Killer – Page 3 – Grab This Book

Catching Up: Hall/Tudor/Foley

I won’t bore you with the details but the last few weeks have been a bit manic Chez Grab and I fell behind with my reviews. I still managed to grab reading time but now I have a bit of catching up to do.

I have taken the executive decision to do some rapid reviews and aim for two or three titles per post. So without further ado here is a flavour of what I have been reading:

The Party – Lisa Hall

It was just a party. But it turned into a nightmare.

When Rachel wakes up in a strange room, the morning after a neighbour’s party, she has no memory of what happened the night before. Why did her husband leave her alone at the party? Did they row? Why are Rachel’s arms so bruised? And why are her neighbours and friends so vague about what really happened?

Little by little, Rachel pieces together the devastating events that took place in a friend’s house, at a party where she should have been safe. Everyone remembers what happened that night differently, and everyone has something to hide. But someone knows the truth about what happened to Rachel. And she’s determined to find them.

A story set at New Year but not a party that Rachel will ever forget. She awakes in her friends house with little memory of what occurred the previous night. However Rachel quickly realises that she was raped and cannot identify her attacker.

Lisa Hall builds a cracking, suspense-filled tale around this deeply upsetting incident. Rachel doesn’t know who she can trust and the lack of support she feels she is receiving really isolates her amongst her family and friends. When Rachel begins to fear she may still be in danger that isolation really hits home.

This was the first Lisa Hall novel I have read but I was well aware of her reputation for writing clever and engaging thrillers. The Party did not disappoint and I will add my voice to the ranks of bloggers who strongly recommend reading Lisa’s books.

Order The Party here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Party-gripping-psychological-thriller-bestseller-ebook/dp/B06W5RT7JD/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548189986&sr=1-1&keywords=the+party+lisa

The Chalk Man – C.J. Tudor

It was only meant to be a game . . .

None of us ever agreed on the exact beginning.

Was it when we started drawing the chalk figures, or when they started to appear on their own?

Was it the terrible accident?

Or when they found the first body?

A delightfully dark debut from CJ Tudor. I have had The Chalk Man in my “TBR” pile for longer than I intended (her second novel is just a few weeks away).

I enjoyed The Chalk Man – the story zipped along at cracking pace and happily I was totally wrong in my predictions as to how the story was going to pan out. Through a nice series of then/now narratives I felt that the reader got a comprehensive look at the key characters in the story from their formative years to present day.

The formative years are important as it is in the past that the seeds of horror are sewn. A tragic event at a funfair has lasting consequences for a young girl. A group of young friends are on the cusp of their teen years – they will face fears, family turmoil and experience tragedy before the book draws to a conclusion.

The key character is Ed. As an adult he is a 40-something single man and he has a few significant character flaws. As a child Ed was a troubled 12 year old, member of a gang of 5 pals from very different backgrounds. His parents were causing him embarrassment (and his mother’s job brought unwelcome attention). Also Ed is right on hand at the funfair incident – a day which may shape how Ed’s life will pan out.

The Chalk Man delivered surprises and twists and, as I indicated above, I enjoyed the story as it kept me reading to see how it would pan out. Well worth picking this one up.

Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chalk-Man-Sunday-bestseller-chilling-ebook/dp/B06XXSVQ9T/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1548189938&sr=1-1&keywords=the+chalk+man

The Hunting Party – Lucy Foley

In a remote hunting lodge, deep in the Scottish wilderness, old friends gather for New Year.

The beautiful one
The golden couple
The volatile one
The new parents
The quiet one
The city boy
The outsider

The victim.

Not an accident – a murder among friends.

A remote lodge in the Scottish Highlands is the setting for this unusual murder story.

Unusual because the reader learns very early that someone is dead but the identity of the victim (and of the killer) is not revealed until the endgame plays out. This is clever writing from the author as she has introduced a large cast of characters in which both victim and murderer will be hidden in plain sight for the duration of the story. Readers have to try and work out who will be vulnerable and also the potential aggressors.

Our likely suspects appear to be members of a party of friends who have left the city behind to celebrate New Year in the remotest cabin in The Highlands. A resident housekeeper and the Gameskeeper are virtually the only locals they will encounter. There are two other guests (who the friends will try to avoid) and just to keep readers in their toes there is a murder investigation being conducted by local police – have our friends placed themselves at the mercy of a murderous stranger?

Of all the books I read over Christmas this one caused me the most frustration. I enjoyed the story, it is a clever premise and the tension is maintained throughout the story. There are clues and red herrings as to the identity of murderer and victim so it should have been a joy to read. Sadly I found all the city friends to be extremely irritating – which I am sure is intentional as their flaws are clearly flagged and they behave in an abhorrent manner for much of the story.

At points I would have been happy for ALL the friends to have been bumped off and my irritation with most of the cast made me reluctant to keep reading. But perseverance was rewarded and the great premise and ongoing thrills won out in the end.

I have seen lots of praise heaped upon The Hunting Party so I have no doubt it will do well. It is cleverly done and I think would make a great book-group read.

Order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FK6L3T1?pf_rd_p=71cb17e9-f468-4d3f-94d5-a0de44c50a7e&pf_rd_r=HY9JYDZHZ9AJC10APTN1

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December 8

The Craftsman – Sharon Bolton

Devoted father or merciless killer?

His secrets are buried with him.

Florence Lovelady’s career was made when she convicted coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook of a series of child murders 30 years ago. Like something from our worst nightmares the victims were buried…ALIVE.

Larry confessed to the crimes; it was an open and shut case. But now he’s dead, and events from the past start to repeat themselves.

Did she get it wrong all those years ago?
Or is there something much darker at play?

My huge thanks to Tracey Fenton at Compulsive Readers and to the publishers, Trapeze, for my review copy and a chance to join the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Tour.

Breaking from my traditional review format to put my conclusion first…The Craftsman is a brilliant, brilliant read – buy it!

Now I need to try to explain why I loved this book as much as I did. Returning visitors to Grab This Book will know that I like my thrillers to have a dark edge to them. A killer that buries his victims alive is certainly a dark twist – add in a juicy helping of the supernatural (we have witches people, witches!) and we have a book which I read in a single day. Could not put it down!

We first meet Florence Lovelady in 1999. She is attending the funeral of a killer she helped to identify many years before. Florence is now a police officer in The Met but she has returned to Lancashire where her police career started and to the scene of her first big case. After the funeral is over and after chasing the ghosts from her memories Florence returns to her former home and makes a shocking and chilling discovery.

Readers are reeling from the revelation and working out the implications of her discovery when Sharon Bolton whisks us back in time to 1969. It is 30 years in the past where the majority of The Craftsman takes place – WPC Lovelady is thrust into the thick of a missing persons investigation and finds herself propelled from beat duties to the investigation team.

Lovelady has an analytical mind and a combination of hard work and sharp thinking help her drive the investigation forward, despite having to counter the sexism and superior attitudes of her older, male colleagues. She will encounter witches, freemasons and a killer determined to ensure their secrets remain secret.

The Craftsman is wonderfully written, the story flows at a cracking pace and I just wanted to keep reading. As I said at the start of this review…buy this book it is brilliant.

The Craftsman is published by Trapeze and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Craftsman-most-chilling-book-youll-ebook/dp/B073WZTZXT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544307762&sr=8-1&keywords=the+craftsman+sharon+bolton

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December 6

The Silent Dead – Graham Smith

He’d found an angel for his collection. But one angel at a time was never enough…

Detective Beth Young has just joined the Cumbrian major crimes team when a body is found posed in a ritualistic manner – arms spread and graceful wings attached – at a crumbling castle in the hills of the Lake District.

The entire police force are on red alert. But Beth begins to feel she’s the only one who can follow the disturbing clues left by the twisted killer. Because she doesn’t think like everyone else. To Beth, crimes are puzzles she can solve. Even if real life is a little harder.

As more bodies are discovered in derelict stately homes across the Lake District, she knows she’s in a race against time.

But the killer is looking for another victim to add to his collection… Will Beth be able to save her? Or will he get there first?

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy which I received through Netgalley

I always enjoy picking up a new thriller by Graham Smith as he writes books I love to read. The Silent Dead was no exception, a dark and engaging tale which introduces Detective Beth Young to the crime reading community.

Young is finding her feet in Cumbrias major crimes team. Eager, determined and keen to impress but hampered by a degree of naievity and she still needs to learn the politics of her new role. It makes Beth an endearing and entertaining character to follow.

She is cutting her teeth on a brutal murder case. A body has been discovered – the dead man was suspended upright and subjected to some extremely unpleasant reconstructive bodywork (no spoilers) before his killer abandoned the corpse.

We follow the investigation, a narrative I always love, but progress for Beth and her colleagues is slow so we share their frustrations too.

A second narrative is shared – that of a hunter. A predator looking to add to his “angels” and readers get to see him choose his next target. The cut-away from the investigation to this predator and his potential victims made the story seem more urgent and this kept me reading. You are urging the police to get cracking and stop the bad guys before anyone else is harmed!

The Silent Dead is highly recommended to all crime fiction lovers. Beth is a great lead character and Graham Smith can spin a cracking story.

The Silent Dead is published by Bookouture and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Dead-gripping-thriller-stunning-ebook/dp/B07H2DG957/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1544052122&sr=8-3

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September 9

Overkill – Vanda Symon

When the body of a young mother is found washed up on the banks of the Mataura River, a small rural community is rocked by her tragic suicide. But all is not what it seems.

Sam Shephard, sole-charge police constable in Mataura, soon discovers the death was no suicide and has to face the realisation that there is a killer in town. To complicate the situation, the murdered woman was the wife of her former lover. When Sam finds herself on the list of suspects and suspended from duty, she must cast aside her personal feelings and take matters into her own hands.

To find the murderer … and clear her name.

My thanks to Orenda Books for my review copy and the chance to join the Overkill blog tour.

I read a lot of crime thrillers and this means I read many death scenes of incidental characters . Then I wait for the main protagonist to arrive and puzzle out who killed these incidental characters. The murder in the opening chapter of Overkill was one of the most distressing and upsetting I can recall.

I had no previous knowledge of the characters and didn’t know why the murder was happening but it troubled me. When a book opens with such a dynamic impact I know I will enjoy the next few hours I shall spend with it. And so it turned out to be the case.

Overkill is a terrific read. Lead character is Sam Shephard, local cop to a small New Zealand town. Everyone knows everyone else, nobody can believe a murderer could be in their midst but everyone will be suspicious of Sam if the victim is the wife of Sam’s ex.

Working to clear her name, find a killer and totally not to build bridges with a grieving widower who she may still be attracted to…Sam will face constant challenges to prevent the seemingly motiveless murder being investigated.

First Vanda Symon book I have read – on the strength of Overkill I sincerely hope it us not the last.

Overkill is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Overkill-Sam-Shephard-Vanda-Symon-ebook/dp/B079YY122L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536448567&sr=8-1&keywords=vanda+symon+overkill

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August 29

Keep Her Silent – Theresa Talbot

Oonagh O’Neil is back with another dark and chilling investigation.

‘Do that which is good and no evil shall touch you‘

That was the note the so-called Raphael killer left on each of his victims. Everyone in Glasgow – investigative journalist Oonagh O’Neil included – remember the murder of three women in Glasgow which sent a wave of terror through the city. They also remember that he is still at large…

When the police investigation into the Raphael killings reopens, Oonagh is given a tip off that leads her straight to the heart of a complex and deadly cover-up. When history starts to repeat itself, it seems the killer is closer than she thinks. Could Oonagh be the next target…?

My thanks to the publisher for my review copy and the opportunity to join the Blog Tour.

I am very excited to join the blog tour for Keep Her Silent as I loved the first Oonagh O’Neil thriller and have been dying to see what Theresa Talbot had in store for us this time.

Housekeeping: Oonagh first appeared in The Lost Children which was originally entitled Penance. You can order a copy of The Lost Children by clicking on the title and I highly recommend that purchase. Reading the first novel is not essential to reading and enjoying Keep Her Silent but there are one or two references early in the book to past events so just remember that Oonagh had a life before the events in Keep Her Silent began.

Oonagh is an investigative reporter and as such there are a number of interesting and upsetting cases brought to her attention. Readers get some background detail on the two cases which will dominate the story – Theresa Talbot makes good use of flashback sequences to show crimes being committed then spins back to Oonagh and the investigations she is conducting. A very efficient and satisfying way of keeping events ticking along at a high pace.

Blood contamination and the impact upon innocent hospital patients is very much in the spotlight in Keep Her Silent. Oonagh is made aware of the corrupt nature in which blood was aquired and the lack of regard paid towards the risk of contamination. It makes for chilling reading and the lengths which officials and governments went to in covering up the practice will have your alarm bells ringing.

Closer to home and Oonagh is also looking into the conviction of a Glasgow wife and mother who was institutionalised years earlier for killing her husband and young son. The Glasgow police are also reviewing this double killing as it connects to a cold case which the Powers At Be want closed.

The underlying reasons and practices behind both these investigations are complex. As a reader I felt my perceptions of many incidents being challenged and Theresa Talbot does a fantastic job of showing how unfortunate victims continue to be undermined by those in positions of power or authority. Those they should have been able to trust or to rely upon for help.

Keep Her Silent is a brilliant read. Oonagh is a great lead character who really could do with cutting a break – her personal life also makes for tricky reading and you just want her to do well and confront some of her inner demons.

I have no hesitation in recommending Keep Her Silent – it is a five star read.

Keep Her Silent is published by Aria and is currently available in digital format. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keep-Her-Silent-gripping-thriller-ebook/dp/B07DWXW76X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1535493303&sr=8-3&keywords=theresa+talbot

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May 10

Salt Lane – William Shaw

SHE ALWAYS WENT TOO FAR

DS Alexandra Cupidi has done it again. She should have learnt to keep her big mouth shut, after the scandal that sent her packing – resentful teenager in tow – from the London Met to the lonely Kent coastline. Murder is different here, among the fens and stark beaches.

SHE WAS THE ONE WHO FOUND THE KILLERS

The man drowned in the slurry pit had been herded there like an animal. He was North African, like many of the fruit pickers that work the fields. The more Cupidi discovers, the more she wants to ask – but these people are suspicious of questions.

AND NOW IT WAS KILLING HER

It will take an understanding of this strange place – its old ways and new crimes – to uncover the dark conspiracy behind the murder. Cupidi is not afraid to travel that road. But she should be. She should, by now, have learnt.

Salt Lane is tagged as the first in a new series which will feature DS Alexandra Cupidi – sounds good to me, I loved Cupidi and she drives this story.

Cupidi has left the Metropolitan Police and relocated to Kent, readers are given early glimpses into her background which allude to why she may have made this move and it is clear that she may not have made the best of choices in the past. Cupidi brings her daughter but faces the single parent dilemma of how to do parenting things when work commitments are all consuming and a listless teenager is not keen to conform or help her mother.

Cupidi is partnered with Constable Ferriter and the dynamic and developing relationship between the two women made for terrific reading. Cupidi seems prickly and aloof while Ferriter is younger and more impetuous. Both can deliver some cracking one liners or a suitably waspish comment so their discussions are a joy to read.

Salt Lane, supported by cracking lead characters, is a dark thriller which I really, really enjoyed.

A man is murdered in a slurry pit, pushed in and held under the sludge until life left his body. A grim murder investigation for Cupidi who was already fronting a second murder investigation after a woman’s body was pulled from water with no identification documents which may have let the police know who she was.

There is loads going on in Salt Lane and the story is wonderfully told by William Shaw. The book holds a real feeling of location and scenes come to life very vividly as I was reading. I found pages were flying past as I kept reading, one more chapter, one more chapter – brilliant pacing which avoided lulls in the narrative and kept me hooked.

More Cupidi please…stories of this quality don’t come around too often.

Salt Lane is available in hardback, digital and audio formats and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salt-Lane-Alexandra-Cupidi-Book-ebook/dp/B073BPFJGM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1525941622&sr=1-1

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March 18

Scared to Death – Rachel Amphlett

“If you want to see your daughter alive again, listen carefully.”

When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong.

But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession.

When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised.

With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life.

For the killer, the game has only just begun…

Rachel Amphlett has just released the 5th Kay Hunter book (Call to Arms) and I have already seen some cracking reviews for it already from my fellow bloggers. Expect to see a review here in due course too as this is a series I really enjoy.

But what if you don’t want to jump into a series at book 5? Many readers (myself included) prefer to join a series at the first book and watch the characters develop. So I am jumping back in the Kay Hunter timeline to review Scared to Death, the first book and where the fun begins.

Not that there is much fun to be found for Kay as we start Scared to Death. A kidnapped girl, two distressed parents who have paid the ransom and not told the Police of the family plight and the shadow of an incident at work which Kay is trying to move on from. That’s just her work life – at home there has been a significant incident which Kay cannot just brush off and it is fascinating watching how she reconciles work pressure with home anxieties.

Unfortunately the recovery of the kidnapped girl ends in tragedy – it seems the kidnapper (now a killer) had no intention of letting the girl survive and she was held in a perilous location from which she could not have expected to be saved. The motivation behind this cruel stunt becomes clear as the story unfolds and it made for an intriguing twist for the reader, making it clear that Kay and her colleagues would have their work cut out.

Having read several of Rachel Amphlett’s books I knew that Scared to Death would be a story I enjoyed – I was not disappointed. What lifted the enjoyment was the fact I “read” it as an audiobook – so technically Alison Campbell read Scared to Death and I just got to listen in. The narration was brilliantly done – some audiobooks I will pass on when I don’t enjoy the narrators style – but Alison Campbell nailed this for me and I will now likely join her again for Call to Arms (book 5) rather than read it myself again.

In short, if you have yet to read Rachel’s brilliant Kay Hunter series then you are missing out. Scared to Death is the easy starting point but all the books can be read as stand alone. If you like an audiobook then you can’t go wrong with this offering, great story, terrific reader and more of the same to follow.

Scared to Death is available in digital, paperback and audiobook. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scared-Death-Detective-detective-thriller-ebook/dp/B01N9DS5NG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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March 6

Hellbent – Gregg Hurwitz

To some he is Orphan X. Others know him as the Nowhere Man. But to veteran spymaster Jack Johns he will always be a boy named Evan Smoak.

Taken from an orphanage, Evan was raised inside a top secret programme designed to turn him into a deadly weapon. Jack became his instructor, mentor, teacher and guardian. Because for all the dangerous skills he instilled in his young charge, he also cared for Evan like a son. And now Jack needs Evan’s help.

The Orphan programme hid dark secrets. Now those with blood on their hands want every trace of it gone. And they will stop at nothing to make sure that Jack and Evan go with it.

With little time remaining, Jack gives Evan his last assignment: to find and protect the programme’s last recruit. And to stay alive long enough to uncover the shocking truth …

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

Last year I was tearing through audiobooks and I happened upon a brilliant action adventure thriller called The Nowhere Man. It was the second book by Gregg Hurwitz which featured Evan Smoak – a former Government operative codenamed Orphan X.

Smoak had been taken into Government service as a child. Recruited from an orphanage and raised by a mentor who turned the child into a deadly assassin who could live and work deep under cover and (most importantly) was totally expendable to the US Government who could deny the existence of Orphan X should he fail in his mission.

There were other Orphan’s recruited other than Smoak and through the three books in the series (Orphan X, The Nowhere Man and now Hellbent) Evan will cross paths with some deadly former colleagues. This is not a good thing for Evan – Orphan Y now heads up the Orphan programme and his primary focus is to end Evan’s life. With almost unlimited resources at his disposal Orphan Y is gunning for Evan Smoak and in Hellbent he shall gain new leverage…a showdown may be inevitable.

Hellbent sees Evan going directly up against the Orphan programme but his mentor, Jack Johns, asks Evan to protect the last Orphan who had been recruited. She is a young girl, alone and unsure where to turn – she has had training which makes her dangerous but lacks the survival skills of more experienced agents. Nor has she the benefit of a healthy bank account which the Orphans accrue through successful completion of missions.

Seeing Evan trying to keep one step ahead of his foes, whilst juggling the care of a teenager and trying to maintain a semblance of a “normal” life was hugely entertaining. Gregg Hurwitz writes gripping thrillers and I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books in the Orphan X series. There is a wonderful balance of action, tension, humour and adventure in Hellbent. Evan Smoak is a dangerous character but he is a wonderful creation and if you have not yet discovered the Orphan X books you are missing out on some brilliant reads.

Hellbent is published by Michael Joseph and is available now in Hardback, audiobook and Digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hellbent-Orphan-Thriller-Gregg-Hurwitz/dp/0718185463/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1520374051&sr=8-1

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January 25

Perfect Death – Helen Fields

There’s no easy way to die….

Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible – engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it’s too late.

But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible task….

My thanks to Sabah at Avon for my review copy and for the opportunity to launch the Perfect Death blog tour.

By the time I hit “publish” on this review Perfect Death will be in shops and available to download. Buy a copy now…this is a brilliant book.

Luc Callanach and Ava Turner are back for a third outing. Happy Days.

Perfect Death feels much more like an Ava story. Luc is still very much present so panic not! Events early in the story (no spoilers) lead to a shock revelation. Ava wants to investigate and find answers to questions she never imagined she would be asking yet she cannot let anyone else know what she is looking into. This dilemma means Ava will work solo and cannot rely upon Luc’s council or support. What she has to face (alone) is bigger and more dangerous than she could have imagined.

Luc is tasked with investigating the death of a young woman who died as a result of a drug overdose. Her naked body was found on a grassy hillside in the heart of the Edinburgh but her family are adamant she would never have taken drugs.

A second suspicious death gives a suspicion that foul play is involved. However, with virtually no similarities in the cases the connection between the two deaths so tenuous Ava’s boss will not entertain the notion that there is a calculating serial killer working in Edinburgh.

Following events in Perfect Prey Ava is now Luc’s boss and the shift in dynamic of their relationship is fun. Still friends, but with Luc being deferential to Ava’s rank, the pair seem almost seem less assured in each other’s company. I have really enjoyed the “Moonlighting-esk” relationship between the two lead characters and Perfect Death only adds to the intrigue.

Moonlighting…it was a big deal in the 80’s – just go with it.

I cannot say enough good things about the Luc Callanach books. If you love crime fiction and are not reading Helen Fields then you are missing out on one of the best new voices in your favourite genre.

Perfect Death is published by Avon books and is avaialbe in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Death-bestseller-Callanach-Thriller-ebook/dp/B077MNKFTL/ref=la_B006M3SPSS_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516824675&sr=1-3

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January 21

The Confession – Jo Spain

Late one night a man walks into the luxurious home of disgraced banker Harry McNamara and his wife Julie. The man launches an unspeakably brutal attack on Harry as a horror-struck Julie watches, frozen by fear. It looks like Harry’s many sins – corruption, greed, betrayal – have finally caught up with him.

An hour later the intruder, JP Carney, hands himself in, confessing to the assault. The police have a victim, a suspect in custody and an eye-witness account, but Julie remains troubled.

Has Carney’s surrender really been driven by a guilty conscience or is this confession the first calculated move in a deadly game?

My thanks to Quercus Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater for the chance to join the blog tour.

Not many books will get down to the action as quickly as The Confession. A brutal attack on one of Ireland’s most successful bankers is vividly described in the opening chapter of Jo Spain’s superb new novel.

JP Carney walks into the home of Harry and Julie McNamara and beats Harry with a golf club as Julie sits watching, frozen in fear and unable to help her husband. It is graphic, it is shocking and it makes you want to read on – what could possibly have led to this?

Knowing Harry will suffer at the hands of Carney the author takes us into the lives of Julie, JP Carney and investigating police office – Alice Moody. We are taken back in time to when Julie first met Harry and we are given a good look at Carney and the tough upbringing he had to endure and the strong bond he formed with his younger sister. As the story unfolds we get to understand more about Carney but it remains unclear why he may have walked into a strangers home and attacked the homeowner. But is Harry McNamara a stranger to JP Carney?

We also follow Julie’s history. Her chance meeting with Harry and the fairy-tale romance as she is courted by one of the most successful (and rich) bankers in Ireland. Once again, as the story unfolds, we see Julie open up more about her relationship with Harry and the pressures and self doubts as she tries to remain Julie rather than Mrs McNamara.

The real-time investigations are being conducted by Alice Moody, my favourite character in The Confession. She cannot accept Carney’s assertion that he has no knowledge of Harry McNamara and that his house was picked at random. Moody will drive the story as she pushes to get to the bottom of Carney’s seemingly random attack and she believes that the McNamara’s may have somehow brought Carney into their lives – even if they don’t know why.

The reason The Confession worked so well for me was the characters driving the story. It is all about the people and how they faced up to several key moments in their lives – all bringing them to a critical point when a seemingly random act of violence will change everything forever.

Wonderfully written and deeply compelling.

The Confession is published by Quercus on 25 January 2018 and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Confession-most-addictive-psychological-thriller-ebook/dp/B06XRL3N98/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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