Category Archives: Atlantic Monthly Press

August 6, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham

Title: Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A gripping standalone thriller from the “first-rate British crime writer” and internationally bestselling author of the Tom Thorne novels (The Washington Post).

Alice Armitage is a police officer. Or she was.

Or perhaps she just imagines she was.

Whatever the truth is, following a debilitating bout of PTSD, self-medication with drink and drugs, and a psychotic breakdown, Alice is now a long-term patient in an acute psychiatric ward.

When one of her fellow patients is murdered, Alice becomes convinced that she has identified the killer and that she can catch them. Ignored by the police, she begins her own investigation. But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice’s life begins to unravel still further as she realizes that she cannot trust anyone, least of all herself.

Review:

Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham is a clever mystery with a likeable, albeit unreliable, narrator.

Alice “Al” Armitage is the narrator of this brilliant mystery which takes place in the Shackleton Unit’s Fleet Ward. Al is a former Met detective constable who began suffering from PTSD following the shocking incident on the Job. Using dubious means to cope, Al’s downward spiral culminates with her walloping her boyfriend Andy Flanagan with a bottle of wine. In the aftermath of said walloping, Al is now sectioned to Fleet Ward. She is on a cocktail of prescription drugs that are only partly helping her.

Al’s assessments of her fellow patients are witty and sarcastic. Everyone is on edge and it sometimes does not take much for any or all of them to tip over into anger.  Al can be especially volatile when she is frustrated which is why she has yet to convince her doctor she is well enough for release. Despite the different personalities and issues, everyone on Fleet Unit gets along for the most part. Which is why everyone is shocked when one of their own is murdered.

Al decides to put on her DC hat as she investigates the murder. Without the usual resources, she relies on her own observations and opinions as well as favors from a former colleague. Al quickly zeroes on a suspect and nothing she learns will shake her conviction she has found the killer. When another murder occurs, what will happen to Al and her fragile grip on reality?

With a sensitive portrayal of mental illness, Rabbit Hole is a creative mystery with a unique setting and memorable narrator. Al is suffering from a variety of PTSD symptoms and side effects from her medication. She has lucid moments but she also contends with troubling blackouts. Al is extremely irritated no one is taking her investigation seriously and her reactions are not always rational. Fearing the worst when Al learns an arrest is imminent, Mark Billingham brings this mesmerizing mystery to an unexpected, yet uplifting, conclusion.

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Filed under Atlantic Monthly Press, Contemporary, Mark Billingham, Mystery, Rabbit Hole, Rated B+, Review

September 27, 2020 · 11:57 pm

Review: Still Life by Val McDermid

Title: Still Life by Val McDermid
Inspector Karen Pirie Series Book Six
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 436 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Val McDermid is the award-winning, international bestselling author of more than thirty novels and has been hailed as Britain’s Queen of Crime. In Still Life, McDermid returns to her propulsive series featuring DCI Karen Pirie, who finds herself investigating the shadowy world of forgery, where things are never what they seem.

When a lobster fisherman discovers a dead body in Scotland’s Firth of Forth, Karen is called into investigate. She quickly discovers that the case will require untangling a complicated web―including a historic disappearance, art forgery, and secret identities―that seems to orbit around a painting copyist who can mimic anyone from Holbein to Hockney. Meanwhile, a traffic crash leads to the discovery of a skeleton in a suburban garage. Needless to say, Karen has her plate full. Meanwhile, the man responsible for the death of the love of her life is being released from prison, reopening old wounds just as she was getting back on her feet.

Tightly plotted and intensely gripping, Still Life is Val McDermid at her best, and new and longtime readers alike will delight in the latest addition to this superior series.

Review:

Still Life by Val McDermid is an enthralling police procedural which features two distinct mysteries to solve. Although this newest release is the sixth mystery in The Inspector Karen Pirie series, it can be read as a standalone.

Head of the Historic Cases Unit Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie and her co-worker Detective Constable Jason Murray are working to identify the skeletal remains found in the back of a camper van. The bones were discovered following the homeowner’s death so they have to search for answers elsewhere. Karen and Jason discover the former owner’s ex-partner has also apparently has vanished. They are getting close to locating her when Karen is assigned to another case that is connected to a cold case she reviewed a few years earlier. So Jason is on his own as he tracks down their suspect.

Detective  Chief Inspector Charlie Todd and Detective Sergeant Daisy Mortimer’s newest case is solving the murder of a man whose body was found in the Firth of Forth.  The victim appears to be a French citizen who performs with a jazz band.  Closer inspection reveals that Paul Allard is really James Auld, who vanished ten years ago.  He was the suspect in the possible murder of his brother Iain, who also disappeared without a trace.  A few years earlier, Karen reviewed Iain’s case so her boss thinks she would be better suited to lead the investigation.

Karen and Daisy’s investigation takes them to Paris, where they unearth puzzling details. Talking to the detective first assigned to Iain’s case sheds no no light on the case. However, an old friend of James provides a vital piece of information that takes their investigation in a stunning direction. Armed with new details, Karen and Daisy go to Dublin in search of the final pieces that will hopefully solve this twist-filled case.

Still Life is a multilayered mystery that is well-written and engrossing. The two cases are both very intriguing and the investigations move at a brisk pace.  Karen is rather pleased that Jason is taking a bit more initiative.  Karen is also very impressed with Daisy who is a brilliant investigator. Val McDermid brings this marvelous mystery to an interesting close since this novel takes place in early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Readers will be eager to see if the next installment in The Inspector Karen Pirie series will continue to be affected by the still on-going health crisis.

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Filed under Atlantic Monthly Press, Contemporary, Inspector Karen Pirie Series, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Still Life, Suspense, Val McDermid

August 5, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: Cry Baby by Mark Billingham

Title: Cry Baby by Mark Billingham
Tom Thorne Series Book 17
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Historical (90s), Mystery, Suspense
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Two boys run into the woods—but only one returns—in this new mystery from the award-winning “first-rate British crime writer” (The Washington Post).

In the summer of 1996, two boys run from a playground into the adjoining woods, but only one comes out. DS Tom Thorne takes on the case—which quickly spirals out of control when two people connected to the missing boy are murdered.

As London prepares to host the European Soccer Championships, Thorne fights to keep on top of a baffling investigation while also dealing with the ugly fallout of his broken marriage . . .

A prequel to Mark Billingham’s acclaimed debut Sleepyhead―which the Sunday Times voted one of the 100 books that shaped the decade―this chilling, compelling novel is the latest in “a series to savor” (Booklist).

Review:

A prequel to the first novel in the Tom Thorne series, Cry Baby by Mark Billingham is a suspense-laden mystery about a missing seven year old boy.

Catrin “Cat” Coyne and Maria Ashton are with their sons at a playground when, during a moment of distraction, Cat’s son Kieron goes missing.  He and Maria’s son Josh are playing hide and seek in the wood when Josh realizes something has happened to his friend.

Detective Sergeant Tom Thorne and his boss Detective Inspector Gordon Boyle are part of the team assigned to investigate Kieron’s disappearance. After a fruitless search,  everyone fears the worst. But when eyewitness Felix Barratt provides important information, Thorne and the rest of the team now believe the young boy was abducted. But without any new leads, will they find Kieron before it is too late?

In 1996, Thorne is on his way to a divorce but he does not feel any urgency to start proceedings or put the house on the market.  Kieron’s case provide a true but handy excuse as his soon to be ex-wife Jan and her new boyfriend pressure him to follow through with his promises. Thorne instead works long hours trying to find any evidence that will assist in the search for Kieron.

After a chat with Cat, Tom crosses paths with her neighbor Grantleigh Figgis.  With their discussion about his whereabouts the morning Kieron complete, Thorne cannot shake off the feeling Figgis needs a closer look.  DI Boyle is quickly convinced Grantleigh is a viable suspect and the situation quickly escalates out of Tom’s control.  Will evidence prove DI Boyle’s certainty that Figgis is their man?

Meanwhile Cat has information that she initially held back from the police.  Despite Thorne’s assertion what she tells him will remain confidential, everyone, including her partner Billy who is in prison, knows exactly what Cat divulged. Luckily, Billy’s sister Angela is there to support her while the search for Kieron continues.

Maria still feels guilty about taking her eye off the boys that fateful day in the park. But she is soon distracted by Josh’s increasingly troubling behavior both at home and school.  Maria puts it down to her recent divorce and Kieron’s disappearance.  Will her ex-husband Ashton agree to get counseling for their son?

Cry Baby is a tension-filled mystery that is fast-paced and engaging.  The plot is refreshingly unique since the story takes place in the summer of 1996. Due to the lack of modern day technology, Thorne and the rest of the investigators rely on old fashioned detective work as they search for Kieron.  With a shocking plot twist, Mark Billingham brings this riveting mystery to an edge of the seat, dramatic conclusion. Old and new fans are sure to love this outstanding prequel (and seventeenth installment) to the Tom Thorne series.

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Filed under Atlantic Monthly Press, Cry Baby, Historical, Historical (90s), Mark Billingham, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Today We Go Home, Tom Thorne Series

November 24, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid

Title: How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid
Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Series Book Eleven
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Val McDermid is an award-winning, crime-writing powerhouse, and now she returns to her explosive, thrilling series featuring psychological profiler Tony Hill and ex-DCI Carol Jordan in her latest How The Dead Speak

With Tony behind bars and Carol finally out of road as a cop, he’s finding unexpected outlets for his talents in jail and she’s joined forces with a small informal group of lawyers and forensics experts looking into suspected miscarriages of justice. But they’re doing it without each other; being in the same room at visiting hour is too painful to contemplate. Meanwhile, construction is suddenly halted on the redevelopment of an orphanage after dozens of skeletons are found buried in the grounds. Forensic examination reveals they date from between twenty and forty years ago, when the nuns were running their repressive regime. But then a different set of skeletons are discovered in a far corner, young men from as recent as ten years ago.

When newly promoted DI Paula McIntyre discovers that one of the male skeletons is that of a killer who is supposedly alive and behind bars—and the subject of one of Carol’s miscarriage investigations—it brings Tony and Carol irresistibly into each other’s orbit once again. A shocking, masterfully plotted novel that will leave readers breathless, How The Dead Speak is McDermid at her best and a can’t miss read long-time fans and new readers alike.

Review:

How the Dead Speak by Val McDermid is an intriguing police procedural. This eleventh installment in the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series can be read as a standalone.

Psychologist and profiler Tony Hill is now serving his prison sentence and trying to find his footing in jail. He is working on a book while trying to come up with a way to make a difference behind bars. Tony is dismayed when his mum Vanessa pays him a visit and he is forced to comply with her request. Unfortunately this means asking former DCI and long time friend Carol Jordan to investigate something for Vanessa.

Carol Jordan is, like Tony, trying to decide what comes next now she is no longer a police officer. She is surprised by how much she likes working with her hands and she is hard at work on a carpentry project. She is also finally making a concerted effort to get treatment for her PTSD. Carol is surprised when defence solicitor Bronwen Scott shows up with an unexpected proposition. Not willing to fully commit to  Bronwen’s proposal,  Carol does agree to give it serious consideration. She is also quite dismayed by Vanessa’s visit and she reluctantly begins looking into Tony’s mum’s situation.

Detective Inspector Paula McIntyre is now working in the newly reformed ReMIT under DCI Ian Rutherford. She and her fellow team members are rather flummoxed when Rutherford forces his way into a case that is not exactly their typical investigation.  A construction crew has recently made a grisly discovery on the grounds of a former convent.  A cadaver dog makes another shocking find and McIntyre and her fellow detectives are now working to uncover who is responsible for the gruesome murders.

How the Dead Speak is a clever, well-executed mystery. The cast of characters is richly developed with realistic shortcomings and enviable strengths. Tony and Carol continue to grow and evolve as they adapt to their new situations. DI McIntyre is a brilliant investigator who keenly feels Tony’s and Carol’s absence as she interviews witnesses and suspects. The various story arcs are interesting and the investigations move at an even pace.  Val McDermid brings the novel to an exciting and satisfying  conclusion. Old and new fans are sure to enjoy this newest addition to the Tony Hill and Carol Jordan series.

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Filed under Atlantic Monthly Press, Contemporary, How the Dead Speak, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Tony Hill and Carol Jordan Series, Val McDermid

September 11, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: Clear My Name by Paula Daly

Title: Clear My Name by Paula Daly
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Paula Daly is widely acclaimed for her masterful plotting and thrilling page-turners. Now she delivers Clear My Name, a page-turning new thriller about an investigator, who in order to free her client, must confront secrets she has struggled a lifetime to hide.

When Carrie was accused of brutally murdering her husband’s lover, she denied it. She denied it again when they found her blood inside his house, again when they put her in front of a jury, and again when they sent her to prison. Now she’s three years into her fifteen-year sentence, gradually losing hope and separated from her pregnant daughter, but she is still maintaining her innocence. Tess is the only paid employee of Innocence UK, a charity that helps clear people wrongfully convicted of crimes, and which accepts Carrie’s case. But can she trust Carrie? Tess is no starry-eyed recent grad—her assumption is that “they’re all lying.”

Meanwhile, Tess is also paired with Avril, a naïve young investigator-in-training, with the hope that by mentoring her, she can eventually double the group’s investigative workload. But Tess unexpectedly bolts when she’s tipped off to a witness that could possibly prove Carrie didn’t commit the crime. While Tess and Avril work the case, re-interviewing witnesses and testing assumptions made at the time of the arrest, the tension ratchets up in both the case and Tess’s personal life.

An innovative spin on the crime novel full of wicked twists readers won’t see coming, Paula Daly’s Clear My Name raises the stakes in a grave miscarriage of justice and proves that even in a cold case, things still run hot.

Review:

Clear My Name by Paula Daly is a clever mystery with a wonderfully unique premise.

Former probation officer Tess Gilroy is the chief investigator at Innocence UK. The charitable organization’s latest case is trying to prove the innocence of convicted murderess Carrie Karma.  In the face of blood evidence linking Carrie to the crime scene, Tess is initially skeptical she has been wrongly convicted. She and investigator trainee Avril Hughes begin re-interviewing witnesses and taking a second look at the evidence. Tess begins to believe Carrie is innocent, but will she overcome her reluctance to talk to the one person who might have information that could turn the case around?

Tess is in her mid-forties and lives a fairly solitary life moving from place to place. She has sharp instincts that she relies on during her investigations.  Unhappy at being forced to return her hometown Morecambe, Tess attempts to keep her personal and professional lives separate. She is thrilled when they learn a new witness might provide them with new evidence that Carrie is innocent.  But will her private demons prevent Tess from performing her professional duties?

Chapters from Carrie’s perspective offer an insightful and intriguing glimpse of her life leading up to her arrest for murdering her husband’s lover, Ella Muir.  Carrie is very devoted to their daughter Mia who has trouble coping with stressful situations. Her marriage is strained and learning about Ella adds to her resentment against Pete. Carrie has proclaimed her innocence right from the start, but will Tess and Avril find evidence to back up her claim?

Clear My Name is a very compelling mystery that is fast-paced. Tess is a flawed but extremely likable lead protagonist.  The storyline is multi-layered and  quite riveting. Paula Daly brings this suspenseful mystery to a twist-filled, jaw-dropping conclusions. I very much enjoyed and highly recommend this absorbing novel.

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Filed under Atlantic Monthly Press, Clear My Name, Contemporary, Mystery, Paula Daly, Rated B+, Review, Suspense

May 19, 2019 · 11:58 pm

Review: Their Little Secret by Mark Billingham

Title: Their Little Secret by Mark Billingham
Tom Thorne Series Book 16
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

When DI Tom Thorne is called to conduct a routine assessment at the site of a suicide, he expects to be in and out in no time. But when he arrives at the metro station, where a woman named Philippa Goodwin threw herself in front of an underground train, Thorne inexplicably senses something awry and feels compelled to dig deeper. He soon discovers that she was the victim of a callous con-man who preys on vulnerable women, and whose deception plunged Philippa to her end. Thorne enlists DI Nicola Tanner to help him track down the swindler and bring him to justice. But the detective duo gets more than they bargained for when a young man’s bludgeoned body turns up on the shore of a nearby seaside town. The two cases come together in a way that neither of the detectives could have foreseen.

Review:

Their Little Secret by Mark Billingham is a fascinating mystery that is quite compelling. Although this newest release is the sixteenth installment in the Tom Thorne series, it can easily be read as a standalone. But I HIGHLY recommend the previous novels as well.

Although not technically a crime, Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is deeply troubled about the death of Phillipa Goodwin.  Tom acknowledges there is absolutely no question she committed suicide. However, he convinces his boss DCI Russell Brigstocke to allow him to dig a little deeper into the conman who  swindled a hefty sum from Phillipa. Although he knows it is a long shot, Thorne enters the man’s DNA and prints into the system hoping to identify the man.  While the search does not turn up any new information, Tom is stunned when a short time later, the DNA is matched to the murder of seventeen year old Kevin Deane. Thorne and DI Nicola Tanner are tracking down leads when another murder ratchets up the pressure on them to catch what they now know to be two people working together. Will Tom and Nicola unmask their murderers’ identities? Or will these crafty killers elude justice?

The chapters alternate back and forth between the police investigation and a single mother whose path crosses with a good looking man.  Although she maintains a bit of a distance, Sarah is friendly with the other mums and dads at her son’s school.  The group gathers together frequently at a local coffee shop where Sarah catches the attention on a handsome stranger. Before long, Sarah and her new man are enmeshed in a passionate and all consuming affair that takes a very shocking turn.

Both Tom’s and Nicola’s respective personal lives are in a bit of turmoil. Nicola is still recovering from the loss of her partner and she remains deeply troubled by the events from seven months ago. Tom is back at his apartment at the request of his longtime girlfriend Helen. He is in a bit of a quandary as he tries to decide whether he wants to reconcile with Helen or leave the relationship behind.

Their Little Secret is a very twisted mystery that is quite suspenseful. With a dearth of viable leads, Tom and Nicola hit one dead end after another throughout the investigation. Both are frustrated by their lack of progress but once the case finally comes together, they have to act fast if they are going to catch their killers. This latest police procedural from Mark Billingham is a dark and diabolically clever mystery that old and new fans of the Tom Thorne series do not want to miss.

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Filed under Atlantic Monthly Press, Contemporary, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, Their Little Secret, Tom Thorne Series