Book Reviews – Page 51 – Everything Is Better With Dragons

June 2019 Blog Tours

June’s blog tour reviews are all courtesy of Anne Cater, who runs Random Things Blog Tours and is Orenda Publishing blog tour organiser.

Review: ‘The Comedy Club Mystery’, by Peter Bertram

**Amazon:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Comedy-Club-Mystery-Chronicle-adventure/dp/1096270986
**Publisher:** Independently published
**Publication Date:** 3rd May 2019
**ISBN-13:** 978-1096270980

BLURB
The Comedy Club Mystery: A Crampton of the Chronicle comic crime adventure
Murder has never been such fun…
When theatrical agent Daniel Bernstein sues the Evening Chronicle for libel, crime reporter Colin Crampton is called in to sort out the problem.But trouble escalates when Bernstein turns up murdered. Colin discovers that any of five comedians competing for the chance to appear on a top TV show could be behind the killing.As Colin and his feisty girlfriend Shirley Goldsmith investigate, they encounter a cast of colourful characters – identical twin gangsters, an Irishman who lives underground, and a failed magician’s assistant.And it’s not long before their own lives are in peril as they battle to crack a code that will lead to a fortune. Join Colin and Shirley for a rollercoaster of an adventure in Swinging Sixties England – where the laughs are never far from the action.

Publication Day Review: ‘The Lost Shrine’, by Nicola Ford

With bonus review: ‘The Hidden Bones’, by Nicola Ford

Late last year I bothered Allison & Busby for review copies of some of there books, and I’ve been trying to work out how to fit them into the blog ever since. Well, today is publication day for The Lost Shrine, thus I have decided to do a joint review post in celebration.

Nicola Ford is the pen name of archaeologist Dr Nick Snashall, who is National Trust Archaeologist for the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. She has a two book deal with the publisher and I hope she’ll get another because the Hills & Barbrook series has only just started getting wind in its sails.

On to the reviews. The Hidden Bones is only getting a short review because I want to focus on The Lost Shrine.

Review: ‘White Gold’, by David Barker

Blurb
VENGEANCE ALWAYS HAS A PRICE
Sim Atkins, Overseas Division agent, returns to Earth, having saved the Moon base from a deadly terrorist plot (see Rose Gold). All Sim can think about is finding the criminals responsible.
But his fury and lust for revenge are put on hold when a nuclear warhead is stolen by Terra Former leader Matthias Larsson. Can Sim and his colleagues track down the terrorist cell and disarm the device in time?
White Gold is the gripping finale in the compellingly original Gaia Trilogy, page-turning thrillers that provoke as well as excite.

Children’s Book Review: ‘The Dream of the Tortoise’, by Nyako Nakar

**Release Date:** 30^th April 2019
**Genre:** Picture Book
**Page Count:** 36
**Publisher:** Clink Street Publishing
**Goodreads Link:** https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45360211-the-dream-of-the-tortoise
**Amazon Link:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dream-Tortoise-Nyako-Nakar-ebook/dp/B07QP2GB4C

Summary:

This is the story of a tortoise with very big dreams.

Review: ‘Dear Jane’, by Allie Cresswell

Blurb
The final instalment of the Highbury trilogy, Dear Jane recounts events hinted at but never actually described in Jane Austen’s Emma; the formative childhood years of Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, their meeting in Weymouth and the agony of their secret engagement.

Orphaned Jane seems likely to be brought up in parochial Highbury until adoption by her papa’s old friend Colonel Campbell opens to her all the excitement and opportunities of London. Frank Weston is also transplanted from Highbury, adopted as heir to the wealthy Churchills and taken to their drear and inhospitable Yorkshire estate.
Readers of Emma will be familiar with the conclusion of Jane and Frank’s story, but Dear Jane pulls back the veil which Jane Austen drew over its remainder.

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dear-Jane-Highbury-Trilogy-inspired-ebook/dp/B07PXGL93S

US – https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Jane-Highbury-Trilogy-inspired-ebook/dp/B07PXGL93S

Review: ‘The Greenmen’, by Linden Forster

Blurb
Aereon has found the Creators.
He’s crossed seas and mountain ranges to reach them, tangled with dwarves and ogres along the way, escaped the clutches of an icicle wielding irate yeti to rescue them and now they tell him that they weren’t in any great need of help.
A revolution has sparked in the realm of Hudikvar, because of something things Aereon might have said to a troop of homeless youths. Now, King Victarian is after Aereon and anyone associated with him.
Local woodsman, Lars, has agreed to help them flee and be their guide through Oak’s Wood, but even he cannot guess what lies in wait for them within. Not now the Lord of the Primes is about to wake.
‘He’s got a touch of destiny about him, that one,’ said the Dealer.
‘Aye. He’s got a date with her, I’d say,’ said the Trickster.
‘And she’s ordered the lobster,’ said the Teller.

Purchaase Link:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenmen-Heros-Arc-Linden-Forster/dp/099579491X/

May 2019 Bonus Review #1: ‘Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History’, by Tori Telfer

**Publisher:** John Blake
**Publication Date:** 8th February 2018
**ISBN-13:** 978-1786061218

Blurb

When you think of serial killers throughout history, the names that come to mind are ones like Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy. But what about Tillie Klimek, Moulay Hassan, Kate Bender? The narrative we’re comfortable with is the one where women are the victims of violent crime, not the perpetrators. In fact, serial killers are thought to be so universally, overwhelmingly male that in 1998, FBI profiler Roy Hazelwood infamously declared in a homicide conference, ‘There are no female serial killers’.

Lady Killers, based on the popular online series that appeared on Jezebel and The Hairpin, disputes that claim and offers fourteen gruesome examples as evidence. Though largely forgotten by history, female serial killers such as Erzsebet Bathory, Nannie Doss, Mary Ann Cotton, and Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova rival their male counterparts in cunning, cruelty, and appetite for destruction.

Each chapter explores the crimes and history of a different subject, and then proceeds to unpack her legacy and her portrayal in the media, as well as the stereotypes and sexist cliches that inevitably surround her. The first book to examine female serial killers through a feminist lens with a witty and dryly humorous tone, Lady Killers dismisses easy explanations (she was hormonal, she did it for love, a man made her do it) and tired tropes (she was a femme fatale, a black widow, a witch), delving into the complex reality of female aggression and predation. Featuring 14 illustrations from Dame Darcy, Lady Killers is a bloodcurdling, insightful, and irresistible journey into the heart of darkness.

Children’s Book Review: ‘Ting-A-Ling The Old Ambulance’, by Harry Goldstar

**Information about the Book**
**Title:** Ting-A-Ling: The Old Ambulance
**Author:** Harry Goldstar
**Release Date:** 30^th April 2019
**Genre:** Picture Book
**Page Count:** 50
**Publisher:** Clink Street Publishing
**Goodreads Link:** https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45162409-ting-a-ling
**Amazon Link:** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ting-Ling-Ambulance-Harry-Goldstar/dp/1912562863

Summary:

Blurb
Welcome to the world of Ting-a-Ling. The friendliest old ambulance there ever was. With line drawn illustrations for YOU to colour in helping you to familiarise yourself personally, with Ting-a-Ling, his owner and restorer Alf, his mum, and Mr .Grimsby the boss of the big ambulance station. Open the cover and jump into a whole NEW world of ambulance stories and adventures.
Designed in a quirky style encompassing story telling, entertainment, colouring and education, suitable for both younger readers and adults alike. Truly an all in one compendium. Just like the filling in a sandwich, the best bit’s inside.
Simple and easy to read. The stories are written with a smattering of comical northern dialect in bite size chapters so as not to be taxing on the brain.
Have difficulty in reading? Written by a dyslexic who knows what a struggle it can be. This book really is here to help YOU!
If Ting-a-Ling had wings I would say welcome to the flying start. This book is the first in a series in the making where you will meet Ting-a-Ling and his friends.
TRY ME. If not for yourself. Think of someone else. Possibly a little person who the stories are written for.
You will love Ting-a-Ling. EVERYONE does!

Review: ‘The Suspects’, by Katherine Johnson

**Purchase Links:**
**UK –** https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suspects-Katharine-Johnson-ebook/dp/B07PRCJ785
US – https://www.amazon.com/Suspects-Katharine-Johnson-ebook/dp/B07PRCJ785

Blurb
Shallow Grave meets The Secret History in this quirky psychological thriller
Bristol, 1988. Five young graduates on the threshold of their careers buy a house together in order to get a foot on the property ladder before prices spiral out of their reach. But it soon becomes the house share from hell.
After their New Year’s Eve party, they discover a body – and it’s clear they’ll be the first suspects. As each of them has a good reason from their past not to trust the police, they come up with a solution – one which forces them into a life of secrets and lies. But can they trust each other?
“The hugely talented Katharine Johnson has, again delivered a tense thriller! This is a compelling novel – up there with Erin Kelly and Sophie Hannah.”
Val Penny, author of The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries.
“Gripping and frighteningly realistic. The twists and turns kept me guessing to the very end.”
Jo Fenton, author of The Brotherhood.