Duchess Sarah Ferguson

Murder at St Anne's is the seventh instalment in J.R. Ellis's Yorkshire Murder Mysteries series featuring D.C.I Oldroyd and his Harrogate-based team. Readers yet to discover the series need not worry, though - each book reads perfectly well as a standalone. Like its series predecessors, Murder at St Anne's is a contemporary mystery written in a traditional style - there's a closed pool of suspects, an evocatively spooky setting and the police investigation follows a broadly familiar pattern. Jim Oldroyd is a sensitive and likeable protagonist, who enjoys good working relationships with his subordinates and a pleasant (though vegetarian!) home life with his partner, psychologist Deborah, in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Murder at St Anne's opens with the murder of popular vicar, the Reverend Claire Wilcox, inside her church, St. Anne's in picturesque Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. This case has a personal dimension for DCI Oldroyd when he and his team are called in, as the deceased was the friend and protegée of his sister, Reverend Alison Oldroyd, whose parish is at nearby (fictional) Kirkby Underside. Not only that, but Alison was the last person to speak to Claire, by telephone, shortly before her death. As is characteristic of J.R. Ellis's work, Murder at St Anne's features a multi-layered plot, a beguiling pool of suspects who all seem to have something to hide, and a superlative sense of setting in Ellis's native Yorkshire. Within the context of the mystery, J.R. Ellis explores themes around the misogyny and homophobia that continue to exist within certain socially-conservative pockets of the Church of England. Murder at St Anne's is another engrossing addition to the DCI Oldroyd series, and I'd recommend it to any reader who enjoys a more traditional style of police procedural mystery. My thanks to the author, J.R. Ellis, publisher Amazon / Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

There are plenty of unexpected twists and untrustworthy characters in journalist Nicola West's crime-thriller fiction debut, Catch Us The Foxes. The book is presented as meta-fiction, in that the major part of the narrative consists of a manuscript entitled "The Showgirl's Secret", authored by the main protagonist. Journalist-turned-celebrated-true-crime-writer Marlowe "Lo" Robertson relates events that take place over the course of a single week in and around the NSW coastal town of Kiama, located 120km south of Sydney. While attending the town of Kiama's agricultural show and taking photographs for the local newspaper, Lo stumbles upon the lifeless body of her erstwhile best friend and current Kiama showgirl, Lily Williams. Not only has Lily been brutally murdered, but Lo observes a series of unusual symbols carved into the flesh on her back. While her father, the town’s senior police officer, cautions her against telling anyone about the mysterious wounds, Lo's journalistic instincts take hold and she begins her own investigation into the curious events leading up to Lily's murder. Her investigations lead her to uncover startling revelations suggesting that a strange and exclusive death cult is operating in Kiama, engaging in child abuse and murder. Lo senses that a cover-up is being orchestrated to account for Lily's untimely death, she begins to believe that she's found a career-breaking story. Catch Us the Foxes explores a range of themes, including small-town attitudes, the impact of xenophobia, police corruption, journalistic integrity and parent-child relationships. I found it an intriguing read but must admit that I found the concluding twist somewhat unsatisfying in the context of the whole. That said, I see a lot of promise in Nicola West's writing - her character development and dialogue was excellent, and the small town setting skilfully drawn. I'd recommend Catch Us the Foxes to readers who enjoy high drama in their thrillers, dark and twisty themes and well-described regional Australian settings. I look forward to reading future releases by Nicola West. My thanks to the author, Nicola West, publisher Simon & Schuster Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

As the author's first title in full-length format, I think Stormbird shows a lot of promise. It's a well imagined piece straddling the Young Adult and Thriller genres. The story consists of two interconnected plot arcs - the budding romance between 17-year-old Jack Armstrong and his lifelong friend and neighbour, Susan Valentino, and a series of alarming events that begin to unfold in their neighbourhood of suburban Cairns, Far North Queensland. Leon Jane captures the nuances of teenage angst very effectively, and manages to portray both male and female perspectives quite sensitively. He also weaves beautiful descriptions of the exotic plant and bird life of FNQ into the story. As a reader in the 30s-40s age bracket (and I'm somewhere near the top of that!), I found the 1998 setting and music soundtrack to the narrative nostalgic and evocative. I'm not sure that this would be the case for the modern YA market, although it might be a means for those readers to discover some great music! All in all, a promising read. I look forward to reading Leon Jane's future output. My thanks to the author and Booksprout for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Stormbird. I wish the author the best of success with its publication.