Tag: thrillers

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Last Girls Alive – Jennifer Chase*

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Half-buried in the muddy earth and surrounded by puddles of water lies the naked body of a beautiful young girl. Her pale skin looks like porcelain in the early morning light. Her fragile arms bent and crooked like a broken doll.
When Detective Katie Scott is called to the discovery of a young girl buried on the grounds of a former children’s home in Pine Valley, California, she’s hopeful it’s the end to a devastating cold case she’s been working on.

No one has seen Candace Harlan since she ran away from Elm Hill Manor five years ago. Her death will be a tragedy, but it will also bring peace to those who miss her most. But the girl in the ground is not Candace.
The victim is almost identical to Candace in every way, but fear grips Katie as she takes in the black ink that decorates the girl’s back—a terrifying message tattooed on her skin after she drew her last breath.
Forcing down traumatic memories of losing her own parents, Katie is certain someone mistook this poor soul for Candace, and that this crumbling home for lost girls is at the heart of this terrible crime. She sets to work digging into the tragic history of the owners who lost so many children of their own and tracking down the last six residents and the staff who cared for them—but no one wants to talk, let alone remember.
The next day, as second girl’s body is found down by the creek at high water, the same words etched into her skin. Katie’s worst fear is confirmed: someone is picking off the last of the Elm Hill girls one by one.

But what does the tattoo mean? And what monster would target these innocent girls who have already been through so much?

Katie must dig deep to confront her own fears and protect the vulnerable—but as the body count rises further, will there be anyone left to save?

An absolutely gripping, dark, and totally unputdownable serial killer thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh will read in one sitting!

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.

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My thoughts:

I enjoyed this, the shocking ending was just juicy enough to be very satisfying. I would have liked more about the mysterious bookshop run by the enigmatic Mr Holmes.

I was obviously delighted that there was a dog in the story, it always makes things better.

The mystery of the woman’s body found in the grounds of a former care home for girls, and the way it all links to terrible things that happened in the past is interesting, especially as there’s several red herrings thrown in, leading Katie astray.

*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: Station Helix – Ash Greenslade*

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“I DON’T WANT YOU TO FEEL PARANOID ABOUT ME LYING TO YOU.” An inexplicable suicide… A devastating car wreck… A secret Ministry of Defence facility… Told with pace and tension, STATION HELIX is an exciting and modern novel rooted in the tradition of British thrillers. Alex Hannay makes a shocking discovery which draws him into a perilous world of conspiracy and murder. As operatives from the CIA pursue their own operation on the streets of London, Alex is torn between protecting those who share his secret and seeking retribution for a terrible crime.

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Ash Greenslade is a former police officer and trainer who became hooked on thrillers after reading David Morrell’s THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE. Despite dabbling with numerous writing projects since his schooldays, it took over two decades from reading Morrell’s landmark book for Ash to finally take writing seriously. Determined to accomplish an original novel, he embarked on STATION HELIX, a conspiracy thriller inspired by a visit to Orford Ness. Originally intended as a standalone novel, STATION HELIX prompted another two books, THE ELZEVIR COLLECTIVE and TORUS, plus the RYAN KERREK spin-off series (SINISTER BETRAYAL, DEADLY ACQUISITION, BLACK SCARAB and HUNTING CARACAL).

Ash credits his love of words to weekly spelling tests from the age of four, an incredibly enthusiastic English teacher who wrote children’s stories in the 1960s, and his collection of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis and Willard Price books. Captivated by the escapism of stories, the young Ash wanted to become a children’s author, and he still has a few early projects hidden away which might resurface one day. But it was the thriller genre which grabbed him as an adult. Although Morrell remains his favourite author, he’s a fan of the old-school British stalwarts such as Buchan, Ambler, MacLean, Bagley and Higgins.

Despite his working background, Ash doesn’t write crime thrillers, preferring the more secretive and enthralling world of espionage for his stories. Betrayal and conspiracy are recurring themes. And while he avoids revealing too much of his own character through his pages, some aspects of Ash’s books are very personal, such as the scuba diving scenes in BLACK SCARAB. (Ash worked as a divemaster in the Red Sea before qualifying as an instructor in Grand Cayman.)

When time permits, Ash researches his family tree and takes photographs. Several family surnames feature in his books, and he took the cover shots for the STATION HELIX series. And while he enjoys the occasional trip to London to meet friends, visit the theatre or conduct some research for his books, he’s more at home exploring the solitude of rural Essex in search of wildlife. He can be found online at www.ashgreenslade.net.

My thoughts:

This was insanely good, I love a good scientific/political thriller and this was so gripping and clever, I was completely hooked.

At first I thought it was going to be a bit more of a basic whodunnit and why but it just explodes outwards to take in spies, the MOD, CIA, MI5, government, assassins, secret science, hidden labs, hair raising drives through nighttime Scottish wilderness and a shootout on a Greenland glacier.

There’s a lot going on but it’s kept tight and to the point, everything coming together in a race to protect highly classified intelligence and the people involved, most of whom have no idea whats going on.

I am already planning to get a copy of the second book ASAP as I can’t wait to see what happens 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.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Plague – Julie Anderson*

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There are many ways to die. Plague is just one of them.

Work on a London tube line is halted by the discovery of an ancient plague pit and, within it, a very recent corpse. A day later another body is found, killed in the same way, also in a plague pit. This victim is linked to the Palace of Westminster, where rumours swirl around the Prime Minister and his rivals.

As the number of deaths climbs, the media stokes fear. Government assurances are disbelieved. Everyone feels threatened. This has to be resolved and fast.

The Westminster connection enables Detective Inspector Andrew Rowlands, working alone on a series of rapes and murders of vulnerable young people in central London, to finally persuade his superiors that there is a pattern. He is assigned to lead the case. Cassandra Fortune, a disgraced civil servant, is given the uncomfortable task of investigating the investigation, while joining forces with Rowlands to find the killers before Parliament rises for recess.

Together they navigate the arcane world of the Palace of Westminster as the body count grows. But someone is leaking important details about the case to the press and the media ratchets up the pressure. Misinformation and malice online feeds distrust and panic and the Black Death begins to stalk the streets of London once again.

Meanwhile the commercial and political world focuses on the launch of a huge government Thames-side building programme worth billions. Powerful forces, in Parliament and the City, are competing for its spoils. How, if at all, does this link with the killings? Drawn into the melee, Cassandra Fortune finds herself the object of the attentions of one of the major players, wealthy City broker, Lawrence Delahaye. The attraction is mutual. Fortune and Rowlands discover a shadowy underground network of influence and power as they race against the clock to prevent the death of more innocents and the destruction of the Mother of Parliaments itself. Cassandra will be forced to make a terrible decision as she faces ruin. Time is running out and it’s not clear what, or who, is going to survive.

Drawn into the melee, Cassandra Fortune finds herself the object of the attentions of one of the major players, wealthy City broker, Lawrence Delahaye. The attraction is mutual. Fortune and Rowlands discover a shadowy underground network of influence and power as they race against the clock to prevent the death of more innocents and the destruction of the Mother of Parliaments itself. Cassandra will be forced to make a terrible decision as she faces ruin. Time is running out and it’s not clear what, or who, is going to survive.

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Julie Anderson was a Senior Civil Servant in Westminster and Whitehall for many years, including at the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister, the Inland Revenue and Treasury Solicitors. Earlier publications include historical adventure novels and short stories. She is Chair of Trustees of Clapham Writers, organisers of the Clapham Book Festival, and curates events across London.

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My thoughts:

Inspired by the real plague pits rediscovered by things like HS2, and the very real stoking of paranoia around Covid-19 by the media, this is an interesting and twisting narrative, tracing the halls of power and influence as well as some forgotten parts of London’s history.

Underneath the city’s streets are networks of tunnels, sewers and rivers, long buried as London grew, and it is within those networks that Cassandra will discover terrible schemes and villainous murderers.

The fast paced plot, everything taking place in two weeks, the back and forth between the Houses of Parliament and New New Scotland Yard, the relationship that develops between Cassandra and DI Rowlands, all work together to create a truly modern thriller, riddled as it is with history.

*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: One Fatal Night – Hèlene Fermont*

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One woman’s quest for revenge unearths a fatal secret from her past.

Astrid Jensen holds one man responsible for her mother’s suicide, and she’ll do whatever’s necessary to get close to Daniel Holst and destroy his life – even if it means sleeping with him to gain his trust. Astrid knows he’s not who he pretends to be. But before she can reveal his dark secret, people from her mother’s past start turning up dead, and it looks like she and Daniel are next. In order to survive, she might have to put her trust in the man she has hated for so long.

Daniel Holst has worked hard to climb into Norway’s most elite and glamorous circles, and he’s not about to let any woman bring him down. But when a psychopathic killer starts murdering people from his shadowy past, he discovers that the only person who might be able to save him is the woman who wants to destroy him.

As Astrid digs deeper into her past, she uncovers secrets long buried and realizes everything she once believed is based on lies. What began as a quest to avenge her mother’s death becomes a desperate struggle for survival and leads to the truth about what happened one fatal night ten years ago—and the surprising mastermind behind the most recent murders.

If you’re a fan of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Debbie Howells, you’ll love this character driven thriller with a noir edge.

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Hélene is an Anglo-Swedish fiction author currently residing in her home town of Malmo, Sweden, after relocating back from London after 20 years.

Her thrilling character-driven psychological fiction novels are known for their explosive, pacy narrative and storylines.

Hélene is the proud author of four novels – One Fatal Night, Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret.

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My thoughts:

A lot happens very quickly in this novel as everything Astrid believes to be true unravels and the race to find the real killer of her mother kicks into high gear.

The body count increases and more secrets are revealed as both Astrid and the police desperately search for a killer with no remorse.

Fast-paced and full of twists, the plot unfolds in snowy woods outside Oslo as the killer goes to ground.

*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: Small Sacrifices – L.E. Luttrell*

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Be careful what you wish for.

She wanted to be famous. But not like this.

Ellen Gibson always dreamed of being a star. At a young age those dreams were shattered.

Discovering she holds the winning ticket in a 55-million Powerball jackpot, Ellen sees it as her
opportunity to be in the limelight. But at what cost?

Detective India Hargreaves and her small team are called in to investigate the disappearance of five-year-old Joshua Gibson, but the investigation is taken over by the big guns from Police Headquarters when it turns out to be a kidnapping.

When the media and the lead investigator suspect Ellen of being behind the kidnapping, her fame
disintegrates into a nightmare and she seems powerless to stop events spiralling out of control …

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About the Author

L.E. Luttrell was born in Sydney, Australia and spent the first 21 years of her life there before moving
to the UK.

After working in publishing for a few years she trained as a teacher and from the 90s spent many years working in secondary education, although she’s had numerous other part time jobs. A frustrated architect, L.E. Luttrell has spent much of her adult life moving house and renovating properties. Although she has written many more ‘books’, Small Sacrifices, is only the third of her books to be published. More will follow.

She currently lives in Liverpool, Merseyside – although if it hadn’t been for Covid 19 she would have
been with family in Brisbane, Queensland.

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My thoughts:

This is a shocking and gripping thriller set in Australia where one family’s immense good luck leads to tragedy and heartbreak.

Winning the lottery changes lives, but in this case for the worst as five year old Josh is kidnapped from the back garden and held for ransom.

DI India Hargreaves is determined to get him back safely but circumstances aren’t always in her control and what really happened won’t come out for years.

I couldn’t put this down, it was so compellingly written, I wanted the same answers as India, and it isn’t until the very end that this terrible tale is unravelled.


*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 Choice – Alex Lake*

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A kidnap…

Matt Westbrook only turned his back for a moment. But when he looks around, his car – with his three young children inside – has vanished.

A ransom…

Panicked, Matt assumes a car thief has got more than he bargained for, but then he starts to receive text messages: This is a kidnap. If you want to see your children again, you will exchange them for your wife.

A choice…

Matt and his wife Annabelle are horrified. They can’t involve the police, or their children will be killed. Which means they have to choose: Annabelle, or their children. Either option is unthinkable. But one is inevitable. And they have only hours to make their decision…

My thoughts:

This was an ingenious take on the kidnap plot, a mother must exchange herself for her children or risk losing them.

As the tension builds, the plot flashes back over Matt and Annabelle’s relationship, from meeting at uni, their wedding and the birth of their first child. Cleverly suggesting other people who might be behind the terrible scheme to take Annabelle away from her family.

When the kidnapper is revealed and the delusional reasonings behind it, I genuinely was stunned. Talk about completely twisted.

Sidenote: I also really liked the way the author handled the covid-19 situation, setting the story in early March when not a lot was known by the public and before lockdown. It added some realism but without turning the novel into a coronavirus focused one or pretending it wasn’t happening, I thought it was very nicely 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.

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Blog Tour: The Stolen Sisters – Louise Jensen*

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Sisterhood binds them. Trauma defines them. Will secrets tear them apart?

Leah’s perfect marriage isn’t what it seems but the biggest lie of all is that she’s learned to live with what happened all those years ago. Marie drinks a bit too much to help her forget. And Carly has never forgiven herself for not keeping them safe.

Twenty years ago The Sinclair Sisters were taken. But what came after their return was far worse. Can a family ever recover, especially when not everyone is telling the truth…?

My thoughts:

I thought this was really interesting, focusing not on the investigation into the missing sisters but on their survival and lives twenty years on.

Leah has crippling OCD, anxiety and other mental health issues, Marie has a drinking problem and a habit of disappearing, Carly can barely leave the house and can’t trust anyone.

As the build up to the anniversary counts down more details start to come to life around the kidnapping and why the three women are so damaged by it.

The ending was absolutely shocking, as the sisters return to abandoned army base where they were held, and it all comes out.

*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: How the Wired Weep – Ian Patrick*

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The Wire crosses the pond.

Ed is a detective who handles informants. He recruits Ben, a young man, who is treading a dangerous path into the criminal underworld.

Ben’s unsure of where his loyalties lie. They have to find a way to work together despite their differences.

Both men are drawn into the world of Troy, a ruthless and brutal leader of an Organised Criminal Network.

Ben is torn between two worlds as he tries to walk the impossible line between criminality and helping Ed combat crime.

He lives in fear of discovery.

When your life is thrown upside down who do you turn to in order to survive?

Set against the backdrop of the 2012 Olympic Games, How the Wired Weep is a fast paced urban thriller where time is against both men as they attempt to serve their own agendas.

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Ian spent twenty-seven years in the Metropolitan police the majority as a Detective Sergeant within the Specialist Operations Command. He specialised in Child Protection and was part of a Major Investigation Team that targeted abusers and investigated the murder of children.

His last seven years were spent in the Covert Policing Command where he managed a specialist covert unit dedicated to the detection and disruption of organised criminal networks across London and the UK.

Rubicon, Stoned Love, and Fools Gold are published by Fahrenheit Press.

How the Wired Weep is a standalone novel.

Rubicon is in development with the BBC for a six part TV series.

He’s appeared at Bloody Scotland in 2018 as a spotlight author on the opening night with Val McDermid and Denise Mina.

Ian’s undertaken a mentorship with Write4Film Scotland and is developing a script for a short film. He’s also an ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy Scotland. He lives in Scotland where he divides his time between family, writing, reading and photography.

You can follow Ian on his website where you can subscribe to his newsletter and get updates on blogs, events and books.

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My thoughts:

Written by a former copper, using his inside knowledge of the force and of how criminal gangs work, this is a fast paced, often brutal, novel set on the streets of North London.

Swapping between Ed, a covert operations detective, and his inside source Ben, as they gather information and attempt to take down a dangerous gang leader, who Ben works for.

The plot is tense, violence lingers around every corner, Ben is risking his life by informing on his fellow drug dealers and thieves. But as the gang tries to consolidate its power, and the crimes become darker and more bloody, he decides he wants to help Ed and his team take them down.

With an explosive and shocking finale, this is a powerful novel that packs a punch. *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 Assistant – Cathryn Grant*

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Two women. One office. A fight to the death.

Laura has sacrificed a lot for her high-powered career – her marriage, the chance to have kids. Now, finally, she’s in line for a big jump up the corporate ladder – all the way to the boardroom.

But there’s a fly in the ointment in the shape of beautiful Vanessa, a lowly assistant who seems to have it in for Laura.

Vanessa is PA to Hank, the most powerful executive in the company, a man whose support Laura desperately needs if she is to secure the job of her dreams. Repelled by Laura’s naked ambition, fiercely possessive of her boss, Vanessa deliberately sabotages Laura’s every attempt to make a good impression on Hank.

Laura threatens and cajoles but Vanessa just won’t play fair. Soon their mutual dislike escalates to an all-out war.

But career-obsessed Laura has always been willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. And if Vanessa stands in her way… she’s going to pay the ultimate price.

The stunning psychological thriller from the author of The Guest.

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Cathryn Grant writes psychological thrillers, psychological suspense, and ghost stories. She’s the author of twenty-three novels. She’s loved crime fiction all her life and is endlessly fascinated by the twists and turns, and the dark corners of the human mind.

When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats.

Cathryn is the author of The Guest, The Good Mother and other psychological thrillers. THE ASSISTANT will be her fourth novel published with Inkubator Books.

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My thoughts:

This did not go where I thought it would. Despite the title Vanessa isn’t really the protagonist, she’s almost incidental to the plot in some ways as Laura is the one unravelling and seeing enemies where there aren’t any.

Climbing the career ladder has done something to Laura, she’s become fixated on getting promoted, and will do anything to get where she needs to go.

The ending is shocking, and a twist you won’t see coming as Laura goes way too far and ends up destroying everything she’s worked for.

*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: Missing For Good – Alex Coombs*

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Is she alive, or is she missing for good…?

When the estranged daughter of Scotland’s premier art dealer goes missing, Private Investigator
Hanlon is hired to find out where Aurora is.

But what she thinks will be a relatively straightforward job, soon turns dangerous. The missing girl
has a troubled past but what made Aurora suddenly pack her bags and disappear?

Hanlon has her work cut out for her. The stakes are rising and she needs to get to the bottom of the case before someone else is attacked.

And is Aurora still alive, or is she missing for good?

A gripping new case for feisty female Private Investigator, Hanlon. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza and Lisa Regan.

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Alex Coombs studied Arabic at Oxford and Edinburgh Universities and went on to work in adult education and then retrained to be a chef. He has written four well reviewed crime novels as Alex Howard.

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My thoughts:

Hanlon is a former copper turned PI, charged by a rich art collector to find his missing daughter, somewhere in Edinburgh.

Delving into this case brings her up against the criminal underworld of drug dealers, who happily murder anyone who gets in their way.

A dark, gritty and intense crime novel, with a lovely doggy in a supporting role (always a bonus) that keeps you guessing as Hanlon unravels conspiracies on the university campus where her quarry studied.


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