#BlogTour: A BOOK OF MURDER (Smart Women #4) by Victoria Dowd #adgifted #bookshelf #bookstagram #Crimefiction @joffebooks @booksnall2020

Today I am kicking off the Blog Tour for A BOOK OF MURDER by Victoria Dowd.  This is book 4 in the uniquely brilliant SMART WOMEN series and is a gripping page turner you will be unable to put down.

A BOOK OF MURDER

Format – Kindle
Publisher Joffe Books
Publication Date
Genre – Crime thriller, mystery and suspense
Author – Victoria Dowd

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THE PEOPLE’S BOOK PRIZE WINNER VICTORIA DOWD’S LATEST MYSTERY!

If you love Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood, Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz, Faith Martin and Sophie Hannah, you’ll love this brilliant whodunnit.

A lonely fort at sea.
Nineteen guests with secrets to hide.
An invitation to die for?

The Smart women wangle an invite to crime-fiction powerhouse Anthony Lovell’s latest book launch, a weekend-long bash at his private island home.

They’re ready for an evening of wining, dining and hobnobbing with the literati.

But trouble is never far behind where the Smart women are concerned.

Late that night, Ursula is awakened by blood-curdling screams.

Anthony’s been poisoned. By the same rare — and potentially deadly — fugu fillet that was the highlight of the evening feast.

One of the guests is a murderer. But who?

As the courtroom drama unfolds, and the Smart women are called in as witnesses, Ursula’s convinced there’s more to this murder than meets the eye.

But is asking questions asking for trouble?

AN IMPOSSIBLE LOCKED-ROOM MURDER MYSTERY WITH A TOUCH OF DARK HUMOUR.

ABOUT VICTORIA DOWD
Victoria Dowd is a criminal barrister-turned-crime writer. She lives with her husband and two children, splitting her time between London and Devon, where she indulges her passion for all things Agatha Christie. Her first book won the People’s Book Prize 2021.

PRAISE FOR VICTORIA DOWD:

“Murders, laughs and a malevolent wig-stealing monkey — this book is a riot!” Nicola Gill, author of We Are Family

I absolutely LOVED this book . . . A perfect cocktail of devilish plot and ingenious characterisation, all laced with Dowd’s unmistakable wit. Superb!” Philippa East, author of Little White Lies & Safe and Sound

“Victoria Dowd is my go-to author for clever, witty crime fiction full of memorable characters . . . Dark, sharp and dangerously addictive.” Louise Mumford, bestselling author of Sleepless

Lashings of dark humour, and an edgy twisty yet classic plot . . . A perfect autumn addition to my crime bookshelf!” D. E. White, bestselling author of Glass Dolls

Sheer reading delight from beginning to end. Dowd masterfully mingles laugh out loud humour with suffocating grief in this confounding murder mystery. May the Smart women enchant readers for many more books to come.” Penny Batchelor, bestselling author of My Perfect Sister

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A crazy humorous murder mystery. Certainly something different. I thought it wonderfully written, very imaginative and creative . . . it’s like combining modern-day trauma with Gothic tragedy.” Carol S.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Perfect book for a rainy day. This is a great mystery . . . I loved all the characters and I really loved the mystery element as well.” Lynn B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I was drawn in right away with the descriptive narrations. The author has quite a way with writing her characters so you like the ones she intends you to but also makes you dislike others! It had me interested until the very end and I couldn’t wait to read how this mystery concluded! Definitely one I’d recommend!” Kristen K.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I really like this series and in my opinion, this is the beat book so far. We get a murder mystery with a little bit of humour thrown in. There’s plenty of twists and clues in this well-written story . . . it’s also multi-layered and atmospheric. The characters are well-developed and a mixed bunch.” Louise W.


Review

The Smart Women are back in this 4th addition to the series.  The books do work perfectly as stand-alone.

This book is unusual in that it begins in the present day and switches back and forth from past to present.  However, it is very skilfully done so the reader is not confused.

The Smart Women were at the launch of a new addition to a very popular series when the author dies and his wife is accused of murder.  The case appears to be cut and dried the only suspect is the wife, Penelope Lovell, the CCTV and other evidence are indisputable.  So why do the Smart Women think something is wrong?  Determined they are watching an innocent woman be convicted of murder the women begin their own investigation.

This is another intriguing book that keeps the reader’s attention all the way through and as usual I couldn’t help laughing at the Smart Women their characters are so unique and amusing they always make me  smile.

Another book with a very entangled case that the Smart Women are determined to untangle and do so with the humour and uniqueness I have come to expect from this series.

A very enjoyable read.

Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance digital copy of this book.  This is my unbiased review.


Author Profile

After graduating from Cambridge, Victoria was a criminal law barrister on the London circuit for many years, where many of her cases were much stranger than fiction.

Victoria is now an award winning writer, having won the Go Gothic Short Story Award for 2019. She has had short fiction published in places such as Aesthetica: A Review of Contemporary Artists and was chosen as the runner up in The New Writer’s writer of the year award. Her work was Highly Commended by The Writers’ Forum and long-listed for The Willesden Herald International Short Story Competition. She has had short stories published in the BTS Literary and Arts Annual, Dream Catcher arts journal and Gold Dust Literary Magazine.

Victoria lives with her husband and two children. She writes full time, splitting her time between London and Devon, where she can indulge her passion for all things Agatha Christie.

BOOKS BY VICTORIA DOWD

  • SMART WOMAN’S MYSTERY SERIES
    Book 1: THE SMART WOMAN’S GUIDE TO MURDER
    Book 2: BODY ON THE ISLAND
    Book 3: THE SUPPER CLUB MURDERS
    Book 4: A BOOK OF MURDER

FOLLOW VICTORIA ON

AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
GOODREADS


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Bloggers or reviewers interested in joining Blog tours: https://mailchi.mp/74b299fbb681/bloggersignup

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