February can be summed up as quality not quantity when it came to crime fiction reading. After a glut of Scandinavian crime fiction in December and January it was great to read some excellent books by British writers including Elly Griffiths and R J Ellory.
However, my book of the month is a tie between Stav Sherez’s A Dark Redemption and Peter May’s The Black House. I loved Sherez’s book because it cleverly combined the horror of modern day demonic crime in London with the political violence of East African insurgent groups. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series. Peter May’s book, the first of a trilogy, created some memorable characters to the backdrop of the picturesque Isle of Lewis. Again it should make a great series.
The 8 books I read for crimepieces were:
1. City of the Dead by Sara Gran
2. A Simple Act of Violence by R J Ellory
3. Bereft by Chris Womersley
4. A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez
5. Skin and Bone by Kathryn Fox
6. The Black House by Peter May
7. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
8. Tom-All-Alone’s by Lynn Shepherd
February was also marked by a cold snap across Eastern Europe including Greece. The picture is the view from my balcony in Athens. Meagre by British standards I appreciate but Greek houses are not insulated….
Kerrie over at Mysteries in Paradise is hosting a meme summarizing the crime fiction recommendations for February 2012.
Sarah Ward & Rhiannon Ward 
Sarah I’ll definitely add them both, Stav Sherez A Dark Redemption and Peter May’s The Black House, to my next shopping list.
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The Blackhouse is an excellent choice, Sarah, and I’ve got Sherez on my list (for later reading when my “pile” is down a bit). Looks like the rest of your Feb reading was pretty good as well.
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Thanks Maxine and Jose – fingers crossed for March.
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Thanks for participating in the meme Sarah. I had a tie last month. I really enjoyed THE BLACK HOUSE too but haven’t read A DARK REDEMPTION
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You’re welcome Kerrie.
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I have just found the Stav Sherez book on audible and will download it next – you’ve made an excellent case for it. I read one of his set in Greece a few years ago and thought it excellent, though it made me have nightmares from memory – about centipedes. You and Maxine and others have also made a strong case for the Peter Lewis series so I have that one waiting for me too. As February was a bit ho hum for me I am looking forward to some of these in March and beyond.
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I hope you like the books Bernadette. It’s a shame when you go through a reading slump. I think I was just lucky in February.
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Ok, I will admit I am struggling with Peter May’s book, The Black House. I had no idea it would go back/forth between his childhood and the present. I set it aside for now but from what I read so far, I liked it but the switching back/forth is kind of kicking me out of the story. *sigh* Great list and I hope to read each one. Thanks Sarah.
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Thanks Keishon I hope you are able to get back to the Peter May book. Sometimes it does just depend on my mood when I am reading.
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Same here. Thanks, Sarah.
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Looks like you read some great books! I’ve got Elly Griffiths in my TBR pile and I read Bereft last month too. I’ve read some good reviews for Tom-All-Alone’s, so I may pick that up too when I’ve got a minute.
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Thanks Nikki-Ann. I enjoyed your review of Bereft. A hidden gem I think.
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