December Wrap Up

For the final time this year I am summarising which books made it from my TBR pile this month.  I've still been struggling to get into the reading groove this month and haven't managed to tackle as many books as I would have liked.  I don't think I will hit my target on the goodreads challenge either this year for the first time since I started setting a target. Never mind, it's more about enjoying the books than hitting big numbers and I have enjoyed all that I have read.  Reviews will be posted (if they haven't already been) so you can read my thoughts on each of the books.

Date Night by Samantha Hayes

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 20 August 2019

Psychological Thriller

Returning early from a disastrous date night with my husband, I know something is wrong the moment the wheels crunch the gravel drive of our home. Inside, the TV is on and a half-eaten meal waits on the table. My heart stops when I find our little girl is alone in the house and our babysitter, Sasha, is missing…

Days later, when I’m arrested for Sasha’s murder and torn away from my perfect little family, I’ll wish I had told someone about the threatening note I received that morning.

I’ll hate myself for not finding out who the gift hidden inside my husband’s wardrobe was for.

I’ll scream from the rooftops that I’m innocent – but no one will listen.

I will realise I was completely wrong about everything that happened that night…

But will you believe me?

The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright by Beth Miller

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 9th January 2020

Womens Fiction

Sometimes it takes losing something to see where you truly belong.

For the past twenty-nine years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop hoping to finally sell the legendary gold pen, cooks for her family, tries to remember to practice yoga, and every other month she writes to her best friend, Ursula. Kay could set her calendar by their letters: her heart lifts when the blue airmail envelope, addressed in Ursula’s slanting handwriting, falls gently onto the mat.

But now Ursula has stopped writing and everything is a little bit worse.

Ursula is the only one who knows Kay’s deepest secret, something that happened decades ago that could tear Kay’s life apart today. She has always been the person Kay relies on.

Worried, Kay gets out her shoebox of Ursula’s letters and as she reads, her unease starts to grow. And then at ten o’clock in the morning, Kay walks out of her yellow front door with just a rucksack, leaving her wedding ring on the table...

Canal Pushers by Andy Griffee

Published by Orphans Publishing

Publication Date: 2nd May 2019

Thriller

Could a serial killer be stalking the waterways? Jack Johnson, newly divorced ex-journalist with a talent for trouble, takes a stranger on board his new narrow boat ... and is soon caught up in a hunt for a serial killer, tangling with organised crime and on the run from the media. New crime thriller series perfect for fans of Dick Francis.

My One Month Marriage by Shari Low

Published by Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 21st January 2020

Womens Fiction

“I just need to know...which one of you slept with my husband?”

You know that "till death do us part" bit in the wedding vows? Well, Zoe Danton believed it. One month after she said “I do”, the man she loved is gone, given his marching orders after Zoe discovered a devastating secret.
As teenagers facing a crushing loss, Zoe made a pact with her three sisters to stick together no matter what. Now she’s discovered that one of them may have been the reason her husband betrayed her. She’s lost her happy-ever-after, but has she lost a sister too? 

Taking The Titanic by James Patterson

Published by Bookshots

Publication Date: 3rd November 2016

Short Story/Thriller

The greatest story in modern history has a new chapter...
Posing as newlyweds, two ruthless thieves board the Titanic to rob its well-heeled passengers. But an even more shocking plan is afoot – a sensational scheme that could alter the fate of the world's most famous ship.

The Six by Luca Veste #Book #Review @LucaVeste @simonschuster #PublicationDay #TheSix

The Six by Luca Veste

Published by Simon & Schuster

Publication Date 31st October 2019 paperback/ebook

Book Description:

Six friends trapped by one dark secret. It was supposed to be our last weekend away as friends, before marriage and respectability beckoned. But what happened that Saturday changed everything.

In the middle of the night, someone died. The six of us promised each other we would not tell anyone about the body we buried. But now the pact has been broken. And the killing has started again …

Who knows what we did? And what price will we pay?

My Review:

From the introductory couple of pages you know this is going to be a dark, sinister novel. Without those you would think it was going to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane of 1990's music for a group of friends who met at school and university.  Matt and Alexandra have just bought their first home together, the reality of hitting adulthood proper making their friend's suggestion of "one last blast before they settle down for real" seem all the more attractive.

The group of friends make their way to Somerset, sharing two cars and a 90's soundtrack to get them in the mood for the next 3 days of living out of tents with minimal facilities. The weekend is just what the group needs to mark the end of their carefree years - until events in the woodland backing on to the festival camping ground on the last night change their lives forever. The confusion and chaos of what happened amid the darkness and the trees that night will haunt them during both their waking hours and the long dark nights which follow, making them all question whether they were right in their decision to not tell a soul what they did.

Then a year on things start happening which suggest that the six are not the only people to know what happened that night. Someone knows who they are and what they did, and this only serves to mess with the heads of the group even more. The pressure on them all steps up, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as their paranoia ramps up. Would they work out who is pursuing them before another victim is claimed? Should they go to the police and confess their involvement in the woods that night? Who is the man who posts his theories on the internet forums, who seems to know more than anyone else about "the Candle Man"? How much danger are they actually in?

I have followed Luca Veste's writing from the start, through the excellent Murphy & Rossi series and on to the standalone chiller The Bone Keeper and for me The Six has been his best writing yet.  I found myself so spooked I could only read this book in daylight, it was just too creepy to read in the dim lamplight of my lounge! The conclusion of the book wasn't what I expected but on looking back over the whole book it made sense and was very believable. The final drip of information was a great sting in the tail which I felt completed the book perfectly - and possibly leaves a loose end for Luca to take us on another adventure.

A top read for lovers of a good spooky tale.

About the Author: 

Luca Veste is a writer of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage, married with two young daughters, and one of nine children. He studied psychology and criminology at university in Liverpool. He is the author of the Murphy and Rossi series, which includes DEAD GONE, THE DYING PLACE, BLOODSTREAM, and THEN SHE WAS GONE.

Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, his books follow the detective pairing of DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi. The novels are set in Liverpool, bringing the city to life in a dark and terrifying manner...with just a splash of Scouse humour.

All The Rage by Cara Hunter @PenguinUKBooks #Netgalley #Book #Review @CaraHunterBooks #AllTheRage

All The Rage by Cara Hunter

(DI Fawley #4)

Published by Penguin

Publication Date: 19th December 2019 ebook, 23rd January 2020 paperback

Mystery & Thrillers

464 pages

Book Description:

History doesn't repeat itself. Does it?

A distressed teenage girl is found on the outskirts of Oxford. The story she tells is terrifying: grabbed off the street, a plastic bag forced over her head, then driven somewhere remote and subjected to an assault.

DI Adam Fawley is doing the best he can to investigate, but the teenager refuses to press charges. All he can do is try to ignore the sickening feeling he's seen something like this before...

But when another girl goes missing, Fawley knows his time is running out.

Because if he ignores the past any longer, this girl may not be coming back.

My Review:

I have been looking forward to the release of the next instalment in the Adam Fawley series from the moment I finished the last one, and as always Cara Hunter has ticked all the boxes I want in a detective thriller.
The subject matter is as shocking as ever, but so totally different from the previous novels but with the constant thread of the detective team's professional and personal lives tying all the novels together in a subtle manner that you feel like you are part of the team.
A young student has been attacked at the bus stop as she waited to go to college and has been resistant to reporting the assault. Once Fawley and his team are involved though, she slowly but surely helps them with the details of what she went through. and it comes to light that this assault may not have been as random as they first thought.
Meanwhile Fawley is having to face ghosts of his past as they resurface and impact on his involvement in this case. Is it possible that he and the team got things so wrong years ago that they jailed the wrong man? Can the team find the culprit before anyone else is attacked? And why do I have question marks in my mind regarding the newest member of the team who seems to be holding back on something despite being absolutely sharp as a tack in the investigation?
I love the way Cara Hunter uses social media posts interspersed in the prose to reflect public response to the story she is telling. That and her ability to throw in perfectly timed twists and eyebrow raising bombshells make Cara one of the top authors in her genre of recent years. There are sufficient unanswered questions to lead us into another instalment without feeling that the current case has been left unsolved and as always I am left wanting to move straight on to the next book which I know I will have to wait a few months for. That to me is one of the biggest signs of a successful writer, to get that balance absolutely spot on.
Top notch writing once again means this is bound to hit the top of the bestsellers list straight away. My thanks to the publisher for approving my request to read this book ahead of publication via Netgalley.

About the Author:

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark and No Way Out, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019 and No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara's novels have sold more than three quarters of a million copies worldwide. Cara Hunter lives in Oxford, on a street not unlike those featured in her books.

Follow on Twitter: @CaraHunterBooks

The Argument by Victoria Jenkins #BlogTour @bookouture @vicwritescrime #Book #Review

The Argument by Victoria Jenkins

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 10th December 2019

Psychological Thriller

235 pages

Book description:

It happens to every mother. One day, the daughter whose whole world you once were, becomes someone you barely know. And you don’t know the secrets she’s hiding…

One hot summer night, 15-year-old Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child:

‘I hate you. You’ve ruined my life. And I’m never speaking to you again.’

Olivia has never been an easy child, a sharp contrast to her easy-going, happy-go-lucky little sister. But Hannah thinks Olivia’s outburst is the end of a normal family argument. In fact, it’s only the beginning of a nightmare…

After one day of silence, Hannah thinks Olivia is taking a teenage sulk too far. After two days, she starts to feel anxious that something more serious could be going on. After a week, when her daughter still hasn’t spoken, Hannah knows that Olivia is hiding a bigger darkness – something that could threaten to tear their precious family apart…

My Review:

Reading the description of this book I was expecting a novel filled with teenage angst and parents attempting to be the epitome of the self-help parenting books.  That is not what I got at all.

Mum Hannah seems to be sensible if maybe a little over anxious as she is tackling being the parent of a teenage girl for the first time. Like many mums she would love her children to stay as polite, obedient miniature adults for as long as possible so when Olivia starts testing the boundaries, as all teens do, she's a bit out of her depth especially as husband Michael isn't around as much as she'd like to support her in her decisions regarding discipline.  One night Olivia sneaks out to a party which she knows she's been forbidden to go to then returns home bold as brass prompting an argument with her mum which results in her telling Hannah that she's never going to speak to her again. All pretty much par for the course in the majority of households in England so far.  But then the story starts to take an unexpected turn.

Without giving the plot away, suffice to say that Hannah and Michael may not be the model parents they first appear to be.  Allegations are made, and questions start coming from the school as Olivia's behaviour starts to nosedive outside the home environment too. The one person she thought she could trust to discuss things with and seek help from has disappointed her and she doesn't know who else she can turn to.

Then amidst the silent protest she is waging with her mother, she realises her younger sister Rosie is far more savvy than she had ever imagined, and that maybe she can be the one to help her.
By the end of the book I really didn't like any of the adults in the story but wasn't quite sure how much of any of the characters' versions of events was the actual truth.

An interesting look at family life behind closed doors, the writing took a few turns which I really didn't see coming and it's a book which certainly makes you think about what might be happening around you.

How well do any of us really know our outwardly-respectable neighbours?

My thanks to Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication via Netgalley as part of the blog tour.

About the Author:

Victoria Jenkins is an English tutor and former secondary school teacher from South Wales who has been writing for years and day-dreaming about becoming a ‘proper’ writer for the past decade. She have an MA in Creative and Media Writing from the University of Wales, Swansea, where she wrote a lot of poetry while planning a lot of plots she hoped she would once day write. Victoria lives in South Wales with her husband. 

Follow her on Twitter: @vicwritescrime

The Wish List of Albie Young by Ruby Hummingbird @bookouture @HummingbirdRuby #Review

The Wish List Of Albie Young by Ruby Hummingbird

Published by Bookouture

Published 12th November 2019

Genre: Romantic Comedy

336 pages

Book Description:

Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can float to the top.

Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.

On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.

Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.

Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.

When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.

Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.

Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…

My Review:

What a beautiful book! I wasn't sure when I requested this one whether it might get a little bit maudlin in places but Ruby Hummingbird has managed to make me cry with emotion without depressing me at all then lifted me up with hope and happiness.

The story follows 70 year old Maria Birch who has isolated herself in grief since the tragic loss of her teenage daughter many years before. She has timetabled her life so that she has total control and rarely lets anyone behind her defences.  All that changes when cheeky chap Albie Young invites himself to share a table with Maria in the local café. They agree to meet there every Thursday and slowly but surely Maria starts to relax and enjoy Albie's company. Until one week he doesn't show up. 

We then follow Maria as she comes to terms with Albie's death; she's angry, she's sad, she's overwhelmed. But through Albie's list of good deeds he had hoped to fulfil before he died she finds inspiration to live life to the fullest. She meets and talks to people she never imagined herself mixing with, she finds out how good it feels to do a good deed for someone with no other reason than to be helpful and then faces her biggest fear of all. All because of Albie's list.

I was glad I was all on my own reading this book as it made me cry on more than one occasion. I really felt for Maria, how she has punished herself for most of her adult life over something she had no control. Her and Albie finding one another was meant to be, they each found what they needed in one another. As much as this was a sad book it was also very heartwarming in its conclusion. There are some lovely moments between Maria and the people she meets on her quest to tick every entry on the list and some humorous chapters too. I felt very proud of Maria and all the things she achieved but my heart broke for her that she lost Albie when she had so little time with him.

I just hope that when Maria's time came she walked into a café in heaven and sat down with Albie to share another pot of tea and a slice of marble cake.

About the Author:

Ruby Hummingbrid is a novelist based in the English countryside.She loves nothing more than writing uplifting and heartwarming fiction that gets her readers reaching for the tissues. When she isn't story telling. she can be found tending to her beloved sunflowers or sipping on hazelnut lattes.The wish List of Albie Young i her debut novel,and it promises to be a real heartbreaker.

November Round Up

Just to recap, here are the books I read in November. I have finally managed to start reading some of my Netgalley shelf and a few of my own books.

You know everything about your husband. Don’t you?

He loves you. He loves your children. He’d never put his family in danger.

One of these is a lie.

It started like any other day at the hairdressers where Sally works as a stylist… until her first client innocently shows her a family photograph; a photograph that causes Sally to collapse in shock.

In one moment, Sally discovers that Tom has been hiding an explosive secret – one that could tear apart the life they’ve built together. Faced with an impossible dilemma - search for the truth, or keep her contented life? – Sally is about to discover that even those closest to us have secrets… and that sometimes the truth is the last thing we want to hear.

One year after Erica Spencer falls from a treehouse at a lavish Halloween party, the residents of the exclusive gated community where she lived have comes to terms with her death and moved on with their lives.

Until one day, a post on the school's website announces there will be a podcast to expose what really happened on the night of the accident. Six suspects are named, with the podcaster promising to reveal the murderer by the end of the series.

Everyone in this community has secrets to keep, and one of them is already a killer...

It begins on a Monday, when four people board an elevator in Manhattan. Each presses the button for their floor, but the elevator climbs, non-stop, to the top where it pauses for a few seconds, before dropping.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It appears to be a horrific, random tragedy. But then, on Tuesday, it happens again. And when Wednesday brings yet another catastrophe, New York, one of the most vertical cities in the world is plunged into chaos.

Clearly, this is anything but random. This is a cold, calculated bid to terrorize the city. And it’s working. But what do these deadly acts of sabotage have to do with the fingerless body found on the High Line?

It will be a race against time for detectives Jerry Borque and Lois Delgado to find the answers before a deadly Friday night showdown.

It happens to every mother. One day, the daughter whose whole world you once were, becomes someone you barely know. And you don’t know the secrets she’s hiding…

One night, 15-year-old Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child:

‘I hate you. You’ve ruined my life. And I’m never speaking to you again.’

Olivia has never been an easy child, a sharp contrast to her easy-going, happy-go-lucky little sister. But Hannah thinks Olivia’s outburst is the end of a normal family argument. In fact, it’s only the beginning of a nightmare…

After one day of silence, Hannah thinks Olivia is taking a teenage sulk too far. After two days, she starts to feel anxious that something more serious could be going on. After a week, when her daughter still hasn’t spoken, Hannah knows that Olivia is hiding a bigger darkness – something that could threaten to tear their precious family apart…

A girl is taken from the streets of Oxford. But it's unlike any abduction DI Fawley's seen before . . .

Faith Appleford was attacked, a plastic bag tied over her head, taken to an isolated location . . . and then, by some miracle, she escaped.

What's more, when DC Erica Somer interviews Faith, she quickly becomes convinced that Faith knows who her abductor is.

Yet Faith refuses to press charges.

Without more evidence, it's looking like the police may have to drop the case. But what happens if Faith's attacker strikes again?

Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.

On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.

Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.

Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.

When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.

Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.

Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…