Thursday, 21 November 2024

January 2025 - ones I'm hoping to read & review

 

I'm always on the look-out for exciting new reads to recommend for  you. Netgalley is my go-to site to find these books and January is looking particularly good. Here are some of the books I've got lined up to review, so you can make your book shopping list ready to spend those Christmas gift vouchers which I've asked Santa to get you!

A couple of well-known names to start us off:

Simon Mayo has been a household name on the radio for years now (my favourite on my journey home from work every day). Perhaps lesser known, but only slightly, for his written accomplishments with several books available in both the adult fiction and younger reader sections. I am delighted that the team at Bantam have allowed me an early copy of his new book Black Tag which is due to be released at the end of January. 

The description tells of a fire at a West End gallery which houses some important works of art. The fire service holds a list of items which get priority treatment in emergencies such as this, known as a "grab list", but it soon becomes clear that this list has been tampered with and  not everything that should be grabbed has made it onto the altered list. Priorities quickly change though when a body is found in the ashes of the gallery. Who is the deceased person? And why were they on the premises at the time of the fire?


One of my go-to authors Luca Veste publishes his next novel on 16th January. The thriller writer, who co-hosts a podcast entitled "Two crime writers and a microphone" alongside Steve Cavanagh, brings us a story which is every teen parent's nightmare: Alison's son Ben has been killed in what appears to be a random attack in a dark street. Ben's girlfriend Mia is (in Alison's eyes) the main suspect - 3 people close to her have now died, and Alison's gut is telling her that Mia has something to hide. How far will Mia go to stop Alison calling her a killer?




Also out on 16th January is Mary Watson's The Cleaner. From the description, it's giving me similar vibes to Steve Cavanagh's Witness 8. Esmie is employed as a cleaner by the owners of properties in a gated community. But it's not the salary she's wanting. It's revenge. One of the residents has upset Esmie in the worst possible way and she's going to make them pay far more than minimum wage for what they've done.

***

And now for something a bit different: A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage. It's a tale of a couple who used to be serial killers - as a couple. But once Hazel fell pregnant they decided to do the decent thing and give up their life of crime and live a respectable life in the suburbs. After all, getting rid of a body gets a bit more complicated with a baby in tow! But then, Hazel gets the irrepressible urge to do it just one more time but this time going solo, ending up with the police knocking at their door. I've yet to read this one but I've heard that the ending is an absolute triumph! I can't wait to dive in ready for publication day on 14th January. I do love a bit of dark humour!



Now I realise that the offerings I've given so far are all a bit dark and murdery, so if you're looking for something much lighter but still guaranteed to be a good read then you can't go wrong with Jill Mansell's writing. If ever I get myself into a bit of a slump then I know Jill will rescue me. A host of 5-star ratings ahead of publication mean I can't be too far wrong in the assumption that An Almost Perfect Summer will be as reliable as all its predecessors. 



Nella has sworn off people - particularly men - for some time now. So when she encounters Nick and finds him to be the kind of guy she could actually fall for she starts considering whether she would consider a relationship. Then she loses her job, and the only attractive employment opportunity means that he would be her boss, so the possibility of romance disappears in an instant. But this is Jill Mansell-land, so there's gotta be a chance somehow hasn't there? Jill's novels are filled with warmth, happiness, and always leave you feeling like you've been wrapped in a big hug, so maybe all is not lost after all. 


Lucy Diamond is another author guaranteed to take you away to better places - this time it's Kefalonia.
Jet off to the Greek island and mix with celebrity chef Frank Neale and his wife, disgraced TV star Miranda Vallance and 82-year old Evelyn Chambers, who have all chosen the destination for very different reasons. The chance to enjoy a nice bit of winter sun, away from the British hibernation season.

Reverting to type, my last two offerings are released at the end of January and I'm as keen as you guys to get my hands on a copy of both of these as sadly I've not had the chance to get early copies, which I am gutted about.


If you've been reading my blog this year, you'll have heard me mention Gillian McAllister's book Wrong Place Wrong Time which is my absolute favourite book in ages. Her new one Famous Last Words looks absolutely amazing and is about a lady who returns to work after maternity leave, her daughter's first day in nursery. She tries to contact her husband Luke - to no avail - then hears about a hostage situation in London. But it turns out that Luke is not a hostage. He's the gunman!!

Then there's Alice Feeney's next book, a thriller entitled Beautiful Ugly, also released on 30th January. I am so excited to read this. It sounds so intriguing.


Grady Green is an author, on the phone to his wife to share some very welcome good news. As he talks, he hears his wife slam on the brakes of the car, get out then... silence. The car is found, door open, headlights on, at a cliff edge. No sign of his wife anywhere. Then year later, on a remote Scottish island Grady sees the impossible. A woman who looks just like his missing wife...

These last two books share top spot on my most-wanted list for 2025 so far. Do you have any titles you're keen to get your hands on in January that have missed my radar? If so, please leave me a note in the comments and share the book love.

Thursday, 14 November 2024

Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild @TrapezeBooks #booktwt #bookreview #BloodSugar

 

Blood Sugar by Sascha Rothchild
Published by Trapeze
Publication Date: 19th April 2022

Book Description:

When Ruby was a child growing up in Miami, she saw a boy from her school struggling against the ocean waves while his parents were preoccupied. Instead of helping him, Ruby dove under the water and held his ankle down until he drowned. She waited to feel guilty for it, but she never did.

And, as Ruby will argue in her senior thesis while studying psychology at Yale, guilt is sort of like eating ice cream while on a diet - if you're already feeling bad, why not eat the whole carton? And so, the bodies start to stack up.

Twenty-five years later, Ruby's in an interrogation room under suspicion of murder, being shown four photographs. Each is a person she once knew, now deceased. The line-up includes her husband Jason. She is responsible for three of the four deaths... but it might be the crime that she didn't commit that will finally ensnare her.



My Thoughts:

The opening scenes of this book set the general tone of Ruby Simon's life: if you want to put a situation right, you have to take every opportunity, even if it means taking a life. As long as Ruby can justify why she's done it, then in her mind she's done the world a favour. And if you get away with it, then that's a bonus!

One person who questions Ruby's reasoning is Miami Beach Detective Keith Jackson. Twenty-five years on from Ruby's first venture into murdering people, she finds herself sitting in an interview room opposite the detective being shown photographs which are unnervingly significant to Ruby: the three people whose lives she has taken. But as far as Ruby is aware, she's the only one who knows the truth. So how come the detective has these jigsaw pieces which, if he can put them together to form a convincing picture, could put Ruby in jail for a very long time?

This book is not fast-paced; it's a simmering potion of a story which has the potential to explode at any point. The story flicks between Ruby's early years and the current predicament she finds herself in. If the detective was in possession of the facts that Ruby relays to the reader then she would be in serious trouble. That said, you can't help but find yourself liking Ruby despite the fact that she's a serial unaliver. The sense of injustice when the detective turns over a fourth photograph had me wanting to shout out in Ruby's defence. No way would Ruby have been responsible for her husband's death - so who could possibly have made such an accusation? Or is she a totally unreliable narrator who had me fooled for the entire book?

I enjoyed this book overall, and would have loved to have been able to immerse myself in it in one sitting, but sadly the day job put paid to that. I found my mind wandering back to the book in quieter moments of my day, making contrasts between what Ruby was telling us and the "facts" as Detective Jackson presented them. Which version was the truth? The message I took from this book is that there will always be that one person who wants to bring you down in life, but if you choose your allies wisely in life and look out for them, then maybe, just maybe, they will be prepared to do the same for you.

A strong 4 star rating from me.

About the Author:



Sascha Rothchild grew up in Miami Beach. She majored in playwriting at Boston College. She moved to Los Angeles to become a writer. After many odd jobs and first drafts, she broke into the tv and film business when her humorous personal essays published in LA Weekly got the attention of studios. She then wrote her comedic yet heartfelt memoir, How To Get Divorced By 30, published by Penguin/Plume. Sascha is now an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, who has written and produced numerous lauded shows such as Netflix’s GLOW. Sascha loves her two rescued boxer dogs and wearing lots of sunscreen. Blood Sugar is her debut novel.

Thursday, 7 November 2024

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak @BookSphere #TheLastOneAtThe Wedding #booktwt #bookreview #libraryloan

 

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Published by Sphere
Publication Date: 8th October 2024

Book Description:

The guests are arriving, and the celebrations are starting. But there's something strange about this wedding...

Frank Szatowski hasn't seen his daughter Maggie in years, and it breaks his heart every day. So when she calls him out of the blue, to tell him that she's getting married and he's invited, Frank is overjoyed.

Maggie is marrying into one of the richest families in the country, and Frank finds himself overwhelmed by the social circle she now moves in. He'll do anything to reconnect, though, and arrives at their New Hampshire estate ready to bond however he can with Maggie's in-laws.

But as the wedding weekend gets underway, it becomes clear to Frank that although they have spared no expense, there's something strange about Maggie's fiancé. And maybe Frank shouldn't be celebrating just yet...

My Thoughts:

I've heard fabulous things about this author's creepy book Hidden Pictures, but have yet to find it available on my library shelves - which speaks volumes in itself. So when the opportunity to read The Last One at the Wedding came up instead, I thought I'd give his writing a try. After all, I'm not a big fan of Halloween and all things creepy, so this one would probably be a better fit for me anyway.

We are introduced to UPS delivery driver Frank, who has 26 years accident-free years of service under his belt. It's a job he mostly enjoys, delivering to many regular customers on his route and it has kept a roof over his head since his wife died and his daughter was in her formative years. His hard-working sister Tammy helped him immensely in bringing Maggie up, taking her to medical appointments and steering her over the bumps in life. But Frank's relationship with Maggie turned sour somehow, and she's now in her twenties, living independently and refusing to make contact with Frank. Until one day, he gets the phone call he's been holding out for: Maggie calls him to say she's getting married and would love him to walk her down the aisle.

From the moment Frank meets the groom-to-be Aidan he knows something is off. Aidan is distant, almost to the point of being rude, and together the young couple don't seem to "click" like Frank would have expected to see. The red flags only multiply when Frank and his sister, together with Tammy's latest foster ward Abigail, arrive at the wedding venue. It's a huge resort with its own security staff - and just about every facility you could wish for. Tammy is immediately sucked in to the millionaire lifestyle and Abigail can't believe her eyes - it's a world away from the life she shared with her alcoholic mom. Plus she gets to be flower girl, despite a nasty case of headlice!

I was as drawn in to the storyline and characters as Tammy was to the possibility of becoming family to the owners of the Osprey Cove resort. There's a group of security staff who definitely don't make you feel safe, a possible whodunnit, a seemingly mismatched bride and groom, and the strangest set of in-laws you'll ever come across. I really wanted things to work out between Frank and Maggie but as the book ticked along this possibility seemed to drift further away than Frank and Abbie's canoe from the shore on the boating lake.

My favourite character (as you can probably tell) was Abigail - I loved how Frank's bond with her grew as the chapters moved along. Would there be a happy ending? Well, that depends how you look at the situation. Maybe not the one Frank imagined at the start, but probably one of the best options that could possibly come out of such a totally crazy set of circumstances.

An engaging read, I will definitely be seeking this author's work out on the shelves in future.

About the Author:

Jason Rekulak is the author of HIDDEN PICTURES, THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS, and (coming in October 2024!) THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING. His work has been translated into 30+ languages. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children.