January | 2023 | David's Book Blurg

Today we kick off the blog tour for Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow (book 3 in the Rosie Robson series) by Colin Garrow

Here’s the blurb.

A dead body. A hoard of forged banknotes. A gangster out for blood.

Newcastle, December 1955. Returning home after a weekend away, singer and amateur sleuth Rosie Robson discovers a man lying on a baggage trolley with his throat cut. After the police get involved, an attack on Rosie and her boss prompts Inspector Vic Walton to find a safe house for the pair. But the bad guys seem to be one step ahead of them and Rosie is forced to track down a possible witness to the murder in a bid to learn the truth. Can the canny crooner solve the mystery before a Newcastle gang boss catches up with her?

Set on Tyneside, Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow is book #3 in the Rosie Robson Murder Mysteries series.

Review

Rosie and her friend return to Newcastle after a weekend away only to discover a body in a baggage trolley. Inspector Vic Walton is soon on the case. The victim had their throat cut..

There’s not a lot of evidence but with Rosie’s help Vic soon has a suspect.. the issue is someone is following Rosie.. and she’s doesn’t know why.

The case heats up as Rosie is followed, accosted and attacked… Rosie seeks shelter among friends only to drag those very individuals into the danger and even a safe house isn’t safe..

How do these people keep finding Roaie? And why do they want her? She doesn’t know anything… or does she?

I’ll admit I haven’t yet read the other books in the series so was worried I may not understand some of the context but I need not have worried. There’s clearly a backstory to some of the characters but the author nicely gives you titbits of information allowing you to understand their motivations and the events that previously played out.

There’s some really good twists to the tale.. I love and hate to say this but I demolished this in 1 day.. it was just an exciting read from the 1^st page to last.

As a proud northerner myself I really loved the descriptions of my local area and the detail added, it easily allowed me to envisage Rosie’s journey in my mind and that added an extra dimension to the tale!

Blood on the Tyne: Red Snow ticked all of the boxes for me, there’s mystery, suspense, blood and twists to name but a few prime pieces I look for.. but the main thing I loved about the book was the character depth, their induvial personas and traits, each were fun to read and I felt myself reading each character myself in a different voice, they became real.

Very interesting plot with superb writing. I’ve read a couple of the authors other works and I love his writing style.. maybe it’s a northern thing ha ha.

If you asked me why I haven’t read the previous books in the series I’ll be perfectly honest.. there’s too much choice out there and sometimes you don’t know stories exist.. now I do I’ll be making up for lost time.

An effortlessly riveting and engaging 5* read!

My thanks go to @rararesources for having me on the tour, as well as the author and publisher for supplying an ARC to aid my review. As usual though… I’m buying the book too and in addition I’ll be grabbing the first two books in the series 😊

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon

Why not follow the tour?

Author Bio:

True-born Geordie Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland and has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor. He has also occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. Colin’s published books include the Watson Letters series, the Terry Bell Mysteries and the Rosie Robson Murder Mysteries. His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Grind, A3 Review, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. These days he lives in a humble cottage in Northeast Scotland.

Social Media Links –

Website (Adults) https://colingarrow.org/

Website (Children) https://colingarrowbooks.com/

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B014Z5DZD4

Twitter https://twitter.com/colingarrow

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/colingarrow

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/colin-garrow

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Bellatrix by Simon Turney!!

Simon is a firm favourite on David’s Book Blurg and my aim this year will be to read more of his earlier works but today I’m supper excited to share my views on his latest release.

Here’s the blurb :-

Warrior and combat medic of the Twenty Second Legion, Titus Cervianus, must fight the armies of the fabled Warrior Queen in this blistering new Roman adventure from Simon Turney.

Egypt, 25 BC. Titus Cervianus is no ordinary soldier. And the Twenty Second is no ordinary legion. Formed from the personal guard of a conquered king, the Twenty Second’s ways are strange to soldiers of the Empire – yet the legion has proved itself in the blistering heat of the desert.

Cervianus and his comrades march into the unknown as he and the Twenty Second Legion contend with the armies of the Bellatrix: the Warrior Queen of Kush. The Kushites and the Egyptians are united against the Roman presence in their lands – but there are complex political and military forces at work. Deep in the deserts, Cervianus and his comrades must brace themselves for a furious onslaught as they take on the might of the Bellatrix.

Review

Bellatrix is the second instalment in the Legion XXII series. I’d definitely recommend reading the 1^st book if you haven’t already to better understand some of the backstory of Cervianus and the other soldiers, you could probably read it without but having that knowledge really gave me some “Oooo” moments as tasty little reminders are thrown in.

The Twenty Second Legion are now in Egypt, the aim as always, to defeat their enemies, to reaffirm their control. These dark clad warriors have caused many Roman deaths… but do those in charge really know the price they will have to pay to cross the desert?

Firstly, I loved the detail of the legion formation and the different roles, this shows the authors knowledge but also his skill at weaving this information in nicely with the plot, there’s no unnecessary descriptions and detail was added naturally just when I needed it.

The journey is perilous and the Kush warriors make themselves known early.. leaving the legion will little choice…they take the supplies.. especially water… they are too far now to turn back but they don’t have the supplies to make to it their destination either… men are going to die.

The legion also need to contend with the desert itself, I don’t want to spoil it but I really enjoyed one particular section of the story that focused on the sandstorm and the aftermath, beautifully woven and engrossing.

Cervianus is going to have his work cut out for him to keep as many men alive as possible.. with very little supplies.

What I really love about this series is it’s not your typical historical fiction book full of battles and gore… oh yes it certainly has it’s moments but it gives more than that.. it’s one man’s journey to keep these men alive.. a desperate struggle to belong and find his way in life and his biggest battle to fight is his own fear… there’s so much depth and growth to the character.

Bellatrix is far from a slow burner but I loved the page count given to the desert crossing.. it’s still actioned packed but brings some authenticity to the tale..not all men die by the sword afterall.. just getting from A to B can be dangerous for many other reasons and Turney does an excellent job of exploring these, such as the effect of the sun, lack of water and shade, the sand itself.. it’s a masterclass in understanding the weaknesses of the human body to commit to such as task as crossing the desert.

Turney has put everything into this book and more if that’s possible.. it’s got action, blood and gore but it’s also got humanity mixed with real emotion to give you a well round and magnificent tale.

A resounding 5* read that packs in so much more than you could ever imagine..leaving you salivating for more!

Fans of Turney will not be disappointed!

My thanks go to Head of Zeus/Aries Fiction for having me on the blog tour and for allowing me an ARC to aid my review. I had this on pre-order and was more than happy to buy a copy too 🙂

To find out more head to Goodreads or Amazon (Or any good local book retailer)

Why not follow the tour?

About the author

Simon Turney is from Yorkshire and, having spent much of his childhood visiting historic sites, fell in love with the Roman heritage of the region. His fascination with the ancient world snowballed from there with great interest in Rome, Egypt, Greece and Byzantium. His works include the Marius’ Mules and Praetorian series, the Tales of the Empire and The Damned Emperor series, and the Rise of Emperors books with Gordon Doherty. He lives in North Yorkshire with his family.

Follow Simon Turney

Twitter: @SJATurney

Facebook: Simon Turney Author aka SJATurney

Website: https://simonturney.com/

Follow Aries

Twitter: @AriesFiction

Facebook: Aries Fiction

Website: http://www.headofzeus.com