Tag: thriller

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: Upstairs at the Beresford by Will Carver

Published November 9th, 2023 by Orenda
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Horror Fiction, Horror Parody, Satire

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this deliciously diabolical thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Orenda for the proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

Hotel Beresford: a grand old building, just outside the city, where any soul is welcome, and strange goings-on mask explosive, deadly secrets. A chilling, darkly funny sequel to Will Carver’s bestselling The Beresford…
 
There are worse places than hell…
 
Hotel Beresford is a grand, old building, just outside the city. And any soul is welcome. 
 
Danielle Ortega works nights, singing at whatever dive bar will offer her a gig. She gets by, keeping to herself. Sam Walker gambles and drinks, and can’t keep his hands to himself. Now he’s tied up in a shoe closet with a dent in his head that matches Danielle’s broken ashtray. 
 
The man in 731 has been dead for two days and his dog has not stopped barking. Two doors down, the couple who always smokes on the window ledge will mysteriously fall.
 
Upstairs, in the penthouse, Mr Balliol sees it all. He can peer into every crevice of every floor of the hotel from his screen-filled suite. He witnesses humanity and inhumanity in all its forms: loneliness, passion and desperation in equal measure. All the ingredients he needs to make a deal. 
 
When Danielle returns home one night to find Sam gone, a series of sinister events begins to unfold. But strange things often occur at Hotel Beresford, and many are only a distraction to hide something much, much darker…

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MY REVIEW:

“But this is Hotel Beresford. 
It lives, it breathes, it gets to know the people inside.
It knows what has to be done.”

Hotel Beresford is a strange place. Anyone is welcome at the grand building just outside the city, but not everyone can leave. There are many rumours that surround The Beresford, but the truth is more ominous than anyone would imagine. And it is all  observed by Mr. Balliol, the mysterious resident of the Penthouse suite. And we watch with him, seeing snapshots from the lives of some of the staff and residents of the hotel, witnessing the best and worst of humanity as Balliol searches for the souls that offer him the perfect opportunity to make a deadly deal.

He’s done it again. A standing ovation to Will Carver for crafting another deliciously diabolical tale that is impossible to resist. Carver is a genius and he just gets better with every book. He is a master storyteller and dark dream-weaver, making the fabric of reality shift and crack around you as he merges the everyday with the sinister and unexplained to create a world straight out of our nightmares. And he knows exactly how to pull the reader into that world and make them lose themselves there. His writing is sharp, searing, smooth and seductive, striking a resonant chord as he weaves social commentary and complex social issues into this creative and thought-provoking twist on the well-known good vs evil trope. It made me laugh out loud one moment, seethe the next, and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. 

“There are still rumours about the place. Bundy hid out here for a few days, once, while evading the cops. There’s a tunnel underneath where Kennedy or The Beatles could sneak in through the back. Urban legends that lend an air of mystique to Hotel Beresford. 
But now reality is superseding the myth.”

The second in Carver’s The Beresford Trilogy, Upstairs at the Beresford is edgy, original, unsettling and addictive; a macabre conundrum you are powerless to resist, much like those who signed away their souls to Balliol. It starts out strong, diving head-first into the action from the first page and never lets up, forcing you to just hold on and enjoy the bumpy ride. The hotel is a cesspit of people who are merely existing rather than living and there’s dark secrets, peculiar happenings, nefarious characters, inhumanity and far more death than is normal for any hotel. The desperation, danger, duplicity and dysfunction oozes from every crevice, the lives of those inside becoming one with the building itself. And this is not a building like any other. Beresford is alive. It seems to breathe and feast on the souls of those that cross its threshold, either keeping them for itself or changing them forever and unexplainable occurrences are par for the course for its staff. I loved how it was so creepy, unpredictable, absurd and yet also totally plausible. 

There is a compelling mix of characters in this book that range from the relatable, recognisable, lovable and quirky to the deplorable, menacing and vile. They all have their moments where they shine, but there were a few who I particularly enjoyed reading. Young Odie first comes to mind with his love of books and sweet nature. He was far too good for The Beresford and it was impossible not to love and root for him. I also liked Carol, the widowed hotel manager, and Mrs. May, who I enjoyed learning more about after enjoying her character in the last book. The biggest villain for me was without a doubt Danny. That man gave me the ick and I was rooting for him to get his dues. 

Outstanding, alluring, inventive and devilish, Upstairs at the Beresford is a must-read. And while you’re at it, go and read Carver’s backlist too. I promise you won’t regret it. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series and the critically acclaimed, mind-blowingly original Detective Pace series that includes Good Samaritans (2018), Nothing Important Happened Today (2019) and Hinton Hollow Death Trip (2020), all of which were ebook bestsellers and selected as books of the year in the mainstream international press. Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for both the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2020 and the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award. Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for Guardian‘s Not the Booker Prize. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his children.

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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 purchase 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

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave

Published November 9th, 2023 by Orenda
Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Hardboiled, Police Procedural

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the outstanding His Favourite Graves. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and Orenda Books for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

Desperate for reward money – and to rescue his marriage – an embattled sheriff takes incalculable risks to find a missing boy. An edge-of-your-seat, twisted and twisty thriller from New Zealand’s King of Crime.
 
To catch a killer…
Maybe you’ve got to be one…

Acacia Pines, USA. Sheriff Cohen’s life is falling apart – his father accidentally burned down the retirement home, his wife has moved out, and his son is bullying other kids at school.

When high-school student, Lucas Connor, is abducted, Cohen sees a chance to get his life back on track – to win back his wife and scoop the reward money offered for Lucas’s safe return.

But as the body count rises, it becomes clear that Cohen’s going to have to make the kind of decision from which there’s no coming back … a decision with deadly consequences…

A furiously paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller exposing the dark underbelly of small-town life, His Favourite Graves is also a twisted and twisty story of father-and-son relationships, and the one last gamble of a desperate man to save everything…

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MY REVIEW:

OMG. What on earth did I just read?! All the stars for this intense, menacing and mind-blowing thriller. Utterly addictive and unputdownable, His Favourite Graves is a cocktail of pure nerves and adrenaline that I can still feel coursing through my veins. So buckle up and hold on tight, because Paul Cleave is about to take you on one of the bumpiest roller-coasters you’ve ever ridden.

This is one of those books I think is best read without knowing too much about the plot, so I won’t go into too much detail. But I will tell you that there’s kidnapping, murder, desperate people taking desperate measures, and a whole lot of crazy goings on. It starts out with a standard thriller formula: a teenage boy gets abducted by a school janitor who is hiding a dark and deadly secret, and the race is on to find them before it’s too late. But that’s when Cleave puts the cat among the pigeons and deviates from what we’re expecting with a twist that proves to be only the first of many surprises he has in store. Nothing is as it seems in this book. 

Cleverly plotted, deftly spun and wickedly twisty, this is a deceptively layered and nuanced thriller that has teenage angst and family drama woven into the story. Cleave shows us the shades of grey that exist in the shadows by exploring the monsters that lurk inside us, the masks some of us wear, and forcing us to look at the assumptions we make – sometimes unwittingly – about the people around us. The characters are flawed, fractured, tortured, and conflicted, but also vividly real. There is no clear hero or villain; just a murky, blurred line where ordinary people make bad or misguided choices out of desperation, fear, and delusion. They could be any one of us, and that makes them all the more terrifying. 

Paul Cleave just keeps getting better. He is the king of misdirection, lulling me into a false sense of security where I *think* I’ve got things figured out and then: BAM! He drops another shocking twist that hits me like a freight train. Meanwhile, he’s intricately interweaving the many threads in unexpected ways and dropping subtle clues that slip under the radar until much later. He put me off kilter, twisted me up in knots and gave me book whiplash. And it is so freaking good!

Dark, devious, suspenseful and surprising, His Favourite Graves is one of the most outstanding and unsettling thrillers you’ll read this year. Go and read this book!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Paul is an award winning author who often divides his time between his home city of Christchurch, New Zealand, where most of his novels are set, and Europe. He’s won the New Zealand Ngaio Marsh Award three times, the Saint-Maur book festival’s crime novel of the year award in France, and has been shortlisted for the Edgar and the Barry in the US and the Ned Kelly in Australia. HIs books have been translated into over twenty languages. He’s thrown his Frisbee in over forty countries, plays tennis badly, golf even worse, and has two cats – which is often two too many. 

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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.

*Thsee purchase links are affiliate links

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Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Changeling (Six Stories Book 3) by Matt Wesolowski

Published January 15th, 2019 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Thriller, Noir Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror Thriller, Hard-boiled Mystery, Crime Fiction, True Crime

TRIGGER WARNING: Domestic Abuse

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SYNOPSIS:

lusive online journalist Scott King investigates another cold case the disappearance of a seven-year-old boy from his father s car on Christmas Eve in an intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought-provoking thriller, in another episode of Six Stories.

***LONGLISTED for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year***

***SHORTLISTED for Best Thriller at the Amazon Publishing Readers Awards 2019***

***SHORTLISTED for Best Independent Voice at the Amazon Publishing Readers Awards 2019***

‘Insidiously terrifying, with possibly the creepiest woods since The Blair Witch Project  a genuine chiller with a whammy of an ending’ C J Tudor

‘Frighteningly wonderful one of the best books I ve read in years’ Khurrum Rahman

‘A creepy, chilling read that is ridiculously difficult to put down’ Luca Veste

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A missing child
A family in denial
Six witnesses
Six stories
Which one is true?

On Christmas Eve in 1988, seven-year-old Alfie Marsden vanished in the dark Wentshire Forest Pass, when his father, Sorrel, stopped the car to investigate a mysterious knocking sound. No trace of the child, nor his remains, have ever been found. Alfie Marsden was declared officially dead in 1995.

Elusive online journalist, Scott King, whose ‘Six Stories’ podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the disappearance, interviewing six witnesses, including Sorrel and his ex-partner, to try to find out what really happened that fateful night. Journeying through the trees of the Wentshire Forest a place synonymous with strange sightings, and tales of hidden folk who dwell there, he talks to a company that tried and failed to build a development in the forest, and a psychic who claims to know what happened to the little boy

Intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought provoking, Changeling is an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller, taking you to places you will never, ever forget

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MY REVIEW:

“At the end of it all, you just want answers, and for this to end. You want to tie off the loose threads of this case like the veins and arteries of an infected limb; amputate and move on.
It’ll leave a scar.
But you knew that when you started, somehow.”

Changeling is the third instalment in Matt Wesolowski’s sinister Six Stories series. I started this series on book four and then read books five and six before going back to the beginning, so listening to Changeling has completed the series for me. I’ve loved this series and was reluctant to say goodbye, so I put off reading this one for a long time. But finally I decided I could wait no longer and listened to it on audiobook in September. 

The format of six stories is simple but effective: host Scott King takes a cold case and looks at it six different ways for his podcast ‘Six Stories’. He interviews six different witnesses to get the different perspectives on each crime and tries to unearth the long-buried truth In Changeling he is exploring the case that, unbeknownst to him, will have the biggest impact on his life yet. Seven-year-old Alfie Marsden, who vanished in the dark Wentshire Forest Pass on Christmas Eve 1988. His father, Sorrel, was the last person to see him alive. But is he telling the truth about what happened that day in the forest? Could the folklore about Wenshire Forest be true? And could a psychic really hold the key to discovering what really happened to Alfie?

“Some say that Alfie’s disappearance in 1988 was one controversy too many for Wenshire Forest and led to the majority of the site being closed to the public. But this only meant the ghoulish draw of the forest intensified, as did the speculation in the press. Descriptions of alleged occurrences between the tangled branches of one of England’s most ancient woods became distorted and bloated. With story upon story, claim upon claim, Wentshire forest has become a place synonymous with horror.”

Atmospheric, sinister and eerie, this one chilled me to the bone. There’s a missing child and a case that’s steeped in folklore and rumour, making this a difficult one to listen to at times. I don’t mind admitting that I got so freaked out that I had to stop listening and go do something else a couple of times. And that epilogue! I had chills running down my spine. But it wasn’t just the hints of the supernatural that were difficult for me, it was also the discussion of domestic abuse that felt like reliving my own first marriage that made it necessary to take a breather at times. Not that it is explicit or badly written, Wesolowski has written about a difficult subject with honesty and sensitivity that feels very relatable. So much so that I felt like I’d gone back fifteen years and had to centre myself in the present before I could keep listening. Wesolowski addresses writing about domestic abuse in his Author’s Note at the end of the book and I appreciate him bringing awareness to this important subject and including places readers can access support.

As I’ve said before, the premise of this series makes it perfect for audiobooks. It is a completely immersive experience, making you lose yourself in the story and it really feels like you’re listening to your favourite true crime podcast. Matt Wesolowski is one of my favourite sinister storytellers with a unique style that is instantly recognisable. His books are unnerving, guaranteed to send shivers down your spine, and not for the faint hearted. But they are absolutely phenomenal and I’m bereft to have come to the end of this spectacular series. But who am I kidding, I’ll definitely be listening to them again. 

So if you love dark, eerie stories and are feeling brave, add this series to your TBR. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK- and US-based anthologies, such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more. His novella, The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick, and film rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. Changeling, the third book in the series, was published in 2019 and was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. His fourth book, Beast, won the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Independent Voice Book of the Year award in 2020. Matt lives in Newcastle with his partner and young son.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

*These links are affiliate links

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: The Twelve Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani

Published October 26th, 2023 by Zaffre
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Cozy Mystery

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this chilling and suspenseful whodunnit. Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours for the invitation to take part and to Zaffre for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

Find the truth. Solve the murder. Never reveal your secret.

Twelve years ago, eight friends ran an exclusive group at university: The Murder Masquerade Society. The mysteries they solved may have been grisly, but they were always fictional – until their final Christmas puzzle, when one of the group disappeared, never to be seen again.

Now, the remaining members receive an invitation to a reunion masquerade, to be held in a beautiful and remote country house in Scotland. The game begins, and it feels just like old times.

Until the next morning, when Lady Partridge is found hanging from a pear tree.

It quickly becomes clear that in this game, the murder will be all too real, and the story is bringing long-hidden secrets to the surface. If they hope to survive the festive season then they will need to face the truth about what happened on that fateful night twelve years ago.

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MY REVIEW:

“You are invited to a murder.” 

Claustrophobic, unnerving,  and mysterious, The Twelve Days of Murder is a gripping whodunnit. There’s secrets, suspicion, suspense, and slaughter as a group of university friends reunite and resurrect their old murder-mystery group. It’s the first time The Murder Masquerade Society have been together since one of their members disappeared without a trace during a game twelve years ago. The games begin in a remote country house in Scotland, but their festive fun soon turns into a terrifying nightmare when the game becomes all-too real…

This twist-filled thriller had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. It’s a dynamic ripe for conflict: a group of old friends, full of mistrust, who are trapped together in a remote house during a snowstorm while a killer picks them off one by one. And the conflict is plain to see in every facet of this cunningly crafted thriller. Andreina Cordani drops clues like breadcrumbs for us to follow, making it feel like we’re playing the game alongside the characters as we try to identify the killer in their midst. I loved Cordani’s creative plotting, such as telling the story in five parts that are set out like the acts of a murder-mystery and the various ways she wove the Christams carol ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ into the plot. And the creeping sense of dread, of a predator hunting its prey, that lingers over every page made this one I couldn’t put down.

A dual timeline novel, the story is narrated by Charley in the present, while different Masqueraders take turns narrating the flashbacks to events twelve years earlier. While all the characters are richly drawn, compelling, flawed, and unreliable narrators, it was Charley I felt the sense of camaraderie with. I think this is because she’s the odd girl out of the group – the have-not among a group of those who have – and there’s a clear divide in how she is treated by them in both timelines which made me angry for her. But Charley and the group are sitting ducks. Prime targets for someone out for revenge. And Cordani doesn’t make it easy for us as we try to identify the killer, keeping us guessing with lots of misdirection and some surprising revelations that turn everything upside down and an unmasking of the culprit that left my jaw on the floor.

The Twelve Days of Murder is a chilling, sinister and suspenseful whodunnit perfect for those who like their festive reading with a side of murder.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

From the author’s website:
I wanted to be a writer from the age of seven, but got a little bit distracted by the world of magazines. Over the years I’ve written for titles including Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Good Housekeeping, Prima, that’s life! and Marie Claire. I specialise in real life interviews, talking to seemingly ordinary people about their extraordinary lives, and these chats inspired me to put myself in other people’s shoes and imagine how different life can be. I write young adult thrillers about people in impossible emotional situations, with a little bit of murder thrown in. My dream is to sit and write books all day then sit and read books all night, but I also love procrastinating on social media, being sarcastic and swimming in the sea.

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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.

*All purchase links are affiliate links

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Paperback Publication Day

BOOK REVIEW: Sweetpea (Sweetpea Book 1) by C. J. Skuse

Published: October 26th, 2023 by HQ
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Dark Comedy, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction, Parodies, Book Series, Serial Killers

Sweetpea is re-released today with a gorgeous new cover so I’ve updated my review for this crazy and hilarious rollercoaster ride.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘If you like your thrillers darkly comic and outrageous this ticks all the boxes’ The Sun

The last person who called me ‘Sweetpea’ ended up dead…

Rhiannon is your average girl next door, settled with her boyfriend and little dog…but she’s got a killer secret.

By day her job as an editorial assistant is demeaning and unsatisfying. By evening she dutifully listens to her friend’s plans for marriage and babies whilst secretly making a list.

A kill list.

From the man on the checkout who always mishandles her apples, to the driver who cuts her off on her way to work, to the people who have got it coming, Rhiannon’s ready to get her revenge.

Because the girl everyone overlooks might be able to get away with murder…

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MY REVIEW:

“If only they knew what this quiet little sweetpea could do.”

Rhiannon Lewis is the girl you don’t notice. The girl who fades into the background. She’s not beautiful or skinny, works a boring job, and lives in a flat with her boyfriend and their dog. And though she was famous once after surviving a crime that seems to have cursed her entire life, her life now is dull and ordinary. Or so people think. But people have a tendency to underestimate Rhiannon. They have no idea she actually spends her time dreaming up gruesome ways to kill those who annoy, cross and betray her and then carries them out. And they certainly don’t suspect that Rhiannon is a serial killer. 

Scathing, twisted, darkly funny, and completely outrageous, Sweetpea is my idea of book heaven. I first read it back in 2019 after rave reviews from fellow blogger Zuky and devoured it quickly, wondering where this book had been all my life. And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since; making it a rare book that I can vividly recall even after four years and hundreds of other books. Not only did this book become an instant favourite, but so did the series, and it’s become a go-to thriller recommendation for me. Today it is re-issued with a gorgeous, bright new cover – which obviously I had to buy even though I own the books already – so I thought it was the perfect excuse to update my review and share it with you all again.

Rhiannon is my favourite anti-hero. A snarky, feisty, short-tempered and hilarious  murderess, she thinks, says and does everything you aren’t supposed to. I love her jet-black, dirty sense of humour, her warped outlook, and how she doesn’t take crap from anyone. Her scathing and raw inner monologue is so entertaining and it’s impossible not to root for her despite her deadly hobby. Let’s be honest, we’ve all thought of ways we’d like to hurt back those who’ve hurt us in our heads before. The difference is Rhiannon not only thinks things, she plots them and carries them out. She may be scary, but she’s bloody brilliant at the same time, something I think is a testament to the talent of C. J. Skuse. Her writing is sharply observed, dark, witty and addictive, always leaving me yearning for more at the end of a book. And I’m delighted to learn there will be more, because Rhiannon isn’t just getting a new look, she’s also getting a new story; book four, Thorn in My Side, is out at the end of this year (January 2024 in paperback). Not only that, but we are apparently getting news about an adaptation soon! I’m giddy with excitement!

A crazy rollercoaster ride with an anti-hero you’ll love, I can’t recommend this one enough. So if you like your thrillers brimming with bloody, murderous vengeance and ink-black humour that will make you laugh out  loud, pick up Sweetpea now. 

Rating:  🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born in Weston-super-Mare in 1980, C.J. (Claire) is the author of eleven novels including the Young Adult novels Pretty Bad Things, Rockoholic, Dead Romantic, Monster and The Deviants and adult crime thrillers The Alibi Girl and the Sweetpea quintet  (Sweetpea, In Bloom, Dead Head, Thorn in my Side and The Bad Seeds). She has a First Class BA degree in Creative Studies in English and an MA in Writing for Young People with Distinction, both from Bath Spa University. C.J. worked in publishing from 2008-2017 both in editorial and as a professional reader, and now works as a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing. Sweetpea has been optioned by See Saw Films and is in production with Sky Atlantic. Books four and five in the Sweetpea series will be published in summer 2023 and spring 2024.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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Blog Tours book reviews

BLOG TOUR: Please Take My Baby by Emma Robinson

Published October 17th, 2023 by Bookouture
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Literary Fiction, Saga

Today is my stop on the blog tour for this gut-wrenchingly emotional story. Thank you to Bookouture for the invitation to take part and eBook ARC.

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SYNOPSIS:

As I hand my newborn baby to my mother, I see the softness in her face as she gazes down at the tiny, helpless girl in her arms. And I feel my heart shatter as I say the words that will change all our lives… ‘Please, take my baby.’

I know she will be better off without me.But as I leave her behind that dark night, I wonder, will I ever see my baby again?

Will I have the chance to explain to little Erin why I had to go? Even if I do find the strength to return, what will my mother have told her?

Only one person really knows what happened, and why I had to do what I did.

I know the truth will come out some day. I don’t expect forgiveness. The only thing I hope is that my family can survive the fallout…

A heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting tale about the sacrifices mothers make for their children, this story will make you hold your loved ones tight. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt.

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MY REVIEW:

“When you’re told a mother makes sacrifices, you think of the sleepless nights and the wrecking of your body and the nights you’ll have to stay home. But they are easy when compared with the biggest sacrifice. The one where you have to let them go. Worse, you have to make them feel as if they can walk away and not look back. Freedom without strings.”

My heart was not ready for this book. A story about identity and the relationship between a mother and her children that explores the sacrifices mothers make and what it means to really put your child first. Gut-wrenchingly emotional and moving, it broke my heart into pieces before putting them back together again. 

A story about four generations of women, a family secret that has been hidden for decades, and life-changing decisions, it centres around Erin, a forty-something divorcee who has recently moved back into her mother Ava’s home to help care for her as she battles dementia. The pair have always had a strained relationship and there is added tension in the home as Erin’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Harriet, is far from happy with the move as it meant leaving her school and friends behind. But it’is when Erin finds a photograph of her mother holding a baby she’s never seen before that things really begin to unravel, leading Erin to a shocking discovery that makes her question everything about herself and her life. 

“Layer upon layer of lies. Her whole childhood covered and hidden and papered over. Now those layers were peeling and tearing apart and what was she going to find underneath?”

Emma Robinson has created a beautifully and sensitively written story filled with compelling and real characters that make you feel everything they do. I felt like I walked in Erin’s shoes at every step and there were times I had to put the book down to compose myself before picking it up again. Themes of maternal sacrifice that run through every facet of the story but it was Erin’s agony over Harriet possibly moving away to live with her father that resonated most with me. Having recently sent my eldest off to university in another city I felt her pain in my soul but loved that she chose to put her daughter’s best interests above her own again and again.  

“Hang on in there. That’s how she felt, like she was hanging on by her fingernails to both her mother’s past and her daughter’s future. What would happen if she let go?”

Dementia is not an easy subject to write about but Robinson deals with it brilliantly, her skill for writing difficult subjects in a candid but sensitive way evident once again. She provides a raw, honest, emotional, and detailed exploration of dementia, the emotions it stirs up, and the repercussions for the patient’s whole family. I felt Ava’s confusion and fear as she moved between lucidity and forgetting simple things like how to make a cup of tea and Erin’s heartache and devastation was palpable, reminding me of how I felt watching my own grandmother descend deeper into dementia. 

Heartfelt, poignant and affirming, Please Take My Baby is a powerful and thought-provoking read that I highly recommend. Just make sure you have a box full of tissues handy.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Emma Robinson is a USA Today Bestseller with a passion for stories which explore the power of family and friendship in the most challenging circumstances. Whilst her early novels are humorous; her recent work focuses on emotional themes and these novels are both heart-breaking and life affirming.

​Emma currently lives in Essex, England with a husband, two children and a small black dog.

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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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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023

BLOG TOUR: The Beaver Theory (The Rabbit Factor Trilogy Book 3) by Antti Tuomainen

Published October 12th, 2023 by Orenda
Thriller, Mystery, Dark Comdey, Noir Fiction, Book Series, Horror Fiction

I’m a little late due to illness, but here’s my review for the laugh-out-loud funny The Beaver Theory, which was also my first Orentober read. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for my invitation to take part and to Orenda for my proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

Can everyone’s favourite insurance mathematician, Henri, combine the increasingly dangerous world of adventure parks with the unpredictability of blended-family life? He’s about to find out in the final instalment of the hilarious, nail-biting Rabbit Factor Trilogy.
 
Henri Koskinen, intrepid insurance mathematician and adventure-park entrepreneur, firmly believes in the power of common sense and order. That is until he moves in with painter Laura Helanto and her daughter…
 
As Henri realises he has inadvertently become part of a group of local dads, a competing adventure park is seeking to expand their operations, not always sticking to the law in the process…
 
Is it possible to combine the increasingly dangerous world of the adventure-park business with the unpredictability of life in a blended family? At first glance, the two appear to have only one thing in common: neither deals particularly well with a mounting body count.
 
In order to solve this seemingly impossible conundrum, Henri is forced to step far beyond the mathematical precision of his comfort zone … and the stakes have never been higher… 
 
Warmly funny, quirky, touching, and a nail-biting triumph of a thriller, The Beaver Theory is the final instalment in the award-winning Rabbit Factor Trilogy, as Henri encounters the biggest challenge of his career, with hair-raising results…

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MY REVIEW:

We’re back with Henri and the others at the YouMeFun Adventure Park for the last book in the Rabbit Factor Trilogy. In his final adventure, the actuary and adventure-park entrepreneur is trying to balance his new family commitments with saving his park, preventing his staff becoming embroiled in an adventure-park war, and solving a murder. And time is running out. But Henri believes that order and mathematics will win the day as they always have, even if he’s forced further out of his comfort zone than ever as he faces his biggest challenges to date.

Laugh-out-loud funny, wacky, touching and unpredictable, The Beaver Theory is a glorious finale for this offbeat trilogy. In this instalment Henri is a real fish out of water as he embraces the chaos of family life, school runs and bake sales alongside the running of his adventure-park, a job that is far more dangerous than you’d imagine. Written with Antti Tuomainen’s signature kooky comic genius, warmth and tension, he kept me guessing as the madness unfolded right up to the spectacular finale. But this witty caper was also bittersweet as I never wanted the trilogy to end and I’m glad I’ve got the TV adaptation to look forward to. 

Henri remains one of my favourite characters ever written. Sensible, ordered, meticulous and very quirky, there is no one else like him. I adore this character and love the way he finds respite in logic, order and mathematics even when he’s a suspected murderer. He’s such a refreshing character to read and you can’t help but root for him every step of the way. I loved seeing him happy and taking on the challenge of family life and all its craziness in this book, especially when he’s pulled into being part of the ‘Dads Gang’. The latter paved the way for many hilarious moments and I enjoyed seeing his softer side in his interactions with Laura and her daughter. 

Kooky, original and entertaining, The Beaver Theory is another must-read from Tuomainen and Orenda. While it could be read as a standalone, I’d recommend reading the whole series to avoid missing out on some of the best fiction you’ll ever read. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Finnish Antti Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he 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 Beach Finland (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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MEET 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 Hummingbird, The 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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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

*These puchase links are affiliate links

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

BLOG TOUR: She’s A Killer by Kristen McDougall

Published October 5th, 2023 by Gallic Books
Thriller, Dark Comedy, Satire, Humorous Fiction

Happy Publication Day to She’s A Killer and my stop on the blog tour for this deliciously dark debut. Thank you to Gallic Books for the invitation to take part and my copy of the book.

Keep an eye on my Instagram account for a giveaway next week…

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SYNOPSIS:

‘Smart, assured, and extremely funny’ Eleanor Catton

‘A fabulously dark pleasure, delivered in prose of singing tautness’ Luke Jennings

Eleanor Oliphant meets Killing Eve in this darkly funny and gloriously unhinged New Zealand sensation, longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2023.

ALICE: 30-something, IQ of 159 (almost a genius), only communicates with her mother in Morse code. Her imaginary friend is back.

ERIKA: 15, daughter of hot ‘wealthugee’ who loves Russian literature, genuine genius, killer eyeliner and killer instincts.

The climate is in crisis and wealthy immigrants are flocking to New Zealand for shelter, stealing land, driving up food prices and taking over. But Alice has far more important things to worry about: hating her best friend’s husband, getting free wine and quiet-quitting her dull day job. Until she meets Erika.

Now, Alice is about to find herself drawn into action of the most radical – and dangerous – kind. Just what is a slacker to do?

Bold and brilliantly bizarre, She’s a Killer is the satirical dystopian cli-fi thriller you never knew you needed. Until now.

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MY REVIEW:

“I’m a fan of unhappy endings. They’re more honest.”

A snarky genius, mother issues, murderous rage, feminism and the end of the world. Put them all together and you’ve got the recipe for She’s A Killer. Satirical, bizarre, unexpected and macabre, this deliciously dark debut is dripping with black humour from start to finish.

30-something Alice has an IQ of 159 but is stuck in a dead-end job, struggling to make ends meet, and only communicates with her mother through morse code. Though she’s almost a genius, Alice has always struggled to empathise with others, isn’t interested in friends or relationships, and is totally unbothered about things that seem to worry others such as climate change and the wealthy immigrants flooding into New Zealand. She’s more worried about why her imaginary friend has come back. 
But when Alice meets fifteen-year-old Erika – the daughter of a hot ‘wealthugee’ she has a thing for – everything changes and she soon finds herself caught up in extreme actions that could have devastating consequences…

Well, this book was quite the trip! As soon as I read the tagline describing it as ‘Eleanor Oliphant meets Killing Eve’ I knew I had to read it. From the opening pages it was clear this wasn’t going to be like anything else I’ve read, but I was sure I had an idea where it was going. I was wrong. This book turned me upside down, twisted me round, and then shook me up for good measure. It was an unpredictable thrill-ride of crazy twists and turns I never saw coming. Kristen McDougall is a new author to watch. Her writing is witty and sharp, engaging the reader with her characters whilst also heightening the tension and keeping them guessing. And while it’s entertaining, the story also feels timely and urgent; like a warning or a call to arms. It’s quite the show. And McDougall pulls it off with finesse. 

Vexatious, snarky, intelligent, and darkly funny, Alice is the sort of unlikeable protagonist I love. She’s a bitch to everyone, including her imaginary best friend, and I got totally sucked into her world. After all, who doesn’t enjoy watching a ‘bad girl’ do or say  things that you’d never dream of doing. I’m fascinated by people who are highly intelligent yet have little common sense or understanding of others, and that certainly applied to Alice. She thought she was superior because of her intellect but she missed so much because she was all IQ and no EQ. Her conversations with Simp, her imaginary best friend, had me laughing out loud and I’d sometimes forget it was herself she was talking to. The secondary characters were all fun to read but it was Erika who stole that show and really challenged Alice. She is bright, fierce, self-assured, and quite frankly, intimidating. I loved the banter between her and Alice, especially as they had totally different values, outlooks and goals that often caused them to clash. You could tell that Alice isn’t used to being around people who are more intelligent than she is and it was quite funny to watch her be so unnerved by this unusual teenage girl. 

Quirky, original, thought-provoking and gloriously unhinged, She’s A Killer is a debut that will make you laugh while your heart is also pounding with tension. Highly recommended. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kristen McDougall is a novelist, short story writer and creative writing lecturer. Her 2017 novel Tess was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards and shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award. She’s a Killer was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards 2022. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

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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

Categories
Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2023

BLOG TOUR: The Murmurs (The Annie Jackson Mysteries Volume 1) by Michael J. Malone

Published September 14th, 2023 by Orenda Books
Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Gothic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Horror Fiction, Religious Ficiton, Book Series

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this beguiling gothic thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things for the invitation to take part and to Orenda for the proof copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

A young woman starts experiencing terrifying premonitions of people dying, as it becomes clear that a family curse known only as The Murmurs has begun, and a long-forgotten crime is about to be unearthed…
 
On the first morning of her new job at Heartfield House, a care home for the elderly, Annie Jackson wakens from a terrifying dream. And when she arrives at the home, she knows that the first old man she meets is going to die.
 
How she knows this is a terrifying mystery, but it is the start of horrifying premonitions … a rekindling of the curse that has trickled through generations of women in her family – a wicked gift known only as ‘the murmurs’…
 
With its reappearance comes an old, forgotten fear that is about to grip Annie Jackson.
 
And this time, it will never let go…
 
A compulsive gothic thriller and a spellbinding supernatural mystery about secrets and small communities, about faith, courage and self-preservation, The Murmurs is a startling and compulsive read from one of Scotland’s finest authors.

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MY REVIEW:

“Who are they? 
They are every woman, burned, every man flayed and skinned, they’re every trauma visited upon every human—they’re pain they’re torture, they are the scream echoing in the distant dark, the whispered taunt in your ear.
They’re the baited breath, the hammering pulse, the cold beaded sweat, dry mouth, and the bunched yet frozen muscle ignoring the command to run, run, RUN.
They are vengeance and they will never stop.”

A family curse, long-forgotten crimes, repressed memories, and decades-old secrets all come together in this beguiling gothic thriller that is perfect for spooky season. 

Annie Jackson is a young woman whose life has been marred by tragedy. She survived the accident that killed her mother but it took her memories, leaving her with only a nightmare that returns just as she’s about to start a new job at a care home. And on her first day it gets worse as a disturbing vision and murmuring voices tell her one of the residents is about to die. From that day on she is plagued by foreshadowings of the fates of those on the margins of life and death. The eponymous murmurs come unwelcome and unbidden, leaving her frightened, bewildered and scared to look people in the eye. Annie soon discovers the murmurs are part of a curse that has cascaded through the generations of women in her family. Desperate to know more and understand what is happening to her, she and her twin brother, Lewis, begin to explore their family history. But what they discover is much darker than they ever imagined and they find themselves embroiled in old mysteries that are far more dangerous than they realise…

He’s done it again! Michael J. Malone is a masterful gothic storyteller and he had me spellbound as I read. Evocatively told, it oozes a sinister atmosphere as he weaves elements of folklore and the supernatural into the narrative, blurring the lines between what is real and what is in our imagination. Ghostly fingers of the past tighten their grip on Annie and rekindle ashes of memory that slowly reveal horrifying secrets that have been buried for decades. It is chilling, twisty, and there’s a creeping sense of dread that permeates the pages. There are elements of the unknown, the inexplicable, and the unexpected alongside complex family dynamics, dark secrets, and lots of emotion. The story is steadily paced and slowed down a little in the middle before picking up pace again during the last third of the book. This is where I couldn’t put it down, pushing aside my sleepiness in the early hours and flying through the pages as the tension escalated at breakneck speed and we hurtled towards the heart-pounding and shocking finale. 

Malone tells the story in multiple vividly drawn timelines by multiple compelling narrators. But it is Annie who is at the heart of this book. She’s is a bit of a lost soul and we can feel her confusion, fear, and isolation as she tries to figure out what on earth is happening to her. I liked her relationship with her twin brother, Lewis, which felt authentic and grounding in a story that generally feels quite bizarre. I also really enjoyed reading the historical family members and loved the addition of Moira McLean’s memoir. 

Haunting, ominous, darkly atmospheric, and captivating, this is the best I’ve read yet from this author. Add it to your TBR now. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. Other published work includes: Carnegie’s Call; A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond the Rage; The Bad Samaritan; and Dog Fight. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines and After He Died soon followed suit. Since then, he’s written two further thought-provoking, exquisitely written psychological thrillers In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation, cementing his position as a key proponent of Tartan Noir and an undeniable talent. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

*These purchase links are affiliate links