Tag: crime

#BookReview After the Storm (A Giuseppe Bianchi Mystery 2) by Isabella Muir @rararesources

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for After the Storm by Isabella Muir, the second in her Giuseppe Bianchi mystery series. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the tour and to the author for my digital review copy.

After The StormAbout the Book

When a violent storm blasts England’s south coast, it’s up to retired Italian detective Giuseppe Bianchi to sift through the devastation and piece together the tragic events left behind in the storm’s wake.

Giuseppe Bianchi’s brief visit to Bexhill-on-Sea has become an extended stay. He is loath to return to his home in Rome because of the haunting images that made him leave in the first place.  During his morning walks along the seafront with beagle, Max, he meets Edward Swain, who becomes Giuseppe’s walking companion. They form a friendship of sorts and find they have a similar outlook on life.

But the devastating events of a single night lead Giuseppe to question the truth about Edward Swain. Teaming up with young journalist, Christina Rossi – his cousin’s daughter – Giuseppe learns about the brutal reality lurking behind the day-to-day life of families in the local community. And as the story unravels Giuseppe is reminded how anger and revenge can lead to the most dreadful of crimes.

Format: ebook (214 pages) Publisher:
Publication date: 24th December 2020 Genre: Crime, Mystery

Find After the Storm (A Giuseppe Bianchi Mystery, 2) on Goodreads

Purchase link
Amazon UK
Link provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

After the Storm is the sequel to Crossing the Line but I can reassure readers like myself who are new to the series that, although there are brief references to events in the first book, After the Storm can be enjoyed without having read its predecessor. In fact, the hints about secrets in the pasts of both Giuseppe and his cousin Mario, suggest there is still plenty to discover for readers both old and new.

A tragic event that occurs during the night of the storm arouses Giuseppe’s detective instincts and prompts him to embark on an investigation into the circumstances of something that most believe to have been an accident, even an act of God. However, it also reignites feelings of guilt about a previous case he was unable to solve.

Alongside Giuseppe’s investigation, the reader is immersed in the dynamics of the Rossi family: Mario and Anne, hardworking owners of the Bella Cafe; their daughter, Christina, a reporter on the local paper; their grandson, Stevie, who proves to be an important eyewitness; and their other daughter, Flavia, whose rare visits have a habit of causing disruption to the household.

The author includes just enough detail about world and national events, such as the first anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the forthcoming 1964 General Election, to give a sense of the period in which the book is set. The book’s Bexhill-on-Sea location is nicely evoked with its mix of faded grandeur, pockets of post-war deprivation and traditional seaside activities. Even Giuseppe comes to appreciate ice cream in a cone in place of his beloved gelato, although he stubbornly clings to his routine for making the perfect espresso.

The book’s title is used both literally, as in the havoc wrought by the violent storm so vividly depicted in the opening chapter, and metaphorically, in the sense of what can come to light in the aftermath of such a turbulent event.  Plenty of things, as it turns out.

After the Storm is described as having the intrigue of a traditional English mystery combined with a continental twist and I would say that is a very fair description. The closing chapter of After the Storm hints at even more of that continental flavour in future books.

In three words: Entertaining, well-crafted, mystery

Try something similar: The Temptation by Vera Morris

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Isabella MuirAbout the Author

Isabella is never happier than when she is immersing herself in the sights, sounds and experiences of the 1960s. Researching all aspects of family life back then formed the perfect launch pad for her works of fiction. Isabella rediscovered her love of writing fiction during two happy years working on and completing her MA in Professional Writing and since then she has gone on to publish six novels, three novellas and two short story collections.

Her latest novel, After the Storm, is the second novel in a new series of Sussex Crimes, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi who is escaping from tragedy in Rome, only to arrive in the quiet seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to come face-to-face with it once more.

Her first Sussex Crime Mystery series features young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke. Set in the late 1960s, in the fictional seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, we meet Janie, who looks after the mobile library. She is an avid lover of Agatha Christie stories – in particular Hercule Poirot. Janie uses all she has learned from the Queen of Crime to help solve crimes and mysteries. As well as three novels, there are three novellas in the series, which explore some of the back story to the Tamarisk Bay characters.

Isabella’s standalone novel, The Forgotten Children, deals with the emotive subject of the child migrants who were sent to Australia – again focusing on family life in the 1960s, when the child migrant policy was still in force.

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#BookReview Forgotten Lives (DCI Doug Stirling 2) by Ray Britain @ray_britain

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Forgotten LivesAbout the Book

A man is murdered with quiet efficiency on his doorstep. A strange emblem left behind suggests a gang killing but when more bodies are found with the same emblem, and one of them a cop, DCI Doug Stirling’s investigation takes a sinister turn. But what linked the victims in life, and now in death?

When more deaths are uncovered, miles away and years ago, all with the same emblem left behind, pressure mounts on Stirling. Is it the work of the same person? If so, why are they killing again, and why here? One thing is clear, the killer is highly skilled, ruthless, and always one step ahead of the investigation. Is someone feeding information to them?

Working in a crippling heatwave with too few investigators, too many questions and not enough answers, when wild media speculation of a vigilante at work sparks copycat attacks, demonstrations for justice and with politicians fearing riots, Stirling needs a result – fast!

Meanwhile, Stirling’s private life is falling apart, not helped when Lena Novak of the National Crime Agency is assigned to his team. But is she all that she seems?

Things could not get worse. Stirling takes a call from a retired cop. Things just got worse! When Stirling closes in on the killer he finds the killer’s trademark inside his home – he is being targeted.

Format: ebook (422 pages)                   Publisher:
Publication date: 10th January 2021 Genre: Crime

Find Forgotten Lives on Goodreads

Purchase links
Amazon UK
Links provided for convenience only, not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read Ray Britain’s first novel, The Last Thread, so was delighted when he contacted me to let me know the next book in the DCI Stirling series was due to be published on 10th January 2021.

Given the author’s background, Forgotten Lives is, like its predecessor, incredibly strong on the detail of police procedure – securing a crime scene, conducting house to house enquiries, logging and cross-referencing information on police databases, and so on. It also vividly conveys the realities of modern day policing – budget cuts, resource constraints, interminable paperwork as well as the constant scrutiny, both internal and external, of investigative decisions. Although modern technology, such as drones equipped with thermal imaging now plays a part in an investigation, it’s clear that when it comes to solving crime there’s still no substitute for attention to detail and experience. Indeed Stirling’s mantra is ABC: accept nothing, believe no-one, check everything.

As in the first book, there are elements of Stirling’s past that remain a mystery, even to his closest friends. What is behind the door of that locked room in his house, for instance? As if the long and unsocial hours that come with his job wasn’t enough, he has a history of failed relationships and a reluctance to enter into long-term commitments. I certainly felt sympathy for Stirling’s current partner, Ayesha, as she wonders if they have a future together or whether she’s about to join the long list of his ex-girlfriends.

The author employs the crime novelist’s weapons of choice – misdirection, red herrings and subtle clues that only the incredibly observant are likely to spot – in an effort to wrong-foot the reader. He certainly succeeded with this one who was convinced she had spotted the perpetrator, erroneously as it turned out. As the scope of the investigation widens, the story ventures beyond the realm of the police procedural and into thriller territory with dramatic scenes as he and the team close in on what turns out to be an extremely formidable individual.

Forgotten Lives is a chunkier read than the stated page count would suggest, requiring a staying power from the reader similar to that demanded of the investigation team. However, I’m sure crime fans who enjoy immersing themselves in the nitty gritty of a complex investigation will find the investment of time amply repaid.

My thanks to the author for my digital review copy of Forgotten Lives.

In three words: Realistic, gritty, immersive

Try something similar: Payback by R.C. Bridgestock

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Ray BritainAbout the Author

As a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) Ray Britain led many specialist investigations. He was also a Hostage & Crisis Intervention Negotiator, a voluntary role that saw him involved in hostage situations, many firearms operations and numerous suicide interventions, not all of which ended happily. In those specialist roles he supported national counter-terrorism capabilities and travelled to the USA, India, Europe, Australia and elsewhere. He received several commendations for his work. He also worked with the Serious Fraud Office and the Home Office, London, and the Economic Crime Directorate of the City of London Police.

His second novel Forgotten Lives follows publication of The Last Thread in 2017. Ray’s real-world experience gives an authentic edge to his stories, immersing the reader in the grim realities, uncertainties and frustrations of crime investigation, and of human nature. If not writing Ray might be found mountain hiking, watching rugby, skiing, reading, sailing or in the gym.

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