Friend of The Family by Tasmina Perry #Book #Review @Bookish_Becky #FriendOfTheFamily

Friend of the Family by Tasmina Perry

Published by Headline Review

Publication date 9th August 2018 (kindle edition)

384 pages

Book Description:

She thinks your life is perfect. She thinks you don't deserve it.

Your job
Amy is more than happy to offer the daughter of an old friend work experience at her London magazine. Josie is young and ambitious. She just needs a foot in the door.

Your home
When Josie arrives, she swiftly makes herself indispensable at work and at home. And when childcare falls through before a long-awaited university reunion in Provence, it begins to look as if Josie may be staying longer than Amy had bargained for.

Your husband
In the heat of Provence, Josie's presence starts to unsettle Amy, especially around her husband. As cracks begin to appear in Amy's perfect life, she cannot shake the feeling that the family friend may not be a friend at all...

Don't miss this gripping, addictive read. It will make you think twice about who you invite into your home...

My Review: 

Keep your friends close but your enemies closer; this cliché could rarely be more apt than in this chilling new novel from Tasmina Perry.  

Amy moved away from Bristol when she earned a place at Oxford University, leaving her best friend Karen behind on the council estate where they grew up. Despite occasional letters and visits between the two girls, they eventually lose contact as their lives take different directions and Amy establishes a new group of friends and associates. Suddenly after many years of no contact, Amy gets an invitation from Karen to meet and catch up on the missing years.  Karen has a teenage daughter, Josie - clever, ambitious and looking to get off the council estate and move up in the world.  Before she knows what she is doing Amy has offered Josie the opportunity of work experience at the glossy fashion magazine where she is editor. And there begins the problem...

With a comfortably sized cast of fine-living characters we see just how far removed Amy's life has changed from her grass roots beginnings. With friends with second homes in Provence, her own nanny and regular social/business events at high class venues across the world Amy has an enviable lifestyle; one which Josie is keen to be a part of.  Then the opportunity comes up for Josie to go with the family and their university friends to Provence for a long overdue reunion - she can't believe her luck!  Amy has an unsettling distrust of Josie, something she can't quite pinpoint but feels strongly even before they set off for their holiday in the sun; this feeling only grows during their time away until things come to a head and Amy is forced to confront Josie with her suspicions. 

The author very cleverly uses time switch chapters throughout the book to back up the various theories as to what is going on and why, taking us back to events during the group's university days when Karen was an occasional visitor to their student digs which may or may not have a bearing on the current situation.  The clues are very subtly there yet it is so easy as a reader to jump to the most obvious conclusion. The quality of writing is excellent throughout the book with Amy's insecurities being targeted both in her professional and home lives to really unsettle her on all fronts and make for a gripping and very real feel. I felt myself taking more and more of a dislike to Josie as the story progressed and I was looking for further evidence of her finding ways to take Amy's place in every scene she was mentioned in, so I was quite blind sided by the final reveal of what the real story was all about.  That'll teach me to judge people by their circumstances!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking up Tasmina Perry's back list to add to my shelves - I can't believe I haven't read her work before now.  I have certainly been missing out on some great reads.

My thanks to Becky Hunter at Headline for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. 

About the Author

Tasmina Perry is the Sunday Times bestselling novelist of twelve novels including Daddy's Girls, one of the biggest selling debuts of 2006. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and have sold over two million copies around the world.
A former lawyer and award-winning magazine journalist, she has edited several national titles including In Style and More. She also writes psychological thrillers under the pseudonym JL Butler. JL Butler's debut thriller Mine has been optioned by Sony Pictures and is in development with Original Film.
She lives in London with her husband, son and too many shoes.

What Falls Between The Cracks by Robert Scragg #Book #Review @robert_scragg @AllisonandBusby

What Falls Between the Cracks by Robert Scragg

Published by Allison & Busby

Publication Date: 20th September 2018 (paperback)

Genre: Crime/Thriller 

320 pages

Book Description:

Did she slip through the cracks, or was she pushed?

When a severed hand is found in an abandoned flat, Detective Jake Porter and his partner Nick Styles are able to DNA match the limb to the owner, Natasha Barclay, who has not been seen in decades. But why has no one been looking for her? It seems that Natasha’s family are the people who can least be trusted.

Delving into the details behind her disappearance and discovering links to another investigation, a tragic family history begins to take on a darker twist. Hampered by a widespread fear of a local heavy, as well as internal politics and possible corruption within the force, Porter and Styles are digging for answers, but will what they find ever see the light of day?

My Review:

Robert Scragg is one of the new authors this year who have me really excited for the work they are yet to put into print.  This debut novel had me completely gripped from the start although I did, in the first few chapters, struggle to get my head around the number of characters and the role they played. 
The excellent pairing of DI Jake Porter and DS Nick Styles have a great line in banter whilst still keeping the utmost respect for each other. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how they worked together to get the results, which was a great contrast for other characters in the book.

The discovery of a severed hand in a freezer in a seemingly deserted apartment  in North East London leads the duo to question local high achieving business man Alexander Locke who just happens to be married to the step mother of the owner of the hand.  The answers they seek regarding missing Natasha Barclay are not forthcoming, as is any other information or any emotion regarding the fact that Natasha hasn't been seen for over 30 years. Something just doesn't add up, and the crime fighting duo are soon led into the murky underworld of local drug dealers with the cross over of facts in this case with investigations being made by their drug squad colleagues. I couldn't work out who knew what or whether those being investigated were actually involved or just under pressure from Locke and his associates. Furthermore, the discovery of a possible internal leak of information to the criminals has Porter & Styles wondering who they can trust on the inside - not helped by their discovery of a photo of one of the top brass at a charity event with Locke.  The possibility there is a corrupt officer on his team has Porter more determined than ever to make arrests.  What actually transpires shocks everyone on the team and my pulse was racing as the closing chapters raced to an action packed climax.

The plotting of this novel and the manner in which the facts are revealed are incredibly well written and it is hard to believe this author has not had other work published before.  I will certainly be recommending Robert Scragg as an exciting new voice in the crime genre. 

About the Author:

Robert Scragg had a random mix of jobs before taking the dive into crime writing; he's been a bookseller, pizza deliverer, Karate instructor and Football coach. He lives in Tyne & Wear, is a founding member of the North East Noir crime writers group and is currently writing the second Porter and Styles novel. For a full list of upcoming events and more info about Robert and his books, visit www.robertscragg.com

Summer at Hollyhock House by Cathy Bussey #Book #Review @SapereBooks

Summer at Hollyhock House by Cathy Bussy

Published by Sapere Books

Publication Date: 30 July 2018

332 pages

My thanks to Caoimhe O'Brien at Sapere Books for the invitation to read an advance copy of this fun rom com and be part of the promotional blog tour.
  

Book Description:

An uplifting romantic comedy from a new voice in women’s fiction! Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Debbie Johnson, Jenny Colgan and Holly Martin.

One long summer changed Faith forever…

Faith Coombes should have been over the moon when her long-term boyfriend proposed to her. But instead, she broke up with him. Rob was safe, reliable, nice and … boring. Nothing like the only person who had ever broken her heart…

Unable to afford the rent on another flat and desperate for a new start, Faith takes the plunge and moves back to the village she grew up in, returning to the house that holds so many memories for her.

Hollyhock House, the family home of her best-friend Minel, also belongs to the boy who meant so much to her all those years ago…

As Faith falls back in love with the sprawling surroundings at Hollyhock she also finds herself falling all over again for the only person who has truly hurt her.

Can Faith come to terms with her past? Did she make the wrong decision in breaking up with Rob?

Or does her heart really lie at Hollyhock House?

Summer at Hollyhock House is a charming romantic comedy full of lost loves, missed opportunities and second chances. This summer read, perfect for the holidays, will have you laughing-out-loud in parts, close to tears in others, and above all, championing Faith as she searches for what is most important to her. 

My Review:

Faith and Rob have been together for a few years now, and the natural progression for their relationship in Rob's mind is to propose...which really isn't what Faith had in mind.  Cue a huge change in circumstances for them both which results in Faith moving back home to her parents' house with an impending sense of gloom as she has to face up to people and places from her teenage years which she has managed to avoid for some 9 years.

We meet Faith's school friends Minel and Sara, their friendship as close as it was all those years ago - but it's not the girls who Faith has the problem with, it's Min's brother Rik who she is dreading facing. She and Rik have unfinished business and by the reaction she gets from Rik when she arrives back at Hollyhocks it seems she isn't the only one struggling with left over emotions from back in the day.  With a scorcher of a summer to spend in close proximity to him, and following a discussion with the girls which causes Faith to rethink all she thought she knew about the last time she saw Rik, Faith decides to bite the bullet and try to lay some ghosts to rest with a full and frank discussion with the young man who is causing her so many sleepless nights.

Misunderstandings and stubborn pride are both to blame in the couple's story, which the author has related with perfect pacing, with flash back chapters dotted in amongst the present day's events to keep everything neat and tidy in the reader's mind.  The introduction of Rik's beautiful new girlfriend adds to the confusion as to what his feelings are towards Faith, leaving her tying herself in knots as to whether they can even just be friends let alone anything else her heart had in mind.

Long bike rides in the sunshine, a summer-long project with a well established group of friends and time to contemplate what she wants out of life leads Faith to be brave in both her personal and professional life in the long term - and she gets her very own adorable puppy into the bargain!

I loved this easy to read tale of summer romance and felt a great sense of contentment by the end of the book.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting a good summer read.

About the Author:

Cathy is an author, journalist and hopeless romantic who wrote her first book at the tender age of six. Entitled Tarka the Otter, it was a shameless rip-off of the Henry Williamson classic of the same name, and the manuscript was lost after she sent it to her pen-pal and never heard a jot from her since.
Fortunately reception to her writing became more favourable and she spent ten years working for a range of newspapers and magazines covering everything from general elections and celebrity scandals to cats stuck up trees and village fetes. She has been freelance since 2011 and written for The Telegraph, Red Online, Total Women’s Cycling and other lifestyle and cycling publications and websites.
She is the author of three non-fiction books and her debut and thankfully non-plagiarised novel Summer at Hollyhock House will be published by Sapere books this year.
Cathy lives on the leafy London/Surrey border with her husband, two children and a dog with only two facial expressions, hungry and guilty. Her hobbies include mountain biking, photography, wandering around outside getting lost, fantasising about getting her garden under control, reading, and looking at pretty things on Instagram. You can find her there @cathybussey.

Social Media Links:

Website

http://www.cathybussey.com

Twitter

CathyBussey

Truth & Lies by Caroline Mitchell #Book #Review

Truth & Lies by Caroline Mitchell

Published by Thomas & Mercer

Publication date: 30 August 2018 

348 pages

Genre: Crime, Thrillers

Book Description:

Meet Amy Winter: Detective Inspector, daughter of a serial killer.

DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.

Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy’s biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims—but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.

While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother’s doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.

But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?

My Review:

'One lie spoils a thousand truths'

Wow.  If ever a book made me feel uncomfortable, this is the one.  As the first in a new series featuring detective Amy Winter it certainly makes a spectacular entrance and I can't wait to see where the author takes the characters in future.

The scene is set with a news report of the sentencing of serial killer Lillian Grimes, nicknamed along with husband Jack as 'The Beasts of Brentwood'. Daughter Poppy has witnessed scenes in her short life time that no adult would ever wish to encounter, let alone a 4 year old child.  The whole novel was reminiscent of the Fred and Rosemary West crimes in Gloucester which came to light in the 1990's. Amy Winter's father was the detective leading the case, yet the bodies of 3 victims remain undiscovered with Jack Grimes taking his secrets to the grave with him and wife Lillian staying resolutely silent on the subject for 30 years. Until Amy's father dies and she receives a letter from Lillian which blows her world apart and makes her question everything which she has based her life on.

In her professional life Amy is leading the case of a missing teenager, her first case back since the death of her father, which is spookily similar to the disappearances of the girls in the Grimes case all those years ago. Her personal life is one huge round of questions as to who she is and how that impacts on her job. People she has known and trusted for as long as she can remember - both personally and professionally - are now cast into doubt with psychopathic Lillian seeming to pull the strings of Amy's life even from behind bars. Who is involved in Lillian's mind games? And does she have any involvement in the disappearance of local teenager Hemmy Parker? If so, how is this possible? Who is helping her on the outside? The questions keep stacking up.

All this makes for an unsettling yet gripping read.  Lillian is a scarily well written character who believes her own lies until she trips herself up during her conversations with Amy.  It is clear that the author has worked with people just like Lillian in her day job before becoming a writer as the detail in the character is just too realistic for this to be part of someone's imagination. The way the current case weaves in and out of the personal side of the detective's life is absolutely brilliant and although I did have a couple of question marks surrounding the significance of some of the other characters who feature in the plot I wasn't even close to working out the whodunnit part of the tale.

I can't wait for the next instalment of this series and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes their crime novels to have that edge to them which makes you feel horrified yet compelled to turn the page to find out more.

My thanks to Eleanor Hemming of Midas PR and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book and the opportunity to be part of the promotional tour. My review is entirely my own view.

About the Author:

USA Today and International #1 Bestselling Author. Shortlisted by the International Thriller Awards for best ebook 2017.

Over half a million books sold.

A former police detective, Caroline Mitchell now writes full time. She has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with the vulnerable victims—high-risk victims of domestic abuse and serious sexual offences. The mental strength shown by the victims of these crimes is a constant source of inspiration to her, and Mitchell combines their tenacity with her knowledge of police procedure to create tense psychological thrillers. Originally from Ireland, she now lives in a pretty village on the coast of Essex with her husband and three children.

Social Media Links:

Website: www.caroline-writes.com
Twitter :@caroline_writes 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CMitchellAuthor/

Coming soon... What Falls Between the Cracks Blog Tour @allisonandbusby

FOLLOW THE TOUR!

You won't want to miss what reviewers are saying about this explosive debut from Robert Scragg.

Victory for the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell #BlogTour #Promo #TheShipyardGirls @arrowpublishing @arevellwalton

Victory for the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell

Published by Cornerstone Digital

Publication date: 6th September 2018

432 pages

Genre: General Fiction/Saga

I was excited to be invited by Rachel Kennedy from Cornerstone to be part of the promotional tour for this, the latest instalment in the Shipyard Girls series.  I was really disappointed to not have space in my reading schedule to read and review this book in time for the tour, but am delighted to be able to feature the book here on Sandie's Book Shelves as this is a series I have been wanting to read for some time.  As it is book 5 in the series I think I have some catching up to do!
Here's the synopsis of the book as a taster for you:

Book Description:

Sunderland, 1942

With the war showing no sign of abating, Helen is thriving in her role as shipyard manager. But at home the return of her father brings a shocking discovery that tears her family apart.

Gloria is shouldering the burden of a terrible secret. If the truth comes out there could be dire consequences, and it will take all her resolve to resist the pressure around her.

Meanwhile Rosie is throwing herself into her work, taking on as many shifts as she can. Anything to keep her mind off the fact that she hasn’t heard from her sweetheart in months…

With life in the shipyards tougher than ever, will the strength of their friendship see them through to victory?

Buy your copy here:

Link to Amazon - https://amzn.to/2PoTuB0   

Link to Waterstones- https://bit.ly/2wskDfw

 

About the Author:

Nancy Revell is the author of the Shipyard Girls series, which is set in the north-east of England during World War II.

She is a former journalist who worked for all the national newspapers, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. Nancy also wrote amazing and inspirational true life stories for just about every woman’s magazine in the country.

When she first started writing the Shipyard Girls series, Nancy relocated back to her hometown of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, along with her husband, Paul, and their English bull mastiff, Rosie. They now live just a short walk away from the beautiful award-winning beaches of Roker and Seaburn, within a mile of where the books are set.

The subject is particularly close to Nancy’s heart as she comes from a long line of shipbuilders, who were well known in the area.

Social Media Links:

Arrow Twitter: @arrowpublishing

Nancy Revell Twitter: @arevellwalton

Follow the tour to read reviews and features from other bloggers about Nancy's excellent new book:

Monthly Round-Up: August 2018

This month has been quite busy book-wise, with a several new blog tours added to the schedule for the coming weeks.  Unfortunately planning what to read leaves less time to actually read. Here's what I've managed to remove from the TBR pile, and if the reviews aren't already up on the page then they will be popping up at some point in the coming weeks:

The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey

Police procedural

464 pages

Open Your Eyes by Paula Daly

Psychological Thriller

352 pages

Evie's Little Black Book by Hannah Pearl

Contemporary Romance

160 pages

Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell

Crime/Thriller

348 pages

Summer at Hollyhock House by Cathy Bussey

Womens Fiction

413 pages

The Other Sister by Elle Croft

Mystery & Thrillers

304 pages