Tag: thrillers

Wife. Mother. Witness. Liar.

Jane has a great marriage and a beautiful teenage daughter. She spends her days illustrating books in her stunning lakeside home. Her life is as close to perfect as she could imagine.

She’s been lying to her husband for a decade.

Ten years ago, Jane witnessed an unspeakable crime. Her testimony put Curtis Murk in prison for manslaughter. She never told her husband.

That’s not the only secret she’s hiding from him.

Now, Curtis is being released from prison. And he’s not willing to let the past rest. He’s searching for revenge. It’s only a matter of time before he finds her.

Her perfect life is built on lies. And it’s about to unravel . . .

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Sadie Ryan is the author of three books. Her latest, Guilty came out in April 2021, a psychological thriller. She loves animals and lives in leafy Cheshire in the North West of England with her daughter and rescue dog. When not writing she spends her time reading, gardening, walking her dog or watching old black and white movies.

When asked where she gets her ideas from, she says, ‘From observation, inspiration and lots of wicked thoughts.’

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My thoughts: This was really good, so many twists. Jane can’t prove that she’s being stalked and driven a bit crazy by Curtis, mostly because she’s never told her husband about what she saw or about Curtis at all.

Her perfect life is about to crumble around her and she’s pretty sure neighbour Pauline and her son are somehow involved, but she can’t prove that either.

As things get worse and the family all start to feel the impact of Jane’s secrets, Curtis finally reveals himself and the stage is set for the showdown. That island hideaway becomes a place of danger and Jane’s very life is at stake. The secrets all come tumbling out then. Utterly gripping, clever and twisted.

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

Six CIA officers. Dear friends and cherished enemies. For a quarter century they have stolen other people’s secrets. Now they must steal each other’s.

A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, operational chief Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat for the disaster and run out of the service. Months later, Sam appears at Procter’s doorstep with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole burrowed deep within the highest ranks of the CIA.

As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter’s closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt requires Procter to dredge up her checkered past in the service of the CIA, placing the pair in the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow’s mole in Langley at all costs. What happens when friendships forged by sweat and blood—from the Farm to Afghanistan and the executive “Seventh Floor” of CIA’s Langley headquarters—are put to the ultimate test? What can we truly know about the people we love the most?

Taking readers from Langley to Moscow to Paris and beyond, The Seventh Floor explores the nature of friendship in a faithless business, and what it means to love a place that does not love you back.

My thoughts: Artemis Aphrodite Procter is not someone you cross lightly. Even after getting fired from the CIA and going down to Florida to wrestle alligators (apparently that’s a real thing) she still has the skills, knowledge and connections to investigate her former employer and locate a mole right at the heart of the agency.

I was absolutely hooked, I like Procter from the previous books but this was entirely her story, her rivalry with Debbie Sweet, her close friendships with the men in her life, one of whom might be the mole, her intense focus and ability to get shit done. I love it.

The story was clever and gripping, the Russians weren’t cartoon villains, they had their own motives and ambitions, just like the Americans, Sam and Artemis made a great team, as they borrowed the files from the CIA and dove deep looking for clues, looking for the gaps and mistakes in people’s stories, digging slowly but surely.

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

I know their secrets…

Every morning, I sit at the same table of my favourite café, sip my cappuccino, and watch them.
The woman has no idea I’m watching, day after day, unravelling the secrets of her life. I see the way she smiles when he arrives, how she glances over her shoulder… like someone who is hiding
something.
She thinks she’s in control, but has no idea I’m on to them…

I know a lot more about the man. For a start, he’s not who he pretends to be – his lies are as plain as the nose on your face.
There’s more to this story than meets the eye, a lot more than I’ll ever let on. I already know a lot about the man, but have learnt so much more from watching.
Why do I think the man should tell me what’s going on?
Because he’s my husband. That’s why.

An unforgettable tale of deceit, lies and revenge, from the bestselling author of The Girl in Seat 2A.

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Diana Wilkinson was born and bred in Belfast, Northern Ireland and is the number 1 bestseller of The Girl in Seat 2a. Diana spent most of her working life in the business of tennis, and the inspiration for
much of her work has come from the ladies she coached over the years.

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My thoughts: Giving relationship advice to fictional characters isn’t my usual thing, but for goodness sake, why doesn’t anyone ever talk to their partner?

Spying on your husband, thinking he has another family, without any real proof, is a lot. But then so are his lies too. If the people in this book talked to each other, there would be no plot.

The whole situation spirals out of control as Izzy and Jed fail to communicate and Izzy starts using the Agony Aunt column she writes to air out her worries and solicit advice from her readers. She’s also getting far too interested in builder Adam, the brother of the woman she thinks Jed is seeing. Messy.

Short, punchy chapters, full of twists and turns, as Izzy and Jed’s marriage falls apart around them and things build to a head.

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

Embark on a gripping voyage of intrigue and danger in this fast-paced murder mystery.

Six friends agree to go on the cruise of a lifetime and leave their complicated past behind them. On night one of the cruise someone is murdered, and everyone is a suspect. As the calm facade unravels, deep secrets and complicated histories are exposed and one thing is for certain, not everyone is getting off the ship alive.

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N.G.K. (Nathan) is an international bestselling author whose first children’s picture book ‘Harry The Happy Mouse’ has been featured on the bestseller lists in Paperback and eBook around the world. Harry The Happy Mouse is also now part of the curriculum in many UK schools to teach children about kindness. 

N.G.K. was named one of the Top 10 worldwide children’s authors in 2018 by the Author Academy Awards, and ‘Harry Saves The Ocean’ won a gold standard at the Mom’s Choice USA awards.

NGK’s eighth book ‘The Fox Who Stole The Moon’ has been in the top 20 children’s books in the UK for the past two years since its release.

The Silent Wave is Nathan’s first book for adults.

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My thoughts: Another book set on a cruise, reminding me to stay on dry land. They never end well, and this one certainly has a body count.

A group of old friends, none of whom seem to like each other anymore, or who are particularly happy, go on a cruise towards Norway. They don’t quite make the fjords after someone goes overboard, and it only gets worse from there. All sorts of old entities, grudges and schemes emerge, pitting the friends against each other and forcing them into secret pacts of equal jeopardy. 

By the time they make it back to Southampton’s docks, things will never be the same for any of them again.

So that’s one – stay away from old “frenemies” and two – no cruises. Got that.

None of the characters are particularly likeable, even the ultimately innocent ones, and one character turns out to be a truly awful person, but not the one you might suspect. There can’t be many worse places than trapped at sea with people you don’t actually like anymore. Twisted and shocking, this is a clever and enjoyable read.

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

My name is Linda. Most of my friends, not that I have many left, call me Lindy. I work as a housekeeper in a local hotel. I had the world at my feet once. Not anymore.

The first time I saw Mia was in the car park. She came over to help when my shopping bag split. There’s something about her delicate femininity that mesmerises me.

Ever since then, I’ve been kind of obsessed. Mia is stunning, with beautiful ash-blonde hair. I’ve had mine cut in the same style.

She has two beautiful children, the same age as mine. A gorgeous home on an exclusive estate. And a husband who’s the old-fashioned kind who picks her up after a night out. Mine wouldn’t even pick me up if I fell over in the street.

But then I get a call. Mia’s voice on the phone is breathy, edgy. She’s whispering, like she doesn’t want anyone to hear. ‘Lindy, I need your help. Listen to me, please.’

I’ll help her. But only if she helps me . . .

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Sadie Ryan is the author of three books. Her latest, Guilty came out in April 2021, a psychological thriller. She loves animals and lives in leafy Cheshire in the North West of England with her daughter and rescue dog. When not writing she spends her time reading, gardening, walking her dog or watching old black and white movies.

When asked where she gets her ideas from, she says, ‘From observation, inspiration and lots of wicked thoughts.’

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My thoughts: Lindy is quite messed up, driven by her grief, she’s been stalking Mia, spying on her, determined to see if Mia is the sort of person she thinks she needs to find.

Mia’s home life looks perfect on the surface, handsome TV presenter husband, two adult daughters, cute dogs, lovely house, but her husband is a controlling bully. She’s terrified of him and he’s got worse recently, taking her phone, changing the locks and holding her captive. Could new friend Lindy help?

As the two women become close and start to work together, events take a dark turn, and things only get worse from there.

Shocking, full of twists and turns and with a jaw dropping ending, this is a smart and gripping thriller.

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

Six guests are invited to paradise. Not all of them will survive.

Ryleigh is a struggling artist, still trying to catch her break in theater. Her new best friend offers her a once in a lifetime opportunity — a week on her family’s private island on Lake Michigan.

She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t know these people at all.

Kerrigan is the housewife with the perfect life. She has a loving husband and a glamorous city apartment. Her life is everything she could ever dream of.

Her husband hates her. Their marriage is a sham.

Cole is the only local on Stonecliffe Island. He’s there to make sure the guests have everything they want. He has to focus on creating the perfect experience.

He can’t afford any distractions after last summer. This is his final chance.

Each guest has their own villa. There are staff on-call to help with every need — a masseuse, a chef to make dinner every night, waiters pouring endless champagne. It’s going to be perfect.

But a violent storm looms on the horizon. There’s no way off the island.

Then, one of the guests disappears. And they won’t be the last . . .

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Adriane Leigh is a USA Today bestselling author of multiple novels and novellas. With appearances in publications such as Vogue Magazine and The Montreal Gazette, the award-winning author, in addition to writing, founded RARE: Romance Author & Reader Events, a community of internationally-renowned book conventions that draw thousands of readers and #1 bestselling authors to events around the world each year. 

She hosts a podcast, The Rebel Artist, and her books are translated into French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

She lives on Lake Michigan with her family.

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My thoughts:

Note to self; do not accept any invitations to remote islands, ever.

Invited for a combination will reading and holiday on a rather exclusive island, this rather disparate and bickering group arrive, spend several days falling out with each other and then leave, minus two of their number, who are either missing or dead.

There’s some serious confusion over what happened, stories keep changing, no one is reliable and the police never really seem to get to the bottom of it. The island’s caretaker is arrested and charged with neglect and manslaughter, but is he really to blame for any of it, or is there something larger and nastier going on?

Nine months later, the survivors are slowly building new lives, but none of them have really moved on. Questions still remain and some are plagued by guilt. Things get stranger and more volatile. But can anyone untangle the mess and find out what really happened?

Twisted and twisting, this is an edge of your seat “what just happened?” read. The lives of the characters are so enmeshed and messy, it’s not surprising that events are beyond their control and more than one of them is capable of murder.

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