QUICK READS 2021: Wish You Were Dead by Peter James #QuickReads @readingagency @peterjamesuk

 

Wish You Were Dead by Peter James (Quick Read)

Published by PanMacMillan

Publication Date: 27th May 2021

I was delighted to be contacted by Hannah Bright as part of this years Quick Reads campaign to help promote reading in all its forms.  Now in its 15th year the campaign hopes to help support anyone seeking to get into reading, by offering a selection of short stories from some of the best known names on the shelves at the moment. These titles are aimed at anyone at all - whether you're a lapsed reader who just struggles to find the time with the busy lives we lead, or someone who has never had the confidence or support to discover the wonderful worlds which books hold within their pages. Whatever your circumstances the reading agency is here to support us all, and are offering to gift a copy of one of the books for every one copy purchased, in order to help someone discover the joy of reading.

One in six adults in the UK finds reading difficult so please don't ever feel like you are alone.

Book Description:

Roy Grace and his family have left Sussex behind for a week’s holiday in France. The website promised a grand house, but when they arrive the place is very different from the pictures. And it soon becomes clear that their holiday nightmare is only just beginning.

An old enemy of Roy, a lowlife criminal he had put behind bars, is now out of jail – and out for revenge. He knows where Roy and his family have gone on holiday. Of course he does. He’s been hacking their emails – and they are in the perfect spot for him to pay Roy back . . .

My Thoughts:

The 'Dead' series written by Peter James was the book that started me on the journey into reading crime and thriller books. The first book 'Dead Simple' had me avidly turning the pages - and was recently turned into a fairly accurate TV version on British screens earlier this year.

Roy Grace is a hard-working detective with a family to support too. He's been through some tough times of his own over the years and this book sees him take his family on a well-earned family break to a chateau in France. Someone from his past is determined to spoil that down time and has gone to some pretty spectacular lengths to make sure not only does the Grace family not enjoy their holiday but maybe not ever take another vacation again.

Follow Roy, Cleo and their family as they venture into the depths of the French countryside - but who will come out on top? The seasoned detective or the person who has been behind bars for some considerable time plotting their revenge?

A great introduction to Peter James' writing, I recommend this Quick Read as a taster for a top-class series.

If Peter's book doesn't quite fit what you fancy reading at the moment, here are all the titles available in this year's Quick Reads promotion:

OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE: The Baby is Mine (Atlantic)

LOUISE CANDLISH: The Skylight (Simon & Schuster)

KATIE FFORDE: Saving the Day (Arrow)

PETER JAMES: Wish You Were Dead (Macmillan)

CAITLIN MORAN: How to Be a Woman, abridged (Ebury)

KHURRUM RAHMAN: The Motive (HQ)

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.

Save Her by Abigail Osborne @Bloodhoundbook @Abigail_Author #SaveHer

 

Save Her by Abigail Osborne

Published by Bloodhound Books

Published 5th May 20212

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Would you give up your husband to save your best friend's life?

Bonded by their traumatic childhoods, Flora and Sophie are inseparable friends who married brothers. 

What they could not have anticipated was their mother-in-law, Cecelia. Disappointed that her children have married beneath them, Cecelia takes every opportunity to belittle and taunt her daughters-in-law.

When Cecelia learns that Flora and her son are moving away, her wrath escalates, and Flora’s world begins to fall apart.

Meanwhile, Sophie’s life is also crumbling around her. Her marriage is not what it seems, and she is desperate to escape the clutches of the poisonous family she has married into.

Is Flora being tormented or is she losing her mind?

Will Sophie and Flora be forced to leave their husbands in order to survive?

With a mother-in-law like Cecelia, anything is possible…

My Thoughts:

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this book since Abbie told me she had her second book in the planning stages some time ago. At one point I think I was more excited than she was to know that it was to be published imminently - I think she had hit the nervous stage while I was keen to read what I was confident would be another cracker of a book. 

We meet the leading character of the book sitting in a hospital waiting room, her mother in law undergoing the ministrations of the doctors and nurses, and we know from Flora's immediate confession that she is the one responsible for putting her there. But you need to read the whole story to understand the background to the situation. Because Cecelia has many layers, several of which have hardened her into the person she has become.

Flora is married to Sam, one of Cecelia's treasured sons. Neither of Cecelia's daughters-in-law will ever be good enough for her boys and she's not backwards in coming forwards to let people know this. Flora, having lost both her parents many years previously, takes many of the slights on the chin despite how much they hurt her emotionally.  Her best friend Sophie, who is Cecelia's other daughter in law, is a different kettle of fish and does not see why the two women should accept the abuse they get from a woman who she believes should be supporting them in their role to provide the next generation of the Cavendish family.

It's not difficult to see why then, when unpleasant things start happening to Flora that Cecelia is the prime suspect and why Flora would be particularly unsympathetic towards her. I know many women don't click with the family of their husband but the author has conjured up some particularly unpleasant situations for Flora to encounter - I'm not giving any detail away but one specific instance had me cringing in horror. Just the thought of the experience had me squirming!

You can tell from the storyline that the author is a very caring, empathetic person who has put herself into the situations she has created and described how she herself would feel and react if these things were to happen to her. I was frustrated by Flora at times as she relied on others strength of character instead of believing in herself.  She (in my opinion) cries far too easily and leans much too heavily on Sophie, who may well have been her oldest friend but who I felt took advantage of her gentle character far too often.  I really enjoyed seeing Flora's character change as the story progressed and she began to trust her instincts more.  

There are some interesting characters and relationships in this book, most of whom are not who they initially appear to be. There are lessons to be learned along the way - the most important one I took from this book is not to take anyone at face value, and always trust your gut instinct. It's rarely wrong even if the reasons why you came to that initial decision may be slightly off.

The chapters keep you turning the pages avidly and wanting to read 'just one more' before you put the book down to do the real-life things you know that you really ought to be doing. There are sufficient twists to keep you guessing - some of which will have you properly shocked along the way. I'm hoping there will be a sequel to this book as there are plenty of opportunities I feel to delve into the story further.

My sincere thanks to the author for allowing me the privilege of reading her work ahead of publication and once again my apologies for not having posted my review sooner. 

About the Author:

Abigail is originally from the Lake District but moved to the West Midlands for University where she completed an English Literature & History degree and also met her husband. She is a passionate reader and has an unsustainable collection of books. This obsession with books has led to her creating her own Dewey decimal system and she has been known to issue fines to family and friends if her book is not returned on time. Writing The Puppet Master has unleashed a love of writing and Abigail hopes to put her scarily crazy imagination to good use. 

The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter @NetGalley @PenguinBooks @VikingUKBooks @CaraHunterBooks #TheWholeTruth

 

The Whole Truth by Cara Hunter

Published by Penguin

Publication Date 29th April 2021

Genre: Crime, Mystery & Thriller

My grateful thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my opinion. 

Book Description:

An attractive student. An older professor.

Think you know the story? Think again.

THE NEW UP-ALL-NIGHT THRILLER FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER CARA HUNTER

She has everything at stake; he has everything to lose. But one of them is lying, all the same.

When an Oxford student accuses one of the university's professors of sexual assault, DI Adam Fawley's team think they've heard it all before. But they couldn't be more wrong.

Because this time, the predator is a woman and the shining star of the department, and the student a six-foot male rugby player.

Soon DI Fawley and his team are up against the clock to figure out the truth. What they don't realise is that someone is watching.

And they have a plan to put Fawley out of action for good...

My Thoughts:

I have followed this series right from the debut book, Close to Home, and I can honestly say each book just gets better and better. The series follows DI Adam Fawley and his close knit team of detectives all of whom look out for one another in their own way - some better than others. Although each book is a separate episode crime-wise I would definitely recommend reading the books in order to get the most from them, especially this last one as it refers back to previous events in quite some detail in parts of the story.

In this book, Fawley and his wife are expecting their baby imminently, and due to the tragic loss of their previous child they can't afford for anything to go wrong so Adam has his lawyer wife under close observation so she doesn't exert herself in any way.  Which is why the timing of the case which comes to the fore could not be worse. The head of the university specifically asks to speak to Adam regarding the incident so he can't even pass it to one of his colleagues. An accusation has been made against one of the lecturers by a student - very much a case of his word against hers. But there's far more going on than first appears and Fawley soon finds himself in deeper trouble than he ever imagined.

As usual there are podcasts, online quotes from social media and other such soundbites dropped in between the chapters to keep things interesting - a bit of a trademark of the author's which works so well.  These little insights contain valuable nuggets of clues to help the reader solve what's going on but in true Cara style there is sufficient smoke screening to be able to keep the best til last.

But Fawley really is in trouble this time; someone knows he's not squeaky clean and is going all out to make him pay. What is the price being asked though, and is it really Fawley who owes the debt?

I cannot commend this author's writing enough and every time someone asks me for a book to read I will put her name forward. Every book in the series is brilliant in its own right but this one stands way above the others. I'm delighted to hear that book 6 is due next spring so you have plenty of time to catch up with the story so far!

From the Author:

I'm lucky enough to live in the city I write about. Oxford will be familiar to crime fans across the whole world because of the fabulous Morse novels and TV, but my version of the town is a long way from the beautiful ivy-clad colleges. A much edgier place where the crimes are darker and closer to home.

I've always been a voracious reader and viewer of crime - I've learned so much from the outstanding writing that we now see on crime TV like Line of Duty or Broadchurch, and I've tried to recreate the experience of watching series like that for my readers. I love true crime TV as well - my husband used to tease me about it but now just nods sagely and says 'research' !

What else about me? I have pet cats who do their best to distract me whenever I get close to a keyboard (if you have cats, you'll know), I love travelling, spending time with friends, and I have never knowingly turned down a glass of champagne....

Girl A by Dan Scottow #blogtour @gilbster1000 @DanScottow #GirlA @BoldwoodBooks

 Girl A by Dan Scottow

Published by Bloodhound Books

Publication Date: 29th March 2021

336 pages

Genre: crime, thriller & mystery

My thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachels Random Resources and Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication and to provide my review as part of the blog tour.

Book Description:

Someone thinks they know who she is… and what she did.

But she insists it’s a mistake.

All Beth has ever wanted is a quiet life for her and her family. And that is what she has, until one evening a note is pushed through the door, with two words scrawled in menacing black ink; Found you.

As Beth’s neatly crafted life begins to unravel, an unseen menace torments her and those she loves. But who’s behind the threats?

Somebody is out to get Beth, but do they have the right woman?

Beth faces losing everything, and there is far more at stake than just her marriage…

My Thoughts:

This book got me thinking far more than I expected it to. The event which triggers the whole book is rather upsetting: the abduction of a 2 year old boy from a funfair which he was visiting with his mum. The culprits are two young children themselves. They are quickly apprehended but not quickly enough to avoid a tragedy. The question is whether the older of the two children encouraged or even forced the younger child, Girl A, to be part of the event or was she a willing participant - or worse, did she take the lead? It's a question the jury are asked to consider as part of their considerations.

Fast forward a couple of decades and the case raises its ugly head once again. An average family living in harmony, going about their lives quite happily. Then an anonymous caller starts making accusations against mum Beth.  It starts with a scratty note through the door which reads 'FOUND YOU'. Things escalate quite quickly but Beth doesn't want to trouble the police with what could just be kids messing about, mistaken identity or something along those lines.

The story from there on in really gets you considering all the possibilities: is Beth involved? What could she possibly have done to cause the strength of feeling in the caller's notes and subsequent actions? How and why could they have linked anything to Beth? My brain kept processing the options even when I wasn't physically reading the book. Beth's just an ordinary school mum with a day job. What connection could she possibly have to whatever the caller thinks she's done? Then you go back to the fairground situation and the people responsible: what type of person could do that? Especially young children - what background did those children come from to make them capable of doing something like that?  Then you start trying to work out if there is a link to Beth. If so how does she fit in? Don't expect to get much sleep while you're reading this book or for a few days after as the plot and characters get into your head and have you mulling moral questions long after you have completed the book. The whole nature vs nurture thing was strong in my mind throughout.

There are some upsetting scenes in this book so it won't be one for everybody. It was for me fairly reminiscent of the James Bulger case back in 1993 so please bear this in mind before you read this book. Some will say it's quite predictable in its path but even so I found it to be well-written as it got me thinking so much. You really aren't sure which way it's going to go for Beth and her family with plenty of smoke and mirrors to send you down false routes then send you back again. The writing is creepily atmospheric and will have you shutting the curtains and locking doors once it is getting dark.

Will the caller be right in their calculations? And will Beth ever be able to go back to her quiet unassuming life with her family after all the mud has been thrown around. After all some of it is going to stick...right?

Buy your copy here:

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-unforgettable-psychological-Dan-Scottow-ebook/dp/B08YZ7YR8K/

US - https://www.amazon.com/Girl-unforgettable-psychological-Dan-Scottow-ebook/dp/B08YZ7YR8K/

About the Author:

Dan grew up in Hertfordshire before moving to London in his early twenties. After more than ten years living there, he decided enough was enough, and packed his bags for Scotland in search of a more peaceful life. 

Dan works as a graphic designer, but dreams of the day he can give it up and write full time. 
Besides writing, he enjoys painting, watching a good scary film, travelling the world (at least, he used to!), good food, a gin and tonic or two, long walks on the beach with his dogs, and of course, reading a great book.

Dan’s debut novel ‘Damaged’ was released in January 2020, published by Bloodhound books.

Social Media Links – Twitter: @DanScottow

Facebook page: @danscottowauthor

The Talk Show by Harry Verity #TheTalkShow @Bloodhoundbook @BookFunnel @hverityauthor

 

The Talk Show by Harry Verity

Published by Bloodhound Books

Publication Date: 1st March 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

279 pages

Book Description:

You never know who is watching...

When Edward gets a job working behind the scenes on the notorious and controversial Michael O’Shea Show, he thinks he’s hit the big time. But little does he realise what he’s let himself in for. 

The presenter’s brother is arrested for sex crimes, and the show is threatened with cancellation when two guests are reported missing. Then, when a member of the backstage staff is abducted, it becomes clear someone has the show in their sights. 

Is someone trying to sabotage a seemingly harmless talk show by targeting its presenters and guests? Or does the truth lie somewhere closer to home?

One thing is for sure, there’s no telling who’s watching The Talk Show…

My Thoughts:

I loved the concept of this book. With the recent controversy surrounding talk shows in the UK I was interested to see where the author would take it. I wasn't disappointed!  

New recruit to the team Edward has ideas of grandeur with his new job in television. It doesn't take long for his bubble to burst as he realises he really is the lowliest person on the team and his colleagues are quick to quell any enthusiasm he had to begin with. As you would expect there are a lot of big egos clashing on the show and the media are constantly looking to cast accusations against any of the show's presenter - some with more truth to them than others. Edward isn't the only who gets shouted down on a regular basis, with show psychologist Bernard Braithwaite also constantly in the firing line. Edward wonders how he copes in his role as he seems very anxious and lacking in confidence for someone in his position. 

I will be honest that the first half of the book was quite slow and I was almost at the point of abandoning the book (sorry!) but then BANG! things kicked in and the story took off at a rate of knots which had me hanging on tight. I'm so glad I kept with the story as the second half really was action packed.  You have guests being abducted, accusations of all kinds being levelled at just about everyone on the team and then police arriving to shut the show down while their enquiries continue because things just got very real. 

My opinion of this book is that if you are prepared to hang in there while the scene is set then you are in for a treat once everyone is in their places. I guarantee they won't be where you expect at the end!

About the Author:

Harry Verity grew up in the city of Leicester in the UK and then studied at Loughborough University and obtained an MA in Early Modern History from the University of York.

After leaving university he pursued a career writing freelance for magazines and newspapers and worked in British Book store WH Smith as a sales assistant.

As well as writing Harry travels all around the world, experiencing new cultures and making new friends. He is currently based in Vietnam where the impact of COVID-19 has been minimal.

The Talk Show is his first novel.

Your Neighbour's Wife by Tony Parsons @NetGalley @TonyParsonsUK @penguinrandom #YourNeighboursWife

 

Your Neighbour's Wife by Tony Parsons

Published by RandomHouse Cornerstone, Century

Publication Date 7th January 2021

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel via NetGalley in exchange for my views.

Book Description:

What do you do when your perfect life spins out of control? A gripping psychological thriller that combines the emotional warmth of Man and Boy with the page-turning brio of The Murder Bag.

Tara Carver seems to have the perfect life. A loving mother and wife, and a business woman who runs her own company, she’s the sort of person you’d want to live next door to, who might even become your best friend.

But what sort of person is she really?

Because in one night of madness, on a work trip far from home, she puts all this at risk. And suddenly her dream life becomes a living nightmare when the married man she spent one night with tells her he wants a serious relationship with her. And that he won’t leave her or her precious family alone until she agrees.

There seems to be only one way out. And it involves murder ...

My Thoughts:

The one part of this book that really puzzled me was its title. I still can't quite work out its relevance even at the end of the story.

Tara Carver has it all: nice house, nice family and her own successful business. Her husband is a house husband who looks after their daughter so she can work at her on-line dating agency with her friend and colleague. So with all those positives, why would she risk it all for a one night stand in a foreign land?  

This is what she begins to ask herself when she realises that the man she opted to risk it all with wants far more than  a quick fling. Even before she has finished her business trip he's pestering her for more so she decides to do a quick flit back home in an attempt to escape his attention. Sadly things only get worse - to the point where the police are knocking on her door. But it's not her they're interested in, it's her husband.

There are some interesting twists along the way in this book but to be honest I disliked Tara's self-centred character so much it put me off the whole book. The extents she goes to in order to protect her self were shocking, and the people who put themselves in the firing line for her in my opinion needed a psychological assessment.  

The sacrifices made in her name went above and beyond what anyone should do for another person and I was shocked at her reaction to them.  Not a book I particularly enjoyed I'm afraid. And please can someone explain that title?!

About the Author:

Tony Parsons is a bestselling novelist and an award-winning journalist. His books have been published in over forty languages and his multi-million selling novel Man and Boy won The Book of The Year prize in 2000. Most recently, he created the Max Wolfe crime series. Tony lives in London with his family.

The Ex by Diane Saxon @NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks @Diane_Saxon #TheEx

 

The Ex by Diane Saxon

Published by Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 2 March 2021

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Description:

Sometimes your past just won't let go...All NEW from Diane Saxon

As a heat wave grips the country, DS Jenna Morgan is called to a domestic incident at the home of a young family in Ironbridge.

Pregnant Imelda Cheetham-Epstein has been found unconscious by her husband, Zak with serious head injuries.

When Jenna arrives on the scene, she discovers something even more disturbing – the couple's eleven-month-old son, Joshua, is missing and the race against time begins to find him.

Is this an accident or something more sinister?

Are the two incidents linked?

Or has something in the Cheetham-Epstein's past caught up with them?

My Thoughts:

A word of warning: this is the fourth book in a series, something I wasn't aware of until I came to write my review. That said, it clearly worked well as a stand alone novel as I didn't feel like I had missed huge chunks of the story.  DS Jenna Morgan has a pretty traumatic history in her police career that much is evident but I didn't feel that the previous incidents totally overwhelmed this story as sometimes can happen. She's a good strong character who has learned how to cope with her demons.

The location of the story in the Black Country made a nice change as we don't seem to have many writers setting their books around Ironbridge and the intense heatwave was an excellent pressure cooker environment to add to the time constraints needed to find a missing one year old child.  Little Joshua has disappeared during the violent attack on his mother but the detectives are suspicious of dad Zak as he claims not to have heard anything despite being in the property at the time.

The book is cleverly written as the reader knows exactly who has carried out the attack and to an extent why but the finer details run far deeper than events suggest.  It took me a good while to get even close to the facts but I did get a gut feeling part way through the story so the 'reveal' wasn't as big a shock as it could have been.

There are a couple of truly shocking and disturbing scenes in the book but you can't really put any trigger warnings on it without giving away the whole story which I felt was well written and tackled some very real issues. Some of the more peripheral characters felt particularly realistic.

I would like to go back and revisit the earlier books in the series to get better background on the detectives side of things to see how their characters have developed from the start.

About the Author:

Diane Saxon lives in the Shropshire countryside with her tall, dark, handsome husband. She has two gorgeous daughters, a Dalmatian, two cats, numerous rare breed chickens, and a black Labrador called Beau--a name borrowed by her hero in For Heaven's Cakes.

After working for years in a demanding job, Diane gave it up when her husband said, "Follow that dream." She subsequently had 12 Romances published for the U.S. market then turned to the dark side with her psychological thrillers. With a four-book deal through Boldwood Books, her first in series, Find Her Alive was released in 2019 followed by Someone's There in February 2020. What She Saw is her latest release in September 2020 and Diane is head down currently editing Book 4.

Find her at her website https://dianesaxon.com/ or on Twitter: @Diane_Saxon