DCI Peter Hatherall is called in to investigate a shooting on the Earl of Ditchburn’s country estate. The Earl’s activities have angered animal rights and environmental groups but subsequent deaths suggest Elmsgrove Racehorse Yard is the target. There is more at stake than a horse race and time is running out for Hatherall to solve the case before the culprit kills again.

Genre(s): Crime, mystery

Series: n.a.

Pages: 294 (estimated)

Teaser

They emerged from the woods into clear bright sunshine and followed the lane down into a steep valley, passing a small stone cottage before arriving outside the electric gates to Elmsgrove Farm. A uniformed police officer waved them through and confirmed they should follow the drive to the front of the house. From there someone would direct then to the barn.

My Opinion

The book introduces you to DCI Peter Hatherall and DI Fiona Williams. They are called to Elmsgrove Farm where human remains are discovered after a suspicious barn fire. I will not tell you more about the story than shown in the Goodreads plot description. This would spoil the fun of reading this book yourself.

With Bells On Her Toes, Diana J. Febry has created an intriguing story of a relatively easy seeming case that is just the beginning of a strange series of events. Bells On Her Toes is a very gripping read with lovingly elaborated characters; I learned a lot about the characters, more details than usual – yet not too many details. Diana J. Febry gives the reader time to get acquainted with the characters and the case and it gets more and more thrilling as the story proceeds. I was drawn into the story right away, was really close to Peter, Fiona and all events. Bells On Her Toes is a great British mystery. You will enjoy it even if you usually prefer fast-paced reads.

This a book to read again. Highly recommended.

About the author

Diana lives in Great Britain and calls herself “An accidental writer.”

Connect with the Author:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariamallon1

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DianaJFebry

Amazon: Diana J. Febry

Amazon (US): buy link

Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about Bells On Her Toes? Or – if you did not yet read Bells On Her Toes – are you now interested in reading it yourself?

My question for you cinephiles:
If Bells On Her Toes was filmed – who should direct it, who could you imagine as actors?

I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂

2013-09-29 by Karen

The Diamond Seekers by David Coles, Jack Everett

The Diamond Seekers
by
David Coles, Jack Everett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Plot
(by Goodreads)

When a courier for the powerful crime family descended from Niccolo Machiavelli realizes he’s being followed by a rival family assassin, he takes a detour through the English countryside to shake his pursuer. He manages to hide his precious cargo–a fortune in blood diamonds from Sierra Leone–before his pursuer collides with an English family on a holiday drive. The courier drowns in a swollen river; the mother and son die in the crash. The father is emotionally devastated, and retires in despair from his MI5 cipher career. Five years later, the head of the Machiavelli crime family, Alberto Lorente, is still in pursuit of his missing diamonds and is ready to launch an ambitious scheme to recover them. What follows is a twisted trail of murder, kidnapping and layers upon layers of subterfuge. The British Security Services are seriously compromised, but no one knows how or by whom. And suddenly, our former MI5 cipher expert is on everyone’s shopping list.

My Opinion

When reading this crime (fiction) I was impressed by the story’s evolution. The prologue is dedicated to Enrique, courier of blood diamonds, and his follower. The characters are realistic and believable with all their flaws. The story is subtly written, making it difficult to put the book away.

Philip Madden, former MI5 cipher expert needs help. A man claiming to be his son does not show up at the scheduled meeting point. He is nearly shot at his house. He is told to get to a safe location and travels to Austria. Austria also proves to be dangerous for him, Back in England, Philip Madden, Carl Fletcher, Rudi and Astrid Pitzl find themselves repeatedly in dangerous situations. Is it just one of the Italian Prince’s men after them or – are there more of his associates involved?

The characters are realistic and believable with all their flaws. The plot-lines are very elaborate. The story is truly compelling, making it difficult to put the book away.

The authors David Coles (http://www.davidbcoles.co.uk/) and Jack Everett (http://www.jackleverett.me.uk/) have been writing together for many years and are the best of friends.

Congrats, David and Jack! Reading The Diamond Seekers means time well spent. 🙂

A must read for all crime fans.

I am looking forward to reading further books by David Coles and Jack Everett.

The Diamond Seekers as a movie?! Absolutely.

My statement on reading is described in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about The Diamond Seekers? Or – if you did not yet read The Diamond Seekers – are you now interested?

My question for you cinephiles:
If The Diamond Seekers was filmed – who should direct it, who could you imagine as actors?

I am looking forward to your comments.

2013-08-27 by Karen

The Tipping Point by Walter Danley

The Tipping Point
by
Walter Danley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Plot
(by Goodreads)

WHEN TOM BURKE dies skiing Aspen Mountain, his business partner Garth Wainwright must find his killer. Burke was murdered, and Wainwright seeks the cause. Cautioned to leave it to the authorities, Wainwright won’t let go. His two closest partners, Tom Shaw and Robert Keating don’t believe his suspicions. Searching for the killer unearths a conspiracy of millions of embezzled dollars and partner collaboration. Whom can he trust?
Suddenly, a second partner is murdered. The fraud and the murders are connected. Exposure of the fraud will destroy the company; the SEC will shut it down. Wainwright is concerned for his personal safety and net worth. One of his partners is a killer.

When Wainwright falls in love with Lacey Kinkaid, a former Boston criminal prosecutor, they devise a plan to smoke out the guilty partners, without exposing the fraud to the SEC & FBI. A perilous dance of deception implements the complicated strategy. The plan forces the killer to surface … and then … another partner dies.
Partner Bennie Rubens contracted the murders from Ariel Amiti, an ex-Israeli major, former Mossad agent and assassin. Rubens escapes to the Bahamas, accompanied by Wainwright’s former lover, BJ Dreaver. Wainwright and the FBI are close on his trail.

Ten business partners succumb in four assassinations, one suicide, and three bankruptcies leaving Wainwright and Shaw to exorcise greed, complicity, and fraud and restructure the company to its former acclaim.

My Opinion

When reading this financial crime (fiction) I was impressed by the story’s decent evolution. The characters are realistic and believable with all their flaws. The story is subtly written, making it difficult to put the book away. I had to, several times and – it was hard.

Walter Danley (http://walterdanley.com/) took 20 years to write The Tipping Point, recreating experiences made during his career in commercial real estate. Firm, characters, conflicts, murder, greed, etc. are completely fictional. Thanks to Walter, the reader gets to know the fictional characters quite well.

Congrats, Walter! Reading The Tipping Point means time well spent. 🙂

A must read for all crime fans.

I am looking forward to reading further books by Walter Danley, not only the Garth Wainwright series.

The Tipping Point as a movie?! Absolutely.

My statement on reading is described in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about The Tipping Point? Or – if you did not yet read The Tipping Point – are you now interested?

My question for you cinephiles:
If The Tipping Point was filmed – who should direct it, who could you imagine as actors?

I am looking forward to your comments.

2013-08-07 by Karen

Deadly Election by Arthur Crandon

Deadly Election
by
Arthur Crandon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Plot

(by Goodreads)

Three young and innocent youths awake one day in their remote village in the Northern Philippines. They could not know that the events of the day would change their lives, more than that – it would end their lives.

The day started well – breakfast, preparing for a fishing trip, the anticipation of an exciting day out – maybe with a good meal at the end of it
Along the way, they find a fortune – enough to keep them all in riches for many lifetimes.

Their naive misjudgements bring about their downfall – and start a chain of events that will change the course of history for the small South East Asian nation.

Within days, more lives will be lost and fortunes will change hands. A chain of consequences has been started which will spread like a spiders web and end in tragedy for many and triumph for a few.

My Opinion

Even as an experienced crime (fiction) reader I was impressed by the story’s decent evolution. It does not require big bangs and high speed. The story is subtly written, making it difficult to put the book away. I had to, several times and – it was hard.

Arthur Crandon (http://www.arthurcrandon.com/index.html) has a very specific gift: He encircles you with his story. You are close enough to feel the tensions and the pain. You are there, without really having to be there.

Congrats, Arthur! Reading Deadly Election means time well spent. 🙂

A must read for all crime fans.
Even hardcore ‘I read every book only once’ readers might consider reading Deadly Election a second time.

I am looking forward to reading further books by Arthur Crandon.

Deadly Election as a movie?! Absolutely.

My statement on reading is described in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂

My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about Deadly Election? Or – if you did not yet read Deadly Election – are you now interested?

My question for you cinephiles:
If Deadly Election was filmed – who should direct it, who could you imagine as actors?

I am looking forward to your comments.