Medical woes have been the star of this week. Chas had to have an operation to clean his teeth and he was really knocked sideways by the general anaesthetic which was heartbreaking to watch. Thankfully he was his normal self the next day, apart from a husky bark.
Chris also had a hospital appointment this week and I thought it was very positive as he finally has a diagnosis for his hip pain and is going to get some treatment.
My highlight of the week has been listening to two fantastic audiobooks one after the other. First of all Unruly by David MItchell which was perfect for the history buff in me. He narrated it himself and I just loved it. (Also loving Ludwig on BBC which he stars in). Then I was captivated by Daisy Darker which whas a phenomenal twist. Very rare for me to award 5 out of 5 for a book so two in one week is unheard of!
Wolfe is frantic when his daughter’s plane crashes during a blizzard. He finds the crash site but no sign of his daughter so the team begin to search for her. Instead of Julie, they find the remains of three women frozen to death…
Their Frozen Bones is the 23rd book in the Kane and Alton series of crime thrillers set in the USA.
Wolfe is a dedicated father and Jenna and Dave treat his family as an extension of their own. Emotions are high but still kept in check as they begin their search for Julie after her plane crashes. Added to this is the discovery of women frozen in the snow with no obvious injuries but they were deliberately left to freeze to death.
The snow plays a major factor in this book, combined with the treacherous geography of the area which makes the search for Julie and a killer difficult and dangerous. Julie has been rescued but she is wary of trusting a man who has hidden himself away from society. This makes us suspicious of him too and wonder if there is a connection with the women’s deaths. The murder side of the book felt secondary to the emotional turmoil focussed on Julie’s disappearance. There is some tension as we see the next victim being held by the killer. The threat is palpable but there is little violence.
Another element of the plot is that Jenna is pregnant which adds a different dynamic as Dave wants to protect her espcially in the wintry conditions (sorry but I found the whole Kane as protector thing is a bit annoying). The dynamics of the police team may also be about to change with the impending maternity leave and this leaves some characters considering their personal and professional futures.
Their Frozen Bones is an enjoyable addition to this strong series.
Her eyes snap open and she takes in the snow-covered forest around her. She can’t remember how she got here, and a dark figure is running toward her. She doesn’t have time to scream before he’s upon her…
When Sheriff Jenna Alton and her deputy, David Kane, hear reports of a plane crashing into the mountains that surround Black Rock Falls, their hearts shatter. Their friend’s blonde-haired teenage daughter, Julie, was on that flight. They won’t sleep until they bring Julie home to her distraught family.
A blizzard closing in, Jenna pushes on with the search until, just beyond the snow-capped trees, she finds the plane. She falls to her knees at the sight of the lifeless bodies, still buckled into their seats. But one passenger is missing: Julie has vanished…
Racing into the remote forest, Jenna finds heavy footsteps around the crash site which are too big to be Julie’s. Someone was here before them. Following the prints, Jenna’s pulse races as she finds the bodies of three young women hanging from the tall pine trees, their limbs frozen, their faces lifted to the sky above.
When the victims are identified, Jenna notices that each girl had long blonde hair when they went missing, just like Julie. But when they were found in the forest, their hair had been cut, their looks changed forever. Is a twisted killer preying on girls who he can manipulate before their death? Could Julie be his next victim? With snow piling up around them, Jenna doesn’t have long to find Julie alive. Can she track down this monster before he takes his next innocent life?
Readers of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot, will be absolutely blown away by this totally addictive crime thriller from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author D.K. Hood.
**Each Kane and Alton book can be read as part of the series or as a standalone***
Author Bio
D.K. Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY and AMAZON bestselling author of the Detective Kane and Alton Series. Her spine chilling, fast-paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex-special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K.’s imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title “Queen of Suspense” by her reviewers, D.K.’s writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.
Dr Anna Jones is a confident heart surgeon. But her life changes forever when her son is kidnapped and she is told to kill a patient in order to free him. Can she put her morals to one side to save her son?
Do No Harm is a medical thriller set in the UK.
Anna has been through a rough break up and lives with anxiety and mum guilt. She frequently feels like her career gets in the way of spending time with her son. Now Zack’s life is in danger from a terrifying gang and Anna is forced to confront the idea of losing him forever if she doesn’t give in to their demands. How will she cope if she kills a patient yet she knows the gang are serious as they murder her friend and neighbour Paula…
The book is written from the first person perspectives of Anna and also Margot, a pregnant nurse with spiralling debts who is thieving from her colleagues, and Rachel, the police officer in charge of Paula’s murder case. This allows us a greater depth of understanding about their emotions and the reasoning behind their decisions.
The premise of the book taps into all of our worst fears. Our natural desire to protect those we love, particularly our children, and it made me wonder how far I would go to save them. Added to this is the tension and pressure of hospitals, the fear of not waking up from an operation and of being vulnerable. The book is fast paced and the change of perspective maintained the momentum.
Do No Harm is a dramatic and tense medical thriller.
Simon and Ryan are planning to open a new restaurant but a body is found behind a wall during the refurbishments. The police are painfully slow to investigate so the king’s niece Lady Rossex steps in to help her friends get their project back on track by catching the killer…
A Death of Fresh Air is part of the Right Royal Cozy Investigation series of murder mysteries. There are no spoilers about earlier cases but the personal relationships have developed over the series.
As soon as the book mentioned that the old chef had gone to Australia during the last refurbishment and never returned, followed by the decision to remove a wall, I KNEW they would find his body! Lady Bea’s boyfriend is no longer part of the royal police protection so isn’t leading the case and the new detective is sooooo sloooooow! Bea and Perry have no choice but to try to save the restaurant’s opening night by finding the killer themselves.
The victim didn’t seem to have any enemies so the first task is to look for potential motives. Things get tense in a professional kitchen so was one of his colleagues to blame? Or how about his ex girlfriend who claims to have ended the relationship? There are lots of plot twists and red herrings for Bea and Perry to wade through, ably supported by their friends and Daisy the dog!
In tandem with the murder investigation, the other main feature of the plot is Bea’s feelings towards Rich and the future. The conclusion of the case was a complete surprise, but more importantly the relationship of Rich and Bea has a pleasing development that will melt the hardest heart (yes, even mine!)
A Death of Fresh Air was a hugely enjoyable cosy murder mystery and I loved the royal aspect as usual.
A Death Of Fresh Air
In a charming seaside town, secrets don’t stay buried for long…
Body of Chef Found in Wall Three Years After He ‘Left to go to Australia’
Human remains found inside the wall of a disused building have now been identified as those of Victor Blackwell. He was the head chef at Windstanton’s The Seaside Lounge until just over three years ago, when, according his friends, he left for a job in Australia. Detective Inspector Albert Finch from Fenshire’s Cold Case Unit has asked for anyone who has information about the chef’s movements three years ago to come forward.
We have no choice! With only three weeks until the Grand Opening, the last thing Bea and Perry need is the grim discovery of a skeleton in the wall of Simon and Ryan’s soon-to-open restaurant, SaltAir. But when it’s designated a crime scene, and the policeman in charge of the investigation into Vic’s murder refuses to let them have access to continue the refurbishment, they have no other option than to investigate the murder themselves or risk letting Simon and Ryan down.
But in a town where everyone harbours secrets, can they uncover the truth in time or will SaltAir’s opening be a damp squib?
Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
Well it has been a rather wet week and Thursday was perhaps the wettest school run I have EVER done! In happier news, Zach is flourishing in Year 4 (I really don’t think his teacher last year ‘got’ him) and was awarded star of the week.
The weekend was spoiled by a nasty cold (possibly a direct result of the soaking?) Despite feeling awful, we managed to extend the living space in the shed for our girls.
