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The Big Chill – Doug Johnstone

Running private investigator and funeral home businesses means trouble is never far away, and the Skelf women take on their most perplexing, chilling cases yet in book two of this darkly funny, devastatingly tense and addictive new series!

Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a quieter life. But running both a funeral directors’ and a private investigation business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open grave at a funeral that matriarch Dorothy is conducting, she can’t help looking into the dead driver’s shadowy life.
While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own struggles. Jenny’s ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the Skelf women’s lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.
But something even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy’s disappears and suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves sucked into an unbearable darkness – but could the real threat be to themselves?

Following three women as they deal with the dead, help the living and find out who they are in the process, The Big Chill follows A Dark Matter, book one in the Skelfs series, which reboots the classic PI novel while asking the big existential questions, all with a big dose of pitch-black humour.

My thanks to Orenda Books for providing a review copy to allow me to participate in the blog tour and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for giving me the opportunity to join the tour.

Picking up from events in last year’s A Dark Matter, Doug Johnstone takes us back to Edinburgh and reunites us with the Skelf family. The Skelf women are three generations of one family and they all work for the family businesses: undertakers and private investigators. As The Big Chill continues the family story is really is advisable to have read A Dark Matter – as both books are excellent reads this should not be too much of a problem.

It would be nice to think that during the six month period between the two books life had been a bit quieter for the Skelf family. Events in A Dark Matter were devastating for the family and a convalecence spell would have been required. As we rejoin their story we learn the youngest Skelf, Hannah, has been attending therapy sessions to help her come to terms with recent events. Hannah’s mother Jenny is also healing and is forging a new relationship while trying (and failing) to leave behind all memories of her ex-husband Craig. It is Jenny’s mother Dorothy that seems to have life more under control than her daughter and grand-daughter. The family matriach is still very much active in the family businesses and as The Big Chill opens we see Dorothy in a cemetry as another client of the Skelf’s is laid to rest. However the deceased does not get their eternal sleep off to the most restful start as a car crashes through the cemetry gates and heads straight at the funeral party only to end up in the open grave.

Dorothy is shaken by the incident and when she learns the driver died in the incident but cannot be identified by the police she begins a personal investigation and tries to trace the young man who nearly ended her life at the end of his own life. Dorothy also has a personal investment in another “case” which requires her investigative skills. She has been tutoring a young teenager who wants to learn to play drums – the girl didn’t show for a lesson and Dorothy goes to visit the girl’s mother to ask after her. Dorothy is puzzled by the reaction of the mother and the girls step-father; both seem upset she is missing yet their reaction to Dorothy’s interest is strange so she takes it upon herself to try and trace her student.

Doug Johnstone keeps all three Skelf women in the spotlight as the book progresses. Each get a chapter where they are the focus and their stories zip along nicely. Although Dorothy is chasing down potential leads to satisfy her personal curiosities it is Hannah’s chapters where the most tragedy seems to arise this time around. Ignoring the fact she works in a funeral home, Hannah appears to be facing a distressing number of deaths. I am trying to avoid steering into “spoiler” territory but early in the book she is preparing to speak at a memorial service for a friend when a random encounter brings fresh hurt and a lot of unanswered questions.

The third Skelf, Jenny, was having a quieter story this time around until suddenly she wasnt. Again I veer away from potential spoilers but as you can see from the blurb (above) her ex-husband is causing problems for the Skelf family and if he gets his way then life for Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah will never be the same again.

I always have a huge sense of anticipation when I pick up a new Doug Johnstone book. He is a wonderful storyteller but he also has a wicked imagination so his books never go where I think they will. I have given up on trying to second guess where the Skelf story is heading I just strap myself in and let him take me on the emotion rollercoaster. Love these stories – you should all be reading them.

The Big Chill is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0885ZNW86/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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July 6

Thirty-One Bones – Morgan Cry

When Effie Coulston drops dead on the floor of her bar in a small Spanish town mid-business meeting, her daughter Daniella feels it’s her duty to return for the funeral. But Daniella has been estranged from her mother for over twenty years, and Effie’s life in Spain harbours many secrets . Daniella is soon confronted by a hostile group of ex-pat misfits who frequent the bar and who, along with Effie, are involved in a multi-million-pound property scam. But the money has vanished, and the ex-pats are threatening to implicate Daniella to save themselves.

Meanwhile, a Spanish detective is investigating Effie’s death. He’s convinced Daniella knows more than she is telling. And now a terrifying enforcer has heard about the missing cash. With no idea where the money is and threats coming from all sides, Daniella is up against a seemingly impossible deadline to find the cash. She’s a stranger in a strange town – and she’s seriously out of her depth.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things blog tours for the opportunity to join the tour for Thirty-One Bones.

I took a month away from blogging. This came after an even longer period of not being able to focus on reading.

*shakes fist at lockdown*

But my reading mojo is back and Thirty-One Bones played a huge part in that. I was able to lose myself in this book as it had an engaging story, a tight cast of characters and an underdog I could get behind and will to succeed. For the first time in weeks I had a story I wanted to keep reading.

It starts so well – Effie is in her element, she is in her rundown Spanish bar, she is mid-con as her silver tongued sales pitch is about to scam a potential investor out of €20,000. Before she can seal the deal one of her previous victims bursts into the bar demanding his money back as he has realised he was conned. The situation is getting out of hand but Effie is feeling bad and not because she has been caught out. Before she can seek assistance she suffers a massive heart attack and all her problems are dumped into the lap of her estranged daughter Daniella.

Not that Daniella knows this yet. She is several hundred miles away working in a call centre on a zero hours contract, Effie’s Spanish legacy is an unknown complication which Daniella will soon have to contend with. As are drunks, crooks, enforcers and the Spanish police – all because there is over €1 million missing and lots of people (that Daniella has never even met) believe she can find the cash.

One of the strengths of Thirty-One Bones is that the locations are brilliantly described. From the opening pages with Effie to the arrival of Daniella and her attempts to familiarise herself with her new surroundings, I felt like I was there under that warm Southern sun.

Once I was immersed in the locale I was able to enjoy Daniella’s predicaments. Her mother was an influential player in a circle of undesirable ex-pats. She provided the bar they frequented and her rules gave them the flexibility to indulge their worst behaviours – to a point. Daniella has large shoes to fill but it is not clear she wants that responsibility or that her new found authority will be accepted.

Arriving in Spain with the sole intention of burying her mother and wrapping up her affairs, Danila finds she becomes inextricably drawn into her mother’s ventures. Any hope Daniella may have had of walking away from the toxic legacy are dashed when she faces the prospect of having to choose between violence (I refer to the book title) or potential imprisonment. Daniella has to be smart and keep one step ahead of everyone else.

Thirty-One Bones is a joy to read. Daniella is the likeable hero. The bad guys are nasty, unpleasant, stupid or drunk and none of them can be trusted. There is a prize to be found but a ticking clock and a persistent policeman brings a sense of urgency to proceedings. Time is running out for Daniella and you need to read this book to find out how she copes.

Thirty-One Bones is published by Polygon Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0855RDYBZ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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April 12

Second Lives – P.D. Cacek

When four patients unexpectedly wake after being declared dead, their families are ecstatic and the word “miracle” begins to be whispered throughout the hospital. But the jubilation is short lived when the patients don’t respond to their names and insist they are different people. It is suggested all four are suffering from fugue states until one of the doctors recognizes a name and verifies that he not only knew the girl but was there when she died in 1992. It soon becomes obvious that the bodies of the four patients are now inhabited by the souls of people long dead.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher so I could join the blog tour. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to host a leg of the Second Lives blog tour.

For the first fifty (or so) pages of Second Lives we are introduced to the key characters. Half of them died shortly after we were introduced. Their deaths are not glorified or gruesomely depicted, as I may have expected from a horror novel, but are shown with compassion and the characters are given a dignity as the curtain draws on their lives.

I had originally believed Second Lives to be a horror tale but despite edging towards a supernatural slant it is not a gore-fest, monster mash, chilling tale of death and resurrection. It is a cleverly crafted, character driven story which raised some thought provoking moments.

Much of the enjoyment in Second Lives comes from reading about how the characters cope with the situation which they find themselves in. To have died and be ‘reborn’ into the body of a stranger. Not as a baby to grow and live anew but to drop into someone else’s life. Sometimes the new life lives in a time period long after the deceased character originally lived so the body-shock issue is compounded by a radical lifestyle shift too. It can be overwhelming.

Second Lives was an opportunity to read a story vastly different from the “normal” thrillers I read. The premise is very clever and the execution equally so.

Second Lives is published by Flame Tree Press and is available to order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Lives-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07QCVBDRS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1555013420&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

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March 25

Thunder Bay – Douglas Skelton

When reporter Rebecca Connolly is told of Roddie Drummond’s return to the island of Stoirm she senses a story. Fifteen years before he was charged with the murder of his lover, Mhairi. When he was found Not Proven, Roddie left the island and no one, apart from his sister, knew where he was or what he was doing. Now he has returned for his mother’s funeral – and it will spark an explosion of hatred, bitterness and violence.

Defying her editor’s wishes, Rebecca joins forces with local photographer Chazz Wymark to dig into the secrets surrounding Mhairi’s death, and her mysterious last words of Thunder Bay, the secluded spot on the west coast of the island where, according to local lore, the souls of the dead set off into the after life. When another murder takes place, and the severe weather that gives the island its name hits, she is ideally placed to uncover the truth about what happened that night fifteen years before.

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

I seldom mention covers when I review a book, however, I found the cover for Thunder Bay to be particularly appealing. Now that I have read the book my appreciation for the cover has increased as it is dark, stormy, atmospheric and represents the story rather well.

Not for the first time I make the observation that stories set in small towns make for the best reads. Only the best secrets remain secret for any time in a small town where everyone knows everyone else’s business. Thunder Bay takes place on the island of Stoirm and there are plenty of well kept secrets which are just about to come to light. Good timing for reporter Rebecca Connolly who is visiting Stoirm to try and interview Roddy Drummond – the isle’s infamous son.

Drummond was accused of killing his partner, Mhairi. At the trial he was found Not Proven (Scotland’s third verdict) and his innocence remains hotly disputed on the island. Returning to Stoirm for his mother’s funeral Drummond just wants to pay his respects and leave. It was never going to be that simple – trouble is not far away.

I mentioned secrets and Stoirm has more than its fair share. There are some shocking and unpleasant stories to be told and Rebecca Connolly had best be prepared to uncover more than the single truth she hoped to find when she visited the island.

I am a big fan of Douglas Skelton’s writing and I put this down to his wonderful depiction of the characters in his books. Everyone feels real, believable and the key players are well fleshed out. Conversations feel natural – from the awkward kids, the focused journalist, the lord of the manor and the country police officer – they all have a voice and they are all distinctive and appropriate for their station or maturity. It breathes life into all the characters and the book resonates with their vitality.

Thunder Bay is a terrific read, I know that my review cannot and will not do it justice. Douglas Skelton has written some cracking books but I think this may just be my favourite.

Thunder Bay is published by Polygon and is available in paperback and digital format. Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thunder-Bay-exciting-atmospheric-thriller-ebook/dp/B07LGDW7VY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=thunder+bay&qid=1553273910&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

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March 1

More Catching Up – Belsham/Arnopp

I recently shared a catch-up post where I covered three books in one go. I was aiming for a more rapid review to let me catch up on sharing my thoughts on some of the great books I have been reading (but my non-blogging commitments prevented me from reviewing them in a more timely manner).

Happy with how that first post was received I am revisiting the rapid review format to do a bit more catching up…

THE TATTOO THIEF

A policeman on his first murder case
A tattoo artist with a deadly secret
And a twisted serial killer sharpening his blades to kill again…

When Brighton tattoo artist Marni Mullins discovers a flayed body, newly-promoted DI Francis Sullivan needs her help. There’s a serial killer at large, slicing tattoos from his victims’ bodies while they’re still alive. Marni knows the tattooing world like the back of her hand, but has her own reasons to distrust the police. So when she identifies the killer’s next target, will she tell Sullivan or go after the Tattoo Thief alone?

I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I was at Bloody Scotland in 2016 when I first heard of The Tattoo Thief. Alison Belsham had just won the Pitch Perfect panel and the halls were buzzing with whispers of a story where a killer was stealing tattoos from the body of his victims. It sounded terrific. Two years later I finally read it and it was as dark and twisted as I had hoped.

The murders and the detail of the tattoo depictions were high points in the story. I became completely caught up with the murder scenes and when the investigation began to focus on tattoos I loved the detail and discussions about the art and styles. It was engaging and fascinating and gave a fresh feel to a crime thriller.

The investigating officers were a bit more challenging to like. The lead character, DI Frances Sullivan, has just been promoted and at 29 years of age is running his first murder case. His second in command feels he should have got the job Sullivan holds and there is conflict from the outset. The power struggle detracted from the investigation at times and personal rivalries seemed to get in the way of getting the investigation running correctly. That said, the conflict brought out some strong characters – more memorable as a consequence of their conflict.

Dark murder mysteries are what I enjoy and my time with The Tattoo Thief was time well spent.

The Tattoo Thief is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0719VZB2Z/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

The Last Days of Jack Sparks – Jason Arnopp

It was no secret that journalist Jack Sparks had been researching the occult for his new book. No stranger to controversy, he’d already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he witnessed.

Then there was that video: forty seconds of chilling footage that Jack repeatedly claimed was not of his making, yet was posted from his own YouTube account.

Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed – until now.

This was a great read. A chilling supernatural thriller which got far darker than I had originally anticipated – and that only increased its standing in my estimation.

Jack Sparks is a writer. He has a chaotic lifestyle, addictions, a “secret” love for his flatmate (which she knows about) and he wants to debunk the supernatural. To achieve this task Jack is going to attend an exorcism to record events and, he believes, highlight the ridiculousness of the event. Things do not go to plan.

Jack comes to the attention of dark forces, forces which are far beyond his understanding and it is not long before Jack’s life starts to come unstuck. People are going to die. Horribly. Jack will be in peril, he will lose everything he holds dear and the manner of his decline will stick with you.

Jason Arnopp will put his cast through the wringer and doesn’t hold back when he shocks and repulses his readers. Many horror tales can be crass or lurid at the expense of good writing, not so here. Arnopp is a great storyteller and he will captivate readers and keep them hooked.

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is published by Orbit and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B010PIFZMO/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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June 24

Mark Brownless Q&A – The Hand of an Angel

Yesterday I shared my review of the darkly chilling The Hand of an Angel. If you missed that then you can catch up here.

This weekend is the blog tour for The Hand of an Angel and I am thrilled to be joined by author, Mark Brownless, as we chat about the nature of his story and consider why hospitals can be perfect settings for creepy tales:

The Hand of an Angel does get very dark in places. I had a quick check on Amazon and spotted it is ranked in Science Fiction and Fantasy classification and also Medical Thrillers – could consideration be made to class it as a Horror tale?

The book does cross a few genres, which creates its own challenges when trying to categorise and promote it for the reader – Sarah Pinborough has had huge success of late by doing this, however. There are science fiction elements, but it’s more ‘fictional science’ rather than spaceships and aliens.

Essentially The Hand of an Angel is a psychological medical thriller. It plays with the idea of reality – what is real? Do we believe all the main character says he’s seen when he has his near death experience, or is it the product of an oxygen-starved brain?

I’ve always been fascinated by unexplained phenomena like near death experience in this case, alien abduction, Nessie and Bigfoot. These type of themes lend themselves to the horror genre from the fear of the unknown, and I agree, that late on there are some more horror-type elements in the book. When I wrote the ending I had Stephen King in mind with some of his big set pieces like at the end of It and Needful Things. The tension building over the last few chapters, and the increasing presence of Hoody has that supernatural element as well. I hope people find it satisfying.

Much of the story is set around a hospital. All those rooms, all those corridors, the strange contraptions and the ever present presence of illness and even death. Does a hospital make a great setting for a thriller? As a supplemental question…are there too few medical thrillers?

Oh yeah, hospitals make great locations. I had to build my own hospital in The Hand of an Angel, because I didn’t know of one that had all the elements I needed for the story. If we are talking about scary hospitals, one has to think of Victorian asylums. I had great fun in writing about the old parts of ‘my’ hospital and trying to make them have that kind of feel in the type of bricks used and the design of the corridors, etc. The hospital is such an integral part of the story that I’ve always felt it’s a character in itself – the old and the new struggling with each other, the underfunded research wing that hasn’t even been completed, in contrast to the ostentatious atrium foyer and glass roof.

I’m not sure if there are too few medical thrillers. I love Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta books, but there are a lot of others in that pathologist / post mortem sub-genre. I think a medical thriller has to be intrinsically medical – it can’t just be a story that happens to be set in a hospital or with doctors and nurses, so in that sense there may be too few. There are a lot of good medical thrillers out there, though, and I hope mine measures up.

The one element I found most disturbing in The Hand of an Angel was the transformation in the lead character, Tom, through the story. Is it fun to build up a character to then break him down or did some guilt creep in?

The book starts off slowly with us getting to know the family at the centre of the story. I really want you to get to know them, to share some experiences with them almost as if you are part of their family. As a kid I read a lot of James Herbert. His book, The Magic Cottage, spent the first hundred pages or so building the relationship of this couple in their holiday home. I loved it and actually didn’t like it when Herbert started to pull the rug out from under them. So yes, I want you to like Tom and Sarah and the family, and I want you to be annoyed with me when bad stuff happens. Because it does.

What comes next from Mark Brownless? Is there a work in progress which you can chat about?

Well I’m just about to upload the second of my Locksley short story series to Amazon for pre-order. It’s a re-telling of Robin Hood and arose from a challenge in a writing group about getting a short story written, edited, with a cover done and on pre-order within a month. I want Robin to be real and grounded, to be someone who doesn’t really have a choice with what happens to him, and to be driven by doing what is right. I’m hoping to release a chapter a month for the next few months, each with a cliff-hanger ending like those old Saturday morning serials.

My next novel again looks at reality, but this time in the form of memories. Can you trust them? Can you rely on them? And what happens when you find out that your memories aren’t quite what you thought. I decided to revisit memories and incidents of childhood, but as an adult looking back from present day. Earlier on I was talking about unexplained phenomena, and The Shadow Man will follow this theme by having a background of spontaneous human combustion, and lean a lot more to horror than The Hand of an Angel. I’m hoping to have The Shadow Man available by the end of the year.

Huge thanks to Mark for finding time in his busy week to answer my questions. The Hand of an Angel is available to order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hand-Angel-shattering-thriller-heart-stopping-ebook/dp/B077Y83GT1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529830185&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hand+of+an+angel

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June 23

The Hand of An Angel – Mark Brownless

How far would you go to get a glimpse of the afterlife, and what would you bring back?

A shattering medical thriller with a heart-stopping climax.

Devoted family man and respected cardiologist Tom Boyand is obsessed with the near-death experiences of his patients. An obsession that leaves him dead on a table with his colleagues battling desperately to resuscitate him.

But Tom has pushed the limits of the experiment too far and he’s gone for too long, seeing more of the other side than anyone before.
They get him back but he isn’t the same person. And he’s not alone.

My thanks to Sam at Lounge Marketing (Lounge Books) for the chance to join this blog tour and for providing a review copy.

I reviewed The Hand of An Angel a few weeks ago but now that the official tour is running I am re-sharing my review. Coming up in a few short hours will be my wee chat with Mark Brownless, but before we discuss his chilling thriller I thought a recap may help….here is what I loved about this book.

I cannot remember the last time I read a medical thriller, however, The Hand of an Angel made me appreciate how much I had missed them. Doctors playing God, patients suffering mysterious ailments and so many long corridors with many, many closed doors…love, love, love a good medical drama. It is pleasing to be able to confirm that The Hand of an Angel is every bit a good medical thriller!

Tom Boyand is about to embark on the final journey. But he also plans to make it a return trip and live to tell the tale. In order to cheat death he has amassed a huge wealth of medical knowledge, assembled team of researchers and physicians who can help him “die” and then bring him back to life. Everything will be carefully monitored, all done under controlled conditions and Tom hopes that he will remember exactly how it feels to die so that he can share the knowledge.

The first half of the novel draws readers into Tom’s world. His project, his colleagues, his family and we get a very good idea as to the type of person that Tom is…a nice guy!

When the time comes to begin his experiment we are excited for Tom and his team and as a reader I was also keen to find out what he may experience after his death. Suffice to say I was shocked by how the story changed – perhaps I should have read the blurb before reading…

Tom becomes a changed man. His easygoing personality changes and he becomes paranoid, suspicious, aggressive and confrontational. Having spent so much time getting to know Tom it is upsetting to see the changes he appears to be undergoing. More so when when we see the impact it is having on his family and friends. Mark Brownless handles this change in dynamic brilliantly and it makes for gripping reading.

Unfortunately for Tom he has more pressing problems to contend with than a change to his moods. He believes that he may not have returned from the dead on his own. Tom keeps seeing the same strange figure in different places he visits…at work, at home and he cannot understand why other people don’t appear to notice.

What had been a great medical thriller now becomes a dark and sinister tale. The change up in tension is marked and it had me flicking the pages like a demon (as it were) trying to reach the end of the book as quickly as I could so I could find out what happened. And Wow.

This story totally sucked me in – what more could a reader ask for?

The Hand of an Angel is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hand-Angel-Mark-Brownless/dp/1976248744/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1527016541&sr=8-1

Follow the tour

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May 23

The Hand of an Angel – Mark Brownless

How far would you go to get a glimpse of the afterlife, and what would you bring back?

A shattering medical thriller with a heart-stopping climax.

My thanks to Sam at Lounge Marketing (Lounge Books) for the chance to join this blog tour and for providing a review copy.

The first half of the novel draws readers into Tom’s world. His project, his colleagues, his family and we get a very good idea as to the type of person that Tom is…a nice guy!

This story totally sucked me in – what more could a reader ask for?

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