Lies by TM Logan #book #review #Lies @TMLoganAuthor #bloggersbuybooks

 

Lies by TM Logan

Published by Twenty7

Publication Date: 4th May 2017 (paperback)

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Joe Lynch is just an ordinarily happily married man - until one split-second decision throws his life into crisis.  

When Joe sees his wife having a confrontation with family friend Ben, it's the first hint that she's been lying to him - about everything. And when he steps in to protect her, a harmless shove knocks Ben to the ground. And he's not moving...

My Thoughts:

This book has been sitting on my shelf for some time now so when I was idly looking for something to read which I could properly lose myself in this one popped out. It's quite a chunk of a book at 498 pages which made me suspect there would be plenty going on.  In some ways my suspicions were correct but in others the story felt a bit overly drawn-out.  I did feel a little disappointed with the "big twist" in the tale but that could just be that in the 5 years since the book was published society is more accepting of changes in people's personal lives - struggling here to not give too much away plot-wise!!

Joe Lynch certainly goes through a lot of situations which he would not expect to as a regular husband, dad and stereotypical English teacher. The sight of his wife meeting up with another man in a hotel car park rocks his world, but that's just the start of it.  The way the story progressed was cleverly written and certainly sent my mind on more than one wild goose chase. I felt for Joe as he battled to come to terms not only with the curve ball his wife had dealt him but the knock-on effect events at the car park seemed to be throwing his way. A law-abiding citizen all his life Joe is ill-equipped to deal with interviews with police officers and solicitors. How do you prove your innocence when all the evidence is pointing in the polar opposite direction? Who do you trust when the person who's supposed to have your back has just made you rethink your whole relationship?

The book was a success in that I didn't pre-empt the big reveal but as I said earlier I wasn't necessarily as shocked by it as maybe I would have done a few years ago. Some would say that Joe is quite a naive character but when you live a straightforward, honest life then you don't expect to get thrown into some of the situations Joe finds himself. I kind of felt sorry for him as all he craved was that simple, happy family life - it's not always a bad thing to keep things simple. It just doesn't make for an exciting page turner unfortunately. 

About the Author:

TM Logan's thrillers have sold more than a million copies in the UK and been translated into 22 other languages for publication around the world.

His latest thriller, TRUST ME, begins when a woman is asked to look after a stranger's baby on a train – only for the mother to vanish. When she looks in the baby’s things, she finds a note that says: ‘Please protect Mia. Don’t trust the police. Don’t trust anyone.’

THE CURFEW, coming March 2022, follows the events of a hot midsummer's night, when five teenagers go up to the woods to celebrate the end of exams, and only four come out...

Tim's thriller THE HOLIDAY was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and spent ten weeks in the Sunday Times paperback top ten. It has since won a Nielsen Bestseller Award and been made into a four-part TV drama with Jill Halfpenny for Channel 5.

A former national newspaper journalist, Tim lives in Nottinghamshire with his family and writes in a cabin at the bottom of his garden.

For exclusive writing, new releases and a FREE deleted scene from Tim, sign up to the Readers’ Club: www.TMLogan.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @TMLoganAuthor

The Interview by CM Ewan #book #review #ARC #TheInterview @chrisewan @panmacmillan #NetGalley

 

The Interview by CM Ewan

Published by Pan MacMillan

Publication Date: 17th February 2022

Genre: Mystery, Thrillers

Book Description:

It’s 5 p.m. on a Friday.
You have been called to an interview for your dream job.
In a stunning office thirteen floors above the city below, you are all alone with the man interviewing you.
Everyone else has gone home for the weekend.
The interview gets more and more disturbing.
You’re feeling scared.
Your only way out is to answer a seemingly impossible question.
If you can’t . . . what happens next?

My Thoughts:

Do you ever start a book and want to shout at the lead character to turn and walk away from the whole situation in the first chapter? This was how I felt right from the start of this psychological thriller from CM Ewan.  I'm a person who gets suspicious of people and places that seem too good to be true because that's usually exactly what they are. The Mirror, a trendy new high rise office block in London where Kate has been called in for an interview, is one of those places.  Her recruitment agent Maggie reassures her that she has nothing to worry about, she's perfect for the role she's being interviewed for; all she has to do is be herself. 

Alarm bells ring for Kate from the moment she is introduced to the man who's interviewing her that day - she was told it would be a woman and nobody has offered any explanation or apology for the change in personnel. Things head swiftly downhill from that point onwards and I have to say I found some of the situations Kate encountered a bit far-fetched and slightly repetitive. However the short, action-packed chapters keep the tension ramped up to the maximum and the timely addition of new characters and some shocking twists will have your pulse racing right to the end. The stifling feeling of claustrophobia carries well throughout the whole book, and every time you feel Kate begins to stand a chance of perhaps escaping the offices of Edge Communications the doors are quite literally slammed in her face. 

I did struggle with the whole back story of why Kate had ended up being interviewed by Joel, and that part of the book was the one which didn't work so well for me. Maybe other people will find differently but it didn't click for me personally. Not sufficiently for it to spoil the book overall but my feeling was that it was two separate storylines which didn't quite blend. A good concept which just failed to hit the mark. 

About The Author:

Chris Ewan is a British crime and mystery writer. He is best known for his "Good Thief" series of travelling adventures featuring Charlie Howard, a thief and author of his own crime series. Ewan was born in Taunton, Somerset, and lived on the Isle of Man with his family before moving back to Somerset.

Tea For Two at the Little Cornish Cafe by Jane Linfoot #book #review #blogtour @janelinfoot #NetGalley @OneMoreChapter_ @rararesources

 

Tea For Two at the Little Cornish Kitchen by Jane Linfoot

Published by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Publication Date: 30th January 2022

Book Description:

St Aidan: a cosy Cornish village where friendships are made for life and it’s always cocktail hour somewhere…

The Little Cornish Kitchen is going on tour!

When internet sensation ‘Cressida Cupcake’ has a soggy bottomed TV fiasco and faces bake-off backlash she jumps at the chance to spend some time hiding out in St Aidan, dog sitting for her brother.

Picturesque Seaspray Cottage is meant to be Cressy Hobson’s port in the storm but with her blog sponsors having fled and her book deal gone sideways her funds are running low and she’s forced to turn to the locals for help. Soon her quiet weeks in Cornwall are filled with chasing sheep, saving the local retirement village, taking The Little Cornish Kitchen into people’s homes for baking nights…and keeping vigilant guard against romance.

The one and only time Cressy lost her head to love was over a decade ago while in St Aidan, and she won’t be making the same mistake again – a feat easier said than done when Ross Bradbury looks even better a decade on…and every step she takes seems to put him in her path!

My Thoughts:

First and foremost my thanks go to Rachel Gilbey for the opportunity to feature my review as part of the blog tour for this lovely book.

This book has all the ingredients you need to settle yourself in for a nice easy read: a seaside setting, a boisterous dog, lots of mouth watering cake and a group of girls you can only wish were your own friendship group.  Charlie's sister Cressida however is not finding the prospect quite so enticing; she's there purely to hide away from the wrong kind of social media attention following her disaster on a hugely popular TV baking show and to house/dog sit for her brother and his wife Clemmie who have gone away for a couple of months as they pursue their dreams of becoming parents for the first time. As a London girl, Cressy isn't keen on the small town, close knit community where everyone knows each others business and just wants to shut the door on the world in order to concentrate on how to repair the damage to her career. Her furry friend Diesel has other ideas though making Cressy's worst nightmares come true as he takes an impromptu bound for freedom and hurtles straight into the one person who Cressy least wants to see on the entire planet: Ross Bradbury. Her ex-boyfriend who caused her world to come crashing down once before and was the one who made her so fiercely independent and determined to forge her own way in the world.

The book re-introduces us to Clemmie's group of close friends, known as The Mermaids, and follows their efforts to include Cressy into their world during her stay in St Aidan. Those of you who have read The Little Cornish Kitchen will be familiar with the group who are determined not to leave anyone feeling like an outsider in their community. Those who are joining for the first time will soon realise, as does Cressy, that this is a community that pulls together for the good of the town. It's not long before Cressy is busier than she ever was in London, with the TV disaster soon becoming old news and her Twitter feed changing dramatically from snide comments regarding soggy bottoms to posts praising her new-found fame in St Aidan.

But what about Ross?  He's always there, lurking in close proximity and with The Mermaids signing him up to help them out at every opportunity it's not long before the former couple find themselves being forced to re-visit old ground and trying to make sense of what happened over a decade ago in their personal lives.

I loved the journey Cressy took, how she was forced to re-evaluate her whole life and what she wanted from it - all because her brother needed a house and pet sitter.  The author has brought a heart warming story so vividly to life; it's all very relateable and peppered with some hilarious escapades for many of the characters. Not to mention a fabulous selection of recipes that are featured throughout the story included at the end of the book too. What's not to like?  

Please can I move to St Aidan and become one of The Mermaids, complete with my own tail and make-up?

I must give credit and huge personal thanks to my daughter Jess who has assisted with the writing of this review.  She has given up her personal time to proof-read and correct the grammar in the first draft I had managed to get scribbled down before a migraine ambushed me.  It is all thanks to her that this review makes any sense at all and was ready in time for my stop on the tour today. 

Buy Your Copy Here:

Purchase Links

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tea-Little-Cornish-Kitchen-Book-ebook/dp/B09MH5L4SP/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Tea-Little-Cornish-Kitchen-Book-ebook/dp/B09MH5L4SP/

About the Author:

Jane Linfoot is a best selling author, who lives in a cottage, up the steepest hill in Derbyshire, with her family, their pets, and an astonishing number of spiders. Although she loves seeing cow noses over the garden wall, she’s happy she can walk to a supermarket. Jane grew up in North Yorkshire where she spent a lot of her childhood avoiding horizontal gales blowing off the sea, and wrote her first book by accident, while working as an architect, and renovating country houses. While she loves to write feel good books that let readers escape, she’s always surprised to hear her stories make people laugh, admits to (occasionally) crying as she writes, and credits her characters for creating their own story lines. Jane’s garden would be less brambly if she wasn’t on Facebook and Twitter so often. On days when she wants to be really scared, she rides a tandem. She has lots of Pinterest boards relating to her novels.

 

Social Media Links –

https://twitter.com/janelinfoot

facebook.com/janelinfoot20

https://www.instagram.com/janelinfoot/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/janelinfoot

The Beresford by Will Carver #book #review @will_carver @OrendaBooks #TheBeresford #libraryreads #bloggersborrowbooks

 

The Beresford by Will Carver

Published by Orenda Books

Publication Date: 22nd July 2021

Genre: Horror Thriller

Book Description:

Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.

Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him. 

In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers. 

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.

Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

My Thoughts:

This is my first read from author Will Carver and I'd heard such good things that I thought I'd give it a try.  To say it was a step away from my regular reading genre is quite the understatement! Despite this it is probably the book that has had me turning the pages fastest so far this year.

The story is based around an old, large, rather foreboding building called The Beresford. The lower two floors have been broken down into spacious apartments by the owner, Mrs May. A mysterious, ageing yet ageless lady who somehow seems to know all that goes on in the building yet never appears to witness any of it herself. So how does she have her finger on the pulse (or lack of it!) so well?

The affordable rent Mrs May charges for each apartment makes The Beresford an attractive option for many people whose circumstances mean their choices are limited. This also explains why there is such a high turnover of different residents passing through, until you find out exactly what goes on behind closed doors, which will give you a totally different outlook altogether.

The chapters are very short yet extremely punchy meaning that you quickly become engrossed in the shocking world of Mrs May and her tenants. Time passed in a flash while I was reading this book and I had numerous late nights that stretched out even later as my mind returned to the plot while I lay in bed trying (and failing) to get to sleep in preparation for work the next morning. 

The description of the book given at the start of this page is literally all the plotline you need to have going into this book. To say any more would spoil your experience. All I will say is that for such short chapters in each character's life we get to know so much about them; they are all so well described that you feel like these are people you actually know - until you realise that The Beresford will have them questioning just how well they even know themselves!  My jaw was left hanging open on multiple occasions owing to the macabre goings on.  Due to the regular kind of murder/mystery/crime novels I tend to read, I was waiting for the appearance of detectives and forensics and all the usual stuff. Will Carver however takes this novel in a completely different, quirky yet shocking direction which, had I known more about before I started, I probably wouldn't have entertained reading. But oh am I glad I did! This book rocked me out of my comfort zone to the extreme and if you want an author who will have you over-thinking in the most chilling, disturbing and mind blowing way then Will Carver fits the description perfectly.

Be prepared to be taken into the world of probably the weirdest but most compelling novel you will read this year!

May I also give a huge shout out to my daughter Jess who has very kindly helped prepare this review for me at short notice. I spent a whole weekend suffering from a migraine unfortunately, which left me struggling to get my thoughts down "on paper". She has very kindly given up her own personal time to ensure that what you are reading today actually makes sense!

About the Author:

Will Carver is the bestselling author of the January Series – Girl 4 (2011), The Two (2012), The Killer Inside (2013), Dead Set (2013) – and the critically acclaimed Detective Pace series, which includes Good Samaritans (2018), Nothing Important Happened Today (2019) and Hinton Hollow Death Trip (2020), all of which were selected as books of the year in mainstream international press. The books in this series have also been longlisted/shortlisted for the Amazon Readers Independent Voice Award, Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, Not The Booker Prize and the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year Award. Will spent his early years living in Germany, but returned at age eleven. He studied theatre and television at King Alfred’s Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition business and lives in Reading with his children

The Hunting Ground by Will Shindler #TheHuntingGround #NetGalley #book #review @WillShindler @hayleyemmasteed @HodderBooks

 

The Hunting Ground by Will Shindler

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 3rd February 2022

DI Alex Finn book #3

Book Description:

Sadie Nicholls has been found dead, brutally and strangely murdered, in her South East London flat. Her little boy is missing.

DI Alex Finn and DC Mattie Paulsen know that, in the case of a missing child, it's the first 24 hours that count. They don't have many left to find out where Sadie's son might be and the identity of her killer. Why would anyone want a struggling single mother, loved by many, dead?

But when they realise a similar crime was committed at the same house nearly 20 years ago, a question is on everyone's lips: is this more than just a coincidence?

This is third in Will Shindler's Finn and Paulsen series - a British detective series that ranks with Mark Billingham, M.J. Arlidge and Stuart MacBride.

My Thoughts:

This series just keeps improving with every book which, had you asked me if it were possible after the first book I would have doubted.  Admittedly it does have the age-old vein of a troubled detective fighting his demons running through it but in the case of DI Alex Finn you really are rooting for him to come to terms with those demons and live his life to the full rather than hide from them by immersing himself in his work.

In this third instalment Alex isn't the only person fighting to keep afloat every day although in Sadie Nicholls' case it is mainly financial pressures which are the cause of her struggles. A single mum, she puts the needs of her young son front and centre. She'd do anything to keep him safe and well cared for. That said, she has her principles and even the promise of much-needed cash won't make her compromise her morals. Would it be this self-respect which would lead to her untimely death? That's the question Finn and his team need to answer in their search for her killer.

All the regular faces in Finn's team feature in the book and I felt like an invisible member of the team as they work together to piece together what could have gone so horribly wrong in Sadie's life for it to reach such an awful conclusion. Neighbours, friends and family members are all interviewed but on face value nothing appears to be stand out, until someone mentions the uncomfortable coincidence of another young woman and her young son having come to the same end in the same house some 30 odd years previously. This opens up a whole new line of enquiry and focus shifts to the older generation on the street - those who were resident in the area when the first murder happened. But a man is still locked away for committing that crime so that puts paid to that train of thought...right??

I like crime novels where detectives use their "copper's nose" - a gut instinct which tells them when a piece of the puzzle isn't a good fit. Bringing this together with hard factual evidence is Finn's way. His colleagues Paulsen and Ojo trust his judgment but aren't afraid to question his reasoning - throw in his superior Skegman and Finn really does need to justify his hunches rather than being allowed to go totally free rein with them which makes the books far more realistic. There are small crumbs of evidence all through the book and I genuinely felt that I was collating this evidence alongside the team to put the whole picture together. Mental health issues are tackled in a sensitive manner by the author with clear research having been done into conditions and their management. The conditions are described from the subject's point of view and the knock-on effect to those around them is presented sympathetically yet in real terms. My respect to the author for including this side of the book as it seems to be such a big part of many families' lives these days and often it can be a very lonely experience due to the limited amount of support available. This side of the book becomes significant however at no point did I find it overwhelming.

My sincere thanks to the publisher for allowing me to follow this series of books via a pre-publication copy through NetGalley - I have heard a whisper that book 4 will be available next year. I will definitely be adding it to my wish list!

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. He is the writer of The Burning Men, The Killing Choice and The Hunting Ground. The fourth book in the DI Alex Finn series – The Blood Line – will publish in 2023.

The Impulse Purchase by Veronica Henry #NetGalley @orionbooks #TheImpulsePurchase @veronica_henry #book #review

 

The Impulse Purchase by Veronica Henry

Published by Orion Books

Publication Date: 3rd February 2022

Genre: General Fiction

Book Description:

Sometimes you have to let your heart rule your head . . .

Cherry, Maggie and Rose are mother, daughter and granddaughter, each with their own hopes, dreams and even sorrows. They have always been close, so when, in a moment of impulse, Cherry buys a gorgeous but rundown pub in the village she grew up in, it soon becomes a family affair.

All three women uproot themselves and move to Rushbrook, deep in the heart of Somerset, to take over The Swan and restore it to its former glory. Cherry is at the helm, Maggie is in charge of the kitchen, and Rose tends the picturesque garden that leads down to the river.

Before long, the locals are delighted to find the beating heart of the village is back, bringing all kinds of surprises through the door.

Could Cherry's impulse purchase change all their lives - and bring everyone the happiness they're searching for?

Escape to the glorious Somerset countryside with this joyful and uplifting story of family, love and hope.

My Thoughts:

What if a moment's impulse buy could change your family's life? Stability for future generations, a steady income and a happy home. But at what cost? 

Cherry's husband Mike has always been the leader in their relationship but when a bombshell drops at his retirement party Cherry thinks over their years together and starts to question every aspect of their lives.  These events coincide with the need to return to her parents' home following the recent death of her mum and it's whilst dealing with the formalities of clearing the house that Cherry is reminded of something her mum once said to her; a reminder that although she's a partner, mum, and grandmother she shouldn't forget the importance of doing something just for herself occasionally. To not lose track of her own dreams and passions. Which is how Cherry ends up buying the Swan pub, the place she spent many hours in her youth either working or socialising.

This is a lovely book which reminds us that although we each have a "position" within our life and family we are also individuals with our own personal ambitions and desires. Cherry, daughter Maggie and granddaughter Rose all go through a bit of a life laundry when Cherry makes her impulse purchase: out with the old, in with the new and a re-evaluation of what's important. In places it is inspirational and in others it makes you realise how lucky you are to have all that you do. It may not be as much as someone else but are you happy with your lot? If not, can you change things in order to achieve your goals? But when you weigh everything up in life what do you value the most?

Veronica Henry has written yet another extremely readable book. Its storyline flows easily from the pages yet gets you thinking about all that's important in your life. The characters make you want to be part of their world and be a better person both for yourself and for others. The setting is beautiful although at heart I think I'm more of a townie than a country village person when I'm truly honest with myself. Which is exactly what this book is all about: honesty. With others, but most importantly with ourselves.

My thanks to the publisher who kindly allowed me the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication via NetGalley.

About the Author:

Veronica Henry has worked as a scriptwriter for THE ARCHERS, HEARTBEAT and HOLBY CITY amongst many others, before turning to fiction. She won the 2014 RNA NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD for A NIGHT ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. Veronica lives with her family by the sea in north Devon. Find out more at http://www.veronicahenry.co.uk or follow her on Twitter @veronica_henry