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The Queen of Cups Murders by GB Williams

#THEQUEENOFCUPSMURDERS

It’s a pleasure to take part in Reading Between The Line’s Book Tour for GB William’s new crime novel The Queen of Cups Murders (Book 1 in the Atkins and Palmer Psychic Mystery Series ) published November 2024

BLURB

He’s determined to draw a better future. But his morning reading didn’t warn him about the muddy ditch of corpses…

South Wales. Detective Sergeant Madoc Palmer struggles to fit in. Committed to his job, the tarot reader hopes his transfer away from a sabotaging superior is a fresh start. Though he downplays his psychic ability as good instincts, the ploy is tested when two murders trigger strange visions.

As his abilities take an inexplicable leap forward, Palmer navigates the tricky task of guiding the sharp-eyed, evidence-following Detective Inspector Ruth Atkins to the identity of the decayed remains. With his suspicious new DI watching every move, the newcomer fears any slip of the tongue could get him laughed off the force.

Can he reveal his truth without destroying his life or letting a killer slip from their grasp?

REVIEW

The Queen of Cups Murders is the first book in the Atkins and Palmer Psychic Mystery Series by GB Williams. Set in South Wales, DS Madoc Palmer joins a team of detectives headed by feisty DCI Ruth Atkins. The title takes its name from the Queen of Cups tarot card. Tarot features throughout the police investigation into a double murder, as Madoc Palmer tries to play down his psychic abilities for fear of ridicule from his colleagues.

Once I settled into this book, I enjoyed it. The characters were interesting and three-dimensional. I did find the openly accepted references to Ruth’s physical appearance by some of the men disturbing – although I appreciate this may be part of her overall storyline. I also found the shift between the characters’ first and last names confusing to start with, but soon got used to this.

This is an interesting storyline, well-told, and with a nice balance between Ruth and Madoc’s perspectives. (Good play on names here.) The police procedural aspects, including pathology and forensics, seem well-researched. If you like gritty mysteries with psychic elements, then the Queen of Cups Murders fits the bill. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

GB Williams specialises in complex, fast-paced crime novels. Her works include the recently expanded Locked Trilogy, The Elaine Blake Novels and the stand alone, The Chair. GB was shortlisted for the 2014 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition with the story Last Shakes, now available in Last Cut Casebook. GB is a member of the Crime Writers Association, Crime Cymru, and part of the organising team for Gŵyl CRIME CYMRU Festival, as well as working as a writer and freelance structural editor.

TO BUY

Available at Amazon

AUTHOR WEBSITE