Hello and welcome to damppebbles. It’s always so good to see you! What are your plans for today? A spot of Christmas shopping perhaps? Or lunch with friends? Or maybe you’re stuck at work all day. Whatever you’re up to, I hope it’s a little bit bookish. And of course, if you’re looking for a new book to read to make it bookish then you’ve come to the right place! #R3COMM3ND3D is exactly where you need to be, friend. So far this year we’ve had fifty-eight brilliant books with TWO books taking the lead with two votes each! They are The Good Liars by Anita Frank and All Of Us Are Broken by Fiona Cummins. I wonder if today’s guest will add a third front runner to the list!

I am delighted to welcome a brilliant author to the blog today to talk about three 2023 releases which have really left their mark — it’s the fabulous Anne Coates, author of the Hannah Weybridge series (which, incidentally, I love!). I am very excited to have Anne join me today as it’s publication day for the sixth book in the Hannah Weybridge series, Murder in the Lady Chapel. I wish you the happiest of publication days, Anne. Fellow crime readers, if you haven’t had the chance to read one of Anne’s books yet then it’s time to change that. You won’t regret it.

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 Anne recommends…

Killer Bodies by Heleen Kist
A locked room mystery set in a private residents’ gym where one of the receptionists, Evie, has an amazing talent for drawing manga type graphics depicting ways she’d kill off those who use the gym and irritate her… She shares her thoughts with Mrs M the only resident she has any time for and who isn’t a gym user…
When she finds herself and six gym users locked in the gym, she’s horrified as deaths occur in the manner she’s drawn them. Is she being set up or will she be one of the victims?
Witty and darkly humorous, and skilfully plotted Killer Bodies will keep you guessing until the last page.
Anne’s Review of Killer Bodies

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The Forgetting by Hannah Beckerman
This is domestic suspense at its best. The Forgetting will grip you from start to explosive finish. It is an exquisitely written narrative of coersive behaviour. Two women’s stories brilliantly balanced: Anna’s in the first person; Livvy’s in the third. Two professional women, one determined to further her career, the other has no idea what the future holds until she can remember her past. The narratives are juxtapositioned until their two worlds collide with dramatic results.
Anne’s Review of The Forgetting

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Murder Most Cold by Victoria Dowd
This is a series I have grown to love. I adore the Smart Women – sleuths who started out as a book group who never read books but discover dead bodies! Ms Dowd has mastered the art of locked room mysteries in her own unique way which makes for a great reading experience. Murder Most Cold has pitch perfect plotting, dialogue to die for and chilling characters. Death with a side of humour, and a dessert of love and friendship – Victoria Dowd’s Smart Women never disappoint.

Thank you so much, Anne. Three absolutely brilliant sounding books. All of which are going straight on the TBR!

About Murder in the Lady Chapel (Hannah Weybridge #6):
“All that is now hidden will some day come to light. If you have ears, listen! And be sure to put into practice what you hear.” Mark 4, verse 22

A chorister is found dying in the Lady Chapel when the Reverend Peter Savage is about to begin morning prayers. It’s a suspicious death and no one seems to know much about the victim. The vicar implores Hannah Weybridge to find out what she can.

Little did the journalist think that this investigation would have her joining the choir in preparation for the Christmas services or that her daughter, Elizabeth, would be so enchanted by the church.

Hannah soon discovers that the deceased, Daniel Lyons, seems to be a man without a history and that’s suspicious in itself. Apparently, an insurance fraud investigator, he leaves no records: even his landlady knows little about him.

But, as Hannah discovers, someone does know him – and he was definitely not who he seemed to be…

And while she investigates, someone is trying to intimidate Hannah in a series of seemingly unconnected ways. The past as well as the present haunts her. Will she survive to solve the mystery in time to celebrate Christmas in peace?

Purchase Links: | amazon.co.uk | Blackwells | Goodreads |

About Anne Coates:
It only took one tap dancing class (and some coaching from her mother who had been a dancer) for Anne Coates to realise that she would never be a Ginger Rogers but being a journalist, editor and writing fiction has allowed her to explore all manner of careers and situations with far less embarrassment. Having written seven nonfiction books and having short stories published in major women’s magazines, Anne eventually found a home for her first crime thriller, ‘Dancers in the Wind,’ with Urbane Publications and so began the series continuing with ‘Death’s Silent Judgement’, ‘Songs of Innocence’, ‘Perdition’s Child’, ‘Stage Call’ and ‘Murder in the Lady Chapel’ all now published by Urban Fox Books. Anne Coates lives in South London with Freddie the demanding cat, and enjoys reading, going to the theatre and cinema, wining and dining and time with her family and friends.

Anne’s Website and Social Media Links:
| Website | X (formerly Twitter) @Anne_Coates1 | Facebook | Instagram @anne_coates1 |

#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)