Hi! This is my blog post as part of the #MurderOnTheBeach event, which is celebrating the releases of Jame’s Dawson’s CRUEL SUMMER and Kate Harrison’s SOUL STORM this summer! #MurderOnTheBeach is taking place all over Twitter and various blogs on an epic Blog Tour! The theme for this post is Top Five Detectives, as chosen by Kate Harrison. This blog post is twinned with Jack’s (thebookstop.biz) post, which contains James Dawson’s top five. Hope you enjoy both of these, and stick around for the rest of the Blog Tour!

Kate Harrison on her Top Five Detectives

Watching the Detectives – Kate’s view!

Kate Harrison, author of the Soul Beach trilogy

Soul Storm- the epic finale to the brilliant thriller trilogy!

I love a mystery… so how come my list of TV detectives is a mile long, but my list of literary sleuths is almost non-existent? Could it be the lack of feisty female detectives in books? TV has more than its share of memorable women investigators – from Cagney and Lacey back in the 70s (surprisingly gritty if you can catch a re-run) through to their modern-day equivalents, Scott and Bailey or even the female lawyers in Damages. The characterisation of those women keeps me hooked, whatever the storyline.

Whereas in books, the gumshoes are mostly men, and caricatures at that – boozy, unwashed yet somehow still irresistible to women.

There’s another explanation though – in books like The Talented Mr Ripley, the appeal is in spending time with the villains, in inhabiting their heads.

In the Soul Beach trilogy I got to do both – write the character of Alice, who investigates her sister’s murder and the afterlife… and write from the point of view of my serial killer. Not to mention bring them face to face in Soul Storm. It was the best fun I’ve had in years…

 Alice certainly has the grit of my top 5 Fictional Investigators. Some are – how shall I put it – retro, but you can find them on digital channels and they’re well worth checking out.

TOP FIVE:

Velma, from Scooby Doo!

5. Velma Dinkley from Scooby Do: Poor Velma didn’t get the fancy wardrobe, but she got the brains to go with her orange jumper – in many ways, a forerunner of the legendary snowflake sweaters worn by Sarah Lund. She’s smart, science-minded and kind to animals. And she’s a hell of a lot less likely to get tied up than her more glamorous counterpart, Daphne.

4. Sarah Lund from The Killing. Let’s hear it for the jumpers! There’s a lot more to mopey Sarah than her knitwear. She’s smart and passionate and her instincts are generally very good. Which is more than can be said for her choice of men. The female ‘tec with a disastrous love life is a cliché in itself, but Lund does it so well. See also her sexier French cousin, Captain Laure Berthaud, from Spiral/Engrenages.

3. Fitz from Cracker. This guy is overweight, slobbish, abusive and absolutely brilliant. The storylines were seriously unsettling – and the series made a huge impact over very few episodes. I recently watched it again and there were some parts that really alarmed me, but that character is incredibly memorable, and the forerunner of so many other psychological ‘detectives’ that have followed.

Jane Tennison, from Prime Suspect

2. Horace Rumpole – at last, a character that works equally well in John Mortimer’s excellent books, and in the long-running TV series (interestingly, it started as a TV play and the books followed). It is impossible to read the books without picturing Leo McKern as the clever, disrespectful barrister who gets to the truth and also gets his (often dodgy) clients off.

1. Jane Tennison from Prime Suspect. She made such an impact when she first appeared – the first in the ‘female detectives with issues’ list, but so well done by Helen Mirren, and always grittily realistic.

So, there’s my crack team. With these guys and gals on the case, the streets would be an awful lot less mean. Though the bars and sweater shops might be running low on stock…

Great answers, Kate! I myself don’t have many other fave TV detectives apart from Velma- though I love Poirot and Sherlock Holmes literary wise. Readers! Who are your favourite crime busters?

Be sure to check out the rest of the #MurderOnTheBeach blog tour! Here’s the dates:

(click on the image for a close up)

By Kate Harrison, published by Indigo (Orion).

Goodreads synopsis: Someone is stalking Alice Forster. She’s sure it’s her sister’s murderer, but her parents think she’s cracking under the stress of Meggie’s death. Only in the virtual world of Soul Beach – an online paradise for the young, the beautiful and the dead – can Alice feel truly free. But there’s trouble in paradise . . .

Clouds are gathering.
A storm is brewing.
The killer is about to strike.

The final gripping thriller in this paranormal romance trilogy.

My review: *This review will contain one spoilerish paragraph for the book. I’ve put a warning for that one, so don’t worry!*

I need to calm down and breathe for a second. After three years of absolutely loving this trilogy as it’s progressed, I finally know who killed Alice Forster. Wow. I was most definitely not expecting that! And the reveal of the killer was so clever. flawless. And genius. This book has got to be the best crime based thriller that I’ve ever read, honestly!

I’ll rant on about the sheer unpredictableness of the plot, and get that out of the way first…

After two amazing books full of unexpected twists previously, I was really looking forward to seeing what this one had in store! This final story of the trilogy was absolutely amazing. It blew me away. I began it, thinking I’ll just read a chapter now, then finish some other things and come back to it later but I got absolutely hooked on it! I honestly found it hard to put the book down, and when I had to I did so very reluctantly.

The story was so real, as the book began with events like Meggie attempting to drive. Then, she made a return to the virtual hangout for the dead beautiful (oh. The pun.) and strange things begin to happen on the virtual heaven. Really strange things! So used to reading about the sunny paradise, I gasped when a Storm tore through it, and was left on the edge of my seat eager for answers. Totally engrossed, I sped through the book, eager to find out who the killer really was! Right up until the page on which they’re revealed, I was guessing. Guessing wrong, I’ll put. Kate kept me totally in the dark as to who the murderer was throughout the whole trilogy- and even in the scene where they’re revealed. The plot was very misleading thanks to some investigations by Meggie: It threw me right off of the trail!

the writing for Soul Storm was amazing. There was a lot of brilliant imagery, of Soul Beach and the country that Meggie winds up in for the last part of the book (Great link to Soul Beach and this country, by the way!). I really felt like I was there, by Meggie; investigating into her sister’s murder, following misleading trails, and I even got a shiver up my spine when the killer was revealed. So real. Also, not only was the normal writing fantastic, but there’s also the short paragraphs after every few chapters! Over the trilogy there have been short passages from the POV of the serial killer, and wow, were they chilling. Somehow, Kate’s managed to keep these terrifying, while also keeping them so vague that I had no way to track it back to the guilty character. Kate Harrison is a crime writing genius. ‘Nuff said.

Meggie, as before, delivered as a protagonist. She was easily likeable, and I loved following her investigations immensely. She was determined, eager to bring justice over the murder of her innocent Sister. Even when banned from the internet after her mum gets concerned, she finds a way to contact her dead sister, who’s always waiting on Soul Beach; to update her on her leads. She was just so caring, and I loved that! I also really enjoyed seeing Meggie and Lewis become closer, and how Lewis revealed a past linking Alice (Meggie’s sister) to himself. Very clever, because it made him a suspect, as well as Sahara, who was top of the list for Meggie. All of the suspects, on that note, had left trails that could have been linked to Alice’s death, which made it really hard for me to decide on who did it!

The paranormal twist to this book made it oh so emotional, especially right at the end, where Meggie has to part with Alice as she is laid to rest. I admit it: I let a few tears fall. But who couldn’t? That scene was so beautifully written… so emotional! I think that that was one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve ever read, and I’m pretty sure it’ll be hard to forget the powerful imagery that evoked.

Overall, Soul Storm was a really powerful ending to one of my favourite trilogies. It had lots of edge-of-your-seat action, which kept me completely gripped to the layered and complex plot. Meggie was such a brilliant leading character, and dealt with everything brilliantly, even when her own life was in mortal danger at close to the ending. This book was so misleading, and as I’ve already said, had me guessing right up until the very exposure of the killer! It made for a breathtaking conclusion to an epic, thrilling trilogy…                                                        Highly gripping. Highly shocking. Highly recommended! 🙂

My Rating:

I received a copy of Soul Storm from the publisher in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

Read In July:

I was aiming for twenty books this month, trying to beat my own record. But, then, Exams *groans*. Which meant Revision *groans again*. But that only took up the first week of July. So, yeah, I read a little slower than usual this month, but I did read twelve, and they were all great! I’ve hyper-linked each book jacket below to my review of that book- though some have not yet been reviewed, and won’t work!

To-Read in August:

Lucy (Queen of Contemporary) is probably going to virtually murder me for still having not read this first one. Sorry, Lucy! Forgive mee!!

• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
• Cruel Summer by James Dawson
• Saving Daisy by Phil Earle
• Are We There Yet? by David Levithan

NETGALLEY STUFF:

• All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terill
• Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman
• The Boy With Two Heads by Andy Mulligan

What did you read last month and what are you looking forward to reading in August? Leave a comment! 🙂

Here’s a list of some monthly round-ups I’ve already read from various awesome people in the bloggysphere:

Feed Me Books Now!!!

Queen of Contemporary 

Amy BookWorm

Happy reading for August!

I’m really pleased with the four books I got this week! A massive thank you to the lovely people at Orion, and to my dad for letting me borrow steal some stuff from his bookshelves.

Received in Post:

Cruel Summer by James Dawson and Soul Storm by Kate Harrison: I absolutely love crime books, so I was really excited for James Dawson’s new book! Also, I’m a big fan of Kate Harrison’s Soul trilogy, which is a murder plot too. I’m reading that at the moment and… wow.

Bought:

Rivers of London by Ben Aaranovitch- I’ve had my eyes on this series for a while. It looks brilliant! I saw this in a bookstore yesterday and had to buy a copy, as I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t :).

Borrowed from Dad’s library:

Moon over Soho by Ben Aaranovitch:  the second book in the Peter Grant series! Because I’d seen it on Dad’s bookshelves before. And so I borrowed it for when I’ve finished the first book!

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury: I’ll admit that I can’t remember ever reading a book by Bradbury before! This caught my eye and I put it straight in my (overflowing) TBR box. I also really want to read Fahrenheit 451. I’ll be looking out for that if I enjoy this!

What was in your book haul this week, or have you read any of these titles?

Drop a comment, and happy Reading! 🙂

Sorry for a second post of the day, but had to squeeze this post in! 🙂

Here’s a few-day late fangirly babble about The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Trailer! 😀

Caesar with his awesome hair and Katniss with her awesome dress. Can you spot the mockingjay embedded on her dress?

So, last Saturday, I stayed up, on the Yahoo Movies page, watching the teaser trailer like a crazy person for the best part of forty five minutes straight, waiting eagerly for the new official movie trailer! Oh, and I was also waiting by fangirling via twitter with Sophie from A Daydreamer’s World. If you follow me on twitter you probably saw those capitalized nonsensical tweets of mine.

Want a sugarcube? Aah, they’ve included it!

The wait for the trailer was definitely worth it! I had to watch it a few times over like a very sad person very dedicated fan for it all to sink in. And, it was PERFECT! I loved all of the scenes they showed. I think not only me but everyone almost fainted when they saw Finnick holding a Sugarcube (For non HG fans- that’s the biggest, most highly anticipated scene in catching fire)! I also really loved the scene they showed of Katniss twirling in her new dress. I saw a very funny picture the other day, similar to the one above, but with her dress on fire, and Caesar’s facial expression was hilarious. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it to show you all! 😦

What are you most looking forward to in the new movie? I really can’t wait for the sugar cube scene and to see how they’ll explain how the arena works (if you haven’t read the book I won’t spoil it for you. But it is so clever!).

In other words… The Bloggy Awards ’13!

I previously didn’t know about these oscar-level awards (scolds self) but a few of some awesome bloggy friends of mine have, including Jack at The Book Stop, Amber at The Mile Long Bookshelf, and Lucy at Queen Of Contemporary. Go drop them a vote on the Bloggy Awards Website, you’ll make their day! Good lucky to them and all of the other nominees!

Have you heard any other book related news recently, or want to add something about the Catching Fire trailer? Feel free to drop a comment! 🙂

By Victoria Lamb, published by Corgi.

Goodreads synopsis: London, 1554. At the court of Mary Tudor, life is safe for no one. The jealous, embittered queen sees enemies all around her, and the infamous Spanish Inquisition holds the court in its merciless grip. But Meg Lytton has more reason to be afraid than most – for Meg is a witch, and exposure would mean certain death. Even more perilous, Meg is secretly betrothed to the young priest Alejandro de Castillo; a relationship which they must hide at all costs.

In the service of the queen’s sister, Princess Elizabeth, Meg tries to use her powers to foretell her mistress’s future. But when a spell goes terribly wrong, and Meg begins to have horrifying dreams, she fears she has released a dark spirit into the world, intent on harming her and those around her…

My review: Witchfall was such a brilliant sequel! After a really strong first book in the Tudor-based series, I was honestly a bit worried that this sequel may not live up to its predecessor. However, I was definitely wrong! Witchfall may have even been better than Witchstruck in a lot of aspects.

First of all, the plot was amazing. Again, I was plunged straight into Meg’s magickal Tudor world… though this time the setting was mostly in Hampton Court Palace. The author has definitely developed the relationship growing between Meg and Alejandro really well as the plot thickens. There was also the aspect of a restless spirit, supposedly stalking Meg, in Witchfall! I really loved that addition to the story. The demonic presence laced the plot with so much mystery and eeriness, and shook up the events of the book- making clever ties with book 1’s main antagonist. Everything just came together so well in this installment!

I think I said this before in my review of Witchstruck,  but I’ll say it again- move over, Jace Wayland, you have competition for the YA heartthrob title here! Alejandro made for such a great love interest, and his relationship with Meg was just so sweet, as he seemed willing to sacrifice anything for her. I could really feel his sorrow about the fact that his family would not approve of Meg.

Meg was also still a brilliant character: and there was a lot of development for her character in this book, which was great! Meg was, again, strong and fearless- even in her darkest moments of this book. I also really enjoyed reading about how she was starting to slip away from her magickal powers, and how she regained them, nearer the ending. The only thing that aggravated me was the fact that she kept going on about how much she loved Alejandro… and then would keep putting off the marriage proposal! Alejandro was risking his potential priesthood career for her- that’s how much he wanted her to say yes- and yet she still refused to answer until a later date. I’m pretty sure that any other of the maids and servants in her place would’ve said yes. I wish she had in this book, because that could have shaken things up even more. Though, maybe, she’ll finally accept it in book 3…?

I adored the writing so much: Victoria Lamb is just so talented! She clearly has a knack for creating vividly clear images in the reader’s mind. Thanks to that, I could almost feel the torrential rain on ,me; could almost feel Meg’s magick in the air… the whole book consisted of such amazing, detailed narration and imagery!

Overall, I really, really enjoyed Witchfall, and this series is a prime example of how brilliant YA historical fiction is. The writing style simply blew me away: and I’ve grown to love the characters even more than I did after finishing Witchstruck. The plot was layered, with supernatural happenings and constant mystery, and there really isn’t much that I didn’t fall in love with about this book. Highly recommended! Now, I’m pretty sad, because I’ve just scanned Goodreads and found out that the third book in the series is expected to be published next February. I can’t wait that long!

My Rating:

Read my review of Witchstruck HERE!

I received a copy of Witchfall from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

This week, not only did I get some really cool looking books, but I also found a bunch of proof PDF’s of books from Templar and Hot Key Books on my computer, that I received at the bloggers lunch in February and I forgot I had! I haven’t included these in here, because there are quite a few and I don’t want to bore you. But, they include Don Calame’s books, and Transparent by Natalie Whipple! Fortunately, most aren’t published yet, but I’ll definitely be reading and reviewing all of those soon.

Netgalley:

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill- I’ve seen so much anticipation around this book on a lot of book blogs, and thanks to the awesome publisher for accepting my request for it on Netgalley! I can’t wait to start this.

Untraceable by S. R. Johannes- This book was published a couple of years ago, though I’ve seen many good reviews of it and the synopsis makes it sound pretty brilliant. This looks like a must read!

The Boy With Two Heads by Andy Mulligan looks hilarious! Imagine waking up, with an extra head. Pretty creepy. This read looks very funny as well as creepy.

Bought:

Angelfall by Susan Ee- Again, lots of hype around the book, but over Goodreads. And also I found out this was going to hopefully be a movie soon. So I bought a copy when I saw it in a shop! I finished it last night, and whoa. Awesome, but also really terrifying. Review soon!

Received in post:

Vivian Versus The Apocalypse by Katie Coyle and The Rig by Joe Ducie- I was just about to click ‘publish’ on this post when the doorbell rang. These two brilliant looking books, the winners of the young writers fiction prize with Hot Key, came in the post! I did a little happy dance, these books look so amazing. What a brilliant covers!

A huge thanks to the lovely publishers on Netgalley for accepting me, and also a really big thank you to Hot Key Books for the beautiful finished copies of their new books!

What was in your book haul this week? Drop a comment! Happy Reading!