How to Solve Your Own Murder – Kristen Perrin

In 1965, Frances Adams has her fortune read at a country fair, which tells her she is going to be murdered. She spends her life trying to solve her murder before it happens, without success. Nearly sixty years later, Frances is found dead – murdered – and her great-niece, Annie, is determined to catch the killer.

This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Annie and could totally understand why she got so hooked on the mystery of Great Aunt Frances. The premise is set up in such a way that it’s entirely plausible for Annie to be investigating the murder instead of (or as well as) the police, which I appreciate, and there were plenty of revelations and possible suspects to keep things exciting.

There wasn’t as much outright humour as I was expecting (thanks to comparisons to The Thursday Murder Club), but the vibe was light-hearted and I liked Annie’s narrative voice. On the whole, the characters, the mystery and the reveal were all really well done and I enjoyed it a lot.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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The Hollow Ones – Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

FBI agent Odessa’s life is derailed when her partner becomes inexplicably violent while apprehending a killer and she is forced to turn her gun on him. Devastated, and placed on desk leave pending an investigation, she can’t shake the memory of the shadowy presence she saw leaving his body after his death. Accepting an assignment to clear out the belongings of a retired agent, Odessa jumps on the trail of a mysterious figure who is either an unhinged lunatic, or humanity’s saviour.

The Hollow Ones is a really great blend of crime thriller and supernatural horror. Having an FBI agent partner up with a Van-Helsing-style demon hunter shouldn’t work, but it really does. I really enjoyed Odessa and Blackwood, and their tumultuous relationship.

The horror elements aren’t exactly scary, but they are dark and extremely grim. The descriptions of the violence carried out by the Hollows when possessing people are very graphic and gory. Luckily, there isn’t too much of this throughout the book.

Overall, it isn’t the best book I’ve ever read, but it was fast-paced and entertaining, and I will definitely read more of the series when it’s out.

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The Wrong Sister – Claire Douglas

Sisters Alice and Tasha live very different lives, so doing a ‘life-swap’ holiday for a week seems like a great idea. But while Tasha and her husband Aaron are spending the week at Alice’s apartment in Venice, Alice and her boyfriend Kyle are attacked in Tasha’s home near Bristol, leaving Alice seriously injured and Kyle dead. At first it looks like a burglary gone wrong, but then Tasha receives a note saying it was meant to be her, and DNA is found in the house belonging to their missing sister, Holly, who was abducted as a baby. Who was there that night, and why are they targeting Tasha?

The Wrong Sister starts out very promisingly, with a sinister atmosphere and lots of secrets to come out as the plot progresses. Unfortunately, the rest of the book just didn’t live up to my expectations. The plot is fairly complex and has plenty of red herrings, but it felt a little clunky and unbelievable to me. There was way too much going on in this one small family.

However, my main issue is that I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. Tasha and Alice were both pretty irritating, and I really disliked Aaron, which made it difficult to put much investment into the characters or their stories.

I personally don’t think this is Claire Douglas’ best work, but her books are always exciting and very easy to read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Everyone on this Train is a Suspect – Benjamin Stevenson

Invited to be on the panel for the Australian Mystery Writer’s Society crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, Ernest Cunningham is hoping for some inspiration for his second novel. What he isn’t expecting is for one of his fellow authors to be murdered. But, on a train filled with crime and mystery writers, surely, together, they should know how to solve a crime. Or how to commit one.

I really enjoyed the first Ernest Cunningham book, Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone, and I was not at all disappointed by this sequel. The narrative voice and humorous vibe is still the same, but the story manages to be different enough to still be fresh and interesting.

The meta nature of the book is excellently done, as Ernest is writing the story while events are still unfolding. This means he is able to drop in clues to look out for as you go along (such as telling the reader he will mention the murderer’s name a 106 times throughout the book), which is a fun addition.

The plot is great; not overly complicated, but intricate enough to be unpredictable, and very well executed. I found it thoroughly entertaining.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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First Lie Wins – Ashley Elston

Evie Porter’s life is picture-perfect, apart from one small detail: She isn’t real. Evie Porter is a false name with a fake life, provided by her employer for her current job. But this job feels different from the others. The mark, Ryan Sumner, has gotten under her skin and, as her past begins to catch up with her, Evie struggles to stay one step ahead in order to save her future.

First Lie Wins is a pretty good book. I enjoyed the plot and the way the mystery unfolded. It’s intricate and unpredictable in the best way, with some great twists and turns to keep things interesting. However, the story isn’t told chronologically and it sometimes felt like an idea had just occurred to the author and they just slotted it in where they were, instead of going back and fitting it in somewhere it would make more sense. It does all add up at the end, which suggests that this style is entirely intentional, but it didn’t feel completely thought out and planned as I was reading it.

Evie is a great heroine. She’s in a morally grey area and has made some very questionable lifestyle choices, but she’s likeable enough that you still root for her, and she’s up against some very bad people which makes her the lesser evil, even if you’re not sure you can trust her. I personally could have done with a faster pace in the first half, but it picked up a lot in the second half and kept me engaged enough throughout.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Relight My Fire – C.K. McDonnell

When a man drops out of the sky and splats right at Stella’s feet (and also all over her hair and face), the Founders jump to the conclusion that she must have been involved somehow. Hannah, Banecroft and the rest of the team at The Stranger Times must solve the mystery to prove Stella’s innocence before the Founders decide to take action of their own. Meanwhile, Banecroft has problems of his own, in the form of a mysterious pilgrim-like figure threatening to drag him to hell unless he atones for his sins.

Relight My Fire is the fourth book in the Stranger Times series, and I would absolutely 100% recommend that you read the first three books before diving into this one. Not only is it an excellent and highly entertaining series, but there’s also a lot of background info which is necessary to understand for full enjoyment of the characters and the plot.

Book #4 is another truly excellent instalment in this series. It’s funny and exciting, with a well considered plot and wonderful characters. I especially enjoyed the introduction of Brian, a ghoul who has been deeply disturbed by a spate of grave-robbings in the local area. This might have been my favourite book in the series so far, and I cannot wait for the next one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Murder Town – Shelley Burr

Rainier was once a quaint, popular town situated between Sydney and Melbourne, until a spate of murders killed tourism and the town’s economy. Years later, a potential tour is being reviewed, following in the footsteps of the Rainier Ripper and his victims. When the tour operator is killed by a Ripper copycat, the town is dragged back to the events of 15 years before. Also drawn into the investigation is former private investigator Lane Holland; now in prison following the murder of his father.

I really enjoyed Wake by Shelley Burr, so I was excited to see that Murder Town is a sequel of sorts, following Lane in another investigation – albeit with limited involvement as he is now in prison. The story mainly follows Rainier local, Gemma, as she carries out her own murder investigation and uncovers many of the town’s long-buried secrets. I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to read Wake first in order to read this book, but it does help to contextualise Lane’s character and general involvement in the story. Plus it’s a good book, so why not read it first?

The best part of this book for me was definitely the mystery itself, which was detailed and very well thought out. The scenery was also excellent – I do love a remote Australian crime novel – and the characters were not bad. It was nice to read more from Lane, and I thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of a character carrying out an investigation from within prison. I didn’t particularly like Gemma, but she still felt like a plausible character.

Overall, this was an engrossing and twisty thriller, perfect for crime fans.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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The Christmas Appeal – Janice Hallett

It’s Christmas, and the Fairway Players are back rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. But with an internal authority battle, a rumour of asbestos, and an accidental drug deal, the panto might be over before the curtain even goes up. To add to the drama, there’s also the matter of the skeleton in the beanstalk. Lawyers Femi and Charlotte dig through emails, messages and police transcripts to get to the bottom of the mystery.

This is a short, festive revisit to the style and characters from Hallett’s The Appeal, which I read a few months ago and absolutely loved. Once again, this Christmas edition is fantastically well-written, with a very well thought-out mystery and the same unconventional narrative style. Many of the characters from The Appeal make an appearance, plus some new faces. As such, I would say you need to have read The Appeal before reading this novella, or the dynamics and the backstory won’t make much sense.

It’s a quick and humorous read, perfect relief from the stress of Christmas shopping as the season approaches.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Red River Seven – A. J. Ryan

Seven people wake up on a boat with no memory of who they are or how they got there. They all bear the scars of recent surgery, but can’t even remember their own names. As the boat sails through mist-covered waters, they begin to receive messages on the onboard computer, instructing them to proceed onwards and by no means try to remember who they are, as the memories will be fatal.

The set up of this story was very intriguing. Who are these people? What has been done to them, and why? The answers are drip-fed into the plot and not fully revealed right until the end, which kept the mysterious atmosphere alive throughout. However, there are a few aspects that don’t really make a lot of sense if you think about them too hard.

I felt the story had quite a slow start, but it grew on me (not like the infection, thankfully).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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This Plague of Souls – Mike McCormack

Nealon returns to his family home after a stint in prison to find the place abandoned, with no sign of his wife or child. The only one who seems to remember him at all is the persistent person who keeps phoning him, who seems to know everything about Nealon and wants to meet to talk face-to-face.

I’ll be honest here, this one went totally over my head. It seems like it’s well written and the writing style is quite engaging (I enjoyed the apocalyptic events that were going on in the background), but I have absolutely no idea what happened.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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