February's Reads

This month has been a nice mixture of reading books from my NetGalley shelf (at last!) and some for scheduled blog tours.  I have enjoyed having fewer deadlines for reading and am planning on trying to have more of a balance to my reading list over the coming months (April could be the exception - that's looking like a fantastically busy month with so many exciting books due out). Here's what I have read recently for which you will be able to see reviews:

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Publication Date 20th February 2020

Published by Harper Collins

NETGALLEY READ

A REMOTE ISLAND. AN INVITATION TO DIE FOR.

A gripping, twisty murder mystery thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of The Hunting Party

Old friends.
Past grudges.
 Happy families.
Hidden jealousies.
 Thirteen guests.
One body.

The wedding cake has barely been cut when one of the guests is found dead. And as a storm unleashes its fury on the island, everyone is trapped.

All have a secret. All have a motive.
One guest won’t leave this wedding alive . . 

The Burning Men by Will Shindler

Publication Date 6th February 2020

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

NETGALLEY READ

When a development in South London catches fire mid-construction, a close-knit team of fire fighters runs in to save a man spotted at the window.

They come out without a body. They quit the service. They plan never to speak to each other again.

Five years later one of them is set alight at his own wedding. Soon after, a second is found, nothing but a smoking corpse. It appears that someone knows what they did that night. What they chose over their duty. And there are still three men left to burn . . .

DI Alex Finn and his new partner DC Mattie Paulsen are an unlikely pairing, but they need to discover who is behind these killings before the next man faces the fire.

My Perfect Wife by Clare Boyd

BLOG TOUR 8 MARCH 2020

Everyone in town knows Copper Lodge, that designer home with floor-to-ceiling windows that looms over the small red-brick houses on Connelly Close. And the couple who live there, Elizabeth and Lucas Huxley, with their two blonde-haired, cherubic children, are seemingly perfect, plucked right out of a magazine.

But meet Heather, the gardener’s daughter, arriving from the coast in her beat-up little car to spend the summer helping to prepare for the most important night of the Huxleys’ lives: a summer party designed to put Elizabeth’s past trauma behind them and save their family from financial ruin. Heather grew up in the grounds of this magnificent house, she knows its secrets…

As the night of the party draws near, the lawn is mown in neat lines, the champagne flutes are sparkling, and you could cut the tension with an over-polished knife. It’s Elizabeth’s one chance to prove to her husband that she’s on the mend, that she can handle something as simple as a drinks reception without snapping under the pressure. If she makes one mistake, he’ll try to take her children away.

Heather wants to stay as far away from the party – and the Huxleys – as possible, but something dark keeps dragging her back: the secret she’s been keeping since she was a teenager is about to explode like the fireworks over Copper Lodge…

Some Days Are Dark by Miranda Smith

BLOG TOUR 18 MARCH 2020

Everyone in Whitaker was sure Olivia Miller shot her husband, until Marcus Rowe confessed. But a month before the trial, Marcus has been proved innocent—putting Olivia back in the frame.

Olivia is the first to admit she isn’t perfect. She’s made a lot of mistakes in her life, the worst of which was marrying Dane Miller. She fell for his kind eyes, his lack of judgement—she thought she could be free with him. That was before the chaotic parties, the dangerous friends, the lies… But one bad choice shouldn’t mean a life sentence. Now her friends are turning away from her, gossiping about her wherever she goes, wondering when she’ll be arrested this time.

Olivia isn’t going to run from the stares, from the whispers, from the doubts. She won’t leave her beloved son behind, or give her ex-husband Frank and his new wife any excuse to stop her seeing him. And if the police and the world think she’s guilty, there’s only one thing she can do—prove her innocence herself.

But if Marcus didn’t murder her husband, then the real killer is still out there.

And they’re not going to want Olivia stirring up the past…

A Window Breaks by C M Ewan
Published by Pan MacMillan
Publication Date: 20th Feb 2020 (paperback)
NETGALLEY READ

If your family was targeted in the middle of the night, what would you do?

You are asleep. A noise wakes you.
You stir, unsure why, and turn to your partner.
Then you hear it.
Glass. Crunching underfoot.
Your worst fears are about to be realized.
Someone is inside your home.
Your choices are limited.
You can run. Or stay and fight.
What would you do?

Unexpected Lessons in Love by Lucy Dillon
Published by Black Swan
Publication Date: 9th January 2020 (paperback)
NETGALLEY READ

What happens when 'I do' turns into 'I don't know'?

Jeannie always wanted to fall in love, and now she’s finally got the whirlwind romance she dreamed of. Dan’s gorgeous, he’s a successful young vet, and he flew her to New York and proposed on Brooklyn Bridge. Jeannie has to remind herself this is actually her life. It seems too perfect, too magical, to be real. Yet it is.

But now she’s on her way to the wedding she can’t shake off the tight sensation crushing her chest. Is it just nerves . . . or is this all happening a bit too fast?

Jeannie has one last chance to shout, ‘Stop!’ But just as she grabs it, a twist of fate throws everything she knows into the air like confetti. What Jeannie learns about Dan, about her own heart, and about the power of love itself, will change her world for ever . . .

The Guest List by Lucy Foley @lucyfoleytweets @harpercollinsuk #TheGuestList #Netgalley

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Published by HarperCollinsUK

Published 20th February 2020

Book Description:

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

My Thoughts:

My thanks to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read The Guest List via Netgalley ahead of publication. I am yet to read Lucy's previous book The Hunting Party but am definitely looking to do so very soon.

This is a very atmospheric book set on a virtually deserted island off the west of Ireland which can only be reached by boat at certain times due to the dangerous sea crossing necessary to get there.  It is the location chosen by online magazine owner Jules for her wedding to TV presenter Will Slater - he's a bit of a Bear Grylls type character on a survival show which is taking the ratings by storm, so the location is a perfect fit.
The action moves between the wedding day and night and events leading up to the big day with the story narrated from various characters' points of view.
Event planners Aoife and Freddy are using this high profile event to launch the wedding side of their business in the hope that followers of the celebrity couple will be queueing up to have their big days here.  They just need the guests to be on their best behaviour so they get good reviews.  And that's where the problems start.

The opening chapter sets the book up to its finishing point: the wedding night and a scream of terror from outside the marquee where the happy couple is cutting the cake. Then the lights go out. The author certainly knows how to build the tension with the pace of the tale set perfectly in chapters which get shorter as the book moves along - or that may just have been me turning the pages quicker and quicker towards the end!
The groom's side of the main wedding party are mainly all friends of his from their boarding school days and there's definitely a whole raft of history and secrets between them. Drinking games and traditions from their teenage years form part of the pre-wedding celebrations, some of which don't sit comfortably with some of the lads.
Then there's the bridesmaid, Olivia who appears to have more issues than Vogue. The sister of the bride is clearly harbouring resentment with Jules - not all siblings get along though do they? But what's her gripe with the groom? The best man is a loose cannon with plenty of ammunition to ruin the reputation of those around him, and the bride's best friend has more to lose if his secret gets exposed to his wife.

The reader is led through a whole web of secrets and resentments between the wedding party members but the climax of the tale threw me a complete curveball which I hadn't expected. With so many of the characters having a potential motive to ruin the day I was spoilt for choice as to who was involved in the horrors outside the marquee which we read about at the start.
Perfectly plotted, this is a great thriller which demonstrates so well that just because people appear to have perfect lives, it's mainly all just a veneer which can be chipped away to show the faults underneath.

About the Author:

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities. She then worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry – during which time she also wrote her debut, The Book of Lost and Found. Lucy now writes full-time, and is busy travelling (for research, naturally!) and working on her next novel.

Visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LucyFoleyAuthor and follow her on Twitter @lucyfoleytweets

The Burning Men by Will Shindler #debut #book #review #Netgalley @HodderBooks @WillShindler

The Burning Men by Will Shindler

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date 6th February 2020

My sincere thanks to the publisher who provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Book Description:

When a development in South London catches fire mid-construction, a close-knit team of fire fighters runs in to save a man spotted at the window.

They come out without a body. They quit the service. They plan never to speak to each other again.

Five years later one of them is set alight at his own wedding. Soon after, a second is found, nothing but a smoking corpse. It appears that someone knows what they did that night. What they chose over their duty. And there are still three men left to burn . . .

DI Alex Finn and his new partner DC Mattie Paulsen are an unlikely pairing, but they need to discover who is behind these killings before the next man faces the fire.

My thoughts:

This is an excellent thriller which gripped me from start to finish.  The book moves in two time frames: the night of the fire at One Pacific Square five years ago and more recently when ghosts of that night continue to make themselves known.

Fire crews are called to a massive blaze at Pacific Square, a sprawling development site similar to The Shard in London. The group of first responders at the site spot a single figure at a third floor window and are keen to get inside to locate the person but are duty bound to wait for the commander's go-ahead before they can access the building.  Decisions made that night will set in motion a chain of events which will cost some of the crew their lives.

Five years on, retired firefighter Adesh Kaul is marrying the love of his life Stephanie. The wedding is a no-expense-spared celebration of their union and everyone is having the best time until panic breaks out with a fire in the gents toilets. The scenes which greet the firefighters are unimaginable.  From thereon the detective team signed up to solve what turns out to be a murder scene at the wedding are inundated with suggestions and myths but very little in the way of solid facts. The detective leading the team, DI Alex Finn, is mourning the very recent loss of his wife and is desperate for some sense of normality in his life, hoping that his return to work will give him the routine that he needs. With a new DC on his team that's not what he gets - but the complexities of the case give him little time to worry about things.

Finn sends new recruit Paulsen to discuss recent events with the team investigating a possible link between Pacific Square and a notorious bank heist around the time of the fire which is yet to be solved.  She's not made overly welcome, with some of the team getting particularly jumpy in her presence. There are secrets being held close to chests wherever you look in this tale - but somebody seems to know all the secrets and is prepared to go to extreme lengths to make sure those involved pay the ultimate price.

Who is pulling the strings in this whole operation though? With a mythical criminal known as The Handyman seeming to get mentions wherever Finn turns he needs to work out who this person is - if he actually exists - and try to put a stop to any further loss of life.

This is a story of how guilt affects different people in different ways and just how far some people will go to make sure the truth comes out. With shocking scenes throughout, this is a book which had me mulling over the story long after I put it down. Will Shindler has impressed me with his writing and I am keen to read more of his work very soon.

About the Author:

Will Shindler has been a Broadcast Journalist for the BBC for over twenty-five years, spending a decade working in television drama as a scriptwriter on Born and Bred, The Bill and Doctors. His time on these leading prime time dramas has given him a rich grounding in authentic police procedure, powerful character development and gripping narratives. He currently combines reading the news on BBC Radio London with writing crime novels and has previously worked as a television presenter for HTV, a sports reporter for BBC Radio Five Live, and one of the stadium presenters at the London Olympics. The Burning Men is his first novel.

One by K J McGillick #BlogTour @KJMcGillickAuth @rararesources #One

One by K J McGillick

Available Now 

Book Description:

A stolen life. A Faustian bargain. Prey becomes predator.

Lord Acton, a British historian, wrote:  Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Had he somehow gazed into the future and glimpsed Azar Abed’s arc in life?

Someone’s going to die, that is for certain. But will just one death be enough for Azar Abed or will nothing satisfy her until millions of innocent people are dead? It’s frightening to think of the path that personal revenge can lead a person down. All that plotting and planning that ultimately leads to one goal- the extinguishment of one life.  But what happens when a psychopath with power and money is determined to implode the world’s economy through a bioterrorism attack?  

Personal revenge gets caught up in a bio-terror plot to crash the world’s economy as darkness spirals into darkness and terror is the order of the day. Azar Abed and Adrien Armond are on a collision course of vigilante justice that could have catastrophic consequences on a global scale. Neither will walk away until the other is dead. No matter what the cost.

Who will kill who first? Will it be enough? Can anyone stop the bio-terror plot to destroy the world’s economy that is already in motion? Does anyone have enough humanity left even to try?

Set against a backdrop of Washington, DC, ONE is a heart pounding-psychological thriller pitting greed against greed in a cat-and-mouse game where vengeance is the only prize. It can be read as a standalone, or as the conclusion to events begun in its predecessor, TWO. It concludes the Path of Deception and Betrayal series.

My Thoughts:

After reading the previous instalment in this series I dived straight in to this 'One'.

We were introduced to Azar Abed in the previous book, when her ruthless father set up surgeon Adrien Armond to take her kidney from her in order to save his own life. This has left her, understandably, wanting revenge on everyone involved in the scandal. With Armond's whereabouts unknown following his acquittal in the trial for the involvement in the attempt on his wife's life, Azar's anger and desire for vengeance is festering inside her while she tracks him down.

Meanwhile in her everyday life she appears a clever professional woman, with links to the FBI as a global risk management consultant. Basically she has worked her way undercover to find out how she can wreak havoc on the world's financial markets yet with a completely legitimate reason to be there.  With her father's very dodgy business connections she knows some very influential people on both sides of the law all around the world. She trusts no-one and in some ways is even more dangerous than her father ever was.

I don't have much understanding of how the world's financial systems work and at some points of the story was rather out of my depth.  The introduction of Mary, a trainee personal investigator taking training with FBI agents, made some aspects of the plot easier to understand as they were explained to her in layman's terms.  I loved Mary's character and the way the author used her to figure out certain plot points was really canny.  Her rather ditzy and irritating personality worked perfectly yet hid her extremely sharp mind. She went from being an annoying distraction to a major player in bringing down an international terror plot.

I enjoyed this book in a completely different way to the previous one, this having more of a feel of personal revenge not only on one individual but the way the world works as a whole. Clever writing once again from the author showcasing a different set of skills this time.

Purchase Links; Buy your copy here:


UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07CNZXL1C/
US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CNZXL1C/

About the Author:

K. J. McGillick was born in New York and once she started to walk she never stopped running. But that's what New Yorker's do. Right? A Registered Nurse, a lawyer now author.

As she evolved so did her career choices. After completing her graduate degree in nursing, she spent many years in the university setting sharing the dreams of the enthusiastic nursing students she taught. After twenty rewarding years in the medical field she attended law school and has spent the last twenty-four years as an attorney helping people navigate the turbulent waters of the legal system. Not an easy feat. And now? Now she is sharing the characters she loves with readers hoping they are intrigued by her twisting and turning plots and entertained by her writing 


Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/KJMcGillickauthor/ 

Kathleen McGillick

@KJMcGillickAuth

 http://www.kjmcgillick.com/

https://twitter.com/KJMcGillickAuth

The Chain by Adrian McKinty #book #review #TheChain @adrianmckinty @orionbooks

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

Published by Orion

Publication Date 9th July 2019

Suspense/Thriller

Book Description:

 VICTIM.

SURVIVOR.
ABDUCTOR.
CRIMINAL.
YOU WILL BECOME EACH ONE.

YOUR PHONE RINGS.

A STRANGER HAS KIDNAPPED YOUR CHILD.

TO FREE THEM YOU MUST ABDUCT SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD.

YOUR CHILD WILL BE RELEASED WHEN YOUR VICTIM'S PARENTS KIDNAP ANOTHER CHILD.

IF ANY OF THESE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN:
YOUR CHILD WILL BE KILLED.

YOU ARE NOW PART OF THE CHAIN

My thoughts:

This book has been promoted as "The unique and unforgettable thriller of the year".
It is certainly that.  I haven't read anything like this before and as a parent it certainly makes you think: how would I react in Rachel O'Neill's shoes?  She's on her way to an unscheduled return visit to her oncologist. Her routine test results have shown an anomaly and the consultant has called her in for further investigations. She's told nobody of this appointment. So when her phone rings with an unknown caller on her way to the appointment she cannot think who it might be calling.  She certainly won't have been expecting the words which come down the line to her: "I'm so sorry Rachel, I've got some terrible news for you. I have kidnapped your daughter."

The remainder of the first part of the book follows Rachel as she decides whether to follow the voice's instructions.  What choice does she have? It gets worse: if she doesn't do as she's instructed not only will her daughter Kylie be killed, but the consequences will continue up the chain to the people before her. And a new victim will be chosen to take Kylie's place. I cannot imagine what that must feel like. It's every parent's worst nightmare and I thought the author portrayed Rachel's inner thoughts and feelings so very well. Not only does she have to pay a ransom she can ill afford but she has to go against all her moral instincts and put another family in the same position she finds herself.

The second part of the book takes a different stance. It considers what might happen if you take on The Chain's founders. The fear of The Chain breaking down further along - you're never free from the worry that someone might  go against the rules. The long term effects of not being able to seek help for the traumatic experience you've been through, both the victim of the kidnapping and the ransom payer are affected so deeply. Not only that, your child then sees you in a completely different light because you have put another child through the same horrors they have faced themselves. The research you are able to do into The Chain's founders is limited: they've already tapped into your phone and internet connections so you can't use them to try and find out what's going on. They have shown that they are watching you so you are restricted in the use of public computers, etc. How do you fight against what you know so little about?  Some parts of the story seem at first to be far-fetched but if you actually put yourself into that position of the ultimate fear of retributions then it all looks very different.  The author has clearly put a lot of thought into not only the technical practicalities of the scenario he has written but also the emotional wringer of a journey he takes you on is on another level.

This book scared me to the core - if my children were younger I would be totally paranoid after reading this and I don't think I would have let them out of my sight because at the end of the day it is all to easy a scenario to imagine.

Brilliant concept, perfectly executed. Well done Mr McKinty, sir.

About the Author:

Adrian McKinty is a crime novelist from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

His books have won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Ned Kelly Award and the Barry Award. Adrian is also a two time Dagger nominee and shortlistee for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year.

He studied law at Warwick University and philosophy at Oxford University before emigrating to New York City in the mid 90s.

Follow him on Twitter @adrianmckinty

She Said, Three Said by David B Lyons @damppebbles @TheOpenAuthor #damppebblesblogtours #SheSaidThreeSaid

She Said, Three Said by David B Lyons

Published by

Publication Date:

Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Ever wondered what it's like to be a juror in a high-profile celebrity trial?

Well.. now you don't have to. Step inside the jury room to deliberate one of the most talked-about court cases of the decade.

SHE SAID...

...all three men got her drunk, led her to a hotel room and took advantage of her.

THREE SAID...

...she was a willing participant and consented to sex with each of them.

After five-weeks of listening to all of the evidence and all of the arguments in a celebrity rape trial that has gripped an entire nation, the jury sit down to begin their deliberations.

But they don't know who to believe...

...will you?

My Thoughts:

My thanks to Emma at damp pebbles tours for the invitation to read this intriguing court room thriller as part of the blog tour. All opinions here are my own and unbiased.

I do love a tale set in a court room, and this one didn't disappoint.  We get to hear from each of the 3 defendants, the victim and each of the jurors in varying amounts.  Sabrina - the young lady who is accusing pro footballer Jason Kenny and his two school friends, Zach and Li, of raping her on a night out - is a bit of an enigma.  From her point of view, she is a bit of a shy, home loving soul but the way she portrays herself and the reason she was out on the town at all, dressed the way she was, suggests a whole different personality. And it's the way she is portrayed in court that the jurors have to base their decisions on.

Jason Kelly is a big name, easily recognisable with a shock of ginger hair. All he wants is a quiet night out with two of his oldest friends - after all, Li has just announced he is going to settle down with his girlfriend and ask her to marry him. Zach is already married although he seems to forget this fact as soon as he sets foot in a nightclub and he turns on the charms with the ladies.
So we have at least 2 characters who aren't who they outwardly appear. The story is told from time frames of the night in question and the deliberations in the jurors' room. I really was torn between believing Sabrina but then the same scenario told from one of the boy's point of view swung me over to their interpretation of events.  It must be so difficult to try and work out whose version of events is the truth, and (as Brian Hoare one of the more vocal jurors likes to remind everyone) it has to be beyond all reasonable doubt.

In one respect this book is quite predictable as we are led to believe rape trials go, with the usual defences being presented with regard to what the victim was wearing and how much she had to drink throughout the night. But I really didn't expect the facts to pan out as they were eventually disclosed to the reader by both Sabrina and the boys. I'm not going to spoil the outcome for anyone but I found it very interesting how the jurors justified their decisions to one another to come to a verdict around the table. It was an interesting view of how people interact under pressure, with normally confident personalities being quashed by someone who can talk a good argument and others who would rarely speak out finding their voices when challenged regarding a deep felt belief.

There is a nice little twist of Fate entwined in the story and I had hoped this would transpire to be a stronger thread in the tale but looking at the whole story objectively that wouldn't have been very realistic - I'm struggling to not give you spoilers here while still giving you my opinion!

Overall, an enjoyable drama but whether justice is done, you will have to decide for yourself.

Purchase Links; Buy your copy here:

Amazon UK: 

ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/She-Said-Three-David-Lyons-ebook/dp/B0842W2SXC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1FNA5ZXCVNN5Q&keywords=she+said+three+said+david+lyons&qid=1579699968&sprefix=she+said%2C+three+%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-2 

paperback https://www.amazon.co.uk/She-Said-Three-David-Lyons/dp/1916051847/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FNA5ZXCVNN5Q&keywords=she+said+three+said+david+lyons&qid=1579700423&sprefix=she+said%2C+three+%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/She-Said-Three-David-Lyons/dp/1916051847/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2REW8LUWD7KHK&keywords=she+said%2C+three+said&qid=1579700362&sprefix=she+said%2C+three+%2Caps%2C403&sr=8-2

About the Author:

David B. Lyons is an international bestselling author -- a writer of psychological thrillers.

He has reached No.1 in charts in Ireland, the UK, Canada and Australia.

David grew up in Dublin - the city his novels are set - but currently spends his time between Birmingham in the UK and the Irish capital. David is married to a Brummie, Kerry, and they have one daughter, Lola.

He has lectured in Creative Writing in colleges and universities in both Ireland and in the UK and coaches people how to write with free tutorials at TheOpenAuthor.com.

You can connect with David here:
                                                         
Website: TheOpenAuthor.com
Twitter: @TheOpenAuthor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorDavidBLyons



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