BLOGTOUR, BOOK REVIEW - Music Of The Night, a anthology written by various author's

                                                                    BOOK SYNOPSIS

Music of the Night is a new anthology of original short stories contributed by Crime Writers' Association (CWA) members and edited by Martin Edwards, with music as the connecting theme. The aim, as always, is to produce a book which is representative both of the genre and the membership of the world’s premier crime writing association.

The CWA has published anthologies of members’ stories in most years since 1956, with Martin Edwards as editor for over 25 years, during which time the anthologies have yielded many award-winning and nominated stories by writers such as Ian Rankin, Reginald Hill, Lawrence Block, and Edward D. Hoch. Stories by long-standing authors and stellar names sit alongside contributions from relative newcomers, authors from overseas, and members whose work haven’t appeared in a CWA anthology before.

Be Prepared by Abi Silver

In previous years Campfire had always been the highlight of the week for our fourteen year old narrator and her two best friends Helen and Ruth. The culmination of four days of hard work,the chance for the Guides, Scouts and their leaders to gather together,stay up late and sing their hearts out to popular songs. But by the dawn of this particular campfire night events would occur that would change the friends innocent lives....forever 

A Sharp Thorn by Alison Joseph

A mysterious phone call sends Emma Collett on a journey from her home in London to a care home in Cornwall where she will finally confront hidden truths from her past and start making plans to change her future.

Wrong Notes by Andrew Taylor

A murder mystery set in 1956 and narrated from the perspectives of three Jill (The editor of a newspaper) Roderick Hanbridge (A young reporter) and Chief Inspector Richard Thornhill. The pages of this story which is set in a exclusive school for girl's and has a unexpected sting to it's tale are permeated with the vibes of a good old fashioned murder mystery

The Melody of Murder by Antony M Brown

This story is set in London in the early 80s and follows a detective and his team as they search for a very intelligent and artistically gifted killer. The plot contains references to new headlines and the pop culture of the era. It also mentions the realistic fact that in notorious murder cases all media outlets concentrate their coverage on the killer.The identities of the victims very often appear inconsequential and less important than the perpetrator(s) of the crimes committed against them.

Love Me Or Leave Me: A Fugue In G Minor by Art Taylor

This intelligently written study of a deeply troubled mind is written from the perspectives of four realistic individuals, Gareth, Tess, A Doctor Bitterman and a woman called Phoebe. The plot covers number of relatable issues, has a dash of mystery and suspense,and the story has a spine chilling conclusion. The psychology elements of the story are fascinating and never come across as confusing and difficult to follow or understand.never

The Scent Of Ending by Brian Price

The mysterious death of record collector Keith Watts is the catalyst for a good old locked door murder mystery for Detective inspector Matilda Barrett and her team. He had obviously been murdered but how had he died,who was his killer and what was the motive behind his death?

Mix Tape by Cath Staincliffe 

Oh, the memories this story brought into my thoughts. Hands up who remembers taking the songs they liked whilst listening to the top 40 in a Sunday evening. Making sure that you remembered to press both the play and record buttons at the same time and hoping that the do would start talking before the song had finished. This is a short story about a Mic tape (which actually had a very good track list) a man and a woman and the story had a  unexpected ironic twist to it's tale.

The Last Green Bottle by Catherine Aird

Detective inspector Slone (never a man to waste words) and his team receive a phone call from someone mumbling about a murder who then makes a strange comment that refers to green bottles. The detectives find themselves investigating a complex case with fingers that reach back into the past.

Taxi by Chris Simms

The chapters of this intensity story alternate between the perspectives of a taxi driver and his female passenger. It's a fast paced story with pages that are permeated with atmosphere and suspense and has a cleverly plotted, ironic conclusion. This was one of my favourite stories.

Some Other Dracula by Christine Poulson 

This story opens with a scene featuring a dead body lying in the heart of a maze then we are introduced to our main characters Cass and her husband Richard who are waiting for a taxi to take them to the Halloween masked ball which was being held at Hamberly Hall. A fund raising event that would not go quite the way that anyone would have planned or expected.

Violin-ce by David Stuart Davies

Some people are prepared to do whatever it takes to get their hands on something or someone that they desire but sometimes they are so obsessed that they forget that very often things in life are not always what they appear to be. 

The Sound And The Fury by Dea Parkin 

They say that hell have no fury than a woman scorned and in this story, Gina was determined to move on with Keir, no matter what had to do in order to achieve her goal. I couldn't see what the attraction was myself, the bloke came across as a bit of a wimpy coward.

A Vulture Sang In Berkeley Square by Jason Monaghan

This is a cautionary tale about secrets and not passing judgement on people who are less fortunate than yourself because you never know what date has in store for you during your journey through life.

Not A Note by Kate Ellis

Kate Ellis is one of my favourite author's, I love her Wesley Peterson series in which the stories are set in both the present and the past and there is a clever connection between the two time frames. I love the historical detail that she includes in the plots of her mysteries. This story is set in 1953 and is narrated from the perspective of a fourteen year old girl who finds herself caught up in a murder investigation after the death of her piano teacher. As with all of Kate Ellie's stories,the settings are realistic and authentic and the story has a unexpected twist in its tale.

His Greatest Hit by L C TylerTyler

A mystery author talks to a eclectic mix of characters who were involved in the life of the musician who's funeral they had all just attended. The story is written in the form of song with verses and a chorus and is a tale of deception, secrets and murder with fingers that reached back into the past.

Requiem by Leo McNeir

Marine Walker and her partner Ralph set out for a weekend cruising the Grand Union Canal, a journey which will take them through some stunning countryside, experience some beautiful music and encounter a mysterious stranger on a bench outside a church.

The Crazy Cries Of Love by Martin Edwards

Twenty years had passed since Gordon's beloved wife Millie had passed away and it had taken a long time for him to get used to the loneliness of their double bed. Now, he spent his time observing the lives of his Polish neighbours Rule and Thomasz, a couple who he had grown rather find of despite the fact that the neighbours hardly ever interacted with each other. Rule reminded Gordon of Millie and conjured up memories of their life together. But people are not always who they appear to be and it's impossible to know what happens behind closed doors. What secrets were hiding within the walls of the homes of these seemingly innocent and unremarkable characters?

Waiting For Cornelia by Maxim Jakubowski 

This is a cautionary tale about being very careful what subjects you choose to write about with a plot that contains indents information about the inner workings of the music industry and references to various musicians from the past. The story also contains references to author's who been involved with bands including Mark Billingham, Stuart Neville and Luca Veste. 

The Watch Room by Neil Daws

Abe had always been made to feel second best to his brother Luke,a suspicion that was proved correct after their father named Luke as his successor to run the Stark Rock Lighthouse once he passed away. Abe thought that his life was actually starting to improve when he met and fell in love with Becca  and all was going well until Becca accompanied him to the lighthouse one day and met Luke. After the inevitable happened Abe couldn't help feeling that his life was over, he had lost everything and was destined to spend his life trapped in the lighthouse being nothing more than a servant to his brother. Then, suddenly a plan crept into his mind and after biding his time, plotting and planning, the perfect opportunity to enact his plan arrived. What was his plan and would it work? You will just have to read this book if you want to know the conclusion of Abe's story.

The Ghosts Of Peace by Paul Charles

Inspector Kennedy and his team find themselves investigating a murder at the majestic Camden Theatre. A tale of double cross and deception,smoke and mirrors that keeps the reader guessing until the unexpected truth is revealed. 

No more ' I Love You's by Paul Gitsham 

DCI Warren Jones is gifted the perfect opportunity to get his revenge on his DI Tony Sutton by subjecting him to some music from the 80s whilst they are on their way to the scene of a woman's death. ( I can't say that I blame Sutton for being a bit grumpy about the situation,I love 80s music but I was never a big fan of The Eurythmics) They find themselves investigating a complex case involving a rope and a skylight,a case that's made even more complicated by the fact that the victim's husband is a aspiring MP. The lightbulb moment whilst solving a case can often come in.many different guises and both Warren and the reader will be very surprised how the team solve this particular case.

And The Band Played In by Peter Lovesey

I think we all have songs that are connected to certain times in our lives and conjure up memories which can be both good or bad whenever we hear them. Young Josh's Grandfather had a chequered past and the song that he kept singing was dismissed by his family as unimportant and the ramblings of a old man. But as Josh will soon uncover,people can be judged unfairly and very often events in our lives are not as clear cut as they first appear to be. 

4x3x3 by Ragnar Jonasson

I really loved this short,intense story about a man who finds himself trapped in a tiny room. But was he being held prisoner of the victim of a practical joke. This is a gripping little take with a spine chilling conclusion and was a bit too short for my liking.

A Death In Four Parts by Shawn Reilly Simmons 

Twenty years had passed since Xavier Mendoza's debut symphony had been a runaway success, now he was down on his luck and suffering from a serious case of composer's block. His attempts to concentrate and actually write some music were not helped by the constant interruptions by his neighbours Ruby and Cruz ( or mole man as Mendoza called him) But people in Mendoza's life weren't who they appeared to be and just when he thought that he had finally got his life back on track, fate decided to throw a spanner in the works and send Mendoza's life crashing out of control.

Bombay Blues by Vaseem Khan

Life in India was difficult enough when you were a woman and Persis had fought hard to qualify as India's first female police inspector. The discovery of a body slumped over the keyboard of a piano in a sweltering hot room with find her once again confronting sexism and growing pressure to get the case solved as quickly as possible. In a world dominated by men and prejudice will she be able to figure our who commuted the crime and why?

Every one of the 23 stories in this captivating anthology is extremely well written, the book is a addictive mix of police procedural, thrillers,mysteries many of which contain unexpected and unpredictable plot twists. The characters are a collection of vivid, realistic individuals, some more likeable than others. There is story that would please every fan of crime stories no matter what type of story you enjoy reading. A very enjoyable, entertaining read and very highly recommended by little old me.

PUBLICATION DATE: 22nd February 2022

Pre-order/purchase link 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Night-Crime-Writers-Association-ebook/dp/B098VYBC3S/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1VF51Q9J8WTLY&keywords=music+of+the+night&qid=1644513278&s=books&sprefix=music+of+the+%2Cstripbooks%2C480&sr=1-2

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