Good afternoon everyone today on Tunes For Tuesday I’m featuring the fantastic I See You by Ostrom.

Ostrom aka Cam is a twitch streamer from Canada. He only streams once a week at the moment, on a Friday, but his streams are always perfect to unwind with after a busy week. He has a great sense of humour and I always love hearing his stories on stream. He normally streams from his sitting room so his streams always seem very intimate as if your hanging out with a small group of friends which is really nice. Cam was kind enough to answer some questions for me so you can find out more about him from the man himself below!

You can follow Ostrom on social media or catch him on twitch by using the links below.

How To Listen

Ostrom’s beautiful music is available to listen to on most of the major streaming platforms and I definitely recommend listening to it. He doesn’t have any music on YouTube yet but below are some clips from twitch for you to enjoy. The first is his cover of Bittersweet Symphony and the second a cover of So Much by Alanna Matty.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1104545165

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1047405100

Interview:

Tell us a little about yourself?

I usually introduce myself as a central Canadian music streamer on Twitch, but I’m a very nerdy guy with a small friendship circle who mostly keeps to himself! I like making stuff, and I like seeing people enjoy the stuff I make.

What first got you into music?
It took probably 20 years to recognize it, but my parents had very good taste. They played a lot of records I later came to appreciate and still listen to now. Tom Petty, Sarah McLachlan, Travelling Wilburys, k.d. lang… there are a lot of great songs that throw me back to the days of pillow forts and Popsicles.

Who inspired you to make music?
I remember listening to The Fratellis’ Costello Music at 15, specifically the song Whistle for the Choir. I had to learn it, it was just too good. So that song, and later Radiohead’s song Reckoner, were the first ones I taught myself on guitar.
These days, it’s anyone who makes me jealous, honestly! Listening to Justin Vernon really inspires me to pick up an instrument and try to make new sounds with it. So you could mark him down as a direct inspiration. I go back to Sparklehorse albums when it comes to the production side of things. Being on Twitch and in close proximity with other music makers is also an excellent motivator!

How would you describe the music that you typically create?
I think I’d have a different answer than most people who hear my music. I like the sort of story-forward folk songs just as much as the shoegazey, overdriven jam songs out there, and I like to think I’m slowly finding my footing somewhere in the middle of it. I would love to be able to create an accessible fuzzy folk album that marries everything I love about multi-tracked harmonies with an excessive number of guitar pedals.

What is your creative process like?
I’ll let you know when I’ve figured it out.
I’m only half kidding. Usually a word sparks a musical idea, or a melody will come out from somewhere, and those words and sounds go right into my phone as a standalone note or voice memo before I forget them. In my experience, my note docs usually expand into a lot of lyrics that rarely find music to suit them. So, the music typically comes first, and then I’ll sing gibberish over it in different ways until I find a melody I like. Then, words. Rarely does it all line up right away. Most of the time it’s incredibly annoying, like assembling a jigsaw puzzle and I’ve lost the box art to guide me.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
In the Twitch Music community? MaceJams, Alanna Matty, Crabkeekz, and CA_in_LA. All of them are amazing in their own special ways. I’m going to make it all happen.
If I had unlimited funds for a full-length album, I’d want to work with Dave Fridmann or Jon Brion producing. Or both?? That’d be incredible.

If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Radiohead would be the obvious choice, but touring for Big Thief would be a dream come true. They just seem so lovely and on the same musical wavelength with each other. That’d be a joy to witness every night.

What is one message you would give to your fans?
Oh, my numerous fans! I’d prefer to call you my friends. Thank you for bearing with me. I am always improving as a musician and person because of your presence and support, and I hope I’m doing the same for you.

What is the most useless talent you have?
My pinky fingers are crooked, so I have an advantage when it comes to breaking turkey wishbones.
Although now I’m thinking of the barbaric nature of ritually snapping a tiny bone in two, and I’m kinda grossing myself out about it.

Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
I rarely sing in the shower! I grew up not really singing around others, but I’ll belt songs when I’m driving alone in the car. Usually I’ll sing whatever song I woke up with in my head. You ever have that happen? Where a song stays in your head for days and it hinges on torture? Anyways.

What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
Oh boy, this is a question better reserved for a thriving musician-type! I work in advertising currently, and it’s a fine gig. I get to do a little bit of everything I love, from writing to graphic design to videography. It took a while and some discomfort and uncertainty to find the right place for me, but at the moment I think I’m there.

Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
The last time I performed music live was over a decade ago! But I was a very different person then. At the moment, livestreaming music really checks all the boxes for me. I’m in my most comfortable space, singing as loudly as I want with all the chords in front of me, and I can stop a song when it isn’t working out and not risk upsetting a live crowd that’s expecting me to make it to the end, haha!
Releasing my own music has me thinking about what live performances could look like in the future. So, maybe someday!

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
I’ll speak to what I know. As a user, I appreciate the accessibility and discoverability of new music on services like Spotify and Apple Music, but I detest the way artists are denied their fair share through shady streaming revenue models and business practices.
As a creator, livestreaming spaces like Twitch have completely changed my outlook for what a live performance can be. Every music stream features an individual artist, but each channel is also its own venue with its own atmosphere and regular crowd, and users will choose to seek out the venue in which they feel most comfortable. As a result, now you’re making much stronger connections with people. This has always been an implicit part of livestreaming, but it’s more palpable when it comes to music streams in particular. Go browse that section and find some new music venues to hang out in, you silly goose!
I haven’t fully wrapped my head around it all, but I genuinely love playing music for people, providing a place where we can goof around, and leave it at that.

What is your favourite song to perform?
I enjoy singing songs that use my upper register. Lately I’ve been playing a little more piano (an instrument I am not good at) and I have a chord progression that I plunk out to myself when I first sit down. I’m enjoying the chords, but the lyrics and melody aren’t there yet. I really hope that one comes together the way I envision it!

Which famous musicians do you admire?
I admire people like Fiona Apple and Mark Linkous, artists who are averse to the typical social feedback loop and just let their art guide them. Musicians like that spend a lot of time in their own heads, and the music that comes out of them is so honest and present and self-aware. At least, in my opinion.

What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
I was a dorky and impressionable kid, and I was also a late bloomer and very short until my late high school years. So I got bullied, and that made a bully out of me. I once got in a full-on fist fight with one of my best friends and his little brother over a bad Pokemon card trade. We stayed friends, but that wasn’t my finest hour. Don’t ever trade your Charizard away, kids. You’ll regret it immediately.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?
It may not be the best advice, but a line I found resonated with me recently came from the movie The Founder, that McDonald’s film with Michael Keaton. “Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence. Talent won’t. Nothing’s more common than unsuccessful men with talent.”
Whether I was writing, or making a game, or trying to earn followers online, I had a bad habit of repeatedly getting in the way of my own success. Even before I’d start, I found the first dozen or so hurdles were ones that I’d erected for myself. I’m not experienced enough. I’ll have to learn the software. I’m not the person to tell this story. I’ll fall out of love with it before it gets off the ground. So on and so on. Exhausting. Brains can be real rude sometimes.
In plain words, just do the thing. Just try. If it doesn’t work out, don’t put it out to the world. Just keep it to yourself. You made the thing, you learned something from it, and now it’s yours forever.
Anyway, yeah. Persist.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I could answer this a few different ways, but I’m going to choose to stay optimistic about it. I would love to see a stronger blending of art and sound at live shows. Like, sure, merch sales in the lobby, show in the theatre, but let’s hang some off-shoot album art and prints in the hall. Let’s allow the crowd to influence the lighting and stage effects. Let’s introduce extended reality elements when someone goes to take a photo. There are so many ways to immerse an audience beyond placing them on a stadium floor and having them face the same direction. This is especially true for larger artists. There’s so much more room for creativity, I feel.

What’s next for you?
I have a new song coming out soon, it’ll be out on every service imaginable, I’m just determining the right visual to accompany it. You can find me by searching for Ostrom. Other than that, I’m gonna keep making music at my own pace, stream live on Twitch on Fridays, and perhaps self-publish some words I’ve written over the last three years or so. 🙂

Playlists:

You can now listen to Ostrom and all previously featured Tunes For Tuesday artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.

Thanks for reading and happy listening!

Book Synopsis:

Two centuries apart, two lonely women seek a place to call home…

Cornwall, England, 2015

Nomadic project manager Anna Pritchard has arrived in the village of Porthnevek to oversee the construction of a trendy new glamping site. But with many members of the local community strongly opposed to the development, she quickly finds herself ostracised and isolated.

Seeking to ease her loneliness, Anna begins volunteering at a nearby National Trust house in Trelissick, once owned by the aristocratic Daniell family. In her new role, Anna soon feels her attachment to both Porthnevek and Trelissick deepening. And as she spends more and more time steeped in local history, it seems that the past and the present are beginning to collide…

Belgium, 1815

After losing her brother in the Battle of Waterloo, French army seamstress Thérèse Ruguel is taken to London by war artist Thomas Chalmers, becoming his reluctant muse. But with Thomas’s mother unhappy with the arrangement, Thérèse is soon sent to Cornwall as a lady’s maid to Elizabeth Daniell, a kindly relative of the Chalmers family.

Able to speak only a little English — and with the other servants suspicious of her — Thérèse feels lost and alienated. And when she discovers her brother may still be alive, she must decide whether to continue with her new life in England, or brave the dangerous journey back to her homeland…

What became of Thérèse? Can Anna unearth the ghosts of the past?

And has Anna finally found where she belongs…?

The Forgotten Maid is available in ebook and paperback now. The ebook is currently only 99p. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author so was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Forgotten Maid, her latest book. Even more so when I realised it was a dual timeline story set in Cornwall, two of my favourite things. I was definitely not disappointed as once again the author has written an intriguing and captivating read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story follows Anna in the present day as she moves to Cornwall to try to find a place to belong and Therese in the 1800’s who’s grieving for the brother she lost in the Napoleonic wars. I did prefer Therese’s story a little more than Anna’s as I didn’t know much about the Napoleonic wars before reading this book and I always love learning new things. The author does a great job of describing the impact the war had on the women who were left behind which I thought was very clever. It was also interesting to learn more about the Regency period outside of the balls and social events that they are famous for. In this book we are taken below the stairs and I found it fascinating to learn more about the lives of the servants there. It was particularly interesting to see what life was like for woman servants at that time though quite shocking at times to see how different it was from now.

I thought the author did a great job of setting the scene in this book as I felt her descriptions helped bring Cornwall to life. I felt I could hear the waves and feel that wonderful coastal wind in my face. There was one particularly dramatic scene set in an a and mine where her fabulous descriptions sent a shiver down my spine as I didn’t like the claustrophobic atmosphere down there.

Overall I really liked this book and raced through it in a couple of days. The two storylines are well developed and I liked the way they ran alongside each other. The author doesn’t switch timelines too quickly which gives the reader lots of time to get to know the characters and their circumstances so that I felt more invested in the story, caring about what happens to the characters. The two stories slowly come together to a very dramatic ending which I wasn’t expecting.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Sapere for my copy of this book via netgalley. If you are a fan of dual timeline historical fiction then I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Jane Cable writes romance with a twist for Sapere Books, and The Forgotten Maid her first novel set in her adopted county of Cornwall. She is lucky enough to have been married to the love of her life for more than twenty-five years, and loves spending time outdoors, preferably close to the sea on the wild and rugged north Cornwall coast.

She also writes emotional women’s fiction as Eva Glyn, published by One More Chapter.

Connect with Jane:

Website: http://janecable.com

Facebook: Jane Cable

Twitter: @JaneCable

Book Synopsis:

1930’s Germany:

Karl Auerbach escapes Buchenwald concentration camp. Ashamed of the truth of how he fled , Karl vows never to speak of the memories of his imprisonment.

Present Day – Rhode Island:

When Karl’s grandson Zachariah is faced with prejudice of his own and a close friend is subjected to a horrific assault, Karl knows he must finally confront the demons of his past before Zachariah sets in motion a deadly chain of events.

MAN OF CLAY explores the consequences of being held captive by the ghosts of our past, the decisions we make and what happens when someone crosses the line in search of revenge and retribution.

Man Of Clay is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Man Of Clay is an emotional, gripping and powerful read which is hard to believe is from a debut author.

The story is told in two parts one following Zachariah in the present day who’s struggling with some nasty bullies and the other his grandfather Karl’s experiences at the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp during the war. As you can expect I found this a very emotional read and I often had to stop to collect myself while reading. How anyone could be that nasty to others is beyond me and I found I had a lump in my throat reading about the terrible conditions at the camp.

I thought this book very gripping and found the book hard to put down once I started reading. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing, including one big one that I had to reread a couple of times as it was so good. It was interesting to see the two stories come together though poignant to see grandson and grandfather, decades apart, still dealing with discrimination.

Huge thanks to Zoo from Zooloo’s blog tours for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you’re a fan of historical thrillers then I highly recommend this book!

About The Author:

Alan Derosby, a Maine native, has spent the past several years focusing on his passion: writing. Alan has created original and spooky short stories, having several published in a variety of anthologies. Man of Clay is his debut novel.When not writing, Alan is teaching history at Messalonskee High School in Oakland, Maine, spending time with his wife and daughter, or watching the New York Mets suffer through another disappointing season.

Book Synopsis:

SOHO, 1935.
SERGEANT LEON GEATS’ PATCH.

A snarling, skull-cracking misanthrope, Geats marshals the grimy rabble according to his own elastic moral code.

The narrow alleys are brimming with jazz bars, bookies, blackshirts, ponces and tarts so when a body is found above the Windmill Club, detectives are content to dismiss the case as just another young woman who topped herself early.

But Geats – a good man prepared to be a bad one if it keeps the worst of them at bay – knows the dark seams of the city.

Working with his former partner, mercenary Flying Squad sergeant Mark Cassar, Geats obsessively dedicates himself to finding a warped killer – a decision that will reverberate for a lifetime and transform both men in ways they could never expect.

My Review:

Vine Street is a powerful, atmospheric and entertaining read from a new author for me.

Firstly the author has clearly done his research and I felt fully transported to London between the wars. I loved roaming the streets and exploring the Soho bars with the characters. It’s one of my favourite eras so I eagerly drank in every little detail of the fantastic world the author has created.

The story focuses mainly on three main characters Cassar, Geats and Billy. It was great fun to follow these characters through the mean streets of Soho and to see how they changed over time. The author gives the reader lots of time to really get to know the characters, so they feel like old friends, and I found myself feeling quite affectionate towards them as the story went on. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to them but also wanted to stop and savour it as I really didn’t want the story to end.

Overall I really enjoyed this book which I have continued to think about long after reading. It is a bit of a slow burn to start with but I didn’t mind as I loved spending time in the characters world. There are some wonderful twists which took me by surprise and I loved seeing the story unravel as it had much more too it then I originally thought.

Huge thanks to Rosie from Headline for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

VINE STREET is Dominic Nolan’s third novel, following his widely acclaimed books PAST LIFE and AFTER DARK.

Book Synopsis:

The Brontë sisters’ first poetry collection has just been published, potentially marking an end to their careers as amateur detectors, when Anne receives a letter from her former pupil Lydia Robinson.

Lydia has eloped with a young actor, Harry Roxby, and following her disinheritance, the couple been living in poverty in London. Harry has become embroiled with a criminal gang and is in terrible danger after allegedly losing something very valuable that he was meant to deliver to their leader. The desperate and heavily pregnant Lydia has a week to return what her husband supposedly stole, or he will be killed. She knows there are few people who she can turn to in this time of need, but the sisters agree to help Lydia, beginning a race against time to save Harry’s life.

In doing so, our intrepid sisters come face to face with a terrifying adversary whom even the toughest of the slum-dwellers are afraid of . . . The Red Monarch.

The Red Monarch is published in ebook and hardback on the 18th November 2021. You can pre-order your copy using the links below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this series, not least because I am fascinated by the Brontë sisters and their lives, so I was very excited to read this the latest book in the series .

It was great to be back with the Brontë sisters and following them on another case. This time they are accompanied by their brother and it was nice to get to know him a bit better. The case takes them from the Yorkshire Moors to the notorious slum, the Rookery in London where the meet some very chilling characters and witness some people living in abject poverty. The author does a great job setting the scene so that I felt I could really picture the Rookery in my mind and at some points, smell it too. It was quite hard at times reading about how people lived and how they were abused by the rich and powerful.

The author has created some truly fantastic characters in this book who I loved learning more about. Some of the characters, like Kit, I just wanted to hug but others were truly vile and I was hoping they’d get their just desserts by the end of the book. The reader also learns more about Emily as the story developed which I absolutely loved as she’s always been my favourite sister.

Overall I thought this was a hugely enjoyable, gripping read which I will be recommending to others. There are lots of twists and double crosses that kept me reading as I had to find out who the red monarch was. It was fascinating as well to learn more about the period and especially to explore The Rookery alongside the characters as I’ve heard so much about that place. This is the third book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone I think it would be best to read the books in order so you understand the sisters a bit more.

Huge thanks to Steven from Hodder for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. If you like historical crime fiction or are fans of the Brontë sisters then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Bella Ellis is the Brontë inspired pen name for the award winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Rowan Coleman. A Brontë devotee for most of her life, Rowan is the author of fourteen novels including The Memory Book, The Summer of Impossible Things and The Girl at the Window.

Book Synopsis:

The Witches of Woodville Part 2

July, 1940

In a quiet village in rural Kent, a magical mystery leads to murder . . .

Woodville has returned to ‘normal’ after the departure of the Crow Folk. The villagers put out fires from aircraft shot down in the Battle of Britain, and Faye Bright discovers that magic can be just as dangerous as any weapon.

The arrival of a trio of Jewish children fleeing the Nazis brings the fight for Europe to the village. When their guardian is found dead, Faye must play nanny to the terrified children while gathering clues to uncover a dark magic that threatens to change the course of the war. And she must do it quickly – the children have seen too much and someone wants them silenced for good.

For fans of Lev Grossman and Terry Pratchett comes the second novel in this delightful trilogy of war, mystery and a little bit of magic . . .

Babes In The Wood is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

Babes In The Woods is another fantastic, magical adventure from the wonderful Witches Of Woodville series.

Firstly it was great fun to be back in the village of Woodville and amongst the fabulous residents again,many of whom I was pleased to see had returned from the last book. As before Faye was a great main character and it was fun to follow her throughout the book as she grows in confidence both in herself and her magical abilities. Her best friend Bertie also makes a reappearance which was great as he was one of my favourite characters from the first book.

The author weaves some historical details into the book which I thought was very clever. From Lord and Lady Ashton whose grand house has been made into a hospital to little hints at the class differences we see between the neighbours the reader gets an idea of what life was like in this period. The subject of the Holocaust is also touched on through the inclusion of the two Jewish children Faye helps rescue. Although the author doesn’t go into graphic detail we get a hint of what is happening through the children’s fear and uncertainty as they take in the new country they’ve fled to. Their fear is almost palpable at times and I wished I could reach into the book to give them a hug. They do help provide some of the funniest moments in the book at times however, with some of their reactions to things making me laugh out loud. I think that the author managed to hit the right note with this,mentioning the Holocaust but somehow not letting the book become too sad because of it.

Overall I thought this was a fantastic story with the perfect blend of magic and adventure to keep the reader thoroughly absorbed in the world the author has created. Along with some old favourites there is a new villain to fear who was very interesting to learn more about, though he did chill me to the bone with some if the things he did.

This is the second book in the series and while I do think it could be read as a standalone it would probably be best to read the books in order so you can understand the characters better.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstone’s in the nineties (back when it still had an apostrophe) and somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He would write in his spare time and (he can admit this now) on company time, and sometimes those writings would get turned into books and films. Mark is also co-presenter of the Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. Born in London, he lives in Kent with Youtube gardener Claire Burgess and a declining assortment of retired chickens. Come and say hello at markstaywrites.com

Book Synopsis:

BRAVE HERO OR CRIMINAL MASTERMIND?
TONIGHT WE FIND OUT.

‘Simon Kernick writes with his foot pressed hard on the pedal. Hang on tight!’ HARLAN COBEN
‘Great plots, great characters, great action’ LEE CHILD

Undercover cop Chris Sketty became a hero when he almost died trying to stop the most brutal terror attack in UK history. With the suspects either dead or missing, the real motive remains a mystery.

But someone is convinced Sketty is a liar.
A criminal mastermind.
A murderer.

Blackmailed into revealing the truth, Sketty will share a twisting tale of betrayal, deception and murder…with a revelation so shocking that nothing will be the same again.

Good Cop Bad Cop is published in ebook and hardback on the 11th November 2021. You can pre-order your copy using the links below .

My Review:

Good Cop Bad Cop is a gritty, addictive crime read from a new author for me.

This book gripped me from the start and I immediately felt drawn into the book. The author has a great way of setting the scene so that the reader feels like they are actually there watching everything unfold. The story includes flashbacks from Chris’s past and I thought these were very well done with a smooth transition between them and the present day.

The main character is a very interesting one who took me a while to warm to. He’s a very realistic character as he has more than a few flaws, including some anger issues which get him into trouble sometimes. He definitely kept me guessing as to whether he was a good or a bad cop (hence the title) as he often made the wrong decisions with catastrophic results or his interactions ending in violence.

Overall i thought this was a fantastic crime thriller which I really enjoyed. The storyline is well plotted and there is a level of tension throughout the book which makes the book hard to put down at times. The storyline is a bit violent at times but I thought this wasn’t overdone and the author doesn’t describe it too graphically.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Headline for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Simon Kernick is a number one bestseller and one of the UK’s most popular thriller writers, with huge hits including RELENTLESS, THE LAST 10 SECONDS, SIEGE and the BONE FIELD series.

Book Synopsis:

When AA meetings make her want to drink more, alcoholic murderess Maeve sets up a group for psychopaths … The dark, unpredictable, electrifyingly original new thriller from critically acclaimed author Will Carver.‘Totally insane, and I mean that in the best of ways. Maeve is a brilliant character … Incredibly dark and very funny’ Harriet Tyce‘I fell in love with Carver’s murderous Maeve. This is an Eleanor Oliphant for crime fans. Carver truly at his best’ Sarah Pinborough‘Another wild ride … a darkly delicious page-turner’ S J Watson––––––––––––––Maeve has everything. A high-powered job, a beautiful home, a string of uncomplicated one-night encounters. She’s also an addict: A functioning alcoholic with a dependence on sex and an insatiable appetite for killing men. When she can’t find a support group to share her obsession, she creates her own. And Psychopaths Anonymous is born. Friends of Maeve. Now in a serious relationship, Maeve wants to keep the group a secret. But not everyone in the group adheres to the rules, and when a reckless member raises suspicions with the police, Maeve’s drinking spirals out of control. She needs to stop killing. She needs to close the group. But Maeve can’t seem to quit the things that are bad for her, including her new man…A scathing, violent and darkly funny book about love, connection, obsessions and sex – and the aspects of human nature we’d prefer to hide – Psychopaths Anonymous is also an electrifyingly original, unpredictable thriller that challenges virtually everything.

Psychopaths Anonymous is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author and always get excited when a new book comes out, dropping everything so I can read it. Psychopaths Anonymous is Will Carver at his best! Another dark, twisted read with lots of dark humour thrown in.

One of the things I most like about this author is that they write about subjects no one else would do from an unexpected angle – I mean a group about psychopaths is just brilliant! It makes the book more fun and interesting to read about as it provides a new area to explore.

Maeve was a fantastic main character, possibly the most disturbing the author has written and she definitely kept me gripped to the book as I had to keep reading to find out what she would do next. The book is written in the first person, with the reader privy to all her inner most thoughts and feelings which were pretty hair raising at times. Her victims are all of pretty unlikeable people and I wasn’t sad to see them meet a grizzly end most of the time which made me like Maeve a little bit despite myself.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what the author writes next. It was very gripping with lots of dark humour which along with a hint of a romance between Maeve and another member of the group helps stop it getting too dark in places. If are a fan of dark crime fiction I highly recommend this author.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orenda for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Will’s latest title published by Orenda Books, The Beresford is out in July 2021. His previous title Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.

Book Synopsis:

The delightfully clever mystery in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves a murder at Buckingham Palace – perfect for fans of The Crown and The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

‘A witty whodunit starring our very own HM The Queen as an amateur sleuth’ – GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
_________________

Queen Elizabeth II is having a royal nightmare.

A referendum divides the nation, a tumultuous election grips the United States – and the body of a staff member is found dead beside Buckingham Palace swimming pool.

Is it a tragic accident, as the police think? Or is something more sinister going on?

As Her Majesty looks for answers, her trusted assistant, Rozie, is on the trail of a treasured painting that once hung outside the Queen’s bedroom.

But when Rozie receives a threatening anonymous letter, Elizabeth knows dark forces are at work – and far too close to home. After all, though the staff and public may not realise it, she is the keenest sleuth among them. Sometimes, it takes a Queen’s eye to see connections where no one else can . . .

Agatha Christie meets The Crown in A THREE DOG PROBLEM, the much-anticipated second book in the ‘Her Majesty The Queen Investigates’ mystery series by SJ Bennett – for fans of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, Agatha Christie and M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin.

The Three Dog Problem is published in ebook and paperback on the 11th November 2021. You can pre-order your copy using the links below.

My Review:

A Three Dog Problem is an entertaining, fun cosy read which I really enjoyed.

Firstly I loved being back at the palace watching the Queen solve mysteries alongside the fantastic Rozie. The author has clearly done her research and I enjoyed learning more about palace life as well as what’s involved in running a country. These descriptions help bring some humour into the book and often had me laughing out loud as I read. I particularly liked the way the author makes the story feel realistic by adding in some tongue in cheek references to recent events in the royal family.

The characters were all fabulous creations who I enjoyed following throughout the book. I always think it must be hard writting about real life characters, but I thought the author did a great job at making the character’s seem realistic so that I could actually hear the way they were saying things in my head. I liked the way they were developed through the story and the journey they go on which was interesting to read about.

This is the second book in the series and I’m excited to see where it will go next. This book had a slightly more serious edge to it then the first in my opinion but overall it was a fun, easy read which was just what I needed to relax with after a hard day at work.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Zaffre for my copy of this book via netgalley.

About The Author:

SJ Bennett wrote several award-winning books for teenagers before turning to adult mysteries. She lives in London and has been a royal watcher for years, but is keen to stress that these are works of fiction: the Queen, to the best of her knowledge, does not secretly solve crimes.

You can find her at SJBennettBooks.com for all things crime and royal, on Instagram @sophiabennett_writer and on Twitter @sophiabennett.