2021 - my year of reading

 Just a quick (hopefully not too waffly) post to round up the year - I do hope you all received some lovely new books in your Christmas stocking this year. I know I did and I can't wait to get myself settled onto the sofa over the New Year to get stuck in to them. I'm not a big fan of going out to crowded bars or parties, etc to see the new year in so Boris wasn't going to change my NYE plans one iota if he had decided to rejig the covid restrictions. I'm not going to get all political but I do hope the hospitality industry can start to get back on its feet again after suffering for so long, and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year however you decide to see in 2022.

Looking back at 2021 it's been a strange one for me reading-wise. I kind of hit a bit of a wall and lost my reading mojo for most of the year in comparison to previous years.  I've only completed 54 books this year where my previous years have been 80+ titles but amongst the books I've read have been some which will stay with me for a good while.  

A couple of books which were set during lockdown really hit the spot, 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard especially so. I read this via NetGalley a good while before it was published and I couldn't wait for it to hit the shelves to see how it was received by other people. I was therefore delighted to see that it won The Irish Book Awards Crime Fiction Book of the Year 2021.

Another book came along which made me consider how the lockdown would be affecting office staff who were required to work from home yet didn't have a great set-up for doing so, a situation which had never crossed my mind before: Hot Desk by Zara Stoneley blends a difficult work scenario with a bit of an office romance and is a good bit of fun.

The real stand out books for me this year are two totally different novels. One I think because I wasn't expecting to enjoy it quite as much as I did, considering it is based around the concept of euthanasia - and I certainly wasn't expecting to physically laugh out loud whilst reading it either (I still feel rather awkward admitting this, but anyone who's read it will get why I am able to do so. I promise I'm not totally callous!). Exit by Belinda Bauer caught me completely off guard and was just the book I needed to lift me out of my slump. Please, if you haven't read it yet, don't be put off by the euthanasia thing. I promise you will love the story!

My final recommendation from this year's reads is, in contrast, a hard hitting, emotional read. Set in South America it tells the harrowing tale of one woman's efforts to escape the cartels which run the country. She and her young son witness the cold-blooded killing of their entire family and instantly realise they need to escape to the North to safety. My pulse raced and my heart broke for them through the entire book.  Not my usual type of read but boy, has it made its mark on me. On the one hand it is a slow burner of a story yet at the same time I was racing through the pages in order to get the migrants to safety. I don't know how a writer can do that, but Jeanine Cummins certainly managed it here.

2021 has also seen some excellent TV adaptions of novels this year. As many of you know, I don't watch much TV but I have tried to watch some of the thriller adaptions which have hit our screens.  One notable one was the version of the first in Peter James series of Roy Grace novels, Dead Simple. They called it simply 'Grace' and while I felt, as I often do with TV/movie adaptions, that much was left out overall they didn't do a bad job.  More recently was the adaption of Imran Mahmood's You Don't Know Me which I felt was very well done. The casting was excellent and if you haven't read the book you really should. You can hear the young defendant's voice in your head as you read and it will tug at your heart strings as he describes how he has ended up in the dock.

Another show which I enjoyed was The Tower, based on Kate London's book Post Mortem. Again, well cast and quite true to the book in my opinion. Unlike my disappointment of the year which I was SO looking forward to watching however switched off after one episode: The One. I really looked forward to watching however it fell way, way short of John Marrs' excellent writing and didn't do him justice at all.

Anyway, I hope I haven't bored you too much with my standout moments of the year. I'm hoping 2022 will see me reading far more again - there are certainly some good looking books already on my reading list with author favourites for me such as Veronica Henry, Lucy Diamond, Luca Veste, Will Shindler, Lucy Foley, Simon Lelic and Lucy Clarke all with new books planned plus lots of new authors on my radar to try.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my random thoughts about the books I've read again this year, I really do appreciate the support you give my tiny blog. I hope I've managed to find you at least one book you might not have tried otherwise. I'll keep you posted on the ones I feel are worth a read in 2022

Have a wonderful New Year, keep yourselves and your families safe, and happy reading everyone!

The New Year's Eve Party by Hannah Emery @hannahcemery #TheNewYearsEveParty @HarperCollinsUK @OneMoreChapter_ #book #review

 

The New Year's Eve Party by Hannah Emery

Published by HarperCollinsUK, One More Chapter

Publication Date: 17th December 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Resolutions are made
Marriages are broken…

A gripping domestic thriller set in The Cotswolds and perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Adele Parks!

It started with the party…

Frankie, Verity and Alice live in the idyllic Cotswolds community of White Fir Lake, but behind closed doors everyone has a secret they’re desperately trying to keep…

And ended with a bang!

Now, as midnight on New Year’s Eve approaches, the three women will face the consequences of a long-ago holiday, one which changed their lives forever … and threatens to shatter their perfect worlds into perfect pieces.

My Thoughts:

This book has a strong 'Real Housewives' feel about it, with main characters Verity and Frankie living very privileged adult lives despite having both gone through tragedies earlier on. They've been the closest of friends since their schooldays but the reader is soon made aware that each woman has something the other would dearly love to have. But surely that wouldn't be enough for one of them to act in a way which would result in the death of a loved one would it? Questions are asked straightaway when the opening scene of the book is of Frankie's husband Red is found dead at Verity's legendary New Year's Eve Party and the children are rescued from the lake but what are the facts behind the horror that night?
The story moves back and forth in time throughout the book in order for us to understand the dynamics of Frankie and Verity's friendship and the relationships with husbands Max and Red. The information the reader needs is drip-fed along the way so I found it impossible to second guess certain parts of the story whereas other parts are fairly obvious I felt. The time frames are easy to follow though and at no point did I get confused as to where or when things were happening.  
The interesting cog in the wheel is Alice, the new resident in the area who literally crashes into the women's lives when she loses control of her car and hits Frankie's boundary wall. The two women welcome her in and soon Alice and daughter Luna are invited to The Party to be seen at, much to Alice's delight. Why is she so keen to establish a friendship though? Secrets soon start creaking their way out of closets and suspicions form among the group, culminating in the tragic events outlined at the beginning.  The author weaves the story very cleverly and leads things full circle via the highs and lows of the three women's life experiences.
My thanks to the publisher, One More Chapter, for the opportunity to review this novel ahead of publication which I rate as one of my favourite Netgalley titles of recent months.

About the Author:

Hannah Emery studied English at the University of Chester and has written stories for as long as she can remember.
Her favourite things are her family, friends, books, baking on a Saturday afternoon, going out for champagne and dinner and having cosy weekends away.

Hannah lives in Blackpool with my husband and their little girl. Find out more at hannahcemery.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @hannahcemery.

Mine by JL Butler #book #review #NetGalley @jlbutlerauthor @HarperCollinsUK #Mine @tasminaperry

 

Mine by JL Butler

Published by HarperCollins UK

Publication Date: 15th May 2018

Genre: Legal Thrillers

Book Description:

Set in the Inns of Court in London, where justice and corruption go hand in hand. J L Butler’s taut, gripping legal drama brims with suspense and obsession, and only you can solve the case…

Fatal Attraction meets Apple Tree Yard. This debut novel will be your new obsession.

Francine Day is a high-flying lawyer about to apply for silk, ambitious and brilliant. She just needs one headline grabbing client to seal her place as Queen's Counsel … Martin Joy. The attraction is instant. Obsessive.

They embark on a secret affair and Francine thinks she can hold it together. But then Martin's wife, Donna, goes missing. And Martin is the prime suspect.

As the case unravels so does Francine, because the last person to see Donna Joy alive, was her.

My client. My lover. My husband. My obsession.

My Thoughts:

Professional people: lawyers, bankers, doctors and the like. We never really think about the person behind the job, do we? JL Butler takes us behind the doors of Chambers, into the world of a barrister who has worked hard to get a good reputation in order to be considered for her dream job of Queen's Counsel. So when the prestigious banker Martin Joy requests that she represents him in his divorce case she is keen to accept the high profile case. It can only help get her noticed. But when Martin's soon to be ex wife Donna disappears, the headlines are hardly the ones Francine had hoped for when she signed up with him.

Francine and Martin quickly grow very close to one another, crossing professional boundaries which are there for a reason. Some people are quick to judge and others can see an opportunity to exploit what they think they know about the couple. Francine knows that this could bring her whole world crashing down but common sense seems to have left the building when she took on this case.

There are a really nice selection of characters in this book. The genuinely good through and through people who you would want on your side - the few that Fran has filtered into her life over years of building up her career and allowed into her personal life. Then there are the new, less attractive ones who have crashed onto her radar whether she wants them there or not. What are their intentions? She doesn't know them well enough to understand whether they have her best interests at heart or their own. We build a picture of the mess Fran's life has become and come to understand why she may have ended up where she is, with detectives on her tail and her oldest friends asking her to step away from them for a while.

I very much enjoyed this book as I genuinely had no idea whether Martin Joy was guilty in assisting with his wife's disappearance or whether she was the epitome of the trophy wife who was trying to manipulate her way into a bigger divorce settlement. The suspense continues right through to the final chapter and not all the loose ends are tied up by the final page. I don't usually like an ending which isn't completely tidy but in this case it kind of suits the overall story.

My thanks to the publisher for initially approving my request on NetGalley however I did actually end up purchasing the book in its final form and this is what my review is based upon.

About the Author:

JL Butler is the pseudonym for the Sunday Times bestselling author Tasmina Perry. Her debut thriller Mine has been optioned by Sony Pictures and is in development with Original Film.

She is a former lawyer and magazine editor and lives in London with her husband, son and too many shoes. For further information on Tasmina Perry or JL Butler visit her website www.tasminaperry.com or follow her on Instagram @tasminaperry @jlbutlerauthor

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

I Have Something to Tell You by Susan Lewis #bookreview @HarperCollins

 I Have Something To Tell You by Susan Lewis

Published by HarperCollins

Publication Date 16th September 2021

Genre: Crime/psychological fiction

Book Description:

High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case – and one client – will put all that at risk.

Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down – or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jessica suspects he’s protecting someone.

Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no one ever wants to hear. Sit down … I have something to tell you

Now Jessica must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life – her husband.

My Thoughts:

My son very kindly went to the local supermarket and grabbed me a copy of this to accompany me on my sick bed recently (nothing serious, just enough to stop me going to work, stay home and annoy my other half with an extremely irritating cough). Having read reviews I figured it would keep me entertained while not being too taxing. 

The blurb describes two high-flying professional lawyers who are going through a difficult patch in their lives when suddenly the husband makes the statement "I have something to tell you". I was expecting a big bombshell announcement and some great High Court-worthy arguments in the ensuing fall-out (considering their jobs) but it turned out to be a long-winded experiment in subject avoidance as the two of them used work, kids and anything else they could think of to put off having The Conversation. I found the accompanying crime story in which wife Jessica 'Jay' Wells was defending a charming alleged murderer rather predictable and that too fell quite flat. All the alternative perpetrators who were put forward as the actual killer were fairly obvious red herrings in various ways. 

The title of the book - which led me to my purchase - led me to believe the main storyline would be predominantly the problems within the lawyers' marriage and how they dealt with them however Jay's defence of Edward Blake seemed to take over and the relationship thread which I felt should have been the feature of the book kind of dwindled into an annoying background feature in Jay's life while she untangled the threads of Edward's case.

Maybe if the book had a different title I might have enjoyed it more but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting from either the blurb or the title. Perhaps if you're going to read this one go in with less expectations of it being weighted towards the lawyers' marriage and with more of an open mind, you might have a different outlook but sadly it didn't really tick any of the boxes it was aiming for in my opinion.

About the Author:

Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.

To find out more about Susan Lewis:
www.susanlewis.com
www.facebook.

based on the lawyers' marriagecom/SusanLewisBooks

Exit by Belinda Bauer #bookreview #exit @BlacKSwanhouse @TransworldBooks

 

Exit by Belinda Bauer

Published by Black Swan (Transworld)

Publication Date: 5th August 2021

Genre: Crime, Humour

Book Description:

Meet Felix Pink. The most unlikely murderer you'll ever have the good fortune to spend time with.

When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he's there to perform an act of charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath . . .

But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police - after making the biggest mistake of his life.

Now his world is turned upside down as he must find out if he's really to blame, or if something much more sinister is at play. All while staying one shaky step ahead of the law.

My Thoughts:

Belinda Bauer's books have been on my radar for a while but Exit is the first one I have actually delved into and read. I never expected to be drawn into Felix's world quite so quickly, having picked up the book on Saturday afternoon I had it finished by Monday evening and would have been much sooner if I hadn't got to go to work. I was a bit sceptical when I read the blurb with the plot being based around the subject of euthansia which is always going to be contentious and a bit taboo. The author has turned the subject on its head and made it into an entertaining and often humorous tale.

Felix really is the last person you would expect to be the main suspect in a murder enquiry. At the end of the day he is best described as...beige. Just like the coat his wife bought him and he chose to wear on that fateful day. Everyone knows a Felix (or should that be John?) but there can't be many that find that person in the position Felix ends up in when he visits Black Lane to assist a stranger in their decision to depart this mortal coil, accompanied by new Exiteer Amanda. The description of the process of being an Exiteer certainly had me considering whether it was ethical and all the other arguments for and against euthanasia. Then as I mulled this over the story had its first jaw dropping moment and for Felix and Amanda the stakes raised considerably higher. How would Felix deal with this situation? How on earth do you put something like this right? You can't...can you?

The more the police investigation progresses and the net closes in, the more comical the scenes become. It seems so wrong to have humour mixed in with a murder case but I cannot recommend this book enough as it had me chuckling away at various different characters and the fixes they got themselves into. The harder they tried to sort things out the worse they became. But as with all good crime stories there has to be at least one vital twist and I can guarantee that this book does not disappoint.

Just the right book at the right time for me, I would definitely encourage you to grab yourself a copy.

About the Author:

Belinda Bauer grew up in England and South Africa and now lives in Wales. She worked as a journalist and a screenwriter before finally writing a book to appease her nagging mother.

For her debut, Blacklands, Belinda was awarded the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year. She went on to win the CWA Dagger in the Library for her body of work. Her fourth novel, Rubbernecker, was voted Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her eighth novel, Snap, was a Sunday Times bestseller. It was longlisted for the Man Booker prize and voted Crime & Thriller Book of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards.

Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages.

The Girl In the Tunnel by Deirdre Palmer @rararesources #blogtour #bookreview @DLPalmer_Writer #TheGirlInTheTunnel

 

The Girl In The Tunnel by Deirdre Palmer

Publication Date: 11th October 2021

Published by The Patcham Press

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Womens Fiction

First and foremost I must thank blog tour organiser Rachel Gilbey of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to be part of this tour. I've not participated in many tours this year due to outside pressures of my day job and various other factors, but this title popped out at me and I knew I just had to review this book and be part of the tour. It is my honour to be promoting this on publication day, and I wish Deirdre every success with this page turner.

Book Description:

London. A January night. Commuters surge into the Underground. Ellen Randall recognises a man standing close to the platform edge: Matt Leyton, her sister Rosanna’s married lover. The man who’s playing a game as old as time. A red-hot flash of uncontrollable anger propels Ellen to his side. The train approaches. Seconds later, Matt has gone.

Carl Teviot is convinced Ellen isn’t a killer, even though he’s only just met her – or rather, found her, huddled in a sleeping bag in an abandoned Tube station: a ghost station. He can’t leave her there, alone, and in danger.

But rescuing her from the tunnel is only the beginning…

My Thoughts:

The opening chapter of this book certainly grabs your attention with our main character Ellen having a sudden rush of adrenalin when she spots her sister's married lover on the platform of the tube station. The consequences of her spur of the moment actions affect her - and others - deeply for some time to come. Ellen struggles to deal with her conscience but support comes in the unlikely form of stranger Carl, an urban explorer who finds her hiding away in an abandoned space below the streets of London. His gut feeling is that she isn't really the bad person she sees herself and finds himself going above and beyond to help Ellen find her way back to the life she deserves. In the meantime someone else seems to know what Ellen has done as she starts receiving messages threatening to expose her if she doesn't come clean herself.

Ellen's sister Rosie is completely unaware of the demons Ellen is fighting, she has a dilemma of her own to deal with and takes herself off to stay with friends in an attempt to sort her life out. The two sisters were orphaned at an early age and have supported each other ever since in all aspects of their lives, but suddenly find themselves needing to be independent in order to come to terms with what life has thrown at them this time.

To say I enjoyed this book seems so wrong as it feels like I am saying I enjoyed the trials and tribulations the three main individuals were going through. I feel the author handled some difficult issues very sensitively and in a confident manner. There perhaps should be some trigger warnings as there are some sections of the story which could be upsetting for some people. Without giving too much away I found myself sympathising with characters I didn't expect to and wanting to know more about others.  I particularly liked the side story involving Ellen's work colleagues which gave an interesting view of how Ellen fitted in at work and how people can (mis)interpret our personalities from how we portray ourselves in our professional roles.

I would be selective who I would recommend this book to due to the content but personally I found it to be an engrossing, sensitive read which took several turns I wasn't expecting and kept me invested in the story with well-timed twists throughout. My sincere thanks again to Rachel for giving me the opportunity to feature this book on my page in return for my honest review as part of the blog tour.

Buy yourself a copy here: 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Tunnel-Deirdre-Palmer-ebook/dp/B09BZW8GXS/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Tunnel-Deirdre-Palmer-ebook/dp/B09BZW8GXS/

About the Author:

Deirdre lives in Brighton, on the south coast of England. She writes women’s and psychological fiction under her own name, and as Zara Thorne. Becoming an author was a childhood dream, although she didn’t have much of a clue as to what it meant. But fast forward several years – okay, many years – and the dream showed signs of becoming reality. She entered the Mail on Sunday Novel Competition, twice, and came fourth, twice. So there was the incentive to complete her first novel, Remarkable Things, which was published by Crooked Cat and shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Joan Hessayon Award. The Girl in the Tunnel is Deirdre’s 14^th book.

You can find Dierdre on social media at the following addresses:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deirdre.palmer.735

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DLPalmer_Writer

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3cxx8bE

The New Home by Chris Merritt #TheNewHome @bookouture #NetGalley @DrCJMerritt #newbook #review

 

The New Home by Chris Merritt

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 7th September 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine. But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…

When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.

You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.

You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.

But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…

My Thoughts:

Documentary maker Freya and fiance Jack, a hospital doctor, have moved from London to their 'doer-upper' of a property, one which Freya has great ideas for. However all her passion for making the property her forever home fizzle when she gets distracted by a more pressing desire: to find her missing neighbour and her daughter.
It's only a few months after they've moved in when Emily and Thea go missing; Freya and Emily are beginning to form a nice friendship, however Emily's husband Michael is a different kettle of fish. Freya finds him stand offish, if not downright unpleasant. But is Freya imagining the look which seems to pass between Jack and Emily when they first meet - it seems like they recognise each other. But that can't be right can it?
Frustrated by the lack of progress and police interest in the case, Freya decides to step up and be the one to seek out the fate of her friend. She sets up a social media page asking for information - but could this be leading Freya herself into danger? As the story moves along, we find out there is more to Freya's past than we were initially aware of. Jack is dismissive of Freya's concerns, the detective in charge of the case even more so. Why is nobody helping her, why don't they care?
We follow Freya's analysis of each person close to Emily, her thoughts and plans to discover the truth. I have to admit to thinking long and hard about the possibilities of what could have happened to the girls when I wasn't actually reading the book. The author certainly put enough scenarios out there as to who could have ill intentions - but I didn't see the actual outcome panning out as it did. I had question marks in my own mind about some of the characters, but bigger doubts about some of the wild accusations that Freya was coming up with. 
Chris Merritt has plotted and presented some excellent plot twists in this novel which has enticed me into looking into more of his books for the future. His characters are so nicely created that we are presented with just enough information about them to make them credible suspects but without giving away too much of their part in the plot. Everyone's a suspect!
Suspense, creepy houses and suspicious characters abound in this excellent thriller. It will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, I guarantee!

From the Author:

Hello! I'm a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live. My first trilogy starred Zac Boateng and Kat Jones, two detectives motivated by family, who tackle organised crime and police corruption. LAST WITNESS, the second Boateng and Jones book, reached #13 in the UK Kindle chart in 2019.

My second series features detective Dan Lockhart - an ex-soldier with a missing wife - and psychologist Dr Lexi Green, an American living in London. These novels are darker, more psychological serial-killer cases, with romantic relationships as a central theme.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When I'm not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

You can find out more about my work at www.cjmerritt.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @DrCJMerrit