#Book #Review - Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan #AnatomyofaScandal

Publication date 11 January 2018

Simon & Schuster

I received an advance e-book copy of this novel via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Book description:

You want to believe your husband. She wants to destroy him.
Gripping psychological drama for fans of Apple Tree Yard, The Good Wife and Notes on a Scandal.
Part courtroom thriller; part portrait of a marriage; part exploration of how our memories still haunt us, Anatomy of a Scandal is a disarming and provocative psychological drama.
Sophie’s husband, James, is a loving father and a successful public figure. Yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to engulf him. She’s kept his darkest secret ever since they were first lovers, at Oxford. And if she stood by him then, she can do it now.
Kate is the barrister prosecuting his case. She’s certain that James is guilty and determined he should pay. No stranger to suffering herself, she doesn’t flinch from posing the questions few want to hear. About what happens between a man a woman when they’re alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in a lift . . .
Is James the victim of an unfortunate misunderstanding or the perpetrator of something sinister? Who is right: Sophie or Kate? This scandal – which forces Sophie to appraise her marriage and Kate her demons – will have far-reaching consequences for them all.

My Review:

What happens on campus, stays on campus…but for how long?

James Whitehouse: Oxford graduate, privileged member of parliament, loving husband and dad of two beautiful children. Sophie: his wife, their relationship dating back to university days. She knows him better than anyone (doesn’t she?) and when the charges of rape are levelled at him she is reluctant to believe that he could possibly be capable of such an act. But as the trial goes on, the questions start to form in her mind and the doubts creep in.

I love the structure of this story, as the main storyline makes up only one part of the jigsaw as a whole.  In the early stages of the book there is very little mention of the antics of James and his best friend, future prime minister Tom during their Oxford university days.  The significance of the antics only comes into play in the latter stages - after the jury has made their decision and the trial is over. 
The characters all have their strengths - and weaknesses - and are not always what they initially seem. Whilst reading I was surprised that the author did not focus more on the character of the mistress and alleged rape victim, parliamentary researcher Olivia but by the end of the book this kind of made sense.  

This is a tale of the privileged middle classes who make up a large proportion of high profile politicians and such like, and how their ranks can close when times are troubled.  However there are also people amongst those same ranks who are unwilling to let the events of times gone by go unpunished. The quiet ones, the ones who slip under the radar of “the Populars”, the ones who watch from the sidelines. They’re the ones who ultimately hold the power.

A great book, which admittedly made for uncomfortable reading in parts, it made me consider the sense of entitlement that seems to go hand in hand with the moneyed classes, and whether I would really want to be a part of it even by association.

About the author:

Sarah Vaughan read English at Oxford and went on to be a journalist. After training at the Press Assocation, she spent eleven years at the Guardian as a news reporter, health correspondent and political correspondent. It wasn't until her second child was born, that she finally did what she'd always wanted to do and started writing fiction. The Art of Baking Blind is the result, and will also be published in the US (St Martin's Press) and in nine translations. She lives near Cambridge and is working on her second novel.
FB: Sarah Vaughan Author
twitter: @SVaughanAuthor
www.sarahvaughanauthor.com                

#Book #Review: If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch **DEBUT NOVEL** #NetGalley

Publication date 11th January 2018
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley from publisher Random House UK/Vintage Publishing
in exchange for an honest review

Book description: 

How Do You Solve Your Own Murder?

Everyone believes Alex is in a coma, unlikely to ever wake up. As his family debate withdrawing life support, and his friends talk about how his girlfriend Bea needs to move on, he can only listen.

But Alex soon begins to suspect that the accident that put him here wasn’t really an accident. Even worse, the perpetrator is still out there and Alex is not the only one in danger.

As he goes over a series of clues from his past, Alex must use his remaining senses to solve the mystery of who tried to kill him, and try to protect those he loves, before they decide to let him go.

A stunning edge-of-your-seat debut novel with an unforgettable narrator.

My review:
Written from the perspective of Alex, a young man who is in a locked-in state following a climbing accident this book expertly relates the changing emotions he feels over several months as he lies in his hospital bed unable to move, see or speak.  During this time we hear of the visits he receives from medical professionals, friends and family - and others who he cannot place.  His senses are on full alert and he comes to recognise his visitors from the fragrances they wear, the sounds of the different shoes they wear and the voices of the nursing staff who tend to him - some more kindly than others. He hears the conversations they have as they sit and talk about his condition and how life is continuing without him actively taking part.
One person who visits him causes him concern, as he cannot place their voice or scent in order to identify them.  Are they a doctor or some other type of clinician? Alex cannot decide.  Things take a further sinister turn when visitors start discussing the police investigation into the fall which put Alex here in the first place - but how can Alex let anyone know what he has heard when he cannot even move his eyes let alone talk? As far as the doctors and the tests have shown Alex is unresponsive.
The discomfort of day to day nursing care are very well written and the feelings of hope and despair which Alex goes through over the months are understandable and credible. I have to admit that I missed a vital piece of information in the story as I was reading and had a major moment where things clicked into place towards the end  as things drew towards their conclusion. 
The closing scenes were sensitively written and I felt suited Alex perfectly.
It is hard to believe that this is the author's debut novel and I will be looking out for her as a rising star in the coming months.

#Book #Review Faking Friends by Jane Fallon #FakingFriends #NetGalley

Publication date 11January 2018

Penguin UK, Michael Joseph

I received an advance e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Book description:

A provocative, hilarious new book about the glory and toxicity of female friendship from Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Fallon.

Amy thought she knew everything there was to know about her best friend Melissa. Then again, Amy also thought she was on the verge of the wedding of her dreams to her long-distance fiancé. Until she pays a surprise trip home to London. Jack is out, but it's clear another woman has been making herself at home in their flat. There's something about her stuff that feels oddly familiar . . . and then it hits Amy. The Other Woman is Melissa. Amy has lost her home, her fiancé and her best friend in one disastrous weekend - but instead of falling apart, she's determined to get her own back. Piecing her life back together won't be half as fun as dismantling theirs, after all.

Mr review:

The tag line "Best friend, soulmate, confidante....backstabber" grabbed my attention and I knew I would have to get stuck straight into this book.  Jane Fallon is one of my top authors so I was pretty sure this would be another cracking read. 

Amy and Melissa have been friends since schooldays.  Mel is working in a mundane job in an insurance office while Amy has just got her big break in the States as an actress in a top ranking TV series.  Amy makes a surprise visit home to fiancé Jack, but is met with another woman's belongings making a significant presence in their flat.  It doesn't take long for her to work out that the other woman is her "best friend" Mel. 

Amy seeks solace with her friend Kat, who isn't a big fan of Mel's anyway and together they work out what Amy's next move should be.

 
I was delighted that Amy didn't do the usual "woe is me, my life is over" weepy wronged woman thing, but with Kat's help sought her revenge against Jack and Mel but because she is such a genuine person she doesn't feel the satisfaction she expects to from these acts.  She doesn't even let Jack or Mel know that she is back in the country, let alone that she is aware of their betrayal. She continues to keep in contact with both of them via phone calls and texts - something I am not sure whether I would be able to do were I in the same situation. She even meets a new man, Simon, who gives her extra strength of character to be able to cope with life without the two people she has always trusted and thought she could rely on most.

Running alongside the main story is the history of Amy and Mel's friendship and we are given snapshots of events throughout the two girls' lives which give us background knowledge of their personalities. As Amy recalls these moments she realises that Mel has never really been there for her as a best friend should be and confronts Jack about his deception.  Once Mel realises they have been rumbled she can't help but try and cause further trouble in order to feel like she is in control.  The fallout from this is just what Amy needs to realise just how far Mel will go to get what she wants and who her true friends really are. A great quote from the book to describe Mel's personality: "Mel has always been the kind of person who takes what she wants.  Lip gloss from Boots because she didn't see why she should pay for it, other people's homework to copy because she couldn't be bothered to do it herself, other people's husbands just because she could. Over the years there have been several married men."

This is a great tale of friendship, revenge and what really matters in life. Yet again Jane Fallon has not let me down. I would definitely recommend you give this one a read.

Find out more about the author at www.janefallon.co.uk

#Book #Review: The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor #NetGalley #TheChalkMan

Publication date: 11th January 2018

I received an advance e-copy of this book via NetGalley from publisher Penguin UK (Michael Joseph)

in exchange for an honest review

Book Description: 
In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he's put his past behind him, but then he gets a letter in the mail containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank--until one of them turns up dead. That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.

My thoughts:

Another stunning cover design to grab readers' attention during the busy new year period.  It is no accident that the story within the covers is as strong. The writing is brilliant with realistic characters throughout and a totally believable storyline. 

 Having been a teenager myself in the 1980s when this story begins, and having been the only girl in a friendship group of school children I could imagine being one of the characters in the story. 
We have all done things in our childhood like drawing chalk man designs for passing on messages (there were no mobile phones in the mid eighties, remember!) and the summer holidays were often spent cycling around looking for where the rest of your mates were hanging out - usually signified by a pile of pushbikes outside someone's house. And of course a group of kids with active imaginations always come up with stories about anyone who looks even the slightest bit different to the norm such as Mr Halloran in the book.

The way the author has linked tragic events that happened in 1986 to people and happenings thirty years later is absolutely ingenious.  The older version of every character was spot on, with health issues affecting some of the older generation being presented with compassion and understanding.  The emotions felt by each of the youngsters and their understanding of certain situations is written in terms that a child of that age would use.  I love the way that in the later years of the book the adult characters express feelings of insecurity that we all feel - that we aren't ever really "grown up" at all.
As with a lot of books in this genre, most of the characters have been harbouring secrets for many years and when some of the revelations are made it makes others in the friendship group completely reassess what they have always thought were the facts. New information gets exposed in jaw dropping fashion but some secrets are never told, not even to your best mate. 

I found this book extremely readable, well paced and will definitely be recommending it strongly as a top read for January.

About the author:

C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter.
She left school at sixteen and has had a variety of jobs over the years, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, shop assistant, ad agency copywriter and voiceover.
In the early nineties, she fell into a job as a television presenter for a show on Channel 4 called Moviewatch. Although a terrible presenter, she got to interview acting legends such as Sigourney Weaver, Michael Douglas, Emma Thompson and Robin Williams. She also annoyed Tim Robbins by asking a question about Susan Sarandon’s breasts and was extremely flattered when Robert Downey Junior showed her his chest.
While writing the Chalk Man she ran a dog-walking business, walking over twenty dogs a week as well as looking after her little girl.
She’s been writing since she was a child but only knuckled down to it properly in her thirties. Her English teacher once told her that if she ‘did not become Prime Minister or a best-selling author’ he would be ‘very disappointed.’
The Chalk Man was inspired by a tub of chalks a friend bought for her daughter’s second birthday. One afternoon they drew chalk figures all over the driveway. Later that night she opened the back door to be confronted by weird stick men everywhere. In the dark, they looked incredibly sinister. She called to her partner: ‘These chalk men look really creepy in the dark . . .’

#Book #Review: Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister #NetGalley

Publication Date 19th October 2017 (kindle ebook), 25th Jan 2018 paperback

I received an e-copy of this book from Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) via NetGalley 

in exchange for an honest review

Book Description:

Joanna is an avoider. So far she has spent her adult life hiding bank statements and changing career aspirations weekly.

But then one night Joanna hears footsteps on the way home. Is she being followed? She is sure it's him; the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. Hearing the steps speed up Joanna turns and pushes with all of her might, sending her pursuer tumbling down the steps and lying motionless on the floor.

Now Joanna has to do the thing she hates most - make a decision. Fight or flight? Truth or lie? Right or wrong?

My thoughts:

One of my favourite films is Sliding Doors, and this book is written with very much the same idea in mind but instead of the discovery of infidelity being the issue it is the life of a young man which hangs in the balance depending on the main character's decision.
Joanna is on a night out with her best friend when the night is spoiled by the unwanted attention from a man in a bar,  The girls decide it is time to call it a night and leave the bar to make their separate ways home. Joanna is walking home alone alongside the canal when she hear footsteps behind her.  Without checking who is behind her, Joanna lashes out in self defence and this is where the story splits in to two possible scenarios depending on what action she takes.
Joanna knows her husband Reuben would have no trouble choosing what to do next, and in the one scenario we follow events if Joanna reports the incident and gets help to the young man.
Joanna however is the world's biggest procrastinator and the alternative scenario leads us down the road of what happens if she panics, fails report things and goes home to her comfortable life where she need not take responsibility for any involvement.
The after effects of Joanna's decisions are played out in alternating chapters clearly entitled Conceal and Reveal, with the author exploring how events would affect different characters and their families.  There has clearly been lots of research by the author into the psychology of crime as well as the mechanics of how the system works.
I love this book especially how it manages to not be judgmental towards any character, merely shows how we are all fallible as humans and how even those who we think would never do any wrong still wrestle with their conscience sometimes. That doing the right thing often doesn't feel right.  I found this a thought provoking, enjoyable read.

About the author:

Website

http://www.gillianmcallister.com

Twitter

gillianmauthor

#Book #Review Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon #ThreeThings

Publication date 11th January 2018

Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction

I received an advance review ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Book description:

There are three things you should know about Elsie.
The first thing is that she’s my best friend.
The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better.
And the third thing… might take a little bit more explaining.
84-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly a man who died sixty years ago?
From the author of THE TROUBLE WITH GOATS AND SHEEP, this book will teach you many things, but here are three of them:
1) The fine threads of humanity will connect us all forever.
2) There is so very much more to anyone than the worst thing they have ever done.
3) Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.

My review:

This book is in my top 3 reads of the year.  The descriptive writing is top notch and I don't think I have highlighted more passages in a book ever. 

Flo is 84, lives in sheltered accommodation and has fallen in her flat.  The story portrays Flo's thoughts as she lies on the floor waiting to be found.  Elsie is Flo's best friend since childhood, and she plays a large part in Flo's life.  Flo has a secret though which has clearly bothered her ever since it happened and Flo's thoughts keep reverting back to it as she lies there.  All becomes clear by the end, but it is a tale you have to let Flo tell in her own way in order to understand it all.

The cover of this book is absolutely perfect in reflecting the story as the jigsaw pieces of Flo and Elsie's lives gradually get put together throughout the book and the reader puts the facts together to make the picture whole.  I loved the characters - there really isn't one person I disliked in the whole book. Each of them is travelling their own journey of self discovery in this tale and I am not embarrassed to say that I cried a tear or two for more than one of them by the end.

A lovely tale, amusing and heartbreaking in equal measure. This book will definitely be hitting the bestsellers lists and staying there for some time. Just make sure you have a tissue handy for the tears.

A couple of my favourite quotes from the book:

"I looked at the criss-cross of walking sticks around the waiting room and all the people, drawn in grey and beige, with whispers of white where their hair used to be and shoes too big for their feet."

"We looked up at a wall of photographs, and the past gazed back at us. Black-and-white ballrooms. A hundred foxtrots, captured forever within a lens."

"...everything was so bright and so happy, it looked as though someone had given God a new set of felt tips."

Find out more about the author at www.joannacannon.com 

Monthly round up: December 2017

The final month of the year comes to a close, here's a quick run-down of the books I read this month. Look out for reviews here on the blog for all of these titles - if they haven't appeared already, keep a look out nearer publication date as some are due for release very soon.

The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor

Penguin UK/Michael Joseph

Publication date 11th Jan 2018

White Bodies by Jane Robins

HQ Harlequin UK/HarperCollins

Publication date 28 Dec 2017

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Bonnier Zaffre

Publication date 11th Jan 2018

If I Die Before I Wake by Emily Koch

Random House UK/Vintage Publishing

Publication date 11th Jan 2018

Million Love Songs by Carole Matthews

Little,Brown Book Group UK

Expected publication date 4th Jan 2018

Anything You Do Say by Gillian McAllister

Penguin UK/Michael Joseph

Publication date 25th Jan 2018

January is going to be such a busy month for excellent new releases, those mentioned in December's round up are just the tip of the iceberg. I hope you received lots of lovely book tokens in your Christmas stockings as you are going to be thoroughly spoilt for choice on what to spend them on.

Wishing all of you a happy, healthy and book filled 2018.

Thank you once more for supporting my page.