Cathie Dunn writes...

I’m thrilled (yes, quite literally) to share my review of Murder Ahoy! , a quirky whodunit at sea, by Fiona Leitch . My thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for a copy.  Raise the gangway and be off on a fabulous and fun ride across the Atlantic!  Murder Ahoy! is a highly entertaining murder mystery set on a cruise ship where crime writer Bella Tyson’s life suddenly reflects her fiction.  Bella was booked to take part in a murder mystery play on board, together with two other famous authors. However, when she arrives she discovers that it’s not Peter James she’s teamed up with, but her gorgeous but no-good ex-husband, Joel Quigley, and the diva of crime writing, Louise Meyers. Both are no friends of hers, and Bella begins to dread her decision... All set up their little groups of participants, and the murder mystery tour is ready to start. But when amidst the fake bodies a real body turns up, Bella becomes the main suspect. To the Head of Security on board it’s a clear-c...

I’m so thrilled to share my new cover and the title of the first Loup de Foix Mystery with you: The Monk’s Secret Historical background: Loup de Foix was the illegitimate son of Raymond-Roger, count of Foix. The town of Foix lies in the south-west of France, and the counts held some sway, politically. Raymond-Roger in particular was known to be a flamboyant character, with an outrageous dress sense (for his time) and a glib tongue. He was a great orator, and his speeches are well-recorded. Raymond-Roger (’Roger’ in the novel, to avoid confusion with other Raymonds – a popular name at the time!) had at least four children: Roger-Bernard (’Bernard’ in the novel, for obvious reasons) and Cécile were legitimate. Amongst his illegitimate children were Loup and Esclarmonde (named after her famous aunt).  The count’s sister, Esclarmonde de Foix, was a well known Perfect in the Bon Chrétien  religious movement, now known as the Cathars. And his wife, Philippa, ran a h...

I hope you're all wrapped up warm (at least in the northern hemisphere) as the nights grow colder. It's the best time of year for reading – and Victorian murder mysteries should be on your list! I'm delighted to share my views on another fabulous read, A Portrait of Death by Rhen Garland , organised through Rachel's Random Resources . My thanks to Rachel for the opportunity. A Portrait of Death is a Victorian murder mystery with a paranormal twist. The beginning takes you through a couple of gruesome murders, but the details aren't graphic, so readers of cosy crime can enjoy this tale. The main plot takes you to the sleepy English countryside, to the manor of the Marmis family. A weekend house party quickly turns into a trap when two men are found dead early on. And slowly, the real reasons behind the façade of the event are becoming apparent, but not without further discoveries.  When Detective Inspector Elliott Caine begins to investigate, he uncovers...

I'm thrilled to share my thoughts on Lucienne Boyce 's gripping novel, Death Makes No Distinction , today. It's a fast-paced mystery that has you reading into the wee small hours. My thanks also to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources (and my apologies to the author for the late posting of this review). Death Makes No Distinction is the third instalment in Lucienne Boyce's Dan Foster Mystery series. And although I'm unfamiliar with the first two novels (something I'll have to rectify!), I caught up quickly with Bow Street Runner, Dan Foster, and his turbulent personal and professional life. Ms Boyce provided just enough backstory detail to give us a brief summary, which worked really well.  Dan is very much a no-nonsense character, but he knows his place and he's not there to play the games of those in high society – unless he is compromised to do so. At first, I found it hard to warm to him, but his character grew on me. I found his approach to ...

Today, I want to introduce you to Lucienne Boyce , and her Dan Foster Mysteries. I'm currently reading (and enjoying) the latest instalment, Death Makes No Disctinction , and my review will follow in a few days’ time. My thanks goes to the author, and to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources . In the meantime, have a look at this intriguing series. Death Makes No Distinction: A Dan Foster Mystery Two women at opposite ends of the social scale, both brutally murdered. Principal Officer Dan Foster of the Bow Street Runners is surprised when his old rival John Townsend requests his help to investigate the murder of Louise Parmeter, a beautiful writer who once shared the bed of the Prince of Wales. Her jewellery is missing, savagely torn from her body. Her memoirs, which threaten to expose the indiscretions of the great and the good, are also missing.  Frustrated by the chief magistrate’s demand that he drop the investigation into the death of the unknown beggar ...

I have exciting news: Love Lost in Time is finally available on pre-order from Amazon through Ocelot Press !  It’ll be released on 28th November 2019 , my 11th wedding anniversary. Thrilled to bits! Based partly on a true story, Love Lost in Time is a dual-timeline mystery set in the late 8th century and the present day, right here in the Languedoc in south-west France. The ’true story’ part is the bit where my present-day character, Maddie, finds several old bones under her kitchen floor. This happened to my former neighbours in a small Minervois village – they even showed me some remnants of bones and parts of a cranium. Needless to say, it inspired a plot, and Love Lost in Time is the result! Sadly, no paranormal activity was observed by the neighbours, even though our houses stood on the grounds of an ancient Merovingian graveyard. I love graveyards, so I didn’t mind. So any paranormal activity is entirely down to my imagination.  The ’historic’ part of...

This is our third winter in this beautiful part of France, and our first full winter living in Carcassonne, after two years in the Minervois on the plain. And yes, it’s been cold here too! 😉 In recent weeks, the peaks of the Pyrenees and the Montagne Noire were covered in beautiful snow, but yesterday was a rebel day: the temperatures rose to 16C here in Carcassonne, and up to 25C in the plain of the Languedoc. ' Tout le monde ' (everyone) was outside walking, sitting in cafés and just soaking in the the sun. View towards the medieval Pont Vieux and citadel River Aude We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon walk up to la cité with our dog, to enjoy a small bottle of rosé on the large food square, Place Marcou. And it was heaving there. As the sun set over the buildings, the crowd moved with it. At first, one particular restaurant was full of people, but later, new arrivals picked their seats in the sunshine, and so another place got all the business. Fun to watch... T...

Joe Murray , of Sanford 3rd Age Club fame, is visiting today, so I took the chance to quiz him before he starts pestering the locals for information about missing chocolate eggs. Joe? Joe!! Ahh, there you are... 1)  It’s Easter. You’re in Weston-super-Mare. Whatever happens on the Great Egg Hunt? I don’t wanna say too much, but I get my feet wet. That’s because it’s raining. It rained all the way from Sanford to Weston-super-Mare and when we got there, it rained even harder. And I think you’ll be surprised by what I did turn up on the Great Egg Hunt. It wasn’t just Easter eggs, although to be truly honest, it wasn’t my discovery. It was Sheila’s. 2)  You’re quite a way from home. How do the locals take to a stranger investigating a murder? The police were okay… eventually. As usual, they called our Gemma in Sanford, and she put them right. It’s handy having a niece who’s also a Detective Sergeant. The locals were a bit more iffy. I think it’s a language difficulty...