Published June 22nd, 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Political Thriller, Police Thriller, Legal Thriller, Legal Story
Today I’m re-sharing my review for Conviction. Thanks to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours for the invitation to take part and Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
TO STEAL A MAN’S FREEDOM ALL IT TAKES IS . . . CONVICTION
Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and teenage children as they slept before burning the family home to the ground.
When the case lands on barrister Neve Harper’s desk, she knows it could be the career making case she’s been waiting for. But only if she can prove Wade’s innocence.
A matter of days before the case, as Neve is travelling home for the night, she is approached by a man. He tells her she must lose this case or the secret about her own husband’s disappearance will be revealed.
Failing that, he will kill everyone she cares about until she follows orders.
Neve must make a choice – betray every principle she has ever had by putting a potentially innocent man in prison, or risk putting those she loves in mortal danger.
For fans of Steve Cavanagh, Linwood Barclay and Gillian McAllister, introducing the latest novel from the master of the moral dilemma, Jack Jordan.
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MY REVIEW:
“There is right, and there is wrong; black and white. There is no grey area to use to one’s own advantage, or the justice system would collapse like a house of cards. Pull one rule away, and the whole thing topples.”
Promising Barrister Neve Harper is preparing to defend the case that could make her career. Wade Darling stands accused of killing his wife and children in cold blood as they slept before setting the family home ablaze. He says he’s innocent, but the evidence all seems to point towards him. But Neve’s excitement at the challenge ends when one night she is approached by a man who knows her darkest secret. He threatens to expose it if Wade isn’t found guilty and says he’ll hurt those she loves to ensure she complies. Will Neve betray her morals and put a potentially innocent man behind bars in order to save herself and those she loves?
Unbearably tense, twisty and addictive, this was another outstanding thriller from the golden pen of Jack Jordan. It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan and Jordan just keeps getting better as he establishes himself as the King of the moral dilemma thriller. Fast paced, perfectly plotted and exquisitely written, Jordan is a master of his craft, sprinkling breadcrumbs into the intricately layered narrative and constructing the story to ensure all of the twisty threads collide with perfect timing all while keeping you on the edge of your seat with an atmosphere thick with the a ticking time bomb of ominous dread. And then there’s that ending. How could you end it there?! I needed more!
One of the things I love most about Jordan’s books is his characters, who are always morally complex, richly drawn, compelling, and memorable. And Neve Harper is no exception. I liked her immediately, something that didn’t change even when her awful secret was revealed thanks to Jordan’s expertise at writing anti-heroes that we love to root for. He does this by weaving their anguish and dilemmas into the narrative; making you confront all the shades of grey in each situation, and highlighting how anyone can find themselves in a situation where they do things they never imagined possible. He also gives even the darkest of his characters some heart, making you feel some empathy for the villains when their motivations are laid bare along with their pain. It takes real talent to do this and Jordan achieves it like the seasoned pro he is, making their anguish so palpable that you can’t escape it.
A heart-pounding and nerve-shredding thriller that sizzles with suspense, Conviction is a must-read for any self-respecting thriller lover. Just don’t make any other plans after you start reading, because I guarantee you’ll be cancelling them.
Published April 11th, 2024 by Harper Voyager UK Thriller, Horror Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Supernatural Fiction
Welcome to my review of the bone-chilling thriller that’s perfect for Hallowee. Thank you to Harper Voyager for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Master of unsettling suspense Jen Williams is back with another chilling, dark read that will draw readers into a gruesome and atmospheric nightmare perfect for Spooky Season
Macabre murders plague a rural town as a scam-artist psychic races to find the answers in this haunting thriller from award-winning author Jen Williams, perfect for fans of C.J. Tudor and Alex North.
‘I was absolutely blown away … I could almost feel myself shivering in the shadow of Red Rigg Fell’ James Oswald
‘Nonstop plotting, richly drawn characters and a masterful touch … Fantastic―in every sense of the word!’ Jeffery Deaver
‘The perfect combination of a twisty thriller and a classic horror tale … Jen Williams is at the top of her game’ Alex Finlay
As a child, Ashley Whitelam was haunted by ghostly figures no one else could see. Silent and watchful, these Heedful Ones followed her wherever she went. She hasn’t seen them for eighteen years, not since that fateful night at Red Rigg House.
But now they’re back, and they’re trying to tell her something.
Children start to disappear across the Lake District and Ashley becomes involved in the investigation, eager for free publicity to promote her work as a psychic. She never expected the collaboration to bear fruit, but when she discovers the body of one of the missing children, everything changes.
The police are convinced that she’s involved with the killings, and the press are hounding her for answers. Desperate to clear her name, she works with true crime podcaster, Freddie Miller, to investigate. As they look deeper into the disappearances, Ashley must dig into the demons of her past, before the nightmare in the present comes for her, too.
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MY REVIEW:
“She saw them every day in the bedroom she shared with her brother, by the bus stop, in her Grandad’s back garden . Silent, shadowy figures that watched her. That no one else could see. The Heedful Ones were her own silent companions.”
Happy Halloween 🎃
I’ve got the perfect spooky season recommendation for you today. Darkly atmospheric, unsettling, eerie and tense, The Hungry Dark is the epitome of a book you need to read with the lights on.
Psychic Ashley Whitelam has always seen things that others don’t. It started when she was a child when she was haunted everywhere she went by ghostly figures she called the Heedful Ones. But she hasn’t seen them for eighteen years. Not since the night at Red Rigg House that she can’t bear to think about. But when she collaborates with the police to try and find a boy who has gone missing, Ashley sees the Heedful Ones again and they lead her to the boy’s broken body. Unable to explain how she found it, the police suspect her of being involved in the crimes and Ashely must prove her innocence.
I’ve been all about the creepy books lately and this one certainly lived up to my spooky-season hopes. It opens with an unsettling prologue, setting the tone for a book that bleeds with chilling suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The story is told in dual timelines, the flashbacks slowly revealing what happened at Red Rigg House to leave Ashley so traumatised. While both are compelling, I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks as this is where we get to know Ashley best. You get a real sense of how ‘other’ she felt, the fear that the Headless Ones instil in her, and her present-day family dynamics begin to make sense. In the present I was gripped by the murders and Ashley’s fight to prove her innocence that sees her team up with Freddie to investigate the crimes. They had a compelling dynamic and I liked that we are never sure if he is friend or foe. The Heedful Ones add a terrifying supernatural element that I loved as the tension built to a heart-stopping crescendo that left my jaw on the floor.
Nerve-shredding, spooky and utterly addictive, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jen Williams is a writer from London currently living in Bristol. A fan of witches and dark folklore from an early age, these days she writes character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of banter and magic as well as horror-tinged crime thrillers with strong female leads. In 2015 she was nominated for Best Newcomer in the British Fantasy Awards. She is represented by Juliet Mushens of Mushens Entertainment.
The Copper Cat trilogy consists of The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide – all published by Headline in the UK – and the first two books in the trilogy are available in the US and Canada, published by Angry Robot. Both The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide have also been nominated for British Fantasy Awards, and she is partly responsible for founding Super Relaxed Fantasy Club, a social group that meets in London to celebrate a love of fantasy.
Her second fantasy series, the Winnowing Flame trilogy, kicked off with The Ninth Rain and The Bitter Twins, and ended with The Poison Song in May 2019. The Ninth Rain and The Bitter Twins both went on to win the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel in their respective years. The Winnowing Flame trilogy was also published as a special limited edition by The Broken Binding.
Her first crime novel, Dog Rose Dirt, was published in July 2021 in the UK by HarperCollins, and in the US by Crooked Lane under the title A Dark and Secret Place. This twisty crime thriller has also sold in Germany, Brazil, Poland and Spain. Jen had two novels out in 2023: Talonsister, a return to fantasy published by Titan which went on to win her a third British Fantasy Award, and Games for Dead Girls, a true crime inspired horror novel, published by HarperVoyager. 2024 will see the publication of The Hungry Dark and Titanchild, and in 2025 FirstInk will publish her first YA romantasy, The Sleepless.
Interests outside of reading and writing include drawing and painting, playing video games, and watching cartoons. She has a particular passion for animation, history, bats, mead, horror films, her very blue sofa and fantasy RPGs where you can get dumped by a sexy elf.
Published June 6th, 2024 by Picador Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Historical Romance
Welcome to my review of this outstanding gothic thriller. Thanks to Picador for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The Burial Plot is a spellbinding historical Gothic thriller about murder and manipulation, set in Victorian London. From Elizabeth Macneal, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory.
London, 1839. With the cemeteries full and money to be made in death, tricksters Crawford and Bonnie survive on wicked schemes and ill-gotten coin. But one blistering evening, their fortunes flip. A man lies in a pool of blood at Bonnie’s feet and now she needs to disappear.
Crawford secures her a position as lady’s maid in a grand house on the Thames. As Bonnie comes to understand the family – the eccentric Mr Moncrieff, obsessively drawing mausoleums for his dead wife, and their peculiar daughter Cissie, scribbling imaginary love letters to herself – she begins to question what secrets are lying behind the house’s paper-thin walls and whether her own presence here was planned from the beginning.
Because Crawford is watching, and perhaps he is plotting his greatest trick yet . . .
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MY REVIEW:
As the nights darken I find myself drawn to darker books, particularly those with a gothic or supernatural element, so it felt like the perfect time to start this book. And it was. Darkly atmospheric, hypnotic and alluring, The Burial Plot is a gorgeous gothic thriller perfect for this time of year. It consumed me and I devoured it whole, enrapt by the story of murder, manipulation, secrets and betrayal. This is Elizabeth Macneal’s best book yet; a haunting tour-de-force that you won’t be able to put down.
It transports us to London, 1839, where we meet Bonnie, a young woman surviving on schemes and tricks she carries out under the guidance of her boyfriend, Crawford. But one night their tricks go too far and a man lies dead in a pool of blood. Bonnie needs to disappear. And, luckily, Crawford knows the perfect place. So, Bonnie travels to Endellion, a grand house on the Thames, to begin working as a Lady’s Maid. Endellion is inhabited by Aubrey Moncrieff, a strange man who spends his days obsessively drawing mausoleums for his dead wife, and his daughter, Cissie, who lives in a daydream scribbling imaginary love notes to herself. The late Mrs. Moncrieff died in mysterious circumstances, and it is soon clear that there are secrets hidden at Endellion. Secrets that some will kill to protect.…
It’s no secret that I’ve been a huge fan of Elizabeth Macneal ever since her debut and will buy anything she writes. Masterfully written, cleverly choreographed and intricately woven, I was bewitched from the start. Macneal’s meticulous research about the fascinating historical period and subject is expertly woven into the mystery, allowing her reader to lose themselves completely in the story. Dark, ominous, oppressive and foreboding vibes radiate from the pages and there’s a twisted game of cat and mouse being played between Bonnie and Crawford. Then there’s the overwhelming sense of claustrophobia that we feel as Bonnie wrestles with her conscience. She’s trapped. Imprisoned by not only her crime but by Crawford and the lies she’s already told.
The book is filled with very real, vivid characters. The protagonist, Bonnie, is a complicated and flawed heroine, an anti-hero who wades in murky moral territory with all of her lies, schemes and plots. But despite this she’s very compelling, likeable and easy to root for. You want her to win despite all she does wrong and you get the sense that many of her erroneous deeds stem from her toxic and controlling relationship with Crawford. I really hated Crawford. He’s a mass of red flags from the beginning but has a charm to him that allows you to understand Bonnie’s attraction to him. And as we hear about Bonnie’s past, we understand she thinks he saved her when she needed it, never realising he was trapping her in a cycle of abuse from the start. The background characters are equally as richly drawn and compelling, with young Cissie stealing my heart. My heart broke for this young girl and all she’d gone through and I loved the bond that grew between her and Bonnie.
Taut, twisty, unnerving and utterly breathtaking, The Burial Plot is a gothic masterpiece that demands to be read.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
*I listened to this on Bookbeat.You can get 60 days listening free with this link*
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Elizabeth Macneal was born in Scotland and now lives in East London. She is a writer and potter and works from a small studio at the bottom of her garden. The Doll Factory, Elizabeth’s debut novel, was a Sunday Times bestseller, has been translated into twenty-nine languages and has been optioned for a major television series. It won the Caledonia Novel Award in 2018, and was a No. 2 Sunday Times bestseller. In 2019, Elizabeth was chosen as one of The Observers ‘hottest-tipped debut novelists’. Her second novel, Circus of Wonders, was an immediate Sunday Times bestseller, hitting No. 4 after only a partial week of sales.
Published October 24th, 2024 by Orenda Thriller, Dark Comedy, Mystery, Noir Fiction, Translated Fiction
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the tense, addictive, hilarious and absurd The Burning Stones. Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
A top saleswoman at a Finnish sauna company must outwit the police and a murderer when her boss is found dead … in a sauna. A darkly funny, tense new thriller from ‘The funniest writer in Europe’ (The Times)
‘The best comic crime novel you’ll read this year’ Abir Mukherjee
‘Showcases Antti’s trademark deadpan humour and crime plots focused on intriguingly quirky individuals. An utter delight’ Vaseem Khan
‘Just what you want from Antti Tuomainen, the brilliant moulding of apparent mundanity into a which-way-now thrill ride, with humour drier than a desert snake’s belly’ Ian Moore
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Saunas, love and a ladleful of murder…
A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?
The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.
And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…
From the international bestselling author of The Man Who Died and The Rabbit Factor, comes a darkly funny, delightfully tense new thriller that showcases humanity at its most bare – in middle age, suspected of murder and, of course, in a sauna…
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MY REVIEW:
A new Antti Tuomainen book is always something I look forward to. The King of Comic Crime, his books are deliciously absurd, quirky, and darkly funny thrillers that have me hooked from beginning to end.
In his latest offering, we return to Finland for another caper. This time there is a killer who strikes when their victims are at their most vulnerable: in the sauna. It starts with the death of an executive of Steam Devil who is found burned to death, the temperature in his sauna raised until he expired. The police think the evidence points to one person: Anni Korpinen, a top salesperson at Steam Devil and the victim’s successor. But Anni says she’s innocent. And now she must prove it. Juggling her own investigation into the crime alongside her job, middle-age, and a marriage that’s falling apart.
Antti’s books are best read pretty blind as the joy is in the discovery of his wild and thrilling stories, so I’ll not tell you much more about the plot. What I will tell you is that when you pick this up you’re in for a treat; a crazy, rollercoaster ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat, make you angry, make you laugh when you shouldn’t, and keep you guessing right up until the big reveal. Just make sure you don’t have anything planned when you start reading, because you’ll not be moving again until you’ve finished.
Original, hilarious, tense and addictive, pick up The Burning Stones is the perfect thriller for anyone looking for something a bit different but totally brilliant.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when we made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula,and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach, Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’, and Little Siberia (2019) was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the prequel to The Moose Paradox, will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios.
David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The Hummingbird, The Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories. In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.
Published October 3rd, 2024 by Magpie Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction
Welcome to my review for Leaving, the beautiful and hearbreaking read that was the SquadPod Book Club pick for October. Thank you to Magpie for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
What does love demand of us, and who must pay the price?
‘Absorbing…haunting.’ Meg Woltizer, author of The Wife
High school sweethearts, Sarah and Warren, have grand plans for an adventurous future together, but when a misunderstanding causes them to part ways, they end up marrying other people.
When they meet again at sixty, their lives have been carved into very different shapes. Sarah lives outside New York; Warren lives in Boston. Sarah is divorced, Warren still married, and both have grown up children. When they reconnect, they feel the rekindled spark of love and desire – a spark that has been dead for so long. But are they willing to risk destroying all that they have built separately for the chance of a future together?
‘Classic… I’d read any story she has to tell.’ Amity Gage,New York Times
‘Smart, seductive.’ Daily Mail
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MY REVIEW:
Beautiful, moving, heartbreaking, bittersweet and devastatingly raw, Leaving is a riveting portrait of a marriage ending while a new love blossoms, and the price we can pay for love.
One night at the opera, Sarah runs into her high school sweetheart, Warren. Now sixty, the pair haven’t seen each other for forty years and married other people, but it is immediately evident they still have a strong connection. They can’t stop thinking about each other and start to meet, tentatively reconnecting as they catch up on the years they’ve spent apart. Sarah was single when they met, while Warren was in an unhappy marriage, which he decides to end to grasp his chance at happiness with the love that got away, sparking a chain of events that ask them just how much they are willing to sacrifice for their love and the chance of a future together.
I was not prepared for this book! Beautifully told, reflective, lingering and compelling, Roxana Robinson drew me in and I lost myself in the lives of these richly drawn, relatable and flawed characters. Robinson expertly conveys the overwhelming, painful, and often conflicting emotions that come with these situations, the characters’ emotions leaping from the pages. She also wonderfully writes the euphoria and fear of falling in love after heartbreak and the complexities of trying to merge established lives to create a new, blended family. As someone who has been through divorce and then been lucky enough to find my soulmate and create a blended family, I related to so much of what Sarah and Warren experienced. I know the heartache of being trapped in a marriage you know is not right and the strength it takes to walk away. I also know the betrayal that Warren’s wife, Janet, felt when your whole world falls apart because you learn your husband has been having an affair. My heart was with all of these characters in so many ways but there were also times I couldn’t understand or condone their actions. It is one hell of an emotional journey. And that ending! I can’t stop thinking about it and don’t know when I’ll get over it.
Mesmerising, heartstopping and achingly real, Leaving is a powerful story that I highly recommend.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Roxana Robinson is the author of eleven books—seven novels, three collections of short stories, and the biography of Georgia O’Keeffe. Four of these were chosen as New York Times Notable Books, two as New York Times Editors’ Choices.
Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s, Best American Short Stories, The Southampton Review, Ep!phany and elsewhere. Her work has been widely anthologized and broadcast on NPR. Her books have been published in England, France, Germany, Holland and Spain.
Roxana Robinson has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation and the MacDowell Colony, and she was named a Literary Lion by the New York Public Library. Robinson has served on the Boards of PEN and the Authors Guild, and was the president of the Authors Guild. She has received the Barnes and Noble “Writers for Writers Award,” given by Poets and Writers, and the Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community from the Authors Guild. She teaches in the MFA Program at Hunter College.
New releases may slow down as we get to the end of the year, but November is still full of a multitude of exciting releases for us to enjoy. Here are the twenty I’m most looking forward to:
Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee
Published November 1st by Wildfire Fantasy Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy Comedy, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: || THE NO.1 KOREAN BESTSELLER WITH OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD ||
It has been a year since Penny first walked through the doors of DallerGut Dream Department Store, and surviving a year at the store means one thing . . . She is now an official employee of the dream industry! She can finally take the express commuter train to the Company District, where all the dream production companies are located and discover how all raw dream materials and testing equipment are produced.
But the Company District is not quite what she expected, it hides the darker underbelly of the magical industry that Penny thought she was a part of.
Penny discovers the Civil Complaint Center, full of people filing complaints about their dreams. She also learns about the regular customers who have stopped coming to the store. As she gets to the bottom of each complaint, she begins to expand her horizons, transforming from just selling dreams to understanding what lies in the hearts of their lost regulars.
Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store delves deeper into the dream industry and its customers. Why do some of them buy a dream and never return? Will Penny and her colleagues be able to bring their regulars back?
Published November 5th by Hodderscape Fantasy Fiction, Fairy Tale, High Fantasy, Cosy Fantasy, Fantasy Comedy
BOOK DESCRIPTION: SMALL FORTUNES. BIG FEELINGS.
‘Joyful, heartwarming and utterly charming’ AMÉLIE WEN ZHAO ‘The warmest, loveliest book’ SANGU MANDANNA ‘Will soothe your heart’ SARAH BETH DURST A cozy fantasy about trying to find yourself – and finding a family instead. Perfect for fans of Legends and Lattes, A Psalm for the Wild-Built and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Fleeing a troubled past, immigrant fortune teller Tao roams the dusty countryside with only her mule for company, telling small fortunes, for small prices. Big fortunes come with big consequences . . . which she knows from bitter experience.
It’s a lonely life, until she encounters an ex-mercenary and a (semi) reformed thief, who recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a knead for adventure, and – of course – a slightly magical cat.
Tao sets down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as her friends break down her walls, the shadows of her past close in. Now, Tao must decide whether to risk everything to save the family she never thought she could have . . .
A Lively Midwinter Murder (A Three Dahlia’s Mystery) by Katy Watson
Published November 5th by Constable Mystery, Crime Fiction, Cosy Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The Three Dahlias mysteries take a festive turn in this irresistible slice of cosy crime, when a corpse appears in the snow before a Christmas Eve wedding outside a secluded Scottish castle.
First comes love… and then comes murder.
A high society Christmas Eve wedding at a secluded Scottish castle sounds like the perfect winter getaway for the three Dahlias – until a dead body wearing a wedding dress and a stolen diamond necklace turns up in the snow outside the family chapel, and the bride and groom are suddenly the prime suspects in a murder case…
Published November 7th by Head of Zeus Historical Fiction, Thriller, War Story, Historical Mystery
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Men steal everything. Now we want our share.
1922. Twenty-four-year-old Eleanor Mackridge is horrified by the future mapped out for her – to serve the upper classes or find a husband. During the war, she found freedom in joining the workforce at home, but now women are being put back in their place.
Until Eleanor crosses paths with a member of the notorious female-led gang the Forty Elephants: bold women who wear diamonds and fur, drink champagne and gin, who take what they want without asking. Now, she sees a new future for herself: she can serve, marry – or steal.
After all, men will only let you down. Diamonds are forever.
In Poor Girls, Clare Whitfield exposes the criminal underbelly of 1920s London – but this isn’t a morality tale, it’s an adventure for the willingly wicked.
Published November 5th by Crooked Lane Books Suspense, Domestic Fiction, Thriller
BOOK DESCRIPTION: It’s 1998, and female students are going missing at Southern State University in North Carolina, but freshman Jessica Fadley, once a bright and responsible student, is going through her own struggles. Just as her life seems to be careening dangerously out of control, she suddenly disappears. Twenty-four years later, Jessica’s sister Lindsey is desperately searching for answers and uses the momentum of a new chart-topping true crime podcast that focuses on cold cases to guide her own investigation. Soon, interest reaches fever pitch when the bodies of the long-missing women begin turning up at a local lake, which leads Lindsey down a disturbing road of discovery. In the present, one sister searches to untangle a complicated web of lies. In the past, the other descends ever deeper into a darkness that will lead to her ultimate fate. This propulsive and chilling suspense is a sharp examination of sisterhood and the culture of true crime.
Published November 7th by Michael Joseph Thriller, Mystery, Susepense, Crime Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: The problem with telling tales is that you might get caught out by the twist: discover the most original literary thriller of 2024, from the author of the sensational Eight Detectives
‘The master puppeteer of literary crime’ Janice Hallett
‘Today’s greatest exponent of playful detective fiction’ Guardian
—– Six friends gather at a country house for a birthday weekend. They decide to play a game.
All six names go in a hat. Choose two, and imagine one murdering the other.
Write it down. Type it up. Read it out.
Points are given for making the murders sound convincing.
Of course, when given such a task, it’s only natural to use what you know.
Secrets. Grudges. Affairs.
But once you’ve put it in a story, that secret is out.
So with each fictional murder, someone gets a motive for a real one.
Which leads to the most important question:
When a real murder comes, will you be able to spot it in time?
Published November 7th by Orion Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A new job. A new home. A new start.
It’s all Anna wants.
But in a closed rural community, strange traditions and a suspicion of outsiders mean everything is not as it seems.
Three teenage girls have vanished at the annual Gathering as they reach their sixteenth birthday. No one seems to be investigating. And a fourth girl begs Anna for help, fearing that she will be next to disappear.
Everyone has secrets. Anna is watching everyone. But who is watching Anna?
An unpredictable and wild page-turner, with shocks, surprises and a killer twist for a finale.
Victim (Blix & Ramm, 5) by Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst
Published November 7th by Orenda Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Crime Series, Hardboiled
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Buried sins Brutal revenge…
Two years ago, Alexander Blix was the lead investigator in a missing person’s case where a young mother, Elisabeth Eie, was kidnapped. The case was never solved.
Blix’s career in law enforcement is now over, but her kidnapper is back, leaving evidence of Elisabeth’s murder in Blix’s mailbox, as well as hints that there are other victims.
At the same time, Emma Ramm has been contacted by a teenage girl, whose stepfather has been arrested on suspicion of killing a childhood friend. But there is no body. Nor are there any other suspects…
Blix and Ramm can rely only on each other, and when Blix’s fingerprints are found on a child’s drawing at a crime scene, the present comes uncomfortably close to the past.
A past where a victim has found their own, shocking form of therapy.
And someone is watching…
Shocking, relentless and unbearably tense, Victim marks the return of the international bestselling, blockbuster Blix & Ramm series from two of Norway’s finest crime writers.
Published November 7th by Transworld UK Literary Fiction, Humrorous Ficton, Pensioners in the Pages
BOOK DESCRIPTION: “Emperor penguins defy the odds, and I shall too.”
Still fiery and feisty at eighty-seven, Veronica McCreedy, the very first Penguin Ambassador, is determined to prove that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it.
Eileen, Veronica’s ever-patient assistant, is content taking care of other people. But when a new adventure calls, it makes her question everything…
Ten-year-old, penguin-obsessed Daisy can’t wait to be reunited with Mrs McCreedy in her huge house by the sea for the school holidays.
When they discover that the local Sea Life Centre is under threat, the unlikely trio are determined to save it and the penguins that live there.
Inspired by the penguins and fuelled by Darjeeling tea and finger sandwiches, they embark on an epic fundraising walk. But soon, their mission becomes so much more and it might just lead each of them to a new beginning…
Published November 7th by Sunbird Stories Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Adventure Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Young and beautiful Gytha Godwinson is the envy of England when her father Harold seizes the country’s crown in early 1066. But soon, treachery tears her house apart, and triumph turns to terror. An evil star appears, heralding the end of an era and a new beginning for Britain. Her family and the country seem cursed. Yet even as she suffers loss, betrayal and humiliation, Gytha is determined to regain what is rightfully hers.
In a stunning re-telling of 1066, international bestselling author Ellen Alpsten has created a captivating new heroine in Gytha Godwinson. Witness the end of England’s ancient house, the demise of a cursed kingdom and the emergence of a new empire: ‘The Last Princess’ bridges between myth and modernity.
Published November 7th by Penguin UK Historical Fiction, Thriller, Political Ficiton, War Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Hitler had two fortune tellers.
One predicted his rise to power, the other aimed for his demise. Berlin, 1940: Hitler’s army is on the rise. When he requests Edith Creutzen become his personal fortune teller, she’s left no choice but to accept.
Day by day, their work intensifies, and soon Edith realises the extent of her power. Hitler trusts her implicitly, but what if she were to lead him astray? Joining forces with the resistance, she begins to guide Europe’s most dangerous man right into the hands of British Intelligence.
But there’s one person in the way: Hitler’s enigmatic right-hand man, by whom Edith can’t help but be intrigued. Is he friend or foe, and would he still care for her if he knew where her loyalties lay?
Armed with courage and conviction, Edith sets out to change the course of history. But the price of success is high, and the closer she gets, the more she stands to lose… Inspired by true events, this is the incredible story of one woman’s fight to overturn Hitler.
The Undoing of Violet Claybourne by Emily Critchley
Published November 7th by Zaffre Gothic Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Historical Fiction, Historical Msytery, Coming-of-Age Story
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A dark, captivating novel of family secrets, desperate ambition and the deepest betrayal . . .
TO BECOME ONE OF THEM, SHE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.
1938. Gillian Larking is used to blending in and going unnoticed, until she is befriended by her new roommate at boarding school, the vibrant and spirited Violet Claybourne. As the Christmas holidays approach, Gilly can’t believe her luck when Violet invites her to spend them at her home, the crumbling Thornleigh Hall.
At Thornleigh, Gilly is dazzled by the family’s faded grandeur, and above all by Violet’s beguiling older sisters who seem to accept her as one of their own. But following a terrible incident in the house’s grounds, Gilly begins to realise the Claybourne sisters aren’t quite what she thought they were. And if she’s to survive in their world, she may have to become just like them . . .
‘Atmospheric and gripping . . . an ideal read for winter days’ Good Housekeeping
Published November 7th by Hodderscape Historical Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, Fantasy Series, Adventure Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE. AN ENCHANGED LEGACY. A DANGEROUS DISCOVERY.
The stunning conclusion to Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!
1885, Egypt: Inez Olivera is left reeling from her cousin Elvira’s murder, and her mother’s betrayal, and when Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider.
Marriage to Whitford Hayes.
Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.
Published November 12th by Del Rey Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Ficiton, Magical Realism
BOOK DESCRIPTION: A dark, lyrical fantasy blending the world of the Fae with the stories mothers tell to keep their daughters safe – and the consequences of disregarding the truth, no matter how sinister.
Gemma lives with her mother in an isolated antique shop in Michigan, near a small patch of woods that conceals an enchanted gateway to fairyland. She knows she’s not supposed to go into the woods – her mother Virginia has warned her multiple times about the monsters that lurk there – and yet defiantly, curiously, she goes anyway.
Virginia understands her daughter’s defiance. She knows the lure of the woods all too well. Her own mother warned her about the monsters that resided there, and she also did not listen. Until a witch cursed her true love, Ash – Gemma’s father – into the form of a beast in the days before Gemma’s birth. And if Virginia cannot break the curse before her daughter turns fifteen, Ash will eat Virginia’s heart and Gemma will belong to the witch. So Virginia will do whatever she can to protect her daughter – even if it means stealing Gemma’s memories away.
But everything changes when Gemma inadvertently gets too close to the truth, and the witch steals Virginia away instead. Now it is up to Gemma to venture deep into Fae lands to try and rescue her mother and break the curse.
Told in alternating viewpoints between Gemma and Virginia, this lyrical novel is not only a tale of a girl’s fantastical quest through a darkly magical fairyland, but also an examination of the complex bonds of love and resentment that lie between parents and their children.
Published November 14th by Tor Fantasty Riction, Romantic Fantasy, Fairy Tale
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From internationally bestselling author Mary E. Pearson, The Courting of Bristol Keats is the first book in her debut adult fantasy series, filled with forbidden romance, deadly faerie curses and pulse-pounding action.
‘Mary E. Pearson is the new queen of Faerie‘ – Stephanie Garber, bestselling author of Once Upon a Broken Heart
After losing both their parents, Bristol Keats and her sisters struggle to stay afloat in their small, quiet town of Bowskeep. When Bristol begins to receive letters from an ‘aunt’ she has never heard of, who promises to help, Bristol reluctantly agrees to meet her – and discovers that everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie. Her father might even still be alive. Not killed but kidnapped by terrifying creatures and taken to another realm – the one he is from.
Desperate to save her father and find the truth, Bristol journeys to a land of gods, fae and monsters. Pulled into a dangerous world of magic and intrigue, she makes a deadly bargain with the fae king, Tyghan. But what she does not know is that he is the one who drove her parents to live a life on the run. And he is just as determined as she is to find her father – dead or alive . . .
A heart-wrenching love story that spans worlds and decades, The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson explores second chances – the ones we are denied and the ones we refuse to give – and the lines we cross that may never be forgiven.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
Published November 19th by Harvill Secker Magical Realism, Fantasy Fiction, Horror Fantasy, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTON: STEP INTO THE CITY
When a young man’s girlfriend mysteriously vanishes, he sets his heart on finding the imaginary city where her true self lives. His search will lead him to take a job in a remote library with mysteries of its own.
When he finally makes it to the walled city, a shadowless place of horned beasts and willow trees, he finds his beloved working in a different library – a dream library. But she has no memory of their life together in the other world and, as the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, he must decide what he’s willing to lose.
A love story, a quest, an ode to books and to the libraries that house them, The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a parable for these strange times.
Published Novmber 21st by Pan Macmillan Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Holiday Ficiton
BOOK DESCRIPTION: From bestselling author Ruth Kelly, The Ice Retreat is a spine-tingling thriller set in the world of controversial wellness treatments. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sarah Pearse.
HEALER?
Meet Hollie Jenson, presenter of the smash-hit docu-series Bad Medicine, which exposes the perils of extreme therapies. Her next target: a new retreat run by wellness guru Ariel Rose, who claims to have discovered the secret to healing pain through her three-day ice rebirth treatment.
LIAR?
Acting on a mother’s plea to find her son, who vanished soon after his stay, Hollie ventures into the Swiss mountains where the retreat occupies a former observatory. There she will search for the boy, and hopes to expose Ariel as the charlatan she believes her to be.
KILLER?
As the isolation of the valley sets in, Hollie finds herself in an increasingly dangerous situation. There is much more to the retreat than meets the eye, and she must confront explosive secrets from her own past if she is to ever make it out alive . . .
‘A breathtaking thriller with an evocative setting and some excellent twists – Ruth Kelly at her best.’ – Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet
Published November 21st by Harper Voyager Fantasy Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Romance Novel
BOOK DESCRIPTION: ⚔️Step into the Coliseum at the Spartan War Academy where monsters are made, immortality is won, and even a god can die…⚔️
Alexis Hert isn’t a hero, and she certainly isn’t a god. All she’s ever been is a survivor.
But the Fates disagree.
When a blood test leads to her admittance at the Spartan War Academy, she’ll have to do more than merely survive.
Alexis will have to claim her birthright: immortality.
But immortality is a privilege, one earned in the crucible of the academy, where the heroes are villains and classrooms battlegrounds. While gladiators Achilles and Patro, her demanding mentors, hone her into a warrior, Augustus and Kharon, her professors and the brooding heirs to the underworld, haunt her steps and her thoughts.
Because where there are gods, there are bound to be monsters, and there is more than one hunting Alexis…
Published November 28th by Michael Joseph Fantasy Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Coming-of-Age Story, Translated Fiction
BOOK DESCRIPTION: DISCOVER THE KOREAN BESTSELLER AND STEP INTO A MAGICAL WORLD WHERE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
An uplifting and healing gift of a book that asks would you trade your life for another one? —-
On the first day of the monsoon an old ramshackle building appears. This is The Rainfall Market. Inside you will find magical bookstores, hairdressers, perfumeries and anything your heart desires.
But you cannot enter without an invitation.
Serin, who lives in a small flat with her mother and dreams of a bigger, better life, can’t believe her luck when she receives a ticket inviting her to step inside The Rainfall Market.
Once inside she will have the opportunity to swap her life for a new one. A better one.
Accompanied by Isha the cat and followed by a mysterious shadow, Serin tentatively steps inside. There she is told she has just one week to choose the perfect life and find true happiness.
However, there is a catch.
If she doesn’t find her dream life, she’ll be trapped inside the market forever . . .
Published October 10th, 2024 by Harper Collins UK Thriller, Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Horror Fiction, Suspense, Supernatural Fiction, Contemporary Horror
Welcome to my bookish thoughts on this eerie, haunting and addictive gothic mystery. Thank you to Harper Fiction for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
‘Chilling and beautifully written … C.J. Cooke’s finest novel yet’ Emilia Hart
‘A spellbinding thriller’ Scots Magazine
Four hundred years separate them.
One book binds them.
Glasgow 2024: Clem waits by her daughter’s hospital bed. Erin was found on an idyllic beach in Fynhallow Bay, Orkney with catastrophic burns and only one memory: her name is Nyx.
But how did she get these burns? And how did her boyfriend end up burned alive?
Orkney 1594: accused of witchcraft, Alison Balfour awaits trial. The punishment? To be burned alive.
Separated by four hundred years but bound by the Book of Witching, two women stand imperilled. Can they unlock a centuries-old mystery? And will Fynhallow Bay give up its secrets before someone else dies?
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MY REVIEW:
Two women, four hundred years apart, are bound by a dark and mysterious book: the book of witching in this unnerving gothic thriller.
The story is told in dual timelines, moving between Glasgow in the present day and Orkney in 1594. In the present, Clem’s daughter, Erin, is hospitalised with catastrophic burns after being found on a beach in Fynhallow Bay. At first she’s unconscious, but when Erin comes around, she doesn’t remember her parents or who she is and insists that her name is Nyx. 1594, Alison is accused of witchcraft and awaiting trial. If convicted, she will be burnt alive. Can she prove her innocence to people who only want to hear she’s guilty?
In the last few years C. J. Cooke has solidified herself as one of the Queens of the Gothic Thriller, even counting Stephen King among her fans. Her books have become a Halloween staple for me so I was determined to squeeze in her latest offering, The Book of Witching, before October was over. Eerily atmospheric, witchy, malevolent and haunting, I inhaled this in a day, completely transfixed by this spellbinding tale. Spectacularly written, perfectly plotted, intricately interwoven and with vivid imagery, she held me in her thrall, my heart in my throat the entire time I was reading. And that ending! Omg. I still have chills.
Cooke’s meticulous research is evident throughout and she doesn’t shy away from the grisly torture that those accused of witchcraft was subjected to. The lengths these powerful men went to as they tried to force Alison to confess were horrific and even included the torture and murder of people they knew were innocent to try and reach their goal. I could understand why women falsely confessed during the witch trials when they were subjected to such awful torture and it made me angry to think of everything they went through.
Dark, mystical, sinister and addictive, I highly recommend this magnificent bewitching tale.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
*I listened to this on Bookbeat. Click here to get 60 days listening free with my affiliate link*
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
C J Cooke (Carolyn Jess-Cooke) lives in Glasgow with her husband and four children. C J Cooke’s works have been published in 23 languages and have won many awards. She holds a PhD in Literature from the Queen’s University of Belfast and is currently Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. Two of her books are currently optioned for film
Published October 10th, 2024 by Doubleday UK Crime Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this atmospheric and suspenseful thriller. Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Doubleday UK for the gifted proof in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 4 FRONT ROW
‘Utterly compelling. Could not put it down.’ LIZ NUGENT
‘Really, really, REALLY good. Highly recommended!’ MARIAN KEYES
‘I LOVED this art-world-set thriller with its stately-home Saltburn vibe.’ DAILY MAIL
THE CHILLING AND ADDICTIVE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR.
************** WELCOME TO ERIS – A SCOTTISH TIDAL ISLAND WITH ONLY ONE HOUSE, ONE INHABITANT, ONE WAY OUT. . .
A place that is unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once the hideaway of Vanessa, a famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.
Now home to Grace. A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.
But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, Grace receives an unexpected visitor.
And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge . . .
‘A gripping, ambitious, big-skied novel about women who refuse to surrender to the tide.’ ERIN KELLY
‘Extremely hard to put down.’ MICK HERRON
‘A masterpiece! Gorgeous and chilling.’ SHARI LAPENA
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MY REVIEW:
Eris Island is a secluded island off the coast of Scotland that has just one house, one inhabitant, and is cut off from the mainland for twelve hours each day. This made it the ideal sanctuary for Vanessa Chapman, an eccentric and reclusive artist, who lived and created much of her work there until her death five years ago. Upon her death Vanessa bequeathed her home to her companion, Grace, but her work to gallery owner, Doug Lennox. But there are works rumoured to be missing, and when a human bone is discovered in one of her sculptures, Janes Becker is sent to Eris Island by the Lennox family to investigate. Will he finally reveal the secrets Eris has kept hidden for decades…
It’s been a while since I’ve read anything by Paula Hawkins, but I loved The Girl on the Train and knew I needed to read this one as soon as I read the synopsis. It started strong: the beautiful and compelling prologue pulling me in and telling me that this was going to live up to the hype. And it did. Atmospheric, claustrophobic, tense and alluring, The Blue Hour is a story about dark secrets, fractured people, male violence, and women who refuse to conform. Skillfully written, tightly plotted and twisty, there’s a dark, haunting and mysterious atmosphere that permeates the pages from start to finish. It’s a darkness that feels seductive, luring you to Eris Island and its long-held secrets and holding you in its thrall. The island’s harsh, unforgiving and isolated landscape only heightened these feelings. Eris seems like the perfect place when you want peace or solitude, but it’s frightening when things go wrong. And while I had my theories about what had gone wrong, I didn’t predict even a slither of the many twists and turns. Hawkins steadily builds the tension to its heart-pounding crescendo, leaving me breathless when all was finally unveiled.
The story is told by dual narrators: Vanessa’s companion, Grace, and James, who works for the Lennox family. While James seems reliable, steadfast and someone who is what he appears – a fanboy of Vanessa’s who now works for the family who sold her artwork – Grace is more of an enigma. We know Grace is keeping secrets and are never sure if we can trust her. Is she just protective of her dear friend and her legacy or is there something darker to what she’s hiding? This mystery added to the tension and kept me on tenterhooks. Meanwhile, Vanessa may have passed five years before, but she is kept very much alive by the inclusion of extracts from her diary before each chapter. These were often my favourite parts; the author dropping breadcrumbs of clues for us to piece together as we try to unravel the mystery of what really happened on Eris Island.
Eerie, suspenseful and totally riveting, The Blue Hour is a thriller not to be missed.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula’s most recent thrillers, Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning, were also instant No.1 bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards. Her upcoming thriller, The Blue Hour, will be published around the world in October 2024.
Published October 24th, 2024 by Simon & Schuster UK Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Psychological Ficiton, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural, Gay Fiction, Crime Series
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Happy Paperback Publication Day to Russ Thomas! Sleeping Dogs, the fourth book in the DS Adam Tyler Series is out today, so what better day for the fourth and final instalment in the Russ Thomas Blogathon.
Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours for the invitation to take part and to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
THE NEWEST THRILLER IN THE DS ADAM TYLER SERIES, FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FIREWATCHING
‘I was hooked on DS Adam Tyler from the first page . . . Spot on’ SAM HOLLAND _____________________________
THE LIES OF THE PAST . . .
When an anonymous tip lands on his desk, DS Adam Tyler is intrigued in spite of himself. The disappearance of a young mother twenty-four years ago was big news, but the case was never solved – this tantalizing new lead is something he simply can’t ignore. But the letter has set in motion a dangerous chain of events, and Tyler’s search for the truth soon leaves him fighting for his life.
. . . LIVE IN THE PRESENT
With Tyler out of action, DC Mina Rabbani must step up to lead the Cold Case Review Unit in his absence, retracing Tyler’s steps and uncovering his secrets to figure out what he was working on. But as she begins to put the pieces together, the case starts to hit frighteningly close to home. Without DS Tyler to protect her, Mina realises that now she’s the one with hard choices to make.
And this time she’s on her own.
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BOOK REVIEW:
DS Adam Tyler receives an anonymous tip regarding the disappearance of a young mother twenty-four years ago. Adam follows the tip to an abandoned cinema where he is later found fighting for his life. But was it an accident or did someone attack him? With his colleagues in the dark about what he was working on, DC Mina Rabbani must retrace his steps to find answers while also taking charge of the Cold Case Unit. But she is unprepared for what she finds as the clues lead her uncomfortably close to home. How far is she willing to go to learn the truth?
The fourth instalment in the Adam Tyler series is one of the best yet. Skilfully written, cleverly plotted and filled with vivid imagery, Russ Thomas masterfully sets the tone and I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Thomas is an expert at intricately weaving together storylines that seem completely unrelated, and this time he left my jaw on the floor as he moved seamlessly between multiple timelines and narrators to reveal the shocking truth.
Adam Tyler is a great protagonist but I must admit I really enjoyed seeing more of Mina Rabbani this time around. Although we’ve learned a lot about Adam over the last three books, Mina has remained quite elusive, and it was good to see her get her time to shine. I also enjoyed seeing how she worked with Doggett as we’ve not really seen them work together much before. There were some particularly compelling background characters this time, with Ruth really standing out for me. When we meet Ruth she’s downtrodden after being controlled her whole life, and as more of her story was revealed I felt even more sorry for her. But there was also something about her that felt unnerving. Was that because she’s strange, or was there something more? This enigma only made her all the more compelling to me, as I love a character I’m unsure about.
Fast-paced, chilling, suspenseful and addictive, this riveting thriller is another must-read from Mr. Thomas.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Russ Thomas was born in Essex, raised in Berkshire and now lives in Sheffield. After a few ‘proper’ jobs (among them: pot-washer, optician’s receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-centre telephonist, and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of bookselling, where he could talk to people about books all day. He released his debut novel, Firewatching, in 2020. Sleeping Dogs is his fourth novel.
Published September 12th, 2024 by Avon Books Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction
Welcome to my bookish thoughts on Every Move You Make. Thanks to Avon Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
‘I absolutely loved it!’ Lisa Jewell
‘A compulsive page-turner you won’t be able to put down.’ Clare Mackintosh
‘Wow this was exceptional! Clever, original and filled with tension, this is a story I won’t ever forget. C.L. Taylor’s best yet.’ Claire Douglas
‘Clever, tense and satisfying.’ Andrea Mara
‘Spine-chilling at every turn! One of the best thrillers of the year.’ Jeffery Deaver
‘A tense, twisty thrill-ride of stalking, obsession and revenge.’ TM Logan
‘I absolutely love C.L. Taylor’s writing.’ Liz Nugent
‘I absolutely loved this book and finished it in one sitting…In true C.L. Taylor style, it’s delightfully twisty.’ Katy Brent
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Keep your friends close and your enemies closer…
Alexandra, Lucy, Bridget, River and Natalie. Five friends who wish they’d never met. Because the one thing they have in common is the worst thing in their lives: they are all being stalked.
When one of their group is murdered, days after their stalker is released from prison, time stands still for them all. They know their lives could end just as brutally at any moment – all it takes is for the people they fear the most to catch up with them.
When the group receive a threat that one of them will die in ten days’ time, the terror that stalks their daily lives becomes all-consuming. But they know they don’t want to be victims anymore – it’s time to turn the tables and finally get their revenge.
Because the only way to stop a stalker is to become one yourself…
The multimillion bestseller returns with her most propulsive and addictive book yet. A chilling and terrifyingly real thriller that will keep you up all night – and looking over your shoulder for days to come…
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MY REVIEW:
Alexandra, Lucy, Bridget, River and Natalie are five friends that wish they had never met. Because they met at a support group for people who are being stalked. And when one of their group is murdered just days after their stalker is released from prison, the others are left remembering that it could be them at any moment.
When I pick up a C. L. Taylor book I know I’m getting a well-written, fast-paced and absorbing thriller. And that is exactly what I got with her latest book, Every Move You Make, which is one of our SquadPod Featured Books this month. Enthralling, sinister and suspenseful, Taylor held me in her thrall from the opening pages. Taylor has talked about this being a very personal book for her as she was stalked by an ex a number of years ago, and you really get the sense of that personal experience of how it feels to be stalked merging with her storytelling talents to create the palpable sense of terror that consumes the characters and radiates from the pages and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Alexandra, Lucy, Bridget, River and Natalie are part of a group on WhatsApp that is brilliantly named FYST (f*** you stalker t***s). The story is told through each of their eyes through their communications on the app and traditional narrative. These characters are recognisable, relatable and easy to root for, immediately gaining our sympathy as we know they have been subjected to a harrowing experience. But as we learn more, it seems like one of the group may not be who they claim to be, adding to the tension and making everyone a suspect. I love an unreliable narrator, so I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the book and went through a number of theories before the jaw-dropping truth was finally revealed.
Atmospheric, harrowing and unexpected, this heart-pounding thriller is a must-read. And don’t miss the heart-rending author’s note at the end.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
C.L. Taylor is an award winning Sunday Times bestselling author of ten gripping psychological thrillers including THE GUILTY COUPLE, a Richard and Judy Book Club pick for summer 2023 and SLEEP, a Richard and Judy Book Club pick for autumn 2019.
C.L. Taylor’s books have sold over two million copies in the UK alone, hit number one on Amazon Kindle, Audible, Kobo, iBooks and Google Play, and have been translated into over 30 languages and optioned for TV.
Her books are not a series and can be read in any order: 2014 – THE ACCIDENT / Before I Wake (U.S. title) 2015 – THE LIE 2016 – THE MISSING 2017 – THE ESCAPE 2018 – THE FEAR 2019 – SLEEP 2020 – STRANGERS 2021 – HER LAST HOLIDAY 2022 – THE GUILTY COUPLE 2024 – EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE
She has also written two Young Adult thrillers: THE TREATMENT and THE ISLAND.
Her crime short story collection, TELL THEM NO LIES, is published as Cally Taylor. She also has a women’s fiction story collection, SECRETS AND RAIN, under the same name.*
C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol in the UK with her partner and son.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 