Tag: thrillers

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Double Identity – Alison Morton*

ramblingmads

Deeply in love, a chic Parisian lifestyle before her. Now she’s facing prison for murder.

It’s three days since Mel des Pittones threw in her job as an intelligence analyst with the French special forces to marry financial trader Gérard Rohlbert. But her dream turns to nightmare when she wakes to find him dead in bed beside her.
Her horror deepens when she’s accused of his murder. Met Police detective Jeff McCracken wants to pin Gérard’s death on her. Mel must track down the real killer, even if that means being forced to work with the obnoxious McCracken.
But as she unpicks her fiancé’s past, she discovers his shocking secret life. To get to the truth, she has to go undercover—and finds almost everybody around her is hiding a second self.
Mel can trust nobody. Can she uncover the real killer before they stop her?
A stunning new thriller from the author of the award-winning Roma Nova series, fans of Daniel Silva, Stella Rimington or Chris Pavone will love Double Identity.

Kindle Apple Kobo B&N Nook

Book2Read

Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers series featuring tough, but compassionate heroines. She blends her deep love of France with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical, adventure and thriller fiction. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.

“Grips like a vice – a writer to watch out for” says crime thriller writer Adrian Magson about Roma Nova series starter INCEPTIO. All six full-length Roma Nova thrillers have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO were selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.

All six full-length Roma Nova thrillers have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO were selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.

Now Alison continues to write thrillers and drink wine in France with her husband.

Other works

The Carina strand
INCEPTIO where New Yorker Karen Brown is thrown into a new life in mysterious Roma Nova and fights to stay alive with a killer hunting her
CARINA, a novella, Carina’s first mission abroad. What could go wrong?
PERFIDITAS, six years on, where betrayal and rebellion are in the air, threatening to topple Roma Nova and ruin Carina’s life.
SUCCESSIO, where a mistake from the past threatens to destroy the next generation.

The Aurelia strand
AURELIA, in late 1960s Roma Nova, Aurelia Mitela battles her life-long nemesis, silver smuggling and is forced to choose between her love, her child and her country
NEXUS Mid 1970s, London, where a simple favour for a friend becomes a chilling pursuit across Europe
INSURRECTIO, where Aurelia Mitela struggles against a manipulative tyrant grabbing power. But it may already be too late to save Roma Nova…
RETALIO, a classic tale of resistance and retribution – the endgame between Aurelia and Caius

Extras
ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories from AD 370 to the present

Contributions
‘A Roman Intervenes‘ in 1066 Turned Upside Down
How Galla Mitela, Roma Novan imperial councillor, attempts to stop the Norman invasion of England. One of a series of possible alternative outcomes of 1066.

‘The Mystery of Victory’ in Rubicon (HWA/Sharpe Books)
What did happen to the Altar of Victory in the dusk of the Roman Empire?

‘The Idealist’ in Betrayal (Historical Fictioneers, 2020)

Non Fiction
Military or civilians? The curious anomaly of the German Women’s Auxiliary Services during the Second World War.

The 500 Word Writing Buddy: 35 Inner Secrets for the New Writer

Website Facebook Twitter Blog

Instagram Goodreads Amazon

Newsletter

My thoughts:

This was a really enjoyable, intelligent thriller with an interesting protagonist and full of intrigue and double crosses.

Initially accused of the murder of her fiancè, Mel is then recruited by a new trans-Europe investigative body, her boss believes Gèrard’s death is part of something much bigger.

There’s lots of action but also lots of sifting through tedious CCTV and paperwork, making this feel a lot more realistic than some thrillers where they just know who all the players are with no work!

Mel is an intriguing and clearly very well equipped protagonist, her background in French special forces makes her ideal for the dangerous world of espionage and she equits herself with skill and flair. I liked her no nonsense approach and her relationship with McCracken.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Two Fathers – Keith Dixon*

ramblingmads

Read my review of The Cobalt Sky

Why does Jessica Hastings come home late several times a week?

Her husband asks Private Investigator Sam Dyke this simple question. Dyke doesn’t want the case: he doesn’t do divorce work … but Brian Hastings doesn’t want a divorce, he wants an explanation.

When Sam finds out what Jessica is doing, it opens up more questions. And when Brian Hastings goes missing, they’re questions he feels compelled to answer.

At the centre of the mystery is a man who most people in Manchester don’t know—Larry Stone. But those who do know him, know that far from being the simple florist he seems to be, he’s actually the biggest crook in town. He’s powerful, he’s dangerous, and he’s currently working a deal with a Dutchman who’s even worse.

And Sam is now caught in Stone’s sights as he works to find Brian Hastings, to solve a couple of murders, and to prevent Stone corrupting even more members of his own family than he already has.

Before the biggest deal of Stone’s crooked career goes down.

Amazon UK Amazon US

Keith Dixon was born in Yorkshire and grew up in the Midlands. He’s been writing since he was thirteen years old in a number of different genres: thriller, espionage, science fiction, literary. Two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE First in Category award for Private Eye/Noir novel, he’s the author of ten books in the Sam Dyke Investigations series and two other non-crime works, as well as two collections of blog posts on the craft of writing. His new series of Paul Storey Thrillers began in 2016.

Two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE First in Category award for Private Eye/Noir novel, he’s the author of ten books in the Sam Dyke Investigations series and two other non-crime works, as well as two collections of blog posts on the craft of writing. His new series of Paul Storey Thrillers began in 2016.
When he’s not writing he enjoys reading, learning the guitar, watching movies and binge-inhaling great TV series. He’s currently resident in France.

Website Blog Facebook Twitter Email

My thoughts:

Private Investigator Sam Dyke can’t catch a break, manipulated into finding out where Brian Hastings’ wife is sneaking off to, he finds himself involved in a much bigger case, and one that comes with a body count.

Darkly funny, this is an intelligent crime thriller, where no one actually seems to have a plan, least of all Dyke, and chaos thrives. A really enjoyable and clever plot involving florists, a man named Leg, and two rather strange police detectives.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Devil’s Mark – WD Jackson-Smart*

ramblingmads

Bloody remains. Multiple victims. Ritual sacrifice?

When a blood-stained effigy of body parts is found in a central London park, D.I Daniel Graves must set about trying to discover what it could mean and find the person responsible. Symbols at the crime scene suggest the occult. Who would leave a murder victim in such a way, and why?
As Graves and partner DI Charlie Palmer begin to investigate the ritual and the act of human sacrifice, they enlist the help of Charlotte Gooding, a talented professor specialising in the subject. They hope to narrow down on a motive. Could the killer believe in the supernatural? Witchcraft even?
Then the next crime scene is found. More blood, more symbols, and out in the open. It seems the killer wants the world to pay attention, but why? How are they choosing their victims?
The pressure is on for Graves to put an end to the murders before more remains show up in brutal tableaus. One thing is for sure, this killer is out for blood and is not afraid to make it a very public display.
There’s just one problem. Grave’s past is still not behind him. Someone is eager to make sure he doesn’t forget, cannot move on. And they’re not playing games anymore. There may be an occult killer out there, but now there’s another out for blood, Daniel Grave’s blood.

Panther Publishing

Amazon UK Amazon US

WD Jackson-Smart, 35, is a London-based horror and crime fiction author who has been writing crime and horror fiction since 2011. His novel Red Light was self published on Amazon and charted in the top twenty best selling Suspense / Thriller Kindle books on release.

His horror short story, What’s Yours Is Mine, was shortlisted for the Horror For Good anthology.

His first crime thriller Slasher, about a serial killer targeting slasher movie actresses in Hollywood, is out now, and he has launched a brand new crime series set in London and starring D.I. Graves. The Demons Beneath is the first in the series, and the sequel From Inside The House was published on July 1st 2019.

As well as his passion for horror and crime thrillers in all forms, WD Jackson-Smart also loves art and design, having studied Fine Art and Art History in Leeds and Toronto and working as a graphic designer for the majority of his career.

Twitter Website Facebook

My thoughts:

This was a really good, sinister thriller with the suspects hiding in plain sight at a women’s centre and using modern interest in witchcraft as a cover for some terrible crimes.

DI Graves is running against time, trying to get ahead of the bodies and prevent any more deaths. He’s also started something new with a professor he consulted for advice. Unfortunately his past and possible future are about to collide.

Clever, fast paced and engaging, the multiple viewpoints coalesce as the terror amps up and innocent lives are put at risk. The ending is explosive and takes place in driving rain, hampering the police pursuit of justice.


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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: When Angels Fear – Polly J. Mordant*

ramblingmads

She runs from a terrifying past, to a village with problems of its own.

Exhausted, desperately seeking sanctuary, Emma arrives at the pretty English village of Flammark.
But she cannot rest. A strange sleeping sickness stalks the village and a young woman has disappeared.
Why won’t the police investigate?

As events unfold, Emma becomes embattled yet again, compelled to fight for her life against a deadly curse linked to a past about which she had no knowledge.
She is the only one able to vanquish the evil but doing so will entail confronting an horrific and all-too-familiar enemy.

The question is, will she be strong enough?

Purchase

I’ve been writing blogs and stories off and on for years, but quite new to writing novels.
My background is in teaching – I ran my own English and Drama departments in three inner city
schools – then became the owner of a radical bookshop. Now I write full time.

I love supernatural storytelling, since it allows the inclusion of real human issues within my writing.
Let’s face it, who hasn’t been touched by evil in their lives at one time or another? “When Angels Fear”, my first novel, deals with domestic violence and how Emma – the main character – overcomes her shattered confidence to prevail over the evil which oppresses her.

It’s important to me that my characters are both real and relatable. I’m a total fan of Joss Whedon and
Stephen King and love the way they create ensembles of characters that live on in the mind long after they’ve been watched or read. Humour is important to me to – I hope readers of my fiction will get that.
The last thing I want to offer is a dry read!

I adore my garden, my animals and my husband – probably in that order, lol. Other obsessions include Scrabble. Total addict. It’s why I sleep so badly. I’m glued to the Scrabble app until the early hours!

Facebook Twitter Instagram Goodreads Newsletter

My thoughts:

This was an interesting supernatural thriller, an old family curse is at large and determined to claim its next victims. Emma discovers her family’s link to the village of Flammark, and to the curse, after fleeing there from a bad relationship.

Finding new friends, a fresh start and beginning to build her life again is halted by the appearance of her ex and the monstrous curse.

This was a really enjoyable read, with some less than helpful angelic individuals, a determined vicar and two very brave women caught up in something stretching back generations.

There’s also a very confused Detective Inspector with a lot of questions he can’t seem to get straight answers to. I did feel a bit sorry for him.

I can see this growing into an enjoyable and intelligent series, which I look forward to reading as the people in Flammark seem to be a good bunch and there’s plenty of scope for more strange things going on.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Yearn to Fear – Chas Murrell*

ramblingmads

The greatest scientific invention of modern times…
Capable of curing humanity…
But more adept at controlling it…

Sydney scientist, Marcus Hall, is developing a radical 5G Wi-Fi receiver for CSIRO. With access to secretive Lamarr computer chips – this technology promises billions to repair Australia’s ravaged economy. On a caffeine boosted whim, he inadvertently discovers a therapeutic breakthrough in neuroscience. Or so he thinks…

His seemingly trustworthy lab partner, Henry, is an unlikely Australian spy. His official duty is keeping tabs on the project and their Lamarr chips. But the whole project is now classified top-secret.

Marcus remains blissfully unaware of the many secrets surrounding him, until he witnesses the graphic murder of a colleague. Could this event reveal Henry as a master deceiver and ruthless double agent? Will the scientific discovery be fatal for Marcus, those he loves, and the one he yearns for? Marcus faces a soul tearing dilemma: is the only means of stopping the carnage to weaponise his prototype?

Foreign intelligence agencies realise the top-secret breakthrough is priceless. One particular spy leads the race to seize the invention. A psychological master of the long game, espionage, and extortion, his only rule according to Kung Fu: Win.

Friend and foe alike confront this psychotic mastermind. All will FEAR him, but is their FEAR real? Only the next six minutes will tell…

Amazon UK Amazon US Waterstones

Chas Murrell has been a Police Officer, Senior Fire Commander, Customs Coastwatch surveillance mission co-ordinator, heavy machinery mechanic, emergency medical technician/ instructor, film extra, and General Manager of an event company. He has published academic papers on liquid hydrogen and held a worldwide provisional patent for a nonlinear mathematical calculation.

He survived Australia’s largest gas BLEVE in 1987, and has provided operational support to some of Australia’s largest natural disasters in North Queensland.
He has published academic papers on liquid hydrogen and held a worldwide provisional patent for a nonlinear mathematical calculation.

He survived Australia’s largest gas BLEVE in 1987, and has provided operational support to some of Australia’s largest natural disasters in North Queensland.
On a personal level he has suffered from relentless and debilitating migraines all his life, is father to four and pop to two. He and his artistically entrepreneurial wife live in Tasmania, which looks very much like Scotland and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

A direct descendant of Robert the Bruce (King of Scots), history runs deep in Chas’s veins, along with a profound knowledge of both World Wars. You may even come across him online playing World of Tanks.
In his Australian spy thriller books you will get to know Chas’s knowledge of technology, intrigue, crime, espionage, weaponry, banter, romance and even whisky… yet above all, there is believability and no loose ends.

Website Facebook Twitter Instagram

My thoughts:

This was an enjoyable sci-fi spy thriller, although I got a tiny bit confused at one point – but I blame the villain of the piece for that!

The technology Marcus invents could be revolutionary and help sufferers of many conditions or it could be deadly in the wrong hands. Now he, and his friends are in danger.

It was a fast paced, action packed adventure with scientists and spies galore, several double crosses and double agents and someone losing their mind completely while armed.

I liked Marcus and Henry – they were smart and personable, their friends and family too. I could see how their accidental discovery of something they were just messing about with could put them in trouble quite easily. I felt sorry for poor Sarah getting entangled with the ghastly Peter.

I also really liked that the series and the important element in Marcus’ invention is called Lamarr, after the brilliant scientist and actor Hedy Lamarr, a woman often overlooked and forgotten in the past.


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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Sleep Tight – C.S. Green*

ramblingmads

Even in your dreams you’re not safe…

The nightmare is only just beginning…

When DC Rose Gifford is called to investigate the death of a young woman suffocated in her bed, she can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to the crime than meets the eye.

It looks like a straightforward crime scene – but the police can’t find the killer. Enter DS Moony – an eccentric older detective who runs UCIT, a secret department of the Met set up to solve supernatural crimes. Moony wants Rose to help her out – but Rose doesn’t believe in any of that.

Does she?

As the killer prepares to strike again, Rose must pick a side – before a second woman dies.

My thoughts:

This started out as a tight, tense locked room murder but then dipped into Rivers of London style territory and became even more weird and twisted and I really enjoyed it.

DC Rose Gifford is contacted by a detective working for UCIT – apparently a compliance team but actually they deal with the weirder cases – ones like this, that might involve a killer who can astral project himself into his victims’ dreams and then into their reality.

What Rose is hiding is that she can see things that she shouldn’t – like her dead mother, and she’s worried if she says anything they’ll think she’s crazy but DS Moody and her team are on the lookout for people just like her – for them seeing the dead is a good thing.

As the case continues Rose has to be brave and dig deeper – it’s just all too neat and tidy, their suspect is too convenient. I liked Rose, her tenacity and nose for the truth, however strange, serve her well in this case.

Well written, gripping and very enjoyable, this is the first in what will hopefully be a series of strange cases solved by the UCIT team with some unorthodox methods, can’t wait!

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Fragile Ones – Jennifer Chase*

ramblingmads

Read my review of Last Girls Alive

“Please Mommy, can Tessa and I go play on the swing by the creek?” the little girl begs, pushing a blonde curl from her eyes. “We’ll stay together, and we promise to be safe.” Hours later, their mother waits anxiously for her darling girls to arrive home with a list of reasons why they are late. But the front door never opens…
When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.
Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area.

Has this twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another?
A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on.

As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?
Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh, you better buckle-up for the ride of your life! BEWARE – this gripping crime thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night!

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells.

In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.

Twitter

My thoughts:

This was really good, dark and twisted, with a town full of secrets at the heart of the mystery. Detective Katie Scott and her partner Deputy McGaven are asked to help a small police department to solve the disappearance and murder of two young girls; but there seems to be much more going on.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s so well plotted and constructed, the way it all unravels is pleasing and cleverly done.


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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Sandman – Anna Legat*

ramblingmads

Read my reviews of The End of the Road and A Conspiracy of Silence

The fourth instalment in the gripping DI Gillian Marsh series.

When Christmas shoppers board the 7.15am train to Bath Spa, they don’t expect to never see their loved ones again.

When a co-ordinated terrorist attack derails the train, the passengers are left fighting for their lives. For Andrej the train driver, Harald the Zimbabwean farmer and Oscar the war veteran travelling with his grandson, life will never be the same again.

As the manhunt for the terrorists begins, DI Gillian Marsh must act on her instincts to find the ones responsible for this tragic attack.

Amazon UK Amazon US

Waterstones Blackwells

Kobo Foyles

Anna Legat is a Wiltshire-based author, best known for her DI Gillian Marsh murder mystery series. She dabbles in a wide variety of genres, ranging from satire to dystopian. A globe-trotter and Jack-of-all-trades, Anna has been an attorney, legal adviser, a silver-service waitress, a school teacher and a librarian.

A globe-trotter and Jack-of-all-trades, Anna has been an attorney, legal adviser, a silver-service waitress, a school teacher and a librarian.

She read law at the University of South Africa and Warsaw University, then gained teaching qualifications in New Zealand.

She has lived in far-flung places all over the world where she delighted in people-watching and collecting precious life experiences for her stories. Anna writes, reads, lives and breathes books and can no longer tell the difference between fact and fiction.

Twitter Facebook

Website Instagram

Headline Author Page

My thoughts:

Christmas is coming in this gripping, moving crime thriller that brings global terrorism to the Gloucestershire countryside.

We meet various members of the local area – from Pippa and Harry whose estranged son has finally written to them, to their neighbours, young engineering students, a train driver and his homesick wife, a former Para and the young boy he feels responsible for. All of them will be thrown together in a terrible, tragic way.

DI Gillian Marsh, never call her Gill, is supposed to be on holiday, her daughter’s getting engaged and she’s a bit stressed out. But this case is person and she will find the perpetrators.

Marsh is an excellent protagonist, her determination and experience make her a great detective and its her instincts and drive that mean she’s the best placed person to get justice for the victims.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Captain Clive’s Dreamworld – Jon Bassoff*

ramblingmads

After becoming the suspect in the death of a young woman, Deputy Sam Hardy is reassigned to the town of Angels and Hope, which, within its borders, holds the once magnificent amusement park, Captain Clive’s Dreamworld. When he arrives, however, Hardy notices some strange happenings. The park is essentially empty of customers. None of the townsfolk ever seem to sleep. And girls seem to be going missing with no plausible explanation.

As Hardy begins investigating, his own past is drawn into question by the town, and he finds himself becoming more and more isolated. The truth—about the town and himself—will lead him to understand that there’s no such thing as a clean escape.
When he arrives, however, Hardy notices some strange happenings. The park is essentially empty of customers. None of the townsfolk ever seem to sleep. And girls seem to be going missing with no plausible explanation.

As Hardy begins investigating, his own past is drawn into question by the town, and he finds himself becoming more and more isolated. The truth—about the town and himself—will lead him to understand that there’s no such thing as a clean escape.

Amazon US Amazon UK

Jon Bassoff was born in 1974 in New York City and currently lives with his family in a ghost town somewhere in Colorado. His mountain gothic novel,

His mountain gothic novel, Corrosion, has been translated in French and German and was nominated for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, France’s biggest crime fiction award.

Two of his novels, The Drive-Thru Crematorium and The Disassembled Man, have been adapted for the big screen with Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild; Once Upon a Time in America) attached to star in The Disassembled Man.

For his day job, Bassoff teaches high school English where he is known by students and faculty alike as the deranged writer guy. He is a connoisseur of tequila, hot sauces, psychobilly music, and flea-bag motels.

Twitter Facebook Website Instagram

My thoughts:

This got dark super fast – the veneer of happiness in Captain Clive’s perfect small town is so thin it’s virtually transparent. Deputy Hardy is running from his past but the town is riddled with its own secrets – terrible secrets.

The moment he realises there’s nothing he can do, that no one will listen to him and gives in to its fake world is harrowing. It could be read as a comment on our world and when we ignore the things going on around us and just go along with it.

There are some interesting ideas and parallels between the world Captain Clive wants people to live in and the world some people choose to live in in our reality – ignoring the darkness and evil bubbling underneath.

It was an interesting, fascinating and disturbing read that really made me think about things.

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

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Acts of Kindness – Heather Barnett*

ramblingmads

Dream Job. Fresh Start. Big Mistake.

When Bella Black arrives in a sleepy Wiltshire village, it seems like the perfect place for a new start: a
lovely home, exciting job and an attractive colleague or two to take her mind off her recent divorce.

When people start disappearing, she realises she holds the key to a mystery bigger than she could have ever imagined.

Who is really pulling the strings at the secretive OAK Institute?

Can anyone be trusted?

Will Bella make the right choices before its too late?

Amazon UK bookshop.org Amazon US

Heather Barnett gained a degree in English and French from the University of Leeds and has written
ever since: from copywriting to stand-up comedy and sketches. She is now focusing on writing novels. Heather’s influences span Jane Austen and Douglas Adams at one end of the alphabet through to PG Wodehouse at the other.

Heather’s debut novel, Acts of Kindness, is an uplifting, light-hearted mystery. It was inspired by witnessing commuters helping a woman who’d fallen down the stairs at Paddington station; intermingled with wondering what was behind some grand stone gateposts that she used to drive past in Wiltshire.

Her second novel, Lord Seeks Wife, is a romantic comedy and will be published summer 2021.

Aside from writing, Heather’s interests are classic literature, cats and comedy.
Heather is head of marketing at an agency near Oxford and lives by the river Kennet in Berkshire.

For more information on Heather and her books, please visit her website or join the discussion on Twitter Instagram

My thoughts:

This was such a fun, quirky, clever book, so entertaining and funny. I wish the OAK Institute was real, but the improved version…maybe it is!

Bella was a great protagonist, determined to help others despite being out of her depth and caught up in kidnap and conspiracy. She just wanted a new job and change of scene! Instead there’s madness and mayhem and a woman called Maggie Thatcher clutching paper bags with pairs of knickers in them (read it to find out why, no spoilers here).

The plot was very good and kept me thoroughly hooked, as Bella and Oscar (and Oscar’s excellent mum) get embroiled in scandal and threatened by thugs.

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