Tag: thriller

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

BLOG TOUR: Profile K by Helen Fields

Published April 25th, 2024 by Avon Books
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the brilliant but unnerving, Profile K. Thank you to Avon Books UK for the invitation to take part and for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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BOOK DESCRIPTION:

‘Truly exceptional…twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, a unique concept, and brilliant characters…simply captivating.’ JOHN MARRS

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He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Midnight Jones is an analyst trained to understand the human mind. But everything changes when, in the course of her work, she discovers Profile K’s file – because K stands for killer, and she knows that someone more dangerous than she could have ever imagined walks among them.

Midnight knows what Profile K is capable of before he even commits his first crime. But as the news rolls with the brutal murder of a local woman, no one believes what she tells them: that he is capable of so much worse.

Profile K will kill again – and, terrifyingly, Midnight realises that the moment she found his file was the moment she became his next target. Because Profile K is coming for Midnight – and the only way to escape with her life is to find him before he finds her…

The million-copy bestseller is back with a dark, terrifying journey into the mind of a psychopath that will keep you riveted until the very last page.

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MY REVIEW:

He’s going to kill you. He just doesn’t know it yet.

The Queen of the dark, nerve-shredding thriller is back. And she’s outdone herself with this one. With a tagline like the one above I knew I was in for a twisted treat. Dark, depraved, disturbing and deadly, this book took me to some deeply unsettling places in one of the best and most malevolent thrillers I’ve ever read.

Profile K is an office urban legend at Netco. Something for staff to whisper about to one another over the water cooler. But when data analyst Midnight Jones comes across a so-called Profile K she discovers someone unlike anyone she’s profiled before. This applicant is troubling and dangerous. A ticking timebomb of murderous intent walking among us. Midnight takes the profile to her superiors, only for them to dismiss her concerns and tell her to forget what she saw. But she can’t and Midnight remains haunted by what this person is capable of. And when a woman is found brutally murdered, she is sure that Profile K is behind it. How can she make people listen before he kills again?

A tableau of horror, this is a story painted in blood and violence that has malice dripping from every page. Fields sets the tone from the start with a brutal first chapter that made my blood run cold. She moves between the multiple narrators to tell the story, building an atmosphere of ominous foreboding as we peek inside the daily lives of Profile K’s victims. And it is those victims through whose eyes we see their murders, their terror and pain palpable as the monster strikes and they finally discover their terrible fate. This is a dark thriller-lover’s dream, filled with grisly crime scenes, heart-stopping suspense, surprising twists, and a cold-blooded killer who puts the ‘psycho’ in ‘psychological thriller’. I devoured this one whole, unable to put it down for even a moment once I’d started. 

Helen Fields is an expert in writing fantastic characters that get under your skin and there are an abundance of them in this book. Forensic Psychologist Dr Connie Woolwine returns for a third time. And though she plays a crucial role, she’s a peripheral character who appears quite briefly. Our main protagonist is Midnight Jones, a brilliant character who not only has a great name but is likeable, brave, tenacious and easy to root for. She has a compelling backstory that made me furious on her behalf but I admired her selfless commitment to caring for her twin sister, Dawn. I loved the sisters’ relationship and many of their scenes together were incredibly moving. There is also a cast of fantastic background characters, with Dawn and septuagenarian Doris – a lifeline for Midnight and all-round lovely person- being my favourites. And then, there’s Profile K. This character is one of the most disturbed, savage, cruel, and remorseless killers I’ve ever read. Just thinking about him gives me chills and I was glad he didn’t narrate the murders, as the peek inside his twisted mind we got when he was contemplating or reliving them was bad enough, though his backstory did help us understand how he became this way. 

Menacing, macabre, unnerving and compulsive, this is a must read for anyone who enjoys dark and twisted thrillers. Just make sure you’ve nothing planned when you start reading. 

Rating: 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Helen Fields’ first love was drama and music. From a very young age she spent all her free time acting and singing until law captured her attention as a career path. She studied law at the University of East Anglia, then went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London.

After completing her pupillage, she joined chambers in Middle Temple where she practised criminal and family law for thirteen years. Undertaking cases that ranged from Children Act proceedings and domestic violence injunctions, to large scale drug importation and murder, Helen spent years working with the police, CPS, Social Services, expert witnesses and in Courts Martials.

After her second child was born, Helen left the Bar. Together with her husband David, she went on to run Wailing Banshee Ltd, a film production company, acting as script writer and producer.

Helen self-published two fantasy books as a way of testing herself and her writing abilities. She enjoyed the creative process so much that she began writing in a much more disciplined way, and decided to move into the traditional publishing arena through an agent.

Perfect Remains is set in Scotland, where Helen feels most at one with the world. Edinburgh and San Francisco are her two favourite cities, and she travels whenever she can.

Beyond writing, she has a passion for theatre and cinema, often boring friends and family with lengthy reviews and critiques. Taking her cue from her children, she has recently taken up karate and indoor sky diving. Helen and her husband now live in Hampshire with their three children and two dogs.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Squadpod Book Club

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB REVIEW: Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

Published April 25th, 2024 by Pan Macmillan
Thriller, Mystery, Crime Fiction, Women Sleuths, Literary Fiction

Welcome to my review for the unnerving and addictive Darling Girls, which is the SquadPod Book Club pick for April. Thanks to Chloe at Pan MacMillan for the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

A thrilling page-turner about sisterhood, secrets, love and murder by Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and The Mother-in-Law.

It’s not just secrets buried at Wild Meadows.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from their own family tragedies, they were raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance for a happy family life.

But the girls’ childhood wasn’t quite the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the three foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses.

It’s time for them to return home as adults. The only question is are they innocent victims or the prime suspects for murder?

With darkly comic timing and insidiously twisting plots, Sally Hepworth’s novels are guaranteed to keep you turning the pages . . .

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MY REVIEW:

“These days everyone is familiar with Wild Meadows. The media love the juxtaposition of the whimsical country estate and the atrocities that happened there.”

This month’s SquadPod Book Club pick – and this month’s 12 months, 12 countries challenge – transports us to Australia for a compelling and suspenseful story of found family, trauma, secrets and murder.

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are sisters not by blood, but by a bond forged by their shared experience living as foster sisters at Wild Meadows. They have spent their lives being told how lucky they were to be rescued from their tragic situations and raised by a loving foster mother. But nothing was as it seemed and there are more than secrets buried at Wild Meadows. And when a body is discovered buried beneath their former home, the sisters are drawn back into their murky past and the secrets they have long tried to forget…

“It was almost as if the clock had wound back twenty-five years. They were all young girls, begging to be believed. Except this time they weren’t children. This time they were going to demand to be heard.” 

Darling Girls was my introduction to Sally Hepworth. And what an introduction! The bright cover of this book hides the dark, sinister and unnerving story between its covers. Hepworth explores topics such as abuse, trauma, and unhinged psyches, permeating the story with heartrending moments alongside the heart-stopping tension and shocking twists that keep you on your toes until the very last page. I was in her thrall. Unable to shake the story from my mind and when I wasn’t reading it I was thinking about it. I needed answers. I needed to know what secrets were buried at Wild Meadows. And I was sure I had it all figured out, only for my jaw to hit the floor as Hepworth sucker-punched me at the eleventh hour for a truly spectacular finale. 

“Disturbing vignettes from her childhood circled in her brain—swimming pools and basements, birthday parties and horses. And fear, of course. Lots and lots of fear.”

The story is narrated by the sisters, who each have rich backstories. They came to live at Wild Meadows due to tragic family circumstances, only to find that what was supposed to be a new beginning in a home filled with love was the beginning of a nightmare. Their foster mother, Miss Fairchild, is a sadistic and cruel monster who made my blood boil and my heart broke as I read of their torment under her so-called care. Miss Fairchild is one of the best villains of this kind that I’ve read, perfectly at odds with what a loving mother is supposed to be and sending chills down my spine when she was on the page. The sisters are each very different but share a close bond that I loved. And while they are flawed in their own ways, they are sympathetically written. But the mystery of the body buried under the house lingers ominously over every page, and while I was rooting for them, I was also aware that they were hiding something. I had various predictions over the course of the book, and, I’ll be honest, I was disappointed that it wasn’t Miss Fairchild they had done in and buried under the house.

Dark, menacing and affecting, I’d highly recommend this addictive thriller. Now I need to buy this author’s backlist ASAP.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

TW: Child neglect, abuse, trauma, drug addiction

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, most recently Darling Girls. She is also the author of Uncharted Waters, published by Amazon Original stories in 2022. Several of Sally’s novels have been optioned for TV and film.  

Sally’s novels are available around the globe in English and have been translated into over 20 languages. She has sold over one million books worldwide.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia with her family.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024

PUBLICATION DAY REVIEW: The Darkest Hour by Mark Edwards

Published April 16th, 2024 by Thomas & Mercer
Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Police Procedural, Mystery, Thriller, Crime Fiction

Happy publication day to this dark and sinister thriller. Thank you Mark Edwards for the gifted copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In this chilling thriller from the bestselling author of Keep Her Secret, if you don’t take your dark secrets to the grave, maybe they’ll take you there first…

Calvin finally owns the bakery of his dreams, in an idyllic village in the Lake District. After reluctantly following his wife Vicky’s advice to promote it on social media, he’s thrilled when a viral clip makes him a legend overnight. But then the creepy DMs start flooding in―all from a stranger who claims she’s his biggest fan.

Meanwhile, a local recluse is found on a nearby beach, buried to his neck and left to drown, and the community goes into shock. Why would anyone want him dead? And who exactly was he? Detective Imogen Evans, new to the Lake District, is under pressure to find out before the killer strikes again.

As the murder hunt gathers pace, Calvin’s obsessive admirer turns up right on cue after his assistant is injured in an accident, and to Vicky’s horror she’s here to stay. As events begin spiralling into darkness, is there anyone in this quiet backwater Calvin can trust―or have his mistakes already put him, and everyone he loves, in terrible danger?

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MY REVIEW:

He’s done it again! The King of domestic horror is back with another sinister story fueled with adrenaline. Just make sure you don’t have other plans, because you’ll be cancelling them to read this once you’ve started. I inhaled it in one sitting; shackled to the pages by the scalpel-sharp tension and my desperate need for answers. 

The body of local recluse Leo James is found on a beach in the Lake District buried up to his neck and left to drown. The shocking murder rocks this small, idyllic village to its core and puts its new detective, Imogen Evans, under pressure to find the culprit quickly. It is soon clear that some of Elderbridge’s residents are hiding dark secrets. But which of them will kill to keep it that way?

Mark Edwards never misses and The Darkest Water showcases why his books are a highlight of my reading year. Expertly written, shrewdly choreographed, and darkly atmospheric, this was a masterclass in misdirection. As part one came to a close I was sure I had it all figured out. But I was wrong. Moving between the dual timelines, dark secrets and surprising connections were unveiled piece by piece until the full, shocking picture emerged. 

The story is told by multiple narrators, one of whom is a blast from the past for fans of this author. Detective Imogen Evans, first seen in Edwards’ book The Lucky Ones, is the detective charged with solving Leo James’ murder. I loved revisiting a loved character in a new world as it felt like the ideal mix of standalone and series; some familiarity for fans but also not excluding new readers. The characters are all compelling and richly drawn, however briefly they appear on the pages, and you get a real sense of community in this picturesque village, which was the ideal backdrop for this story. Idyllic but also isolated and bleak, Elderbridge has a sense of danger simmering under its surface, while foreboding hangs in the air. Its idyll is fractured by the crime and the horror is compounded by the reminder that these things can happen anywhere, even in the most beautiful and seemingly safe places. 

A dark and brooding thriller filled with breath-sucking tension, The Darkest Water is a must-read for fans of this genre. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮.5

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

From Amazon:
Welcome to my Amazon Author Page! I write books in which scary things happen to ordinary people, the best known of which are Follow You Home, The Magpies, Here To Stay and The Retreat. My novels have sold over 4 million copies and topped the bestseller lists numerous times. I pride myself on writing fast-paced page-turners with lots of twists and turns, relatable characters and dark humour

I live in the West Midlands, England, with my wife, our three children, two cats and a golden retriever.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxx

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Readalong

READALONG REVIEW: Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear

Published April 11th, 2024 by Simon & Schuster UK
Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction

Welcome to my review for this deliciously dark thriller. Thank you to The Likely Suspects for the invitation to take part in the readalong and the copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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BOOK DESCRIPTION:

FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SWEET LITTLE LIES COMES A DARK AND TWISTY THRILLER ABOUT SECRETS, LIES AND REVENGE. 

ONE WOMAN’S SECRET
TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
THREE DEADLY BETRAYALS
FOUR POTENTIAL SUSPECTS
FIVE BAD DEEDS

‘A big high five for Caz Frear’s Five Bad Deeds – a page-gripping, nail-gnawing good read’ Cara Hunter

‘A deliciously dark story of how one woman’s life of seemingly domestic bliss can unravel faster than she ever thought possible. I predict it will be one of the big hits of 2024 – I loved it’ Nikki Smith

‘Deliciously waspish, twisty, and relatable’ Claire McGowan

Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .

Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, to finally renovating her dream home, the Meadowhouse. Amidst the chaos, an ominous note arrives in the mail declaring:

SOONER OR LATER EVERYONE SITS DOWN TO A BANQUET OF CONSEQUENCES.

Why would someone send her this note? Ellen has no clue. She’s no angel – a white lie here and there, an occasional sharp tongue – but nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy.
Everyone around Ellen – her husband, her teenage daughter, her sister, her best friend, her neighbours – can guess why, though.  They all know from bitter experience that while Ellen’s intentions are always good, this ultimately counts for very little when you’ve (unintentionally?) blown up someone’s life.  Could the five bad deeds that come to haunt Ellen explain why things have gone so horribly wrong?

As she races to discover who’s set on destroying her life, Ellen receives more anonymous messages, each one more threatening than the last . . . and each hitting closer and closer to home and everything she cherishes.

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MY REVIEW:

Ellen Walsh is a busy mother juggling the demands of raising her teenage daughter and toddler twins with her teaching job and renovating her dream home. Out of the blue she receives an ominous note that reads ‘Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.’
Who sent the note? What did she do to incur such malice and vengeance? As Ellen tries to answer these questions, those around her have no such trouble understanding why someone may want to bring her down. Because while she may be full of the best intentions, Ellen’s deeds are not as good as she’d like to think and there are five bad deeds that could be the answer why her life is falling apart…

Five Bad Deeds is a nail-biting story of secrets, lies, frenemies, scandal and suspicion filled with tension and foreboding. I devoured this book in one sitting, handcuffed to the pages and so desperate for answers that I didn’t even notice the time and read through the night until the sun was about to rise again. Skillfully written and cleverly plotted, Caz Frear showcases her storytelling expertise as she drops clues into prose like hidden breadcrumbs for us to follow as we try to identify the culprit from the multiple suspects. But who has the biggest motive for wanting to destroy Ellen’s picture-perfect life? 

I love it when you aren’t sure if someone is the good or bad guy and when you don’t know if you can trust a character, and this has both those things in abundance with an array of frenemies, backstabbing, frayed relationships and dark intentions woven into the plot. Even Ellen was potentially untrustworthy and I enjoyed that I could never be sure if she deserved all the chaos and torment coming her way. The story was told from multiple points of view which allowed us to not only get an insight into Ellen’s perspective, but also that of the people around her, and we soon discover just how differently she sees herself compared to the people around her. But who is telling the truth? I loved that it was so hard to predict and how every time I was sure I had things figured out another revelation would pull the rug from under me and make me reassess my predictions. 

Deliciously dark, twisty, chaotic and venomous, this riveting story is a must-read for any thriller lover. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Caz Frear grew up in Coventry and spent her teenage years dreaming of moving to London and writing a novel. After fulfilling her first dream, it wasn’t until she moved back to Coventry thirteen years later that the writing dream finally came true.

She has a first-class degree in History & Politics, which she’s put to enormous use over the years by working as a waitress, shop assistant, retail merchandiser and, for the past twelve years, a headhunter.

When she’s not agonising over snappy dialogue or incisive prose, she can be found shouting at the TV when Arsenal are playing or holding court in the pub on topics she knows nothing about.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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Blog Tours book reviews

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: The Playgroup by Leah Mercer

Published March 21st, 2024 by Bookouture
Thriller, Suspense, Psychologial Thriller, Mystery

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this gripping psychological thriller. Thank you to Bookouture for the invitation to take part and gifted proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

Breath catches in my throat and terror grips me as my daughter’s favourite jumper slides into focus. Time slows. Helpless, I watch my precious little girl run into the road. Screeching tyres slice through the quiet afternoon. Days from now, my friends will say the worst day of my life was all my fault…

A bright and welcoming haven, the playgroup sits at the heart of the town, tucked away inside a red-brick building. The Nest should have been the safest place for my rosy-cheeked, pink-obsessed daughter, Florence. Run by mothers like me, I trusted my newfound friends – Alice, Beth and Georgie – to take care of my child. But now my choice has left Florence fighting for her life.

My heart pounds thinking about what I will tell my husband, James. He stayed with me through the darkest times, and I thought some space would bring us closer. But as I watch our little girl sleeping in a hospital bed, I know our relationship may never recover from this.

How can I tell James what really happened if I don’t know myself? I can’t shake the feeling the other mothers are lying to me; they know I’d never let Florence leave the nursery by herself. We’ve all got dangerous secrets we want to protect, but if they expose mine, will anyone, including my husband, believe me when I say I didn’t harm my daughter?

A completely gripping psychological suspense about the dark price of protecting your family, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Adele Parks and Sally Hepworth.

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MY REVIEW:

Lenore is finally starting to feel more herself after months of crippling postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Florence. But her husband, James, still doesn’t seem to trust her with their child, so she decides to take some time away by herself with Florence so they can both learn to trust her as a mother again so she moves to a house in Mappelstow, just outside London. In the heart of this town sits The Nest, a playgroup run by a co-operative of the town’s parents which seems like the ideal place for not only her daughter to socialise, but for Lenore to begin working again. Lenore soon settles in and begins to see the other women working there as her friends. Until that terrible day.

Lenore stands helpless, paralysed by horror as her little girl runs into the road. Tyres screech and Lenore’s scream pierces the air as she races to her daughter’s side. Little Florence is alive, but only just, and is rushed into hospital. Lenore and her husband, James, begin a vigil by the unconscious little girl’s bedside hoping for a miracle. But their nightmare gets even darker when the other women tell Lenore the accident was her fault. Could they be right? Could her PPD have clouded her mind and she really put her child in danger? Lenore is sure it wasn’t her fault. But why would her friends lie? What might they be hiding?

Tense, twisty and surprising, Leah Mercer had me in the palm of her hand as I devoured this book in just 24 hours. Narrated by Lenore, Alice, Georgie, and Beth, this is a story where everyone has something to hide. It explores topics such as postpartum depression, drug addiction, chronic illness, and coercive control, spinning a twisted web of secrets and lies that is cleverly woven together. Fast-paced and addictive, I could never be sure of the truth and when the truth was revealed it left me speechless. I did not see that coming! 

A suspenseful and surprising thriller, I’d highly recommend The Playgroup to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Leah can’t remember a time when she didn’t love writing. From creating fake newspapers to writing letters to the editor, scribbling something was always on the agenda. Even the rejections she received after completing her first novel at age 13 didn’t dent her enthusiasm.

So it makes sense, then, that she pursued a career in anything but writing. Public relations, teaching, recruitment, editing medical journals — even a stint painting houses — until she finally succumbed once more to the lure of the blank page. 

Whe she’s not being jumped on by her young son or burning supper while thinking of plotlines, Leah can be found furiously tapping away on her laptop, trying not to check Twitter or Facebook. 

Leah also writes romantic comedies under the name Talli Roland.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstones* | Amazon*
*These are affiliate links

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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxx

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

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Blog Tours book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Most Anticipated 2024 Support Debuts

BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Crow Moon (A Martha Strangeways Investigation, 1) by Suzy Aspley

Published March 14th, 2024 by Orenda Books
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Hardboiled, Noir Fiction, Police Procedural, Supernatural Fiction, Crime Series

It’s a few days late, but today I’m sharing my review for the dark, beguiling and shadowy gothic thriller. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part, and Orenda for the proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

An investigative reporter gives up her job when her young twins are killed in a fire, but when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, she’s thrust into a chilling investigation that will leave no one unscathed…
 
 ‘An extraordinary debut: intriguing, unsettling, heavy on atmosphere and with a formidable leading lady … Suzy Aspley is one to watch’ Mari Hannah
 
‘A gripping piece of contemporary gothic, Crow Moon signals the arrival of a hugely promising new talent’ Kevin Wignall
 
‘A nerve-tingling thriller that both enchants and terrifies. Aspley weaves sinister folklore into a tense murder investigation that has you looking over your shoulder as you turn each page’ Eve Smith
 
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When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…
 
Martha Strangeways is struggling to find purpose in her life, after giving up her career as an investigative reporter when her young twins died in a house fire.
 
Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, her life changes when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager – a tragedy that turns even more sinister when a poem about crows is discovered inked onto his back…

When another teenager goes missing in the remote landscape, Martha is drawn into the investigation, teaming up with DI Derek Summers, as malevolent rumours begin to spread and paranoia grows. 
As darkness descends on the village of Strathbran, it soon becomes clear that no one is safe, including Martha…
Both a nerve-shattering, enthralling and atmospheric thriller and a moving tale of grief and psychological damage, Crow Moon is a staggeringly accomplished debut and the start of an addictive, unforgettable series.

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MY REVIEW:

When the crow moon rises, the darkness is unleashed…

Dark, shadowy, eerie and beguiling, Crow Moon is an outstanding debut gothic thriller steeped in folklore, dripping with suspense and pulsing with fear. It centres around Martha Strangeways, a former investigative journalist who gave up her job following the death of her young twins in a tragic house fire. But her journalistic intrigue is awakened when she stumbles across the body of a missing teenager, his body covered in a strange poem about crows. When another teenager goes missing Martha teams up with DI Derek Summers to investigate and soon discovers there is more to this than they first thought and no one in the village of Strathbran is safe…

There’s a new queen of gothica in town. Suzy Aspley’s chilling debut is the apex of suspense writing and a spectacular start to an exciting new series. Filled with folklore, fear, loss and grief, the dark horror instantly gripped me; the atmosphere charged with dread and emotion as Aspley held me in a vice-grip, drip-feeding information and rationing the reveals to keep me guessing. The evocative imagery she draws plays an important role too, transporting me to this small village in the Scottish Highlands where whispers of witchcraft provide a dark heartbeat that lurks under the surface of this ordinary place. With each page I fell further and further into this eerie tableau of horror and mystery and was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, breathless with anticipation as I awaited the big reveal. 

“People believed there was magic in these woods, and local tourist guides still told tales of witches. They knew nothing, he thought. But the stories meant they didn’t want to be here after dark, which was just as well.”

Legend and folklore play a central role in this story and provide a lot of the story’s eerie ambience and nerve-jangling fear. When Martha discovers Fraser’s body she notices writing on him which she later learns from DI Summers that this was the second of a four verse poem called Feannag Dhubh, a strange legend that originated from the Scottish witch trials of the 17th Century about a local woman who could turn herself into a crow. As she investigates Martha finds more and more links between the ancient story, her former home and current occurrences. While she doesn’t believe in the folklore, it is clear that there is someone who does, and as the crow moon gets closer the danger escalates and there’s a race against time to find this person before it’s too late. 

Martha Strangeways is a compelling new protagonist. The investigative journalist lives with her teenage son, Dougie, and is still trying to wade through the darkness of her grief after losing her twins in the fire. She hasn’t worked in the time since the tragedy but can’t shake the intrigue that is sparked by the disappearance and terrible murder of her son’s friend. As someone of a similar age with sons near to Dougie’s age, I found Martha easy to connect with, and my heart broke for her after the loss of her other children. Throughout the book we also have the perspective of Fraser’s kidnapper. They are written like a murmur and the man’s desperation to rid himself of whatever haunts him is palpable. Danger radiates from him as we see he will go to perilous lengths to make that happen and this menacing villain sent chills scissoring up my spine each time he was on the page. 

So, if, like me, you enjoy stories that are hauntingly atmospheric, drenched in gothica, gleaming with malice, and radiating tension, this is for you. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Originally from the north east of England, former journalist Suzy Aspley has lived in Scotland for almost 30 years. She writes crime and short stories often inspired by the strange things she sees in the landscape around her.  She won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect in 2019 with the original idea for her debut novel and was shortlisted in the London Capital crime festival’s new voices award. In 2020, she was mentored by Jo Dickinson as part of the Hachette future bookshelf initiative. Her novel Crow Moon was also long listed this year for the Caledonia Novel Award. She’s currently working on the second book in the series featuring journalist Martha Strangeways. When she’s not writing, she’s either got her nose buried in a book, or is outside with her dogs dreaming up more dark stories.

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BUY THE BOOK:

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

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

Categories
Audio Books book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures

Book Review: Idol by Louise O’Neill

Published May 12th, 2022 by Bantam Press
General Fiction, Thriller

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SYNOPSIS:


‘Follow your heart and speak your truth.’

For Samantha Miller’s young fans – her ‘girls’ – she’s everything they want to be. She’s an oracle, telling them how to live their lives, how to be happy, how to find and honour their ‘truth’.

And her career is booming: she’s just hit three million followers, her new book Chaste has gone straight to the top of the bestseller lists and she’s appearing at sell-out events.

Determined to speak her truth and bare all to her adoring fans, she’s written an essay about her sexual awakening as a teenager, with her female best friend, Lisa. She’s never told a soul but now she’s telling the world. The essay goes viral.

But then – years since they last spoke – Lisa gets in touch to say that she doesn’t remember it that way at all. Her memory of that night is far darker. It’s Sam’s word against Lisa’s – so who gets to tell the story? Whose ‘truth’ is really a lie?

‘You put yourself on that pedestal, Samantha. You only have yourself to blame.’

Riveting, compulsive and bold, IDOL interrogates our relationship with our heroes and explores the world of online influencers, asking how well we can ever really know those whose carefully curated profiles we follow online. And it asks us to consider how two memories of the same event can differ, and how effortlessly we choose which stories to believe.

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MY REVIEW:

Dark, unflinching, cryptic and compelling, Idol is an exploration of image, social media, our relationship with our idols, and the nature of truth and memory. The story centres around Samantha Miller, a social media influencer and lifestyle guru with three million followers that hang on her every word who has built a business empire on a foundation of encouraging positivity, being your best self, and her recovery from sexual assault and addiction. To promote her new number one book Sam writes an essay talking about her teenage sexual awakening with her best friend, Lisa. Until now she hadn’t told a soul and after the essay goes viral Sam learns that Lisa doesn’t remember the night like she does. As her reputation crumbles and she teeters on the brink of losing everything, Sam heads back to her hometown to try and convince Lisa to tell the truth. But which woman’s version is actually the truth?

Louise O’Neill has knocked it out of the park again with this thought-provoking and intelligent thriller. Skillfully written, intricately woven and cleverly plotted, I was not prepared for the bumpy ride this was about to take me on. This is one of those books where you are never quite sure what is real and what isn’t, who is a reliable character, and what is going to happen next. Sam is a very dislikeable protagonist. She’s self-centred, vain, image-obsessed and insecure. Even learning of her difficult past and the damage it has caused didn’t endear her to me and I never knew if I could trust her. This climate of distrust added to the feeling of suspicion and tension that ran throughout the story and I could never quite figure out what had really happened that night between Sam and Lisa. Every time I thought I’d got it figured out another twist would turn everything on its head, and my jaw hit the floor when everything was finally revealed.

O’Neill examines a variety of timely topics in this book, including the world of influencers and the disparity between the carefully curated social media posts and their real lives. She also explores truth and memory, asking if there is really only one ‘truth’? Or does the ‘truth’ depend on our perspective? And if two people remember the same event differently, does that mean there is more than one ‘truth’? It’s an unnerving thought as we like to believe that truth is finite rather than determined by perspective. Another topic she looks at is the stories we tell and what we choose to believe. We’ve all heard the saying ‘if you tell yourself a lie enough times you believe it’. But what does it actually mean if a person tells themselves a lie enough times that they become convinced it is real? And how does that affect those around them? I thought the way O’Neill explored this was particularly clever, though I won’t give any more detail to avoid spoilers.

Bold, twisty, topical and totally riveting, Idol is a brilliant thriller that I highly recommend.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Louise O’ Neill is from Clonakilty, in west Cork. After graduating with a BA in English Studies at Trinity College Dublin, she went on to complete a post-grad in Fashion Buying at DIT. Having spent a year in New York working for Kate Lanphear, the senior Style Director of ELLE magazine, she returned home to Ireland to write her first novel.
She went from hanging out on set with A-list celebrities to spending most of her days in pyjamas while she writes, and has never been happier.

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Categories
Audio Books Beat the Backlist book reviews

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Published February 18th, 2021 by Mantle
Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Historical Mystery, Women Sleuths

Thank you to Mantle Books for my proof copy of this book.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘The best historical crime novel I will read this year’ – The Times

‘This is right up there with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor’ – Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule

From the pleasure palaces and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham as she seeks justice for a murdered woman whom London society would rather forget . . .

London, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.

But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro’s own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous, than she can know . . .

‘Spectacularly brilliant . . . One of the most enjoyable and enduring stories I have ever read’ – James O’Brien, journalist, author and LBC Presenter

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MY REVIEW:

“In the wrong hands, a secret is a weapon.”

Atmospheric and absorbing, this riveting historical crime story opens on a dark night in Georgian London when Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham finds the bloodied and mortally wounded body of a woman she knows as Lucia, an Italian Contessa. Lucia’s fingers find Caro’s, she gazes into her eyes, and with her last breath she whispers, ‘He knows’. The police are initially quick to investigate but drop the case when they discover that Lucia is in fact Lucy Loveless, a highly paid prostitute. Caro is incensed. So, with the help of  thieftaker Peregrine Child, she sets out to solve the crime. Their investigation leads them into the darkest corners of Georgian society and gentlemen who refuse to talk for fear of sullying their reputation. Can Caro and Perry find the killer before they too are silenced?

Daughters of Night has been sitting on my shelf ever since I received the proof in early 2021 and I am so glad I finally got around to reading it. Laura Shepherd-Robinson is an exquisite storyteller, bringing Georgian London and its dark, shadowy underbelly to life in vivid detail. Her research is evident in the authenticity that runs throughout the book, making me feel like I’d been transported back in time. Exploring topics such as shame, lack of female agency, and the unrelenting exploitation and abuse of women, Shepherd-Robinson writes with compassion, but there is also a brutal honesty, and some of the scenes in this book are not for the faint hearted. 

The huge cast of characters felt reminiscent of Dickens which added to the authentic historic feel. The richly drawn and varied cast of characters leaped from the pages and I connected quickly with Caro and young Pamela, the latter breaking my heart in every scene. Evocatively narrated, I lost myself in the elaborate and intricate plot, my heart pounding as the mystery deepened and the many threads began to weave together to finally reveal the full shocking picture. 

A tense, gripping and intriguing historical mystery that is a must-read for anyone who enjoys this genre. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in Politics from the University of Bristol and an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics.

Laura worked in politics for nearly twenty years before re-entering normal life to complete an MA in Creative Writing at City University. She lives in London with her husband, Adrian.

Blood & Sugar, her first novel, won the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown and the Specsaver’s Debut Crime Novel award, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, and a Guardian and Telegraph novel of the year. It was also shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and the Sapere Historical Dagger; the Amazon Publishing/Capital Crime Best Debut Novel; and the Goldsboro Glass Bell; and longlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year.

Her second novel, Daughters of Night, was been shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year, the Goldsboro Glass Bell, the Capital Crime Fingerprint Historical Novel Award and the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown, longlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger and was a Book of the Year in The Times, The i, and the Guardian.

Her third novel, The Square of Sevens, is a Sunday Times bestseller and available from all good bookshops now.

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book reviews Emma's Anticipated Treasures Squadpod Book Club

SQUADPOD BOOK CLUB: The Lagos Wife by Vanessa Walters

Published February 29th, 2024 by Hutchinson Heinmann
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction

Welcome to my review for the SquadPod Book Club book for March. Thank you Hutchinson Heinmann for sending me a proof copy.

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SYNOPSIS:

‘I was hooked right through to the shocking end’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO

‘An excellent read’ GUARDIAN

‘Beautifully written, immersive, thought-provoking’ MARIAN KEYES

‘Obsessed’ KERRY WASHINGTON

‘A shimmering success’ DIANA EVANS

THE PERFECT WIFE. THE PERFECT MURDER.

Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos and a glamorous group of friends. She left London and a troubled family past behind to become part of a community of expat wives.

But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her aunt Claudine flies to Nigeria to take matters into her own hands. As she digs into her niece’s life, she uncovers a hidden truth. But the more she finds out about Nicole, the more Claudine’s own buried history threatens to come to light.

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MY REVIEW:

“Shine your eyes. Nothing here is as it seems”

Nicole Oruwari left London to live in Nigeria with her husband, Tonye, and their two young sons. The glamorous couple seem to have it all and enjoy a privileged life until Nicole disappears one day following a boat trip. When the investigation provides no answers her estranged aunt, Claudine, flies to Lagos to search for the niece she raised like a daughter. But with the Oruwari family and their friends more concerned about their reputations than helping find Nicole, Claudine faces an uphill battle for answers. 

The SquadPod Book Club book this month transports us to the sandy shores of Lagos, immersing us in a compelling dual timeline mystery that is scattered with secrets and brimming with suspense. Multifaceted, rich with detail, and well-written, Vanessa Walters has drawn on her own experiences to offer us a glimpse inside the lives of the wealthy Nigerwives and exposes the murky world that lies beneath the glitz and glamour of the Nigerian elite. An ominous prologue sets the tense and forbidding tone of the story. But don’t expect quick answers as Walters makes the reader sweat, keeping them on tenterhooks from start to finish. I could never be sure where things were heading and every time I thought I knew she would surprise me with a curveball that took it in an unexpected direction. And that ending! OMG. I was NOT prepared. 

“You may not set out to end up disempowered, but perhaps one day you just wake up, and it’s too late; you’ve already got nothing.”

The story is narrated by Nicole and Claudine, moving seamlessly between multiple timelines as it dives deeper into their lives and unearths the secrets hidden there. We discover lives affected by trauma that left scars but also built resilience. Their emotions leap from the pages, with Claudine’s story being particularly powerful and moving. Walters also examines a number of different issues such as marriage, infidelity, motherhood, privilege, cultural isolation, post colonialism, trauma, racism and female agency. These are told through a lens I knew nothing about and it was fascinating to see these issues from a new perspective and learn more about life and cultural expectations in Nigeria. We all need a support network, so I understood why the foreign wives created theirs. The Nigerwives become almost like a surrogate family for one another, helping the women through everything from adjusting to their new home to escaping their husbands if they are abused, and being away from their own family the women are particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse. 

“Lagos was a strange place where friends and even family members lied about travel plans in case it led to them being kidnapped. Sometimes people concealed pregnancies or other exciting news for fear of spiritual sabotage. Also, keeping up appearances was paramount. People performed fake happiness on social media with loving photos and captions, showing off their holidays and material possessions. Didn’t she do the same thing?”

The setting for this story is so important that it is like a character in its own right. Life in Lagos is unique and completely different to what we know here in England. It is a conservative and Muslim country where single women are viewed with distrust, marriage gives you automatic respect, where the battle for women is feminism not racism, and the fear of kidnapping is very real. Walters explores this patriarchal and misogynistic society in detail, helping the reader understand the challenges faced by not only Nicole and Claudine, but even men such as Tonye, who live their lives constrained by tradition and fear of shame no matter their privilege. For me, these obstacles only made Claudine’s actions braver as she refused to acquiesce to their attempts at hushing up Nicole’s disappearance or stop searching for answers and I was rooting for her at every step.

A fascinating, intelligent and thought-provoking debut that I’d recommend. Add this to your TBR now!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Vanessa Walters was born and raised in London and has a background in international journalism and playwriting and is a Tin House resident and a Millay Colony resident. She is the author of two previous YA books and The Nigerwife.

She currently lives in Brooklyn.

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

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

SQUADPOD REVIEWS: In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan

Published January 4th, 2024 by Simon & Schuster UK
Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Police Procedural, Crime Series, Domestic Fiction, Urban Fiction, Science Fiction

I’m finally sharing my review for the brilliant In the Blink of an Eye, which was a Squadpod Reviews book. Thank you Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

As seen on BBC 2’s BETWEEN THE COVERS

‘I devoured this in one sitting’ Rob Rinder, as featured on BBC 2’s Between the Covers

‘Terrifyingly timely and provocative’ Val McDermid

‘The most original crime novel you’ll read this year’ Clare Mackintosh 

In the UK, someone is reported missing every 90 seconds.
Just gone. Vanished. In the blink of an eye. 

DCS Kat Frank knows all about loss. A widowed single mother, Kat is a cop who trusts her instincts. Picked to lead a pilot programme that has her paired with AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity) Lock, Kat’s instincts come up against Lock’s logic. But when the two missing person’s cold cases they are reviewing suddenly become active, Lock is the only one who can help Kat when the case gets personal. 

AI versus human experience. 
Logic versus instinct.
With lives on the line can the pair work together before someone else becomes another statistic? 

In the Blink of an Eye is a dazzling debut from an exciting new voice and asks us what we think it means to be human. 

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MY REVIEW:

I’m a sucker for a crime series and In the Blink of an Eye is the first book in a crime series like nothing you’ve read before.

DCS Kat Frank is picked to lead a pilot programme where she will be partnered with AIDE (Artificial Intelligence Detective Entity) Lock. Kat isn’t a fan of AI or Lock, but when the two cold cases they are investigating become active investigations and things take a personal turn, she finds Lock is the only one willing to help her. 

Fast-paced, tense, twisty and gripping, this is an exciting and original take on the familiar detective buddy trope. I’m a big fan of these kinds of books but always enjoy finding something a bit different and Jo Callaghan’s debut really does stand out from the crowd. It explores whether AI and logic are superior to human experience and gut feelings when it comes to solving crimes, the truth about loss, and what it means to be human. The story is narrated by Kat but every so often we have a section that is narrated by an unknown man who is being held captive. His terror leaps from the pages and as the story gets darker the tension goes through the roof, my heart racing as I tried to predict what would happen next. 

I’ll admit that, like Kat, I had some apprehension about a robot detective. I needn’t have worried. In Lock Jo Callaghan has created a character who is obviously AI while also breathing the right amount of life and humanity into him to make him compelling. I liked that Kat is his total opposite and is a no-nonsense detective who relies on her instincts. I related to her in many ways on a personal level and enjoyed discovering more about her backstory. I enjoyed the banter between her and Lock and watching them learn how to work together rather than being at odds. The rest of Kat’s team were equally as well written and I am looking forward to returning to the whole cast of characters in the next instalment next month. 

Thought-provoking, thrilling and addictive, In the Blink of an Eye is a strong start to what promises to be a great new series. Highly recommended. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jo Callaghan works fulltime as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce.She was a student of the Writers’ Academy Course (Penguin Random House), was long listed for the Myslexia Novel Writing Competition and Bath Novel Competition. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, her debut crime novel. Published to critical-acclaim, it selected by Val McDermid for her New Blood panel of the best debuts of 2023 and for BBC Two’s Between the Covers Book Club. TV rights were sold in a major acquisition.

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