I am delighted to share my review today for The World Cup Mystery by Peter Bartram. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed several of this author’s books and I always look forward to catching up with Crampton and Shirley in this mystery series.

My thanks to the author for sending me a copy of his latest book and to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour.

A KILLING BEFORE KICK-OFF…

It’s July 1966 – and England is football crazy as fans cheer their team on to win the World Cup.

There are millions who’d kill for a ticket to the final in London’s Wembley Stadium. Then café owner Sergio Parisi is found murdered in his own kitchen – and his World Cup Final ticket missing.

As Evening Chronicle crime reporter Colin Crampton chases down the story, he discovers the ticket theft could be part of an even deadlier crime.

There are laughs alongside the thrills as England closes in on victory – and Colin, with his feisty girlfriend Shirley Goldsmith, close in on the killer.

PURCHASE LINKS – AMAZON UK

MY REVIEW

Trouble follows Colin Crampton of the Chronicle newspaper no matter where he goes. Even when he and his girlfriend Shirley are on holiday trouble finds him. This leads to a shortened holiday and a rush back home to the UK.

Colin is an investigative journalist for a Brighton newspaper, Shirley is a model and together they are a great pair of characters. As much as I adore Colin, Shirleys ability to keep, well almost keep Colin in check, makes her another brilliant character.

This is a cosy mystery series and this story is set in 1966, the year of the World Cup. The author really does make it obvious of the football-mad time. As we have recently had a world cup, you are always aware of it in the news, in conversations and so it makes sense to have a good amount of references to it in the story, I will add that it is not overly done.

The story is a mix of murder, theft, cons and a certain rather famous Sicilian family. How the author has twisted all these threads together is great. Mentions of the theft of the World Cup trophy, the discovery of it have all been brilliantly woven together with the fictional to create an addictive murder mystery.

How Colin has not got into more scrapes than he has is beyond me, he definitely lives life by the edge of his pants, sometimes a little too close for comfort. Again Shirley has a part to play, after all, she is a model, and Australian so the author has given her the gift of the gab and she isn’t afraid to use her feminine wiles.

While this is firmly a murder mystery, it is also historical fiction but one that is almost light-hearted. Several times I find myself chuckling and this makes for such an enjoyable read. There are several twists, various threads and a nice array of characters that are not necessarily what they appear.

These books can be read as stand-alone books, but as with all series, they are better if read in order as you do get to build a relationship with the main or recurring characters. I do always enjoy catching up with Colin and Shirl, and this latest mystery is a fabulous one. It mixes fact and fiction giving an exciting and manic read, it is one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter Bartram brings years of experience as a journalist to his Crampton of the Chronicle crime mystery series. His novels are fast-paced and humorous – the action is matched by the laughs. The books feature a host of colourful characters as befits stories set in Brighton, one of Britain’s most trend-setting towns.

You can download Murder in Capital Letters, a free book in the series, for your Kindle from http://www.colincrampton.com.

Peter began his career as a reporter on a local weekly newspaper before editing newspapers and magazines in London, England and, finally, becoming freelance. He has done most things in journalism from door-stepping for quotes to writing serious editorials. He’s pursued stories in locations as diverse as 700-feet down a coal mine and a courtier’s chambers at Buckingham Palace. Peter is a member of the Society of Authors and the Crime Writers’ Association.

Follow Peter on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/peterbartramauthor.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx