Shocktember 2021 - The Three Dog Problem

Here we are, the last of Shocktember (and am posting this within an hour of me writing this review - it's been years since I did that!!!). I honestly thought I would have read/audiobook more crime/thrillers, truth be told. But new job and less time to read (because of real life) has made my reading/audiobooking take a hit. I'm still audiobooking a cosy crime that I wanted to review for this month but I still have a good 20% left to audio. So, that's for next month, which is breaking my plans for a Halloween-themed reading month (more on that in a later post or two!)

But here we are with The Three Dog Problem, the second book in the Her Majesty the Queen Investigate series. Now, I read the first, The Windsor Knot, late last year. I did do a Mini-Review for it as, at the time, I was on my annual Christmas Blog Holiday/Radio Silence (which I might be doing again in a few weeks, FYI) and I found it fun! So, when I saw that this was up on NetGalley for review, I jumped at the chance! 

Title And Author: The Three Dog Problem by SJ Bennett
Publisher: Zaffre
Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by UK publisher in exchange for honest review/reaction. 

In the wake of the Brexit referendum that has divided a country and the US election between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Queen just wants some peace and quiet. But, it looks like she's not going to get it as, when on a Royal visit to a Navy exhibitition, she sees a painting of the Royal Yacht Britannia on display. Her painting. And she gave no permission for its display. In fact, she thought it was misplaced in the mid-1980s. 

As she begins to look into this, a body of a disliked housekeeper is found at the Palace's swimming pool, her ankle deeply cut, causing her to bleed to death. An accident, surely? But it's strange that her death happens as the Queen begins to look into the painting's disappearance and several of the female staff, including her trusted secretary, Rosie, receive nasty poison pen letters... 

Something is going on in Buckingham Palace, and Her Majesty is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Shocktember 2021 - The Vanishing Stair

As you know from earlier this month, I finally - finally - started reading the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson. My write-up for Truly Devious is here and... well... I was very unsure this. I knew I was going to read the rest of the mystery - the Truly Devious mystery covers three books (Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair and Hand on the Wall). I'm in two minds over read the fourth book in the series - Box in the Wood - as this is a standalone, companion mystery. So, we shall see... 

But Vanishing Stair... where to begin with that?

Title And Author: The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson

Publisher: Harper360

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eBook bought while Audiobook’s borrowed from local library via BorrowBox app. 

After the events of Truly Devious, Stevie Bell is back in her hometown and she hates it. She wants to be back at Ellingham Academy. She wants to be back so she can solve the unsolved kidnapping and triple murder of Ellingham Academy (aka Truly Devious). But for her safety, her parents pulled her out. But when despicable, right wing politician (who her parents work for) Edward King offer her a chance to go back, Stevie jumps at it, even though it means making a deal with the devil. 

But she's back, with her friends, her teachers, the mystery and David... the guy who kissed her, the guy who lied to her, and... oh yeah... Edward King's son. 

But as she finds her feet at Ellingham, she begins to wonder over what happened to past few weeks and wonders... what if... and as she looks into the Ellingham case, she also wonders... what if Truly Devious had nothing to do with the kidnapping... 

Shocktember 2021 - The Stalker

Another thriller I listened to at the end of July but pushed my write-up to now. I was actually in two minds of whether to write this and post in August (Summer of Love) or push till September (more thriller month) as, while a thriller, it does star a newly married couple. Hang on, let me get the info up and you’ll see what I mean...

Title And Author: The Stalker by Sarah Alderson

Publisher: Avon

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by UK publisher in exchange for honest review/reaction while Audiobook’s borrowed from local library via BorrowBox app. 

Laura and Liam are a newly married couple and, after pushing their honeymoon back several months after the sudden death of Laura’s mother, the couple go to a remote island off the coast of Scotland. Just the two of them. Pure bliss. Except they discover the tiny island has a tragic history. Maybe that’s why they get the feeling that they’re being watched? But it’s not until they wake up one morning to discover something scratched into one of the windows that they realise that their stalker wants to do them harm and won’t stop...

Shocktember 2021 - Truly Devious

I knew when I decided to finally, finally, read/audiobook Truly Devious back in late July (I pushed to September due to me wanting August to be quite light and romantic reading...) that was I was going to do the series (this, originally, was meant to be a trilogy so on this front, I mean Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair and The Hand on the Wall. I am intrigued over the newest, standalone instalment, The Box in the Woods, but in two minds if I should buy/read this. Let me do these three and then I’ll, then, decide...). Mainly because I own all three but, also, I knew that the main mystery of the series – the identity of Truly Devious and the unsolved kidnappings and possible triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1936 – was going to be an overarching theme for the trilogy.

Oh shoot, hang on. Let me get the basic info and and tell you about Truly Devious. Then we can dive into this!

Title And Author: Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Publisher: Harper360/Katherine Tegen Books

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof bought & Audiobook borrowed from local library via BorrowBox app.

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont, where the best and brightest students attend, created by a tycoon who believed learning should be a game. But that's not why the school is famous. In 1936, the tycoon's wife, three year old daughter and one of the students vanished. The only clue was a poison pen letter-style riddle from someone calling themselves Truly Devious. It's one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in North America. Now, in the modern day, true crime aficionado Stevie Bell is about to attend the school and she wants to solve the crime. And Truly Devious doesn't like that...

Shocktember 2021

I don't seem to do TBR stacks well, I've noticed. If I make a list to read five books in a certain order, I will do well for the first two books, then I will do completely off my TBR list. But if I do a theme, I seem to be more likely to stick to it. 

Plus, I've been in a mood lately to read certain genres. Last month, I went very hard into romance, mainly MM, and while I have a few more to read this month (one is for a blog tour so might need to stop what I am doing to read that one!), I've had an itch to read another genre for September. A genre I enjoy reading in but I don't go in often. Yes, that genre of crime and thrillers. 

Yes, my Murder Month is back. But, I didn't want to call it that. I had a list of ideas but nothing fitted: Suspect September? Suspension September? Stabbing September? Cyandie September? But nothing fitted, so I did my normal thing and asked Twitter. And while a few of you guys had good ideas, I went for this interest because, you know, LIBRARIANS!!!

Shocktember

— Mrs Baird (@StNiniansLib) August 20, 2021

 

So, WELCOME TO SHOCKTEMBER! My reading month of crime and thriller books. Now, I have a few titles in mind that I would like to read. This goes over a mix of subgenre (well, that is the plan). However, I am not sure how many books I am going to be reading/audiobooking this month because... well... I changed jobs. 

Yes, I have a new job! I'm writing this after my first week at the new place (I should be settled by the time you all read this, in theory) so the amount I can read/audiobook has gone down due to drive to/from work, lunch breaks and me trying to find my feet. So, this might be a bit of quiet month but oh, I have reading plans! I have one or two titles I would like to try to read this month (remember, this isn't a strict TBR so might do one or two non-crime/thriller titles due to preorders/blog tour I agreed several months back!) but, will I get round to them... we shall see...

Oh, wanna see some titles I would like to try and get round to this month?