The Vacation by John Marrs #NetGalley @johnmarrs1 @panmacmillan #TheVacation

 

The Vacation by John Marrs

(previously released as Welcome to Wherever You Are)

Published by Pan Macmillan

Publication Date: 24th June 2021

Genre: Mystery & Thriller

My thanks to Panmacmillan for approving my request to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description:

How far would you run to escape your past?

Venice Beach, Los Angeles. A paradise on earth.

Tourists flock to the golden coast and the promise of Hollywood.

But for eight strangers at a beach front hostel, there is far more on their mind than an extended vacation.

All of them are running from something. And they all have secrets they’d kill to keep…

My Thoughts:

As one of my 'buy without reading the blurb' authors, I was delighted to be approved by the publisher to read this re-release from John Marrs.  Fortunately I hadn't read the previous incarnation so it was nice to go in with an open mind.

We are introduced to quite a diverse selection of characters which I suppose reflects a backpacking hostel perfectly. There are quite a few names to get to grips with at first but the way they are presented doesn't overwhelm the reader. The story is presented in two time frames, individual to each character's story,  which explains each person's reason for arriving at the hostel. It sounds complicated but honestly, it really flows well.

There's an evangelist's pole dancing daughter, a pair of Irish armed robbers, a failed boy band member, and the winner of a competition who is desperate to meet her idol. These are just a few of the individuals who have washed up in Venice Beach, each seeking to escape their past and build the foundation for a better future.

I loved this book and felt like I was another guest at the hostel, people-watching and discovering their stories. It's a bit like a soap opera crossed with Love Island but much, much better! It would be absolutely great if there were a sequel to this book for us to find out 'What happened next' for at least some of the characters. 

Once again John Marrs has secured his place on my 'guaranteed to buy' list.

About the Author:

John Marrs is an author and former journalist based in London and Northamptonshire. After spending his career interviewing celebrities from the worlds of television, film and music for numerous national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time author.  Follow him at www.johnmarrsauthor.co.uk, on Twitter @johnmarrs1, on Instagram @johnmarrs.author and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnmarrsauthor.

I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood #NetGalley @imranmahmood777 @BloomsburyRaven

I Know What I Saw by Imran Mahmood

 Published by Bloomsbury/Raven Books

Publication Date: 10th June 2021

Genre: Crime/Mystery & Thrillers

My thanks to the publisher for authorising my request to read this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Description:

I saw it. He smothered her, pressing his hands on her face. The police don't believe me, they say it's impossible – but I know what I saw.

Xander Shute - once a wealthy banker, now living on the streets - shelters for the night in an empty Mayfair flat. When he hears the occupants returning home, he scrambles to hide. Trapped in his hiding place, he hears the couple argue, and he soon finds himself witnessing a vicious murder.

But who was the dead woman, who the police later tell him can't have been there? And why is the man Xander saw her with evading justice?

As Xander searches for answers, his memory of the crime comes under scrutiny, forcing him to confront his long-buried past and the stories he's told about himself.

How much he is willing to risk to understand the brutal truth?

My Thoughts:

Having read the author's first novel 'You Don't Know Me' and been mightily impressed I was keen to read this, his second book.

Quite different it is a slow-burner of a read so if you like action packed then this probably isn't one for you but I would encourage folks to give it a try as it is so well plotted and executed it is definitely worth sticking with.

The main character Xander Shute is rather eccentric, highly intelligent and sticks by his principles to the point he puts himself in jeopardy.  He has given up a high powered, highly paid job in the City and has been living on the streets for years. He could afford property in London but chooses his lifestyle due to the experiences life has thrown his way. One night he happens across an open door to a plush apartment in Mayfair and, in search of a safe haven for the night, enters the property and falls asleep behind the sofa. He is woken by a couple coming home and having a violent argument which has fatal consequences. His principles take him to the local police station to report what he has seen however the officers there tell him that what he is reporting is not possible. I couldn't decide whether he was crazy to pursue the incident as he did or whether I should be mightily impressed with how determined he was to get justice for the victim.

The book explores the effects life on the streets has upon a person, how our childhood and family influences us deep down and how relationships and their breakdowns affect us. I found it quite moving in places and was rooting for Xander all the way despite what the police were implying had happened. His friends too were on my questionable list: how much were Xander's actions to blame for events from recent years and how much was his friends' responsibility? Quite the puzzle.

Very cleverly written and thought provoking with regards to several different moral dilemmas, this would make an excellent book club read (once again for this author) with plenty to discuss.

About the Author:

Imran Mahmood is a criminal defence barrister with over 20 years' experience in the Crown Court and Court of Appeal. He specializes in Legal Aid cases involving violent crimes as well as fraud and sexual offences. He was born in Liverpool and now lives in London with his wife and daughter. You Don't Know Me was chosen as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice for 2017.

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley @cpooleywriter

 

The Authenticity Project By Clare Pooley

Published by RandomHouse, Transworld

Publication Date: 4th February 2020 ebook, 2nd April 2020 Hardback

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Book Description:

Six strangers with one thing in common: their lives aren't always what they make them out to be.

What would happen if they told the truth instead?

Julian Jessop is tired of hiding the deep loneliness he feels. So he begins The Authenticity Project - a small green notebook containing the truth about his life.

Leaving the notebook on a table in his friendly neighbourhood café, Julian never expects Monica, the owner, to track him down after finding it. Or that she'll be inspired to write down her own story.

Little do they realize that such small acts of honesty hold the power to impact all those who discover the notebook and change their lives completely.

My Thoughts:

As a regular reader of gritty crime and thriller novels, every now and then I need to read something more uplifting and "feel-good". As this book came out over a year ago, I've obviously heard quite a lot about it and being as there's a very upbeat vibe to the story it fitted the bill perfectly to give me a lift.

The characters each have their own very different story to tell within the book, starting with the rather eccentric but rather lonely Julian who is the instigator of the Project. He decides that the world needs to be a bit more honest with each other and sits in a local cafe, writes his story and leaves his notebook for someone else to find - and hopefully continue. The baton then changes hands to Monica, the owner of the cafe who duly takes her turn. Never a person to really open up to other people she finds it quite liberating to be so honest - until she becomes aware that someone has actually read what she wrote.  The book passes into the custodianship of several others who we meet and get to know in the true spirit of the notebook. The little green book travels a fair few miles in its quest to find people's truths yet we end up back at Monica's cafe where it all began, a group of unlikely friends having come together all due to Julian's brainwave. 

I really enjoyed this book; it's an easy to read but unusual concept which exposes just how much we all hide from one another in our everyday lives.  From the insta-perfect world of social media influencers to the old-fashioned storytelling of the older generation whose tales can rarely be disproved it goes to show that nothing changes really over the years, just the way we present it. We're all keen to present the best version of ourselves to the world rather than the sometimes less attractive yet more honest version.

I do hope there will be more books from this author as I found her work flowed really well, her characters are so real and I could certainly see bits of myself in some of the various people (I'm not saying which bits!). I'm not sure I would be brave enough to write my story for the world so see though.

About the Author:

Clare Pooley graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge and spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time mum.

Clare lives in Fulham, London with her long-suffering husband, three children, dog and a cupboard filled with alcohol-free beer.

Clare is the author of the hugely popular blog, Mummy was a Secret Drinker, under the pseudonym Sober Mummy.

The Good Neighbour by RJ Parker @OneMoreChapter_ #NetGalley @Bookwalter

 

The Good Neighbour by RJ Parker

Published by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Publication Date: 18th March 2021

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Book Description:

When Leah Talbot crashes her car one night, she spots a light on in a nearby house and approaches, hoping that someone is home.

He is.

Charming, handsome, Martin Tate answers the door to the bedraggled and traumatised Leah, inviting her in. Though she’s not there for long, Leah feels an indescribable pull to the man who has helped in her hour of need.

But when she returns the next morning to say thank you, it isn’t Martin who answers the door this time. It’s the police.

There’s been a brutal murder and the female homeowner is lying dead in a pool of blood upstairs in bed.

There’s no sign of Martin…

Until he comes looking for Leah.

The Good Neighbour is a nerve-shredding domestic suspense thriller of secrets and serial killers perfect for fans of Sharon Bolton and S. E. Lynes.

My Thoughts:

I'm finding this book tricky to review to be honest. Bits of it, yes I found creepy and believable. Others less so.

A young woman crashes her car into a ditch after hitting a deer on a dark road late at night. She knocks on the door of the nearest house.  Yep, all okay so far. Then it all went off track...Would you actually enter the house, alone, at night? I suppose if there was only a landline available to use then, possibly. I found this unlikely in this day and age, especially when the man in the house knows he really shouldn't be there and the reason he actually is. I don't want to give spoilers to the story for those who are yet to read this book but suffice to say I think it highly unlikely that he would have even opened the door, let alone invited another person in and risk exposing the events of the evening.

Once I had that doubt in my mind I'm afraid various other elements of the story also became more and more implausible and I often found my mind wandering into the realms of considering what I thought would have actually happened in real life. I know it's fiction but there's only so far I can stretch it before I stop enjoying the story. Then the latter part of the story with Leah's neighbours, husband and Uncle Tom Cobley and all getting roped in...nope. You lost me completely and I pretty much skimmed to the end.

Sorry, not one for me.

About the Author:

R J Parker's creative career began as a TV script writer, script editor and producer. It was this background that fed into a series of cinematic, high-concept thrillers that grabs the reader from the very first page and doesn't release them until the last. R J Parker now lives in Salisbury. One More Chapter/HarperCollins have published THE DINNER PARTY, WHILE YOU SLEPT and THE GOOD NEIGHBOUR with a fourth book to be published in July of 2021. As Richard Parker he has written the thrillers STOP ME, SCARE ME, STALK ME, FOLLOW YOU, HIDE AND SEEK, KEEP HER SAFE, NEVER SAY GOODBYE and THE SONGBIRD GIRLS.