Hello flock!
It has been a while since we posted on our blog, so long it is in fact absolutely scandalous – but not as scandalous as our internet provider’s inability to provide a reliable internet connection for months.
Since we have not been able to do any #LambsForLiteracy blog posts for ages, we present a Quarterly Crime Read Round Up – Crime/thriller books Lachie and Layla enjoyed throughout the first quarter of 2019.
There was one particular book on Lady Layla’s Woolmas wishlist. A book that continued the story of an intelligent, brave woman in Victorian London: the second Heloise Chancey Mystery.
Lachie being the wonderful lamb he is (forget about the Valentine’s Day debacle for a moment) managed to get his hooves on this book, A Necessary Murder, so it was waiting under the Woolmas tree with Layla’s name on it. Layla consumed this historical thriller with the gusto of a lamb faced with new season hay.
A Necessary Murder by M.J. Tjia is the sequel of She Be Damned, which features courtesan and professional detective Heloise Chancey. The storyline alludes to how long forgotten events may be shaping the murderer’s motives and requires Heloise to go undercover in order to determine how the murder(s) are connected. Tjia showcases humanity at its worst – jealousy, fear, betrayal, greed, lies… Heloise’s wits are tested to the limit like a lamb who hasn’t eaten much all day. If you enjoy historical crime fiction then you should try A Necessary Murder – have a sherry on standby and maybe a few pellets.
Lachie: This book should be called Necessary Murders.
The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz. Another sequel! If you enjoyed The Word is Murder then you will be pleased to hear The Sentence is Death features the same characters and a similar premise. Horowitz is again a character in his book as he assists disgraced private investigator Daniel Hawthorne solve some more murders.
Once again, the past shapes the present and nothing happens in a vacuum – or does it?
The plot of The Sentence is Death does not involve as much gruesome violence as some reads, so it is safe to read prior to bed. One might even say it was ‘relaxing’ in comparison to our current read…
Layla particularly liked the title of this book and made certain that Lachie is aware of the consequences if he disappoints her on Valentine’s Day next year.
The Ruin and The Scholar - two compelling thrillers by Dervla McTiernan. The protagonist of these novels is Cormac Reilly, a Garda who has transferred to Galway and must decide where his loyalties lie. In The Ruin, cold cases are linked to new cases as a supposed suicide reveals a complicated past for secondary characters. The viewpoint shifts between Reilly and other characters so readers are provided insight into how different people react to a grim situation.
As with the other crime/thriller novels we read this quarter, history has shaped the present situation. This is particularly true in The Scholar where Reilly’s partner’s past causes him to doubt her present actions. Political influences interfere with Reilly’s investigation and he faces losing everything if he does not take (unauthorised) action. The body count rises and red herrings are thrown at readers like pellets at charging lambs.
While The Ruin was an extremely satisfying read, immediately reading The Scholar afterwards made it slightly less riveting as we unconsciously compared the stories' similarities and case complications to the previous book. However, the publishers included sample chapters from the author’s next novel and we eagerly await its publication in 2020.
Side note: The content of these novels caused Lachie to strike Galway off his 'to visit' list – way too risky for an innocent lamb.
Our current pellet turner: Hunter by Jack Heath. The long anticipated sequel to Hangman , which we reviewed in 2018. Lachie could not wait to bite into this book; however, is avoiding reading it before bed due to the protagonist’s eating habits. There’s a bit of double-crossing happening, and we are waiting for the protagonist – Timothy Blake – to encounter some hostile situations.
Crime books we are chomping on the cud for: Dead at First Sight – the next Roy Grace novel by Peter James. Due to be published in May, 2019.
If you have read any of these books or another crime novel you enjoyed recently, give us a bahh via the comments or DM on Instagram.
Bahh!
Lachie & Layla
