Tag: reviews

books, reviews

Book Review: The Associate – Victoria Goldman

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The Associate is the second book in the Shanna Regan Mysteries series from journalist Victoria Goldman. It features themes of racism and prejudice, heritage and identity, British Jewish-Muslim interfaith projects, and dark secrets. The Redeemer, the first book in the series, was shortlisted for Best Debut Crime Novel of 2022 in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2022.

THE BODY COUNT IS RISING … AND GETTING FAR TOO CLOSE

A missing architect. An interfaith charity project. Vandalism and online threats. Can racist slogans lead to kidnap – or even murder? When an architect vanishes in East London, her concerned fiancé asks journalist Shanna Regan to find her. The missing woman has been leading an interfaith Jewish-Muslim charity project that’s become the target of malicious damage and racist threats. After Shanna witnesses a teenage girl fall to her death, she’s convinced the architect’s disappearance is also linked to a local youth outreach project. And then another woman is reported missing. Amid rising local tensions, danger appears to be lurking around every corner. Even the safest sanctuaries seem to be hiding the darkest secrets. As Shanna uncovers a tangled web of lies, she puts her own life on the line. Will she find the missing architect before it’s too late? The Associate is the compelling and thought-provoking sequel to The Redeemer.

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VICTORIA GOLDMAN is a freelance journalist, editor, proofreader and author. She was given an honourable mention for The Redeemer in the Capital Crime/DHH Literary Agency New Voices Award 2019. The Redeemer was shortlisted for Best Debut Crime Novel of 2022 in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards. Victoria lives in Hertfordshire.

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My thoughts: this was really good, the second book in a series is often when the characters feel more realistic, as now we’ve done the back story, they have more room to grow and I certainly felt that Shanna was more fully realised here.

I liked the way she’s trying to actually be a journalist and do her job, even though she can’t leave the mystery of the missing Louisa alone, even after two people are killed in front of her. I would be at home with the doors locked, praying no one knocks on my front door at that point. Not Shanna, who keeps digging into the strange goings on at the East London synagogue.

She’s also learning more about Judaism and her heritage from the other characters, which is really interesting. Having lived in North West London amongst the Jewish community all my life, I knew some things and could probably even identify the areas she visits from the descriptions.

The undercover reports on the different synagogues and towns were funny, if a little cruel or frustrated too. I find it weird when there isn’t a kosher section in a supermarket, I’m so used to them, so I did appreciate the frustrations.

The mystery within a mystery format, the hidden rooms in the old building, the inter-faith group (which are so important in building bridges), there’s so much detail and it’s all brought vividly to life.

And Shanna’s quest for her family finally starts to take shape, I can’t wait to see how that goes in future books. As well as what she gets involved with next.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for my review but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: So Last Century – Charles Nevin

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Sherlock Holmes, Butch Cassidy, Margaret Thatcher’s bloomers and a racehorse strongly resembling Shergar feature in SO LAST CENTURY, the new collection of whimsically witty stories from award-
winning journalist and writer Charles Nevin. SO LAST CENTURY begins with Edward VII on a tricky country house visit and ends with one of the first national lottery winners struggling with fame,
fortune and romance. On the way you will also meet two music hall comedians in the First World War and two remarkable double agents in the Second, get raided in a 1920s London night club, take part in some lively Coronation celebrations and discover what really might have happened when the World Cup was stolen in 1966.

SO LAST CENTURY follows the format of Nevin’s last book, the widely praised SOMETIMES IN BATH, providing an afterword for each story which separates fiction from fact and provides fascinating background to those breakneck, tumultuous times. And be warned: after
this, you will never view the Twentieth Century in quite the same way ever again.
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CHARLES NEVIN has written for The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Sunday Times,The New York Times and many others. So Last Century follows his
acclaimed Sometimes In Bath, featuring stories happy and sad throughout the city’s history. He has also published three non-fiction books, including the highly popular tribute to the overlooked romance of his native county, Lancashire, Where Women Die of Love.
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My thoughts: this was such a fun book, beginning with Edward VII in a spot of bother, with Holmes (yes, that one) hiding in the bushes, and ending in 1995, a story a decade for the whole 20th Century is pretty impressive. They’re also very funny, there are real people, fictional people and characters who bear a strong resemblance to real people, throughout.

I was highly entertained by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid on a trip to Blackpool, Ted Heath and his longing for Mrs Thatcher (urgh) and a few other familiar, and not so, having the strangest times. The World War One story was full of pathos and inspired by some remarkable real people, as was the almost too ridiculous to be true World War Two one.

King Canute makes an appearance to celebrate the crowning of the late Queen, and there are all manner of horses, donkeys and dogs in the stories. Something for everyone really.

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

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Blog Tour: Ibiza Surprise – Dorothy Dunnett

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When Sarah Cassells, a young British woman who has just completed her training as a chef, hears of her father’s violent death on Ibiza, she refuses to believe it is suicide.

She goes to Ibiza to investigate and becomes involved with an art dealer; with two beautiful jetsetters; with her brother’s strange predicament; with a remarkable American woman who is not all what she seems – and with Johnson Johnson, the mysterious portrait painter who shows up on his yacht, Dolly.

As Ibiza prepares to celebrate Holy Week with the traditional processions, events become more and more macabre…

Dorothy Dunnett gained an international reputation as a writer of historical fiction. She moved genres and turned to crime writing with the acclaimed Dolly books, also known as the Johnson Johnson series. She was a trustee of the National Library of Scotland, and a board member of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. In 1992 she was awarded an OBE for her services to literature. A leading light in the Scottish arts world and a renaissance woman, Dunnett was also a professional portrait painter and exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy on many occasions. She died in 2001.

My thoughts: we’re back with portrait painter and secret agent Johnson Johnson on his yacht, Dolly, and this time he’s in Ibiza. Sarah Cassells has flown into the island after the supposed suicide of her father, Lord Farley of Pinner, but she’s pretty sure he was murdered.

Besides, she’s a woman in search of a husband with a decent sized bank account and she cooks, rides, water skis and all sorts of other things. Why wouldn’t she find one in this town? Staying with a friend’s family, she’s determined to find out what happened to her father. Getting embroiled in a scheme involving art, fake rubies, Holy Week and Russians, probably wasn’t part of her plan, but she’s pretty game if it will get her answers.

There’s actually less of Dolly and Johnson in this one, probably because they’re just in the port, no yacht race this time, and Sarah is right in the middle of things, including a very crazy party. Everyone drives back and forth across the island and Johnson is just in the background, working it all out in his bifocals.

But he’s there for the vital bits and explaining it all to Sarah and Co, she doesn’t even need to bother finding a husband just yet either, plenty of time for that and most of the candidates turn out to be unsuitable anyway. Jolly good fun.

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

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Blog Tour: The Crying Cave Killings – Wes Markin

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Are you missing Happy Valley? Pre Order the next gripping instalment in the Yorkshire Murder Series by bestselling British crime author Wes Markin!


A murdered child. A case from the past. A detective inspector with nothing to lose…
DI Paul Riddick is a man tormented by his own actions and determined to right the wrongs of his past any way he can. But when his instincts lead him to follow a child he believes to be in danger, Riddick
gets in deeper than he ever imagined…especially when the child is found dead.
DCI Emma Gardner doesn’t believe Riddick has blood on his hands, but he’s off the case until she can clear his name. If she can clear his name. Because Riddick seems determined to chase ghosts that only get him into more trouble.
Riddick’s certain he didn’t kill the kid in the cave. But he also remembers another case, twenty years ago, with shocking similarities…which means someone is trying to trap Riddick.
Can Riddick uncover the truth, or will this be the case that finally destroys him once and for all?
Don’t miss the brand-new gripping crime series by bestselling British crime author Wes Markin!
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Wes Markin is the bestselling author of the DCI Yorke crime novels, set in Salisbury. His new series for Boldwood stars the pragmatic detective DCI Emma Gardner who will be tackling the criminals of North Yorkshire.  Wes lives in Harrogate and the first book in the series The Yorkshire Murders was published in November 2022. 

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My thoughts: so to North Yorkshire, where my Grandad was from. But a different side to God’s own county than the one he told me about, and he would have loved this series. There’s a child’s body found next to Mother Shipton’s cave, petrifying under the unusual mineral water, and a young PC Riddick is first on the scene.

Years later, he’s convinced they arrested the wrong man for that crime, and while suspended after being found unconscious by another dead boy, he decides to re-open that first case and find the real killer. Perhaps he can make amends for his own sins in doing so.

Meanwhile his boss DCI Emma Gardner is looking into the dead body he was found next to – was it murder or suicide? The teenager had lots of secrets, and so do several others around him. As the cases unfold, there are links and a local criminal comes to their attention after a second boy goes missing.

Emma’s also dealing with her personal life, as husband Barry’s girlfriend shows up. All she wants is to keep custody of her daughter and niece, Barry’s free to go.

If she can this case closed, sort out Riddick, who’s spiralling, and get home in time to put the girls to bed, she might get what she wants.

The case she’s on gets very dark and sad, there’s a lot of pain in the lives of the teenage boys she’s looking into. And they don’t talk about it, preferring fantasy worlds in comics and toys to the things they’re dealing with. Getting through to them is tough. But she needs the friends of her victims to open up and help her find the killer/s. Luckily she’s good with people and even though he’s been stood down Riddick has her back. Another excellent book from Wes Markin.

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

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Blog Tour: Code Red – Ian Loome

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Bob has sworn he’ll never kill again. But some promises are hard to keep.

Bob Singleton used to be a top CIA assassin. Now, scarred by his terrible past, he lives in a refrigerator box behind a dumpster in downtown Chicago.

He just wants to be left alone. But his past is coming back to haunt him, in the shape of a nurse and a teenage boy who desperately need his help.

They are being pursued by trained killers because they stumbled on a long-buried conspiracy, a secret that is tied to a failed mission in Bob’s military past.

 Now they need Bob to protect them. The old Bob, the one who fearlessly put his enemies in the ground.

Bob sees a chance to discover the truth about what happened all those years ago. Can he redeem himself, and honor the sacrifice of the men who died?

To do so, he must use the same deadly skills that made him a legend in his day. Skills he had sworn he would never use again….

Code Red — the first in a stunning new action thriller series. Perfect for fans of Jason Kasper, Jack Carr, and Lee Child.

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Ian Loome writes thrillers and mysteries. His books have been downloaded more than a half-million times on Amazon.com and have regularly featured on the Kindle best-seller lists for more than a decade. For 24 years, Ian was a multi-award-winning newspaper reporter, editor and columnist in Canada. When he’s not figuring out innovative ways to snuff his characters, he plays blues guitar and occasionally fronts bands. He lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, with his partner Lori, a pugnacious bulldog named Ferdinand, a confused mostly Great Dane puppy named Ollie, and some cats for good measure.

This is his first action thriller with Inkubator Books.

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My thoughts: although I found it hard at first to take a hero called Bob seriously (I don’t really know why) this was a cracking thriller. A reluctant hero, Bob is dragged back into action after members of his old team are killed and a teenage boy comes looking for him. When a nurse is also put in the firing line, Bob drags all his old skills and knowledge to the surface. Life on the streets hasn’t let him get soft and he won’t allow any more innocents to die on his watch.

A blend of various action heroes, and a good dose of his own unique character, Bob is the only one who can fix this mess and put a stop to the deaths. He needs to identify the mole in the team, get some info from an old boss and sort out a few old vendettas, all while keeping teenager Nathan and nurse Dawn safe.

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

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Blog Tour: The Stranded – Sarah Daniels

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Welcome to the Arcadia.

Once a luxurious cruise ship, it became a refugee camp after being driven from Europe by an apocalyptic war. Now it floats near the coastline of the Federated States – a leftover piece of a fractured USA.

For forty years, residents of the Arcadia have been prohibited from making landfall. It is a world of extreme haves and have nots, gangs and make-shift shelters.

Esther is a loyal citizen, working flat-out to have the rare chance to live a normal life as a medic on dry land. Nik is a rebel, planning something big to liberate the Arcadia once and for all.

When events throw them both together, their lives, and the lives of everyone on the ship, will change forever . . .

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Sarah Daniels is an ex-archaeologist who escaped academia and now writes stories from her home in rural Lincolnshire. Her work has been published in various online magazines and has been nominated for best British and Irish Flash Fiction and Best Small Fictions. 

If you want to contact her, you can do so at the following locations:

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My thoughts: I’ve never really fancied a cruise, and now I really don’t. Cruise liner turned essentially a prison, Arcadia, holds far more people than it was designed for. Descendants of its original passengers and crew, these are desperate, angry and resourceful. Generations after the mysterious Virus that saw them marooned off the coast of the Federated States, the refugees are tired of rations and regulations. And a rebellion has begun.

With the cruel and dictatorial Hadley making life even tougher for the inhabitants, the rebels are bringing their plan closer to fruition. When Esther, a trainee medic, gets swept up in it, thanks to her sister May, she forgets all the brainwashing and signs up. There has to be something better out there, even if it is dangerous. Teaming up with rebel Nik, she prepares to take on the Fed, Hadley and their other enemies, she has to, there’s nothing else left.

A gripping action adventure set aboard a ship, where there’s only so many places to hide, a reminder of the cruise ships at the start of the pandemic, who weren’t allowed to dock anywhere, but were eventually rescued, this is a brutal and desperate world, one I’d rather not see become any kind of reality. Definitely no cruise holidays for me.

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

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Blog Tour: The Perfect Girlfriend – Hayley Smith

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He loves me. He trusts me. He shouldn’t.

Jay and I have only known each other a short while, but whenever I gaze into his deep green eyes I tell him he’s the one. His little house by the deep forest’s edge is perfect for the two of us – there’s no internet, no phone signal, and no neighbours. I’m about as far from my past as I could be. No one knows where we are, and I need to keep it that way.

He wants me to stay here where he can keep me safe from the outside world. I don’t question him, I won’t challenge him. I have him exactly where I want him. He has to think I’m the perfect girlfriend, far better than the one before. Because I know what he did.

All I have to do now is play my part and bide my time. So I tell myself Jay doesn’t have a clue who I really am. I’ve been so careful. Haven’t I?

A completely addictive psychological thriller packed with incredible twists you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of The Housemaid, The Split, and The Serial Killer’s Wife.

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Hayley Smith is married with three children and lives in a north Derbyshire village. She has worked as a graphic designer, youth worker and musician, and has been involved for many years in organising music festivals and gigs. She studied English Language and Creative Writing with the Open University and is an avid reader of psychological fiction. Having a penchant for all things alternative, she often dips into the counter-culture scene for writing inspiration, producing quirky rough-edged characters and dark, unpredictable twists, turns and moral dilemmas.

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My thoughts: this was very clever, it took me a while to work out what was going on and which characters to be wary of. Lauren is an unreliable narrator, there are lost moments and she doesn’t explain everything, even to herself (and by extension, the reader) so it took me a little chunk of the book to trust her. And odd things would throw me, her relationship with her sister, her mentions of Martin, her parents. What had gone on there? Slowly it’s all revealed, why she happily moved in with Jay after only knowing him a few weeks, the strange interludes, the reason she’s so cautious around his friends.

This is a story with lots of layers, carefully peeled away as it goes on, as Lauren decorates the cottage and as she follows Jay around town, digging into his secrets.

It’s very well done, clever and compelling. There’s an air of menace, especially when Lauren provokes Jay and tries to get to the truth a bit too hard. The rustic cottage in the woods might not be a haven if she’s not careful.

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

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Blog Tour: Arrietty – Abby Davies

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Our loved ones protect us. 

So what if you woke up one day to find yours gone? 

Your mum, your friends, your freedom – all gone. 

And the one person you trust may be hiding a terrible secret.  

Welcome to Arrietty’s life.

Abby Davies was born in Macclesfield in 1984. She grew up in Bedfordshire in a seventeenth century cottage near Flitton Moor and started writing ‘thrillers’ when she was seven years old.

After reading English Literature at Sheffield University and training to be an English teacher, she wrote novels in her free time.

She was shortlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition in 2018 and longlisted for the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award in 2019. Her debut Mother Loves Me was published by HarperCollins in 2020. The Cult came out in 2021. Arrietty is her third novel. 

She lives in Wiltshire with her husband, daughter and two crazy cocker spaniels.

My thoughts: it takes a while to get into Arrietty’s world, things aren’t quite right. Her dad seems very angry, her mum’s missing and she doesn’t know why, she can’t remember things and her little brother is getting very upset.

As the story unfolds you won’t know who to trust, even Arrietty is questioning herself, can she be trusted when she can’t remember anything? What has happened to her family and why is her therapist Rose so friendly to her dad?

A strange and at times upsetting, disturbing story of mental health, reality, memory loss, grief and sadness. It becomes very hard to understand at times, like Arrietty we don’t know who to trust or what’s going on, I found myself as lost as she is, but it starts to come together before another shocking twist. Interesting and illustrated with Arrietty’s sketches.

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

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Book Review: Tough Crowd – Andi Osho

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A NEW MAN ON THE SCENE.

Aspiring comedian Abi has always been told that she’s too much, but never felt like enough. Until she meets Will, who changes everything she’s been made to believe by men, the media and her mum. He loves her just the way she is.

HIS KIDS.

But Will is a package deal and comes with two daughters from a previous relationship. Suddenly Abi finds herself thrown into the spotlight, and not just on the stage…

CAN SHE WIN OVER THIS TOUGH CROWD?

Abi is used to playing to difficult audiences, but step-parenting, and winning over the girls, is going to be her toughest challenge yet. Can she finally prove her critics wrong and triumph at her biggest gig to date?

A fun and feel-good romantic comedy about love, friendship and family for anyone who’s struggled to feel like enough and find their place. Fans of Beth O’Leary and Ruth Jones will love this warm and witty page-turner.

My thoughts: this was very funny and I was highly entertained. I remember seeing Andi on TV and she’s really hilarious so of course the book is. I loved Abi, she’s a great character. Larger than life, but not so lucky in love, she’s just trying to get her comedy career going up a level, and meet the man of her dreams, like any woman.

Will might just be that man, one problem – he’s got two daughters and the teenage one doesn’t seem very keen on Abi at all.

Cue a silent war, attempts at friendship rebuffed, struggling with whether to say anything to her boyfriend, and getting super frustrated. Plus Abi’s mum is a nightmare, her sister is keeping secrets and she’s fallen out with her friends. Plenty of drama to go round.

Thankfully Abi realises she needs to put on her big girl pants and dig herself out of this rut, get her act (literally) together and be the grown up. But the journey is lots of fun to read!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for my review but all opinions remain my own.

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Book Review: The Little Italian Hotel – Phaedra Patrick

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Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio host and relationship expert, prides herself on knowing what’s best for others. So, she’s sure her husband, Adrian, will love the special trip to Italy she’s planned for their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. But when Ginny presents the gift, he surprises her with his own very different plan: a divorce.

Beside herself with heartache, Ginny impulsively goes live on air to invite four heartbroken listeners to join her instead. From hiking the hills of Bologna to sharing a gondola in Venice and dancing until dawn, Ginny and her guests embark on a holiday of full of fun, hope and healing.

Sunny, tender and brimming with charm, The Little Italian Hotel explores love, the importance of friendship, and reclaiming the present moment – even if it means leaving the past behind.

My thoughts: this was lovely, really heartwarming, hug in a book stuff as Ginny and her new friends embrace all that Italy has to offer, sun, amazing food, stunning views, beautiful architecture and oodles of history, and learn to heal, to live for the moment and not to mourn. Each of them has a secret heartbreak, and tragedy but all of them can find a new lease on life by getting to know one another and opening up.

Even hotel owner Nico and his teenage daughter Loretta need to heal and move on from their own losses and live their lives, whether they stay at the hotel Splendido or move on.

Ginny finally stops trying to fix everything for everyone else and starts to do the things she really wants to do, on her terms. It’s never too late to start over and find happiness.

This book will lift you up, make you laugh and possibly cry but ultimately feel rather cheerful.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for my review but all opinions remain my own.