“Death By Lotto (Josiah Reynolds Mystery 5) (Josiah Reynolds Mysteries) by Abigail Keam

Genre: Mystery

Ethel Bradley thinks someone is trying to kill her, but doesn’t know who or why. She enlists the help of her childhood friend, Lady Elsmere, but Lady Elsmere has troubles of her own in the form of a ne’er-do-well English nephew who’s trying to steal her estate. Both women turn to Josiah Reynolds, who has just returned from New York.

Josiah calls Detective Goetz who recommends a shamus named Walter Neff. Walter and Josiah scour the Bluegrass for answers that turn out to be deadly. To make matters worse for Josiah, Fred O’nan is a free man and gunning for her.

Josiah, full of sass and vinegar, meets these challenges head on with the support of her friends, Franklin and Matt. Will Josiah be thwarted this time?

Kentucky can be a cruel mistress to the those wanting justice and exacts a high price for it. Sometimes the “dark and bloody ground” demands double indemnity.

This is something Josiah knows very well. Very well indeed.

“A Plague of Dissent” by Nic Taylor

Genre: Suspense, Thriller

A Plague Of Dissent is a fast paced thriller, bursting with political intrigue and corruption. It paints a picture of the UK where media companies hack into personal communications at will, in search of their next headline. Of politicians lining their pockets with falsified expense claims and crooked practices operating within the police force. A country where government contracts can be bought and sold by those that have the Prime Minister’s ear, and where banks and corporations make millions at the expense of the man in the street.

A Plague of Dissent is a story of greed and corruption, in which riots and civil unrest are turning the country upside down. Amid this turmoil, a small group of men is attempting to use the spreading anarchy to further their own agendas.

Adam and his girlfriend Isobel are unwillingly dragged into this nightmare scenario. With their brother Dan, a professional rugby player and England wing forward, the find themselves pursued by faceless men who believe they are party to information that could compromise their mission. They have two choices: to run, or to turn and fight for their lives.

“Past Imperfect #1” by John Matthews

Genre: Thrillers

How does a new thriller writer carve out a name for himself in an overcrowded field? With Past Imperfect, Matthews shows that he is already a novelist of real accomplishment. Spanning three decades and moving between France, America and England with a slew of forensic, medical and psychiatric evidence to keep the reader irresistibly gripped, Matthews sets his narrative in motion with a car accident in California that has deadly consequences for two boys left fighting for their lives. French detective Dominic Fornier (a character owing not a little to Simenon) finds himself pulled out of the sluggish rural backwaters he is used to in order to unearth the clues that lie in a young boy’s psyche. And the blackmail and political intrigue that Fornier encounters are no less intimidating than the ruthless killer determined to ensure that his identity is not disclosed. The exhilarating, picaresque sweep of Matthews’ plot needs to be held together with a strong protagonist and with the laconic Fornier, Matthews has created just such a hero. If at times, one may feel the changing of gears between the legal and forensic aspects of the piece, this hardly matters. The delineation of each country is accomplished with dash and verve, and if (at 500 pages) this is a lengthy read, few will find their attention straying at any point. –Barry Forshaw