The First Oscar Tremont Novel

It has been a long time coming, I know, and it isn't here yet, but I can finally announce that the first novel featuring Oscar Tremont, Investigator of the Strange and Inexplicable, will be released on my 45th birthday; the 30th of January, 2026. I'd like to thank you so much for your patience, but also for asking repeatedly when this book would be ready, because that eagerness has kept me chipping away at it.

Writing a mystery novel takes time, especially when it's a fair-play mystery, or whodunit, because it's not enough for the plot to be intriguing, the atmosphere evocative, and the characters engaging. Every detail connected to the puzzle needs to be spot on. The means and motive need to be solid but subtle. The foreshadowing has to be done just right in order to ensure that kick-yourself moment for the reader who doesn't work out who the culprit is before the hero reveals all. The clues and red herrings have to be planted carefully so the reader is kept on his toes chapter after chapter, and twist after turn.

I've finally put the last piece of the puzzle into place, and the result is a chilling murder mystery unlike any you've ever dared read before. Your wits will be put to the test against the Reaper himself!

DEAD ON THE DOLMEN will have you wondering whether the Ankou really is riding forth across the land of magic and mystery that is Brittany. Of course, once Oscar Tremont cracks the case, reason will reign once more...but in the meantime, your imagination will be free to roam, and the reaping will go on unhindered!

Keep an eye on this blog over the coming months for more news, including the cover reveal.

 

Review: The Newlywed

I discovered Anna Willett, an Australian crime writer, recently and read the third book in her series, The Cold Case Mysteries...yeah, I know you're supposed to read in order, but hey, I'm a rebel. In any case, I'm interested in going abck and reading the previous novels. Here's my review of The Newlywed, and tomorrow I'll post an interview I did with Anna.

 

"A person's inner nature, that essence that made them who they are, was a secret inscape. The man they were looking for, his inscape was a dark and twisted wasteland."

The Newlywed is an entertaining mystery novel set in the imaginary coastal town of Seabreak, Western Australia. This is the third novel featuring Detective Veronika Pope, a likeable protagonist, and the first I've read. The setting and characters are believable, and the plot holds the reader's attention. We want to know who is behind the suspicious disappearances of two women fifteen years apart.

Willett's prose is straightforward but with poignant passages here and there, like the example posted above, and this seems to fit the setting and characters. What held me back from giving this book one more star, the elusive fifth one, was the missed opportunity to make it more challenging for the experienced armchair detective. In terms of suspense, everything was there, but I would have liked a little more mystery. I identified the culprit fairly easily, which in itself isn't necessarily a problem, but I would have preferred to catch the killer through clues carefully planted in the story rather than a mere guess. All the same, despite seeing what was coming, the climax and anticlimax were suspenseful and satisfying, in keeping with the buildup. I'm certainly interested in reading more of Anna Willett's work.

Find this review on Goodreads.