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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: Into the Dark by Orjan Karlsson

Published January 15th, 2026 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Urban Fiction, Nordic Noir, Translated Fiction

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

In Norway’s far north, something unspeakable is surfacing…

When a mutilated body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringøy, it shocks the quiet coastal village – and stirs something darker beneath. Not long after, a young woman is found dead in a drab Bodø apartment. Suicide, perhaps. Or something far more sinister. 

Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into both cases. Then a hiker reports a terrifying encounter in the nearby wilderness: a solitary cabin … and a man without a face.

As the investigation deepens, the clues grow more disturbing – and the wild, wintry landscape closes in. Jakob is certain of one thing: if they don’t find the killer soon, he’ll strike again.

SECOND in the dark, addictive Nordic Noir series set in Norway’s unforgiving Arctic north.

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MY REVIEW:

The Kerringoy Women’s Naked Bathing Club are going for their monthly wild swim when a body rises from the depths of the icy sea. The discovery sends shockwaves through the quiet coastal village. But more shocks are to come and soon after the body of a young woman is found dead in an apartment in Bodo. At first it seems like a simple suicide, but soon it appears to be something far more sinister. Detectives Jakob Weber and Noora Yun Sande are called in to investigate both cases. As they do, the clues become increasingly disturbing. And the clock is ticking before their killer strikes again. Can they find them before they do?

Dark, suspenseful, unnerving and addictive, the second installment in the Arctic Mysteries series is every bit as bingeable as the first. Ørjan Karlsson shows no signs of second-book syndrome here, delivering another skillfully written thriller that is cleverly plotted and keeps the reader on their toes. I was hooked and would find myself thinking about the story whenever I wasn’t reading. I couldn’t wait to get back to it and find out what would happen next. There are multiple narrators and threads to this story but Karlsson avoids it getting confusing, shifting seamlessly between them and intricately weaving the threads together in surprising ways. 

I loved being back with Jakob and Noora, two charismatic characters who are very easy to root for. When we meet them this time around Jakob is still grieving the loss of his wife, Lise, while trying to learn to navigate his new relationship and being a guardian for his half-brother. Meanwhile, Noora is recovering from the hip injury she sustained and trying to prove she’s fit enough to be back at work. These personal struggles are woven into the story, providing obstacles to their investigations that they must overcome. The other characters are just as well written and compelling and I liked that Karlsson gave us a number of suspects for both cases. I thought I had it completely sussed but he pulled a blinder, leaving me completely shook by the reveal. 

Sinister, forbidding and unsettling, this is a must for fans of darker thrillers or Nordic Noir. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part in this blog tour, and to Orenda Books for sending me a proof copy of the book in exchange for my honest reivew.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ørjan Karlsson grew up in Bodø, a town north of the Arctic Circle. He holds a master’s degree in sociology and received officer training in the army. He has participated in international missions for the EU, UN and NATO, and has worked for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and the Directorate for Civil Protection. Ørjan has written a large number of thrillers, sci-fi novels and crime novels for adults, including an acclaimed thriller series featuring Major Frank Halvorsen and Lieutenant Ida Vinterdal of the Norwegian special forces. Into Thin Air, his sixteenth novel, began the Arctic Mysteries series and was first published in English, to much acclaim, in 2024.

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ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

Ian Giles has a PhD in Scandinavian literature from the University of Edinburgh. Past translations include novels by crime and thriller luminaries such as Arne Dahl, Carin Gerhardsen, Michael Katz Krefeld, David Lagercrantz, Camilla Läckberg and Gustaf Skördeman. His translation of Andreas Norman’s Into a Raging Blaze was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger.

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

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BOOK REVIEW: Blackwater by Sarah Sultoon

Published December 4th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Noir Fiction, Hardboiled, Political Thriller

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

The world is counting down to the millennium – and to disaster. When a child’s body is found on a remote island east of London, journalist Jonny Murphy is sent to investigate. What he uncovers is more than a tragedy. It’s a warning. Something catastrophic is coming … and Jonny might be the only one who can stop it.

‘A propulsive, atmospheric thriller that ratchets up the tension with every page’ TM Logan

‘A powerhouse writer’ Jo Spain

‘Cleverly layered and beautifully atmospheric … Sarah Sultoon has become an auto-buy author for me’ Kia Abdullah

‘The clock ticks down towards a fantastic payoff … Abandoned islands, thrilling chases, investigative journalists – what more could you want?’ Holly Watt

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They feared the machines. 

They should have feared the people…

London, Christmas 1999. The world is on edge. With the new millennium just days away, fears of the Millennium Bug are spiralling – warnings of computer failures, market crashes, even global catastrophe. But fifty miles east, on the frozen Blackwater Island, a different kind of mystery unfolds. A child’s body is discovered on the bracken, untouched by footprints, with no sign of how he died. And no one has come forward to claim him.

At the International Tribune, reporter Jonny Murphy senses something is off. Police are appealing for relatives, not suspects. An anonymous call led officers to the scene, but no one knows who made it. While the world fixates on a digital apocalypse, Jonny sees the real disaster unfolding closer to home. With just twenty-hour hours before the century turns, he heads to Blackwater – driven by curiosity, desperation, and the sting of rejection from his colleague Paloma.

But Blackwater has secrets buried deep in the frozen ground. More victims – some dead, others still paying for past sins. And when Paloma catches up to him, they stumble onto something far bigger than either of them imagined. Something that could change everything. The millennium is coming. The clock is ticking. Can Jonny stop it? Should he?

And what if Y2K wasn’t a hoax, but a warning…?

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MY REVIEW:

Christmas, 1999. A young child’s body is discovered  in the black mud on Blackwater Island. The island is a protected nature reserve and is supposedly uninhabited. So how did the child get here? How did he die? And, most strangely, why has no one come forward to claim him? Suspicious of why the police are appealing for relatives but not suspects, journalist Jonny Murphy travels to Blackwater, a place mired in myth and legend, to investigate. He meets DC Gillian Peters, the only permanently placed officer in the area, who is overworked and understaffed. Residents talk about a ghost who haunts the island, which is a place mired in myth and legend. But Jonny’s investigations soon lead him to evidence of a much more human crime and to decades-old secrets that threaten to be exposed.

Suspenseful, sharp, intelligent and totally addictive, I flew through this heart-pounding thriller in just two sittings. It was impossible to put down as Sarah Sultoon once again delivered a skilfully written story of secrets, mystery and cover-ups. It jumps straight in with both feet and never misses a beat, taking you on a fast-paced rollercoaster ride full of crazy twists and surprising revelations. I loved that I never knew where it would go next and how Ms. Sultoon kept me on my toes until the last page.

The dawn of a new century and the millennium bug are as important to this story as the mystery of the little boy’s death. The two storylines are intricately interwoven, all the enigma of who the boy is and what happened to him merging with the chaos and fear that surrounds the impending turn of the millennium. Do you remember where you were on New Year’s Eve 1999 and the Y2K/millenium bug hysteria? I remember it all vividly. So, this was nostalgic for me, transporting me back to the craziness and uncertainty of what would happen when the clock struck midnight. Sultoon perfectly captures those feelings, creating a sense of foreboding that is palpable.

Sense of place is important to this story and Ms. Sultoon has created a place that is dark, mythical, mysterious, claustrophobic and vibrates with the secrets it’s keeping. It gave me chills and its strange and secretive residents only added to the eerie atmosphere it exuded. I’d not want to be there at night and my heart raced as Jonny and his colleague, Paloma, investigated. I was rooting for them, and Gillian, to solve the mystery and enjoyed reading them. I also enjoyed the background characters and loved that we were never sure who the villain was right up until the very end. 

A clever and gripping thriller that will have you hooked, I highly recommend this one.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part in this blog tour and to Orenda for sending me a copy of the book in exchnage for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Sultoon is an award-winning journalist and writer, whose work as an international news executive with CNN and for Channel 4 News has taken her all over the world, from the seats of power in both Westminster and Washington to the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. Her debut thriller, The Source, was a Capital Crime Book Club pick, won the Crime Fiction Lover Best Debut Award, was nominated for the CWA’s New Blood Dagger, was a number one bestseller on Kindle and is currently in production with Lime Pictures. It was followed by the critically acclaimed The Shot, Dirt and Death Flight.

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BLOG TOUR: Scars of Silence (Lidingo Mysteries, 2) by Johana Gustawsson

Published November 20th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Hardboiled, Police Procedural, Crime Fiction, Crime Series

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

When two teenagers are found brutally murdered on the island of Lidingö, dressed in white tunics and wearing crowns of candles, former French police officer Maïa Rehn joins local Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery with a shockingly dark heart. The highly anticipated sequel to the international bestselling gothic mystery, Yule Island.

‘A horrific, baffling crime startles a small Swedish community. This is perfect Scandi Noir, dripping with atmosphere. The writing shines, and the story is impossible to resist. Gustawsson is a master’ Shari Lapena

‘A gripping mystery simmering with social outrage – this is what crime fiction should be’ Alexandra Sokoloff

‘Johana Gustawsson is an extraordinarily talented storyteller, with a beautiful, eloquent writing style. Scars of Silence unfolds at a breathless pace, and the climax is devastating’ Kate Rhodes

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Twenty-three years ago, a young woman was murdered on the Swedish island of Lidingö. 
The island has kept its silence. 


Until now…

As autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the island is plunged into chaos: in the space of a week, two teenaged boys are murdered. Their bodies are left deep in the forest, dressed in white tunics with crowns of candles on their heads, like offerings to Saint Lucia.


Maïa Rehn has fled Paris for Lidingö after a family tragedy. But when the murders shake the island community, the former police commissioner is drawn into the heart of the investigation, joining Commissioner Aleksander Storm to unravel a mystery as chilling as the Nordic winter.

As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that a wind of vengeance is blowing through the archipelago, unearthing secrets that are as scandalous as they are inhuman.

But what if the victims weren’t who they seemed? What if those long silenced have finally found a way to strike back?

How far would they go to make their tormentors pay?

And you – how far would you go?

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MY REVIEW:

Happy book birthday to this heart-pounding slice of Scandi-Noir!

The small Swedish community of Lidingo is left reeling when the body of a boy who has been brutally murdered is discovered. He is found dressed as St Lucia: wearing a white tunic with a crown of candles on his damaged skull. Parallels are immediately drawn with another brutal murder 24 years earlier. Aleksander Storm and Maia Rehn work together to try and solve the crime and search for links to the historic murder. When another boy is found killed and dressed in the same way, they start to wonder if they have a serial killer on their hands. And, as they dig deeper, they unearth scandalous secrets that point towards a killer out for revenge after being silenced for too long…

Dark, powerful, atmospheric and heart-poundingly tense, the second book in the Lidingo mysteries packs a punch from the start. Johana Gustawsson has become one of my favourite thriller writers in recent years. A sinister storytelling powerhouse, she gets better with each book and has delivered another nerve-shredding whodunnit that simmers with horror whilst also exploring timely and relevant social issues such as consent. Exquisitely written, cleverly choreographed, fast-paced and filled with surprising twists, Gustawsson had me on the edge of my seat from its shocking opening to its devastating conclusion. And that reveal? I never saw it coming! Bravo, Ms. Gustawsson, bravo. 

One of the things I love about a series is coming back to the characters, and it was great to be back with Aleks and Maia. They are compelling characters who I enjoy reading, and this time around both of them are going through their share of turmoil alongside their search for a killer. Gustawsson strikes the balance between their stories and the plot perfectly, never allowing the pace to drop for even a moment as she also helps us develop an even stronger bond with our protagonists. I can’t wait to return for book three!

A darkly chilling and addictive Scandi Noir that you don’t want to miss, I highly recommend this book and series.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part in this blog tour and Orenda Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in nineteen countries. A TV adaptation is currently under way in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding was a number-one bestseller in France and is the first in a new series. Johana lives in Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.

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ABOUT THE TRASLATOR:

David Warriner translates from French and nurtures a healthy passion for Franco, Nordic and British crime fiction. Growing up in deepest Yorkshire, he developed incurable Francophilia at an early age. Emerging from Oxford with a Modern Languages degree he narrowly escaped the graduate rat race by hopping on a plane to Canada – and never looked back. More than a decade into a high-powered commercial translation career, he listened to his heart and turned his hand to the delicate art of literary translation. David has lived in France and Quebec, and now calls beautiful British Columbia home.

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BLOG TOUR: Never Tear Us Apart by Rowan Coleman

Published July 3rd, 2025 by Hodder Books
Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Fantasy, War Story, Time Travel Fiction, Contemporary Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

Welcome to my review of this mesmerising story. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Hodder Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A spellbinding tale of love, strength and sacrifice from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Based on the gorgeous island of Malta in WWII, this is a story about the power of fate, and how sometimes, in order to find yourself – and to find love – you must first lose everything else. . .

Fate has brought them together. Will time tear them apart?

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2025

Named after a star, war correspondent Maia knows how to find the brightest stories – the tales of survival and strength – hidden amongst the dark realities of combat.

Now, travelling to Malta to visit her estranged father, with one more chance to build a relationship with her last remaining relative, she’s here to find her own story: never having found somewhere – or someone – she can call home, she’s desperate for answers that might show her where she truly belongs.

But when she arrives on the beautiful mediterranean island, she realises her long-lost family is full of more secrets than she could possibly have imagined. . .

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1942

Maia wakes up to find herself on an island under siege, a city in ruins – and knows she must have been sent here for a reason.

Who has she been sent to save? Or is it Maia herself that needs saving? And just when she’s finally found what she’s been seeking . . . will time separate them forever?


Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Santa Montefiore and Dinah Jefferies.

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MY REVIEW:

Breathtaking, moving and unforgettable, Never Tear Us Apart is a truly special book that has stolen a piece of my heart forever.  A dual timeslip novel, it follows war correspondent Maia Borg, who we first meet in 2025 when she is visiting Malta, the place her estranged father, David, was born. It is her first time here but Maia soon finds that she feels like she’s coming home. But one day while visiting a temple, Maia faints and wakes in an unfamiliar place. This place is dark, noisy and airless. And she quickly realises she is in a shelter while bombs fall around them. It is 1942 and Malta is under siege from the Nazis and their allies. At first she thinks it’s a dream or that her PTSD is giving her hallucinations. But over time, as she takes multiple trips between timelines, Maia starts to believe that her presence in both places is real. But why? What has she been sent back for? As she makes friends and begins to fall in love, Maia realises she has finally found a place she truly belongs. But just as that happens, something threatens to take it all away…

Rowan Coleman is an author whose books are on my autoread list and I’ve always had a soft spot for her historical fiction stories most of all. So I couldn’t wait to read this book. I had high hopes but was unprepared for the beauty of this book and the emotional rollercoaster I was about to embark on. This book really should come with a warning! Exquisitely written, cleverly choreographed and filled with vivacious characters, you can feel how much of Rowan’s heart and soul has been poured into this story. She made Malta come alive on these pages, transporting me to a place that has been on my bucket list for decades. I felt like I was taking every step and feeling every emotion alongside Maia. As a fan of history and historical fiction, I appreciated Rowan’s meticulous research and loved all of the history in this story. It was fascinating and I love how she allowed us to learn alongside Maia and experience her joy at understanding more about this country and her heritage. It has definitely made me even more eager to pay a visit and see these places for myself.

This book has a bit of everything: history, romance, drama, mystery and sci-fi, all merged together in perfect harmony to create a story I never wanted to end. I also didn’t want to leave these wonderful characters behind. I was so invested in their lives and was rooting for Maia at every step. I was on the edge of my seat, especially as we got to the final third of the book and the stakes got even higher. The sense of apprehension, urgency, tension and foreboding was palpable, leaping from the pages and setting my nerves on edge. I couldn’t have put this book down even if my house had been on fire. 

A mesmerising story that demands to be read, I highly recommend this book.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rowan Coleman is the internationally bestselling and award winning author and screenwriter of sixteen novels including THE MEMORY BOOK, THE SUMMER OF IMPOSSIBLE THINGS and THE GIRL AT THE WINDOW.

A life long Bronte fan, under the Bronte inspired pen name Bella Ellis, Rowan also writes the Bronte Mysteries – a carefully researched series of novels that imagine that before they were were famous the Bronte Sisters were amateur detectives. THE VANISHED BRIDE and THE DIABOLICAL BONES and The RED MONARCH are out now.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*
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BLOG TOUR: The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen

Published October 23rd, 2025 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Suspense, Humourous Fiction, Translated Fiction

Welcome to my review for this chaotic and comedic crime caper. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part an to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A desperate father’s Christmas promise sparks a wild Finnish road trip involving an antique sofa, unexpected passengers and danger … A darkly humorous and warmly touching suspense novel about friendship, love and death, The Winter Job flies at 120 kilometres an hour straight into the darkest heart of a Finnish winter night. 

Fargo meets Carl Hiassen and Fredrik Backman … via the Coen Brothers

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Sofas, secrets and a snowbound road to trouble…

Helsinki, 1982. Recently divorced postal worker Ilmari Nieminen has promised his daughter a piano for Christmas, but with six days to go – and no money – he’s desperate. 

A last-minute job offers a solution: transport a valuable antique sofa to Kilpisjärvi, the northernmost town in Finland. 

With the sofa secured in the back of his van, Ilmari stops at a gas station, and an old friend turns up, offering to fix his faulty wipers, on the condition that he tags along. Soon after, a persistent Saab 96 appears in the rearview mirror. And then a bright-yellow Lada.

That’s when Ilmari realises that he is transporting something truly special. 

And that’s when Ilmari realises he might be in serious trouble…

A darkly funny and unexpectedly moving thriller about friendship, love and death – The Winter Job tears through the frozen landscape of northern Finland in a beat-up van with bad steering, worse timing, and everything to lose…

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MY REVIEW:

The king of the comedy crime caper has knocked it out of the park once again with this atmospheric, quirky, witty and addictive that’s as dark and forbidding as the Finnish winter.

Helsinki, 1982. Postal worker Ilmari Nieminen is down on his luck. But when his twelve-year-old daughter tells him she wants a piano, he vows to get it for her for Christmas. As the deadline approaches, Ilmari’s financial woes continue so he accepts a job transporting an antique sofa that is at the centre of a family dispute. But he soon realises that this job isn’t all it seems. Shortly after bumping into an old school friend who helps fix his wipers, Ilmari notices that two cars are pursuing him and seem eager to get their hands on the sofa, too. But why? Whoever heard of armed robbing a sofa? The friends take a closer look at the sofa and are shocked at what they found. This is no ordinary sofa and Ilmari realises he could be in trouble. What follows is a cat-and-mouse chase across the country in a snowstorm that leaves us wondering if Ilmari will be able to deliver his cargo and keep his promise to his daughter.

Antti Tuomainen is an author who never misses. This is my fifth time reading one of his books and I’ve loved every minute of reading them. Full of dark humour, sinister deeds and memorable characters, Tuomainen knows how to hold his reader in his thrall, keeping them guessing and on the edge of their seat right to the very last page. And he does just that with his latest offering, The Winter Job, a high-speed chase across snowy Finland to take possession of a sofa that also explores themes of love, death, loneliness, trust and friendship. It’s chaotic, cryptic, unorthodox, unpredictable, suspenseful, and bloody brilliant. And it more than lives up to Tuomainen’s reputation for original, madcap stories that work thanks to his accomplished storytelling, witty observations and adventure-filled storylines interwoven with a sense of danger. That sense of peril and danger is elevated in this book by the dark and snowy landscape as it creates greater obstacles for the characters to overcome. And don’t get me started on his red herrings. Antti, you totally had me going there more than once!

The book is filled with a motley crew of characters who are unique and unforgettable. Some of them likeable, others detestable, but they are all a delight  to read and add something essential to the story. These are flawed people who are dealing with varying issues, trying to survive and do what is right to them. Ilmari was a great protagonist who was likeable, easy to root for, and I enjoyed watching him rediscover a friendship with Antero. Meanwhile the villains were easy to dislike but fun to read, especially Otto. He was one crazy psycho! Someone I’d hate to meet in real life but love reading in a book. 

Wildly entertaining, surprising and compelling, this book is perfect for thriller fans who are looking for something a bit different. Highly recommended.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when we made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula,and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm BeachFinland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’, and Little Siberia (2019) was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the prequel to The Moose Paradox, will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios.

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ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The HummingbirdThe Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories. In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Orenda Books | Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*
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BLOG TOUR REVIEW: The Waterfall by Gareth Rubin

Published September 25th, 2025 by Simon & Schuster UK
Historical Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this intricately intweroven historical mystery. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A story about stories within stories, as four interconnected mysteries take the reader through the ages, from Shakespeare’s day to a 19th-century Gothic former Priory, to 1920s Venice, and finally to 1940s California, from the internationally bestselling author of The Turnglass.

We begin with the last testament of William Shakespeare as he investigates the real-life murder mystery of his friend, playwright Christopher Marlowe.

The second story is a 19th-century Gothic tale about the discovery of Shakespeare’s manuscript, set in an isolated former Priory, now a clinic for those who cannot sleep.

The third is a lighter Golden Age detective tale set in Venice, where private investigator Honora Feldman looks into a baffling case of theft and murder in the British expat community, with the Gothic story at its heart.

And finally, a 1940s American Noir, as Ken Kourian finds that a serial killer is recreating all the murders in The Waterfall, the companion book to his friend Oliver Tooke’s The Turnglass.

The Waterfall is a beguiling and intricate mystery that cements Gareth Rubin’s position as one of the most original authors writing today.

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MY REVIEW:

Darkly atmospheric, intricate and compelling, The Waterfall is a book about stories within stories that transports us from Shakespere’s Stratford to a 19th century Gothic former priory, to 1920s Venice, and then 1940s California in four interconnected mysteries.

Original, immersive and layered, this captivating story is a unique experience. Beautifully written, cleverly choreographed and rich in historic detail, Gareth Rubin showcases himself as a masterful storyteller with a style that is all his own. From the first pages I felt like I’d stepped back in time, Rubin bringing each era to life with his skillful use of language, vivid imagery and richly drawn characters. I’ll admit, it took me a little time to get used to the language used in the first story, but once I did I was completely lost in the narrative. 

I love reading books that merge fact with fiction, so the fact that the first story featured real people and a real murder piqued my interest straight away. Rubin’s reimagining of that mystery and the way that he connected it with the four other stories is nothing short of genius. I loved the concept of four interconnected stories but after reading this first one I couldn’t imagine how he could connect this 16th century murder to the other three timelines but Rubin pulls it off with finesse, expertly interweaving them together to create a story that moves between timelines and narrators. It is so well done that there were times I had to remind myself that the other characters weren’t real people and I was reading a work of fiction, not fact. All of the characters were richly drawn, dynamic and compelling, but my favourite was Pips and I wish there’d been more of her. 

There is so much more I’d love to say about this book but that would mean spoilers and I don’t do those! So, I’ll just say that if you’re looking for a well-written historical mystery with a difference, then this is the book for you.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gareth Rubin writes about social affairs, travel and the arts for British newspapers. In 2013 he directed a documentary about therapeutic art at the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London (‘Bedlam’). 
His books include Liberation Square, set in Soviet-occupied London; The Winter Agent, about British agents in Paris on the eve of D-Day and The Turnglass, two entwined mysteries that take place in Essex in 1881 and Los Angeles in 1939.
He read English literature at the University of St Andrews and trained at East 15 Acting School.

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BLOG TOUR: Deadman’s Pool by Kate Rhodes

Published September 25th, 2025 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Crime Series, Hardboiled, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural

Welcome to my bookish thoughts on this nerve-shredding thriller. 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.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Ben Kitto discovers the body of a young woman, buried near the ruins of an old isolation hospital on the island of St Helen’s, he is convinced the killer is hiding in plain sight … and determined to take more lives. The breathtaking, gripping new instalment in the Isles of Scilly Mysteries series…

‘A classy, edge-of-the-seat thriller which will keep you guessing throughout!’ B.A. PARIS

‘An absolute master of pace, plotting and character’ ELLY GRIFFITHS

‘Rhodes does a superb job of balancing a portrayal of a tiny community oppressed by secrets with an uplifting evocation of setting’ Sunday Express 

‘Dark, intense, and expertly crafted’ RACHEL ABBOTT

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DI BEN KITTO RETURNS…

A SACRED ISLAND

Winter storms lash the Isles of Scilly, when DI Ben Kitto ferries the islands’ priest to St Helen’s. Father Michael intends to live as a pilgrim in the ruins of an ancient church on the uninhabited island, but an ugly secret is buried among the rocks. Digging frantically in the sand, Ben’s dog, Shadow, unearths the emaciated remains of a young woman.


A SHOCKING MURDER


The discovery chills Ben to the core. The victim is Vietnamese, with no clear link to the community – and her killer has made sure that no one will find her easily.

A KILLER ON THE LOOSE

The storm intensifies as the investigation gathers pace. Soon Scilly is cut off by bad weather, with no help available from the mainland. Ben is certain the killer is hiding in plain sight. He knows they are waiting to kill again – and at unimaginable cost.

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MY REVIEW:

Jumping into a series on the eighth book isn’t something I’d usually do. But – full admission here – I didn’t realise that this book was part of a series when I asked to join the blog tour. I was nervous about starting a series so late and worried I’d feel lost or find it hard to connect with the characters. But Kate Rhodes made it easy by crafting a story that is expertly paced and plotted and richly drawn characters that she brings the reader up to speed on the backstories of so that we never feel out of the loop. 

A winter storm rages on the Isles of Scilly and DI Ben Kitto makes a shocking discovery: a child’s body wrapped in a shroud and buried in the sand. Evidence shows that the victim was kept in a dark place for years. Things take another chilling turn when a newborn baby is left in a box outside the police station. How could a child be kept captive and a pregnancy hidden in such a small, close-knit community? As links between the two cases are confirmed, Ben and his team must battle the elements to find the baby’s mother and to stop a killer before they have the chance to kill again.

Atmospheric, dark, intense and unpredictable, this had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. A vivid sense of place and character makes the islands and their inhabitants come alive and made me lose myself in this small community and the hunt for a depraved killer and vulnerable new mother. DI Ben Kitto is a likeable protagonist who obviously cares a lot about his job and his home and I was behind him at every step. The inclusion of Mai’s story added an extra layer of tension that made the stakes even higher and her emotions were palpable. I was on tenterhooks with my heart racing, unable to put the book down as I desperately needed to know if they would find her before it’s too late. Rhodes provided multiple possible culprits, planting seeds of doubt that could have been clues or read herrings that kept me guessing right up until the shocking truth was unveiled. 

Nerve-shredding and totally superb, I’m so glad that I finally discovered this series and can’t wait to read the backlist. Highly recommended.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet, selected by Val McDermid’s New Blood panel at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival for her debut, Crossbones Yard. She has been nominated twice for the prestigious CWA Dagger in the Library award, and is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker Dave Pescod, and visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child, which gave her the idea for the critically acclaimed Isles of Scilly Mysteries series

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen

Published August 14th, 2025 by Orenda
Thriller, Mystery, Dark Comedy, Humour, Translated Ficiton

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this addictive dark comedy. Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A top saleswoman at a Finnish sauna company must outwit the police and a murderer when her boss is found dead … in a sauna. A darkly funny, tense new thriller from ‘The funniest writer in Europe’ (The Times)
 
‘The best comic crime novel you’ll read this year’ Abir Mukherjee
 
‘Suspense is uppermost in this adroit mix of psychological thriller, whodunnit and middle-aged rom-com. Comedy is still pervasive … the novel’s glorious gallery of weirdos’ Sunday Times Book of the Month 
 
‘Finnish author Tuomainen has a talent for creating offbeat characters … [a] tense, pacy novel, laced with the author’s trademark laconic humour’ Guardian Book of the Month 
 
‘It may seem hard to find good comic crime-writers, but clearly we haven’t been looking in Finland … simultaneously thrilling and evocative of the mundanity of life, and also very funny indeed’ Telegraph
  
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Love, murder, middle age, and a sauna to die for…
 
A cold-blooded killer strikes at the hottest moment: the new head of a sauna-stove company is murdered … in the sauna. Who has turned up the temperature and burned him to death?
 
The evidence points in the direction of Anni Korpinen – top salesperson and the victim’s successor at Steam Devil.
 
And as if hitting middle-age, being in a marriage that has lost its purpose, and struggling with work weren’t enough, Anni realizes that she must be quicker than both the police and the murderer to uncover who is behind it all – before it’s too late…
 
From the international bestselling author of Little Siberia and The Rabbit Factor, comes a darkly funny, delightfully tense new thriller that showcases humanity at its most bare – in middle age, suspected of murder and, of course, in a sauna…

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MY REVIEW:

A new Antti Tuomainen book is always something I look forward to. The King of Comic Crime, his books are deliciously absurd, quirky, and darkly funny thrillers that have me hooked from beginning to end. 

In his latest offering, we return to Finland for another caper. This time there is a killer who strikes when their victims are at their most vulnerable: in the sauna.  It starts with the death of an executive of Steam Devil who is found burned to death, the temperature in his sauna raised until he expired. The police think the evidence points to one person: Anni Korpinen, a top salesperson at Steam Devil and the victim’s successor. But Anni says she’s innocent. And now she must prove it. Juggling her own investigation into the crime alongside her job, middle-age, and a marriage that’s falling apart. 

Antti’s books are best read pretty blind as the joy is in the discovery of his wild and thrilling stories, so I’ll not tell you much more about the plot. What I will tell you is that when you pick this up you’re in for a treat; a crazy, rollercoaster ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat, make you angry, make you laugh when you shouldn’t, and keep you guessing right up until the big reveal. Just make sure you don’t have anything planned when you start reading, because you’ll not be moving again until you’ve finished. 

Original, hilarious, tense and addictive, pick up The Burning Stones is the perfect thriller for anyone looking for something a bit different but totally brilliant. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when we made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for Best Finnish Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. In 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime-genre formula,and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm BeachFinland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’, and Little Siberia (2019) was shortlisted for the Capital Crime/Amazon Publishing Readers Awards, the Last Laugh Award and the CWA International Dagger, and won the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. The Rabbit Factor, the prequel to The Moose Paradox, will soon be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell for Amazon Studios.

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ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:

David Hackston is a British translator of Finnish and Swedish literature and drama. Notable publications include The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, Maria Peura’s coming-of-age novel At the Edge of Light, Johanna Sinisalo’s eco-thriller Birdbrain, two crime novels by Matti Joensuu and Kati Hiekkapelto’s Anna Fekete series (which currently includes The HummingbirdThe Defenceless and The Exiled, all published by Orenda Books). He also translates Antti Tuomainen’s stories. In 2007 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Translation. David is also a professional countertenor and a founding member of the English Vocal Consort of Helsinki.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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

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

BLOG TOUR: The Betrayal of Thomas True by A. J. West

Published July 3rd, 2025 by Orenda Books
Historical Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Romance Novel, Historical Mystery, Gothic Ficiton, Adventure Fiction, Gay Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this mesmerising and unforgettable novel. Thank you to Anne for the offer to take part and to Orenda Books for sending me a proof copy in exchange for my honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Set in the buried streets of Georgian London and the outrageous underworld of the molly houses, a carpenter hiding a double life searches for a traitor who is betraying the secrets of the mollies. The devastatingly beautiful, brutal, raucous and tender historical thriller – a Top Ten Sunday Times bestseller!

‘Heartbreaking, beautiful, lyrical. I was captivated … you won’t want to put it down’ Catriona Ward
 
‘Utterly thrilling’ Elizabeth MacNeal
 
‘An immersive, illuminating and exceptionally entertaining novel’ Matt Cain
 
‘Stunning and powerful … You’ll never forget Thomas True’ Janice Hallett
 
‘A clever mystery, a powerful love story … affected me more than anything I’ve read in a long time’ Gareth Brown

**WINNER OF THE HWA DEBUT CROWN**
**THE TOP TEN Sunday Times BESTSELLER**
**SHORTLISTED for Booksellers Association Author of the Year**

_________________
 
The only sin is betrayal…
 
It is the year 1715, and Thomas True has arrived on old London Bridge with a dangerous secret. One night, lost amongst the squalor of London’s hidden back streets, he finds himself drawn into the outrageous underworld of the molly houses.
 
Meanwhile, carpenter Gabriel Griffin struggles to hide his double life as Lotty, the molly’s stoic guard. When a young man is found murdered, he realises there is a rat amongst them, betraying their secrets to a pair of murderous Justices.
 
Can Gabriel unmask the traitor before they hang? Can he save hapless Thomas from peril, and their own forbidden love?
 
Set amidst the buried streets of Georgian London, The Betrayal of Thomas True is a brutal and devastating thriller, where love must overcome evil, and the only true sin is betrayal…

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MY REVIEW:

Brave, powerful, visceral, and outrageous, this book is a masterpiece. Intertwining gothic fiction, historical fiction, romance and bawdy romp, this book broke me into pieces and then put me back together.  And that finale! I was lost for words, left feeling wrung-out, devastated, and uplifted all the same time. 

The Betrayal of Thomas True transports us to Georgian London, exploring the scandalous underbelly of the molly houses. Thomas True has arrived in London in search of a new life. But he’s harbouring a dangerous secret. A secret that leads him to be drawn into this bizarre underworld and its vibrant characters. The men who frequent them are forced to live double lives for fear of recrimination and risk everything to live as their true selves for a few short hours. But there is a rat amongst them who is betraying their secrets to a pair of cruel Justices. As Thomas and Gabriel, the molly’s guard, try to resist their forbidden love, can they unmask the rat before more lives are lost?

A. J. West is a master storyteller. This was my first time reading one of his books and he has immediately secured a spot on my auto-buy list. Expertly choreographed and sublimely written, West weaves gossamer layers of compelling storylines and a chorus of detailed characters together to create a world that leaps from the pages. It was so vivid that I could see the cobbled streets, smell the squalid air, and hear the raucous laughter of the mollies. West’s meticulous research was evident in the plethora of historic details but these never intruded on his storytelling, creating a story that was  both entertaining and educational as West shined a light on those who were forced to hide in the shadows. It felt welcoming, lively and enthralling from the opening pages and I felt like I’d stepped back in time as I lived every moment alongside the characters. This book captured my heart and soul, taking me through a rainbow of emotions. And that finale! I was lost for words, left feeling wrung-out, devastated, and uplifted all st the same time. 

Mr. West has filled this book with a motley crew of sassy, colourful, and captivating characters. The eponymous Thomas True is a fascinating, complicated protagonist who is on a journey of self-discovery. But does the title refer to him being betrayed, or is he the betrayer? I liked that we didn’t know, adding to the tension as I tried to decide if the things he was saying were true or a clever ruse to cover his tracks. Thomas finds what seems to be an authentic friendship with Gabe, a stoic, burly, bear of a man who is an absolute sweetheart underneath. His backstory broke my heart – I’m tearing up just thinking about it – and I liked him right away. He was easy to root for, I loved his friendship with Thomas, and I got really invested in their blossoming romance, even if I was worried about them being discovered. Gabe was probably my favourite character but I also had a real soft spot for Frump, the Queen of innuendo and a total riot who made me laugh out loud many times. I could happily read a whole book with him at the centre (possible future book idea, A.J.?). 

One of the things I think West does particularly well is portraying how treacherous life was for the mollies. Secrecy and a double life are a matter of life and death for these men, and the rat in their midst makes their lives even more hazardous. This brings me to Justices Grimp and Myre, an odious, vile and murderous pair who travelled the country in search of mollies to ‘bring to justice’, and the rat was giving them names. These evil men used religion and the pursuit of law and justice to sanction cruelty and persecution of others and I wished I could wipe the crooked smiles from their faces. Then there is the rat. I loved that West wrote this book so skillfully that it was hard to land on a suspect. Almost every single character had the potential to be the rat and I went back and forth through a number of suspects. This escalated the tension and kept me guessing, my heart racing as I tried to figure it out. 

Poignant, bold, mesmerising, and spectacular, The Betrayal of Thomas True is storytelling at its finest. Unmissable and unforgettable, this phenomenal tale is a must-read that I can’t recommend highly enough. 

Rating: 🦚🦚🦚🦚🦚

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A.J. West’s bestselling debut novel The Spirit Engineer won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award, gaining international praise for its telling of a long-forgotten true story. 

An award winning BBC newsreader and reporter, he has written for national newspapers and regularly appears on network television discussing his writing and the historical context of contemporary events. 

A passionate historical researcher, he writes at The London Library and museum archives around the world. 

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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

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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
 
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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.

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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

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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.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

********

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