From The Bookshelf – Page 14

Bobby March Will Live Forever – Alan Parks

WHO IS TO BLAME WHEN NO ONE IS INNOCENT?

The papers want blood.
The force wants results.
The law must be served, whatever the cost.

July 1973. The Glasgow drugs trade is booming and Bobby March, the city’s own rock-star hero, has just overdosed in a central hotel.

Alice Kelly is thirteen years old, lonely. And missing.

Meanwhile the niece of McCoy’s boss has fallen in with a bad crowd and when she goes AWOL, McCoy is asked – off the books – to find her.

McCoy has a hunch. But does he have enough time?

My thanks to Canongate Books for my review copy

This is one of the backwards reviews – one of the ones where I do the summary first. That only happens when I have been blown away by a book. So there should be no doubt when I say: I loved Bobby March Will Live Forever.

The third book in the Harry McCoy series which began with Bloody January (five stars) and February’s Son (five stars). I enjoyed Bobby March more than the first two so have not left myself any room to reflect this in my scoring system…I may need to add a smiley face or a “vg” like I did when I was teaching.

Now I can turn to the book. It is Glasgow in the blistering heat of Summer 1973. A child (Alice Kelly) has vanished off the streets and her parents are frantic. The police are stretched to the limit and it is “all hands on deck” to find Alice. All hands except Harry McCoy.

Harry has been sidelined. He is working under a new boss, a temporary arrangement while the head of his station takes on a secondment up in Perth. Harry and his new “boss” do not see eye to eye and the consequence of their enmity is that Harry is getting all the rubbish to deal with. So while his colleagues (and the splendid “Watty”) are on a city-wide hunt for missing Alice, Harry is left to deal with a drug-overdose in a city centre hotel. The deceased is Bobby Marsh, through a series of flashback chapters scattered through the book we see Bobby rise from young talented guitarist to the best session musician of his day. He played with all the greats but dabbled with all the wrong substances and this would be his undoing. Bobby is gone, his fans will be bereft and Harry has to work out why an apparent overdose appears to be more complicated than it may seem.

Harry’s Perthshire-ensconsed boss, Murray, also has another task for him as his niece has run away from home an Murray’s brother wants her found and returned. But as Murray’s brother seeks political office he wants his runaway daughter kept out of the headlines. Murray puts this responsibility onto Harry and leaves him spinning plates.

The investigation process in 1973 is very different from the crime fiction titles we read today and Harry’s world seems a million miles away from what we have now. Yet Alan Parks makes it wonderfully vivid and you can almost smell the cigarette filled bars and sweaty tenement rooms that Harry has to frequent.

The returning cast add so much depth and enjoyment, Harry’s old friend Stevie Cooper is still one of Glasgows crime kingpin’s, the dependable Watty is working with ‘the enemy’ on the missing girl case, brothel madame Iris is back to provide unwilling assistance and even Harry’s ex girlfriend cameos to remind him of days long lost.

The story is utterly compelling and I was totally unprepared for how some elements were resolved. So damned clever!

We are three books in to this series and I cannot say enough good things about all the Harry McCoy titles. Alan Parks is the name all fans of crime fiction should be seeking out. These are books you should be reading.

Bobby March Will Live Forever. Five stars, v.g. 🙂

Bobby March Will Live Forever is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XC7ZLBF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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February 27

Possessed – Peter Laws

When a blood-soaked man is discovered with the word Baal-Berith scored into his flesh, the bewildered police call on expert Professor Matt Hunter to assist. Before long, a gruesome discovery is made and Hunter is drawn into a frenzied murder investigation. With a fury of media interest in the case, and the emerging link to a documentary on demonic possession, Hunter is unable to escape a dark world of exorcism and violence . even when events spiral frighteningly out of control.

My thanks to publisher, Allison & Busby for a review copy of Possessed.

After a run of reading a run of crime novels it was a welcome change of tone to pick up Possessed and let some demonic possession into my reading.

This chilling tale puts Professor Matt Hunter back into the thick of the action as he faces the horror of a brutal murder and then the even more alarming prospect of a reality television show seeking to exorcise demons from a group of individuals who believe they are each possessed.

Matt is initially asked to assist the police after a suspect showing signs of “possession” is discovered to have carved the name of a demon into his own body. The suspect is identified and it is not long before Matt and the police find a body – brutally mutilated and abandoned in her home.

The suspect appears to have no self control and indicates all his actions are being controlled by a demon – one famed for murdering thousands of humans down the centuries. A local minister and friend of the suspect insists he knew of the possession and had tried to perform an exorcism. Matt maintains demons and possession cannot be real and the murderer must be ill and in need of medical care.

News of the horrific murder soon reaches the media and Matt is brought to the tv studios to provide the balanced viewpoint on discussions around the possibility of demons being real and the effectiveness of exorcism. During the course of the show a “famed” expert tries to conduct an exorcism on air. Matt ends the debacle but the show’s producer sees the potential in giving more airtime to a live exorcism.

Matt is approached again to participate in a documentary which will give him the opportunity to explain why demons cannot be real and exorcisms are not authentic treatments for people who may be in real need of medical intervention. Sadly for Matt the producers have not been honest with him in the nature of the show they planned and a reality tv show which plans to conduct full exorcisms live on air has been arranged.

Against his better judgement Matt agrees to provide scientific balance to the occasion. It should come as no surprise to fans of horror fiction that all does not go as planned.

I love an unpredictable horror tale and Possessed delivers the shocks, the chills and the nasty surprises I had hoped for. The use of a calm voice of reason (Matt) in a scenario of hysteria and drama is particularly effective and Peter Laws brings a devious mystery to the story which will keep readers guessing.

Horror fans should jump at the chance to read the Matt Hunter books – Possessed may just be the best of the series (so far). More like this please!

Possessed is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0749024674/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 11

The Sinner – Martyn Waites

Tom Killgannon, ex-undercover police officer and now in witness protection, is recalled to active service by a local police task force, headed by DS Sheridan. His mission is to befriend notorious child killer Noel Cunningham and find out where he buried the bodies of his final two victims.

The catch? Tom has to obtain that information from within Blackmoor prison itself.

Undercover and with no back-up, Tom soon runs into danger.

In the prison is convicted gangster Dean Foley. He used to run Manchester’s biggest gang, until Tom’s testimony put him away for life. He recognises Tom, and so begins a cat-and-mouse game as Tom fights for survival before Foley can get his revenge.

But why can’t Tom reach DS Sheridan and what is the real reason he has been sent to Blackmoor prison?

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the blog tour. I received a review copy of The Sinner through Netgalley.

I’ve been looking forward to writing this review – books like The Sinner are why I started blogging all those years ago. I wanted to make sure my love for a story which had held me gripped from first page to last could reach a wide audience and hopefully as many people as possible will be on the lookout for this book.

First the housekeeping. The Sinner follows on from The Old Religion (also a cracking read) which introduced protagonist Tom Killgannon – there are minor spoilers if you read them out of order but only because it is necessary to introduce new readers to the characters in Tom’s life. The Sinner can easily be read and enjoyed without first reading The Old Religion.

Killgannon is a former undercover cop who is now in witness protection. A condition of his new lifestyle was that he had to remain available for further operations should the need arise. When the police come calling seeking his help Tom is resigned to his fate, however when he learns he will be required to go undercover behind bars at Blackmoor prison he does try to resist his assignment. As a former cop Tom has concerns he may be recognised if he goes into a prison – he is also not keen on the claustrophobic conditions he may face. The police are quick to assure Tom they have carefully checked to ensure nobody within Blackmoor will know him from his former life so he reluctantly agrees.

All does not go to plan and Tom finds himself face to face with Dean Foley, the gangster at the head of the organization Tom had infiltrated. Foley is a powerful figure within Blackmoor and it is not long before he learns of Tom’s arrival and a meeting between the two is inevitable. Tom is horrified his mission has been compromised so quickly and contacts his handlers to find out what went wrong with the planning. He needs pulled out of Blackmoor immediately or his life will be in danger.

Unfortunately for Tom his placement took lots of preparation and if he has not yet completed the mission he was chosen for then the urgency to remove him may not match his own. Tom is in a deadly race against time – get the info he was sent to discover, keep out of trouble and never let his guard down…

Given the introduction I wrote it should come as no surprise to learn that I loved The Sinner. The claustrophobic prison conditions, Tom’s personal battles against memories from his past and the real danger he faces from Foley and his minions. I am trying to avoid too many spoilers so will not go into detail on the perils Tom’s friends may be facing on the outside as they wait his return. Similarly the investigating cops have problems to deal with while waiting for Tom to report – that really threw me sideways as I hadn’t expected them to feature once Tom was in prison. It’s chapter after chapter of tension and excitement.

Simply put…The Sinner is the book I will be recommending for a good while to come. Easy 5 star score – go get it.

The Sinner is published in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KJJQF6F/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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February 10

Never Look Back – A.L. Gaylin (Audiobook)

Some people deserve to die. Others never should have been born at all.

In 1975, 15-year-old April Cooper and her 18-year-old boyfriend embark on a weeklong killing spree that results in the deaths of a dozen innocent people in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley. Was April a willing accomplice or a victim herself, abducted by an obsessed psychopath and forced into committing horrible acts?

No one will ever know for sure, as April and Eric were apparently killed in a bloody shoot-out at the Death Valley compound of their final victims – a family of off-the-grid survivalists known as The Gideons.

In 2015, Robin Brennan’s parents have been involved in a shooting. Her father is dead, and her mother in a critical state, with Robin desperate for her to wake.

But when Jameson Malloy, the host of Closure – a true crime podcast investigating the San Gabriel Valley murder – shows up, Robin soon learns that her parents are maybe not who they say they are….

My thanks to Alex at Orion for providing the review copy of Never Look Back and to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to join the audio blog tour.

Never Look Back is a clever, slow-burn tale where the author teases a tale of secrets and half-truths from her cast to keep readers guessing to the end of the book.

Quentin Garrison is producing a podcast called Closure. He appears a troubled young man and the Closure in the title is to be his personal closure. He wants to cover the story of the murder of his aunt – killed as a toddler during a shooting when now-notorious schoolgirl, April Cooper, and her boyfriend went on a prolonged crime spree in 1976.

His aunt’s death at a young age broke his mother’s spirit and that of her father, Quentin’s grandfather. Seeking to understand how April Cooper could have so comprehensively ruined his own life Quentin is shocked to learn that Cooper may still be alive despite the world believing she died in a fire in 76.

One of the key people who may be able to help Quentin get to the truth is Robin’s father – he studied behavioural psychology. Quentin seeks him out but before he is able to get the answers he seeks both Robin’s parents are attacked in their home. Her father dead, her mother critically I’ll in hospital, Robin begins to dig a bit deeper into who Quentin is and why he may feel her mother can help him trace a murderer who has been presumed dead for over 30 years.

Cooper herself does get a voice in the story as in 1976 she is writing a letter to her future child. It’s an idea one of her teachers had and one which Cooper really embraced. All the events which went down in history after her murderous spree had ended are narrated by Cooper to her future child in letter form. It allows the murderer to tell her side of the story and allows the reader to judge her actions independently.

As I mentioned – Never Look Back is a clever story and the author plants enough seeds of doubt through the narrative that I was never entirely sure which voices could be trusted at any time. That doubt and uncertainty kept me engaged though the book and the resolution was pleasing.

As with every audiobook the enjoyment (no matter how good the book) also relies upon the narrator – if you are investing 10 hours into a story then you need to be sure you are comfortable with the voice telling that story. Never Look Back has two narrators, James Fouhey and Jorjeana Marie. Marie takes the chapters dominated by female roles, Fouhey the male dominated chapters.

It felt Jorjeana Marie had more to cover over the course of the book as both April’s story and Robin’s are the majority of the focus. Quentin has a larger say when the podcast (and his investigation) is foremost. More of Jorjeana Marie’s voice was a decided bonus as I much preferred the chapters where she took the lead.

One peculiarity of the audiobook was the unexpected inclusion of additional sound effects in the opening chapters. One key element of the story gets additional background noises and incidental supporting sound behind the narrators voice. This is a bit of a rarity in the books I listen to (where normally all we get is the spoken word). The additional sound effects were initially startling but I was ready for their continued inclusion throughout the book. It wasn’t until the story ended that I realised the additional effects had stopped after the first ten minutes which made their brief inclusion all the more puzzling.

A slow burn audiobook needs its place in the day – nighttime listening was where I enjoyed Never Look Back the most. The easy drawl of the narrators was best suited to a quieter place and slower pace, it gave the story it’s best chance to shine.

Never Look Back – great story, well told. Audio best enjoyed in relaxed conditions.

Never Look Back is published by Orion and is available in audiobook, paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Look-Back-brutal-mother-ebook/dp/B07KRLG18D/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1581285553&refinements=p_27%3AA.L.+Gaylin&s=books&sr=1-1&text=A.L.+Gaylin

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February 5

A Wash of Black – Chris McDonald

IT’S NOT LIFE THAT IMITATES ART. IT’S DEATH.

Anna Symons. Famous. Talented. Dead.
The body of a famous actress is found mutilated on an ice rink in Manchester, recreating a scene from a blockbuster film she starred in years ago.
DI Erika Piper, having only recently returned to work after suffering a near-fatal attack herself, finds she must once again prove her worth as the hunt for the media-dubbed ‘Blood Ice Killer’ intensifies.
But when another body is found and, this time, the killer issues a personal threat, Erika must put aside her demons to crack the case, or suffer the deadly consequences.

My thanks to Dylan at Red Dog Press for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

A police procedural that introduces a new leading character in the form of Erika Piper. I have high hopes for this new series from Chris McDonald as A Wash of Black did a lot of things I like from my thrillers.

First up. Not Cosy Crime. Let me be very clear these are on the dark range of crime fiction reading list. As a reader of both crime and horror titles I felt A Wash of Black had horror-esk elements which it is worth flagging.

Some readers may remember Book Club perennial favourites Michael Slade? Slade wrote crime/horror novels set in Canada – Headhunter, Ghoul and Ripper often got bundled together and sold through mail order book clubs (in the days before Amazon). The dark tone and graphic violence in A Wash of Black gave me happy flashbacks to the Slade books. This is very much a plus point for Erika Piper.

So leaving memories of Canadian crime behind let us join Piper in modern day Manchester. A woman has been killed on the ice at a run-down ice rink. Her body pinned to the ice with knives and her throat slit so she bled out where she lay. When the police arrive to investigate they discover the victim was an actress and the manner of her death mirrors the way she died in a horror movie she had made a few years earlier.

Investigation naturally centres on the film crew currently making the sequal and on the author of the books which the films are based around. However the suspect list will grow as the victim’s fiance is behaving oddly as too is a local media studies student who has an odd fixation on the film.

Piper has to contend with multiple challenging and uncooperative suspects. This is not helped by the fact she is just returning to work after a period of convalescence and her confidence has taken a battering. Watching her find her feet while simultaneously being wrong-footed by the investigation made for fun reading.

A Wash of Black is a very promising start to this new series and as a fan of dark thrillers (could you tell?) I will keenly await the next book.

Murder, movies and malevolence – what more do you need?

A Wash of Black is published by Red Dog Press and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1913331210/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 31

A Dark Matter – Doug Johnstone

Three generations of women from the Skelfs family take over the family funeral home and PI businesses in the first book of a taut, page-turning and darkly funny new series.

Meet the Skelfs: well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators…

When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.

Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another woman, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.

As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything…

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours who invited me to join the Blog Tour

Throughout January (and before) I have seen readers and reviewers sing the praises of A Dark Matter. I knew I was closing out the blog tour today and anticipation was high. I was not disappointed – this is an amazing book and I was glued to it.

The Skelf family run a funeral home in Edinburgh. They also have a private investigator sideline – a terrific combination with so much potential for overlapping interests. Yet we meet the Skelf family at a difficult time. Jim Skelf has died and his family have built a funeral pyre to cremated his body. His wife Dorothy, Daughter Jenny and grand daughter Hannah are left to carry on both sides of the family business while mourning Jim’s passing. However it seems Jim had more than his share of secrets and it is not long before Dorothy begins to question how well she actually knew the man she spent most of her life married to.

There is so much going on in A Dark Matter that I struggle to identify which threads of the story I want to sing praise for as they are all magnificent. Hannah (the youngest Skelf) is concerned over the disappearance of her friend, she begins her own investigation as the police don’t seem interested. Her determination is inspiring.

Jenny is the link between generations and is caught up in the private investigator side of the business. She is the character I found most compelling as her “journey” seems the most rocky but she gets some brilliant kick-ass moments which had me punching the air in delight.

Dorothy is more about the funeral services and she is also most concerned with her husband and the secrets he seems to have kept. As with all families there are secrets but the Skelf’s seem to have cornered the market on dark secrets. There are many skeletons in their cupboards.

I mention there is lots going on in A Dark Matter but it doesn’t ever feel cluttered or out of focus. Doug Johnsone has pitched this perfectly – all the Skelf’s have drama, challenges and horrible truths to face and it will shape them in the books which I understand will follow this. I cannot wait to see what comes next.

A Dark Matter allows three generations to shine and to bond. Their investigations are funny and upsetting and reveal the darker side of our society these days. The funeral home scenes show respect and sympathy and some fascinating insights into what goes on behind the scenes at a time people are most vulnerable.

Worthy of all the praise that is lavished upon it – the first “Must Read” of 2020.

A Dark Matter is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07X9X2J4X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 28

Her Secret Past – Kerry Watts

Jean Angus pours the last of the lukewarm tea into her chipped cup, shivering as she looks outside into the dark night. Her eyes are drawn to a slow movement not far from her cosy farmhouse. She’s not expecting visitors. And as the back door opens with a bang, she doesn’t even have time to shout for help.

On a dark winter night, the bodies of Malcolm and Jean Angus lie cold and still in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Detective Jessie Blake is called in to find out what happened to the reclusive pair.

Searching the couple’s property, Jessie learns about a vicious dispute with a nearby land owner, Rachel Ferguson, and when Jessie looks into Rachel further, she doesn’t expect what comes up. Rachel isn’t the person everyone thinks she is and a previous murder conviction just made her Jessie’s prime suspect.

The small Perthshire town begins to gossip about the double murder and Jessie’s own past comes back to haunt her, when her abusive ex-husband begins to interfere in her new life. As the town starts a witch hunt against Rachel, Jessie is under pressure to find out what really happened in the farmhouse that night. Because if it isn’t Rachel, then who is the murderer living among them, waiting to kill again?

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through Netgalley.

Housekeeping first: this is not the first Jessie Blake story but it is the first I have read. Do you need to have read the earlier stoies? I didn’t think so – Her Secret Past stands well on its own and at no stage did I feel I was missing out on important information or was meant to know what had occurred previously.

Her Secret Past opens in pretty shocking style – a young teenage girl and her 19yo boyfriend have beaten her grandparents to death in a pre planned attack. We watch as things start to go wrong and their careful planning comes apart. Needless to say the pair are found out and prison awaits.

Spin forward to present day and we are at another murder scene and so too is Jessie Blake. Another unusual event – the grandson of one of the victims sitting at the table to eat a meal is also sitting beside the corpse of his grandfather – seemingly unperturbed by the brutal slaying which took place not long before. The boy is clearly on the spectrum but as the story develops it becomes apparent he is very focused on murderers and killers and this is a fascination which could cause some problems during the course of Jessie’s investigations.

The murder throws up a good number of suspects which kept me guessing and reassessing where I thought the story may go. The narrative switched nicely between Jessie’s current investigations and events from 20 years ago which followed that attention-grabbing opening scene. As readers may have guessed – the two stories entwined but not how I had anticipated and someone in the cast is playing a clever game.

The story is well paced and several chapters end on cliffhanger moments which are not immediately resolved on the next page. It keeps you reading but once or twice the effect felt forced and not really necessary.

All in, a good story, interesting cast of characters who mixed up the action well. I’d certainly look for more books in the series.

Her Secret Past is published by Bookouture and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0813N28BD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 27

A User’s Guide to Make-Believe – Jane Alexander

WELCOME TO MAKE-BELIEVE. YOU CREATE THE FANTASY, THEY CONTROL YOUR MIND. Cassie worked at Imagen, the tech giant behind the cutting-edge virtual reality experience Make-BelieveTM, and she got to know the product well. Too well. But Cassie has been barred from her escape from the real world, and legally gagged by the company. Her dream job now seems to be part of a larger nightmare, and Imagen is not done with her yet. With Imagen holding all the cards, and personal and public freedoms at stake, how far will Cassie go to end the deception?

Immerse yourself in a near-future world akin to Black Mirror and Vox with an all-too plausible slant on reality and fantasy for our ‘connected’ times.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join the blog tour and to publisher Allison and Busby for sending me a review copy of the book.

Welcome to a world where virtual reality is real. Where people can escape the humdrum of their lives for short periods to live out a fantasy. They can fly, act how they wish, own flash cars or see the far flung corners of the world. Escapism at the cutting-edge of technology. The gift of another life is offered by Imagen – they have huge influence and are one of the most upwardly mobile companies in the world. By offering a subscription service to users they ensure repeat customers and a steadily growing client base – people can’t get enough of Make-Believe.

But people CAN get enough of Make-Believe. Too much. As it becomes addictive for some people, the limited time they are allowed isn’t enough for them and they want to use it more and more. The most determined find a way but invariably they are caught – so it is for Cassie. She worked for Imagen but when she got caught abusing her position she lost her job and lost access to the Make-Believe network. As the system captures and records a user’s DNA there is no way Cassie can forge a new identity and re-join Make-Believe. When we first meet her she is at a support group, mixing with drug users and alcohol dependents she chooses to sit in the group sessions but not to share details of her addiction (or of her suspension from the system).

At one meeting Cassie meets a kindred spirit. A young man who has also been abusing the system and spending too much time in Make-Believe. He too was caught and banned and now the couple are, against Cassie’s better judgement, a couple and together they are trying to work out why Imagen is showing a drop-off in income. Could the couple just be the tip of the iceberg and are there hundreds of users being kicked off Make-Believe for becoming addicted? If this was the case then how could it have been hushed up? If Imagen’s downturn is NOT due to addicts being removed from the service then why would their financial performance be dropping off? The company have explanations but Cassie isn’t buying it and she sets out to uncover the truth.

Pitting herself against big business is dangerous and Cassie is not the most stable of people. Her addiction has cost her the trust of family and friends and there are few with the skills or the inclination to help her get behind the scenes of Imagen. Jane Alexander sets up the situation perfectly. Cassie has weaknesses and vulnerabilities which she must overcome. Her reliance upon Make-Believe and what she begins to uncover about the product Imagen are so efficiently promoting to its subscribers is actually quite chilling. When we consider the rapid development of computers and the speed at which they have taken over our lives it is quite easy to believe there are improper and alarming decisions being taken behind the doors of corporate boardrooms.

This is a thought-provoking adventure. Not too far removed from reality but heavily influenced by the potential of virtual reality. Engaging reading and the story holds together well. Enjoyed this – a departure from my usual reads but a very welcome change.

A User’s Guide to Make-Believe is currently available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0749025107/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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January 25

The Dark Phoenix Saga – Stuart Moore

One of the most popular X-Men epics of all time, revealing the birth of perhaps the deadliest force in the galaxy—Dark Phoenix

Piloting a shuttle through a deadly solar flare, Jean Grey saves the X-Men, but is possessed by one of the universe’s most powerful forces—the Phoenix. As she adapts to her new powers, the mutant team launches an assault against the clandestine organization known as the Hellfire Club. Once inside, however, Jean is tricked by the villain Mastermind into betraying her teammates. She becomes first the Hellfire Club’s Black Queen and then Dark Phoenix, as the power to destroy worlds bursts forth uncontrolled.

Shooting into deep space, Jean destroys an entire star system, then encounters a cruiser piloted by the spacefaring race the Shi’ar. When the cruiser is obliterated, the Shi’ar queen decrees that the Phoenix must die. But only the X-Men can hope to stop Dark Phoenix, and save Jean Grey.

I received a review copy from Titan Books

Currently streaming to a tv screen near you (and recently released on Blu-Ray and DVD) is the latest X-Men film: Dark Phoenix. To coincide with the release of the movie, Titan Books published the full prose novel of the Dark Phoenix Saga and it adds new depth and dimension to the original comic by Chris Claremont.

I first need to address the fact the movie seemed to receive mixed reviews – the first voices were not too flattering but I felt that as more people saw Dark Phoenix the perception shifted and the response seemed pretty positive. The original source material is a classic X-Men story and Stuart Moore’s novel of the story covers a lot of story, adds background and gives us more time with the characters we love and does a great job in bringing this much loved story to new readers. Also – it is a well established rule that the book is always better then the film!

We join the story just as the X-Men are facing imminent destruction. Only Jean Grey can save her friends but to do so will result in her own death. Jean knows she has only one option open to her and takes the heroic decision to make the supreme sacrifice to ensure the other X-Men survive.

Needless to say her death casts a long shadow and the X-Men take time to regroup and come to terms with the loss of their friend. Realising there are other mutants who may also need their help and guidance Storm and Colossus try to track down a young woman who has just come into possession of her powers – Kitty Pride. Unbeknown to the X-Men, Kitty has also come to the attention of Emma Frost. Ms Frost is Queen of the notorious Hellfire Club and she wants Kitty to come and learn under her guidance.

Dark Phoenix brings the X-Men into their first confrontation with the Hellfire Club and it is a great overview of how two powerful forces in Marvel’s universe became aware of each other. Clearly the characters are substantially developed in the comics and their original appearances don’t reflect the subsequent alliances which may be forged. However the book takes a good snapshot into a significant moment of X-Men history and gives much more background detail.

Here was where I found it a little strange – that expanded background. To take an iconic storyline and bring more detail and information to such a well known piece must have been a fascinating challenge. There were times I felt I was being treated to slightly too much additional detail and once I actually lost the thread of where we were in the narrative. But it was pulled back and the story progressed with me in tow.

Very much a story for the fans of the franchise. Despite being a big Marvel fan the X-Men has never been my favourite – just too many characters to keep track of down the years and I found it hard to dip in and out. But this book did what I wanted by delivering an exciting story with characters I knew well. Can’t ask for much more than that.

The Dark Phoenix Saga is published in Hardback and digital format by Titan Books. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/X-Men-Dark-Phoenix-Stuart-Moore/dp/1789090628/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1798QSFP0MP9H&keywords=dark+phoenix&qid=1559592020&s=gateway&sprefix=dark+pho%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-3

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January 21

Hitler’s Secret – Rory Clements

Autumn 1941. The war is going badly for Britain and its allies. If Hitler is to be stopped, a new weapon is desperately needed.

In Cambridge, professor Tom Wilde is approached by an American intelligence officer who claims to know of such a weapon – one so secret even Hitler himself isn’t aware of its existence. If Wilde can smuggle the package out of Germany, the Third Reich will surely fall.

But it is only when he is deep behind enemy lines that Wilde discovers why the Nazis are so desperate to prevent the ‘package’ falling into Allied hands. And as ruthless killers hunt him through Europe, a treacherous question hangs over the mission: if Hitler’s secret will win them the war, why is Wilde convinced it must remain hidden?

My thanks to Zaffre for my review copy and to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for allowing me the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour.

War time action thrills are the order of the day in Hitler’s Secret. In 1941 the war is dragging on and Germany, fighting a war both to the East and West, are firmly under control of Adolph Hitler and his National Socialist party. The British and their allies know success in their campaign relies upon toppling Hitler – if the figurehead of the Third Reich could be removed then Germany would surely step down from their fighting.

Clearly the Germans also knew the importance of keeping Hitler safe and also in protecting his image. One man held a position of power and influence which exceeded that of Hitler’s Generals and closest advisers – the “Gatekeeper”. This man, Bormann, worked alongside Hitler in his offices and was responsible for his diary, his appointments and for deciding which telephone calls Hitler would receive and which party members would be granted access to meet with him. Bormann is a powerful man who kept out of the spotlight but a man who would do whatever it took to protect his Leader and his own position of importance. He knows a secret, one which very few people know. He has information which cannot be shared with anyone else; the British cannot have the information as it would be used to damage Hitler. Hitler’s allies cannot know the information as it would undermine his authority and Hitler himself doesn’t even know this information – for him to learn the truth may also cause him to lose focus on the matters at hand. The secret must never be known and if people have to die to ensure the truth remains hidden – so be it.

The problem with secrets is that, invariably, truth will out. As we begin Hitler’s Secret, the British know of the highly sensitive information and they are sending Tom Wilde undercover behind enemy lines to recover a package which will expose Hitler’s Secret to the World. Bormann is also taking decisive steps to have the package destroyed – anyone who comes into possession of the package must also be removed. The chase is on and with everything at stake it’s a mighty story.

Described by the Sunday Times as a “What If” story, I find the Tom Wilde books to be great action thrillers from one of our darkest times. Rory Clements builds on events from the War and weaves his stories into the events of 1941. Familiar people and places will appear and the characters Clements introduces will phase in and around them, it gives the story a feeling of authenticity and makes scene setting very realistic.

Wilde is putting himself against one of the most resourceful figures in the Nazi party. He will need to place his trust in a select few individuals and the feeling of David vs Goliath was ever present as I read Hitler’s Secret.

I don’t read many thrillers set during WW2 but I have read a few books by Rory Clements and each has been a satisfying experience. Perhaps the best way to articulate this would be trying to describe how, after each reading session, I found I was mentally adjusting back to 2020 life and popping the world of 1941 into the background. Clements built the world around me as I read and after putting down the book I could still easily picture the environments he had described.

If you enjoy spy thrillers and stories of wartime heroics then this book is for you.

Hitler’s Secret is published by Zaffre on 23 January 2020 and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VV5RLP8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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