Hello and a very warm welcome to Tuesday on damppebbles. It’s day 15 of #R3COMM3ND3D2022 and we’re now officially halfway through this year’s #R3C! I am loving this year’s series. We’ve had some beautiful books and the good news is that there are lots more to come! As things stand our current leader is The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards but will that still be the case by the end of this week? We’ll just have to wait and see!

Joining me today to share the #R3COMM3ND3D book love is a fantastic author whose books I highly recommend. It’s the fabulous Joy Kluver who writes the gripping DI Bernie Noel series set in Wiltshire (which, as a side note, is just down the road from me!). There are currently three books in the DI Bernie Noel series with the third, Left for Dead, published earlier this year in January. Joy’s series was nominated for the New Kid on the Block award at this year’s Dead Good Reader awards, which goes to prove what a cracking series it is, a definite must read for all crime fiction fans!

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2022? It’s about sharing the book love. It’s a chance for authors, book bloggers, reviewers and bookstagrammers to shout about three (yes, *only* three) books they love. They can be written by any author, in any genre and published in any way (traditionally, indie press or self-published). But there is a catch. All three books must have been published in 2022. To make things interesting there are a couple of teeny, tiny rules; 1) the book must have FIRST been published in 2022 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. I like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉

Here are the three books Joy recommends…

No Safe Place by Bekhal Mahmod
I’ve started to get into more true crime stories and No Safe Place has been the best one I’ve read this year. It tells the story of the shocking murder of Banaz by her family in a so-called ‘honour’ killing. But as Bekhal shows, the murder was the culmination of years of abuse. It’s a devastating but compelling read.
Joy’s Review of No Safe Place

The Redeemer (Shanna Regan #1) by Victoria Goldman
It’s always good to have a new direction in crime and The Redeemer gives us that. There aren’t many modern Jewish crime books but there’s plenty of antisemitism still around today. Victoria Goldman introduces us to Shanna Regan, an investigative journalist who’s willing to go to great lengths to discover the truth behind some mysterious plaques and the deaths connected with them.
Joy’s Review of The Redeemer

Up Close and Fatal by Fergus McNeill
This is a mesmerising read, albeit tricky at times with some of the content. Tom, a journalist, gets invited on a unique road trip by a serial killer. As the title suggests, it’s an up close and fatal experience for some.
Joy’s Review of Up Close and Fatal

Thanks so much for your three brilliant choices, Joy. All three are going straight on the wish list!

About Left for Dead (DI Bernie Noel #3):
The detective stared at the young woman lying on the bed. She almost looked peaceful, her face like porcelain. Despite everything she had been through, she was still beautiful.

When DI Bernie Noel hurries to Keira Howard’s hospital bedside, she knows that Keira has been lucky. Barely conscious and badly injured, at least she is alive. Convinced that Keira’s attack is the latest in a string of increasingly violent assaults on young women in the area, the next victim might not be so fortunate. So she vows to find the man who did this, and to stop him before anyone else gets hurt.

Spurring her team into action, she quickly hones in on a prime suspect. But then he suddenly dies while on police watch, and Bernie’s investigation goes into freefall. When Bernie’s superiors won’t let her take the case any further, her gut instinct tells her there’s much more to his death than meets the eye. If it was murder, who would want him dead, and why? So she determines to set out on her own to find out what happened.

But the closer Bernie comes to discovering the truth, the more she is putting her own life in danger. And with Keira finally strong enough to talk her about her attack, Bernie worries she may be at risk yet again. There’s someone out there who has killed to stay safe in the shadows; can Bernie stop another senseless death, and save Keira, before it’s too late?

An utterly compelling crime thriller full of twists and suspense, perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Angela Marsons and Cara Hunter. A DeadGoodBooks award shortlisted crime novel 2022.

Purchase Links: | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | Book Depository | Goodreads |

About Joy Kluver:
Joy Kluver has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. More recently she’s been escaping the madness of motherhood by turning her hand to crime novels. A book blogger as well as an author, she’s also part of the First Monday Crime team and if you’ve been to any of their events it’s likely you’ve eaten one of her cookies. She also organises author talks for her local library. Joy lives in SW London with her husband and three children. She has written three DI Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Noel books – ‘Last Seen’, ‘Broken Girls’ and ‘Left For Dead’, and the series has been shortlisted for Best New Kid on the Block (best new series) in the Dead Good Reader Awards 2022.

Joy’s Website and Social Media Links:
| Website | Twitter @JoyKluver | Facebook | Instagram @joykluver |

Sadly submissions for #R3COMM3D3D2022 are now closed. Shortly after the last post I will be inviting you to attend the virtual after-show party, which should be fun. We’ll get to gaze upon the marvellous and majestic beauty of 2022’s books and also crown 2022’s winner, if we have one (they’re all winners, right?). Until then stay tuned as we have lots more bookish gorgeousness heading your way throughout November.