‘A Body at the Beach’ by Ellie Alexander

Published by Storm publishing,
1^st September 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-83700150-7 (PB)
Previously published as 
Silenced in the Surf. 

In this the third book in the series, Meg Reed is now settling into her job at Northwest Extreme magazine. 

Her latest assignment is to cover and report on the King of the Hook windsurfing Competition. For the last month Portland, Oregon had been experiencing a heat wave and the thought of windsurfing sounded appealing. Having found a bungalow to stay in at Hook River, she invites her two best friends Jill and fellow journalist Matt to join her. 

She is hoping for a straightforward assignment involving sun, sand, and fun. And all seems to be going well until she finds herself struggling to stay afloat during a surf lesson. When she loses control trying to right herself, she discovers the lifeless body of a superstar windsurfer Justin Cruise. 

Although in the short time she had been there, she had found Justin rather unpleasant Meg, still wants to find out who had killed him and why? 

Meg is there to interview people for her magazine and uses that as an opportunity to get to talk to as many people she sees as possible suspects in the killing of Justin Cruise. 

Although Meg is away from home in this book, in addition to her two best friends staying with her, Gam, her grandma turns up. Gam has strong New Age beliefs and is a holistic healer who spreads her warmth wherever she goes. She’s a lively character. 

For those who have read the two earlier books, underlying, the current story we are aware that there is still a question mark over the untimely death of Meg’s father, Pops, who was an investigative journalist for ‘The Oregon Newspaper’. Was it an accident or was it murder?  Will anymore evidence come to light? 

A tantalising mystery, with a twist. Recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Ellie Alexander is the bestselling author of more than forty cozy mystery novels. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese, reaching readers worldwide. She is the founder of the annual Ashland Mystery Festival and a frequent guest at library programs and author events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including the popular Northwest Authors series and independent bookshops across the region. In addition to her fiction, her essays and articles have appeared in publications such as Mystery Scene Magazine, The Oregonian, and Portland Family Magazine. As a writing teacher and coach, she helps aspiring authors shape their stories and navigate the path to publication with clarity and confidence. A proud Pacific Northwest native, Alexander often sets her mystery series against real backdrops from Portland's hipster neighbourhoods to the charming Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland. She now lives in Sunnyvale, California.

‘The Hitman’s Assassin’ by Dan Latus

Published by Joffe Books,
28 June 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-80405405-5 (PB)

For Frank Doy it was a day like any other. As a freelance security specialist he never knows where the next paying job is coming from. Currently he was a bit short and a trip to the supermarket looked like a sensible course.  An automatic glance at the rear-view mirror showed that a low-slung powerful-looking black saloon had been behind him sometime. It could be something or nothing, but his suspicions were aroused and he bypassed the supermarket, switched roads and still the car remained the same distance behind him.  He drove into an empty car park and the black saloon parked parallel to him. A man and a woman got out. 

The man walked towards him and said I want information. ‘Where’s Malkovich?’ Who are you? Frank demanded. The man produced a gun. Frank said he had no idea where Malkovich was. Things then escalated very quickly. The man handed the gun to the woman and said ‘shoot him in the knee first. If that doesn’t work, go on from there’. The woman told him to get down on the ground.  Frank shuffled a couple of paces and then swivelled fast and swung the tyre lever that he had slipped down his sleeve and caught the woman’s lower arm. As the bone cracked, she screamed and dropped the gun. Before Frank could reach it, her partner had another gun levelled at Frank. The man said to the woman, ‘you’re no use to me now, babe’ and raised his gun. That was when she shot him. 

An unlikely and uneasy partnership develops between the two. Both now being hunted.  But Frank is still to a degree in the dark but learns from the woman that there is a contract out on him. And having killed the son of the gangster she works for, most likely one on her too. 

It is a roller coaster ride as this unlikely duo, neither trusting the other try to stay alive. 

A terrific book that will keep you turning the pages. Just who is it that wants Frank dead?  
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Dan Latus lives with his wife in Northumberland. By instinct and education a geographer, his novels are inspired by the places he knows best, and for which he has an affinity that has grown from long connection. Several are set on Teesside and along the Cleveland coast, where he grew up and developed a love of hill walking and climbing. Others are located in Northumberland, which has long been home. Some are set at least in part in Central Europe, a region he has visited frequently over many years for work and pleasure. And his book Saving Harry is based in Western Canada, where he also lived and worked.

‘A Murder on the Mountain’ by Ellie Alexander

Published by Storm Publishing,
10 July 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-83700146-0 (PB)
Previously released as
Scene of the Climb.

In this new series we meet Mary Margaret Reed, (Meg) who lives in
Portland, Oregon. Currently crashing on her best friend Jill Pettygrove’s sofa, after graduating from college. Now not only jobless, but grieving following the death of her father (Pops), who had been an investigative reporter.  

Five gloomy months on after plastering her résumé at coffee shops and bars, she is still unemployed, owing to The Oregon Newspaper having laid off forty reporters. At a coffee bar one morning she gets talking to an attractive man called Greg who knew her father and he offers her a job. She naturally jumps at it. 

It all sounds good except that the job is as a reporter for an extreme sports magazine. Meg had lied to get the job, which involves taking part in the activities alongside the participants in order to write her article’s. Meg is short and non-athletic. Oops. 

So, to report on her first assignment Meg doesn’t wish to reveal her fear of heights. So armed with new pink hiking boots and a very heavy backpack, she cautiously climbs towards Portland's Angel's Rest summit with the final three competitors.  But with her short legs and totally out of condition body she finds herself lagging well behind. But takes lots of photos for her article. Then suddenly as she takes a break in her climb, she sees Lenny, one of the competitors hurl over her head down the mountain to certain death. 

Following in her father’s footsteps, Meg begins her own investigation to find the killer which puts her in danger. And   in trouble with Sheriff Daniels who doesn’t want her interference. Can Meg solve the crime? 

There are some great characters in the story, the rather lovely Jill Pettygrove, and Matt, who are both her best friends. Also, her grandmother known as Gam, who is in touch with the spirit world. I am not into the supernatural, but I liked her a lot. Matt is clearly in love with Meg, but she sees him as her friend, not a lover, On the other hand she has a crush on her boss Greg, who is clearly a hunk! 

There is also a degree of humour as Meg tries valiantly to hide all her fears of, heights, climbing, her claustrophobia, in fact all and anything that is adventurous and outdoors. 

An intriguing and satisfying read, with a cliff- hanger that had me eager to read the next in the series. Recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Ellie Alexander is the bestselling author of more than forty cozy mystery novels. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, and Japanese, reaching readers worldwide. She is the founder of the annual Ashland Mystery Festival and a frequent guest at library programs and author events throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including the popular Northwest Authors series and independent bookshops across the region. In addition to her fiction, her essays and articles have appeared in publications such as Mystery Scene Magazine, The Oregonian, and Portland Family Magazine. As a writing teacher and coach, she helps aspiring authors shape their stories and navigate the path to publication with clarity and confidence. A proud Pacific Northwest native, Alexander often sets her mystery series against real backdrops from Portland's hipster neighbourhoods to the charming Shakespearean hamlet of Ashland. She now lives in Sunnyvale, California.

‘The Chemist’ by A.A. Dhand

Published by HQ,
22 May 2025.
ISBN: 978-0-00864585-4 (HB)

Idris Khan, known locally as the chemist, is a local pharmacist working in one of the most deprived areas of Leeds. Much of his work involves dispensing methadone to hundreds of addicts. Most of them live in The Mews – a series of tower blocks housing drug addicts, convicts on probation and the largest community of illegal immigrants in Yorkshire controlled by the local drug lord, Jahangir Hosseini and his henchmen.  

Idris is a good man struggling to keep his business afloat. He helps people and they trust him telling him them their secrets. But they all underestimate ‘the chemist’ who knows not only how to save people but also how to kill them. When he discovers his childhood sweetheart is in trouble, he will do everything in his power to help her even if it means taking on two of the most powerful drug cartels in Yorkshire. 

I am not a great reader of thrillers, but The Chemist is compulsive reading – just when you think things couldn’t get more complicated, there’s another twist. The story moves with the speed of a bullet train and once I started reading, I was so caught up in the nail-biting tension, I couldn’t put it down. 

In so many of the action thrillers I’ve read previously, the characters can be somewhat two-dimensional, but that is certainly not the case here. Such is Dhand’s skill that the reader is on tenterhooks that the good will survive and the evil characters will get their comeuppance – no room for mercy here! 

I’ve read some great novels in the last year, and The Chemist is certainly up there with the best of them.
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Reviewer: Judith Cranswick   

A.A. Dhand was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired his Harry Virdee novels.

Judith Cranswick was born and brought up in Norwich. Apart from writing, Judith’s great passions are travel and history. Both have influenced her two series of mystery novels. Tour Manager, Fiona Mason takes coach parties throughout Europe, and historian Aunt Jessica is the guest lecturer accompanying tour groups visiting more exotic destinations aided by her nephew Harry. Her published novels also include several award-winning standalone psychological thrillers. She wrote her first novel (now languishing in the back of a drawer somewhere) when her two children were toddlers, but there was little time for writing when she returned to her teaching career. Now retired, she is able to indulge her love of writing and has begun a life of crime! ‘Writers are told to write what they know about, but I can assure you, I've never committed a murder. I'm an ex-convent school headmistress for goodness sake!’ Her most recent book is Journey to Casablanca  

http://judithcranswick.co.uk/

‘Appointment in Paris’ by Jane Thynne

Published by Quercus Books,
11 September 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-52943-071-4 (HB)

It is April 1940 and the Phony War is in its last months.  As London prepares for air-raids, Chamberlain’s government is faltering.  Trent Park, a stately home now acting as a prison for high-ranking PWOs, is being used as a secret listening station, where the conversations of the inmates are recorded by listeners (mainly women) and information gathered about Nazi plans.  So, when a body in the uniform of a Luftwaffe captain is found in the grounds and the following day one of the listeners, and a gun from the firing range disappear, it is vital that the missing person is caught before he can wreck this important operation. 

Harry Fox (a former MI5 surveillance operative) is contacted by his ex-boss to assist in finding the missing man.  Harry is keen to be involved in the war effort and agrees that Stella Fry, with whom he has worked on a previous case, is just the person to help.  Stella is recruited to the listening station, where she receives some training, but her real job is the murder investigation.  As the Blitzkrieg moves across Europe, she travels to Paris to see what she can find out about the missing man and his whereabouts.

This is a fast-paced book that holds the interest.  It neatly blends fact and fiction, with real people and actual events informing the plot – for example, Stella meets Noel Coward in his role in the British propaganda office in Paris.  The unrelieved atmosphere of tension and the fears and concerns of the times are effectively transmitted to the reader.  The shadowy world of the spy lurks constantly in the background, as the importance of catching the missing man becomes ever more urgent.  

The characters are well-drawn and the odd partnership of Harry and Stella, established in the first book of this series, continues to develop both personally and professionally, providing a link to their shared past.  The atmosphere of anxiety and fear never falters as the complexities of the hunt are played out.  Though the story is a great stand-alone, the first two books suggest that this is going to be a series to follow, so readers may well wish to read to read the stories in chronological order. 
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Reviewer: Jo Hesslewood

Jane Thynne was born in Venezuela and educated in London. She graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English and joined the BBC as a journalist. She has also worked at The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, as well as for numerous British magazines. She appears as a broadcaster on Radio 4. Jane is married to the writer Philip Kerr. They have three children and live in London. Find out more at....

janethynne.com 

Jo Hesslewood.  Crime fiction has been my favourite reading material since as a teenager I first spotted Agatha Christie on the library bookshelves.  For twenty-five years the commute to and from London provided plenty of reading time.  I am fortunate to live in Cambridge, where my local crime fiction book club, Crimecrackers, meets at Heffers Bookshop .  I enjoy attending crime fiction events and currently organise events for the Margery Allingham Society.

‘The Case of the Devious Daughter’ by Cathy Ace

Published by Four Tails Publishing,
29 December 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-990550-58-4 (PB)

The ladies of the WISE Women Enquiries Agency are hoping for a quiet start to the New Year, because two of their number are absent from their office in Wales Welsh village, leaving Carol and Annie to deal with any cases that crop up. As well as working with the WISE Women, Mavis acts as a companion to her friend Althea Twyst, the Dowager Duchess of Chellingworth, and has accompanied her to the Twyst family home in Scotland, so that Althea can spend time with her daughter and son-in-law, and Mavis can visit her sons and grandchildren. Christine is staying in London with her parents while awaiting the birth of her first child.

Annie and Carol are asked to take on a new case, and it is one that has special significance for Annie because it involves the therapist that had treated her when she was traumatised after an injury. When Barbara Newsom arrives at the office Annie is horrified because she hardly recognises the smart, competent woman she had known. Barbara has lost a great deal of weight and appears gaunt, frail and unkempt. Barbara tells Annie and Carol that her husband died a few months ago; for both of them it had been a second marriage, and they each had one adult child who did not live at home. Barbara’s late husband had been a very wealthy man, and he had left everything to Barbara, which caused ill feeling between Barbara and her stepson.

The doctors have carried out several tests and have been unable to discover a physical reason for her symptoms of nausea, weakness, fatigue and vertigo, and Barbara is aware that these symptoms could be caused by psychological factors following her bereavement. However, she is haunted by the fear that she is being poisoned, presumably by someone close to her, the most likely suspect being her daughter. Annie and Carol agree to take the case and put measures in place to discover the truth and, if necessary, to protect Barbara. Unfortunately, this proves very difficult when they have to cope with a client who is torn between the necessity of safeguarding her own life, and her desire to consolidate her relationship with her daughter, who has been unusually attentive since Barbara’s bereavement.

As well as this major case, Carol and Annie have other investigations to engage their time and attention. One of these is instigated by Annie who is concerned about the arrival of a fish and chip van that parks in the village. The chip van’s owners charge a lot less than Tudor, Annie’s partner can ask for the meals he serves in his pub.  Annie knows her suspicions of the new business may be fuelled by personal concerns, but she is determined to find out all she can about the people running the chip van.

Another personal investigation is one that they undertake at the request of Henry Twyst, the Duke of Chellingworth. Henry is very worried that his much-loved wife, Stephanie, is determined to improve their health by changing their diet and enforcing more exercise. Henry feels that Stephanie is being unduly influenced by her friend Val Jenkins, bookshop owner and nutritionist. Although Henry does not like Val’s interference in his lifestyle, he is fond of her, and she is the godmother of his son. This means that he is genuinely concerned when he discovers that Val has formed a romantic attachment and gone into business with a man that he has good reason to distrust. Stephanie does not agree with his fears, but Henry feels so strongly about the matter that he overcomes his natural diffidence and asks Carol to use her outstanding computer investigation skills to check on Val’s new partner. With three cases to investigate, Carol and Annie have a great deal to do, and while they hope that Mavis and Christine are enjoying their break, they also feel rather overwhelmed and overworked.

However, neither Mavis nor Christine are enjoying their time away from Wales. Mavis finds Twyst House uncomfortable, cold and badly maintained, and the Steward in overall charge is dour and unhelpful. In London, Christine has been confined to bed until her baby is born and is desperately bored. She knows that she has to take care in order to safeguard her own and the baby’s health, but that does not stop her from feeling frustrated by her inactivity, and she misses her fiancé, Alexander, who is trying to get all of his business interests settled, so that he can devote himself to his family when the baby arrives. However, even when officially off duty, both Mavis and Christine have the instinct that discovers suspicious things to investigate, but, without her usual support network, and with patchy internet and phone access, Mavis also discovers that curiosity can prove very dangerous.

The Case of the Devious Daughter is the twelfth book in the excellent series featuring the WISE Women and it is a delightful addition to the series. The central characters are all engaging and skilfully drawn as they change and develop with each book. The multi-viewpoint plot is cleverly handled so that each strand is clearly designated, but the investigations are woven together by the close relationship of the protagonists. The Case of the Devious Daughter is a page-turner, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron

Cathy Ace was born and raised in Swansea, South Wales. With a successful career in marketing having given her the chance to write training courses and textbooks, Cathy has now finally turned her attention to her real passion: crime fiction. Her short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies. Two of her works, Dear George and Domestic Violence, have also been produced by Jarvis & Ayres Productions as ‘Afternoon Reading’ broadcasts for BBC Radio 4. Cathy now writes two series of traditional mysteries: The Cait Morgan Mysteries (TouchWood Editions) and The WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries (Severn House Publishers)

http://cathyace.com

Carol Westron is a Golden Age expert who has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries. Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the Galmouth Mysteries, the series which began with The Fragility of Poppies.  

www.carolwestron.com 

‘Death at the Village Christmas Fair’ by Debbie Young

Published by Boldwood Books,
16 August 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-83518581-O (HB)

 Alice Carroll has grown to love her Curiosity Shop. Initially following a split with her partner of some years, she had bought the old curiosity shop with the intention reverting it back to the cottage that it once was. Unfortunately, the conveyancing was done by her ex-partner who had decided to go travelling. When Alice moved in she discovered that legally the cottage had to remain a shop.

However, she has made many friends in the village of Little Pride mainly because as she discovered her curiosity shop is much loved by the villagers. They bring in things to sell to her, and she sells things to them. It works wonderfully. Alice is now also the editor of Little Pride’s Parish

Following the death of Mrs Hardy, Alice learns that the kind old lady has left all her wools and craft supplies to Alice’s mother who is also an inveterate knitter.  And so she turns up at Alice’s complete with stocks of wools to knit holly wreaths, Christmas jumpers, Santa Hats and bunting for the shop.  Alice has been sorting out all the buttons she has and putting them on display. Coralie, the village hairdresser is thrilled when she visits the shop and sees the buttons. I just love buttons she said, they make great earrings. During the village annual Santa run, one of the Sant's steals a knitted scarf from Alice’s mother’s stall. Later he is found dead.

Then Alice learns that the thief dressed as Santa had stolen the scarf that had had sewn into it a rare and valuable antique Natsuko button. Which often command quite high prices.

Alice has been looking forward to her first Christmas in Little Pride, also secretly hoping to spend some time with Robert Sponge, nicknamed Bob Sponge owing to his invention of the everlasting washing-up sponge, on which he had built a lucrative global business. 

So, Alice and Robert set out to solve the crime.  As they work together investigating they get closer to solving the crime and closer to each other.  An intriguing and fascinating mystery, combined with some marvellous characters.  Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Debbie Young was born and raised in Sidcup, Kent. When she was 14, her family relocated to Germany for her father’s job. Debbie spent four years at Frankfurt International School, broadening her outlook as well as gaining the then brand new IB (International Baccalaureate). She returned to the UK to earn her BA (Hons) in English and Related Literature at the University of York, then lived and worked for a while in London and the West of England as a journalist and PR consultant.  In 1991 she moved to the Cotswolds. In 2002, she married a Scot named Gordon whom she met in Swindon – and not, as village rumour once had it, a Swede named Scottie.  She has written four series. Her most recent one is Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries. Death at the Village Christmas Fair, is the fifth book in this series. 

https://authordebbieyoung.com 

‘Missing in St Ives’ by Deborah Fowler

Published by Allison & Busby,
5 December 2025.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-3273-9 (HB)

Following the death of her husband, Merrin McKenzie has returned to her hometown of St Ives.

She has now settled into Cornwall doing some pro boo legal work.  She has also made some new friends, one being Chief Inspector Louis Peppiatt, who she learns greatly admired her late husband, Adam.

 When Merrin takes a call from Jane, a former colleague in Bristol who is going through a messy divorce, Merrin wants to help in any way she can, which leads to her taking in Jane's sixteen-year-old teenage daughter, Emily, who turns out to be difficult and monosyllabic to the point of rudeness.  But when Merrin returns home from dinner with friends, Emily is not there. Initially, Merrin assumes that Emily is just being difficult and had gone off somewhere. But when she doesn’t return, Merrin becomes distinctly worried. Then a ransom demand is made for the girl's safe return, and matters take a distinctly sinister turn.

We know that Emily has been kidnapped, but not why, or by whom. Alongside that puzzle Merrin is also struggling with the pro bono case for a local teenager, 16-year-old Billy who has been arrested for shoplifting. He was first caught when he was 10. He has a youth caution and a certain cheeky charm, but in his latest escapade he threatened the shopkeeper with a knife. This points to a custodial sentence.  It is also very out of character for young Billy.

This is an interesting story which has two distinctly different strands. Both these teenagers are in situations that are not totally of their making. Can Merrin unravel the problems?

A compelling story that kept me turning the pages. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett

Deborah Fowler's first short story was published when she was seventeen. Since then, she has published over six hundred short stories, novels, a crime series and several works of non-fiction. Deborah lives in a small hamlet just outside St Ives and Secrets in St Ives is the second in the series set against the beautiful backdrop of the West Cornish coastline.

‘Terror From the Sea’ by Dan Latus

Published by Joffe Books,
22 July 2021.
ISBN: 978-1-78931902-6 (PB)

PI Frank Doy lives at Risky Point, set on the Cleveland Coast. On a hot summer night he receives a call from a person  he doesn’t immediately recognise. But the name Jean Miller clicked from many years ago. She says she is desperate and her husband and his associates are trying to kill her. He tells her she should go to the police, but she says she can’t and then she hangs up.

Frank spends the next two months upgrading the security of a small factory that is rapidly losing money from break-ins and pilfering. The owner Fred Smythe is shocked to discover that it is people he employees and trusts that are doing the stealing. But Frank’s top level of security soon puts a stop to that. 

Frank is looking to take a rest, when old friend Jac Picknett drops in to visit him. She asks him if he remembers Jean Miller. Suddenly Frank recalls the phone call and realises that he had been subconsciously dreading to hear something bad these past couple of months.  But Jac just said that she had seen her on Holy Island – Lindisfarne, set off the Northumberland coast. But was surprised when Jean looked through her and wouldn’t make eye contact with her. Which Jac said was very strange. 

And so Frank sets off for Lindisfarne.  It takes him a few days to locate Jean. But during those days he is becomes aware that Jean is never alone but always followed by a minder. 

Although Frank is the main narrator, we are privy to the evil actions of Ariza, initially the partner in drug smuggling and various other illegal activities with Jean’s husband Gonzalez.  But initially what was a partnership has now changed and Ariza has made it clear that he is in charge. And that is all bad!

This is a terrific read. The action is fast moving. The plot constantly twisting. A cracking good adventure story, with a likeable hero. Interesting characters, and of course an unexpected twist at the end. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett 

Dan Latus is the pseudonym of Ian Bullock. He grew up in Teesside. His novels are inspired by the places he knows best. And Then You're Dead, like Run for Home before it, is set partly in Northumberland and partly in Central Europe, a region he frequently visits and one where he has lived and worked.Of his other novels, Out of the Night, A Death at South Gare and Living Dangerously are all set in Cleveland and Teesside, where he grew up and lived until he moved for a time to Canada. Now, though, he lives in Northumberland with his wife.

http://danlatus.co.uk/ 

‘The Great Deception’ by Syd Moore

Published by Magpie Books,
4 September 2025.
ISBN: 978-0-88154-965-8 (PB)

It is 1940 and the war with Germany is not going well for Britain as Hitler’s army sweeps across Europe, which includes invading neutral countries such as Denmark. Because of this, the British government have decided to take pre-emptive action and have sent troops to invade neutral Iceland, determined to prevent the territory from falling into enemy hands. Fortunately, the majority of the Icelandic people are happy to have the British soldiers in their country, in preference to the Germans.

Before the war Daphne Devine had been a magician’s assistant, working in London theatres, and had learned many of the tricks of the illusionist, including those of misdirection. This knowledge has already proved useful when Daphne was recruited to join a team of people who have a wide range of unusual skills, which they use to exploit Hitler’s belief in the supernatural. Daphne wishes to serve her country, but she has another more personal motive for stepping so far out of her comfort zone: her mother is Italian and has been interned as an enemy alien, and her father has gone to live on the Isle of Man in order to be near the internment camp. Daphne believes that if she does all that the British authorities require of her, she will prove her family’s loyalty and her mother may be released. Now Daphne has been sent to Iceland under the guise of Miss Daphne Dione-Smith, a journalist for The Times, who has been dispatched to cover the story of a psychic, Sindri Karlsson, who has shown remarkable abilities as a medium. In truth, Karlsson’s predictions have caused concern to the British Security Service because he seems to be predicting matters pertaining to the war, and if his knowledge does not come from communing with the dead, it seems probable that it comes from interacting with Britain’s enemies. Daphne has been sent to check on Karlsson because of her knowledge of the tricks he might employ in his stage act, and she knows this is well within her capabilities.

However, in other ways she feels out of her depth, painfully aware of the various lethal gadgets provided to her by the Security Service, such as blades in her shoes and coat lapels and a gun masquerading as a lipstick. Daphne has also been provided with a contact to assist her. Anna is tall, blonde and beautiful, with an authoritative manner, and, at first, Daphne finds it hard to get on close terms with her. Nevertheless, Daphne is grateful for Anna’s company when she attends a show in which Karlsson is due to display his psychic abilities. Karlsson’s act is impressive but Daphne knows how he could achieve his apparent communication with the dead. When they analyse Karlsson’s act, Daphne and Anna think that they can identify how Karlsson may be disseminating sensitive information.

As her mission progresses, Daphne finds herself changing and becoming more ruthless: when necessary, she will bypass her senior officer to send in reports that she considers important, and when attacked she utilises her concealed weapons in a way that leaves a man seriously injured. Soon Daphne, Anna and Anna’s cousin, a police officer, force Karlsson to accompany them into the mountainous north, travelling into dangerous terrain, in an attempt to retrieve an artefact that Hitler is determined to possess because he believes it contains immense power. This desperate journey leads into physical and psychic darkness, emotional turbulence and terrible danger. 

The Great Deception is the second in the series featuring Daphne Devine. Daphne is an engaging protagonist who is still discovering the extent of her powers and is becoming increasingly aware of the futility and horror of war. The historical and geographical details are excellent, describing in vivid detail life in Iceland in the first ears of the Second World War. The plot is complex and maintains the tension throughout the book. The Great Deception is a powerful and fascinating book, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron

Syd Moore is an author inspired by the history and legacy of the 19th Century Essex witch trials. She is also co-creator of Super Strumps, the game that reclaims female stereotypes through the medium of Top Trumps, and was founding editor of Level 4, an arts and culture magazine based in South Essex. She has worked extensively in publishing and the book trade and presented Channel 4's late night book programme, Pulp.  

Carol Westron is a Golden Age expert who has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries. Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the Galmouth Mysteries, the series which began with The Fragility of Poppies. 

www.carolwestron.com