Paula Messina Reviews: The Secret Hangman by Peter Lovesey

 

Please welcome author Paula Messina back to the blog today…

 

  

The Secret Hangman

by Paula Messina

 

The Secret Hangman by Peter Lovesey begins with Inspector Peter Diamond receiving a letter from a secret admirer. Far from mysterydom’s cuddliest detective, Diamond is surprised any woman is interested in meeting him. Nevertheless, the woman who has the hots for Diamond optimistically suggests they meet at the Saracen’s Hotel on Thursday evening.

Diamond wouldn’t be Diamond if he wrote the date down in his calendar. It’s fair to guess Diamond doesn’t own a calendar of any sort. Besides, he put the secret admirer out of mind as he quickly moved on to search for a missing mother, Delia Williamson.

The next day, a woman is found hanging from a swing’s crossbar in Bath’s Sydney Gardens. You don’t need to be an avid mystery fan to know with absolute certainty that the dangling woman is Delia Williamson.

Her death is obviously a suicide. At least that’s what Diamond and everyone else believe until the pathologist points out “two sets of ligature marks.”

Murder it is.

Diamond returns to his office to find a chocolate cake in wait. The secret admirer strikes again. After Diamond and crew polish off the cake, they attempt to trace Williamson’s final hours. She worked her shift as a waitress at Tosi’s. Did she leave with the waiter Luigi or with the last diner, Dalton Monnington, a Jacuzzi salesman? Or was the murderer closer to home? Say her live-in lover, the rather cool Ashley Corcoran? Or is it possible that Danny Geaves, Williamson’s former partner and the father of her children, had it in for her?

Diamond wants to speak to Geaves, only he’s vanished without that proverbial trace.

Until he is found hanging from a bridge.

Meanwhile, Diamond, his larder empty, goes grocery shopping and manages to drive over another customer’s bags. After Diamond pays to replace her destroyed food, the owner invites him for a drink that night, which is how Diamond meets Paloma Kean and her son Jerry, a devote Christian who volunteers at hospitals in the area.

Another woman is found hanged, and days later, her missing husband is found suffering from a similar fate. When a third woman is found at the end of a noose, it’s obvious a serial killer is on the loose. Diamond begins a frantic search to find the third missing husband before it’s too late.

Hangman takes lots of twists, and Diamond runs through his list of suspects before finally solving the who and why of the mystery. The only remaining question is the fate of his relationship with Paloma Kean.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we have a master plotter at work. Among the many honors bestowed on Peter Lovesey (1936-2025) are the MWA Grandmaster Award for Lifetime Achievement, the CWA Gold and Silver Daggers, and the Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.

Lovesey’s also great at spinning characters with real depth and personality. Peter Diamond is a wonderful character worth revisiting in the other books in the series. He’s irascible but vulnerable, not quite the curmudgeon he presents to the world, and he has a sense of humor. Diamond’s still reeling from the murder of his wife Steph three years before Hangman begins, and the scenes with Paloma are touching and tender. It’s impossible not to root for Paloma to appear in the next mystery.

The series also boasts an admirable cast of supporting characters. There’s the well endowed Georgina, Diamond’s boss whom he frequently locks horns with, and his underlings, the delightful Ingeborg, the insufferable John Leaman, and the long-suffering Keith Halliwell.

Readers enjoy visiting locations mentioned in their favorite books. Arthur Conan Doyle died in 1930, taking Sherlock Holmes and John Watson with him to the grave—at least in theory. Nearly one hundred years later, fans still flock to the non-existent 221B Baker Street, perhaps expecting Mrs. Hudson to open the door and invite them to wait upstairs for Holmes’ return. So it’s not surprising that another well developed character in the Diamond series is Bath itself. Diamond climbs hills and descends into Bath’s many caves. The places mentioned are real, not figments of Lovesey’s imagination.

While reading Hangman, I had the sense I could visit the places described and pop in for a pint at the Old Crown, maybe even chat up Diamond himself, or perhaps spy on Paloma and Diamond when they meet up at the Saracen’s Hotel for a little tipple. It turns out Lovesey used to conduct tours of Bath.

I was convinced that I had figured out early the connection between the three ill-fated couples and the murderer. I resisted the temptation to jump ahead and confirm whether I was correct. Of course, I’m not spilling the beans. You’ll have to read The Secret Hangman to find out whodunnit. I can tell you this: Peter Diamond and crew are well worth your time.

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4fFP6Nw

  

Paula Messina ©2026 

Paula Messina writes the Donatello Laguardia stories, which are set in Boston’s North End during the 1940s. They appeared in the Best New England Crime Stories 2024 and 2025 and another Donatello Laguardia short story is scheduled to appear in Black Cat Weekly. She lives near America’s first public beach.

Publication Day Review: The Bookseller: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

As the father of DS George Cross faces a very hard medical diagnosis, he works the case of a murder inside Squire’s Rare Books. Located in Bristol and owned by the Squire family, the bookstore has been a fixture in Berkeley Square. The squires have been involved in the business of rare books for decades, but world of bookselling has massively changed from when Torquil Squire was a mere lad running books when he was a lad. The staff that runs the place these days is having a hard time working together and adjusting the business and there is friction.

 

Did that friction play a role or cause the death of Edward Squire, son of Torquil, or not? A question that DS George Cross and the rest of the team will have to answer in coming days along with a host of other questions. A team that has a lot going on, professionally and personally, as they deal with various matters including the repercussions of recent events depicted in The Teacher.

 

Quite a lot is happening in The Bookseller: A DS George Cross Mystery. This review deliberately skims the surface of this intense police procedural. In my opinion, to reveal more would cause spoilers and I won’t do that. Suffice it to say that this is a mighty good read in a series that just keeps getting better and better.

 

As I have tried to make clear before, each book in this series is well worth your time. The Bookseller: A DS George Cross Mystery is as well.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4ctnvNP

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

  

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: Not That Duke by Eloisa James

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Not That Duke by Eloisa James

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Teacher by Tim Sullivan

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Teacher by Tim Sullivan

Review: The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

With DS Josie Ottey off as she moves her family to a new house, DS George Cross is stuck partnering with his boss, DCI Ben Carson, as The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan begins. Those of us who have read the series to this point understand very well that this is not an optimal situation for DS George Cross.

 

In the coming days and weeks, it will get way worse for him as well as a couple of other members of the investigate team.

 

Carson and Cross have been called out to the scene of where an elderly man apparently went down a narrow staircase the hard way. The smear of blood, a long trail, shows the path Alistair Moreton’s head took in its final seconds. The neck is obviously broken. While DCI Carson sees a slip and fall, PC Trevor Bain saw the defensive puncture wounds to the hands of the deceased man and called for assistance.

 

As DS Cross notes, there are also bites to the victim’s legs as well as some sort of puncture wound to his chest. It is clearly not a simple slip and fall. In Cross’ opinion, the police constable was one hundred percent correct in alerting the Major Crime Unit of the Avon and Somerset Police.

 

What follows is a complicated case and a hunt for the killer or killers. Along the way, not only do we see Cross deal with a series of challenges, professionally and personally, we also follow as various members of the team deal with their own professional and personal challenges. In every case, those challenges would be spoilers if I revealed them here, so I won’t.

 

Instead, I will simply point out that The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is a very good police procedural. Part of the excellent series that began with The Dentist. This read, and the others, should be read in order as each one extensively builds on the previous books of the series.

 

 

Strongly recommended.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4rBurxe

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

  

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – The Monk by Tim Sullivan

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – The Monk by Tim Sullivan

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children’s Books by Joan Bodger

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the Bri...:   Reviewed by Jeanne Many, many years ago, a fellow librarian encouraged me to read How the Heather Looks if I had any interest in chil...

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Monk by Tim Sullivan

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Monk by Tim Sullivan 

FFB Review: The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

  

Author Elly Griffiths has several different series. While I never could get into her other ones, despite a lot of trying on my part, her Ruth Galloway series is incredibly good and a favorite of mine. I keep hoping we will get another one. I remind you today that this excellent series begins here with The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery. From the archive….

 

 

Archeologist Ruth Galloway lives alone in a small cottage on the edge of an area known as “the Saltmarsh.” It is a coastal land of desolation where the sky and sea meet. It is a treacherous and dangerous land of stark beauty and one that few people enjoy. She is far from her south London upbringing as well as her parents. Considering her observations about them distance is a very good thing.

 

When she isn’t at her small cottage with her cats she is at the University of North Norfolk where she teaches forensic archeology. It is there, thanks to her department chair Phil, she first meets Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson. The inspector wants her to inspect some bones that have been found out near the bird sanctuary in another part of the Saltmarsh.

 

He hopes that the bones might be a missing child who vanished ten years ago. Her name was Lucy Downey. Since her disappearance a decade ago the inspector has been receiving strange letters from someone. A person who uses quotes from the Bible, Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, and other sources to taunt the inspector with clues. If Ruth Galloway can verify that the bones are of the missing child, he might just have the first solid piece of evidence to advance the case.

 

What follows is a complex and highly atmospheric read as Ruth Galloway gets drawn deeper and deeper in the mystery of the Lucy Downey case. At the same time, a bond begins between her and the inspector creating additional stress. It isn’t surprising when Ruth herself becomes a target as the case proceeds.

 

Character complexity is at work here from the beginning. In some senses Ruth is the classic clichéd spinster-- overweight, cats as her companions, no romantic interest, and a job that that fills her days. It is her observations on her parents, life, the world around her, and much more that fill the character with depth and meaning. The same is true to a lesser extent with the inspector though most of the book is told from watching Ruth.

 

The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths is a solidly good start to what could be a very intriguing series. At least in this book, history, archaeology, and more take prominent roles resulting in the subtle education of the reader as the pages move by. A mystery that encourages the reader to think while also quietly teaching is a book that is very much worth reading.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4tg5g3F

 

Go wild and get the entire 15 book series: https://amzn.to/41zKIHq

 

 

 

Material was obtained via the Plano Public Library System to read and review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015, 2021, 2026

Review: The Monk: A DS George Cross Thriller by Tim Sullivan

 

DS George Cross is rarely shocked. After all, he has seen quite a lot over the years. The scene in the woodlands of Goblin Combe though has been quite the surprise for the Detective Sargent of the Avon and Somerset police. It has been quite a surprise to others on the Major Crimes unit team as well.

 

It is a bad business.

 

The ditch in the rural area has a chair sitting in it. When folks smelled the odor in the area, most folks would think that it came from a dead animal. It would only be if one got closer, as a dog walker did this morning, that one would see the contents of the dumped chair. One would see the remains of a badly beaten man, industrial duct taped to the chair, and very clearly dead as time and nature has long been at work breaking down what was once a vibrant person.

 

A person who, based on how he is still dressed, was once a monk. In all likelihood, what sits before them is the body of Dom Dominic Augustus of St. Eustace’s Monastery. He was reported missing two days ago by the father abbot. Dom Dominic Augustus clearly went through a literal hell on earth in his last hours before he was dumped here where he was finally found.

 

For Cross, the central question of the case is answering the why. Not necessarily, the who did it part first. Once the team is able to fully answer why the Benedictine Monk was brutally beaten to death, everything else will fall into place.

 

And it does, slowly and beautifully.

 

DS George Cross always gets the killer or killers. The process is always a highly entertaining aspect of these reads. That is very true here as this reader snickered several times as things were said between Cross and others. Along with the investigative process and those details, several secondary characters, as well as Cross, are further developed. As part of this process, we learn more about Cross’s background, why his mom left, and the ongoing emotional impact of her return all these years later.

 

The result is another complicated read that pulls the reader into this world very fast and does not let go. An entertaining series that must be read in order for the full effect, The Monk: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is another installment well worth reading.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4bFZyT5

 

 

My reading copy came from Atlantic Crime, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Joan Leotta Reviews: Death Times Seven: A Daniel Pitt Novel by Anne Perry and Victoria Zackheim

  

Death Times Seven: A Daniel Pitt Novel (Book 7 of 7 in the series)

by Anne Perry and Victoria Zackheim 

Publication Date: Apr 14, 2026

Available in Kindle, HB, ($30) and Paper

ISBN#: 978-0593982518

Published by Ballantine Books

Pages: 288 in HB

 

Review by Joan Leotta

 

Imagine that you’ve been out of touch with an old friend for a while and then, unexpectedly, you meet again. That’s how I felt about reading the newest Daniel Pitt mystery from the pen of the late great Anne Perry. I’m a hardcore Perry fan—all of her series. Several of the lines ran their course naturally, but the Daniel Pitt series and the Elena Standish series have young protagonists, so it was harder to say good-by to them when news of Perry’s death was published.

 

However, it seems that before her death she entrusted Daniel and his wife Miriam and the other regulars of this series which follows the young lawyer and wife in their quest for justice for individuals and for society as a whole, in the early twentieth century. By allowing Victoria Zackheim, a close friend as well as an editor to finish this book she has given us a gift from beyond the grave, a legacy of words.

 

Death Times Seven takes place in 1913 England. Daniel is asked to take over (mid -trial) for a more senior person in the law firm, fellow attorney, Toby Kitteridge, who had to leave London upon learning of the sudden brutal attack on his parents in their parsonage—mother dead, accused father.

 

Miriam Ifford Croft (Daniel’s wife), of course, as always, has much to offer, helping Daniel to defend the hapless Peter Ward, the client, whose innocence it seems was only believed by Kitteridge and then herself and Daniel. As the two cases develop, we are given entry to the courts as the trial proceeds as well as to the workings of forensic pathology in that era. New evidence surfaces. We are also party to the mystery in the countryside where Toby is valiantly trying to help his father recover and clear the cleric’s name. Daniel travels out to the countryside to help his friend. It’s a satisfying dual mystery, well plotted, character driven, and full of excitement.

 

I’m often wary of these posthumous additions to a series. But this one is a true gem. Zackheim has seamlessly woven whatever part of the story she was to finish.

 

How did she do it? From a reader’s standpoint, plot and structure are well done. But what brands this book as a piece true to Perry is the way the characters are handled, particularly young Daniel. As I was reading the book, reserving judgment as I traversed the paragraphs, I was confronted with a scene that made me realize the depth of Zackheim’s commitment to the sharing the character of Daniel as Perry had oft portrayed him---she sets a scene where Daniel cuts off a thick slice of bread and slathers it with butter (jam in another place) and eats it as much as for its comfort as for its value as sustenance.

 

This gesture, one that defines Daniel as a man who enjoys the simple things, is typical of Perry and the particular gesture is one that reminds us of Daniel’s youth and even harks back to the time when we knew him as a boy in the William and Charlotte Pitt (his parents) series. I could not stop reading it. Stayed up all night, not wanting to miss any part of it. Will likely read it a second time for the shear enjoyment of the language and to say goodbye once more to these characters. I suppose ending with the seventh is a series is fitting since seven is considered one of the perfect numbers, but I would certainly not be averse to reading number eight, even if wholly penned by Zackheim.

 

But if this is the end, the last new novel by Perry to read, it is certainly a fitting tribute to her talent and her love of the characters she has created and we, her loyal readers, have come to know and love.

My electronic copy came from a reading service. I’m already on the wait list at my local library; I’d like to hold the hardback in my hand to read. Definitely one of my top three books so far this year.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4bbv3Cw

 

  

Joan Leotta ©2026 

Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. Her poetry, essays, cnf, short stories, and articles are widely published. Mysteries are favorite things to read.. short and long.. and to write.

Publication Day Review: The Politician: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

Peggy Frampton is very much dead in her bedroom as The Politician: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan begins. The cleaning lady had found her employer dead that morning. Now Cross, the Detective Sergeant from the Avon and Somerset Police, will lead the hunt for the killer or killers as this most definitely is a murder case.

 

At one time, Peggy Frampton was the Mayor of Bristol. In recent years, she has been a social media influencer through an advice column, and a writer. She has a massive online presence and impact, not only in her local Bristol, England, community, but far beyond. She tended to ruffle feathers, at times, with her blunt advice.

 

She is survived by her husband, Peter, and their adult children. Peter is a lawyer. As it happens, he is in London, on a case, and is on the way back home as DS George Cross looks at the body and the crime scene.

 

While some, such as DCI Ben Carson, believe this is aa case of a simple burglary gone wrong, DS George Cross does not. Before much can be done by the local police, due to the high-profile nature of the case, Chief Superintendent Heather Mathews is brought in to supervise. Fortunately for everyone, while she has never worked with Cross before, she knows of him and how he is, and so she allows him wide latitude to pursue the case as he sees fit. That means he can treat it like any other case and not be micromanaged by Carson or anyone else.

 

That is always a plus. Especially here with a case that is complex and constantly evolving as lines of inquiry are adjusted as evidence comes to light. As always, the reader knows that Cross will identify and build a case against those involved. The real question is what else will he and his team unearth in their pursuit of justice for the dead.

 

For that, you will have to read the book.

 

It would also be best if you started with the first read, The Dentist: A DS George Cross Mystery, and work your way forward to this fourth book of the re-released series. This is not a static police procedural series with very little change over time. Instead, and one of the things that makes it so good, characters constantly evolve and deal with things in life, relationships change, and more happens while the police work continues.

 

The Politician: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is another very good installment of a really good police procedural series. What more could you want?

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Nu5Hrp

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Carousel of Time by Bernard O’Keeffe

  

The Carousel of Time by Bernard O’Keeffe, the fifth book in the DI Jim Garibaldi series, will be released in the UK by Muswell Press on 19 February 2026. Unfortunately the books are not yet published in the US.

All of the books are set in Barnes, that upscale suburb southwest of London, where the Barnes Fair is always held on the second Saturday in July. Games, stalls staffed by local nonprofit groups, food of all kinds, and rides are plentiful. This year, though, murder taints the event. Shelley Granger, a local resident and owner of a popular card and gift shop, is found dead with a severe head wound near the carousel the morning after the fair.

DI Garibaldi and DS Milly Gardner learn that the victim had spent the last day of her life at the fair, working at various stalls. In the late afternoon she met school friends in a years-old ritual to remember their school friend who died the year they graduated by riding the carousel, which Esther had loved. Granger had last been seen at a post-fair party, another annual ritual, attended by dozens of Barnes residents. Surprisingly, CCTV cameras were not set up around the fair, so Garibaldi and Gardner had to piece together the dead woman’s movements the hard way: through interviews.

Everyone said that the victim was well liked, had no disagreements with anyone, and her shop was profitable with a strong repeat customer base. Careful questioning and cross-questioning yielded information to the contrary. Granger was upset that her university son had joined a group of activists known for defacing businesses and they had loud arguments about it. She had also developed a line of anonymous cards that offered critical comments about the recipient and apparently she had been sending some of them. For instance, the local would-be star of the drama society received one that called her “No Talent”. The school friends all said the group was on excellent terms with each other but Garibaldi felt they were withholding information. So instead of no suspects in the murder, there are many.

Garibaldi’s penchant for obscure information lets O’Keeffe work in plenty of detail and history about carousels, such as those carousels with horses that move up and down are more properly called “gallopers”. Horses remain stationary on true carousels.

A traditional detective, Garibaldi reminds me of Inspector C. D. Sloan of the Calleshire Chronicles by Catherine Aird. Patient and persistent, although Sloan is not given to the pedantic asides that pepper Garibaldi’s conversation. And Milly Gardner is far preferable to Constable Crosby, that traffic cop wannabe. Still, there’s a similar feel to the books.

Recommended for fans of character-driven police procedurals with equally strong plots.  

 

·         Publisher: ‎Muswell Press

·         Publication date: ‎February 19, 2026

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1068684494

 

 

 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2026

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Child in the Forest by Winifred Foley

Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Child in the Forest by Winifred Foley:   Reviewed by Jeanne Winifred Foley, called Poll, was born in 1914 to a miner and his wife, the fourth of eight children. They lived in ...

Review: The Patient: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

 

Third in the police procedural series that began with The Dentist, DS George Cross is outside the Major Crime Unit in Bristol as The Patient: A DS George Cross Thriller by Tim Sullivan begins. He is about to ride home on his bicycle when he sees a woman who has been inside the station each day for the last several days. She is soaked from the falling rain and eating a sandwich in the bike shelter. After a little back and forth, she tells DS Cross that her name is Sandra Wilson and her daughter was murdered.

 

He takes her inside, has Alice Mackenzie get the soaked woman a towel, and looks at the paperwork Sandra Wilson brought with her. Her daughter, Felicity, known to all as Flick, had a very long history of drug use. The police that handled the case decided the death was an accidental overdose, maybe even a suicide, and closed the case. Mom is very sure that her daughter did no such thing. She is sure that it was murder. After going through the file repeatedly and question the woman, DS George Cross spots an inconsistency in the case that makes no sense at all.

 

That is what he does. He spots the smallest of details because he is on the Autism Spectrum. The inconstancy he spotted was ignored by those who worked the case. The system has failed the mother of the victim, the victim herself, and the very young daughter of the victim. He starts working the closed case as if it were his own regardless of who is annoyed that he is doing so.

 

This includes his boss, DCI Carson, who would very much prefer he not waste his time on a closed case. Especially when Cross could focus on the current open case of a body being found in the river. Undeterred, Cross does what he wants because he is a very good detective.

 

It isn’t like they are going to fire him as he is very good. Much to the annoyance of others, including a fellow detective, who should be focused on doing their own jobs better. Including a fellow detective who is now bringing charges internally against him in order for the Force to take disciplinary action against DS Cross.

 

This third book in the series now being published in the United States by Grove Atlantic is a very good read. As is the police procedural series to date. Best to read in order as Cross, Ottey, Mackenzie, and other characters are fast becoming family for this reader.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Y9MXPY

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Atlantic Crime, imprint of Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

Publication Day Review: The Cyclist: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan

  

It has been a few months since the events of The Dentist as the police procedural, The Cyclist: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan begins, and DS George Cross is at, in all likelihood, a crime scene. An annoyed contractor wants to get his men back to work on the teardown of a row of garages, but the dead body wrapped in plastic and sitting in the bucket of a digger has meant that all work is stopped. Detective Sergeant George Cross of the Somerset and Avon police force flatly and calmly explains the reality of the situation in his unique style and returns to the business at hand—solving a murder.

 

The unique style of Detective Sergeant George Cross is due to the fact that he is on the autism spectrum with Asperger’s syndrome. He has a very hard time picking up on social cues and interacting with people. He does not recognize emotions and has to go through a sort of mental catalog to figure out the emotion a person is displaying on their face. So, he is working hard to be civil and polite with the contractor who wants nothing more than to get the project back underway, and doesn’t quite get why DS George Cross is saying what he is saying to him. DS Ottey is soon able to rescue Cross before things go sideways with the man.

 

DS George Cross is detail focused and driven and is an exceptional investigator though he drives everyone around him a bit mad at times. Of course, if everyone had his attention to detail, that would really help everyone. Since the pathologist clearly does not, she might have noticed clues on the body that would give them an idea as to the identity of the victim. The victim had no identification, no engraved watch, no cell phone, nothing at all that would identify him. But, in his close examination of the body in front of the perturbed pathologist in the morgue, DS Cross identified several clues that indicate the victim was a serious cyclist.

 

That fact soon proves out to be true and the team is able to identify the victim. Now that the victim is identified, they can actually start investigating him, his background, relationships, etc., and begin to make slow progress in a complicated case.

 

This second book in the series builds off the first book, The Dentist, and does so very well. Further character development of George Cross, as well as several other characters, is underway here and does not distract from the main storyline. Also present are the economic budgetary issues impacting the police in the name of efficiency and are, actually, doing the exact opposite. Also present is a complex mystery with far reaching implications.

 

A police procedural series that should be read in order, The Cyclist: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan is a highly entertaining read.

 

The book, and the series, to date, is highly recommended.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4omEQLH

 

 

I received a digital ARC from the publisher, Grove Atlantic, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: The Politician by Tim Sullivan

 Lesa's Book Critiques: The Politician by Tim Sullivan

Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Murders Near Mapleton by Brian Flynn

 Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Murders Near Mapleton by Brian Flynn

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: A Case of Mice and Murder: The Trials of Gabriel Ward by Sally Smith

 .

Of Mice and Murder (Raven Books, June 2025) has been getting raves from readers of historical mysteries since it was released. Now it is popping up on favorites of the year lists and I was determined to see what the buzz was about.

It is, as everyone says, a wonderful story. Set in May 1901, the quirky Sir Gabriel Ward KC, an outstanding addition to the pantheon of amateur sleuths, literally stumbles across the body of Lord Norman Dunning, Lord Chief Justice of England, as Ward was attempting to enter his legal office in the Inner Temple. Dunning was in popular opinion amazingly average and the last person to be murdered. But here he was, expired and not of natural causes.

By law the Temple is not part of the City of London and London police are not allowed to enter without invitation. The author goes into some detail about the history of the Temple and provides a helpful map. To keep the police at bay for a few days, Ward was given the task of investigating the death accompanied by a police constable to take notes. Ward was on the verge of an important piece of litigation that needed his full attention and he did not welcome this new and strange assignment. Indeed, he did not welcome anything that disrupted his long-established routine. His outstanding intellect was recognized by his colleagues however and it was felt if anyone could find an answer to this peculiar event, it would be Sir Gabriel.

The second plot thread is just as perplexing. Years ago, legal publisher Herbert Moore found a manuscript for a children’s book with no letter or explanation on his doorstep. He examined it briefly and discarded it in the nearest bin, from which his young daughter retrieved it and read it, enthralled. Moore decided to publish it as a Christmas one-off and found himself with a runaway bestseller. He had made some inquiries as to the author that came up empty and despite some reservations continued to publish the book. Now a young woman has come forward claiming authorship of the book and Moore hasn’t a legal leg to stand on. In desperation he has turned to Ward for help.

Sally Smith spent all her working life as a barrister and later King's Counsel in the Inner Temple. Her deep knowledge of the history of the Temple and understanding of its operations give the story a commanding sense of authenticity. The references to new-fangled forensic tools such as fingerprints and the mentions of the limitations placed on women’s lives sets the context equally well. Those same limitations offer clues to the resolution. The dual mystery itself is nicely constructed, and Sir Gabriel is a vivid personality with whom I can easily identify.

Fortunately for us all, there is no need to wait for the second book in the series; it is available for purchase now. Library Journal starred review. Highly recommended.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Raven Books

·         Publication date: ‎June 17, 2025

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1639736921

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1639736928

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/3MIybxm

 

  

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Masked Band: A D. I. Jim Garibaldi Novel by Bernard O'Keeffe

  

The Masked Band (Muswell, 2025) is the fourth book with Detective Inspector Jim Garibaldi, who lives and works in Barnes, a pleasant London suburb on the Thames. It’s an engaging read with a novel premise. Garibaldi is well read and is given to quoting bits of literature during serious team discussions, throwing his colleagues off and irritating his boss, with whom he has exchanged confidences of a personal nature in the past. Garibaldi’s parents were killed in a car accident and he has never learned to drive. He may be the only contemporary detective on a bicycle I have encountered. (I think Father Brown rode a bicycle.)

The Okay Boomers is a group of celebrities from various parts of the media world who wear masks of David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Debbie Harry, Bob Dylan, and Mick Jagger and play occasional gigs in the local pub. They gather at one member’s house after a successful performance and the next morning a young man is found dead in the garden wearing one of the masks. No identification on the victim and band members all deny knowing him. The remaining masks are missing.

The more the police press the members of the band to find a link between the dead man and the group, the more the individuals begin to crack. On the surface they are all congenial; behind closed doors they don’t much like each other and don’t hesitate to throw each other under the proverbial bus. One member is especially venomous, he has stabbed each of the others in the back; they all heard about it and haven’t forgotten. To see him on the law enforcement hot seat doesn’t bother them at all.

The killer didn’t exactly come out of the blue but it was certainly an unexpected if reasonable resolution.

O’Keeffe works some sly digs about the concept of celebrity into the story and how overrated some individual media stars are. No need to read the earlier books in this police procedural for this particular storyline to make sense. Overall, a satisfying read!

This book is only available in paperback, unfortunately. I had to order it from Waterstone’s in England earlier in the year when it first came to my attention. While I see it is listed on Amazon now, the seller that is offering it is in England so expect slower than usual shipping. A potentially good use for that Amazon gift card you might find in your stocking.

·         Publisher: ‎Muswell Press

·         Publication date: ‎February 20, 2025

·         Language: ‎English

·         Print length: ‎368 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1738452883

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1738452880

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/4a0x1qv

  

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2025 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.