• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Claire Ladds

Crime and dark fiction author

  • Home
  • About
  • Books
  • Other Work
    • Colouring Books
    • Blood & Teacakes
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Free Book and more
  • Standalone Books
  • Short story collections
You are here: Home / Blog

Blog

Spell the Month in Books: April

8th April 2021 by claireladds Leave a Comment

I’m back once more with my Spell the Month in Books titles, once again bringing you some of the crime and mystery books on my bookshelves. There are some fantastic authors in this little stack, and one or two of my favourite contemporary authors who write historical mysteries here.

Here’s my list for April:

Angel with Two Faces – Nicola Upson

Poor Tom is Cold – Maureen Jennings

Return of Sherlock Holmes (The) – Arthur Conan Doyle

Incomplete Revenge (An) – Jacqueline Winspear

Last Seen Wearing – Colin Dexter

I really do enjoy Nicola Upson’s novels. Angel with two Faces is another of her mysteries set in the interwar period. While Josephine Tey recovers from a trauma, she is invited to Cornwall, to the family home of Inspector Archie Penrose. She is delighted as there is an open air theatre right next to the cliffs. When she arrives, the place is coping with a young man’s funeral. His horse leapt, strangely, into a lake, and the man was drowned. This is odd enough, but when another young man disappears and the curate also falls from the clifftop Josephine likes so much, it becomes apparent that there’s a murderer on the loose. This is another of Nicola Upson’s books that I became totally immersed in. While it’s classified as a cozy mystery, what I love about this series are the undertones of darkness that lurk just near the surface.

Poor Tom is Cold is the third of the Murdoch Mysteries. If you’ve read any of my other Spell the Month in Books posts then you’ll already know that I am a huge fan of these stories in book and TV series format. The story is set in 1895 Toronto. Murdoch is not convinced by the apparent suicide of Police Constable Oliver Wicken, discovered in an abandoned house, even more so when he encounters Wicken’s mother and invalid sister and realises that the constable was the family’s only means of financial support. Why on earth, when he was needed so much, would he commit suicide? Nearby, Murdoch sees one of the Wickens’ neighbour being taken to a lunatic asylum. When he starts wondering if the woman has actually been driven insane, it makes Murdoch think that the two events are linked in some sinister way. As always, this is a fabulous mystery and Murdoch’s incredible brain weaves its intrepid way through the clues to get to the truth.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle in response to the public outrage that the author had previously killed off Sherlock. This collection of stories sees Holmes returning from his supposed death to recount the adventures that happened to him during those ‘missing’ years. I think that, whether you love the character of Sherlock Holmes or find him obnoxious and irritating, the stories are always great Victorian mysteries. I personally find Holmes exasperating (except in the TV version with Jeremy Brett as the star – totally brilliant!), but my feelings about Holmes are counteracted by the lovely, down-to-earth character of Dr Watson. I always have a very soft spot for Watson, who is often as baffled as the reader at the antics and puzzle-solving of Holmes. The parallels between these two and Christie’s Poirot and Hastings decades later are clear.

Anything by Jacqueline Winspear is a hit with me. An Incomplete Revenge is another Maisie Dobbs book, set in a Depression-filled 1931. Maisie accept a commission from a friend who wants to buy an estate in the village of Heronsdene, Kent. The problem is, the place has been denying all knowledge of the thefts, arson and vandalism that have been going on for a decade. Maisie has to find out what on earth has been going on and why the culprits have never been caught, so her friend can buy his estate with an easy mind. It’s not made easier, however, by the way that the villagers close ranks on outsiders and seem steeped in the past. This is a beautiful, entertaining mystery, which deftly reflects class and social differences of interwar Britain. I’ve not yet come across a Maisie Dobbs story that I didn’t enjoy.

Last Seen Wearing is a Morse book I haven’t read, but I’ve no doubt that I’ll enjoy it when I do. The story centres around the disappearance of Valerie Taylor, a teenage schoolgirl. After over two years, her disappearance has become a cold case. But then new evidence is revealed and Morse is asked to reopen the case. I’d love to be able to talk more about it. If you’ve read it, or manage to before I do, I’d love to know what you thought.

I hope that you might feel encouraged to try something on my April bookstack – and you’ll note that, aside from my mug in the picture, there’s no Agatha Christie here this time (which may shock you. It did me – although I did still manage to squeeze in a reference, you may have noticed!). As always, any affiliate links I use here (which apply to the US only) are for books and products that I have personally used and loved, so you know it’s a genuine recommendation from me.

Happy reading!

Join the readers' club

Get a short, FREE psychological thriller when you join my Readers’ Club

Filed Under: Book challenges, Reading

Read Christie 2021: my March book choice – Death in the Clouds

29th March 2021 by claireladds Leave a Comment

I am back once more with my #ReadChristie2021 challenge choice, this time for March. This one was under threat all month due to my fingers being slavishly glued to the keyboard in an attempt to complete the first draft of my next book by the end of the month. Somehow, though, I’ve managed to squeeze in my reading through some matchstick-propping of eyelids. 🙂

The remit for this month was a book containing a society figure. The recommended read was Lord Edgware Dies, but I chose to read a story that I haven’t read since I was about fourteen. I picked Death in the Clouds, partly to see how much of the original story I remembered, and partly to see how it differed from the film version starring David Suchet as Poirot.

#ReadChristie2021 my March read

The setup for the story is as follows: After a visit to France, Poirot and others, some who have been to watch the tennis, some who had other reasons to be there, head to England on a plane. Poirot is among a small group of passengers in the first class compartment but, as he hates flying, he wraps himself up and tries to block out the trip altogether. As they approach the end of the flight, one of the stewards discovers one of the passengers is dead. At first glance, it appears she has been stung by a wasp, but on closer examination, it’s blatantly clear that a poisoned dart has stabbed her in the neck and a blowpipe is discovered in the back of one of the chairs, right near where Poirot had been sitting. And poor Poirot isn’t trusted, then, by most of his fellow passengers or by certain members of the authorities.

It turns out that the dead woman is a notorious money-lender, publicly known as Madame Giselle, and who targeted people with secrets which she could hold over them in order to ensure repayment of their loans. One of the passengers in that first-class compartment must have killed her somehow, even though it seems impossible that anyone could have blown a dart at the woman without being seen. But someone did, and there are a number of distinctly likely candidates. Poirot is determined to help Inspector Japp solve the case – if only to reclaim his respectability!

The trail leads them back to France to discover the secrets of Madame Giselle – including any information they can find out about the secret daughter who inherits everything. Back in England, and with the aid of two of the younger passengers, Jane grey, a hairdresser, and Norman Gale, a dentist, (and who form the beginnings of a romantic attachment as a nice little sideline) the plot gradually unfolds, despite the many attempts to misdirect and misinform Poirot, until the culprit is revealed.

So, where does the society figure come it, then? Well, of course, she is one of the suspects. Lady Horbury is an addicted gambler – and she’s also addicted in other ways, too. She really is one of those characters who make me ‘bristle’. I struggle to find anything at all in the way of a redeeming feature. And she is, as you can well imagine, a strong suspect. Whether she did a very clever job on the woman to whom she was in debt and who knew way more about her than she wanted leaking to the press or other members of her society circle, I shall not tell you – obviously!

I’m going to be honest and say that this is not one of my favourite Christie stories, but as ever with books, this is just my subjective opinion. I do, however, think that the plot device used to enable the perpetrator of the crime to do their dastardly deed was very clever. It is one Christie used several times, for example in the short story ‘The yellow iris’, which she extended and which also became the novel Sparkling Cyanide. If you’ve read them, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If not, I’m not going to spoil it for you!

As ever when I use affiliate links I let you know. Links in this post will take you to Amazon.com. I may earn a tiny commission if you choose to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you (if you shop on Amazon US, that is).

Have you decided to join in the Read Christie challenge this year? If you have, I’d love to hear about what you’ve been reading. If not, I’d still love to hear about what you’ve been reading – I’m always happy to add to my ‘to be read’ pile! Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments.

Happy reading!

Join the readers' club

Get a FREE and EXCLUSIVE short psychological suspense book when you sign up to my Readers’ Club.

Filed Under: Book challenges Tagged With: #ReadChristie2021, Agatha Christie, Agatha Christie books, book challenge, crime and mystery books

Spell the Month in Books: March

5th March 2021 by claireladds Leave a Comment

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>I have five crime-filled stories to share with you in my Spell the Month in Books post for March. This time they span the centuries in their settings, from the medieval to the twentieth century.

I have five crime-filled stories to share with you in my Spell the Month in Books post for March. This time they span the centuries in their settings, from the medieval to the twentieth century. The books I have chosen this time around are:

Mistress of the Art of Death – Ariana Franklin

Alienist The) – Caleb Carr

Remorseful Day (The) – Colin Dexter

Coroner’s Pidgin – Margery Allingham

Holy Disorders – Edmund Crispin

Every one of these is available in audiobook, so I’ve linked to that version, although available ebooks, paperbacks and hardcovers are all listed as well.

We begin with the Middle Ages. Children have disappeared and one murdered in Cambridge. Blame is placed on the Jews who go into hiding, much to the displeasure of the king, who relies on them for revenue. In desperation, he enlists Simon of Naples to help him, and he brings with him Ariana Aguila. She has a secret for fear of being accused of witchcraft – her skill in the study of corpses. In the course of her investigations, it becomes clear that the killer has noticed her involvement. Will the killer strike again – and this time, at her?

[Read more…] about Spell the Month in Books: March

Filed Under: Book challenges, Reading

Kobo Long Weekend Sale: Baby up the Chimney for 0.99

12th February 2021 by claireladds Leave a Comment

https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/baby-up-the-chimney

I’m thrilled to tell you that my historical crime novel, Baby up the Chimney, is in Kobo’s long weekend sale. The sale starts today and finishes on the 15th February (next Monday). Right now UK, Canada and US-based readers can grab the ebook for 0.99. That’s a whopping amount (about 75%) off the usual price of the e-book.

I hadn’t realised that this weekend’s sale would also include UK readers as well as Canadian and US readers, so if you’re in the UK, do please feel free to take up the opportunity to grab a copy at this rock-bottom price while you’ve got the chance! If you’re not a Kobo reader, however, read on because I have a “tester” freebie for you.

[Read more…] about Kobo Long Weekend Sale: Baby up the Chimney for 0.99

Filed Under: Baby up the Chimney, Events Tagged With: Baby up the Chimney, ebook sale, historical crime fiction, kobo readers, kobo sale

Spell the Month in Books: February

6th February 2021 by claireladds 3 Comments

Here I am again with my spell the Month in Books choices! This time, I’m looking at a bookstack of crime and mystery stories which I have on my shelves and which contain a whole host of fantastic characters, whether detective/sleuth or criminal.

Here’s my list of books:

Fear in the Sunlight – Nicola Upson

Except the Dying – Maureen Jennings

Brat Farrar – Josephine Tey

Raffles – E.W. Hornung

Unnatural Habits – Kerry Greenwood

And then There Were None – Agatha Christie

Riddle of the Third Mile (The) – Colin Dexter

You Let Me In – Lucy Clarke

Fear in the Sunlight is one of Nicola Upson’s wonderful mysteries set between the wars and featuring the writer, Josephine Tey, as the sleuth. While Josephine is on holiday in Portmeiron to celebrate a friend’s fortieth birthday and to sign a film deal with Alfred Hitchcock for a novel she’s written, one of the group becomes the unfortunate object of a brutal and gruesome murder. The next day, it happens to another one of the party. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Josephine joins forces with Chief Inspector Penrose to find out as suspicion grows rife among the remaining guests and they fear for their lives.

The fantastic Victorian detective William Murdoch appears in Except the Dying. It is 1895, and the body of a pregnant girl is discovered in a freezing cold street in Toronto. Murdoch soon begins to think that her murder may well be an attempt to disguise the knowledge that she had been embroiled with a man belonging to one of the affluent families in the city. I find Murdoch such an endearing character, and I love his quirkiness, his inventiveness and his relationships with the other characters. As someone who has watched all of the Murdoch Mysteries episodes (many times!), it’s very difficult not to envisage Yannick Bisson as the Murdoch of the book. I don’t have a problem with that in the slightest…!

[Read more…] about Spell the Month in Books: February

Filed Under: Book challenges, Reading

Read Christie 2021: my January book choice – Crooked House

30th January 2021 by claireladds Leave a Comment

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was participating in the #ReadChristie2021 challenge, and as well as telling you what the official Agatha Christie team have chosen for their January read (The Hollow), I said that I had opted to read something different.

January’s challenge is to read a Christie book set in a grand house. Instead of The Hollow, I chose Crooked House, a book that I first read when I was about sixteen, and which I have recently watched on TV – in fact, this probably prompted my choice because I wanted to compare the original with the adaptation.

Plot

The Leonides family live together in a huge house on the edge of London. They had no idea that one of them could be capable of murder until Aristide Leonides, head of the household, was found poisoned.

Leonides had a regular injection of insulin which the murderer had substituted for eserine. Was the murderer a bit stupid? Whoever it was had not even removed the incriminating evidence. Or was there something much more sinister, much more evil at work here?

Charles Hayward is the son of the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard. He also is about to marry one of the household, Sophia Leonides. Solving this murder therefore becomes his priority and he sets about tracking down the culprit. But will the murderer strike again and, if so, who could possibly be next on the list – and why?

Of the standalone novels, it, for me, stands out as one of the best. It certainly didn’t fail me on that score when re-reading it this month. It has all the hallmarks of classic Golden Age mystery – the amateur sleuth, a tight cast of characters in a closed setting, in this case the English Country House, and one hell of a puzzle to solve. And in this case, it has the added impetus of making the reader seriously question their detecting beliefs, and what they actually want to believe. It is truly incredible (and I mean that in as many ways as you wish to take it).

I think of it often as I’m scanning my Christie bookshelves as one of the stories that really packed a punch for me because it left me truly shocked. No spoilers here, but if you’ve never read Crooked House, I thoroughly recommend it.

If you would like to read Crooked House (whether for the challenge or just for fun):

See it on Amazon UK here.

See it on Amazon US here.

(As always, my disclaimer: some of the links I use are my affiliate links. This means I may earn a small payment if you choose to buy through them. I only ever add affiliate links to books and products I have used and love, so you can always be sure that they are wholehearted recommendations from me.)

I would love to know if you decided to take up the Read Christie 2021 challenge, and if you did, what you decided to read for January and what you thought about your choice. Have you read Crooked House previously and, if so, what did you think of it (try to avoid spoilers in your comments, or mark them clearly beforehand, please, so others who don’t know the story can choose to skip over them).

Happy reading!

Join the readers' club

Get a short FREE and exclusive psychological thriller when you join my Readers’ Club

Back to Home

Filed Under: Book challenges, Reading Tagged With: Agatha Christie, crime and mystery fiction, Crooked House, January book choice, mystery books, Read Christie 2021

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Want a FREE short psychological suspense read?

Join the readers' club

Follow Blog via Email

Subscribe to my blog and ever miss a post!

What’s on my blog

Connect with me

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Follow me on Amazon

Latest Release

Baby up the Chimney by Claire Ladds: a dark historical novel
Read an excerpt from Claire Ladds's work
Become a member of the alliance of independent authors

Don’t miss my latest blog posts

  • Spell the Month in Books: April 8th April 2021
  • Read Christie 2021: my March book choice – Death in the Clouds 29th March 2021
  • Spell the Month in Books: March 5th March 2021
  • Kobo Long Weekend Sale: Baby up the Chimney for 0.99 12th February 2021
  • Spell the Month in Books: February 6th February 2021

Footer

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Follow me on Amazon

© Claire Ladds. All rights reserved.

This site uses cookies to enhance your experience on this website. By continuing to use this website you confirm that you are OK with that. Cookie Policy

Declaration of affiliate partnerships

I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and other geographical Amazon sites such as Amazon.co.uk (as the UK is where I live). Please also expect to find other affiliate links, too. I only ever use affiliate links on products or services I have used myself and wholeheartedly recommend.

FREE short psychological suspense book when you join my Readers’ Club

Join my readers' club

Copyright © 2021 · Author Pro on Genesis Framework · · Log in