Remember Remember by Lisa Cutts

Hello Bookaholics. Lovely to see you back here this evening. I have a cracker of a book for you today. Grab a coffee, make yourself comfy and find out all about it.

This is the first book by Lisa Cutts which I have read and it certainly won't be the last. From the first page this book had me engrossed and I found myself reading all day. This is a solid police procedural, with an absorbing storyline and characters who almost feel real. 

The main character DC Nina Foster is superbly portrayed. She has just returned to work aching been off sick for a number of months, this was following an attack by one of the criminals she was trying to arrest. She has a number of inner demons and these make her character both interesting and complex. Her personal life is as messed up as her professional life. Still she is a lovable character and I found myself liking her more and more as the book progressed. On her return to work she is assigned to a cold case from 40 years ago. This is meant to keep her desk bound and ease her return to work. As you can imagine, this does not work out as planned.

The remainder of the characters in this book are also well drawn. I could imagine everyone do them including hits in the seedy underworld of the criminal fraternity. Not the easiest place to be but truly the sign of a great writer. I found myself liking, hating then liking the characters again.

The only minor point which irritated me was the way in which the main police characters used pet names for each other such as treacle. I am willing to admit that this could be a foible in me and it may not be a problem for others. However, it happened so often it pulled me out of the story a bit which was a shame. Despite this I really enjoyed this book and am sure all lovers of crime books will find this right up their alley. I would highly recommend. 

So there we have it for another day. I am sure that you will agree this is a cracker of a book once you grab a copy and read it. See you all back here soon my Bookaholic friends. You can get back to your book now. I'm busy reading the next one I will be bringing to you before long. Keep reading. 

The Inspector and Mrs Jeffries (A Victorian Murder Mystery) by Emily Brightwell

Today on bookaholic I bring you a quirky Victorian Murder Mystery which I loved. How can you resist a book which has this on the first page. 

"Dr Bartholomew Slocum was definitely dead. ... Aware of the two pairs of eyes staring at his back Inspector Witherspoon leaned forward and examined the dead man. It was not a chore he relished. The fact was, he was rather squeamish about dead people , but as corpses went this was rather a nice one."

Now doesn't that just make you want to read more. I can assure you the rest of the book is just as good. 

At first glance this is a police procedural but it is really a cozy mystery, or it could be a mixture of the two. To be honest it doesn't matter if it isn't categorised as this book defies Categorisation. Inspector Witherspoon of Scotland Yard is investigating the death of a seemingly upright Doctor. The Inspector does' know it but it is really his housekeeper, Mrs Jeffries who is the solving the murder. She is helped by a diverse crew, compromising the remainder of the household servants. This will give you an idea of how different this book is. The characterisation is spot on with Mrs Jeffries being a particular shining star. The Inspector, although somewhat puzzled by the whole thing, is endearing and I found myself wanting to look after him. There are several even more eccentric characters and those all take their place, no matter how minor their roles.

The book is just one of a whole slew of Victorian Murder Mysteries all starring Mrs Jeffries. I am sure that you are already realising that Mrs Jeffries is the real star of the books. This is the first one I have read and I cannot wait to read another. I haven't a clue where this fits into the series but it really doesn't matter. Back story is integrated well to support the plot. Another one I would highly recommend to all my bookaholic friends.

We are in the middle of piping rain and storms here in the UK so I'm off to grab a book and curl up, safe and sound, in the warm. As I write, the weather all over the world is in turmoil, with extreme weather conditions battering the UK, US, France and Portugal. Stay safe Bookaholic's and I will see you all safely back here soon.