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The Point Of No Return (Audiobook) – Neil Broadfoot

How far would you go to find the truth?

After more than a decade of being in prison for the brutal murder of two Stirling University students, Colin Sanderson has been released after his conviction was found to be unsafe.

Returning home to a small village not far from Stirling, Sanderson refuses police protection, even in the face of a death threat. But the PR firm that has scooped him up to sell his story does know of a protection expert in Stirling. They want Connor Fraser.

Connor reluctantly takes the assignment, partly as a favour to DCI Malcolm Ford, who is none too keen to have Sanderson on the loose, particularly as he was involved in the original investigation that saw him imprisoned.

When a body is found, mutilated in the same way as Sanderson’s victims were, all eyes fall on the released man. But how can he be the killer when Connor’s own security detail gives him an alibi?

As Connor races to uncover the truth, he is forced to confront not only Sanderson’s past, but his own, and a secret that could change his life forever.

I am an Audible member and I bought the Point Of No Return audiobook on release.

Some housekeeping first and an apology to Neil Broadfoot. This is the third Connor Fraser book but the first I have reviewed. Earlier this year I read the second book, No Place to Die, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, this was one of the books I was reading when we first went into the March 2020 Covid Lockdown. A quick glance at my blog archive will show very little reviews were prepared over the first few months of the year as I found it incredibly difficult to keep focus on anything at that time. I stuggled and reviews which should have been written were not. My apologies to Neil for missing the paperback publication window of No Place to Die with a review I did so want to write.

The earlier Connor Fraser titles are readily available in paperback and digital format. Connor’s story builds with each book (though each title can be read as a stand alone). If you haven’t already read the previous books No Mans Land and No Place To Die then I would encourage you to pick them up and immerse yourself in these terrific stories.

The Point Of No Return opens with a miscarriage of justice being corrected. Some 14 years ago Colin Sanderson was convicted of the brutal murders of two students. The reader is left in no doubt that Sanderson is a nasty piece of work and there are interested parties, other than the police, unhappy to see his conviction overturned after his lawyer found an irregularity in the evidence used to secure the original Guilty verdict. Sanderson is free and is not looking to slip quietly into the background. A PR firm have ensured he will be given a platform to air his grievances (he has many) and there is talk of a book deal to allow him to tell his story. Enter Donna Blake, reporter for Sky News who is handed exclusive interview rights and the lure of the chance to ghost-write Sanderson’s book. Donna is a friend of Connor’s and their paths have previously crossed in devastating ways.

Just a few days after his release Sanderson manages to shake off the observation team working for Connor’s security firm. During the period where he is not being watched another murder takes place on the Stirling University campus. There are stiking similarities between the new murder and the deaths of the two students Sanderson was accused of committing. Have the courts freed a murderer on a technicality?

There is a constant sense of peril surrounding both Connor and Donna in The Point Of No Return. Neil Broadfoot managed make me believe both characters were just one step away from falling foul of a dangerous killer. I love when a story grips me in the way Point Of No Return did.

It should be noted there are also some emotive scenes away from the murders where Connor is starting to understand his own family history a bit better. His relationship with his father is strained but he dotes on his grandmother,who is in ailing health. Connor’s relationship with his gran and his father come into close scrutiny and he will not always like what he discovers when he starts asking questions about their past. Families have their secrets and Connor is going to have to face some unpleasant realisations before this book reaches its climax.

The Point Of No Return delivers a cracking murder story and anyone that enjoys a great thriller cannot go wrong with this one.

Huge shout to the team behind the audiobook too. Narration duties were handled by Angus King and he was excellent. There is a fair sized cast in this story and King gave each their own voice and brought the characters to life. Audiobooks can really let down a great book if the vocal performances are jarring or the voices chosen are unsuited to the material presented. In the case of The Point Of No Return there were no concerns – this is a polished and quality production and the source material shines.

Great book and a cracking addition to the Connor Fraser series. Don’t miss out on these stories – they are too good to let them slip by.

The Point Of No Return is published in Hardcover, digital and audiobook format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085PV4NHV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3

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September 21

How The Wired Weep – Ian Patrick

The Wire crosses the pond.

Ed is a detective who handles informants. He recruits Ben, a young man, who is treading a dangerous path into the criminal underworld.
Ben’s unsure of where his loyalties lie. They have to find a way to work together despite their differences.

Both men are drawn into the world of Troy, a ruthless and brutal leader of an Organised Criminal Network.

Ben is torn between two worlds as he tries to walk the impossible line between criminality and helping Ed combat crime.
He lives in fear of discovery.

When your life is thrown upside down who do you turn to in order to survive?

Set against the backdrop of the 2012 Olympic Games, How the Wired Weep is a fast paced urban thriller where time is against both men as they attempt to serve their own agendas.

My thanks to Emma at Damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the tour for How The Wired Weep. I purchased this book prior to accepting the invitation to join the tour.

I don’t really know where to start with this review – I loved this book and I am not sure how to convey some of the emotions I had while reading.

How The Wired Weep is an intense story, small core characters living on the front line of police and gang divide. The story is told from both viewpoints. Ed is our police detective. He has a contact within a gang who is feeding him important information. He receives tip offs about where drugs are stashed, guns are moved around and other activities which the police will try to clamp down on.

Ed’s source is Ben (not his real name). Recently out of prison and keen not to return. He is an excellent driver and used by Troy (head of one of the London criminal networks) to run errands and pick up and deliver drugs and weapons. Ben seems to be moving up in Troy’s trust as he gets more important tasks to complete. But the greater the task the greater the risk.

Ben drips info to Ed but is ever aware that to be caught means certain retribution. Ed knows Ben is unreliable. He is a drug user and a criminal so it is a fine line the police need to tread to keep their source on the street while not digging too deep into what Ben may not be telling them about his daily activities.

Readers see Ed trying to keep Ben on yhe right side of the law where he can. We also see Ben’s reactions to Ed’s good intentions. It is a fascinating dynamic and both men are deeply entrenched in the life of the other – even if they may not always see it as such.

Away from their interactions with each other Ian Patrick shows the intensity of Eds job against his home life. Ed and his wife are trying fertility treatment but the demands of work always seem to stop Ed having conversations with his wife. It is quite distressing to see her desperately trying to get their family together but Eds job getting in the way. Making this worse is that we also see how close Ed is to his colleagues and the trust and reliance they need to have in each other. In terms of character development and authenticity everyone in this story feels solid and real – the life experiences we are seeing them handle make them so believable.

I can’t recommend this story enough. It is the police trying to manage the street but the street is too big and chaotic. It’s compelling and so vividly told that you will be hooked. Read this!

How The Wired Weep is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08B64GXK1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

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September 10

You Can Trust Me – Emma Rowley

You can trust me.

But can I trust you?

Olivia is the domestic goddess who has won millions of followers by sharing her picture-perfect life online. And now she’s releasing her tell-all autobiography. For professional ghostwriter Nicky it’s the biggest job of her career. But as she delves deeper into Olivia’s life, cracks begin to appear in the glamorous façade. From the strained relationship with her handsome husband, to murky details of a tragic family death in her childhood, the truth belies Olivia’s perfect public image. But why is Olivia so desperate to leave an old tragedy well alone? And how far will she go to keep Nicky from the truth?

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy and the opportunity to join the blog tour

Who doesn’t love a story about secrets? In You Can Trust Me there are plenty of secrets which ghostwriter, Nicky, is determined to uncover.

Nicky is recently single and struggling to meet the rent on the flat she shared with her ex. Now that he is out the picture the rent has become steeper than she can comfortably manage making it difficult for Nicky to turn down work.

As a ghostwriter Nicky has developed a good reputation with the agency who engages her services. Obviously her CV cannot list the titles she has written (all confidential) but the agency will send her projects to consider. When we first meet Nicky she is just wrapping up a book for a celebrity chef and making minor amendments to reflect the fact secrets from his private life have just been splashed over the newspapers in recent days. All part of the job!

The underwhelming prospect of a new project with a Coupon Lady from TV is all the reward Nicky faces. However an urgent request that she write a book for one of social media’s high profile influencers leaves Nicky little time to prepare or to take a breather from her last project. She needs to make a snap decision but the lure of working with the enigmatic and seemingly perfect Olivia is too good an opportunity to turn down. Nicky hurriedly packs and dashes to meet Olivia in her country home.

From the moment the two meet there seem to be problems. Olivia is secretive, withdrawn from the writing process, reluctant to engage too fully or share personal information. Nicky needs to get her to open up and share some personal details or she may find it impossible to write Olivia’s book for her.

Olivia’s reluctance is only half the problem as Nicky seems overwhelmed and awkward in the presence of her client. Misunderstandings and accidents around Olivia’s home leave Nicky feeling exasperated and on the back foot. Unable to draw out her client in conversation Nicky starts to snoop around her home and to ask questions about the family in the nearby village. Here she stumbles upon potential dynamite – Olivia’s family has a huge secret and if Nicky can get her to talk about it there will be fireworks ahead.

Emma Rowley has woven a clever tale here – there are lots of secrets in this book for Nicky to uncover and once you know what they are you realise you have spotted some secrets too – only you didn’t know it. Nicky’s awkward demeanour and frustrated attempts to do her job won me onto her side and I got frustrated with the cool attitude of Olivia. However something happens which makes you consider Olivia in a new light. Can she trust Nicky to write her story? Will Nicky get to the truth or will she accept what Olivia has told her? How far does a high profile influencer need to go to protect the pictue perfect world ahead has built up for herself?

Nicely paced, clever surprises dropped into the story and some well realised characters made this a fun read.

You Can Trust Me is published by Orion and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07C1ZMHXH/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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September 6

The Thursday Murder Club (Audiobook) – Richard Osman

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?

My thanks to Chloe at Penguin Random House for the opportunity to listen to The Thursday Murder Club audiobook ahead of the publication date.

After a summer of COVID related publication delays this week saw a tsunami of new titles heading our way. Many debut authors will get lost in the flurry but as one of the most familiar faces on our telly boxes I doubt that will apply to Richard Osman. Indeed a quick glance at the Amazon charts shows that The Thursday Murder Club is sitting in the top ten Mystery titles. But here’s the thing – this is a good book and irrespective of how well known the author may be a good story shines through and The Thursday Murder Club definately shines.

I was invited to join the blog tour for the audiobook of The Thursday Murder Club so the past two weeks I have spent my time in the company of Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim and Ron; four residents of a retirement village in once of the nicer areas in Southern England. Much of the story is seen through the eyes of Joyce (as relayed to her diary) however narrative does change viewpoints and we get a good opportunity to view many different events and discussions as the story unfolds. This is extremely helpful as there is a lot going on down in Coopers Chase village where our amatur sleuths reside.

For clarity, the Thursday Murder Club are not a gang of aged killers biding their time to pick off the next victim. Elizabeth is good friends with a former police inspector who now finds herself hospitalized and seemingly receiving end of life care. The police officer and Elizabeth (along with Ron and Ibrahim) would review old case files and try to find clues which the investigating teams may have missed many years before. Their endeavours are keeping their minds active and deep down Elizabeth knows there is little hope of actually catching a killer. At the start of the story we see Joyce (former nurse) being consulted by Elizabeth on the liklihood of a stabbing victim dying within a certain timeframe. Having considered the extent of the wounds – Elizabeth has crime scene photographs for reference – Joyce is able to surmise there was time between stabbing and death for the victim to have received medical assistance which would surely have saved her life. Elizabeth concurred and Joyce appears to have passed the “entry exam” and is invited to join the Thursday Murder Club. Thus Joyce and the reader become members of Elizabeth’s core circle.

Archive files are all well and good but when an actual (brutal) murder takes place and the members of the Thursday Murder Club knew the victim, the old cases are promptly forgotten as there is a killer to be found. Using their combined skills Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce and Ibrahim manage to befriend the local community police officer, get her brought into the team investigating the murder and then work their charms on her boss to facilitate an exhange of information to ensure they are kept up to date on the progress of the police investigation.

If that sounds whimiscal and unlikely then you may well be right but it is fun and that’s what’s really important here. Richard Osman has crafted a light hearted, funny and engaging story. It is cozy crime but with an unexpectedly large death count by the end of the story and there are so many charming, tender and emotive moments in the book that you can find yourself laughing one paragraph only to have a casual throwaway line in the next bringing a tear-prick to your eyes. Joyce’s Jersey Boys story nearly did for me.

The hook in this story is not the murder or even the investigation. It is very much the characters – the four Club members, Donna and Chris the two police officers investigating the murder, the gangsters who knew the victim (he was one of them) and the dozens of supporting characters that come and go as life goes on around the Coopers Chase retirment village. If you enjoy larger than life characters wonderfully realised on page then Richard Osman is your current go-to book of choice…he nails it.

I do need to point out that it took me a while to embrace this story. The narrative style is very conversational and that took me some time to get my head around. Characters have conversations with lots of tangents, drifting off point to discuss the daughter of the person they met and oh she had a new car and her husband is not the nicest chap in town. It is a frighteningly realistic portrayal of group discussions in a retirement home and adds so much more insight into how the characters are thinking but when I was reading I was initially horrified about having to listen to all the ramblings. But the ramblings are sometimes important, they are often emotive or funny and they can lead to some unexpected outcomes. I am more accustomed to dark and edgy crime thrillers so the mental shift to cosy, chatty was needed. I think I was around 90 mins into the audiobook (over 10 hours in length) before I embraced it fully. And I am glad I did.

The all important information you need to know about the audiobook is how does the narration sound? Leading us through this story is Lesley Manville – she was a great choice and made Joyce, Elizabeth and the others really come to life for me. She has, what I consider to be, a posh English accent which I associate with tea with the vicar, the chair of the local WI branch and someone who uses the word “frightful” in every day conversation. Not much like the voices I hear in my neighbourhood on the edge of Glasgow! But it works perfectly for The Thursday Murder Club and that’s the key.

Not my usual listen as I tend not to enjoy the cosy crime stories but The Thursday Murder Club had so much going on and was written with buckets of charm and clever, clever red herrings I could not help but love it. Not too shabby at all – good job Mr Osman!

The Thursday Murder Club is available in hardback, digital and (obviously) audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07S5D5TH7/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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September 3

The Watcher – Kate Medina

If you see him it’s already too late…

‘A brilliant and believable female lead’ Good Housekeeping

Some secrets can’t be hidden.

The Fullers are the picture-perfect family, a wealthy couple with a grand home in the middle of remote woodland. But even they have something to hide – and it will prove fatal.

Some crimes can’t be forgotten.

Psychologist Dr Jessie Flynn and DI Marilyn Simmons arrive at the Fuller’s home to find a suburban nightmare. A crime scene more disturbing than anything they have ever encountered.

Some killers can’t be stopped.

Jessie knows that this is no random act of violence. And if she can’t unlock the motivation behind the crime and shine a light into this killer’s mind, the Fullers won’t be the only family to die…

I recieved a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley. My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join The Watcher Blog Tour

I hadn’t realised The Watcher was part of an ongoing series and that Dr Jessie Flynn had appeared in previous Kate Medina books. It certainly did not stop me enjoying The Watcher and it made me keen to go back and read the books which lead into this one. As a reader there is no better feeling than enjoying a book by a “new” author then learning the author in question actually has an established back catalogue for me to get stuck into.

The good news for new Kate Medina readers (like myself) and committed fans of Jessie Flynn and DI Simmons is that The Watcher is a terrific read which perfectly hit the balance of psychological thriller and strong police procedural. The murders in the book were twisted and nasty which is what I enjoy in crime stories and when I finally realised the driving force which prompted the murders I felt there was a very satisfying build up to the reveal.

I don’t want to encroach into spoiler territory but Jessie is asked to assist DI Simmons (Marilyn) when he is called to a double murder of a successful couple in their luxurious home. The attending police are deeply unsettled by the vicious nature of the attacks and Jessie is asked to share her thoughts on potential motives behind the sadistic attacks. Her initial conclusions are not entirely accurate and before long the killer strikes again to give further confusion to our investigators.

Kate Medina has done a wonderful job in pacing out The Watcher. It read so smoothly and I flew through the chapters as I always felt the story was enticing me to keep reading. There is a steady investigation progression, the threat of danger over some characters looms large and you want to know how that turns out. There is a fascinating side story around Jessie’s boyfriend and a problem he has been experiencing (something returning readers will very much appreciate) and I enjoyed the side story about the kennels – which you need to read to understand!

In brief, The Watcher was a hit with me. I want to read more in the series as I loved the characters. The book is deliciously dark, creepy when it matters and it gave me a fair chance at working out killer and motive (but I didn’t).

The Watcher is published by Harper Collins and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DQ9T6HW/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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August 31

Eight Detectives – Alex Pavesi

All murder mysteries follow a simple set of rules.

Grant McAllister, an author of crime fiction and professor of mathematics, once sat down and worked them all out.

But that was thirty years ago. Now he’s living a life of seclusion on a quiet Mediterranean island – until Julia Hart, a sharp, ambitious editor, knocks on his door. His early work is being republished and together the two of them must revisit those old stories.

An author, hiding from his past, and an editor, probing inside it.

But as she reads the stories, Julia is unsettled to realise that there are parts that don’t make sense. Intricate clues that seem to reference a real murder.

One that’s remained unsolved for thirty years . . .

If Julia wants answers, she must triumph in a battle of wits with a dangerously clever adversary.

But she must tread carefully: she knows there’s a mystery, but she doesn’t yet realise there’s already been a murder . . .

My thanks to publishers, Michael Joseph, for the review copy which I received through Netgalley

Visiting a Mediterranean Island to meet reclusive author Grant McAllister is editor Julia Hart. Julia’s employers want to publish a collection of stories by McAllister which have been out of print and largely ignored for many years but Julia believes there is now a market for these clever tales. McAllister was a professor of mathematics and he devised a formula or a set of rules into which all crime fiction will fit – his collection of stories will be used to demonstrate each of these rules. One story per rule.

Julia and McAllister sit together, Julia reads a story and the pair discuss the rule or classification which that story fulfills. Julia also highlights some inconsistencies in each of the stories (there are always one or two) and challenges McAllister why he allowed them to creep into the text. Some are very subtle and I confess I missed virtually all of them – even when I knew to look out for them as the book progressed.

As a novel, Eight Detectives gives the reader a collection of short stories to enjoy – each a tale of Golden Age crime which are being hailed as Christie-esk in their execution. Indeed one of the stories is very much penned in homage to one of Dame Agatha’s finest novels and this is noted in the book. The stories are all quite different as each needs to conform to one of McAllisters rules and we only know the rule at the end of each tale. This ensures a reader can be surprised at the outcome of each story.

As with any short story collection (which Eight Detectives technically is not) there are some stories which are more enjoyable than others. So I found there were periods of the book where my attention waned. The story of Julia and McAllister between the short stories links the whole book and suggests there is a further untold tale developing; but that is a possible encroachment to spoiler territory and you need to read for yourself to learn about their conversations.

I found Eight Detectives a tricky book to review. I am very much a fan of the concept of the rules which McAllister devised. I liked Julia and though I cannot talk about her analysis of each tale and her ‘error spotting (because spoilers) this was also very well executed by the author. However I am not a great fan of short stories and I wasn’t gripped by some of the tales. To compare my reading experience to a train journey…there were times I was excited by the view, some bits felt comforting and familiar but at the end of the experience I felt a bit flat.

So a quandary – should I review it on the blog? Well as you are reading this…YES. It is a clever, clever premise. I am seeing a lot of love for it from other reviewers and for fans of Golden Age crime and “cozy” crime I would highly recommend it. Is it a page turning thriller? NO. I struggled to see it to the end as it just didn’t hit the mark with me. We can’t love them all.

Eight Detectives is published by Michael Joseph and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081R2MWFG/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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August 17

Ash Mountain – Helen Fitzgerald

Single-mother Fran returns to her sleepy hometown to care for her dying father when a devastating bush fire breaks out. A heartbreaking, nail-biting disaster-noir thriller from the bestselling author of The Cry and Worst Case Scenario.

Fran hates her hometown, and she thought she’d escaped. But her father is ill, and needs care. Her relationship is over, and she hates her dead-end job in the city, anyway.

She returns home to nurse her dying father, her distant teenage daughter in tow for the weekends. There, in the sleepy town of Ash Mountain, childhood memories prick at her fragile self-esteem, she falls in love for the first time, and her demanding dad tests her patience, all in the unbearable heat of an Australian summer. As past friendships and rivalries are renewed, and new ones forged, Fran’s tumultuous home life is the least of her worries, when old crimes rear their heads and a devastating bushfire ravages the town and all of its inhabitants…

Simultaneously a warm, darkly funny portrait of small-town life – and a woman and a land in crisis – and a shocking and truly distressing account of a catastrophic event that changes things forever, Ash Mountain is a heart-breaking slice of domestic noir, and a disturbing disaster thriller that you will never forget…

My thanks to Orenda Books for my review copy and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Ash Mountain tour.

I make this point so frequently…stories set in small towns are the best for tales of secrets and surprises. This is very true for Helen Fitzgerald’s Ash Mountain – a small Australian town where our main protagonist Fran lives. What initially seemed to be a story about living and growing up in a small community evolved with a dark mystery lurking in the background. Oh and a fire. A huge fire.

Fran is caring for her elderly father, a teenage daughter and is boosted by having her son, Dante, around too. Fran became a mother at age 15; as she is in her 40’s now Dante is mid 20s and very popular around town. I got the feeling Fran is less popular than her son and enjoys the fact he is much loved within his community. Fran is charmingly nervous, insecure yet determined and independent – all the complex characteristics people have and they are briliantly utilised by the author who makes Fran one of the most believable characters I have encountered for many months.

Helen Fitzgerald tells Fran’s story in a fascinating chronology. Chapers go from today (the day of the fire), to last week (10 days before the fire) to 25 years ago when Fran was the awkward girl at school desperately trying to fit in. It keeps the narrative punchy and gives a great insight into why Fran acts as she does now, why her pregnancy is relevant to a secret kept for over 20 years and why small down enemies never let go of their childhood niggles. Characters in small towns linger for a long time, some people Fran would rather never meet again – some she feels she cannot do without. This is most acutely reflected in Fran’s father – dying a slow death with Fran caring for him. They are both scared by what the future may hold, neither admit it to each other and their buckle-down approach to getting on with things feels a mask for their impending seperation.

I haven’t mentioned the fire. Well I *have* mentioned it but not explained it. The book opens with a huge forest fire beating a fast path towards town. Everything is fleeing but not Fran, she is bunkered down and worrying if her father got clear, if her daughter was near or if she got away. Most chapters in the book are set in the days leading up to the fire. Some are many years earlier but every now and then we get a real-time chapter of Fran on the day of the fire and we are reminded that all the lives we have been reading about are all in grave peril from relentless flames.

It’s wonderful storytelling. Helen Fitzgerald has a wicked talent for capturing people and making you believe in them, root for them and cry with them. Ash Mountain is a bit of a departure from my regular crime thriller reads but it was a very welcome change. Now available in paperback if you had been hanging off on picking this up – now is the time.

Ash Mountain is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, audiobook and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ash-Mountain-Helen-FitzGerald-ebook/dp/B081S12YDL/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1597610021&refinements=p_27%3AHelen+FitzGerald&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Helen+FitzGerald

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August 8

The Witch House – Ann Rawson

Who can you trust, if you can’t trust yourself?

Alice Hunter, grieving and troubled after a breakdown, stumbles on the body of her friend and trustee, Harry Rook. The police determine he has been ritually murdered and suspicion falls on the vulnerable Alice, who inherited the place known locally as The Witch House from her grandmother, late High Priestess of the local coven. When the investigations turn up more evidence, and it all seems to point to Alice, even she begins to doubt herself.

Can she find the courage to confront the secrets and lies at the heart of her family and community to uncover the truth, prove her sanity, and clear herself of murder?

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

Witchcraft entwined with a murder story in The Witch House by Ann Rawson. The majority of the tale is very much the murder side though and Alice’s association with witchcraft giving more of a theme to the background story – well that and the fact the murder victim appears to have been laid out in a ritualistic position.

The opening scenes set us up nicely for what may follow. Alice lives in a remote location and stumbles upon the corpse of a rabbit. The rabbit has been laid out as if it has been used in a ritual. Chalkmarks depict symbols around its body and a stake has been thrust into the corpse. Alice is upset by her discovery but doesnt want anyone else to see the dead animal so she cleans the sight and throws the corpse off into the distance. Unfortunately for Alice that was just a precursor for what was to follow. She goes to see her friend (and Trustee) Harry Rook only to find he has also been killed. His body is positioned exactly the way the dead rabbit had been. Alice is naturally upset and moves the stake which had impaled Harry when searching for signs of life. Unfotunately for Alice the police take a very dim view of her decision to interfere with a crime scene – particularly when Alice appears to be their prime suspect.

The Witch House has a degree of uncertainty for the reader. Alice reveals to readers that she was sectioned after the death of her grandmother – the two were very close whereas Alice’s relationship with her mother is clearly a challenge for them both. The uncertainty I mention comes from the fact Alice seems to doubt her own memory on a number of ocassions. There are details and events which she has to discuss with the police but she cannot honestly recall some of the things they believe she may have done. This adds an extra layer of intrugue as while reading The Witch House I couldn’t shake the feeling that the information Alice was sharing with the reader may not actually represent the truth.

Despite the murder of Harry Rook, Alice is determined to get on with her life. She knows she is not a killer and before Harry’s body was found she was in the process of signing up to resume her studies. Alice’s grandmother appears to have amassed a healthy collection of rare treasures which Alice and her new professor are discussing and exploring. I found the archaeology elements of Alice’s life to be fascinating and they gave nice moments of respite from the murder scenes and the anxious moment Alice feels when having to deal with her mother or the intense questionning from the police.

I have purposefully not focussed too much on the detail of Alice’s life and the complexities of her mental health concerns while under suspicion of murder. The reading of The Witch House allows much of the information to be drawn out at the best time in the story, knowing too much too soon would detract from the reading enjoyment. Alice’s story is well worth exploring – she is a likeable lead character who you want to be able to trust. But should you?

The Witch House is published by Red Dog Press and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B088S7PD5H/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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August 6

The Lies You Told – Harriet Tyce

Can you tell the truth from the lies?

Sadie loves her daughter and will do anything to keep her safe.

She can’t tell her why they had to leave home so quickly – or why Robin’s father won’t be coming with them to London.

She can’t tell her why she hates being back in her dead mother’s house, with its ivy-covered walls and its poisonous memories.

And she can’t tell her the truth about the school Robin’s set to start at – a school that doesn’t welcome newcomers.
Sadie just wants to get their lives back on track.

But even the lies with the best intentions can have deadly consequences…

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the opportunity to join the blog tour. I received a copy of The Lies You Told from the publisher.

I read crime and horror fiction. I don’t bat an eye at murder scenes, ghostly or monsterous carnage or even at depictions of evil crimes and wrong doings. I know it isn’t real. But I find reading about bullying to be hugely uncomfortable. I get annoyed, anxious and so very frustrated when I read about bullies. So Kudos to Harriet Tyce for dropping a big bundle of angst into my hands with her excellent depictions of loathsome bullies in The Lies You Told. It all seemed so believable that I experienced maximum bully-hating fury at some chapters.

In The Lies You Told we meet Sadie. She and her daughter (Robin) have left America for reasons we don’t immediately know, they have left Sadie’s husband and they are in Sadie’s mum’s old house. A house she hated as a child and it is clear she had no fondness for her late mother either. Robin is to be enrolled at Sadie’s old school which is somewhere Sadie also doesn’t seem to hold too many fond memories of. The reader knows Sadie is putting herself into a situation she is far from happy about but we don’t immediately get to know why Sadie is seeking this fresh start.

The early stages of the book follow Sadie and Robin trying to adjust to their new lifestyle. Neither find it easy. We see their engagements around the school and it left me with questions I needed to have answers to. Why is Robin forced to endure the misery of not being one of The Group? Why are the PTA mums so abhorrant and mean to Sadie? Though I did feel Sadie seemed to have a knack of saying the wrong thing around them…a nervousness of being picked on by the group? These questions kept me reading, I needed to understand what was happening and I was desperate for their respective upset to be resolved.

Away from school Sadie has other issues to contend with. Before leaving for America to have Robin – a decade before the events in The Lies You Told – she was a well regarded lawyer. On her return to the UK Sadie is given the opportunity to work on a high profile case, a teacher accused of grooming one of his pupils. The case should never have been brought Sadie is told by her colleagues. Harriet Tyce worked as a criminal barrister for a number of years and she draws upon that wealth of experience ensuring the the courtroom scenes in this book make for compelling reading.

For the reader we get the courtroom drama, Sadie and Robin’s domestic dramas and the overarching mystery around why the pair left the US to find themselves in this strained and unusual position. More than enough intrigue to keep the pages turning and certainly some fabulously realised characters to keep me emotionally engaged with Sadie’s plight. Blood Orange was a real high point in my 2019 reading, Harriet Tyce has another good ‘un on her hands with The Lies You Told.

The Lies You Told is published by Wildfire and is available in Hardback, audiobook and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07WWSCGVS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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July 30

The Resident – David Jackson

THERE’S A SERIAL KILLER ON THE RUN
AND HE’S HIDING IN YOUR HOUSE

Thomas Brogan is a serial killer. With a trail of bodies in his wake and the police hot on his heels, it seems like Thomas has nowhere left to hide. That is until he breaks into an abandoned house at the end of a terrace on a quiet street. And when he climbs up into the loft, he realises that he can drop down into all the other houses through the shared attic space.

That’s when the real fun begins. Because the one thing that Thomas enjoys even more than killing is playing games with his victims – the lonely old woman, the bickering couple, the tempting young newlyweds. And his new neighbours have more than enough dark secrets to make this game his best one yet…

Do you fear The Resident? Soon you’ll be dying to meet him.

My thanks to Viper Books for my review copy and for the opportunity to join the blog tour.

Thomas Brogan. Serial Killer. Star of The Resident. This is his story, no detective being tormented by an elusive character leaving cryptic clues to taunt the police. No reporter chasing down a story and stumbling across a killer’s legacy. This is Brogan, a dangerous killer who from the opening pages is on the run as his latest murders have been discovered too soon. Brogan is on the run and the police are hot on his tail.

Fortunately for Brogan (and for the story) he eludes capture by hiding in an abandoned house at the end of a row of terraced properties. Seeking a safe place to lie low he makes his way to the attic space and makes a fascinating discovery – he can access all four houses in the terrace by moving along the loft space. Brogan’s first thought – he can find more victims to have fun with.

How do we know Brogan’s thoughts? Well author, David Jackson, shares Brogan’s inner dialogues – he talks to himself (argues frequently). We hear Brogan’s thought process, his internal debates over the next course of action and his common sense telling him what he should and should not consider to be his next move. This works well for driving forward the story. If nobody knows Brogan is in the loft and Brogan doesn’t have his conversations with himself then it would be difficult for the reader to understand why Brogan is acting the way he does because Brogan has a plan and he plans to have some fun while he waits for the coast to clear.

There is nothing of interest in the abandoned house which Brogan used to access the loft space. The other three houses in the terrace offer much more interesting fare. There is the elderly woman who only gets visited by her carer each day. The arguing couple who seem best ignored and the young professional couple in the last house. They have so much potential for Brogan and he plans to mess with their heads before he ends their lives.

Brogan is not a likeable character and his actions when he comes down from the attic space into the houses below re-enforce what a loathsome character he is. He purposefully stirs up disharmony in the young couple’s marriage. He digs into their secrets when they are out and moves items around their house. He steals food from all the houses where he can but soon finds an easier way to get the grub he needs. Being Brogan this involves upsetting another character in the book but this means little to him as the end result works to his advantage.

Following Brogan’s activities had a very real “one more chapter” dilemma, I just didn’t want to take a break from the book. I am very much a fan of serial killer stories and The Resident has a very different feel from the “normal” murder tales because the reader travels with the killer. I powered through The Resident in very short time and was nicely caught out by a few of the unexpected details which arose. It’s different, it zips along at a cracking pace and I loved it. Five star thrills once again from David Jackson.

The Resident is published by Viper and is available in physical and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B083ZL59H9/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: 5* Reviews, Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off