Tag: crime fiction

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Recommends

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: This Is Not A Game by Kelly Mullen

Published April 10th, 2025 by Century
Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime Ficiton, Humorous Fiction

Welcome to my review for this compelling cosy crime debut. Thank you to Century for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Prepare to be hooked by this deliciously smart locked-room mystery featuring an irresistible grandmother and granddaughter sleuthing duo.

‘Miss Marple meets Only Murders in the Building. Entertaining from start to finish‘ Jennie Godfrey

‘Agatha Christie brought bang up to date‘ Clare Mackintosh

‘Wickedly sharp‘ Lucy Clarke

‘So gripping and atmospheric, I barely made it out alive‘ Steve Jones

‘Slick and witty‘ Daily Mail
_____________________________________

Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.

A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland’s extravagant auction party.

But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane’s event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.

Thankfully for her, she’s roped her granddaughter, Addie – who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé – into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor’s labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.

Jane is dead.

And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.

In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night…

********

MY REVIEW:

Witty, whip-smart, glamorous and claustrophobic, This Is Not A Game is a dazzling locked-room whodunit. The story is set in a luxury mansion on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, where 77-year-old Mim has been blackmailed into attending a charity auction. She has taken her granddaughter Addie – who is trying to escape her own heartache – along for moral support. But everyone gets more than they bargained for when the host, Jane, is murdered. And Mim is the prime suspect. Then, as another person turns up dead, the mansion’s drawbridge door is stuck raised, and a storm prevents help from reaching them, Mim and Addie decide to try and find the killer. But as they search the house’s labyrinthine halls, all they seem to find is secrets. Can they unravel the clues and find the killer and clear Mim’s name?

This was a treat from beginning to end. Skillfully written, cunningly crafted, and steeped in the trademark twists and turns we expect from the genre, Kelly Mullen has created a sensational debut that feels both nostalgic and totally modern. Atmospheric and wonderfully descriptive, the story came alive around me and I felt totally immersed in its pages. It feels ideal for the big screen and that finale was one that Ms. Christie herself would have been proud of. 

In protagonists Mim and Addie, Mullen introduces us to a brilliant new crime-fighting duo that I absolutely adored. Mim is a sassy and sarcastic septuagenarian who loves a Gibson martini and crossword puzzle, while Addie is a feisty and savvy game creator who draws on her game plotting know-how to help her solve the murders. The background characters are the perfect mix of likeable and loathsome, helping to create a number of plausible suspects. As in any good locked-room mystery, the house is like a character in its own right, and this one is an eerie, claustrophobic and oppressive place with a maze of rooms. 

Suspenseful, slick, classy and funny, this compelling cosy crime is not to be missed. I’m hoping that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of these delightful amateur sleuths as I need more from this entertaining duo. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kelly Mullen has worked as a producer in Hollywood and as a marketing executive in New York and London. During the pandemic she took online writing courses through Curtis Brown Creative and The Novelry, which reignited her childhood passion for writing. Her debut novel, This Is Not A Game, publishes in April 2025.

As an executive producer, her credits include Academy Award-nominated Trumbo starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and AppleTV+’s Dads produced with Ron Howard. Her creative work for brands has won over 50 awards, including Cannes Lions and Clios.

Born and raised in Iowa, Kelly is now a dual citizen of the UK and US. She lives in London with her husband and their rescue cats.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affilate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOKS: Other People’s Houses (DC Morgan, Book 3) by Clare Mackintosh

Published February 27th, 2025 by Sphere
Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Suspense, Police Procedural, Crime Series

Welcome to my review for this tense and twisty thriller. Thank you to Sphere for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The stunning new thriller from the author who brought you the jaw-dropping twist of I Let You Go, the gasp-out-loud ending of Let Me Lie, and the loveable, unpredictable Ffion Morgan in The Last Party and A Game of Lies.

Even on the most desirable street, there’s a dark side . . .

The Hill is the kind of place everyone wants to live: luxurious, exclusive and safe. But now someone is breaking and entering these Cheshire homes one by one, and DS Leo Brady suspects the burglar is looking for something, or someone, in particular.

Over the border in Wales, DC Ffion Morgan recovers the body of an estate agent from the lake. There’s no love lost between Ffion and estate agents, but who hated this one enough to want her dead – and why?

As their cases collide, Ffion and Leo discover people will pay a high price to keep their secrets behind closed doors . . .

********

MY REVIEW:

Tense, twisty and totally addictive, Other People’s Houses is another sensational thriller from Clare Mackintosh. The third book in her DC Morgan series sees Ffion Morgan investigating the murder of an estate agent found dead in a kayak. Meanwhile, Ffion’s boyfriend Leo Brady is investigating a spate of burglaries in one of Cheshire’s most desirable postcodes, The Hill. As the evidence points to connections in their cases, secrets are revealed that will show just how far some will go to keep their secrets hidden.

Clare Mackintosh has knocked it out of the park once again. Mackintosh has long been an auto-buy author for me and I’ve been a fan of this series ever since the first book, but I think this installment is my favourite yet. Skillfully written, intricately interwoven, pacy and full of twists, Mackintosh knows how to keep her reader hooked. Her previous employment as a Police Officer is evident in the small details and how expertly she writes the inner workings of a police investigation, pulling you in and making you feel like you’ve stepped inside a real investigation. Ffiion and Leo feel like old friends at this point and I love returning to them. I’m totally invested in their relationship. Her feistiness is so perfectly paired with his laid back personality and I can’t wait to see what’s next for them.

Not everything that glitters is gold, and we see the perfect example of that in this story. The luxury of the opulent homes on The Hill hides secrets, lies and deceptions that lead to the crimes now being investigated. But just how deep do these secrets and lies run? And how much darkness are they hiding? I loved this storyline and the authentic vibe this snobby community and its residents had but was unprepared for what would be revealed as Mackintosh carefully revealed her clues, some hidden in plain sight but misunderstood until later, keeping you guessing until the big reveal. And that ending! I was not prepared for all of those emotions. I’m going to need book four ASAP.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

With more than two million copies of her books sold worldwide, number one bestseller Clare Mackintosh is the multi-award-winning author of I Let You Go, which was a Sunday Times bestseller and the fastest-selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It also won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2016.

Both Clare’s second and third novels, I See You and Let Me Lie, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. All three of her books were selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Clare’s latest novel, After the End, was published in June 2019 and spent seven weeks in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart.

Clare’s thriller, Hostage, was published in June 2021, and her latest thriller, The Last Party, which is the first in a new crime series, is published in August 2022.

Together, Clare’s books have been published in more than forty countries. Clare is patron of the Silver Star Society, a charity based at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, which supports parents experiencing high-risk or difficult pregnancies. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: A Fortune Most Fatal (Miss Austen Investigates, Book 2) by Jessica Bull

Published March 27th, 2025 by Michael Joseph
Mystery, Historical Ficiton, Historical Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Thriller, Regency Romance

Welcome to my review for this delightful cosy mystery. Thank you to Insta Book Tours for my spot on the readalong and Micheal Joseph for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A Mysterious Stranger, a Fortune at Stake, and a Race Against Time to Save Austen’s Family – perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Bridgerton!


‘Exceptional – the Austen whodunnit I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for! I loved it’ SOPHIE IRWIN

–

‘Who are you, Miss Austen, but a young lady of little experience and no consequence?’

Welcome to Godmersham Park, 1797.

Following many years apart, Jane Austen is set to spend the summer with her estranged brother, Neddy.

As heir to wealthy widow Mrs Knight’s fortune, it is imperative that Neddy stays in his benefactor’s good graces.

But upon arrival in Kent, Jane quickly realises Neddy is in dire need of her help.

For a mysterious young woman named Eleanor currently resides with Mrs Knight – a stranger who threatens to swindle the inheritance for herself.

Jane must uncover who Mrs Knight’s guest really is, to protect the fate of her entire family. When she discovers a series of threatening letters meant for Eleanor, her investigation takes an unexpected turn.

Because the dangers aren’t just within the walls of Godmersham Park. Jane knows someone else is out there watching, waiting – but for what?

Is this curious Eleanor friend, or foe? And can Jane solve the mystery, before danger comes for them all?

********

MY REVIEW:

“I’m not sure one can be brave without being reckless.”

June, 1797. Jane Austen travels to Kent to be with her sister-in-law, Elizabeth, at the birth of her fourth child and to help with her other three children. Elizabeth is married to Neddy, Jane’s older brother who was adopted as a child and is heir to the fortune of Mrs. Knight. But that fortune hangs in the balance after the arrival of a mysterious and strange young woman, Eleanor, who claims to be a kidnapped Spanish Princess. Jane sets out to uncover Eleanor’s identity and track down the man penning threatening letters that keep arriving for Eleanor at Godmersham Park. Can Jane solve the mystery before it’s too late?

Atmospheric, enthralling and uplifting, this Regency cosy mystery is everything I wanted and more. The second book in the Miss Austen Investigates series, A Fortune Most Fatal is the famous author as you’ve never seen her before: a wannabe author pre-literary success rallying against societal norms that would see the 21 year old married. Not only that, but this version of Miss Austen sees her taking up as an amateur detective. Expertly written, meticulously researched, evocative and compelling, Jessica Bull transports you back to the 18th century so vividly I got lost there. And it’s so authentic I kept forgetting it was a work of fiction.

The characters leap from the pages and Jane was such a protagonist I can get behind. Intelligent, feisty and determined, I loved her loyalty to her family, how she spoke her mind, and that her writing was clearly her beating heart. Predictably, she came up against the prejudices against women that were rife at the time, but Jane wasn’t afraid to challenge them in her quest for the truth. Eleanor was strange, mysterious and intriguing. I couldn’t decide if she was mentally unwell or a complete charlatan, and enjoyed the extra tension that added to the story. Jane is suspicious of almost everyone so there’s a real sense that you can’t trust a soul, making it feel like it’s Jane against the world and I was rooting for her to save everyone.

Delightful, entertaining and addictive, this is a must for your TBR.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jessica Bull grew up in South East London, where she still lives with her husband, two daughters, and far too many pets. She’s addicted to stories and studied English Literature at Bristol University, and Information Science at City University, London. She began work as a librarian (under the false impression she could sit and read all day), before becoming a communications consultant.

Her debut novel, Miss Austen Investigates, has sold in eighteen territories and counting. A Fortune Most Fatal is the highly-anticipated second book in the series.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Squadpod Squadpod Book Club Squadpod Featured Books Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOK: Son by Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger

Published March 27th, 2025 by Orenda
Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Nordic Noir, Hardboiled Mystery, Women Sleuths, Crime Series, Police Procedurals

Welcome to my review for this sensational first installment in an exciting new series. Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Psychologist and expert on body language and memory, Kari Voss investigates the murder of two teenaged girls in the small Norwegian town of Son, as suspicion is cast on multiple suspects. A mesmerisingly dark, twisty start to a nerve-shattering new series by two of the world’s finest crime writers…
 
‘Blown away by this cracking thriller and I was already loving it before they hit me with THAT ending. Bravo!’  Trevor Wood 
 
‘I absolutely loved this. A body language expert with grief of her own, a devastated community full of secrets, and a final sentence that leaves you reeling. Can’t wait for the next in the series’ Sam Holland
 
‘This is the perfect thriller’ Michael Wood
 
_______________________
 
Everyone here is lying…
 
Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.
 
Still grieving for her dead husband, and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.
 
When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well…
 
With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son’s disappearance, but Kari’s own life, too…
 
For fans of Harlan Coben, Lars Kepler, Jo Nesbo and Jorn Lier Horst … and The Mentalist

********

MY REVIEW:

The first in an exciting new series, Son is a nerve-shredding thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. It introduces us to Kari Voss, a psychologist and expert in language and memory who is often referred to as a ‘human lie detector’. By day, Kari consults with the Oslo Police on cases, and by night, she searches for her son who disappeared on his 9th birthday seven years ago. When two teenage girls are brutally murdered and one of their friends is charged with the crime, Kari is pulled into the investigation. And while the police believe the case is closed, Kari believes the boy could be innocent. So, she starts her own investigation, leading her down a dangerous path that ultimately sees her past and present collide in unexpected ways. 

Johana Gustawsson and Thomas Enger are the writing duo I didn’t know I needed. A sinister storytelling dream team, together they have crafted a masterfully written thriller that is psychologically rich, unbearably tense, intricately interwoven and densely plotted. The story explores a number of topics: grief, trauma, secrets, lies, truth, suspicion, memory and true crime.  It is meticulously researched and I enjoyed learning more about how our bodies tell the truth even when we don’t, how our memory isn’t as reliable as we’d like to think and the double edged sword that our true crime fascination can be. It’s thought-provoking, action-packed and left me breathless. 

Nothing and no-one is what they seem in this book. Everyone has multiple layers and different sides to them and they choose which parts they show to whom. Gustawsson and Enger use this expertly, creating a layered narrative and characters by carefully showing the reader what they want them to see before slowly unveiling the truth piece by piece. It created heart-pounding tension that had me second guessing myself at every step. Even the book’s title has hidden meaning as it relates to both the disappearance of Kari’s son, and is also the name of the town where the teenagers are murdered.

Kari Voss is a compelling new protagonist who I loved reading. She’s intelligent, determined and strong, but also vulnerable, broken and flawed. My heart broke for her losing her husband, and I can’t imagine the pain of not knowing what happened to your child. I had so much admiration for how she got through each day and appreciated that the authors showed us her flaws too, allowing me to connect with her on a human level. The other characters were equally as well-written and I liked that we could never be completely sure who the bad guy was and there were many suspects for the crime. It kept the tension high while also keeping you guessing right up until the big reveal, which I was NOT ready for. 

Dark, suspenseful, hard-hitting  and totally addictive, this is a sensational start to a series that every thriller lover should have on their shelves. And that ending! I’m going to need book two ASAP.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

********

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

French Johana Gustawsson and Norwegian Thomas Enger are the international bestselling authors of the Roy & Castells and Henning Juul crime series respectively, published in more than 50 countries worldwide. SON, which kickstarts their new series set in Norway, is the first collaboration of the two former journalists. It stars social psychologist Dr. Kari Voss, a world-renowned expert in memory and body language, commonly known as ‘The human lie detector’. 

Johana Gustawsson:

Thomas Enger:

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These links are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx

Categories
Audio Books book reviews Squadpod Squadpod Featured Books

SQUADPOD FEATURED BOOKS: The Man She Married by Alison Stockham

Published January 20th, 2025 by Boldwood Books
Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Noir Fiction, Hardboiled, Mashup Novel

Welcome to my reivew for this unsettling thriller, which is one of the SquadPod Featured Books this month. Thank you Boldwood Books for sending me an audio copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

How can you fight for a life you can’t remember?

One moment I was just living my life, finding my way in the world. The next I woke up in a hospital bed with years of my life missing.

The man by my side – Rob, my husband – looks familiar, but I can’t remember marrying him. I can’t remember our life together. Most haunting of all: I can’t remember anything about the last five years.

Rob keeps telling me that everything will be fine, that my memories will return, but something feels… wrong. Why does our flat feel so unfamiliar? Why does he flinch when I ask questions? Why are none of my friends and family in touch?

The more I try to piece my life back together, the more I question everything – even myself. Who is Rob, really? And can I trust him? More importantly, can I trust myself?

A compulsive and obsessive read that will have you saying ‘just one more chapter!’ Perfect for fans of Before I Go To Sleep and Alice Feeney

********

MY REVIEW:

Beth wakes up in hospital with no memory of what happened or how she got there. She’s told she had a car accident and that they’ve called her husband. But Beth doesn’t have a husband. And how did she end up in England when she’s never left Australia? The Doctor tells her she has retrograde amnesia and Beth learns she’s lost five years of her life. Rob, the man they say is her husband, takes her home to recover and keeps telling her everything will be fine. But Beth can’t shake her feelings of unease. And it seems that the more she learns, the more questions she has. Can she really trust what Rob is saying? Moreover, can she trust her own mind? 

Dark, emotive and unbearably tense, Alison Stockham had me in her thrall from start to finish with this unsettling thriller. I listened to this on audiobook and loved how evocatively the narrator told the story, immediately pulling me in. But it is Stockham’s writing that really stole the show. Expertly written, tightly plotted and fast-paced, it was hard to predict and I didn’t see those jaw-dropping twists coming. Filled with adrenaline and atmosphere, the suspense and fear pervades every page and you’ve no idea who to trust or what the truth is. 

The story was filled with characters who are complex, flawed, relatable and real which made it easy to feel invested in their lives and care about what happened to them. Beth is likeable and Stockham does a great job of putting the reader in her shoes. From the moment Beth wakes up in hospital we feel her confusion, fear and disarray. Her flashbacks were so vivid and palpable that I would feel my own heart race alongside hers, and my heart broke as she tried to remember the pieces of her life she’d lost. But where I empathised most of all was with Beth’s feelings regarding her husband, Rob. Rob triggered my bad guy radar early on with what seemed like cold, mean and manipulative behaviour. And there was also the uneasy feeling he gave Beth. But what I liked was that you couldn’t be completely sure you were right about anything or anyone in this story as Stockman kept you questioning your own mind, just as Beth questioned hers. 

Taut, twisty and unnerving, Alison Stockman has crafted a consuming sinister thriller not to be missed. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alison Stockham’s debut novel, The Cuckoo Sister, was a top 10 bestseller and was also longlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Her novels The Silent Friend and The New Girl have since been published.

From a background in film and television production, working in film dramas and then TV documentary production for the BBC and Channel 4, she then worked as the events coordinator for Cambridge Literary Festival. Now a full time writer, she lives in the city with her husband, their children and their cat, who keeps her company while she works on the next book.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon*
*This is an affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews

BLOG TOUR: Then She Vanished (Gina Harte 17) by Carla Kovach

Published March 12th, 2025 by Bookouture
Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Crime Series, Suspense, Noir Fiction

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this dark, gritty and addictive thriller. Thank you to Bookouture for the invitation to take part and for sending me an eBook in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It’s dark as the young woman leaves work. Crossing the empty car park alone, she thinks about the warmth of her little house. But she doesn’t make it home that night. Or ever again…

Thirty years ago, Ruth Pritchard’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Elissa, went missing. Police were called, neighbours were interviewed, and even Ruth’s own husband was investigated, but the case went unsolved. Elissa disappeared forever.

Now, Ruth watches the local news and hears about another girl gone from the same streets where her beloved daughter was last seen, and her heart races. A distinctive red scarf was found at a crime scene, and she recognises it instantly. It belonged to Elissa.

After Ruth alerts the police, they rush to speak to her, but nobody answers the door. Her small home stands eerily quiet. Just like her daughter before her, Ruth has vanished into thin air.

Friends say that Ruth suspected someone close to home took Elissa. Others say she never trusted her husband again after he was questioned by police. Did she finally discover the truth behind her daughter’s disappearance? And will her friends and family ever see her again?

From bestselling author Carla Kovach, this absolutely unputdownable crime thriller is perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Cara Hunter and Clare Mackintosh.

********

MY REVIEW:

Gina Harte and her team are back. And this time they are investigating a suicide that has links to a kidnapping thirty years ago. It opens with a chilling prologue and then the discovery of a man’s body in his car. The man has clearly taken his own life, but he has left an ominous note talking about a girl he’s tried to keep safe. With no real clues or idea who this girl is, the race is on for the team to identify their John Doe and the girl in the note and then find her before it’s too late. Alongside the case, Gina is going through a lot in her personal life as someone is threatening to expose the secret she’s kept hidden for decades. A secret that will end her career. Can she find the girl, solve the case and stop her secret from being revealed?

Tense, twisty and totally addictive, this heart-stopping thriller had me holding my breath as I read. It might be seventeen books in, but the Gina Harte Series keeps getting better with each installment. Carla Kovach is a thriller queen who delivers stories time and again that are well-written, cleverly plotted, dark, gritty, and nail-bitingly tense. The crimes explored in this series are always hard-hitting and can be difficult to read, but Kovach never makes them feel gratuitously violent and instead amplifies the voices of victims of crime, writing these stories in a way that is raw, honest, but also sensitive to what they have been through. 

Ms. Kovach fills her stories with characters that are flawed, relatable and morally complex, exploring how good people can do bad things and making you question what you might do in their shoes. Gina is a fantastic protagonist who is easy to root for, even if I don’t always agree with her. After reading this series for so long, Gina and team feel like old friends and I’m invested not only in the crimes they are solving, but their personal lives too, so I was on tenterhooks as someone threatened to destroy Gina’s life by exposing her secret. Can she keep flying so close to the sun without being burned? 

A riveting thriller that kept me guessing, this is another must-read thriller from Ms. Kovach.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carla Kovach is a USA Today bestselling author from the UK and is published by Bookouture, Sphere, Boekerij and Virtualo. Her DI Gina Harte series has been translated into Dutch, German and Polish.

As well as novels, she has also written stage and screenplays.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon*
*This is an affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the tour.

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025

BLOG TOUR: Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

Published February 27th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Gothic Fiction, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Horror Fiction, Crime Fiction, Noir Fiction, Supernatural Fiction

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the haunting and hypnotic Small Fires. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Orenda for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Suspected of murdering their parents, sisters Lily and Della flee to a strange, unnamed island in Scotland, and their arrival puts in motion a horrifying series of events… Literary suspense meets folk horror in 2025’s most original, mesmerising modern gothic masterpiece…

‘A deeply unsettling and thought-provoking tale of survival and storytelling, mixing elements of gothic and folk horror with literary suspense. Beautifully woven and eerily atmospheric’ Anna Mazzola
 
‘Rarely will you meet a story as unsettling, nor one as bewitchingly told. With its roots snaking into folk horror, Small Fires plays with the contemporary gothic vibe reminiscent of Midsommar and The Wicker Man … I challenge you to pick it up and when you do, to put it down’ Janice Hallett
 
‘Ronnie Turner has a way of weaving words into a spell – the darkest of spells. Mesmerising, sinister … this modern folklore gothic will chill you to the bone’ Essie Fox
 
‘Crackles with menace and authenticity. Kept me up late and crept into my dreams’ Sarah Hilary
 
____________________________________
 
Evil runs through this cursed island
And these wicked sisters are about to make it burn…

When sisters Lily and Della Pedley are persecuted for the shocking murder of their parents, they flee from their home in Cornwall to a remote and unnamed island in Scotland – an island known for its strange happenings, but far away from the whispers and prying eyes of strangers.
 
Lily is terrified of what her sister will might do next, and she soon realises that they have arrived at a place where nothing is as it seems. A bitterness runs through the land like poison, and the stories told by the islanders seem to be far more than folklore.
 
Della settles in too easily, the island folk drawn to her strangeness, but Lily is plagued by odd and unsettling dreams, and as an annual festival draws nigh, she discovers that she has far more to fear than she could ever have imagined. Or does she…?
 
Chilling, atmospheric and utterly hypnotic, Small Fires is a contemporary gothic novel that examines possession, generational trauma, female rage, and the perilous bonds of family – an unsettling reminder that the stories we tell can be deadly…

Midsommar meets Midnight Mass in a folk horror, modern gothic masterpiece.

********

MY REVIEW:

“They say the Devil came here. He fell to the earth long ago and he never left.”

Murderesses. Witches. Pariahs. These are the names that were used to describe Lily and Della Pedley. Suspected of murdering their parents, their gruesome history precedes them everywhere they go. Even on an isolated and unnamed Scottish Island where the Devil is said to have fallen and made his home beneath the soil. As the sisters try to start anew on the island, whispers and judgement surround them as they unknowingly set in motion a nightmarish chain of events. 

Atmospheric, haunting and hypnotic, Small Fires reads like a dark and twisted fairytale. Mired in darkness from its opening pages, malevolence drips from every word of this magnificent gothic mystery. A masterful sinister storyteller, Ronnie Turner merges gorgeous literary fiction with nail-biting horror and suspense to create her own unique fiction recipe. Her choreography is exquisite; a sense of dread permeating the pages as she hides the poison in plain sight, coiled like a viper waiting to strike. She is adept at putting her reader off-kilter with red herrings until she’s ready to floor you with one of her shocking revelations. Elements of Scottish and Cornish folklore are woven throughout as Turner explores the role stories play in our lives, asking how they inspire and shape us, and how they shape our perception of others. She also explores themes of identity, examining how each of us can have many different identities, some that are thrust upon us and others we might hide behind. 

Told by multiple characters in dual timelines, the story is filled with richly drawn characters who are also deeply unnerving. At the heart of the story is sisters Lily and Della, one bitter and one sweet, with a harrowing and notorious past. Though part of their story is known, there is a lot of mystery that surrounds them. Our other narrator is Silas, a strange and curious individual with an equally mysterious history. Flashbacks allow us glimpses inside the pasts of all three characters, slowly revealing disturbing truths that they’ve tried to keep hidden. And then there was the island itself, which felt alive and like a character in its own right thanks to the myths and folklore about the devil dwelling below ground that surround it. 

A dark and unsettling gothic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, Small Fires is a must read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ronnie Turner grew up in Cornwall, the youngest in a large family. At an early age, she discovered a love of literature. She now works as a Senior Waterstones Bookseller and barista. Ronnie lives in the South West with her family and three dogs. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and taking long walks on the coast.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

Categories
book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025 Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

Published February 13th, 2025 by Bantam Press
Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Women Sleuths

Welcome to my review for this nerve-shredding debut. Thank you to Bantam Press for the invitation to take part in the readalong and for sending me a proof copy of the book.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

‘When you trap a group of mystery authors on a secluded island, the result is wickedly delightful mayhem! It’s Agatha Christie on steroids‘ ― Tess Gerritsen
‘You’ll trip over the twists in this sneaky, snaky mystery‘ – A.J. Finn
‘Glass Onion meets Cluedo in this intricate and clever thriller‘ ― Catherine Cooper

Six thriller authors. One writing retreat.
You’d die to be on the guest list . . .

The Host
Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island.

The Assistant
Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.

The Players
The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for.

The Game
What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one…

********

MY REVIEW:

Six thriller authors are invited to a secluded island for a writing retreat hosted by enigmatic mystery author J. R. Alastor. His assistant, Mila, has been hired to ensure that the week goes off without a hitch. But Mila has plans of her own to avenge a wrong done to her many years ago. The week starts off as planned, but things take a sinister turn when one of the guests goes missing and the writers find themselves trapped inside a nightmare darker than any thriller they could have written…  

As a bibliophile whose favourite thriller trope is locked-room or claustrophobic mysteries, this book felt like it was written for me. I loved the idea of thriller writers being caught up in a real life whodunnit and fighting for survival as they try to unmask the killer. Masterfully written, cleverly choreographed, intricately woven and filled with nerve-shredding tension, the foreboding dripped like blood from every page. When I started I was taking part in a readalong but soon found myself so completely hooked that I threw the reading schedule out of the window and devoured it in just a few hours, on the edge of my seat as my heart raced. Richly drawn, complex and flawed, the characters leaped from the pages and my mind whirred with some wild theories and suspicions, but they were nothing compared to what actually took place in this jaw-dropping whodunnit. 

Suspenseful, chilling and utterly mesmerising, this is a book all thriller lovers need on their TBR. Ande Pliego has showcased herself as a writer to watch with this magnificent debut, and I will be pre-ordering whatever she writes next. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

******

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ande Pliego began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good. A lover of stories with teeth, she writes books involving mind games, dark humor, general murder and mayhem, and most importantly, finding the hope in the dark.

When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library. Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, Ande is settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her craftsman husband and little son.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BOOK REVIEW: I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin (Kitty Collins Book 2) by Katy Brent

Published January 30th, 2025 by HQ
Thriller, Dark Comedy, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Satire, Contemporary Romance, Humorous Fiction

Welcome to my bookish thoughts on this darkly funny and deadly thriller. Thanks to HQ for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Your favourite anti-heroine, Kitty Collins, is back! Expect more wit, sass, and, of course, murder…

‘I was rooting for Kitty even as she killed more men (oops!). Funny and twisty in the best of ways’ Tasha Coryell

*******************************

My name is Kitty Collins and I’m a serial killer.

I don’t want to kill. It’s just so hard to resist. Some men really, really deserve it.

Men like Blaze Bundy, an anonymous influencer spreading misogyny online. He’s making it very hard for me to control my murderous urges.

Meanwhile I’m in the South of France to watch my mother marry a man I’ve never met. I should be drinking cocktails and focusing on my tan, not plotting a murder.

But a woman’s work is never done. Surely one more teensy little kill wouldn’t hurt, would it?

********

MY REVIEW:

“But it’s never enough, is it. As long as men exist, I’m going to have to be out there protecting women.”

Kitty Collins is back! I loved Katy Brent’s wickedly funny debut How To Kill Men and Get Away With It, and I was thrilled to see that Kitty was back. Deliciously dark, devious and deadly, I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin is every bit as good as its predecessor. I listened to this on audiobook and couldn’t turn it off once I’d started, devouring it in just a few hours. 

Picking up after the events of the first book, we meet a very different Kitty at the start of the book. Life is good. She’s happily loved up with her boyfriend, Charlie, and has sworn off killing. But she misses it. And – let’s face it – there are some men who just make it so hard not to murder them. One such man is Blaze Bundy, the anonymous and misogynistic influencer spreading his hate online and seeming to taunt Kitty in his posts. Can she keep her murderous urges under control? Or will she go back to doing what she knows best?

I have loved Kitty since the moment I met her in book one. Snarky, sassy, feisty and warped, she’s easy to root for and it is fun to live vicariously through her as she carries out her murderous missions. And while some of that is initially tamed this time around, it’s soon apparent Kitty isn’t enjoying murder sobriety and she’s still the same woman with a thirst for revenge underneath. Katy Brent skillfully portrays Kitty’s inner torment as she fights the urge to kill predatory men. I think all of us can relate to that battle inside as we try to resist the urge that is bad for us. Even if in my case it’s chocolate rather than murder. I also enjoyed seeing more of Kitty’s strained relationship with her mother. It humanised her and gave us greater insight into what makes her tick, especially as their estrangement is all wrapped up in Kitty’s deadly hobby. 

Darkly funny, outrageous, moving and addictive, Brent has once again crafted an unflinching commentary on misogyny, male violence against women and female rage that will have you hooked from start to finish. Perfect for fans of Sweetpea that are looking for a new female serial killer to stan, pick this up now! 

I just hope that this isn’t Kitty’s last outing. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

*I listened to this on Bookbeat. Click here to listen for 2 months for free*

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Katy is an author and award-winning journalist from the UK. She has worked on newspapers, magazines and websites since 2005, writing about popular culture. How To Kill Men and Get Away With It (HQ, 2022) is her first novel.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Watertones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2025

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: The Queen of Fives by Alex Hays

Published January 30th, 2025 by Headline
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, Crime Fiction, Domestic Fiction

Happy publication day to this clever and cunning slice of Victoriana. Thank you to Headline for the invitation to take part in the blog tour and for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.

********

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nothing is quite as it seems in Victorian high society, in the twisty and original new novel from the author of THE HOUSEKEEPERS…

They whisper her name in every corner of town.
The lady with a hundred faces, a thousand lives.
Five moves, five days – for such are the rules of her game.

1898. Quinn Le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, has five days to pull off the seemingly impossible: trick an eligible duke into marriage and lift a fortune from the richest family in England.

Masquerading as a wealthy debutante, Quinn is the jewel of the season. Her brilliant act opens doors to the grand drawing rooms and lavish balls of high society – and propels her into the inner circle of her target: the corrupt, charismatic Kendals.

But as she spins in and out of their world, Quinn becomes tangled in a dangerous web of love, lies and loyalty. The Kendal family all have secrets of their own, and she may not be the only one playing a game of high deception…

********

MY REVIEW:

1898. Quinn Le Blanc, London’s most talented con woman, is the reigning Queen of Fives. For her latest con she has just five days to trick an eligible duke into marriage and take a fortune from him. But Quinn isn’t the only one with a trick up her sleeve; someone else is playing their own con. And their sights are firmly set on the Queen of Fives…

Alex Hay transports us back to Victorian high society for this clever, cunning, shrewd and daring story of subterfuge and fortune-hunting. Skillfully written and cleverly choreographed, Hay had me in his thrall from start to finish. I was on tenterhooks as I tried to predict who could trust who or what would happen next and totally invested in Quinn’s game. I loved that while Quinn is so focused on her game she’s also unwittingly embroiled in a play of someone else’s making, raising the stakes higher than ever before. With its many storylines it kept me on my toes as Hay expertly and intricately wove the many storylines together to create an explosive and jaw-dropping finale. 

Furnished with a cast of fascinating and richly drawn characters who were so much fun to read, no-one is what they seem in this complex tale. Feisty, spirited, crafty and undaunted, Quinn thrived on the high stakes games she plays, unlike her faithful assistant Mr. Silk, who is much more jaded. The pattern of opposites continued with the Kendal Family as we have the feisty, independent and determined Tor alongside the much quieter and weary Duke. The ‘boy in the blue waistcoat’ was a dastardly villain who added a tantalising air or mystery that kept me guessing right up until the big reveal. 

Audacious, immersive and fiendishly delightful, this story of Victorian high society, high jinx, deception and danger is one not to be missed. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮

********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alex is the bestselling author of The Housekeepers, which won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022. He grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff in the United Kingdom, studied History at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector, and is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Write Your Novel course. His second novel, The Queen of Fives, publishes in January 2025. Alex lives with his husband in South East London.

********

BUY THE BOOK:

Bookshop.org* | Waterstones* | Amazon*
*these are affiliate links

********

Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.