Published June 1926 Mystery, Detective Novel, Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction
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SYNOPSIS:
Think you know whodunnit? Think again.
Poor Roger Ackroyd. He knew the woman he loved had been harbouring guilty secret. And then, yesterday, she killed herself.
But guilty secrets rarely stay secret. Who had been blackmailing her? Had it really driven her to suicide? Sadly, Roger Ackroyd wasn’t going to live long enough to find out . .
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MY REVIEW:
“Everyone had a hand in the elucidation of the mystery. It was rather like a jig-saw puzzle to which everyone contributed their own little piece of knowledge or discovery. But their task ended there. To Poirot alone belongs the renown of fitting those pieces into their correct place.”
King’s Abbot is a hotbed of secrets, rumours, and suspicion surrounding the widow Mrs. Ferrars. After her husband’s death the year before, there were whispers that she was responsible, and now, after her own death from an overdose, there is talkthat it wasn’t by her own hand, but revenge for killing her husband. Roger Ackroyd is one of those who believes she was killed and confides his suspicions to Detective Hercule Poirot. Not 24 hours later, Ackroyd is murdered. Could the two cases be linked? And did the secret Mrs Ferras was hiding have anything to do with them?
My choice for Read Christie in February was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which is widely regarded as her greatest novel. Again I decided to listen on audiobook and was pulled in by the narration from the start, transporting me back to 1920s England and the quaint and peaceful village of King’s Abbot. A compelling whodunnit filled secrets, suspicion and murder, I can see why this is a favourite for many readers. I was captivated, listening on tenterhooks as I waited to learn if my predictions were correct and thrilled when I learned I’d got it right.
Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, I highly recommend The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I’m loving finally discovering Agatha Christie’s books in all their glory and can’t wait for next month already.
Rating: 🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie began writing during the First World War and wrote over 100 novels, plays and short story collections. She was still writing to great acclaim until her death, and her books have now sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. Yet Agatha Christie was always a very private person, and though Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple became household names, the Queen of Crime was a complete enigma to all but her closest friends.
Published March 14th, 2024 by Orenda Books Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Hardboiled, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural, Supernatural Fiction, Crime Series
It’s a few days late, but today I’m sharing my review for the dark, beguiling and shadowy gothic thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and Orenda for the proof copy.
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SYNOPSIS:
An investigative reporter gives up her job when her young twins are killed in a fire, but when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, she’s thrust into a chilling investigation that will leave no one unscathed…
‘An extraordinary debut: intriguing, unsettling, heavy on atmosphere and with a formidable leading lady … Suzy Aspley is one to watch’ Mari Hannah
‘A gripping piece of contemporary gothic, Crow Moon signals the arrival of a hugely promising new talent’ Kevin Wignall
‘A nerve-tingling thriller that both enchants and terrifies. Aspley weaves sinister folklore into a tense murder investigation that has you looking over your shoulder as you turn each page’ Eve Smith
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When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…
Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.
Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back…
When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha… Both a nerve-shattering, enthralling and atmospheric thriller and a moving tale of grief and psychological damage, Crow Moon is a staggeringly accomplished debut and the start of an addictive, unforgettable series.
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MY REVIEW:
When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…
Dark, shadowy, eerie and beguiling, Crow Moon is an outstanding debut gothic thriller steeped in folklore, dripping with suspense and pulsing with fear. It centres around Martha Strangeways, a former investigative journalist who gave up her job following the death of her young twins in a tragic house fire. But her journalistic intrigue is awakened when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, his body covered in a strange poem about crows. When another teenager goes missing Martha teams up with DI Derek Summers to investigate and soon discovers there is more to this than they first thought and no one in the village of Strathbran is safe…
There’s a new queen of gothica in town. Suzy Aspley’s chilling debut is the apex of suspense writing and a spectacular start to an exciting new series. Filled with folklore, fear, loss and grief, the dark horror instantly gripped me; the atmosphere charged with dread and emotion as Aspley held me in a vice-grip, drip-feeding information and rationing the reveals to keep me guessing. The evocative imagery she draws plays an important role too, transporting me to this small village in the Scottish Highlands where whispers of witchcraft provide a dark heartbeat that lurks under the surface of this ordinary place. With each page I fell further and further into this eerie tableau of horror and mystery and was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, breathless with anticipation as I awaited the big reveal.
“People believed there was magic in these woods, and local tourist guides still told tales of witches. They knew nothing, he thought. But the stories meant they didn’t want to be here after dark, which was just as well.”
Legend and folklore play a central role in this story and provide a lot of the story’s eerie ambience and nerve-jangling fear. When Martha discovers Fraser’s body she notices writing on him which she later learns from DI Summers that this was the second of a four verse poem called Feannag Dhubh, a strange legend that originated from the Scottish witch trials of the 17th Century about a local woman who could turn herself into a crow. As she investigates Martha finds more and more links between the ancient story, her former home and current occurrences. While she doesn’t believe in the folklore, it is clear that there is someone who does, and as the crow moon gets closer the danger escalates and there’s a race against time to find this person before it’s too late.
Martha Strangeways is a compelling new protagonist. The investigative journalist lives with her teenage son, Dougie, and is still trying to wade through the darkness of her grief after losing her twins in the fire. She hasn’t worked in the time since the tragedy but can’t shake the intrigue that is sparked by the disappearance and terrible murder of her son’s friend. As someone of a similar age with sons near to Dougie’s age, I found Martha easy to connect with, and my heart broke for her after the loss of her other children. Throughout the book we also have the perspective of Fraser’s kidnapper. They are written like a murmur and the man’s desperation to rid himself of whatever haunts him is palpable. Danger radiates from him as we see he will go to perilous lengths to make that happen and this menacing villain sent chills scissoring up my spine each time he was on the page.
So, if, like me, you enjoy stories that are hauntingly atmospheric, drenched in gothica, gleaming with malice, and radiating tension, this is for you.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Originally from the north east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in Scotland for almost 30 years. She writes crime and short stories often inspired by the strange things she sees in the landscape around her. She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted in the London Capital crime festival’s new voices award. In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Her novel Crow Moon was also long listed this year for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series featuring journalist Martha Strangeways. When she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs dreaming up more dark stories.
Published February 15th, 2024 by Pan Macmillan Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Medical Fiction, War Story
Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate, I’m sharing my review of the phenomenal The Women. Thank you to BookBreak for the invitation to take part in this book club, and to BookBreak and Pan Macmillan for the copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
Soon to be a major motion picture!
‘Astonishing. Compelling. Powerful’ – Delia Owens, bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing
‘Stuns with sacrifice. Uplifts with heroism’ – Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
‘Powerful’ – Matt Haig, bestselling author of The Midnight Library
From the worldwide bestselling author of The Four Winds, The Nightingale and Firefly Lane (a Number One series on Netflix),The Women is a story of devastating loss and epic love.
It would be the journey of a lifetime . . .
‘Women can be heroes, too’. When twenty-year-old nursing student, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on California’s idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the young men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed America. Frankie will also discover the true value of female friendship and the heartbreak that love can cause.
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MY REVIEW:
“Women can be heroes,too…The idea of it was like an earthquake, an upending of her sheltered view of the world, of herself.”
Oh, my heart. This is how you write historical fiction. Phenomenal, breathtaking and immersive, this book stole my heart, broke it, and then pieced it back together. And when I was finished it left a part of itself behind in my soul forever. It is truly a masterpiece.
The Womenis a story of friendship, love, self-discovery and war that is told by Frankie, a twenty-year-old nurse from California who joins the Army Nurse Corps and goes to serve in war-torn Vietnam. At first she is overwhelmed by the stark and horrific reality of the conflict, but with the help of her new friends, Ethel and Barb, Frankie soon adjusts and becomes one of the best combat nurses in the field. But when she returns to the US after her service, Frankie no longer recognises herself of her country and finds herself facing a new battle. One that she will need the help of those around her to win.
Kristin Hannah is an author who has been on my radar for many years. I own almost all of her books but have somehow never got around to reading any of them. So when I was offered the chance to read her latest book with the BookBreak book club I jumped at the chance. Why did I leave Hannah’s books languishing on my shelves for so long? I have to prioritise reading her backlist after being swept away by this beautiful novel. Hannah is a masterful storyteller who knows how to draw the reader in with evocative descriptions that bring history to life, richly drawn characters who you feel an instant connection with, and riveting plotlines that will make you laugh, cry and rage. And I couldn’t get enough. I lost myself in the story and couldn’t stop reading, devouring the second half of the book in just one sitting and reading late into the night as I had to know the end of Frankie’s story before I could even think about sleeping.
Two things are vital for good historical fiction: great characters and authentic details. This book has them both in spades. Let’s talk about the characters first. Frankie is a wonderful protagonist who I immediately felt a connection with. She’s fierce but flawed. And she’s relatable; someone I could imagine being friends with. And I loved her friendship with Ethel and Barb. Their dynamic was fun to read and an example of the kind of true friendship we all want. They were really there for each other, even after coming home, and I loved how they would all drop everything for the others if they needed them and how they knew what their friend needed even when she herself had no idea. Now, let’s discuss the details. This book is rich in historic detail and the author’s meticulous research is evident in those finer points that give it authenticity. The Vietnam War is a time I didn’t know a lot about so I also found it to be very educational. And while it is undoubtedly beautifully written, Hannah never shies away from the brutal realities of war and there are many raw, agonising and heart-breaking scenes. Hannah also asks hard-hitting questions about the war, examining the protests that were happening back in the USA and how veterans were treated when they returned home. This led into a heart-rending exploration of PTSD that was written with truth and compassion. All of these darker moments are balanced out by more jovial topics and scenes that remind us we can find light even in the darkest of times and how others can help us to find it when we can’t do that for ourselves.
Powerful, moving and achingly real, The Women is an astonishing piece of historical fiction that I can’t recommend highly enough.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Kristin Hannah is the award-winning and bestselling author of more than 20 novels. Her newest novel, The Women, about the nurses who served in the Vietnam war, will be released on February 6, 2024.
The Four Winds was published in February of 2021 and immediately hit #1 on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Indie bookstore’s bestseller lists. Additionally, it was selected as a book club pick by the both Today Show and The Book Of the Month club, which named it the best book of 2021.
In 2018, The Great Alone became an instant New York Times #1 bestseller and was named the Best Historical Novel of the Year by Goodreads.
In 2015, The Nightingale became an international blockbuster and was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the coveted People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year. It was named a Best Book of the Year by Amazon, iTunes, Buzzfeed, the Wall Street Journal, Paste, and The Week.
The Nightingale is currently in pre-production at Tri Star. Firefly Lane, her beloved novel about two best friends, was the #1 Netflix series around the world, in the week it came out. The popular tv show stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.
A former attorney, Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest.
Published February 15th by Hutchinson Heinmann Mystery, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Coming-of-Age Story
Here’s my review for a book you HAVE to read. Thank you Hutchinson Heinemann for the proof copy.
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SYNOPSIS:
THE BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
‘To read it is to feel that little bit better about life‘ ELIZABETH DAY
‘A beautiful mystery with heart’ ROB RINDER
‘This is a heart-warming book’ EMMA HEALEY
‘A gorgeous, page-turning book’ I PAPER
Yorkshire, 1979
Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South.
Because of the murders.
Leaving Yorkshire and her best friend Sharon simply isn’t an option, no matter the dangers lurking round their way; or the strangeness at home that started the day Miv’s mum stopped talking. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all?
So, Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things down their street. People they know. People they don’t.
But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighbourhood, within their families – and between each other – than they ever thought possible.
What if the real mystery Miv needs to solve is the one that lies much closer to home?
THE PERFECT DEBUT NOVEL TO DISCUSS IN BOOK CLUBS
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MY REVIEW:
‘We’ll make a list,’ I said. ‘A list of the people and things we see that are suspicious. And then… And then we’ll investigate them.’
If you’ve not read The List of Suspicious Things then you need to add it to your TBR right now! A coming-of-age meets slice of life and mystery novel, this debut was a good book that became SPECTACULAR with its conclusion. So much so that I sat hugging it to my chest for ages just repeating ‘Wow’ after finishing it.
Yorkshire, 1979. Margaret Thatcher is the new Prime Minister, mills are closing, and a terrifying serial killer is stalking local women. It is against this bleak backdrop that The List of Suspicious Things is set, following twelve-year-old Miv as she and her best friend, Sharon, set out to find the Yorkshire Ripper in order to stop Miv’s family moving ‘down south’. But are they prepared for what they will discover?
What a book! Jennie Godfrey is a masterful storyteller and a talent to watch, crafting an unforgettable story about family, friendship, community, secrets, suspicion, and the loss of innocence. And how could this Yorkshire girl, born in 1979, resist that premise? The familiar dialect places and characters created a sense of home for me, and I loved the feelings of nostalgia it evoked. Miv is a great protagonist who I related to from the start. She took me right back to being that age with all the same feelings and confusion about the world. I loved the child-like innocence and wide-eyed wonderment about the world that shines through in Miv’s chapters, something that is balanced by the adults’ points of view, which not only give us a greater perspective, but also help add to the sense of community that flows throughout the book. There are a number of sensitive and difficult subjects explored in this book and I liked that Godfrey handled them with honesty and compassion. One example is the ever-looming presence of the Yorkshire Ripper. I appreciated that Godfrey focuses on the impact of his crimes and the atmosphere of fear, danger, suspicion and distrust he created rather than the man himself.
A phenomenal debut that left me reeling, everyone needs to read this book.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jennie Godfrey was raised in West Yorkshire and her debut novel, The List of Suspicious Things, is inspired by her childhood there in the 1970s. Jennie is from a mill-working family, but as the first of the generation born after the mills closed, she went to university and built a career in the corporate world. In 2020 she left and began to write. She is now a writer and part-time Waterstones bookseller and lives in the Somerset countryside.
Published March 2nd, 2023 by Michael Joseph Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale, Greek Mythology
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SYNOPSIS:
Mother. Monarch. Murderer. Magnificent . . . meet Clytemnestra, the ancient world’s most wronged woman . . . ‘Vivid with fury, passion and strength, this is a fabulous myth retelling’ JENNIFER SAINT
‘A blaze of a novel, fiery and furious – and alight with murderous revenge’ DAILY MAIL
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She is born to a king but marries a tyrant.
She watches helplessly as he sacrifices her child to the gods.
She bides her time. She plots revenge. She knows how to play this game.
If power will not be given to her, then she will take it for herself.
She is Clytemnestra.
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MY REVIEW:
Mother. Queen. Wronged Woman. Murderer. Heroine. It’s time for Clytemnestra to tell her story in this glorious feminist retelling.
Before reading this book I’d only heard Clytemnestra’s story as part of the background to the stories of her sister, Helen of Troy, and her daughter Elektra. So I was excited to learn more about this strong and fascinating woman. Though she was born to a King, Clytemnestra always felt second best as the sister to Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world. She manages to find love but it is soon snatched away in a despicable act of betrayal by the cruel tyrant Agamemnon, who is determined to make her his wife at any cost. And so she becomes a woman motivated by vengeance, spending her life plotting and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Exquisitely written, evocative and atmospheric, this isn’t a book you simply read, but one you step into. This phenomenal debut highlights Costanza Casati as a talent to watch and I will certainly be reading whatever she writes next. I listened to it on audiobook and I was hooked from the start. It consumed me, feeling alive as it burned with fury. And although I knew a lot of the things that happened in these myths, I was still on the edge of my seat, listening with baited breath to discover what would happen next, as if it was all new rather than a retelling, something that is a testament to Casati’s masterful storytelling.
Now, let’s talk about the woman at the heart of it all: the eponymous Clytemnestra. Fierce, feisty, intelligent, passionate, and unforgiving, she is a remarkable heroine who refuses to be broken or shackled by the rules of the patriarchal society. The fire inside her radiated from the page, Casati making me feel her heartache, rage, vengeance and strength so vividly that it was like it was coursing through my own veins. I wanted Agamemnon dead. Right now! I rooted for her at every step as she bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and avenge all of the betrayal. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. And when Clytemnestra’s vengeance is served, it is glacial.
A furious, devastating, enthralling and magnificent retelling you won’t want to put down, Clytemnestra is a must-read.
Rating: 🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Costanza was born in Texas in 1995, grew up in a village in Northern Italy and lived in the UK for five years. Before moving to London, she attended a classical Liceo in Italy, where she studied Ancient Greek, and Ancient Greek literature, for five years. Costanza is a graduate of the Warwick Writing MA programme, where she studied under Sarah Moss, and currently works as a freelance journalist and screenwriter. The art and history documentary she wrote on the 16th century painter Tintoretto had over 1 million viewers. Costanza’s short fiction has appeared in the collective Nothing in the Rulebook and broadcast on RAW1251 Warwick Radio.
Published February 1st, 2024 by Wildfire Humorous Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Literary Fiction
Welcome to my review for the unmissable Frank and Red, which is February’s Squadpod Book Club pick. Join us on February 18th for a live chat with author Matt Coyne to discuss his outstanding debut. Thank you to Ollie at Wildfire for the proof copy of this book.
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SYNOPSIS:
Sometimes, the friend you need is the one you never saw coming.
‘Simply perfect’ Daily Mirror | ‘Hilariously funny… and beneath it all really quite lovely’ The Metro | Brilliant, just brilliant’ Huffington Post
Frank and Red are a mess.
Frank is a grumpy old curmudgeon. A recluse whose only company is the ‘ghost’ of his dead wife, Marcie. He is estranged from his friends, his son, and the ever-changing world beyond his front gate.
And then Red moves in next door.
Red is six. A boy struggling to adjust to the separation of his mum and dad, a new school, and the demonic school bully. Red is curious, smart, he never stops talking, and he’s got a trampoline. From the moment Red’s blonde mop appears over the top of the fence that divides their two gardens, the unlikeliest of friendships is born.
. . . And it is a friendship that will change both of their lives forever.
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MY REVIEW:
Meet Frank and Red… a curmudgeonly old man with agoraphobia who lives with the ghost of his late wife and a friendly six-year-old boy with a very active imagination who strike up an unlikely friendship that starts over their shared garden fence. This is one of those books you know you’re going to love from the first page, capturing my heart and soul immediately and making me laugh out loud from the second page. A truly magnificent debut, it has gone straight onto my list of all-time favourite books.
Frank and Red is a book for everyone. No matter what genre you usually read and the kind of books you usually don’t bother with, I think you will love this book and its characters. Reading it feels like a warm hug, the gorgeous story enveloping you in its arms and making everything feel better for a time. This is Matt Coyne’s first fiction book and I’m an instant fan. It’s brilliantly written, Matt Coyne filling the pages with raw honesty, cracking comedy, heartfelt emotion, insightful social commentary, and an irresistible charm. It’s one of those books you both want to devour whole and want to savour because you never want it to end and I couldn’t stop thinking about it whenever I wasn’t reading.
What am I going to do without Frank and Red? It is impossible not to fall for these characters completely and they stole my heart from the first page. Achingly real, compelling and memorable, they come to life in vivid technicolour. Frank is a blunt, brash and bull-headed old bugger who has shut the world out ever since his wife Marcie’s death. He lives alone, apart from Marcie’s ghost, and is terrified to go beyond his front gate in case she isn’t there when he comes back. And then there’s Red, the adorable, outgoing and precocious little boy who moves in next door to Frank with his mum, Sarah, and turns Frank’s world upside down. This unlikely duo taught each other so much and I loved their friendship. It was an absolute joy to read and I’ve not stopped thinking about them since I finished the book.
One of my favourite things about this book is how Coyne doesn’t diminish children or their experiences. Instead Coyne highlights how very real and important their stresses and emotions are whatever their age. For example, Red is trying to come to terms with his parents’ divorce, moving home and school, trying to make new friends, bullying, and his dad’s new girlfriend and her annoying twins. Coyne perfectly balances Red’s childish innocence and honesty with the weights on his shoulders, reminding us of the importance of listening to our children when they tell us their problems rather than brushing them off as unimportant compared to adult worries.
Unmissable, and unforgettable, Frank and Red is a phenomenal debut that will lift your spirits and warm your heart. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Man vs Baby’s Matt Coyne is from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. In September 2015, Matt’s life was turned upside down by the arrival of his son Charlie. After three months of parenthood, he logged on to social media and wrote about his experience of having to live with ‘a furious, sleep-murdering, unstable and incontinent, breasts-obsessed midget lodger’. Within days, his post about surviving the first few months of parenthood was shared by millions all over the world.
Following this, Matt created his popular blog Man vs Baby, which now has over 370,000 followers on social media. And has written two Sunday Times bestselling books based on his parental triumphs and disasters, the first entitled: ‘Dummy’ and the second ‘Man vs Toddler’.
He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph and GQ Magazine and is the current Vuelio Parenting Influencer of the Year and Blogosphere Parent Influencer of the Year.
Matt lives in Sheffield with his son Charlie, his partner Lyndsay and a Jack Russell terrier with ‘issues’ called Eddie.
Published October 1920 Mystery, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Detective Story, Classic Fiction
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SYNOPSIS:
When Emily Inglethorp is poisoned the police are certain they’ve found the killer, but Hercule Poirot is not so easily satisfied. The sleuth digs deep into a tangled mystery in his debut appearance as the detective hero of Christie’s classic crime series.
Agatha Christie’s first mystery novel marks the initial appearance of her renowned Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot, known for his impeccably neat appearance, fine mustache, and ability to cut to the core of some of the most complex and puzzling mysteries ever conceived. Summoned to investigate a murder in an elegant English country house, Poirot begins assembling clues and finding reasons to doubt the apparently obvious culprit was actually responsible for the murder. Riddles and secrets multiply as documents vanish, secret alliances are unveiled and the seemingly unsolvable is broken wide open. Deliberately conceived and written to puzzle devoted mystery fans, The Mysterious Affair at Styles has delighted readers since its first publication in 1920 and marks a perfect entry point for those new to the author or her unforgettable sleuth.
With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is both modern and readable.
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MY REVIEW:
Ok. I confess. I’m a bad book blogger and I had never read an Agatha Christie book before this one (despite owning many). Like most people I am familiar with the stories and have watched many film and TV adaptations over the years but never got around to picking up one of the actual books. Every year since joining Bookstagram I’ve wanted to take part in the Read Christie, the official Agatha Christie Reading Challenge, but didn’t manage to fit it in. This year I was determined to make it happen and I am thrilled to have finally read my first Agatha Christie. .
Each year Read Christie has different prompts and in 2024 they are exploring Christie’s works through the decades, starting in 1920 and going all the way through to the 1970s. January’s prompt is the 20s, so after talking to my Christie-expert friend, Sue, I decided to start at the very beginning with Christie’s first ever novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which was first published in the US in October 1920 and in the UK on 21st January 1921, introducing the world to the now-famous Hercule Poirot.
Enthralling, compelling and mysterious, I loved this book. It isn’t a story of Ms. Christie’s that I’m familiar with but I loved that it felt both completely new and comfortingly familiar. It felt like finding a soft toy I’d had as a child and holding it again. Sue recommended listening to the audiobook and I am so glad I took her advice. I loved the little details like the sound of the typewriter keys clicking and thought the narrator was fantastic. I was enrapt and couldn’t stop listening, finishing it in just a few hours. And that ending! Wow.
This book was a brilliant start to my Agatha Christie reading and one I’d recommend, especially if you’re looking to start her books for the first time like I was. Roll on another one next month!
Rating: 🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie became, and remains, the best-selling novelist of all time.
She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation.
Published January 18th, 2024 by Orenda Books Mystery, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Humorous Fiction
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this nerve-shredding thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and Orenda Books for the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
On her first shift at an Edinburgh halfway house for violent offenders, a young woman is taken hostage … and that’s just the beginning… The twisty, shocking, darkly funny thriller by award-winning author Helen FitzGerald.
‘A new novel from Helen Fitzgerald is always a major event … magnificent’ Mark Billingham
‘Outrageous, hilarious and dark as hell – this is Helen FitzGerald on absolute top form’ Doug Johnstone
‘[Lou] is irresistible and very funny … The set-up is fascinating, the narrative is both fast-moving and convincing’ Literary Review
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They’re the housemates from Hell…
When her disastrous Australian love affair ends, Lou O’Dowd heads to Edinburgh for a fresh start, moving in with her cousin, and preparing for the only job she can find … working at a halfway house for very high-risk offenders.
Two killers, a celebrity paedophile and a paranoid coke dealer – all out on parole and all sharing their outwardly elegant Edinburgh townhouse with rookie night-worker Lou…
And instead of finding some meaning and purpose to her life, she finds herself trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse where she stands to lose everything – including her life.
Slick, darkly funny and nerve-janglingly tense, Halfway House is both a breathtaking thriller and an unapologetic reminder never to corner a desperate woman…
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MY REVIEW:
“She’d never been scared of him, but she should have been. She should have been scared of them all.”
In a halfway house in Edinburgh Lou O’Dowd is learning the ropes of her new job after relocating from Australia in the hopes of a new start after the end of her detrimental last relationship. The gothic townhouse is currently home to five high-risk offenders: two murderers, a celebrity paedophile, a sex offender and a paranoid drug dealer. What could possibly go wrong…
Fair warning: don’t start this book late at night because you WILL lose sleep. Utterly consuming and totally brilliant, I inhaled this book. I read it in one short sitting, losing myself in its pages and unable to stop reading until I’d reached the end. I was so transfixed thatI didn’t even notice it was 4am. But I didn’t regret a thing. Not even with the bizarre dreams that night and tiredness the next day because this book is INCREDIBLE and has secured a spot on my list of favourite thrillers of all time.
This book has it all: danger, dark humour, suspense, spice, humanity and heart. So even if this isn’t your usual kind of read I think you’ll find something you like in this story. Helen Fitzgerald has outdone herself with this book and taken things to another level of masterful storytelling with her razor-sharp, unapologetic and wickedly funny writing. The story explores a variety of topics, including toxic relationships, addiction and trauma, but it never feels too heavy or bleak, using humour to lighten tone. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments and it’s the small details that make the book great for me. Although, I do have one complaint: why was there so much delicious food in the first half of this book? I was so hungry reading it and haven’t been able to stop thinking about either yum yums or caprese salad since!
One of the things that makes this book so good is Lou. The girl has issues and is one of those characters you know you shouldn’t like, but Fitzgerald has written her with an irresistible charm and you can’t help but like and root for her. She’s feisty, strong, scathing and funny— the life and soul of the party who cares about being remembered, not being liked, and has a quick comeback for any put-down. She has questionable morals, seems to enjoy saying inflammatory and hurtful things, has few friends and is emotionally detached. Slowly we begin to see beyond her tough veneer, Fitzgerald using flashbacks to reveal how her past has left her hurt, damaged, and unable to trust. The other characters are just as richly drawn and compelling and the residents of the halfway house are an eclectic group who have committed some truly awful crimes. Unsurprisingly, these men gave me the ick. Creepy, dangerous, unstable and shifty, these are the kind of people you’d cross the street to avoid. They set the tone inside the house perfectly and you really get the sense that Lou was locked in with the housemates from hell.
Claustrophobic, chaotic, propulsive, savagely funny and nerve-shredding, Halfway House is a fiendishly good thriller that’s not to be missed.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and adapted for a major BBC drama. Her 2019 dark-comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in the Literary Review, Herald Scotland, Guardian and Daily Telegraph, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and won the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.
Published January 18th, 2024by Bedford Square Publishers Historical Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Historical Fantasy Fiction, Alternative History, LGBTQ Romance
Welcome to my review for the gorgeous gothic debut, The Knowing , which was the first Squadpod Book Club book for 2024. Thank you to Bedford Square Publishers and EDpr for the gifted copy of the book. Join us here on Instagram Live at 7.30pm tonight (22nd January) for our live discussion with the author.
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SYNOPSIS:
‘If you love Sarah Waters and dark historical fiction, you will no doubt be hooked.’ – Diva magazine
‘Vivid, visceral and utterly immersive. Extraordinary’ Liz Hyder
In the slums of 19th-century New York.
A tattooed mystic fights for her life.
Her survival hangs on the turn of a tarot card.
Powerful, intoxicating and full of suspense. The Knowing is a darkly spellbinding novel about a girl fighting for her survival in the decaying criminal underworlds.
Whilst working as a living canvas for an abusive tattoo artist, Flora meets Minnie, an enigmatic circus performer who offers her love and refuge in an opulent townhouse, home to the menacing Mr Chester Merton. Flora earns her keep reading tarot cards for his guests whilst struggling to harness her gift, the Knowing – an ability to summon the dead. Caught in a dark love triangle between Minnie and Chester, Flora begins to unravel the secrets inside their house. Then at her first public séance, Flora hears the spirit of a murdered boy prostitute and exposes his killer, setting off a train of events which put her life at risk.
The Knowing is a stunning debut inspired by real historical characters including Maud Wagner, one of the first known female tattoo artists, New York gang the Dead Rabbits, and characters from PT Barnum’s circus.
Something Powerful Is Coming.
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MY REVIEW:
Something powerful is coming… 🔮🐉💜
Darkly atmospheric, intoxicating, unapologetic and consuming, The Knowing is pure gothic escapism. This magnificent debut brought the past to life in a breathtaking story of love, passion, self-discovery, secrets, lies, betrayal and murder that is inspired by real people from history including Maud Wagner, one of the first known female tattoo artists, New York gang the Dead Rabbits, and characters from PT Barnum’s circus.
Flora, the only female tattoo artist in New York, lives in the slums with her abusive tattoo artist boyfriend and reads cards for a living. She meets Minnie, a charismatic circus performer, who offers Flora a new life in her upmarket home. Still earning cards to read her keep while struggling to harness the Knowing – her gift for summoning the dead. When the Knowing begins to whisper dark secrets that some don’t want revealed it sparks a chain of events that sees Flora fighting for her life.
Wow! What a phenomenal start to 2024’s Squadpod Book Club. This is one of those decadent reads that you want to luxuriate in and savour every word, providing a sensory experience that makes you forget the world around you and lose yourself in the one the author created. Emma Hinds has immediately secured a place on my autobuy list with this magnificent tale and I still can’t believe this is a debut. The writing is exquisite and evocative, transporting me back in time and across the ocean to Flora’s world. It was like the story had been conjured into being around me in vivid technicolour and I could see the grimy streets, smell the stench of the slum, and hear the whispers of the dead from the shadows. From the opening pages there’s a sinister suspense that pervades every page which comes from the Knowing and the ghosts who lurk in the shadows and I loved the memorable moments where Flora’s gift takes centre stage and the atmosphere is at its darkest. It leaves shivers down your spine and I read most of the book in a sense of breathless anticipation.
“I’d learned to turn my eyes away from dark corners where spirits might lurk. The Knowing was like having a broken bone that never healed quite right. It twinged. Occasionally the world would show and the shadows would lengthen, my breath would catch in my windpipe and my heart would lurch, but I would look away. Growing up in Five Points had knocked the truth into me: there was safety in not knowing.”
The book is filled with richly drawn characters that I loved reading. The women are strong, fierce, courageous, and inspiring who have a fire that can’t be extinguished whatever they are put through. They have the misfortune to be born in an era where men own and control them but they fight for their power and independence wherever they can. On the flip side, most of the men were vile, menacing, dominating and predatory. These are the kinds of men who see women as things, not people, and care only about power and control, using them as reasons to subject women to terrible things. Much of what is on these pages is taken from history, so of course the women who refused to be submissive or behaved in a way they didn’t like were labelled as ‘hysterical’ or ‘insane’. No matter how often I read this kind of behaviour it always enrages me. Heaven forbid women have their own thoughts and feelings.
Unsettling, haunting, potent and mesmerising, I was bewitched by this gorgeous gothic debut. It is the kind of book that is just screaming for an adaptation and I’m going to need that to happen ASAP. An absolute must-read, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Emma is a Queer playwright and author living and working in Manchester. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of St Andrews. She focuses on historical narratives, female voices, and Queer stories. Emma’s debut novel, The Knowing, is an exploration of female trauma in the vivid and cruel world of the Victorian freak show. Her latest play, PURE, was featured in Turn On festival at Hope Mill Theatre Manchester and she was the recipient of the Artist Development grant at Hope Mill Theatre. She has written a few previous non-fiction books in her capacity as an academic (in another life she was a theologian) with an essay published, Tarantino and Theology; with Gray Matter Books and her book, Ineffable Love: Christian Themes in Good Omens; published by Darton Longman Todd. Emma uses she/her pronouns.
Published January 2nd, 2024 by Headline Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Mystery, Horror Thriller
Welcome to my review for the mind-blowing First Lie Wins. Thank you to Caitlin at Headline for the gifted proof in exchange for an honest review.
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SYNOPSIS:
You meet a stranger at a party. She looks like you. Even has your name. What does she want? And how far would you go to protect it?
‘The best cat and mouse suspense I’ve read. I’m still breathless’ LISA GARDNER ‘I devoured it. Absolutely brilliant’ HEIDI PERKS ‘Unexpected and pacy. A brilliant central character’ HARRIET TYCE ‘A clever, high-stakes now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t thriller’ A J FINN ‘An absolute CRACKER of a book’ RACHEL ABBOTT
** MAJOR TV SERIES OF FIRST LIE WINS IN DEVELOPMENT ** —–
Everything she is about to tell them is a lie…
Evie Porter has everything a girl could want: a doting boyfriend, a house with a picket fence, a fun group of friends.
The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
First comes the identity. Once she’s given a name and location by her employer, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it.
Then the mark: Ryan Sumner.
The last piece of the puzzle is the job. For Evie, this job feels different. Ryan has gotten under her skin and she’s started to picture another kind of life for herself – one where her boss doesn’t pull the strings. But Evie can’t make any mistakes. Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to – her real identity – just walked right into this town. A woman, who looks just like her, has stolen her name – and she wants more. As Evie’s past begins to catch up with her, can she stay one step ahead to save her future?
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MY REVIEW:
“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with little to no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true.”
2024 is shaping up to be the year for first-class thrillers. And this one is another corker. A propulsive game of cat and mouse that packs a suspenseful punch, First Lie Wins is a mind-blowing thriller you need on your TBR.
Evie Porter seems to have it all: the doting boyfriend, the nice house, fancy friends and tickets to the best events in town. But things aren’t what they seem and Evie Porter doesn’t actually exist. Her identity has been created for her by her mysterious boss, Mr. Smith, her boyfriend, Ryan, is her mark and she will shed this life and identity as soon as her job is complete. But when she meets a woman who looks just like her that is claiming to have her real identity she starts to suspect that this job isn’t like the others and she could be in real danger. It is soon apparent that while Evie is playing her game, others are playing theirs. Is she prepared? And can she stay one step ahead and uncover the truth before it’s too late?
When the Squadpod were offered the chance to read First Lie Wins I was excited as this sounded right up my street. But when I heard that it had been chosen as Reese’s Book Club pick for this month I knew I was in for a real treat. Expertly written, fast-paced, cleverly plotted and unpredictable, Ashley Elston has shown she’s a talent to watch with this outstanding debut. A thriller lover’s dream, it is one of those books that grabs you by the throat and throws you to the floor when it’s done with you. I devoured this one quickly, Elston holding me in her thrall until the final page.
“I should have seen this coming. It’s been a long time since I’ve been blindsided.”
I love a book that gives up its secrets slowly, and this one does just that. We know from the start that there is much more to Evie than meets the eye. We know she’s keeping secrets and telling Ryan and his friends strategic lies that are part of something much bigger but have no idea who she really is or exactly what she’s hiding. Despite her morally grey character, I couldn’t help but root for Evie, something that was helped by her backstory, which humanises her; revealing a soft and broken side to the strong and unflinching woman she is today. After Evie meets the woman using her real name we discover she isn’t the only one with secrets and I loved trying to figure out which of the other characters were genuine and who was part of the complex web of lies Mr. Smith had spun. Elston gives up her secrets piece by piece, teasing us with intriguing flashbacks, little breadcrumbs of information and surprising curveballs that slowly unveil the truth. And when it was revealed I was left reeling and in awe at how cleverly this was written.
Jaw-dropping, unexpected and consuming, First Lie Wins is a sensational thriller that you don’t want to miss. Highly recommended.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Ashley Elston is the author of several novels, including THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING (a finalist in the Best Young Adult Novel category of the International Thriller Awards) and 10 BLIND DATES. Her work has been translated into 23 languages. She graduated with a Liberal Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Ashley worked for many years as a wedding photographer before turning her hand to writing. Ashley lives in Louisiana with her husband and three sons.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 