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westwords.bsky.social
West Words Publishing Services
@westwords.bsky.social
Book reviewer, graphic designer, proofreader and copy editor. Crime Fiction Lover reviewer. Ngaio Marsh Awards and Petrona Award judge.
http://sonjavanderwesthuizen.wordpress.com
#BestBooks2025 I started this year's reading with Katie Tallo, a new author for me. Her novel, The Buried Road, is the second in the series featuring Gus and her daughter, Bly (1/2)
Buried Road | Katie Tallo
Three years have passed since Investigator Augusta (Gus) Monet’s partner, Howard Baylis, vanished during a family camping trip in Southern Ontario. Gus and Bly, her 13-year-old daughter, have searc…
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Selecting favourite books of the year is an annual expectation for readers and reviewers. For someone who reads over 120 books annually, capping a list at five or ten feels like an impossible task.
November 26, 2025 at 7:03 AM
"The White Octopus Hotel is a compelling time-travel fantasy with a love story at its core." My review of Alexandra Bell's wonderfully magical The White Octopus Hotel is up on the blog. @DelReyBooks westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/11/25/t... #fantasy #timetravel
The White Octopus Hotel | Alexandra Bell
Eve Shaw, a valuer at an auction house, is defined by a twenty-three-year-old tragedy. At the age of four, on the day of her sister Bella’s birthday party, Eve left the garden gate open. Bella wand…
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:26 PM
It's been a while since I've been on anything but Instagram, but I guess the end of the year (almost) is as good a time as any. Starting tomorrow I'll share my favourite reads of 2025. (Disclaimer: It might be more than 10!) #bestcrimefiction2025
November 25, 2025 at 5:28 PM
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Thrilled to be writing my first-ever horror novel for Ed Schlesinger and Gallery Books! THE MOONLIGHT CHILDREN blends elements from some of my favorite horror novels - from Dracula to Salem's Lot to Certain Dark Things and Devil House. It's about coming home and not liking what you find. Stay tuned!
August 25, 2025 at 2:26 PM
The longlist for 2025's Petrona Award is announced today. If you've ever wondered where to start with Nordic Noir, you can't go wrong with any of these. #PetronaAward #Scandinoir #NordicNoir westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/o...
Outstanding crime fiction from Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden longlisted for the 2025 Petrona Award
Twelve crime novels from Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden have made the longlist for the 2025 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.They are:Samuel Bjørk – Dead I…
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com
August 14, 2025 at 10:29 AM
One for Afrikaans readers who enjoy closed-circle mysteries, a lot of soapy drama & sex. Writer and movie critic Leon van Nierop's Die Volmaakte Moord can be described as a maritime murder romp. Available this month. @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/book/die-vol...
August 1, 2025 at 1:19 PM
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'Stella hasn’t lost her fire, despite being a little softer around the edges. #MurderTide contains enough twists and complex plotlines to keep even the most seasoned Nordic Noir reader entertained' @westwords.bsky.social @graskeggur.bsky.social
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/07/11/m...
Murder Tide | Stella Blómkvist
Few things have changed in the Stella-verse. She still loves her whiskey and espresso. She still has a razor-sharp tongue and a zero tolerance for bullshit. She still despises the “boys in black.” …
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com
July 11, 2025 at 4:31 PM
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The Women's Prize for Fiction has celebrated 429 female authors, supported 10K early-career writers, donated 3000 books annually to women in need and reached 16M in the Women’s Prize community since its creation in 1996. Read about the shortlist and winner:
www.thepublishingpost.com/post/women-s...
Women’s Prize for Fiction: Shortlist and Winner
The Women’s Prize for Fiction is underpinned by its mission to change the world through books by women, opening up pathways into reading and writing, and encouraging storytelling and a love of books f...
www.thepublishingpost.com
July 11, 2025 at 8:28 AM
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This one's out next week...Stella is a bit special. I still don't know who the author behind the mysterious Stella Blómkvist is. Wrote this when the first Stella translation was published – and I'm still none the wiser!
graskeggur.com/stella-and-me/
June 26, 2025 at 9:45 AM
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Today on the blog #Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson translated by @graskeggur.bsky.social and published by @corylusbooks.bsky.social Scandi-Noir fans will love this. Two broken, outcast cops' unorthodox search for a missing girl. Gritty with dark humour.
peterturnsthepage.wordpress.com/2025/06/23/b...
Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson #BookReview #Broken #JónAtliJónasson #Noir #Abduction
Two broken cops search for a missing girl
peterturnsthepage.wordpress.com
June 23, 2025 at 2:10 PM
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Your weekend listening is here - Jón Atli Jónasson is our guest this week, to talk about his novel Broken, and football gets a mention! shows.acast.com/the-hobcast-... @corylusbooks.bsky.social @graskeggur.bsky.social #podcast
June 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
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Tomorrow a new #blogtour begins to celebrate publication of Stella Blómkvist’s latest novel #MurderTide in English, translated from #Icelandic 🇮🇸 by @graskeggur.bsky.social 😎

Poster designed by @westwords.bsky.social 🌟
@corylusbooks.bsky.social @marinasofia.bsky.social @jackycnoir64.bsky.social
June 26, 2025 at 9:04 PM
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Youthful vigour. Fear of aging. Lust. Something hot is cooking on a Turkish island in Yiğit Karaahmet's captivating debut.
Summerhouse - new on our site today
crimefictionlover.com/2025/06/summ...
Review by @westwords.bsky.social
Published by @sohopress.bsky.social
June 17, 2025 at 4:21 PM
In case you missed it this morning: A new Nordic Noir set in Reykjavik out today! @corylusbooks.bsky.social @graskeggur.bsky.social #JonAtliJonasson
June 12, 2025 at 1:51 PM
If you haven't read Irma Venter's crime novels yet lucky you! Red Tide is available in the UK and US for the first time. Published by @catalystpress.bsky.social #IrmaVenter
Red Tide by Irma Venter reviewed
crimefictionlover.com/2025/06/red-...
It's great to have more South African crime fiction on the site and I think this is the first investigation that's taken us into the Great Karoo desert. It's a bit like SA's Outback.
review by @westwords.bsky.social
June 12, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Today sees the release of an original, new Nordic Noir. Broken by Jón Atli Jónasson is a breath of fresh air, with a female protagonist who will undoubtedly become readers' favourite.
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2025/06/12/b... @corylusbooks.bsky.social @graskeggur.bsky.social #JonAtliJonasson
Broken | Jón Atli Jónasson
Translated by Quentin Bates— In Broken, the first instalment of a trilogy set in Iceland, Atli Jónasson introduces two new, flawed and multi-layered characters to the Nordic Noir landscape: Dóra an…
westwordsreviews.wordpress.com
June 12, 2025 at 8:01 AM
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Red Tide by Irma Venter reviewed
crimefictionlover.com/2025/06/red-...
It's great to have more South African crime fiction on the site and I think this is the first investigation that's taken us into the Great Karoo desert. It's a bit like SA's Outback.
review by @westwords.bsky.social
June 9, 2025 at 1:35 PM
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Our weekly newsletter comes out on Thursday morning with the latest new books, reviews and feature articles for crime fiction lovers
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May 14, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I get to read Jon Atli Jonasson's first novel translated into English next month and I designed the ads for the campaign. Have I mentioned that I love my job? Keep an eye out for the blog tour coming up! @corylusbooks.bsky.social
May 14, 2025 at 1:13 PM
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💥Wow! White King might just be the most explosive book in @juangomezjurado.com's Red Queen trilogy! 🇪🇸
Read our review here:
crimefictionlover.com/2025/03/whit...
#Action #Spain #crimefiction
Review by @westwords.bsky.social
March 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM
I've experienced an enormous amount of ignorant hatred towards South Africa and its people on social media thanks to Musk. Instead of trying to convince people who have never been to South Africa, don't know its history or its people, I'm taking a break from BlueSky, Threads & X indefinitely.
January 27, 2025 at 7:56 PM