Tag: Murder Mystery

Crucible of Chaos by Sebastien de Castell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery17 Comments

Crucible of Chaos Cover

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (Audiobook – 7 December 2023)

Series: Court of Shadows – Book 0.5

Length: 12 hours and 32 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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In the mood for a witty, intense and highly unusual murder mystery?  Make sure to grab Crucible of Chaos, an outstanding and impressive novel from Sebastien de Castell, which serves as a prelude to his Court of Shadows series.

Earlier this year I was very lucky to receive the first book in Sebastien de Castell’s Court of Shadows series, Play of Shadows.  Set in the author’s Greatcoats universe, Play of Shadows was a truly epic and outstanding read that saw an unlucky actor with unusual gifts attempt to unravel a dark conspiracy inflicting his city.  I deeply enjoyed Play of Shadows, which was one of the best books I have read so far in 2024, and I was intrigued to check out more from de Castell, an author who had previously impressed me with his hilarious standalone novel, The Malevolent Seven.  While de Castell has several great series to his name, the book that caught my eye the most was the late 2023 release, Crucible of Chaos, which apparently served as a prelude to the other Court of Shadows novels.  Curious to see how this prequel would turn out, I grabbed the audiobook version of Crucible of Chaos and started listening to it, and boy was I glad that I did.

Travelling duellist and scholar Estevar Borros is a Greatcoat, one of the king’s legendary sword-fighting magistrates.  However, even amongst the unusual ranks of the Greatcoats, Estevar is peculiar, not just for his girth, but because of skills in deductive reasoning and his obsession with investigating the supernatural.  Known as the King’s Crucible, Estevar has travelled the lands of Tristia, seeking out unusual occurrences and trying to determine whether their cause is natural or supernatural.  However, even this renowned investigator of supernatural is unprepared for the chaos awaiting him in Tristia’s most holy site.

Summoned by his old acquaintance Abbot Venia, Estevar travels to Isola Sombra, an isolated island abbey considered the religious heart of Tristia.  According to Venia’s letter, the monks of the abbey are starting to fracture into factions following the recent murder of the gods, each with their own ideas of who the nation should worship in the future.  A frightened Venia needs Estevar, in his position as a magistrate and an authority on the supernatural, to arbitrate the debate and to help keep the fighting monks in line.

Despite his better judgement, Estevar, already suffering from a wound after a failed duel, agrees to travel to Isola Sombra, but what he finds there will chill him to his very soul.  Arriving amid a brutal storm, Estevar finds that the monks have fallen into madness, and now three factions are at war on the island, desperate to claim it for their own.  Worse, the abbot has been murdered, and evidence of dark magic lingers throughout the abbey.

Determined find a reasonable explanation for the insanity infesting Isola Sombra, Estevar begins his investigation, hoping to find the source of the chaos rippling across the island.  Alone except for a mysterious girl and his trusty mule, a wounded Estevar needs to face off against three very dangerous groups of monks, each of whom have deadly intentions for the interfering Greatcoat.  Worse, there are far more dangerous things awaiting the inhabitants of Isola Sombra, even if Estevar doesn’t believe in them.  Can the justice-loving Estevar stop the insanity of Isola Sombra with his deduction, sword and courtroom etiquette before it’s too late, or has the King’s Crucible finally found a mystery to insane for even him?

Wow, what an amazing and compelling novel.  Crucible of Chaos was another outstanding book from de Castell, and one that really grabbed my attention from the very beginning.  Containing an elaborate story, great writing, amazing characters, and so much more, Crucible of Chaos was a joy to read from start to finish, and one that I have little choice but to give a full five-star rating.

De Castell came up with an impressive novel that sets a classic detective story into The Three Musketeer inspired Greatcoats universe.  Readers are quickly introduced to two of the main characters, Estevar Borros and his trusty steed, as the dejected pair arrive at Isola Sombra to investigate a religious feud enveloping the island and its abbey.  While that is an interesting premise for a story, de Castell raises the stakes by introducing murder, mysterious mysticism, fearful locals, unnatural storms, and three warring factions of monks, which Estevar needs to unravel to get his beloved justice.  What follows is a complex and highly entertaining murder investigation as Estevar, with the help of a mysterious girl, begins to interrogate key members of the remaining monks to find out what they know and how their fighting and the resulting murder came about.  This proves to be quite addictive, and I found myself getting really drawn into this excellent mystery and the unique fantasy elements surrounding it.

The story takes a very interesting turn around halfway through as Estevar gets some dramatic proof that the events on Isola Sombra are more supernatural than he thought they would be.  This leads the protagonist into some dark places as he tries to fully understand everything that is happening, and who is ultimately responsible for the crimes committed.  De Castell cleverly lays out some intriguing revelations, as well as some tragic secrets that are cleverly hinted at by false memory and lies, and I had so much fun following all the breadcrumbs.  Everything leads up to several great confrontations, as Estevar first deals with some political intrigue that ties Crucible of Chaos into the rest of the series, before once again facing the strange powers haunting the island.  There are some inspiring moments here, especially as strange bedfellows fight together against the darkness, before the protagonist initiates a unique trial to reveal the whole truth.  The solution to the mystery is very clever, and I was really impressed with how de Castell pulled the whole thing together.  The conclusion really goes over-the-top as justice meets religion in some dark ways, and you will come away very impressed and satisfied with the dark, yet hopeful, story that emerged.

I love the tone that de Castell set out for Crucible of Chaos, mainly because there are so many elements that he managed to fit into his story.  The blend of mystery, character development, and unique fantasy inclusions from his pre-existing universe is extremely awesome, and I loved how the author managed to create such an elaborate and focused story.  The investigation element of Crucible of Chaos was the book’s true heart, and I have a lot of respect for the complex series of crimes that emerged, especially as de Castell managed to incorporate religious conspiracies, political intrigues and supernatural occurrences into the mystery’s solution.  There are so many moments of desperation, despair, and dark hope contained within this book, and the reader is constantly left feeling either intrigued by the mystery or shocked by the revelations that emerged.  It helped that de Castell’s characters are all so vibrant and entertaining, and there is a captivating humour that runs through the book that proves hard not to enjoy.  This whole novel comes together with a great pace that never lets up, and I honestly could not stop listening to Crucible of Chaos at times, especially when all seemed dire, or the protagonist was on the hunt for justice.

As I mentioned above, I came to Crucible of Chaos after reading Play of Shadow, so I was interested in seeing how it would fit into both the Court of Shadows series and the Greatcoats universe.  While there are obvious connections to both, for the most part Crucible of Chaos is more of a standalone novel than anything else, as the plot is primarily focused on the intense mystery the protagonist finds himself trapped in.  While there are a lot of strong references to previous Greatcoats novels, de Castell does an outstanding job of rehashing these events in a thorough and sensible manner, allowing the readers to get all the necessary context that they need.  Readers also do not need to get this book first to enjoy the next book in the series, Play of Shadows, which was reassuring in hindsight, and I kind of like how independent the two books are from each other.  The only real connection lies in a couple of revelations towards the end of Crucible of Chaos that hint at dark deeds on the horizon and a shadowy hand manipulating events from afar.  As such, Crucible of Chaos is a very accessible book for new readers and serves as a great introduction to the various series associated with it.

I will say that Crucible of Chaos did provide some interesting insights into the nation of Tristia, which serves as the primary setting for the Greatcoats series.  There are substantial examinations of the nation’s history, the backstory from the prior books, and other worldbuilding that de Castell has previously come up with, and I found this to be quite fascinating.  The often fractured and duellist obsessed nation of Tristia is an amazing background for this story, and I enjoyed the multiple discussions about the role of the Greatcoats as magistrates and keepers of the king’s peace, especially as the protagonist is quite passionate about the ideals of justice they represent.  However, a lot of Crucible of Chaos’ focus lies around the religion of the world, as the gods of Tristia become a major aspect of the plot.  Indeed, key events of the original Greatcoats series become vitally important here as the protagonist needs to consider the impact that the previous murder of the gods has had on the current religious institutions.  I really liked the constant contrasts between the philosophies of human justice and religious practice that becomes recurring theme in Crucible of Chaos, and I rather enjoyed seeing both unique elements of this landscape.

While I loved the story and the dive into the Greatcoats universe, the absolute best part of Crucible of Chaos were the exceptional characters that de Castell set his narrative around.  Each of them was complex and endearing in their own fun way, and I really enjoyed the powerful storylines that the author wrote around them.  The most prominent of these is protagonist and point-of-view character Estevar Borros.  A member of the king’s Greatcoats, Estevar was a very distinctive protagonist, mainly because he didn’t fit the typical fantasy protagonist mould that most readers would be familiar with.  A rather girthy and older duellist, Estevar is nonetheless a formidable warrior, often able to overcome younger or more in shape opponents through skill and trickery.  However, for this adventure, Estevar recently lost a duel due to his own arrogance and is forced to investigate the events on Isola Sombra while wounded and exhausted, and with his tools and authority missing.  I deeply appreciated the multiple handicaps that de Castell placed on his protagonist, especially as it enhanced the intensity of the plot, and it was compelling to see Estevar deal not only with his wounds but his own dark temperament, while trying to solve the case.  Despite his disadvantages, Estevar proves to be a capable investigator, and his deductive ability, which results in him being shown as a supernatural obsessed cross between Sherlock Holmes and Porthos.  I deeply enjoyed how determined and curious Estevar was throughout the plot, and he was a fun character to follow as he keeps up a genial and pleasant demeaner for most of the book, with some fun cracks of humour.  However, we do see some great flashes of emotion from Estevar at key moments, especially when he realises just how deranged the crime he is investigating is.  I was a huge fan of Estevar from the opening pages, and he is a protagonist I would love to see again in the future.

Aside from Estevar, de Castell features several other exceptional characters that you have a fantastic time following.  This includes the mysterious young female lead, Caeda, who serves as Estevar’s impromptu assistant during the investigation, determined to help find the truth on the island.  Shown initially as an energetic and enthusiastic figure, Caeda plays well off Estevar, and I liked the entertaining partnership they formed, even if Caeda is keeping secrets, which eventually leads to some tragic revelations.  However, the character you are most likely to fall in love with is Estevar’s mule, Imperious.  Much more than a stubborn mule, Imperious is the bravest, most rambunctious and expressive character in the entire novel, and de Castell has a lot of fun throwing him into the story in entertaining ways.  A dangerous and near unstoppable figure, Imperious stole every scene he was in, and you honestly end up caring for this heroic mule more than any other character in the book.  Throw in a cadre of mad monks, including an obsessive inquisitor, a wannabe general, and a lecherous sorcerer lord, and the cast of Crucible of Chaos proves to be really fun and intriguing to follow.

While I was tempted to grab a physical copy of Crucible of Chaos, I ended up getting the audiobook version instead, which proved to be an epic format to enjoy the book in.  Coming in with a runtime of 12 and a half hours, this was a moderately long audiobook, but it was one I managed to power through in less than a week due to how caught up I got in the story.  I found that the audiobook format really helped me to enjoy the complex narrative that de Castell came up with, and having it read out helped me to appreciate the depictions of the dark abbey and the elaborate mystery that much more.  It helped that Crucible of Chaos was narrated by one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Joe Jameson, whose work I enjoyed so much in the Legacy of the Mercenary Kings audiobooks (The Kingdom of Liars, The Two-Faced Queen and The Voyage of the Forgotten).  Jameson has a great voice for fantasy fiction, and I loved how he brings the elaborate story of Crucible of Chaos to life with his recitation.  The narrator had some great voices for the various characters, and while a few are similar to those he used in other audiobooks his other works, they all expertly fit the character they were assigned to perfectly.  I particularly enjoyed the distinctive and overly accented voice that Jameson gave to the main character, Estevar Borros, which perfectly fit his foreign origins, as well as his personality and physical attributes.  This booming, cheerful, yet penetrating voice, really captured the protagonist, and I could always envision this amazing character whenever Jameson spoke.  This, and other great voices, really helped to turn the Crucible of Chaos audiobook into something really special, and I cannot recommend this format enough to someone interested in this book.

Overall, Crucible of Chaos proved to be a remarkable and highly impressive novel from Sebastien de Castell that I had such an outstanding time reading.  Combining a unique story with great characters and compelling elements from the Greatcoats universe, Crucible of Chaos was a truly epic novel that I could not get enough off.  I look forward to seeing what other intriguing adventures occur in the rest of the Court of Shadows books, and this is swiftly becoming one of my favourite ongoing fantasy series.

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White Ash Ridge by S. R. White

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery8 Comments

White Ash Ridge Cover

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 12 March 2024)

Series: Detective Dana Russo – Book Four

Length: 343 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of Australian’s most distinctive new crime fiction authors returns with a complex murder mystery the blends compelling characters with unique methods, White Ash Ridge by S. R. White.

Over the last few years, I have really been enjoying the works of new author S. R. White.  White, a former UK Police officer who emigrated to Australia, has been producing some amazing pieces of Australian outback crime fiction.  His work has so far been part of his Detective Dana Russo series, which follows the titular detective as she investigates complex cases out in the Australian bush.  This series has so far featured three impressive reads, Hermit, Prisoner and Red Dirt Road and these amazing books have been very fun to read, especially as White comes up with some unique crimes which require the protagonist’s more unusual methods to solve.  I have really enjoyed White’s previous books, and I jumped on his new novel, White Ash Ridge, the moment I got my hands on it.

Murder, deceit and controversy are all that are on the limited menu of the White Ash Ridge hotel, especially when tragedy strikes its guests.  An isolated and decaying hotel, hidden away in the Australian wilderness, White Ash Ridge has been booked out by the inner circle of a high-profile charity organisation for urgent discussions about its future.  As the relentless heat raises tensions, the body of one of the charity’s founders is found dead on the track outside, his death caused by a blow to the head.

Called to the scene, Detective Dana Russo anticipates another complex murder case.  With no one else spotted in the area and tensions running high amongst the charity’s founders, it seems likely that one of the four remaining guests at the White Ash Ridge is the murderer.  However, as she begins to investigate, Dana is unprepared for the chaos that is about to descend upon her small command.  The charity the victim work for was founded by two parents whose son was killed after intervening in a violent assault.  The subsequent failed police investigation sparked public outrage and launched the boy’s mother into Australia’s political orbit.

Now thrust into the centre of a controversial family familiar with the police, Dana must quickly solve the case before events get out of hand.  With a lack of physical evidence, Dana and her small team are forced to pull the truth from the four suspects to determine their history with the victim and why anyone would want to kill him.  However, they only have limited time before the overwhelming public interest forces her to let the suspects go, likely at the cost of her career and reputation.  Can Dana convince her suspects, none of whom have any love of the police, to cooperate before it’s too late, or will the killer walk free thanks to the will of the people?

S. R. White delivers another complex, impressive, and highly distinctive piece of Australian crime fiction with White Ash Ridge. Blending White’s unique murder mystery style with great characters and a compelling situation, White Ash Ridge was an amazing read that I could not get enough of.

I have always really enjoyed White’s take on the Australian murder mystery, as his focus is always on finding out all the details of the victims and the suspects to solve the case, often through the medium of interrogation.  This was once again the case in White Ash Ridge, as the protagonists, under pressure to solve the case quickly, need to find out which of the four suspects committed the crime.  As such, the story develops in a very interesting way, as the detectives both investigate in the traditional way, including finding witnesses and evidence, while also diving into the lives of everyone involved in the case.  Much of this revolves around the eight main interviews of the investigation as the protagonists talk to each of the suspects twice to gain the relevant insights into themselves and the murder victim.  White, through his main protagonist, Detective Dana Russo, has a very person-centric take on the interrogation progress, and the resulting character-driven focuses become a key part of the plot.

This proves to be a very clever way to set out this excellent mystery and subsequent investigation, and thanks to White’s expert writing ability White Ash Ridge ended up being an extremely clever and captivating book.  The focus around the charity and its anti-police sentiments added some great intrigue to the narrative, and I liked the ticking clock aspect of the plot it brought in.  All eight of the main interviews were very intense and compelling in their own ways, and you soon get a great idea of the various people drawn into the case.  White combines this expertly with the personal dramas of the protagonists, including some ongoing storylines from the prior books, although the overarching threat of Dana’s new supervisor is getting a little stale at this point.  At the same time, the reader gets the full blast of the Australian wilderness from the unnamed part of the country that White sets his novels in, which adds a lot of character to the story in its iconic and beautiful ways.  The central mystery of White Ash Ridge comes together extremely well, and the eventual solution is smart, intriguing, and very well set up.  The entire story comes together in a powerful way, and I loved this unique mystery which was another strong story from White.

As with all of White’s books in the series, White Ash Ridge is a hugely character-driven read, not only because of the compelling and damaged protagonists, but because his style of writing relies on diving into the lives of the various suspects and victims of the case to solve the crime.  This all results in some exceptional character development and focuses, and I loved how complex and powerful the various stories that emerged were.  Most of the protagonists focused development occurred around returning main character Detective Dana Russo, who serves as the solid and empathetic centre of the investigation.  Dana once again showcases her unique investigation style that focuses on character interactions, history and mindsets to solve the case, which proves to be quite effective at diving into the minds of her targets.  This time Dana is backed up by new detective, Mila Jelovic, who serves as a great support for the main character.  While the development around Dana is a little light in White Ash Ridge, you do get an intriguing and powerful examination of Mila, whose previous undercover work has cost her severely in more than one way.

Aside from the police characters, the reader also gets an intense look at five specific figures who become the focus on the investigation, with the murder victim and the subsequent four suspects.  All five of these people are members of a high-profile charity formed in the aftermath of a botched police investigation, with goals of stopping teen violence and keeping the police accountable.  Due to the way the mystery is set out, there is a lot of focus on these characters and the events that brought them together, which provides the reader with an intriguing backstory to get familiar with.  All five of these characters are interesting and complex in their own way, with various interactions, lies, manipulations and plans bringing them all together.  Probably the most interesting of these is the charity’s figurehead, Keena Flynn, a major public figure following the death of her child.  Due to her previous interactions with the police and politicians, Keena proves to be a tough nut to crack, and her pain, anger and distrust become a major obstacle to overcome.  White does a wonderful job exploring these five characters, and indeed you often get more about them than the police protagonists.  There is such a dark and compelling web of relationships surrounding these characters, and the subsequent reasons for why one of them was killed and by who was pretty impressive and helped to produce an incredible mystery.

S. R. White continues to flourish with another awesome entry in his compelling murder mystery series that is setting him up as one of Australia’s most distinctive crime fiction authors. Expertly combining his ability for complex murder scenarios and character-focused investigation methods to produce an outstanding story, White did an amazing job with White Ash Ridge, and I had an incredible time reading it. One of the cleverest mysteries of 2024 so far, this book comes highly recommended.

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Quick Review – Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Body of Lies Cover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia (Trade Paperback – 27 February 2024)

Series: Gemma Woodstock – Book Four

Length: 470 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

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One of Australia’s best authors of crime fiction brings to life another complex and intense murder mystery with Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey.

Plot Synopsis:

A car crash victim clings to life and is rushed to hospital but can’t be saved. Hours later, her corpse is stolen from the morgue. No one knows who the dead woman was or why her body was taken.

Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is back in her hometown of Smithson on maternity leave when the bizarre incident occurs. She is intrigued by the case but reluctant to get involved, despite the urging of her journalist friend Candy Fyfe. But in the days after the body goes missing, the town is rocked by another shocking crime and Gemma can’t resist joining the investigation.

Candy and Gemma follow the clues the dead woman left behind. As they attempt to discover the identity of the missing woman, Gemma uncovers devastating secrets about the people she thought she knew best. The closer Gemma gets to the truth, the more danger she is in. She desperately needs to confide in someone—but is there anyone she can trust?

This was another interesting and compelling read from Bailey, who really impressed me back in 2021 with her standalone novel, The Housemate, which ended up being one of my favourite books and Australian novels of that year.  Body of Lies is another outstanding book from Bailey, which serves as the fourth entry in her Gemma Woodstock series and provides the reader with an amazing and dramatic mystery.

I had a lot of fun getting through Body of Lies as Bailey comes up with an elaborate story that really draws you in.  Whilst it is part of a larger series, Body of Lies is easily read as a standalone novel, with Bailey doing a good job of reintroducing key elements from the previous novels where necessary.  Thanks to this, Body of Lies has a quick start which reconnects readers with the protagonist while also providing key information about the initial death, as well as the unusual circumstances surrounding the missing body.  Despite still being on maternity leave, protagonist and main point-of-view character Gemma Woodstock begins investigating, and soon finds herself drawn into a series of additional crimes in the Smithson area that may or may not be related to the stolen body.

This resolves into quite an awesome story, as you really get drawn into Body of Lies’s intense and intricate mystery.  Bailey keeps making the case even more complex thanks to additional deaths and other unusual events, and the constant raising of stakes ensures the reader’s attention stays on the story.  At the same time, the protagonist’s personal life also takes centre stage in the plot as Gemma deals with a new baby, a traumatised older child, a lying family, a pushy friend, and multiple work conflicts as she attempts to reintegrate back into her own job.

While I got really invested in the story, I think that the final third of Body of Lies got a little off the rails.  Not only are there a huge number of emotional and family dramas surrounding the protagonist, many of which seem a little unnecessary, but there proves to be a huge number of personal connections to the case that drive the protagonist on.  While I liked the increased motivations for the protagonist, these connections seemed way too coincidental, and honestly it stole a lot of realism from the plot.  I also did get a little tired of the many personal dramas that seemed to surround the protagonist.  While I realise that Bailey was trying to showcase the complex life of her protagonist, much of which is driven by the tragic events of the prior books, as well as the side effects of single-minded determination to finding the truth, it honestly got a bit frustrating to follow her at times.  Still, Gemma’s struggles out of her own obsessed mind added some excellent drama and substance to the narrative and Bailey certainly kept her story arc interesting.

The solution to the big mystery turns out to be pretty darn bonkers, and I guarantee most people won’t see the full extent of it coming.  While Bailey did do a good job of setting this reveal up and laying down some hints, it ended up being a very surprising and over-the-top solution that might not work for everyone.  Still, readers are left with an excellent final confrontation and the mystery ends up wrapping up in a satisfying and intriguing way.  There is also a really good twist around a hidden antagonist, which is guaranteed to shock readers and keep them on their toes.  As such, this was a pretty awesome story, and I had a wonderful time getting through it.

In the end, Body of Lies proved to be an outstanding and highly exciting novel that drew me in with its elaborate mystery.  While I didn’t love everything about Sarah Bailey’s new narrative, Body of Lies was still an amazing piece of Australian crime fiction, and well worth a read for anyone looking for a complex and impressive mystery with compelling character elements behind it.

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Quick Review – Glenrock by Lee Christine

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Quick Review1 Comment

Glenrock Cover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia (Trade Paperback – 30 January 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 320 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Bestselling Australian author Lee Christine brings together a compelling and intriguing crime fiction read with the excellent Glenrock; a fantastic mystery set around the Australian city of Newcastle.

Plot Synopsis:

A murdered judge. Two missing lawyers. A thrilling tale of mystery and suspense from the bestselling author of Charlotte Pass and Dead Horse Gap.

When Justice Maurice Tempest is murdered in the Glenrock State Conservation Area in Newcastle, local detective Senior Sergeant Callan O’Connor is the first on the scene. News of a second body, found in the same location days later, makes what had looked like a revenge killing into so much more.

Angela Avery, formerly a political journalist, is spending a lot of time at the Hunter Valley Prison interviewing a soon-to-be-released forger, Benjamin Reid. When O’Connor’s investigation reveals an interest in Ben, Angela is determined to protect both her source and her fledgling relationship with O’Connor.

Meanwhile, two young, female lawyers have disappeared after making a devastating discovery in an upcoming case. Can O’Connor unravel the connections before the body count rises further? And how much does Angela Avery really know?’…


Glenrock was a great and fast-paced crime fiction novel that I had the great pleasure of reading earlier in the year.  Christine came up with a fantastic story that really drew you in thanks to its multilayered mystery, compelling characters and high stakes.

The main mystery of Glenrock is set around the murder of a prominent judge in the Glenrock National Park area, which sets off an elaborate investigation primarily seen through the eyes of Senior Sergeant Callan O’Connor.  O’Connor is a great central protagonist, and I enjoyed his intriguing insights into the case, especially as it pairs well with his complex family life and adversarial past with the Sydney homicide detective who arrives to take over the case.  While the murder of a judge would be an interesting focus for the book by itself, especially when the apparent murderer is found in the most unlikely of scenarios, Christine raises the stakes by introducing two parallel storylines that combine into one heck of a novel.

The first of these storylines revolves around Angela Avery, a journalist for the local paper who finds herself drawn into the larger murder story thanks to the human-interest story she was writing.  Thanks to her relationship with Callan, which provides a good romantic subplot for the story, Angela gets more involved with the case, especially as her investigation reveals connections to two young lawyers who disappeared the day of the murder.  These two lawyers, who went on the run to save themselves, provide the third overlapping storyline, and it was fascinating to see their attempts to flee, especially as they provide some compelling context to the main mystery.

All three storylines prove to be very entertaining on their own, but their real strength is the way that they wrap together and form a complex, overarching narrative.  Christine ensures that all three character-focused storylines stand on their own before bringing the various characters together in a sensible and compelling way.  I really enjoyed seeing the various story arcs come together, and Christine enhances this with several moving dives into the complex characters.  The focus on O’Connor’s family life is a prominent one, although I was particularly drawn to the character of Angely Avery, the plucky reporter who drives much of the plot’s investigative angle.  Christine draws together a complex and harrowing past for Avery, as her previous reporting experiences resulted in great pain, and I would be very interested to see Christine revisit these characters in the future.  The entire story, including the clever mystery, comes together extremely well, and Christine ensures there are some intriguing twists and reveals that keep you hanging in to the very end.  Throw in some excellent depictions of Sydney and the picturesque area surrounding Newcastle, including Glenrock, and this proves to be quite an impressive read.

Overall, Glenrock was an excellent piece of Australian crime fiction by Lee Christine that I had a wonderful time reading.  The combination of a compelling story, fantastic characters and an intriguing mystery is hard to resist, and readers will come away from Glenrock very satisfied.  An amazing and exciting read from a talented Australian author.

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The Gathering by C. J. Tudor

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Horror, Murder Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller7 Comments

The Gathering Cover

Publisher: Michael Joseph (ebook – 16 April 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 412 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Acclaimed author C. J. Tudor continues her excellent run of clever and dark thrillers with the intense, inventive, and gripping horror murder mystery, The Gathering.

C. J. Tudor is a talented and highly inventive author who has been producing some intriguing reads over the last couple of years. Starting with her 2018 debut, The Chalk Man, Tudor has consistently produced some compelling books with clever horror or psychological thriller elements. Her other books include The Hiding Place (also titled The Taking of Annie Thorne), The Other People, The Burning Girls and The Drift.  While Tudor’s intriguing novels have often stood out to me, generally because their unique plots, I unfortunately haven’t had the opportunity to read any of her prior works, which is something I really regret.  However, this has recently changed as I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Tudor’s latest book, The Gathering, an intriguing murder mystery thriller with some distinctive element behind it.

Welcome to the small town of Deadhart, Alaska, home to a small population of living humans and a colony of vampyrs.  Maligned and hunted beings throughout the world, vampyrs in America now have legal protection from unsanctioned killings, as long as they don’t harm any humans.  While members of the Colony attempt to stay away from humans, old hatreds, prejudices and grudges rear their ugly head when a young teenager is found murdered with his throat ripped out and his body drained of blood.

Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings and physiology, is sent to Deadhart to determine if a vampyr committed the murder and authorise a cull if the Colony is unwilling to hand over the perpetrator.  Arriving in the small town, Barbara finds the local inhabitants afraid and angry, looking for vengeance for the death of the boy and determined to wipe out the vampyrs for good, especially as this case bears a striking similarity to a previous killing blamed on the Colony 25 years ago.

Beginning her investigation, Barbara soon discovers that there is far more to the case then initially appears.  Much of the evidence has been staged, and no one is willing to tell her the truth about what has really going on in town.  When more deaths occurring throughout Deadhart and the town in uproar, Barbara deputises former Deadhart sheriff Jenson Tucker, whose investigation into the previous killings nearly left him for dead.

As Barbara and Jenson attempt to discover the culprit, it soon becomes clear that someone is attempting to stir up a conflict between the people of Deadhart and their vampyr neighbours.  With both settlements on the warpath, Barbara and Jenson need to dive into Deadhart’s dark history to truly understand the crime before them.  But is the killer a bloodthirsty vampyr, a psychotic human with a taste for chaos, or something far worse?

Tudor absolutely blew me away with this exceptional and highly clever read.  The Gathering was a brilliant book that expertly combined an inventive and well-established concept with a complex murder mystery.  Loaded with intriguing and damaged characters and a dark story of death, revenge and oppression, The Gathering was an extremely awesome book that I could not turn away from.

Thanks to its vampyr focused murder mystery, I knew I was going to really enjoy the plot behind The Gathering well in advance of reading it, and boy was I proven right.  Tudor does a wonderful job quickly and effectively setting the scene, and you are soon introduced to the town of Deadhart, the concept of vampyrs and the particulars of the murder.  What follows is a complex case as protagonist Barbara Atkins is forced to investigate as an outsider, as most of the town is filled with anti-vampyr sentiment.  Further complications are added when Atkins finds a range of dark secrets hidden throughout Deadhart, both in the present and in the past, which have bearing on the modern case.  At the same time, the various residents of Deadhart and the Colony react in different ways to the murder, using it to restart old grudges or bring long-festering hurts to the surface.

The Gathering’s narrative progresses at a fast and compelling pace, and you are soon treated to revelation after revelation, as well as several additional killings.  I loved the combination of a modern-day investigation and dives back into various periods of Deadhart’s history that emerged, especially as clues in the past have huge bearings on the modern story.  Tudor cleverly builds up several simultaneous mysteries and ongoing storylines, and soon the protagonist is not only trying to discover who the killer is but prevent a war between Deadhart and the Colony.  Everything leads up nicely to a pretty epic conclusion, which was well foreshadowed, with some pretty awesome revelations coming to the fore.  I loved how well several compelling character arcs came full circle during this confrontation, and the main antagonist of the plot proved to be quite sinister and well established.  Several other tertiary mysteries are also solved near the end, and Tudor ensures that many storylines are tied off in a satisfying and clever way.  There are some awesome twists at the end, including one surrounding one of the book’s most compelling characters, and this last twist in particular is likely to lead to additional books in the series.  I honestly was the hooked the entire way through this amazing story, and I really appreciate how Tudor brought it together.

I’m a huge sucker for classic for thrillers with distinctive twists to them, and The Gathering was a great example of this.  Tudor managed to pull together a complex murder mystery that not only features an isolated Alaskan town with a dark history and multiple complex and haunted characters, but also contains an elaborate vampiric society and history.  All these elements are used extremely well throughout The Gathering, and I was extremely impressed with how Tudor was able to tie everything so effectively together.  Tudor makes sure to tell multiple character-focused storylines at the same time, which allows for a more multifaceted plot that goes in some very interesting direction.  The split focus on several captivating and distinctive figures works wonders to enhance this, and Tudor uses this to showcase the rising tension in the town, and the various perspectives surrounding it.  There are some great plot lines here, and the way that they interacted and came together was very impressive.  I was particularly impressed by the chapters that kept coming back to an unnamed figure being held prisoner by a mysterious captor.  This storyline was weaved throughout the novel, and I was constantly left guessing about who the figures were and how it would work into the main story.  The reveal surrounding it was not what I was expecting, but I loved how well it set up a major twist at the end.  Other character-focused storylines also proved to be just as compelling, and the way everything came together was very impressive.  I honestly knocked out this book in just over a day, it was that damn good, and I cannot emphasise how cleverly Tudor brought everything together.

One aspect of this book that I really must highlight is just how great a setting Deadhart proved to be as it enhances the plot of The Gathering in so many excellent ways.  The well-written depictions of the frigid Alaskan wilderness and secluding storms allows Tudor to bring together a classic thriller background of an isolated, snowed-in town, where the protagonist is unable to get backup and is forced to rely on unlikely help from the local outsider.  While this always makes for a great story background, Tudor enhances it by building up a dark history around Deadhart and the Colony, that plays so well into the modern storyline.  This unique history of the town was expertly explored by Tudor, and it worked to produce a much more complicated mystery, one dotted with historical grudges and family feuds.  I particularly loved how effectively Tudor explored the growing terror infesting Deadhart as the killings continue, as both the humans and the isolated vampyrs begin to fear what is to come.  This undercurrent of fear and the resulting rage it leads to is almost palpable at times, and you can fully understand how and why the various characters act the way they do.

Another element of The Gathering that really impressed me was how well Tudor set up an alternate world where vampyrs exist.  The whole concept of the vampyrs as biological offshoots with several classic vampiric traits, including blood drinking and an aversion to sunlight, is quickly and effectively established by Tudor, who does a wonderful job of immediately bringing readers into this world.  As the book continues, the reader gets a more in-depth look at the vampyrs, their biology, their psychology, and their history, especially when it comes to their interactions with humans.  This examination of the interaction with humans is particularly key, as Tudor explores the prejudices that emerged, as humans learned to hate the entire species.  Featuring some fantastic parallels between other social rights issues, the relationship between the two species is explored in detail, and then applied to isolated Deadhart.  Watching the prejudices of the town come to light again was a great part of the book, especially as it is well contrasted by looks at the vampyr community.  As the story continues, you soon realise that there are monsters on both sides of the biological line, and figuring out who is crossing this line is a major part of the plot.  Defining vampyrs in both a scientific and social way proved to be very interesting, and I liked the attempts at humanising the figures and making them less of a horror monster.  That being said, there are some dark and scary scenes in The Gathering, especially when the vampyrs get angry.  Overall, the use of vampyrs is in The Gathering was very cleverly, and Tudor really highlighted her writing ability by setting this up so effectively.

The final element of the book I want to highlight is the amazing group of complex and damaged characters featured throughout The Gathering.  Tudor clearly has an aptitude for bringing together a compelling cast, as the reader is treated to a range of different figures, each of whom have their own compelling histories and dark pasts mottled by the troubled relationships between humans and vampyrs.  The most prominent of these is the visiting detective, Barbara Atkins, who is forced to battle mystery, local hatred, and her own unique feelings about vampyrs as she determines whether a cull is required.  Showcased as the calm and reasonable inclusion to the investigation, Barbara finds herself severely tested by the town’s prejudices and mistrust, while trying to find the truth no matter what.  Much of Barbara’s actions are guided by rationality, although there is an intriguing look back into her past, as her own experiences with small towns with vampyr colonies plays a big role in her motivations.  As such, she is an excellent central protagonist, and I loved how well she played the outsider figure coming into town.

In addition to Barbara, The Gathering also features a complex group of locals, each of whom have their own connection to Deadhart’s dark history and the hostile relationship between the town and the Colony.  Standouts include former sheriff Jenson Tucker, whose previous investigation of a vampyr death left him as the town pariah.  Tucker goes through a powerful redemption arc in The Gathering, and he proved to be an able secondary protagonist as he comes to terms with his many secrets.  Other great characters include an ancient vampyr, trapped in the form of a child, whose connection to the dark side of Deadhart becomes a driving force for their revenge.  There is also a mysterious local preacher determined to bring violence to the vampyrs, and who proves to be an intriguing counterpoint to the main protagonist Barbara.  Finally, the various members of an original Deadhart family with a long simmering hatred for all thing vampyr, adds a great amount of drama to the plot, not only because of their connections to the previous killing in town but because their well-established fear of vampyrs leads to much of The Gathering’s conflict.  These characters, and more, are very well written, and their dark attitudes, fearful actions and unique viewpoints add a great deal to this already impressive and emotionally charged novel.

C. J. Tudor deeply impressed me as The Gathering turned out to be one hell of a read. Expertly utilising her inventive and clever alternate world in conjunction with a captivating mystery, Tudor wrote a particularly epic tale in The Gathering, and I had such a lot of fun getting through it. An intense and powerful read, The Gathering is one of the best books I have read so far in 2024 and I cannot recommend it enough.

The Gathering Cover 2

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Waiting on Wednesday – The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an excellent upcoming piece of Australian crime fiction with The Wrong Man by Tim Ayliffe.

The Wrong Man Cover

As regular readers of this blog will know, I consume a lot of Australian fiction each year, mainly because of my geographic location and the focuses of my local publishers.  A large portion of this Australian fiction tends to be crime fiction, with my fellow Australians coming up with an amazing range of thrillers, murder mysteries and other crime-focused reads.  Some of the best of these make full use of the Australian setting to tell their compelling stories, and I have become a huge fan of Australian crime fiction as a result.  One of my favourite authors coming up with awesome Australian crime fiction is journalist turned author Tim Ayliffe, who has had some great success with his John Bailey books.

The John Bailey novels are an excellent series that follows the titular character, an alcoholic and damaged journalist, as he finds himself involved in a series of dangerous situations related to his investigative stories.  Not only do these novels feature captivating thriller storylines and compelling mysteries, but Ayliffe often laces them with intriguing insights into Australian society, featuring plot points that have parallels to real life headlines, social issues or controversies.  These include examining foreign interference in Australian politics, terrorism, the growth of right-wing extremism, and the impact of international spies in Australia.  As such, I have had a wonderful and thoughtful time with each of the John Bailey novels, and they are often some of the top pieces of Australian fiction I read each year.  This includes The Greater Good, State of Fear, The Enemy Within (one of my favourite Australian books of 2021), and Killer Traitor Spy (one of my favourite Australian books of 2023).

Due to how much I have enjoyed Tim Ayliffe’s work in the past I was excited when he recently announced he had a new novel coming out in 2024.  That book is The Wrong Man which is currently set for release in early July.  The fifth entry in the John Bailey series, The Wrong Man has an amazing plot behind it that I am really excited for.

Plot Synopsis:

The fifth novel in the John Bailey thriller series. Bailey is trying to solve two murders, ten years apart – unfinished business from his former flame Sharon Dexter. But will it cost him his life?

Detective Holly Sutton has been seconded to work with the New South Wales Homicide Squad to investigate the murder of Sydney socialite, Tottie Evans, who was found dead at the Palm Beach home of a millionaire property developer.

Alec Blacksmith isn’t like other real estate guys. He’s a former mercenary soldier who shot to fame after appearing on a reality TV show. Blacksmith is refusing to cooperate with police because he has his own secrets.

John Bailey is an old school reporter with a nose for a story.

He gets a call from the police about a break-in at the house he inherited from his former girlfriend, Sharon Dexter – a cop murdered in the line of duty.

Whoever crowbarred the lock was looking for Dexter’s case file about the murder of a waitress named Sally King at an exclusive Sydney gentlemen’s club a decade earlier. After examining the file, Bailey discovers something that will blow up the Homicide Squad’s investigation into Tottie Evans’s death – a link to the murder of King.

The only problem is that a serial killer is already serving a life sentence for the crime.

Catching killers is Holly Sutton’s job. But for John Bailey, solving the case offers him a chance to finish a job for the woman who saved his life.

I really like the sound of this latest John Bailey novel as it a lot of interesting elements to it.  A pure murder mystery focused book will make The Wrong Man stand out a little bit from the previous entries in the series, and I like the scenario that Ayliffe introducing here.  Controversial figures, linked murders, and a potentially falsely imprisoned serial killer has some real potential for a narrative, and I cannot wait to see how it unwinds.  The inclusion of a controversial soldier as a prominent figure was also interesting to me, and it made me wonder if Ayliffe is going to allude to a high-profile legal case that recently played out in the Australian media.  I am also interested in the character of Detective Holly Sutton, and I am looking forward to seeing how she plays off the older John Bailey.  Bailey, a damaged figure who has slowly been pulling his life together throughout the series, will also be a great inclusion, and I am curious to see how his character continues to evolve, especially after the additional health issues that were raised in the previous book (those darn Russian sonic weapons).

Based on my previous positive experiences with Tim Ayliffe’s work, I am very keen to get my hands on the new John Bailey book when it comes out in a few months’ time.  The Wrong Man has a very exciting and compelling story behind it, and I am keen to find out how it all comes together.  I have no doubt that The Wrong Man will probably end up being one of the top Australian novels of 2024 and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Waiting on Wednesday – The Waiting by Michael Connelly

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday10 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I check out one of my most anticipated crime fiction reads of 2024 with The Waiting by Michael Connelly.

The Waiting Cover

Amazon

Over the last few years, I have become a pretty major fan of acclaimed crime fiction author Michael Connelly, whose books usually end up being amongst my favourite reads each year.  Known for his ability to create iconic characters and elaborate narratives across the crime fiction subgenres, Connelly dominated the genre for decades, for a very good reason.  I have had a wonderful time with some of his most recent books including, the Jack McEvoy novel Fair Warning (one of my favourite books of 2020) and the Mickey Haller books, The Law of Innocence and Resurrection Walk (one of my favourite books of 2023).  However, some of his best recent work has been centred around his key female protagonist, Renée Ballard.

A tough, intelligent detective in the LAPD introduced in the 2017 novel, The Late Show, Ballard has been featured in several books which combine intriguing cases with a powerful focus on the protagonist’s battles with sexism and opposition from the LAPD top brass.  Her more recent novels have seen Ballard team up with Connelly’s iconic protagonist, Harry Bosch, and the two prove to be an intriguing pair, especially in excellent books like Dark Sacred Night, The Night Fire (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), The Dark Hours (one of my favourite books of 2021) and Desert Star (one of my favourite books of 2022).  Each of these Ballard focused novels have been pretty exceptional, and I have been excited to see what was next for this compelling protagonist in the future.  Luckily, we will be getting another addition to this series in November 2024 when Connelly releases his new book, The Waiting.

Set to primarily follow Ballard as she continues her work in the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit, The Waiting has an intriguing plot behind it as the protagonist investigates several compelling cases.  It also features a double hit of Bosch, as Conelly features both Harry and his daughter Maddie in this cool book.  I’m actually really looking forward to seeing Maddie Bosch as the focus of one of Conelly’s novels, especially considering how she is featured in the Bosch: Legacy television series.

All three cases highlighted below in the plot synopsis sound very exciting, and I look forward to getting an elaborate cold case investigation, which should make for some great reading when combined with the present-day issues.  Throw in the unique partnership between Ballard and Harry Bosch, as well as the mentor role Ballard will form with Maddie, and this should be a pretty powerful and character-focused book.  I have no doubt that I am going to absolutely love The Waiting when it comes out, and this will probably be one of my favourite novels of the year.  An exceptional sounding upcoming book from one of the very best crime fiction authors!

Plot Synopsis:

LAPD Detective Renée Ballard tracks a terrifying serial rapist whose trail has gone cold, with the help of the newest volunteer to the Open-Unsolved Unit: Patrol Officer Maddie Bosch, Harry’s daughter.

Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet twenty years ago. The arrested man is only twenty-three, so the genetic link must be familial. It is his father who was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the city of angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles.

Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun, and ID are stolen—a theft she can’t report without giving her enemies in the department the ammunition they need to end her career as a detective. She works the burglary alone, but her solo mission leads her into greater danger than she anticipates. She has no choice but to go outside the department for help, and that leads her to the door of Harry Bosch.

Finally, Ballard takes on a new volunteer to the cold case unit. Bosch’s daughter Maddie wants to supplement her work as a patrol officer on the night beat by investigating cases with Ballard. But Renée soon learns that Maddie has an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost souls.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackon Bennett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery17 Comments

The Tainted Cup Cover

Publisher: Hodderscape (Trade Paperback – 13 February 2024)

Series: Shadow of the Leviathan – Book One

Length: 420 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Acclaimed fantasy author Robert Jackson Bennett kicks off a brilliant new series with the captivating and impressive novel, The Tainted Cup, which sees two unique investigators dive into an enthralling magical murder.

Robert Jackon Bennett is an outstanding author who has been writing since 2010 with his debut novel, Mr. Shivers.  Best known for his iconic The Divine Cities trilogy, as well as the intricate The Founders trilogy (of which I read Foundryside), Bennett has been on a real roll of late, and I have been meaning to read more of his works.  I finally got the chance when I recently received a copy of his latest novel, The Tainted Cup, an intriguing combination of the crime fiction and fantasy genres.  I instantly fell in love with The Tainted Cup’s awesome sounding plot and The Tainted Cup ended up being one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 for very good reason.

In an opulent mansion in the backwater province of Daretana, an unusual case emerges when an important Imperial officer is apparently killed when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body.  Even in the unpredictable Empire of Khanum, which is constantly besieged by Leviathans, giant beings from the ocean whose blood and bodies can mutate the land and create unique contagions, this is a shocking death.

The job of discovering what caused this unusual death falls to Ana Dolabra, an Imperial investigator known both for her staggering intellect and her many oddities.  Able to make connections no-one else can, Ana begins her unique investigation, using her new assistant, Dinios Kol, as her proxy.  Din, an engraver magically altered to possess a perfect memory, acts as his boss’s eyes on the case, and begins to gather all the raw information Ana needs to uncover the full mystery.  The conclusion she makes about the case: murder!

Determining the case to be an unusual and deadly form of magical poisoning, Ana and Din manage to find one of the culprit’s accomplices.  But it quickly becomes apparent that this is only the beginning of their investigation when several engineers responsible for maintaining the great outer walls of the Empire against the Leviathan threat are killed in a similar manner in the next canton.  Determined to discover who is responsible for both the murders and the resulting Leviathan attacks, Ana and Din journey to the wall to find out more.  What they discover is an elaborate conspiracy, one that threatens the entire Empire and could result in the death of everyone to the Leviathans.

The Tainted Cup ended up being an incredible read from Bennett who masterfully blended a complex mystery with unique fantasy elements and amazing characters to tell a gripping and powerful story.  I had such a great time with this book and honestly couldn’t put it down until I worked out every secret and twist that Bennett loaded into this outstanding five-star read.

Bennett comes up with an excellent premise for The Tainted Cup that is essentially a twisty Sherlock Holmes tale of intrigue and conspiracy, set in a cool new fantasy realm besieged by giant monsters.  Told from the perspective of main character Dinios Kol, who works as the eyes of his peculiar master, Ana Dolabra, the eccentric criminal investigator, Bennett quickly and effectively introduces the mystery of a man killed when a tree explodes out of him.  I’ve read a lot of amazing mystery novels over the years, and frankly this must be one of the more unique murder tools I’ve seen, and Bennett uses it to full effect to tell such a great story.  The initial investigation proves to be quite impressive, as Ana manages to quickly solve the murder using the observations provided by Dinios, finding the catspaw responsible for this first crime in a fantastic scene that really highlights to the author what a great investigator this protagonist truly is.

However, this is only the start of the case, as several similar deaths occur in the next town over, killing multiple engineers and damaging the massive walls that protect the Empire.  The resulting chaos results in Dinios and Ana travelling to the nearby garrison town where the engineers were billeted to try and work out who is responsible and why.  The situation swiftly degenerates as the protagonists uncover additional murders, corruption, secrets and lies, as everyone tries to hide who is responsible for the killings.  What results is an elaborate and addictive investigation as Ana sends Dinios on a series of investigative missions to get closer to the truth and uncover the conspiracies infecting the Empire, while the threat of an approaching Leviathan literally looms on the horizon.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire way through the second half of the book, as I desperately waited to see who was responsible and why.  While I saw a couple of the big twists coming, the full picture that emerged was extremely impressive, and I honestly loved every clever reveal and surprise that Bennett loaded into the story.  Not only are the main mystery and the underlying conspiracies behind it solved perfectly, but Bennett sets up the entire trilogy to be something truly special.  I cannot wait to see how this series continues in the future, and I already know it is going to be amazing.

I really loved how Bennett set out The Tainted Cup, especially as his great blend of storytelling elements and genres helped to turn it into a particularly fun and captivating read.  The elaborate and intriguing mystery blended well with the other unique elements of the book, and Bennett did an outstanding job of keeping the pace of The Tainted Cup fast and exciting, layering the story with reveals and hints to keep the reader firmly attached.  There were so many times that I needed to stop reading but just couldn’t as I wanted to see what was going to happen next.  While this book is mostly a little dark and emotionally charged, Bennett also layers the plot with a good amount of humour, mostly tied into the main investigator, which I think really turned The Tainted Cup into something special.  This humour tied in nicely with both the more serious mystery and fantasy elements and helped to cut down the tension in an effective and targeted way.  Throw in some fantastically elaborate action sequences, unique fantasy battles, and vivid descriptions of the world through the eyes of a complex protagonist, and you will come away with a great appreciation for Bennett’s fantastic writing style.

One of the more memorable features of The Tainted Cup was the awesome new fantasy realm that Bennet imagined for the plot, as well as the intriguing and unique magic that infested it.  The plot of the book is completely set within the Empire of Khanum, a walled-off nation completely dedicated to protecting itself from the Leviathan, gigantic, mutated creatures from the seas that are constantly trying to make landfall and destroy everything within.  I also loved how the magical elements of The Tainted Cup revolve around the manipulation of strange plants and biological grafts that enhance the physical and mental abilities of the humans.  A lot of these plant elements are tied into the Leviathan, and it was fascinating to see the impacts it has both on the land and on the people within it.  This is a pretty awesome background for this already fantastic plot, and it reminded me pretty strongly of Attack on Titan or Pacific Rim.  Bennett does an outstanding job working the plot of The Tainted Cup around this cool background, and it was fascinating to try and work out how the protection of the wall and the threats of the Leviathan and other magical concerns plays into the main plot.  There are some unique conspiracies produced as a result, as well as a some very distinctive killers and suspects, and I was really impressed with how Bennett came up with all these new elements and ensured that become so intrinsic to the plot.  The author also makes sure to hint at some future secrets throughout The Tainted Cup, such as the true nature of the Leviathan, which I have no doubt will be revealed in future novels in a big way.

Another awesome element I really need to highlight about The Tainted Cup was the two main protagonists, Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra.  These two honestly make this entire book, with Dinios serving as the harried subordinate while Ana is the brilliant, if slightly unhinged and blunt, investigative savant.  Bennett expertly captures the classic detective/sidekick dynamic that was made so famous with Sherlock Holmes and Watson, with Dinios serving the Watson role as point of view character and the sounding board for Ana’s observations and solutions to the various murders encountered.  Not only is this very cool in the fantasy context, but Bennett works to make Ana even more outrageous than some of the more recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations, as she is an agoraphobic, disgraced, drug-addicted figure, who mostly goes around wearing a blindfold and terrifying everyone she encounters.  I loved Ana so much, and so much of the humour of the book comes from her unusual behaviour.  Despite these eccentricities, Ana is still shown to be a brilliant investigator, and I think that Bennett masterfully found the balance between genius and madwoman for this protagonist.

I really appreciated how Dinios proves to be the perfect foil for his unusual master, and it was great to see the story unfold through his eyes, especially as he proves to be a keen student and an interesting figure in his own right.  Initially shown to be a little desperate and naive, with secrets of his own, Dinios slowly becomes more confident as the book continues, and I enjoyed seeing him come into his own the more involved with the case he became.  His student/friend relationship with Ana was heartwarming at times, and he also serves as the more responsible member of the team, using rules and commonsense to stop Ana from going too far.  Dinios gets a well-written glow-up as the book continues, thanks to a revelation about his abilities, and while that potentially makes him a little overpowered as a character, I assume that Bennett has some interesting long-term storytelling involved with them that I cannot wait to see.

Thanks to the masterful combination of mystery, unique fantasy elements and amazing characters, The Tainted Cup was an outstanding read that really showcased Robert Jackson Bennett’s ability as an author.  Inventive, entertaining, and emotionally charged, The Tainted Cup is perfect for both fans of fantasy fiction and unique mysteries, and there is so much to fall in love with here.  Easily one of the best books of 2024 so far, The Tainted Cup comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see how Bennett follows this amazing read off in the future.

The Tainted Cup Cover

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Murder Mystery, Waiting on Wednesday8 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I look at one of my most anticipated reads for the second half of 2024, with the outstanding murder mystery novel, We Solve Murders by Richard Osman.

We Solve Murders Cover

Amazon

Since his debut in 2020, comedian and British television personality Richard Osman has been on an incredible roll with his crime fiction career, producing four exceptional murder mystery novels as part of his Thursday Murder Club series.  Following four complex pensioners who solve murders out of their retirement village, the Thursday Murder Club books are something very special, as they combine clever mysteries with great characters, amazing humour, and unique situations.  I have so much love for the Thursday Murder Club series and each of the books, including The Thursday Murder Club (one of my favourite books, debuts and audiobooks of 2020), The Man Who Died Twice (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), The Bullet That Missed (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and The Last Devil to Die (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), have gotten full five-star ratings from me.

Due to how exceptional Osman’s first four books are, I have been keeping a close eye out for his next novel, and it looks like we have another interesting release on the horizon.  Osman appears to be putting the Thursday Murder Club series on hold for the moment as his next novel will focus on two new characters, with We Solve Murders.  Set for release in September 2024, We Solve Murders will introduce a father/daughter crime solving duo as they take on an intense and compelling new case.

Plot Synopsis:

A brand new series. An iconic new detective duo. And a puzzling new murder to solve…

Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits and routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him when he comes home. His days of adventure are over: adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s business now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. As a private security officer, she doesn’t stay still long enough for habits or routines. She’s currently on a remote island keeping world-famous author Rosie D’Antonio alive. Which was meant to be an easy job…

Then a dead body, a bag of money, and a killer with their sights on Amy have her sending an SOS to the only person she trusts. A breakneck race around the world begins, but can Amy and Steve stay one step ahead of a lethal enemy?

There is a lot here that I am very excited for when it comes to this upcoming book.  I love that we are getting a new novel from Osman later this year and while I would have really enjoyed another Thursday Murder Club novel, it is probably good to let that series breath for a little while, especially after the emotionally charged fourth book.  As such, I am looking forward to seeing how Osman goes with a new series, and We Solve Murders certainly has a lot of potential.  Not only does it have a cool story behind it, but the two main characters also sound very intriguing.  I can’t wait to see Osman’s take on a father/daughter relationship, especially when both are detectives.  At the same time, the author maintains the generational divides and retiree protagonist that made the Thursday Murder Club books such a joy to read.  Throw in Osman’s subtle humour and ability to craft together likeable protagonists and intricate mysteries and We Solve Murders has a lot of potential.

Look, at this point I am automatically going to read anything that Osman writes, especially after how exceptional his first four novels have been.  However, I am quite intrigued about his new upcoming book, We Solve Murders, and this is easily one of the books I most looking forward to later this year.  I cannot wait to see how this new series unfolds and I have very high hopes that We Solve Murders will be just as good as the amazing Thursday Murder Club series.