February 2021 Wrap-Up

For me, January this year seemed to really drag, but February has flown by. I hope you’ve managed to have a good month. It does finally seem that there is some light at the end of the tunnel which is giving me something to look forward to. Hopefully by the summer we’ll have some sense of normality back in our lives.

I managed to read thirteen books in total this month which has taken the number of books I’ve read this year so far to 31. Last month I finished writing my second book and I have started work on something new which I’m very excited about. My current idea I’m working on, was partly inspired by an episode in a true crime documentary I watched on Netflix at the end of last year. I already know where I’m going with it which is very rare when I start writing. I’m not a writer who can sit and plan but this time I did write a full synopsis and it has definitely made things a lot easier.

This month I took part in seven blog tours and I’ve listed the links below, in case you missed any.

An Eye For An Eye by Carol Wyer

The Art of Death by David Fennell

Black Widows by Cate Quinn

Shadow of a Doubt by Michelle Davies

The Last Snow by Stina Jackson

Deity by Matt Wesolowski

Smoke Screen by Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst

In March, I’m taking part in six blog tours. The blog tours I’m taking part in are, Bound by Vanda Symon on the 1st March, Future Perfect by Felicia Yap on the 13th March, The Night Gate by Peter May on the 20th March, The Hiding Place by Jenny Quintana on the 23rd March, Nighthawking by Russ Thomas on the 24th March and Last Seen by Joy Kluver on the 28th March.

I also received some exciting bookpost this month. I received copies of, The Hiding Place by Jenny Quintana, Good Girl by Mel Sherratt, Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, The Assistant by Kjell Ola Dahl and Facets of Death by Michael Stanley Nighthawking by Russ Thomas, Look What You Made Me Do by Nikki Smith, If I Fall by Merilyn Davis and The Night Gate by Peter May

That’s all from me this month. At the moment I’m currently reading Nighthawking by Russ Thomas and I’m listening to the audiobook of The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The Midnight Library isn’t the type of book I would typically choose, but it is the book which was voted for this month in the book club I am a member of on Facebook, A Novel Book Club. I’m interested to see what I think of it. What are you reading at the moment? Let me know in the comments.

Don’t forget that First Monday Crime is back live on Facebook on Monday, 1st March 2021 at 19.30 p.m. You can access the event by clicking on the link below.

First Monday Crime

Mimic by Daniel Cole #covereveal @TrapezeBooks @DanielColeBooks #Mimic

I’m delighted to be helping out with the cover reveal of the latest novel by the bestselling author of the Ragdoll series, Daniel Cole on my blog today. Plus I’m also delighted to share some exciting news about the Ragdoll books, which I’ll reveal at the end of this post. But before I reveal the cover, let’s take a look at the blurb.

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In life she was his muse . . .
In death she’ll be his masterpiece

1989: DS Benjamin Chambers and DC Adam Winters are on the trail of a serial killer with a twisted passion for recreating the world’s greatest works of art through the bodies of his victims. After Chambers nearly loses his life, the case goes cold due to lack of evidence. The killer lies dormant, his collection unfinished.

2006: DS Marshall has excelled through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Service, despite being haunted by the case that defined her teenage years. Having obtained new evidence, she joins Chambers and Winters to reopen the case. However, their resurrected investigation brings about a fresh reign of terror, the team treading a fine line between delivering justice and becoming vigilantes in their pursuit of a monster far more dangerous and intelligent than any of them had anticipated…

And now for the all important cover!

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Mimic is published on the 19th April 2021 by Trapeze and you can pre-order your copy by clicking here.

Some of you may remember that a few years ago Ragdoll was optioned for TV. I am really excited to be able to tell you that it’ll now, finally, be hitting our screens.

UKTV has teamed up with Sid Gentle Films Ltd and AMC to announce the greenlight of the new modern-day Faustian thriller Ragdoll (6×60), based on the international bestselling debut novel by Daniel Cole, for its crime drama pay TV channel Alibi. The project will air on Alibi in the UK and AMC in the United States. The pitch black and darkly witty thriller will be adapted into six parts, with a writing team led by Freddy Syborn (Ms Marvel, Bad Education).

Six people have been murdered, dismembered and sewn into the shape of one grotesque body — nicknamed the ‘Ragdoll’. Assigned to the shocking case are DS Nathan Rose, recently reinstated to the London Met; his best friend and boss, DI Emily Baxter; and the unit’s new recruit, DC Lake Edmunds. The ‘Ragdoll Killer’ taunts the police by sending them a list of his next victims, with Rose’s name among them. And with those victims to protect, our heroes soon come under intense public scrutiny. A darkly funny, gruesomely imaginative serial killer thriller, Ragdoll also captures the fascinating but flawed friends struggling with the consequences of institutionalisation and trauma.

Filming will commence in Spring 2021 around London and air in late 2021. Cast will be announced at a later date.

Daniel Cole says; “’With “Killing Eve”, Sid Gentle Films have already demonstrated an uncanny ability to walk the line between black humour and gripping TV. They bought the rights way back, before I even had my first book deal, and their passion for the project hasn’t wavered since. They got it from the off, and I feel that RAGDOLL couldn’t be in safer hands.”

Freddy Syborn says; “I hope RAGDOLLwill be a visually exciting, darkly funny thriller in which the personal is the political. Above all, I hope our characters can make you laugh, then break your heart.”

Sally Woodward Gentle, Executive Producer, Sid Gentle Films says; “I am so excited that we are embarking on this twisty and sophisticated piece with Freddy and the team. AMC have already proved themselves to be brilliant partners and we can’t wait to work with Alibi.”

Philippa Collie Cousins, Commissioning Editor, Drama, UKTV says; “RAGDOLLis a dystopian, mesmerising, wickedly funny piece of hard-boiled detective screen fiction. It invites the audience into a timeless world of crime thriller, sending us on a rollercoaster ride with flawed, compelling Rose, his best friend/cop partner Baxter and rookie Edmunds. Together, they tread a maverick route to the truth in a broken world, with touches of Raymond Chandler meets Tina Fey in their memorable banter. Beautifully designed, this atmospheric project mirrors the pure evil, suspense and attention to detail of Silence of the Lambs.”

Emma Ayech, channel director for Alibi adds: “I am thrilled to be bringing this exciting series to Alibi and to be working with such great partners in Sid Gentle Films and AMC. RAGDOLL is a dark and twisty murder mystery that will hook our viewers with its macabre sense of humour and addictive plot; it will be a great addition to our growing slate of brand-new British crime drama.”

First Monday Crime March @1stMondayCrime

First Monday Crime is back on Monday, 1st March 2021 after a two month break. As it has been for a while now, it’s live on Facebook, so you can watch it from the comfort of your own home. This month we have an exciting line up which includes, Nadine Matheson author of The Jigsaw Man, Abigail Dean author of Girl A, Tim Glister author of Red Corona and Fermi Kayode author of Lightseekers. The panel is being moderated by Leye Adenle.

I’ll have all the details about how you can access the event at the end of this post but first let’s take a look at what the books are about.

There’s a serial killer on the loose.

When bodies start washing up along the banks of the River Thames, DI Henley fears it is the work of Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer. But it can’t be him; Olivier is already behind bars, and Henley was the one who put him there.

The race is on before more bodies are found.

She’d hoped she’d never have to see his face again, but Henley knows Olivier might be the best chance they have at stopping the copycat killer. But when Olivier learns of the new murders, helping Henley is the last thing on his mind . . .

Will it take a killer to catch the killer?

Now all bets are off, and the race is on to catch the killer before the body count rises. But who will get there first – Henley, or the Jigsaw Killer?

If you’d like to read my review of The Jigsaw Man, you can do so by clicking here

‘Girl A,’ she said. ‘The girl who escaped. If anyone was going to make it, it was going to be you.’

Lex Gracie doesn’t want to think about her family. She doesn’t want to think about growing up in her parents’ House of Horrors. And she doesn’t want to think about her identity as Girl A: the girl who escaped. When her mother dies in prison and leaves Lex and her siblings the family home, she can’t run from her past any longer. Together with her sister, Evie, Lex intends to turn the House of Horrors into a force for good. But first she must come to terms with her six siblings – and with the childhood they shared.

Beautifully written and incredibly powerful, Girl A is a story of redemption, of horror, and of love.

If you’d like to read my review of Girl A, you can do so by clicking here.

It’s 1961 and the white heat of the Space Race is making the Cold War even colder.

Richard Knox is a secret agent in big trouble. He’s been hung out to dry by a traitor in MI5, and the only way to clear his name could destroy him.

Meanwhile in a secret Russian city, brilliant scientist Irina Valera makes a discovery that will change the world, and hand the KGB unimaginable power.

Desperate for a way back into MI5, Knox finds an unlikely ally in Abey Bennett, a CIA recruit who’s determined to prove herself whatever the cost…

As the age of global surveillance dawns, three powers will battle for dominance, and three people will fight to survive…

When three young students are brutally murdered in a Nigerian university town, their killings – and their killers – are caught on social media. The world knows who murdered them; what no one knows is why.

As the legal trial begins, investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo is contacted by the father of one of the boys, desperate for some answers to his son’s murder. But Philip is an expert in crowd behaviour and violence, not a detective, and after travelling to the sleepy university town that bore witness to the killings, he soon feels dramatically out of his depth.

Will he finally be able to uncover the truth of what happened to the Okiri Three?

If you’d like to access the event on Monday, 1st March, you can do so via the FirstMonday Crime Facebook page. I’ve included the link below so you can access the event. The panel starts at 7.30 p.m.

First Monday Crime

Call Me Mummy by Tina Baker #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the debut thriller by Tina Baker, Call Me Mummy.

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THIS MOTHER’S DAY YOU WILL CALL HER MUMMY

Glamorous, beautiful Mummy has everything a woman could want. Except for a daughter of her very own. So when she sees Kim – heavily pregnant, glued to her phone and ignoring her eldest child in a busy shop – she does what anyone would do. She takes her. But foul-mouthed little Tonya is not the daughter that Mummy was hoping for.

As Tonya fiercely resists Mummy’s attempts to make her into the perfect child, Kim is demonised by the media as a ‘scummy mummy’, who deserves to have her other children taken too. Haunted by memories of her own childhood and refusing to play by the media’s rules, Kim begins to spiral, turning on those who love her.

Though they are worlds apart, Mummy and Kim have more in common than they could possibly imagine. But it is five-year-old Tonya who is caught in the middle…

MY THOUGHTS

Prepare to be gripped. Call Me Mummy is completely and utterly addictive. If this is Tina Baker’s first novel, then I can’t wait to read what she writes next. This book will definitely stick in your mind, and I love the way how Tina Baker writes. Her writing drew me into the story right away, and I couldn’t put the book down.

The chapters in this book are short, and snappy and that’s something I always really like in a crime thriller. When I think I need to put the book down so I can do something, I think, oh, one more chapter won’t hurt. Then before I know it, I’ve finished the book.

Call Me Mummy is a dark crime thriller. Although it tells a story that has been told before, it does so differently, and I thought it was really compelling. While out shopping, Kim, who is heavily pregnant, loses sight of her daughter, Tonya. Every parent has a story of when they lost sight of their child for a few moments. I can remember running away from my mum in a busy shopping centre when I was small and the fear setting in next when I couldn’t find her. But Tonya doesn’t come back, and she isn’t found. Another woman, desperate for a child, has set her eyes on Tonya, and she has a plan for the girl. A police investigation begins, and there is a huge amount of interest in the case.

Kim, Tonya’s mother, is a really compelling character. After her daughter’s disappearance, she comes under a lot of scrutiny from the press and the public. People say hurtful and disgusting things about her on online forums, and the press are quick to lap it up There may be a lot of readers who dislike Kim when they read this book. Although she desperately wants her daughter to be found, she isn’t portrayed in a very good light. She swears a lot, but this is just part of everyday speech in her family, which her children have also picked up on. But aside from this, I could see that she cares about her daughter, even if she isn’t the perfect parent, as some people might say.

I don’t want to give too much away here, but I found that I did feel sorry for Tonya’s kidnapper. Tina Baker builds a very intriguing backstory. You can see why they have acted in the way that they did. But as the novel progressed, I started to get fearful for Tonya. You can sense that things can go either way for her, and it made for really gripping reading.

Call Me Mummy is an outstanding debut, and I finished it in just a couple of days. Crime fans, you need to add this to your reading pile for 2021. I’ll certainly be adding whatever Tina Baker writes next to my TBR pile straight away.

Publisher: Viper

Publication date: 25th February 2021

Print length: 383 pages

Call Me Mummy is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

The Curator by M.W. Craven #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the third book in the Washington Poe series by M.W. Craven, The Curator.

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It’s Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6

Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren’t even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?

And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn’t think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he’s dealing with someone far, far worse – a man who calls himself the Curator.

And nothing will ever be the same again . . .

MY THOUGHTS

Detective Washington Poe and crime analyst Tilly Bradshaw are back in M.W. Craven’s latest thriller, The Curator. I love, love, love this series. Now that I’ve caught up, I’m going to have to wait until the next book in the series as well. M.W. Craven has created another complex case for Tilly and Poe to crack.

What I absolutely love about this series are the characters. Tilly and Poe are some of the most original characters I’ve come across in crime fiction. And what I really like about M.W. Craven’s writing is that he also manages to write humour into his books really well. One scene, in particular, had me in stitches at the beginning, when Tilly is trying to persuade Poe to go to their boss’s baby shower. And Tilly is also fighting a losing battle in this book in trying to get Poe to eat more healthily.

When you read a book by M.W. Craven, you know the case Poe and Tilly will be investigating will be a grisly one. In this case, it takes place over the Christmas period. Body parts start turning up, and Poe and Tilly have to try and identify the victims. This is without the rest of the body. They have to try and see if there is a link between them. If there even is a link.

I was instantly hooked. I wanted to know what was going on here, and M.W. Craven does a fantastic job in keeping the tension turning up a notch. The plot moves forward really quickly, and as Poe and Tilly grow closer to understanding what is going on, it becomes even more horrifying. 

M.W. Craven really knows his characters and strong characterisation is, I think, one of his strongest writing skills. When I start one of his books, I’m rooting for Poe and Tilly. Poe always fights Tilly’s corner, and woe betide anyone who tries to make fun of her when he is around. This is what I really like about Poe. He is willing to stand up for Tilly when not many other people will.

I couldn’t believe the final reveals which come towards the end. It was something I was totally not expecting. My eyes were just fixed to the page as everything unfolded.

M.W. Craven once again creates a very atmospheric setting, particularly in the final scenes, but I don’t want to give too much away here. He draws on the atmosphere of the surrounding landscape so well in his writing, making you feel as though you are right there where the action is taking place.

The Curator is another utterly chilling read in this series, and I can’t wait to see what M.W. Craven has in store for Tilly and Poe next.

Publisher: Constable

Publication date: 4th June 2020

Print length: 351 pages

The Curator is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

Close Your Eyes by Rachel Abbott #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the latest novel in the Tom Douglas series by Rachel Abbott, Close Your Eyes.

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Don’t let him under your skin. He’ll destroy you.

Don’t fight him. He’ll win.

Run. Never let him find you.

I thought I was safe here, but I’m not. I’ve stayed too long. Now Genevieve is dead, and the police are on their way. It’s time for me to go.

I must stick to the plan – the one I made the day I arrived in this city. My bag is packed. It always is. I will destroy every shred of evidence of my existence. The police must never find me. If they do, so will he. 

I made a mistake, and someone had to die. But I’m the one who has truly lost her life.

I need to make a choice. If I keep running, I’ll never stop. If I go back, he will make me suffer. 

How many lives can one person ruin?

MY THOUGHTS

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get round to reading the Tom Douglas series by Rachel Abbott. I’m always wary about starting a series several books in, but I am so glad I decided to read the latest, Close Your Eyes. It can absolutely be read as a standalone, so if you’re new to this series as well, you don’t need to have read the previous books. But I’ll definitely be catching up on them.

In Close Your Eyes, the body of the wife of an up and coming businessman is found not far from their home. Her husband has set up a company that is currently developing an app that can accurately predict what will happen in your day. But what is really going on here? When Tom Douglas and his team arrive at the offices, a young woman, an employee of the firm, Martha Porter, flees, hoping to avoid speaking to the police. But why does she run? Has she got something to do with the murder? And what is the connection between what is happening now and a cult formed twenty-odd years earlier?

This was such a pacy and an addictive read. As soon as Martha flees the premises, I wanted to know what prompted her to do so. What was it that she didn’t want the police to know? I absolutely loved this premise, and it kept me asking what was really going on here.

The scenes told from Martha’s point of view are very tense. She knows that the police will be looking for her, and she tries everything possible to stop them from tracking her down. And Martha also has her son to worry about. Then Rachel takes us back in time when we see a young family moving into a new home in Liverpool. Not long after they move there, a mysterious man moves in with them who makes India, who is a young girl at the time and her father, feel very uncomfortable. But her mother is adamant that he stays and that he will be a good thing for them. But what is his purpose and how is he connected to events unfolding in the present?

I loved the different strands in this book; it made it such a gripping read as I wanted to know what was really going on here. If you haven’t yet started this series, and if you love crime fiction, then I highly recommend it. I only wish that I’d got round to reading the books sooner.

Publisher: Black Dot Publishing

Publication date: 11th February 2021

Print length: 408 pages

Close Your Eyes is available to buy:

Amazon UK

The Serial Killer’s Wife by Alice Hunter #coverreveal #DidSheKnow? @AvonBooksUK

I’m delighted to be taking part in the cover reveal for the new novel by Alice Hunter, The Serial Killer’s Wife on my blog today. But before I reveal the cover, let’s take a look at the blurb.

They’re saying he’s a monster. And they’re saying she knew.

Beth and Tom Hardcastle are the envy of their neighbourhood – they have the perfect marriage, the perfect house, the perfect family.

When the police knock on their door one evening, Beth panics. Tom should be back from work by now – what if he’s crashed his car? She fears the worst.

But the worst is beyond imagining.

As the interrogation begins, Beth will find herself questioning everything she believed about her husband.

They’re husband and wife – till death do them part…

And now for the all important cover!

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The Serial Killer’s Wife is published by Avon on the 27th May 2021 and it is available to pre-order now.

Amazon UK

The Storm by Amanda Jennings #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new thriller by Amanda Jennings, The Storm.

BLURB

To the outside world Hannah married the perfect man. Behind the closed doors of their imposing home it’s a very different story. Nathan controls everything Hannah does. He chooses her clothes, checks her receipts, and keeps her passport locked away. But why does she let him?

Years before, in the midst of a relentless storm, the tragic events of one night changed everything. And Hannah has been living with the consequences ever since. Keeping Nathan happy. Doing as she’s told.

But the past is about to catch up with them.
 
Set against the unforgiving backdrop of a Cornish fishing port in the ‘90s, this is a devastating exploration of the power of coercive control in a marriage where nothing is quite as it seems…

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge fan of Amanda Jennings writing, and I was so excited to finally get round to reading her latest novel, The Storm. This is a dark, character-driven novel which will keep you turning the pages.

We meet Hannah and Nathan, who on the outside, have a seemingly perfect relationship. They also have a teenage son. Nathan is rich and successful, and he turns heads wherever they go. But why is there such a tense atmosphere when they are at home? Why does he seem to have so much control over his wife? I wanted to know the answers to these questions as I was reading and what was really going on in their relationship.

The tension grows as the novel progresses. There are flashback scenes back to when Hannah and Nathan first meet in Cornwall, in 1998. It’s in these scenes when Amanda Jennings begins to reveal what happened early on in their relationship. As the novel reaches its conclusion, it makes for very tense reading.

Amanda Jennings took us to Cornwall in her last novel, The Cliff House, and I love the way how she brings the setting to life. I could really picture the sea in my mind as I was reading the flashback scenes. As settings often do in books, the sea almost becomes a character itself.

I thought Hannah and Nathan’s relationship was very intriguing, and I wanted to know what was going on underneath the surface. What was really keeping Hannah there, when it is clear that she isn’t happy? I was rooting for her to get out of the relationship. But I also kept thinking that if she made a sudden move, then something terrible would happen to her. The tension builds and builds as we begin to understand more about what is going on.

The reveals that come are shocking, and I thought the way how Amanda Jennings weaved them into the story, was done really well. I loved how Amanda Jennings gradually revealed what had happened in the past.

The Storm is a highly engaging read, and Amanda Jennings writing drew me in very quickly. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read what Amanda Jennings writes next.

Publisher: HQ

Publication date: 23rd July 2020

Print length: 384 pages

The Storm is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

Roses for the Dead by Chris McDonald cover reveal @RedDogTweets @cmacwritescrime #RosesForTheDead

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the cover reveal for the third book in the DI Erika Piper series by Chris McDonald, Roses for the Dead.

But before I reveal the cover, let’s take a look at the blurb.

MURDER CAN BE MAYHEM.

2013
Rockstar Johnny Mayhem sits on his bed, holding a bloody baseball bat. On the floor, clutching a lavender rose in her fist, is his wife, Amanda, who he has just beaten to death. Erika Piper knows this because she is one of the first on the scene. Mayhem is arrested and led away, screaming that they’ve got the wrong man. But the evidence is irrefutable and when Mayhem is sentenced to life in prison, no one is surprised.

Now
Thanks to new evidence, Johnny Mayhem is a now free man. During a television interview, he issues a thinly veiled threat to those involved in the original case before seemingly disappearing off the face of the Earth. When the body of Mayhem’s dealer is found, Erika Piper is pulled from the safety of her desk job and thrown into the hunt for the Rockstar. Can she find Mayhem before he can enact his revenge on everyone involved, including Erika? Or, has he been telling the truth all along? Did the police really get the wrong man?

Now for the all important cover!

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Roses for the Dead is published by Red Dog Press on the 13th April 2021 and you can pre-order your copy by clicking on the link below.

Amazon UK

Skin Deep by Liz Nugent #bookreview

On my blog today I’m sharing my thoughts on Skin Deep, a psychological thriller by Liz Nugent.

BLURB

She’s not who you think she is …

Delia O’Flaherty is as wild, remote and dangerous as her island home off the west coast of Ireland. Her adoring father tells her that one day she will be the Queen of Inishcrann.

However, tragedy leaves Delia alone in the world, to make her way relying on her wits and her rare beauty. But Delia’s beauty is deceptive – as anyone who cares about her eventually finds out.

What is the truth behind Delia’s tragic past? And what happens when a face from that past turns up on her doorstep?

MY THOUGHTS

Skin Deep is a dark, compulsive read. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try Liz Nugent’s books. Her characters came to life on the page, and I was compelled to read on. Delia is a very intriguing character and I thought that Liz Nugent wrote her life story so well. I had so many different opinions of her as Liz Nugent delved deeper and deeper into her story.

A gripping prologue sets the scene. A man is lying dead; a woman stands looking down at him. Who is the woman who is standing there? Who is the man? What did he do to deserve this?

We first meet Delia when she is a young girl, living on an island off the coast of Ireland called Inishcrann. The population of the island is dwindling, and the locals don’t want it to die. Delia is the apple of her father’s eye, and he proclaims her Queen of the islanders. But he treats his wife and two sons with discontent. I wanted to know why this was. Why couldn’t he share the same love he had for his daughter with the rest of his family? What had they done to him?

I thought the island setting in the opening pages was very dark and atmospheric. To me, even though there aren’t many people on the island, it seemed very claustrophobic. There is no escaping the wrath of the locals if you do something to offend them. Delia’s character grows as she later leaves the island and finds a home on the mainland. It’s very hard to talk more about this book without giving too much away, so I don’t want to say much more about what happens.

I found Delia to be a very difficult character to warm to, and I think many readers will have different opinions of her. Part of me did feel sorry for her, especially for what she went through as a young child, but some of her decisions made me mad. Without giving too much away, though, I was rooting for her to make peace and reconnect with her past.

Skin Deep is such a compelling read. Liz Nugent writes her characters so well, and her writing is so absorbing. This is the first book by Liz, which I have read, and I will be catching up on her other books as soon as possible.

Publisher: Penguin

Publication date: 15th November 2018

Print length: 384 pages

Skin Deep is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones