None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell #libraryloan #hardbackbooks #NoneOfThisIsTrue @lisajewelluk @centurybooksuk

 

None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Published by Century

Publication Date: 20th July 2023

Book Description:

Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.

A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Alix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.

Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.

Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?

My Thoughts:

This book ranks alongside Gillian McAllister's Wrong Place Wrong Time in my top reads of this year. With a fairly small cast of characters, there are some absolute gems in there who will stir up all kinds of emotions in you from pity to curiosity, right through to some anger and resentment. And then some!

Josie and her husband Walter rarely dine out; however, Josie has received a small inheritance from her grandmother so decides they need to celebrate her birthday in style this year and chooses a nice gastropub in town. It's here she spots a small group of women, one of them also celebrating her birthday and while taking a bathroom break, she bumps into none other than the birthday girl herself, Alix. Totally out of character, she announces to Alix that they are birthday twins and thus discovers that they were actually born in the same hospital, on the same day. The moment passes and the two women return to their separate tables to continue their evening. But for Josie, that's just the start. The following day she finds herself searching online for Alix, keen to find out all she can about her, and it doesn't take long before a dangerous obsession forms.

Wow what a wild ride this book is! The more Alix talks to Josie as the subject of a new podcast she's producing, the less she seems to know about her. Nothing seems to fit together properly, and when she tries chatting to people who've known Josie over the years (including Josie's own mother) further red flags start waving frantically in her head. The story is told from both the women's points of view, which only serves to provide further questions to the reader rather than solving any of the issues raised.  

By the end of the book, all I could think is just how brilliant the story telling is and I felt quite shell shocked as I pondered how apt the title is. I do wish I had taken on board the prologue far more than I did, as there are clues in its content which I had clearly not picked up on as I eased myself into the early pages with my cuppa.

A twisty,turny tale with wonderfully horrible characters throughout - or are they??

One of my favourite page turners of the year so far.

 

About the Author:

LISA JEWELL was born in London in 1968.

Her first novel, Ralph's Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs, The Family Remains and The Night She Disappeared, all of which were Richard & Judy Book Club picks.

Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over thirty languages. She lives in north London with her husband and two daughters.

And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott @HeadlineFiction @RachelAbbott #AndSoItBegins #NetGalley #Bookreview #booktwt

 

And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott

Published by Headline

Publication Date: 15th November 2018

My thanks to the publishers for a review copy of this book, provided via NetGalley

Book Description:

WHO WILL BELIEVE YOUR STORY IF THE ONLY WITNESS IS DEAD?

Cleo knows she should be happy for her brother Mark. He's managed to find someone new after the sudden death of his first wife - but something about Evie just doesn't feel right...

When Evie starts having accidents at home, her friends grow concerned. Could Mark be causing her injuries? Called out to their cliff-top house one night, Sergeant Stephanie King finds two bodies entangled on blood-drenched sheets.

Where does murder begin? When the knife is raised to strike, or before, at the first thought of violence? As the accused stands trial, the jury is forced to consider - is there ever a proper defence for murder?

My Thoughts:

This book has a stunning setting in a beautiful home cut into a cliff face in Cornwall, a huge plate-glass window overlooking the sea. It's the home of local photographer Marcus North, his wife Evie and their daughter. The house comes with a tragic history, with Marcus' wife having been found dead at the bottom of the stairs while he was away on a commissioned photography trip. It took a few years before Marcus (real name Mark) could consider moving on with his life, his rather overbearing sister Cleo helping to support and steer him back on course, pushing him to focus on his photography studio.

History then appears to repeat itself, the book itself opening with detectives arriving at the property to find Mark dead in bed with his partner Evie covered in blood next to him, confessing to killing him. Detective Stephanie King was one of the first on scene both times tragic events have happened, and she can't help but think there's more to this family home than meets the eye. There's also an interesting backstory between the detectives which I think we will hear more about in future books.

The story follows the trial of Evie, with input from Mark's sister (who appears to be jealous of all the women in his life) and their mutual friend who has her own questions about the whole situation too. The legal representatives on both sides are both excellently drawn and the twists and turns which appear throughout the book create more questions than answers right up until the end.

As regular readers of my blog will know, I love a courtroom drama so this one was an ideal read for me which had me guessing from the first page to the last. I'll definitely be reading further instalments of this series.

About the Author:

Rachel Abbott's debut thriller, Only the Innocent, was an international bestseller, reaching the number one position in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number one bestselling novels The Back Road, Sleep Tight, Stranger Child, Nowhere Child (a short novel based on the characters from Stranger Child), Kill Me Again, The Sixth Window, Come a Little Closer, The Shape of Lies, Right Behind You and Close Your Eyes. The new thriller in the Tom Douglas series - No More Lies - was released in February 2023.

In 2018 Rachel released the first book in a new series - And So It Begins. This was followed by The Murder Game in 2020 (The Invitation in the US).

Rachel's novels have now been translated into over 20 languages and have sold over 5 million copies.

In 2015 Amazon celebrated the first five years of the Kindle in the UK, and announced that Rachel was the number one bestselling independent author over the five-year period. She was also placed fourteenth in the chart of all authors. Stranger Child was the most borrowed novel for the Kindle in the first half of 2015.

Rachel now lives in Alderney - a beautiful island off the coast of France - where she devotes her time to her love of writing fiction.

Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh @HeadlineFiction @SteveCavanagh_ #KillForMeKillForYou

 

Kill For Me Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh

Published by Headline Fiction

Publication Date: 3rd August 2023

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

One dark evening in New York City, two strangers meet by chance.

Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realise they have so much in common.

They both feel alone. They both drink alone.

And they both desperately want revenge against the two men who destroyed their families.

Together, they have the perfect plan.

If you kill for me, I'll kill for you...

My Thoughts:

Having waited patiently in the reservation queue for this book at my library, I made sure I was able to call in to collect it on my way home from work on the day I received the notification to say it was available. Hardbacks aren't really my format of choice as I like to read a few pages on my commute each day where possible, but I'd heard such good reviews of this book that I wasn't prepared to wait for the paperback to hit the shelves.

In the first chapter we meet Amanda and learn about the loss of both her 6 year old daughter and her husband. We see how Amanda intends to deal with the man who she believes caused her to lose everything she held dear in her life. The man who escaped justice just because his father was able to influence the so-called "law enforcers". The story then moves to a young woman named Ruth Gelman, who is stabbed in her home by a serial attacker who police come to nickname "Mr Blue Eyes" following the statement she gives them when she wakes up in hospital. But just how do the two threads of the tale relate to one another? 

Amanda is forced, through the consequences of her need for revenge, to attend group counselling - a prospect she manages to put off right until the very last chance her legal team can scrape together for her. There she meets another young woman named "Wendy" and against all the rules of the group, they end up going for drinks after the session. It is during this session that Wendy makes a bold suggestion: they can both get the end result they want, but without any of the risk attached: Wendy will kill Amanda's target if she agrees to do the same for her. Just like the movie "Strangers on a Train".

From thereon in the story really is quite a hair raising ride. There are multiple occasions where you want to shout at the pages to warn characters against going through with their intended actions. The ripples that spread from the decisions made by these women are far-reaching and will have your eyes wide and jaw dropping by the end.  In fact, it wasn't until I sat and properly considered the events of the last few chapters that I really appreciated just how clever Mr Cavanagh's writing is in this book. Some readers have said they prefer the Eddie Flynn books, but for me this one is my favourite of the ones I've read so far from this author.

My advice is, where possible, try to read this book in decent sized chunks as I feel you'll get far more carried along by the tension and plotting than if you read it chapter by chapter.  I'm pretty sure the ending will give you a smile of satisfaction on your face once all the pieces fully register in place.

About the Author:

Steve Cavanagh is the bestselling author of the Eddie Flynn series of novels and standalone thrillers. In 2018 The Liar won the CWA Gold Dagger for crime novel of the year and 2019 saw his novel Thirteen win the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Every one of his novels has either won or been nominated for awards internationally.

He is a former lawyer, born and brought up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he still lives.

The Honeymoon by Kate Gray @welbeckpublish @KateGrayAuthor #TheHoneymoon #NetGalley

 

The Honeymoon by Kate Gray

Published by Welbeck Publishing

Publication Date: 20th July 2023

My thanks to Rob Cox at Welbeck Publishing for the early copy of this book via NetGalley.

Book Description:

Two happy couples.

One dead body.

A whole load of secrets.

Married life wasn't meant to start like this...

On honeymoon in Bali, you hit it off with another newlywed couple and celebrate your last night at a fancy cliff-side restaurant.

No one predicted the evening would end with a dead body. But it was an accident, right? A tragic accident.

The honeymoon may be over but it soon becomes clear that there's another side to this story . . . and your life depends on uncovering it.

Many marriages can survive anything – but when it starts on a lie is it really 'til death do us part?

My Thoughts:

Two women, both on honeymoon, meet pool-side in a Bali hotel. They get chatting and end up with a dinner date for themselves and their respective husbands at the Blue Fin restaurant later that evening. It's the last night of the holidays for all of them, and it seems a nice idea to spend some time with like-minded people. But the evening ends on a sour note - moreso for one of the couples who find themselves with a bit of a dilemma.

This book packs a shocking opening scenario, and with the chapters coming short and sharp throughout, the reader is bombarded with information and question marks about the respectability of all those involved. Emotional wedges are driven between Erin and James before they've even left the island, but why are Sophia and Mark so keen to keep in touch once they're back in the UK? None of the characters is at all likeable and you will switch allegiance multiple times along the way as information about the characters filters down the pages. 

This would make a decent page-turner of a beach read (if ever we get a summer!) and I don't think you're likely to guess the conclusion of the story - I mean, it's not the biggest curveball ever, but it had sufficient intrigue as I didn't entirely work out where the story was heading.

My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this via the NetGalley platform.

About the Author:

The Honeymoon is the first thriller published by Kate Gray, who has previously written feel-good reads under the name Katy Colins.

I may have a little book-buying problem...

Or there again (as is my argument) I just don't have enough storage space or hours in the day to read!

With access to books being pretty easy in my world, I can say I am extremely lucky compared to others, and having a partner who, while he doesn't turn a blind eye to the number of books which randomly appear in our home, gently reminds me on a regular basis that I do actually need to read some of them before our house either explodes, or turns from a house into a bungalow. It seems that the saying that book buying and book reading being two different hobbies finds a lot of truth in my case.

I have to admit to having been rather extravagant lately; these are new books which I have treated myself to as they were just too tempting to leave behind.

I just HAD to buy the signed copy of Jack Jordan's Conviction at Waterstones in Greenwich as a reminder of my trip to London!

Then there are the preloved books which have made their way into my possession recently, whether from charity shops or passed on to me by friends. These have certainly made an impact on my TBR pile and made it rather precarious!

And to put the cherry on the top of the pile, I had reserved a few books from my local library at various points recently as I was increasingly aware of how many I'd bought, and a few of them also arrived all at the same time. 

So basically, I need to put the brakes on my buying/loaning of books and actually crack on and read as many of them as is humanly possible. In my defence I have stopped looking at the new issues available via NetGalley as I know I cannot realistically fit any of them in by their deadlines, so it wouldn't be right to request anything for the foreseeable future and I've set up a new photo folder on my phone where I add pictures of the books I'm interested in rather than just rushing out to buy them or reserving them at the library. 

I will endeavour to add my thoughts and recommendations to my blog page as much as possible but please excuse me if this slips a bit while I try and play catch-up for a while.

Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter #NetGalley @CaraHunterBooks @HarperCollinsUK #booktwt #bookreview #MurderInTheFamily

 Murder In The Family by Cara Hunter

Published by Harper Collins

Publication Date: 20 July 2023

My thanks to publisher Harper Collins for the early review copy of this book via NetGalley

Book Description:

IT WAS A CASE THAT GRIPPED THE NATION
LUKE RYDER’S MURDER HAS NEVER BEEN SOLVED

In December 2003, Luke Ryder was found dead in the garden of the family home in London, leaving behind a wealthy older widow and three stepchildren. Nobody saw anything.

Now, secrets will be revealed – live on camera.

Years later a group of experts re-examine the evidence on Infamous, a true-crime show – with shocking results. Does the team know more than they’ve been letting on?

Or does the truth lie closer to home?

Can you solve the case before they do?
The truth will blow your mind.

My Thoughts:

My first observation of this book is that the author has taken a break from writing her Adam Fawley series, which I was in a way pleased about - my TBR pile stands taller than mount Everest, and the possibility of novels in a series coming out in quick succession bothers me (I use the MJ Arlidge series purely as reference. I was thoroughly enjoying the early instalments however they were being released so frequently that I totally lost track and have therefore abandoned the series as a lost cause).

The "main character" in this book, if you can call him that being as he's been dead for 20 years, is a young man named Luke Ryder. Killed in the garden of the home he shared with his older wife and family, the crime was never solved. Now 20 years later his step-son Guy Howard, a filmmaker, wants to make a mini-series re-opening the case to look into the evidence and maybe even find out who was responsible. The program makers have brought together a team of "experts" to analyse the official documents and interview relevant witnesses.

The chapters are similar in style to Cara Hunter's previous books: short, sharp, information-heavy, laden with distracting red herrings - or are they? It's the reader's challenge to work out what is relevant and what is speculation and guesswork. The interspersed sections of social media posts relating public reaction to the episodes of the mini-series as they are released feed in between the main chapters are typical of Hunter's style but if you've not read her books before they can take a bit of getting used to.
There's plenty of finger pointing between the experts on the show - everyone has a pretty strong opinion, and this raises tempers and some interesting questions which were never raised in the first police investigation. Apart from Guy, nobody is quite who they first appear to be, and this keeps the tension going right to the end.

Another resounding success from Cara Hunter in my opinion - I don't know how she plots and twists her storylines as intricately as she does.

About the Author:

Cara Hunter is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling crime novels Close to Home, In the Dark, No Way Out, All the Rage, The Whole Truth and Hope to Die, all featuring DI Adam Fawley and his Oxford-based police team. Close to Home was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick (as is her latest) and was shortlisted for Crime Book of the Year in the British Book Awards 2019. No Way Out was selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 100 best crime novels since 1945. Cara's novels have sold over a million copies worldwide, and the TV rights to the series have been acquired by the Fremantle group. She lives in Oxford. Murder in the Family is her first stand-alone crime novel. The Fawley series will also continue.

Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes @MichaelJBooks @jojomoyes #booktwt #bookreview #SomeoneElsesShoes

 

Someone Elses's Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Published by Penguin Michael Joseph

Publication Date: 2nd February 2023 (hardcover)

Book Description:

MEET SAM
She's not got much, but she's grateful for what she has: a job she's just about clinging on to and a family who depend on her for everything. She knows she's one bad day away from losing it all - and just hopes today isn't it . . .
MEET NISHA
She's got everything she always dreamed of - and more: a phenomenally rich husband; an international lifestyle; and . . . she's just been locked out of all of it after her husband initiates divorce proceedings...
Sam and Nisha should never have crossed paths. But after a bag mix-up at the gym, their lives become intertwined - even as they spiral out of control.
Each blames the other as they feel increasingly invisible, forgotten, lost - and desperately alone.
But they're not.
No woman is an island. Look around. Family. Friends. Strangers.
Even the woman you believe just ruined your life might turn out to be your best friend.
Because together you can do anything - like take back what is yours...

My Thoughts:

I've not read a Jojo Moyes book for a fair few years now but have always enjoyed those that I have. My partner bought me this one for my birthday - he always says he never knows which ones I've already got on my TBR mountain, so I specifically asked him for this one as it always feels good to receive a book on your special day. I liked the idea of this story: two very different women accidentally exchange bags in the changing room of their local gym and from there on their lives take on a very different path.

Sam is very down to earth. Mum of one, shops at Primark and whose husband is struggling with his mental health following the loss of his dad and his job in quick succession. This leaves Sam to take on the lion's share of keeping the family on track.

Nisha lives in a very different world. She's from the USA, only in the UK to accompany her very wealthy husband on his latest business trip. She's a kept woman, with access to all the trappings her husband's credit card will allow. Until it doesn't, and Nisha finds herself literally out in the cold. In a "borrowed" spa dressing gown and flip-flops. 

Sam and Nisha visit the same spa on the same morning - an everyday trip for Nisha, but a special treat for Sam which she's just about managed to squeeze in before her gift card expires. Little do the two women realise just how entangled with one another's lives they are about to become.

Some people have said that this book is a little far-fetched at some points, and yes, I suppose you could say that - but hey, this is the world of fiction and you can give a little in order to make a good story.  I'm not sure whose world falls apart the most out of the two women - Sam is accused of theft, adultery and goodness knows what else along the way whereas Nisha has to go back to a place in her past that she thought she'd long left behind across the pond. 

I loved most of the characters in this book - even the not so pleasant ones as karma is a wonderful thing in the fictional world. There are some fantastic moments of comedy throughout this book as the women's world cross paths more and more as time goes on and Nisha fights tooth and nail to get back what is hers.  My favourite characters were those with more supporting, yet pivotal roles in the story. The staff at the hotel where Nisha's husband is holed up, and Sam's best friend who is battling cancer, together with some of her colleagues at Uberprint, all made their mark on me to the point where I can't choose a favourite amongst them. 

There's definitely a moral message in this book, but not to the point of being preachy - it's too much fun for that. This was the perfect book to get me away from the psychological thrillers and crime novels which I had embedded myself amongst recently. 

A shiny 5 stars for this one, which I wholly recommend.

About the Author:

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and screenwriter. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The One Plus One, The Giver of Stars, the forthcoming Someone Else's Shoes and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Jojo's novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries and have sold fifty-one million copies worldwide. Me Before You has now sold over fifteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. Jojo lives in London.