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...

Today, I’m taking you to the beautiful Italian city of Bologna – and its dark underbelly – in Tom Benjamin ’s gripping political thriller, A Quiet Death in Italy . When a body is discovered, everyone points their fingers at the police. It seems to fit, the best solution. But after a tip-off, private investigator Daniel Leicester follows a new trail that takes him into the highest political circles of the city – and into danger.  The author describes Bologna well as he shares his knowledge of the city across the pages. You get a real sense of following in Daniel’s footsteps, of seeing the streets he walks and the building he enters. The characters, especially those in local government circles, are just as you would imagine corrupt officials would be. At times, I found too much description of secondary characters distracting me from the plot, but it’s not a major issue. The novel maintains a good pace throughout, and there is a great sense of tension in places. The tone has...

I'm delighted to share my review of  133 Hours , a fast-paced, gripping thriller by Zach Abrams . A big thank you goes to Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to join this publication day push tour. Wow, what a rollercoaster! What can I say? First of all, I must admit that I read 133 Hours in two sittings – meaning two very late nights spent reading! I rarely get to do this, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Secondly, I don’t normally enjoy novels written in first person, nor do I like present tense in fiction. This novel has both, and yet I was hooked from the first page. The pace of the plot, the main character’s deeply-portrayed emotions, and the many twists and turns make this an unforgettable read. I do love fast-paced thrillers, but this beats many I’ve read over the years. The pace is relentless, and at the end of each chapter (meaning: hour), you just want to read on.  We first encounter Briony at Glasgow Central Station, and immediately w...

Today, I’m delighted to welcome author Claire Stibbe who will introduce us to New Mexico where her upcoming novel, The 9 th Hour , is based. A fascinating area! Over to Claire… ~~~ Researching ideas for my second novel in the Detective Temeke series has been so much fun, especially driving around Albuquerque through all the areas Temeke & Malin would go. Albuquerque The first book takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico where a nine-year-old African American girl has been abducted. Temeke, a detective working for violent crimes against children, is called out one early December morning to take over a case nobody wants. Why? Because former lead Detective Jack Reynolds was found dead under the bridge on Exit 230 to San Mateo. He had a gunshot wound to his head. With a new partner, a new case and a new set of wheels, Temeke takes to the roads in search of a man who keeps the body parts of his eight young victims as trophies and has a worrying obsession with the...

Congratulations to author Catriona King who today celebrates the release of The Visitor , the latest novel in a gripping new 5* crime series. The Visitor  is book three in the modern D.C.I. Craig detective series. It takes Craig and his team into a dark world of cruelty and death, in a place where people most expect to be safe. Things develop for Craig's team in good and bad ways, while Northern Ireland is stalked by a killer intent on revenge. Blurb: Belfast is in danger.  Murder in a closed Belfast world where evil goes undetected; where caring people have uncaring intentions.  People should be safe in this place. They shouldn’t die unexpectedly. D.C.I. Marc Craig and his team hunt across Belfast for a psychotic killer who targets the vulnerable and leaves their children to pay.  The Visitor.  The third in the D.C.I. Craig detective series.  ~~~ Excerpt: The room was in darkness when Evie woke, hearing a noise out in the corridor. ...

Today, the spotlight is on a brand new name on the crime writing scene. Author Catriona King has just released A Limited Justice , the first in a gripping, new detective series set in 21st century Belfast. Her protagonist, D.C.I. Marc Craig, has his job cut out over a murder, then another - and another! The second in the series, The Grass Tattoo , is due out in December 2012.  Catriona's work background is fascinating - she worked as a Forensic Medical Examiner - so I wanted to share some details here. Welcome, Catriona! 1. What inspired DCI Craig, and the detective series, set in Belfast that began with ‘A Limited Justice’? I’ve always loved watching detective stories but I didn’t like single stories. I always wanted to know what happened to the characters next, so I loved series, where you could watch the characters deal with different crimes and develop their own life stories. The best series that I’ve ever read is the Ian Rankin series with his lead detective Jo...

Author Ian Walkley is my guest today as part of his blog tour sharing his new release, No Remorse, a dramatic thriller. Make sure to check out the details of his other stops! To learn more about Ian, I've asked him some questions. Here goes... 1) What inspired the plot for No Remorse ? When I was running my marketing consultancy I traveled a great deal, and loved to read escapist thrillers while flying. I wanted to write a book that other travelers would enjoy. In my younger days, my writing heroes were Ludlum, Maclean, Wilbur Smith—action, adventure, global conspiracies—so I naturally gravitated to thrillers. When I began writing No Remorse , in 2008, I had in mind writing a Ludlum-esque prologue about some mysterious event, and weaving a story around it. I was curious about Saddam’s missing WMD’s, so I came up with the idea of Saddam passing nuclear materials to an old Saudi Prince who buried them in the Arabian desert just before the invasion.  However, over the thr...

Wow! Cosy crime (and fellow Crooked Cat Publishing) author,  David W Robinson , is attempting a gruelling challenge:  Write a novel in a week! When I asked him about it, this is what he had to say: Here’s a stupid idea. I’m going to write a novel in week. So when you’ve all stopped laughing and questioning my sanity, you’ll ask why. The answer is… because I’m bored. It’s not a bet and it’s not for charity, it’s just to see whether or not I can do it. I begin next Monday morning, July 9th 2012, and work through to Sunday 15th , and at the end of that seven days, I expect to have 60,000-70,000 words written. Not a publishable novel, just a good first draft. And if I get there, what happens to the finished project? At some stage I’ll bring it up to spec and Crooked Cat will get first refusal. If they don’t want it, I’ll probably self-publish. Would you like to follow my progress? Aside from writing over 10,000 words a day , I’ll also be bloggin...

This first Sunday in March sees not only winter returned after weeks of mild temperatures, but we also discover a new holiday destination (for a slightly warmer season): Filey in Yorkshire, England. The seaside town of Filey is the location for author David W Robinson 's cosy English murder mystery, The Filey Connection, now available from Amazon & Smashwords. Let's head over to the seaside with David... My name is David Robinson, and I’m the author of the Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries. I have a long and varied track record as a writer, turning out everything from short works of non-fiction to hardline psychological thrillers, sci-fi and horror, and all of them have an element of mystery The Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries were a departure for me. I’ve never written traditional British cosy crimes before, but I’m a great aficionado of the whodunit. From Sherlock Holmes to Poirot and Miss Marple, I love a good mystery, and from a writer’s point of view, I enjoy the in...