Tag: mystery

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: A Soul For A Soul (Detective Kate Young Book 5) by Carol Wyer

Published January 30th, 2024 by Thomas & Mercer
Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Crime Series

I’m delighted to be opening the blog tour for A Soul For A Soul, the amazing new thriller from Carol Wyer which is out today. Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the invitation to take part and to Carol Wyer for the gifted copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

The syndicate have taken everything from her. It’s time to take them down―or die trying.

DCI Kate Young never meant to shoot Superintendent John Dickson at the reservoir that night―even if, as a scheming corrupt cop and head of the shady syndicate, he probably had it coming. But now Kate has photographic evidence that someone else knows her terrible secret…

Tormented by guilt and the voices of the dead, Kate is desperate to unmask the rest of the corrupt officers before her own sins catch up with her. When DI Harriet Khatri, awaiting trial for the murder of Kate’s mentor, claims she was framed by Dickson’s syndicate, Kate reluctantly agrees to help in the hope of finding answers.

Meanwhile, DI Emma Donaldson finds herself on the hunt for a double murderer―a man who incapacitates his victims with a powerful narcotic called Devil’s Breath. Desperate to measure up to her role-model boss, Emma finds herself hurled into the deep end in more ways than one…

While Kate’s grip on reality wavers and the syndicate closes in, and with the mystery killer taking a special interest in Emma, could this be the case that defeats both detectives?

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MY REVIEW:

I’m thrilled to be one of the bloggers opening the tour for A Soul For A Soul, the sensational new thriller from Carol Wyer, which is out today. But this isn’t only her latest book, it is also her 30th book published, making it extra special. Congratulations Carol! 

The fourth book in the Detective Kate Young series ended with a dramatic cliffhanger which saw Kate’s freedom hanging in the balance, and book five picks up right where it left off. Her confrontation with Superintendent John Dickson didn’t go as planned and she is now left trying to keep her part in his death a secret while also trying to track down the person who witnessed it. Unable to turn to her mentor, William, after he was also killed, Kate feels more alone than ever, is struggling with her guilt, and tormented by the voices of the dead. But she is determined to finally expose the corrupt syndicate once and for all. Meanwhile, DI Emma Donaldson is on the hunt for a killer. Two women have been incapacitated and killed by the powerful drug Devil’s Breath and Emma must find their killer before they strike again.

This book was one wild ride! Showcasing Carol Wyer’s masterful storytelling, cunning plotting, surprising twists, and compelling characters, the parallel storylines don’t give us a moment to catch our breath. There’s a pervading sense of mistrust and unease and like the characters I had no idea who was friend and who was foe, leaving me suspicious of everyone, while the familiarity and connection that comes with reading a series helped raise the tension as I tried to predict if a much-loved character really was part of the corrupt syndicate. The murder investigation did feel secondary to the corruption investigation at times but that didn’t make it any less intricate or fascinating. In fact, this is one of my favourite methods of murder Carol has written yet. Then there’s the chapters written from the killer’s perspective. These were chilling, sending shivers down my spine as he hunted his victims. And as he puts a member of the team in his crosshairs the stakes get higher, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the dramatic finale. 

Kate Young is a brilliant character and I have enjoyed seeing her mental health struggle portrayed in such a realistic way. Her grief has also been authentic and we’ve seen her go through the various stages that come with losing someone we love. She’s been through more in a few years than some experience in a lifetime, so her PTSD and mental health issues are to be expected. Though I will admit to being surprised and torn as she shifted to being the kind of person she’s always despised in the last book and her battle between those two sides of herself is fascinating to read. In this book she continues to unravel as the guilt eats at her and her grip on reality becomes increasingly tenuous as the voices of the dead refuse to leave her in peace. What was once the comforting voice of her late husband has now become an angel and demon on her shoulders that leave her torn between covering her tracks and delivering the justice she still believes in. 

While I found it strange at first that Kate’s promotion means she’s not as involved in the investigations, I did come to appreciate that this allowed other characters the chance to shine. DI Emma Donaldson and her boyfriend, DI Morgan Meredith feature more prominently in this instalment and I really enjoyed seeing more of them. The couple have recently moved in together and both been promoted, with Emma leading the double murder investigation. Their relationship is impacted by these changes and they face a number of personal and professional challenges and dilemmas over the course of the book that felt relatable and real. 

Gritty, sinister,  and suspenseful, A Soul For A Soul is an adrenaline-filled thriller that I highly recommend. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Carol Wyer is a USA Today bestselling author and winner of the People’s Book Prize Award. Her crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.

A move from writing comedies to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.

In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1bestselling book on Amazon UK, USA and Australia. Since then, four further books in the series have been published with a fifth, A Soul for a Soul, due out January 30th 2024.

Her first standalone psychological thriller, Behind Closed Doors, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and selected as one of the Best Books of December 2022.

Carol has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on Sky and BBC Breakfast television.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband, Mr. Grumpy . . . who is very, very grumpy.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

*These links are affiliate links

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews Cozy Mysteries Read Christie

READ CHRISTIE 2024: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Series Book 1) by Agatha Christie

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.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon* |

Special Edition (Waterstones)*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*These links are affiliate links

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024

BLOG TOUR: Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald

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. 

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

*These links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: On A Quiet Street by Carla Kovach

Published January 15th, 2024 by Bookouture
Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Noir Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Romance

Today is my stop on the blog tour for On A Quiet Street, the new thriller from Carla Kovach. Thank you to Bookouture for the eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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SYNOPSIS:

Every family has its secrets. Some are more deadly than others…

I live on a quiet tree-lined street with my perfect husband Cain. But when 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on the front door, what she says has me questioning just how well I really know my husband.

‘I was adopted as a baby and I’m looking for my biological parents. I was told they live here.’

My heart races as I fear Cain has been keeping a huge secret from me. Does he have a child he never told me about? And has he been lying all these years?

I can’t trust anything Cain says. Desperate for answers, I agree to meet Charlotte in secret. But it’s Charlotte who is full of questions: about our lives, our relationship. It’s only when she lets slip the name of the road I used to live on, that I realise how much she knows about me, too…

Cold fear floods through my body. My husband may not have told the truth, but his lies are nothing compared to mine. If Charlotte knows my darkest secret, my whole life could fall apart. How far will I have to go to keep the truth hidden?

If you loved The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and Gone Girl you will be absolutely gripped by this heart-stopping psychological thriller.

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MY REVIEW:

Leah lives on a quiet street with her husband Cain and their life is picture perfect. But when 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on their door saying she’s looking for her biological parents the walls start to crumble and long-held secrets threaten to finally be unearthed…

OMG. This one hell of rollercoaster ride! Tense, twisty and thrilling, I stayed up reading this one late into the night and read it in under a day. Carla Kovach is an autobuy author for me and I know whenever I read one of her books she’s delivering a riveting thriller that I’ll love. And while I’m a big fan of her Gina Harte series, I do look forward to her standalones so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. 

Fast paced, cleverly written and cunningly plotted, this has secrets, lies, suspicion and loss. All the relationships are dysfunctional, creating one big cluster of  toxicity and mistrust. I couldn’t even be sure about Leah, vacillating between believing what she was saying and thinking she was hiding something more. It is a complex and intricately woven maze of trouble that didn’t go in the directions I thought it would AT ALL. The twists and turns kept coming, deviating into completely unexpected directions again and again until I finally stopped trying to figure things out and decided to just enjoy the ride.

So if you love thrillers that make you feel lots of emotion, keep you on your toes and surprise you, then this is a must read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Carla started writing more seriously ten years ago after having flirted with musical theatre and occasional writing in her youth.

Since then she has written & produced several stage plays, has four self-published books, has acted in several independent films and is currently in the final stages of production of her feature horror film, Penny for the Guy.

She now writes full time as well as co-owning a film, photography & video production company located in the heart of Redditch town centre.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

*These links are affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Squadpod Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxxx

*These are affiliate links

Categories
book reviews Squadpod Reviews

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell

Published July 6th, 2023 by Ultimo Press
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction

Welcome to my review of the fantastic debut, Lowbridge, which was one of our Squadpod reads this year. Thank you to Ultimo Press for the copy of the book and chance to review it.

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SYNOPSIS:

A missing girl. Decades of silence. A secret too big to bury.

1987: It’s late summer and a time of change when a 17-year-old girl leaves the local shopping centre in the sleepy town of Lowbridge and is never seen again. Her unsolved disappearance is never far from the town’s memory. There’s those who grew up in the shadow of her loss whose own lives were altered forever, and those who know more than they’re saying.

It just takes an outsider to ask the right questions. 2018: Katherine Ashworth, shattered by the death of her daughter, moves to her husband’s hometown. Searching for a way to pick up the pieces of her life, she joins the local historical society and becomes obsessed with the three-decades-old mystery.

As Katherine digs into that summer of 1987, she stumbles upon the trail of a second girl who vanished and was never missed because no one cared enough to see what was happening in plain sight. Her trail could lead right to Katherine’s door.

In a town simmering with divisions and a cast of unforgettable characters, Lowbridge is a heart-wrenching mystery about the girls who are lost, the ones who are mourned and those who are forgotten.

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MY REVIEW:

“Everyone’s drawn to a good mystery, and Tess’s disappearance is the biggest mystery this place has ever seen.”

Shattered by the death of their daughter, Katherine and James move back to his hometown of Lowbridge. Looking for a way to begin to rebuild her life, Katherine gets involved with the local historical society and comes across a thirty-year-old unsolved mystery that still haunts the small town. Katherine begins to dig deeper into what happened that summer and comes across long-buried secrets that some people will go to extraordinary lengths to keep hidden…

Brilliantly written, steadily paced and compelling, this is a fantastic debut. Lucy Campbell has crafted an intriguing character-driven mystery that explores topics such as grief, motherhood, the essence of life in a small town and how the tragedy is still affecting those who live there decades later. Told in dual timelines, one following Tess in the months leading up to her disappearance in 1987 and the other following Katherine as she tries to solve the mystery thirty years later, there’s a claustrophobic feel to the story that comes from both the small-town setting and the bubble of grief that surrounds Katherine. Keeping us guessing, Campbell slowly unspools Lowbridge’s hidden history and dark secrets, building the suspense to a shocking and unexpected conclusion. 

With any character-driven story it is vital to have well-written characters and Ms. Campbell has certainly delivered. While Tess and Katherine are our main protagonists, the story is filled with a cast of authentic, richly drawn characters who draw us into their lives. Campbell makes us feel what each character is going through which ranges from typical teenage angst to much deeper traumas. In the past, everything is happening against a backdrop of us knowing Tess will soon vanish so I found myself searching for clues and trying to figure out who was responsible. But it was Katherine who leapt from the pages most strongly for me, her grief and heartbreak over the loss of her daughter radiating from the pages and seeping into every facet of her existence as she tries to find a way to move forward. It is impossible not to feel heartbroken for her and  think anyone who has lost someone close to them will recognise some part of that loss in her.  I was rooting for her to succeed in both her quest to uncover the truth about Tess’s disappearance and learning to live again.

Gripping, cryptic and heart-wrenching, Lowbridge is a superb debut I have no hesitation in recommending.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

*DM me for TWs

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lucy Campbell has worked as a writer and sub-editor across magazines, newspapers and non-fiction books. Lowbridge is her first novel. She lives in Canberra with her husband and three children.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

Categories
Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023

AUDIOBOOK LISTENALONG REVIEW: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Published July 20th, 2023 by Century
Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Fiction

Welcome to my review for the heart-pounding None Of This Is True. Thank you to Rachel Quin for the invitation to take part and to Century for the proof and audiobook.

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SYNOPSIS:

* AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *
* OVER 6,000 FIVE STAR REVIEWS *
* AUDIBLE NO.1 SIX WEEKS IN A ROW *

‘Gloriously dark’ Lucy Foley
‘A moody, slippery novel‘ Gillian McAllister
‘One hundred percent brilliant’ Clare Mackintosh
‘Shocking and creepy and glorious’ Nicola Walker
‘Utterly addictive’ Claire Douglas
___________

Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.

A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix’s podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can’t quite resist the temptation to keep digging.

Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix’s life – and into her home.

Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?

* The Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin podcast has been bought to life! Listen to all 4 episodes and find out more here *

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MY REVIEW:

“But she can’t shift the discomforting sense that there’s something else. Something behind this dark yet somehow typical story of a family blighted by the dysfunction of a controlling and dominant man… And as much as her gut tells her to believe a woman who says she has been abused, it also tells her that Josie is not to be trusted.”

Podcaster Alix Summers is out celebrating her 45th birthday when she meets Josie Fair who introduces herself with the words, “Hi, I’m your birthday twin”.  They run into each other again a few days later and Josie tells Alix she’s on the verge of big changes in her life and thinks she’d make an interesting subject for her podcast. Alix agrees to a trial interview and sees the potential for a great story in Josie’s complex and strange life. As they get to know each other the disquieting feelings Alix ignored only grows stronger as she realises Josie is hiding some dark secrets. And as Josie pushes her way further into Alix’s life and home, she begins to wonder who Josie really is and what she might be capable of….

Lisa Jewell never fails to deliver and showcases the full scope of her masterful storytelling skill set in this heart-pounding thriller. An addictive page-turner filled with delicious anticipation, sucker-punch twists,, and a ticking time bomb of dread, it had me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the last. And over a week after finishing it I still have no idea what is true and what isn’t. The mixed media format made it perfect for audiobook as the excerpts from interviews and podcast episodes brought the story alive and made me feel like I was listening to a true crime podcast rather than a work of fiction. And that ending! OMG. I was not ready and it left me with both my heart and jaw on the floor. A round of applause, Ms. Jewell. 

Alix and Josie are compelling characters who feel relatable with their familiar struggles. I’m the same age and could imagine being friends with them and sitting discussing our problems over coffee. Well, I could to a point, because as the story digs deeper into their lives it quickly becomes clear that there is something dark and disturbing lurking in Josie’s life. Alex senses this darkness too, but the journalist in her compels her to keep going and discover what secrets she’s hiding, to reveal the story. I went from seeing Josie as a sad, lonely, downtrodden woman to a predator waiting to strike. The warning signs flashed in my head and I listened in rapt horror as it descended deeper into the things nightmares are made of.

Dark, brooding, compelling, and unexpected, Lisa Jewell reminds us all why she’s the Thriller Queen with this nerve-shredding story. A must-read for fans of the genre, just make sure  you carve out a chunk of time before reading because once you pick this one up you won’t be putting it down until you’re finished.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Jewell was born in London in 1968.

Her first novel, Ralph’s Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared. Her latest novel None of This Is True was published in July 2023.

Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two daughters and the best dog in the world.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*| Google Play

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Readalong Support Debuts Tandem Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: Anna O by Matthew Blake

Published February 1st, 2024 by Harper Collins UK
Crime Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Medical Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Thriller,

Welcome to my review for Anna O, the phenomenal thriller that is set to be everywhere in 2024. Thank you to the Tandem Collective for arranging the readalong and offering me a place, and Harper Collins UK for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

ANNA O – THE WORLD WILL KNOW HER NAME

‘Certain to be one of the year’s best thrillers’ LEE CHILD

‘Reads like a dream but unsettles like a nightmare’ A J FINN

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*The instant global phenomenon*

*Publishing in over 30 territories*

*The thriller that will wake up the nation*

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ANNA O HASN’T OPENED HER EYES FOR FOUR YEARS

Not since the night she was found in a deep sleep by the bodies of her best friends, suspected of a chilling double murder.

For Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist on London’s Harley Street, waking Anna O could be career-defining. As an expert in sleep, he knows all about the darkest chambers of the mind; the secrets that lie buried in the subconscious.

As he begins Anna O’s treatment – studying his patient’s dreams, combing her memories, visiting the site where the horrors played out – he pulls on the thread of a much deeper, darker mystery.

Awakening Anna O isn’t the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.

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MY REVIEW:

“Anna O, Sleeping beauty, a figure of myth and reality.”

Anna O hasn’t opened her eyes since the night four years ago when her two best friends were found brutally murdered and she was discovered in a deep sleep. Anna is the only suspect but ever since the debate has raged: is she innocent or guilty? And was she sleeping or awake? Answers are needed and time is running out, so the Ministry of Justice charges Doctor Benedict Prince, a forensic psychologist and expert in sleep, with the task of finally waking Anna from her long sleep in order to get them. If he succeeds, his part in the Anna O case will be a defining moment in his career, but will his theory finally wake the woman her detractors call Sleeping Beauty? After all, waking Anna O isn’t the end of the story but the beginning… 

WHAT. A. BOOK! Quite simply, Anna O is a masterpiece. Sleeping Beauty meets The Silent Patient, this astonishing debut left my jaw on the floor. Deliciously dark, atmospheric and unnerving, this has bestseller and blockbuster movie written all over it. From the moment I first heard about Anna O I knew it was a book I needed to read so I jumped at the chance to take part in a 100-strong readalong organised by the Tandem Collective. Before reading we were asked to vote if we thought Anna was sleeping or awake. I voted for sleeping, but would I be proven right? Or was Anna actually awake that night?

There’s always a danger with a much-hyped novel that you will be disappointed, but this one exceeded all my high hopes. Matthew Blake writes like a veteran of the genre and I am still in awe that this is a debut novel. He expertly intertwines masterful storytelling, compelling characters and vivid imagery to create this tour-de-force. He then adds references to real crimes, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Shakesphere, Hitchcock, and real conditions such as resignation syndrome that all add that feeling of authenticity, making it feel like you’re reading a true crime novel rather than a work of fiction. It is a Russian doll of a mystery; the many layers and multiple mysteries all hidden inside one another and then slowly revealed alongside the cleverly placed red herrings that held me in his thrall and kept me guessing. The multiple points of view and timelines in mixed media heightened the tension as Blake drops clues like breadcrumbs for us to follow. I HAD to know the truth and confess that I raced ahead of the reading schedule, but I was unprepared for a twist so shocking it threw me to the ground, stamped on me and left me for dead followed swiftly by that unforgettable finale. I’m still reeling.

Dealing with both the aftermath and build-up to a brutal crime, the book explores the ripple effect violent crimes have on not just those who knew the victims, but those who knew the person accused of the crime. A beautiful woman accused of a brutal crime and an enigma because she has been sleeping since that night, Anna is the epitome of a ‘femme fatale’ and leads perfectly into Blake’s examination of our prejudices and preconceptions about those who kill. He also examines our fascination with true crime, asking what it is that makes a murder capture the public’s imagination and attain infamy. Most unsettling of all, he shifts the fabric of our reality and turns our dreams into nightmares as he explores the things we don’t remember from while we are sleeping and the darker side of the human psyche. 

Suspenseful, twisty, cryptic and unputdownable, this phenomenal debut is destined to be THE thriller of 2024. A must-read for your TBR next year, pre-order this now to discover if Anna is innocent or guilty. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

After discovering that the average person spends thirty-three years of their life asleep, Matthew Blake felt the pull of a story. He began extensive research into sleep-related crimes and into the mystery illness known as resignation syndrome, research that sparked a thrilling question: if someone commits murder while sleepwalking, are they innocent or guilty? And so his novel Anna O was born.

Before writing fiction, Matthew worked as a researcher and speechwriter at the Palace of Westminster. He studied English at Durham University and Merton College, Oxford and now lives in London.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: Dead Sweet by Katrin Juliusdottir

Published December 7th, 2023 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Hard-boiled Mystery, Noir Fiction, Political Thriller Translated Fiction

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for the first book in an exciting new series. Thank you to Orenda for the proof copy and Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part in the tour.

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SYNOPSIS:

When a celebrated government official is found dead after his surprise birthday party, a young police officer uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives. Icelandic politician Katrín Júlíusdóttir’s award-winning debut – first in a breathtaking series…
 
**Winner of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Debut**  

‘A breathtaking political thriller from one of Iceland’s most exciting new voices’ Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

‘Katrín Júlíusdóttir skilfully weaves together intense family dynamics, dark pasts and criminal endeavours in this masterful narrative’ Lilja Sigurðardóttir
 
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A murder is just the beginning…
 
When Óttar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official and businessman, is found murdered, after failing to turn up at his own surprise birthday party, the police are at a loss. It isn’t until young police officer Sigurdís finds a well-hidden safe in his impersonal luxury apartment that clues start emerging. 
 
As Óttar’s shady business dealings become clear, a second, unexpected line of enquiry emerges, when Sigurdís finds a US phone number in the safe, along with papers showing regular money transfers to an American account. Following the trail to Minnesota, trauma rooted in Sigurdís’s own childhood threatens to resurface and the investigation strikes chillingly close to home…
 
Atmospheric, deeply unsettling and full of breakneck twists and turns, Dead Sweet is a startling debut thriller that uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives, and kicks off an addictive, mind-blowing new series.

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MY REVIEW:

“There’s a lesson to be learned: life’s not a game to be played.”

Unnerving, tense and twisty, Dead Sweet is a strong start to an exhilarating new Scandi Noir crime series. Debut author Katrín Júlíusdóttir takes us on a turbulent ride of buried secrets, double lives, criminal ventures and dark deeds that are finally uncovered. She introduces us to Sigurdis, a young police officer with a traumatic past, who is finally given the chance to sink her teeth into a major investigation when celebrated government official Óttar Karlsson is found murdered on the beach after failing to show up for his surprise 50th birthday party. The police are initially stumped as to who could have wanted to kill this well-liked man until Sigurdis discovers a safe hidden in Óttar’s luxury apartment that reveals he was not the man anyone thought he was. The signs all point to a financially motivated crime but Sigurdis isn’t convinced and her gut is telling her this was more personal. But can she prove it? 

My love for everything Orenda publishes is no secret, and their translated crime fiction are some of my favourite books, so I was very excited about this one. I might not need yet another crime series on my TBR, but I knew it would be a mistake not to read this book. And once again they’ve struck gold. After reading this it’s easy to see why it was the winner of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Debut and Katrín Júlíusdóttir is undoubtedly an author to watch. Cleverly plotted, sharply observed, and skillfully written, she intricately weaves together a plethora of narrators and threads perfectly. She keeps you guessing, sporadically including old diary entries from an unknown narrator that add to the dark undertones already running through the pages. I was on a knife-edge from the first page right up until the surprising conclusion. I don’t mind admitting that I did not get this one right at all!

“Ottar seemed to have the psychopaths knack of adapting himself to the people from whom he wanted something, showing interest and understanding until his prey believed that they had found a soul mate and placed complete trust in him.”

I love the added apprehension multiple narrators can bring to a book and the different voices telling this story put the tension through the roof. Ms. Júlíusdóttir has packed this book with an array of realistic and compelling characters and while it did take me some time to fully connect with some of them, it was never confusing. I liked that it was always clear that Sigurdis is our central character and I thought she was a great protagonist. She’s likeable and easy to root for and has a dark, traumatic and heartbreaking backstory that only strengthened the bond I felt with her.  While Sigurdis is probably our most frequent narrator, Óttar is only ever on the page as a memory or a victim, Júlíusdóttir manages to make him feel vivid and three dimensional. We feel his sinister presence polluting every page as his misdeeds haunt those he left behind and every time I thought I couldn’t like him any less there would be more revelations that made me dislike him even more. Júlíusdóttir writes these fractured and flawed characters with honesty and sensitivity, allowing us to understand some of their actions and comprehend the trauma and pain they are living with, while never allowing it to feel like their wrongdoings are excused. Her exploration of their dynamics also feels authentic and appreciated the accuracy and relatability with which she wrote these characters and storylines. 

Intelligent, suspenseful and totally gripping, Dead Sweet is a must read for any thriller-lover. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Katrín is a Policy advisor and author. She received the Blackbird Award, an Icelandic crime-writing prize, for her first novel, Sykur (en: Sugar) in 2020. Her debut novel was reviewed well by critics and hit the best-selling lists in the first weeks after publication.

She was the Managing Director of Finance Iceland from 2016-2022. She has a political background and was a member of Parliament from 2003 until 2016. The Minister of industry, energy and tourism from 2009-2012 and Minister of finance and economy from 2012-2013. She served as the Social Democratic Alliance’s vice-chair from 2013-2016.

Before she was elected to Parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector, as well as the Managing Director of a student union during her uni years. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, as a store clerk and took nighttime shifts at a pizza place. She studied Anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University.

She was raised in Kópavogur, about 15 minutes’ drive from downtown Reykjavík. She now lives in the neighbouring town of Garðabær with her family. She is married to author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys.

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MEET THE TRANSLATOR:

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language, a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident. He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice) which have been published worldwide. He has translated all of Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliopiles xxx

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

*These links are affiliate links


 

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: Unnatural Death (Kay Scarpetta Book 27) by Patricia Cornwell

Published November 23rd, 2023 by Sphere
Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fition, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Women Sleuths, Medical Thriller, Crime Series

Today I’m delighted to be opening the blog tour for the riveting new instalment in the Kay Scarpetta series. Thank you to Midas PR and Sphere for the invitation to take part and gifted proof.

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SYNOPSIS:

THE BREATHTAKING NEW KAY SCARPETTA THRILLER FROM THE 120-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER

Two mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta’s career . . .

In this thrilling new instalment of the #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.

The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.

After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.

‘A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better’
CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END

‘Sinister, surprising and utterly unputdownable. Cornwell at her brilliant best’
M. J. ARLIDGE, author of EYE FOR AN EYE

‘Classic Cornwell with an up-to-the-minute twenty-first-century plot. An intoxicating blend that proves Scarpetta is still queen of the autopsy and Cornwell is still queen of crime fiction’
ANDREA MARA, author of NO ONE SAW A THING

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MY REVIEW:

The bodies of two campers are discovered in Buckingham Run, a remote part of the North Virginia wilderness. The victims have savagely mauled so viciously that they are unrecognisable and the rest of the evidence is bizarre, perplexing, and frightening. To make matters even more complicated, the victims were wanted by federal law enforcement, and Dr Kay Scarpetta and her team liaise with them as they investigate this baffling case. 

There’s no question that Patricia Cornwell is one of the queens of crime fiction or that her Kay Scarpetta series is incredible, so needless to say, I had high hopes for Unnatural Death and was excited to read it even though it has shamefully been a number of years since I last read one of her books. I was not disappointed. Timely, tense, mysterious, eerie, this gripping thriller was a brilliant return to this series for me. It was easy to read as a standalone, Ms. Cornwell catching the reader up on important facts about the characters and their histories succinctly so that you feel like you’ve never missed a thing. The plot is intriguing, with hints of mythology and something ‘other’ hovering ominously over the pages alongside the very human threat that is also present. Cornwell pulls no punches, diving headfirst into the action from the first page and not letting up until the last, keeping me guessing the whole time. This was a case where I truly had no idea where it was going and I enjoyed the ride with its many twists and turns. 

Kay Scarpetta is a likeable and charismatic character and makes a great narrator. She was likeable, easy to root for, and I loved her bold, tenacious and outgoing personality. There is a lot of great banter between her and the other characters, but I particularly enjoyed her relationship with her niece, Lucy. Lucy was my favourite character after Kay and they seem like real peas in a pod. I even think Lucy would make a great focus for another series – hint hint.

Unsettling, elusive, mysterious, and compelling, Unnatural Deaths is a riveting must-read for any self-respecting crime fan,

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and two other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano and Andy Brazil. While writing Quantum, Cornwell spent two years researching space, technology, and robotics at Captain Calli Chase’s home base, NASA’s Langley Research Center, and studied cutting-edge law enforcement and security techniques with the Secret Service, the US Air Force, NASA Protective Services, Scotland Yard, and Interpol.

Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston and Los Angeles.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones*| Bookshop.org*| Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxx

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

*These links are purchase links