September reads

Despite reading some great books recently, I don't feel particularly settled into my reading at the moment. My stand out book this month is the second instalment in the Porter & Styles series by Robert Scragg which I really enjoyed.   I am 71% towards my goodreads challenge target but had hoped to have worked my way through more of the ever growing mountain of books in my home. With fewer deadlines to reach this month I am hoping to tackle a few more of them soon.

Here's what I did manage to get through in September though:-

The Day We Meet Again by Miranda Dickinson

Published by HQ

Publication date: 5th September 2019

‘We’ll meet again at St Pancras station, a year from today. If we’re meant to be together, we’ll both be there. If we’re not, it was never meant to be . . .’

Phoebe and Sam meet by chance at St Pancras station. Heading in opposite directions, both seeking their own adventures, meeting the love of their lives wasn’t part of the plan. So they make a promise: to meet again in the same place in twelve months' time if they still want to be together.

But is life ever as simple as that?

This is a story of what-ifs and maybes – and how one decision can change your life forever…

Nothing Else Remains by Robert Scragg

Published by Allison & Busby

Publication date: 19th September 2019 (paperback)

When Max Brennan’s estranged father and then his own girlfriend go missing in quick succession, he turns to his old friend Detective Jake Porter for help. As Max is then attacked in his own home, Porter and his partner Nick Styles waste no time in investigating. But when their main suspect turns up dead, alongside a list of other targets, it seems the case is much bigger than it first appeared. With events spiraling, can Porter and Styles catch the killer before another victim is claimed?

After Jessica by Morgen Bailey

Mystery novella - kindle ebook

Jessica is an ordinary girl who comes across extraordinary circumstances and pays for them with her life. As well as identifying her body, her brother Simon then has to wind up her affairs but gets more than he bargains for. Who is Alexis, and why are Veronica and Daniel searching for her? Why is there a roll of cash in Jessica’s house, and what’s the connection between his sister and Alexis?

The Secretary by Renee Knight

Published by Doubleday

Publication Date: 21st February 2019

Look around you. Who holds the most power in the room? Is it the one who speaks loudest, who looks the part, who has the most money, who commands the most respect?
Or perhaps it’s someone like Christine Butcher: a meek, overlooked figure, who silently bears witness as information is shared and secrets are whispered. Someone who quietly, perhaps even unwittingly, gathers together knowledge of the people she’s there to serve – the ones who don’t notice her, the ones who consider themselves to be important.
There’s a fine line between loyalty and obsession. And when someone like Christine Butcher is pushed to her limit, she might just become the most dangerous person in the room . . .

Degrees of Guilt by H S Chandler

Published by Trapeze

Publication Date: 5th September 2019

Maria is on trial for attempted murder.

She has confessed to the crime and wanted her husband dead.

Lottie is on the jury, trying to decide her fate.

She embarks on an illicit affair with a stranger, and her husband can never find out.

You will think you know who is guilty and who is innocent.

You will be wrong.

Very Nearly Dead by AK Reynolds

Published by Bloodhound Books

Publication Date: 11th September 2019

My name is Jasmine Black, and I'm an ordinary woman apart from three things:

I’m hiding a terrible secret from my youth

My past is catching up with me

When it does, I’ll be dead.

Jasmine Black, a 34-year-old alcoholic, criminal lawyer, has a secret.
At the age of 16, she was in a gang of youths that committed a horrendous crime. As members of the gang start being killed one by one, Jasmine fears for her life.
Desperate to uncover who is responsible for the murders, Jasmine starts to investigate.
But can she uncover the truth before it’s too late? 

Cut Off by Mark Billingham

Published by Sphere

Publication Date 1st February 2018

Quick Read

It's the moment we all fear: losing our phone, leaving us cut off from family and friends. But, for Louise, losing hers in a local café takes her somewhere much darker.

After many hours of panic, Louise is relieved when someone gets in touch offering to return the phone. From then on she is impatient to get back to normal life.

But when they meet on the beach, Louise realises you should be careful what you wish for...

The Empty Nest by Sue Watson

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 1st November 2019

Kat remembers the days when her only daughter Amy wouldn't leave her side. Amy was the baby who cried when you walked out of the room, the toddler who was too shy to speak to strangers, the small child who clung to Kat's legs in the school playground.
But now Amy is grown up, and Amy is gone – to university in a town several hours away. Kat's house – which once felt too full, too noisy, too busy – is deathly quiet, and Kat awaits the daily phone call to tell her that her beloved daughter is thriving and happy.
But one day Amy doesn’t call. Kat’s husband and friends think she is being paranoid – surely Amy is just out, having fun with her friends. But Kat knows right away that something is very wrong. Her daughter would never forget to call. She would never just disappear... After all, Amy has nothing to run from. Or does she?