Too Far by Jason Starr Cover Reveal @noexitpress @JasonStarrBooks

I’m delighted to be able to share the cover for a rather exciting sounding new thriller by Jason Starr on my blog with you this evening. Too Far is being published by No Exit Press on the 22nd November 2018 but before I reveal the cover, here’s what the book is about.

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One night. One date. What have you got to lose?

Jack Harper isn’t a bad man, but he’s stuck in a loveless marriage with a mediocre job just trying to keep sober. The only good thing in his life is his son. When an old college friend introduces him to a new extramarital dating website, he tentatively reaches out to find a distraction from his misery. But when he goes to meet up with his steamy online date, he quickly realises it was a dire choice.

Soon, Jack finds himself desperately trying to prove his innocence for crimes he did not commit, and the life he once had – unhappy as it was – is nothing but a dream. Now, he’s living his worst nightmare. . .

 

Doesn’t it sound intriguing? So without any further ado, here is the cover for Too Far.

 

If you would like to pre-order the book you can do so by clicking the link below.

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Playing With Death by Simon Scarrow and Lee Francis blog tour @SimonScarrow @_LeeFranics @headlinepg

Source: Review Copy

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A UNEXPLAINED DEATH

The discovery of a horribly mutilated corpse launches FBI Agent Rose Blake into a puzzling investigation. The victim was alone at home with no signs of forced entry. Who – or what – burnt him to death?

THE GAME BEGINS

Strips of rubber melted to the body emerge as evidence that the victim was wearing The Skin, an innovation that takes users deep into the virtual world.

ESCAPE OR DIE…

When a body with identical wounds is discovered, Rose realises that in the darkest corners of the Dark Web, a brutal killer is playing a deadly game. A game with no rules – and no mercy. To stop it, Rose must play too…

MY THOUGHTS

Playing With Death is a very different serial killer thriller. The novel opens with a bang.  FBI Agent Rose Blake is undercover as she tries to nail the suspect that has been in the sights of the FBI for the murders of several young women, the scene is set straight away. It is devastating for Rose and her team when he slips the net and they are back to square one. Rose soon begins to realise that the killer is seeking revenge on her and this is where the tension really builds. I was hooked from the opening pages and I flew through it. It is very well written and the writing draws you in without effort.

What I loved about this book was that it felt very fresh. It is always hard, I think, to really stand out in this genre but the authors have managed to do just that with this book and they explore some interesting ideas and themes. Although the technology that is used in the plot doesn’t exist, it didn’t feel far-fetched at all and it doesn’t feel very far off in the future. That in itself is quite a scary thought.

What Simon and Lee explore here is the damaging effect that technology can have on the human race. This is particularly the case on young people and also on our ability to connect with the outside world and distinguish what is real and what is a simulation. They make very poignant remarks about education levels dropping as we become more wrapped up in the online world. It is a scary thought but I think it will, unfortunately become a reality. Is it something that we should cut back on? This is another topic also explored in the book and I think I personally would agree.

Because of the technology that Simon Scarrow and Lee Francis have created, the investigation takes a different turn and the FBI have to adapt and explore new techniques. It is a book that does blend with science fiction and it was these parts of the novel that I found interesting and exciting as we are outside the realms of possibility. The serial killer is always lingering in the background of the book, you’re never quite sure if the recent crimes being committed are his work or if they are the work of someone else.

This was a very clever thriller and it is certainly a page turner that will keep you reading well into the night. It will also make you wary as to what is to come in the future. Playing With Death is thought-provoking and gripping. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and to the publisher who provided me with a copy of the book to review.

Publisher: Headline

Publication date: 26th July 2018

Print length: 464 pages

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Hunter’s Chase by Val Penny blog tour @valeriepenny @rararesources spotlight post

I’m delighted to be bringing you a spotlight post today for Hunter’s Chase by Val Penny as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part. I think this book sounds really intriguing and I will certainly be checking it out.

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Hunter by name – Hunter by nature: DI Hunter Wilson will not rest until Edinburgh is safe.

Detective Inspector Hunter Wilson knows there is a new supply of cocaine flooding his city, and he needs to find the source, but his attention is transferred to murder when a corpse is discovered in the grounds of a golf course.

Shortly after the post-mortem, Hunter witnesses a second murder, but that is not the end of the slaughter. With a young woman’s life also hanging in the balance, the last thing Hunter needs is a new man on his team: Detective Constable Tim Myerscough, the son of his nemesis, the former Chief Constable Sir Peter Myerscough.

Hunter’s perseverance and patience are put to the test time after time in this first novel in The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries series.

If you would like to purchase Hunter’s Chase you can do so by clicking the link below and please do check out the other stops on the tour.

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11 Missed Calls by Elisabeth Carpenter blog tour @LibbyCPT @AvonBooksUK

Source: Review Copy

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Here are two things I know about my mother:
1. She had dark hair, like mine. 
2. She wasn’t very happy at the end.

Anna has always believed that her mother, Debbie, died 30 years ago on the night she disappeared.

But when her father gets a strange note, she realises that she’s never been told the full story of what happened that night on the cliff.

Confused and upset, Anna turns to her husband Jack – but when she finds a love letter from another woman in his wallet, she realises there’s no-one left to help her, least of all her family.

And then a body is found…

MY THOUGHTS

11 Missed Calls is Elisabeth Carpenter’s second psychological thriller and once more she has written a twisty, family centred drama and there are plenty of secrets and surprising reveals. Her writing still has that same addictive quality and she keeps the intrigue going. Elisabeth is a writer who develops her characters really well so that you are pulled into their lives and you want to find out more about them.

Anna was told that her mother, Debbie died when she went missing thirty years ago but she has never understood the full story. So when her family starts to receive cryptic messages, supposedly from Debbie, it’s too much for Anna to hope that her mother could be alive. Enlisting the help of a private investigator she tries to search for answers behind her mother’s disappearance and soon she begins to uncover a web of lies and relationships within her own family may soon begin to crumble. What really happened to her mother all those years ago?

I was interested in the plot from the first page. Debbie was a character who fascinated me and I wanted to get to the bottom of her disappearance and the end of the first chapter pushed me on to read the next. The story is told over dual timelines, in 1986 and in the present day. Elisabeth also explores the effect of post-natal depression and this is done well and it is very effective. At times I did find some of the scenes heart wrenching.

I did feel that her latest novel was certainly more character driven. We can clearly see the effects that Debbie’s disappearance has had on her family, especially on her daughter Anna and we can see her desperation in her need to find out what had happened. It is definitely an intriguing mystery and as Anna began to uncover more facts about the case I became more invested in the lives of the members of her family and in the disappearance. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for Elisabeth’s next book. Thank you to Sabah Khan at Avon Books for inviting me to take part in the tour and for sending me a copy of the book to review.

Publisher: Avon

Publication date: 26th July 2018

Print length: 384 pages

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Death Rope by Leigh Russell blog tour @LeighRussell @noexitpress #GS11

Source: Review Copy

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Mark Abbott is dead. His sister refuses to believe it was suicide, but only Detective Sergeant Geraldine Steel will listen.

When other members of Mark’s family disappear, Geraldine’s suspicions are confirmed.

Taking a risk, Geraldine finds herself confronted by an adversary deadlier than any she has faced before… Her boss Ian is close, but will he arrive in time to save her, or is this the end for Geraldine Steel?

MY THOUGHTS

Leigh Russell is back with a new, complex case for Geraldine Steel to solve in her latest novel Death Rope. We’re taken into the heart of a family crisis and Geraldine must unpick the damaged relationships and expose a killer.

Charlotte Abbott returns home to find that her husband has committed suicide and his body suspended in the air in their hallway, hanging from the banister. The police have no reason to suspect that foul play has been committed until his sister, Amanda asks Geraldine for her help as she believes that there is no way her brother committed suicide. As Geraldine begins to quietly investigate the case, more suspicious deaths begin to occur, and the victims all appear to know each other. Are Amanda’s instincts right and is there more to this case than meets the eye?

This case was tricky for Geraldine right from the start. She faces opposition from the police for wasting police resources on a cut and dry case and from the victim’s own family. The family at the heart of this mystery are an unusual group of people and there is more than one suspect who could have a strong motive. Leigh leaves plenty of room for guesswork and I was always questioning the reasons why the victims had ended up dead.

There is some excellent characterization in Death Rope and I thought this was the case particularly with Eddy. Leigh explores some very tense moments with him which I thought were executed to perfection. Although he wasn’t a very pleasant character I did feel for him and I wanted things to start going right for him for a change.

Reading the final chapters of this book was a very chilling experience, you won’t want to look away until you have turned the final page.

The Geraldine Steel books have now become one of my must-read crime series. This is the second book in the series I have read and both times the plot has left me feeling very satisfied and eager to catch up with the previous books which I am hoping to get round to reading very soon. This comes recommended from me. Thank you to Katherine Sunderland at No Exit Press for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for providing me with a copy of the book to read.

Publisher: No Exit Press

Publication date: 26th July 2018

Print length: 320 pages

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THEAKSTON CRIME FESTIVAL 2018

Last week I traveled to Harrogate on Thursday, 19th July 2018 to attend the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival for the first time. I’ve been toying with the idea of going to the festival for a couple of years, so last year I finally plucked up the courage and booked myself a ticket, and I’m so glad I did. I’d already previously attended CrimeFest back in May, but they are both very different to each other. I arrived feeling slightly nervous but once I got into the stride of things and met up with a few friends, I began to really enjoy myself. I’ve already booked for next year and I will be urging myself to be braver and speak to more people and I think I’ll definitely be making a trip to Betty’s tea rooms.

Shortly after arriving I attended Noir at the Bar and met up with Jen Lucas from Jen Med’s Book Reviews, Abigail Osborne, Mandie Griffiths and Mary Picken from Live And Deadly. I also finally got to meet Diane Jeffrey who’s books Those Who Lie and He Will Find You I really enjoyed reading.

                  

Danielle Ramsey reading from The Last Cut   Howard Linskey reading from The Chosen Ones

            

Louise Mangos reading from Strangers On A Bridge   Jackie Baldwin reading from Perfect Dead

Roz Watkins reading from The Devil’s Dice

I’m rubbish at taking photos anywhere I go so these are some of the very few I took. After a quick walk back to The Old Swan we went to see the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers in action; a rock band which consists of Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyer, Mark Billingham, Luca Veste, Stuart Neville and Doug Johnstone. They’re absolutely brilliant so if you ever get the chance to see them, I would recommend going along.

The majority of the festival was spent mingling on the green outside The Old Swan but I did walk into Harrogate a couple of times and I will definitely be taking a trip to Betty’s tea rooms next year. I only went to see two panels over the weekend, Val McDermid’s New Blood Panel which featured: Will Dean, Dervla McTiernan, C J Tudor and Stuart Turton. I also attended a talk with Val McDermid and Sue Black where they discussed Sue’s latest novel, All That Remains. The subject line was a little heavy at times but the talk was absolutely fascinating. If you ever get the chance to hear Sue speak about her career do go along.

Of course I arrived home with a stack of books to read, including a sampler of Angela Clarke’s next novel On My Life, which I managed to get signed.

Over the weekend it was great to catch up with Sam Carrington, Libby Carpenter, Karen Sullivan, Fiona Cummins, Felicia Yap, Chris Whitaker, Amer Anwar, Rachel Emms, Liz Barnsley, Vicki Goldman, Joy Kluver, Jen Lucas, Mandie Griffiths and Tracey Fenton. I also met some new people too for the first time including, Kate Maloney, Noelle Holten, Claire Knight, Sarah Hardy, Susan Hampson, Amanda Robson, Amanda Reynolds, Kim Nash, Emma Welton and Rod Reynolds.

It was definitely a full on weekend. If you’re thinking of booking for next year, I highly recommend you do so. I can’t wait to return in 2019.

 

Death in Dulwich by Alice Castle blog tour @DDsDiary @rararesources

Source: Review Copy

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Thirty-something single mum Beth Haldane is forced to become Dulwich’s answer to Miss Marple when she stumbles over a murder victim on her first day at work.

To clear her name, Beth is plunged into a cozy mystery that’s a contemporary twist on Golden Age crime classics. But can she pull it off? She already has a bouncy young son, haughty cat, a fringe with a mind of its own and lots of bills to pay, as she struggles to keep up with the yummy mummies of SE21.

Join Beth in #1 of the London Murder Mystery series, as she discovers the nastiest secrets can lurk in the nicest places.

MY THOUGHTS

Death in Dulwich was a gem of a book. I haven’t read many cosy crime novels, which is the genre this book falls into the category of, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I became wrapped up in the mystery within the pages.

We meet Beth who has just taken on a new role at a very prestigious school in her local area, many of its students go on to attend top universities and so places at the school are highly sought after. Beth is charged with looking after the archive office but her day doesn’t get off to a very good start when she finds the body of her boss, Dr Alan Jenkins, round by the bins. You can imagine how this must look, Beth has just started there that day, and the school has never experienced anything like it. So Beth sets out to try and clear her name from the pathway of suspicion and find out who murdered her boss.

Death in Dulwich has a very Agatha Christie feel to it. You get the sense that the staff at the school are all under suspicion and I enjoyed trying to work out if it was any of them who committed the crime and what the possible motives could be. There are plenty of red herrings along the way as the author encourages you to look in a different direction. Alice captures Beth’s worry and fear well in her writing; this is when she fears that she might be implicated in the crime.

We do also get to know the police officer investigating the case, but it was Beth’s own investigation into the murder that intrigued me. As she became more involved in the mystery, I was worried that she was going to put herself in a more difficult situation and that her activities would be highlighted by the police officer in charge of the case. But I did also wonder, as she was a member of staff and not a police office, if she would uncover more facts than them and possibly get to the truth first. You shall have to read the book to find out yourself if Beth manages to crack the case.

This was a book that really surprised me. I thought that Alice’s writing was utterly immersive and I was absorbed by the plot and the lives of her characters until the final page. They all keep you guessing as you look for clues in the plot. This definitely comes recommended from me, particularly for fans of cosy crime. Thank you to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and for providing me with a copy of the book to read.

Publisher: Crooked Cat Books

Publication date: 6th September 2017

Print length: 219 pages

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Some They Lie by Marissa Farrar @MarissaFarrar @damppebbles #GiveawayBlogTour

I’m delighted to be taking part in a rather different blog tour for Some They Lie by MK Farrar and as part of the blog tour I have a £5.00 Amazon gift card voucher which Marissa is very kindly giving away. All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me the title of your favourite psychological thriller. The competition will end on Thursday, 26th July 2018 at midnight and one winner will be drawn at random. Good luck!

ABOUT THE BOOK 

Everybody hides the monster inside…

When Olivia Midhurst meets Michael, she doesn’t fool herself that he’s the perfect guy. No one is perfect—she knows that better than most. Everyone has their secrets, their skeletons in the closet.

But something about Michael’s behaviour sets alarm bells ringing, and, when people around her start to go missing, and then turn up dead, she’s forced to act.

Knowing the police will never believe what she’s witnessed, and terrified her accusations will only drag up the past she’s worked so hard to bury, Olivia has no choice but to take things into her own hands…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M.K. Farrar is the pen name for a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty novels. ‘Some They Lie’ is her first psychological thriller, but won’t be her last. When she’s not writing, M.K. is rescuing animals from far off places, binge watching shows on Netflix, or reading. She lives in the English countryside with her husband, three daughters, and menagerie of pets.

You can purchase a copy of the book by clicking the link below:

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Thank you to Emma Welton at Damppebbles blog tours for inviting me to take part in the tour.

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One Little Lie by Sam Carrington blog tour @sam_carrington1 @AvonBooksUK

Source: Netgalley

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‘My name is Alice. And my son is a murderer.’

Deborah’s son was killed four years ago. Alice’s son is in prison for committing that crime.

Deborah would give anything to have her boy back, and Alice would do anything to right her son’s wrongs.

Driven by guilt and the need for redemption, Alice has started a support group for parents with troubled children. But as the network begins to grow, she soon finds out just how easy it is for one little lie to spiral out of control…

They call it mother’s intuition, but can you ever really know your own child?

A twisty and unnerving story about the price of motherhood and the unthinkable things we do to protect our children. Perfect for fans of Cara Hunter and Laura Marshall.

MY THOUGHTS

One Little Lie is Sam Carrington’s second novel to feature psychologist Connie Summers. In my opinion I think this is Sam’s best novel yet. Although it can be read as a stand-alone I think it does help to have read Sam’s previous book Bad Sister, to get the most enjoyment out of the story and the characters.

The story is told from different narratives and each voice adds psychological depth to the plot. Connie’s new client, Alice Mann is the mother of a killer. She is still reeling from the shock of what her son did and is hoping, in turn to make something good out of what happened by helping other’s. She does this by setting up a support group for people who have recently suffered from a trauma in their lives. She is also keen to make amends with Deborah, who is the mother of the murdered boy, much against Connie’s advice who feels Alice should stay away. As tensions between the two women grow and when a young woman goes missing, the police and Connie begin to believe that the right person wasn’t locked up for the murder of Deborah’s son. Is Alice’s son innocent and are the crimes connected? What is really going on?

It is the different narratives that drives the intrigue and the suspense forward as the plot unfolds. Connie was a character who I really liked in Bad Sister so I was excited to find out that she would be returning. We also hear from DI Lindsay Wade who has featured in all three of Sam’s novels. Her friendship with Connie is what I like about both of these books. In their lines of work they’re both dealing with criminals but from different perspectives. Neither of them can really leave their work behind when they come home of an evening. They’re discussions about particular cases they are working on are interesting as in different ways they can both help each other out.

Deborah and Alice were also two characters who had me hooked straight away. I always had this feeling as though they were walking on egg shells around each other and at any moment the tension between them was going to snap. I really wanted to know what Alice’s game was in getting involved with the mother of the boy her son murdered. Was she really just seeking forgiveness or did she have another motive? I also wanted to see how Deborah was going to react.

I thought the plot was put together well. It is carefully constructed and the way in which Sam pulled the strands of her characters lives together was very clever. Sam builds on the tension as we race towards the finale and especially as the truths behind the lies that have been told are finally revealed. One Little Lie is another brilliant read from Sam and it comes highly recommend from me. Thank you to Sabah Khan for inviting me to take part in the blog tour and to Avon Books and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Publisher: Avon

Publication date: 23rd July 2018 (Kindle) 6th September 2018 (paperback)

Print length: 384 pages

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He Will Find You by Diane Jeffrey Book Review @dianefjeffrey @HQDigitalUK

Source: Review Copy

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No matter where you hide…

Kaitlyn Best is stuck in a rut. So when she discovers she’s pregnant after a one-night-stand with Alex, her school crush, she throws caution to the wind and accepts his offer to make a new life together in the depths of the Lake District, far from her home… and her demons.

He will find you.

But Alex is not what he seems. And when Kaitlyn’s world begins to crumble before her eyes, she realises she barely knows the man she has agreed to spend the rest of her life with.

Since Alex won’t tell her his secrets, Kaitlyn vows to find them out for herself. But when she uncovers the truth, she realises she has made a terrible mistake…

MY THOUGHTS

He Will Find You is the second psychological thriller from Diane Jeffrey. I enjoyed reading her first novel, Those Who Lie, so I was interested to see what she had come up with for her next book.

We follow Kaitlyn who after having a one night stand with her former school crush, Alex, begins a relationship with him. In the matter of a few short weeks, they’re married. But the best news for Kaitlyn is when she finds out that she is pregnant. After the vows are exchanged and the marriage certificate signed, Alex begins to change, leaving Kaitlyn in an unnerving situation. And soon she begins to fear for both her safety and her daughter’s.

Diane Jeffrey explores the effects of psychological abuse as well as physical in her latest book. When Kaitlyn arrives at her new home, The Old Vicarage, eager and excited to begin her new life; I straight away felt that this was all too good to be true. Alex is a cold and calculating character who knows how to manipulate people and a situation. As I began to find out more about Alex, my opinion of him did keep changing, particularly as Diane begins to reveal the trauma he suffered in his past. This is how Diane keeps up the suspense, is he going to do something terrible, is he going to keep his promises to Kaitlyn?

We also learn details of Alex’s previous relationships and that he has two daughters from an earlier marriage, Poppy and Violet. But little more is said about them and this intrigues and frightens Kaitlyn. Why doesn’t he have a relationship with them? Why are there no photographs of his children around the house? Just what is Alex capable of?

For me, I think the pace in the novel did increase more after Chloe was born, and this is where I found the plot to become tense and more gripping. At the start, I was intrigued by Kaitlyn’s decision to marry Alex so quickly.  I became invested in her character as this was a very big decision for her.

In the first half of the novel, there are some parts in the story which really hit the reader. We also see Kaitlyn’s character develop and this is essential, I think, in helping us to understand her and the predicament she is now in. Diane conveys this well in her writing by giving us hints of what is to come, especially in scenes when Alex’s personality begins to change. Diane also shows us the inner workings of Kaitlyn’s mind as she starts to question her marriage.

Towards the end, there were some surprising twists that I didn’t see coming, and one in particular really gave me chills. I just had to keep reading to the end to find out what was going to happen. If you’re a fan of domestic noir novels, then I definitely recommend this book.

Publisher: HQ Digital

Publication date: 4th August 2018

Print length: 279 pages

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