Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: murder

  • A Very Irish Mystery

    A Very Irish Mystery

    Once again, the intrepid trio of Lady Eleanor Swift, her handsome husband Huge Seldon and Clifford, her major-domo extraordinaire, along with Gladstone have found a simple trip to Ireland to follow a lead to the disappearance of her parents many years ago, has turned into something vastly different and very troubling.

    A Very Irish Murder sees them plunged into a world they had no idea existed, one that is filled with danger and mystery at a time when the Suffragette movement was commencing in Ireland. Ellie finds she inadvertently gets swept up in a march on their way back to their Hotel, after having spent a fruitless time waiting to meet a man who apparently knew her parents and what happened to them; one Samuel O’Sullivan.

     On and innocent tour of the local Brewery, Colcannon’s, the body of the owner is discovered stuffed in a barrel; obviously struck dead by a vicious blow to the back of the head. As the Byron Detective Agency, they, due to Ellie’s sense of outrage, see them become involved in helping solve what appears to be a senseless murder.

    But is it, as a second murder occurs and the information they have uncovered  is beginning to seem like someone believes killing will hide shady business dealings in which they are deeply involved. So many suspects with so few clues is not making bringing a killer to justice easy!

    As they continue to try and discover the whereabouts of O’Sullivan, they find so many of the incidents occurring lead them to the Mondo, a part of town known for its poverty and kip-houses. It soon becomes apparent that the two events, the missing O’Sullivan and the murders, are somehow related; but how is the real question.

    With a killer on the loose, a missing woman who may hold vital information and a massive storm brewing they must make a decision that could end in tragedy.

    Book 25 in the Lady Eleanor Swift series, A Very Irish Murder has a slightly different nuance to previous books which is interesting and to be expected. There is also a hint that Ellie’s search for her parents may be drawing to a close in the most unexpected of ways. We will undoubtedly see what does indeed come next in Book 26, whatever that may be…..

  • The Bewitching Miss Blair

    The Bewitching Miss Blair

    Clio Blair is a young lady with some very interesting capabilities, a slight temper and a love of outrageous fashion statements. She firmly believes she is capable of crime solving, certainly as well as, if not better than a man and is out to prove it once and for all in The Bewitching Miss Blair, the latest regency romp from Darcy McGuire.

    Viscount Beachley is dead, killed apparently by his wife, who has now fled London leaving behind a scandal and much gossip. Scotland Yard is not satisfied with what appears to be and Superintendent Lachlan McDougal wants to know what really did happen.

    Recruiting Clio, once again against her Aunt Rowans best wishes, she discovers she is to work with Lieutenant General Grey, Earl of Thornbrook, a man in his prime, a man who is tingling her senses in so many ways,  which is not a great thing to do to a witch with an often flammable temper.

    Clio has skills that allow her to speak directly with the deceased, which can be very dangerous, and this does not sit well with Thomas Grey, a man who does not believe in anything etheric. He considers there is only one way to solve a crime and that is the traditional way.

    Sparks fly in more way than one as they steadfastly plod towards finding the killer, but they also discover there is something else involved, a feeling that neither want to accept nor define, but one that is pulling them closer together. They are not happy, not happy at all about this!

    Although a crime has been committed and a dastardly one at that, Darcy McGuire has once again created a heroine of outstanding ability, with a hero of very pleasing stature to while away the hours whilst trying to solve the crime committed before romance blooms.

  • Murder on the Cricket Green

    Murder on the Cricket Green

    Murder on the Cricket Green is an engrossing cozy murder set in 1948, Westleham, Berkshire when the world was slowly recovering from the effects of the War.

    The Villagers are looking forward to a Cricket match against the Winteringham side, and a wedding, that of Ruby to Detective Inspector Ben Robertson. Two events that it was hoped would lift a community still struggling with everyday life.

    Societies rules were hard and fast, as Martha Miller had discovered firsthand. Village gossip, founded or otherwise can be dangerous, having been singled out when her husband Stan left to go to work two years prior, never to return.

    A knock on her door changes everything she though she knew about Stan, as he has returned, offering an explanation and trying to put past wrongs right. Unsure of what to make of this, as she has long considered herself an independent woman, one who has deep feelings for the local Vicar which are returned, she is flummoxed.

    When Oliver Beckwith, the local somewhat underhand local Solicitor, is injured in an altercation, Stan is roped in to make up the Westleham team numbers. He goes into bat and collapses at the crease, dying from what appears to the amateur eye, some form of poison.

    Martha, known as a very good amateur Detective decides she needs to try and discover who is responsible for Stan’s death and most importantly why. Recruiting her trusty neighbour Maud, they set about digging deep into Village life. The more they dug, the more astonished they became at what really goes on behind closed doors.

    Book four in the Marth Miller Mysteries from Catherine Coles, Murder on the Cricket Green delivers an intriguing, gently old fashioned, thoroughly entertaining murder which sees everyone, including Martha, considered as guilty until they are proven innocent.

    A most enjoyable read.

  • Murder at the Duomo

    Murder at the Duomo

    Dan Armstrong is surrounded by family, and Oscar of course, as they enjoy their evening meal, cooked by Dan as he shows off his recently learned culinary skills. His daughter Trisha is there with her fiancé Shaun as they are planning their soon to be wedding. Trisha would like to have it in the hills of beautiful Tuscany and Anna is helping her with venues.

    Dan and Oscar find their peace shattered in Murder in the Duomo, when a call comes from Virgilio, or rather Comisario Virgilio Pisano of the Florence murder squad, to help with what seems to have been a murder at the Duomo, or the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The victim is a high-profile British businessman considered as the richest man in the world.

    The pressure is on to get a quick arrest before it becomes an international issue, as the murdered man, Mr Tristan Angel is also a major arms dealer, with powerful friends and allies as well as enemies.

    As they dig or try to dig deeper into the affairs of Tristan Angel they are blocked at every turn as the people who accompanied Angel to Fiesole, are telling a version of the truth which seems to be plausible but leaves much to be explained.

    Who had reason to kill, to carefully plan what now seems to be an execution is unclear, as it seems the murderer is not about to stop at one and anyone of the people still at the Villa may have had reason to kill; they all appear to have cast iron alibies.

    In this fast moving, Tuscany style Murder, Dan and Oscar find they are, as are the Police, left confused and intrigued as every lead ends in a dead end. It is only a quirk of fate that may shine a  very small light on a person who appears to be blameless. Are they the killer or are they hiding someone else in plain sight?

    Murder at the Duomo is once again an excellent cosy murder from TA Williams, featuring a tightly woven, complex plot which leads the armchair detective to false conclusions time and time again.  A great and most enjoyable murder once again!!

    An Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery Book 14.

  • Death at Villa De Lacey

    Death at Villa De Lacey

    Aviva Orr brings a new series of Murder Mysteries to life in Death at Villa De Lacy set in 1820, with Bridget De Lacy and Nate Squires, two young people at odds with the pathway they are forced to travel in life, as they realise that together than can save themselves but divided is a pathway to disaster.

    Bridget is in shock at the news her beloved father is dead at his own hand, Nate is being told by his brother the Earl of Westerly, that he is to be sent to the Lakes District to change is philandering and gambling lifestyle or be cut off from his allowance.

    As Nate reaches his destination on a wet and foul night, Bridget and her Aunt are plunged into despair as they realise the enormity of what her father’s death means to them. Nate is the epitome of their worst imagination; he is none too happy to find them in residence!

    Where to from here is the question. It is not long before Bridget comes up with a possible solution to their problems, but can she convince Nate this is a good, if not great idea.

    William Wadsworth has just released ‘A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England’ which has seen the Ton in London desperate to travel to the Lakes District extolled by Wadsworth, which to Bridget is an opportunity to open the charming Villa De Lacy as an exclusive Inn designed to appeal to the elite of Society.

    Despite some early set backs they work tirelessly to get the Villa ready to open, which does not go as planned. When one of the guests is found dead at the bottom of the grand staircase, Bridget and Nate realise it is up to them to discover who did it and why as the Local Magistrate has decided it was death by misadventure. But was it!

    Can they succeed or will this be the end of their plans to begin again in a different life, despite those who would see them both fail, as it would seem there is a murderer amongst the guests, who is hiding in plain sight.

    Death at Villa De Lacy is a most entertaining read and a great beginning to a new series with a very different twist.

  • Murder on a Frosty Night

    Murder on a Frosty Night

    Murder on a Frosty Night is the latest cosy murder from Verity Bright and once again presents a very tough case to solve. As the snow falls and the temperature plummets, Ellie, Hugh and Clifford are at what appears to be a complete dead end, when a simple clue presents itself resulting in a case conclusion with an astonishing ending.

    It’s almost Christmas again and Lady Eleanor Swift, her husband Hugh and the stalwart Clifford are getting ready to celebrate their first Christmas together at Henley Hall.

    Ellie is doing her best to get all her gits wrapped, with help from Tompkins and Gladstone, in time to attend a function at Little Buckford, but somehow it is not coming together as it should. Hugh is in his office trying to finish work required in his new position as a consultant to Scotland Yard.

    Even though it is the festive season the lack of work for the new Byron Detective Agency is causing some worry and when a  telegram arrives with the promise of Three Hundred pounds as a retainer and a further six hundred to follow, they make the hasty decision to travel to Waketon Court, Yorelow in Westhamshire, arriving as directed, before the final stroke of Midnight.

    Once there they being to seriously wonder just what it is they have undertaken as they find the body of the client draped over a grave, the residents of the Village secretive, holding grudges that go back many years and the staff at Waketon Court behaving in a very unusual manner.

    Time is a crucial factor in attempting to discover what has been going on and exactly what was the murder weapon used to kill not once but several times with a ruthlessness that leads them to believe there is far more to what has occurred in Yorelow than first meets the eye.

    Combining forces with the local Constabulary, and with the arrival of the ladies from Henley Hall, it seems they may have a wonderful Christmas after all, if only they can find the killer before they kill again.

    Gripping and most intriguing Murder on a Frosty Night is one case that will keep you guessing until the last snowflake falls on Yorelow, Westhamshire.

  • All That Smolders

    All That Smolders

    All That Smolders from James Sulzer is set in Nantucket, Massachusetts in the 1980s is a slow burn to begin with but it is well worth persevering as it gets, better, much better as each of what seems to be a tangle of loose ends going nowhere, begins to form into a murder mystery that is thoroughly entertaining.

    Peter Christie has been through a bitter divorce and has moved to a Nantucket to begin again. He hopes a fresh start will work and when he meets Haddie Danville, he hopes this is the beginning of something good, but Haddie does not want to be rushed; she likes to take things slowly. 

    When her beloved grandfather is murdered, she is devastated. Peter hopes that by putting his often abused journalist skill into action, he may be able to help find the killer; a man who as it turns out is prepared to kill and kill again. The issue is why?

    As Haddie and Peter dig deeper into the past of the Island community, they begin to discover that all is far from what it seems; that one man’s secret seems to be the motive behind the killings but is it a powerful enough secret to make one man believe he needs to kill?

    Digging ever deeper they find there seems to be more questions than answers. When they finally isolate the person, whom they believe is responsible for the murders, they find they become the hunted which plunges them both into a quandary and immense danger.

    All That Smolders is an armchair murder mystery every wannabe sleuth will enjoy.

  • Mind Over Murder 

    Mind Over Murder 

    When two people both with diverse and fascinating backstories decide to write a murder you can expect the unexpected and Mind Over Murder certainly delivers as the unconventional journalist turned psychotherapist Janna Rose, finds herself caught in shocking situation, the death of her once partner and friend Daniel.

    Daniel is an investigative journalist looking into something that he considers could get him killed. When it does, in the most brutal manner, Janna is left grieving, but with a very cryptic clue or two Danel had passed on to her, just in case.

    Janna has also been to a meeting that involves a somewhat controversial redevelopment plan by a large local building firm that is being hotly discussed at local council level and within the local community.

    She senses that something is far from right as the development is set to remove important local playing fields and generally does not comply with anything environmental. There is also huge amount of protest from the local taxi drivers as they are against the idea of low traffic zones for any new developments.

    A new client arrives at her practice, Emma, and as the days pass, Janna discovers she is the sister of the man driving the new development; a man who is noted for getting his way at all costs which sets off her journalist instincts from years previously, as she believes that something is seriously rotten about a few to many things!

    As the pressure builds and the timeline for the approval for planning draws closer, Janna finds she needs to not only draw on her skills as a journalist but those of an Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist to find a killer hidden in plain sight.

    Whoever is behind Daniel’s murder is also the person who has put her family at serious risk, seen her accountant and friends house torched and whom she finds herself confronting in  a most unfortunate and deadly situation, after following what she believes is the answer to the clue left by Daniel.

    Wrapped around a backdrop of unscrupulous development, environmental activism, corporate conspiracy and the manipulation of public and political opinion through social media Mind Over Murder is a stand-a-lone must read as well as the first book in what shows very good signs of being a thoroughly enjoyable series starring the indomitable Janna Rose; a very modern-day environmentally conscious sleuth.

  • Murder in the Cathedral

    Murder in the Cathedral

    A Miss Phryne Fisher Mystery

    What a delight it is to meet our favourite characters again and to be introduced to another aspect of Australian history. Phryne Fisher is superb as the indomitable sleuth, ably supported by Dot, her personal assistant, Hugh Collins, Dot’s fiancé and the home team.

    In Murder in the Cathedral, a long-time friend of Phryne’s is about to become a bishop. He has asked for the detective’s presence at the ceremony. She remembers him and acknowledges a warm embrace years ago during the war, but is there another reason he has invited her? She is quite suspicious about his motives.

    There is indeed a murder during the ceremony, and it will take all of Phryne’s intellect as well as the local policemen and Dot to begin to make sense of it. The victim had made a number of enemies by being zealous in discovering the truth of any untoward behaviours or rumours of which there were or appeared to be many! The parishioners of a neighbouring church have made a move to reopen an old gold mine and were asking for finance. Were they involved?

    The murder took place during the service when the church was full, and no one noticed what had happened. There were multitudes of witnesses to be interviewed, with far too many discoveries to be uncovered in the church; sSecret doors and hiding places were found, clouding the issue further.

    This did not daunt our sleuth and certainly did not stop her from stunning the town of Bendigo with her marvellous dresses and style. Another wonderful read from Kerry Greenwood (1954–2025).

  • Deadly Mistake

    Deadly Mistake

    Known for his gritty, no holds bared thrillers Rob Sinclair has with his new damaged hero Simon Peake, taken a leap into the dark and terrible goings on of a world most readers can only imagine in Deadly Mistake.

    When cartel fix-it men come knocking on Peake’s door to get help disposing of a body, he reluctantly agrees, after all the money will be useful and then they can go away and leave him to his hard-earned peace.

    But as it turns out the body is not dead, but alive, if only just and it is a woman who is smartly dressed. He immediately wonders what is going on and over the course of the next hour, two of the men who arrived are dead and the third, vanished without a trace!

    Peake makes the decision to try and save the woman and by doing so opens the door to his past once again in a far more challenging way than usual. He has inadvertently set of the inevitable hornets’ nest of Syndicates vying for top position in a very small playing field.

    As the woman slowly regains consciousness, she appears to have amnesia, but as Peake is slowly beginning to discover, something is just not right; who is she and what is she really trying to get him to do is something that will most certainly get him killed if he can’t work out who is the man pulling the strings and what does he really want.

    Bloody and bloodthirsty Deadly Mistake is perhaps one step too far in the gruesome stakes, but the plot line is solid, the characters leap up off the page and the heat from the desert regions of Gorgia where the novel is set is palpable. Not for the faint of heart at all but a good read.