Sunday, December 30, 2018

Last Train to Lime Street - Brian L. Porter, Author



Beef Pot Roast
(A favourite in the ill-fated Slimani household)

1 dessertspoon olive oil
1 (2kg) silverside roasting joint
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 160 C / Gas 3.
Heat a casserole pot on the hob over medium high heat. Add oil, and sear meat in the centre of the pan for 4 minutes. Turn meat over with tongs; sear all sides for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove meat from pan.
Arrange onion, garlic, and 1 bay leaf in the bottom of the pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return meat to pan, place remaining bay leaf on top of meat, and cover.
Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 150 C / Gas mark 2, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove roast to a platter to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice, and top with onions and gravy.



Last Train to Lime Street - Review by Martha A. Cheves

The funeral of Joey Slimani was indeed a low-key affair.  The small chapel wasn't even half-full as his wife, Trixie and two ex-wives led the small group of mourners, the three women sitting together at the front of the room, with Mary-Beth and Lana flanking the widow, like a pair of personal bodyguards.  

Dressed in black business suits sat Heinrich Braun and Stefan Schmidt, the two German pron producers who'd both had the recent business dealings with the dead man.  In the same row sat Michael Powell, the dead man's solicitor, William Jennings, the Slimani's butler/manservant/part-time lover to Trixie and an unknown man who Ross surmised was Slimani's American lawyer.  On the opposite side sat half a dozen men and three women who were adult movie actors and actresses who regularly appeared in movies made by Joe Slim Productions.  Seated behind the group of porn stars was a rather stiff-looking individual, the captain of South Mersey Golf Club, Graham Bull, here to pay his last respects on behalf of the club and its members.

Joey Slimani's nude body had been tossed from a bridge to be mutilated by an oncoming train.  He had been drugged and someone had cut his throat before the toss.  Detective Inspector Andy Ross and his Special Murder Investigation Team were called in to solve the mystery of why someone would commit such a horrible form of death and mutilation.  With Joey being a porn producer who produced movies of his present wife as well as his two ex-wives, the suspect list starts to take shape and the team proceeds with the idea that someone within the industry had a real hatred for Joey.

As always, with books written by this author, it became a page-turner, with me trying to make sense of just 'who done it?'  The culprit was a bit of a surprise to me, as was the reason.  This is Book VI of the Mersey Murder Mysteries.  It is a stand alone but I suggest you consider starting with Book I and follow this team through some truly interesting mysteries.

Last Train to Lime Street

Monday, December 24, 2018

A Merry Mersey Christmas - Brian L. Porter, Author


Classic Hot Toddy

¾ cup water
1 ½ ounces whiskey
2 to 3 teaspoons honey, to taste
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
1 lemon round
1 cinnamon stick (optional, for garnish)

In a teapot or saucepan, bring the water to a simmer. Pour the hot water into a mug.
Add the whiskey, 2 teaspoons honey and 2 teaspoon lemon juice. Stir until the honey has disappeared into the hot water. Taste, and add 1 teaspoon honey for more sweetness, and/or 1 teaspoon more lemon juice for more zing.

Garnish with a lemon round and cinnamon stick (if using). Enjoy!

A Merry Mersey Christmas - Review by Martha A. Cheves

Unable to contain himself, Andy Ross took hold of his wife, one hand on each shoulder, and pulled her to him, gave her a short but loving kiss and whispered in her ear, "Someone just killed Santa Clause!" 

"Andy, don't play silly buggers with me.  Come on, what's happened to drag you out at this time of night?"

"I just told you.  Someone killed Santa," he looked her in the eyes and Maria could tell he was deadly serious.

So, why would someone kill the most loved person in the world?  Who would kill the most loved person in the world?  Of course this Santa is really Daniel Thomas, a mall santa that someone decided to give the gift of a knife in his neck.  But again I ask - why?

This short story will take you into the usual murder mystery that Andy Ross and his Specialist Murder Investigation Team are known for solving, but it also takes you to a kinder side of the team that you don't normally see.  It shows both sides of the writing art that evolves from Author Brian L. Porter.  And if you like this short story, you'll love the other books in the Mersey Series.  I sure have.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

The Songbird Girls - Richard Parker, Author



DUCK CONFIT - Serves Four

Ingredients

4 Duck breasts.
Tbsp Freshly chopped thyme
3 Cloves garlic finely chopped.
Salt.
Freshly ground black pepper
Three jars of goose fat.

Method

Sprinkle duck breast skin sides with plenty of salt and pepper Turn over and rub with more salt, sprinkle over thyme and chopped garlic. Cover with clingfilm and leave in refrigerator overnight.
Melt goose fat in a pan or slow cooker and turn heat down low.
Add a little oil to a skillet and seal duck breasts both sides.
Drop into the goose fat so they're completely covered and slow cook for four hours. 
Turn off heat and leave fat to set. You can leave it like this for a couple of days if necessary.
When ready to serve just remove breasts from fat, shake off excess and reheat in pan until hot.

Serve with red cabbage and potatoes cooked in the goose fat with a fat glass of red.

The Songbird Girls - Review by Martha A. Cheves

When steel struck the back of her head, Polly's brain briefly took her to a safe place.  She thought she was sitting at home in her armchair, the lounge quiet except for the clock ticking.  The sensation of the cushion beneath her seemed so real but consciousness and reality surged quickly back... She tried to scream, to alert the man who had got out of the Toyota but a hand was over her nose and mouth and her panicked exclamation was held inside her head.

Three years ago Detective Inspector Tom Fabian had put Christopher Wisher, infamous London serial killer, behind bars.  He'd murdered nine people.  Mutilated them in a way only he understood.  Wisher had confessed to the murders and each had his signature - a bird laying near the body with its neck broken.  This was withheld from the public so when Polly's body was found with the signature bird and Wisher in prison, Fabian could only believe this was a very well informed copycat.  And when Wisher passes on a special item to Fabian, he finds his life will be changed for a long time.

Have you ever picked up a book, started reading and decided you know the outcome after just a few pages?  That is what I thought about The Songbird Girls.  I just knew I had this book figured out from almost the beginning.  I was sure up until the last couple of chapters.  Boy was I wrong!  This book took me totally by surprise and I must say that I've finished the book and still don't know the ending.  This book is leading me into the next book that I hope will be out very soon!  I must see what I've missed and who is truly behind the story.  So, Richard Parker, please hurry and give us all the next book in this series.

 
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