Wendy Cartmell

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jenny’s wounds have healed. An experimental treatment has removed the memory of a horrific and degrading attack. She is moving on with her life. That was the plan. Except it’s not working out.
This is a fascinating psychological novel, that deals with memories, almost a different take on repressed memories. Jenny’s memories have been erased, but they won’t go away. I loved the way the story was told and was riveted by the subject matter. A very thought proving and mesmerising story, particularly well told.
I received a review copy of the book via Netgalley.

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Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Perfect strangers. A perfect holiday. The perfect murder…
Three couples meet around the pool on their Florida holiday and become fast friends. But on their last night, their perfect holiday takes a tragic twist: the teenage daughter of another holidaymaker goes missing, and her body is later found floating in the mangroves.
When the shocked couples return home, they remain in contact, and over the course of three increasingly fraught dinner parties they come to know one another better. But they don’t always like what they find: buried beneath these apparently normal exteriors are some dark secrets, hidden kinks, ugly vices…
More known for his police procedural crime novels featuring Tom Thorne, this is a stand alone novel. I loved the different take, with the book focusing far more on the main characters – three couples who meet on holiday. They have nothing in common apart from that, but keep in touch mainly because the tragedy that occurred. The story twists and turns, teasing out the secrets and lies to an ending that I didn’t see coming. Excellent!
I received a review copy of the novel via Netgalley.

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The Malice of Waves by Mark Douglas-Home

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Five years ago, fourteen-year-old Max Wheeler disappeared from Priest’s Island, an isolated but bleakly beautiful place on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. In the close knit local community, there are no secrets, except what happened to Max. None of the police or private investigations since have shed any light on what happened the night he went missing, presumed dead. But there is one man who is yet to take on the case: The Sea Detective. Cal McGill is an oceanographer and unique investigator who uses his knowledge of tides, winds and currents to solve mysteries no-one else can.
This book as an unusual take on the detective story. Not knowing it was the third in a series, I read it as a standalone book and really enjoyed it. I loved the different setting of the Outer Hebrides and the slightly quirky Cal McGill. But this book is about the island and the inhabitants, as much as it is about the Wheeler family and Max’s disappearance. The whole book is character driven, which I found to be fascinating. The twist at the end caught me by surprise, which is always a good thing!
I received a review copy of the book via Netgalley.

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The Keeper by Alastair Gunn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is something hiding in the forest. A man is found dead near an isolated forest outside of London. When another body is discovered a few days later, DCI Antonia Hawkins knows that she must move fast. The hunt is on. With each passing day, Hawkins struggles to find a pattern in this seemingly random scattering of murders. But who is the hunter?
This is the first book I’ve read by Alastair Gunn and even though it is the third in the series, I didn’t feel this detracted from the read. It was well written, and DCI Antonia Hawkins is struggling with demons from a previous case and with family problems that have fallen fairly and squarely in her lap. Her partner in life as well as work, DI Mike Maguire, I felt could have been more involved in the story. We saw him looking after Hawkins the best he could, but I didn’t get any feel for him as a person.
The plot was good, but I felt the last 10% of the book was a rehash of what had happened earlier in the book, but this time told through the eyes of the killer, which didn’t bring much to the party, and the book was pretty predictable from there on in.
Overall, a good read with a disappointing ending.
I received a review copy via Netgalley

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Progeny by Lea O’Harra

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One winter’s evening three-year-old Makiko Kohara goes missing from a mall in western Japan while shopping with her family. When Chief Inspector Kenji Inoue of the Fujikawa police gets the call, he is playing with his own small son, Yuichi. Disturbed by the news, he mounts a search for the little girl, convinced she simply wandered off and all will be well as little girls are not abducted let alone killed in Japan. But once he gets to Seatopia, the new, western-style shopping complex, Inoue discovers the girl’s disappearance is very real indeed.
Once again Ms O’Harra weaves a complex tale, set in the equally complex world of Japanese society. There are many examples of parents both good and bad in this clever novel. The role of women is another theme which is threaded throughout the story. The novel follows the conventions of a mystery, with a myriad of suspects which are gradually whittled down.
But for me the strength of this book is the light the author shines on Japanese society and its conventions, which are shown through her character’s failings. Add to that beautiful prose and you don’t get a much better read than this!
I received a review copy from the publishers, Endeavour Press.

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The 7th Canon by Robert Dugoni

In San Francisco’s seamy Tenderloin district, a teenage street hustler has been murdered in a shelter for boys. And the dedicated priest who runs the struggling home stands accused. But despite damning evidence that he’s a killer—and worse—Father Thomas Martin stands by his innocence. And attorney Peter Donley stands with him.
This was a compelling legal thriller, up there with Scott Turow and John Grisham. Peter Donley was immensely likeable and you could relate to the problems he tussled with. He does everything he can within the law (just) to help his client Father Martin, who is steadfast in his innocence. The story gathers pace as it hurtles to the end.
A clever, entertaining read. Robert Dugoni is fast becoming a force in the legal fiction genre.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click the book cover to go to the book page on Amazon.co.uk.

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To celebrate the CWA Daggers Awards 2016, ENDEAVOUR PRESS, in partnership with the CWA and KILLER WOMEN, is running a virtual crime fiction festival.

From October 10 – 14 Tweet your burning questions to some of your favourite crime authors. The line-up includes best-sellers Quintin Jardine, William Shaw, Graham Masterton and little old me, Wendy Cartmell. We will be running competitions and giving free eBooks to everyone who participates. Sign up is totally free and gives you the opportunity to share your love of crime fiction with some of your favourite authors!

Click here to sign up for free!

In Fifth Columnist, a bent copper is compromising national security but none of the evidence will stand up in court. That’s exactly why men like Stoner operate in the shadows, ready to terminate the target once an identity is confirmed…

Oh my, this book surely packs a punch. A covert operative determined to keep his distance from the British policewoman he’s working with. He’s a last resort. Mostly silent, definitely enigmatic, a man of few words yet always on hand. Known only as ‘Sarge’ DCI Hannah Jack Hannah doesn’t know what to make of him. Yet in his cold, still, silent way Sarge solves the mystery. He instructs her, and the reader, in the ways of covert operations, always giving a different ‘take’ on any situation.

The writing is bold and blunt, with horrific things said in a matter of fact way. “I kill people. That’s what I’m paid to do.” It sends a shiver down your spine.

Following the short story is the opening to the author’s new book Redemption of Charm to be published in 2017. This was gripping, thrilling and with lots of action. In a way the antithesis to the short story. Both good. Both gripping in their own way. This was my first foray into the writing of Frank Westworth and I’m sure it won’t be my last.

I received a copy of the story from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Click the cover to go to the Amazon.co.uk book page.

Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

21-year-old Sophie Collier vanishes one night. She leaves nothing behind but a trainer on the old pier – and a hole in the heart of her best friend Francesca. 18 years later a body’s been found. And Francesca’s drawn back to the seaside town she’s tried to forget.
This is a chilling tale, written from the alternating POV of the two women, Sophie who vanishes and Frankie her friend who in the intervening years builds a life without her friend. Spooky and at times really well written, I felt the holes in the plot let this book down. I had issues with ‘remains’ being found 18 years after Sophie fell into the sea, yes I really did say 18 years! Secondly she was asked by Sophie’s brother Daniel to help him identify the remains! Seriously? If she was identifying a trainer, it could have been done via a photograph! And there must have been thousands of pairs of those popular trainers around at the time of Sophie’s death. Later in the book the timeline was a bit out regarding Sophie and a ‘significant event’ (I don’t want to spoil the plot). Also in one memorable scene Sophie was dressed in jeans, only to put a note in her dress pocket.
These anomalies, for me, spoilt what was shaping up to be a good psychological thriller and real page-turner. I received a copy of the novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Edith Hind is gone, leaving just her coat, a smear of blood and a half-open door. Each of her friends and relatives has a version of the truth. But none quite adds up. The press grows hungrier by the day. Can DS Manon Bradshaw fend them off, before a missing persons case becomes a murder investigation?

What a brilliantly satisfying read this book is. A tense police procedural and psychological novel rolled into one. This was one of those books that I couldn’t wait to return to as I needed to know, not just what was happening with the investigation, but in the chaotic lives of DS Manon Bradshaw and her colleagues. The characters were flawed yet likable for the most part. Those that you didn’t like, you had a good understanding of. The strength of Ms Steiner’s writing is its honesty. People are flawed. They are a mess. They are battered and bruised by their past. Manon Bradshaw tries hard not to be depressed by her singleness, pissed off with her family and irritated by her colleagues. She tries internet dating without any success and manages to get through her days with wry humour and the support of good friends. But just how unstable she is, is highlighted when she does find someone to love. Or at least she thinks it’s love. Frankly it’s far more of an obsession. The reader can see this, but not Manon.

The team has no leads, no body and no idea what’s going on. But the ripples from Edith’s disappearance spread inexorably outward, devastating her family and close friends; with disastrous consequences. Missing Presumed, is easily the best book I’ve read since Daisy in Chains. Absolutely brilliant!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Click the book cover to go to the Amazon UK book page.