November 17

Bad Memory (Audiobook) – Lisa Gray

Quiet towns keep big secrets.

Private investigator Jessica Shaw is leading a quiet life in a Californian desert community, where she spends her days working low-level cases. But when a former resident asks Jessica to help her sister, Rue Hunter—a convicted murderer whose execution is days away—Jessica can’t resist the offer.

Rue doesn’t remember what happened the night two high school students were killed thirty years ago, but everybody in town is certain she’s guilty. As Jessica looks for answers, she finds that local rumors point one way and evidence points another. And nobody wants to face the truth. Meanwhile, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that someone is stalking her—now more than ever, she knows she can’t trust anyone.

As Jessica digs deeper, she encounters local secrets in unlikely places—including the police department itself. But the clock is ticking, and Jessica must find the truth fast—or Rue’s bad memory may be the death of them both.

 

I bought this audiobook through my Audible subscription. Sometimes I can take an age deciding how to use my monthly credit, however, having recently read the first Jessica Shaw thriller by Lisa Gray (Thin Air) I was keen to hear more of Jessica’s adventures. It was a good purchase decision!

Bad Memory is a story which spans a generation.  Thirty years ago Rue Hunter killed two of her friends at a deserted make-out spot on the edge of town. She was found guilty in court after confessing to the crime and sent to death row to await execution.

That was then – the reader (listener in my case) gets to be with Rue at the time the crime takes place.  We see how she finds the couple, she is a little drunk, she is a little stoned and she has a knife. The reader lives the murder with Rue as she plunges the knife into the back of her victim. There is blood – lots of blood – and Rue’s fate is sealed.

Into the now.  Jessica Shaw is approached by Rue’s sister.  She wants Jessica to help prove Rue is innocent of the crime that everyone thinks she committed and that she herself confessed to committing. Thirty years down the line and with just a few days until Rue is due to face lethal injection Jessica will have her work cut out to discover if there were any missed clues. One thing which may help is that Rue no longer believes she committed the murders but if she is telling the truth now then why did she lie thirty years ago?

Despite the lack of pages in an audiobook – this was a definite page turner.  Bad Memory has that terrific “one more chapter” feeling which just keeps the reader glued to the story.  Lisa Gray achieves this by keeping the story punchy, switching narrative and timeline between the present and the past and a secondary story, which does partly overlap with Jessica’s investigation, was also very engaging. Pacing is perfect as the story zips along and the deadline to Rue’s execution looms ever closer.

Despite this being the second Jessica Shaw story you can easily pick up Bad Memory without reading Thin Air. Jessica’s private life gives the reader a nice distraction from the ongoing investigations. Things are distracting too for Jessica as she has a few issues she needs to address as she contemplates leaving town and settling down elsewhere.

I do need to give a special shout-out to the narrator of Bad Memory: Amy Landon.  She has the perfect voice for this story, very listenable while giving distinctive voice to different . She adopted a pleasant drawl which suited the small-town and seemingly sleepy locations where Bad Memory is set. An audiobook is made or ruined by the talent of the narrator and Amy Landon is a name I shall look out for in future audiobook purchases.

In short – I am calling this an inspired audiobook purchase.  The story had me gripped and kept me entertained throughout. Exactly what I need from a good crime thriller and Bad Memory is a very good crime thriller.

 

Bad Memory 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/B07Q8FD47T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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November 16

The Blood Is Still – Douglas Skelton (Cover Reveal)

I received the best book news this week as I was asked if I could help share the cover reveal for Douglas Skelton’s new Rebecca Connolly thriller: The Blood Is Still.  “Oh Hell Yeah” – I replied.

The timing of this cover reveal is perfect. Last weekend Douglas Skelton featured in an article in The Herald newspaper which highlighted Scottish authors you really should be reading.  The article was written by DCI Daly author, Denzil Meyrick, and included Douglas, Michael J Malone, Theresa Talbot, Alex Kane and Caro Ramsay – all terrific writers and reviews of their books can be found across the five year history of Grab This Book.

So what can we hope for when The Blood Is Still releases? Well here comes the cover blurb then scroll on down for the cover in all its lushness.

 

 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. They see themselves as modern-day Jacobites and have connections to a shadowy group called Black Dawn which has been 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?

 

The Blood is still is published in March 2020 and if you want to ensure you get your copy on launch day then you can pre-order here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Still-Rebecca-Connolly-Thriller/dp/1846975301/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1573901512&refinements=p_27%3ADouglas+Skelton&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Douglas+Skelton

Ready for that cover?

BOOM

I love it. Having grown up just along the road from where the story is set I know this cover captures the spirit of the location wonderfully…cannot wait to read this.

The Blood is Still is the second Rebecca Connolly thriller and catches up with a character first introduced in Thunder Bay.  You can read my thoughts on that here.

The Blood is Still will be published by Polygon on 5 March 2020.

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November 11

Nothing Important Happened Today – Will Carver

Nine suicides
One Cult
No leader

Nine people arrive one night on Chelsea Bridge. They’ve never met. But at the same time, they run, and leap to their deaths. Each of them received a letter in the post that morning, a pre-written suicide note, and a page containing only four words: Nothing important happened today.

That is how they knew they had been chosen to become a part of the People Of Choice: A mysterious suicide cult whose members have no knowledge of one another.

Thirty-two people on that train witness the event. Two of them will be next. By the morning, People Of Choice are appearing around the globe; it becomes a movement. A social media page that has lain dormant for four years suddenly has thousands of followers. The police are under pressure to find a link between the cult members, to locate a leader that does not seem to exist.

How do you stop a cult when nobody knows they are a member?

 

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things tours for the chance to join the blog tour and to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy.

 

Nine suicides. Nine apparent strangers who all congregated on a bridge in London and, as one, stepped off the side.   Each of the nine hanged – they all had had a noose prepared.

It’s a grim premise and a bleak prospect for the nine. We get to know a bit about all their lives before they meet for the first time on that bridge. The reader knows that they are leaving unfinished business behind. One has a dog, two are parents, one is a doctor…it goes on. Worse still (for me) is that they are not even given names but referred to by identifiers, a number and a description such as The Doctor, The Poet, The Lovers. Their identity is stripped away and their lives become irrelevant – what they have done and who they all are is less important than what they will/must do.

Nothing Important Happened Today is one of the darker offerings hitting bookshelves this month and I’d be lying if I said it was an easy read. Will Carver offers some grim insights and viewpoints to keep the tone melancholy, sinister and thoughtful throughout.

The narrative style also needs mention. The reader is taken on a circuitous journey as they read Nothing Important Happened Today. The journey will visit each of the nine (and others), it will discuss their situations in the abstract, in a present tense and with a retrospective look back too. Be prepared to give this your full concentratation – as a skim reader who normall has 4 or 5 books on the go at once this challenged me and I had to slow everything down to ensure I was keeping up with the constant shift in focus.

It is exceedingly tricky to discuss much of the story without spoilers. More so than most other books. It is actually fiendishly clever and I had a great jawdrop moment when the penny finally dropped as to what I was reading. The payoff for your time with this book is very much at the end.

I am not sure how to summarise Nothing Important Happened Today. I struggled with it. I nearly threw in the towel twice but I stuck with it and I was glad I did. Would I recommend it? Yes. But with a caveat…don’t make the mistake I did and pre-judge it halfway through as it is very much the sum of all its parts.

 

 

Nothing Important Happened Today will be published on 14 November by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format.   You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07QX36CM8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

 

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November 5

See Them Run – Marion Todd

In a famous Scottish town, someone is bent on murder – but why?

On the night of a wedding celebration, one guest meets a grisly end when he’s killed in a hit-and-run. A card bearing the number ‘5’ has been placed on the victim’s chest. DI Clare Mackay, who recently moved from Glasgow to join the St Andrews force, leads the investigation. The following night another victim is struck down and a number ‘4’ card is at the scene. Clare and her team realise they’re against the clock to find a killer stalking the streets of the picturesque Scottish town and bent on carrying out three more murders.

To prevent further deaths, the police have to uncover the link between the victims. But those involved have a lot more at stake than first meets the eye. If Clare wants to solve the case she must face her own past and discover the deepest secrets of the victims – and the killer.

 

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the blog tour. I reviewed a pre-ordered purchased copy.

 

I make no secret of the fact I love Scottish crime thrillers and I leapt at the chance of joining the See Them Run blog tour. I am so glad I did and that I didn’t let this book sit too long in my TBR pile!  Marion Todd introduces DI Clare Mackay – a Glasgow cop who has left the big city and headed East to switch coasts to take up a new position in St Andrews.  I got totally caught up in this one and I love when I lose myself to a story.

Now I hold Glasgow very close to my heart (and after visiting their university I turned down the chance to study at St Andrews) so my first thought was “Why would Clare make that move?” But she has a very good reason to relocate as Clare is trying to get a fresh start. The reason for her move is brought out as the story unfolds and Marion Todd builds up Clare’s back story in a steady stream of nicely paced reveals. DI Mackay is one of the more memorable and likeable lead characters I have encountered of late.

I am jumping ahead – you can’t have a good crime thriller without a crime or two to investigate. See Them Run opens at the end of a Scottish wedding.  The band are pulling up the dancers to join in the Orcadian Strip The Willow (a real crowd pleaser) but Andy Robb doesn’t fancy it.  His wife is dragging up a stranger to dance with her so Andy is free to ponder who may have just sent him a flirty text message.  The messages continue and Andy is lured out into the night – as a man with an eye for the ladies this is not an opportunity he can miss.  Sadly his murderer will not miss either and Andy is plowed down by an onrushing car.

DI Mackay is called to investigate – there can be no doubt that Andy is dead but the police cannot work out why a white card with a number 5 written on it is sitting on his body. Before too long there is a second death and a card with number 4.  The connection between the deaths cannot be ignored but there is no obvious connection between the victims.  Clare and her colleagues will have their work cut out and we get to join their investigation as they race against time to try and prevent further deaths.

Marion Todd has written an engrossing and cleverly plotted thriller. I am a big fan of police procedurals and I loved that I got to follow Clare’s investigation without having too much knowledge of who the killer may be or what motivated them. By the time I had reached the endgame I was in a story I could not have anticipated after the first few opening chapters.

Strong start for DI Mackay and I hope to have the chance to pick up her next outing very soon – if it is even half as good as See Them Run then I will be in for a treat.

 

See Them Run is published by Canelo and is available now in digital and paperback format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07X6GLQ3Q/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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November 3

Ghoster – Jason Arnopp

Kate Collins has been ghosted.

She was supposed to be moving in with her new boyfriend Scott, but all she finds after relocating to Brighton is an empty flat. Scott has vanished. His possessions have all disappeared.

Except for his mobile phone.

Kate knows she shouldn’t hack into Scott’s phone. She shouldn’t look at his Tinder, his texts, his social media. But she can’t quite help herself.

That’s when the trouble starts. Strange, whispering phone calls from numbers she doesn’t recognise. Scratch marks on the door that she can’t explain.

And the growing feeling that she’s being watched . . .

 

My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the blog tour and to Orbit for my review copy.

 

Ghoster is the most impressive contemporary horror tale I have read. It also seamlessly blends the traditional themes of a strong horror tale, loss, isolation, obsession, terror and paranoia and drops it into a modern day tale with social media, smart phones and our societies expectations. Clever, chilling stuff.

Kate Collins is looking for her soul mate. On Valentines Day she is browsing Tinder looking for possible matches when one profile picture leaps out at her. This guy has a handsome but vulnerable look and Kate feels an immediate connection.  She clicks on the super-like and waits. And waits. But when she gets a like back it is not from the guy she clicked on. Instead she ends up with a disasterous match which subsequently forces her off social media.

In a bid to purge her obsessive online fascination with her ex-boyfriend’s activities Kate books into a weekend retreat digital detox clinic. Also booked onto this course is Scott, the handsome guy she had Super Liked on Tinder.  He doesn’t recognise her, why would he? But Kate certainly recognised him and over the weekend the pair find themselves drawn together and they seem to click.

Moving forward a few months and Kate is leaving Yorkshire to move to Brighton where she is moving into Scott’s house. She has given up her paramedic’s role in Leeds and making full commitment to their deepening relationship. So imagine her horror in arriving at Scott’s house to find it entirely empty.  No Scott, no furniture and no indication as to where he may have gone.  Scott has totally vanished. Is he Ghosting her?  Is he dead?  Has she been dumped or is she the victim of an elaborate hoax?  Kate’s life is in turmoil and she has no idea where to turn. The only clue she may have is that Scott’s mobile phone is found hidden outside his flat on his balcony.  Can Kate somehow piece together the life Scott was leading while she was still in Leeds?

Narrative swings between the current day as Kate tries to juggle her investigations and her new job in the Brighton paramedic team and then back to six months earlier as we read how Kate and Scott’s relationship grew while they spent time together.

Kate goes through an emotional wringer and she makes some shocking discoveries about the man she thought she knew but seemingly massively misjudged.  Kate needs to know the truth and her quest to uncover Scott’s secrets threaten everything she holds dear. But where is Scott?

I was kept guessing on Ghoster and at times I wasn’t even sure I was reading a horror tale. Well until a ghost appeared that it. Kate’s story was one of loss and personal drama but where does the horror lie?  Everywhere. And at times it is so normal I didn’t even see it for what it was.

This is sublime, clever and chilling writing. Ghoster is a modern horror classic. If you love this genre then you need to read this book.

 

Ghoster is published by Orbit Books  and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06X3V9VSX/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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October 28

Impostor – L J Ross (Audiobook Blog Tour)

I am thrilled to have something rather special to share today. I am hosting the 5th leg of the audiobook blog tour for Impostor – the first book in the new Dr Alexander Gregory series from author LJ Ross.

As it is the audiobook blog tour I have an extract from Impostor for you to listen to…keep reading it is a little further down the page.  Narration duties are in the extremely capable hands of Hugh Dancy, British actor and star of the critically acclaimed NBC series Hannibal. 

Before I get to the audio clip it would be helpful to know what Impostor is about:

There’s a killer inside all of us…

After an elite criminal profiling unit is shut down amidst a storm of scandal and mismanagement, only one person emerges unscathed. Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory has a reputation for being able to step inside the darkest minds to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden there and, soon enough, he finds himself drawn into the murky world of murder investigation.

In the beautiful hills of County Mayo, Ireland, a killer is on the loose. Panic has a stranglehold on its rural community and the Garda are running out of time. Gregory has sworn to follow a quiet life but, when the call comes, can he refuse to help their desperate search for justice?

Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst the spectacular Irish landscape.

===

Sounds terrific and you can also get to hear how good it sounds. Once you have listened to the extract below, I have also got a chance for one lucky reader to win a copy of Impostor on audiobook on release day – 31 October 2019.  All you have to do to enter the competition is like and comment on my review tweet over on Twitter.  I shall pin the review at @grabthisbook to make it easy to find.

Now to the story.

Love it!   If you want to hear more of the story then follow the blog tour from start to finish:

Impostor is published on 31 October and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XYFLBVD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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October 25

Haverscroft – S.A. Harris

 

Kate Keeling leaves all she knows and moves to Haverscroft House in an attempt to salvage her marriage. Little does she realise, Haverscroft’s dark secrets will drive her to question her sanity, her husband and fatally engulf her family unless she can stop the past repeating itself. Can Kate keep her children safe and escape Haverscroft in time, even if it will end her marriage?

Haverscroft is a gripping and chilling dark tale, a modern ghost story that will keep you turning its pages late into the night.

 

 

My thanks to Salt Publishing for my review copy and the chance to  join the blog tour.

 

A halloween blog tour and what could be better than reaing a chiller about a haunted house? Haverscroft is the house in question and Kate Keeling and her family have just moved in. It’s not long before Kate begins to feel unsettled in their new surroundings.

Haverscroft is an old home which had been owned by the same family for many years. Circumstances forced the last surviving family member to sell the property yet the elderly lady who reluctantly parted with the house has been actively deterring families from moving in.  Kate’s husband arranged the purchase as Kate hadn’t been in the best of health. He sheltered her from the warnings and it is only after they move into Haverscroft that Kate begins to realise their home may not be the sanctuary they sought

The author does get the chill factor right. Strange noises, doors which will not stay closed, a loft filled with memories and belongings of a family long gone and a room which nobody can stand to spend any time in.

If the chilling house isn’t enough foe Kate to contend with, her personal life is also going through the wringer. Kate’s husband is a junior member of a successful law firm. He has been asked to work away on a big case and is not around when Kate needs him. Kate is convinced he is having an affair with one of his colleagues and his increasingly erratic behaviour fuels her fears.

As events in Haverscroft start to escalate we see Kate’s mental health start to suffer. Her focus remains keeping her kids safe but she can’t watch them around the clock and the house holds many dangers.

Haverscroft is a cracking read, an atmospheric chiller and compelling family drama. Perfect halloween reading.

 

Haverscroft is published by Salt and is available in digital and paperback. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1784632007/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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October 22

The Snow Killer -Ross Greenwood

‘Fear the north wind. Because no one will hear you scream…’

A family is gunned down in the snow but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing – no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold.

Fifty years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather – each time it snows another person dies.

As an exhausted and grizzled DI Barton and his team scrabble to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the killer is hiding in plain sight. Meanwhile, the murders continue…

 

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

 

The blurb announces that The Snow Killer is the first in a new series – a welcome confirmation as the lead detective, DI Barton, comes across very well and I would absolutely seek out the next titles as they release.

First things first…The Snow Killer. A police procedural but one where the reader gets to see the murderer from the outset.  We know what motivates the killer, what he is thinking and why he has chosen the path he has. We also get to see the police trying to make sense of the murders as they occur (and there are plenty of them).

The Snow Killer is targeting local drug dealers. Not just the street pushers but the two sisters who run Peterborough’s drug network.  Police have not been able to get close to a conviction on the two young women who took over their father’s empire but they know full well who controls the flow of illicit substances in the city. The Snow Killer does too and is on a mission to resolve matters to his own satisfaction.

Protecting potential victims becomes part of the investigative process and Barton and his team will be stretched. The tension and frustration comes through and this feeds well into the urgency Barton feels to identify their killer.

Very importantly for any police procedural is not just the lead character but the supporting cast in the squad room.  This is where I was sold on the The Snow Killer – I loved the good guys. They have character, depth and are fun to read about.  I was happy to leave the murders and the investigations to hear about their private lives too – relatable and engaging characters make for a better reading experience.

A couple of minor niggles around dialogue becoming a bit too formal and forced mid conversation. It just took a little pace out of some scenes. Also I got the impression the author is a big fan of Peterborough, lots of positives about the town were peppered through the story which was a wee bit unexpected.  Minor issues as this was a damned good read and it caught me with the good surprises which were set up very well.

 

The Snow Killer is published on 12 November 2019 and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07XLFWZ7D/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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October 6

Many Rivers to Cross – Peter Robinson

Monday 7 October is the First Monday of the month and readers who can easily get to London will have the chance to hear Peter Robinson join a fabulous panel of authors at

Peter will (I assume) be discussing his latest DCI Banks novel: Many Rivers to Cross

You can see Peter along with Nicci French (both of them) and the terrific Marnie Riches (there’s only one Marnie Riches) if you follow this link: https://www.firstmondaycrime.com/

Want to know a little more about Many Rivers to Cross?  Read on…

Many Rivers to Cross

A skinny young boy is found dead – his body carelessly stuffed into wheelie bin.

Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are called to investigate. Who is the boy, and where did he come from? Was he discarded as rubbish, or left as a warning to someone? He looks Middle Eastern, but no one on the East Side Estate has seen him before.

As the local press seize upon an illegal immigrant angle, and the national media the story of another stabbing, the police are called to investigate a less newsworthy death: a middle-aged heroin addict found dead of an overdose in another estate, scheduled for redevelopment.

Banks finds the threads of each case seem to be connected to the other, and to the dark side of organised crime in Eastvale. Does another thread link to his friend Zelda, who is facing her own dark side?

The truth may be more complex – or much simpler – than it seems . . .

 

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

 

Many Rivers To Cross is the 26th volume in the hugely successful DCI Banks series.  26th!!! I have been reading this series for more years than I can keep track of and it is always a treat to return to characters I feel I know well.

In this outing Banks and his colleagues are investigating the murder of a young boy who has been found stuffed into a bin.  The callous dumping of this child’s body adds further frustration for Banks and team who are struggling to identify their victim.  He appears to be of Middle Eastern origin and, as is pointed out in the story, should be more likely to be noticed in Yorkshire.  Yet despite this the police will struggle to trace him to a family.

Running alongside this investigation is a story about Banks’s friend Zelda.  She is helping authorities identify criminals from old CCTV footage as she has the rare ability (or curse) of never forgetting a face.  Zelda has previously been forced to work as a prostitute and knows more than she would ever want about the abuse of vulnerable children and women by gangs of traffickers and organised criminals.

Zelda arrives at her workplace and is shocked to be met by the police who are investigating the sudden death of her boss in what appears to be an unfortunate household accident. Zelda is not convinced and starts to ask questions – a dangerous path to take as she will potentially put herself into harms way in order to uncover the truth.

In a novel which reflects ongoing social issues and real-life issues it is inevitable that the UK’s political turmoil will also get a few mentions.  The author makes a few pointed comments about the current political travails which are sure to upset readers who take an opposing viewpoint.  I agreed with the comments made and am encouraged that authors are not shirking away and ignoring an issue which has dominated discussion in this country for the last 3 years (and more).

Fans of the series will enjoy this latest Banks adventure. Peter Robinson can tell a good story and keep the readers guessing.  Many Rivers To Cross was slightly slower paced than some of my recent reads but perhaps that reflects my own reading choices.  More Banks will be very welcome, I do love these characters.

 

Many Rivers To Cross is published by Hodder and Stoughton and is available in Hardback, Digital and Audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Many-Rivers-Cross-Peter-Robinson/dp/1444787047/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=peter+robinson&qid=1570312301&sr=8-2

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October 3

One By One – D. W. Gillespie

The Easton family has just moved into their new fixer-upper, a beautiful old house that they bought at a steal, and Alice, the youngest of the family, is excited to explore the strange, new place. Her excitement turns to growing dread as she discovers a picture hidden under the old wallpaper, a child’s drawing of a family just like hers.

Soon after, members of the family begin to disappear, each victim marked on the child’s drawing with a dark black X. It’s up to her to unlock the grim mystery of the house before she becomes the next victim.

 

My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the chance to close out the One By One blog tour.  I received a review copy from publishers, Flame Tree Press – my thanks to them too.

 

October does bring out my craving to read creepy books so huge thanks to Flame Tree Press for the opportunity to read DW Gillespie’s latest release – One By One.  As you will have picked up from the blurb (above) this one sounded a proper chiller…new family move into big old house.  Haunted?  Unusual for sure and the child’s stick drawing of a family and their pet dog (uncovered by 10 year old Alice when she peeled away a strip of wallpaper) has a sinister element rather than the cute cheery image the picture *could* have had.

Alice is the main focus for One By One, indeed it is her story we share for the most part.  Though for reasons which partly fall into the “spoiler” category there are some necessary parts of the story which are told through the eyes of another.

Alice, her parents and her elder brother, Dean, have moved into their new home.  It has very unusual design features, quirky and peculiar interior planning and it really needs a lot of work done. A “fixer-upper” and a bargain…but bargains usually come with a story which Alice’s father seems happy to ignore.  Soon after the family move into the house things begin to change and tempers become frayed.

Alice, as the youngest, is scared by the new house not helped by the “face” she saw at her window on the first night. Her imagination runs wild but as a natural daydreamer her parents are not listening to her worries.  But they cannot ignore the reality of a death in the household and a large black cross painted over the corresponding figure from the child’s drawing of the family.

I don’t want to share too much more detail about events in One By One but for Alice the danger is very real.  Her family are disappearing and more crosses are appearing on the picture – can Alice save herself?

Small cast of characters, isolated location and a child terrified and unsure who to trust. A tense chiller which I zipped through in two fully captivated sittings.

 

One By One is published by Flame Tree Press and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07X3Q89JS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ETV6WWVV5DDU&keywords=one+by+one+dw+gillespie&qid=1570124437&s=digital-text&sprefix=one+by+one+%2Cdigital-text%2C759&sr=1-1

 

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