February 2019 – Grab This Book

Blood Orange – Harriet Tyce

Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise – she’s just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems…

Just one more night. Then I’ll end it.

Alison drinks too much. She’s neglecting her family. And she’s having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.

I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.

Alison’s client doesn’t deny that she stabbed her husband – she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.

I’m watching you. I know what you’re doing.

But someone knows Alison’s secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she’s done, and who won’t stop until she’s lost everything….

I received a review copy from the publishers.

Alison is a defence lawyer with a successful career, a loving husband and daughter, a drink problem and she is having an affair. Her life is complicated and to be frank she is not a very likeable character.

Allison’s husband is rapidly reaching the end of his teather with her late nights, drunkeness and a constant unreliability when it comes to caring for their daughter Matilda. Allison’s husband is massively put upon throughout the story but I didn’t warm to him. Matilda was terrific and I felt sorry for her being trapped in a tale with these two parents.

We follow Alison as she is asked to assist in the defence of a woman who has killed her husband. She is assisting a second lawyer who also happens to be the man she is having an affair with. He isn’t a very nice character either.

Blood Orange is a very well written character drama. The players in the story are suitably flawed that their lives became compelling reading. I didn’t like them much but I still wanted to know what was going to happen to them. The payoff at the end when the threads and clues all pulled together was (to me) very unexpected but nastily entertaining.

So taking great care to avoid spoilers…Blood Orange is a domestic thriller and a legal drama. Against all the turmoil in Alison’s life she balances the home life challenges and gets on with the day job. It takes a strain on her and the vices and excesses will show through the cracks. Harriet Tyce does a great job keeping her characters on the right side of sanity. Until even she cannot stop them tipping over…

Powerful storytelling and worthy of the praise being sung by authors and reviewers.

Blood Orange is published by Wildfire and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Orange-Harriet-Tyce/dp/1472252756/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1551311728&sr=8-1

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February 26

The Playing Card Killer – Russell James

Brian Sheridan may be losing his mind.

Asleep, he’s plagued by dreams of murder, women strangled with a red velvet rope then left with a playing card tucked in the corpse. While awake, he’s hallucinating that he’s being stalked by a man painted like a skeleton. It’s getting hard to know what’s real. He hopes all this is driven by his cold turkey withdrawal from a lifetime of anti-anxiety medications.

But when one of his nightmare’s victims shows up on the news, dead, Brian fears he himself may be the unwitting killer…

I received a copy from the publishers so I could join the blog tour and provide a review. My thanks to Anne at Random Things tours for the opportunity to participate.

My previous experience of Flame Tree Press books have been of horror tales and ghost stories. The Playing Card Killer is a crime thriller, an engaging murder mystery story.

The principle protagonist is Brian Sheridan. He is going to experience some unpleasant and vivid dreams which will determine how events in The Playing Card Killer will play out. Unfortunately Brian does not know this so when we meet him at the start of the novel he is making the important (if misguided) decision to stop taking his medication. Brian’s girlfriend Daniela has made it clear to him that if he doesn’t take his meds then she will not stick around – but Brian knows best and wants the fog removed from his brain so he can think for himself. Yup all the warning signs are there and it is not too long before Brian’s decision comes back to haunt him.

Remember those dreams I mentioned? Brian is having very real dreams about murders. He hopes they are dreams. He is sure they are dreams. But how can he know so much about these deaths and visualise them so clearly when they are occurring in places he has never been yet can describe perfectly? When one of the deaths from Brian’s dream becomes a real news story Brian begins to question his sanity even further – could he be killing strangers in his sleep?

Russell James sets up the reader nicely for this solid detective thriller. Once it is clear there are real-life murders to be investigated the cops enter the tale. A great “good cop/bad cop” combo entertained me here. The two are not partnered, the good cop is exactly that – a determined and focused detective in pursuit of the truth (and a killer). The bad cop is a schmuck. He takes the easy route, steals credit for other people’s work and we know not to like him. The dynamic and the squad-room competitiveness added a nice layer of detail to the story.

To share too much more detail about Brian’s problems would be to share too many spoilers. So that isn’t going to happen. What I can share is that The Playing Card Killer was a fun read which I enjoyed over a couple of days. Russell James has a nice writing style which kept the pace of the story nipping along without any dips or excessive padding. Keep the story going and you will keep me happy while I read – job done!

The real test of a good story is to ask myself if I would pass the book to friends for them to enjoy…in this case I certainly would. And I know they would enjoy it.

The Playing Card Killer is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Killer-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07L9JWH94/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1551128200&sr=8-1&keywords=the+playing+card+killer

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February 21

The Haunting of Henderson Close – Catherine Cavendish

Ghosts have always walked there. Now they’re not alone.

In the depths of Edinburgh, an evil presence is released.

Hannah and her colleagues are tour guides who lead their visitors along the spooky, derelict Henderson Close, thrilling them with tales of spectres and murder. For Hannah it is her dream job, but not for long. Who is the mysterious figure that disappears around a corner? What is happening in the old print shop? And who is the little girl with no face?

The legends of Henderson Close are becoming all too real. The Auld De’il is out – and even the spirits are afraid.

I received a copy of this book from the publishers to provide a review as part of the blog tour.

I find it surprising that there are not more horror stories set in Edinburgh’s Old Town. If you have ever have the opportunity to visit the narrow streets of the Scottish capital then you will know how atmospheric it can feel. The city has its fair share of ghost stories and there are plenty of ghost tours and accompanied ghost walks to entertain residents and visitors alike.

That is what makes The Haunting of Henderson Close so appealing – the key characters in the story (well in the modern day part of the tale) are staff at a ghost walk. Clad in period costume and taking the role of real characters who lived in their corner of the Old Town, Hannah and her colleagues tell eerie stories of days gone by. They give tourists a look into the past and explain what life was like in olden days when the streets were slums and disease was rife.

Hannah is the lead character in The Haunting of Henderson Close. She is just starting in her new role as cast member on the tours. As she finds her feet and learns the background to the people and the houses she needs to discuss we get glimpses of strange figures in places they should not be. Cold gusts of wind on a still day and the sensation of being watched.

The author does a fabulous job of capturing the sense of location, the narrow streets, dark corners all make the chilling encounters seem so vivid. As we get drawn into the story the peril to Hannah and her colleagues increases. Soon the visions and visitations will escalate, danger becomes more imminent and Hannah even finds herself experiencing a flashback? (maybe) to decades previously when the streets buzz with the poorest wretches of Edinburgh’s past.

To build on the experiences Hannah is encountering we are also taken back in time to meet people who lived in the streets of the Old Town. Some of those we meet are not destined to end their lives peacefully and we begin to question if their spirits are those that Hannah is encountering in modern day.

The time hops in the story become more significant as we get drawn into events (no spoilers as to why) but it was a nice shift in the narrative which I felt worked well and made me keen to keep reading.

If supernatural chills are what you seek then The Haunting of Henderson Close is highly recommended.

The Haunting of Henderson Close is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in digital, paperback and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-Henderson-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07L9L8P9Z/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550695144&sr=8-1&keywords=catherine+cavendish

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February 19

All The Little Lies – Chris Curran

After a lifetime of secrets how far would you go for the truth?

An unputdownable new psychological thriller, full of twists you won’t see coming, from Chris Curran.

Your whole life has been a lie…

One email is all it takes to turn Eve’s world upside down. It contains a picture of her true birth mother, Stella, and proves that Eve’s entire life with her adoptive parents has been a lie.

Now she must unravel the mystery of Stella’s dark past. But what Eve finds will force her to take enormous risks, which put her – and her new-born baby – in immediate danger…

I purchased this book with the intention of providing a review.

Eve is an expectant mum-to-be when a friend emails her an article about a young artist who created a brief stir in the art-world several years ago. The artist in question was on the cusp of greatness when she met a tragic end and died under mysterious circumstances.

Eve had never heard of the artist but when she looked at the photograph which accompanied the article there could be no doubt that this was Eve’s mother. She immediately wants answers – why did her adoptive parents not tell her about her real mother? What happened that her mother died so young? Why are the circumstances of her death considered to be mysterious?

This is a terrific family drama story from Chris Curran. Working with a small cast of characters we follow Eve as she starts trying to find out what happened to her birth mother – a stranger to Eve but surprisingly well known to her foster parents.

As you may expect there are consequences to raking up long forgotten stories and the more that Eve discovers the more she realises that her family have kept secrets from her. But additional dangers lurk…

Eve’s mother, Stella, died under mysterious circumstances and the reader gets to spend time with Stella seeing how the last days and weeks of her life played out. Will someone who knew Stella now look to prevent Eve from digging into the circumstances surrounding Stella’s death? It is a very real possibility and Eve and her family are in more danger than they may realise.

I do enjoy domestic dramas when they are as well told as All The Little Lies. You know everyone is keeping secrets, you know some are deliberately telling lies. Can you work out where the truth is to be found? I’d strongly urge you to read All The Little Lies to find out!

All The Little Lies is published by Killer Reads and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Little-Lies-unputdownable-psychological-ebook/dp/B07K23KH3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550530059&sr=8-1&keywords=all+the+little+lies

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February 18

Batman: The Court of Owls – Greg Cox

An original novel pitting Batman against the Court of Owls, a secret society of wealthy families that’s controlled Gotham for centuries using murder and money.

For generations, an apocryphal cabal has controlled Gotham from the shadows, wielding fear and violence through its undead assassins, the Talons. THE COURT OF OWLS.

Dating back centuries, its leaders are men and women of wealth and influence who meet in secrecy, hiding their identities behind stark white masks. Employing science and alchemy, they sought to kill Bruce Wayne who, as Batman, dealt them their greatest defeats. Even then they faded back into the darkness, and he could not eliminate them entirely.

Now, Gotham City is plagued with a series of brutal murders in which mutilated bodies are burned almost beyond recognition. Batman and his allies—including Nightwing and Batgirl—quickly realize that the Talons have returned, yet the reason for the killings remains tauntingly unknown.

As the heroes seek answers, their path stretches back more than a century. Should the Owls obtain what they seek, it could grant them power that no one could counter. With each moment that passes, more victims appear.

Batman must stop the Talons before they kill again.

I received a review copy from Titan Books

Batman is 80 and he is going from strength to strength. The Dark Knight is an iconic character who has made the successful leap from the pages of comic books into film, television and is recognised around the world.

One potential drawback for new readers is how can they find an entire Batman adventure to enjoy when they don’t know which comics to read. There are several individual Batman comics released each month and a full story can unfold over a six or seven month period. It can be a bit off-putting.

The good news is that Titan Books are releasing a number of Batman titles as novels. Iconic stories adapted as an original novel by some of the best writers in the genre. To illustrate my point I give you Greg Cox (author of The Court of Owls), he has written original stories featuring Buffy, Star Trek, Xena, Alias, CSI and many more. I was enjoying this author’s work long before my blogging days began.

So I turn to The Court of Owls. I was aware of the “Owls” characters being added to the Gotham City legend but have not (yet) read any of the comics where they feature. They are a shadowy operation with a long reach. For generations The Owls have lurked behind the scenes manipulating and influencing events in Gotham. Recently they emerged from hiding in a bid to take down Batman – his quest to “save” Gotham was interfering with their plans.

The Owls have a number of highly trained killers at their disposal – they are the Talons. Batman and Nightwing will go toe-to-toe with these killers as both the good guys and their foes try to track down a missing student. Her investigations into the history of Gotham has led the Owls to believe she may hold vital information which solve a mystery which has perplexed the Owls for decades.

I have reviews coming shortly for other titles in the Batman novelization series but I can honestly say that The Court of Owls was my favourite in the collection to date. Greg Cox does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and as the story spans two time periods – modern day Gotham and events from around the time of World War 1 – he also gives each period a distinctive feel too.

Batman is racing against the Owls to trace the missing student and it makes for a cracking thriller which zips along at a fast pace. The Caped Crusader has history with the Owls and they are looking to exploit their knowledge of his weaknesses to gain an edge. Their ruthless Talons will provide stiff competition and there are some exciting set piece showdowns where the two sides face off against each other.

While I appreciate comic book stories are not to everyone’s liking I really did enjoy the novelisation of a Batman story. The Court of Owls brilliantly paced, the story had me gripped and I had a genuine sense of regret when the story ended. But that’s the best thing about being a fan of comic book heroes – they keep giving more. Batman has 80 years of stories to discover and enjoy. The Court of Owls is just one place where a new reader can jump in or a returning reader can experience a great adventure in a new format.

The Court of Owls is published by Titan Books and is available in Hardback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785658166?aaxitk=-Bm5EKx9p4rOxIfJvGb8tQ&pd_rd_i=1785658166&pf_rd_p=0e11f8c9-98e1-4a93-bd5e-367420b613ee&hsa_cr_id=8002699930802&sb-ci-n=productDescription&sb-ci-v=DC%20Comics%20novels%20-%20Batman%3A%20The%20Court%20of%20Owls%3AAn%20Original%20Prose%20Novel%20by%20Greg%20Cox

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February 13

Beton Rouge – Simone Buchholz

On a warm September morning, an unconscious man is found in a cage at the entrance to the offices of one of Germany’s biggest magazines. He’s soon identified as a manager of the company, and he’s been tortured. Three days later, another manager appears in a similar way.

Chastity Riley and her new colleague Ivo Stepanovic are tasked with uncovering the truth behind the attacks, an investigation that goes far beyond the revenge they first suspect … to the dubious past shared by both victims. Travelling to the south of Germany, they step into the hothouse world of boarding schools, where secrets are currency, and monsters are bred … monsters who will stop at nothing to protect themselves.

A smart, dark, probing thriller, full of all the hard-boiled poetry and acerbic wit of the very best noir, Beton Rouge is both a classic whodunit and a scintillating expose of society, by one of the most exciting names in crime fiction.

My thanks to Orenda Books who provided a copy of the book for review

Beton Rouge is the second novel to feature Chastity Riley. As I have not yet read the first book in the series (Blue Night) I can categorically confirm that Beton Rouge is a story you can read and enjoy without knowing what occurred in Blue Night. I can also confirm that I shall be looking to pick up Blue Night very soon as I thoroughly enjoyed Beton Rouge.

Told in a sequence of short, punchy chapters we join Chastity Riley – prosecutor – in an investigation into a humiliating and violent attack. The victim was locked in a cage having been tortured and, after his ordeal, the cage is left in a public place to be found. A few short days later the same fate befalls one of the man’s colleagues.

Chastity, partnered up with Ivo Stepanovic, discovers the two men were school friends. They, along with a third friend, were an inseparable trio who grew up together and began their careers together. Their reputation precedes them and it is clear the three are not well liked – stories from their school days recall a time when a 4th person was placed into their proximity and suffered as a consequence.

With two of the three colleagues suffering a brutal experience it is imperative Chastity gets the third man protected – will she be too late or are there darker forces at play?

Away from the investigation the reader also gets a close look at Chastity’s social life. She is not the poster child for domestic bliss. Lonely drinking, hooking up with random strangers, texting friends as a veiled call for company. She is an engaging character who is determined and gives as good as she gets so it makes for fun reading.

Beton Rouge was translated to English by Rachel Ward who has done a terrific job. The language in the story is lyrical or poetic at times, very descriptive and often emotive and this shines through in the story telling which gives Beton Rouge a unique and distinctive feel.

Another terrific release from Orenda Books who seem to have a magical ability to find compelling stories.

Beton Rouge is published by Orenda Books and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Simone+Buchholz&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Simone+Buchholz&sort=relevancerank

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February 4

Video Killed The Radio Star – Duncan MacMaster

Money in the bank and his dream girl on his arm – life was looking pretty sweet for Kirby Baxter.

Of course it couldn’t last. Where would the fun be in that? This is a sequel after all.

After solving the murder of a movie starlet the previous year, Kirby is doing his best to live down his burgeoning reputation as part-time Interpol agent and amateur sleuth.

Then reality TV comes knocking next door.

Million Dollar Madhouse is a reality TV show where a bunch of washed up celebrities are thrown together in a dilapidated mansion while their attempts to renovate the building are broadcast 24/7 for the viewers delight.

Kirby’s quiet town is thrown into chaos by the arrival of camera crews, remote control video drones and a cast of characters including disgraced actress Victoria Gorham, political shock-jock Bert Wayne and reality TV royalty Kassandra Kassabian.

When one of the cast members turns up dead the local police turn to the only celebrity detective in town for help and draft an unwilling Kirby into their investigation.

The first body is only the beginning of another rip-roaring adventure for Kirby Baxter and with Gustav his loyal driver/valet/bodyguard/chef/ass-kicker at his side, our hero plunges into the fray with his usual stunning displays of deductive reasoning and sheer bloody luck.

I received a review copy from the publishers.

It is #Fahrenbruary which is the brainchild of one of my blogging chums @LaughingGravy71 aka The Beardy Book Blogger aka Mart. Fahrenbruary is a month long celebration of the many wonderful books published by indy publishing house Fahrenheit Press. I am a big fan of Fahrenheit and you will find quite a few of their titles reviewed in the archives of my blog.

Confession time from me…I have read quite a few books which have not yet been reviewed here on Grab This Book. I don’t always win the work/life/blogging juggle and some books are enjoyed but not immediately reviewed. Today’s review is for Video Killed The Radio Star – by coincidence it is published by Fahrenheit Press and happily it allows me to share some book love during #Fahrenbruary (even though I read Video Killed The Radio Star in November).

Did you notice that I want to share “book love”? It’s true – I really loved Video Killed The Radio Star and I was most vexed that I was not in a position to share my review when I first read it. By the way from now on I am going with “Video” or this review will take hours to finish writing.

Step forward Kirby Baxter – he first appeared in MacMaster’s A Mint Conditioned Corpse. No requirement to have read the first book to enjoy the second, just the usual caveat of getting better background info on the characters and their respective places in the world. Kirby is hugely enjoyable to read about. He has a personal assistant called Gustav who never seems to speak yet Kirby will recount lengthy chats they have. Kirby has previous form in assisting the authorities with a murder investigation so when a celebrity death occurs on the set of a reality tv show, which is being filmed near his home, Kirby is called to assist to ensure the show can go on.

I loved the premise of assembling a cast of D-list Celebs, locking them in a secure village (where it seems that almost every move they make is recorded for tv broadcast) then bumping off one of the more odious “stars” and make everyone else a suspect. It is a Big Brother murder story with a DIY reality show keeping the suspects assembled and distracted.

Keeping a cracking whodunnit murder story zipping along whilst also delivering on the gags and humour is no mean feat but major kudos to Duncan MacMaster who aces it in Video. I came for the murder but stayed for the jokes. Okay that sounds like an episode of Scooby Doo. No. No. No. That’s not right. Video Killed The Radio Star is a great murder mystery which does not take its-self too seriously and gives readers light-hearted moments to enjoy while the players in this reality tv murder fest try to stay alive.

Kirby will need to mingle with the “stars” and the production team. He needs to work out what made the victim a target, establish who had opportunity and confidence to commit murder in an area surrounded with video cameras and try to keep his girlfriend and her celeb-stalking cousin safe from harm. Their snooping will not be tolerated by those with secrets to hide and Celebs trying to get that one big breakthrough into mainstream awareness do not want any of their secrets revealed. It all makes for some engaging conversations.

I firmly believe that reading should be fun. I don’t get a kick from picking up a novel which other readers have said left them in tears. I want thrills, puzzles, good guys thwarting bad guys and exciting moments of tension which keeps pages turning long into the night. Video Killed The Radio Star delivered on all those fronts and I highly recommend it.

Video Killed The Radio Star is published by Fahrenheit Press and can be ordered in paperback or digital format from their website here: http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/books_video_killed_the_radio_star.html

Other online bookstores are available.

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February 4

The Lost Man – Jane Harper

He had started to remove his clothes as logic had deserted him, and his skin was cracked. Whatever had been going through Cameron’s mind when he was alive, he didn’t look peaceful in death.

Two brothers meet at the remote border of their vast cattle properties under the unrelenting sun of the outback. In an isolated part of Australia, they are each other’s nearest neighbour, their homes hours apart.

They are at the stockman’s grave, a landmark so old that no one can remember who is buried there. But today, the scant shadow it casts was the last hope for their middle brother, Cameron. The Bright family’s quiet existence is thrown into grief and anguish.

Something had been troubling Cameron. Did he choose to walk to his death? Because if he didn’t, the isolation of the outback leaves few suspects…

My thanks to Caolinn at Little,Brown Group who provided me with a review copy through Netgalley so that I may join the blog tour.

If you pick up The Lost Man to read immediately after reading an action adventure thriller then you may feel that there is not too much going on in this book. Now, consider a painting. It may take the artist hours to pull together the features, the light and the subtle shades which will leave the end result as a beautifully depicted landscape, telling a story and capturing a moment in time. That is what Jane Harper does in The Lost Man. She builds up layers of story, shades of emotion and depth of characters – all set against a harsh backdrop of the Australian wilderness – and leaves the reader with a wonderfully told story where the lives of three brothers are laid out for inspection.

The Lost Man opens with a death. Cameron – the middle brother of three is found lying in the desert wilderness. It is Christmas time and the weather conditions are brutal hot sunshine – he has walked across a barren landscape and succumbed to the elements. However, when Cameron’s brothers trace his journey back to where he left his car they find it intact, fully operational and well stocked with survival provisions. So why has Cameron left the safety of his car and why did he not take any food or water?

It is a perplexing question and the surviving brothers can offer no immediate answers. However, the story unfolds and Jane Harper will peel back layers of the characters in her tale and secrets will out. The reader gets to understand the isolation these hardy souls have to endure as they farm the land and scratch out a living. Their lives have been closed books to other family members but the circumstances surrounding Cameron’s death will lead to conversations which would never have taken place being aired in front of unexpected audiences.

This is story telling of the highest order. I just wanted to keep reading as the author transported me to the other side of the world. The information you are craving is drip fed into the story and the pages begin to turn themselves. What a talent Jane Harper is – she will draw you into her world and you will not want to leave.

The Lost Man is available in Hardback, Digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Man-Jane-Harper-ebook/dp/B07DX23VP3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1549238946&sr=8-1

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