Winter reads and diary dates

A Breath of Madness is out now and receiving some lovely reviews from readers, so I finally have time to relax with some great crime reads. Two of them are listed below and are well worth a look.

I came across this great police procedural while I was researching for A Breath of Madness, which was partly inspired by the French idea of ‘Bouffée Délirante’ (a rough translation of the title, and said to be associated with the Mistral – a violent wind in Southern France). I was delighted to discover that I am not the only writer to be fascinated by the folklore surrounding the weather of Provence. Cay Rademacher wrote his crime thriller, Murderous Mistral, back in 2015, and it’s a great read for fans both of crime, and French thrillers.

I make no excuses for recommending Stephen J Cook’s Inspector Page series. The latest instalment, Truth or Lies, came out on the same day as A Breath of Madness, and it is promising to be as great a read as his previous investigations. Like my own novels, Stephen’s are set in and around the city of Bristol, and there couldn’t be a better backdrop for a crime thriller (but as I live there, too, I might be slightly biased!). I’m already hooked on this latest story, and hoping there are more to come.