From the Book Elf

The Corpse Bell  by Ian McFadyen The Corpse Bell by Ian McFadyen was published on 15th September 2025. My thanks to Ian for sending me a copy to review and to  Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis   The last thing Penny Carmichael expected when she joined the local bellringing group was for her debut to be thwarted by the discovery of a body just yards from the belfry door. As her husband and his loyal team painstakingly sift through the evidence and delve deep into the dead man's past, it's clear that solving Peter Mackenzie's murder may prove a challenge, even for someone with DCI Carmichael's renowned detective prowess. What was a man who'd lived for decades in North London doing in Moulton Bank?  Was his chequered past a factor? And what about the other members of Penny's bellringing group. Did any of them have a reason to do Peter harm?  As the case unfolds, DCI Carmicheal and his trusty team seek answers to a complex puzzle...

Last Act by Heather Peck Last Act by Heather Peck Published on 24th October 2025 by Bittern Books. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Resources for inviting me on the tour. Norfolk is on edge !!! Five attacks. No connection. One detective who must find it — before the killer strikes again. Juggling a new job, a newborn, and an untested team, Greg already has more than enough to handle — until a prison escape throws everything into confusion. Someone out there is killing without pattern or mercy. And the closer Geldard gets to the truth, the more certain it becomes that they haven’t finished yet.  My Thoughts This is a gripping read from start to finish as Heather takes us on a journey to find out who is behind the murders and attacks, and why. DCI Geldard is a really likeable, family man as well as an outstanding Detective who is sensitive to the situations that he finds himself in and I really like him as the m...

A Deadly Inheritance  by Jane McParkes A Deadly Inheritance by Jane McParkes Published on 20th November by No Exit Press. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to  Random Things Tours for inviting me onto the tour. Synopsis Eco-architect Olivia Wells’s return to the small Cornish seaside village of Penbartha is troubled. She’s taken leave from her successful life in Manhattan to create the legacy her godfather wanted, a sustainable group of entrepreneurs working out of his beloved disused railway station, boosting the local economy and bringing more life to the village. But it seems that not everyone is as committed as she’d thought. The day after an unexpected argument with someone she considered an ally, Olivia finds her friend’s murdered body. The tight-knit Cornish community closes ranks to protect Olivia, but the forensic evidence points in only one direction. Against all her instincts, Olivia finds herself relying on newcomer...

The Secret Sauce by M.J. Porter   First of all my thanks to the author for sending me a copy to review and to Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me onto the tour. Birmingham, England, November 1944. Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is summoned to a suspicious death at the BB Sauce factory in Aston on a wet Monday morning in late November 1944. Greeted by his enthusiastic sergeant, O’Rourke, Sam Mason finds himself plunged into a challenging investigation to discover how Harry Armstrong met his death in a vat containing BB Sauce – a scene that threatens to put him off BB Sauce on his bacon sandwiches for the rest of his life. Together with Sergeant O’Rourke, Mason follows a trail of seemingly unrelated events until something becomes very clear. The death of Harry Armstrong was certainly murder, and might well be connected to the tragedy unfolding at nearby RAF Fauld. While the uncertainty of war continues, Mason and O’Rourke find themselves seekin...