Tag: advance review copy

#BookReview A Line To Kill (Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery 3) by Anthony Horowitz @PenguinUKBooks

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A Line To KillAbout the Book

‘I couldn’t see the sea from my bedroom but I could hear the waves breaking in the distance. They reminded me that I was on a tiny island. And I was trapped.’

There has never been a murder on the island of Alderney. But as writers gather for a brand new literary festival a killer lies in wait. An island full of secrets is about to become an island full of suspects…

Private Investigator, Daniel Hawthorne and the writer, Anthony Horowitz have been invited to the festival to talk about their new book. Very soon they discover that dark forces are at work. Alderney is in turmoil over a planned power line that will cut through it, desecrating a war cemetery and turning neighbour against neighbour. And the visiting authors – including a blind medium, a French performance poet and a celebrity chef – seem to be harbouring any number of unpleasant secrets.

When the festival’s wealthy sponsor is found brutally murdered, Alderney goes into lockdown and Hawthorne knows that he doesn’t have to look too far for suspects.

There’s no escape. The killer is still on the island. And there’s about to be a second death…

Format: Hardcover (384 pages)        Publisher: Century
Publication date: 19th August 2021 Genre: Crime

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My Review

This book is tremendous fun with plenty of in-jokes and gentle jibes at the publishing industry as well as the author himself. I particularly enjoyed the opening scene in which, with his customary self-mockery, Anthony Horowitz attends a meeting with his publishers to discuss publicity for his book The Word is Murder (the first book in the series) and finds they are much more interested in Hawthorne than they are in him.

Throughout the book, Hawthorne displays observational and deductive skills that would give even Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. Horowitz constantly reminds himself that, when it comes to solving crime, he is not in Hawthorne’s league and his role is merely that of chronicler of Hawthorne’s genius. Of course, in actuality, Hawthorne is Horowitz’s creation and therefore any brilliance displayed by Hawthorne is the author’s own. At one point, as Hawthorne examines the evidence, Horowitz asks, “Do you know who killed him?” and Hawthorne responds, “Is this for the book?” Slipping into author mode Horowitz reassures him, “Don’t worry. If there is a book, I’ll leave the resolution until the last chapter.”  So I loved the fact that the penultimate chapter is entitled ‘Keep Reading’.

Alongside the humour, A Line To Kill is also an ingenious and intriguing murder mystery. There is a plethora of suspects and possible motives, and the island of Alderney, accessible only by plane or ferry, plays the role of the ‘locked room’ so beloved of crime writers. And, of course, not everyone turns out to be who they claim to be.

The final chapter proves an author is always thinking about that next book and trying to come up with a title. In Anthony Horowitz’s case, this has to be one with a grammatical allusion like previous books in the series, having already ruled out the suggested Hawthorne Investigates. I for one certainly hope there is another investigation for Hawthorne and Horowitz before too long.

My thanks to Anna Gibson at Cornerstone for my proof copy. A Line to Kill is book 18 in my 20 Books of Summer 2021.

In three words: Clever, witty, ingenious

Try something similar: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

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AnthonyHorowitzAbout the Author

The author of the bestselling teen spy series, Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz is also responsible for creating and writing some of the UK’s most loved and successful TV series, including Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War.

He has also written two highly acclaimed Sherlock Holmes novels, The House of Silk and Moriarty, two James Bond novels, Trigger Mortis and Forever And A Day, and two bestselling crime novels, The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death, starring Detective Daniel Hawthorne.

In 2016 he wrote Magpie Murders which became a bestseller around the world, and was the recipient of eight literary awards in Japan. Moonflower Murders, published in August 2020 continued the story.

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#BookReview A Corruption of Blood (Raven, Fisher, and Simpson, 3) by Ambrose Parry @canongatebooks

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A Corruption of BloodAbout the Book

Edinburgh. This city will bleed you dry.

Dr Will Raven is a man seldom shocked by human remains, but even he is disturbed by the contents of a package washed up at the Port of Leith. Stranger still, a man Raven has long detested is pleading for his help to escape the hangman.

Back at 52 Queen Street, Sarah Fisher has set her sights on learning to practise medicine. Almost everyone seems intent on dissuading her from this ambition, but when word reaches her that a woman has recently obtained a medical degree despite her gender, Sarah decides to seek her out.

Raven’s efforts to prove his erstwhile adversary’s innocence are failing and he desperately needs Sarah’s help. Putting their feelings for one another aside, their investigations will take them to both extremes of Edinburgh’s social divide, where they discover that wealth and status cannot alter a fate written in the blood.

Format: eARC (416 pages)                Publisher: Canongate
Publication date: 19th August 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery

Find A Corruption of Blood on Goodreads

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My Review

A Corruption of Blood has all the period atmosphere that was such a feature of its predecessors, The Way of All Flesh and The Art of Dying, transporting the reader to a 19th century Edinburgh in which seedy, crowded tenements inhabited by the poor coexist with the elegant, spacious houses of the wealthy. Although the third in the series, A Corruption of Blood can be read as a standalone although there are references to key events in the earlier books making them best read in order for maximum enjoyment.

Dr. Will Raven is no longer Dr. James Simpson’s apprentice but his assistant. However, he still battles to control what his friend Henry describes as his ‘perverse appetite for mayhem’ and remains plagued by fears he has inherited the violent tendencies of his father. In fact, the debate over whether character traits are inherited is a theme of the book, with some believing that indolence and immorality are destined from birth and others arguing that poverty is the cause of many of society’s ills. It later transpires that the idea of ‘a corruption of blood’ as in the title can have other consequences.

Sarah Fisher has left behind her former life as a servant in the Simpson household. However, even helping Dr. Simpson with the patients who attend his clinic is no longer sufficient for her. She longs to pursue a career in medicine, a profession in which few other women have succeeded, not least because of opposition from men who believe medicine an unsuitable job for a woman. As Sarah observes, the world is controlled by men.

The spark of attraction between Will and Sarah that looked likely to ignite in the first book seems to have become friendship and mutual respect. Will is still aware of the difference in their social status and Sarah has reason to fear her position in Will’s affections has been usurped by someone who offers him greater social advantages, especially for a man who has ambitions to set up his own practice. Despite all this, do they have a future together? This reader certainly hopes so.

Will and Sarah soon find themselves engaged in investigating the death of a wealthy member of Edinburgh society. As they discover, ‘powerful men accumulate powerful enemies’, especially if they are in possession of secrets. Together they make an effective team, possessing complementary skills: Will with his medical knowledge, familiarity with the city’s ‘underbelly’ not to mention being handy with his fists, and Sarah with her ability to elicit information from the lower sections of society. They’re not the only one on the case as there’s an appearance by James McLevy, the famous Edinburgh detective (also brought to life in fictional form in David Ashton’s historical mystery series).

As Will and Sarah press ahead with their enquiries, keen for their investigation to bear fruit, the reader may believe they know exactly who the culprit is but there are times when it’s wise to wait for a second opinion or to revisit your initial diagnosis. And, along the way they uncover a shocking secret that sets the city alight with outrage and a demand for justice.

A Corruption of Blood is another skilful combination of intricately plotted mystery, engaging leading characters and great period atmosphere. The pace is helped by the short chapters, particularly as the book reaches its climax. For me, it’s just what the doctor ordered and I’m hoping for a repeat prescription before too long.

I received an advance review copy from Canongate via NetGalley. A Corruption of Blood is book 17 of my 20 Books of Summer 2021.

In three words: Intricate, atmospheric, assured

Try something similar: The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh

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Ambrose Parry Author PicAbout the Authors

Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland. Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s degree in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this series, which began with The Way of All Flesh, is based. The Way of All Flesh was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. (Photo/bio credit: Publisher author page)

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