August 15

The Woman in the Library – Sulari Gentill

Hannah Tigone, bestselling Australian crime author, is crafting a new novel that begins in the Boston Public Library: four strangers; Winifred, Cain, Marigold and Whit are sitting at the same table when a bloodcurdling scream breaks the silence. A woman has been murdered. They are all suspects, and, as it turns out, each character has their own secrets and motivations – and one of them is a murderer.

While crafting this new thriller, Hannah shares each chapter with her biggest fan and aspirational novelist, Leo. But Leo seems to know a lot about violence, motive, and how exactly to kill someone. Perhaps he is not all that he seems…

The Woman in the Library is an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship – and shows that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

 

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley

 

A book from the “what I read on my summer holiday” collection. I was fascinated by the blurb of this story, four strangers in a Library when a murder takes place – one of the four is a murderer but if the four were sitting at a table then how can one of their number be a killer?

Well it isn’t Sulari Gentill who will tell this story it is Hannah Tigone (Okay it IS Sulari but let’s give Hannah her place too). Hannah is writing about Winifred, Marigold, Cain and Whit – four strangers who are in a Boston Library. They are sitting at a table togegther when a scream is heard – the four are forged in a new friendship and Hannah will write her novel about these new friends and the steps they will take to discover more about each other and, more importantly, about who may have killed a woman in the library.

As Hannah writes she gives her readers a background into each of these four players in her story. They all have secrets, they all have a reason to keep them secret and Hannah is going to spin out the tale and deliver a whip-smart whodunnit. But between the chapters about the friendly four and their strengthening bonds Sulari Gentill is also telling her readers about Hannah’s life away from the story she is crafting. Hannah is getting feedback from Leo – he is reading her early chapter drafts as each chapter is completed and providing his own observations and feedback. Leo is a bit of an enigma and does seem to enjoy a bit of mansplaining but he also has thoughts and opinions of friendships, secrets and he seems remarkably well informed about murder too.

All very mysterious and very nicely put together. At approximately 270 pages in length I found The Woman in the Library a sharp and well exectuted murder tale (no puns intended here). Hannah’s story gives a satisfying murder tale with a seemingly impossible pool of suspects and Sulari’s story about Hannah is darker and more perplexing – reading to see how that plot unfolded was very much the reason I zipped through The Woman in the Library in just two enjoyable sittings.

I enjoyed the very different approach to the story telling here and this is a book I’d recommend readers look out for when it hits the shelves next month.

 

The Woman in the Library is published in hardback in the UK on 15 September 2022 and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-woman-in-the-library/sulari-gentill/9781761151545

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July 30

Truly, Darkly, Deeply – Victoria Selman

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt – questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free – or bury her deeper?

 

I recieved a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley

 

There’s been a lot of buzz around Truly, Darkly, Deeply over the last few weeks. It isn’t often I see a book get so much love from so many readers but having devoured this gripping story I can see why it has been praised by the great and good of crime fiction. It was a brilliant read.

Sophie is the focus of the story, she is brought from Massachusetts to England by her mother (Amelia-Rose) and they are starting a new life together in a new country. Ameila-Rose meets Matty, he is a larger than life figure and the couple slowly start to grow their relationship. Sophie and Matty get on well and as the story unfolds we see a family unit forming.

As we get to know Sophie, Ameila-Rose and Matty we see them spending time together and Victoria Selman has seeded their lives into the early 80’s when these formative months of their relationships were founded. It was fun to see how this new “family” viewed the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana some 40 years after the event took place. Obviously the reader knows how many of these real world events turn out over time but seeing the trio discussing them as they unfold was enchanting and entracing too.

But the homely domesticity also has a shadow hanging over it. A serial killer is operating in the city near where Ameila-Rose and Sophie live. As the number of victims grow, Sophie cannot help but notice that each of the dead women share similar characteristics in their appearance and those characteristics are also shared by her mother.

When we are not reading about life in the 1980s we are in present day. In present day Matty is in prison as he was convicted for the murder of the women. He is dying and he wants to see Sophie. Why does he want to see Sophie? Does she want to see Matty?  Well she doesn’t, not really, but there is an inevitability of them having a conversation and as that draws closer the reader is wholly invested in Sophie’s life and also wants to know what Matty plans to say. Is he going to finally confess to the murders? Has he information to share or will he try to undo Sophie’s life? His conviction pretty much changed Sophie once already, could he somehow do more damage?

What made this book shine for me was how deftly Victoria Selman nails the pace, the subtle and dramatic reveals and the utter heights of tension. Despite knowing Matty has been convicted for the murders you don’t know if he actually committed the crimes. After some time Sophie has suspicions but Matty is charming and personable and she really can’t bring herself to believe he could be a killer, at times I had my doubts too.

An immediate favourite. It’s a book you need to read – I loved it.

 

 

Truly, Darkly, Deeply is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Truly-Darkly-Deeply-gripping-thriller/dp/1529420687/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=ST6ka&pf_rd_p=4894e669-125c-4a90-a2cc-9002e7df2d59&pf_rd_r=4RGQC1JBM2P0TJQYJ328&pd_rd_wg=hMaPa&pd_rd_r=7b67566e-a6f7-44a5-83a9-fc137e783e5b&content-id=amzn1.sym.4894e669-125c-4a90-a2cc-9002e7df2d59&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

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July 28

Old Bones Lie – Marion Todd

DI Clare Mackay is about to face a test of her loyalty…

When a report comes in that a van containing two prison officers and a convicted jewel thief is missing, the police in St Andrews work quickly to locate the vehicle. Their efforts prove in vain when no trace is found and they realise the wives of both officers also appear to have left the area. Is this a case of corrupt guards springing a felon, or innocent people caught in the crossfire?

DI Clare Mackay leads the team but has to do without her right hand man; DS Chris West is a cousin to one of the missing prison officers and must not be involved in the case. With a new sergeant at her side plus a previously unencountered DCI, Clare’s people skills are pushed to the limit. Especially once she realises her boss is keeping her on the sidelines. Just what is it that Clare doesn’t know? And if she has to choose between keeping secrets from a friend, or letting slip something that could see a culprit go free, which path will she take?

 

My thanks to Canelo who kindly provided a review copy of Old Bones Lie

 

When I collated my Best Books of 2020 list back in December 2020 I singled out Marion Todd’s See Them Run as the best debut I had read that year. See Them Run was the first DI Clare Mackay book, spin forward to Summer 2022 and I am reviewing Old Bones Lie which is the sixth Clare Mackay book. It’s a series which I absolutely love to read, I look forward to each new release and it is very pleasing to see so many crime readers are also discovering these books and enjoying them as much as I have been.

With an intro like that it should come as no surprise to learn I thoroughly enjoyed Old Bones Lie. It starts with a chilling scene: two couples enjoying an evening in have just ordered takeaway food – a knock at the door turns their world upside down. Next morning Police Scotland are scrambling after reports of a convicted armed robber has been sprung from custody. Two prison guards are unaccounted for, their wives are also missing and not answering their telephones.

Clare Mackay is co-ordinating events but she will lose her right hand man as her DS (Chris) is related to one of the two missing prison guards. He wants to play an active part in the investigation but Clare knows he cannot be involved. It creates a friction within her team and one which needs addressed quickly – Chris will be tasked with investigating a series of thefts of agricultural vehicles and a new DS will be brought in to work with Clare. The fractious issues within Clare’s team will intensify when a new boss is dropped into supervise Clare and the hunt for the missing prisoner. Her new boss is happy to give Clare some leeway to investigate but frustratingly he is taking ownership of some tasks and not sharing his findings or explaning his reasoning and Clare feels hamstrung.

These personnel issues add a fascinating extra layer of frustration into the investigations. Four missing people, an escaped jewel thief and before too long a dead body – someone who was connected to the robbery which led to the imprisonment of the escaped convict. It is a high profile case and events are unfolding quickly. All these elements are great for keeping the intensity of the story running through the chapters and it makes the reader keep those pages turning.

Marion Todd writes in a very readable style and over the course of the six books has developed a great team of characters which returning readers will enjoy meeting again. Old Bones Lie had all the clever plotting and nice reveals which I have come to expect from this series and it’s always a genuine moment of sadness when I reach the end of the book and I know I have a wait until the next is released. But just as I finished reading the news came out that were were three more books to follow so I can content myself with the knowledge I will be returning to Clare’s corner of St Andrews in future.

I recommend lots of authors to different readers when I write blog posts but it is less frequent for me to be recommending a whole series as part of a review. I have no hesitation in recommending all crime fiction fans to seek out the Clare Mackay books. Each can be read as a stand alone mystery but as the titles follow the development of Clare’s team and the changes to her personal life you may wish to seek them out in publication order – as mentioned above, See Them Run is where it all begins.

A firm favourite!  Grab a pack of your favourite biscuits and immerse yourself in these wonderful stories – the latest adventure for DI Clare Mackay is another triumph.

 

Old Bones Lie is published by Canelo and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format: https://www.waterstones.com/book/old-bones-lie/marion-todd/9781800327306

 

 

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June 22

The Haunting of Crimshaw Manor – Mark E Drotos

Every town has a mystery.

The Crimshaw family were once the caretakers of the prestigious Strathmore Estate. After the great blizzard of 1868, the townspeople found Elizabeth Crimshaw’s body hanging from the banister. Her young son and husband were declared missing and never found.

Every town has a legend.

The locals say they have seen Elizabeth’s ghost and that the manor is haunted. Others claim to have heard a woman’s scream and have witnessed strange lights and shadow people.

Some mysteries are better left unsolved.

What really happened to the promising Crimshaw family? Are the rumors surrounding the family true? Intent on investigating these claims, Stephen Davenport, adjunct professor of Paranormal Studies at Strathmore University, along with students from the school’s paranormal investigations club begin a weekend investigation.

What they find confirms their beliefs in the paranormal—and challenges them to simply stay alive.

I received a review copy of The Legend of Crimshaw Manor from the publisher through Netgalley
Sometimes a book lands on my Kindle and it’s the type of story I need to read right there and then. That’s what happened with The Legend of Crimshaw Manor. I was in the mood for a chilling horror tale and I stumbled upon Crimshaw Manor – the timing was perfect so I dipped straight in and before I knew it I was over 30% of the way through the book. The whole story was read over three days but only because I was having a busy weekend so didn’t get as much reading time I had hoped.
Stephen Davenport is the lead character in this creepy tale. He has an ability to see ghosts and is brought to Strathmore University to take on a professor role overseeing Paranormal Studies. Stephen comes to Strathmore and finds himself offered the opportunity to supplement his income by overseeing the management of a new nightclub which is being built/renovated in one of the old abandoned buildings in town. His friend knows Stephen can’t run a bar but would like him to be around on the property to oversee things while the construction is ongoing. Needless to say the old building where Stephen will be sleeping houses a few ghosts and it’s clear Stephen is going to be encountering more than a few spirits in this story.
Stephen’s department get the opportunity to investigate an old house on the edge of town – Crimshaw Manor. The house is famed locally as being haunted and the story of its former residents is disturbing and tragic. A couple and their young son moved to the house many decades ago. They were not used to the area and were unaware of the need to adequately prepare for winter. The snows came early and the family were cut off from the rest of the town. They had little food and no means to contact the outside world for help. The family didn’t survive but exactly what happened to them while they were snowed in to their home is not clear.
Now Stephen and two of his students are at Crimshaw Manor and they are brining all their best scientific gear to the old property to see if they can record the presence of ghosts. Suffice to say their weekend is going to be eventful.
I will confess to being a fan of a good haunted house story and there were more than a few chilling chapters in this book which kept me well entertained. Not all threats which the team encounter are supernatural and there are some good action sequences thrown in too. Combine these with flashbacks into Stephen’s past and there’s a lot of creepy action to enjoy here. One minor quibble, the scenes between those chilling moments didn’t hold me quite the same way – I wanted back to the spooky stuff – and one of the support characters brought slightly too much comedy when I didn’t always feel it was needed. Minor, as I say – the chills really outweighed the niggles.
The Haunting of Crimshaw Manor is published on 12 July 2022 and will be available in digital and hardback editions. You can pre-order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Crimshaw-Manor-Mark-Drotos-ebook/dp/B09ZMVPP48/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KOJS5Q3YKHRY&keywords=crimshaw+manor&qid=1652990655&sprefix=c%2Caps%2C47&sr=8-1
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June 18

The Chemical Cocktail – Fiona Erskine

 

 

I recieved a review copy from the publishers and was invited to join the blog tour by Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours. My thanks to both.

 

In 2021 I spent 11 months of the year praising a book written by Fiona Erskine. I read it in February and in December (to nobody’s surprise) called Fiona’s book the best book I had read in 2021. When the opportunity came to read the next book Fiona had written I could not resist.

The Chemical Cocktail is the third Jaq Silver thriller and despite there being some hints at past events you don’t need to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. And you WILL enjoy this book as it’s an action thriller which spans continents, has some particularly nasty bad guys lurking in the background and we get more than a few tense moments for Silver as she tries to investigate a secret from her past.

Early in the story the reader learns Silver’s mother has died and Jaq has come into posession of the last of her mother’s posessions. Within the documents she finds information which will turn her world upside down. Events thereafter give the readers an insight into the background of Jaq Silver, an understanding of how she became the woman she is but also expose some of the most secret elements of her past. I imagine for returning readers this will be a welcome look at the background of a loved character but for a new reader to the series (me) it was a wonderful way to meet the character.

The information Silver received in her mother’s posessions will kick off a frantic race against time chase which stretches from England to Brazil, with some stops in Europe along the way. There is little respite for Silver as she tries to elude pursuers without understanding why she is being pursued. The reader is also kept in the dark as to what the “prize” at the end of this chase may be – not knowing what was behind the attempts to capture Jaq Silver really held my attention and kept me reading.

Silver is a terrific lead character and I understand why some reviews have drawn comparisons to a James Bond type figure. She is also an expolosives expert and the author brings the science to the story in a way which is accessible, educational and entertaining.Rembmber how Tom Clancy books would suddenly jump from the action to delivere ten pages of technical specifications on a missile? Well in The Chemical Cocktail Fiona Ersine will slip in two informative and accessible paragraphs and keep the action flowing. Both styles show the author is in total command of the information and subject matter but, sorry Tom, only one is actually fun to read.

The Chemical Cocktail is sharply written with short, punchy chapters and the constant thrill of a chase and evade makes for an exciting story throughout. I loved the time I spent getting lost in this adventure tale and now need to find time to read the first two books in the series too.

 

The Chemical Cocktail is published by Point Blank Crime and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09JPH6CV1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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June 8

The Lost Ones – Marnie Riches

The girl is sitting upright, her dark brown hair arranged over her shoulders and her blue, blue eyes staring into the distance. She looks almost peaceful. But her gaze is vacant, and her skin is cold…

When Detective Jackie Cooke is called to the murder scene, she is shocked by what she sees. Missing teenager Chloe Smedley has finally been found – her body left in a cold back yard, carefully posed with her bright blue eyes still open. Jackie lays a protective hand on the baby in her belly, and vows to find the brutal monster who stole Chloe’s future.

When Jackie breaks the news to Chloe’s heartbroken mother, she understands the woman’s cries only too well. Her own brother went missing as a child, the case never solved. Determined to get justice for Chloe and her family, Jackie sets to work, finding footage of the girl waving at someone the day she disappeared. Did Chloe know her killer?

But then a second body is found on the side of a busy motorway, lit up by passing cars. The only link with Chloe is the disturbing way the victim has been posed, and Jackie is convinced she is searching for a dangerous predator. Someone has been hunting missing and vulnerable people for decades, and only Jackie seems to see that they were never lost. They were taken.

Jackie’s boss refuses to believe a serial killer is on the loose and threatens to take her off the case. But then Jackie returns home to find a brightly coloured bracelet on her kitchen counter and her blood turns cold. It’s the same one her brother was wearing when he vanished. Could his disappearance be connected to the murders? Jackie will stop at nothing to catch her killer… unless he finds her first…

 

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy and to Sarah Hardy for the opportunity to host this leg of The Lost Ones blog tour.

 

There are some authors I always enjoy reading. If you look back over my past reviews you will see I have read (and always enjoyed) many books written by Marnie Riches – she seems to nail that perfect balance of pacing, humour, darkess (oh what darkness) and tension packed thrills. Anticipation ahead of reading The Lost Ones was high. I was not disappointed.

The Lost Ones is the first in a new series which features Detective Jackson (Jackie) Cooke and we first meet her in a state of some discomfort, very pregnant, at a murder scene and without her regular partner who has finally secured a long-overdue holiday. The murder is a particularly nasty one; a young girl has been left posed in a location where she will be easily found. Her body has been mutilated and some of her limbs are missing.

Jackie cannot help but be reminded of her own brother who she lost many years earlier when he vanished when he and Jackie were both children. Her brother never returned and Jackie’s mother and her often absent father struggled on with a constant feeling of loss and heartbreak. The family dynamic is fractious and Jackie’s own family are seemingly also chaotic. She has many plates spinning in her home life and with a third child, their happy accident, on the way there seems no let up.

The murder investigation takes the majority of the story and it’s a great police procedural – even if the team are not the best at following orders. Jackie’s boss (and apparent nemesis) wants to bench her but is struggling to cover her position. Her colleagues are too busy to give the case the attention Jackie thinks it needs and she does not rate their ability to investigate this unusual murder properly.

We see Jackie covertly trying to keep working on the murder case and enlisting some willing colleagues to support her. An astute reader will definitely have that impending feeling of something about to go badly wrong, it certainly kept me reading!

I read The Lost Ones in two sittings, didn’t want to stop as there was always something in the story which kept me pushing through “one more chapter”. It’s got more than a few dark moments as I have come to expect (and look forward to) when I read Marnie’s books and this new cast of characters were wonderfully realised as I felt I had been reading about them for more than one book.

The Lost Ones is out now and I cannot think of a single reason as to why you shouldn’t buy a copy immediately.

 

 

The Lost Ones is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TWCJ33M/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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June 6

All of the Marvels – Douglas Wolk

Every schoolchild recognises their protagonists: the Avengers, the X-Men, your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. The superhero comics that Marvel has published since 1961 make up the biggest self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages and counting. Eighteen of the 100 highest-grossing movies of all time are based on it. And not even the people telling the story have read the whole thing – nobody’s supposed to.

But Douglas Wolk did. In All Of The Marvels, a critic and superfan takes on the epic to end all epics. What he finds is a magic mirror of the past 60 years, from the atomic terrors of the Cold War to the political divides of our present. Wolk teases out Marvel’s mixture of progressive visions and painful stereotypes, its regrettable moments as well as its flights of luminous creativity. The result is an irresistible travel guide to the magic mountain at the heart of popular culture.

 

I recieved a review copy through Netgalley

 

I can’t quite get my head around how many comics Douglas Wolk read to put himself into the position where he could write a book called “All of the Marvels”. Six decades of comics, over half a million pages (presumably not the classic adverts from the 1970s where you could buy x-ray glasses) and tens of thousands of individual comic books. I am more than a little bit jealous to be honest as there are so many classic storylines I still hope to find time to read one day.

Why am I reviewing a book about a man reading comic books? Because I love comics. More accurately I love Marvel Comics and I wish more people would read them too. I wondered how a book addressing all the Marvel comics would discuss the huge volume of stories, the vast array of characters and whether it would inspire new readers to pick up some comics to try them too.

I also wondered how this book would read…where do you start discussing that vast body of work and which characters do you focus on? Well it didn’t read quite how I had expected and the focus sometimes surprised me but it works. Douglas Wolk does not take a chronological approach to the comics and I was secretly pleased by this as I suspect I may have jumped to “my era” of reading which was the 80s/90s. Instead there is an early focus on Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The stories they crafted, how they worked together, other artists and writing teams that contributed and how some of the most famous characters came to the news-stands.

There was a section about the Shang-Chi comics and the martial arts books from the 1970s when Bruce Lee movies were doing well in cinemas and Western audiences were keen to discover more. He discusses how some writers dominated a particular title and then how the title declined or lost focus when the writing teams changed. It’s fascinating to see how one man (and for years it was mainly men) can make or break a character and define how we see them now. This focus on writers allows a shift through different characters over a long time period but don’t expect a Spider-Man chapter, an Iron Man chapter then a Hulk chapter as the narrative is much more fluid and conversational.

Naturally some characters will dominate Marvel’s history but Douglas Wolk does mix up the focus and I found myself deep in passages discussing characters I don’t really know and the author made me want to read those comicbooks.

Will All of the Marvels appeal to new readers? I think perhaps not as I came to this book with a bit of knowledge of Marvel and their big name artists/authors and this really helped me relate to what I was reading here. But I also found I was learning about the team behind the scenes as well as the teams on the pages. I also wanted to read many, many more books which I hadn’t really considered prior to Wolk’s

It’s a huge undertaking to cover so much material and there is the risk your favourite story or hero may not get many mentions. However, All of the Marvels is a fascinating analysis and recounting of some of the most famous stories in comicbook history. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am sure many Marvel finds will find it equally absorbing but non fans may struggle to fully engage.

 

All of the Marvels is published in Hardback, Audiobook and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B093J5Z88L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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June 5

The Game – Scott Kershaw

Across the globe, five strangers receive a horrifying message from an unknown number.

THE PERSON YOU LOVE MOST IS IN DANGER.

To save them, each must play The Game – a sinister unknown entity that has a single rule: there can only be one winner.

IF YOU LOSE, YOUR LOVED ONE WILL DIE.

But what is The Game – and why have they been chosen?

There’s only one thing each of them knows for sure: they’ll do anything to win…

WELCOME TO THE GAME. YOU’VE JUST STARTED PLAYING.

 

I recieved a review copy of The Game from the publishers through Netgalley.

 

A debut thriller from Scott Kershaw which sees five strangers facing a race against time. Each of the five is playing The Game to save one of their loved ones, each is aware the price of failure will mean the one they love will die. But what is The Game and how will they determine the winner?

That is a terrific hook for me – a thriller which introduces five characters and immediately throws them into the worst situation of their lives. It gives that instant gratifying feeling of grabbing the reader’s attention from the outset then taking them on a breakneck journey into chaos. The “players” in the game come from around the world but are required to converge in the UK by a specificed time. For the players in the US and on mainland Europe this will present something of a challenge but with the stakes so high they simply can’t even consider failure.

The action begins in America where a young child goes missing from the appartment through the night. His mother had been looking after him but the boy seems to have slipped out while she was distracted. It is only when she starts receiving text messages which make it clear where her son actually is that the reality of her predicament kicks in. Her son is gone and if she tells anyone then the people that have taken him will kill him.

While readers come to terms with this situation another drama is unfolding. A man who has been at a hockey match with his friend finds that friend is now in danger if he does not play The Game. A young mother who is struggling to keep her life under any form of control, her husband doesn’t look at her any longer, her young children are constantly demanding and even the family dog seems to be making her life challenging. Then The Game lands and her understanding of challenging will really take on meaning.

That’s just three of the players in the game but there are more and each knows that there can be only one winner – so what could happen when they all converge on a single point to see how the game is going to unfold? Well to tell would spoil the enjoyment of reading The Game but this is an intense ride and even when Scott Kershaw takes us away from the five players there are other plots (another Game?) to add depth and muddy the waters too.

Reading The Game was lots of fun with some moments which also caused me upset or an anxiousness for the predicament of the characters. I really enjoyed how the story resolved the threads and found I was still thinking about some of the characters a week or so after I had finished reading. All too often I put down a book, move on and don’t give it a second thought – this means The Game managed to cut-through my “goldfish memory” and that’s always a good endorsement. Well worth watching out for this one.

 

 

The Game is published by Harper Collins on 12 May 2022 and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-game/scott-kershaw/9780008530877

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May 24

The Daughter – Liz Webb

I lean in and whisper the question I have never let myself utter in twenty-three years. “Dad, did you murder Mum?”

Hannah Davidson has a dementia-stricken father, an estranged TV star brother, and a mother whose death opened up hidden fault lines beneath the surface of their ordinary family life. Now the same age that Jen Davidson was when she was killed, Hannah realises she bears an uncanny resemblance to her glamorous mother, and when her father begins to confuse them she is seriously unnerved.

Determined to uncover exactly what happened to her mum, Hannah begins to exploit her arresting likeness, but soon the boundaries between Hannah and her mother become fatally blurred.

 

My thanks to the publishers for a review copy of The Daughter which I received through Netgalley

 

Hannah has returned to her family home to care for her ailing father. He has taken a fall and been hospitalised so Hannah is dividing her time between the challenging hospital visits and staying in her childhood home surrounded by all the memories which this brings back. Her dad’s dementia means he is not always aware of what is happening around him and he often seems to believe he is living in the past if his reference points and stimulus bring his memories to periods long gone.

This is how Hannah finds herself on a dangerous and traumatic spiral in The Daughter. Hannah had been going through a very difficult time in her personal life and the combination of stopping her medication and not taking proper care of herself means she has lost a lot of weight. Hannah’s father had not seen her for a while before his fall and hospitalisation and when he looks at his daughter from his hospital bed it appears his dementia leads him to believe that Hannah is actually her mother Jen. Jen died when she was the age which Hannah is now and Hannah’s father was the primary suspect in her murder.

From his hospital bed Hannah’s father sees his “wife” and with a flash of apparent lucid thought he tells Hannah he is “sorry”. Sorry for what? What has her father felt he needs to apologise to her dead mother for? Could it be that he is *finally* confessing to her murder and showing remorse as his life draws to a close?

Hannah decides she must discover the truth about her mother’s death. The incident which effectively destroyed her family and set their lives on an unforseen path. To do this Hannah needs to connect with her estranged brother (now a successful TV star), engage with her creepy and over-familiar neighbours, chase down old friends of her mother (who do not want to be known as such) and even speak with the policeman that was convinced her father was a murderer.

The Daughter is a web of lies, scandal, tragedy and secrets. Hannah herself has skeletons in her closet and as she digs deeper into the life of a mother she barely knew someone may turn her own mistakes against her.

Liz Webb has done a great job keeping this domestic drama a tense and engaging read throughout. I knew with certainly at least three times where the story was heading and I was wrong each time. I got there in the end but I definitely enjoyed being wrong and revisiting my suspicions.

Scandals, secrets and lies all make for great stories – this is one such story.

 

 

The Daughter is published by Allison & Busby and is available in hardback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-daughter/liz-webb/9780749028756

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May 19

Six Wounds – Morgan Cry

To make the perfect Spanish whodunnit cocktail, take one dead gangster, mix in six shifty expats, add one ruthless baddie and garnish with a suspicious police officer . . .

Daniella Coulstoun has recently moved to the Costa Blanca. When the dead body of a prominent London gangster is discovered in the cellar of her bar she quickly becomes the number one suspect.

With the police closing in, the local expats turning on her and a psychotic rival to the dead gangster in the background, Daniella knows she needs to nail the real killer, and fast.

 

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Six Wounds tour and to Gordon Brown for an early review copy.

 

Six Wounds is the follow-up to last year’s Thirty-One Bones which saw Daniella Coulstoun ripped from her life in Glasgow (where she worked in a call centre for an insurance firm) to the Costa Blanca. Daniella had recently lost her mother and, as a consequence, inherited a murky pub frequented by an odd collection of ex-pats who were a thoroughly disreputable crowd. You do not need to have read Thirty-One Bones to enjoy Six Wounds (and I am sure you will enjoy Six Wounds) but knowing the background of the main characters is always nice and Thirty-One Bones is a thumping good read too. Either way, there are good books here to be enjoyed so you can decide where you want to jump in.

In Six Wounds Daniella has a whole new series of problems to contend with. She already knew her mother was involved in numerous dubious schemes and she was someone that had her fingers in many pies. But now Daniella is running Se Busca and it seems some of her mum’s former contacts expect Daniella to continue facilitating the same activities and enterprises – whether she wants to or not.

But before the reader catches up with Daniella’s latest dilemmas and predicaments there is a more dramatic incident to propel the reader back into her world. The book literally begins with an explosion of energy, chaos and destruction as Se Busca comes under attack for reasons as yet unknown. When the commotion has settled there is one unwelcome object left behind and it will bring the police to Daniella’s door.

Unfortunately for Daniella the police are going to be playing a large part in her life while this story plays out. She is not in control of events which are going on around her and her home and her bar are both being used by persons unknown who will try to gain leverage against her.

In Thirty-One Bones I felt Daniella was sharp and keeping well on top of her new surroundings. She was a savvy operator and I loved how she was able to handle what was being thrown at her. But now she seems less assured, the full implications of her sudden relocation to Spain is hitting in. Her mother has left her more problems than she can comfortably cope with. The pub is failing and needs major investment. Her co-owners are a dubious and duplicitous bunch and Daniella knows she can’t trust them but more importantly will they side with her when the chips are down? It all does seem to be getting too much for one person to contend with.

What did strike me as I read Six Wounds was how quickly Morgan Cry managed to grab my attention and nothing else I was reading at the time came close to matching that level of focus. I read Six Wounds over a weekend, everything else was ignored as I was totally engrossed in the events on the Costa Blanca. The story zips along at a slick pace and mixes tension and humour with some devious plotting. I was hooked.

 

Six Wounds is published by Polygon and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/six-wounds/morgan-cry/9781846975707

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