Monthly Archives: July 2025

Blog Tour – One More to Die by Joy Ellis

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Today we kick off the blog tour for One More to Die by Joy Ellis!

Here’s the blub

Detective Kate Carter is called out to a fatal car accident on a remote fen lane.

At first glance it looks like a drunk driver simply lost control and crashed headlong into a ditch. But nothing about the scene adds up. The number plate is fake. The driver’s licence doesn’t belong to the dead man in the car. One tyre doesn’t match the other three. And what is a vinyl 1960s pop record doing in the glove box?

A neat puncture wound to the driver’s neck reveals this was no accident.

The following day, the body of a young woman is found in an old barn out on the fens. She’s been dead at least two years. Placed on the body is another vintage pop record.

And then the nightmare becomes personal. A mysterious package arrives at the station addressed to Kate: a 45-rpm record, and a chilling note scrawled in block capitals: ONE MORE TO GO.

It’s just the start. Sinister phone calls, creepy notes left on her car, unwanted gifts on her doorstep: Kate can no longer deny that she’s being pursued by an obsessive stalker . . .

Is she next in the killer’s sights?

Review

One More To Die follows Detective Kate Carter as her personal and work lives clash in spectacular fashion.

It all starts when Kate is called to a crime scene, a car accident.. but before she even sets off she finds a creepy note on her car.. being in a rush and not thinking much of it in the moment Kate heads off to the crime scene.

Things don’t add up at the scene of the accident and it becomes clear there’s more too it, who is the victim? why does the car have fake plates?.. and what’s the deal with the record found in the car.. bit of a strange find.

When another body turns up Kate is sent to do the groundwork before handing it over to another Detective… little does she know this case will soon be hers… another record has been found with the body.. what’s the connection with the first victim?

While the pressure mounts at work, stress is also building at home…after the initial note found on the car there’s also been a box of Kate’s favourite chocolates left and a very creepy phone call.. this is the last thing she and her family need…she could have a stalker! She needs to keep her family safe.. they could be watching.. waiting..

This is my first foray into the writing style of Joy Ellis and I must admit I loved it. The plot was intriguing, and progresses at a steady pace. I loved the clash of personal and work lives and the humanity added to the development of the characters given the situation they face.

I really enjoyed how the plot developed too, the people, the reasons behind the murders.. oo it gave tingles as you could see the pieces of the puzzle slotting together but at the same time the author kept little nuggets of info/twists for just the right moment to give the tale a real punch!

So can Kate find a way to deal with do situations? You’ll have to grab a copy of the book and find out! you won’t be disappointed.

Super fun and fast read. 5*

My thanks go to the author, publisher and Zoé @ Zooloo’s Book Tours for having me on the tour!

Who is Joy Ellis?

I was born in Kent but spent most of my working life in London and Surrey. I was an apprentice florist to Constance Spry Ltd, a prestigious Mayfair shop that throughout the Sixties and Seventies teemed with both royalty and ‘real’ celebrities. What an eye-opener for a working-class kid from the Garden of England! I swore then, probably whilst I was scrubbing the floor or making the tea, that I would have a shop of my own one day. It took until the early Eighties, but I did it. Sadly the recession wiped us out, and I embarked on a series of weird and wonderful jobs; the last one being a bookshop manager. Surrounded by books all day, getting to order whatever you liked, and being paid for it! Oh bliss!

And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, and three Springer spaniels and four little rescue, Breton spaniels. I had been writing mysteries for years but never had the time to take it seriously. Now I write full-time, and as my partner is a highly decorated retired police officer; my choice of genre is a no-brainer! I have an on-tap police and judicial consultant, who makes exceedingly good tea!

I have set my crime thrillers here in the misty fens because I sincerely love the remoteness and airy beauty of the marshlands. This area is steeped in superstitions and lends itself so well to murder!

I am lucky enough to be one of the amazing Joffe Books team of authors and am really enjoying being able to spend time doing what I love… writing!

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Where can you find them?

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/Joyellisbooks
Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/joyellisbooks/

Books Links

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217410403-one-more-to-die

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/onemoretodie-zbt

Why not follow the tour?

Conscript’s Call (Rifleman Book 1) by Griff Hosker – REVIEW

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Today I’m reviewing Conscript’s Call by Griff Hosker!

Here’s the blurb

From the ashes of tragedy, new beginnings arise.

England, 1940: When seventeen-year-old John Sharratt’s life is shattered by a single, devastating bomb dropped by the Luftwaffe, he is thrust into a world of loss and longing. With his family gone and his heart heavy, John’s conscription into the army offers a refuge and a new beginning, even in the face of turmoil.

“The army had to be my future. I had nothing else and the bombing raid had brought the war home to me. My fingers clenched into fists. I wanted revenge.”

As he dons the battledress of a British soldier at Seaforth Barracks, John embarks on an intense journey of transformation. Amidst gruelling training and the camaraderie of fellow soldiers, -those who will become his new family, – he learns not only to wield a weapon but also to navigate the depths of grief and resilience. Each drill sharpens his skills, especially as a marksman. As his section sees postings in Greece, Crete and North Africa, will John emerge from the shadows of his past to thrive as a rifleman, or will the weight of his sorrow consume him? With the world on the brink of an all-out war, the lad from Lancashire must face the darkest of nights before the dawn of hope can break through.

Set during the early years of WW2, Conscript’s Call is more than a tale of historical conflict; it is an exploration of the profound impact of loss and the unyielding strength of the human spirit.

The first in Griff Hosker’s brand-new WW2 ‘Rifleman’ series which takes a poignant look into the horrors of war, the bonds created and the struggles of those left behind. A must-read for fans of David Gilman, James Holland and Douglas Reeman.

Review

I picked up Conscript’s Call after it was recommended and I’m so glad I did!

War is coming but for now life for John Sharratt is simple..he and his family lead a modest life, they work hard and make the most of everything..

Sharratt gets his papers, he’s to report for duty and knows his time at home is short. He’s only young though.. and there’s a girl that took his fancy.. this could be the last chance to see her.. when he steps out that night he has no idea how his world will change forever!

In a gut wrenching scene we see a bomb destroy his home and his family with it! With everything lost Sharratt heads to his posting to make his family pound.. being a solider is in his blood!

Basic training moves fast and poses some challenges for the young lad.. but this shared existence with the other men bring them close and forms the bonds needed to survive.

When the men find out they are about to deploy its tense.. they are all new to this.. and the dangers are everywhere… they are pawns without the big picture but they must do their part for their country.

I won’t spoil the plot but I do want to focus on a couple bits that really made this book stand out.. the pace.. it’s fast but not forced..at times it feels like a blur of activity but it’s mirroring what I feel it would have been like for the men..

The other thing I wanted to focus on was the tone of the tale, it doesn’t glorify battle.. it’s not the action that gets you excited.. it’s the depth.. it’s emotionally draining (in a good way), its moving and heartfelt, sometimes you can become detached from the real world.. it’s a story after all.. but no.. this one is so much more than just another story.. it has a realness that hits home…HARD.

The men are really what makes this plot shine, the detail given to them all, the attachments they made.. and in some cases the attachments they didn’t have time to make.. their luck.. or sometimes misfortune, really has you on the edge of your seat.

I particularly loved the moments when the men were aboard ships, any control they had over a situation gone..the rawness of those moments.. and what I felt was real honesty with their feelings and actions.. it’s just..ahh the authors words had me mesmerized!

The story isn’t overly gruesome.. it has it’s moments but at the same time, again, I felt the story mirrored how those men would see things..at times detached from the horror.

One word stands out in the synopsis for me… poignant.. that sums up Conscript’s Call perfectly..it’s poignant and beautifully written.

I loved the authors style of writing too.. its easy to read but at the same time clever, and engages the readers brain.

There’s some great detail thrown in too, ships, guns, tanks.. for those who love a bit of detail you’ll enjoy this too as the author clearly knows what he’s taking about, and that extra detail is mixed in smoothly without any deviation from the action.

A tank busting 5* read.

To find out more head to Amazon or Goodreads.