Deadly Alibi by Leigh Russell - Extract & Giveaway - #DIGeraldineSteel

I am pleased to welcome to my blog today, Leigh Russell, author of over 1 million books worldwide. Today I'm featuring her book "Deadly Alibi" which is out on paperback on the 25th May. 

TITLE - Deadly Alibi

AUTHOR - Leigh Russell 

PUBLISHERS - No Exit Press

SERIES - DI Geraldine Steel #9

SYNOPSIS 
A hand gripped her upper arm so suddenly it made her yelp. Biting her lower lip, she spun round,
lashing out in terror. As she yanked her arm out of his grasp, her elbow hit the side of his chest.

Struggling to cling on to her, he lost his footing. She staggered back and reached out, leaning one hand on the cold wall of the tunnel. Before she had recovered her balance he fell, arms flailing, eyes glaring wildly as he disappeared over the edge of the platform onto the rails below. . .

Two victims and a suspect whose alibi appears open to doubt: Geraldine Steel is plunged into a double murder investigation which jeopardises not only her career, but her life.

When her previously unknown twin Helena turns up, her problems threaten to make Geraldine's life turn toxic in more ways than one.

PRAISE FOR LEIGH RUSSELL

‘Unmissable' – Lee Child
'A brilliant talent in the thriller field' – Jeffrey Deaver
‘One of the most impressively dependable purveyors of the English police procedural' – Times
'A rare talent' – Daily Mail
'Taut and compelling' – Peter James

OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leigh Russell is a CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award nominee, a CWA Dagger in the Library longlisted author and People's Book Prize finalist. 

She is the author of the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series: Cut Short, Road
Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead, Fatal Act, Killer Plan, and Murder Ring.

Cold Sacrifice was the first in a spin off series featuring Ian Peterson and followed by Race to Death and Blood Axe. Leigh studied at the University of Kent gaining an MA in English and American literature.

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BOOK REVIEW - Murder Ring by Leigh Russell - Crime Thriller

TITLE - Murder Ring

AUTHOR - Leigh Russell

GENRE - Crime/Mystery

FORMATS - Kindle Version - Click here
                      Pre-Order Paperback version - Click here

SYNOPSIS

The dead body of unassuming David Lester, returning home after a night out, is discovered in a dark side-street and DI Geraldine Steel is plunged into another murder investigation. The clues mount up along with the suspects, but with the death of another man in explicable circumstances, the case becomes increasingly complex. As Geraldine investigates the seemingly unrelated crimes, she makes a shocking discovery about her birth Mother. 

MY REVIEW

Well once again, Leigh Russell did not disappoint.  I have been a fan of her books ever since she released Cut Short. There is nothing like a good police procedural, and this book was just that. 

The story starts with David Lester, on his way home after a works night out. He is murdered and left in a side street near to the pub. DI Geraldine Steel heads up the case as usual and sets about trying to piece together what happened. Just when she thinks she has her suspect, another murder takes place. 

I like how the book shows the developing relationships between the staff at the station, after they suffered a recent loss of one of their own. Although this is a continuing series with Geraldine Steel as the main character, you will be fine reading this book as a standalone. I do recommend though that you try all her other books too, and read them in order if you can. 

There were so many suspects in the book that it kept you changing your mind on who actually committed the crimes. Was there one killer or two. Who knows? You only actually find out within the last 10 pages which is what I like about a book. I don't like discovering who it was early on. 

The other thing I love about Leigh Russell's books are the short chapters in each book. To me, and each reader is different, I love them because I can follow each character easier, without reading long laborious chapters, and then forgetting who the character is and where they fit in, when you finally meet them five chapters later. 

Her research into the police procedures has obviously been done well, and I am always very critical in this area. 

Again, a great story, and well worth a read. Leigh Russell has now become one of my favourite authors in Police Procedurals. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hailed as 'a brilliant talent' by Jeffery Deaver and 'a deeply human voice' by Peter James, Leigh Russell writes the internationally bestselling Geraldine Steel series of psychological crime thrillers.

As well as receiving rave reviews on numerous renowned sites like Crime Time, Crimesquad and Eurocrime, her books have attracted glowing reviews in journals as diverse as The Times, The New York Journal of Books and Star Magazine, to name just a few. 

CUT SHORT was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger Award for Best First Crime Novel. The series reached Number 1 on kindle for female sleuths, Top 50 Bestsellers List on kindle, Top 50 Bestsellers Chart for WH Smith's Travel, Top Reads list on Eurocrime, Best Fiction Books of 2012 Chart in the Miami Examiner, and Best Crime Fiction Books in a poll on Crime Time. Geraldine Steel is a Great Crime Sleuth on Lovereading.

As well as continuing the bestselling Geraldine Steel series, Leigh has written a spin off series featuring Geraldine's popular colleague Ian Peterson. The first of these was published in 2013.

Catch up with Leigh on her Website; Geraldine Steel Facebook Page; YouTube page

BOOK TOUR & GIVEAWAY - Dead End by Leigh Russell - Mystery & Detective

Dead End

by Leigh Russell

on Tour Jan 27 - Feb 28, 2014

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery & Detective; Women Sleuths
Published by: Witness Impulse
Publication Date: 1/28/2014
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780062325631
Series: DI Geraldine Steel #3, Stand Alone
Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

When headmistress Abigail Kirby’s corpse is discovered in the woods, police are shocked to learn that her tongue was cut out while she lay dying. Then, shortly after a witness comes forward, he is blinded and murdered. With mangled dead bodies appearing at an alarmingly increasing rate, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel is in a race against time to find the killer before he claims his next victim....

Read an excerpt:

Abigail Kirby lay on the table like a waxwork model, her face cleaned-up to reveal her square chin. Geraldine approached and forced herself to look at the victim's open mouth: between even teeth the stump of her tongue looked surprisingly neat. Abigail Kirby stared back as though in silent protest at this scrutiny. The pathologist looked up and Geraldine recognized the tall dark-haired medical examiner who had examined the body in the wood. 'Hello again Inspector. You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands.' Geraldine glanced down at his bloody gloves.

Author Bio:

Leigh Russell studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English. For many years a secondary school English teacher, she is a creative writing tutor for adults. She is married, has two daughters, and lives in North West London. Her first novel, Cut Short, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award in 2010. This was followed by Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead and Fatal Act, in the Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel series. Cold Sacrifice is the first title in a spin off series featuring Geraldine Steel's sergeant, Ian Peterson.

Catch Up With the Author:

Tour Participants:

Giveaway

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BOOK TOUR - Cut Short by Leigh Russell - Geraldine Steel Series - Mystery & Detective - GREAT BOOKS!

Cut Short

by Leigh Russell

on Tour Nov 25 - Dec 31, 2013

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery & Detective; Women Sleuths

Published by: HarperCollins

Publication Date: Nov 26, 2013

Number of Pages: 300

ISBN: 9780062325594
Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

The park - a place where children play, friends sit and gossip and people walk their dogs. But in the shadows, a predator watches, waits - and chooses his first victim. But someone has seen the killer and come forward as a witness - someone who the killer must stop at all costs. For detective Geraldine Steele it is a race against time to find the killer as two more bodies are found. A gripping psychological thriller introducing Geraldine Steel, a woman whose past is threatening to collide with her future.

Read an excerpt:

He scrabbled at brittle leaves with clumsy gloved fingers then, crouching low, wriggled through the bushes. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching before he trudged away along the path. He'd been clever, careful to leave no clues. No one would find her in the park. It was his secret, his and hers, and she wouldn't tell. He had no idea who she was, and that was clever too. It meant she didn't know who he was. He hadn't chosen her because she was pretty. He hadn't chosen her at all. She was just there. But she was pretty and he liked that. No woman had looked at him since school; she had stared into his eyes. She only said one word, 'No!' but she was speaking to him and he knew this was intimacy, just the two of them. It was a pity he wouldn't see her again, but there would be others. It was raining hard. He sang softly, because you never knew who was listening. 'Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven, like the first dew fall, on the first grass, praise for the sweetness of the wet garden...' The rain would wash her clean.

Author Bio:

Leigh Russell studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English. For many years a secondary school English teacher, she is a creative writing tutor for adults. She is married, has two daughters, and lives in North West London. Her first novel, Cut Short, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award in 2010. This was followed by Road Closed, Dead End, Death Bed, Stop Dead and Fatal Act, in the Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel series. Cold Sacrifice is the first title in a spin off series featuring Geraldine Steel's sergeant, Ian Peterson.

Catch Up With the Author:

Tour Participants:

Giveaway:

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