Grab This Book – Page 32 – Helping readers find great books they may otherwise miss

Winterkill – Ragnar Jonasson

A blizzard is approaching Siglufjörður, and that can only mean one thing…

When the body of a nineteen-year-old girl is found on the main street of Siglufjörður, Police Inspector Ari Thór battles a violent Icelandic storm in an increasingly dangerous hunt for her killer … The chilling, claustrophobic finale to the international bestselling Dark Iceland series.

Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.

Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he’s separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air.

Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes ‘She was murdered’ again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death…

As the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth … one that will leave no one unscathed.

I bought my copy of Winterkill. My thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the blog tour.

Ari Thor Arason returns and Winterkill gives us a sixth wonderful reason to visit the Northern Iclandic town of Siglufjörður. I have been a huge fan of these clever crime stories, each has been a tightly plotted tale working wonders with a small cast. Ragnar Jonasson has indicated Winterkill will be the final trip to Siglufjörður and the last Ari Thor novel. One can but hope that in the future he listens to the pleas of the readers and gives Ari Thor as many farewell tours as The Rolling Stones have enjoyed.

Winterkill finds Ari Thor promoted to the role of chief investigator. He heads up the police department in Siglufjörður and has responsibility over a younger officer who he is trying to train in the way Ari Thor’s mentor trained him. We will see that the two men have a slightly strained relationship which Ari Thor finds a little unsettling. He has been pondering an offer to “have a word put in” in Reykjavik which would smooth over a move away from Siglufjörður for Ari Thor but he is taking each day as it comes for the moment.

Easter is approaching and Ari Thor has been looking forward to the visit of his girlfriend and their son who are now living in Sweden. A few days of enjoyable family time is put at risk when a teenage girl falls to her death on the main street in the early hours of the morning. Initially it seems to have been a suicide, yet, for those left to mourn, the question of “why” demands an answer.

The mother of the dead girl assures Ari Thor that her daughter had been a quiet girl and they had no secrets. The few friends she had commented on her studious nature and could not explain why she may have chosen to end her life. Yet something doesn’t quite sit right with Ari Thor – the reader is left sharing his thought that everyone he speaks with may be holding something back. Is it imagination or are there secrets to uncover?

A call from an old friend brings Ari Thor to a small nursing home in the town. One of the patients has scrawled “She was murdered” all over his wall…what did the old man see the night the girl fell to her death? Can Ari Thor elicit any useful information from an elderly witness who has trouble focusing on the person in the room?

As we have come to expect from a Ragnar Jonasson book there are clues and half-truths sprinkled through the story for sharp-eyed readers to look out for. The telling of Winterkill is exquisite and the pages simply fall away as you get wrapped up in the story. Jonasson can tell a story which feels deep and enriched and he does it without loading his story with padding. There is a ruthless efficiency in these books which will leave you entertained without feeling the writer is filling time – the long standing comparisons with the pacing and style of Agatha Christie’s books spring to my mind once again.

A Ragnar Jonasson book is always a rewarding experience – Winterkill reaffirmed this.

Winterkill is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BC4D58S/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

December 5

Christmas Shopping 2020 – Buy Books!

As we are still navigating our way through a global pandemic; the opportunity to browse for the ideal book gift for loved ones, friends, family, work colleagues etc will be very limited – that is assuming the shops are even open. So I thought I would pull together a selection of books which I feel would make a great Christmas gift.

As there is an overwhelming amount of choice when it comes to selecting books I had to narrow down the criteria for incusion – otherwise I would still be drafting this at Christmas 2021. The books I have included in my selections are (a) books I have actually read (b) books I have not yet reviewed because 2020 has been demanding in too many ways and (c) books you are unlikely to find in a supermarket – unless your local supermarket are much better than the ones I can access.

CURSE THE DAY – JUDITH O’REILLY

First up I offer a Crime Thriller which offers slick and stylish tech devices, a dogged and determined lead character and his sassy mouthed teen sidekick (the tech wizard). Curse The Day was one of the few books I was able to read and enjoy while lockdown was at its peak. Here’s the blurb:

At a global tech gala hosted at the British Museum, scientist Tobias Hawke is due to unveil an astonishing breakthrough. His AI system appears to have reached consciousness, making Hawke the leading light in his field.

But when terrorists storm the building, they don’t just leave chaos in their wake. They seize Hawke’s masterwork, sparking a chain reaction of explosive events which could end the world as we know it.

Michael North, ex-assassin and spy-for-hire, must find the killers and recover the AI. But he can’t do it alone. Hawke’s wife, Esme, and teenage hacker, Fangfang, have their own reasons to help complete North’s mission – and together they unravel a dark and deadly conspiracy which stretches right to the top of the British elite.

Can North survive long enough to uncover the whole truth? Or is it already too late for humanity?

Curse The Day is a high stakes thriller where Michael North is pitted against a ruthless enemy who will allow nothing to stand in their way. From the gripping opening chapter to the explosive endgame this is a book which will appeal to fans of the Hollywood summer blockbusters. Political interest is high in the cutting edge technology that Tobias Hawke is due to reveal to the world – investors and superpowers are determined to cut themselves a piece of the action. The pace is relentless and the pages are packed with tension – I loved this book and it allowed me some much needed escapism at a time I really needed it.

Judith O’Reilly has crafted a brilliant action adventure which pits underdogs against international spies, covert military groups and there is even an extremely unsettling appearance from an underwater killer which I certainly did not expect but absolutely adored. During the adrenaline filled chase scenes and the narrow escapes from death North has to negotiate there are plenty of wise-cracks and putdowns to be dished out by his colleagues – those touches of humour or deadpan wit were so important to humanise the players and bring some light to their dark and chilling predicament. Highly recommended.

You can order a Hardback copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/curse-the-day/judith-oreilly/9781788548946

If you are not looking to pick up a hardback crime thriller but still like the idea of gifting a gripping story then I have a paperback recommendation too.

THE BLOOD IS STILL – DOUGLAS SKELTON

When the body of a man in eighteenth-century Highland dress is discovered on the site of the Battle of Culloden, journalist Rebecca Connolly takes up the story for the Chronicle.

Meanwhile, a film being made about the ’45 Rebellion has enraged the right-wing group Spirit of the Gael which is connected to a shadowy group called Black Dawn linked to death threats and fake anthrax deliveries to Downing Street and Holyrood. When a second body – this time in the Redcoat uniform of the government army – is found in Inverness, Rebecca finds herself drawn ever deeper into the mystery. Are the murders connected to politics, a local gang war or something else entirely?

There was no chance I was going to get through this list of offerings without including some Scottish crime fiction. Regular visitors will know that I am a huge admirer of Douglas Skelton’s books and each new release is very much anticipated here at Chez Grab.

The Blood is still sees journalist Rebecca Connolly digging for a story after a body is found on the site where the Battle of Culloden was fought. The deceased is dressed in antique Highlander clothing which is causing the police no small amout of confusion. A second body dressed as a Redcoat gives Rebecca further fuel for her story but her paper is facing further cutbacks and unwelcome editorial intervention. Convincing the bean counters that she needs time to investigate these strange deaths will be a challenge she could well do without.

If you are keen to gift a clever and exciting murder story then look no further than The Blood is Still.

The Blood Is Still is published by Polygon and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-blood-is-still/douglas-skelton/9781846975301

THE REACHER GUY – HEATHER MARTIN

Jack Reacher is only the second of Jim Grant’s great fictional characters: the first is Lee Child himself. Heather Martin’s biography tells the story of all three.

Lee Child is the enigmatic powerhouse behind the bestselling Jack Reacher novels. With millions of devoted fans across the globe, and over a hundred million copies of his books sold in more than forty languages, he is that rarity, a writer who is lauded by critics and revered by readers. And yet curiously little has been written about the man himself.

The Reacher Guy is a compelling and authoritative portrait of the artist as a young man, refracted through the life of his fictional avatar, Jack Reacher. Through parallels drawn between Child and his literary creation, it tells the story of how a boy from Birmingham with a ferocious appetite for reading grew up to become a high-flying TV executive, before coming full circle and establishing himself as the strongest brand in publishing.

Heather Martin explores Child’s lifelong fascination with America, and shows how the Reacher novels fed and fuelled this obsession, shedding light on the opaque process of publishing a novel along the way. Drawing on her conversations and correspondence with Child over a number of years, as well as interviews with his friends, teachers and colleagues, she forensically pieces together his life, traversing back through the generations to Northern Ireland and County Durham, and following the trajectory of his extraordinary career via New York and Hollywood until the climactic moment when, in 2020, having written a continuous series of twenty-four books, he finally breaks free of his fictional creation.

Despite my blog being very heavy on the fiction titles I do also read some non-fiction when the subject appeals. As a fan of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books I found the prospect of reading the Lee Child story to be very appealing.

Lee Child has become a name recognised around the world but Child is a creation too and Heather Martin’s new book The Reacher Guy takes a look at the author, his literary creation and the real man behind the books. Wonderful narrative, stories and real life incidents which found their way into recognizable scenes within the Jack Reacher novels this would make a tremendous gift for any Reacher fan.

Child’s writing process is fascinating and Heather Martin made The Reacher Guy captivating reading – something I seldom say about biographies.

The Reacher Guy is published by Little, Brown Group and you can order a copy here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-reacher-guy/heather-martin/9781472134257

DOCTOR WHO: THE MONSTER VAULT – JONATHAN MORRIS, PENNY CS ANDREWS

You’re going to need a bigger sofa…

Doctor Who‘s biggest and most comprehensive monster guide yet, The Monster Vault takes you on the ultimate tour of the Whoniverse, discovering and cataloguing every wonderful and terrifying creature the Doctor has ever encountered.

From the notorious Daleks, to evil Stenza warrior Tzim-Sha and the ancient Thijarians, The Monster Vault features in-depth profiles on each monster, showing the Doctor’s most dangerous enemies in their natural habitat and unveiling their secret histories. You will also discover how monsters were created and designed, behind-the-scenes secrets, unseen details from the original scripts, case studies and rare artwork.

This lavish and visually stunning book provides an unrivalled wealth of information, allowing you to explore the rich history of Doctor Who and expand your knowledge and understanding of characters old and new.

I have been reading Doctor Who fiction for 40 years. I have been reading Doctor Who non-fiction for about 30 years. I got hooked on books about how they made the show, the characters, the companions, the monsters and even the writers and production team. Having taken in the best and the worst of the Doctor Who offerings down the years I am comfortable proclaiming The Monster Vault to be extremely high quality and a cracking addition to the Doctor Who library.

I did have to ask the question: is a book collating information and background on fictional monsters really allowed to be called a non-fiction title? Yes! This book will include all the monsters you recognise from the tv show and will remind you of dozens more which you may well have forgotten about. Detailed without being excessive, colourful and huge fun to read – this would be a beautiful Christmas gift for any Doctor Who fan.

Doctor Who – THe Monster Vault is published by Ebury Press and can be ordered here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/doctor-who-the-monster-vault/jonathan-morris/penny-cs-andrews/9781785945335

A VERY FAHRENHEITY CHRISTMAS

The Final Suggestion breaks my selection rule about books I have acutually read. This offering is included because I think it is a lovely idea and buying this book would support an indy publisher, and that can only be a good thing.

My last choice is Fahrenheit Press’s A VERY FAHRENHEITY CHRISTMAS. It is a slim volume of five carefully selected tales featuring stories from Oscar Wilde, The Brothers Grimm and Arthur Conan Doyle (to name but three). I have not read this book in its current format but I am familiar with the stories. Here is the purchase link to the book so you can judge for yourself https://fahrenheit-press.myshopify.com/collections/latest-releases/products/a-very-fahrenheity-christmas-fahrenheit-press

Numbers are limited so not only are you buying loved stories but you are buying a very rare collected volume of loved stories. What book lover doesn’t enjoy owning a rare book? It is also worth mentioning that Fahrenheit do a cracking line in book merchandising – it is a bit more edgy than their wholesome Christmas book but I got through the last 8 months wearing one of their “Bookish Weirdo” facemasks so there are some practical presents available too!

So there you have it – just a few suggestions, all very different but each is a gem. I have included purchase links to every one of the titles I have suggested. I do hope one of my recommendations would make a welcome gift for someone close to you this Christmas.

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

December 3

The Last Resort – Susi Holliday Q&A

It is an exciting day here at Grab This Book as for the first time in 18 months I have the pleasure of introducing a guest. Today I host the latest leg of the blog tour for The Last Resort – the new creepy, tech, chiller-thriller from Susi Holliday.

I reviewed The Last Resort before the tour kicked off (my review here) so this was the perfect opportunity to try to kick start my brain again and see if I could remember how to ask intelligent, book-related questions. Unfortunately 2020 has mainly been me asking my children “what do you want for dinner?” After deciding Susi would probably not want to chat about turkey dinosaurs or potato waffles I came up with a few questions about heroes, villains and all things technological.

My first question is never a question. Instead I invite you to introduce yourself and take the opportunity to plug your new book: The Last Resort.

Hello, Gordon – thanks for having me on your fabulous blog… again 🙂 I’m Susi Holliday, also known as SJI Holliday, and I write dark psychological thrillers. The latest, The Last Resort, follows the fates of seven strangers as they navigate a small island, lured by the promise of a luxury adventure. It becomes apparent quite early on that there won’t be much luxury, and the promised adventure actually involves them having their shameful secrets projected to the rest of the group.

I reviewed The Last Resort last month when it launched onto the Amazon First Reads programme. In my review I tried to describe the story as “Agatha Christie meets Westworld with some Enid Bylton and Michael Slade”. Not my most elegant description – how do you describe The Last Resort?

I like yours! I’ve been describing it as “Agatha Christie meets Black Mirror” but I love Derek Farrell’s: “The book that Michael Crichton would be writing if he were alive today.” I’ll take that!

Can we focus first on Amelia? I felt the story demanded she was capable and level-headed, particularly when compared to her travelling companions, but she couldn’t be too GI Jane. Could you introduce Amelia and give us a bit of her background? I did wonder if you determined her history before dropping her on the island or did she evolve to cope with what you were throwing at her?

Amelia is meant to be the “good guy” in the story (is she though? You’ll have to read it to find out…) She’s a humanitarian aid worker, and she thinks she’s been invited to the island to assess the infrastructure for the so-called luxury retreat. She’s immediately ill at ease when she meets the other invitees – an influencer, a games designer, a photographer, a journalist, a businesswoman and a nutraceuticals CEO. She’s singled out from the start as being different and she has to work hard to prove herself. She was sketched out a bit upfront as I knew what I wanted her to achieve, but as always, the characters do grow and develop as they interact with the others.

The Last Resort comes with a lot of technology integral to the plot. One key element is the device each of the guests to the island are invited to wear upon their arrival. Could you perhaps outline some of the functions these gadgets can perform?

Then as a further expansion on this. How much of these technological wonders come directly from the Susi Imagination or are the core elements of their devices already out there and you just embellished them up a bit?

Well, they are given a small device about the size of a fitness tracker, and it is clipped over their ear – but then a sharp metal prong pierces the skin and I guess, attaches to their brain! It serves a couple of functions. First, it’s intended to tap into the wearer’s thoughts/feelings/likes/dislikes and help the hosts to determine how to tailor the experience for them – giving them things they want. The Host can also use it to communicate directly with the wearer. All sounds good, right? Except it has another function, where it taps into the wearer’s memories, and at opportune moments through the day’s journey (the whole story unfolds over 24 hours), it projects these memories for the rest of the group to see. This, of course, leads to some shocked reactions from the others. But there are no innocents on this island. That’s the real reason that they are there.

I got the idea for the technology after reading an article in an inflight magazine, where a company in Sweden were using nanotechnology to place chip-like devices into people’s thumbs. The chip would allow you to use your hand as an in-body contactless system, where you could wave your hand over a scanner like you do with your chip and pin card or your smartphone. I thought if that was happening now, it would only be a matter of time before a company started tapping into the wearer’s brain – ostensibly to help in some useful medical way. But of course I decided to twist it around so that the device could only be used for evil purposes. Just as I finalised the edits, I read an article about one of Elon Musk’s companies who are already working in this field. The future is already here, folks!

Joining Amelia on her island adventure is an assortment of largely unpleasant characters. Is it more fun to write about the bad guys in a story? Can you cut loose a little more with the characters the reader is intended to dislike?

Absolutely. I have had a tendency to write unlikable characters from the start of my writing career, because I find them fascinating. Everyone has a dark side – a shadow side – and it’s a lot of fun tapping into that. With this book in particular, it’s kind of all about these unpleasant characters getting their comeuppance. I was inspired by the epic disaster that was Fyre Festival, and all those rich, entitled wannabes paying $12,000 for a luxury festival that ended in them sleeping on wet mattresses in half-erected tents, with processed cheese sandwiches to eat. Yes. Did I mention that I was evil? Haha. Seriously though, yes. I love writing about horrible people.

The 2020 question also needs to be asked. How have you been keeping yourself sane and occupied this year? Personally I lost all my reading mojo between March and the summer and found some bookish comfort reading comic books or escapism through picking up videogames. Were you able to keep focus?

As you know, I have a day job in pharmaceuticals – so that kept me very busy. We were thrown into a position where we had to stop all of the clinical trials, because all healthcare settings were commandeered by virus-related activities. I work from home anyway, but I found myself doing longer hours and suffering more stress, as we had to work on COVID-19 contingency plans to make sure that we could carry on our drug trials as soon as it was possible again. Other than that, I took lots of long walks, and after torturing myself for several weeks, I stopped watching the news. My brain was overloaded. I couldn’t read a thing and struggled to focus on films and boxsets – weirdly, finding comfort in horror, as it made the world as it was/is seem like a walk in the park! I did manage to write a novella that had a deadline during lockdown, but I struggled again after that. I’ve found the whole experience a bit of a mental health rollercoaster to be honest, but now, while we’re in the second wave, I am currently coping a lot better. Reading a lot, writing, planning, and daring to feel a bit hopeful that from spring 2021, things might get a bit better. Ask me again in January when I am completely deprived of sunlight!

You recently Tweeted that your next book had received a thumbs up from your editor – any chance you can share a sneaky clue or two about what we can look forward to in 2021?

Well, seeing as it’s you… It’s called Substitute and it will be out in summer 2021. It poses the question “What if you could prevent the death of a loved one by choosing someone to die in their place?” It’s quite a high-concept idea, and possibly similar to some other recent releases – but I started writing this book in 2014, then put it aside as I wasn’t sure how to make it work. It fits in with The Last Resort in that there is a scientific backdrop to it, a huge moral dilemma, and it’s all wrapped around a domestic noir storyline. I’m editing it now, and I have to say, I’m very excited about this one!

Of all the reading recommendations I see on Social Media every week I think you have matched me with some of the stories I have enjoyed the most. What gems have you read recently which you think we should be picking up?

We have very similar tastes, I think. I’ve recently been raving about The Apparition Phase by Will Maclean, which scared the pants off me. A couple of months ago, it was all about Hunted by Gabriel Bergmoser, possibly the first book I have wanted to read with my eyes shut; and a recent one you might have missed me sharing called Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy – which is one of those books you can’t say much about, but I will just say if you liked Misery, you will love it… oh, and of course, next year’s big book – The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. The ultimate in books that can’t be discussed as any words at all would be a spoiler, but it is just brilliant – please tell me when you’ve read it so we can discuss it! Wait though… also a final shout for Will Dean’s The Last Thing to Burn – which is nerve-shreddingly dark and will be fighting hard against Catriona’s for best book of 2021!

My thanks to Susi for being a fabulous guest and allowing me the opportunity to return to sharing something other than my usual ramblings. Her support is always very much appreciated and now I have the urge to chat with a few more people…watch this space!

The Last Resort is published by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085HCCP4W/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: Blog Tours, Guests | Comments Off

November 29

Out For Blood – Deborah Masson

A young man, the son of an influential businessman, is discovered dead in his central Aberdeen apartment.

Hours later, a teenaged girl with no identification is found hanged in a suspected suicide.

As DI Eve Hunter and her team investigate the two cases, they find themselves in a tug-of-war between privilege and poverty; between the elite and those on the fringes of society.

Then an unexpected breakthrough leads them to the shocking conclusion: that those in power have been at the top for too long – and now, someone is going to desperate lengths to bring them down…

Can they stop someone who is dead set on revenge, no matter the cost?

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join the Out For Blood Tour.

Many years ago I lived and worked in Aberdeen. Just for a couple of years but long enough to form an opinion of the city. Since that time (after reading more than a few books set in Aberdeen) I think Deborah Mason has come closest to capturing the city I recognise. Particularly as Out For Blood highlights the divide between those that have and those that have not.

First up is the murder of a young man. He was the son of a successful businessman, one of the most influential players in the area, and his son had clearly enjoyed the comforts and privilege that came from being part of a successful family. His early death was shocking but DI Eve Hunter finds the reaction of the boy’s father to be rather strange.

Then we see the other side of the social spectrum. A young girl is found hanged, spotted by an elderly golfer in the early hours of the morning. Nobody reports her as missing and she has no identification on her. But her body shows signs of forceful damage which would not be connected to a suicide and there are other suggestions (no spoilers) which indicate a difficult and dangerous lifestyle.

Apologies for being slightly vague at this but I am going to be urging you to read Out For Blood and I don’t want to let too much slip.

Eve Hunter and her colleagues have two very different deaths to investigate but both will present a similar problem – a lack of information. They don’t know anything about the hanged girl, not even how she got to the spot where she took her life. The murdered boy is very well known but nobody seems willing to speak to the police about him. Even his family and closest friends seem to be actively avoiding Eve.

Undeterred Eve and her team will chase down any small clues they can find. Out For Blood is a very good police procedural in this regard and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to read a “proper police story” for the first time in a while.

With a team to command and a boss who has serious reservations about Eve’s temper and her ability to perform her job effectively (again no spoilers) there is a lot of politics for Eve to negotiate too. The chapters are nicely split between the two investigations, as the majority, and time is well spent further developing the backgrounds of the members of Eve’s team. As a reader it makes a story so much more rewarding when I start to engage with the characters – I felt Deborah Masson got this just right.

The two deaths in the story lead to a fascinating resolution in which the strength of friendships are tested and the limits of love will determine how some of the key characters will fare when the police come calling. It’s an extremely engaging read and as I am a bit late to the party on the Eve Hunter books I have now picked up the first book, Hold Your Tongue, to read soon too.

I do love a series with recurring characters and I very much hope Eve Hunter will return very soon. Don’t dawdle on these books (yes, like I did) get Deborah Masson on your bookshelves now.

Out For Blood is published in paperback on 10th December 2020 and is available in digital format now. The audiobook is also available and you can order in the format of your choice here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085RBVZ2L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: Blog Tours, From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

November 24

Sins of the Father – Sharon Bairden

Lucas Findlay thinks he has struck gold when he marries Rebecca, but she married him for one reason only – to destroy him.

TRAUMA RUNS DEEP

When her past comes back to haunt her, Rebecca begins to disconnect from herself and the world around her. As secrets are unearthed, she begins to fear for her sanity… and her life.

TRUTH WILL OUT

With her world unravelling around her, Rebecca clings to her determination to make Lucas pay, whatever the cost.

FORGIVE HIS SINS

But someone must pay for the sins of the father…

My thanks to Meggy at Red Dog Press for my review copy and for the opportunity to join the blog tour for Sins of the Father.

Stand down cozy crime fans this one isn’t for you I am afraid. Sins of the Father is very much a dark and gritty story which tackles (amongst other things) domestic abuse, mental illness, murder and child abuse.

Still with me? Good you should be as Sharon Bairden has delivered a powerful debut which takes an unflinching look at some of societies darker secrets and wrapped a story of betrayal and revenge around them.

The focus of the story is Rebecca. The first quarter of the book introduces the reader to her world and shows how Rebecca had always been a bit different – from a young age she could hear voices in her head who would try to take over from Rebecca and guide her to say or do things which she may not normally have considered. The strongest of these voices was Samantha and Rebecca would often speak directly to her – essentially arguing with herself and allowing the reader to understand Rebecca’s conflicts.

Life isn’t easy for Rebecca, initially living alone with her mum the pair are close and determined to take on the world. Unfortunately for Rebecca her mother makes a new friend and starts to lose interest in her daughter, drink and drugs take over and soon a string of strangers will be at Rebecca’s home looking for time with her mother…and subsequently with Rebecca. The young vulnerable girl becomes too easy prey.

All too late the authorities catch up with what has been happening and Rebecca concludes her childhood in care and foster homes. She is a shell of her former self and seemingly irrevocably damaged.

Yet we spin forward a few years and Rebecca has her demons mainly under control. She is a successful player in Glasgow’s charity sector and has married Lucas, a fellow charity worker. The pair appear happy but behind closed doors this is a badly damaged coupling and there is much more to this marriage than anybody would have thought possible.

But Lucas and Rebecca have bigger problems, even if they don’t know it yet. Someone is watching. Someone who has been waiting for an opportunity to right a wrong and someone who wants revenge. It may be too late for Lucas and Rebecca – is their world about to collapse around them?

Powerful, emotive and dark – this is one hell of a debut.

Sins of the Father will be published by Red Dog Press on 27 November 2020 and will be available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B088HGYLFF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

November 20

Fallen Angels – Gunner Staalesen

Exploring his own dark memories may be the only way to find a killer…

When Bergen PI Varg Veum finds himself at the funeral of a former classmate on a sleet-grey December afternoon, he’s unexpectedly reunited with his old friend Jakob – guitarist of the once-famous 1960s rock band The Harpers – and his estranged wife, Rebecca, Veum’s first love.

Their rekindled friendship is thrown into jeopardy by the discovery of a horrific murder, and Veum is forced to dig deep into his own adolescence and his darkest memories, to find a motive … and a killer.

My thanks to Orenda Books for the review copy I received and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Fallen Angels tour.

Fans of Varg Veum may find they learn more about our hero in Fallen Angels than in any of his other outings. In Fallen Angels Veum is very much looking to the past – his childhood, friends he grew up with and he must come to accept that people will change over time and he may not like the result.

Fallen Angels begins with an ending – at a funeral for an old friend and where one old friend can be found it is not unexpected for a few familiar faces from yester-year also to put in an appearance. Soon Veum is back in the company of people he thought we knew well but it is clear something significant took place in 1975 and along with the immediate impact it had among his friends there is still fallout taking place.

Fallen Angels is set in the mid to late 1980s so the events of 1975 are not too far removed from when the action takes place. Other than a lack of mobile phones it is not immediately obvious Fallen Angels is not set in present day. But it really doesn’t need to be, the story is expertly told and Varg Veum is an imminently enjoyable and complex character who will always keep me engaged.

At the end of the opening quarter of the book we have a murder and a good understanding of Veum’s friends. While it may not have felt relevant at the time the scenes Veum spends catching up with old acquaintances and hearing of the days they spent as a band are seeding important clues as to what may lie ahead. Obviously I totally missed the important ones so when we head into the end game of Fallen Angels there were more than a few dark and unpleasant shocks to be revealed.

Tackling some difficult themes I found Fallen Angels to be thoroughly absorbing. Nostalgia and melancholy moments, regrets for lost opportunities but also an awareness that time doesn’t always heal – anger can grow if left to fester. Veum has to get people he once knew well to open up to him and share stories they wanted to keep secret. Staalesen has written this one superbly – Veum picking his way through half truths and faded memories to then bring everything together with such devastating effect.

Translation duties are handled by Don Bartlett who has done an amazing job with this lyrical prose. I intend the pun on lyrical – Staalesen’s writing is poetic in places and there are many musical references and comparisions through Fallen Angels. Bartlett has captured the musical feel of these poetic interchanges and the story is hugely enriched by it.

What seems to begin as a slow burn novel soon ignites into a cracking crime thriller. Veum is plunged back to his past and sees old friends dying, can he save his childhood chum or is there someone out there lurking and waiting for the opportunity to avenge an incident which took place several years ago?

Another gem from the Orenda collection.

Fallen Angels is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital versions. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B081QZ3NYS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

November 19

Dark Highway – Lisa Gray

An isolated highway in the middle of the desert – the perfect place to hide a secret.

LA-based artist Laurie Simmonds disappeared two months ago, her camper van abandoned on the isolated Twentynine Palms Highway, miles from anything – or anyone. With the police investigation stalled, her parents put all their faith in private investigator Jessica Shaw to find out the truth of what happened.

Jessica and her partner Matt Connor discover that two other women are missing, their disappearances connected to the same highway. When a link emerges between these women and a group of former college friends, Jessica feels certain they’re closing in on their target.

But no sooner do they follow this up than Laurie’s parents get spooked and drop the case. Jessica is blindsided but determined not to give up: three women are missing, and many more may be at risk. She can’t turn her back on them. But the more she pulls at the threads of the truth, the closer she comes to danger. Can she find out who’s behind these crimes before they come for her?

My thanks to the author for arranging for me to receive an early Netgalley review copy.

Dark Highway is the third Jessica Shaw thriller from Lisa Gray. I really hope you haven’t been snoozing on these excellent stories as they are already really high on my annual “most wanted” list. Regular readers may have realised I much prefer reading about recurring characters; I really enjoy following the character evolution as new books are released and Jessica Shaw has already got a cracking back story in place which the author has been able to build on in Dark Highway. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy Dark Highway as a stand alone thriller if you haven’t read the first two books – you most certainly can come into this one with no prior knowledge of Jessica and her previous expolits.

We join the story with a hell of an opening paragraph. Eighteen words and scene guaranteed to keep you reading – no spoilers but I will confirm the presence of a corpse. So straight into the action and a small group with a big problem and there is division in their ranks. Lisa Gray doing exactly what is needed to draw me into her world once again.

Cut to Jessica Shaw and she is hired to find missing artist Laurie Simmonds. She hasn’t been seen for a couple of months and her mother wants her found – even suggesting there is a connection to other missing women. Jessica and her partner, Matt, start digging and it isn’t long before Jessica thinks there may be some truth in the suggestion that there are some common elements to the disappearances she is looking into. However, Laurie’s father is about to pull the plug on Jessica’s case and bring her investigations crashing to a halt.

Laurie will need to convince Matt that they can’t just walk away from these missing women. Matt and Laurie have some history and there is more than a little chemistry between them but their relationship is currently a business one and doing pro-bono work will not pay the bills. A confrontation is brewing and Jessica knows she can’t simply forget about Laurie Simmonds.

Dark Highway is a multi layered story which also takes readers back a few years to follow the story of a single mum, working in a bar near the same highway where Laurie Simmonds was last seen. The steps back in time give readers a brief respite from Jessicas troubles but you know that there is going to be some connection between past and present events. Well there may be but I certainly must confess to being well off the mark as a tried to guess where the story was heading. Dark times lie ahead and the author takes the readers to some grim scenes which sustain the excellent edgy feel of this series.

Although I have not had the opportunity to hear the Dark Highway audiobook yet I did listen to the previous book (Bad Memory) through Audible and I was delighted to see Amy Landon is returning to narrate Dark Highway. Amy did a magnificent job on Bad Memory and I thought her voice captured the tone and feel of the story perfectly – I am quite sure that magnificience will carry over into Dark Highway. Audiobooks are always a more enjoyable experience when the narrator is such a good fit for the story you are listening to.

As I alluded to at the start of my review – I am a huge fan of the Jessica Shaw books. I strongly encourage everyone to read Dark Highway and if you are new to the series you can’t go far wrong if you pick up Thin Air and Bad Memory too.

Dark Highway is published today by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can get your copy right now by clicking through this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087JPTMKC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

November 16

Cry For Mercy – Karen Long

The girl’s eyes were open, her gaze softened with a milky hue. Her perfect skin and halo of blonde hair made her look angelic. It was a brutal contrast to the rope suspending her from the high-vaulted ceiling, and the bruises that had blossomed on her arms. Eleanor reached forward then caught herself. This woman was past saving.

When a beautiful young woman is found murdered in a derelict power station, Detective Inspector Eleanor Raven hurries to the scene. The girl’s body has been ritualistically posed, with cherry-red lipstick painted across her mouth. And when she catches sight of the engagement ring crusted with blood on her delicate finger, Eleanor pushes back on the grief it provokes. Lydia Greystein had so much to live for. The only way Eleanor can help now is to find the killer responsible, and she and her team immediately set to work.

As Eleanor and the team work together to unpick the killer’s motivations, another woman is found, bound and posed in the same ceremonial stance. Suddenly, Eleanor’s case becomes more twisted and urgent than ever. Just when they think they’ve hit a dead end, Eleanor finds a link between the victims and a cold case—an unsolved death with a connection to her own hidden life outside work. To follow the clues now risks bringing her secrets into the open.

But as Eleanor begins to understand the killer, he starts to understand her too.

Eleanor must solve this case before more women are taken. Could the secrets she keeps from those closest to her be the final clue to break open this case… or will they ultimately cost Eleanor her life?

My thanks to the publishers Bookouture for my review copy, recieved through Netgalley

Cry For Mercy was originally published under the title The Safe Word. Although I had not read The Safe Word I have read the two books which followed so I had some knowledge of Eleanor Raven’s world before starting Cry For Mercy. This previous reading wasn’t really a spoiler – more an advert for Cry For Mercy as I knew before I started reading that I was in for a treat. Karen Long delivers tension packed thrills with the dark edge that I love in my books.

Cry For Mercy opens in a way you just wouldn’t expect – Karen Long revealing more about Raven than readers may have expected but it lets you understand how she is driven, prepared, cautious and (on some things) secretive. It also prepares readers for one of the background threads of the story…fulfilment of desires.

Raven is one of the best detectives in her division but she has just lost her long-standing partner who has been sidelined by health issues. We enter Raven’s world as a murder victim has been found in an abandoned building – strung up and wrapped in plastic sheeting. A grisly murder scene and one which does not seem to give the cops much to work on.

Raven gets to work the case but she is saddled with a new partner, one that is keen to learn but knows Raven will be a tough taskmaster. He also brings some baggage in the form of an unruly dog which has been dumped on him at short notice by his ex as she swans off on vacation with her new beau. The dog (Monster) brings some of the lighter moments in the story – always welcome in the darker takes – and he is a joyous addition to the cast.

Poor Raven; saddled with a rookie partner, his bombshell dog and coping with the absence of her trusted friend and colleague. On top of this chaotic mix is a brilliantly plotted murder story with a killer who has a plan they want to play out. His victims will be carefully selected and the reader can see him closing in on his prey. Tensions mount further when he realises that Raven is aware of his “work” and steps must be taken to ensure his plans can reach their climax. For Raven this will have more severe implications than she could have anticipated.

Cry For Mercy is a brilliant murder story but definitely not one for readers who favour a cozy crime read. This is the fantastic first book in the Eleanor Raven series and you need to get reading it immediately.

Cry For Mercy is published by Bookouture and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08HZ7NP8H/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

November 12

One By One – Ruth Ware

Snow is falling in the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine, as the shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold.

The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask – would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?

My thanks to Graeme at Vintage for my review copy and the opportunity to join the Ruth Ware Readers Party

Ever had a book hangover? It’s the grumbly sensation which arises when you put down a stonewall banger of a read and turn to your TBR pile with a feeling of dispair for the next book you choose to read (as you know whatever you pick will just not be as good as the story you just finished). I mention this because One By One has given me a major book hangover and I have no idea what to read next.

The remote alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine has two staff members on site to cook for and to look after the guests – Erin and Danny. Erin is the host/cleaner and co-ordinator and Danny is the excellent chef who can prepare the fine food for the chalet residents as they come off the slopes at the end of a day’s skiing.

Erin and Danny are to be joined by the shareholders and staff of music tech firm Snoop. Snoop operate an App which lets you snoop on the music library of other users. If Ed Sheerin is online and listening to music then Snoop users can listen along with Ed to share the experience. The app has been phenomonaly successful but Erin realises that the Snoop representatives are at Saint Antoine to discuss the future of the company – the company are at a critical stage and the decisions they make during their stay will determine the future of the firm. From what Erin can tell there are two factions and a vote on a corporate buy-out will need to be taken by the shareholders…tensions are high amongst the ten Snoop representatives.

Each of Ruth Ware’s previous books have been wonderful at scene setting and the development of the principle characters and One By One is no different. We feel surrounded by the snowy peaks, chilled at the idea of stepping outside and, through Erin, we get a feel for the young friends and colleagues who make up Snoop. The founder Topher and his former partner Eva (the principle shareholders and the heads of the two differnet factions for the future path of the firm). Their tech nerd is there, the legal brain, PA’s and support colleagues – all one dynamic wee team with the confidence, charisma and the arrogance of youthful success. Except there is one of their number that doesn’t fit in. Liz. She is shy, reserved and awkward. When the Snoop staff make plans they forget to include Liz. Erin can’t figure out how Liz came to be involved with Snoop and why she has been invited along to Saint Antoine. The awkwardness around Liz only compunds the problems Erin has to deal with while keeping the high manintenance guests pacified and helping cool tempers when opinions on the buy-out differ.

After a morning board meeting the guests head to the ski slopes to take a collective break and enjoy some of the challenges offered on the various ski slopes. However the day is going to end with a shock as one of the party gets sepearated from the group and doesn’t return to the chalet. Panic and confusion split the group furhter – conditions outside are worsening and the friends cannot go looking for their missing colleage. As they hunker down and contemplate what happens next it becomes obvious the shareholder power has shifted and when the remaining shareholders realise how positions have changed they begin to wonder if someone has taken matters into their own hands. Would someone resort to murder to ensure they get their own way?

Conditions worsen, tempers fray further and worry increases when a second death occurs. Can Erin and Danny keep their calm and keep their guests safe or is there a killer in their midst?

One By One is a wonderfully tense mystery story. The remote location and the blizzard conditions outside the cabin gives the book the feel of a locked-room murder mystery. Erin is our principle narrator and she guides us through most of the incidents as they occur, her anxiety and suspicions drive the whole book and it works perfectly. I didn’t want to break from reading as it all seemed to be unfolding in real time and I felt I had to keep going.

When a book is as gripping as One By One you know you have invested your reading time wisely. Ruth Ware consistently delivers high level thrillers and One By One only confirms her standing as a writer on the top of her game.

One By One is published today by Vintage and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084GKMG9L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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

November 5

The Decagon House Murders – Yukito Ayatsuji

The members of a university mystery club decide to visit an island which was the site of a grisly, unsolved multiple murder the year before. They’re looking forward to investigating the crime, putting their passion for solving mysteries to practical use, but before long there is a fresh murder, and soon the club-members realise they are being picked off one-by-one. The remaining amateur sleuths will have to use all of their murder-mystery expertise to find the killer before they end up dead too.

This is a playful, loving and fiendishly plotted homage to the best of golden age crime. It will delight any mystery fan looking to put their little grey cells to use.

I received a review copy from the publishers through Netgalley.

Yukito Ayatsuji is taking one of the most famous murder mystery stories and putting a new spin on events. A group of friends – students at a university mystery club – are all planning on spending a few days staying on a small island. The island has a dark past as the previous year the couple that lived on the island, and members of their staff, were murdered. One employee remains missing to this day and it is generally accepted that he was the killer and has fled to freedom.

One of the students knows the new owner of the island and manages to negotiate for the members of the mystery club to stay for a few days in the intriguingly named Decagon House – a smaller building away from the main residence where the murders occurred. Pleasingly for map fans there is a map of Decagon House inside the book and you can see it is a 10 sided building with a room on each of the walls. The rooms taken by each of the students is shown on the map and if you are playing amatur sleuth it is a helpful guide when you try to work out who may have been close to any given room at any time. Handy when the murders begin.

Murders? Yes indeed. I said this was a new spin on a famous murder story – take a collective of people, pop them on an island and let the murders commence. It is Yukito Ayatsuji’s take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and it is a fun read. First the students…fewer than the 10 guests that Christie had on her island and because they are all members of the same club they know each other before proceeding begin. Each of the students has their club name – the surname of a famous mystery writer, Christie (nod), Poe etc. Slightly different from the original source material is that there are several scenes which also take place off the island. An independent investigator is asking questions and conducting his own review of the murders on the island the previous year.

The narrative is split – students on the island being picked off one by one with a variety of causes of death. The mainland where the truth about the murders the previous year is slowly being discovered. Will the two plot threads come together? Well possibly. Will they come together while all the students are still alive? Certainly not – the body count is high.

The Decagon House Murders was my first expereince of a Japanese murder story. There are some distintive language styles in Japanese to English so I read with more care than usual but the translator has done a terrific job and there was never any point where I wasn’t getting a great story. I am aluding to the naming style of family name before forename which was explained before the story began and it does help to understand this as characters are introduced.

I consider And Then There Were None to be the best of the Christie collection and I enjoyed this spin on the original. Look out for this when it is published next month I really enjoyed the time I spent with this one.

The Decagon House Murders will be published on 3 December 2020 by Pushkin Vertigo. It will be available in paperback and digital format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Decagon-House-Murders-Yukito-Ayatsuji/dp/1782276343/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&qid=1604509887&refinements=p_27%3AYukito+Ayatsuji&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Yukito+Ayatsuji

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off