A private investigator is asked by a famous model, to discover if the death of her father was really accidental as she feels the police have hit a brick wall and have no further leads to follow. Simeon Cain decides to look into it. The results are both surprising and horrifying…
Tin Man is the first of a new series, which you will not want to miss. The novel is full of action and intrigue and the series is set to grow. Brian Caves is a great storyteller and this book is pure action all the way through, with twists and turns aplenty. The plotting is genius…Buy
I started out as an engineer, then an estate agent, followed by senior management roles in cable TV and telecoms. Spent a few years as a management consultant and now work in the language translation industry.
I have played music all my life. Classically trained on the clarinet from the age of eight until fourteen when my world took a quantum leap forward after hearing Jimi Hendrix and Voodoo Child on the radio. I thought, wow, I gotta do that. I dumped the clarinet and I picked up the guitar and have never put it down. I have played alongside topflight musicians, both live and in studios.
From a young age I read books like Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, Black Beauty, Swallows and Amazons, then The Famous Five, Billy Bunter, Jennings and Derbyshire, Biggles, and Tarzan. Agatha Christie had a major impact as did Georges Simenon. I penned short stories at school – mostly adventure, but it wasn’t until I became hooked on American Crime Noir that my urge to write came crashing to the forefront of my mind. Reading Hammett, Chandler, Jim Thompson, Macdonald, and the master, James M. Cain had the same effect on my potential writing career as Hendrix had for my music.
Currently, having been further influenced by the greats of Southern literature, I write crime stories based in the Deep South as well as UK based dark noir crime set in the county of Northamptonshire where I reside. Throw into the pot crime and horror short stories and novellas and you’ll have some idea of what goes on in my head. FacebookInstagramTwitter
My thoughts: this was a clever crime novel, twists and turns a plenty. A murdered man, supposedly a mugging gone wrong, who worked as an interpreter and translator, did he hear something he shouldn’t have?
His glamorous daughter requests PI Simeon Cain look into it as the police aren’t interested. As he does his own life is put into danger, it seems the deceased stumbled onto something someone will kill to keep quiet. But what did the Tin Man, a local with a strange habit, see? And how far will Sim go to solve the case? Gripping, intelligent and at times funny, this is the start of what I think will be a really good series.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
In May 1939, when Professor Carl Mueller, his wife, Esther, and their three children flee Nazi Germany, and find refuge on the paradise island of Cuba, they are all full of hopes and dreams for a safe and happy future.
But those dreams are shattered when Carl and Esther are confronted by a ghost from their past, and old betrayals return to haunt them.
The turbulent years of political corruption leading to Batista’s dictatorship, forces the older children to take very different paths to pursue their own dangerous dreams.
And – among the chaos and the conflict that finally leads to Castro’s revolution and victory in 1959, an unlikely love begins to grow – a love that threatens the whole family.
Having escaped a war-torn Europe, their Island of Dreams is to tear them apart forever.
I am an award-winning British screenwriter, who was on the first writing team of the BBC’s EASTENDERS, and won the Writers’ Guild Award for Best TV serial for CORONATION STREET. I was Head of Development at Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group, producing seven major television series, including ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ starring Richard ‘John Boy’ Thomas, and ‘Twist in the Tale’, featuring William Shatner. I was co-creator of the UK Channel Five teen-cult drama series ‘THE TRIBE’, which ran for five series.
I have written two novels, CHICAGO MAY and BIRTH OF THE MALL RATS [an intro to the TV series THE TRIBE].
My thoughts: this was an interesting read, relating the story of a family – the Muellers – during a period of history I didn’t know a lot about – the Cuban Revolution.
Fleeing Nazi persecution in Germany, Dr Mueller and his family travel to Cuba, but have to ask an old acquaintance, Freddie Sanchez, to help them enter the country after the president refuses to allow the ship to dock. Freddie, despite the way they parted years before, agrees and so begins his long relationship with the family.
As the children grow up, they each find their place – Hans as a drug dealer and gun runner, Anna in the struggle against Batista’s regime and Klaus in his art. The complex relationship between their parents remains strained and sad, but they are ably cared for by their Nanny, Mrs Price and housekeeper Carlotta.
A lot happens in their lives, both personally, and politically. Freddie is a constant presence, reassuring in many ways as they grow up. His friendship with Carl is lovely, the two men bond professionally as doctors but also come to depend on each other emotionally.
Esther however is a menace, full of pills and self-delusion, she refuses to engage with reality and is the cause of a lot of misery in the family home. Her rejection of her husband and children, her bitterness and self pity poison the air around her. It’s tragic but self-inflicted. I didn’t take to her at all.
I enjoyed this book, I liked Freddie, he was so kind and gentle and I loved his bond with sweet Klaus. I also liked Carl, a man who tried to help people and fix the mistakes he’d made. I wasn’t overly keen on Hans or Anna, both selfish in different ways, they didn’t really seem too bothered about anyone else. But considering their childhoods, not really surprising.
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*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
In search of a new life, seventeen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.
Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.
The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?
My thoughts: you know when you read some books and you finish them and you think, I wish I hadn’t read this book, I want to begin again as though I had no idea what was on its pages because it was just that good? Yep, this book is one of those. As soon as I finished it I wanted it to be brand new all over again.
Mull is having a moment, I’ve read several books set on the island, but none like this. Combining ancient beliefs with modern violence and science, manipulating the story for their own ends, a killer, or possibly killers, haunts the island. First one dead teenage girl, but then more terrible events take place and as Sadie (who I really liked) tries to solve Adriana’s awful death, her own life is put in danger.
The answers, when they come, are sad, shocking and tragic. There is no happy ending to be found here, for these people. Running away from your problems doesn’t solve them, lashing out in pain and fear fixes nothing. No one escapes this unscathed. But it’s so incredibly well done, that as dark as it gets, I just wanted to start it all over again afresh.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Julia Bird’s picturesque Cotswolds life is everything she’d dreamed of. Until, that is, she discovers a dead body in the library…
Julia Bird had imagined the quiet of rural life would be soothing after years in the city, but she finds she can’t just sit still.Determined to throw herself into village activities, she joins the library just in time to attend a talk by celebrated local author Vincent Andrews.
Charming, devilishly handsome and talented, Vincent teases the crowd with a reading from his forthcoming novel. Set in a village bearing strange similarities to Berrywick, with characters the audience start to recognise, Vincent hints of dark secrets to be revealed, to gasps of outrage from the room. The meeting ends in uproar, and, just hours later, Vincent’s dead body is discovered behind the bookshelves…
As one of the last people to see him alive, Julia feels morally bound to help the police investigate. With her trusty Labrador, Jake, at her side, she decides to do her own sleuthing and quickly discovers that Vincent’s personal life is messy, his finances are in disarray and his book sales are declining. But most of all, remembering her neighbours’ faces at the book reading, Julia wonders if one of them could have lost the plot enough to kill…
As Julia interrogates the suspects, she walks straight into another scene of murder and mayhem, and realises Vincent’s manuscript is now missing. There’s someone out there who’s deadly serious about keeping their secrets unpublished. Will Julia be able to stop them, before anyone else gets hurt?
Brilliantly twisty, this completely thrilling cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Helena Marchmont and Clare Chase.
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.
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My thoughts: this series is shaping up to be lots of fun as Julia Bird finds another dead body, this time in the shape of local author VF Andrews, in the local library.
Teaming up with her doctor beau Sean, and the local police detective, she’s soon on the case of a missing manuscript and the author’s slightly dodgy dealings.
As always Julia’s quick mind and understanding of people help her untangle the leads and follow the clues to find the culprit and solve the mystery of the author’s books, why was the latest one so bad? With Jake the naughty labrador at her heels, this is a great, fun comedy caper.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Welcome the the book tour for Joyana Peters’ latest historical fiction novel, The Girl from Saint Petersburg. The prequel to award-winning novel, The Girl in the Triangle. Read on for more info and a fantastic giveaway!
The Girl From Saint Petersburg (An Industrial Historical Fiction Series Book 1)
Publication Date: July 25th, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction Sacrifice, Starvation and Survival.
What will she do to stay alive?
Russia, 1905: Thirteen-year-old Ruth dreams of growing up to marry the boy next door and living peacefully ever after.
But when he and her father are forced to flee to America after the Bloody Sunday Massacre, Ruth and the other female members of the family are left behind amid the violence and chaos of revolutionary Russia. Overcoming violence and hunger with a strength she never knew she possessed, Ruth resolves to do what it takes to keep her mother and sister alive—whether it be work, beg or steal.
Then she lands herself in a predicament that threatens to put her own neck in a noose. This time she may not be able to keep them all safe, at least not without sacrificing their love for her and all that makes life worth living.
In this prequel to the award-winning novel, The Girl in the Triangle, author, Joyana Peters, portrays a tight-knit family fighting to endure at a precarious and crucial time in Jewish history. Join the countless readers who can’t get enough of Ruth and her story.
Ruth tiptoed out of the bedroom and toward the front door. Her mother was crouched on the floor and peering over the window sill. Her eyes were puffy and red.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh!” Momme tugged Ruth down beside her. “Don’t let them see you.”
“Don’t let who see us? Where’s Tatty? Why were you crying?” Ruth glanced around.
Momme clenched Ruth’s wrist. “I need you to listen. They’ll break in soon. And they will interrogate and hurt me. You need to be brave.”
“Interrogate you? I don’t understand. Where are Tatty and Jeremiah?”
“Tatty left for America last night, but we can’t tell them that.”
Ruth shivered. Her father gone to America without saying good-bye? “Why? Did Jeremiah go too?”
An odd blankness came over her mother’s eyes. She seemed about to answer when an axe crashed through the door.
“Stay in the bed. Cover yourselves to hide and don’t leave Ester.” Momme pushed Ruth toward the bedroom.
Ruth scrambled to her feet and ran. She looked over her shoulder to see her mother dusting herself off. As the door gave way and the czar’s soldiers invaded the house, her mother’s lips moved in silent prayer.
Ruth found her sister hiding under the covers and held a finger to her lips as she crawled beside her. Ester nodded, suddenly appearing older than her ten years. As the men’s voices rose in the next room, Ruth wrapped her arms around Ester and they lay trembling.
There was a slap followed by a muffled sob. Ester cried out. Ruth clapped her hand over Ester’s mouth, but heavy boots stomped toward them and the covers were soon ripped away.
Two soldiers glared down from either side of the bed. They grabbed the girls with rough hands.
“Ruth!” Ester screamed.
“She’s a child!” Ruth begged. “Please, leave her be.”
The soldiers ignored her and dragged the two girls from the house. The street was in chaos. There were more soldiers, and families shivering in their bed clothes. Why was this happening?
The soldier flung her onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She scrambled toward Ester, but a soldier stepped between them.
“Please, don’t hurt us, sir!”
“That depends on your mother. If she tells us what we want to know, we won’t need to.”
Ruth tried to squash her instinct to reach for her sister, and instead forced herself to look for her mother.
And there she was—standing with her chin high, in the middle of four soldiers. Ruth could see a dark splotch on her face. Was it blood? But she remained straight and tall. She wasn’t even crying. Ruth was amazed by her mother’s control. How did she manage to appear so unaffected?
A soldier with a drooping mustache stepped close to Momme.
“Where are they?” he growled.
“I told you, I don’t know,” she replied.
“I don’t believe you.” He cracked her on the back of the head with the butt of his rifle and kicked her in the stomach. “Try again. Where are they?”
Momme crumpled forward, coughing. “I don’t know.”
“This is pointless. Grab the girl.” He gestured toward Ester.
The soldier standing near Ester grabbed her. Ester thrashed in his arms.
“No!” Momme lurched forward. “She doesn’t know anything and neither do I. They never returned home.”
“But they were in the square yesterday?” the droopy mustache soldier asked.
“Yes.”
“What was that? I can’t hear you.” He cupped his ear.
“Yes, they were there,” Momme’s voice rang out louder.
Ruth closed her eyes at Momme’s words. This was about Abraham and Jeremiah and wherever they’d gone yesterday. What trouble had they gotten themselves into?
The soldier leaned into Momme’s face. “And the meetings?”
Momme turned away. He popped her in the forehead with his rifle butt so hard she flew backwards. “Answer me!”
A shriek pierced the air. Ruth saw a man being pulled out of his house. His wife reached for him, but the soldiers held her back. They forced the man to his knees and a soldier held a pistol to the back of his head. A shot rang out. The man slumped forward.
Ruth looked to her mother’s horror-stricken face. Droopy Mustache grabbed Momme by the hair.
“Perhaps––now you see how serious we are, drabke?”
Momme moved her head up and down. “They never came home. They must be among the dead.”
“And the meetings?”
“They attended them,” she croaked. “But if they’re dead, what does it matter?”
He studied Momme. Finally, he turned to the other soldiers.
Growing up in New York, she always loved exploring the city, particularly the Lower East Side. This led to her discovery of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the stories it holds.
She currently lives in Northern Virginia where she takes in the sights of DC with her two kids and husband.
this short story introduces characters from The Girl in the Triangle, the author’s moving retelling of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. We follow Ruth as she desperately tries to gather the funds to get herself, her mother and sister Ester out of Russia during the Tsar’s purges. The family are Jewish and risk being sent to a ghetto, where they will never escape and follow their father to America.
Ruth is resourceful and brave, getting a job in a factory and pawning the few valuables the family have left to pay a people smuggler to get them out of St Petersburg, out of Russia and to a boat which will carry them to safety in America. Part of the problem is their mother’s lack of papers and the ban on Jews travelling. But Ruth will not let it stop her. The historical notes after the story add depth and detail, information that someone like Ruth wouldn’t have had, but we, all these years later do, and can use to better understand what life was like for young Jewish women like Ruth and Ester.
A notebook full of secrets, two untimely deaths – something sinister is stirring in the perfect seaside town of Morranez… It’s summer and holidaymakers are flocking to the idyllic Brittany coast. But when first an old traveller woman dies in suspicious circumstances, and then a campaign of hate seemingly drives another victim to take his own life, events take a very dark turn. Mila Shepherd has come to France to look after her niece, Ani, following the accident in which both Ani’s parents were lost at sea. Mila has moved into their family holiday home, as well as taken her sister Sophie’s place in an agency which specialises in tracking down missing people, until new recruit Carter Jackson starts. It’s clear that malevolent forces are at work in Morranez, but the local police are choosing to look the other way. Only Mila and Carter can uncover the truth about what’s really going on in this beautiful, but mysterious place before anyone else suffers. But someone is desperate to protect a terrible truth, at any cost… Amazon
Louise Douglas is the bestselling and brilliantly reviewed author and an RNA award winner. The Secrets Between Us was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. She lives in the West Country.
My thoughts: this was really good, I think there needs to be a whole series with Mila solving crimes the police aren’t bothered with. She not only finds a murderer, she solves a serious historic crime with far reaching consequences. And all without taking her eye off the ball with regards to her niece Ani, who’s mourning her parents, lost at sea.
Mila also has to deal with her flamboyant stepmother, the new recruit at the family PI firm, a missing professor, a long distance relationship with her police officer boyfriend in Bristol and the loss of her sister – whose voice she can’t stop hearing.
She’s a very resilient and strong woman, she’s looking after her family even when she’s not sure she’s doing it right. Being back in the French village she spent time in as a teenager is dragging up memories she thought buried and the close proximity of former crush Carter Jackson isn’t helping matters.
Solving the horrible murder of an old woman living in a converted horse truck, who was carrying out her own very personal quest, is just one of the things she feels she has to do, especially as the police don’t seem to care. But the deceased woman is much more interesting than she appears and Mila is carrying on her legacy by piecing things together.
This is a really enjoyable, moving and rather striking book. It seems fairly simple a story to begin with but there are layers and clever little plot twists aplenty.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
He’ll watch you. A lawyer is found dead at sunrise on a lonely clifftop at Dunnet Head on the northernmost tip of Scotland. It was supposed to be his honeymoon, but now his wife will never see him again.
He’ll hunt you. The case is linked to several mysterious deaths, including the murder of the lawyer’s last client – Scotland’s most notorious criminal… who had just walked free. DS Max Craigie knows this can only mean one thing: they have a vigilante serial killer on their hands.
He’ll leave you to die. But this time the killer isn’t on the run; he’s on the investigation team. And the rules are different when the murderer is this close to home.
He knows their weaknesses, knows how to stay hidden, and he thinks he’s above the law…
Max, Janie and Ross return in the third gripping novel in this explosive Scottish crime series.
My thoughts: this is a very clever and dark police thriller. If the killer is a copper, how can they catch them? Max and his team are a lot of fun to follow as they investigate a reluctant to engage MIT 6 team on a murder case. One of the team is a killer, or are there more involved? Sending a friend undercover to infiltrate as well as bringing in their surveillance expert – ex-MI5 tech Benny, Max is throwing everything he can at this one and Ross, on yet another diet, just has to get it all signed off. I love Janie and her constant teasing, all while finding sweet treats to enjoy while driving around Scotland. I want Norma, their computer expert, to be my pal, she’s hilarious.
The case is pretty grim and there’s a high body count, not all of whom are criminals who got away with it, and the twist at the end is one you just won’t spot coming. I had no idea who the mastermind was. Brilliant stuff.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
For 500 years, the once powerful Order of the Sibylline has kept the identity of its future prophetess hidden in the most famous painting in the world. Amid the chaos of post-World War II France, one woman discovers their ancient secret and its ability to transform a fragmented world.
Intricately plotted, Woman on the Wall by debut author Robin Rivers [ISBN: 978-1778135729; $18; September 2022] is a fast-paced historical fantasy set in Paris and Amboise, France in 1519 and 1945. It honors the Sibylline as so much more than ancient myth and celebrates their place in every woman’s journey to self-discovery.
The first book in the six-part series The Sibylline Chronicles, Woman on the Wall is an entrancing tale revealing the fate of two extraordinary women risking their lives to secure the future of humanity–five centuries apart. This rich alternate history binds a brilliant, devoted, and driven paleographer and a brave, bold, and potent prophetess beyond time, each fighting to restore sight to a world blinded by the power and control of men.
After 480 days as a Nazi political prisoner, Dr. Marie Guerrant returns to Paris to repatriate the Mona Lisa and find her daughter. When a British Colonel arrives claiming he needs her French Resistance connections to find the lost painting, which she helped hide seven years earlier, distrust is high. Tipped off about her daughter’s involvement and the Colonel’s obsessive belief that the Mona Lisa contains the identity of a modern-day Sibyl prophetess, Marie must risk her life to save her daughter and the masterpiece from men consumed by controlling destiny.
Five centuries prior… On the eve of rising as the Sibyl of Amboise, Aesmeh de la Rose must rely on her visions to find Leonardo da Vinci after he and the Mona Lisa disappear from his workshop at Clos Lucé. The precious painting and its creator cannot be lost or the ancient Sibylline Order faces extermination after more than 1000 years of rebuilding their powerful matriarchy.
Torn between duty and love, Aesmeh must tap into an ancient alchemy in a race to keep the Order safe. But, an unspeakable betrayal forces her to make an unfathomable choice to secure the future of the Sibylline. With the fate of the world resting on their courage to reclaim the ancient feminine powers of the Sibylline, Woman on the Wall is a sweeping fantastical tale of intrigue and hope for us all.
Fast-paced prose with vivid narrative, Woman on the Wall is perfect for readers who loved Kate Quinn’s recent novels, The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and The Eight by Katherine Neville.
As an international award-winning former journalist, Robin Rivers now helps young writers learn the craft as the CEO of Quill Academy of Creative Writing. Combining her quick and direct journalistic writing with a thriller tone and pace, Rivers crafts a story celebrating the romance and beauty of the historical feminine. “The ancient Sibyls have been my obsession for the last decade of my life. Once their stories and the stories of other women from their time started to dominate my learning, they never let go. I went to France in 2019 to flesh out this story and had a life-changing experience that led to this novel,” Rivers says. “The fantastical world of the Sibylline interwoven with actual history is what sets it apart from others in the genre. You too could go to France and actually stand in every setting I’ve used in the novel, imagining the Sibylline as a part of it all.”
Robin Rivers is an award-winning writer who guides young authors as CEO of Quill Academy of Creative Writing. She has always been fascinated with stories of lost times and nerds out in the realm of all things historical, fantastical, female, and mythological. As a result, she spends her days in a literary universe best described as slipstream — a mix of historical, magical realism, and haunting romance. Robin lives with her husband, daughters, and their sphynx cat Hypatia on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and TsleilWaututh Nations in Vancouver, Canada. Woman On The Wall is her debut novel. Stay up to date on The Sibylline Chronicles at thesibyllinechronicles.com and follow Robin on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
How awkward this must be to have a dead woman about to declare the direction of your life. It is unclear to me, even at this crucial moment, how I should address you. Alas, as time can no longer keep us apart, let us dispense with being strangers and begin.
I am the Sibyl of Amboise.
I died here.
You have arrived in this tiny commune because of a five-hundred-year-old pact to find you and bring you home.
As I write these words, I wonder what you know of my kind. Do you know the names Hypatia and Lubna? Does history speak of Shushandukht and Shajar al-Durr? Or, are the Sibyls little more than mythological prophetesses painted upon the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? In truth, we are ancient, once powerful, and nearly vanished.
Born of the Great Mother’s very womb, each Sibyl’s sight gave men a glimpse of what might come. We predicted wars, warned against the rise of tyrants, shed light upon the fates of many. In the great capitals of Badari, Olmec, Xi, Khemet, the Jiroft, even the wilds of Scythia, we served humanity for more than eleven thousand years. And, then . . .
What do you know, Dear One? It pains me. What kind of world did my failures leave you? In the glimmers of your time, I saw only fire and death. Without the Sibyl, men know not the cost of their acts. Power is a seductive demon. Have I left you with the tyrants?
I must assume the world is well enough that Sister Maurine stands at your side in fulfillment of her vow. My regret is not being there beside you as well.
You are the hope of the Sibylline. I once was that hope, the first to complete training and enter the temple in more than one thousand years. Such care was taken to protect me. However, a malicious enemy lived amongst us. By the time I knew, my throat was nearly slit. It lays upon you now to do what I never fully could—to rise and serve the world.
Yes, Dear One, your coming has been foretold for five centuries. In those fifty decades, such knowledge has hung in the halls of the men who thought us eradicated. They celebrated that sublime smile, all without the fortune of knowing whom they kept safe. You are the oracle they could never burn, lying in state until this very moment.
Listen, Dear One.
Listen without fear.
Your life is an amalgamation of so many others. As you gain the sight, Amboise will return our memories to you. You shall reclaim them as your own. You may feel as if you have gone mad. Know that you are coming alive. This is where your service begins.
In the moments to come, others will attempt to strip your sovereignty. Such war is inevitable. You must prepare for it. Train. Fight as a warrior. Remain devoted to your purpose alone. Do not concede.
Then, call the Sibylline to your side. Step beyond the seven bridges of paradise and into hell in the forest beyond Gaillard. There, in the temple of the Sibylline, you shall rise and take my place at Amboise. That you might watch over humankind in beauty and justice as the Great Mothers before you intended.
Eternally in your service,
Aesmeh de la Rose
Robin Rivers Blog Tour Q&A
Robin Rivers is an award-winning writer who guides young authors as CEO of Quill Academy of Creative Writing. She has always been fascinated with stories of lost times and nerds out in the realm of all things historical, fantastical, female, and mythological. As a result, she spends her days in a literary universe best described as slipstream — a mix of historical, magical realism, and haunting romance. Robin lives with her husband, daughters, and their sphynx cat Hypatia on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in Vancouver, Canada. Woman On The Wall is her debut novel. Stay up to date on The Sibylline Chronicles at thesibyllinechronicles.com and follow Robin on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Tell us about Woman on the Wall.
Robin Rivers: For 500 years, the once powerful Order of the Sibylline has kept the identity of its future prophetess hidden in the most famous painting in the world. Amid the chaos of post-World War II France, one woman discovers their ancient secret and its ability to transform a fragmented world.
It’s a rich alternate history that binds two women beyond time, each fighting to restore sight to a world blinded by the power and control of men. The fate of the world rests on their courage to reclaim the ancient feminine powers of the Sibylline.
You could have explored any matriarchal society in history. Why the Sibylline?
RR: The ancient Sibyls drew my attention for several reasons. First, they were prophetesses whom kings and emperors relied upon throughout history to foretell events such as war, rise to power, and even love. The mythology around them ranges from these women living a thousand years, to kings being cursed for going against them. The Sibylline Books, which held the prophecies of the Sibyls for thousands of years, vanished around 418 A.D. and the stories about them and their lives don’t exist or have been lost. What if we knew their stories? What if it turned out that women, particularly Sibylline, held some of the most powerful positions in society we have long thought as staunchly patriarchal? What if they had been systematically erased from history? I wanted to explore the potential of that alternate history.
How do the characters in your story relate to the modern world and the issues women face today?
RR: The desire to control women and the power that they possess is evident in almost every aspect of the modern world. We do not need to look far beyond laws related to reproductive rights, ongoing human trafficking, and missing Indigenous women in Canada to understand that. Modern women are the embodiment of the Sibylline and their ancient struggle to reclaim the values of their matriarchal society. It’s nuanced. Not every woman is onboard, and not every Sibylline wants the same thing. However, we cannot deny the work that must be done.
How does a fantasy novel such as yours allow you to explore the nuances of the role of women in society vs. if it were straight historical fiction?
RR: Fantasy serves the great purpose of allowing us the opportunity to consider a range of possibilities when it comes to historical truths. Let’s face it. There are so many historical mysteries for which neither the historical record or modern scientific theory can necessarily account. That, paired with the other reality that there is plenty of evidence that entire civilizations were pillaged and reframed, even claimed by those who overthrew them, leaves the door open for rich literary exploration. When we have lost stories to time or tyranny, it is the fantastical that allows us to rediscover those spaces and reclaim them.
How do you see women relating to the characters in this story?
RR: I set out to create a cast that people who identify as women my age would relate to because I rarely find myself in novels as a middle-aged woman. That was my starting point, to bring the feminine of a certain vintage and experience to the forefront of a novel where those qualities gave them what it took to succeed. From there, I wanted layers of gray in all of the characters so that we could find ourselves, imperfections and all, in their desires, strengths, and grief. My hope is that women are moved to see themselves in the Sibylline, Marie, and their collective recovery of the feminine.
Why combine the Mona Lisa, World War II, and the Sibyls?
RR: The Mona Lisa was hidden away and off the radar for most of World War II and her actual return to the Louvre coincided with my story timeline. It seemed ideal to combine that, the well-known Nazi obsession with occult artifacts (they also had their own woman who claimed to be an orcale), and the other reality that Fontevraud was a prison where many WWII political prisoners were kept. Layered on top of that, the Mona Lisa contains its own mysteries. The timelines came together in the most wonderful ways.
You traveled to France to research this story. How did going to these places shape what you wrote?
RR: Traveling to France changed the entire story for me. While I could research the heck out of anything online, there was something truly magical about being in Amboise, Fontevraud, and other places. I discovered several locations including the spring outside Château Gaillard and Les Greniers de Caséar that I would never really have known about from online research. Now, they are key locations in Woman On The Wall.
You also teach writing. What advice do you have for writers who may be hesitating to start writing their book?
RR: Write every day, but don’t do it alone. Work with a developmental editor or a teacher who can help you refine your skills and learn the craft. Yes, there is such a thing as natural writing ability. However, storytelling is as much a vocation—with specific tools and necessary training on how to use them—as it is an artform. Also, writing is hard work, like LOTS of hard work. Accept that and you are gold.
What’s next for you?
RR: The Sibylline Chronicles VOL. 2! The next installment in this series is already well underway. I will only say this–it picks up in 1950 as the nuclear arms race picks up pace and the Sibylline are right in the middle of it.
My thoughts: this was an interesting book, taking on historical details and blending them with a fantastical angle – that the Sibyls, a line of female prophets, hidden within an order of nuns for many centuries, ordered the creation of the Mona Lisa, La Jaconde, from Da Vinci as part of their future proofing. Instead of her being, as is now thought, the wife of a wealthy merchant, she is actually from a vision the order’s future leader saw.
In 1945 while restoring the Louvre, the search for the missing Mona Lisa, hidden away to save her from the Nazis, coincides with a hunt for the remaining members of the Sibyls order, and their potential new prophetess.
Dr. Marie Guerrant doesn’t believe in the Sibyls, but she wants to find the painting and her daughter, Serah, who was working with the Maquis, the French Resistance, risking her life while her mother was held captive as a political prisoner. The journey to reunite with both artwork and daughter will put Marie in danger as other forces are after the same goals.
We are also transported back into the 16th Century, as Da Vinci completes his masterpiece and foreign forces (this time Spanish) threaten France and the Sibyls. Can Aesmeh and her followers protect the painting and ensure its safety so in 500 years the new Sibyl can unlock its secrets and restore the order?
There’s a lot to take in and some serious historical research has clearly been done, but the plot wears it lightly and is enjoyable and action packed. In both time periods there is a lot at stake, I think I enjoyed the 1945 storyline more as Marie felt very real and we know that risks were taken to protect artworks and items of historical significance across Europe. I think Marie cones across well, she’s brave and resilient, an expert in her field and a devoted mother. It will be interesting to see where the story of the Sibyls goes next.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Burnt-out from policework, Detective Sergeant George Manolis flies from Australia to Greece for a holiday. Recently divorced and mourning the death of his father, who emigrated from the turbulent Prespes region which straddles the borders of Greece, Albania and North Macedonia, Manolis hopes to reconnect with his roots and heritage.
On arrival, Manolis learns of the disappearance of an ‘invisible’ – a local man who lives without a scrap of paperwork. The police and some locals believe the man’s disappearance was pre-planned, while others suspect foul play. Reluctantly, Manolis agrees to work undercover to find the invisible, and must navigate the complicated relationships of a tiny village where grudges run deep.
It soon becomes clear to Manolis that he may never locate a man who, for all intents and purposes, doesn’t exist. And with the clock ticking, the ghosts of the past continue to haunt the events of today as Manolis’s investigation leads him to uncover a dark and long-forgotten practice.
My thoughts: I was utterly gripped by this tale of a missing person in Northern Greece, not an area many tourists visit. The poverty and hardships faced by the villagers, the conflict that never leaves them (the Greek civil war), the way they talk about the strange traditions and culture, was all fascinating.
I know a lot about Ancient Greece but modern Greece doesn’t get a look in in terms of learning about it. I didn’t even know there was a civil war following WW2. How terrible is that.
This book, is however, far from terrible. Instead it’s utterly gripping. As Manolis searches the buildings and countryside of this border land and bonds with Roze, an Albanian who claims she just walked over the border, he delves into the old ways that small villages still honour, but also modern smuggling, secrets and the concept of being ‘invisible’ in the modern world – somehow existing without any paperwork or really being a person legally.
The twists at the end made my head spin – just as you think you understand what’s happened, you’re thrown completely off track. Highly enjoyable, intelligent crime fiction.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
To find love, they need to dig deep. When kind-hearted archaeologist Rhona Lamond has her precious research stolen, she returns home to the Isle of Mull, lost and frustrated. An island project that tugs at Rhona’s soul comes up, and she’s desperate to take it on. But there’s a major problem. Property developer Calum Matheson has a longstanding feud with the Lamond family. After a plot of land he owns is discovered to be a site of historical importance, his plans are thrown into disarray and building work put on hold. Calum doesn’t think things can get any worse, until archaeologist Rhona turns up. Not only is she a Lamond, but she’s all grown up, and even stubbornly unromantic Calum can’t fail to notice her – or the effect she has on him. Their attraction ignites but how can they overcome years of hate between their families? Both must decide what’s more important, family or love.
Margaret is a writer, mummy, wife and chocolate eater (in any order you care to choose). She lives in highland Perthshire in a little house close to the woods where she often sees red squirrels, deer and other such tremendously Scottish wildlife… Though not normally haggises or even men in kilts! She has published nine books and written many more. Margaret won a short story writing competition in 2012 and her winning entry was performed live to an audience at Pitlochry Festival Theatre as part of their Winter Words Event. This spring boarded Margaret’s journey from writing for fun to novel writing – though she still enjoys every minute of it. Margaret is also a keen amateur photographer, who enjoys drawing, reading, and talking about books. FacebookInstagramTwitterWebsite
My thoughts: this was a fun rom com with a family feud – based on a lie or two – at the heart of it. The Lamonds hate Calum because of something that happened to Rhona’s quite frankly awful brother years ago. Something that has been distorted. Rhona isn’t as bothered, the Calum she meets as an adult isn’t as aggressive or nasty as she’s been told and quite frankly she needs the job of archaeologist on his land in order to build up her career.
When they start to fall in love, Rhona needs to sort things out with her family, or risk having to choose sides. Time to get the truth out there.
This was sweet and charming, with some funny bits (Calum’s cushion!) along the way. I liked Rhona and how she stood up to her family (especially her brother, so used to getting it all his way) and won the day.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 