With thanks to SYKM-awards news

2023 DAGGER AWARDS PRESENTED
The Dagger Awards, awarded by The Crime Writer’s Association to celebrate the best in crime and thriller writing, were presented on July 6, 2023 in London. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and to all of the nominees.

Diamond Dagger *Walter Mosley
Gold Dagger
  * The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green [review]
  ° The Lost Man of Bombay by Vaseem Khan
  ° A Killing in November by Simon Mason
  ° The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
  ° The Winter Guest by W.C. Ryan
  ° The Silent Brother by Simon Van der Velde
Ian Fleming Steel Dagger
  * Seventeen by John Brownlow
  ° Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay
  ° The Botanist by M.W. Craven
  ° The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
  ° Alias Emma by Ava Glass [review]
  ° May God Forgive by Alan Parks
New Blood Dagger
  * Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivener [review]
  ° A Good Day to Die by Amen Alonge
  ° The Local by Joey Hartstone
  ° London in Black by Jack Lutz
  ° No Country for Girls by Emma Styles
  ° Outback by Patricia Wolf
Historical Dagger
  * The Darkest Sin by D.V. Bishop
  ° The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
  ° The Homes by J.B. Mylet
  ° The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra [review]
  ° Blue Water by Leonora Nattrass
  ° Hear No Evil by Sarah Smith
Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
  * Even the Darkest Night by Javier Cercas
  ° Good Reasons to Die by Morgan Audic
  ° The Red Notebook by Michel Bussi
  ° Bad Kids by Zijin Chen
  ° The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson
  ° The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier [review]
Short Story
  * “Cast a Long Shadow” by Hazell Ward
  Cast a Long Shadow
  ° “The Disappearance” by Leigh Bardugo
  Marple: Twelve New Mysteries
  ° “The Tears of Venus” by Victoria Dowd and Delilah Dowd
  Unlocked; The D20 Authors
  ° “The Beautiful Game” by Sanjida Kay
  The Perfect Crime
  ° “Paradise Lost” by Abir Mukherjee
  The Perfect Crime
  ° “Runaway Blues” by C.J. Tudor
  A Sliver of Darkness: Stories
Non-Fiction Dagger
  * Unlawful Killings: Life, Love and Murder: Trials at the Old Bailey by Wendy Joseph
  ° The Poisonous Solicitor: The True Story of a 1920s Murder Mystery by Stephen Bates
  ° The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and Their Creators by Martin Edwards
  ° Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession and the Birth of the Lie Detector by Amit Katwala
  ° To Hunt a Killer: How I Brought Melanie Road’s Murderer to Justice by Julie Mackay & Robert Murphy
  ° About A Son: A Murder and A Father’s Search for Truth by David Whiteh

Highly recommended: The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

Audio Book

Hardcover edition

#TheRagingStorm #NetGalley

Ann Cleeves is a true master of the mystery genre. From her early series featuring Inspector Ramsay to her Birdwatcher series, and then on through the Vera and Jimmy Perez novels, she has entertained me for hours. Her latest protagonist is Matthew Venn; here we have the third in that series.

Matthew has a somewhat complex history. His parents were part of a (fringe) religious group that he felt he needed to leave. Matthew was not comfortable with the Brethren’s beliefs and knew that his partner Jonathan might never succeed in being fully accepted by them. Series readers have followed Matthew as he engages in his new life. That said, this book could be read as a standalone.

The Raging Storm is a complex mystery with many characters, relationships and plot threads. The story takes place in the small community where Matthew had grown up. Readers spend time with his team, a sometimes competitive group, and with Matthew and Jonathan. Jonathan, by the way, is a very loving and tolerant spouse.

There are also all of the people in the community and they make for a large group of suspects. The (first) victim was a well-known sailor and a second murder occurs (no spoilers so not naming this person) as well. In addition, there is a disappearance. There are many interrelationships here.

Settings in the book are well described. There are emergency workers on the lifeboat group heading out to sea, members of the yachting club, houses that are falling apart and more.

Why did the first victim, Jem, return to the community? Who did he plan to meet? Why did he choose to spend his time there in a broken down hut? Was there a special reason for the location of his body and the next one?

This book has a slow burn. It is long (400 Pages) and involving. I recommend The Raging Storm most highly (though my heart will always belong to Jimmy Perez of another series).

I toggled back and forth between the print and audio editions of this title, reading when I was home and listening while on the go. This worked perfectly for me. The narration of the audio book was crisp, clear and easy to follow.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 05 September 2023

Now out: Forget Me Not

FOUR STARS ****

A talented wedding planner who doesn’t believe in weddings…a florist whose last name is Bloom; what a set up for an entertaining story of two who were once in a relationship and now meet up again.

Since Ama and Elliot are both hired to work for an influencer couple who are getting married, they are back in contact. Will things go better this time? Will the wedding they work on be a success? Read this one to find out.

Publisher’s Weekly notes that there is a fair amount of cursing here. I don’t know that this will bother many readers but just in case…Otherwise, here is a light read that many may enjoy. Recommended for fans of second chance romances.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

Forget Me Not
Forget Me Not
Forget Me Not
Forget Me Not