Strangers by CL Taylor @CLTaylorauthor @AvonBooksUK #book #review #Strangers

 

Strangers by CL Taylor

Published by Avon Books UK

Publication Date: 2nd April 2020

Genre: Mystery & Thriller

Book Description:

Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before.

Ursula thinks she's killed the love of her life. Gareth's been receiving strange postcards. And Alice is being stalked.

None of them are used to relying on others - but when the three strangers' lives unexpectedly collide, there's only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.

My Thoughts:

Many of the books I'm reading at the moment have been sitting patiently on my bookshelf for some time while I have been distracted by other shiny new books. This is one of the ones in question which I picked up at my local library then got home and realised that I already had a copy sitting on my shelf.

I love people watching and this book gave me the feeling that I was sitting in a cafe in the Meads shopping centre, the three main characters having caught my attention for various reasons.  Chapter one opens with Alice, Ursula and Gareth standing over a dead body wondering how on earth they are going to explain what happened. Who the victim is and why they came to be deceased is a mystery.  The book then moves back to a week earlier to complete the story.

None of the three characters know each other however their lives have intersected in some way or another during the week's run up to the climax of the story. They just don't realise the importance of these interactions at the time. They are all very different people at face value: Ursula is a compulsive thief whose habit has lead her to rent a room in the home of a total stranger and her anxiety is peaking, causing a vicious circle of  behaviour.  Alice is a single mum venturing back into the world of dating after a long time on her own. A world which she's not sure she wants a part of after all. Then there's lonely security guard Gareth who is struggling to cope with his mum's progressively worse dementia whilst holding down a full time job. 

The biggest part of the book is taken up with the seemingly unrelated lives of these three people and anyone who likes to read 'in your face action' thrillers I feel will struggle with the slower pace of a good three quarters of the book. Personally I enjoyed it as it fulfilled my people-watching hobby while I was unable to actually go out and do so in person (I'm not a stalker, honest!). These are every day characters going about their daily lives and dealing real situations that many people could relate to. Then the pieces start falling into place as to what - or who - they all have in common. 

I don't feel like I'm selling this book too well for which I do apologise to the author as it is well worth the read as she's done a great job to get all the threads laid down in order for the action to kick in.  And kick in it certainly does: by the end of the week we travel with the characters we will have one missing woman, three missing men, a possible serial killer on the loose, a stalker and the possibility that all these things could be linked.  But in true CL Taylor style that would be too straightforward wouldn't it?

All the questions you will have collected along the way will be answered and the loose ends tied off tidily; some people get a happy ending, some less so. But you do need to keep that opening chapter in your mind as you read the remainder of the book. Much more than this I cannot say as this really is a book where you don't want too much information otherwise it's pointless reading it. Definitely a book to go into with an open mind as there's far more too this tale than initially meets the eye - and it's a difficult one to review without spilling the beans. You'll know what I mean once you've read it...

About the Author:

C.L. Taylor is an award winning Sunday Times bestselling author of eight gripping psychological thrillers including SLEEP, a Richard and Judy Book Club pick for autumn 2019. Her books are not a series and can be read in any order:

2014 - THE ACCIDENT / Before I Wake (U.S. title)

2015 - THE LIE

2016 - THE MISSING

2017 - THE ESCAPE

2018 - THE FEAR

2019 - SLEEP

2020 - STRANGERS

2021 - HER LAST HOLIDAY

She has also written standalone two Young Adult thrillers: THE TREATMENT and THE ISLAND.

C.L. Taylor's books have sold in excess of a million copies, been number one on Amazon Kindle, Audible, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play and have been translated into 25 languages and optioned for TV.

C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol in the UK with her partner and son.

The Secret of Cold Hill by Peter James @peterjamesuk @panmacmillan #TheSecretOfColdHill #book #review #NetGalley

 

The Secret of Cold Hill by Peter James

Published by Pan MacMillan

Publication Date: 3rd October 2019

Genre: Contemporary Horror, Mystery & Thrillers

Book Description:

Cold Hill House has been razed to the ground by fire, replaced with a development of ultra-modern homes. Gone with the flames are the violent memories of the house’s history, and a new era has begun.

Although much of Cold Hill Park is still a construction site, the first two families move into their new houses. For Jason and Emily Danes, this is their forever home, and for Maurice and Claudette Penze-Weedell, it’s the perfect place to live out retirement. Despite the ever present rumble of cement mixers and diggers, Cold Hill Park appears to be the ideal place to live. But looks are deceptive and it’s only a matter of days before both couples start to feel they are not alone in their new homes.

There is one thing that never appears in the estate agent brochures: nobody has ever survived beyond forty in Cold Hill House and no one has ever truly left . . .

From the number one bestselling author, Peter James, comes The Secret of Cold Hill. The spine-chilling follow-up to The House on Cold Hill. Now a smash-hit stage play.

My Thoughts:

I decided to dive straight in to the sequel to the House of Cold Hill which I read at Halloween and managed to completely creep myself out by reading it by lamplight. Not my wisest decision!

The Secret of Cold Hill begins with a couple of prospective buyers conducting a viewing of Lake House the biggest, most impressive property in a new development built on the site of Cold Hill House, the large mansion house which was destroyed by fire. Mike and Julie Diamond make possibly the best decision of their lives as they make a hasty exit from the site when the viewing takes an unexpected turn. The new properties are crammed with all the latest technology - but that's not the only added extra the houses come with as new owners of Lakeview Drive soon find out as they move in.  Both the Penze-Weedells and the Danes families probably would come to wish they had made the same decision as the Diamonds - if only they had the opportunity.

Some of this second book felt a bit repetitive but that could have been because I moved immediately on from the first novel but in some ways it was rather good to have some characters making reappearances (literally), especially the tractor driver and the vicar who had featured strongly before.

I'm actually not sure which of the two books unsettled me the most as you kind of expect an ages old building to have its share of hauntings due to its history however a development of new builds should be a pretty safe environment to start the next chapter of your life, right?  Unfortunately it would seem that some things are stronger than even bricks and mortar and they don't like change!

Great ghostly goings on once again from the pen of Peter James.

About the Author:

Peter James is a UK No. 1 bestselling author, best known for writing crime and thriller novels, and the creator of the much-loved Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. With a total of 17 Sunday Times No. 1s under his belt, he has achieved global book sales of over 20 million copies to date, and has been translated into 37 languages.

Synonymous with plot-twisting page-turners, Peter has garnered an army of loyal fans throughout his storytelling career – which also included stints writing for TV and producing films. He has won over 40 awards for his work, including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award, Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger and a BAFTA nomination for The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons for which he was an Executive Producer. Many of Peter’s novels have been adapted for film, TV and stage.

Visit Peter James www.peterjames.com or via Twitter @peterjamesuk.

The House on Cold Hill by Peter James @peterjamesuk @panmacmillan #book #review #houseoncoldhill

The House on Cold Hill by Peter James

Published by Pan MacMillan

Publication Date: 8th October 2015

Genre: Contemporary Horror

Book Description:

They said the dead can't hurt you . . . They were wrong.

The House on Cold Hill is a chilling and suspenseful ghost story from the multi-million copy bestselling author of Dead Simple, Peter James.

Moving from the heart of Brighton and Hove to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for Ollie and Caro Harcourt and their twelve-year-old daughter Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House - a huge, dilapidated Georgian mansion - Ollie is filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, he has dreamed of living in the country since he was a child, and he sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, the perfect base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment. Caro is less certain, and Jade is grumpy about being separated from her friends.

Within days of moving in, it becomes apparent that the Harcourt family aren't the only residents of the house. A friend of Jade's is the first to see the spectral woman, standing behind her as the girls talk on FaceTime. Then there are more sightings, as well as increasingly disturbing occurrences in the house. As the haunting becomes more malevolent and the house itself begins to turn on the Harcourts, the terrified family discover Cold Hill House's dark history, and the horrible truth of what it could mean for them . . .

My Thoughts:

Peter James was the author who moved me away from chick-lit style of books into grittier crime and thriller novels with his Roy Grace series of books, and that's pretty much where my tastes have remained as regular viewers of my book review pages will know. This novel however is a step away from those and into the more spooky type of thriller.  I wouldn't go so far as to put it in the horror genre myself but I suppose "creepy" isn't a genre so it's the closest pigeonhole to describe the content.

The first chapter takes us straight into the action as the new tenants of Cold Hill House approach the house closely followed by their removals team. Sadly Johnny, Rowena and their children don't even get to unlock the front door before tragedy strikes, setting the pattern for the remainder of this book and its sequel.

As the description above relates, the next batch of new residents, the Harcourts, do actually get to move in to Cold Hill House but the malevolent spirits in the house are not happy about this situation and do their best to persuade the family that they've made a huge mistake in moving here. The author manages to set some really quite unsettling scenes which had me seriously creeped out as I sat trying to read this book by lamplight late in the evenings around Halloween. Probably not my best decision - or maybe that helped to increase the impact of the book? All I know is that I chose to read the closing chapters in daylight! Even then my pulse rate was much higher than usual.

I understand that the author based this story on some of his own personal experiences of a property he lived in - I would be interested to know just how much of it came from his imagination and how much was real. The only thing I do know is that I'd have been out of there PDQ if it had been me!

If you're not a regular reader of the horror genre but fancy a spooky tale to test your limits then this is perfect for you. If you like a bit of Stephen King and his counterparts then this is probably a bit tame but we all have different boundaries and triggers and it hit the spot perfectly for me.

About the Author:

Peter James is the international bestselling author of many award-winning novels. His Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, set in Brighton, has been translated into thirty-six languages with worldwide sales of over eighteen million copies, and has given him nine consecutive Sunday Times number ones. In 2015 WHSmith customers publicly voted him the Greatest Crime Author of All Time and in 2016 he became the recipient of the coveted CWA Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement, awarded for sustained excellence. Peter has also written a short story collection, A Twist of the Knife, and his standalone titles include his ghost story The House On Cold Hilland The Perfect Murder, which has been turned into a smash hit stage play. All his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police. Three of his novels have been filmed and before becoming a full-time author he produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons. He divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London and near Brighton in Sussex.

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh @orionbooks @orion_crime @SteveCavanagh_ #fiftyfifty #book #review

 

Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

Published by Orion Books

Publication Date: 3rd September 2020

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Book Description:

'911 what's your emergency?'

'My dad's dead. My sister Sofia killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'

'My dad's dead. My sister Alexandra killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'

One of them is a liar and a killer.

But which one?

My Thoughts:

I'm rather late to the party with Steve Cavanagh's books, having only read Thirteen and this one, Fifty fifty. Both of which have kept me suitably engrossed albeit in completely different ways.

I have to say I suspected quite early on which of the sisters had committed the crime of killing their father however I felt the book is more of an exercise of persuading the reader that it can't be that obvious - can it? Although I had told myself I had laid my bets on the correct sister the author does an excellent job of making you doubt yourself. At one stage I even convinced myself that I'd got it all wrong after all, only to then swing back the other way as further evidence or events were uncovered.

There are some fantastic characters in this book some you will love, others you will detest. All are strongly written and will raise your emotions. The only thing I will say is that I'm waiting for a series where the detective/lawyer genuinely finds happiness in their private life rather than the tragedies which seem to beset them due to their choice of profession and the people who they encounter.

The book reflects some typical stereotypes of people who suffer with mental health issues - the judgment tends to fall against them before the evidence is even considered. Also the arrogance which can come with money and position is well presented together with the misogyny amongst the professions. All handled in a confident manner by Mr Cavanagh and his characters. 

Overall a very good court room thriller which will have you second guessing yourself from chapter to chapter. The question is, did you bet on the correct team from the start?

About the Author:

Steve Cavanagh is a critically acclaimed, Sunday Times best-selling author of the Eddie Flynn series which has sold a million copies in the UK. His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime novel of the year 2019. FIFTY FIFTY was a Richard and Judy Book club choice, and the BBC Between The Covers book club choice. His latest novel, The Devil's Advocate will be release in August 2021.

The Eddie Flynn series can be read in any order, but the list in full in order of publication is as follows:

The Defence

The Cross (ebook exclusive novella)

The Plea

The Liar

Thirteen

Fifty Fifty

The Devil's Advocate

Standalone books - Twisted.

Find out more at www.stevecavanaghauthor.com or follow Steve on Twitter @SteveCavanagh_

That Night by Gillian McAllister #NetGalley @MichaelJBooks @GillianMAuthor #ThatNight #book #review

 

That Night by Gillian McAllister

Published by Michael Joseph UK, Penguin

Publication Date: 8th July 2021

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Book Description:

What would you do to protect your family?

ANYTHING.

That night everything changed.

The night Frannie commited a murder, but she didn’t mean to…

That night we helped her bury the body, what else could we do?

One hot summers night in Italy, Joe and Cathy Plant receive a phone call that will change their lives forever.  Their sister Frannie has killed a man, and she needs their help.

They were always close, some might say too close, siblings who worked together, lived next door to each other.  And now they’ve buried a body together…

But when they return to England, Frannie, Joe and Cathy become tangled in lies in they’ve been telling,to the police, to their friends, to each other…

But if you can’t trust your family, who can you trust?

My Thoughts:

This is a superbly written book about how far you would go to protect one of your siblings in the worst times of their life. Frannie, Cathy and Joe Plant are as close as siblings can be ever since a trauma in their childhood made them realise how precious family is. But even family ties have their limits don't they?

I love the character development in this book as the author draws 3 completely different personalities for her main characters. Frannie is the baby of the family and as such is protected by her 2 older siblings - often to their own detriment. Cathy is the thinker of the family, who always knows what is best to do in a crisis (doesn't she?) and keeps a level head. Joe is the fiery one, act first and think later which has led to him having a bit of a reputation for being a bit too free with his fists. The combination of the 3 Plant siblings means they are a pretty solid team. But the events of 'That Night' are enough for the cracks in their firm foundation to start showing.

It's best to go into this book with minimal knowledge of the plot as it gradually opens itself up to the reader, slowly but steadily.  The mistrust between the individuals festers away below the surface and old allegiances and arguments come to the fore as they all wonder how to move forward with their daily lives.

I certainly was unprepared for the climax to the story - you know there's vital information missing but as regards who has ownership of all the facts and who they've shared it with is anyone's guess!

A sinister read which kept me guessing right through to the final page.

About the Author:

Gillian McAllister is the Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling author of Everything But The Truth, Anything You Do Say, No Further Questions, The Evidence Against You and How To Disappear.

All of her novels are standalone and can be read in any order. She is published in ten countries around the world. The Good Sister is her US debut, released by Penguin USA, and is the American title for No Further Questions. The Choice is her second American release which is the US title for Anything You Do Say.

You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @gillianmauthor. She also blogs at http://www.gillianmcallister.com