Monday, 15 January 2018

Review + Giveaway: The Girl in the Gallery by Alice Castle

The Girl in the Gallery by Alice Castle
Series:  London Murder Mysteries #2
Release Date: 19th December 2017
Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
Genres:  Cozy Crime

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Dulwich…
It’s a perfect summer’s morning in the plush south London suburb, and thirty-something Beth Haldane has sneaked off to visit one of her favourite places, the world-famous Picture Gallery.
She’s enjoying a few moments’ respite from juggling her job at prestigious private school Wyatt’s and her role as single mum to little boy Ben, when she stumbles across a shocking new exhibit on display. Before she knows it, she’s in the thick of a fresh, and deeply chilling, investigation.
Who is The Girl in the Gallery? Join Beth in adventure #2 of the London Murder Mystery series as she tries to discover the truth about a secret eating away at the very heart of Dulwich.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36503820-the-girl-in-the-gallery


The second book in the series, The Girl In the Gallery can absolutely be read as a standalone, although there are some hints of what happened in the previous book. And now, I want to read book 1! 

The story opens with Beth Haldane visiting her absolutely favourite place - the local art gallery. However, among the beautiful paintings Beth discovers more than she bargained for and so once again becomes embroiled in another mystery. A young girl is left barely alive and nobody seems to be looking for her. This book sees Beth thrown together once again with Inspector Harry York who is struggling to determine who the girl in the gallery is, the reason for the way she was displayed and just who could carry out such a heinous act. He begins to lean on Beth's sleuthing skills more and more, opening up to her despite knowing that she probably shouldn't be part of an official investigation. Each time the pair think they've solved one aspect of the case, other clues leave them feeling lost once again and doubting that they will ever get to the bottom of the case. Both see a different side to each other the longer they become involved in the case.

If you like a good old mystery then I'd recommend this book. Set in Dulwich in London, Alice Castle has created a wonderful cast of characters with very interesting back stories. Some of the residents of Dulwich appear to live in their own little universe, oblivious to the real world. They feel they are almost untouchable. After all, this is Dulwich! Real life doesn't happen here! Crime doesn't happen here! Love it! Even the exclusive schools spend more time thinking about their reputations than their duty of care to the pupils. 

The book is well paced to make you want to rush through it to find out what on earth has been going on. Alice Castle writes beautifully and draws the reader into the story without overloading them with too much information. Its a book with some good old fashioned twists, turns and dead end clues. Some sensitive issues are touched upon in the book and done very well to highlight such issues as social media dangers and body image problems. The author has managed to draw attention to the horrors that can befall even the most privileged.  Its an easy read and perfect for snuggling up on the sofa on a horrible rainy night.

    



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ABOUT ALICE CASTLE

 
Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph before becoming a novelist. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, was a European best-seller which sold out in two weeks.
Alice is currently working on the sequel to Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery. The third instalment in the London Murder Mystery series, it will be published by Crooked Cat next year and is entitled The Calamity in Catford. Once again, it features Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.
Alice is also a top mummy blogger, writing DD’s Diary at www.dulwichdivorcee.com.
She lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats. 

Alice Castle’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/
Alice Castle is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary
Links to buy Alice Castle’s books: myBook.to/GirlintheGallery  myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich, myBook.to/HotChocolate

6 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for having me on your lovely blog. I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. I love your review, you’ve completely understood what I was trying to do! Hope you go on to read Death in Dulwich too ;)

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  2. Very much looking forward to discovering this series

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  3. "Why do you enjoy this genre?" A cozy crime is fine to read about in a book!

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  4. I love reading mystery books, I think it is the suspense of waiting until the end to find out who did it

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  5. I love crime and mistery novels - they are exciting and full of suspense!

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  6. Loved this book review you make it sound so fantastic - can't wait to get hold of a copy of the book - thanks for this

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