January 2021 – Grab This Book

My Best Friend’s Murder – Polly Phillips

There are so many ways to kill a friendship . . .

You’re lying, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, legs bent, arms wide.
And while this could be a tragic accident, if anyone’s got a motive to hurt you, it’s me.

Bec and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. They have been through a lot together – from the death of Bec’s mother to the birth of Izzy’s daughter. But there’s a darker side to their friendship, and once it has been exposed, there is no turning back.

So when Izzy’s body is found, Bec knows that if the police decide to look for a killer, she will be the prime suspect. Because those closest to you are the ones who can hurt you the most . . .

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for arranging my review copy and for allowing me to host this leg of the blog tour.

Bec and Izzy – friends through thick and thin for most of their lives. Their friendship is about to be shaken beyond anything the pair have experienced before and before a truce can be negotiated Izzy will be dead. It isn’t a spoiler, the blurb makes all this clear and the book opens with tragedy.

So how did these friends get to this stage? And is Bec right to think the police should be looking at her as a possible killer?

Polly Phillips shows the reader that Izzy is dead then takes us back in time to earlier in the year when the cracks in the friendship first start to show. We start with what should be a happy event as Bec has come to tell Izzy that she got engaged. However, Izzy’s reaction is not quite what Bec had anticipated and her upset at Izzy is compounded when it becomes clear Izzy had been consulted on which engagement ring should have been bought.

As we are given more background on the two friends we learn how Izzy has married a man Bec was attracted to. Izzy has the best of everything while Bec seems to be making do. Even at work Bec seems to be hesitant to put herself forward or contribute to big decision making. There is a slight shift in this when Bec discovers she may have a chance to interview a Hollywood A-List star and she makes a stand in an editorial meeting to ensure she gets to conduct and be credited for the interview piece.

Bec’s personal life and her career seem to be picking up for her. However her relationship with Izzy is on a downward spiral. The two are bickering then disagreeing and it appears each time the two are together their relationship deteriorates.

The growing animosity between Izzy and Bec is not going unnoticed so when Izzy is found lying in a bloody, crumpled heap Bec does have concern she will be a suspect. But could knowing the truth be even more hazardous?

I came to this book under a slight misconception. I half expected a police procedural (for no reason other than that’s what I normally opt to read). My Best Friend’s Murder hardly features the police. This is the story of Izzy and Bec and the toxic elements of their friendship which define the last days of Izzy’s life – seen through the eyes of Bec who can’t understand why her friend is behaving the way she does.

Uncomfortable reading at times and a few surprises along the way which I enjoy. Domestic drama with barbs – like your favourite soap opera having the Queen Bee get their comeuppance.

My Best Friend’s Murder is published by Simon & Schuster and is available in paperback, audiobook and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087QQW3V9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 23

Secret Santa – Andrew Schaffer

After half a decade editing some of the biggest names in horror, Lussi Meyer joins prestigious Blackwood-Patterson to kickstart their new horror imprint. Her new co-workers seem less than thrilled. Ever since the illustrious Xavier Blackwood died and his party-boy son took over, things have been changing around the office. When Lussi receives a creepy gnome doll as part of the company’s annual holiday gift exchange, it verifies what she’s long suspected: her co-workers think she’s a joke. No one there takes her seriously, even if she’s the one whose books are keeping the company afloat.

What happens after the doll’s arrival is no joke. With no explanation, Lussi’s co-workers begin to drop like flies. A heart attack here; a food poisoning there. One of her authors and closest friends, the fabulous but underrated Fabien Nightingale, sees the tell-tale signs of supernatural forces at play, stemming from the gnome sitting quietly on Lussi’s shelf.

The only question is does Lussi want to stop it from working its magic?

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

At 215 pages this was a nice quick horror fix which provided a perfect read on our dark wintery evenings. It also caught me slightly off guard, the early chapters lulled me into thinking this was a quirky and lite horror tale. A Gremlins or a Critters (yes my horror movies references are straight out of the 1980’s) but Secret Santa got dark and I do like that in a book.

What I really liked was the lead character – Lussi Meyer. She works in pubishing and Secret Santa sees her sitting in front of publishing legend Xavier Blackwood interviewing for a role as head of the new horror imprint at Blackwood-Patterson. Despite being an established and well respected name Blackwood-Patterson don’t publish horror. Lussi will have her work cut out convincing Xavier she is the ideal candidate for the job.

Before the interview can be concluded (unsuccessfully for Lussi) Xavier Blackwood dies at his desk with only Lussi in attendance. This leaves Lussi in the clear to confirm her new role to the staff at Blackwood-Patterson and she finds herself installed into a new job. With her new colleagues in mourning and a barely concealed distrust/dislike of Lussi on display it seems Lussi ia going to have her work cut out to become an accepted member of staff.

At the office christmas party the Secret Santa exchange of gifts is in full flow. Lussi opens her gift to uncover a creepy doll which she had last seen in the office of Xavier Blackwood during that fateful (fatal?) interview. Naturally Lussi is not too enamoured to be presented with the grotesque troll like doll but she feigns pleasure and puts the doll into her office.

Although life continues at Blackwood-Patterson under the new management of Xavier’s son, strange things are happening in the big old building which houses the publishing firm. Unexplained accidents to staff members. Excrement on Lussi’s office floor, which her colleagues don’t feel is too unusual. The feeling of not being alone when she visits the stacks of unread manuscrips in the basement of the building. Not to overlook the hooded figures performing a very perilous ritual after hours.

Lussi confides in one of her authors, the brilliant and larger than life horror writer Fabien Nightingale. Together they try to understand what is going on at Blackwood-Patterson and to get to the bottom of an old myth which surrounds Lussi’s secret santa gift.

The danger is growing and Lussi has increasing fear for her life, her colleagues can’t be trusted and people around her are dying – can she escape a similar fate?

Slick writing, dark but with humour and tension when it counts – Secret Santa was a very welcome diversion during a busy week and it’s a recommended read for horror fans.

Secret Santa is published by Quirk Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084V7WTPQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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January 20

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Sharon Bairden

Imagine you were tasked with the impossible responsibility of stocking a library from scratch but you were only allowed to include the very best books. Where would you start? Could you do it? Would you include that book everyone loves but you don’t understand why?

I wanted to know which books would be in the Ultimate Library so I decided to find out. But I don’t get to choose – I want others to do the hard work for me. Readers, writers, bloggers, publishers – I am going to ask people to help me in my epic task but I am going to set my guests two rules:

Rule 1 – Nominate Five Books which should be included in my Ultimate Library

Rule 2 – You can only select one title per decade and the decades must be consecutive so we get a 50 year publication span

Easy!

To kick things off I asked my blogger pal, and debut author, Sharon Bairden to make the first five selections. I hand over to Sharon to introduce herself and I asked her to include some self-promotion before she speaks about other people’s books.

Hi, my name is Sharon and I live just outside of Glasgow. By day I am a manager in a small independent advocacy service and by night I have a passion for all things crime! Some of you may know me as Chapterinmylife Book Blogger https://chapterinmylife.wordpress.com where I blog about the books that I love and book festivals and launches I attend.

I have also just stepped over to the other side and my debut novel, Sins of the Father was published by Red Dog Press on 27th November 2020. It is a dark psychological thriller/suspense set in Glasgow and it explores the impact of trauma through the eyes of Rebecca Findlay – a woman who has married her husband, not out of love, but to destroy him. Book two, another standalone psychological thriller, will be out later this year.

Gordon set me an almost impossible task! He has asked me to pick five of my favourite books and tasked me to choose one from each decade over five consecutive decades, from the 60s through to the noughties! So here goes!

DECADES

1960s – it has got to be Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Not only is this a damn good read, it has an important message and one that resonates with me deeply. Social justice and inequality are the themes that drive this book forward and outside of reading, upholding social justice, challenging inequality, discrimination and stigma are my passions.

1970s – Stephen King’s The Shining. Before I delved into crime, horror was my go to read and there was nothing better than curling up with a good Stephen King novel. The Shining is probably the only book and film which has terrified me throughout my life, the isolation, the addictions, the supernatural, God, it still sends shivers down my spine!

1980s William McIllvaney’s The Papers of Tony Veitch, what can I say, McIlvanney was, and in many respects, still is the icon of Scottish crime fiction. I’m currently rereading this series and realise that when I read it many years ago, I did not appreciate the beauty of his writing.

1990s – Martina Cole’s The Ladykiller, this ignited a love of crime, gritty gang life and saw me down at my library on an almost daily basis to get my fix. I’d fallen away from reading as much in my later teen years and Martina Cole set me back on track!

2000 – Lin Anderson’s Driftnet. Lin’s books cemented my love of Scottish crime fiction and it was my love of her writing which led me to start to go along to book events and festivals, which in turn brought me into contact with bloggers, writers and gave me the confidence to make the first steps in realising my dream to write my own book.

My thanks to Sharon for starting the curation process. Decades will return and more books will be added to The Library.

Until then I’d recommend picking up Sharon’s book Sins of the Father. Click through this link and grab a copy today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sharon-Bairden/e/B0899BQMJX?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1611164121&sr=1-1

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January 18

The Sanatorium – Sarah Pearse

EVERYONE’S IN DANGER. ANYONE COULD BE NEXT.

An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother’s recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous – as does her brother, Isaac.

And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin’s unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.

But no-one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they’re all in . . .

Huge thanks to Thomas Hill at Transworld for a very early look at this chilling thriller due for release in early 2021.

If you have read Stephen King’s The Shining then you can easily understand how terrifying a remote, snowy location can be for a hotel. Rather than a haunted hotel try to imagine a luxury hotel hidden away deep in Swiss Alps in a fully refurbished building which was once a sanatorium. A sanatorium that could treat patients away from any watchful eyes – you can rest assured it has its own dark history.

The Sanatorium in Sarah Pearse’s chilling thriller has been renovated to an unrecognisable form. It is the darling of the archietectural world and the famed architect who has given it new life has ensured a stark simplicity compliments luxury and comfort. Into the frozen mountains comes Elin Warner, a British detective who is currently off work on a period of recouperation and still suffering PTSD after teh death of her younger brother when they were children.

Elin has been invited to stay in Le Sommet by her elder brother Isaac (who appears both strange and estranged). He is celebrating his engagement and asks Elin and her partner Will to join him. As an architect himself, Will is delighted to have the chance to visit Le Sommet but Elin arrives apprehensive.

Her concerns appear to be valid. As Elin and Will arrive at the hotel in the midst of a heavy storm, the reader gets a sneak to another part of the site where one of the staff is about to have an unexpected encounter with a masked figure. One which will see her plucked from the mountainside and held capitve and at the mercy of a stranger. Her terror is palpable but as she sees the mask of the kidnapper more clearly – a rubber facemask with a breathing tube attached – she knows there will be no escape from her past. For the reader this was not the first appearance of the masked villain – we had already been alerted to the danger this sinister figure posed.

As Elin and Will settle in to their room and after Isaac and Elin have an awkward reunion, the storm outside continues and conditions get worse. The Swiss authorities are about to make life more challenging for Elin; they close access to the resort and other than key hotel staff and a handful of guests there is nobody left in Le Sommet. Then a body is found.

The locked-in claustrophobia oozes from the pages and is heightened when it becomes apparent the masked figure is still lurking around the hotel. With a murderer in their midst Erin steps into the fray and tries to offer what help she can but the danger is getting close to home – Isaac’s fiancee is missing and Erin cannot shake her distrust of her older brother. Is it possible Isaac could be a killer?

The Sanatorium is a psychological thriller which will undoubtably please fans of the genre. The isolated setting, the unpenetrable storm and the lurking rubber-faced hidden menace encapsulated the “base under siege” feeling of the classic Patrick Troughton Doctor Who serials I adore so much. A stone-cold page turner which keeps you guessing to the very last page.

The Sanatorium will publish on 4 February through Bantam in hardback, digital and audiobook format. Pre-order your copy today by clicking this handy wee link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B086M9BLF5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 16

The Library of the Dead (Edinburgh Nights 1) -T. L. Huchu

When ghosts talk, she will listen . . .

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and she now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honour bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

She’ll dice with death (not part of her life plan . . .) as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets. And in the process, she discovers an occult library and some unexpected allies. Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?

Opening up a world of magic and adventure, The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu is the first book in the Edinburgh Nights series.

My thanks to Jamie-Lee at Black Crow for inviting me to read The Library of the Dead. I received a copy of the book from the publishers through Netgalley.

Book One of the Edinburgh Nights series. Perfect. Not the first in the “Ropa” series but the Edinburgh Nights series. Why is that a good start? Quite simply if the series is named after a character then you know that no matter how bad things get – the lead character will pull through. Reacher, Rebus, Baggins, Morse…okay maybe not Morse but you get my point. But The Library of the Dead is about the Library, it is the Edinburgh Nights series – will our lead character, Ropa, make it to the end of the book? Well I am not sharing but lets just say she is in for a terrible experience in the first of T. L. Huchu’s series.

Ropa lives in Edinburgh, in a caravan with her gran. She makes money by meeting the dead around the city and taking messages back to their relatives who will pay for the message. I particularly liked the family of bakers who were receiving recipes from beyond the grave as secret of the perfect battenburg was a closely guarded secret until it was too late to pass it to the next generation.

Edinburgh is very recognisable to anyone that has visited the city, Ropa covers a lot of ground and even a ‘Weegie like me could identify many of the areas she visited. However, Edinburgh is not recognisable as we know it. “God Save The King” is a greeting with “Long May He Reign” the response. Money is shillings again, technology such as mobile phones does exist but the city feels poor and the vibe was of a historical setting. All my confusion made the story feel nicely jarred with reality and I had no issues accepting the fantasy themes of magic, ghost whispering and the catalogue of fantasy horrors which will creep into story.

A ghost approaches Ropa – she is worried for he young son. Although she has died she cannot rest until she knows her son is safe. Ropa approaches the family but they are not helpful, she has a mission to fulfil but chasing down what is seemingly a lost cause does not pay the bills. After meeing a friend from school Ropa may finally catch a break. Her friend has a job in a secret place and he thinks Ropa may find what she is looking for there – a secret library where magic is commonplace and actively practiced. The only problem for Ropa is that her magical skill – speaking with ghosts is rather primitive for the fussy and traditional users of the library. There is also the small matter of her unexpected arrival in a place which was meant to be a closely guarded secret – a price to be paid.

Ropa wants information about young children disappearing around the city. When one child makes it home after a period of absence he has changed – hidden away by his family Ropa manages to see the child…head and face aged and withered. What dark process could have inflicted this child? Is the ghost of the worried mother going to discover her missing son is also going to age in this unnatural fashion?

Chasing down a lead one night Ropa spots something unexpected inside a house, she decides to break in to investigate futher. Inside she stumbles upon a clue which may just explain what has happened to the missing childre however entering the house was the worst mistake Ropa has made in her young life. It may also be the last mistake she makes.

The Library of the Dead pitches nicely between fantasy and light horror. The initial confusion I experienced while trying to pigeonhole an identifiable time and society structure for Edinburgh soon became irrelevant as I just accepted the story as a fantasy tale in a setting I knew. The characters are will defined and each needs an edge to survive in this slightly dark world. I read less fantasy than I once did but this was a treat and I was extremely glad I picked it as one of my first reads of the year – a strong start and I very much look forward to more in this series. More Library, more horrors and a bit of magic to keep everything unpredicable.

The Library of the Dead is published by Tor and will release in hardback, digital and audiobook on 4 February 2021. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Library-Dead-Edinburgh-Nights-ebook/dp/B08JM2P3L1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1610798054&refinements=p_27%3AT.+L.+Huchu&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=T.+L.+Huchu

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