likes of Lord Peter Wimsey, and on many occasions he refers to Kate as Harriet. Although Kate loves this world, she cannot keep up with the pretence, even though she loves Peter  She needs to live and feel reality. This is where Bob comes in, the polar opposite of Peter. But can the two of them make a life together?  Can she truly let go of Peter? All of the characters in this book are intriguing, well written and fully rounded. I particularly liked Bob Metcalf and his no nonsense persona. But I also enjoyed reading the dialogue between Simon and Kate. Their relationship almost came across as that of father and daughter.

Miss Christie Regrets is an old fashioned detective story set in today's modern and high tech world. You will find no blood, guts, gore or profanity in this book, which I found quite refreshing. It is a completely different read, and if you fuly immerse yourelf in this nostalgic world, then you are in for a real treat.

With thanks to the author and Urbane Publications for a paperback Advanced Reader Copy.

Miss Christie Regrets is published by Urbane Publications on January 12th in both ebook and paperback.

The Amazon link can be found here.

About the Author

GUY FRASER-SAMPSON is an established writer, previously best known for his 'Mapp and Lucia' novels, which have been featured on BBC Radio 4 and optioned by BBC television. His debut work of detective fiction, Death in Profile, the first in the Hampstead Murders series has drawn high praise from fellow crime writers as well as from readers on both sides of the Atlantic.