Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: mystery

  • Murder Stage Left

    Murder Stage Left

    We find Lady Eleanor Swift, Hugh Seldon and of course Clifford in Stratford on Avon, the home of the Bard, William Shakespeare, having been hired by Sir Humphery Stafford, Chair of the Shakespeare Heritage Trust to investigate a series of thefts of a number of small articles reputed to be owned by Shakespeare.

    After a leisurely meal they decide to take a relaxing drive before retiring until they smell smoke and realise a building is on fire. So begins Murder Stage Left as they rush to the site of the fire to offer their help.

    Despite Ellie’s fears of burning buildings, they do what they can to help rescue the many historic items stored in the Heritage Theatre which also housed the Museum. Unfortunately, they come across the body of a man lying in a corridor, which almost gets them trapped in the burning building.  

    A last-minute dash to the Stage door, which is opened by a good deal of force, sees them burst out into the smoke-filled night air where they are confronted by the very aggressive Chief Inspector Denny and Chief Fire Officer Colville, both men less than impressed with their efforts to help.

    Now in somewhat of a dilemma as to whether they still are required to find a thief, they are asked to prove the fire was arson. They are specifically told not to investigate the death of Richard Ratcliffe, the man recently hired to be the Theatres leading man. He was not murdered but died of smoke inhalation, according to Chief Inspector Denny.

    As they begin to put together the pieces of what seems to be a straightforward, but intriguing case, they discover nothing makes sense, people are either lying or deliberately confusing the facts and there is obviously more buried under the ashes of the building than at first meets the eye.

    Murder Stage Left sees the Byron Detective Agency face what is their most complex and challenging case to date, and is perhaps equally as intriguing as any plot ever written by Shakespeare.

    The Historical Notes that form the basis of the story and present the structure of the Town, as well as the series of events that did occur in the year of which this book is set, adds a layer of history to what is essentially a cozy murder, the fun facts are a lovely addition as well as the recipe for the Shooters Sandwich which was devoured by Ellie with relish.

    Murder Stage Left is  book twenty six in the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series.

  • The Village Detectives and the Deadly Brew

    The Village Detectives and the Deadly Brew

    This complicated and slow-moving cozy Murder, The Village Detectives and the Deadly Brew takes a little time and patience to get into as it is a part of an ongoing series with well-crafted characters, and history already entrenched.

    In The Deadly Brew the Village Detective Agency is offered a job investigating what appears to be sabotage, which Juno is refusing to consider. This is causing some angst amongst the other three members; Felix, his wife Pheobe and Mil, the publican of The Baron Arms.

    Mil is upset by this, along with Juno’s attitude, as the job offered is for his friend and retired footballer Vin Wyche. Vin has invested a massive amount of money into the Wyche Brewery, and it appears it is being deliberately sabotaged.

    When a body is found in the high tec sterilising plant it is clearly a case of murder, but why and who did it is an absolute mystery. The friction within the Wyche family is at an all-time high, relationships are stretched to the limit and yet, in spite of murder having been committed the family seem to be somewhat unconcerned about the incident.

    Will Juno keep letting an incident with Mil, one drunken and unforgettable night, keep them from solving what is an intriguing crime or can she put it to once a side for the greater good?

    Pheobe drags her into the case and as they begin to investigate not only the brewery but the family members as well, Juno discovers she is keen to befriend Vin’s first wife, Katie Jones, of the famous girl band Sisterhood and the love of Vin’s life.

     Village gossip, jealousy, hatred and so much more come together in what turns out to be a crime with many unforeseen side issues which evolves into a thoroughly enjoyable case to be solved, once again by the Village Detectives, united once again in a common cause and friendship.   

  • The Sea Sisters

    The Sea Sisters

    The Sea Sisters is a complicated read set in the charming town of Morranez in Britanny where twenty-five years ago a small child disappeared during the Morvarc’h Festival, an annual event that drew people from all walks of life to the coastal town.

    Nicole Stevenson, a young woman in failing health believes she is the missing child based on documents and pictures found after her father death. She has come to Morranez to see if she can discover if this is true and enlists the Toussaint Agency, an agency who specialize in missing persons, to help her in her search.

    Mila Shepherd, Carter Jackson and Ceci, Mila’s stepmother, make up the team of Toussaint’s, and once they make the decision to take on the case, they realize it is going to be far more challenging that just trying to discover what really did happen twenty-five years ago.

    As they dig into the past Mila begins to wonder if the drowning death of her sister Sophie, the murder of Charlie her husband, the abduction of Evie Albert and the closed community, Holywell, presided over by Augustine Golliard are all connected.

    Can a decades old mystery be solved to help Nicole find some sort of peace in her life and will the results of whatever is uncovered help Mila come to terms with the death of her beloved sister.

    Emotional, confusing, and complex the plot line has similarities to the case of Madelaine McCann in 2007, in Portugal, which still remains unsolved, and from this perspective is an interesting read, if a somewhat slow burn at times.

  • The Shark 

    The Shark 

    True Crime readers will no doubt remember the Claremont Killings of 1996-7, which resulted in a 24-year investigation; the longest and most expensive investigation in Australian history and the ultimate conviction of the murder in 2020. Award winning author Emma Styles, latest crime thriller “The Shark” was inspired by this event.

    In the Cottesloe area of Perth, Western Australia a serial killer is targeting young swimmers, who go missing, only to be found horribly mutilated some time later. When Rachel’s close friend, Piper goes missing, she not only suffers from survivor’s guilt but also from a desire to do something to solve the mystery of her friend’s disappearance.

    Carmen, having found the first body appears to have a mysterious connection with the murderer. Both are impatient and angry about the lack of progress by the police to solve this case. On the anniversary of Piper’s disappearance and wanting answers to their questions, these vulnerable young women, having met briefly in a psychiatric unit, reluctantly form an uncomfortable alliance and take matters into their own hands.  Convinced that Neil Lock, known as ‘The Shark’ is the perpetrator of these horrific crimes, they kidnap him; but is he really the serial killer?

    Many readers will find this ‘serial killer’ fiction intriguing despite the unreliability of the unlikeable narrators Rachel and Carmen. The complex storyline is at times a little disjointed and disturbingly graphic.  Although not and easy read, it picks up in the last third of the book with its twists and turns; it is an interesting fictional take on a similar event.

  • 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).

  • Recipe For Murder

    Recipe For Murder

    A Recipe for Murder, the 21 book in the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, sees a figure, clad in black, creep down an alleyway as dawn is breaking, mixing something from a container into a sack of flour just delivered, before turning and walking away.

    Chaos is reigning in what is normally the well run and an orderly Henley Hall, as preparations are underway for the long awaited wedding of Lady Eleanor Swift to the handsome Hugh Seldon, the love of her life.

    The annual Spring Supper is being celebrated in Little Buckford and despite her misgivings, Lady Eleanor has allowed Clifford to talk her into attending this year’s event. The morning after the Spring Supper a woman is found dead, another in hospital and Ellie is feeling somewhat terrible with an upset stomach. The ladies of the Hall are also indisposed.

    Feeling somewhat frazzled by recent events and the list of tasks, set by Clifford still to complete, when she is asked to assist the local Constabulary she realises she has little choice, as accusations fly thick and fast with people’s livelihoods becoming endangered.

    As the days rapidly draw closer to her wedding, the culprit is still at large and Ellie wonders if they will strike again, as there have been several more cases of what appear to be food poisoning and another death.  She and Hugh are also now being directly targeted, which is causing serious concern, as the attacks are subtle but deadly in intent.

    With the return of Clifford from London and Hugh’s expertise, they believe, with the use of some carefully thought through strategies, they know who the killer is and how to catch them.

    A Recipe for Murder is fast paced, full of the unexpected and ends with a wonderful, teary and romantic wedding – at last!

    What next for the wedded couple is yet to be discovered, so look out for the next book in the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Series from Verity Bright.  

  • Murdle Australia

    Murdle Australia

    50 seriously sinister murder mystery logic puzzles

    There are many people in our community who love to read a good murder story. The School of Mystery Murdle Australia is a book for those who love to unravel the puzzles which lead to the culprit of the crime being caught. The reader is encouraged to give themselves a star when they have completed the puzzle.

    The instructions are quite simple. We are given a list of characters, identified by a small diagram. There is a short description of the character.  For example, Editor Wowser is a “ripper romance editor.’ As the first murder takes place in a Bookstore, we are given three places where the suspects might have been. We are also given three objects which may fit the crime.

    The first puzzle begins with known facts. Then we are given a grid on which is marked the characters and the locations.  As we turn the page further clues are given again to be filled in on the grid. How quickly you solve this crime is up to the individual.

    For those who love puzzles and enjoy the odd murder mystery, this is a fantastic little book to slip in a bag, and take with you when waiting.

  • Murder in Mayfair

    Murder in Mayfair

    A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 18

    In her eighteenth Murder Mystery, Murder in Mayfair, Lady Eleanor (Ellie) Swift finds herself in somewhat of a dilemma as she has witnessed a murder, become a Governess and involved the love her life, the incredibly handsome Hugh Seldon, her fiancé, in a compromising situation, and it is only day two of a visit to London to witness the wondrous Exhibition being held at Wembley.

    After a runaway hot air balloon flight where she witnessed a murder, she is once again back on the ground, after abseiling down to see if the man that was shot could be helped. She is accosted by Lady Philomena Chadwick, a slight acquaintance who invites her to tea at the Ritz Hotel the next afternoon.

    She is implored to take on the task of finding Lady Chadwick’s pearl necklace, stolen according to Lady Philomena, by her staff. Much to her long suffering butler, Clifford’s amusement she goes undercover as a Governess to the Chadwick children. It is only hours into her new role she realises she is being lied to and something is certainly far from right in the household.

    As she begins to try and find out what is going on within the household staff, she is also convinced that the man that she saw murdered, is something to do with the stolen necklace. Clifford and Hugh become deeply involved with trying to find out what happened to the murdered man, if there was one, which eventually gets Hugh suspended.

    A long standing debt owed to Ellie’s beloved deceased Uncle is called in to help them find a pathway through the red tape and obstructive practices being erected by Whitehall, with astonishing results. 

    Who stole the necklace, who murdered the man who was obsessed with Lady Chadwick, and how the half completed Bermuda Pavilion at the Exhibition fits into the complexity of the situation, makes riveting reading, as Ellie sets out with the able assistance, of Clifford to get to the very bottom of why murder was committed in Mayfair.

    Once again Verity Bright has spun a very fine yearn indeed, wrapped around the very human foibles of greed, bullying and love in Murder in Mayfair; another incredibly enjoyable cozy murder.

  • Forget-Me-Not 

    Forget-Me-Not 

    Following on from the first book in the What happened to Mia Davis series, Forget Me Not is fast paced, the twists and turns totally believable, the characters clear, portrayed in such a way that they come to life, representative of the people who populate everyone’s world.

    Forget me Not continues the story of Elaine, murdered by an unknown man, someone she knew, someone in her group of friends, someone they all knew, but who. Whoever he is he is very good at covering his tracks, plausible, cunning and ruthless. A psychopath.

    Rachael McGowan has dedicated her skills as a detective to solving the case, and has spent fifteen years tracking the elusive killer. Each time she thinks she has the man responsible in her sights she is proven wrong, but truly believes a string of copycat murders, made to look like suicide, are all perpetrated by the one man; the man she is chasing.

    As she digs ever deeper, she comes across an anomaly; the name of a man who does not exist, but does. Who is he and where does he fit into the past and the present. She comes across some information that seems to fit into her investigation, but once again opens up a number of pathways that all appear to lead nowhere.

    Forget Me Not adds more than one layer to the mystery as very slowly the past is revealed, the horror of cold blooded murder unfolds and the luring of Rachael into a web of deceit concludes in the unthinkable or does it!

    KT Carlisle certainly knows how to turn up the heat and keep the plot addictive, as she deftly, and with murderous intent, steers Detective Rachael McGowan, Catheryn and Elaine into the final book in the What Happened to Mia Davis? series.

    IF you enjoy a fast paced, very plausible murder mystery the What happened to Mia Davis series is for you.

  • The Clockwork Conspiracy

    The Clockwork Conspiracy

    As a mystery set in the heart of London, the story and the language will challenge readers to follow Isaac Turner as he searches for his father. A horologist, Isaac’s father, Diggory, is the one who maintains the clock in the Tower of Big Ben. The boy loves to visit the Tower with his father and assists in setting the clock’s mechanisms along with exploring the Big Ben Bell.

    One night, Isaac is with his father when they hear a note from a bell which sounds incorrect. His father climbs the staircase to explore the problem leaving the boy to potter about. After a time, Isaac realises his father has been gone for a while. Then the real adventure begins! Diggory is nowhere to be found.

    Solomon is Isaac’s Godfather and a Speaker in the House of Parliament. His residence is nearby and Isaac races to alert him of his father’s disappearance. The boy’s mother died many years before and so he is alone.

    Solomon takes him in and here Isaac meets Hattie, Solomon’s daughter. Together they proceed to uncover a terrible plot, with ruthless people who will stop at nothing to spread evil.

    The Clockwork Conspiracy is a fast moving and complex story with surprises and mysteries to be uncovered. Each chapter is headed with a clock face showing a different time; a good idea to show the pressure of time to locate Isaac’s father.