Book Review and Giveaway Link: Showstoppers (Emily Castles Mysteries) by Helen Smith

Another quick and fun mystery.
Showstoppers (Emily Castles Mysteries)
by Helen Smith

• File Size: 182 KB
• Print Length: 48 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Tyger Books (December 5, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006ITK0AW

Genre: Mystery
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: December 5, 2011
"Helen Smith is a master story-teller." Socrates Book Reviews
When twenty-six-year-old Emily Castles helps out at a local stage school in London, she's soon mixed up in murder. She teams up with eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel to solve the case.
Showstoppers is a fast-paced 75-page novella. Readers of M C Beaton or Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy discovering a new author in this entertaining British mystery series.
"Suspensefully created and plotted." Vine Reviewer

Review:
We met Emily and some of her neighbors in the first book, Three Sisters. Now one of the neighbors, Victoria, seeks Emily’s help to uncover a blackmailer. Victoria operates Showstoppers, a dance studio for children. Victoria was an actress in her youth and there is apparently a bit of a scandalous video  with a former beau from her college days. The man, a now famous and handsome actor, has appeared recently to enroll his daughter in the dance studio.

Victoria’s husband is some type of civil servant and there could be embarrassment from revealing the video. The VHS tape isn’t quite what you might expect and soon most of the employee’s at Showstoppers know about the tape. Emily notes a little tension between Victoria and her manager and there is a lot of crazy busyness as the year-end program takes place.

Emily is very likeable and her relationship with Dr. Muriel is developed more in this second story as they look at the clues together. Again, there are initially several suspects before the truth is, rather shockingly, revealed.  This is a fast, fun read with an extra touch of irony at the ending.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I enjoy the lovely descriptions that put me in the setting:

Emily followed Victoria into the lovely kitchen where the family ate most of their meals. Everything was just so, in a country-living kind of a way; there was an Aga and a conventional oven; cupboards and units painted in forget-me-not blue; French windows opening onto the garden at the back; big wooden storage boxes for the boys’ wellington boots and trainers; and something deliciously Italian-smelling (herbs and tomatoes and cheese in it or on it for sure, Emily thought) cooling in the oven.  Location 31.

Dr. Muriel makes a distinction on how to approach the suspect:

A denouncement is public and upsetting. A confrontation is by invitation only and most satisfying. Location 818.

I received this ebook for an honest review during Bookblast tour.

Tour Schedule

Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

Purchase

Showstoppers * Three Sisters

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog

Goodreads* Shelfari * LibraryThing

Tour Giveaway

10 winners will each receive a Kindle Ebook copy of Showstoppers & Three Sisters

Ends 2/28/13

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Book Review: Three Sisters (Emily Castles Mysteries) by Helen Smith

Great, quick mystery with irony and humor.

Three Sisters (Emily Castles Mysteries)
by Helen Smith

• File Size: 142 KB
• Print Length: 44 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Tyger Books (February 5, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004M5HK0M

Genre: Mystery
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: February 5, 2011
"Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious." Socrates' Book Reviews
Three Sisters introduces twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles in this popular new British mystery series.
Emily has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street in London. How could she know, as she left her house that evening, that she was making an appointment with death?
Readers of M C Beaton or Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy discovering a new mystery author in this entertaining 70-page novella.
"Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one." Eva's Sanctuary
"It grips you from the very beginning." Books Bistro

Review:
Emily has recently gotten over the death of her elderly dog. She was there when he drew his last breath and the life went out of his eyes. Emily needs to break out of her sadness and agrees to attend a neighborhood party to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve and Guy’s Fawkes Bonfire night.

There is a troupe of entertainers who have set up in an old house down the street. Emily is intrigued by some of the ‘play acting’ that is going on. She wanders along to a room where twins are dressing while a pile of knives lays on the bed.  They are angry when they realize that a young woman, Midori, who is to be the DJ, has exited their bathroom and when they see Emily at the door.

Later in the evening Midori gets sick and has to go home. Emily is concerned about several of the ‘performers’ and feels an unease. Then she witnesses the twins in their knife throwing act when a knife ends in the chest of one of the girls. A little while later the girl appears alive but Emily is sure that she saw the life go out of her eyes just like her beloved dog. Emily seeks help from her friend Dr. Muriel and they try to puzzle out the situation as others around them claim that it was all an act. But to Emily it seemed all too real and there are certain guests she doesn't trust.

I really enjoyed the quirky and unusual characters. The mystery is different with some twists woven in a fun story. This is skillfully written with evocative descriptions. If you like cozy mysteries I think you would enjoy these quick, fun stories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily walking in the dark:

She wanted to say to Joe that being in the dark was like being deep underwater, not being able to hear or turn round quickly enough to see the predator behind you.  Location 465.

I received this ebook for an honest review during Bookblast tour. 
PLEASE SEE THE NEXT POST FOR REVIEW OF SHOWSTOPPERS AND A GIVEAWAY LINK. Also there is a BookBlast Giveaway if you haven't already entered that. 

Tour Schedule

Bookblast Giveaway: ShowStoppers and Three Sisters Blog Tour

Tour Schedule

Three Sisters and Showstoppers by Helen Smith

Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.

The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.

In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.

Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series

Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious... Helen Smith is a master story-teller.
~Socrates Book Reviews

It grips you from the very beginning.
~Babs Books Bistro

Bright, colorful and full of surprises.
~Amazon Vine Reviewer

Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.
~Eva’s Sanctuary

Purchase

Showstoppers * Three Sisters

Praise for Helen Smith
Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.
~The Booklist

Author Helen Smith

Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.

Amazon * Facebook *  Twitter * Blog

Goodreads* Shelfari * LibraryThing

BookBlast $50 Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Book Review: The Miracle Inspector by Helen Smith

This story is well written and thought provoking, but dark.

The Miracle Inspector
by Helen Smith

• File Size: 340 KB
• Print Length: 254 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Tyger Books (May 17, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003MGK8V0

Genre: Dystopia
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: May 17, 2010
A dystopian thriller set in the near future. England has been partitioned and London is an oppressive place where poetry has been forced underground, theatres and schools are shut, and women are not allowed to work outside the home. A young couple, Lucas and Angela, try to escape from London - with disastrous consequences.

Helen Smith was the recipient of an Arts Council Award for The Miracle Inspector.

"The Miracle Inspector is one of the few novels that everyone should read, it's a powerful novel that's masterfully written and subtly complex." 5* SciFi and Fantasy Books

"Helen Smith crafts a story like she's the British lovechild of Kurt Vonnegut and Philip K. Dick, only with a feminist slant." Journal of Always Reviews

'Smith is at the very least a minor phenomenon.' The Times

Review:
Lucas and his wife, Angela, live in a future, closed-off London where women are completely restricted to their homes. Groceries and household items are delivered as the women do not go out to those places or any other.  It seems that children are rare and I wasn’t quite clear where the children were in the story.  Lucas seems interested in having a child but either Angela can’t or won’t consider the idea.

The men do all the jobs, and a lot of the work seems to be stifled and a drudgery.  Lucas is privileged to have a prestigious government position as The Miracle Inspector.  His job is to investigate and report on claimed Miracles. Of course no one really expects that he will ever find or approve any of the miracles that are called in.

Artists, whether painters, poets, writers or others of creative nature, are deemed to be subversive rebels of the new order. Most people of such nature, including Lucas’ parents, have been killed. But a close friend of the family, Jesmond, a Bohemian poet, still recites his poetry at forbidden gatherings, dodging capture. This character adds dreams and hope to the story. He has delivered a packet of poems and materials to Lucas who doesn’t want to have anything to do with them. Instead Angela begins to read the poems and she is lured to the freedom expressed by the creative spirit.

The first half of the book there is quite a bit of male fantasizing by Lucas thinking about his own wife and another colleague’s wife.  I found this unpleasant particularly since Lucas seems to love his wife but their relationship is stilted and stagnant because they don’t communicate and she has nothing to share.

I was glad that the pacing picked up in the second half of the book. Lucas had been toying with the idea of escaping London to take Angela to Cornwall. Finally he begins to form a plan and the story moves forward. I would say this was purposeful as the first half really sets the reader in the mode of the lifestyle - the same routine day after day with little outside contact or relationships.

I don’t wish to give any spoiler so I will only say that there is a journey through different, strange and sometimes dark communities.  It is difficult and there exists only a fine thread of hope to keep going.  The entire book is a dark view of societal controls and repressions. It is not a happy or cozy escape, but rather a thought provoking experience. Some readers would find this fascinating - as other reviews note. The writing is superb, at points lyrical which is surprising and a relief with the dark content. My final thoughts: this is interesting but not my cup of tea.

These are some words I jotted down as I read through this book:
                              Cerebral, artistic, thought provoking, complex, dark, depressing.

Sharp description of the silences between Lucas and Angela:

There were whole worlds contained in those silences; millions of gossamer strands of understanding going back and forth between them, like an invisible version of that fibreglass loft insulation that was illegal now. Location 40.

This is a phrase that made me think "ouch":

Lucas didn't like living in a dictatorship, as he did now, but he could see how democracy could be a bit of a burden when you were expected to obey the will of the people and the people turned out to be such a bunch of fools. Location 160.

I received this book for reviewing through Pump Up Your Book Tour.

  About the Author:
Helen Smith is a member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain and English PEN. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both – from cleaning motels to working as a magician’s assistant – before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel which was published by Gollancz (part of the Hachette Group).

She is the author of bestselling cult novel Alison Wonderland. She writes novels, poetry, plays and screenplays and is the recipient of an Arts Council of England Award. She’s a long-term supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and mentors members of an exiled writers group to help them tell their stories.

Visit her website at http://www.emperorsclothes.co.uk.
Friend her on Twitter:  www.twitter.com/emperorsclothes
Become a fan at Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/authorhelensmith
Friend her at Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2833648.Helen_Smith

Pick up a copy of The Miracle Inspector at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Inspector-Helen-Smith/dp/0956517056