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Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Link To Kill (Hawthorne & Horowitz Mystery #3) in Books
Aug 29, 2021
I haven't read anything by Mr Horowitz before and was a little apprehensive about reading this, with it being the third in the series, but I needn't have worried - this is a unique and enjoyable mystery.
I have never read a book where the author puts himself as one of the main characters in a book but here he is joining up with an ex-Detective Inspector Hawthorne and, I must say, it really worked for me. Mr Horowitz doesn't take himself too seriously and he comes across as a Dr Watson-type character to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes - which, let's face it, isn't a bad thing at all. How much the fictional Horowitz is like the real Horowitz, I don't know but I like him!
Anyway, Horowitz and Hawthorne have been invited to take part in a literary festival on the island of Alderney. A murder ensues and Hawthorne is asked to assist the local constabulary to investigate with Horowitz in tow. The relationship between the two is a complex one ... do they really like each other or do they just tolerate each other for the purposes of writing books? I am still working that one out but I am liking it.
This is a proper old-style mystery with a cast of excellent characters many of whom have their own secrets which creates multiple suspects and I for one must have said "I knew it was them all along" numerous times and was wrong! There is a lot of humour and tongue-in-cheek moments which make this a fun and enjoyable read with a very satisfying ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was quite nice to read a murder/mystery without a plethora of violence for once and I am very much looking forward to more "adventures" from Hawthorne and Horowitz.
A thank you must go to Penguin Random House UK / Cornerstone via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
I have never read a book where the author puts himself as one of the main characters in a book but here he is joining up with an ex-Detective Inspector Hawthorne and, I must say, it really worked for me. Mr Horowitz doesn't take himself too seriously and he comes across as a Dr Watson-type character to Hawthorne's Sherlock Holmes - which, let's face it, isn't a bad thing at all. How much the fictional Horowitz is like the real Horowitz, I don't know but I like him!
Anyway, Horowitz and Hawthorne have been invited to take part in a literary festival on the island of Alderney. A murder ensues and Hawthorne is asked to assist the local constabulary to investigate with Horowitz in tow. The relationship between the two is a complex one ... do they really like each other or do they just tolerate each other for the purposes of writing books? I am still working that one out but I am liking it.
This is a proper old-style mystery with a cast of excellent characters many of whom have their own secrets which creates multiple suspects and I for one must have said "I knew it was them all along" numerous times and was wrong! There is a lot of humour and tongue-in-cheek moments which make this a fun and enjoyable read with a very satisfying ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was quite nice to read a murder/mystery without a plethora of violence for once and I am very much looking forward to more "adventures" from Hawthorne and Horowitz.
A thank you must go to Penguin Random House UK / Cornerstone via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased and unedited review.
Firefly Adventures: Brigands and Browncoats
9.5
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Tabletop Game
Firefly: Adventures is a cooperative, mission based, skirmish-level game where the players use the...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Echo Killing ( Harper McClain 1) in Books
Dec 28, 2023
206 of 235
Kindle
The Echo Killing ( Harper McClain 1)
By Christi Daugherty
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When a murder echoing a fifteen-year-old cold case rocks the Southern town of Savannah, crime reporter Harper McClain risks everything to find the identity of this calculated killer in Christi Daugherty's new novel The Echo Killing.
A city of antebellum architecture, picturesque parks, and cobblestone streets, Savannah moves at a graceful pace. But for Harper McClain, the timeless beauty and culture that distinguishes her home’s Southern heritage vanishes during the dark and dangerous nights. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even finding her mother brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve has made her love Savannah any less.
Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.
Harper has seen all of this before in her own life. The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer. At last, she has the chance to find the murderer who’s eluded justice for fifteen years and make sure another little girl isn’t forever haunted by a senseless act of violence—even if it puts Harper in the killer’s cross-hairs…
This was really good I enjoyed it. I did catch on to the killer early on but it was still a really good read. Characters were interesting and the storyline was good. Looking forward to more.
Kindle
The Echo Killing ( Harper McClain 1)
By Christi Daugherty
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When a murder echoing a fifteen-year-old cold case rocks the Southern town of Savannah, crime reporter Harper McClain risks everything to find the identity of this calculated killer in Christi Daugherty's new novel The Echo Killing.
A city of antebellum architecture, picturesque parks, and cobblestone streets, Savannah moves at a graceful pace. But for Harper McClain, the timeless beauty and culture that distinguishes her home’s Southern heritage vanishes during the dark and dangerous nights. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even finding her mother brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve has made her love Savannah any less.
Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.
Harper has seen all of this before in her own life. The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer. At last, she has the chance to find the murderer who’s eluded justice for fifteen years and make sure another little girl isn’t forever haunted by a senseless act of violence—even if it puts Harper in the killer’s cross-hairs…
This was really good I enjoyed it. I did catch on to the killer early on but it was still a really good read. Characters were interesting and the storyline was good. Looking forward to more.
Married to the Vampire King (Blood Bonded Mates #2)
10.0
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Book
ETHAN The bad news is that the vampires and witches of this city are all going to kill each other....
MM Paranormal Romance Series Vampires
The Sterling Acquisition (Manufactured Mates #1)
8.0
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Book
He came to steal a patent. He stole a person instead. In the Incorporated States of New America,...
Omegaverse Dystopian Science Fiction Dark MM Romance
The Paris Portrait (A Fabiola Bennett Mystery #3)
Book
Fabiola stumbles upon a clue that indicates a royal portrait went missing almost two hundred years...
Historical Mystery Art History Dual Timeline
The Orphan from Shepherds Keep: Three Men, Three Intertwined Lives, One Rightful Place in Each Other's Heart - A Gay Nov
Book
Over a period of thirty years, three gay men struggle to define themselves and make their mark on a...
LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Forbidden Love Love Triangle Slow Burn Found Family
Igniting His Flame (Redwood Bay Fire #1)
10.0
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Book
Love makes us all brave DARIO After escaping my controlling ex-boyfriend and moving to...
Debbiereadsbook (1859 KP) rated Still Waters, Deep (Between Hill and Sea) in Books
Apr 18, 2026
love the descriptive passages!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is the first in a new series by Ms Sheppard, and it reads a little bit different to her other books.
Seren is an archivist, and Talise a hydrologist. Catrin wrote about the water of Llyn Du, over 100 years ago, before she disappeared and now all three ladies are entwined by a red thread of fate.
It took time for the threads to weave, and as such, I didn't know where it was all going for a long time. It meant I had to slow down my reading, and concentrate really hard, which in turn meant it took me longer to read. Not a bad thing, just needs a comment, cos Book Feelings are important!
I enjoyed that Seren and Talise have a voice, and Eifion doesn't. I think if he had, the water might have muddled a bit(see what I did there?) between Catrin and Talise, around the lake and what was happening to Talise and what had happened to Catrin.
It's full of Ms Sheppard's signature Welsh myths and legends. There is a bit at the end that talks about Llyn Du and the red thread of fate. I didn't read it. but some might fine it helpful.
It's also full of descriptive passages that you can actually feel. You can feel how the lake reacts to Talise. You can feel how heavy the bell is, how Talise can feel it in her bones. You can feel how Seren reacts to the red thread, so far away from the lake. I love these passages, the way Ms Sheppard writes them. They come across so beautifully, so emotionally, so real.
There is no violence, and no smex. And I loved that there isn't!
Like I said, first in a new series, all connected by that red thread of fate, Welsh myths and nothing more. I look forward to reading what comes next!
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is the first in a new series by Ms Sheppard, and it reads a little bit different to her other books.
Seren is an archivist, and Talise a hydrologist. Catrin wrote about the water of Llyn Du, over 100 years ago, before she disappeared and now all three ladies are entwined by a red thread of fate.
It took time for the threads to weave, and as such, I didn't know where it was all going for a long time. It meant I had to slow down my reading, and concentrate really hard, which in turn meant it took me longer to read. Not a bad thing, just needs a comment, cos Book Feelings are important!
I enjoyed that Seren and Talise have a voice, and Eifion doesn't. I think if he had, the water might have muddled a bit(see what I did there?) between Catrin and Talise, around the lake and what was happening to Talise and what had happened to Catrin.
It's full of Ms Sheppard's signature Welsh myths and legends. There is a bit at the end that talks about Llyn Du and the red thread of fate. I didn't read it. but some might fine it helpful.
It's also full of descriptive passages that you can actually feel. You can feel how the lake reacts to Talise. You can feel how heavy the bell is, how Talise can feel it in her bones. You can feel how Seren reacts to the red thread, so far away from the lake. I love these passages, the way Ms Sheppard writes them. They come across so beautifully, so emotionally, so real.
There is no violence, and no smex. And I loved that there isn't!
Like I said, first in a new series, all connected by that red thread of fate, Welsh myths and nothing more. I look forward to reading what comes next!
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Debbiereadsbook (1859 KP) rated Crimson: A Dark Sidhe Faerie Tale in Books
Mar 10, 2023
First time author nailed it!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Ok so! As far as I can see this book is the only book currently written by this author. And if this is her FIRST book?? Oh my days, I cannot wait to see what she delivers next!
Because, bar two things, I bloody LOVED this book.
It's dark and deadly, with so much going on sometimes, I had to double back to check I fully understood. And that, for ME, is a good thing! I didn't find it especially explicit, for Kara and Alak, but for the Fae in general, it is. There is a lot of violence here too, but I think it is needed to get the way these folk live across. It's a truly multi-layered story and it takes time to get to where it's going.
Or rather, it takes time to get the whole point of the story across. And again, for ME, a very good thing. It kept me fully engaged from start to finish.
BUT.
It is a long LONG book, some 500 pages and it's not all easy reading. As I said, it takes time to build up to things. Some peeps don't like such long books. I did here, but it did take me a long time to finish. Mostly because of my next point.
AND.
Only Kara has a say. And if Alak had been given a voice, it would have broken this up a bit, and made it not seem quite so long. Because I really needed to hear from him at points along the way, especially when Kara is in danger.
Having said all that, I really REALLY enjoyed it, and I really REALLY hope we get a second book. Because while there is a HFN ending, Kara and Alak's story is by no means finished. And some other characters need a HEA, too!
So, for a first time author, I'd say Ms Speelman nailed it!
4 most excellent stars
Ok so! As far as I can see this book is the only book currently written by this author. And if this is her FIRST book?? Oh my days, I cannot wait to see what she delivers next!
Because, bar two things, I bloody LOVED this book.
It's dark and deadly, with so much going on sometimes, I had to double back to check I fully understood. And that, for ME, is a good thing! I didn't find it especially explicit, for Kara and Alak, but for the Fae in general, it is. There is a lot of violence here too, but I think it is needed to get the way these folk live across. It's a truly multi-layered story and it takes time to get to where it's going.
Or rather, it takes time to get the whole point of the story across. And again, for ME, a very good thing. It kept me fully engaged from start to finish.
BUT.
It is a long LONG book, some 500 pages and it's not all easy reading. As I said, it takes time to build up to things. Some peeps don't like such long books. I did here, but it did take me a long time to finish. Mostly because of my next point.
AND.
Only Kara has a say. And if Alak had been given a voice, it would have broken this up a bit, and made it not seem quite so long. Because I really needed to hear from him at points along the way, especially when Kara is in danger.
Having said all that, I really REALLY enjoyed it, and I really REALLY hope we get a second book. Because while there is a HFN ending, Kara and Alak's story is by no means finished. And some other characters need a HEA, too!
So, for a first time author, I'd say Ms Speelman nailed it!
4 most excellent stars