A ghost directs Rylan Flynn to find a murder victim in the river. The body is that of Kenzie, the cousin of Rylan’s detective boyfriend. He isn’t allowed to investigate officially due to the family connection but Ford and Rylan decide to work together to bring Kenzie’s killer to justice…
The River Ghost is the 5th book in the paranormal murder mystery series featuring ghost hunter Rylan Flynn.
Rylan and Ford have only just moved from friendship to relationship but they already face their first crisis as they investigate the murder of his cousin Kenzie. Ford isn’t allowed to get involved in the official case and his partner has to team up with someone new. Luckily Ford trusts Rylan enough to work with her to track down the killer and he relies on her skills with ghosts to get added insights that normal detectives are not privileged to.
There is a wonderful side plot about a haunted bear and ghosts continue to pop up and interact with Rylan. Rylan’s hoarding and the emotional issues from her mother’s murder are handled sensitively and there is still the mystery of the dark entities at her home.
The writing is warm and there is some gentle humour but the supernatural side of the plot really shines. There is plenty of emotion as Ford deals with his family’s devastation at Kenzie’s death and this is balanced by the procedural elements of a police investigation. I really love this series of books and the way that the supernatural is portrayed which is akin to my own beliefs.
The River Ghost is a brilliant addition to an excellent series.
I’m Rylan Flynn. I hunt for ghosts and restless spirits, and solve the mysteries that make them haunt the living.
As I drive across an isolated bridge way out in the woods, a bright light blinds me. But it isn’t a car approaching. It’s a ghost, with a deadly secret to reveal.
I follow the spirit down to the river. There, below the water, I find the body of a young woman. A small square of skin is missing from her hip, and I’m certain she was murdered.
DetectiveFord Pierce rushes to join me. Our friendship is turning into something deeper, and there’s nobody I would rather have by my side.
But when Ford sees the body his face turns pale. The girl in the water is his cousin, Kenzie Cross.
As a family member, Ford is forbidden from investigating. But he’s determined to find the killer, and he wants my help. Even if that means working outside the rules.
When the police discover that Kenzie had a secret boyfriend from a strict religious family, they’re certain this is a simple case. But I find evidence that links Kenzie to another mysterious death—years ago, beneath the very same bridge.
I’ve never worked so closely with Ford before, and the danger of the case puts a strain on our new relationship. Can we learn to work together, before another innocent life is taken?
Packed with mysteries, hauntings, shocking twists, and slow-burn romance, the Rylan Flynn series is a paranormal adventure perfect for fans of Noelle W. Ihli, Heather Graham, and Wendy Wang.
Author Bio
Dawn Merriman writes creepy small town murder mysteries from her small farm in northeast Indiana where she lives with her husband and college-age children. You can often find her with muck boots on her feet and a story in her head. She enjoys animals, auctions, snorkeling and archaeology.
Dawn Merriman grew up a small-town farm girl, on a small-time pig farm in Indiana. She spent her young adulthood sitting on her bedroom floor scribbling stories in notebooks. She won the “Northeast Indiana Young Writers” award as a sophomore in high school.
Dawn has published over 20 mystery and thriller novels, most set in small towns in Indiana.
William Shakespeare is trying to establish himself in the theatrical world and stumbles across an astonishing story. 40 years earlier a woman was burned to death following a trial for the murder of her husband. It sparks his creative energy and he sets to work on his first ever play…
Arden is an historical depiction of a new theory about a Tudor play and the legal case that inspired it.
Will is in trouble in his local area and feels unfulfilled helping in the family glove-making business. He joins a band of actors and finds a talent for amending plays, inspiring him to write his own. The story of Alice Arden captivates his interest. She shares the same surname as his mother and he is fascinated to unpick the truth behind the crime.
The book is written in two timelines to show Will’s experience in the 1580s and Alice’s life in the 1540s as she faces life’s struggles which unltimately lead to a murder and her own execution. Both characters are trying to negotiate their way throgh a dangerous world. Alice has the extra difficulty of being a woman, constrained by the gender conventions of the era. Politics and class affect both their lives too.
I felt that both timelines were equally well developed and I was immersed in the Tudor world. It is wonderful to get an insight into the potential truth of the mystery years of Shakespeare before he became famous. The new research that the the author has undertaken was extensive in my opinion and I thought that the fictional write up was very effective. I enjoyed the exploration of the murder and motves with the personal dimension of Alice’s story from the primary sources.
Arden is an engaging and enjoyable historical novel.
Arden
Alice Arden, idealistic and wealthy beauty, burnt at the stake for killing her husband, the former mayor of Faversham in Kent. But was she really the one responsible for the most scandalous murder of the sixteenth century?
William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, born thirteen years after Alice’s execution. Why does his first-ever play, written about this murder, not bear his name?
This is a story of two people – one reviled, one revered – whose fates become linked in a tale of corruption, collusion and conspiracy. Based on historical documents and recently published academic research, Arden unveils shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas Arden and reveals, for the first time, a remarkable new theory about Shakespeare’s early years.
I have written four novels in the last eight years under the penname GD Harper.
My last novel, The Maids of Biddenden, the imagined biography of real-life conjoined twins born in 12th-century Kent, was featured on BBC TV News and was the winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the historical fiction category, shortlisted for the 2022 Selfie Award at the London Book Fair, and shortlisted or longlisted for five other awards.
It has over a thousand ratings on Amazon UK and Goodreads, with an average score of 4.3. Across the major Amazon markets, it reached number sixteen in overall paid-for e-book sales, number two in historical fiction and number one in medieval historical fiction.
An abandoned pub is set alight and a man is reported missing. The man’s wife asks Libby to investigate and she finds his murdered body in a barn. Is there a connection to the arson at the pub?
Murder at the Crooked Horse is the 26th book in the Libby Sarjeant series. There are references to past cases and events, and I believe that the characters and relationships have developed over the series of books.
The Crooked Horse pub has been closed and is waiting for redevelopment. Locals are shocked to hear that someone has attempted to burn it down. Luckily no one was injured but someone is missing and Libby is asked to investigate. She finds his body in his own barn but she has suspicions that the murder could be related to the pub, smuggling, an ancient treasure trove, or possibly all three!
There is plenty of mystery for Libby to uncover and I liked the respectful and reciprocal friendship she has with the police characaters. She has to find links between several plot strands but I felt that some of the revelations and clues were convoluted, based on assumptions not evidence. For this reason, I didn’t find the conclusion particularly satisfying.
The writing style is quite dialogue led. The use of dialect and language brings the spoken parts to life. There is very little description and almost nothing about the forensics of the case. There are a lot of peripheral characters and I found it difficult to keep track of everyone and their relationships. I think I would benefit from reading this series from the start.
Murder at the Crooked Horse has plenty of mystery and the characters are brought to life through a dialogue driven narrative style.
Murder at The Crooked Horse
After learning of a suspicious attempt to burn down a beloved old pub, The Crooked Horse, Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran reluctantly agree to investigate.
But when a local antiques dealer mysteriously disappears after apparently taking out his boat, it appears there are dark and sinister forces at play.
Can Libby and Fran uncover a connection between the fire and the missing man? And will unravelling a deadly case put them in terrible danger?
Author Bio – Lesley Cookman writes the Libby Sarjeant Murder Mysteries and the The Alexandrians, an Edwardian Mystery Series. She lives on the south east coast of England, and is a former model, actor, and journalist. Her four adult children are all musicians and writers.
A week I’d like to forget. Last week was so full of happiness that this week has been extra awful in comparison.
The kids weren’t happy on Monday morning as school started back up. Then we heard the sad news that my great uncle Roy had passed away on Tuesday. My Mum and Dad’s 17 year old cat Tanzi was put to sleep on Wednesday. There have been so many tears and I’ve had a bad headache from all the crying. Zach has caught a cold and missed the remembrance parade.
Here’s Shelly who has been a spark of happiness this week as we adjust to having a tortoise in the family.
Crime writer Phoebe finds herself the target of a poison pen letter. First she receives a invitation to her own funeral and then she is sent a parcel containing poisoned pen nibs. Luckily she is uninjured but the postman is killed whie trying to deliver the package…
The Poison Pen Letters is the second Village Detectives murder mystery book set in the fictional village of Inkbury.
Juno is mulling over her love life when her friend and fellow Village Detective is targeted by a someone with murder in mind. Phoebe kept quiet about the sinister funeral invite but the fatal injury to the postman reveals the full extent of the danger she is facing. Juno and Phoebe need to explore personal and professional motivations to reveal the truth. They are assisted by Juno’s love interest (the pub landlord, Mil) and Phoebe’s husband Felix.
There is a great deal of gentle humour in this book, much of it at Juno’s expense or due to her former career as a stand up comic. This balanced well against the murderous plot facing the amateur sleuths. I thought that the manner of murder was completely unique! The interactions between characters felt natural and made the characters come to life as I was reading.
The Poison Pen Letters is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery.
The Poison Pen Letters
We regret to announce the tragic death of Phoebe Fredericks…
When crime novelist Phoebe opens the post and receives an invitation to her own funeral, she’s horrified. Not least because the date of her death is marked as tomorrow.
Deciding it’s nothing more than a prank from an enemy from her past, she determines to put it to the back of her mind.
But the next morning, when her completely infuriating postman (who likes to think himself her no.1 literary critic) rings her doorbell, a parcel of poisoned pen-nibs explodes in his face. Forced to confront the fact her correspondence is more RIP than RSVP, Phoeve realises someone must want her dead.
Together with the newly-formed Village Detectives – Juno, Mil and Felix – Phoebe resolves to find out who is behind the poison pen letters before they strike again and her fate is signed, sealed and delivered!
An totally hilarious, modern cozy crime mystery, from million-copy bestselling author Fiona Walker, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janet Evanovich and Janice Hallett.
Fiona Walker is the million copy bestselling author of joyously funny romantic comedies. Most recently published by Head of Zeus, she will be turning to cozy crime for Boldwood. The first in her new Village Detectives series, The Art of Murder, will be published in May 2024.
