Weekly Wrap-Up (June 25)

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In case you missed it, it was superduper hot as a heatwave hit these shores so there was lots of ice-cream and very little sleep. The weather has done a complete u-turn and now I’m cold. I swear I was born in the wrong country. So, warm and sunny weather and of course, all those people who don’t have a garden come and hang out in yours. Bye bye reading time, which means I managed to read 7 books this week. Technically, seven and a half as there was one I didn’t finish but I’m not listing that one. And yes, I know, that’s not bad but I was kind of aiming for 9. 😄

Books I read this week :

Books I bought this week :

Only 1 since a little birdie told me last week that e-books don’t count. 😂 Although, as promised, I tried that theory out on the OH and failed miserably!

ARC’s received via Netgalley :

Technically, two. Because the last one is for a blog tour. I love how I’m constantly trying to find excuses.

This week’s book post :

I won a signed paperback of Exquisite over on My Reading Corner and Karen also kindly sent me her copy of The Friend. Camino Island was a bookdepository order that arrived this week and What She Lost was sent to me by the author.

On the blog this past week :

Monday : Reviewed One Wrong Turn

Tuesday : Hosted a stop on the A Deadly Game blog tour

Wednesday : Another blog tour, this time for Wolves in the Dark and This Week in Books

Thursday : I hosted a stop on the blog tour for Safe With Me and Christine shared her thought on Stateroom Tryst

Friday : Yes, another blog tour. This time for Guilty and I was tagged for The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag which did indeed make me freak out.

Sunday : Shared my review for the brilliant Katharine of Aragon by Alison Weir and posted my Weekly Wrap-Up. Then I had a nap. Zzzzzzz.

Next week on noveldeelights :

I’ll be hosting stops on blog tours every day except for Friday. I don’t even know how that happened but there you go. Here’s a spoiler : one of them is an absolute corker!

In other news, I managed to get the Top Reviewer badge on Netgalley. I may have patted myself on the shoulder.

Question of the week : Why are some ebooks so expensive? No, really, why? I saw one a while ago that was listed at $20! Do you think it’s right that you sometimes pay the same price for an ebook as for a paperback? If the prices are nearly the same, do you opt for the ebook or the paperback? I tend to not want to pay more than $10 for an ebook. Especially when you can get the paperback for less sometimes, depending on where you shop. So, thoughts?

Have a stupendously awesome week and happy reading! xx

Katherine of Aragon : The True Queen by Alison Weir @headlinepg

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Author : Alison Weir
Pages : 597
Publisher :
Publication date : May 5, 2016

aboutthebook

The lives of Henry VIII’s queens make for dramatic stories and Alison Weir will write a series of novels that offer insights into the real lives of the six wives based on extensive research and new theories.

In all the romancing, has anyone regarded the evidence that Anne Boleyn did not love Henry VIII? Or that Prince Arthur, Katherine of Aragon’s first husband, who is said to have loved her in fact cared so little for her that he willed his personal effects to his sister? Or that Henry VIII, an over-protected child and teenager, was prudish when it came to sex? That Jane Seymour, usually portrayed as Henry’s one true love, had the makings of a matriarch? There is much to reveal …

Alison will write about the wives in the context of their own age and of the court intrigues that surrounded these women and – without exception – wrecked their lives. She will transport readers into a lost and vivid world of splendour and brutality: a world in which love, or the game of it, dominates all.

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Katherine of Aragon : The True Queen is the first book in a brand-new series about the Tudor Queens by Alison Weir. Now, I have an incredible fascination with that era that I can’t even begin to explain and this author, to me, is the queen of historical Tudor fiction. Suffice to say I could have danced on the table when the postman delivered this book.

This novel starts off with Katherine, or Catalina as she was then, on the ship that will take her from Spain to England to marry Prince Arthur, whom she’s never met. I can’t even begin to imagine being so young and having your parents ship you off to a foreign country for what is ultimately nothing more than politics. Barely five months into the marriage, Arthur dies and years later, Katherine will become the first of Henry VIII’s six wives. Throughout her life she will suffer multiple miscarriages, will fail to give the King an heir, and will ultimately lose his love and respect due to a conniving and manipulative woman. (That’s just my opinion. 😄) But through it all, she remains loyal to her vows, to her faith and to her husband.

This story is entirely written from Katherine’s point of view, which really adds an extra layer and had me completely captivated. As a reader, one who knows about Tudor history, you know what’s going on but Katherine doesn’t. Especially not in the latter years when she becomes increasingly isolated from court proceedings and finds herself dependent on letters that are secretly sent to her.

Katherine’s story has always struck a cord with me. This amazingly dignified, pious, strong and principled woman has captured my imagination for the longest time. To be able to read about her life through her own words, so to speak, almost broke my heart. You can’t help but feel for her and while it may be hard for us, as modern women, to even begin to imagine her life and her choices, these were very different times. For one who was raised to do her duty, who was raised to be the Queen of England, she really only ever did what she felt was right.

There are a lot of books out there about the Tudor era but this one really held my attention from start to finish. The author truly manages to transport you to a time long ago with brilliant descriptive writing and a fabulously rich atmosphere. What I liked as well is that some of these books will overlap. In this one, there’s obviously mention of Anne Boleyn, but also of Jane Seymour and Thomas Cromwell for instance.

This isn’t a quick read but its 597 pages are incredibly engrossing. I already have my copy of book 2 in this series and I can’t wait to get started on it. If you like historical fiction, this is for you. If you like Tudor historical fiction, I can’t recommend this enough!

Katherine of Aragon : The True Queen was published in May 2016.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Bookdepository – Goodreads

Child Taken by Darren Young @darrenyoungbook @RedDoorBooks

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Author : Darren Young
Pages : 368
Publisher : RedDoor Publishing
Publication date : May 18, 2017

aboutthebook

How could such a thing happen? But it did happen. I wasn’t one of the others, observing. It happened to me.

One hot summer’s day, two-year-old Jessica Preston disappears from the beach. The police are convinced she drowned, but Sandra Preston won’t give up hope that her daughter is still alive. How can she?

Twenty years later, another child goes missing, and Sandra is approached by a young journalist who raises questions about what really happened to Jessica Preston all those years ago. But when the journalist discovers someone with an explosive secret, it threatens not only to reveal what’s been covered up for so long, but puts both their lives in danger.

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One summer’s day, two year old Jessica Preston disappears from a beach. She’s believed to have drowned but her mother, Sandra, is convinced her daughter was taken.

Twenty years later, another child goes missing and Laura, a journalist, stumbles upon the case of Jessica Preston, who was never found. Laura soon finds herself in way over her head but she’s determined to see things through, no matter the danger she’s putting herself and her family in.

When I realised Child Taken was Darren Young’s debut novel, you could have knocked me over with a feather. This psychological thriller does what so little of them in this genre have done lately. It’s different and like other reviewers have said before me, it stands out from the crowd.

From the very beginning of the book, you know Jessica was taken. That in itself is a novel way of telling a story. Each part of the story kicks off with the point of view of the man who’s raising Jessica and the mother who lost her. I could have read an entire book with just those chapters as they are incredibly thought-provoking. This is one of those books that will keep you up at night as you keep going over things in your head, asking yourself what you would have done.

What we have here, is an incredibly well constructed plot that has you flipping the pages in a desperate attempt to find out the truth. It’s a harrowing story of how the kidnapping of a child affects everyone. And even if, like me, you figure out where it’s going, it in no way detracts from the tense ride this story takes you on.

Darren Young is a brilliant new voice in the genre of psychological thrillers and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Child Taken was published in May.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

Watching the Bodies by Graham Smith @GrahamSmith1972 @Bloodhoundbook

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Author : Graham Smith
Pages : 322
Publisher : Bloodhound Books
Publication date : April 25, 2017

aboutthebook

When Jake Boulder is asked by his PI friend to help investigate the vicious murder of Kira Niemeyer, he soon finds himself tracking a serial killer who selects his next victim in a most unusual manner.

As the body count rises, Boulder has to work with the police to identify the heinous killer before more lives are taken. What ensues is a twisted game of cat and mouse, that only Boulder or the Watcher can survive. But who will it be?

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Watching the Bodies has been sitting on my Kindle collecting dust since publication day and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to finally get around to reading it! This is the first book I’ve read by Graham Smith and I can already tell you that it won’t be my last.

Let’s start with our protagonist. Jake Boulder isn’t a police officer or detective. He’s just a guy who works in a bar called The Joshua Tree. He has commitment issues, a narcissistic mother and a temper that boils right underneath the surface, ready to ignite before you get the chance to say “Oh, Jake, take me away!”. He’s intelligent, perceptive and determined but not exactly the man you take home to meet your parents. Still, that whole dark and brooding thing he has going on totally got my pulse racing and he makes an excellent narrator.

His best friend Alphonse is a private detective and a whizz at all things IT. When he’s hired to investigate the murder of Kira Niemeyer, he quickly enlists the help of Jake. I really enjoyed the banter between these two. Their longtime friendship is a thing of beauty.

Now, this killer, The Watcher, is something else. Not only does he have the most unusual way of choosing his next victim, he also has a novel approach to deciding how they die. Genius! The Watcher is on a mission. He wants to go down in history and he will stop at nothing to achieve that.

Watching the Bodies is one of the best crime fiction thrillers I’ve ever read and a brilliant start to a new series. I could point out that maybe the ending wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting but then I’d just be nitpicking. However, if the author’s aim was to leave the reader wanting more, then he totally succeeded in that and I absolutely can’t wait for the next instalment!

This fabulous Jake Boulder thriller was published on April 25th.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag

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I was nominated by Nicola and Tina. Many thanks to you both, lovelies!  If you don’t know who they are, you should totally go over and follow their blogs!

I don’t even want to stop and think about the fact that the end of June is near already. And I have a sneaky suspicion that these questions will leave me with a massive headache as I’ve been very lucky so far this year and have read some incredible books!

Anyway, here we go.

1. The best book you’ve read so far this year :

Oh sure, let’s start with an easy one, why don’t you? Gah! I have way too many 5 star books to choose from. I’d list them all if I could but I’ll settle for two very different ones. And an honorary mention for The Dry. Man, I can already tell compiling my Top 10 books of the year is going to be a complete nightmare!


2. Best sequel of the year so far :

Aw, come on! Seriously?! Two again. I’m not sorry!


3. New release you haven’t read yet but want to :

Hahahaha! ALL OF THEM! Fine, two it is, again.


4. Most anticipated release of the second half of 2017 :

Sorry, two again. Actually even 3 (new Stuart MacBride) but I’ll stick to two.


5. Biggest disappointment of the year so far :

Hm, as I said, I’ve been very lucky but the one that stands out to me as it didn’t live up to my expectations is :

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6. Biggest surprise :

I didn’t think I’d enjoy this one because of the supernatural vibe but boy, was I wrong!

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7. Favourite new author (debut or new to you) :

New to me : Neil White

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8. Newest fictional crush :

I don’t tend to have crushes on fictional characters but in the spirit of the game, I’ll go for Jake Boulder.

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9. Newest favourite character :

Lottie Parker, I think. Balancing a career as a detective with being a single mother and making quite a mess of it. It’s just so realistic.

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10. Book that made you cry :

Well, would you look at that! An easy question! I didn’t have to think about this answer.

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11. Book that made you happy :

This is so not what I usually read but it made me laugh at a time when I really needed it.

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12. Favourite book to movie adaptation you’ve seen so far this year :

I’ve not watched a single movie this year.

13. Favourite review you’ve written this year :

Apart from the one for Neil White’s From The Shadows that I mentioned previously, it’s probably Shadows by Conrad Jones. I couldn’t quite contain my excitement.

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14. Most beautiful book you bought or received this year so far :

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15. Books you need to read by the end of this year :

Again I say : ALL OF THEM! Are you really asking me to narrow it down? I think I’m having a panic attack.

There’s also the new Stuart MacBride and the second book in the Jake Boulder series and the new Michael J. Malone and ….. you get the picture, I’m sure.

That was hard but a lot of fun! Thanks again to Nicola and Tina for tagging me!

I would like to see the following people do this but please don’t feel like you have to if you don’t want to or if you’ve done it before, obviously.

Janel @ Keeper of Pages
Jen @ Jen Med’s Book Reviews
Ana @ The Misstery
Renee @ It’s Book Talk
Lorraine @ The Book Review Cafe

 

Guilty by Laura Elliot @Elliot_Laura @bookouture #blogtour

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I’m delighted to be hosting a stop today on the blog tour for “Guilty” by Laura Elliot. You can read what I thought about this book right below that beautiful cover and the blurb.

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Author : Laura Elliot
Pages : 348
Publisher : Bookouture
Publication date : June 22, 2017

aboutthebook

It begins with a phone call. It ends with a missing child.

On a warm summer’s morning, thirteen-year-old school girl Constance Lawson is reported missing. A few days later, Constance’s uncle, Karl Lawson suddenly finds himself swept up in a media frenzy created by journalist Amanda Bowe implying that he is the prime suspect.

Six years later …

Karl’s life is in ruins. His marriage is over, his family destroyed. But the woman who took everything away from him is thriving. With a successful career, husband and a gorgeous baby boy, Amanda’s world is complete. Until the day she receives a phone call and in a heartbeat, she is plunged into every mother’s worst nightmare.

mythoughts

Goodness gracious me, this is one dark read!

I requested this book on Netgalley because of the cover. It was the pretty pink balloon that did it. Never mind reading the description so I didn’t actually know what this book was about. Except someone made a terrible mistake that could ruin their family. Thank you tagline. And so I was pleasantly surprised.

When thirteen year old Constance goes missing, reporter Amanda Bowe zeroes in on Constance’s uncle Karl and absolutely vilifies him in her articles. Six years later, Karl’s life is in ruins. He’s lost his job, his house, his wife and child. As the saying goes, mud sticks. Meanwhile Amanda is thriving. She has a successful career, a husband and a son.

This is a story about revenge but also about how powerless you are when nobody believes you, even when you know it’s the truth. In this day and age of “fake news”, this story is incredibly apt. “Guilty” highlights the power of the media and how quickly and easily they can distort facts and turn them into something they’re not. Yes, they do good but they’re also capable of utter destruction.

You can’t help but feel for Karl. Watching him go from being a valued member in a close-knit family to being completely alone, was heartbreaking to read. Despite his actions, I sympathised with him all the way. A sentiment I couldn’t quite extend to Amanda. I kind of wanted to hurt her. Badly.

“Guilty” is one gripping psychological thriller with a well constructed plot and realistic and believable characters. I felt it was quite slow but I was still mesmerised. The addition of newspaper articles was genius as it truly showed the difference between what actually happened and what the reporter wrote. It really added an extra layer and proves you shouldn’t always believe what you read.

Incredibly thought-provoking, it’ll make you question everything.

Many thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy and for having me on the tour!

Guilty was published on June 22nd.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Laura Elliot is an Irish novelist and lives in the coastal town of Malahide, Co. Dublin. She loves travelling. The beautiful South Island of New Zealand was the inspiration for her setting in The Prodigal Sister. The Burren in County Clare became the mysterious setting for Stolen Child and the Broadmeadow Estuary behind her home provides the background for The Betrayal. She has worked as a journalist and magazine editor

For more details check out these links :

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photo Guilty---Blog-Tour.jpeg

The Stateroom Tryst by P. Wesley Lundburg #guestreview

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Author : P. Wesley Lundburg
Pages : 236
Publisher :
Publication date : May 6, 2017

aboutthebook

In The Stateroom Tryst, the first book in the Clayton Chronicles, Clay is hired by an attractive, affluent woman who wants to learn the truth behind her husband’s overnight “business” trips and spending binges. She suspects a gambling addiction, and Clay sets out to solve the mystery. When her husband is murdered among an entourage of people tailing him, Clay realizes this is no ordinary marital investigation. His tenacity leads him to uncover a dangerous alliance that takes even his hardened experience by surprise.

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What a breath of fresh air this one is! First of all, check out that cover. And how about that cool title? My attention was grabbed immediately. P. Wesley Lundburg is one of those very talented indie authors out there who needs more attention. Well, here’s my attempt to get some of that for him.

Now I have never read any of those old time detective books featuring Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe, but one reviewer likens PI Rick “call me Clay” Clayton to those investigators, except that Clay’s work is set in the present day.  All I know is that it was a pleasure to attach myself to Clay and experience the ride totally first hand. This was made possible by first person (Clay’s) narration and the inclusion of Clay in virtually every scene. Thus the reader has a very clear view of how this PI goes about his business.

In a nutshell, Clay is hired by a wealthy woman to find out if her husband is dallying about with other women. Well, things end up being way more interesting than that. Clay finds himself dealing with plenty of deception and corruption and people trying to “dissuade him” from digging into things. Oh, and murders. Several of them.

The book stays on plot and moves quickly. You fast readers out there could get through this one in a long afternoon. The narrative is punctuated with a series of nifty twists and revelations. There are also some fun action scenes. What I liked best was watching Clay break down the case using old-fashioned hard work, keen thinking, and expert help from his core of friends and associates.

I really liked Clay. Basically, Clay is a loner, but he has a small core of people around him through whom we learn more about him. There’s his computer hacker friend Clifford and Clifford’s mother, Tia Louise, both of whom Clay has known since boyhood. Clay has no family of his own, and goes out of his way to visit these two every week. Clifford has some sort of affliction (my guess would be something along the Asperger’s spectrum) that makes him different; Tia Louise appreciates the PI for maintaining a long term friendship with her son. Clay also seemingly eats most of his meals at the Harborview Diner, and he is very tight with the owner/cook, Lionel. They do lots of favors for each other. Then there’s his sage elderly boss who owns the agency and the boss’s sons, aka the Tweedles. Clay’s kind side glows when he is dealing with these people.  I loved this supporting cast.

I understand this the first book of a planned series. I was definitely entertained by The Stateroom Tryst and will most certainly pick up book 2 when it becomes available. I highly recommend this novel for a fast and different sort of PI story. I have also downloaded the author’s other two novels (from the Frank Mattituck series) and look forward to digging into those soon.

Great job, and thanks for being different, Mr. Lundburg!

The Stateroom Tryst was published on May 6th.

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

Safe With Me by Grace Lowrie @AccentPress #blogtour

~ noveldeelights ~ 5 Comments

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Author : Grace Lowrie
Pages : 356
Publisher : Accent Press
Publication date : June 22, 2017

aboutthebook

Abandoned as children, Kat and Jamie were inseparable growing up in foster care. But their bond couldn’t protect them forever.

From a troubled upbringing to working in a London greasy spoon, Kat’s life has never been easy. On the surface Jamie’s living the high-life, but appearances can be deceiving.

When they unexpectedly reunite, their feelings become too intense to ignore. But as secrets come back to haunt them, are they destined to be separated once more?

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Kat and Jamie grew up together in foster care until Jamie was adopted and they were separated. Decades later, their lives couldn’t be more different. Kat went from foster care, to living on the streets, to being caught up in an abusive marriage. Jamie works in insurance and has a gorgeous actress girlfriend but cracks are starting to show in the relationship. Then Kat and Jamie meet again unexpectedly.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, where I think its strength lies. Kat’s life especially had me engrossed. I really felt for her as it becomes increasingly clear she’s a prisoner in her marriage, working her fingers to the bone and never knowing what mood her husband will be in.

Chapters alternate between Kat and Jamie. I liked the concept where the reader knows what’s going on but the characters don’t. That being said though, I think the big plot reveal happened a bit too early in the book, even though it was really well done. But it did make me wonder how the rest of the story would unfold.

The second half of the book didn’t hold my attention as much but I’m admittedly not much of a romance reader. There is conflict and tension as the focus of the story shifts to the relationship between Kat and Jamie but the pace slowed down a bit too much for me.  I also felt a little disappointed in how quickly the husband situation was resolved.

That said Safe With Me is well written, very atmospheric and realistic. This isn’t a fast paced read with buckets of drama but it is full of emotion and romance so if that’s your thing, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

Many thanks to Karen at Accent Press for the advanced copy and for inviting me on the tour!

Safe With Me is published today! Happy publication day, Grace Lowrie!

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Having worked as a collage artist, sculptor, prop maker and garden designer, Grace has always been creative, but she is a romantic introvert at heart and writing was, and is, her first love.

Safe With Me, the first women’s fiction novel in The Wildham Series, is published by Accent Press, who also released her debut contemporary romance novel, Kindred Hearts, in 2015.

A lover of rock music, art nouveau design, blue cheese and grumpy ginger tomcats, Grace is also an avid reader of fiction – preferring coffee and a sinister undercurrent, over tea and chick lit. When not making prop costumes or hanging out with her favourite nephews, she continues to write stories from her Hertfordshire home.

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photo safe with me blog tour.jpg

This Week in Books (June 21)

~ noveldeelights ~ 22 Comments

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Hosted by Lipsy Lost and Found, my Wednesday post gives you a taste of what I’m reading this week. A similar meme is run by Taking on a World of Words.

Last book I finished reading :

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What happens when the trust has gone?

Cat Kinsella was always a daddy’s girl. Until the summer of 1998 when she sees her father flirting with seventeen-year-old Maryanne Doyle.

When Maryanne later disappears and Cat’s father denies ever knowing her, Cat’s relationship with him is changed forever.

Eighteen years later, Cat is now a Detective Constable with the Met. Called to the scene of a murder in Islington, she discovers a woman’s body: Alice Lapaine has been found strangled, not far from the pub that Cat’s father runs.

When evidence links Alice to the still missing Maryanne, all Cat’s fears about her father resurface. Could he really be a killer? Determined to confront the past and find out what really happened to Maryanne all those years ago, Cat begins to dig into the case. But the problem with looking into the past is that sometimes you might not like what you find.

The book I’m currently reading :

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When India falls to her death from a bridge over a railway, her sister Poppy returns home to Brighton for the first time in years. Unconvinced by official explanations, Poppy begins her own investigation into India’s death. But the deeper she digs, the closer she comes to uncovering deeply buried secrets. Could Matthew Temple, the boyfriend she abandoned, be involved? And what of his powerful and wealthy parents, and his twin sister, Ana? Enter the mysterious and ethereal Jenny: the girl Poppy discovers after hacking into India’s laptop. What is exactly is she hiding, and what did India find out about her?

What I’m reading next :

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DCI Bennett faces the most harrowing case of his career. A psychopath, who escaped capture, is hell bent on revenge and executes a series of events that will not only impact on Bennett physically, but will have emotional and professional consequences.

A body is found with its fingers amputated, then an investigative journalist, embroiled in the pornography and drugs scene, is murdered.

Bennett’s team is faced with some baffling evidence. Hatpins and bicycle spokes become pivotal to the inquiry but the police struggle to connect the evidence.It is only when a Detective Sergeant from the team is kidnapped that Bennett realises that he is the true target.

Can Bennett solve the case before it’s too late? How many people will he lose in the process?

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What are you reading this week? Recommend me something you think I should read right now!

Have a great week and happy reading! xx

Wolves in the Dark by Gunnar Staalesen @OrendaBooks @annecater #blogtour

~ noveldeelights ~ 5 Comments

Excited to be hosting a stop today on the blog tour for Wolves in the Dark by Gunnar Staalesen. I’ll be sharing my review right after the all-important information about this book in the long running Varg Veum series.

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Author : Gunnar Staalesen
Pages : 276
Publisher : Orenda Books
Publication date : June 1, 2017

aboutthebook

Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg Veum’s life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts.

When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he’s accused of being part of a pedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material . . . and who is seeking the ultimate revenge. When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest-and most personal-case yet.

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Varg Veum has a rude awakening when police show up on his doorstep and bring him in for possession of child pornography. Veum claims he’s innocent but everything points to the contrary. Soon he finds himself in prison where he tries to piece together the last few cases he’s worked on. Not an easy task since most of those years are a blurry mist due to excessive drinking after losing the love of his life. When an opportunity to escape arises, he quickly takes it and sets out to investigate in order to clear his name.

Now, if you have been following my blog, you are by now aware of my need to start a series from the beginning. Yet here I am, reviewing Wolves in the Dark, which is book 21 in the Varg Veum series which has been going strong for decades. There are even movies! Who knew? (I obviously didn’t!)

The main character, Varg Veum, is a private detective who hasn’t always had the easiest of times. He is a well established, complex character with lots of baggage. And this is where I wish I’d read the older stuff first so I’d have a better idea of how he became the person he is today. Obviously I’ve missed out on a lot of background information. While there is some reference to past events, it didn’t quite satisfy my curiosity. I know, killed the cat and all that. And obviously I don’t expect the author to shove twenty years of history into a book just so new readers can know all the ins and outs of this, quite clearly,  beloved character.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this foray into Scandi-Noir and it’s obvious the author has many years of experience in writing crime fiction under his belt. The plot is truly intricate, keeping you hooked as various threads seem to shoot off in different directions as you try to work out the clues. There are more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end and Veum makes for one excellent narrator.

I think it’s safe to say, with apologies to the author, that I’ll probably not be reading any of the other 20 books in this series in my lifetime. Also because not all of them have been translated to English so there’s that. However, I will most definitely keep an eye out for the next one!

Many thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books and Anne Cater for my advanced copy of this book and for the opportunity to join the blog tour.

Wolves in the Dark is available now!

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Bookdepository – Goodreads

abouttheauthor

Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway in 1947. He made his debut at the age of 22 with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over 20 titles, which have been published in 24 countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Epsen Seim. Staalesen, who has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour), lives in Bergen with his wife. When Prince Charles visited Bergen, Staalesen was appointed his official tour guide. There is a life-sized statue of Varg Veum in the centre of Bergen, and a host of Varg Veum memorabilia for sale. We Shall Inherit the Wind and Where Roses Never Die were both international bestsellers.

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Follow the rest of the tour :

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