Published April 19th, 2018 by Orion Literary Ficiton, Romance
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SYNOPSIS:
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
Meet Rosemary, 86, and Kate, 26: dreamers, campaigners, outdoor swimmers…
Rosemary has lived in Brixton all her life, but everything she knows is changing. Only the local lido, where she swims every day, remains a constant reminder of the past and her beloved husband George.
Kate has just moved and feels adrift in a city that is too big for her. She’s on the bottom rung of her career as a local journalist, and is determined to make something of it.
So when the lido is threatened with closure, Kate knows this story could be her chance to shine. But for Rosemary, it could be the end of everything. Together they are determined to make a stand, and to prove that the pool is more than just a place to swim – it is the heart of the community.
‘Feel-good and uplifting, this charming novel is full of heart’ LUCY DIAMOND
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MY REVIEW:
“It is raining smiles.”
Emotional, heartwarming and uplifting, The Lido is a truly special book. A story about the restorative power of friendship, the power of community, life, love, and loss, it warms you from the inside like Ready Brek and was the perfect book to chase away the cold January blues.
Rosemary, 86, has lived in Brixton her whole life and has swum at the lido every day since she was a child. It’s the place she met her beloved late husband, George, and remains the centre of her world. Rosemary isn’t your typical elderly woman. She’s feisty, fiercely independent, and has an unquenchable zest for life. The lido is her lifeline to friendship, freedom and community, and its potential closure would mean losing a part of herself.
Kate, 26, is a reporter for the local newspaper who was assigned to report on the potential closure. She’s recently moved to Brixton and hasn’t managed to make any friends. She’s lonely, filled with self-doubt, and crippled with anxiety and depression, but hasn’t told anyone. The two women forge a strong friendship and join forces with members of the local community to try and save the lido.
This book had languished on my shelves for far too long and I am so glad I finally took the plunge (excuse the bad pun). Libby Page’s writing is alluring, uplifting and emotionally resonant. She takes you through a rainbow of emotions, creating an overwhelming feeling of warmth and positivity despite the loneliness and sadness that runs through the story. But it’s the characters that are my favourite part of this book. I love an intergenerational friendship and the one between Rosemary and Kate is one of the best I’ve read. They were fascinating characters individually but even better together. I loved how Rosemary got Kate on board her quest to save the lido by getting her to swim and the ways they both enriched each other’s lives. I listened to this book on audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters and story to life. I was bereft when the story was over and am excited to read the follow up, The Lifeline, which is out in April.
So if you’re looking for a book to brighten your day, The Lido is the book for you.
Rating: 🏊♀️🏊♀️🏊♀️🏊♀️
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
From Libby’s official website:
I’m Libby Page, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido, The 24-Hour Café, The Island Home and The Vintage Shop of Second Chances. The Lifeline, a follow-up to The Lido, will be published in the UK in April 2024.
Before writing The Lido I worked as a journalist and in marketing. I live in Somerset with my husband and young son.
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Published January 15th, 2024 by Bookouture Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Noir Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Romance
Today is my stop on the blog tour for On A Quiet Street, the new thriller from Carla Kovach. Thank you to Bookouture for the eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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SYNOPSIS:
Every family has its secrets. Some are more deadly than others…
I live on a quiet tree-lined street with my perfect husband Cain. But when 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on the front door, what she says has me questioning just how well I really know my husband.
‘I was adopted as a baby and I’m looking for my biological parents. I was told they live here.’
My heart races as I fear Cain has been keeping a huge secret from me. Does he have a child he never told me about? And has he been lying all these years?
I can’t trust anything Cain says. Desperate for answers, I agree to meet Charlotte in secret. But it’s Charlotte who is full of questions: about our lives, our relationship. It’s only when she lets slip the name of the road I used to live on, that I realise how much she knows about me, too…
Cold fear floods through my body. My husband may not have told the truth, but his lies are nothing compared to mine. If Charlotte knows my darkest secret, my whole life could fall apart. How far will I have to go to keep the truth hidden?
If you loved The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and Gone Girl you will be absolutely gripped by this heart-stopping psychological thriller.
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MY REVIEW:
Leah lives on a quiet street with her husband Cain and their life is picture perfect. But when 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on their door saying she’s looking for her biological parents the walls start to crumble and long-held secrets threaten to finally be unearthed…
OMG. This one hell of rollercoaster ride! Tense, twisty and thrilling, I stayed up reading this one late into the night and read it in under a day. Carla Kovach is an autobuy author for me and I know whenever I read one of her books she’s delivering a riveting thriller that I’ll love. And while I’m a big fan of her Gina Harte series, I do look forward to her standalones so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one.
Fast paced, cleverly written and cunningly plotted, this has secrets, lies, suspicion and loss. All the relationships are dysfunctional, creating one big cluster of toxicity and mistrust. I couldn’t even be sure about Leah, vacillating between believing what she was saying and thinking she was hiding something more. It is a complex and intricately woven maze of trouble that didn’t go in the directions I thought it would AT ALL. The twists and turns kept coming, deviating into completely unexpected directions again and again until I finally stopped trying to figure things out and decided to just enjoy the ride.
So if you love thrillers that make you feel lots of emotion, keep you on your toes and surprise you, then this is a must read.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Carla started writing more seriously ten years ago after having flirted with musical theatre and occasional writing in her youth.
Since then she has written & produced several stage plays, has four self-published books, has acted in several independent films and is currently in the final stages of production of her feature horror film, Penny for the Guy.
She now writes full time as well as co-owning a film, photography & video production company located in the heart of Redditch town centre.
Published July 22nd, 2021 by The Borough Press Thriller, Supsense, Dark Comedy, Satire
Welcome to my review of the delciously dark How To Kill You Family. This is my first audiobook and backlist book of 2024. Thank you to The Borough Press for the copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS: THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN
‘An antiheroine able to best villainous male protagonists such as Patrick Bateman any day’ OBSERVER
‘Chilling, but also laugh-out-loud funny. Another corker’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them.
Meet Grace Bernard. Daughter, sister, serial killer… Grace has lost everything. And she will stop at nothing to get revenge.
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MY REVIEW:
“I have killed several people, some brutally, others calmly, and yet I currently languish in jail for a crime I did not commit…”
Grace Bernard is currently in prison for a notorious crime that she didn’t commit. Ironically, her real crimes are unknown and Grace is actually a serial killer who has calmly and meticulously murdered six members of her family and will stop at nothing in her quest for revenge.
A deliciously dark and deadly debut, How To Kill Your Family is a gripping story of familial dysfunction, vengeance and murder. After it languished on my shelves for far too long I decided to listen to it as my first audiobook of the year. And I’m so glad I did. Bella Mackie has created a story dripping with jet-black humour and a compelling anti-hero you won’t forget. It was one of those great audiobooks that are easy to listen to because both the story and narration are so good and I got completely lost in this story. I thought I knew where it was headed and listened safe in that knowledge. But I was completely wrong and was left reeling with my jaw on the floor. Also, how could she end it there?! So cruel.
Mackie takes us deep inside Grace’s mind, allowing us to understand her behaviours even if we don’t agree with them. She’s a fantastic anti-hero: flawed, unforgiving, bitter, emotionally detached, unpredictable, calculated and untroubled by guilt or remorse yet she has a charm and magnetism that makes you root for her. It’s easy to understand why she’d want revenge on those who destroyed her life and I think we’ve all fleetingly considered how to get revenge on those who’ve hurt or betrayed us. But while we’d move on Grace doesn’t and methodically plans and carries out her complex plans, taking her time to avoid being caught instead of acting rashly and making mistakes. She’s consumed by her obsession and I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever truly feel satisfied even after her plans were complete.
Witty, entertaining and addictive, How To Kill Your Family is a brilliant satirical debut that I highly recommend.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Bella Mackie is a former journalist who previously worked for The Guardian and Vice News. She writes a twice monthly Vogue column. Her first book, Jog On, was a memoir about mental health and running. It was a number two bestseller (just underneath Michelle Obama, which is a hallowed spot).
Since then she’s written an accompanying journal to encourage others to try exercise more for their minds than their bodies. Bella’s first foray into fiction, How To Kill Your Family, came out in July 2021 and ended up in the number one bestseller spot. Bella lives in London and spends a lot of time wrangling her large stupid dog.
Published July 6th, 2023 by Ultimo Press Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction
Welcome to my review of the fantastic debut, Lowbridge, which was one of our Squadpod reads this year. Thank you to Ultimo Press for the copy of the book and chance to review it.
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SYNOPSIS:
A missing girl. Decades of silence. A secret too big to bury.
1987: It’s late summer and a time of change when a 17-year-old girl leaves the local shopping centre in the sleepy town of Lowbridge and is never seen again. Her unsolved disappearance is never far from the town’s memory. There’s those who grew up in the shadow of her loss whose own lives were altered forever, and those who know more than they’re saying.
It just takes an outsider to ask the right questions. 2018: Katherine Ashworth, shattered by the death of her daughter, moves to her husband’s hometown. Searching for a way to pick up the pieces of her life, she joins the local historical society and becomes obsessed with the three-decades-old mystery.
As Katherine digs into that summer of 1987, she stumbles upon the trail of a second girl who vanished and was never missed because no one cared enough to see what was happening in plain sight. Her trail could lead right to Katherine’s door.
In a town simmering with divisions and a cast of unforgettable characters, Lowbridge is a heart-wrenching mystery about the girls who are lost, the ones who are mourned and those who are forgotten.
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MY REVIEW:
“Everyone’s drawn to a good mystery, and Tess’s disappearance is the biggest mystery this place has ever seen.”
Shattered by the death of their daughter, Katherine and James move back to his hometown of Lowbridge. Looking for a way to begin to rebuild her life, Katherine gets involved with the local historical society and comes across a thirty-year-old unsolved mystery that still haunts the small town. Katherine begins to dig deeper into what happened that summer and comes across long-buried secrets that some people will go to extraordinary lengths to keep hidden…
Brilliantly written, steadily paced and compelling, this is a fantastic debut. Lucy Campbell has crafted an intriguing character-driven mystery that explores topics such as grief, motherhood, theessence of life in a small town and how the tragedy is still affecting those who live there decades later. Told in dual timelines, one following Tess in the months leading up to her disappearance in 1987 and the other following Katherine as she tries to solve the mystery thirty years later, there’s a claustrophobic feel to the story that comes from both the small-town setting and the bubble of grief that surrounds Katherine. Keeping us guessing, Campbell slowly unspools Lowbridge’s hidden history and dark secrets, building the suspense to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.
With any character-driven story it is vital to have well-written characters and Ms. Campbell has certainly delivered. While Tess and Katherine are our main protagonists, the story is filled with a cast of authentic, richly drawn characters who draw us into their lives. Campbell makes us feel what each character is going through which ranges from typical teenage angst to much deeper traumas. In the past, everything is happening against a backdrop of us knowing Tess will soon vanish so I found myself searching for clues and trying to figure out who was responsible. But it was Katherine who leapt from the pages most strongly for me, her grief and heartbreak over the loss of her daughter radiating from the pages and seeping into every facet of her existence as she tries to find a way to move forward. It is impossible not to feel heartbroken for her and think anyone who has lost someone close to them will recognise some part of that loss in her. I was rooting for her to succeed in both her quest to uncover the truth about Tess’s disappearance and learning to live again.
Gripping, cryptic and heart-wrenching, Lowbridge is a superb debut I have no hesitation in recommending.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
*DM me for TWs
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Lucy Campbell has worked as a writer and sub-editor across magazines, newspapers and non-fiction books. Lowbridge is her first novel. She lives in Canberra with her husband and three children.
Published August 31st, 2023 by Simon & Schuster UK Romantic Comedy, Literary Fiction
Today I’m finally sharing my review for this heartwarming and beautiful story. Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for offering the Squadpod the chance to read the book and sending me a copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
The brilliant and incisive new novel from the author of Lives Like Mine…
A deeply affecting novel, In Bloom tells of strength, survival, forgiveness, resilience and determination, and the fierce love and unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.
Delph has kept herself small and quiet as a form of self-protection, ever since the love of her life Sol’s untimely death left her pregnant and alone at the age of twenty-four. Theirs was such a once-in-a-lifetime love, that the loss of her soulmate broke her heart ‒ and almost broke her, too.
Years on, Delph’s protective bubble bursts when her daughter Roche moves out of the flat Delph shares with her partner Itsy and in with her estranged nan, Moon. Now that it’s just the two of them, the cracks in Delph and Itsy’s relationship begin to grow. Feeling on the outside of the bond between her fierce-yet-flaky tarot-reading mother and volatile martial-arts-champion daughter, Delph begins questioning her own freedom.
Is her life with Itsy all it seems? And has keeping small and safe truly been her choice all these years…?
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MY REVIEW:
In Bloom is a beautiful and affecting story about mothers and daughters that follows three generations of women from one family on a journey of self-discovery, forgiveness and freedom. Filled with courage, resilience, strength and hope, it is a multilayered story about ordinary women trying to navigate their dysfunctional relationships and survive the cards that life has dealt them.
This is a slow-burn novel that took me a bit of time to get into. But I found that once I did I was hooked and didn’t want to put the book down. Eva Verde is an extraordinary writer and her prose is poetic, insightful, raw and emotive, tugging at your heartstrings one moment and then making you laugh out loud the next. Difficult topics such as toxic relationships, grief and generational trauma are explored with sensitivity while also being written in an honest, authentic and relatable way. And that ending! I was not prepared for how beautiful and heartrending that would be.
Roche, Delph and Moon each narrate this multiple timeline novel, slowly taking us through their past and present to slowly reveal the secrets they are hiding even from themselves. While they are very different people they also have many similarities and each woman is fierce, strong, determined, flawed and scathing, with Roche being particularly fiery. And while I liked them all, it was Delph I found myself connecting with most of all because we had many similar struggles.
Heartwarming, insightful, funny, bittersweet and raw, In Bloom is a remarkable and deeply human story that I highly recommend.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Eva Verde is a writer from East London. Identity, class and female rage are recurring themes throughout her work and her debut novel Lives Like Mine, is published by Simon and Schuster.
Eva’s love song to libraries, I Am Not Your Tituba forms part of Kit De Waal’s Common People: An Anthology of Working-Class Writers. Her words have featured in Marie Claire, Grazia, Elle and The Big Issue, also penning the new foreword for the international bestselling author Jackie Collins Goddess of Vengeance.
Eva lives in Essex with her husband, children and dog.
Published October 12th, 2023 by Aria Festive Fiction, Romance Fiction, Holiday Fiction, Humorous Fiction
Welcome to my review for the second of the Squadpod’s two December Book Club books. Thank you to Aria for the gifted copy.
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SYNOPSIS:
This Christmas, everything will change…
When Liv Latimer says goodbye to her fellow nurses and finishes work for the holidays, she’s looking forward to a Christmas to remember with her boyfriend Eddie.
But as she leaves the hospital, tragedy strikes and Liv is faced with a choice. Will she ignore her instincts and go home as planned? Or will she stay, and potentially change the course of her life as she knows it?
Whatever choice she makes, Liv is about to discover that fate finds a way…
From the bestselling Irish author of The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club comes an emotional and uplifting festive story about love, family and how a split-second decision can change your life.
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MY REVIEW:
On the First Day of Christmas is a sliding doors style story that is told in parallel timelines that diverge at a fateful moment. Liv Latimer is excitedly thinking about her cosy family Christmas celebrations back home in Ballycove and daydreaming about the proposal she is sure her long-term boyfriend, Eddie, will finally make this year when she’s caught up in a tragic accident. Faced with a choice, will Liv ignore her gut feelings and go home to Ballycove as planned, or will she stay in Dublin and see where destiny leads her?
My heart was not ready for this book. Heartwarming, funny, and filled with festive magic, I completely lost myself in this story. This was the second of the Squadpod’s two December Book Club Books and it is safe to say I’m full of the joys of Christmas reading. Beautifully told, cleverly plotted and filled with compelling characters, it is a fascinating exploration of how the choices we make can alter our lives forever but fate will always find a way. Faith Hogan expertly crafts the story parallel timelines, allowing us to see how the decision Liv makes at that fateful moment impacts not only her Christmas, but the rest of her life.
The protagonist, Liv, is a wonderful and authentic character who is relatable, messy, vulnerable, kind, and stronger than she knows. The book opens with the tragic death of her twin sister, Rachel, from cancer and we see that she is still trying to come to terms with her loss, which is woven into the fabric of her existence and shaped her life ever since. I loved that Rachel was so present throughout the book and remained a guiding light for Liv from the beyond. It explores loss and grief in such a beautiful way that I related to and took comfort from on a personal level.
Another topic the story explores is the fear of being alone. Liv has been with her boyfriend, Eddie, for six years and is convinced that this Christmas he will finally ask her to marry him. Much of Liv’s inner turmoil and dilemmas revolve around their relationship. She knows Eddie is no prince charming but she’s also sure that being with him is better than being alone, something I think many of us can understand. But at the same time I was willing her to stop accepting less than she deserved and finally kick the deadbeat to the curb.
A charming, witty and moving story filled with Christmas cheer, On the First Day of Christmas was a joy to read from beginning to end. I’m so thankful to the Squadpod for introducing me to new-to-me authors like Ms. Hogan and her backlist is now on my TBR.
Rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of nine novels. Her books have featured as Book Club Favorites, Net Galley Hot Reads and Summer Must Reads. She writes grown up women’s fiction which is unashamedly uplifting, feel good and inspiring.
She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway.
Her latest novel is The Guest House By The Sea – set in the west of Ireland – this is a book to fall in love with.
She also writes crime fiction as Geraldine Hogan. Her Corbally series is out now.
She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!
Published December 7th, 2023 by Orenda Books Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Hard-boiled Mystery, Noir Fiction, Political Thriller Translated Fiction
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the first book in an exciting new series. Thank you to Orenda for the proof copy and Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part in the tour.
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SYNOPSIS:
When a celebrated government official is found dead after his surprise birthday party, a young police officer uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives. Icelandic politician Katrín Júlíusdóttir’s award-winning debut – first in a breathtaking series…
**Winner of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Debut**
‘A breathtaking political thriller from one of Iceland’s most exciting new voices’ Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
‘Katrín Júlíusdóttir skilfully weaves together intense family dynamics, dark pasts and criminal endeavours in this masterful narrative’ Lilja Sigurðardóttir
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A murder is just the beginning…
When Óttar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official and businessman, is found murdered, after failing to turn up at his own surprise birthday party, the police are at a loss. It isn’t until young police officer Sigurdís finds a well-hidden safe in his impersonal luxury apartment that clues start emerging.
As Óttar’s shady business dealings become clear, a second, unexpected line of enquiry emerges, when Sigurdís finds a US phone number in the safe, along with papers showing regular money transfers to an American account. Following the trail to Minnesota, trauma rooted in Sigurdís’s own childhood threatens to resurface and the investigation strikes chillingly close to home…
Atmospheric, deeply unsettling and full of breakneck twists and turns, Dead Sweet is a startling debut thriller that uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives, and kicks off an addictive, mind-blowing new series.
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MY REVIEW:
“There’s a lesson to be learned: life’s not a game to be played.”
Unnerving, tense and twisty, Dead Sweet is a strong start to an exhilarating new Scandi Noir crime series. Debut author Katrín Júlíusdóttir takes us on a turbulent ride of buried secrets, double lives, criminal ventures and dark deeds that are finally uncovered. She introduces us to Sigurdis, a young police officer with a traumatic past, who is finally given the chance to sink her teeth into a major investigation when celebrated government official Óttar Karlsson is found murdered on the beach after failing to show up for his surprise 50th birthday party. The police are initially stumped as to who could have wanted to kill this well-liked man until Sigurdis discovers a safe hidden in Óttar’s luxury apartment that reveals he was not the man anyone thought he was. The signs all point to a financially motivated crime but Sigurdis isn’t convinced and her gut is telling her this was more personal. But can she prove it?
My love for everything Orenda publishes is no secret, and their translated crime fiction are some of my favourite books, so I was very excited about this one. I might not need yet another crime series on my TBR, but I knew it would be a mistake not to read this book. And once again they’ve struck gold. After reading this it’s easy to see why it was the winner of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Debut and Katrín Júlíusdóttir is undoubtedly an author to watch. Cleverly plotted, sharply observed, and skillfully written, she intricately weaves together a plethora of narrators and threads perfectly. She keeps you guessing, sporadically including old diary entries from an unknown narrator that add to the dark undertones already running through the pages. I was on a knife-edge from the first page right up until the surprising conclusion. I don’t mind admitting that I did not get this one right at all!
“Ottar seemed to have the psychopaths knack of adapting himself to the people from whom he wanted something, showing interest and understanding until his prey believed that they had found a soul mate and placed complete trust in him.”
I love the added apprehension multiple narrators can bring to a book and the different voices telling this story put the tension through the roof. Ms. Júlíusdóttir has packed this book with an array of realistic and compelling characters and while it did take me some time to fully connect with some of them, it was never confusing. I liked that it was always clear that Sigurdis is our central character and I thought she was a great protagonist. She’s likeable and easy to root for and has a dark, traumatic and heartbreaking backstory that only strengthened the bond I felt with her. While Sigurdis is probably our most frequent narrator, Óttar is only ever on the page as a memory or a victim, Júlíusdóttir manages to make him feel vivid and three dimensional. We feel his sinister presence polluting every page as his misdeeds haunt those he left behind and every time I thought I couldn’t like him any less there would be more revelations that made me dislike him even more. Júlíusdóttir writes these fractured and flawed characters with honesty and sensitivity, allowing us to understand some of their actions and comprehend the trauma and pain they are living with, while never allowing it to feel like their wrongdoings are excused. Her exploration of their dynamics also feels authentic and appreciated the accuracy and relatability with which she wrote these characters and storylines.
Intelligent, suspenseful and totally gripping, Dead Sweet is a must read for any thriller-lover.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Katrín is a Policy advisor and author. She received the Blackbird Award, an Icelandic crime-writing prize, for her first novel, Sykur (en: Sugar) in 2020. Her debut novel was reviewed well by critics and hit the best-selling lists in the first weeks after publication.
She was the Managing Director of Finance Iceland from 2016-2022. She has a political background and was a member of Parliament from 2003 until 2016. The Minister of industry, energy and tourism from 2009-2012 and Minister of finance and economy from 2012-2013. She served as the Social Democratic Alliance’s vice-chair from 2013-2016.
Before she was elected to Parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector, as well as the Managing Director of a student union during her uni years. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, as a store clerk and took nighttime shifts at a pizza place. She studied Anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University.
She was raised in Kópavogur, about 15 minutes’ drive from downtown Reykjavík. She now lives in the neighbouring town of Garðabær with her family. She is married to author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys.
Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language, a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident. He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice) which have been published worldwide. He has translated all of Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.
Published November 23rd, 2023 by Sphere Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fition, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Women Sleuths, Medical Thriller, Crime Series
Today I’m delighted to be opening the blog tour for the riveting new instalment in the Kay Scarpetta series. Thank you to Midas PR and Sphere for the invitation to take part and gifted proof.
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SYNOPSIS:
THE BREATHTAKING NEW KAY SCARPETTA THRILLER FROM THE 120-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER
Two mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta’s career . . .
In this thrilling new instalment of the #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.
The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.
After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.
‘A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better’ CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END
‘Sinister, surprising and utterly unputdownable. Cornwell at her brilliant best’ M. J. ARLIDGE, author of EYE FOR AN EYE ‘Classic Cornwell with an up-to-the-minute twenty-first-century plot. An intoxicating blend that proves Scarpetta is still queen of the autopsy and Cornwell is still queen of crime fiction’ ANDREA MARA, author of NO ONE SAW A THING
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MY REVIEW:
The bodies of two campers are discovered in Buckingham Run, a remote part of the North Virginia wilderness. The victims have savagely mauled so viciously that they are unrecognisable and the rest of the evidence is bizarre, perplexing, and frightening. To make matters even more complicated, the victims were wanted by federal law enforcement, and Dr Kay Scarpetta and her team liaise with them as they investigate this baffling case.
There’s no question that Patricia Cornwell is one of the queens of crime fiction or that her Kay Scarpetta series is incredible, so needless to say, I had high hopes for Unnatural Death and was excited to read it even though it has shamefully been a number of years since I last read one of her books. I was not disappointed. Timely, tense, mysterious, eerie, this gripping thriller was a brilliant return to this series for me. It was easy to read as a standalone, Ms. Cornwell catching the reader up on important facts about the characters and their histories succinctly so that you feel like you’ve never missed a thing. The plot is intriguing, with hints of mythology and something ‘other’ hovering ominously over the pages alongside the very human threat that is also present. Cornwell pulls no punches, diving headfirst into the action from the first page and not letting up until the last, keeping me guessing the whole time. This was a case where I truly had no idea where it was going and I enjoyed the ride with its many twists and turns.
Kay Scarpetta is a likeable and charismatic character and makes a great narrator. She was likeable, easy to root for, and I loved her bold, tenacious and outgoing personality. There is a lot of great banter between her and the other characters, but I particularly enjoyed her relationship with her niece, Lucy. Lucy was my favourite character after Kay and they seem like real peas in a pod. I even think Lucy would make a great focus for another series – hint hint.
Unsettling, elusive, mysterious, and compelling, Unnatural Deaths is a riveting must-read for any self-respecting crime fan,
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.
Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and two other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano and Andy Brazil. While writing Quantum, Cornwell spent two years researching space, technology, and robotics at Captain Calli Chase’s home base, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and studied cutting-edge law enforcement and security techniques with the Secret Service, the US Air Force, NASA Protective Services, Scotland Yard, and Interpol.
Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston and Los Angeles.
Published September 28th, 2023by Hodder Paperbacks Romance Novel, Humorous Ficiton, Comedy, Literary Fiction, Lad lit
Happy Publication Day to the 25th Anniversary Edition of My Legendary Girlfriend. Thank you to Alainna at Hodder Books for offering the Squadpod the opportunity to take part in this PR Campaign and for my copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
Celebrate Mike Gayle’s 25th year of publishing with this special anniversary edition of his first ever novel!
Meet Will Kelly. English teacher. Film Fan. Pot Noodle expert. Ex-boyfriend.
Still in love with The One, Will is desperate to discover if there can be An-Other One. In his decrepit flat where he can’t even manage to cook spaghetti hoops without setting off the communal smoke alarm, his lifeline is the telephone. Will realises that with a single call, friends can either lift him from the depths of despair or completely shatter his hopes.
There’s Alice (who remembers his birthday), Simon (who doesn’t), Kate (the previous tenant of his rented hovel). And of course his ex, Aggi. The inimitable Aggi. His legendary Girlfriend.
Or is She?
A hilarious, original story for anyone who has ever been dumped, or lived in a dump, ‘full of belly-laughs and painfully acute observations’. (Independent on Sunday)
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MY REVIEW:
Warm, witty, and heartfelt, My Legendary Girlfriend is a story about life, heartbreak, and unrequited love. It introduces us to Will Kelly, an English teacher whose life isn’t going the way he’d hoped. He’s about to turn 26, totally skint, living in a run-down flat, and still pining after his ex-girlfriend, Aggi. Over the course of a weekend we get to know his deepest, and often darkest, thoughts as he agonises over whether he will ever find a love like he had with his Legendary Girlfriend.
When Hodder Books offered the Squadpod an exclusive and limited PR run to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Mike Gayle’s debut novel I jumped at the chance to be part of it. I’ve been a huge fan of his books ever since reading All the Lonely People – yes, I know I was late to the party – so I couldn’t wait to finally read the book that started it all. And as with all his books, reading this felt like being wrapped in a warm hug. It envelops you, comforts you and soothes your soul. It is a more melancholy book than any other I’ve read by him yet, but Gayle has a talent for offsetting the more serious and sombre elements of a story with dry, dark humour that lightens the mood.
So, we need to talk about Will. Lovestruck doesn’t quite cover the way he is about Aggi. Totally and utterly obsessed is better. Look, we’ve all had that relationship that’s hard to get over, where you were sure they were The One, but they didn’t agree and ripped your heart out, but to be this obsessed after three years seemed quite ridiculous. And that pedestal he’d got her on was so high I’m surprised she didn’t get dizzy. I wanted to grab hold of him, shake him, and tell him to get a bloody grip! But love isn’t rational, is it? So I did have some sympathy for him. Not that he made it easy. Because this guy wasn’t likeable most of the time. He was self-centred, moody, pessimistic, and his outlook was as bleak as the flat he lived in. Everything revolved around him and his feelings, and he certainly made sure everyone knew about them. But yet there’s something about him that is still engaging, making you keep reading and not quite give up on him, even if you’re shouting at him in your head the whole time.
My favourite aspect of this book is the phone calls. Much of the story takes place during conversations Will has with various people over the phone that weekend. These calls are a lifeline for Will and he recognises that a single call has the power to shift his entire mood depending on who is calling. These calls were often hilarious and provided a lot of levity in the book, as well as introducing us to some really great secondary characters such as Alice and Kate. They also provided a lot of the book’s nostalgia, reminding me of when I would spend hours on the phone talking to friends or loved ones. And, for me, the nostalgia was something I loved about this book. In 1998 we still had landlines, answering machines, video players, and the speaking clock. It was like being transported to my past and contributed to the sense of comfort I felt while reading.
An enjoyable and funny read with an ending I really loved, I would recommend this book.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Mike Gayle was born and raised in Birmingham. After graduating from Salford University with a degree in Sociology Mike moved to London with ambitions of becoming a music journalist. This didn’t happen however and following a slight detour in his five-year plan he ended up as an agony uncle for teenage girls’ magazine Bliss before becoming Features Editor on the now much missed Just Seventeen. Since those early days Mike has written for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Cosmopolitan.
Mike became a full time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by The Independent as ‘Full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations,’ and by The Times as ‘A funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic.’
To date Mike is the author of twelve novels includingMr Commitment, Turning Thirty and Wish You Were Here. His books have been translated into over thirty languages.
Published September 14th, 2023 by Orenda Books Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Urban Fiction, Lesbian Literature, LGBT Literature, Religious Fiction
Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Opposite of Lonely. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Book Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Karen at Orenda for the gifted ARC.
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SYNOPSIS:
A body lost at sea, arson, murder, astronauts, wind phones, communal funerals and existential angst … This can ONLY mean one thing! The Skelfs are back, and things are as tense, unnerving and warmly funny as ever!
The Skelf women are recovering from the cataclysmic events that nearly claimed their lives. Their funeral-director and private-investigation businesses are back on track, and their cases are as perplexing as ever.
Matriarch Dorothy looks into a suspicious fire at an illegal campsite and takes a grieving, homeless man under her wing. Daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister-in-law, who disappeared in tragic circumstances, while grand-daughter Hannah is asked to investigate increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut … putting her own life at risk.
With a body lost at sea, funerals for those with no one to mourn them, reports of strange happenings in outer space, a funeral crasher with a painful secret, and a violent attack on one of the family, The Skelfs face their most personal – and perilous – cases yet. Doing things their way may cost them everything…
Tense, unnerving and warmly funny, The Opposite of Lonely is the hugely anticipated fifth instalment in the unforgettable Skelfs series, and this time, danger comes from everywhere…
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MY REVIEW:
We are back in Scotland with the Skelf women for another outstanding instalment of this addictive series filled with arson, stalking, arson, murder, theories, secrets, family drama, green funerals, community funerals, astronauts, and more. This is suspense writing at its finest and it’s easy to see why this book has been included in The Times’ list of Best New Crime Fiction for September 2023.
Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah Skelf work together running their family funeral home and private investigation company. Intelligent, fierce, funny, sassy and no-nonsense, the trio are likeable, flawed and real. They are easy to relate to and root for and feel like the kind of women I could meet in my everyday life – just with an unusual combination of jobs. I’ll admit I have a particular soft spot for Dorothy, the matriarch of her family. Dorothy is in her seventies but has lost none of her character or sass. Not only does she still run and actively participate in both businesses but she also has a younger boyfriend, active sex life, and plays in a band. She is the kind of older female character we need more of as life is far from over when you hit middle age and I love reading about women who are thriving in their twilight years.
Doug Johnstone is a masterful storyteller who just keeps getting better. He writes with an intoxicating mix of apprehension, sensitivity, and humour, which he combines with a multilayered plot, authentic characters, and short, striking chapters to create a first-rate thriller. The intricately woven plot explores topics such as prejudice, the environment, and grief, and I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of the Japanese wind phone that people use to call their lost loved ones. I devoured this book in almost one sitting, reading in breathless anticipation as it built to its heart-pounding crescendo.
A sensational thriller that is also darkly funny, moving, and crackles with tension, The Opposite of Lonely is a must-read for all fans of this genre. Perfect whether read as part of the series or as a standalone.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Doug Johnstone is the author of fourteen previous novels, most recently The Big Chill (2020). Several of his books have been bestsellers and three, A Dark Matter (2020), Breakers (2019) and The Jump (2015), were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. A Dark Matter, the first in Doug’s first-ever series, was also shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions over the last decade – including at a funeral parlour ahead of writing A Dark Matter – and has been an arts journalist for over twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three solo EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 