Janet Gordon is married, retired, obsessed with her Westlake Terrier, Rollo – and books are her passion. She reads multiple books a week across all genres and reviews books for Rest Less.
This month’s round-up features Dead on Target; The Hike; Without Trace; The Blame; and Murder on the Dancefloor.
Note: Prices can change often, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 26th of October, 2023.
Dead on Target by M C Beaton (Amazon £9.19, Kindle £9.99, Constable £18.99)
I’ve been a regency romance lover since my teens. My Dad used to have a newsagent with a couple of shelves full of Mills & Boon and Georgette Heyers, and I used to sneak downstairs (we had an enormous flat over the shop) and grab a couple to read each week – sorry customers for the slightly shop-soiled paperbacks! Anyway, one of my particular favourite authors was Marion Chesney who sadly died in 2019.
All this leads up to the fact that the latest Agatha Raisin, Dead on Target, popped through my letterbox the other day. Now, I’ve seen loads of paperback M.C Beaton’s on the shelves at The Works – regency romances, detective stories, and Agatha Raisin – but I’ve not really bothered with them for reasons I can’t explain.
So, reading through the foreword to this latest Agatha, I was totally amazed to discover that M C Beaton must be one of the most prolific authors around – surely up to the record of that pink person, Barbara Cartland – and that she, Marion Chesney, author of my beloved regency romances, was one and the same.
Dead on Target is the 34th (!) novel in the series, and I loved it. Before starting it, I visualised Agatha as a somewhat Miss Marple figure – you know, grey hair, comfy shoes, and homespun wisdom. Not a bit of it. Agatha Raisin seems to be a very smart, sexually aware (in a genteel kind of way), well-dressed, and lipsticked private detective with great one-line quips, and I’m wondering just whether she was the inspiration for Richard Osman’s cosy murders.
So, Agatha is at the village fete, chatting up one or two of her would-be lovers when the local archery team picks her to display just how easy it is to fire an arrow.
Demonstration over, Agatha discovers not only a gorgeous lost puppy who has escaped from the Dog Show but the dead body of a local landowner, complete with an arrow in his chest, hidden in dense shrubbery. Private detective Agatha immediately swings into action only to be accosted by the local police chief who seems determined to arrest her for murder.
Because M C Beaton sadly died in 2019, R W Green who was a good friend and fellow author, has continued the series. This book is an example of one of the collaborations they did in the lead-up to her passing.
But after reading this, there’s nothing else for it – I’m going to have to haunt the charity shops to find the other 33 Agathas!
The Hike by Lucy Clarke (Amazon £4.49, Kindle £0.99, HarperCollins £8.99)
Four lifelong friends take it in turns to choose a holiday destination. There’s Joni Gold, a worldwide rock star; Helena, a dedicated businesswoman living the life of a single person; Liz, a local GP who has just discovered walking and its benefits; and then Maggie – the scaredy cat of the group.
More used to luxury holidays spent idling on sun-swept beaches in exotic climes, the friends are flabbergasted when GP Liz chooses a mountainous hiking holiday in Norway. But, a pact is a pact, and they obediently buy hiking boots and practice walking while wearing heavy rucksacks.
However, because Joni is a free spirit, given loads of leeway because of her rock star lifestyle, they never know whether or not she’ll turn up.
So, to their delighted surprise, she swoops into their holiday resort party, traditionally held to celebrate the end of the season. With a local band booked to supply the music, Joni is recognised and can’t resist the call to sing with the band – and glories in the applause.
The following morning the hike begins. Oh my goodness, this book is one addictive read. It reeled me in from the very first pages of the prologue and I simply couldn’t put it down. It’s not only a superb chiller thriller, it’s a terrific testament to the power of girlie friendship. I loved it so much that I’ve downloaded all of Lucy Clarke’s other books.
You might have noticed that I love ‘serial killer’ reads of all kinds – from chiller thrillers to cosy crimes, to gory ‘Chris Carter’ type introspective reads – and two more of the best I’ve read this month are…
Without Trace by Leigh Russell (Amazon £9.05, Kindle £2.99, No Exit Press £9.99)
A young woman is found on a quiet street in a quiet town. She was covered in dirt with twigs in her hair and dirt under her fingernails. Could she have been buried alive? And then there’s another body.
This is the 20th outing for DI Geraldine Steel – I have absolutely no idea how I missed the previous 19, but I’m certainly going to make up for it now by haunting the charity shops to find all her others.
Steel begins to think that just maybe the two are connected. With the only suspect being somebody Steel knows and trusts – she’s under pressure to solve the crime. But she simply doesn’t want to believe her friend is guilty.
Again, this is a completely immersive murder mystery. DI Steel draws you into her world and her crime-solving thoughts. I really can’t say too much more about this without giving you a spoiler so I guess you’re going to have to read it for yourself.
The Blame by Charlotte Langley (No Exit Press £7.99, Amazon £9.99, Kindle £5.99)
And here’s the second terrific murder mystery.
DI Erin Crane (aren’t there any male detectives anymore?). Anyway, DI Crane is back at work after a traumatic absence when she’s put in charge of the disappearance of teenager Sophie. Crane has been having an affair with her police partner and has also faced down whispering in the canteen over her own secrets that are slowly coming to light.
When a dashcam shows her police partner helping the murdered Sophie into his car, Crane begins to think the unthinkable. And all the evidence begins to point that way. But somehow Crane just doesn’t believe her partner is a killer. A womaniser, oh yes, but a killer? No. And she voices her suspicions to another of her colleagues. Wrong move. Yet another addictive read.
Murder on the Dance Floor by Shirley Ballas (Amazon £9.19, Kindle £9.99, HQ £18.99)
By way of a change, I thought I’d better read something else!
Celebrity novels sell – or should I say novels written by celebrities sell. Plus, coming up to Christmas (I know, I can’t believe where the year’s gone either), they make great Christmas presents. And with us all glued to Strictly, here comes the very first novel by Shirley Ballas, Murder on the Dance Floor – and Shirley freely admits that she had help in writing this, with said help being listed inside the front cover.
But what we’re really buying it for is Shirley’s behind-the-scenes insider gossip. And we have that in spades – or sequins if you’d rather.
We’re introduced to Lily Richmond, doyen of the ballroom dancing world, a dance floor legend (wonder who she’s based on ?), and we’re in Blackpool Tower’s most prestigious dancing competition.
And here’s the glamorous Oxana, swirling and swooping as she’s partnered with everybody’s favourite – the uber-handsome boy next door, Jack – until she collapses and dies mid-tango. We also meet Marmaduke Fitzgerald, determined to topple Lily from the Judges’ Rostrum; a whole heap of exotically named and sequin bedecked dancers; and the girl next door, Susie Cooper, who’s still in love with her former partner, Jack, but is now a private detective.
The ballroom is awash with gossip as the murders mount, but the dancers don’t seem to care that they may be in danger. All they want to do is to win.
Shirley has packed this novel with insider tip bits and after reading this you’ll be ready to astound friends with your behind-the-scenes knowledge.
For further book and literature discussions, you might be interested in joining the thriving book club or short story club over on Rest Less Events.
Have you read any of these books? Or have you added any of them to your reading list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.