Tag: historical fiction

Book Review: No Ordinary Killing by Jeff Dawson

whatcathyreadnext1 Comment

noordkilling

Intriguing and entertaining murder mystery set during the Boer War

About the Book

Description (courtesy of Goodreads): December 1899, South Africa. Global superpower Great Britain is mired in an unexpectedly brutal conflict with the upstart Boers.  Captain Ingo Finch of the Royal Army Medical Corps pieces together casualties from the battle for Kimberley. On leave in Cape Town and awoken at his lodgings by local police, he is informed that a British officer has been murdered in a city backstreet.  Shocked by the identity of the victim, the bizarre nature of the crime and what appears a too-convenient resolution, Finch seeks answers before returning to the Front.  The sleuth soon turns fugitive, thrust into a perilous scramble through a maze of intrigue and espionage — with feisty Australian nurse, Annie Jones, as his accidental accomplice. Way to the north, Mbutu Kefaleze, a diamond mine runner, leads a band of tribal refugees on a trek across the vast Karoo. Their discovery of a white woman and her daughter wandering in the desert fuels their fear — that a lethal supernatural force has been unleashed upon the wilderness. All have stumbled upon a deadly secret, the revelation of which would shake the Empire to its core…

Book Facts

  • Format: Ebook
  • No. of pages: 482
  • Publication date: 19th March 2017
  • Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

My Review (4 out of 5)

This is an impressive debut with a convincing period setting and a strong narrative full of twists and turns as the plot unfolds against the background of the Boer War. The “no ordinary killing” of the title refers to the death of an army colleague of the protagonist, Captain Ingo Finch. The story is told both from his point of view and from the point of view of Mbutu Kefaleze, a native runner (and to a lesser extent, Annie Jones, a volunteer nurse).   I found the story line involving Mbutu was particularly well-told and engaging. Although she plays an important part in events in the latter half of the book, I felt the character of Annie Jones could have been developed further with the reader given more from her own point of view.

The different strands of the story run in parallel with the reader left to guess at the connection between them until the point the author chooses to reveal it.   The mystery is sustained well right to the end of the book with plenty of action, intrigue, red herrings, secrets, murder, lies and “who can you really trust?” moments along the way. The plot zips along helped by the alternating points of view and relatively short chapters usually ending with an element of suspense. I particularly liked the walk-on part for the creator of a famous detective.   This is a very enjoyable historical mystery with an interesting period setting.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Endeavour Press in return for an honest review.

In three words: Well-researched, action-packed, mystery

To pre-order/purchase No Ordinary Killing from Amazon, click here

JeffDawsonAbout the Author

Jeff Dawson is a journalist, author and screenwriter. He has been the US Editor of Empire magazine and a long-time feature writer for The Sunday Times’ Culture section. His non-fiction books include an approved biography of Quentin Tarantino; the football history Back Home (“Truly outstanding” — The Times), and WW2 shipwreck tale, Dead Reckoning, nominated for the Mountbatten Maritime Prize. No Ordinary Killing is his first novel.

Blog Tour: The Somme Legacy by M J Lee

whatcathyreadnext2 Comments

 

tour-banner-somme-legacy

I’m thrilled to be today’s stop on the Blog Tour for The Somme Legacy, the second in M J Lee’s marvellous genealogical mystery series.

the-somme-legacy-cover-large-ebookAbout The Somme Legacy

July 1, 1916. The Somme, France. A British Officer prepares to go over the top on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

March 28, 2016. Manchester. England. Genealogical investigator Jayne Sinclair, a former police detective, is commissioned by a young teacher to look into the history of his family. The only clues are a medallion with purple, white and green ribbons, and an old drawing of a young woman.  Her quest leads to a secret buried in the trenches of World War One for over 100 years. Who was the real heir to the Lappiter millions? From the author of the best selling, The Irish Inheritance, comes a gripping new book revealing family secrets hidden in the fog of war.

Find The Somme Legacy on Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33657920-the-somme-legacy

Buy The Somme Legacy from Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Somme-Legacy-Sinclair-Genealogical-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01N1SY2QR/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488386671&sr=1-1&keywords=the+somme+legacy

My Review: 4****

The Somme Legacy is the second book in the Jayne Sinclair genealogical mystery series (the first being The Irish Inheritance) but it definitely works well as a stand-alone story.

Jayne takes on what seems an impossible case – not only finding the proof that will allow her client, Mark Russell, to submit a claim on the Lappiter estate but doing so in only seven days. After this, if unclaimed, the estate will pass to the Crown. The key to her client’s case is finding evidence of the marriage between Mark’s great grandfather, Captain David Russell, the eldest son of Lord Lappiter, and Rose Clarke – a marriage that all the records say never took place.  Despite the difficulties and in the face of opposition from Mark’s father, Jayne decides to take on the case.

Jayne is an engaging protagonist with an interesting back story. I particularly liked the relationship between Jayne and her father. You get the sense that she embraces the case as much to give her a sense of purpose again as for financial reward. In fact, Jayne begins to feel a real connection and, perhaps sense of female solidarity, with Rose Clarke.

‘She was going to find out what happened to Rose Clarke, with or without the help of the Russells. She owed this woman something for all she had suffered in her fight for other women. Even now, over 100 years later, Jayne felt she could still right the wrongs of the past. It was why she did what she did.’

The book alternates between the present day search for evidence and the story of David and Rose from the time of their first meeting in 1913. I thought David and Rose were incredibly well-drawn, believable characters and there was a real sense of authenticity about the scenes set in the past, particularly the details of Rose’s involvement in the suffragette movement. In fact, David and Rose’s story would have made a good book in its own right!   I did feel that the characters (both in the past and present) trying to thwart the Russells’ claim tended a little bit towards the ‘pantomime villain’. Personally, I felt there was sufficient jeopardy created by the looming deadline.

The descriptions of the genealogical sources available and the mechanics of searching historical records had a real sense of authenticity. This story would be perfect for fans of Heir Hunters, Who Do You Think You Are or anyone who has either researched their family history or thought about doing so. Equally, it will appeal to lovers of historical fiction set during the First World War.

This was a very satisfying, entertaining story which resisted the temptation to provide a saccharine ending.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of the author and Neverland Blog Tours in return for an honest review.

In three words: Entertaining, well-researched, mystery

leeAbout the Author

Martin has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another. As a University researcher in history, he wrote pages of notes on reams of obscure topics. As a social worker with Vietnamese refugees, he wrote memoranda. And, as the creative director of an advertising agency, he has written print and press ads, TV commercials, short films and innumerable backs of cornflake packets and hotel websites. He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England – in London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai, winning awards from Cannes, One Show, D&AD, New York and London Festivals, and the United Nations. Whilst working in Shanghai, he loved walking through the old quarter of that amazing city, developing the idea behind a series of crime novels featuring Inspector Pyotr Danilov, set in the 1920s and 30s. When he’s not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, practicing downhill ironing, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.   Author Website

Follow Martin on Twitter