Good morning from a slightly sunny North Yorkshire. It's been a busy week over here and I have a review and a couple of bookish bits for you.

My first piece of news is that I have opened my May book from my friends and discovered a face-pack and a copy of The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin. This books looks full of wintery crimeness and I cannot wait!

Read all about my birthday bookish present

The second news is that I have started my Charles Dickens jigsaw and have been listening to a BBC Radio production of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper and it is goooooood. Apparently it uses 3D listening which I can say is adding to the eerie atmosphere. If you have the BBC sounds app, it is possible to search and find the programme and listen (preferably with headphones). It's very faithful to the original and is really rather marvellous. Well done BBC!

Read my Review of The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.

Today's review is from an author I love and who has featured quite a bit on the blog. Let's get this review started.

The Plot

When private detective and former teacher Henry Kimball is hired to investigate an ex-pupil's cheating husband, he senses all is not quite what it seems, and before he knows it, he's gotten too far close to the other woman.

As the case gets ever stranger, he turns to the only person he can trust, Lily Kintner, someone with very dark secrets of her own....

My Thoughts

This was the first book I read when I got back from holiday and is the second in the series to feature Henry Kimball and Lily Kintner. The first book being The Kind Worth Killing. I haven't read the first book, and kind've wished I had, but this did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.

At the start the novel reads like a 1950's Private eye mystery, 'the dame entered my office smoking a cigarette....' etc and this added to the moodiness of the novel. There is a dual narrator at the start, before flipping to the other 2 protagonists in the book, and it is an excellent plot device, each narrative feeling different. Joan's narrative, in particular, giving off bored, rich American housewife vibes. Lily has an air of mystery and with a thread that you want to know about, but also don't want to.

The characters are at times disturbing and unsettling which adds to the strength of the book. The crime is fast-paced ingenious. Best of all is Henry, who gives off gentle college professor vibes and for quite a lot of the book we are concerned for him.

I have greatly enjoyed reading this and Peter Swanson remains an author whose works I will always pick up. Excellent.