The Killing of the Cherrywood MP by Louise Burfitt-Dons.

Private Investigator Karen Andersen finds herself once again helping people she met in her first adventure called The Missing Activist. This second book in the series is another British conspiracy based around Jihadi brides, politics and terrorism. The Killing of the Cherrywood MP can be read as a stand-alone as you will not feel out of your depth. Each character has snippets of back story so that you can quickly gain a perspective of the unfolding drama. However, I would recommend that you did read The Missing Activist first as this would greatly increase your enjoyment of this book. I actually went one step further and started reading The Killing of the Cherrywood MP the very day after I had finished reading The Missing Activist.

I love Louise’s writing style and it is a very comfortable read. I liked the consistency in her writing and how her characters lived with you, day in, day out. My first impression was that before Louise wrote this book, the characters were buzzing around in her head, nagging her everyday with their comments. And then, just after midnight, the characters came out to play, just like little gremlins. This was powerful characterisation which added so much realism to this novel that I felt I had followed these characters in real life for quite a while. This story made me feel part of the family. I liked how this second novel carried on from the first, it was like going on a second date. I loved the feeling of being a part of the story with people I know. Louise’s writing quality is so good, her story really drags you in. Her use of incidents and people from the first novel is very similar to the Nicole Graves Private Investigator series from Nancy Boyarsky which I also enjoyed.

I loved the plot of The Killing of the Cherrywood MP, it was very clever and complex. The pace of this novel was very good, with a linear time scale and dates. There was no wretched going backwards and forwards that plague other novels. This story simply rolled forward one day at a time. Although the principal character is Private Investigator Karen Andersen, lots of this story is told from the viewpoint of a large range of diverse characters who all have a vital role to play in the drama.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Killing of the Cherrywood MP. Louise ticks all the boxes for me in her entertaining and thought provoking British conspiracy. With all the hate expressed online that we hear about, this novel forces the reader to wonder if events like these could unfold in Britain this year. I think that Louise has got off to a tremendous start with her Private Investigator Karen Andersen series and I look forward to another adventure with our motorbike riding heroine. The Killing of the Cherrywood MP gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher BooksGoSocial for giving me a copy of this book on the understanding that I provide an honest review.

The Killing of the Cherrywood MP was written in 2020 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

The Missing Activist by Louise Burfitt-Dons.

Robin Miller is a volunteer activist for the Conservative Party but suddenly he goes missing. Karen Andersen is a private investigator and it becomes her job to find him.

I really enjoyed reading this British conspiracy thriller. It was not just about Karen’s job to find missing Robin but stacks of other things too. This novel fully explored the problems of bullying, not just face to face but cyber-bullying online too. Also we have the issue of Jihadi brides being recruited and sent to Syria. Plus we have fun and games within the Conservative Party as teams of unpaid volunteers compete with each other to grapple with the greasy pole of British politics.

I loved how Louise wove real events into her story to add perspective and realism. Early on in this novel, Alesha Parkhurst, a campaigning feminist is found hanged in a Cardiff hotel. On 28th March 2019, British Red Cross worker Dr Deborah Lamont, 44 was found hanged at Cardiff’s Village Hotel. The problems of bullying within the Conservative Party is not just in this novel but currently raging back and forth in the media concerning the Conservative MP Priti Patel.

I found this novel lovely and up to date. It really has the zeitgeist and mentions things like Brexit. There is the threat of terrorism and previous terrorist incidents like the vehicle-ramming into pedestrians at Westminster are mentioned. This all leads to an entertaining and realistic great read surrounding a great plot. 

I found the characterisation very good and each character had an authentic ring to them. It was easy to identify with each of the characters, good guys and bad guys, who seemed like the normal people we meet everyday. I enjoyed the realistic dialogue between the characters and when I read the way Fatima and Mia were talking, I immediately thought of Amira and Amani from the successful Channel 4 television series Gogglebox. Louise pitched the members within the Conservative Party and their attitudes really, really well. This is because Louise is one of them, remember the old adage, write about what you know. Louise stood for election in 2015 in the Nottingham North constituency and got 7,423 votes against the standing MP Graham Allen who held his seat for Labour with 19,283 votes. Louise has brought her experience and understanding of the Conservative Party with it’s funny little ways into her novel so that the reader can understand the darkness within the Tory Party.

I think The Missing Activist is a thrilling read and whilst the general public gets bored with politics, remember Brexit, this story is a great conspiracy that gets the top score of 5 stars from me. My lasting impression, what if Teresa May’s little dance onto the stage ended very differently. Shudder, shudder, remember Brighton.

The Missing Activist was written in 2018 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.

The Snowdonia Killings by Simon McCleave.

This debut novel from Simon is the first book in his Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter series, set in North Wales. It is a regular British Police Procedural crime thriller that ticked all the right boxes for me. I was very impressed with the quality of The Snowdonia Killings from the very first chapter. Having just moved on from the DS Alexandra Cupidi series by William Shaw, I wondered if The Snowdonia Killings was written by an established and successful author under a pen name. A quick search on the internet reveals that Simon is a new author but he has been a script writer for television and film.

I loved Simon’s writing style and content. There is so much more to this book than basic crime scene investigation and the search to find the bad guy. This novel explores how alcoholics cope with daily life and how married mothers can move on to find love in a same sex relationship. Also the family lives of the police officers are skillfully woven into this story which adds perspective to this tale. Real past events like Operation Trident and the murder of Claire Tiltman in 1993 were mentioned to explain to the reader how certain things can happen.

There is plenty going on in this novel and there are many twists and turns for you to enjoy. Character development is very good and relationships are built as DI Ruth Hunter is the new kid on the block. There is also a hint at romance too! 

I thought the plot was great with tension running all the way through. I enjoyed reading about the police procedures and jargon like “Victim is an IC3 or M1 female”. Ah yes, you spot those codes and the ugly face of racism has it’s part to play too. I liked the advice DI Ruth Hunter shared with the reader about interview techniques. I loved the attitudes within the police force that were explained, for example…

The arrogance of CID officers towards uniform was often a source of conflict. It had always been that way and Ruth remembered exactly what it was like when she was in uniform. Being treated as a glorified assistant, expected to take statements and other ‘menial’ tasks. Ruth had worked with police officers who, once they had transferred from uniform to CID and bought their Matalan suit, thought they were Inspector bloody Morse.

… I loved how Welsh culture and folklore was integral to this story, it gave such added value to this book. It was the quality of the detail that impressed me, it was not the obvious tourist highlights but obscure nuggets like the Demon of Cerrigydrudion. I loved the strong Welsh identity that this novel supported and shall ignore the little dig about the people of Cardiff. 

Simon mentions a car I have not come across before, a Saab XC-90 4x4. Volvo do make the XC-90 though! Simon has a wide vocabulary and one of his favourite words is sardonic or sardonically which he uses 7 times within his novel. In his acknowledgements at the end, Simon thanks Claire Rushbrook for her proof-reading. Well, I was disappointed by the number of mistakes I came across and think that she has done a poor job indeed. I did not let this spoil my enjoyment of this OUTSTANDING book which gets the top score of 5 stars from me.

The Snowdonia Killings was written in 2019 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.