Play Dead by Angela Marsons

Bookouture (14 May 2016)

The Blurb . . .

The dead don’t tell secrets… unless you listen.

The girl’s smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess.

Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A ‘body farm’ investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.

Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work – but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next?

As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets – but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim …?

My thoughts . . .

Play Dead sees the return of D.I. Kim Stone in this superbly written, fourth instalment of the series, in which Stone and her team are sent to visit the local 'body farm' where they discover the body of a recently murdered young woman. As the investigation continues and the body count grows, Kim must uncover the past to determine the future and stop one of her personal nemesis' becoming a victim.

As always, told in the third person, the chapters are well thought out and detailed enough to make the book work as a stand alone novel, but not overly repetitive with details from previous books that serial readers are bored. In fact, Marsons manages to add something new to the back stories in all her books, building on the depth of the characters and making you fall in love with them a little more with each book you read.

I quite simply adore Marsons writing, she makes me laugh, cry, gasp out loud in surprise and leaves me breathless with her plot twists and turns.

Her books are phenomenal and Play Dead is no exception, it is an utterly awesome read with shockingly brilliant, stomach churning twists and heart-breaking revelations, you are in for an absolute treat with this one.

I could write pages and pages about Angela's books (just look at my other reviews!), I really could, but the fact is, they are brilliant, in every way, shape and form, so just go and buy them, read them and I promise you will not be sorry!

I would like to thank the publishers Bookouture and Net Galley for providing with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

Angela Marsons is the author of Amazon #1 Bestseller SILENT SCREAM.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 8 books. The second, third and fourth books in the Kim Stone series, EVIL GAMES, LOST GIRLS and PLAY DEAD are also now available.

The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards

Thomas & Mercer (13 Sept. 2016)

The Blurb . . .

It was the job she had dreamed of since childhood. But on her very first day, when an unnerving encounter drags up memories Sophie Greenwood would rather forget, she wonders if she has made a mistake. A fatal mistake.

What is her ambitious young assistant really up to? And what exactly happened to Sophie’s predecessor? When her husband and daughter are pulled into the nightmare, Sophie is forced to confront the darkest secrets she has carried for years.

As her life begins to fall apart at work and at home, Sophie must race to uncover the truth about her new job…before it kills her.

My thoughts . . .

When Sophie decides to go back to work 4 years after her daughter is born, she can't help but wonder if the work/life balancing act is worth it. Strange things are going on the office, her predecessor with no real explanation, her team are fractured almost immediately and her husband isn't all that keen on the extra hours she is having to put in, nor is her daughter.

I really enjoyed this book, having read some of Edwards' work in the past I was certain this would be a corker, and it didn't let me down. Written in really easy to follow now and then chapters, the pace of this book is fast from the start and doesn't let up until the very last page.

I loved how Edwards' described working in a publishing house! It gives the reader a bit of an insider view as to how this wonderful industry works, although I am certain from his note at the end that your typical publishing house doesn't harbour murderous psychopaths (I hope!).

I found that Sophie was really easy to relate to, especially as a working mother myself, her struggles are so real; the want and need to gain your independence back, to spend the day talking to adults and using your brain again is a situation I too found myself in. Sophie has a real vulnerability about her, she wants the job to work, she's so desperate to succeed and not allow "things" to happen, that at some points she almost comes across as weak and I found myself mentally screaming at her to man up!

But then thinking back to those days of feeling inadequate, of having to continually justify being at work in my head instead of at home I can see exactly why she is like she is - team that with her big secret and well, once that is revealed, you'll understand her a lot better.

The Devil's Work is one of those books I struggle to discuss without giving away the plot twists, but rest assured, Edwards' builds up an intense tale which is very slick and brilliantly written, a total edge of your seat of thriller which will keep you guessing until the very end.

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

I write psychological thrillers. My influences include writers such as Stephen King, Ira Levin, Ruth Rendell, Ian McEwan, Val McDermid and Donna Tartt and movies like Rosemary's Baby, Single White Female, Fatal Attraction and anything in which scary things happen to ordinary people.

I love hearing from readers and always respond. I can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: markcity@me.com

Twitter @mredwards

Facebook: www.facebook.com/markedwardsbooks

You can download a free box set of 'Short Sharp Shockers' by visiting www.markedwardsauthor.com/free

THE MAGPIES (2013) and BECAUSE SHE LOVES ME (2014) topped the Kindle chart in the UK, as did FOLLOW YOU HOME (2015) which also was a top five bestseller in the US. My other solo novel is WHAT YOU WISH FOR (2014) and I have one short story, KISSING GAMES, available on Amazon. My next psychological thriller, THE DEVIL'S WORK will be published on 13/9/16.

I have co-written six novels with Louise Voss: CATCH YOUR DEATH (2012; a #1 bestseller), KILLING CUPID (2012), ALL FALL DOWN (2013) and FORWARD SLASH (2013). We are now writing a series featuring DI Patrick Lennon. The first two books are FROM THE CRADLE (2014) and THE BLISSFULLY DEAD (2015). In total, I have sold over 1.5 million copies of my books.

After a career that has taken in everything from answering complaint calls for a rail company to teaching English in Japan and being a marketing director, I now write full-time.

I live in the West Midlands, England, with my wife, our three children and a ginger cat.

Please note: there is another author called Mark Edwards. If a title is not listed on my author page, it's not by me.

Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington

Maze (12 Aug. 2016)

The Blurb . . .

A teenage girl is missing. Is your daughter involved, or is she next?

Your daughter is in danger. But can you trust her?

When Karen Finch’s seventeen-year-old daughter Sophie arrives home after a night out, drunk and accompanied by police officers, no one is smiling the morning after. But Sophie remembers nothing about how she got into such a state.

Twelve hours later, Sophie’s friend Amy has still not returned home. Then the body of a young woman is found.

Karen is sure that Sophie knows more than she is letting on. But Karen has her own demons to fight. She struggles to go beyond her own door without a panic attack.

As she becomes convinced that Sophie is not only involved but also in danger, Karen must confront her own anxieties to stop whoever killed one young girl moving on to another – Sophie.

A taut psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and I Let You Go.

My thoughts . . .

THE best thing about being a book reviewer/blogger is getting my hands on one of those books before anyone else (apart from other lovely fellow bloggers) which make me want to scream from the roof top "Thank God for authors and their creative genius!", those rare ones which make you talk about it like you wrote it yourself, and tell everyone within earshot that no matter what else they do, they need to have this pre-ordered or be stood outside Waterstones four days before publication day like a One D fan at a concert venue.

Saving Sophie, the DEBUT novel - yes that wasn't a typo it really is Sam Carrington's first book - is another one of those books (you've all heard me and still do hear me going on about the brilliance of Louise Jensen's The Sister like a stark raving lunatic, well sorry but I'm about to go full maniac on you with this beauty around too!) that once you have read it, you immediately want to start it again. You get that book hangover, that immediate sense of "Now what do I do?" and this is heading to straight to that particular pile.

The ones we NEVER forget and I can't believe I have been lucky enough to have two land in my kindle over the last couple of months.  

We start by meeting a drunken teenage girl, Sophie, who has had to be escorted home by the police who found her wondering the streets at night. Sophie's mum, Karen, immediately knows something isn't right and begins to probe, realising that there is so much more going on than a few too many vinos.

Then, one of Sophie's friend goes missing, Sophie had been rambling some drunken nonsense about said friend to Karen the night before, was she involved? Or is she in danger? Karen doesn't know, but what she does know is that she will do anything to protect her daughter.

This is an unbelievably remarkably written book, it is such a cliché for us reviewers but it genuinely grips you from the start, it takes hold of you and completely draws you in. I connected with every single character in this, Karen is exactly like the mother I'd like to be and Sophie is the daughter I know I was (and no, I'm not looking forward to my own 2 girls turning into stroppy, secretive, drunk teenagers!). Sophie is so torn, between her loyalty to her friends, her own self preservation and her mothers' suffering and all those feelings jump out of the pages and make you love this lost little girl.

This is a psychological crime thriller in every sense of the words, but one thing that really stood out for me was that there is a clear police involvement, but it's not the focus. It was a really refreshing change to have the police playing the parts of "additional" characters for a change, the focus being completely on Sophie and Karen and their friends. That's not to say the police weren't important or didn't play a part, far from it, they were just as terrifically written as everyone else.

The story is told in chapters depicting a different characters situation at the same time as another's, I really loved that Carrington kept us in the loop with what everyone was up to at the same time (yes I know that doesn't make sense but it will WHEN you read it! - it's not always easy to explain things on paper [screen] you know!)

The fact is, just like Jensen did with The Sister, Carrington has absolutely nailed it with her debut novel, this is one of the most fast paced, plot twisting, edge of your seat, heart stopping, blood freezing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading, I didn't want it to end - my heart is still pounding!    

If you haven't already, pre-order it or get your sleeping bag ready for a night outside Waterstones (other good book shops are also available) to grab your paperback hot off the press!

This an absolute must buy and I am utterly excited to see what else Carrington has for in the future.

I would like to thank the author (a million times), publishers and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

Sam Carrington lives in Devon with her husband and three children. She worked for the NHS for 15 years, during which time she qualified as a nurse. Following the completion of a Psychology degree she went to work for the prison service as an Offending Behaviour Programme Facilitator. Her experiences within this field inspired her writing. She left the service to spend time with her family and to follow her dream of being a novelist. SAVING SOPHIE is her debut psychological thriller novel.

Brick by Conrad Jones

The Thriller Factory (25 July 2016)

The Blurb . . .

When a teenager is the victim of an unprovoked attack while walking his dog, a murder investigation begins. A cruel twist of fate makes his innocent family the targets of a vicious campaign of terror. As the detectives of Liverpool’s Major Investigation Team try to contain the violence, several key members of an organised crime family begin to topple, causing shockwaves across the planet.

My thoughts . . .

Brick is story about wrong place, wrong time.

14 year old Bryn Evans takes his dog Alice for a walk and gets into a bit of a silly argument with a random bloke in the street. A run-in which he thinks is immediately over. But this is Liverpool and the random bloke is an instrumental element to parts of the cities criminal underworld, which means he won't take some little twerp giving him lip and just leave it.

The chain of events that follow lead the police on a race against time to try and prevent repercussions, revenge attacks and more blood being spilled.

Brilliantly written, Jones has a way of writing that is rather unique in that the character dialogue is natural, you get the swearing, the slang and the grit that comes from being involved in this lifestyle, the raw emotions from even the hardest of criminal are so apparent that at some points I actually felt sorry for them!

This is the 3rd book of Jones' I have read and it didn't disappoint.

With plot twists and turns that will leave you breathless and relentless gore and brutality, Brick is not for the feint-hearted!

  This is an absolutely gripping, high-octane gruesome thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I'd like to thank the author for providing me with an ARC via Facebook in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

Conrad is the author of 14 novels, 8 author guides and 2 biographies. He has three series;

The Detective Alec Ramsay Series; 7 books Gritty Crime Thrillers

The Soft Target Series; Gritty Thrillers 6 books (Reacher Style)

The Hunting Angels Diaries; 3 books Horror Thrillers

You can find out more; www.conradjonesauthor.com

jonesconrad5@aol.com  

Evil Games by Angela Marsons

Bookouture (29 May 2015)

The Blurb

The greater the Evil, the more deadly the game…

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal stabbing, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But as further disturbing events come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone even more sinister at work.

With the investigation gathering momentum, whilst also trying to expose the secrets of a sick paedophile ring, Kim finds herself in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment.

Pitted against a dangerous sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing.

And this time - it’s personal.. . .

My thoughts . . .

Well, what I can say?

After reading Silent Scream in one sitting and being blown away by Marsons' writing, I wasn't sure if this second instalment would live up to the same level of brilliance ... I'm so glad that it did!

In Evil Games, DI Kim Stone and her team are back and working on the case of the Dunn family, who have just been torn apart after an eagle eyed teacher realised that daddy was being more than just a good daddy. Now, the CPS have decided that they may not have enough evidence and may throw the case out, Stone and the team are frantically trying to tie up any potential loose ends to ensure a conviction. Then, following the discovery of a dead body, seemingly an unprovoked attack on an innocent man, we are introduced to Dr Alex Thorne and my gosh, what an absolute bi*ch she is!

The Dunn family are going through hell, their daughters are involved in a paedophile ring, the 2 little girls are taken into care and all this brings back memories for DI Stone, deep buried memories, once again forcing her to look at her past and all those feelings she has boxed away.

To be able to render a reader to feel such hatred towards a fictional character is an amazing skill and Marsons has it in buckets. She clearly researched every inch of the world of psychology and sociopaths and created a character beyond loathsome. Dr Thorne uses her skills as a psychologist to manipulate the vulnerable but how and, more importantly, why?

I found Dr Thorne absolutely fascinating, the insights into the workings of the human mind that Marsons brings to the table are brilliant.

DI Stone is cold and hard and harsh, she doesn't mince her words, she doesn't fake emotions, she doesn't suffer fools but she doesn't share either, and when her past starts to be brought into the present, we start to see more of that softer side, the surprisingly sympathetic elements which we saw glimpses of in Silent Scream. DI Stone is so eloquently written, the layers Marsons has created to build up this broken girl and create a woman with such a fierce determination to ensure that justice is brought to those who deserve it, are so deep and meaningful, she is a delight to read, and it really is a pleasure watching how she is starting to let those defences down, little by little.

Marsons could very easily have used each of these plots in their own books and delved into each story line a lot deeper and for a lot longer, and in all honesty, parts of me wished she had, however thinking about it, that's not real is it? Criminals don't gather together at the start of the month and decide who will commit their crimes and when, they don't create a schedule so that the police have the time to investigate and solve one before moving on to the next, the police force aren't that lucky! And, thinking about it some more now, I'm actually glad that this happened, it's not very often you get a story in which the different plots don't end up twisted together and that was really refreshing!

I want to talk and talk and talk about Dr Thorne for ages but it's too hard to discuss her without giving anything away, so I will leave her for now and let you discover for yourself, just look out for her and be warned ... You will love to hate her and Angela, if you read this, please please please don't let that be the last we see of her! She would be my vote for the Dead Good Readers Dr Lecter Award for Scariest Villain without a shadow of a doubt!

Evil Games made me laugh out loud (the famous larger advert reference), cry (too many parts to mention) and made me hate (Dr Thorne and ... read it and find out!), there are lots of things going on in this book, twists that had me gasping out loud on the bus, turns that made me want to scream and an ending that left me desperate for more.

You will not put this down, you will not sleep and you will love every second of it!

I would like to thank myself for buying this book (Emma you are great!), I was kindly sent Silent Scream (book 1) and Play Dead (book 4) by Net Galley and Bookouture and, as Evil Games is book 2 I didn't want to read them out of sequence. That is totally my preference though, each of these books works brilliantly as a stand alone novel.  

About the author . . .

Angela Marsons is the author of Amazon #1 Bestseller SILENT SCREAM.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 8 books. The second, third and fourth books in the Kim Stone series, EVIL GAMES, LOST GIRLS and PLAY DEAD are also now available.

Roy Grace Series 1 - 10 by Peter James

Publisher: Macmillan (3 Dec. 2015)

The blurb . . .

The first ten novels of Peter James' enormously popular, multi-award-winning crime series featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace are collected together in this EBook bundle.

These ten bestselling titles follow Brighton's best police detective as he investigates missing persons, terrible murders, copycat killers, and races against the clock to catch dangerous criminals before they strike again.

Peter James' Roy Grace EBook Bundle: Books 1-10 contains the following gripping novels from the Roy Grace series:

Dead Simple
Looking Good Dead
Not Dead Enough
Dead Man's Footsteps
Dead Tomorrow
Dead Like You
Dead Man's Grip
Not Dead Yet
Dead Man's Time
Want You Dead

My thoughts . . .

First of all, I started reading these in paper back way back before the Kindle even existed! It seems like a life time ago (it's actually 11 years since Roy Grace first graced (no pun intended) our book shelves!) and I was totally in love from the start. My brother actually introduced me to Peter James and I have never looked back. I sit and wait eagerly for the next instalment to be published, and devour it in the day - although I try my hardest not to because I never want them to end!

I've come to the blogging world too late to review them all individually, but I certainly will be moving forward!

I would highly recommend these books, each follows the life of DS Roy Grace, Brighton's finest major crime investigator. Each book works exceptionally well as a stand alone, you are given enough background about his personal life to understand any references and to appreciate what is going on in that particular book, but the focus is on the crimes and criminals of that story.

Each book is so brilliantly written, with plots that twist and turn and shock and stun and leave you gasping for breath and begging for more.

James introduces us to some of the most unsavoury criminals ever, with some of the most heinous and gruesome crimes possible.

I can't wait for the next one!

About the author . . .

Peter James was educated at Charterhouse, then at film school. He lived in North America for a number of years, working as a screenwriter and film producer before returning to England. His novels, including the Sunday Times number one bestselling Roy Grace series, have been translated into thirty-six languages, with worldwide sales of fifteen million copies. Three books have been filmed. He has also written a short story collection, A Twist of the Knife. All his novels reflect his deep interest in the world of the police, with whom he does in-depth research, as well as his fascination with science, medicine and the paranormal. He has also produced numerous films, including The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes. He divides his time between his homes in Notting Hill, London, and near Brighton in Sussex.

Watching Edie by Camilla Way

Publisher: HarperCollins (28 July 2016)

Source: ARC via Net Galley

Format: Kindle Edition

The Blurb . . .

THERE ARE SOME FRIENDS YOU’LL NEVER FORGET…
NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY

BEFORE

Edie is the friend that Heather has always craved. But one night, it goes terrifyingly wrong. And what started as an innocent friendship ends in two lives being destroyed.

AFTER

Sixteen years later, Edie is still rebuilding her life. But Heather isn’t ready to let her forget so easily. It’s no coincidence that she shows up when Edie needs her most.

NOW

Edie or Heather?
Heather or Edie?

Someone has to pay for what happened, but who will it be?

My thoughts . . .

When Heather shows back up in Edie's life 16 years after they last saw each other, Edie is shocked and stunned. Heather is acting like nothing has happened and Edie is scared. Why has she suddenly reappeared? What does she want? And why now?  

I've said a few times before, I love an author who can write between two time periods and Way is no exception. We have Edie's chapters in the present, Heather's in the past and, seeing it from both sides in a then and now format adds a real depth to the story that I really enjoyed.

It's such a cliché but I really was gripped from the start. We are given enough of the story in the first chapter to keep us wanting more, and every chapter is the same there after, giving you more information, building up the story perfectly and leaving you needing to keep on reading and keep turning those pages.  

As the intensity builds, Way draws us into a powerful and superbly written tale of jealousy, love, hatred and shame, with raw emotion oozing off of the pages and twists that you will never see coming.  

This is a gripping thriller about friendship, love and the most ultimate betrayal, which left me emotionally drained, and thanking God that I never had a friend like Heather or Edie… I'll certainly be picking up more of Way's books for my TBR pile!

I would like to thank the author, publishers and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

Camilla Way was born in Greenwich, south-east London, and studied Modern English and French Literature at the University of Glamorgan. Formerly an editor on the men’s style magazine Arena, Camilla now writes full time and lives in south-east London with her partner and twin boys.

Cut to the Bone by Alex Caan

Twenty7

(3 Nov. 2016)

The Blurb . . .

Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls. And she's missing. She's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely? Until the video's uploaded. Ruby, in the dirt and pleading for her life.

Who better to head up the investigation than the Met's rising star, Detective Inspector Kate Riley? She's leading a shiny new team, high-powered, mostly female and with the best resources money can buy. It's time for them to prove what they can do. Alongside her, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris - poster boy for multiracial policing and the team's newest member - has his own unique contribution to make. But can Kate wholly trust him and when he's around, can she trust herself?

Ruby's millions of fans are hysterical about what may have happened to her. The press is having a field day and as the investigation hurtles out of control in the glare of publicity, it becomes clear that the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much, much darker than anyone could have imagined in their worst nightmares.

And the videos keep coming . . .

My thoughts . . .

I am rather shocked that this is Caan's debut novel! What a start!

When I read the blurb for this book, I was really intrigued to discover the angle the author would take, hoping that I wouldn't be met with thousands of pointless police interviews with randoms who had once sent Ruby a negative comment online, and I wasn't disappointed!

When the special task force are called straight to a missing persons case, an adult who has been missing less than 12 hours, they can't help but wonder why, there doesn't appear to be any reason why she is any different to any other missing young adult, other than her parents "just know" something is wrong. I was a little concerned with where this was going to start with, however, as the plot starts to dramatically unfold, things start to become clearer.

The attention to detail Caan portrays in his knowledge surrounding the workings of the elite police squad, the politics around them and his clearly intimate knowledge of the world wide web and technology is wonderful. All three are areas I like to think I know a bit about, but to no real intelligent level I'm afraid, yet Caan details aspects of each in such a way that you can understand it, and I mean really understand it, explaining jargon and not going over board with lengthy descriptives, which for me made the book so much better as I actually understood what they were talking about! Authors can run the risk of over explaining things, of making the reader feel stupid for not knowing something but Caan got the balance perfectly right.

I really loved how these characters developed - a new team, thrown together not so long ago, working on their first major crime case - seeing the dynamics between them was refreshing, and, as they are part of a new elite squad, their procedures and resources are different to those that we find in mainstream police crime thrillers, which added a really brilliant dimension to the story.

Kate and Zain clearly have pasts that they are keeping from each other, and it was a pleasure to watch their development on a personal level, seeing how they grew together and tried to learn to work together and trust each other. There is so potential for the whole squad, I really hope that Caan has plans for them in the future!

The plot twists and turns are intelligent and shocking, just when you think you have it all worked out, BAM, another heart stopping twist that keeps you more than engaged, it makes it impossible to put down, you will keep turning the pages until you get to the very end!

Cut to the Bone is an absolutely terrific debut novel from an author I hope sticks around for a long time to come!

I would like to thank the publishers and Net Galley for sending me this copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

Alex Caan has spent over a decade working in Information Systems Security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in Terrorism Studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English Teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing, and write Cut to the Bone.

In the Wake of Death by Billy McLaughlin

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

(29 Jun. 2016)

The Blurb . . .

Sometimes waking up is only the beginning…

He was left for dead on the side of the road. Now Marc Adams is awake and he can barely remember anything about his life before. All he knows is that his meddling sister has returned to his life, whilst his partner Joel is gone.

Marc is convinced that something has happened to Joel. Why won’t anybody believe him?

As he is pulled further into the pit of his subconscious, Marc begins to remember exactly what happened on the night of his accident.

Soon, he’ll be wishing he hadn’t woken up at all.

My thoughts . . .

When Marc finally wakes up from his coma, he is convinced that his boyfriend Joel must also have been in the accident, but no one knows who Joel is. Margo, Marc's older sister is back in his life and is adamant that Joel doesn't exist, as are his doctors who insist that no one other than Margo has been to visit him. With his short term memory affected, Marc has to deal with this information everyday as he has no capacity to retain new information or form new memories.

Nathan Sykes is looking for his ex-boyfriend Dean who appears to have dropped of the face of the planet, with almost £30k of Nathan's money - which Nathan wants back.

As Marc's memory starts to return and Nathan closes the net on Dean, the pace seems to pick up quite nicely.

This is cleverly written, with nice, clean plot lines, and easy to relate to characters. The background detailing and the descriptive narrative doesn't get boring but gives enough information to allow you a really good sense of the history of these people. I really enjoyed the relationship between Margo and Marc, having fallen out at some point in the past, Margo immediately rushed to Marc's side, showing that there are situations in life where the past is not always relevant and love prevails. There is nothing majorly complicated to try and follow however this book does have a fantastically unexpected twist that left me breathless!

I would like to see what else the author has in store for us in the future as these characters showed lots of promise.

Thank you to the author and Shell Barker for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author . . .

After releasing his debut novelette "Invisible" in March 2016, Billy McLaughlin set upon writing his first full length novel. "Lost Girl" was released on 20th May 2016 and has already charted inside the Top 500 Crime Kindle Charts. The story focuses on a young woman who escapes an unhappy married life only to find herself caught up in a double murder and at the mercy of a vicious stalker. Writer Dixie Howell wrote in its first review "The author writes in a lyrical way and the flow makes the novel pleasing. The characters and story line are entertaining and hold your interest".

Before he was even finished with the characters introduced in the first three books, Billy had already found a place for some of them in a world that exists outwith the confines of a singular story.

Keep your eyes peeled for future releases and news which can also be located via twitter (@bilbob20) and his Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/BillyMcLaughlinBooks/

My First Blog Update

Well, what a month it has been since I started my Little Book Worm blog...

I have discovered a whole host of wonderful people within the publishing industry; authors, publishers, fellow bloggers and readers and I must say, what an amazing group they are! All filled with lovely and meaningful advice and always happy to help and promote each other, it really is a joy to be involved with these great people!

My most successful blog post is by far the absolutely amazing The Sister by Louise Jensen, what a flipping book... With over 600 views, I was blown away!

I've read some great books over the last couple of weeks, including:

• Silent Scream by Angela Marsons
• Mummy's Favourite by Sarah Flint
• The Fire Child by S.K Tremayne
• Local Missing Girl by Claire Douglas
• The Step Mother by Claire Seeber
• Willow Cottage (Sunshine & Secrets Part 1) by Bella Osborne

And I even had my first ever book banner quote by Aria Fiction with a quote taken from my review!

I've just added an email subscription option to my site (only just figured out how to do it!) so feel free to sign up!

Over the next few weeks you can expect reviews of the following:

• In the Wake of Death by Billy McLaughin
• The Good Husband by Christobel Kent
• The Lost Girls by Angela Marsons
• Evil Games by Angela Marsons
• Cut To The Bone by Alex Cann
• Play Dead by Angela Marsons

I am certain you may have noticed a theme running through my TBR pile... I read my first Ms Marsons book, Silent Scream last week and boy oh boy, what a book it is! I was gripped, totally and utterly adore the way she wrote and as such, I downloaded the rest of her books on my Kindle immediately, I have these to read for pleasure though as I have a few reviews to do for others first (which is obviously brilliant, but at the same time I want to read more D.I Stone!!)

I am also working on writing some retrospective reviews of the book s I have read in the past, this is taking a while though as I am reading and working on the current book reviews! One thing I have noticed since starting this blog is that I am never not reading, having recently given up a career in sales to start training as a proofreader, all I seem to do at the moment is read, read & read some more!!! I took a little part time job in customer services for a carpet manufacturer and as it's all phone based, I can read in-between calls - which is brilliant!

Well, I'm heading off to start another book, the lovely Shell Barker over at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CrimeBookClub/ has asked for a review so I best get started... Then next on the list is Christobel Kent's The Good Husband which I will be completing for www.TheBookBag.co.uk

Hope you all have a great week get in touch if you would like me to review a book or just to say hi!

Love & all that jazz

Emma x

 

The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne

HarperCollins

16 June 2016

The Blurb...

When Rachel marries dark, handsome David, everything seems to fall into place. Swept from single life in London to the beautiful Carnhallow House in Cornwall, she gains wealth, love, and an affectionate stepson, Jamie.

But then Jamie’s behaviour changes, and Rachel’s perfect life begins to unravel. He makes disturbing predictions, claiming to be haunted by the spectre of his late mother – David’s previous wife. Is this Jamie’s way of punishing Rachel, or is he far more traumatized than she thought?

As Rachel starts digging into the past, she begins to grow suspicious of her husband. Why is he so reluctant to discuss Jamie’s outbursts? And what exactly happened to cause his ex-wife’s untimely death, less than two years ago? As summer slips away and December looms, Rachel begins to fear there might be truth in Jamie’s words:

‘You will be dead by Christmas.’

My Thoughts...

I loved that the chapters start at ‘178 Days Before Christmas’, putting the reader in the unusual position of knowing when something will happen, it really helped to build up the tension as the countdown to Christmas began and continued throughout the book.  

Due to the fantastic historic descriptions in this novel, you could be forgiven for thinking you had picked up a history text book at some points, although it really does work in the book. Tremayne really builds the sense of isolation Rachel feels, having given up her life in the bustling city of London, she is suddenly Lady of the Manor, a huge house in the middle of nowhere, with no friends to speak of and little option to make any, Rachel is struggling with the isolation.

With very few characters in this book, they needed to be well written, and thankfully they are, you really get a sense of how hard it is for both Rachel and widower David, to move on from past tragedies and start their new lives together with David’s 8-year-old son Jamie. Rachel is hoping to take over the renovation of Carnhallow House, started by David’s deceased ex – Nina, whilst David spends the weekdays working in London. There really isn’t anything else for her to do, however, when she starts looking at Nina’s plans, and exploring her new home, Rachel discovers that all is not as it seems with the explanation David gave her about Nina’s death. Jamie, her stepson begins to act strangely, convinced he can see his mother still walking the halls of Carnhallow House, Rachel starts to question both his, and her own, sanity.

Things start to take a sinister turn and, as Rachel begins to question the past, family secrets and past transgressions start coming to light. This is an emotionally charged tale of love, fear, intrigue and dishonesty, wonderfully thrilling and deceptively scary, it is by no means a fast-paced read, there aren’t several stories and plots intertwining and there isn’t much to think about, which I think makes for a really rather unique novel. It feels quite obvious, how the story is going to turn out, but don’t be deceived, once the story picks up pace, there are some shocking twists and unexpected jaw-dropping turns that will leave your heart pounding.

This is definitely a must read and I’d like to thank the publishers and Net Galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

About the author . . .

S. K. Tremayne is a No. 1 bestselling author, an award-winning travel writer, and a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines around the world. Born in Devon, the author now lives in London. S. K. Tremayne has two daughters.