My Top Ten Reads of 2023

I can’t believe we’re at that time of the year again when I’m choosing my top ten reads of the year. I’ve read some brilliant novels over the course of the past twelve months and there are so many books I’m excited to read in 2024. So far, this year, I’ve managed to read 101 books, and I’m planning to still try and squeeze in a few more before the end of the year. As always, it has been really hard to think of my top ten reads of the year, but these are the books that have stayed with me throughout the year.

So, in no particular order, my top ten reads of 2023 are:

In the Blink of an Eye is a really original debut by Jo Callaghan which looks at the rise of Artificial Intelligence. This year there has been a lot of talk about this topic in the media world, so it’s a novel that does feel very timely. You can read my review by clicking here.

The voice of Joanna Wallace’s lead character really shone through in her debut novel, You’d Look Better as a Ghost, which for me, is what makes this book so memorable. You can read my review by clicking here.

I will read anything Gillian McAllister writes. She always comes up with really original ideas, which is what I love about her work, and I flew through Just Another Missing Person. You can read my review by clicking here.

I still haven’t been able to forget the opening line to this book, which is one of the best opening lines I’ve come across in years. Liz Nugent has created an unforgettable lead character in Sally Diamond. You can read my review by clicking here.

Every single one of Fiona’s books have featured in my top ten read of the years and she is a writer who continues to up her game. You can read my review of All of Us Are Broken by clicking here.

I loved this gothic tale by Michael J Malone. I raced through this book at top speed and the tension never dropped. You can read my review by clicking here.

End of Story is a powerful, haunting read by Louise Swanson, and I still haven’t forgotten it months after I read it. You can read my review by clicking here.

I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but I loved Doug Johnstone’s novel, The Space Between Us. It is a highly entertaining read, and I am really looking forward to reading the sequel. You can read my review by clicking here.

I read Ronnie Turner’s debut, So Pretty at the beginning of the year and I knew then it would be in my top ten reads of the year. I described it as a dark fairy tale when I reviewed it. You can read my review by clicking here.

Will Dean is a writer who continues to go from strength to strength. I loved his latest book, The Last Passenger, which is such an exhilarating read. It would make a fantastic TV series. You can read my review by clicking here.

All the Little Liars by Victoria Selman #bookreview

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new thriller by Victoria Selman, All the Little Liars.

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What REALLY happened at Turtle Lake? You think you know. Think again.

California, 2003
A thirteen-year-old girl disappears from a party at Carlsbad’s Turtle Lake. Discovered on the trunk of a nearby cottonwood tree is the word ‘LIAR’ graffitied in blood.

What you know . . .
Three teenagers went to the lake that night but only two came back. Later, they confess to murdering their friend.

. . . is only part of the story
But did they really kill her? And if not, why say they did?

Told across two timelines and tapping into a horrific crime, All the Little Liars is a novel about sisterly love and toxic friendship that asks: how much would you sacrifice to belong?

MY THOUGHTS

All the Little Liars, by Victoria Selman, was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, and it did not disappoint. I’ve become a huge fan of Victoria Selman’s writing, and I’m sure I’ll read everything she writes next. The pace in her novels is always excellent, and this is what makes her books so addictive. This novel, I think, will also appeal to fans of true crime.

This is a dual timeline novel. Victoria Selman writes chapters told in the present day and twenty years ago, when a thirteen-year-old girl suddenly vanishes without trace, sparking a massive police investigation. Victoria Selman tells the novel from the point of view of Kat, who lost her sister, Izzy, that fateful day in 2003. Kat and her father have never recovered from what happened that fateful day, and have since left America and moved to the UK, thinking they’ll be less recognisable over here, and Kat has also changed her name to Kat from Finn Jackman. But as Kat is getting on with her life, a journalist makes contact with her, claiming to know what happened that day twenty years ago at Turtle Lake, when their world changed forever.

Victoria Selman is a master at creating a deep sense of foreboding. I felt this, particularly, when we get to read Izzy’s diary extracts. Victoria Selman paints a picture of a troubled young girl, who is desperate to be liked, and to be popular. Victoria Selman describes how Izzy feels really well, especially when she makes friends with two other girls at her school, Plum and Lu, who soon introduce her to parties and boys. It is Izzy’s overriding desire to be part of the popular crowd that sets her on a horrific path and soon, and I could sense the darkness creeping in the moment she begins to become friendly with Plum and Lu. The tension in the book is spot on, and in the chapters told from Kat’s point of view in the present day, I could feel her need to get to the bottom of what happened, but I could also sense her fear.

Victoria Selman really does take her characters down a dark path, as the truth about what happened twenty years ago comes to light. There are some big twists and some reveals that really will change Kat and her family forever, and I loved the way how Victoria Selman turned the novel on its head. I could really feel how the revelations impacted the characters in the book as I was reading.

I really enjoyed All the Little Liars. I’m really excited to see what Victoria Selman writes next.

Publisher: Quercus

Publication date: 31st August 2023

Print length: 384 pages

All the Little Liars is available to buy:

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Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson #bookreview #blogtour @JoGustawsson @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel by Johana Gustawsson, Yule Island as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she’s asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found.

Emma must work alone, and the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide?

As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants.

When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate, and memories his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman’s tragic death somehow hold the key?

Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past – Viking rites and tainted love – and Scandinavia’s deepest, darkest winter…

MY THOUGHTS

I love Johana Gustawsson’s writing, so I was so excited to dive into her latest novel, Yule Island. In the book we meet art expert, Emma Lindahl, who is asked to take a look at the antiques and artefacts in a manor house, set on an island, which belongs to one of Sweden’s wealthiest families. But this island harbours a number of dark secrets, and nine years ago, a young woman was found there, murdered.

Johana Gustawsson does a brilliant job of creating a mysterious atmosphere on the island, and in the house. The dark opening, following the discovery of the murdered girl, really sets the scene well, and it pulled me in. I wanted to know who this young girl was, and why she had to die like this, and who was responsible. It really does help to create a chilling atmosphere, right from page one. I really liked Emma. She comes across as really likeable, but soon she too finds herself caught up in the mysteries at the house, and this puts her very close to danger, as she seeks to find out the truth. You can feel her fear as strange things start to happen, and when she begins to find strange messages.

There was a strong Agatha Christie vibe to this book which I really liked, and it makes it the perfect book to read at this time of year. I love how Johana Gustawsson expertly blends the historic crime, and the more recent events taking place on the island, which really adds depth to just what is driving the killers and it really highlights how evil they are.

Events in the novel take an even darker turn with the discovery of another body on the island, and it is up to Detective Karl Rosén to lead the investigation. He was also involved in the case when the previous victim was found, and the fact that the case has never been solved, has haunted him for nearly a decade. Johana Gustawsson builds the tension here really well, as it becomes clear that the killer may still be on the island. Soon Karl finds himself teaming up with Emma, to get to the bottom of what has happened. As they start to work together, they soon discover some shocking secrets as they unravel the mysteries, and there are some brilliant twists.

Johana Gustawsson is definitely one of my favourite crime writers. I always look forward to a new book by her and now I’m desperate to get my hands on her next novel. Johana Gustawsson has created a brilliant setting in Yule Island, and another addictive, original story that I could not put down.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 23rd November 2023

Print length: 293 pages

Yule Island is available to buy:

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Last to Leave by Lucy Martin #bookreview #blogtour @lucymartinbooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on Last to Leave the latest book by Lucy Martin as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Last to Leave is the third in the DS Ronnie Delmar series – police procedural meets psychological thriller, with a kick-ass female protagonist set against the backdrop of the police misconduct scandals in the UK. The third book in the DS Ronnie Delmar detective series begins when Hannah Lloyd is pushed from her third-floor balcony at the end of her birthday lunch party. Suspicion naturally falls upon the three guests who had just left the apartment, alongside Hannah’s estranged husband and a jealous neighbour. But as the investigation develops, so does the network of suspects, eventually revealing a chilling connection between the crime and those in charge of preventing it. Forced to work alongside her arch-nemesis DCI Matt Preedy, Ronnie finds herself looking over her shoulder at her own colleagues and questioning the motives of those she thought she trusted.

MY THOUGHTS

Last to Leave is the first novel by Lucy Martin that I’ve read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I found Lucy’s writing to be really addictive. Although I haven’t read the previous books in the series, I found I had no problem at all in getting into the story, and I really enjoyed getting to know DS Ronnie Delmar. There is a shocking opening to the novel, when a young woman, Hannah Lloyd, tragically falls to her death. DS Ronnie Delmar is determined to get to the bottom of the woman’s death, and it soon turns into a case that is far more complex than Ronnie first thought.

I really liked DS Ronnie Delmar. Her past is intriguing, and I liked how Lucy Martin revealed more about her history throughout the novel. You can see the impact the disappearance of her father has had on her, and Ronnie is desperate to get to the bottom of what happened to him. This is something I’m looking forward to seeing explored further, in future books in the series. What Lucy Martin did really well was how she explored the working relationship Ronnie has with DCI Matt Preedy. Matt Preedy is Ronnie’s arch nemesis, and Ronnie has to work closely with him to solve Hannah’s murder. This added an extra layer of tension to the novel, which I thought was done really well. I would definitely like to find out more about this strand of Ronnie’s history, so I am even keener to read the first two books in the series.

Lucy Martin reveals the secrets in her book really well, and I loved how Ronnie began to work out what had happened to Hannah, and there is a brilliant twist. The tension really builds as Ronnie realises who the culprit is, and you can see the extreme lengths this person has gone to, to keep their secrets, and what a twisted individual they are.

I’m kicking myself now that I haven’t got round to reading Lucy Martin’s first two books, but I’ll definitely be making sure I do read them. Last to Leave is an excellent police procedural and I really enjoyed reading it.

Publisher: Lucy Martin Books

Publication date: 30th November 2023

Print length: 402 pages

Last to Leave is available to buy:

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Dead Sweet by Katrín Júlíusdóttir #bookreview #blogtour @katrinjul @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the debut crime novel by Katrín Júlíusdóttir, Dead Sweet as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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A murder is just the beginning…

When Óttar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official and businessman, is found murdered, after failing to turn up at his own surprise birthday party, the police are at a loss. It isn’t until young police officer Sigurdís finds a well-hidden safe in his impersonal luxury apartment that clues start emerging.

As Óttar’s shady business dealings become clear, a second, unexpected line of enquiry emerges, when Sigurdís finds a US phone number in the safe, along with papers showing regular money transfers to an American account. Following the trail to Minnesota, trauma rooted in Sigurdís’s own childhood threatens to resurface and the investigation strikes chillingly close to home…

Atmospheric, deeply unsettling and full of breakneck twists and turns, Dead Sweet is a startling debut thriller that uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives, and kicks off an addictive, mind-blowing new series.

MY THOUGHTS

Dead Sweet is the gripping debut crime novel by Katrin Juliusdottir, who herself, is an Icelandic Politician. With the discovery of the body of a well-known and respected, government official, Óttar Karlsson, the police realise there will be a lot of interest in this case, and that there will be strong calls to solve this murder quickly. But as Detective Sigurdis begins to look into Óttar’s background, she discovers that behind the generous and likeable persona, there are dark secrets. Soon she finds out that he is unlike the man everyone once thought they knew.

Óttar Karlsson was a really intriguing character to get to the bottom of, and from the moment when the police first recognise him, after the discovery of his body, I wanted to find out more about him. As Sigurdis’ investigation begins, I wanted to know who would really have it in them to kill such a well-liked man. Of course, when the truth about him is revealed, and this really does flip the investigation on its head, I wanted to delve deeper into what sort of a character he was, especially as it becomes clear why someone wanted him dead. It’s what makes this book so gripping. But also we can see that Sigurdis, is also dealing with her own troubles, and this makes her a really fascinating lead character to follow, but she is the sort of person, who never seems quite ready to open up about her feelings. She’s already faced a lot of trauma at a young age, and it’ll be interesting to see how Katrin Juliusdottir, develops her character in future books.

It does seem as though there are quite a few possible suspects, who could have murdered Óttar, and I loved how Katrin Juliusdottir narrowed this pool of suspects down. You can begin to see who might have wanted Óttar dead as the shocking revelations about him come to light, and I raced through the final chapters to find out who the culprit was. Katrin Juliusdottir expertly reveals her secrets in a way that kept my eyes glued to the page.

Dead Sweet is a terrific start to what I hope, will be a long-running series, and it is a brilliant addition to the Icelandic crime fiction market that will thrill fans of the genre. Katrin Juliusdottir is an exciting new talent, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 7th December 2023

Print length: 256 pages

Dead Sweet is available to buy:

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