ramblingmads

THE PERFECT LIFE

Juliana Daniels finally has the life she’s always dreamed of. A loving husband, a career as an attorney, and a cozy apartment in Manhattan to call home.

But when she gets a message from an old college friend, her blood runs cold. Remember me?

ONE DEADLY LIE

Juliana drops her phone as though she’s been scalded. The name Jenny Teller shines out from the screen… but Jenny can’t have sent that message.

Because Jenny is dead.

Juliana’s other college friends have all received the same message. The four of them are the only ones who know the truth about the night Jenny died. It’s a secret they have kept buried for thirteen years.

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

With ‘Jenny’ now blackmailing them and threatening to expose their secret, only one thing is certain. Someone else knows the truth about that night… or one of them is lying.

My thoughts: university in the US seems a lot more incestuous than in the UK, I don’t know whether it’s because they’re more campus based or that they have roommates. I lived in halls and my uni was on a campus but the main road outside took you into London in 20 minutes. American colleges seem like towns to themselves. It’s certainly the case here, where four young women end up getting into serious trouble after another student dies.

The creepy emails and messages from “Jenny” after so many years are unsettling and lure the women back to campus to settle some scores and get answers.

Juliana has tortured herself over what happened, pulling away from her friends and trying to build a different version of herself, she doesn’t even tell her husband about what happened.

The way things are resolved, answers are given and justice is done at the end felt realistic and didn’t go for the schlocky factor, which I liked. A clever thriller about truth and friendship.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

You can never truly know what goes on behind closed doors…

My darling son, Sam, is marrying his childhood sweetheart and I couldn’t be prouder of the man he’s grown into. Walking out on his abusive father all those years ago was the best thing I ever did. And today he stands, tall and handsome, saying ‘I do’ to my dream daughter-in-law. If I hadn’t pushed them together all those years ago, he might never have found a girl as perfect as Lauren. It’s true what they say, mother always knows best.

But weeks later, Lauren is dead and police cars fill the driveway of their idyllic countryside home. As they question Sam, I sense he’s hiding something. Why won’t he look me in the eye? And who does he rush off to meet as soon as the police are gone?

Desperate, I do what every good mother would do: I let myself into Sam and Lauren’s bedroom. What I see, I will never be able to forget. My son’s beautiful new wife was hiding a dangerous secret. Can I clear my son’s name? And could my life be in danger now too?

A completely gripping, utterly twisted thriller that will leave your jaw on the floor. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Wife Between Us and The Woman in the Window.

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Audio Links:UK: US:  Listen to a sample here

Sue Watson was a TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked.

Now a USA Today bestselling author, Sue explores the darker side of life, writing psychological thrillers with big twists. Originally from Manchester, she now lives with her family in leafy Worcestershire where much of her day is spent writing – and procrastinating. Her hobby is eating cake while watching diet and exercise programmes from the sofa, a skill she’s perfected after many years of practice.

For more info visit Sue’s website; Facebook Twitter

My thoughts: this was really clever and had so many twists and turns, I could not guess what was going to happen next. I couldn’t guess who Lauren’s killer was, or whether it was all an accident after all. I liked Georgie as a determined investigator, trying to save her son even though it meant digging into the people closest to her, or at least the people she thought she knew. A really enjoyable, intelligent thriller.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

A perfect life…
Paul Henderson leads a normal life. A deputy headteacher at a good school, a loving relationship with girlfriend Jenna, and a baby on the way. Everything seems perfect.
A shocking message…
Until Paul receives a message from his ex-fiance Nicole. Beautiful, ambitious and fierce, Nicole is everything Jenna is not. And now it seems Nicole is back, and she has a score to settle with Paul…
A deadly secret.
But Paul can’t understand how Nicole is back. Because he’s pretty sure he killed her with his own bare hands….
Which means, someone else knows the truth about what happened that night. And they’ll stop at nothing to make Paul pay…
A brand new psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the end! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Nina Manning, Shalini Boland.
Purchase

Amanda Rigby is the nom de plume of the writing partnership between Amanda Ashby and Sally Rigby. Both authors live in New Zealand, have been friends for eighteen years, and agree about everything (except musicals). They decided to collaborate on a psychological thriller which they then entered into a competition, run by Boldwood, which they won!

Amanda Rigby Facebook Bookbub  Twitter Sally Rigby Facebook Instagram

My thoughts: this was interesting, Paul has a lot of secrets, a lot of issues that he’s buried and that includes his former fianceè, Nicole, who he thinks he killed and buried in the woods. His current relationship is going really well, and I felt really sorry for Jenna, who is completely innocent in all of this and finds it very distressing when she starts receiving messages from Nicole.

I couldn’t see who it could be behind all of this if Paul’s memory was working ok, but since it wasn’t, I thought it could be Nicole. I didn’t see the twists coming at all. The way everyone involved is manipulated and tricked without her ever putting in an appearance exposes the problem with relying on technology so much.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Since childhood, Sandra Peters has been fascinated by the small, private island of Lieloh, home to the reclusive silent-film star Valerie Swanson. Having dreamed of going to art college, Sandra is now in her forties and working as a receptionist, but she still harbours artistic ambitions.
When she sees an advert for a two-week artists’ retreat on Lieloh, Sandra sets out on what might be a life-changing journey. She anticipates a friendly and supportive little community but does not get quite what she was hoping for.
The Retreat is a story about pursuing dreams and suffering artists, which unfolds with Moore’s trademark compelling unease.

ALISON MOORE’s first novel, The Lighthouse, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Awards, winning the McKitterick
Prize. Both The Lighthouse and her second novel, He Wants, were Observer Books of the Year. Recent publications include a series for children. Her short fiction has been included in Best British Short
Stories, Best British Horror and Best New
Horror anthologies, broadcast on BBC Radio and collected in The Pre-War House and Other Stories.
Born in Manchester in 1971, she lives in a village on the Leicestershire-Nottinghamshire border with her husband and son and is an honorary lecturer in the School of English at the University of Nottingham. Website Twitter

My thoughts: this was an interesting read, I found the dual timeline confusing at first as I couldn’t work out which one happened when, but as the plots continued, I started to see what might be going on. I felt sorry for Sandra, the other “artists” at the retreat were a right bunch of meanies, annoyed because she was vegetarian, and behaved really childishly. They just wanted a holiday, she was there to paint, and be closer to the mysterious Valerie Swanson. It’s not a long story and it stops before it really gets interesting – which is disconcerting, things are hinted at, but no definitive answers given. What happened at the house on Little Lieloh?

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Kingfisher Lodge, nestled in a canyon on a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet, is known by locals as “Billionaire’s Mile” and is locked behind a heavy gate. Sandwiched between barbed wire and a meadow with a sign that reads “Don’t Get Shot!” the resort boasts boutique fishing at its finest. Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients. Now it also promises a second chance for Jack, a return to normalcy after a young life filled with loss. When he is assigned to guide a well-known singer, his only job is to rig her line, carry her gear, and steer her to the best trout he can find.

But then a human scream pierces the night, and Jack soon realizes that this idyllic fishing lodge may be merely a cover for a far more sinister operation. A novel as gripping as it is lyrical, as frightening as it is moving, The Guide is another masterpiece from Peter Heller.

My thoughts: this was clever and disturbing as Jack and Allison try to discover what’s really going on at Kingfisher Lodge, with the strange supposed neighbour and the young people in hospital gowns being shuttled about beyond the fence.

Set in a near future where coronaviruses are more common place and the threat of another pandemic looms large, the idea that wealthy people might isolate themselves in luxury isn’t that strange, and the only way anyone else can access that is by being staff. But when things don’t add up, and the manager makes threats, it’s easy to see why Jack can’t leave well enough alone and starts digging.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.