BiblioManiac

The Flower Arranger by JJ Ellis

2019-09-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

THE FLOWER ARRANGER

JJ ELLIS

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And now he knew what was wrong with the arrangement. It was the Ma… the negative space… There was only one thing beautiful enough to fill it and — finally — she was with him. Ready, if not willing, to play her role.

Holly Blain wants to cover real news. The entertainment beat — pop stars and teen trends — was not why she moved to Tokyo. When she meets Inspector Tetsu Tanaka, head of Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police’s Gaikoku-jin unit, it might just be her big break.

Tanaka isn’t so sure. Always one to do things by the book, he’s hesitant about bringing this headstrong reporter into his carefully controlled investigation.

But young women keep disappearing and Tanaka is given no choice. He and Blain must trust each other if they are to stop a tormented killer from bringing his twisted plan to its shocking conclusion.

Today I am delighted to be part of the Blog Tour for The Flower Arranger by JJ Ellis.

It's always exciting to discover a new author and potentially a new crime thriller series and from the outset, I was intrigued by this debut novel. The red cover is not only eye-catching, but bold, brave and dangerous - and if you dare to read on, you'll understand how fitting this choice of design is!

This is a very impressive, engaging and polished thriller. It feels refreshing and the author really uses the Japanese location effectively. The sense of place and use of detail ensures the reader is firmly rooted within each scene; the descriptions about the people, place and environment add to the atmosphere, tension and excitement and yet remain measured and subtle.

It's always a great combination to use a journalist and a detective in a murder story. Here Ellis creates a great dynamic and relationship between these two main characters as they find they have to work together. Both Holly and Tanaka are convincing, authentic and realistic characters, and there is a lot of potential for further teamwork in future books.

The prose is fluent, very readable and accomplished. It's hard to say too much without revealing any spoilers, but I really enjoyed the anonymous chapters that appear between the main story. There are definitely some echoes of The Silence of the Lambs or The Collector and Ellis definitely creates an eerie voice which is gripping and takes the reader on a real roller-coaster of a ride.

Ellis is an exciting author, certainly one to watch, and worth checking out if you are on the look for a new, fresh and original voice in crime fiction.

Thank you so much to Agora Books for the advance copy of the book and for inviting me to join the Blog Tour - please make sure you check out the other stops this September for more reviews!

JJ ELLIS

JJ Ellis was born and raised in Yorkshire in northern England although now lives near London. The author’s interest in Japan was sparked when a family member won a trip there by singing in Japanese at an exhibition in the UK. Several visits followed — to Tokyo and further flung places such as Ishigaki and Iriomote — as Ellis developed the idea for The Flower Arranger. Two more crime novels featuring the team of Tanaka and Blain are planned.

The Flower Arranger is JJ Ellis’ first novel and is published by Agora Books.

The Wayward Girls by Amanda Mason

2019-09-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Wayward Girls

Amanda Mason

When you call, they will answer...

With the blurb claiming The Wayward Girls is like The Girls and The Little Stranger, I was absolutely desperate to read it. I love a book about an old house, I love a dual narrative, I love piecing together a story taking place in the past and the present. I love a writer who can harness language to create a haunting and disturbing atmosphere where much is suggested and hinted at until there is no way I can sleep with the light off! I loved The Wayward Girls!

The Wayward Girls has all the ingredients for a chilling and ghostly tale. There is an old house which seems to have an agenda and personality of it's own, there are inquisitive minds and people trying to unearth secrets which have been buried deep under the floorboards - or behind the walls in this case. There is a family with a past, siblings with complicated dynamics, a tragedy and ghosts. There is a mother and a daughter who are at odds and in conflict about the best way to resolve the questions they are presented with as a group of young students begin an investigation to the supernatural goings on at their old family home.

At the beginning of the novel I found the supernatural investigations at the house engaging, although remained fairly sceptical. I'm not a huge supernatural fan but Mason's writing is full of conviction and her ability to create atmosphere, suspense and fear is impressive - before I knew it, I was completely drawn in and totally hooked. The dual narrative between 'Then' and 'Now' is effective in keeping the reader guessing, adding more details, hints, clues, shocks and twists, creating a jigsaw of clues for the reader to try and make sense of. This is perfectly executed throughout the entire novel, ensuring an intriguing yet deeply satisfying and enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the proof of supernatural happenings at the old house versus the families past and the secrets they refuse to admit or share. The conflict between the evidence and the history are cleverly managed and add deep mystery and chills to every single page.

I loved how the two threads from the past and present came together. The pace and dramatic tension is well controlled and from 70% onwards I was completely and utterly hooked. The characters are flawed, secretive and scared ensuring the reader has a complicated relationship with them all and often tricked into a certain response towards them or finding themselves needing to reassess their thoughts. Just like the noises in the house, the truth and perspective in this novel is constantly shifting and the reader is never sure who or what to believe.

This is a disturbing, clever and sinister read, deliciously dark and creepy, which lingers with you for days after you've finished reading.

Do you dare to knock?

The Guilty Mother by Diane Jeffrey

2019-08-08T09:57:00.001-07:00

THE GUILTY MOTHER

Diane Jeffrey

ebook available August 2019

This is a novel that doesn't shy away from an emotive and controversial issue. A mother, Melissa Slade, was imprisoned in 2013 for killing her twin baby girls. Now, with new evidence, her case is reopened and it is journalist Jonathan Hunt - who covered the story in 2013 - who is tasked to interview Melissa. Will he be able to find out whether she is in fact guilty, or has been a victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice?

There are lots of reasons that make this book a great read. Firstly the subject matter - a mother being imprisoned for murdering her children is a huge topic and a very sensitive and emotional one. But it also instantly engages the reader and creates a real sense of intrigue. Within this murder case there are many questions to answer and many themes to explore - all of which Jeffrey takes the time to do and because of this has crafted a multi-layered, thoughtful yet well-paced novel.

I liked that the protagonist of the story was really the journalist and in a way, this made Melissa Slade's circumstances less sensationalised - or more authentic - and allowed Jeffrey to explore the characters, their motives, their relationships and the consequences in depth. Jonathan is reluctant to take the case on, initially it takes him a while to remember the details (a great way to fill in the backstory for the reader as well!) and tragically also ignites challenging feelings about his personal life and the situation he is struggling to fully come to terms with. I liked that he was a journalist rather than a policeman as I think that also allows more leniency and creativity with the investigation and how the character of Melissa was revealed and presented. I liked how the personal lives of both Melissa and Jonathan were intertwined - but not in an obvious way, more nuanced, showing how much what we are going through can affect the way we react or deal with everything else around us.

The story soon develops - not only do we learn more about Jonathan, but obviously we start to uncover much more about Melissa. Jeffrey plants clues, makes suggestions, sows seeds of doubt, then throws in a few twists and other pieces of information so we really don't know whether we believe Melissa or not. We are torn, we want to feel empathy towards Melissa but then we are not sure we can trust her. There is quite a large cast of characters as Melissa is on her second marriage and there are several family members involved in the events leading up to the death of the babies, but Jeffrey manages each thread well and ensures the constant drip drip drip of information comes just at the right moment. The novel is full of tension, suspense, intrigue, confusion, conflict and distrust. And a whole lot of emotion. Whatever the outcome, this is a truly tragic case and cannot fail to affect the reader in some way.

Despite choosing a challenging and uncomfortable subject and then the further sadness of Jonathan's home life, this story is a good read. It's well written, thoughtful and sensitive. It feels authentic and the characters felt real. I really enjoyed the final section of the book and loved the last minute twists and turns that were really satisfying and needed an audible gasp of shock!

This is a great thriller. Complex and perfectly executed to create a compelling read where the reader really doesn't know what the outcome will be and what they can believe about the characters. Recommend!

Girl. Boy. Sea. by Chris Vick

2019-08-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

GIRL. BOY. SEA.

Chris Vick

August 2019 | Zephyr

I am delighted to be on the Blog Tour for this fantastic novel from YA writer Chris Vick. The story is as striking as the book cover and it's a mesmerising tale of shipwreck, survival and storytelling. But, before I tell you more about my thoughts, here's a guest post from Chris himself to tell you a bit more about Girl. Boy. Sea.

A Sea of Stories

Girl. Boy. Sea. is about two young people, alone together in a tiny boat on an unforgiving ocean. It’s a story of survival: Bill and Aya must discover who they really are when they are torn from everything and everyone they have ever known.

For days and weeks they are alone in the Atlantic: a land with no borders, a house with no roof, an emptiness of sky and sea that is vast, beautiful and terrifying.

How do they fill this ocean of time and space with no phones or TVs to entertain them? They fill their lives with stories.

Bill and Aya are as different as two characters ever were. To begin with they can’t fully understand each other. But they learn to communicate, and over time, they bond through the stories Aya tells. She is from a remote Berber tribe in Morocco where storytelling is a living tradition.

Her stories seem at first to be inspired by 1,001 Nights. To Bill they are ‘just fairy stories.’ But I’m cynical of anyone who easily dismisses their power. They are ancient and everlasting. Light on facts, but rich with truth.

Einstein allegedly said: ‘If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.’

We return time and again to fairy stories, through childhood books, versions found in fantasy epics, Disney movies and modern retellings such as those written by Angela Carter or Louise O’Neill.

But – aside from Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad – we are not as familiar with 1,001 Nights as we are with the Brothers Grimm collection of European tales, but it is just as rich and arguably more complex. Like the Grimms’ collection it doesn’t have just one author, but encompasses 1,000 different tales contained within one overarching story. It’s about a storyteller whose own characters interrupt the flow of action and tell us a new tale, or even several tales, before the storyteller resumes his story. Like Grimm’s, 1,001 Nights was formed over centuries of retelling, a pot with ingredients from many cultures and countries across the Middle East, and a counterpoint to the European ‘world’ of Grimm.

Where Grimm’s collection has castles, deep dark forests and wise old women, Nights has magic lamps, wily thieves, deserts, caves and demons. But where the settings are so different, many of the themes and even the characters are similar. Both collections have tyrannical rulers, drunk on power, too blinded by wealth to see the real treasures of love and kindness, and easily undone by plucky, brave girls and boys.

Aya uses 1,001 Nights as the starting point of her stories. Yet, in the tradition of oral storytelling, Aya takes flight with her imagination, creating casts of sultans, demons, djinees and – especially – fierce peasant girls. Bill wonders how much Aya is embellishing the tales as the main characters seem uncannily like her!

As she tells her stories they change, reflecting the reality of their surroundings and Bill slowly realises who Aya is and that she is telling her own story.

As days pass and starvation takes hold, myth, magic and reality blur. The sun becomes a sultan, searching the sky for diamond stars. A shadow follows, that might, or might not, be a shark. Or perhaps even death itself.

The stories form a trail of clues, a map of who Aya is, why she was on the boat that sank in the storm, and what she must do if they survive and return to the world.

I hope the reader is as intrigued as Bill, and like him, wants to find out the truth of who Aya is.

MY REVIEW OF GIRL. BOY. SEA.

I love the way Chris has introduced the story to you all above. Not only does it give you a fantastic flavour of the novel and the two characters, it also gives you a flavour of his writing style.

I really enjoyed this adventure novel. Bill is a teenager completing a Youth Sail Challenge when the yacht is caught in a storm off the coast of Morocco. After many days surviving in a tiny rowing boat, he rescues Aya, a girl clinging for her life to a barrel in the ocean. They drift on through endless days and long, dark nights; hungry, thirsty, sunburnt and scared. Aya tells Bill stories from her nomadic tribe to pass the time and to give them hope.

Vick's writing follows the ebb and flow of the sea and he places the reader in the scene effectively, making them feel as if they too are out at sea. The structure of the sentences and Bill's narrative mimics the rise and fall of the stormy waves and then captures the hopelessness of staring out across an endless horizon.

The two characters are very well crafted and the dynamics between them is beautifully developed - slowly and gradually showing how they become closer and the effect their experience has on them and their relationship. Aya is mysterious, alluring and intriguing. She seems magical and her storytelling shows how important the hope of rescue is - almost as lifesaving as food and drink.

For me, this echoed Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Flies and Island of the Blue Dolphin. It's a perfect mix of adventure, drama, tension and coming of age. Perfect for 11-14 year olds, this is a great summer holiday read for anyone who dreams of desert islands, wonders how they would survive at sea or loves that blend between reality and the magical. This is a treat - enjoy!

My thanks to Jade at Zephyr for the invitation to join the blog tour and the copy of Girl. Boy. Sea. This is my honest review.

The Holiday by T M Logan

2019-08-03T02:12:00.001-07:00

THE HOLIDAY | TM LOGAN

Zaffre | July 2019

Who has a holiday planned with friends this summer? Who has booked a family gathering abroad? Or is sharing a villa with another couple of couples? Maybe you should read this book before you go – or actually, on second thoughts maybe not!

T M Logan's third novel takes place in a villa in the south of France – the perfect setting for a scorching thriller full of simmering tension and heated emotions.

Four best friends, and their families, head to Provence to spend a week together to celebrate turning forty. Four friends who share a history, share memories and with whom they share all their secrets. Or do they? What happens when you go away with a group of people you think you know, only too find you don’t know them at all?

I’ll tell you what happens – you get an absolutely compelling, page turning read that forces you to constantly reassess your opinion of each character and then constantly surprises or shocks you with the secrets these characters might be trying to hide from each other!

The Holiday is the perfect addition to any suitcase this summer! It's pace is well judged, it's a scenario that's relatable, the characters are easy to identify with and feel empathy towards, and a plot which leads you down one path but then takes you towards at a totally unexpected destination. I was really impressed with Logan’s clever and complex plot; it continued to keep me gripped until the very last page. The last third of the novel is absolutely heart stopping and the tension soars to such a high degree, it smashes any heat wave recorded this year!

The main character is Kate and we spend most of the novel with her. She uncovers something very unsettling as soon as she arrives at the villa and this sets up an atmosphere of unease, suspicion and threat from the outset. I found Kate authentic and believable, and was impressed with Logan’s creation of such a convincing female voice. As the novel develops, we quickly realise that it’s not only Kate who is grappling with problems preventing her from enjoying the break. Each of the four friends have things from the past – and the present - that they are trying to keep from bubbling towards the surface.

Initially it looks as if this is a story about an affair and a breakdown between a couple, but the longer the group spend together, the more we learn about the the other characters. Soon it's clear that they are all flawed, all suffering and all trying to maintain a façade to protect themselves or their children. Each of the four friends is well crafted, with snapshots from some of the husbands to help show further insight or observations about what is happening at the villa. I loved how curious I was to find out more about each of the women, their relationships with each other, their motivations, fears and dilemmas. There are some powerful scenes, some emotive issues raised and basically, well, it's just a fabulous read with a cast of fantastic characters and such a dramatic finale that nothing - not even a crisp, cool glass of wine - will be able to distract you from finishing it!

I was hugely impressed with the depth and interweaving plot lines, how expertly Logan handles the multiple threads and how well he captures the range of relationships and dynamics between the families, friends, husbands, wives and children. The dialogue between the teenagers is particularly strong and the way their problems, concerns and secrets wriggle their way into the forefront of the story is really clever. It really is a terrific read and an exceptionally well executed thriller.

I definitely recommend this tense, compelling thriller about families, friendships, secrets and lies. Whether you are on holiday or not this summer, make sure this book is on your shopping list for travel essentials!

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Hot Milk by Deborah Levy

2019-08-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

HOT MILK

Deborah Levy

This is the first book I've read by Levy and being aware of the critical acclaim and literary label associated with her writing, I was slightly wary at how accessible I may find it. However, this was an immensely readable and utterly immersive novel which I honestly found I could not put down. It's not a thriller, it's not a page turner, but there is something very mesmerising and compelling about Levy's poetic prose. I found myself almost cast under a spell, held in a trance by her hypnotic writing, until the very last line. Combine this with it's short length of only 218 pages, and short chapters, it begs to be read in one sitting. And if you do put it down, your fingers will be itching to get back to the protagonist and her complicated psychology at the earliest opportunity!

In brief, the story is set in Almeria, Southern Spain, where Sofia and her mother are booked into a clinic to finally get treatment for her mother's multitude of illnesses which control, restrict and define their everyday life. Whether the illnesses are real or imagined is unclear, as is the effectiveness or validity of the course of treatment. The dialogue is sharp, witty and wonderfully observed. Sometimes the short, selfish or blunt responses of the characters not just startles the reader out of the sultry heat of the beachside setting, but stops them in their tracks to absorb and process the implication and weight of the words. There are so many fantastic phrases and observations about love, mothers, fathers and siblings the book has much to offer with its exploration of relationships and how dysfunctional, suffocating and damaging family dynamics can be. Levy also explores feelings and again, the repetition and emphasis on emotions such as boldness, lust and self worth, which are at times more like statements or mantras, create moments of dramatic impact or self realisation for both the characters and reader.

Sofia and her mother are inextricably interwoven through years of deceit, manipulation and fear presenting a relationship which, as I mentioned, is fascinatingly dysfunctional. The emotional journey of Sofia throughout the novel is really one of coming of age; one of gradual realisation that indeed it is may be her that may benefit from a diagnosis from the doctor and a course of stark treatment (or stark comments about her character from the Doctor) rather than her mother.

It is a rich, powerful, visceral and beautifully written novel. Short but memorable with characters that will stay with me. I loved the thematic and recurring imagery about the jellyfish and the water. I loved the statements about Sofia's love for her mother, about her mother's legs - which were almost as much a character as her mother - and how the physical complaints changed over the course of the story. I loved the disinterest of Dr Gomez and his calm, sometimes cryptic questions or statements which were so poignant or cutting yet almost shook the pages with their resonance. And the secondary characters whose interaction adds further layers of psychological intrigue to the plot.

Hot Milk is a novel about identity, awakening, anger and desire. It's about mothers and daughters. It's about discovering and confronting the truths from which you've been hiding. I highly recommend!

Expectation by Anna Hope

2019-07-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

EXPECTATION

by Anna Hope

11th July 2019 | £12.99 | Hardback

One of the most brilliant things about reading is coming across the right book at the right time and finding some kind of affinity with the characters or themes the author explores. It sounds trite to say a book can change you, but I think it can - or it can at least speak to you and affect you in some quite deep, emotional way. For me, this was the case with Expectation, Anna Hope's contemporary fiction debut.

I've read both Hope's historical fiction novels and have subsequently bought several copies for friends. They are well written with well crafted characters, show thoughtful explorations of emotive topics, all within atmospheric and evocative settings. Needless to say, I was delighted to read more from Hope, especially as Expectation is a departure from her previous books and in a modern setting.

Expectation is about Hannah, Cate and Lissa who are the very best of friends. As young women, living in London, they are energetic, excited, ambitious, hopeful and full of the 'promise of everything to come'. Ten years on and that promise has been overtaken with compromise, responsibility, obligation and disappointment. The three girls who were inseparable now envy each other, they question what it is they are doing and what has become of the dreams and desires they once followed. In this novel, Hope takes us with them on this journey from girls to women. We are immersed into their stories and quickly involved with them as they become partners, wives and mothers, as they learn to live and then learn to confront that their futures may not be the ones they talked about, or expected. The shout line 'What happened to the women we were supposed to become?' is incredibly powerful and completely captures the essence of this thought provoking yet stunning book.

This truly is a gorgeous read with prose that is beautiful, brilliant and haunting. It's unputdownable yet also worth savouring so that the words, images, thoughts and situations can be fully appreciated. It's also very accessible and readable, it will resonate with so many people for many different reasons. With three characters who are each given space to fully consider their past, present and future, it is a multi-layered novel. Every reader will see different things or find different lines which move them. Essentially the book examines the space between expectation and reality, as well as how to find your way and what it means to be a mother, daughter, wife and friend.

Hope's writing is insightful and full of nuance. It is brave, intelligent and very readable because it is so relatable. The three interchanging narratives from each woman's point of view is exceptionally well managed, and despite moving from character to character and through different times in their lives, it is fluent and easy to follow. The voices and experiences are distinct and the characters are full of depth and complex feelings.

It is an incredible story of friendship, motherhood, marriage and all the ups and down, the challenges, the highs and the lows which these women encounter as they navigate their way through life. It is impossible not to be affected by the emotional journey travelled by Cate, Hannah and Lissa as they learn to accept themselves, their flaws and the consequences of their choices. I have underlined numerous phrases in the book which struck me because they were so frank, poetic, or just resonated deeply. I envy Hope's skill and talent as an author.

Unforgettable. Impressive. Stunning.

Not only is this my book of the summer, it's quite possibly my book of the year! Do not miss it!

My huge thanks to Alison Barrow who sent me an advance copy. This is my honest review.

On My Life by Angela Clarke

2019-07-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

ON MY LIFE

Angela Clarke

Do you ever do that thing when you wonder what you would do if you found yourself in the same situation as the main character in the book you're reading?

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself arrested for something you know you didn't do? Then before you know it you're in prison facing trial...What would you do? How would you cope?

Well what I would do is...hang on, did you realise you'd have no phone, no internet, no calls to relatives - or when you do they won't accept them - then there's no privacy, and no one believes anything you say...oh yes and you're pregnant ...hmmmm, that does make it more complicated and hundred times more frightening.

This is exactly the situation Jenna finds herself facing in Angela Clarke's brilliant new thriller, 'On My Life'. You won't find yourself wondering what you might do if you were Jenna because oh my word, Clarke absolutely makes sure we feel as if we are firmly in Jenna's shoes while she tries to find a way to prove to the police what really happened - if she can work it out for herself first that is. I loved Jenna's narrative voice - pacy, breathless, flighty, flitting from thought to thought, distracted, anxious and completely convincing in creating the atmosphere of fear, shock and horror as she finds herself in prison and totally alone in the world. It is impossible to read this book without feeling your heart in your mouth, your chest pounding, butterflies in your stomach and a cold sweat breaking out across your forehead. In Jenna, Clarke has created an authentic, realistic and genuine character who pulls the reader along through the pages, making them part of her every thought, feeling, realisation and emotion.

Let me back up a bit - how does Jenna find herself in prison? She has the perfect life - a gorgeous boyfriend to whom she is engaged, a job she loves and a beautiful home. Then she finds her stepdaughter murdered and her partner missing. Jenna is the main suspect and is locked up in prison awaiting trial for a crime for which her fellow prisoners would cause her great harm if they ever found out. And she's pregnant. Yep, Clarke knows how to create a captivating blurb and hook you from the first line. This is a tightly plotted, well executed novel and Clarke knows exactly how to deliver a story full of tension, suspense, emotion and twists.

It goes without saying this is a thriller with a ticking clock - a clock that ticks loudly on every page; a ticking that increases your heart rate to match Jenna's as she tries desperately to work out who killed her stepdaughter and clear her name - a task made ever more complicated and frustrating by the prison system and the restriction on what information and support she can access. The relentless pace never lets up. Clarke really won't let us forget how brutal the prison system can be and how terrifying it would be to find yourself in a situation that is not only totally alien to you, but also one where you are without the necessary support to navigate and survive the system.

I have always been a fan of Angela Clarke's novels but I think she has excelled herself with this totally gripping and truly unputdownable thriller. Her sentence structure and sense of pace captures the anxiety, stress and fear of Jenna and the pain of all the women in prison - guilty or not guilty. At times this novel is utterly heartbreaking and shocking. It's clearly a novel Clarke wrote with passion and from her own heart. I felt my eyes had been opened to the reality of prison for women and what it means to be within this system. Clarke raises challenging questions about prison and the justice system making this not only a compelling read but one that is thought provoking too.

I am incredibly impressed with Clarke's ability to not only put me inside the head of a character so effectively that I totally felt as if I was in the prison cell with her, but also to write a story with a plot in which I was utterly consumed. As I have said, it has a pageturning plot, a thrilling crime to solve, explores themes of injustice, motherhood, parenting, love and revenge as well as raising challenging and uncomfortable questions for the reader. It really is a one sitting read and I can not wait for more from Clarke.

Unmissable.

The Dangerous Kind by Deborah O'Connor

2019-05-18T15:52:00.001-07:00

THE DANGEROUS KIND

by DEBORAH O'CONNOR

It is a truth universally acknowledged by book bloggers, that sometimes, the more you love a book, the harder it is to write a review. Case in point here with Deborah O'Connor's fantastic second novel, The Dangerous Kind, for which I have been waiting since she first told me the outline of the plot when we met a year ago and I was still reeling from her debut novel, My Husband's Son.

Well maybe it's not so hard to review after all as basically, all you need to know is - it's amazing, it's absolutely brilliantly written and you must read it.

More? Sigh. Ok, I'll try to do it justice.

You know who they are. But you don't know what they've done.

This is definitely a high concept novel and even hearing the promotional blurb surrounding O'Connor's novel is enough to send shivers down your spine. Did you know that 1 in 100 people fall into the category 'potentially dangerous'? And by 'potentially dangerous' they mean people very likely to commit a crime. Can you identify these people? Can you tell who, out of the people you surround yourself with and interact with daily, might be a potential danger to yourself or your family?

We all know them. Those who exist just on the fringes of society. Who send prickles up the back of our neck. The charmers. The liars. The manipulators. Those who have the potential to go that one step too far. And then take another step.

O'Connor's novel has several key characters, but the main protagonist is Jessamine Gooch, a journalist who broadcasts a radio show looking into the past lives of convicted killers. By investigating these killers past histories, she's trying to ascertain whether anything else could have been done to stop them from committing such terrible crimes - can we in fact tell who might be 'potentially dangerous' and can we stop them?

A woman gets in touch with Jessamine - a woman desperate to find her missing friend Cassie. She's worried that Cassie's abusive husband might be responsible for Cassie's disappearance and something unthinkable might have happened. As Jessamine starts to investigate, she realises that there is something far more darker and dangerous lurking much closer to home - and posing a much darker and dangerous threat to her own family...

This really is a gripping thriller and O'Connor's novel is both bold and brave. The Dangerous Kind tackles difficult, challenging topics which are controversial and timely but her writing is so assured, polished and engaging that it is handled perfectly and the reader is caught up in a story that is both a crime thriller and a gripping exploration of society. I also really enjoyed not only how topical the subject was, but also how much the novel captured the issues prevalent in society, and the way in which podcasting, true crime and journalism is changing, as are the crimes, criminals and the threats we face.

O'Connor clearly cares deeply about the issues she raises in this novel. The Dangerous Kind is carefully constructed which has to reflect how much research and thought must have gone into the planning and execution of this complex novel. The book incorporates a range of narratives which all help to create tension, suspense and obviously add further depth to the plot and also means it is both thoughtfully written and thought provoking. As well as different narrative voices there is also a dual timeline as we move between the past and the present, then days within the present day. This book is an impressive puzzle and each section, each revelation, each increment in pace, action, drama, perfectly managed.

This is a crime story, a mystery story, a race against time, controversial, topical, and also a great exploration of motherhood. The relationship between Jessamine and her daughter is full of nuance and expertly presented. The author uses the framework of the crime thriller to create a story which is more sophisticated, more superior and packed with clever insights and observations about human nature and the evil which lurks in society.

It's compelling (have I already said that too many times?!). It's haunting. It's unsettling and uncomfortable but I was hooked throughout and cared so deeply for Jessamine and her daughter. It's impossible not to when they are so three dimensional and so authentic. The writing is measured, it's incredibly effective and certainly achieves all O'Connor must have hoped for when writing. I'd love to hear more from the author about her writing process, inspirations, motivations and challenges with this novel. The planning process must have been such a tricky road to navigate but one safely and confidently done. It's such an ambitious novel and yet so accessible, fluid and readable.

I think one of the reasons Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan saw so much success in 2018 was because it combined great storytelling with well crafted characters and a topical news issue. In 2019, it should be The Dangerous Kind that sees the same success and acknowledgment. This book has fantastic characters - flawed, troubled yet determined, a gripping storyline that has a heart pounding sense of urgency and a malevolent atmosphere which lingers threateningly over the pages. And a timely topic that will enthral and chill all readers.

Bold. Exciting. Outstanding.

Deborah O'Connor is super talented. The Dangerous Kind will be the thriller of 2019.

And, if this review isn't enough to convince you, then check out the rest of the reviews on this blog tour! Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to join the Blog Tour.

Tangerine by Christine Mangan

2019-02-26T00:26:00.001-08:00

TANGERINE

Christine Mangan

(published 1st Feb 2019)

This book is a delight to read. From the first line, the prose is completely exquisite with lines that need savouring (and highlighting, and committing to memory and using as a bar for what good writing looks like!). I have had my eye on this novel for a long time so I did approach it with a slight sense of trepidation that it might not match my expectations, but was relieved to find that it not only matched, but exceeded them. I found myself completely immersed within the sultry heat of Tangiers and the claustrophobic atmosphere created by the strange, unspoken tension between the two main characters, Alice and Lucy, from the very opening until the very last line.

Impeccably judged, the structure of the alternating narratives and the taut writing, produce a quietly unsettling story which is gripping, even though the action is so understated and nuanced. The imagery and choice of description is also understated yet highly evocative, rooting the reader firmly in the exotic location. Mangan subtly uses the rising danger of political unrest which lurks in the background of the city to accentuate the threatening relationship between the women. The attention to small details and fragmented mention of haunting memories help the reader to slowly piece together the secrets and complex past between Alice and Lucy.

The characterisation of both women is masterful and flawless. These are exceptionally well crafted characters whose motives are complicated and emotions raw. The reader will sympathise with one and be fascinated by the other - and will need to pay attention to the games, manipulation and lies with which they not only deceive the reader and other characters in the book, but also themselves.

It's quite simply unforgettable and totally one of my top reads for 2019. I savoured this book and relished the high quality prose, the slow burn plot and the way in which the sense of threat permeates each page, gradually rising towards the finale. Yes, it does echo The Talented Mr Ripley and The Secret History, but what fantastic comparisons and what fantastic authors to see traces of within this impressive and stand out debut.

I recommend. It's a real treat.

The Girl Next Door by Phoebe Morgan

2019-02-20T00:37:00.000-08:00

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

Phoebe Morgan

I really enjoyed Morgan's debut novel, The Doll House, which I eagerly tore through in one sitting so I was delighted to find the same thing happening with her second book.

With The Girl Next Door, Morgan has hit upon a premise which will immediately hook any reader at all as the story is all about what's really going on behind closed doors versus the image one has projected publicly. I love any story which tackles this theme of the conflict between outward appearances and reality, not just because of social media apps like Facebook and Instagram which seem to perpetuate this need to present an idyllic existence, but also from watching the way we present ourselves in the school playground, in the office, at a conference and so on. I also adore unreliable narrators and I love being 'played' by the characters. Morgan impressed me with her ability to send me off down one path where I think I have worked everything out, only to realise I am totally lost and need to not only retrace my steps, but go back to the crossroads and really look again at what she's told me.

In brief, because I am not going to spoil it for you, The Girl Next Door is about the perfect wife and mother Jane Goodwin, who has put everything into building a perfect life in her village. When a 16 year old girl is found murdered, Jane knows she must do whatever it takes to protect her family - including covering up a dark secret from her past. Hhhmm, indeed - yes, you do want to read on don't you!

There is no doubt that Morgan is a master at weaving a plot which keeps the reader guessing and fulfils all our hopes and expectations for a compelling psychological thriller. There is so much to commend in this novel- the pace, structure, variety of voices - which are all so well conceived with narratives that always feel authentic. And of course, there's a denouement to not only send shivers down your spine and also leave you with a great feeling of satisfaction that the promise of a gripping, twisty story has been well and truly delivered.

With so many great ingredients in this book, from plot twists to intriguing characters, it is sure to become very popular read. As I mentioned at the start, we are so fascinated by the idea of what goes on behind closed doors and how the most perfect amongst us often have the most chilling secrets, that this book captures the reader's imagination immediately. The Girl Next Door a great exploration of families, relationships and our judgements of people and the lives we assume them all to be living - topics which always generate a great discussion. And of course, are perfect for a chilling, unnerving story!

Morgan knows how to hook the reader from the beginning and how to keep us hooked until the end. Her prose is fluent and so very readable but also reflects a skill for crafting compelling characters. I like her protagonist Madeline Shaw who is the investigating officer, and thought she was a really three dimensional character who was relatable. I would love to see more of her in future books. I think most of all I enjoyed the unreliable narrator - one of my favourite techniques and Morgan does a brilliant job here.

A very polished, well written second book and without doubt, Morgan is a writer to watch!

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of the novel. This is my honest and unbiased review.

Perfect Liars by Rebecca Reid

2019-02-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

PERFECT LIARS

by REBECCA REID

Three women walk in to the dinner, but only two will leave.

Murder isn't so difficult the second time around...

Watch out - You are going to hear so much about this book over the coming months. It's an absolutely fabulous read and I for one am going to be recommending it left, right and centre. And watch out too - Lila, Nancy and Georgia are a fearsome trio of women with a complex friendship that is completely captivating!

Loved Big Little Lies? Love Pretty Little Liars? Fancy a bit of Gossip Girl that's gone to the dark side? Want to read something as addictive as the latest box set on Netflix? Then read on....this is your book!

So this is about three school friends, Lila, Nancy and Georgia who met at an elite boarding school in the English countryside. Now in their thirties, they have all since grown up and tried to move forward chasing the lives they wanted, but it's hard to move on when you are haunted by an incident from your past - haunted by something unspeakable that happened at school and forged an unbreakable bond between them. Now one of them wants to talk and this threatens everything they've worked so hard to construct. Georgia calls a crisis dinner in the hope that everything can be resolved over a three course meal.....

This is a fantastic read about a very toxic trio of friends. Each character is heavily flawed - although with enough redemption and enough relatable aspects to make them intriguing so we want to read more about them, but ultimately they are a damaged crew. They are bitter, hurt, haunted throughout their adult life by the 'event' from their school days and their lives are a carefully constructed performance with a super shiny, polished veneer yet if you were to scratch the surface - or claw it away with your sharp nails, it's obvious that money certainly does not buy you happiness!

The novel takes place over the course of one evening. This structure is effective, confidently managed and reminiscent of a Christie locked room murder mystery. The narrative is told from each of the characters' point of view and also alternates between 'Now' and 'Then' to reveal what happened to the girls at school. Not only is this a clever device for creating tension and suspense, it also makes the novel quite oppressive and with such a growing malevolent sense of threat that it really is unputdownable. The feeling that we are culminating towards some hideous end is accentuated by the fact everything is confined to one kitchen on one evening and focusses on a friendship which has trapped the girls rather than nurtured them. The unsettling atmosphere of fear and uneasiness is emphasised further with the descriptions of hangovers, drunkenness and nausea which were at times to so powerful I felt drunk myself. Reid really captures that unpleasant moment from when you've crossed the line and gone from relaxed and fuzzy to unleashing your thoughts without a filter and then that sudden dizziness and feeling of sickness. An absolutely perfect metaphor for reflecting not only the unravelling of the evening's events but also the girls' time at school and their friendship.

Reid's ability to create authentic characters, a gripping plot which is perfectly executed as well as capturing the feeling of threat and danger is impressive. I loved the exploration of the way people gain power over each other, of how cruel they can be, how they can seek to hurt, humiliate and destroy each other and how precarious and fragile relationships can be.

Despite the women all having what it takes to survive and each one as guilty or as flawed as the other, as the novel continues, our thoughts towards them become much more clouded and the reader finds themselves more conflicted about which character they feel more sympathetic towards and which is more vulnerable. It was great the way Reid gradually reveals more about the women's emotional struggles and misery. I love a book that provokes strong reactions to characters and can have you shouting at the pages - this book does that.

I thought the passages about school were convincing and authentic. I have no experience of boarding school but we all have experience of cliques, elite friendship groups and our own school days. The girls precociousness, sense of entitlement, arrogance and empowerment is beautifully captured and enthralling. I also enjoyed the exploration of parenting - not only of the girls, but as they look to become parents themselves. There are some good questions raised in the narrative about how the girls were parented but also whether they deserve to become parents themselves. Other thought provoking questions are raised about friendships, education and power. But ultimately, it's just a bloody great read.

I love a book that looks at the impact on one decision and how this can destroy a whole life. Gillian McAllister's Anything You Do Say is a fantastic example of this and I think Perfect Liars similarly captures the misery and sheer unhappiness following one ill thought through, panic stricken decision. Maybe there are even echoes to suggest it's a much darker, modern day Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

This book is a delicious exploration of the myths we create to protect ourselves, the effect of lies and unacknowledged truths and how it's impossible to bury a memory.

Perfect Liars is polished, confident, enthralling and just brilliant. I didn't want it to end. It's oppressive, sinister, malicious and utterly compelling. Can't recommend it enough!

Rebecca Reid, I can't wait to see what you write next!

Perfect Liars is published by Corgi in paperback on February 21st but available in ebook now.

My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy.

REBECCA REID

Rebecca is a freelance journalist who writes for The Telegraph, the Metro Online and has written for Marie Claire, the Guardian, Independent, Stylist, Glamour and the New Statesmen. She is a regular contributor to Sky News and This Morning as well as appearing on Radio 4 Woman's Hour.

She graduated from Royal Holloway's Creative Writing MA in 2015 and Perfect Liars is her debut novel.

Rebecca lives in North London with her husband.

@RebeccaCNReid

Snap by Belinda Bauer

2019-01-20T02:24:00.003-08:00

SNAP

BELINDA BAUER

I had been looking forward to reading this book for so long, particularly after it was longlisted for the Man Booker prize earlier this year. When I got a copy for Christmas, I couldn't wait to dive in and was so relieved that it lived up to all my expectations. The only disappointment was perhaps the fact that after such anticipation, I ended up reading it in one go, staying up until 1.30am - I just couldn't put it down!

Snap is about twelve year old Jack, nine year old Joy and baby Merry, who are left in the car on the hard shoulder of the M5 while their mother goes to find the emergency phone and call for breakdown recovery. But she never comes back. And when they eventually leave the car, and find the emergency phone, it's dangling down and there is no sign of their mum anywhere.

The novel then moves forward several years and we meet Catherine, heavily pregnant and terrified that someone is trying to break into her house and cause her harm.

As the novel progresses, we learn more about what happened on that hot, sultry afternoon in 1998 when Jack's mother disappeared around the corner of the motorway and how Jack, man of the family following the subsequent disappearance of his father, tries to hold the family together and look after them. We also learn more about Catherine, the secrets within her marriage, her fears, her anxieties and the unsettling happenings in her house which she just can't explain. Gradually the story lines begin to converge with such precise and masterful execution that it really is impossible to tear yourself away from this disconcerting and compelling thriller.

I loved the originality of this novel. Jack's character is unsettling, he is cruel yet trying his best for his sisters. He is menacing and dangerous, yet also vulnerable. I don't think I've come across such a fascinating character. His brazen and deliberate lack of respect for other people's property, his blunt use of crime and trickery to provide for his sisters is so cleverly portrayed. Then Bauer creates sympathy with simple details and touches that convey his youth, his underlying need for a home, and his grief for his mother and the loss of her love. It's both haunting and heartbreaking.

I loved the passages where Jack dreamt about the afternoon when his mother when missing. Uncanny and capturing those horrible dreams we all have when the ground gives way beneath you, or you can't quite reach out for what you need - or no one can hear you shouting, or you find yourself unable to run, to fix, to save. The writing here - and the use of a recurring dream, were incredibly effective and added further depth to Jack's character.

The relationship between the siblings, and the way they live, is so dysfunctional, but somehow Bauer makes it also feel real and believable. The mess, chaos, unpleasantness and stench of their family home is vividly described, it's impossible not to be immersed in their damaged existence. The attention to detail about their appearance and the lack of communication between the three children actually speaks volumes about the deep bond between them. Although part of the novel is about solving the mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance, the book is as much an exploration of the devastating effect it has had on them. Their survival, the way they have created an existence and life completely under the radar, shows intelligence, creativity and an understanding about how humans think and behave and what lengths they will go to in order to survive.

And it's this exploration of the effect of crime on families and children that makes this novel so masterful. It is a page turner. It's so very readable with characters who are all expertly crafted, their flaws and failings captivating, their choices and behaviour beyond intriguing. Bauer's insight and observations about human nature are shrewd and sharp.

But, most of all, the thing I found most appealing was that the story is so original and unexpected. I haven't met a character like Jack before and I won't forget him for a long time.

This really is an outstanding read. Enjoyable, unputdownable, refreshing and clever. It's full of chilling twists, absolutely terrifying in places and completely packed with tension, suspense and fear. Impressive. All the stars.

My thanks to my sister for a fab Christmas present and for spotting a book I did not already have and so desperately wanted to read!!

Tell Me A Secret by Jane Fallon

2019-01-05T03:53:00.001-08:00

TELL ME A SECRET

Jane Fallon

published on 10th January 2019

I do love a Jane Fallon novel - that really is no secret! I also love the fact that my year seems to start and end with one of her novels. I have some of her other titles waiting on my shelf and they are saved for holidays or weekends or when I need that special 'go to' author that will deliver a great, page turning read.

Tell Me A Secret was no disappointment and as always, I was hooked from the beginning and raced through the chapters. Fallon has a real talent for capturing vivid and engaging characters who feel three dimensional and who are always so easy to relate to. Her ability to capture the dynamics between women and to portray friendships is so impressive, showing real insight into human nature. The keenly observed, subtle and well judged details are neatly slipped in and result in truly convincing characters, reflecting Fallon's talent, skill and just how accomplished she is as an author.

Tell Me A Secret is set in the workplace and this was refreshing - there aren't too many books set within the office and yet so many of us spend our lives in one. Fallon effortlessly captures the atmosphere of competition, office politics and friendships which have no life beyond the office walls, setting her novel in a space rich in opportunity as she explores the universal themes she loves to write about. I thoroughly enjoyed the duplicity, double crossing and dawning realisation that someone is out to sabotage your career - and the difficulty in trying to prove things without it reflecting badly on yourself. I love a book which has you chewing your hands with nerves, almost shouting out at the characters as you feel as frustrated or duped as the protagonist, and literally falling off the edge of your seat as Fallon spins her gripping and twisting tale until the dramatic finale. Universal themes of trust, friendship and deceit make this book relatable and hugely compelling.

I also enjoyed the character of Dee, Holly's best friend - it was a really interesting device to have a female friend rather than a husband / boyfriend as Holly's confident. Dee's role is so entertaining, bringing not only humour for the reader, but also the much needed emotional support Holly needs. Dee basically seemed to say everything I was thinking and it felt as if I was within the pages alongside the characters, becoming more and more enthralled as the plot became more tangled and full of suspense.

Great characters. Great premise. Great writing and as always with Fallon - a truly fantastic, engaging and gripping read. A fabulous plot which races along and really rewards the reader with tension, dilemmas, choices and twists which keep you guessing until the very end.

Enjoy it. I can't wait for more!

My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the novel. This is my honest review.

The Familiars by Stacey Halls

2018-12-30T13:33:00.000-08:00

THE FAMILIARS

STACEY HALLS

7th February 2019

This has got to be one of the most beautiful and eye catching covers for 2019 - and the story inside is as just as spellbinding.

Set in 1612, I was immediately drawn deep into the world of witch trials and turbulent political times. Halls' depicts the historical setting with ease, well observed details are effortlessly woven into the sentences and dialogue so the reader feels immersed within the period and completely caught up in the predicament of the main characters.

The Familiars may be set four hundred years ago, but it is immensely readable, exploring the universal themes of pregnancy, motherhood, treatment of women, marriage and power. The opening chapters introduce us to Fleetwood Shutleworth - 17, pregnant for the forth time and terrified that, as with her previous pregnancies, she will lose this baby as well. Such a raw and emotive opening immediately creates a sense of sympathy and fear for her, further complicated by the revelation that Fleetwood's husband has hidden a note from the doctor who delivered her third stillbirth and states she will not survive another pregnancy. Fleetwood's health is in danger, but her desire for a child is overwhelming.

Then she meets Alice Gray, an unassuming, calm and quiet woman who is a midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. Her methods are unusual, defy medical advice from the physician and anger Fleetwood's husband, but the women form a strong bond and Fleetwood is determined to let Alice stay in their home until she has had her child. From this moment on, the lives of the women become more entwined - and soon it is not just the life of the unborn baby which is at risk.

Halls' debut is impressive. Her writing is confident and compelling. The Familiars explores the personal and emotional journeys of Fleetwood and Alice with accomplished prose which, quietly and in a most unsettling way, creates a sense of pending doom. The lives of the women are precarious and fragile in different ways and yet they form a bond where they are determined to defy the rules, even when it puts them in danger and makes them more vulnerable. As the pregnancy continues, so do the accusations of witchcraft which are sweeping the nation. Halls expertly spins a captivating tale about two engaging characters against a fascinating period in history.

Challenging, fascinating and ultimately truly engaging, Halls' story of witchcraft, the role of women and the debate between physicians and alternative therapists provides a vivid premise in which to explore an unlikely yet life changing friendship. Fluent, well paced and beautifully imagined, this is a real treat for anyone who enjoys historical fiction- and also for all those who do not normally choose this genre. Highly recommend, and Halls is definitely a writer to watch.

My huge thanks to Bonnier for an advance copy of the novel.

The Rumour by Lesley Kara

2018-12-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

THE RUMOUR

Lesley Kara

27th December 2018

How many times have you wanted to be part of the huddled group who are clearly discussing something far more interesting than Class 3's spelling list at school pick up? How many times have you repeated something you heard second hand just to feel part of the group? And how often have you heard a whisper repeat itself back to you - but this time more colourful and harmful than when you first heard it?

Obviously never, we are better people than that, right? But you can't deny that actually, we all love a little bit of gossip. I can see you're leaning closer in to hear me already....!

It starts with a rumour. Whispers at the school gate...

The Rumour is a fantastic story which plays out the chilling repercussions of a casual comment which then takes on a life of it's own, leading to devastating consequences. Kara has nailed the experience of Joanna, the main character, who is trying to fit in with the established groups of parents at the school gate and the way a remark, a passing on of mis-information, repeating an overheard conversation, can cause such damage. She captures the voices, the judgements, the growing sense of suspicion and harm effectively with dialogue and prose that pulls you into the story and like the rumour itself, refuses to let go of you until the very last haunting sentence.

Single mum Joanna returns to her home town to be near her mum, all she wants is for her son Alfie to settle in at the local school and make friends. On the very first page, the premise is set:

'There's a strong possibility that a famous child killer is living right here in Flinstead...'

Sally McGowan, who murdered a boy when she was ten in 1969, has been released from prison and, despite the new identity, the residents of Flinstead seem set on uncovering her whereabouts. They know she's here - someone heard it from someone.... so it must be true.. Joanna doesn't want to add fuel to the fire, but somehow, in an honest attempt to gain friendships for her son, she finds herself repeating the rumour. Once Michael, the father of her son, arrives back on the scene, she can't help but tell him too. He's a journalist. He wants to find Sally McGowan and write a book about her - tell her side of the story. Honourable motives? Time will tell. Joanna is now privy to more information and as it becomes more clear - to the residents of Flinstead's minds at least - that McGowan is indeed living amongst them - accusations, suspicion, judgement and unkindness spread through the town faster than any twitter feed.

Not only is The Rumour a great story about what happens when a town thinks a 'monster' is amongst them, it's a great observation about human nature, friendship, mothers and daughters, relationships and a dark warning about what happens when you search for a truth without being prepared for the consequences. It's also an exploration of 'monsters' and the debate about the treatment of children who commit terrible crimes. The characters are all well written, provocative in the right places, suitably flawed, many with dubious motives and behaviour which means several of them fall under your suspicion as the novel continues. Joanna is a compelling protagonist. There are moments when you find yourself sympathising with her, wondering what you might do in her shoes, feeling her pain as she watches her little boy try to fit in and then there are moments when you don't. It's all part of the author's skill in creating tension, suspense and the malicious spreading of blame which comes with a rumour.

As Michael tries to track down Sally McGowan, a creeping sense of dread begins to build and as I turned the pages, not only was I gripped by the mystery of what actually happened to Sally and whether she was in fact guilty, but also gripped with a sense of threat and danger. Kara expertly begins to pull the threads together and the realisation of what truth might lurk underneath the rumour begins to dawn on the reader. This is a real page turner, so believable, so authentic and so dreadful that it's impossible not to become as caught up in the whispers, comments, glances and suspicion along with Joanna.

I don't want to spoil anything, but the ending packs a punch that will leave you as breathless as the first piece of gossip that left the women's mouths in chapter one. An exceptional debut. If you are looking for a very readable, intriguing story which will make you constantly question, challenge and doubt each character, then this is the book for you!

......And sshhh, don't say anything to anyone, but this book is going to be absolutely huge in 2019. I know someone who knows someone and they said the same - well, in fact I know loads of people who have said the same! Treat yourself with your Christmas vouchers and don't miss out on spreading this rumour!

My huge thanks to the lovely Alison Barrow for a copy of this novel. This is my honest and unbiased review.

An Interview with Alison Joseph

2018-10-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

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AN INTERVIEW WITH ALISON JOSEPH

It is my great pleasure to welcome Alison Joseph to my blog today! Alison is most well known for her crime fiction - she has written several books in the Sister Agnes series and also the Agatha Christie Investigates series. She has also just written a stand alone, Dying to Know. When she's not writing crime fiction, Alison can be found talking about crime fiction - and is also a member of the fantastic Killer Women organisation.

Let's hear more from Alison and find out more about her novels!

Could you start by telling me a little bit about your latest book ‘Dying to Know’ in one or two sentences?

It’s a crime novel set in the world of particle physics – I invented the equivalent of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN but placed it in Kent. That’s the fun of making things up.

The storyline is centred around a group of scientists. Did you need to carry out a lot of research for this book because of the scientific angle?

I did in fact visit the Large Hadron Collider at Geneva. It was the most fantastic privilege, and the scientists were extremely friendly and helpful. I was there when they were trying to track down the Higgs Boson, so there was a real sense of event going on. In that respect it was different from researching previous novels, but in fact, I have always loved the research side of things, and all my novels have led me into interesting areas of life that I might not otherwise have encountered.

This is a slight departure from your series of books featuring Sister Agnes, the detective nun. What have you enjoyed about creating a new character and potential series?

To write an amateur detective set in the present day is always a challenge. In the time of Sherlock Holmes, it could still be believable that Holmes might be more equal to the task than the local police, but that simply isn’t the case in modern times. So I knew for some time that if I really wanted to explore all the challenges of crime fiction, I should write a police procedural at some point. And that is what Dying to Know is, at heart.

Sister Agnes sounds like an intriguing character to have as a protagonist. What was the inspiration for this character?

She started as a rather quizzical idea. I wanted to write a female protagonist, who would be the archetypal loner detective but not too hard-edged. I thought a nun would work as a literary device. But in fact she became much more than that. Firstly, a modern day nun can go anywhere as part of her work – she’s worked in schools, in prisons, and what she mostly does, which is work with homeless young people in a hostel in South London. And secondly, to have someone whose faith leads her to believe in some kind of absolute Good, constantly having to face up to the worst that human beings can be – it’s always compelling to explore that character.

You also write ‘Agatha Christie investigates’ and I have heard you speak about Agatha Christie at author events in the past. What is it about Christie that makes her such an inspiration to you?

I am full of admiration for Agatha C. Firstly, she’s just so clever at what she does. Without doing crazy twists at the end of the story, she still manages to take the reader by surprise with her final reveal. And she does that with great respect for her reader, and a sense of the partnership of enjoyment between reader and writer. And secondly, within her own life she had to face challenges and she did so with enormous grace and intelligence.

Writing a book with Agatha Christie as the character must bring with it some challenges. Can you tell me a little bit about this?

It has been an adventure, to take on someone who really existed, but create a fictional story around them. I’ve tried to be true to the person I feel she was. In my novels there is a theme that she is trying to write something other than a crime novel, a sense that she is pushing at the boundaries of her detective fiction to write something entirely new. And in fact, that was true of her in real life, with her Mary Westmacott novels. She used the pseudonym to liberate herself from readers’ expectation, and to explore new ways of telling stories. They’re very much worth reading.

What projects or new books are you currently working on at the moment?

I’ve got a new detective, called Malone. He’s an Irishman exiled in London. I adore him. He’s appeared so far in a short story, which is available out there, called Samir’s Lament, but he’s due to appear in a full length novel next year. And now I’m writing a standalone set on an archaeological dig in Lincolnshire. It has a sense of hauntings and ghosts, as well as being a crime novel. But I’ve never ruled out writing another Sister Agnes. I’d love to see what she’s up to these days.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see you chair a few author events and interviews in the past. Which authors (past or present!) would be on your dream panel? And what would you ask them?

I was Chair of the Crime Writers Association, and I’m a founder member of Killer Women, so I can’t begin to actually name names from the huge and talented community of which I’m lucky enough to be a part. The crime and thriller genre is rightly popular, and I think it’s great that there are so many events now where readers and writers can meet. There are good questions that are always worth asking; for example, when a writer is known for one central detective character, to ask that author if they’d consider writing a standalone, or departing from their central character, always elicits an interesting answer. And I think there are questions to do with the representation of violence, particularly violence towards women, that are worth exploring. As crime writers, we hold aspects of society up to the light, and we should be open to interrogation on that.

And, as a bibliomaniac, I can’t leave without asking you which book you’re currently reading or would recommend to look out for?

I have recently discovered the American crime writer Sara Gran. I absolutely love her. The third in her trilogy featuring her PI Claire de Witt has recently been published, and so I’ve been catching up on the first two. I’d recommend her wholeheartedly.

Thank you so much Alison for coming along today and these fascinating answers! Thank you too for all the recommendations - lots of interesting titles mentioned here!

Why not pop over and say hi to Alison on Twitter , or have a look at her website for more information about what she's up to! There's also a link to the Killer Women page as well to find out more about their events!

alisonjoseph.com/

@AlisonJoseph1

killerwomen.org

KILLER WOMEN FESTIVAL

October 21st 2018
Browns Covent Garden

On Sunday October 21st, 2018, we’re taking over the atmospheric and historic Courtrooms above Browns Restaurant in Covent Garden and packing them with events about crime novels, crime audio, crime television and true crime for the Killer Women Festival 2018. There’ll be headline appearances from bestselling authors; we’ll be talking about true crime documentaries and podcasts, staging a live CSI and talking to police experts, forensic scientists and criminologists.

http://killerwomen.org/kw-events-level-2/killer-weekend-2018/

Rare Birds Book Club - 'Party Girls Die in Pearls' by Plum Sykes

2018-10-07T03:02:00.000-07:00

PARTY GIRLS DIE IN PEARLS

by PLUM SYKES

Pimm's, punting and ball gowns are de rigeur. Ursula Flowerbutton, a studious country girl, arrives for her first term anticipating nothing more sinister than days spent poring over history books - and, perhaps, an invitation to a ball. But when she discovers a ghastly crime, she is catapulted into a murder investigation.

Determined to unravel the case - and bag her first scoop for the famous student newspaper Cherwell - Ursula enlists the help of her fellow Fresher, the glamorous American Nancy Feingold. While navigating a whirl of black-tie parties and secret dining societies, the girls discover a surfeit of suspects. From broken-hearted boyfriends to snobby Sloanes, lovelorn librarians to dishy dons, none can be presumed innocent.

Clueless meets Agatha Christie in this wickedly funny tale of high society, low morals and a middle-class girl, the first book in Plum Sykes's irresistible new series.

RARE BIRDS BOOK CLUB - AN ONLINE BOOK CLUB SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

This book was sent to me by Rare Birds Book Club - a brilliant online book club subscription service, and in my post I'd like to share a little bit more about how Rare Birds works. I'm so impressed with the company and the beautiful presentation of the reading material, the thought behind the selection of the books and the easy way in which you engage in discussions, it's a great package! I'm handing over to Rare Birds as they can best describe how everything works!

https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/

Let’s Get You Excited About Reading!

Our online book club is here to make reading fun, whether you’re an avid reader who doesn’t have time to trawl the bestseller lists for the gems or a lapsed reader who wants to get back into it but just doesn’t know how.

We’ve done the groundwork for you; we’re cherry picking the best of contemporary women’s fiction and celebrating female authors writing books we think you’ll love.

Say goodbye to the days of struggling through books that don’t live up to the hype or feeling guilty about liking novels that others seem to turn their noses up at.

We’re making the selection process easy and taking the experience online so that it’s more flexible, convenient and accessible. You subscribe and then go about your day. Once a month you get a great new book to get you excited.

How Does a Book Subscription Work?

First – you sign up. You can buy in bulk with 3, 6 or 12-month options or choose a rolling subscription and we’ll bill you monthly.

Next, we mail you a *surprise* book. The day you join is the day we ship your first book to you, and from then on you’ll get a new book through your letterbox at the start of each month.

Along with your book you’ll get an introduction to what you’re about to read and why it’s worth the effort. Every month we do special extras for our subscribers, too – sometimes that means a little something extra in your box, other times it’s a special giveaway for subscribers with stuff you actually want to win.

Then: you read. Go ahead and go at your own pace, there’s no rules around here. Some of our members read their books in a couple of days, others take a few weeks.

Once your book is done, log in to the members’ area and interact with our community. This is a special access area you can only see if you’re a subscriber.

Here you’ll find a review from our editor Rachel with plenty of food for thought, then a lively forum where everyone weighs in with their opinions. Sort of like a secret society for books.

If you’ve never been in a book club before, don’t worry – our digital book club is a friendly and inclusive space. Sometimes we talk about celebrity castings, other times we talk about plot holes or the characters we loved and hated.

SEPTEMBER'S BOOK CLUB

A SNEAK PEAK AT HOW THE CLUB WORKS & WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF THIS BOOK!

Party Girls Die In Pearls. Plum Sykes

Brideshead, bon-bons, cucumber sandwiches – and now a murder Pimm’s, punting and ball gowns are de rigeur. Ursula Flowerbutton, a studious country girl, arrives for her first term anticipating nothing more sinister than days spent poring over history books – and, perhaps, an invitation to a ball. But when she discovers a ghastly crime, she is catapulted into a murder investigation. Determined to unravel the case – and bag her first scoop for the famous student newspaper Cherwell – Ursula enlists the help of her fellow Fresher, the glamorous American Nancy Feingold. While navigating a whirl of black-tie parties and secret dining societies, the girls discover a surfeit of suspects. From broken-hearted boyfriends to snobby Sloanes, lovelorn librarians to dishy dons, none can be presumed innocent. Clueless meets Agatha Christie in this wickedly funny tale of high society, low morals and a middle-class girl, the first book in Plum Sykes’s irresistible new series.

Review by Rare Birds

This time around we’ve got Party Girls Die in Pearls by Plum Sykes, which I thought would be a great choice for summer because it’s fun and entertaining but not too demanding. Perfect for anyone who wanted to switch off, essentially.

I know a lot of our Rare Birds are big crime fans – and in fact, it’s now the bestselling genre in the UK. Last year readers purchased something like 18 million crime novels.

Crime is such a reliable genre for a few of reasons. Mysteries by their very nature are entertaining. If they are working, they are plotted carefully to keep you turning the page and wondering what’s going to happen next. Also, the ‘crime’ takes place in the early chapters of the book, so as readers we don’t have to wait long for things to get interesting.

Compared with the more traditional (and vaguely labelled) genre of ‘literary fiction’, where you can get a third of the way into a book before anything really happens, and it’s not hard to see why people are gravitating towards crime novels instead.

The challenge for me with crime fiction is that many books rely on the same old tropes over and over again.

The victims of these horrible crimes are often women and sexual violence is a recurring theme not just in crime books but in television and movies.

The brooding, difficult and misunderstood hero with a dark secret of his own is another well-worn element to crime and detective fiction, as is a heavy or serious tone.

Crime is entertaining but it’s not all that often it’s also funny and uplifting – which is how Party Girls Die in Pearls first caught my attention.

Overall, it’s an exciting time to be reading crime. The surge in popularity means more women than ever are writing in this genre and inside the pages women are doing a lot more than simply playing dead bodies.

What I love about this book is that it offers up many of the best elements of crime fiction but also brings something new to the table. It was refreshing to have a mystery to solve that was also so fun and over-the-top.

It doesn’t take itself too seriously but is still interesting and satisfying and comes with the customary red herrings and hidden clues that are integral to a good mystery.

Plum Sykes was born in London in 1969, the daughter of a fashion designer and an art dealer. She was educated at Oxford, where she studied Modern History. She started her career as a lowly intern at British Vogue in London, and in 1997 was offered a job as a fashion writer by Anna Wintour, the Editor-In-Chief at American Vogue. She moved to New York to take up the position, and covered fashion and society for the magazine. In 2003 she started writing her first comic novel, Bergdorf Blondes, which was published in 2004 and stayed on the New York Times Bestseller List for 16 weeks, and became a Best Seller in the UK and in many countries around the world. She published her second novel, The Debutante Divorcee, in 2006. She has written various teleplays and screenplays, and continues to work for American Vogue as a Contributing Editor. Plum now lives in England with her husband and two children, Ursula and Tess. Her third novel, Party Girls Die in Pearls, is a comedy murder mystery set in Oxford in the 1980s.

You can find out more about Rare Birds - or take out a subscription either for yourself or a book loving friend - via the website! Happy reading!

https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/

The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp by Sarra Manning

2018-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

THE RISE AND FALL OF BECKY SHARP

by SARRA MANNING

Beautiful, brilliant, ruthless - nothing can stop Becky Sharp

Those of us that have been enjoying ITV's Sunday night drama Vanity Fair (or that read it many years ago!) are already familiar with the fabulous Becky Sharp. Sarra Manning's decision to reimagine the story of Vanity Fair in a contemporary world is a great one as Becky is surely one of the most captivating, amusing and completely irrepressible characters in fiction and a wonderful protagonist to play with. In this novel, Manning retains the wit, humour and drama from the classic novel and by transporting it into a modern setting, she has created a book which is lighthearted, entertaining and very enjoyable!

The story begins at the final of the Big Brother house with Becky and Amelia as the last remaining contestants. Who will it be? Amelia the 'posh totty who's been unlucky in love but become the princess of the nation's hearts' or Becky the 'care assistant with the big heart and wicked sense of humour'? Beautifully updated to their modern day roles, Amelia and Becky's friendship is sealed, Becky already manipulating the unsuspecting and naive Amelia as they leave the confines of the house and face the mercy of the general public. From the outset of the novel, Becky's calculating personality is revealed as she widens her eyes, bites her bottom lip and positions herself carefully in front of one of the 80 cameras spying on her trying to capture her 'real' self - which they will never do. Alas, Becky is not the winner and is cast into Amelia's shadow as the runner up, but this is Becky Sharp and we all know that is not going to stop her from finding the limelight. The Guardian have labelled her as 'this summer's most unlikely feminist icon' and she is determined not to be remembered for her white bikini and her contrived confrontations in the Big Brother house but 'gorge on the it all: fame, power, success' until 'everyone remembered her name'.

I loved the updating of this story - it's clever, imaginative and very funny. Manning completely captures the core essence of Becky and her use of modern day references are so apt and so appropriate that I found myself nodding with respect for her creativity and repositioning of the main characters within contemporary society.

As with the original story, Manning's version gallops along at a rapid pace and introduces us to the wide range of characters, locations and adventures. The writing is fluent, well judged and action packed with great dialogue that really lifts the characters from the page and a style that is engaging and engrossing.

I don't really want to repeat the plot because actually that would spoil it for anyone - whether you are familiar with the original classic or not, Manning's version feels fresh and full of vitality. I also don't want to spoil the references, updated context, twists and traumas as that would also spoil it for any reader. I think really all I want to say is that this is a lovely, fun, upbeat read with a protagonist that will fascinate, horrify, entertain and shock you. Manning's fluent and accessible prose makes the story fly off the page, pulling the reader by the hand along with Becky as she continues her quest for success, fame and money.

While reading this book I was struck with how resonant the issues in Vanity Fair remain today and whether you know the original classic or not, this is still a book worth reading because of this. Becky Sharp is not always likeable (as with several of the other characters who are all flawed) but there is something about her that makes us want to see her champion. She's manipulative and audacious - she can also be charming and seemingly kind although one is never really sure what is real with Becky, but there is always something that makes us want to see how her story plays out.

At the beginning of the novel, Manning has written the following:

Dedicated to William Makepeace Thackery who created these wonderful characters that I got to play with. I hope that he would approve.

Yes, they are wonderful characters, yes Manning has had fun playing with them. And yes, I really think he would approve!

In a world full of celebrity, social media fame and facade, The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp is a timely novel and definitely the perfect weekend or holiday read.

A well paced, humorous and engaging novel.

The Rise and Fall of Becky Sharp was published by Harper Collins in Sept 2018.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

After the Death of Ellen Keldberg by Eddie Thomas Petersen Extract

2018-09-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

AFTER THE DEATH OF ELLEN KELDBERG

by EDDIE THOMAS PETERSEN

The Danish seaside town of Skagen is an artists’ paradise in summer, but only the locals live there in winter. The elderly artist Ellen Keldberg was found frozen on a street bench, and now lies laid out on her bed, waiting for a post-mortem.

Two visitors come from Copenhagen on a snowy night after her death. Her student nephew Mikkel is there to organise her funeral, yet he can barely remember Aunt Ellen and knows nothing about her life. Anne Sofie comes to pursue her ruthless quest single-mindedly. She will allow no-one to hide, or obscure the truth about Ellen, and leads Mikkel into a hopeless chase.

Before Anne Sofie has finished, there will be blood in the snow, and she will have photographed death.

This subtle novel by the Danish writer Eddie Thomas Petersen is a family saga, and a portrait of Skagen in the dark and in the snow, full of art, alliances and old secrets.

Toby Bainton’s translation does full justice to the gripping narration.

An extract from

After the Death of Ellen Keldberg by Eddie Thomas Petersen

Howling and gusting, quite a wind has got up, and the snow begins to build up in drifts along the street. She takes a deep breath and shuts the gate behind her, enchanted by the light from the moon sailing at full speed across the breaks in the cloud. She runs with the wind at her back, does a quick sprint and then slides down to the main road and walks briskly along beside the whitened fences. By the time she’s got to Brøndums Hotel she feels hot and breathless. The lights are on in the dining-room, and she sees a lonely party of guests behind the thin curtains.

She goes on, behind the museum and past the red brick villas towards Kappelborg, and takes another run, sliding along the road in the fresh snow, as yet undisturbed by the gritters. She can think only of her movement and balance, swivelling round on herself and snatching snow from the hedges, though it’s too dry for anything but sprinkling around. Thomas will be so happy when she rings and tells him that Harber thinks she’s a genius, and they’ll celebrate together, and she’ll have an exhibition in Copenhagen in the spring, and next year they’ll do something bigger and even wilder. She stops and looks up at the moon, which moves enfolded in shiny silver ornaments. As she stands like a little soldier with her face upturned, a middle-aged couple go by, arm in arm and bent against the wind. The woman’s in mink and the man’s wearing a long wool overcoat. She hears their low voices.

‘Thomas!’ she calls up to the moon, and the woman casts a brief glance over her shoulder and whispers something to her husband.

She’d got out of the ice-cold, blood-filled garden pool and let him bandage her wrist with shaking hands. He was white and afraid.

Now she stretches out her arms again and runs with the wind, leaving her thoughts behind her, gathering speed and sliding again through the snow. Lovely, she thinks, and walks for a while before coming to the lights of the harbour road and the Firenze pizza house.

***

She goes into the warm. In here it smells of holidays, of safety, of freshly-baked bread and oregano. She chooses a table in the little L-shaped snug, where she’s on her own. Disentangling herself from her jacket, scarf and hat, she realises she’s perspiring.

‘Good evening, miss,’ says Marius the waiter, once she’s sorted herself out.

‘I’ll have a pepperoni and a glass of water with ice, please,’ she says, letting her fingers run through her short black hair.

While she’s waiting she takes her camera out of its leather case to let the steamed-up lens demist. She’ll take some photographs this evening. Just dawdle a bit round the harbour and find some routine subjects. The snow reflected in the light of the street-lamps like a swarm of fireflies. A drunk making his way back from the pub on his rusty bicycle: or even better, a drunk who’s fallen off his rusty bicycle and lies scrabbling around in the snow.

There’s a queue just inside the front door. Firenze stays open all year round, and people keep arriving in their four-by-fours to pick up their evening meal. The staff are sweating by the oven and shouting orders in the kitchen. Everyone wants a take-away. The only seated guests apart from herself are three men in their forties at a table at the front. They’re sitting in their work clothes talking in a language that she guesses must be Polish.

Suddenly shouts and loud laughter come from the entrance. Two younger men in quilted jackets come into view. One of them is Frode. He notices the camera on her table and comes purposefully into the snug and over to where she’s sitting. His cheeks are red as tomatoes and he’s smiling as if he’s just won the lottery.

‘Miss Soffi,’ he says, snatching off his hat and posturing like a low-grade film star. ‘Take my picture.’

She looks at him without even blinking. He doubles up with laughter, pulls out a chair, and sits down opposite her.

‘How goes it?’ he says.

‘How goes what?’

Frode hides his head in his hands.

‘Why won’t you take my picture?’

‘Because you look a complete idiot when you’re high, and your boozy breath would get on the film and take off the emulsion so I’d get black holes in the negative.’

‘Black holes?’

It dawns on him rather late that she’s sitting there giving him a lot of nonsense, and he smiles and lays his icy hands over hers.

‘Weren’t you going to Århus to make yourself an expert in something?’ she asks, withdrawing her hands.

‘Århus,’ he says, coming suddenly back to reality, and drumming his fingers on the table. ‘Now what’s so fantastic about Århus? Tell me, Soffi. I’ve forgotten.’

She picks up her camera anyway and focuses on his left eye. A drop of almost-melted snow shivers on his eyebrow. She quickly takes three pictures one after the other, while he blinks and a drop runs down his cheek as he looks down at the table.

‘Are you on your own?’

‘No,’ she says, putting the camera down. ‘You’re sitting here with me, Frode.’

Frode puts on his happy high-on-hash face again, slaps a hand down on the table and screws up his eyes. For a moment he looks completely normal, and his cheeks begin to regain the colour people’s cheeks usually have in their early twenties. He fidgets with his fingers on the table as if there’s something he wants to say to her, some thought that’s just escaped him.

‘Have you been to Copenhagen?’

‘Yes.’

‘And you’ve come back.’

‘So it would seem.’

He smiles again, his fingers drumming on the table.

‘Will you come with us out to Bodil? We’re going to watch some videos.’

She slowly shakes her head.

When Marius appears with her pizza, he gets up with a quick ‘See you’ and disappears to join his friend again.

‘You be careful of him,’ says Marius in his strong accent, putting the pizza and a jug of water on the table.

She considers taking a picture of Marius, but realises that all over Europe, even the smallest one-eyed town has a Marius, showing off his pizza-concept and his double-sided catholic morals. Of Frode, on the other hand, there is only one, and she’s taken a good picture of his left eye.

She’s known Frode since she began coming here in the summer as a toddler with her parents. Three summers ago Frode had a holiday job washing dishes at Brøndums Hotel, and they went skinny-dipping at night on Sønderstrand beach, and after the chef had gone to bed they would have goose pâté and champagne in the hotel kitchens with the waitresses.

But how would Marius know anything about that?

***

The taxi-driver is short and thick-set. It’s almost as if he hasn’t got a neck, and has his head sitting directly on his torso. He’s chatting merrily about the weather, and about a fare he’s just taken down to the Old Town, and how he can’t understand people just sitting at home staring at their televisions, and how he’d give a million to know why a young man staying at Brøndums Hotel would want to go out to an address in Mosegården.

‘Did you say number 26?’ he asks. ‘Isn’t that where Henry Olsen lives?’

Mikkel pays his fare and gets out in front of a small block of flats built of red stone. Some of the balconies are decorated with Christmas lights. A tired-looking Christmas tree stands outside.

This is obviously where the real locals live, he decides, seeing the bicycles and buggies cluttering the hallways. Further along the street some children are trying to make a snowman, but the project is doomed to failure because the snow is as dry as flour. There’s no entryphone, so he walks up the echoing stone stairway to the first floor. ‘Henry Olsen, Dorte, Kasper and Svupper’ is typed on a sheet of A4 fastened to the door. Near the letterbox a more official notice in small Letraset characters says simply ‘Henry Olsen’.

The moment he rings the bell, the door opens. A young woman of about his own age, in faded jogging clothes and lightly-gelled blonde hair, flashes him a tired smile.

‘Hi, my name’s Mikkel,’ he says.

‘I’m Dorte,’ she says, as her hand moves to her hair, ‘and sorry about the mess.’

He’s hit by a sour odour of wet clothes mixed with the smell of cooking from the kitchen.

Behind her two small boys push forward. They’re totally alike, except that one has a bump the size of a pigeon’s egg in the middle of his forehead. Behind the boys peers a rough-haired retriever, lashing his stiff tail.

‘Just leave your coat on the chair,’ she says, seeing that the coat-rack is bristling with overload.

He takes off his coat, and the boys begin pulling at him. There’s something they want him to see.

‘Leave Mikkel alone,’ she shouts.

Quite a bit of shouting goes on here, he observes, as a man in his early fifties emerges from the living room. He’s wearing a washed-out vest; blue-green tattoos cover his sinewy arms. He has a sprinkling of grey in his black hair, a neat, short beard and dark eyes. They measure Mikkel up.

‘Can’t you just leave him alone now?’ The question is directed somewhat threateningly at the twins.

‘Would you like a beer?’ asks Henry, and Mikkel accepts it though he has no real desire for one.

Henry goes out to the kitchen, and Mikkel hears Dorte complaining about something: ‘don’t let him get started on that’.

He settles down on a worn green sofa to wait. The room is sparsely furnished. The most notable thing is a row of antlers on the wall over the sofa.

What has Henry got to do with all this? It was the caretaker he was supposed to talk to. The caretaker had rung him too but hadn’t answered when he rang back. If Henry asks anything about his family, he’ll explain just how things are. That his parents have had nothing to do with his aunt for the past ten years, and that right now they’re sunning themselves on a beach somewhere in Mexico.

‘Yes, it’s sad about Krille,’ mumbles Henry, half to himself, while to judge from the noise they’re making, the twins are having a fight in the kitchen. There’s another shout from Dorte, and a saucepan-lid crashes to the floor.

Henry calls her Krille. Ellen Kristine Keldberg was her name. Maybe she called herself Kristine.

Indifferent to the drama in the kitchen, Henry opens the beers and brings them to the coffee-table.

‘What did my aunt die of?’

‘She froze to death.’

‘How?’ asks Mikkel in surprise.

Henry scratches at his beard.

‘She’d been sitting in the pub with Poul, and then she left.’

‘Poul?’ asks Mikkel, confused.

‘Yes, Poul: ‘the Crab’, they call him. He used to go to her house a lot. When he left the pub he found her sitting in the square by the church in just her dress. No one knows where she’d left her coat. He tried to wake her up, but couldn’t. He was worried and carried her home. When he laid her on the bed, he realised she was dead.’

‘That sounds pretty weird.’

Henry smiles.

‘Not if you knew your aunt or Poul.’

Dorte comes into the living-room. She looks upset.

‘Why would she have taken her coat off?’ she asks, holding her clenched hands to her sides. ‘You heard what Poul said,’ she says. ‘Krille was in a good mood. She was wearing her best dress. She’d just come into some money. Who the hell would go around without a coat when it’s eleven degrees below freezing?’

After the Death of Ellen Keldberg was published by Handheld Press on 3rd September 2018

My thanks to the publisher for this extract.

The Classroom by A L Bird

2018-09-23T00:58:00.002-07:00

THE CLASSROOM

by A L BIRD

Oh yes - A L Bird is back with a brand new book and I was delighted to get my hands on it!

Just as I knew it would be, The Classroom was full of thrills, chills, and surprises. It kept me reading late into the night and it's really a hugely enjoyable psychological thriller!

It felt totally appropriate to spend my September reading a novel which centres around going back to school and a teacher....or maybe not - maybe this isn't the best book to read if your child has just stared in reception! The best thrillers are ones which take our deepest fears and make us watch what happens when other character have to live through our worst nightmares and this is something Bird does extremely well. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat as Bird creates an atmosphere of unease, anxiety and sense of pending threat from the outset and then continues to crank up the tension until the very last sentence.

Kirsten White is a devoted mother to Harriet. Everything she does is for Harriet and after years of IVF, Harriet is so incredibly precious to Kirsten that she is almost in pain with the thought of being away from her. So now it's time for her to start school, Kirsten struggles to let go of her and to entrust her daughter into the care of the teacher - a teacher who happens to be new to the school.

Meet Miriam Robertson. She has been waiting for the perfect girl. She has been watching, planning and preparing for this moment and when Harriet arrives in her classroom, she knows this is the child she has been waiting for. This is the child she wants.

What unfolds next is a gripping tale of manipulation, deceit, secrets, trickery and psychological drama.

Miriam wastes no time trying to tease information from Harriet about her home life, she wastes no time trying to catch Kirsten out, show her judgement and disapproval at Kirsten's parenting - Miriam would do things oh so differently if she were responsible for Harriet...(shudder!). Kirsten wants to be the best mother to Harriet but also has to work full time, juggle the home, and desperately tries not to feel threatened or intimidated by this new teacher who seems to have developed such a close relationship with her daughter so quickly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved not knowing who to trust, I loved the fact that my sympathies towards both women were challenged, that each of them was flawed and that just when I thought I had things figured out, Bird would trip me up with another twist. This story is cleverly told and as more is revealed, more complications added, more twists and turns taken, it headed towards an outcome and denouement I could not have predicted or seen coming.

I really like Bird's writing and I like that she has written about domestic issues, used a domestic setting from everyday life and played on universal fears. I loved the moment when I gasped out loud as she hits me with a shocking twist that left me questioning all I thought I knew about the characters and story so far. The last third of the novel is quite a rollercoaster - never beyond belief, but just the further unraveling of the situation and knock on consequences from the major reveal, which continue to ripple through the pages and the character's narratives until they compound into a dramatic finale. And even when you've breathlessly made it to the end, Bird can't resist a final scene to leave you staring at the page with a lurching sense of unease ....

This is a great read for fans of psychological thrillers. Even if you see some of the twists coming, it's still compulsive reading as the back stories are revealed and add more darkness and complication to the dynamics and relationships between the characters. Bird explores the motivations of these women very well and the way their stories knit together is skilfully handled.

I am a fan of A L Bird because I know she will always deliver a book I can lose myself in for a few hours while she takes me on a twisting journey of shocks, twists and drama through characters I am always able to identify or empathise with in some way, and always find them intriguing enough to see how their journey ends.

Well written, well paced, with a great premise, The Classroom should make it onto your reading homework list this autumn! There are also some great book group questions at the end which I thought were really interesting.

The Classroom was published on 16th September.

If you'd like to read my review of The Good Mother then please click here, and for my review of Don't Say A Word, please click here.

Don't forget to look back over the previous stops on the blog tour to see what everyone else is saying about The Classroom!

A L BIRD

A.L. Bird lives in London, where she divides her time between writing, working as a lawyer, and running around after her young family. She loves writing dark, twisty thrillers. Bestselling 'The Good Mother' was her first major psychological thriller for HQDigital. 'Don't Say a Word' is her chilling standalone next book.

She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London, and is also a graduate of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. She is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association.

For updates on her writing follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/ALBirdwriter

A Little Bird Told Me by Marianne Holmes

2018-09-23T00:41:00.003-07:00

A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME

by MARIANNE HOLMES

Besides, if you were one half evil, wouldn’t you want to know about the other half?

In the scorching summer of 1976, Robyn spends her days swimming at the Lido and tagging after her brother. It’s the perfect holiday – except for the crying women her mum keeps bringing home.

As the heatwave boils on, tensions in the town begin to simmer. Everyone is gossiping about her mum, a strange man is following her around, and worst of all, no one will tell Robyn the truth. But this town isn’t good at keeping secrets…

Twelve years later, Robyn returns home, to a house that has stood empty for years and a town that hasn’t moved on, forced to confront the mystery that haunted her that summer.

And atone for the part she played in it.

I've been lucky to read a few really beautifully written novels throughout my holiday this August, several set in the 70s and 80s and several dealing with families and secrets. A Little Bird Told Me was another such read and it was lovely to be taken back to the heat and sultry atmosphere of long summer days through Holmes's effective use of imagery and description, even though the weather here has turned so miserable and cold. It was a real treat to read such a well written, debut novel that explores the darker side of a character's past through such lyrical language.

Holmes's prose is impressive and she has a lovely fluency to her writing which shows off her skill in not only crafting great characters and a creating a powerful sense of setting, but also an ability to weave an intriguing tale of families and secrets. This is a well constructed coming of age novel seeped with intrigue and mystery.

Robyn's voice is particularly compelling. I love a story where we see the adult world though the eyes of child and Robyn's misunderstandings or inability to fully comprehend what might be happening around her are cleverly presented with authenticity. The relationship with her brother Kit is also beautifully navigated and well conveyed.

This is a very engaging read which effortlessly moves between 1976 and 1988. It feels very accomplished for a debut author and it's a very absorbing story with a blend of themes, issues and ideas told through a narrative which is compelling and gripping. A very rewarding read!

My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the novel and an invitation to join the Blog Tour!

Don't miss the other stops on the Blog Tour!

MARIANNE HOLMES

Marianne Holmes was born in Cyprus to RAF parents and bounced between the UK, Germany, Kuwait and Belgium until firmly basing herself in London – well, apart from those years in the Peak District.

A love of language led to degrees in Classics and Linguistics from the University of London but her desire to pay the mortgage steered her to a career in Marketing. After distracting herself in all sorts of ways over the years – sailing, flying, volunteering and running away to India – she is now definitely, absolutely concentrating on her writing. Well, that and making sure her children get fed, clothed and entertained. Obviously.

A Little Bird Told Me is Marianne’s first novel.

The After Wife by Cass Hunter

2018-09-20T23:54:00.002-07:00

THE AFTER WIFE

by CASS HUNTER

This is both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story about love and grief, science and nature. Meet Aidan, who is left devastated at the death of his wife Rachel and struggles to even begin to think about how he might carry on without her - or support their teenage daughter Chloe, through this terrible time. So when Rachel's colleague summons him to her place of work, he is reluctant to visit the scientific research department where she was conducting such ground breaking work and be reminded that her brilliant career has now been tragically cut short.

Shocked by the brutal way in which Rachel's belongings have already been packed up - protocol and confidentiality agreements insist in this - Aidan finds himself resenting the staff there who have spent so much time working closely with his wife, and grudgingly allows himself to be led behind locked doors to see more of the project she was pioneering. An iRachel.

Rachel's gift to Aidan and Chloe is a robot - but a robot with a difference. This is a highly sophisticated model, based completely on Rachel. It looks like her, talks like her and has been programmed to think, feel and react like Rachel. The science behind it is carefully explained to Aidan and along with the reader, he becomes convinced by this incredible machine and willing to take iRachel home with him to install her in his home. iRachel was deliberately built by Rachel to replace her and continue to exist even when she could not.

Perhaps some might say the reader might need to take a slight leap of faith with this storyline but I don't think so. The After Wife follows on from TV shows like Humans but looks at what might happen when a creation is designed to fill an emotional void in people's lives rather than perform time saving, laborious chores. The author's explanation, description and dialogue between the characters as we all get use to iRachel always feel authentic and convincing.

This book is more about heart than computers, more about feeling than algorithms. The iRachel, and the way Aidan and Chloe learn to relate to her, let her become part of their family and respond to her allows the author to explore a whole range of themes and issues. This is a book about letting go, accepting a new normal and finding hope after bereavement. The writing is gentle, engaging and this is a lovely read which will undoubtedly bring tears to many readers' eyes.

The comparisons with Black Mirror and Humans are obvious but it also reminded me of Truly Madly Deeply with Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman. Cass Hunter has taken a tragic premise and used it to explore universal topics with creativity, authenticity and well crafted characters. This will appeal to all readers - whether you love technology or find the concept of such scientific advances a little unsettling, there will be something in this story for everyone, and plenty to think about afterwards.

THE AFTER WIFE is published on the 6th September. My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of the book and an invitation to join the Blog Tour.

Don't miss the other stops and reviews!

CASS HUNTER

Cass Hunter was born in South Africa and moved to the UK in 2000. She lives in North London with her husband and two sons. She is an avid lifelong learner, and works at a London university. Cass Hunter is the pen name of Rosie Fiore, whose novels include After Isabella, What She Left, Babies in Waiting and Wonder Women.

Finding the right gift for the book lover in your life...A Guest Post & VOUCHER!

2018-09-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

LITERARY BOOK GIFTS

Today it is my pleasure to hand over to the Literary Book Gift company who run a website selling the perfect t-shirts and tote bag for all book lovers! If you scroll on down, they have generously donated a voucher code which entitles you to a discount - so there is no excuse now not to indulge all your book loving friends this year with one of these lovely gifts!


Finding the right gift for the book lover in your life




I launched Literary Book Gifts just this year. I love to read and I have a background in design.



Reading has always been a way for me to connect with the world. I have always wanted to a way to turn this type of connection into a way with connecting with others.

So finally I decided to make some shirts with designs for book lovers. The fabrics are all high quality cotton the book t-shirts come in tons of different colors and in a wide range of sizes. The tote bags each come in 3 sizes!



I will talk about a few of the designs available in the shop:



Women’s Shirts









In Search of Lost Time T-Shirt



Marcel Proust’s writings on time and the nature of memory are well read in both the literature as well as the philosophical community. In addition to the title and author of the work, this shirt depicts a swan looking at it’s own reflection in water, as if searching for lost time, answers, or memories. When the work was initially published it was in seven volumes, the first being Swann’s Way, and although not about an actual swan, the graphic alludes to that title.


This is a women’s shirt that comes in thirteen colors and from sizes extra small to 3XL.



Men’s Shirts

Our National Parks T-Shirt



Although John Muir is not always considered literature, I felt I should create a shirt about him because of his significant contribution to the conservation of the national parks. This graphic depicts an abstract image of a forest, perhaps of the sequoias or redwoods of California.


This is a men’s shirt that comes in twelve colors and sizes range from small to 5XL.


Totes

Metamorphosis Tote Bag



Kafka is well known for his existential novel Metamorphosis. I wanted to make sure I showed the beetle as he was in the book, alive. The beetle in this picture is anthropomorphized and in comes in a red print to capture the feeling of absurdity throughout the novel.


This is a tote bag, which is great for carrying around all of your reading material. It comes in red print on a light cream background. There are three sizes to choose from.



Use this coupon code: BIBLIOMANIACUK20 for 20% off at Literary Book Gifts there is no expiry date!

https://literarybookgifts.com/

Thanks so much to the Literary Books Gift for showcasing some of their products and for the discount code!

Blog Tour: The Girl In His Eyes by Jennie Ensor

2018-09-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

THE GIRL IN HIS EYES

by JENNIE ENSOR

Her father abused her when she was a child. For years she was too afraid to speak out. But now she suspects he’s found another victim…

Laura, a young woman struggling to deal with what her father did to her a decade ago, is horrified to realise that the girl he takes swimming might be his next victim. Emma is twelve – the age Laura was when her father took away her innocence.

Intimidated by her father’s rages, Laura has never told anyone the truth about her childhood. Now she must decide whether she has the courage to expose him and face the consequences.

Can Laura overcome her fear and save Emma before the worst happens?

I'm delighted to be taking part on the Blog Blitz for this book and to celebrate it's publication, I have an extract from the opening chapter to share with you and whet your appetite!

Please do read on....

Chapter 1

Laura

29 December 2010

The face in the window stared back at her. Hers, yet not hers, it blurred into a jelly of reflected faces and the shifting darkness beyond.

She would be there, soon. With her mother – with him. She would have to say the right things, laugh in the right places. Pretend everything was alright.

Laura picked up her overnight bag, left the station and began the slog up Wimbledon Hill. Lorries shuddered past, splashing her jeans. She forced her umbrella into the wind. Her body felt flimsy, like one of those skeleton leaves clinging to the trees along the road.

At the top of the hill she turned into a side road then left into Elgin Drive. Slower now, past the line of stern 1930s houses. Number 31 loomed behind its ten-foot, ruler-flat hedge. The Porsche wasn’t in the driveway.

She opened the gate, hesitating. She didn’t want to go into this house again – not now, not ever. What if she turned around and went home, said she wasn’t feeling well? It wasn’t far from the truth. The warning signs were back: a thudding heart, a prickling beneath the skin. But she drew in her breath and made herself walk up the path and press the doorbell.

The hall light came on behind the frosted glass panels. She waited. Then her mother appeared, a little out of breath. Her hair, now highlighted blonde, bore the signs of her favourite Tony & Guy stylist.

‘Hello, Mum. I thought you weren’t in.’

‘The radio was on, I didn’t hear you.’ She was enveloped by arms, bosom and a cloud of floral perfume. ‘You’re soaked! You should have called, darling, I would have picked you up at the station.’

‘It’s only ten minutes. I don’t mind the walk.’

Laura followed her mother into the kitchen. The cactus on the windowsill had sprouted a third lobe, a spooky shade of orange. On the worktop, plastic containers competed for space with her mother’s collection of herbal and homeopathic remedies for everything from insomnia to swollen ankles.

‘Dad isn’t back from work yet?’

‘He shouldn’t be long. How was your trip?’

‘It was just what I needed, I didn’t want to come back. How was Christmas?’

‘Oh, you know. Your father wasn’t in the best of moods.’

A thick paperback lay beside the toaster – one of those self-help books with instructions for how to transform one’s life. She opened it and read the underlined sentence:

Picture affirmations as seeds that you are planting in the garden of your mind.

Laura put down the book. Her mother was a sucker for all that New Age stuff.

‘Did Stephen miss you while you were away?’

‘I doubt it. We’re not seeing each other anymore.’

‘Oh, Laura.’ Her mother’s brightness vanished. ‘What happened?’

‘He was seeing other girls,’ she explained. ‘He said he didn’t think our relationship had a future. He said I didn’t trust him. Stuff like that.’

His words were stuck inside her head. I don’t know who you are, Laura. You never let me see the real you.

Their parting had been brief, though not painless. Evidence of his betrayal had been left for her to find: an unfamiliar hair slide on his dressing table, a blonde hair on a pillow. She’d yelled, hurled things. He’d told her she was being hysterical.

‘I’m so sorry, darling.’ Her mother approached, arms opening. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

Laura bit her lip. The tears were banked up behind her lids, ready to flow. But she stiffened and pulled away. She didn’t want to cry here, with her father liable to walk in any moment. In any case, she had cried quite enough lately.

‘I just needed time to sort things out in my head.’ It wasn’t only that. She couldn’t talk to her mother about lots of things. Explaining herself to her mother was just too difficult. Keeping things inside was easier, was what she was used to doing.

‘How about a cup of tea?’ Her mother was already removing a bottle of milk from the fridge, which was crammed with cling-filmed bowls. A damp ginger cat squeezed with difficulty through the flap and padded towards her. Laura glanced into the hall. She had to be on her own for a few minutes.

The downstairs toilet was fragrant with air freshener. On the shelf, dried flowers sprayed prettily from a vase. The basin, spotless, boasted a pristine block of Royal Jelly soap. Her reflection startled her: ghost-white face framed by a damp tangle of nearly black hair, eyes smudged with kohl. They stared back at her, as sad and shiny as a spaniel’s.

She turned the tap on full, wondering if the sound of pouring water would hide the howl that might erupt from her. No, almost certainly not. She neatened her hair and splashed cold water on her face.

‘Don’t take this too much to heart, love,’ her mother said as they sat at the kitchen table. ‘You never know who might be round the corner.’

No one, hopefully. She’d had enough of love, enough of men who wanted too much or too little. Enough of men full stop. Her mother meant well but she just didn’t get it. They were too different, they would never understand each other. They were never going to be the best buddies that she wanted them to be. How could that happen when her mother still loved Dad, thought he was as white as snow? In all this time she’d never guessed the truth.

‘Daniel’s bringing Karen with him tomorrow, did he tell you?’

Laura shook her head. Her brother, two years older than her, was a project manager at a high-tech company in Bristol. She envied his focus, the way his life appeared to go wherever he willed it. Her own life was waiting in vain for some direction. Engrossed by her history course at Durham University, she had graduated with an upper second, better than she’d expected given her erratic performance in exams. But now, eighteen months later, she was starting to wilt. Try as she might to latch on to some sort of career, something vital to success always eluded her.

‘He said it was about time we met her,’ her mother said with a knowing look.

It was serious then – Daniel never brought girlfriends to the house. Although she was glad Daniel would be around tomorrow for their father’s birthday, she wished she’d been able to think of a good enough excuse to not be a part of it.

Her father arrived shortly after 7.30pm. When her mother went to greet him, Laura didn’t get up. His footsteps smacked the wooden floor as he strode along the hall. She saw, as he entered the kitchen, that his face and neck were still tanned from the summer. No sign yet of a beer belly. He was a tall, athletic man, quite decent looking. A man she ought to be proud to have as her father.

‘Hey, sweetie, how’re you doing? Good to see you again.’

He put down his briefcase and momentarily stood before her, arms at his sides as if hoping she might hug him, before leaning over and offering her his cheek. She barely touched the stubble with her lips. Faint, woody notes of his scent, peppermint mouthwash on his breath. He lifted his briefcase onto the worktop, pulled off his tie and took a beer from the fridge, as any other man might do.

You can read the rest of the Chapter over at Chelle's Book Reviews on the 21st September

JENNIE ENSOR

Jennie Ensor lives in London and has Irish roots. During a long trip overseas she obtained a Masters in Journalism and began her writing career as a journalist, covering topics from forced marriages to accidents in the mining industry. Her debut novel BLIND SIDE was published by Unbound in 2016. In January 2018 her short story ‘The Gift’ was placed in the Top 40 of the Words and Women national prose competition. Her poetry has appeared in many UK and overseas publications, most recently Ink Sweat and Tears. She sings in a chamber choir.

Links:

Author website & blog: https://jennieensor.com

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JennieEnsorAuthor

Twitter: @jennie_ensor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennieensor/