November 9

Perfect Bones – AJ Waines

Is the killer on the loose…or standing right beside you?

When art student, Aiden Blake, witnesses a gruesome attack on a London towpath, the police need him to identify the assailant without delay. But there’s a problem: refusing to leave his canal boat and traumatised by the shock, Aiden is rendered mute by the horror of the event and can’t speak to anyone.

In a desperate bid to gain vital information before Aiden’s memories fade, The Met call in Clinical Psychologist and trauma expert, Dr Samantha Willerby, giving her only seven days to get a result. When Aiden finally starts to communicate through his art, however, the images he produces are not what anyone expects and before Sam can make sense of them, another murder takes place.

With her professional skills stretched to the limit and the clock ticking, Sam strives to track down a killer who is as clever as she is – someone who always manages to stay one step ahead.

My thanks to Emma at Bloodhound Books for the chance to join the blog tour.

 

It’s the third Samantha Willerby novel from AJ Waines.  Don’t worry there is no need to have read the first two books (though I’d recommend you do as they are great) Perfect Bones can be easily enjoyed as a stand-alone read.

 

Sam Willerby finds her holiday plans are thwarted at the last minute when the police try to engage her assistance. A violent attack on a young woman has left the only witness deeply traumatised and unable to speak. The police need Sam to try and help their witness (Aiden) to recover sufficiently to provide a description of the attacker or share what he saw.

Sam knows that the shock Siren experienced cannot just be brushed off in a day or two, however, she is given just 7 days to work with Siren and try help him to cope with his shock.

Matters are further complicated by the fact Sams younger sister knew both Siren and the attack victim. This places Sam in the midst of a police investigation which touches on her family life. As time is right and Aiden in such a poor mental state Sam takes the unorthodox step of moving into Aiden’s home (a houseboat) to spend more time trying to help him.

Sam’s natural desire to help means she forms a protective bond with Aiden and it is fascinating reading as her treatment and protectiveness progress. Initially asked to help the police we see Sam coming into confrontational situations with officers who are pushing for an investigation result- not caring for the care of their witness.

A separate timeline story (a few weeks prior to the attack) is also running through the book. An intriguing series of episodes where women are isolated and “pounced” on by person or persons unknown. The reader knows bad things are happening..why and what remain a well kept secret.

As with previous AJ Waines books I have read I found Perfect Bones to be a clever and engaging read. I love recurring characters and Sam is a great protagonist with the perfect blend of professional competence, self doubt and a natural inquisitive nature.

Another great read which I strongly recommend.

 

 

Perfect Bones is published by Bloodhound Books and is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Bones-psychological-thriller-Samantha-ebook/dp/B07K33XVJ2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541716500&sr=8-3&keywords=perfect+bones

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October 28

Lost in the Lake – AJ Waines

She came at first for answers…now she’s back for you

Amateur viola player Rosie Chandler is the sole survivor of a crash which sends a group of musicians plunging into a lake. Convinced the accident was deliberate, but unable to recall what happened, she is determined to recover her lost memories and seeks out clinical psychologist, Dr Samantha Willerby.

But Rosie is hiding something…

Sam is immediately drawn to the tragic Rosie and as she helps her piece the fragments together, the police find disturbing new evidence which raises further questions. Why is Rosie so desperate to recover her worthless viola?

When Rosie insists they return to the lake to relive the fatal incident, the truth about Rosie finally emerges. Now Sam is the one seriously out of her depth…

 

My thanks to Emma at Bloodhound Books for the chance to join the blog tour

 

Sam is a clinical psychologist and she has helped patients recover lost memories. It is through this skill that she encounters Rosie – a young woman who has narrowly survived a terrible ordeal and is reaching out to Sam to help her recall the events leading up to the accident which she had been involved in. Rosie hopes that by recovering her memories of the event she may understand what happened to her friends that were in the van she was traveling in. All she can recall is that the van left the road and Rosie managed to get out but her friends do not appear to have been so lucky.

Lost in the Lake begins with Rosie’s near death experience then spins forward to her first encounter with Sam. From the very first meeting of the two women it becomes clear to the reader that Rosie is a deeply troubled person and has experienced more than one terrible ordeal. However, we also get a hint that she is not being entirely honest with Sam and that she is keeping things back.

We also spend time with Sam. Events from Inside the Whispers have cast a bit of a shadow over her current personal situation (nb reading Whispers is not essential as the author deftly provides all the relevant information). Sam appears at a bit of a low ebb, her oldest and dearest friend may soon be moving away and there is a suggestion that Sam is lonely. But she is throwing herself into her work and the chance to assist Rosie is a compelling motivator.

Once the pattern of visits is established we come to see that Rosie is not behaving normally and that her dependency upon Sam is spilling out of control. Sam too is becoming aware that Rosie is becoming too needy for Sam’s attentions and she begins to wonder if she should end Rosie’s sessions.

The relationship between the two becomes a tense and intricate dance. While their conversations are professional and aimed at helping Rosie we also know how each woman is also trying to control the nature and extent of the relationship they have with each other – it is brilliantly conveyed by the author and I was gnawing at my fingernails in horrified frustration.

I cannot share too much detail over how the “dance” unfolds, however, if you are a fan of psychological thrillers and books which ramp up the tension as the characters reveal more and more of their driving forces, then you will not go far wrong with Lost in the Lake.

I read the whole book in two sittings as I had to know how events were going to play out – I was not disappointed. Lost in the Lake is available now and I urge you to read it.

 

Lost in the Lake is published by Bloodhound Books and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Lake-psychological-thriller-Samantha-ebook/dp/B07J59N6G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540726587&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+in+the+lake

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May 9

Don’t You Dare – A.J. Waines

What if your daughter becomes your enemy?

When barmaid, Rachel, discovers her soon-to-be-married daughter, Beth, pinned down by a stranger in the pub cellar, Rachel lashes out in panic and the intruder ends up dead. In desperation, Rachel convinces Beth they should cover up the crime and go ahead with the planned wedding in one month’s time.

Rachel, however, has her own reasons for not involving the police.

Hiding their dreadful secret is harder than they both imagined and as the big day approaches and the lies multiply, Beth becomes a liability. Rachel looks on in dismay at the hen party when, after too many drinks, Beth declares she’s about to make a special announcement. But before Beth can say a word she disappears…

When two people share a chilling secret can both hold their nerve?

 

My thanks to Sarah at Bloodhound Books for my review copy and the chance to join the Blitz

Having previously read a few books by A.J. Waines I picked up Don’t You Dare knowing (without even opening the first page) that I was holding a book with guaranteed thrills and an engaging story. Some quality reading time proved me right.

Rachel is alone in the pub when she spots light coming from a room in the cellar where nobody should be.  She is startled to find her daughter, Beth, cowering under a strange man – Beth is clearly terrified and Rachel rushes to protect her daughter. A scuffle ensues and when it abruptly ends the man lies dead with the mother and daughter standing aghast over his body.

Urgent action is needed and the pair decide they can hide the body and escape detection. Nobody knows they were in the pub at the time the incident occurred and the man was not meant to be there either – if they can keep their cool and plan carefully then they can keep this terrible secret and get on with their lives.

Of course it is never as easy as it sounds and Beth starts to feel the burden of guilt hanging over her.  Rachel is stronger but readers are given some insight into the fact that Rachel may well have experience of keeping secrets – perhaps this was why she was not keen to involve the police from the outset and elected to keep their crime secret?

Don’t You Dare splits narration duties between Rachel and Beth. It gives readers insight into how each woman is coping with the events following their ill-fated evening. The need to keep the secret becomes overwhelming and it is not long before lies and more lies are needed to cover Beth’s increasingly erratic behaviour and to try to throw the police off the track of a missing person investigation.

Tension from first page to last as lies are spun and trust is shattered, I highly recommend Don’t You Dare.

 

Don’t You Dare is published by Bloodhound Books and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-You-Dare-heart-stopping-psychological-ebook/dp/B07CLKBQQ9/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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