Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

I loved the huge twist at the end! Having read a couple of Ross's newer books, I decided to go back to the beginning of the DI Barton series and listen to The Snow Killer. I love a police procedural and this was a great one, with twists and turns throughout the story, but a huge humdinger of a spiral at the end.  This differed from others I've read, because we know from the beginning who the killer is and why they are killing. What we don't know is if and when they're going to stop, and why some of the victims are dead. Chapters skip between the viewpoints of The Snow Killer and DI Barton, and they are narrated very well by David Thorpe - although I did have to speed him up a little 😂 Thank you to Boldwood Books and Libro FM for the opportunity to listen to and review The Snow Killer by Ross Greenwood. About the Book ‘Fear the north wind. Because no one will hear you scream…’ A family is gunned down in the snow but one of the children survives. Three years on, that chi...

'A large, dark shape materialised to his right, as though plunging through a thick cloud. The drumming faster, relentless'. I read my first Ross Greenwood novel, earlier this year and loved it, so of course I was going to read this one. Another day and another Norfolk murder! This one reminded me of a Dick Francis book. If you don't know, Dick was a former jockey, turned author and many of his books were set in the horse racing world and featured a murder or two! As Ross was writing about the stable yards, and the beauty and grace that comes with the horses who reside there, I could smell the wood shavings and the gorgeous horsey smell. I could sense the love the people who worked there, had for their charges, and I dropped myself right into the middle of it all, as I set about trying to solve the murder(s) along with DI Ashley Knight. A perfectly written police procedural. Ross kept me guessing most of the way through, and my choice of murderer changed from one chapter to ...

“No-one would mess with a detective that looked like a pi$$ed-off Shrek ” I read The Crucifix Killer back in August for ##bookstabritsbookclub - now known as #thatindiebookclub, and wow! I thought I'd hate it, I was put off by the genre 'horror', but as I've mentioned recently, I think the horror genre is subjective. In my opinion, if the subject is about something that can happen in real life, then it's more of a dark thriller than a horror. This was horrific, and so, so descriptive. I cringed, I hid behind virtual curtains and wondered whatever was going to come next as Chris continued to type those words. It did make me wonder what gruesome scenes the author had seen, read or heard about in his career as a criminal psychologist.  I loved both Robert Hunter, the LAPD detective and his rookie sidekick, Carlos Garcia. They brought a touch of humour and lightheartedness to their difficult days. I can't wait to go back and read the next in the series.  The Crucifi...

I wish I'd discovered Ross before now! I'll be honest, the only reason I chose to read this book was because I live just a few miles from Horsey Mere - yep, it's a real place, with lots of seals, but no dead bodies - as far as I know! But by God, I wish I'd discovered this series earlier! Now I want to read all the Norfolk series, followed by the rest of Ross's books.  I loved it, from beginning to end. It's fast-paced, descriptive, full of great characters (well the good guys anyway) and lots and lots of references to real places in Norfolk and Suffolk. We only moved here a couple of years ago, but it's cool to see the pop-up references to the villages and tourist attractions.  The story was brilliant, if dark, but honestly, stuff like human trafficking is prevalent and even though this is fiction, it's good to see it written about, and it'll definitely make you think about the completely evil people there are in this world.  Apparently this is the ...

I love this new team of Detectives Beth Katz and Dax Styles that D.K Hood has created. They’re back with a new serial killer to bring down. A serial killer who has a very weird set-up, which only becomes more strange as you read further. As with the first book, I was hooked. I wanted to finish it to discover whether weirdo got his comeuppance, but I also didn’t want it to end. Beth doesn’t like these bad guys in the world and sometimes both she and Styles go rogue and go a little off-piste to remove them from society, but this is what makes both of them such interesting characters. I’d definitely want her on my side in a fight! I’m hoping I don’t have to wait too long for the next book, but in the meantime, check those trigger warnings and get yourself off to the bookshop. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read Shadow Angel by D.K. Hood. Book Description An absolutely addictive and nail-biting crime thriller (Detective Beth Katz Book 2): In a dark cabin, a yo...

Wow! What a start to a brand-new series by D.K. Hood. Detective Beth Katz is great, I loved her and her sidekick, Dax Styles. We have recently visited Montana, so the mentions of bears and elk, and the scenery, had me invested from the beginning. Hood brought me right into the heart of the story with her writing, describing scenes in such detail I could almost smell the metallic tang of the blood and the yummy smells of TJ’s diner. Beth has her own unique way of dealing with serial killers, but you’ll have to read Dark Angel to discover just what that is and what happened in her tragic past. There are lots of trigger warnings so check these out before you buy the book, but as long as you’re ok with them all and you enjoy an FBI police procedural with a difference, then I’d highly recommend Dark Angel. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Dark Angel by D.K. Hood. Book Description A gripping and unputdownable FBI agent thriller (Detective Beth Kat...

This book is number 38 in the Alex Delaware series and it’s only the first one I’ve read, despite me having a copy of a previous book sitting on my shelf! I’ve read it as a standalone and it was absolutely fine. However, I guess if you want more of the backstory to the characters, then you’d need to start at the beginning. Alex is a psychologist and assists his police detective friend, Milo Sturgis, in solving cases, looking at them from a psychological point of view in order to help solve the crime. I found Unnatural History somewhat slow to begin with, but I guess that’s the case with many police procedurals, as the crime is discovered and the background built up. However, once I was through all of that, the pace picked up and I was fully invested in the characters Kellerman has in his story. I enjoyed reading about the homeless communities of Los Angeles and how their mental health can affect their daily lives. We also discover how someone who was once pretty well off can spiral ...