Pictures from around Ironbridge and Coalport. Anyone who knows what a Saggar Maker’s Bottom Knocker is, please let me know …
Scenes from Blists Hill Museum
No new book post this week, although I did order myself a copy of The Last Goodbye by Tim Weaver which was delivered on Monday. I was also gifted a copy of Cover The Bones by Rachel Amphlett (18 Sept) in readiness for the tour next month. I did buy audiobooks in the end so am now the proud owner of The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and The Murder Wall by Mari Hannah. Heaven knows when I will actually listen to them, but hey. That’s a consideration for another day … I also treated myself to the ebook of The Murder Game by Tom Hindle. I have the hardback but this will allow me to read in bed as well – I can switch between the two formats. And somehow I managed to miss that there is a new Yrsa Sigurdardóttir book out on Monday (today) so I preordered The Prey because I wanted to.
L-R: The Last Goodbye; Cover the Bones; The Murder Game; The Prey
L-R: The Big Sleep; The Murder Wall
Two Netgalley books this week – Peter James’s Stop Them Dead (28 Sept) and Original Sins by Erin Young (07 March 24).
L-R: Stop Them Dead; Original Sins (temp cover)
Books I have read
Murder At The Residence by Stella Blómkvist (28 August)
It’s New Year and Iceland is still reeling from the effects of the financial crash when a notorious financier is found beaten to death after a high-profile reception at the President’s residence.
The police are certain they have the killer – or do they? Determined to get to the truth, maverick lawyer Stella Blómkvist isn’t so sure.
A stripper disappears from one of city’s seediest nightspots, and nobody but Stella seems interested in finding her. A drug mule cooling his heels in a prison cell refuses to speak to anyone but Stella – although she’s never heard of him. An old man makes a deathbed confession and request for Stella to find the family he lost long ago.
With a sharp tongue and a moral compass all of her own, Stella Blómkvist has a talent for attracting trouble and she’s as at home in the corridors of power as in the dark corners of Reykjavík’s underworld.
Stella Blómkvist delivers an explosive mix of murder, intrigue and surprise, and is one of Iceland’s best-loved crime series.
The Traitor by Ava Glass (14 September)
LONDON. EARLY MORNING. A body is found in a padlocked suitcase. Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it’s murder. And it’s personal. She quickly establishes that the dead man had been shadowing two oligarchs suspected of procuring illegal weapons in the UK. And it seems likely that an insider working deep within the British government is helping them. To find out who the traitor is, Emma goes deep undercover on a superyacht owned by one of the oligarchs. But the glamorous veneer of the rich hides dark secrets. Out at sea, Emma is both hunter and prey, and no one can protect her. Never has the turquoise sea and golden sands of the Rivera seemed so dangerous. As the hunt intensifies, Emma knows that she is in mortal danger. And that she needs to find the traitor before they find her …
Marvellous Vehicles by James May
Mad about marvellous vehicles? Hit the road with writer and broadcaster JAMES MAY to discover incredible human-powered vehicles – from bicycles and submarines to amphibious vehicles and even a helicopter. Yes, really!
Our EXPERTS are famous for their incredible know-how and passion for their subjects, and now they have made it their mission to share that knowledge with you in LITTLE EXPERTS: the inspirational new non-fiction series for six- to nine-year-olds.
This jaw-dropping non-fiction journey has bright, inclusive and stylish artwork throughout by Emans.
The Short Straw by Holly Seddon (14 September)
Leaving isn’t safe… But staying would be deadly.
Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.
Cover The Bones by Rachel Amphlett (18 September)
When archaeologists discover a skeleton in secluded woodland, the body is first thought to be related to an ancient Saxon settlement. Then the torn and rotten remains of another woman’s bones are uncovered, her injuries bearing the markings of abuse and a violent death. Detective Mark Turpin is tasked with finding their killer, except the forensic evidence is perplexing and the victims’ bodies are proving impossible to identify. When a third victim is discovered only metres from the first, Mark and his team realise they’re running out of time to find out whoever is responsible. Are the brutal murders the only evidence in a case gone cold, or does a serial killer lurk in the shadows, stalking their next victim? Cover the Bones is the fifth book in the Detective Mark Turpin series from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett.
The Silent Child by J.G. Kelly
SHE CAN’T HAVE A FUTURE UNTIL SHE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO HER FAMILY AFTER THE WAR. 1944 LEO STERN arrives at the Nazi camp at Borek with his wife Irena and his two daughters. The Sterns are spared from the gas chamber when they witness a murder. But in a place that humanity has deserted, Leo is forced to make unimaginable choices to try to keep his family alive. 1961 For seventeen years, Hanna has been unable to remember her identity and how she was separated from her family at the end of the war, until the discovery of a letter among her late uncle’s possessions reveals her real name – HANNA STERN – and leads her to Berlin in search of her lost past. Helped by former lover Peter, Hanna begins to piece together the shocking final days of Borek. But Hanna isn’t the only one with an interest in the camp, and lurking in the shadows is someone who would prefer Hanna’s history to remain silent. Based on in-depth research and beautifully written, this a novel of memory and identity, and the long shadow of war.
Not too bad a week that. I’m quite impressed. Okay – having two days off at the start helped, but I still had a pretty sound reading week, and all fabulous books which really helped. Busy enough week on the blog – recap below:
#Review – The Keeper of Stories – Sally Page #Review – A Thief’s Justice – Douglas Skelton #Review – Death of a Lesser God – Vaseem Khan #Review – The Associate – Victoria Goldman #Review – Lady’s Well – LJ Ross
The week ahead is full of reviews (for a change). Just the one tour though – Someone Like Her by Awais Khan. Quality over quantity!
Someone Like Her
And that is my lot. Hopefully if the weather is kind I will have some more interesting pictures for you next week. If not, I’ll just recycle some. You’ll never really be able to tell either way
