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The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen translated by Don Bartlett #Review #Giveaway

I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations for the paperback launch of   Antti Tuomainen's  The Burning Stones. I am happy to repost my original review for the hardback edition and to offer a great giveaway of a printed copy of The Burning Stones . Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.   Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder…   A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?   The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.   And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…   From the international bestselling auth...

The Convalescent Corpse by Nicola Slade ** Blog Blitz Review & Giveaway **

Today I have a cosy crime mystery to introduce to you - The Convalecent Corpse by Nicola Slade. Published by Crooked Cats Books on 20th November, it is the first in a potential historical crime series. I also have a great Giveaway- details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
 

A story of Family, Rationing and Inconvenient Corpses.



Life in 1918 has brought loss and grief and hardship to the three Fyttleton sisters. Helped only by their grandmother (a failed society belle and expert poacher) and hindered by a difficult suffragette mother, as well as an unruly chicken-stealing dog and a house full of paying-guests, they now have to deal with the worrying news that their late – and unlamented – father may not be dead after all.  And on top of that, there’s a body in the ha-ha.



 My Thoughts

This genre of historical cosy crime is one of my favourites so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read The Convalescent Corpse. Set in 1918, it manages to walk the path between the grim backdrop of the war with life with the Fylleton family. Situated next to a convalescent home for wounded soldiers, there is enough detail about life there to remind you of the horrors which the wounded soldiers had to contend with. However, the Fylleton family offer a refreshing and eccentric alternative, bursting with character and sometimes unintentional humour. 

    This is a promising start for a new series as there is so much to savour in the characterisation. Addy, Alix and Christy are all endearingly idiosyncratic. Add to them, their parents in the form of the allegedly deceased criminal father and suffragette mother and their redoubtable grandmother  and you have quite a mix. I also appreciated the range of the wounded officers they met and the gloriously batty but ever hopeful attitude of some of the females towards the wounded young men that they were a source of potentially suitable marriage material, despite everything. 

    With an easy writing style and a gently humorous plot, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and hope for book 2.

In short: A winner!
About the Author



Nicola Slade lives in Hampshire where she writes historical and contemporary mysteries and women’s fiction. While her three children were growing up she wrote stories for children and for women’s magazines before her first novel, Scuba Dancing, was published in 2005. Among other jobs, Nicola has been an antiques dealer and a Brown Owl! She loves travelling and at one time, lived in Egypt for a year.  The Convalescent Corpse is Nicola's 9th novel. Nicola is also a member of a crime writers’ panel, The Deadly Dames www.facebook.com/DeadlyDames

You can follow Nicola here: Twitter   |  Blog   |  Website 
                                            |  Facebook   |  Pinterest

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Nicola, Crooked Cats Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Follow the rest of the event!

 
Giveaway (International)



Win a paperback copy of The House of Ladywell (Open Internationally) To enter, just follow the link below and good luck!


 



*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.




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