Hello bookish pals and welcome to Thursday on damppebbles. We’re only a hop, a skip and a jump from the weekend now. Do you have any bookish plans? Curling up with a good book and a cuppa sounds good to me. It’s also day sixteen of #R3COMM3ND3D2023 and we are smashing it this year. So far, forty-four brilliant books have been recommended with one book – The Good Liars by Anita Frank – being chosen twice! Will The Good Liars be our sole leader after today’s #R3COMM3ND3D picks are revealed? Let’s find out…

Joining me to talk all things #R3COMM3ND3D today is a brilliant blogger turned brilliant author. It’s the fabulous Joy Kluver. Joy writes the gripping Detective Bernadette (Bernie) Noel series and if you’re a crime fan like me, you MUST check out all three books. I promise, you will absolutely love them. Stick around for more info about the thrilling third book in the series, Left For Dead.

So, what is #R3COMM3ND3D2023? 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 2023. To make things interesting there are a couple of teeny, tiny rules; 1) the book must have FIRST been published in 2023 and 2) special editions and reissues do not count. See, it wasn’t too painful. I just like to keep you lovely people on your toes 😉

Here are the three books Joy recommends…

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
If you’ve read any of Janice Hallett’s other books then you know that she has an unusual style of writing! The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels is sheer genius. It’s also darker than her previous two books which adds tension. It’s an extraordinary book and my book of 2023.
Joy’s Review of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels

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All Of Us Are Broken by Fiona Cummins
Oh my! If you’re not broken before you read this, you will be by the end! I’ve read all of Fiona’s books and they’ve all been great. But the emotional thread is stronger than I’ve seen it before in her novels. Grief and melancholy wrap themselves around you as you read, the pain ragged and raw. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Joy’s Review of All Of Us Are Broken

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The Associate by Victoria Goldman
This book came out in July but it’s as though it’s been written (to quote the Biblical book of Esther) ‘for such a time as this’. Shanna Regan, journalist, is asked to look into the case of a missing woman. Topical themes come into play in the story, mixed with mystery and suspense. I loved the idea of an inter-faith project between Jews and Muslims and Goldman uses this to inform and educate. A timely book.
Joy’s Review of The Associate

Thank you so much, Joy. Three brilliant books! One I’ve read and the other two are going straight on the TBR.

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 | 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, 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. Di Bernie Noel book 4 is coming in 2024.

Joy’s Website and Social Media Links:
| Website | X (formerly Twitter) @JoyKluver | Facebook | Instagram @joykluver | Bluesky @joykluver.bsky.social |

#R3COMM3ND3D will only run for the month of November this year so places are very limited. If you would like to take part in #R3C this year (and I would LOVE you to!) then please get your three choices in ASAP. If I’m unable to fill all 30 dates then any posts scheduled for the end of November will be brought forward and I will close the series early (but I don’t want to do that, it sounds miserable! 😂). Here are two different versions of the form if you fancy taking part.

If you’re a book blogger, bookstagrammer, reviewer or an author and you have three books published this year which you want to shout about then please complete the following form (or click this link: https://forms.gle/d6HbMLZJjEtUSm8FA)