Tag: historical fiction

#BookReview A Stranger from the Storm by William Burton McCormick @MannisonPress

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A Stranger From The StormAbout the Book

The year is 1900. The port city of Odessa on the Black Sea is being terrorized by a brutal killer called the Specter. With five people already dead, the murderer promises more.

One family, the Karadopoulinas, run a boarding house. Sisters Tasia and Eleni feel certain the killer is a scarred, shambling Londoner who took lodging with them one night during a thunderstorm. Furtive and threatening, Henry Humble, stalks Odessa’s labyrinth of interlocking courtyards and foggy docks at night, armed with weapons and skeleton keys. As the body count rises, so do the questions…

Who is the mysterious figure haunting the catacombs below the streets of Odessa? Why won’t Eleni’s police constable sweetheart investigate? Who will be the next to die?

Format: ebook (110 pages)                  Publisher: Mannison Press
Publication date: 4th November 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Find A Stranger From the Storm on Goodreads

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

My Review

I was first introduced to the writing of William Burton McCormick when I read and reviewed the CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour back in 2017, to which William contributed a story. Therefore I was delighted when he offered me the opportunity to read his latest book, A Stranger from the Storm, which is published today (4th November 2021).

Odessa proves an ideal setting for a historical mystery with its dark streets and network of tunnels that lie beneath the city. Sisters, Eleni and Tasia, make engaging central characters. Eleni is impetuous and something of a risk-taker whilst Tasia is thoughtful and more inclined to think things through before acting, although that doesn’t stop both of them getting into some scrapes. I enjoyed the light-hearted banter between the sisters. For example, this exchange when a telegram arrives addressed to their mysterious guest. ‘”Don’t you dare open that envelope, Eleni.” She opened the envelope. “Eleni, don’t you dare read that telegram!” She read it.’

There are some chilling and dramatic scenes as the sisters close in on the murderer – those tunnels again – but there are also moments of humour. For instance, when the search for an item they are convinced is hidden in a particular place proves unproductive, Tasia remarks “I hate red herrings” and Eleni replies, “I prefer boiled cod”.

Talking of red herrings, there are plenty dotted throughout the book and the author also creates a number of false trails in an attempt to outwit the reader. If you work out the person behind the murders before the final reveal you must definitely have been taking notes.

A Stranger from the Storm is a perfect one sitting read, preferably on a dark winte night when you’re in the mood for a chilling tale. Do check the doors and windows are locked first however – oh, and you might want to look under that rug.

In three words: Atmospheric, intriguing, suspenseful

Try something similar: Betty Church and the Suffolk Vampire by M.R.C. Kasasian

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William Burton McCormickAbout the Author

William Burton McCormick was born in Maryland and grew up in Nevada. He has lived in seven countries including Latvia and Russia where he researched and wrote his first novel Lenin’s Harem.

William graduated from Brown University with degrees in Ancient Studies and Computer Science and earned an MA in Novel Writing from the University of Manchester. He has won awards in the production of computer games and educational software, co-owned a company to reduce junk e-mail, and worked as an executive recruiter in the Washington D.C. area. He also studied at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

William’s short fiction has appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine and included in the CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour. (Orenda Books). He is a four-time Derringer Finalist. William is a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Crime Writers’ Association, International Thriller Writers, and the Historical Novel Society. He was elected a Hawthornden Writing Fellow in 2013. (Photo/bio credit: Goodreads author page)

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A Stranger from the Storm

#BlogTour #Extract Lucifer’s Game by Cristina Loggia @RandomTTours @lume_books

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Lucifer's Game BT PosterWelcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for Lucifer’s Game by Cristina Loggia. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour. You can read an extract from the book below.

Lucifer's GameAbout the Book

Rome, 1942. Cordelia Olivieri is a young, determined hotel owner desperate to escape Mussolini’s racial persecution. But as Fascist leaders gather in Rome, Cordelia is suddenly surrounded by the world’s most ruthless and powerful commanders.

In an effort to keep her Jewish heritage a secret and secure safe passage out of Italy, Cordelia forms a dangerous alliance with the British army who want to push the Axis out of North Africa once and for all.

Going undercover, Cordelia begins obtaining and leaking military intelligence to a British agent, hoping the intel will secure her freedom. But the more Cordelia uncovers, the greater the risks – especially for one handsome German Afrika Korps officer.

How far must Cordelia go to protect her identity and secure passage out of Rome?

Format: ebook (340 pages)                Publisher: Lume Books
Publication date: 14th October 2021 Genre: Historical Fiction

Find Lucifer’s Game on Goodreads

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

Extract from Lucifer’s Game by Cristina Loggia

Prologue

Gazala, North Africa, June 1942

Erwin Rommel removed the goggles that had been sheltering his eyes from the desert sand, stepped out of his Horch armoured cabriolet and walked to the edge of the cliff perched over the East Mediterranean Sea. He was a sober man, of medium height. His sharp, inquisitive eyes scanned the horizon as if his next military target were due north, rather than west. His gaze remained fixed across the water.

In a day that was coming to an end, the General inhaled a deep breath of the fresh and humid air blowing from the sea, a sudden relief from the heat of a scorching and unforgiving North African sun. His lungs felt an immediate balsamic cooling. The evening dew was starting to appear on the few blades of surviving grass. He could hear the soft backwash of the waves crashing on the narrow beach at the bottom, foamy and shining in the glow of the last rays of light.

Von Mellenthin, his intelligence officer, had travelled with him up there, just outside Gazala, after a twenty-minute car trip on the road along the rugged east coast of town. He handed the General a cup of mint tea that Rudolf Schneider, Rommel’s driver, had rushed to pour from a field thermos as soon as they stopped. The Desert Fox, as he came to be known for his daring manoeuvres that routinely outwitted an enemy in far greater number, had adopted this habit from the Berber tribes that had been roaming over those lands for centuries. He found the drink quite refreshing, despite the heat of the liquid.

Von Mellenthin lit a cigarette, observed the spiral of smoke that came out from his lips, then looked at Rommel. He wondered if a Roman General, or a Persian, or even a Carthaginian Commander before him, had stood in that same vantage point to admire the vastness of the sea, while plotting his next move. Time and time again, Libya had been a land of conquest by the powerful empires of the ancient past, and now it was the turn of the mighty Third Reich.

Rommel turned around and began to observe the hauntingly beautiful dunes of the desert. A hawk was screaming, high in the silent, clear sky, which was rapidly turning to a deeper blue now. What a stark contrast with its earlier blinding whiteness, the clouds of dust and the infernal noise of the heavy artillery in the battle that had raged until a few hours before.

The Panzers of the German Afrika Korps and the Italian Ariete Division tanks had defeated the Eighth Army of the British Forces, which was left flying in disorder. In a relentless attack, his men, fighting like devils, had conquered the all-important Gazala line, west of Tobruk, taking a substantial number of enemy prisoners. A landslide, an overwhelming victory, achieved despite the desperate situation of his supply lines: Rommel had been receiving a third of what was necessary.

That’s what was on his mind right now. And he was furious.

Cristina Loggia Author PicAbout the Author

Cristina started her career as a newspaper reporter for L’Eco di Biella and La Provincia di Biella in Piedmont, Italy. After a spell running the press office of an MP, she moved to London, where she worked for several years as a public affairs and media relations professional, advising major multinational corporations on communications campaigns. Cristina read English Literature and Foreign Languages at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy. Writing and reading have always been her greatest passion. Lucifer’s Game is her first fiction novel. She currently lives with her husband in Berkshire, United Kingdom.

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