BookReview 1989 by VAL McDERMID

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the new installment to her historical crime series that began with 1979, internationally bestselling author Val McDermid delivers a propulsive new thriller that finds journalist Allie Burns has become an editor, and as the Cold War and AIDS crisis deliver a nonstop tide of news, most of it bad, a story falls into her lap. And then there’s a murder.

Hailed as Britain’s Queen of Crime, Val McDermid’s award-winning, internationally bestselling novels have captivated readers for more than thirty years. In her Allie Burns series, she returns to the past–both ours and in some ways her own–with the story of a female journalist whose stories lead her into world of corruption, terror, and murder.

It’s 1989 and Allie Burns is back. Older and maybe wiser, she’s running the northern news operation of the Sunday Globe, chafing at losing her role in investigative journalism and at the descent into the gutter of the UK tabloid media. But there’s plenty to keep her occupied. The year begins with the memorial service for the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, but Allie has barely filed her copy when she stumbles over a story about HIV/AIDS that will shock her into a major change of direction. The world of newspapers is undergoing a revolution, there’s skullduggery in the medical research labs and there are seismic rumblings behind the Iron Curtain. When murder is added to this potent mix, Allie is forced to question all her old certainties.

Readers are having a great time time-traveling with Val, and 1989 is a seamless, riveting novel that brings us once again face to face with how very much past is prologue, and how history’s sins stay with us.

PURCHASE LINK

AMAZON

MY REVIEW

 I found this to be an absorbing thriller that really transports you back to the news and events of 1989, along with some of the vile attitudes of the time! I’ve not read the first in the series, so this can be read as a standalone, but I’m planning to read 1979 very soon!

Allie works for the Sunday Globe and looks to offer a different and relatable perspective on stories that are in the news. Shame her bosses disagree and just tow the line with sensationalising things and making stories full of prejudice. She goes from the tragic events of Pan Am 103 memorial and Hillsborough, interspersed with a developing story of worrying events with HIV trials being cancelled with no reasons given. The more she discovers about the companies involved, the more she’s drawn in to some dangerous investigations and brick walls being put in her way.

You really get the sense in this book that the life of a journalistic is never dull! Especially when you’re ready to upset the apple cart and investigate some serious dodgy goings on. I loved the character of Allie, showing the reality of her working life alongside that of her personal life, living as a lesbian and working in an atmosphere full of homophobia and misogyny. The skullduggery of the media world behind the scenes is also a part of the storyline, and really illuminates how dark and dangerous it was – and probably still is!

I found this to be an extremely readable story! It was easy to follow, full of and watching back over events of that era was fascinating and really added an interesting perspective to her experiences and what she was dealing with.

★★★★

My thanks to Laura Sherlock for the advanced reader copy, in return for a fair and honest review.

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BookReview BAD BLOOD by SADIE RYAN

ABOUT THE BOOK

Does a dating App hold the key to the recent mysterious disappearances of several women from a leafy suburb.

Women are vanishing in the town of Applehurst. The police have one lead.

All the women met with a man on Tinder.

When the body of one of the missing women is found, The Police face a race against time to locate the remaining women before they come to further harm.

Can DI Vincent Sullivan and DS Josephine Jenkins unravel the mystery before the killer kills again?

Bad Blood is the new crime thriller from the bestselling author of Guilty

PUBLISHED BY SPELLBOUND

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

This is Book 2 in the DI Vincent series, but my first and definitely won’t be my last! The shocking opening had me hooked straight away, and the author has done a great job at exploring the world of online dating and delving into the darker side of human behaviour.

When women start going missing after going on Tinder dates, the police, and families, are left to wonder just what is going on. This starts off a game of action and suspense in every chapter as the story cleverly switches from the normality of daily life goings on giving you a glimpse behind various characters, to the POV from the main investigators – DI Vincent and DS Josephine Jenkins. I loved how these 2 characters worked so well with one another, from their banter to their way of going around trying to find out what is really going on.

As more bodies keep appearing the twists and turns ramp up, and I found myself getting suspicious about everyone at some points as you’re left thinking one way one minute, and another the next!! It really is cleverly written and it just keeps you guessing throughout.

There are many different threads to the story which help keep the interest in all the characters but it never becomes too overwhelming with the different POV’s. It just keeps the story flowing nicely as there’s always a new angle to explore, or new pieces of evidence shedding light on the latest investigation. And with the world of online dating now more prevalent it really gives the reader more connection – and scare them off going on a dating app EVER again!!!

I also found the attention to detail spot on as it gives you a greater vision of the settings and the nuances of each character, which made it much easier to connect with and want to know more about them all. The tension was always there and it was really cleverly executed!! Highly recommend!

★★★★★

Many thanks to the author, Sadie Ryan, for the gifted e-copy of the book in return for a fair and honest review.

BookReview THE 6:20 MAN by DAVID BALDACCI #The620Man

ABOUT THE BOOK

Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city’s most prestigious investment firm. In the mornings, he gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance.

Then one morning Devine’s tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: She is dead.

Sara Ewes, Devine’s coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building—presumably a suicide, prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. If that wasn’t enough, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the Army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm.

This treacherous role will take Travis from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country’s economic halls of power…where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there’s a killer out there with their own agenda, and Devine is the bullseye.

PUBLISHER – MACMILLAN

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

Seems to be a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire in this book for the character Travis Devine. And what a hell of a ride the author takes you on in this fast paced story from the King of the thrillers!

Having served in Afghanistan and Iraq, you’d think Travis would be set for a quieter life in the world of high finance but nothing could be farther from the truth. From the things he sees on his daily commute on the 6:20 to the death of a very close colleague, it all leads him into a world of dodgy dealings and a group of very ruthless people who won’t let anyone get in their way.

When he becomes one of the main suspects for the murder of Sarah, he has to get investigating to clear his name and that leads him to meet people you don’t want to be messing with. And then the body count starts mounting up so he’s really up against it!

I loved the slow start which soon ramped up to fast paced action and the guessing games kept me hooked throughout working out who was behind it all. This was an exciting, dark and twisty thriller and shows the author at his plotting best!

★★★★

My thanks to Laura Sherlock for the advanced reader copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

#BookReview SUNDIAL by CATRIONA WARD #Sundial

ABOUT THE BOOK

You can’t escape the desert. You can’t escape Sundial.

Rob fears for her daughters. For Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. For Annie, because she fears what Callie might do to her. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her of the family she left behind. She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.

Callie is afraid of her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely. To tell her secrets about her past that both disturb and excite her. And Callie is beginning to wonder if only one of them will leave Sundial alive…

From the bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street comes a stunning thriller exploring the toxicity of the mother-daughter bond, and the power of the past to twist the present.

PUBLISHED BY VIPER BOOKS

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

Blackwell’s – signed edition

MY REVIEW

The Queen of tension, darkness and horror is back! And I loved every single minute of it – even if it did take me down some very dark paths! I’m not easily shocked but this book had those moments that leave you gasping! And wondering where the flip the story would lead you to next!!

At the heart of the story is a family where all is not well. Mum, Dad and 2 daughters and the exploration of family dynamics within that group. It also looks into the past of the characters so you can see where some of their irrational behaviour comes from. The parents came from unstable backgrounds and that childlike approach becomes only too clear in the way they can be so cruel to their children. Rob sees something in the girls, Callie especially, that scares her so takes her on a trip to the Mojave desert and all becomes clearer why as we see it’s where Rob grew up and had things in her own childhood to deal with.

It’s a story that is meant to make you feel uneasy!! There are some very dark subjects explored and through the characters you get to see things from different perspectives and feel just how toxic a situation can become from past traumas. It’s a wonderful exploration into the different sides of people and what they can be hiding and how it all comes out in the end, no matter how hard they try to escape it.

The pace is wonderful – it builds up slowly and then bursts into life with revelations galore. It is disturbing but that just made it even more exciting for me. The author wasn’t too scared to push a few boundaries and explore the darker side of life and how personalities are formed and acted upon. Loved it!!

★★★★★

#BookReview A BURNING LIE by CLAIRE SHELDON @RubyFiction #PublicationDay

ABOUT THE BOOK

When a deadly explosion brings secrets and lies to light …

A city shaken to its foundations by a fire in a well-known music venue. A nightclub owner seemingly more concerned about money than the lives of the young people who fill the dancefloor at the end of every week. A dangerous bomber still on the loose.

All things that Detective Jen Garner must face in her first week of local level policing whilst trying to start afresh and finally make a break with her past.

Working alongside DI Chris Jackson, it’s crucial that Jen connects the dots to bring the culprit to justice. But it seems that everywhere Jen turns there is somebody with something to hide – and whilst she and her team attempt to unravel a web of lies years in the making, could the bomber be getting ready to strike again?

PUBLISHED BY RUBY FICTION

PURCHASE LINKS

 Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Burning-Lie-chilling-detective-thriller-ebook/dp/B09VQ4BZPM/ 

Apple: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/a-burning-lie/id1614657973

Kobo: A Burning Lie eBook by Claire Sheldon – 9781912550708 | Rakuten Kobo United Kingdom

Google: A Burning Lie by Claire Sheldon – Books on Google Play

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-burning-lie-claire-sheldon/1141233577?ean=2940160887210

MY REVIEW

The 3rd in the Lisa Carter Files series, but easily read as a standalone and it’s another pulsating thriller from Claire Sheldon, as we follow the very likeable and relatable characters she’s created, as they struggle with a case that has left a music venue blown up and 22 victims.

DI Chris Jackson, and Detective Jen Garner team up again to solve the mystery in front of them, and all while dealing with their own personal issues. Chris Jackson has an illness hanging over him and he’s really struggling to come to terms with it and the impact it will have on him both personally and professionally. And Jen is facing the battle between raising a family and wanting to carry on working and trying to get the balance right of not bringing work home with her – very difficult when she’s involved in such time consuming cases.

And this case is a big mystery as initially there appear to be no motive so it’s a big case of ruling people in and ruling people out, interviewing everyone there and delving into their pasts. Who has got something to hide?! I love how well they work together and the meticulous approach to the issues in front of them eventually proves to be successful and the conclusion was shocking and thrilling in equal measures!!

I love the mix of personal and work life in these books, they make it seem more real and showing the human side of the police! Their lives don’t just go on hold because they’re working a big case! Hoping there’ll be more installments as I love keeping up with these characters!! A great read!!

★★★★★

#BookReview WHEN I WAS TEN by FIONA CUMMINS #Audiobook

ABOUT THE BOOK

Twenty-one years ago, Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were murdered in what has become the most infamous double murder of the modern age.

Ten-year-old Sara Carter – nicknamed the Angel of Death – spent eight years in a children’s secure unit and is living quietly under an assumed name with a family of her own.

Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down her older sister Shannon Carter, compelling her to break two decades of silence.

Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and journalist Brinley Booth, a childhood friend of the Carter sisters, is tasked with covering the news story.

For the first time, the three women are forced to confront what really happened on that blood-soaked night – with devastating consequences for them all.

PUBLISHED BY PAN MACMILLAN

MY REVIEW

I listened to the audio version of this book – brilliant narration and really kept hold of your attention through to the last page!

A book to shock! What a story! This was one of those books that I was a little apprehensive going in to after hearing so many good things, but once I was involved with the story – which gets you straight away! – I just couldn’t bear to stop reading, to find out the lead up to the shocking events and the reverberations that they caused many years later.

The story is told in a now and then way – so we get to understand that a shocking crime took place many years ago that gripped the nation, when a young girl murdered her parents with scissors. There was a big court case, lots of media attention – and now that attention is back as the journalists start sniffing around to do a follow up story knowing that the perpetrator has been released with a new identity. We get the story from the family point of view and the journalists too – and the moral dilemmas they face.

This was a tense read throughout! Parts of the story horrified me and really put a different outlook on the story for me and really showed how the past impacted on the lives those involved were now living. And it really shows how appearances can be very deceptive!!

There are shocking twists throughout and I loved the way the characters were allowed to get their personalities and viewpoints across as it really gave you a better understanding of what happened then, and how the events of that night never left them alone! Brilliant!

★★★★★

#BookReview DARE TO KNOW by JAMES KENNEDY

ABOUT THE BOOK

Dark Matter meets Annihilation in this mind-bending and emotional speculative thriller set in a world where the exact moment of your death can be predicted–for a price.

Our narrator is the most talented salesman at Dare to Know, a prestigious and enigmatic company in the death-prediction business. While he has mastered the art of death, the rest of his life is an abject failure. Divorced, estranged from his sons, and broke, he’s driven to violate the cardinal rule of his business by forecasting his own death day. The problem: apparently he died 23 minutes ago.

The only person who can confirm his prediction is Julia, the woman he loved and lost during his rise up the ranks of Dare to Know. As he travels across the country to see her, our narrator is forced to confront his past, the choices he’s made, and the terrifying truth about the company he works for–and his role there.

Highly ambitious and totally immersive, this adrenaline-fueled thriller explores the destructive power of knowledge and collapses the boundaries between reality, myth, and conspiracy as it races toward its stunning conclusion.

PUBLISHED BY QUIRK BOOKS

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

If you  like your books weird, twisty and to be a bit of a mind f***, then this is the book for you!! I loved it! It has the power to entertain, confuse and to make you think…. would you want to know when you were going to die?!

In this book, there’s a group who can predict  your death date and have turned it into a business.  The only rule of the death prediction business is not to calculate your own death date…. the book narrator breaks this rule and is left dealing with the consequences.
It took me a while to get into the style of writing, but once I’d connected with it, I really enjoyed the way the story played out.  The narrator takes you through each stage – as he deals with his disastrous life whilst looking back at those moments in his life that made him who he has become – the school friendships, relationships, his random thoughts and hates.  This is alongside the internal battle he’s having with himself of trying to make sense of it all, and should he do his own death date.  He knows he shouldn’t but just can’t shake the feeling off that he NEEDS to know.

I really enjoyed the frenetic pace of this book – it flits from one thought to another, from the now to the past and you really get a sense of his confused state of mind.  How his arrogance and complacency can be a help and a hindrance!

The twists were well thought out, and I loved the randomness of his mind!  It’s a book that I raced through and loved the uniqueness of it all!  It makes you think outside of the box and challenges you!

★★★★

My thanks to the team at Black Crow PR for the advanced reader copy in return for a fair and honest review.

#BookReview MRS MARCH by VIRGINIA FEITO

ABOUT THE BOOK

Shirley Jackson meets Ottessa Moshfegh meets My Sister the Serial Killer in a brilliantly unsettling and darkly funny debut novel full of suspense and paranoia

George March’s latest novel is a smash hit. None could be prouder than Mrs. March, his dutiful wife, who revels in his accolades and relishes the lifestyle and status his success brings.

A creature of routine and decorum, Mrs. March lives an exquisitely controlled existence on the Upper East Side. Every morning begins the same way, with a visit to her favourite patisserie to buy a loaf of
olive bread, but her latest trip proves to be her last when she suffers an indignity from which she may never recover: an assumption by the shopkeeper that the protagonist in George March’s new book –
a pathetic sex worker, more a figure of derision than desire – is based on Mrs. March.

One casual remark robs Mrs. March not only of her beloved olive bread but of the belief that she knew everything about her husband – and herself – sending her on an increasingly paranoid journey, one
that starts within the pages of a book but may very well uncover both a killer and the long-buried secrets of Mrs. March’s past.

A razor-sharp exploration of the fragility of identity and the smothering weight of expectations, Mrs. March heralds the arrival of a wicked and wonderful new voice.

PUBLISHED BY FOURTH ESTATE

PURCHASE LINK

Blackwell’s

MY REVIEW

This was a slow burner of a book, but it grabbed me completely. I found it to be quiet and unassuming at times, but a devastating character study of a woman clearly struggling with her mind and the depths that paranoia take her to.

Mrs March is the wife of a very successful author, bringing them both a very comfortable life. Her husband is away a lot so she seems to fill her days with shopping, parties – and overthinking! And it was a comment overhead about a character in her husbands book, that triggers another wave of self doubt and leads her on a path of distrust. She starts to see the book wherever she is, almost like it is taunting her.

The story looks at her past, how she met George and how their relationship blossomed to how it is now, and alludes to her having lived a troubled childhood too. You are never quite sure with her narration just how much to believe, and when she starts to believe that her husband is involved with the disappearance of a woman where he recently stayed, we get to witness just how her damaged mind processes the possibilities and the lengths she’ll go to prove his guilt.

There’s such a sadness about the characters involved in this book – it’s all about appearance and status, and how a simple throwaway comment can impact on the outlook of somebody who obviously has been damaged in the past due to her upbringing.

I know this book has split opinions, and it’s definitely not a ‘light’ read but I found it to be captivating in a dark and disturbing way!

★★★★★

#BlogTour LIES LIKE WILDFIRE by JENNIFER LYNN ALVAREZ #BookReview #TheWriteReads @The_WriteReads @penguinplatform #LiesLikeWildfire #UltimateBlogTour

Delighted to be with you today as part of the Blog Tour for the wonderful LIES LIKE WILDFIRE by JENNIFER LYNN ALVAREZ..  My thanks to the author, publisher and The Write Reads for putting the tour together and letting me be part of it all!

ABOUT THE BOOK

An intense high-stakes story about five friends and the deadly secret that could send their lives up in flames, perfect for fans of Karen McManus and E. Lockhart.

In Gap Mountain, California, everyone knows about fire season. And no one is more vigilant than 18-year-old Hannah Warner, the sheriff’s daughter and aspiring FBI agent. That is until this summer. When Hannah and her best friends accidentally spark an enormous and deadly wildfire, their instinct is to lie to the police and the fire investigators.

But as the blaze roars through their rural town and towards Yosemite National Park, Hannah’s friends begin to crack and she finds herself going to extreme lengths to protect their secret. Because sometimes good people do bad things. And if there’s one thing people hate, it’s liars.

PUBLISHED BY PENGUIN

PURCHASE ORDER

Amazon

MY REVIEW

This is a thrilling, and chilling!, YA novel that explores the dark sides of youth, where the consequences of their action spirals out of control!  And what follows is the story of lies,tension, regrets and betrayals and I thoroughly enjoyed it – I can already picture the drama series on TV!!

A group of friends are out in the woods and accidentally start a fire – the impact of which is deadly! They don’t want to admit responsibility for their actions so they make a pact to stay silent – they weren’t there. They saw nothing.  But that involves trying to cover their tracks and soon cracks start to appear in their stories, and as the death toll rises, the conscience of some of the group starts to get the better of them… much to the disgust of others.

This is a really clever book as it covers so many relevant topics of the time – the dangers of using flames in a dry area and how quickly that can spread and how the local areas have to deal with the devastation of one reckless act.  It does get  very dark at times but really does show the impact of peer pressure and how selfish some people can be to save their own backsides.  

It is fast paced and disturbing but a gripping read showing the impact of a rash decision that leads to such devastating consequences for so many innocent people.  How quickly life can change…..

★★★★

#BlogTour FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by SAMANTHA DOWNING #BookReview #foryourowngood #samanthadowning @smariedowning @michaeljbooks

Delighted to be with you today as the latest stop on the Blog Tour for the fabulously thrilling FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by SAMANTHA DOWNING.  
My thanks to the author and publisher for letting me be part of the tour and sharing my thoughts!

ABOUT THE BOOK

SOME LESSONS CAN BE DEADLY . . . The unputdownable new thriller from the author of international sensation and Richard & Judy pick, MY LOVELY WIFE

‘Dark, sly and delicious . . . totally original – and totally compelling’ JP DELANEY, bestselling author of PLAYING NICE
‘ Samantha Downing is totally the real deal. Wry and dark and witty and clever’ SARAH PINBOROUGH, bestselling author of BEHIND HER EYES
‘Wonderfully dark and twisty. I raced through it, desperate to know how it would end’ BA PARIS
_______

Teddy Crutcher won Teacher of the Year at the prestigious Belmont Academy. Everyone thinks he’s brilliant.
Only you know the truth.

They all smile when he tells us his wife couldn’t be more proud.
But no-one has seen her in a while.

They’re impressed when he doesn’t let anything distract him – even the tragic death of a school parent.
Even when the whispers start, saying it was murder.

You’re sure Teddy is hiding something about what happened that day.

You’re sure you can prove it.

But you didn’t stop to think that when it comes to catching a killer, there’s no place more dangerous than just one step behind . . .
_______

‘An irresistibly tale tale of parents, pupils and poison: the American dream turned suburban nightmare’ TM LOGAN

‘A brilliant psychological black comedy with a really fresh feel, packed with sly observation and outrageous twists’ DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED BY  MICHAEL JOSEPH

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

I have never known a book full of so many twisted, devious characters… no wonder I loved it!!  This is one of those stories that leave you horrified, excited, appalled and thoroughly entertained from page one to the last!!

Teddy, a teacher, is at the heart of the story and he has very particular ways to get the best out of his students.  Many don’t agree with those ways but it gets results! He just finds himself taking it to another level at times and it’s shocking to see how devious he is!!
Add to the mix desperate parents trying to get the best for their children – by any means necessary! – and students who have their own ways of being devious, and you’re left with a school that hits the headlines for all the wrong reasons!!

The story excels through its’ use of using different characters to tell their side of the stories! They’re all a little unhinged and that just adds to the fun of it all!  From staff to students, there’s such a dark undertone throughout, and as a reader you are just puzzled as to where the story is going and just how far things will be taken!! And believe me, they’re taken to the edge!!

Teddy knows he has the futures of his students in his hands and he plays up to that in how he tries to control matters.  Everyone needs to dance to his tune … or else!The darkness comes in the form of murder, and we’re left with the task of working out who committed the murders, and why others are taking the blame!! 

 I loved the madness of the storyline, the extreme characters and the chilling outcome! It is one of those books that you find very hard to put down once you start reading – the crazy keeps calling you back!!  Terrific thriller!

★★★★★