VBT# Shocking Crimes - Michael Hambling

-






Review: Shocking Crimes - Book #14 Detective Sophie Allen Series - Michael Hambling - November 2025

There's something uniquely unsettling about discovering a child's body in a suitcase which made me think of the New Zealand case, a couple of years ago when the two asian children were found dead in suitcases and left in a storage shed, and Michael Hambling doesn't pull any punches in this latest Detective Sophie Allen mystery. From the moment I opened Shocking Crimes, I knew I was in for a dark, compelling ride.

The premise grabbed me immediately: a mummified child's body hidden in a loft, accompanied only by a heartbreaking, badly-spelled note – "Im Jan. im only 10. plees help me." Those simple words haunted me throughout the entire read. Hambling has a gift for making you feel the weight of every tragedy his characters uncover.

What could have been a straightforward cold case investigation takes on layers of complexity when a young student, Holly Evans, ends up in a coma after being jabbed with a potentially lethal drug at a nightclub. Was it random violence, or something more sinister? When Sophie's team discovers a connection between Holly and the body in the suitcase, the investigation explodes in directions I genuinely didn't see coming.

The real strength here is how Michael Hambling weaves together past and present. Twenty years ago, something horrifying happened at 68 Crawley Terrace, and someone desperately wants those secrets buried. The tension builds beautifully as Sophie and her team peel back decades of lies, and I found myself racing through pages late into the night.

Michael Hambling's Bournemouth setting feels authentic and gritty, and his supporting cast of detectives each bring something valuable to the investigation.

If you're looking for a crime thriller that doesn't shy away from the brutal realities of cold cases and violent crime, Shocking Crimes delivers. Fair warning though: you'll want to clear your schedule, because putting this one down isn't easy.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49ID8j0





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Steel Princess - Rina Kent

-
Image
Review: Steel Princess - Book #2 Royal Elite Series - Rina Kent - December 2019 At the end of Book #1, we were left on a cliffhanger of Elsa being pushed into the pool. At the beginning of book #2, she is saved by a newcomer to the school - Knox.  We can see some friendly flirting but nothing more going on between these two, but it riles up Aiden who still has this mindset of "if I can't have her, no-one can" especially since he is supposed to be engaged to Silver Queens. During Book #2 Elsa starts to recall some more memories and goes to Dr.Khan in hopes that he can open her Pandora's box and can restore her full memories of what happened before she was seven years old. We also catch a glimpse during this book of her past and why Aiden King's father blames her for his mother's death and why Aiden considered Elsa a ghost. I liked this book as it was more intense with Elsa's memories and past returning. In Book #2 it is revealed about he...
Read more

Cover Reveal - Bly by Kelsey Ketch

-
Image
Today is the cover reveal for Bly by Kelsey Ketch. Bly is a standalone contemporary fantasy book with mystery and horror elements that releases on 22 September 2021. The cover is designed by Under Cover Designs . This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours . Bly By Kelsey Ketch Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/ Ghost Story Age category: New Adult Release Date: 22 September, 2021 Blurb: I left the United States to find inner peace. Instead, I find myself confronting a malicious ghost. Astyr Salt is a spiritual and emotional empath who moved to England with the intent to forget about a traumatic, supernatural event that occurred during her freshman year of college. However, when she takes a spiritual cleansing assignment in a haunted country home in Essex, she is isolated with all her own pent-up emotions. These emotions energize the ghosts inhabiting the country home, helping them draw their own tragedies to the surface. Searching for the truth, Astyr is forced to...
Read more