J D Kirk on Living with Jack Logan

Officially, it has been just over five years since I first met DCI Jack Logan, the main protagonist of the crime fiction series I write set in the Scottish Highlands.

In that time, as I’ve uncovered some of his many quirks and foibles, I have gradually come to realise something significant - Jack has been hanging around for a long time before then.

I am, by nature, a Very Nice Man. I’m patient. I’m polite. I will try to deescalate confrontation whenever I can. I put it down to parenting, and too many Superman comics as a kid. I was never a Boy Scout – to the best of my knowledge, they didn’t exist in the small Highland town I grew up in - but if I had been, I would have absolutely nailed it.

We all do it to some extent or other – bite our tongues, rather than say out loud what we’re really thinking. I’ve never liked making people feel bad, and, being a six-foot-four Scottish man, am always wary that I could come across as intimidating.

Jack Logan doesn’t bother worrying about these things, though. And he’s six-foot-six.

I’ve written about Jack non-stop for over half a decade now, but I realise that I’ve felt him lurking in the background for most of my adult life.

He was there when I worked in a bar in Fort William, on the day that a group of Buckie Young Farmers kicked off and almost dropped a decorative whisky cast on another customer. I chased all fifteen of them down the street, before common sense kicked in and I raced back to the pub before they realised quite how badly I was outnumbered.

That chase along the High Street, I think, was Jack Logan taking the wheel.

He’s been bubbling below the surface on other occasions, too. When I finally told a self-important manager at the call centre I worked at in my early twenties exactly what I and everyone else in the building thought of his behaviour, that was Jack.

When I explained, quite firmly, to the sketchy landlord of our even sketchier flat that, no, he wouldn’t be getting his rent this month, because one of the rotting windows had fallen out of the frame and smashed on the pavement three floors below, Jack had my back.

The older I get, and the more I write about him, the more alike we become. We’re both equally as tormented by and besotted with our dogs. We’re both a little too partial to a roll and square sausage. We both hate camper van drivers, and face similar difficulties when it comes to getting behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta. 

We’re the same age, too, although I like to think I look younger.

On a more fundamental level, I believe we share the same moral compass. The only difference being that Jack is much more ready and willing to stab people in the eye with the pointy bit.

But, I’ve come to realise that I’m not only Jack Logan. I’m the other characters, too. 

I share DC Tyler Neish’s inability to get through a day without some sort of personal disaster. I’ve never come close to being hit by a train like he has, but I did once step off a moving bus and get wrapped around a lamp post, then hit on the back of the head by the wing mirror when I stood up.

Like DS Hamza Khaled, I’m the family tech expert, called upon regularly by older relatives to fix their broadband, or their iPads, or to explain why the TV remote isn’t working (the answer inevitably being: ‘Because that’s not the remote, it’s your phone.’)

I share DI Ben Forde’s warmth towards people, Shona Maguire’s love for a Pot Noodle, and DC Sinead Bell’s near-supernatural ability to tolerate idiots.

And, though I’m almost afraid to admit it, I’m disgraced former Det Supt Bob Hoon, too. Bob is just me, but with all the switches that control the friendly, affable parts of my personality flipped in the opposite direction, and the anger dial cranked up to eleven.

Blend all the series’ characters together - heroes and villains alike – and the resulting gloopy mess would, I think, be quite recognisable as their creator. 

Only, you know, you’d have to keep it in a jug.

As I approach fifty, I find both my patience and my ability to suffer fools rapidly dwindling. I honestly don't know if it's an age thing, or if I've just been spending too much time in Logan's company. 

Perhaps it's a bit of both - a perfect storm of middle-aged grumpiness and fictional detective influence. If it's the latter then, with no plans to stop writing the series anytime soon, I've a feeling it's going to make the next few years very interesting. Call centre managers and dodgy landlords, you have been warned... 

But then again, maybe that's not such a bad thing. After all, in a world that feels increasingly chaotic, there's something to be said for channelling your inner Jack Logan - standing up for what's right, even if it means ruffling a few feathers along the way. 

A Killer of Influencer by J D Kirk (Canelo) Out Now 

Following a convention in the Scottish Highlands, eight social media influencers vanish without a trace, leaving their followers – and families – in a state of shock, and the police clueless as to their whereabouts. And then, the livestreams begin. Broadcast live from their squalid underground cells, the young influencers are forced into a sadistic battle for survival. With each livestream, their captor pits them against each other in a twisted competition for likes. The influencer with the fewest positive reactions faces a gruesome end – live on camera. As the likes increase and the death toll rises, DCI Jack Logan and his team must traverse both the Scottish wilderness and the darkest corners of the internet to try and save the remaining captives. But how do you catch a killer who is always one click ahead?

More information about J D Kirk and his books can be found on his website. You can also find him on Facebook and on Instagram @jdkirkbooks

A Shift in Mind and in Story by Yasmin Angoe

Change is difficult and scary when you’ve been used to doing something a certain kind of way for so long. In my case it was writing in the world of Nena Knight from the Her Name Is Knight trilogy. I spent the last decade thinking about this action and espionage thriller about the intrepid elite assassin of a clandestine secret organization called the African Tribal Council, run by Africa’s wealthiest elite who wanted to uplift and revitalize Africa and the people of the African Diaspora. I luxuriated in the world of Nena Knight until the trilogy had to sadly come to an end (for now, I hope). 

So now what?

I didn’t have the mental capacity to jump into another series. Nothing that was long-standing was coming to me. I wanted to stretch and grow in my writing, to try something new. I wanted to build my readership… three books in by that time, I still considered myself a newbie author and I wanted readers to see what I was capable of. I wanted to see for myself, as well. Could I do this thing and make this change? Would my editors like it, and more importantly, would the readers accept the switch from action thriller to psychological? I never want to be relegated to one genre. I wanted to write what I’m feeling at the moment, and as long as it was a damn good story with characters who the readers would have a visceral reaction to on some level, I would be okay, and the readers will hopefully be along for the ride. 

Since I wasn’t ready for another series, standalone was the way to go. Since I wanted to stretch, grow, and challenge myself just as I did when writing an assassin the readers needed to root for (because they’re not supposed to, right?), I decided to write a story that would be more intimate in story and setting, a cautionary tale wrapped in secrets, hidden pasts, and just pure reckless fun.

In deciding to write an intimate thriller, it afforded me the opportunity be a little adventurous. I wanted to write a story that shared the same concept and messaging as two of my favorite literary pieces that I used to teach my middle schoolers back in the day.

The pieces were Mary Howitt’s poem “The Spider and the Fly” and Roald Dahl’s short story “The Landlady”. If you’ve never read them before, please do, especially after you’ve read Not What She Seems. You’ll notice my nods to those works and feel my admiration for them. You’ll appreciate the references even more.

Why did these two works of children’s literature captivate me enough to want to write a modernized retelling of an age-old warning of if it sounds too good to be true it probably is? Shakespeare said it first in his famous line, “All that glitters is not gold” from his play, The Merchant of Venice, another favorite of mine when I was studying British Lit in college. 

The message of these three works was simple. Everything that looked true, or beautiful, innocent, or safe doesn’t always turn out to be so. Howitt and Dahl took the concept even further, warning to be careful of the methods of flattery, seduction, and masks as a means of ensnarement. Trust your gut. Note the signs. 

The victims always ignored the signs. They found out too late that the person (or spider in Howitt’s case) was never harmless but in fact a predator. In Not What She Seems, Jac Brodie and the townspeople of Brook Haven have the same hard learning. Some of them learn it a hair too late.

Channeling Howitt, Dahl, and Shakespeare, I set out to write my very own standalone in this new-for-me domestic thriller sub-genre. I did my research, read in the genre, tested various different ways to tell my cautionary tale like my predecessors, but with a modernized flare. I wanted to keep elicit the same feelings I had when I read those works—feelings of apprehension of knowing that no good was going to come and frustration at the characters for the signs they kept missing until it was just too late.

Now that Not What She Seems is out there in the world and being well-received, I can breathe a sigh of relief because I’ve achieved the goal I set to write a standalone thriller different from Nena Knight. And I accomplished my challenge to stretch myself creatively while writing my own story that pays homage to those great works that served as inspiration. 

Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe (Thomas & Mercer) Out Now

She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her. After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame. That chief was Jac’s father. Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past. Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right. But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.

Yasmin Angoe is the Anthony Award-nominated author of the critically acclaimed Nena Knight Series, including Her Name is Knight, They Come at Knight, and It Ends with Knight. NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS is Angoe’s first work of domestic psychological suspense. Yasmin’s Knight Series novels have been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, The Guardian, PopSugar, and the Woman’s World book club, and the series is currently in development for TV by Ink Factory & Fifth Season. 

Hailing from Northern Virginia, Yasmin Angoe is a first-generation Ghanaian American who grew up in two cultural worlds. She taught English in middle and high schools for years and served as an instructional coach for virtual teachers. She now writes fiction fulltime and freelances as a development editor. Yasmin lives in South Carolina with her husband their four children.

More information about Yasmin Angoe and her boos can be found on her website. She can also be found on X @YasAWriter and on Facebook and Instagram @author_yasminangoe

Getting away with Murder with Lynda La Plante CBE.

Monday 3^rd September saw a good number of guests join Lynda La Plante CBE at a star studded launch of her memoir Getting Away With Murder at the Balcony Bar at the (British Film Institute) BFI. Crime Fiction attendees including Maxim Jakubowski, Barry Forshaw, Megan Davis, Fidelis Morgan, Mark Sanderson and myself.

Also in attendance was Celia Imrie who is soon to be seen in Richard Osman's The Thursday Club Murder. Richard E Grant, Glynis Barber and Michael Brandon of Dempsey and Makepeace fame, Twiggy, television presenter Penny Smith and a vast number of others from the world of film and television.

Getting Away With Murder is Lynda La Plante's long awaited memoir which many of us have been looking forward to for quite sometime. Lynda has had a long career and whilst she is best known for introducing us to Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect, she has also been involved in other crime related programmes such as Z-Cars,

The Sweeney, The Professionals, The Governor, Trial & Retribution and Bergerac to name a few. She also wrote the six part robbery series The Widows in 1983. Widows was remade in 2018 as a US set film and was directed by Steve McQueen. Lynda is currently the author of over 50 novels the most recent being Whole Life Sentence in 2024.

Lynda La Plante has been given a vast number of awards and they include a CBE in 2008,. an Edgar Award in 1993, two Emmy Awards in 1993 and 1994. The Dennis Potter BAFTA Award for Screen Writing in 2001. In 2009 she was inducted into the Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame . In 2013 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship with the Forensic Science Society (FSSoc), and most recently in 2024 she was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger.

Getting Away With Murder: My Unexpected Life on Page, Stage and Screen by Lynda La Plante (Bonnier Zaffre) Out Now

Lynda La Plante has lived an illustrious life and has the stories to prove it. From her early days in Liverpool to her unexpected acceptance into RADA, joining peers Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt and Ian McShane; from beginning her scriptwriting career with Widows and Prime Suspect and becoming a BAFTA award-winning writer and producer, Lynda's tales of stage and screen will have you gasping in shock as well as laughing in the aisles.  Lynda has an important story to tell, one of breaking down stereotypes and blazing a trail for others along the way. Starting her writing career in the eighties, an era of entrenched gender inequality both in front of and behind the camera, Lynda faced innumerable obstacles to her vision.  Getting Away with Murder shows how she overcame them to create generation-defining television and become a multi-million-copy Sunday Times bestselling author. Still at the very top of her game, Lynda shares her story on her own terms, in a way that's guaranteed to make you laugh, cry and be inspired to live a life without limits.

September books from Bookoutre

Murder in the Scottish Highlands is by Dee Macdonald. Majestic mountain views, whisky by the fire and… a murder to solve? Join Ally McKinley at her cosy little guesthouse in the Scottish Highlands as she tackles her first puzzling case! For recently retired Ally McKinley, the tiny village of Locharran is the perfect place to open the guesthouse of her dreams in a lovingly restored old Scottish malthouse. Before long she is making friends with the locals, including Hamish Sinclair, the earl who owns the nearby castle. But things take an unexpected turn when her first paying guest, American tourist Wilbur Carrington, is found sprawled across her cobblestoned courtyard with a dagger in his back. With the police baffled, Ally’s instincts get the better of her, and she can’t resist launching her own investigation. In no time at all she and her Labrador puppy Flora are on the case, making enquiries over tea and excellent shortbread. She finds that Wilbur, a keen amateur genealogist, was convinced that hewas the rightful Earl of Locharran… Even worse, he had plans that would put many people out of their jobs and even their homes.But which of the locals resorted to murder? The hotel owner furiously trying to save his business? Locharran Castle’s fiercely loyal housekeeper who’d do anything for the earl? Or the earl himself, whose entire way of life was threatened by what Wilbur knew? Looking for clues, Ally finds a faded photograph in a hidden drawer in Wilbur’s room. Could this be the key to solving the mystery? But when one of her suspects dies in a suspicious accident, Ally realises that things are getting a wee bit too close for comfort… Can she uncover the truth or will a killer get off scot-free?

One tropical island. Four couples. They believe they’re on a TV show to save their marriages. But the people behind the cameras know all their secrets. They’re going to be revealed, one by one. Because everyone has something to hide… An incredibly successful surgeon and her gorgeous partner enjoy a life of luxury. To get it, one of them had to hide a dark past…A young couple are expecting their first child. Has one of them been unfaithful? High school sweethearts, missing their two young children. But the suburban dream is becoming a nightmare…A husband and wife running a successful business together. But with both their marriage and company failing, what is really happening behind closed doors?  But their secrets aren’t the only thing coming out under the bright lights. Because some of the people on this island have met before. And one of them has a secret they'd kill to protect… Who will pass the marriage test? And who will survive? The Marriage Test is by Ellie Monago .

Murder in the Countryside is by Helena Dixon. A meandering drive on a beautiful day, a visit to a local apple orchard, a chance for Bertie the dog to stretch his legs but… has Kitty Underhay just found a dead farmer. England, 1936. On a clear autumn day, Kitty and her mischievous spaniel Bertie take a drive to a nearby village. After a long walk in the rolling country hills and lunch in a pretty tearoom, what could be nicer than to buy a couple of bottles of local cider for her husband – and partner-in-crime solving – Matt? Instead, she finds a body in the orchard… Kitty is shocked to discover Titus Blake dead, crushed by his own cider press. The new local detective arrives swiftly, making it clear he has no time for amateur sleuths, especially a woman. Hearing his words, Kitty and Matt are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery before the sour inspector. Titus’s estranged brother, reclusive housekeeper and even his long-suffering son soon make their suspect list.  But when the police get wind of Kitty and Matt’s snooping, the inspector firmly tells them to keep their noses out. Now in a race to find the killer, the inquisitive pair are stopped in their tracks when their chief suspect is also found dead in the barn. Can Kitty find the rotten apple before it’s too late, or will the killer feed her a poisoned fruit first?

The English coast is like nowhere else on earth. The fresh sea breeze, gentle waves lapping the shore… and a body on the promenade?Newly retired Sarah Vane is completely settled in Merstairs, enjoying the quirky, quaint feel of her new home. With some time on her hands, she decides to surprise her friend Daphne by cleaning her dusty, cluttered seafront shop. But when she arrives there early one morning, Sarah is shocked to find a dying woman on the doorstep, who utters one word before she takes her last breath: ‘Wits…’The victim is Abi Moffat – a much loved schoolteacher. Who could want her dead, and what could ‘wits’ possibly mean? Could the answer to Abi’s death be in Whitstable – the posher town along the coast? Or on a card from the luxurious Wittes Hotel found in her pocket? Or was it her scorned ex-boyfriend, Josh Whittsall who sent Abi countless postcards and flowers after they broke up?All roads seem to lead to dead ends, and as Sarah talks to the locals it becomes clear that Abi had many admirers but not a single enemy. But then, a member of the Merstairs craft club is found dead at the local fun fair. At first glance, the two victims seem to have nothing in common, until Sarah takes a closer look at the clues, and realises there is something shocking in the close-knit Merstairs community that links them… A Seaside Murder is by Alice Castle.

The Summer Reunion is by Leah Mercer Six friends on holiday. A secret worth dying for.In a gorgeous French stone villa, a group of friends reunite for a weekend of reminiscing and laughter. But as glasses of wine are poured, they find they aren’t alone. Standing at the door is a man the friends thought they’d never see again. With a ferocious storm raging and roads closed, they have no choice but to let him in. Instantly the dream weekend takes a dark turn.Because someone invited him here.Because someone has been living a lie. And someone wants revenge. But when the truth is revealed, will anyone make it out alive?

Brooke’s face lights up and the corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles brightly at her new boyfriend. He gently pulls her in, nestling her cheek on his chest. But when he turns his head towards me, my blood runs cold. I know my sister’s life is in danger…  I would recognize that face anywhere. Handsome and chiseled. The perfect mask. I prayed I would never see Noel Harwood again, but here he is, sneering at me over Brooke’s shoulder.I want to protect her, but I remember the last time I saw her. Voice dripping with venom, she said she would never forgive my betrayal. I want to scream at her to run and tell her that Noel has done terrible things, but the words die in my throat. I’ve lied too often for her to believe me over her knight-in-shining-armor.I need to be smart if I want to save my sister. Noel might think he’s one step ahead, but he has no idea what I’m capable of. He could never imagine the darkness that lurks in our family. Or the truth about what happened on the jagged clifftop, all those years ago.I nearly lost Brooke once, and I’ll never let that happen again. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her… My Sister's Boyfriend is by Nicola Marsh.

Without a Trace is by Peggy Webb. “You shouldn’t have come here. You’ll be sorry.” Annie stares at the note, her hands shaking. If the killer has followed her, how will she ever escape? When Annie Logan travels to her mother’s birthplace, she is shocked to discover a string of murders have recently taken place. And as she watches the local news, she realizes with horror that she bears an uncanny resemblance to each victim… Instantly, she knows this is no coincidence, and that the killer they are calling Shadow is trying to send her a twisted message. And when Annie discovers a family connection between her and one of the victims, she feels more frightened than ever. Was it a mistake to return to this place, and is that why she’s being targeted? Terrified, Annie journeys deep into Louisiana’s bayou, hoping to escape the killer. But when a threatening note appears outside her remote cabin, she knows Shadow has followed her. And although she can’t see anyone among the mosses and trees of the bayou, she knows that its thick mists can hide anything. Desperate, Annie reaches out to the only women who can save her: her sisters and her grandmother. But as the Logan women arrive, are they already too late to prevent the next attack? And can they stop a killer as elusive and twisted as Shadow?

Her heart stutters as she draws closer. A woman’s fingertips curl over the boat’s edge. Dark crimson blood clashes with the faded blue peeling paint beneath. They’re too late, the beautiful woman within has been dead for some time… Detective Josie Quinn lifts the baby from the pram, holding her close and gently soothing her. Josie scours the scene for the sweet little girl’s mother, but the park is deserted. Glancing down, something catches her eye. Nestled amongst the child’s soft pink blankets is a polaroid photo, the corner smudged with blood. The search for Cleo Tate has Josie and her team in a chokehold; the abandoned newborn needs her mother, and every second counts now lab results show the blood belongs to her. The blurred photo of a body of water is Josie’s only lead. But what does it mean? And where was it taken? The answer is just within reach, but with Cleo’s husband lying about his movements that day, Josie can’t see it. Then it finally clicks: Cold Heart Creek, a crime scene from Josie’s past that she will never forget. Josie is terrified by what she finds there: Cleo’s body, cold as ice, with a second photo of a new location. A twisted killer is playing a devilish game. And when Josie finds a second innocent victim at the site of a different case she solved, she begins to suspect that she herself is at the very heart of it. But why? As more bodies and more photos follow, Josie must dig deep into the secrets and mistakes of her past to get one step ahead. The link between these women is key to cracking the case. Someone wants revenge, and won’t stop until their story is told, and no one involved is left breathing. Can Josie stop them before any more precious lives are taken? And just what will it cost her? Remember Her Name is by Lisa Regan.

Murder On a Country Walk is by Katie Gayle. Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right… But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why? Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?

In a candlelit ballroom, London’s most fashionable amateur sleuth, Cressida Fawcett, is dancing the night away in her sparkling silk dress. It’s a night Cressida will never forget. Because outside the window, there’s a body under the falling snow… Christmas Eve, 1925. The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is delighted to attend an exclusive ball at London’s glamorous Mayfair Hotel. When she steps out into the moonlit courtyard with her little pug Ruby wrapped in her furs, she is thrilled to see a dashing man propose to her best pal under the swirling snowflakes. But instead of squealing ‘yes’, Dotty lets out a terrified scream… Because floating in the fountain, with her long blonde hair rippling in the ice-cold water, is the body of their dear friend Lady Victoria Beaumont. It’s clear the wealthy young beauty was murdered, whacked over the head with a bottle of champagne. Would Victoria’s elderly husband Lord Beaumont kill his wife over rumours of her younger beau? Or did someone clobber Victoria to prevent her producing an heir for the Beaumont fortune? A snowstorm prevents the authorities from arriving, and just as Cressida searches for clues, she finds herself locked inside a large wicker hamper. Why does the scent of the hamper’s smoky luxury tea remind her of the crime scene? And will a suspiciously rotund Ruby follow her snuffly nose and find Cressida in the nick of time? Trapped in the hotel with a killer lurking among the guests, will Cressida lose someone dear to her heart? And when she finds a clue among the Christmas crackers, can Cressida solve her most mysterious case yet? Death in the Mayflower Hotel is by Fliss Chester.

The Child Minder is by Hayley Smith. You trust them with your child. You shouldn’t. Each Monday after school, I look after my daughter Coralie and four other kids from her class. We go to the park when it’s sunny, snuggle on the sofa reading books when it rains. Tuesdays to Fridays, the other parents take them. It’s perfect – a circle of free childcare, of fun and friendship for our children. But this morning, we all received an anonymous note. And now I’m terrified. I know your darkest secrets, it says. None of you are what you seem. How could you have trusted each other with your children?  You have five days to tell the truth. Or there will be consequences.  My blood runs ice-cold. I’ve hidden my darkest secret for years and can never reveal it. All the other parents must have secrets too…And soon it becomes terribly clear: the sender isn’t joking. Because one of our group is killed. Is someone we know responsible? Who will be next? And will revealing our secrets keep our precious children safe, or put them in even more danger? 

Her shoes pinched as she shivered in the cold night air. She just wanted to get home. A taxi slowed to a halt next to her, and as she buckled her seat belt, she noticed the child’s seat next to her and felt safe. But when she saw his eyes in the mirror, a shiver of terror shook her to her core… When a young woman’s body is found on a patch of wet grass in the early hours of the morning, Detective Lottie Parker mourns the young life so brutally snatched away. Looking at the victim’s flimsy strappy top, damp from the dew and soaked with blood, it is clear that this young girl never came home from a night out. Lottie’s heart breaks as she thinks of the girl’s parents finding their daughter’s empty bed and she vows to catch the murderer. The young woman is soon identified as Laura Nolan, and Lottie watches the blood drain from her mother Diana’s face when she tells her the terrible news. Diana reveals that Laura was on a date the night she was killed, but she doesn’t know who with… and Laura’s empty bedroom with make-up scattered across her dressing table offers no clues. Lottie and her team rush to trace Laura’s last moments. But hope at a potential breakthrough turns to horror for Lottie when another young woman, Shannon Kenny is reported missing, last seen climbing into a taxi with a broken light, close to the same bar. But then, Lottie discovers a connection between Laura and Shannon that totally overturns everything she thought she knew. The killer didn’t stalk these two young women at random. He knew exactly who they were and where they would be. But can Lottie stop him before he strikes again? Her Last Walk Home is by Patricia Gibney.Her shoes pinched as she shivered in the cold night air. She just wanted to get home. A taxi slowed to a halt next to her, and as she buckled her seat belt, she noticed the child’s seat next to her and felt safe. But when she saw his eyes in the mirror, a shiver of terror shook her to her core… When a young woman’s body is found on a patch of wet grass in the early hours of the morning, Detective Lottie Parker mourns the young life so brutally snatched away. Looking at the victim’s flimsy strappy top, damp from the dew and soaked with blood, it is clear that this young girl never came home from a night out. Lottie’s heart breaks as she thinks of the girl’s parents finding their daughter’s empty bed and she vows to catch the murderer. The young woman is soon identified as Laura Nolan, and Lottie watches the blood drain from her mother Diana’s face when she tells her the terrible news. Diana reveals that Laura was on a date the night she was killed, but she doesn’t know who with… and Laura’s empty bedroom with make-up scattered across her dressing table offers no clues. Lottie and her team rush to trace Laura’s last moments. But hope at a potential breakthrough turns to horror for Lottie when another young woman, Shannon Kenny is reported missing, last seen climbing into a taxi with a broken light, close to the same bar. But then, Lottie discovers a connection between Laura and Shannon that totally overturns everything she thought she knew. The killer didn’t stalk these two young women at random. He knew exactly who they were and where they would be. But can Lottie stop him before he strikes again? Her Last Walk Home is by Patricia Gibney.

My Husband's Past is by Shari J Ryan. My best friend disappeared twenty years ago. I thought she was dead. But today I’ve received a message that makes my heart stop. It says it’s from Izzy. And she’s blaming my new husband for her disappearance… I stare at the email in horror. I’ve only just managed to put what happened to Izzy behind me. My life is so different now. I have two perfect children, and the perfect husband at last. “I couldn’t just say nothing. You remember I was being stalked? My stalker is your husband. You're in danger. Run” My blood turns to ice as I look up at my charming, caring husband. Is this some kind of joke? Griffin is kind, he's safe. But as he smiles at me, the doubt starts to creep in. The way he always asks me about my childhood, pressing for information about my friends. The way he always wants to know where I am… I thought my best friend was dead. I thought her stalker killed her. If the email isn’t really from Izzy, then who sent it—and what do they want from my family? But if it is, am I living with the man I’ve feared for twenty years? And if he can’t hurt Izzy, will he settle for me instead—or worse, my children…?

Cougar Point is by Gregg Olsen. She wakes to find herself alone in complete darkness. Fearing for her life, in that moment her only thought is for her beloved daughters. What will they think when they find out she’s missing? Then it hits her. She’s kept a secret hidden from her family for years. Is she about to pay for it with her life? When Victoria Marsh disappears from her family’s exclusive resort in Cougar Point, Washington, her family is devastated. A charity worker and pillar of the local community, how could she just vanish without a trace? Though not officially her case, Detective Megan Carpenter races to the scene for a very personal reason. Victoria is Ronnie’s mother and Megan will do anything to help her when she has sacrificed so much. Together they build up a picture of the days before the disappearance but the only clue is a note with the words, “You promised” scrawled on it. It soon emerges that Victoria’s marriage was far from perfect and she had spent years running from a deadbeat brother. Could someone in Victoria’s family want her dead? But when the body of another woman is found, Megan starts to link the cases. Both women had huge ransoms placed on them. Both families received chilling threats in the mail. And with one victim already dead, time is running out to find Victoria alive. Local law enforcement warns Megan off the case but she’s certain that the disappearance is more than just bad blood. But with a potential serial killer on the loose, how much is Megan willing to risk? Worse still, could they be closer to her than she had ever imagined?

Clutching my husband’s hand, I screech with delight as the rollercoaster loops through the air. I feel young and free for the first time in years, but as we roll to a stop and I look for our three beloved children in the crowd, I panic. I can only see two. Where is my daughter?  Today was meant to be special. A final fun family day out before five-year-old Summer joins her big siblings at school. But in an instant, we’re plunged into a nightmare. We scream her name as we frantically search the amusement park for a glimpse of her flaming red hair. When the police ask about strangers, grudges and enemies, I have no answers, just questions. Why did I think I could leave my children alone, even for a minute? What kind of mother am I? I feel in my heart that Summer is out there somewhere. But as I obsess about finding her, my family is falling apart. My eldest daughter Merritt is withdrawn. My son Gus is angry. And after seventeen years of marriage, my husband has never felt more like a stranger. Where does he go when he says he’s working late? Who is he constantly messaging? I must fight to hold my family together, but I’m terrified Summer’s disappearance will destroy us all. Will I ever forgive myself for letting her out of my sight? Will I ever hold her tiny hand in mine again? The Day She Vanished is by Jen Craven.

Murder on the Nile is by Verity Bright. A cruise down the Nile, a camel ride around the pyramids, lunch in the shadow of the Sphinx… And a very dead body! 1924. Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler Clifford are touring the great, ancient sights of Egypt on a much-anticipated extended vacation. But when the pair arrive at the docks in Cairo expecting to board the luxurious paddle steamer advertised in their brochure, they are baffled by the crumbling old cruiser waiting for them. And things only go from bad to worse as death stalks the decks of the SS Cleopatra… Two days into the trip one of their fellow passengers, Lieutenant Baxter, is found shot dead in his locked cabin. Immediately suspicious and desperate to see justice done, Eleanor discovers a half-finished note addressed to her hidden in Baxter’s travelling trunk. In it he asks her to deliver a vitally important letter to the authorities at their next stop down river: a priceless treasure worthy of a king has been stolen and an innocent man’s life hangs in the balance. But before the sands of time wipe away all evidence on board, Eleanor must uncover who among the other travellers wanted Baxter dead. Was it the anxious archaeologist who doesn’t have an alibi, the reptile expert with a passion for the murderous Nile crocodile or the art dealer with a devious secret? With the killer readying to strike again much closer to home, can Eleanor dig up the truth before she’s trapped in a tomb under the pyramids forever?

I brought her home from the hospital. But she wasn’t mine to take…  All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother. And as I look into the beautiful, bright blue eyes of this baby tucked up in her blanket, I can’t wait to bring her home with me. Everyone doubted me, but I know I’m ready now. I’m going to give this sweet child the perfect life. Stepping into the cold air outside of the hospital doors, a shiver runs through me. I know my life will never be the same again. I slip off her little white medical bracelet and put it in the pocket of my jeans. She’s mine now, I smile, picking up the pace. I know this little baby is safe in my arms. That I deserve her. That I should do everything in my power to keep her. Even if she wasn’t mine to take... The Perfect Baby is by Sam Vickery.

The Cry is by S D Robertson. We thought it was nothing. Now she’s missing… I look at our neighbours gathered in the garden for our annual summer barbecue, sipping chilled wine and smiling at my two daughters sprawled on the grass. I go inside to help refill glasses and then I hear it. A shrill scream that stops me in my tracks.  I race outdoors to silence, a sea of bewildered faces. My first thought is for my girls, but they are there unhurt. With relief, we push the chilling sound to the back of our minds, returning to our drinks and conversations like it never happened. But it’s a terrible mistake. The next morning, we wake to the news that Jenna, my younger sister, who often babysits my daughters, is missing. A frantic search begins, and when Jenna’s slender gold necklace is discovered in the bedroom of our strange neighbour, suspicion falls on him. But he denies knowing where Jenna is and there are little details that are keeping me awake at night. One of my daughters has a secret about Jenna that I know I should share with the police. But I don’t want anyone to look too closely at our family. Because then our secrets will come to the surface. And I’ll do anything to prevent that…

McIlvanney Prize 2024 Shortlist

 

The Shortlist for the McIlvanney Prize has been announced by Bloody Scotland. The award, previously known as the Bloody Scotland Prize for Scottish Crime Writing, will be presented on Friday 13 September 2024 on the first night of the Bloody Scotland Festival. 

Congratulations to all the nominated authors. 

Anthony Award Winners

 

The Anthony Awards were award on Saturday 31 August 2024 during Bouchercon in Nashville Tennessee 

Best Novel: 

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

Best First Novel: 

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon

Best Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook: 

Hide by Tracy Clark

Best Children's/Young Adult: 

Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose by Nancy Springer

Best Critical/Nonfiction: 

A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan

Best Anthology/Collection: 

Killin’ Time in San Diego, edited by Holly West

Best Short Story: 

Ticket to Ride by Dru Ann Love & Kristopher Zgorski

Congratulations to All!