Bad Apples by Will Dean #bookreview #blogtour @willrdean @PointBlankCrime @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Will Dean on my blog today, Bad Apples. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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It only takes one…

A murder

A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated

A festival

A grim celebration in a cultish hilltop community after the apple harvest

A race against time

As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper.  Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…

MY THOUGHTS

I was so excited to see that journalist Tuva Moodyson was returning in a new book and I couldn’t wait to dive into Bad Apples.

As he has done in his previous books, Will Dean excels in creating mystery, suspense and atmosphere. Once again Tuva is investigating a chilling case just as Halloween approaches after a headless corpse is discovered in Utgard forest.

I’ve always found Tuva such a fascinating character. She is always determined to get to the truth even if that means putting herself in danger. She is a character who I feel like I’ve got to know really well over the last few years so I am always excited to see what she’ll get up to next.

I loved that this book was set just as Halloween is approaching which makes this the perfect book to read at this time of year, especially as the nights are drawing in. There is a particular scene, in which Tuva attends a strange festival taking place on Pan Night, which I could picture so clearly inside my mind. It gives Tuva the creeps and you get the sense that there is an element of the supernatural about it. It made me feel that anything could happen. It seems that there is always more to learn about Gavrik. This is the same for Tuva as well as there are elements about the town that continue to surprise her. The setting is what also makes these books so appealing and Will Dean knows how to draw on the atmosphere and Utgard forest, especially, always comes to life. It doesn’t feel like a very welcoming place at all.

Will Dean has also, once again, managed to create a cast of intriguing characters who could all be suspects in the case. He managed to keep everything under wraps until the final reveals at the end of the book.

There are some very tense scenes in this book as Tuva gets closer to understanding what has gone on and who is responsible for the murder. Reading those final lines has made me desperate to get my hands on the next book as soon as possible.

Will Dean is brilliant at creating an unnerving, menacing tone throughout the book. If you’re a Tuva Moodyson fan then you’re in for a real treat. I absolutely loved it.

Publisher: Point Blank

Publication date: 2nd September 2021 (kindle) 7th October 2021 (hardcover)

Print length: 352 pages

Bad Apples is available to buy:

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Safe at Home by Lauren North #bookreview #blogtour @Lauren_C_North @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Lauren North, Safe at Home. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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What if you left your child alone, and something terrible happened?

Anna James is an anxious mother. So when she has to leave eleven-year-old Harrie home alone one evening, she can’t stop worrying about her daughter. But nothing bad ever happens in the sleepy village of Barton St Martin.

Except something goes wrong that night, and Anna returns to find Harrie with bruises she won’t explain. The next morning a local businessman is reported missing and the village is sparking with gossip.

Anna is convinced there’s a connection and that Harrie is in trouble. But how can she protect her daughter if she doesn’t know where the danger is coming from?

MY THOUGHTS

Safe at Home is the type of book that can easily be read in one sitting. This is the first book by Lauren North which I’ve read, and it certainly won’t be the last. The tension is there right from the first page, and it builds and builds as the story develops. This is one of the most gripping books I’ve read this year!

There is so much intrigue in this book. The most fascinating character for me, was eleven-year-old Harrie. There is so much mystery surrounding her, and I wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on in her life. We know something is up, right at the very start, when on Halloween, Harrie doesn’t return from trick or treating. This creates panic, but before we find out what has happened to Harrie we’re taken back to ten days earlier. Ten days before Halloween Harrie’s mother, Anna has left her at home for what should be just a few moments. But they are caught in a devastating accident and something terrible happens at home.

I thought both Harrie and Anna’s voice came through very strongly in the book. You can feel the tension in Anna’s voice as she speaks, and you can see just how anxious she is. This did very well in adding to the tension. Harrie doesn’t let on at all about what is bothering her, and you can see just how scared she is.

My opinion of Harrie kept changing as I was reading. One moment I was feeling sorry for her and hoping that things would get better for her, but then I couldn’t believe how she was treating her mother. I thought at times that she was being selfish. I liked this as it kept me interested in Harrie and what she was going through.

I really had no idea how things were going to pan out for Harrie and Anna. It’s what kept me hooked as I was reading. The plot is so well thought out and when Lauren North revealed what was really going on, I thought it was done in a very clever way. The final revelations were so shocking, and I could not believe what I was reading.

This is psychological suspense at its very best. I flew through this book. Now I’m desperate to catch up on Lauren North’s previous novels. If you’re looking for a pacy, addictive thriller, then I highly recommend Safe at Home. I could not put it down!

Publisher: Corgi

Publication date: 9th September 2021 (kindle) 30th October 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 374 pages

Safe at Home is available to buy:

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The Chateau by Catherine Cooper #bookreview #blogtour @catherinecooper @HarperCollinsUK @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Catherine Cooper, The Chateau. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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They thought it was perfect. They were wrong…

A glamorous chateau

Aura and Nick don’t talk about what happened in England. They’ve bought a chateau in France to make a fresh start, and their kids need them to stay together – whatever it costs.

A couple on the brink

The expat community is welcoming, but when a neighbour is murdered at a lavish party, Aura and Nick don’t know who to trust.

A secret that is bound to come out…

Someone knows exactly why they really came to the chateau. And someone is going to give them what they deserve.

MY THOUGHTS

Catherine Cooper has written another brilliant, utterly chilling thriller. The Chateau opens with an intriguing paragraph that made me want to know what was going on here. Someone is out for revenge. But who is this person? What has made them want to pursue this course of action?

Catherine Cooper then takes us to France, where at a party, someone ends up dead. This makes for such a gripping opening. I had to know who this person was who was killed. Following on from this we meet Aura and Nick who have recently relocated to France from the UK with their two sons, Bay and Sorrel. They are doing up a chateau with a film crew present who are filming for a documentary. It is clear that they have come here to try and forget something which happened to them.

As we get to know Aura and Nick Catherine Cooper takes us back in time. It is here that we get to see the events play out which led to them seeking a new life in France. There were some gripping scenes here as I wondered just what exactly had happened and I began to see events in the present in a new light. As Aura and Nick get to know the expat community out in France, I couldn’t believe some of the scenes I was reading, particularly when they attend their friend Thea’s party. Aura’s frustration comes through very clearly in her character here. It made me wonder how things were going to pan out for them in France.

Catherine Cooper throws in a lot of red herrings which keeps your attention focused elsewhere and I thought she did this very well. There was a twist which came towards the end of the book which completely surprised me. I had no idea that this was the direction that Catherine was going to take. It made it all the more chilling and those last few lines in the final chapter gave me shivers.

Psychological thriller fans, Catherine Cooper’s novels are a must read if you haven’t read them already. I was utterly gripped by The Chateau and I can’t wait to see what Catherine Cooper writes next.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: 2nd September 2021

Print length: 400 pages

The Chateau is available to buy:

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A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins #bookreview #blogtour @RandomTTours @TransworldBooks

I’m delighted to be joining the blog tour for the new novel by Paula Hawkins on my blog today, A Slow Fire Burning. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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‘What is wrong with you?’

Laura has spent most of her life being judged. She’s seen as hot-tempered, troubled, a loner. Some even call her dangerous.

Miriam knows that just because Laura is witnessed leaving the scene of a horrific murder with blood on her clothes, that doesn’t mean she’s a killer. Bitter experience has taught her how easy it is to get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Carla is reeling from the brutal murder of her nephew. She trusts no one: good people are capable of terrible deeds. But how far will she go to find peace?

Innocent or guilty, everyone is damaged. Some are damaged enough to kill.

Look what you started.

MY THOUGHTS

A Slow Fire Burning is a brilliant new novel by Paula Hawkins. The tension gradually builds following the discovery of the body of a young man, Daniel Sutherland, on a houseboat on Regent’s Canal. He is discovered by Miriam Lewis, who needs to tell him that he has over extended his stay. Paula expertly tells the story through the eyes of five characters. They all have some sort of connection to the man who has been found dead. But are any of them guilty of killing him? I had to find out.

Paula Hawkins draws on the atmosphere so well, creating a very dark and foreboding feeling. The characters are all very different and I found each one of them captivating. They come across as very real people, each with their own set of problems. I think it was Theo’s story which came through very strongly, for me, particularly as he is still struggling to cope with the death of his son. Theo is a writer, and had one big success with an early book in his career, but he has struggled to put pen to paper since his son died. His emotions come through very strongly on the page.

Laura was another character who I found fascinating. She has some issues with her family. She is frustrated. Whenever she calls her father, his partner, Deidre, who she doesn’t get on with, is always there, listening in and criticising her. And her mum won’t pick up the phone to her. It feels as though she is on her own. I wanted to get to the bottom of who she was and what had happened in her past. I think readers may find her a bit eccentric but there was one aspect to her character which I really liked. Laura helps look after an elderly woman, Irene and this helps portray her as a really likeable character.

All of the characters have intriguing backstories and Paula Hawkins writes them so well into her book. I never felt confused as I was reading, which can sometimes happen when a book is told from multiple viewpoints.

I had to know if any of the characters were somehow involved in Daniel’s death and why he was killed. Paula Hawkins has created an intriguing list of suspects. They don’t make it easy for the police to solve this case. I got the feeling that any one of them could be responsible for the murder. I had no idea how things were going to pan out for them. It’s what made the book so enjoyable. Paula Hawkins keeps you thinking about the characters and what their connection to the murder might be.

Although this is a slow burn, the tension simmers away in the background. It’s a story which focuses much more on the characters. They make this book such an unsettling read. Paula Hawkins expertly revealed what had happened to Daniel. I was gripped to the final pages as the whole truth became clear. It does make for an utterly gripping and unnerving finale.

If you’re a fan of Paula Hawkins writing you will love this book. Once again she has created a very clever and an utterly compelling read that will keep you hooked. This is domestic noir at its very best. I’m looking forward to reading what she writes next.

Publisher: Transworld

Publication date: 31st August 2021

Print length: 308 pages

A Slow Fire Burning is available to buy:

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The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone #blogtour #giveaway #win #competition #prize @doug_johnstone @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone. As part of the blog tour I have one paperback copy of the book to giveaway. If you want to check out my review of The Great Silence you can do so by clicking here. But before I reveal how you can enter the giveaway, let’s take a look at what the book is about.

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Keeping on top of the family funeral directors’ and private-investigation businesses is no easy task for the Skelf women, and when matriarch Dorothy discovers a human foot while walking the dog, a perplexing case presents itself … with potentially deadly results.

Daughter Jenny and grand-daughter Hannah have their hands full too: The mysterious circumstances of a dying woman lead them into an unexpected family drama, Hannah’s new astrophysicist colleague claims he’s receiving messages from outer space, and the Skelfs’ teenaged lodger has yet another devastating experience.

Nothing is clear as the women are immersed ever deeper in their most challenging cases yet. But when the daughter of Jenny’s violent and fugitive ex-husband goes missing without trace and a wild animal is spotted roaming Edinburgh’s parks, real danger presents itself, and all three Skelfs are in peril.

Taut, dark, warmly funny and unafraid to ask big questions – of us all – The Great Silence is the much-anticipated third instalment in the addictive, unforgettable Skelfs series, and the stakes are higher than ever.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 19th June 2021 (kindle) 19th August 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 300 pages

The Great Silence is available to buy:

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I’m delighted to offer one paperback copy of The Great Silence by Doug Johnstone to giveaway. To enter, please visit my Twitter page @collinsjacob115 and please see my pinned Tweet at the top of my profile. To enter the competition all you have to do is follow me, retweet my pinned Tweet and tag friends in the comments. The giveaway will run until midnight, Sunday 22nd August 2021. One winner will be chosen at random and they will be notified by noon Monday, 23rd August 2021. I’m afraid this competition is only open to UK entries only.

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Invite Me In by Emma Curtis #bookreview #bogtour @emmacurtisbooks @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Emma Curtis, Invite Me In. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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To those who think they know her, Eliza Curran has it all: two healthy children, a stunning home and a wealthy, adoring husband. No one would guess the reality of her life: trapped in an unhappy marriage to a controlling man, she longs for a way out.

When she takes on a new tenant, her life changes unexpectedly. Dan Jones is charming and perceptive, and quickly becomes a close friend to the whole family.

But Dan’s arrival threatens to tip Eliza’s fragile world out of balance. And when someone has as many secrets as Eliza does, the smallest slip could destroy everything . . .

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge fan of Emma Curtis’ writing, and I loved her latest thriller, Invite Me In. It is a slow-burn; domestic thriller, and I loved how Emma Curtis revealed more about her characters as the novel progressed. I wanted to get to the bottom of who they all were. I wanted to know what secrets they were hiding in their past.

To many, Eliza seems to have the perfect life. But everything is not quite as it seems behind closed doors. This idea has been explored before in psychological thrillers, but in Invite Me In, Emma Curtis has created a cast of intriguing characters. Her characters always make her books come to life, and it’s what I love the most about her writing. I think readers may struggle to feel sympathetic towards Eliza initially, but my opinion changed as I was reading because she has everything. But you get a real sense that she is trapped in her marriage to her husband, Martin, and you can see how desperate she is to get away from him and start a new life.

The tension is turned up a notch when Dan, Eliza’s new tenant, enters. Eliza falls head over heels for him, and feelings between them begin to grow. But how can Eliza leave her controlling husband? What if he was to find out what is happening between her and Dan? I had no idea how he would react if he ever did, and this made me feel fearful for Eliza. It made me wonder if it would be possible if Eliza could have a life with Dan.

The tension really beings to pick up in the latter half of the book, and Eliza is faced with an unprecedented situation. I had no idea how she was going to get herself out of it. In this part of the novel, we learn more about Eliza’s backstory, and there are some shocking revelations about her that may just seal her fate. It made for such tense reading as the book raced towards its finale.

I really enjoyed this book; Emma Curtis has created another fantastic novel. As with all of Emma Curtis’ books, I struggled to put it down once I started Invite Me In. This is a brilliant read!

Publisher: Transworld

Publication date: 22nd July 2021

Print length: 400 pages

Invite Me In is available to buy:

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The Beresford by Will Carver #bookreview #blogtour @will_carver @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on The Beresford by Will Carver on my blog today 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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Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.

Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him. 

In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.

Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge, huge Will Carver fan, and I couldn’t wait to start reading The Beresford. I’m certain I’ve found my favourite book of the year. This is such an original, chilling and compelling read. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, no writer writes quite like Will Carver does.

The setting in this book, The Beresford, a block of apartments, becomes a character in its own right. The building is owned by a strange character, Mrs May, and we get to know the other residents who live there. The building comes with its own dark tales, which will chill you to the core. Abe, an artist, is one of the blocks most fascinating tenants. He is a very messed up person, but he is also someone who I did feel sorry for. He is desperate to be loved by someone, and as Abe says, he wants other people to look at his life and want what he’s got. But there is a very dark side to Abe. And this is what makes him such a compelling and terrifying character.

Will Carver’s writing propels you into the story, and his unique writing style kept me turning the pages faster and faster. There are short and snappy chapters and the dark, wildly entertaining plot kept me gripped.

I’ve mentioned Abe’s character in this review, but Mrs May is another person who I really wanted to get to the bottom of. From the beginning, we can see that she is a very religious person. Mrs May is a person who has suffered from trauma in her life. Her husband passed away several years earlier. But she is a much more complicated character, and I thought this was very clever.

The direction this book took completely took me by surprise. At first, I was thinking, what on earth is going on here? But this was in a good way. My eyes were kept glued to the whole book, but the final chapters kept me really gripped. I wanted to understand what was going on and who these people really were. It is so, so well done. I think many people may form different opinions when they get to the end of this book, but I absolutely loved it. 

If you’re a fan of Will Carver’s books, then you will love The Beresford. It is so good. Highly, highly recommended!

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 22nd May 2021 (kindle) 22nd July 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 276 pages

The Beresford is available to buy:

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Risk of Harm by Lucie Whitehouse #blogtour #giveaway

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Lucie Whitehouse, Risk of Harm. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part. As part of the blog tour I have a copy of the book to giveaway but first let’s take a look at what the novel is about.

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Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and now a DCI with Force Homicide, working directly under Samir, the man who broke her heart almost twenty years ago.

When a woman is found stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body, Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer, but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be.

As Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors, from the media and from far-right nationalists with a dangerous agenda, tensions in Robin’s own family threaten to reach breaking point. And when a cold case from decades ago begins to smoulder and another woman is found dead in similar circumstances, rumours of a serial killer begin to spread.

In order to get to the truth Robin will need to discover where loyalty ends and duty begins. But before she can trust, she is going to have to forgive – and that means grappling with some painful home truths.

GIVEAWAY

As part of the blog tour, I have one copy of Risk of Harm to giveaway. To enter, please see my pinned Tweet on Twitter. My account is @collinsjacob115. Giveaway closes midnight BST time, Friday, 16th July 2021. One winner will be chosen at random and the winner will be announced in the comments. Good luck!

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Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir #bookreview #blogtour @evaaegisdottir @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new crime novel by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Girls Who Lie. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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When single mother Maríanna disappears from her home, leaving an apologetic note on the kitchen table, everyone assumes that she’s taken her own life … until her body is found on the Grábrók lava fields seven months later, clearly the victim of murder. Her neglected fifteen-year-old daughter Hekla has been placed in foster care, but is her perfect new life hiding something sinister?
 
Fifteen years earlier, a desperate new mother lies in a maternity ward, unable to look at her own child, the start of an odd and broken relationship that leads to a shocking tragedy.
 
Police officer Elma and her colleagues take on the case, which becomes increasingly complex, as the number of suspects grows and new light is shed on Maríanna’s past – and the childhood of a girl who never was like the others…

MY THOUGHTS

Girls Who Lie is an intriguing addition to the Forbidden Iceland series by Eva Björg Ægisdottir, which is turning into a fantastic new crime series. The atmospheric setting draws you in, and the clever, compelling storyline kept me hooked. It makes for a completely gripping, sinister and shocking read.

I thought the first book in the series, The Creak on the Stairs, was very creepy. I thought it set the tone for the series very well, which Eva Björg Ægisdottir carries through perfectly into the second book.

The author really does draw on the setting in this book, especially when the body of a missing woman, Mari´anna, is found on a lava field. This is one of the most original locations for hiding a body I’ve come across in crime fiction. It adds to the layer of intrigue surrounding the woman’s disappearance and who could be behind it. Now, Detective Elma and her team have to find out what happened to Mari´anna seven months earlier. But they have lost valuable time. Will they be able to find out who was behind it?

Some of the most intriguing scenes in this book are when Eva Björg Ægisdottir takes us back in time to fifteen years ago when a young mother gives birth to her daughter. I wanted to understand why she didn’t feel anything for her child, and this made her character all the more fascinating. As Eva continues to visit this time, we begin to see this character grow. I wanted to know how what was happening in the past fed into what had happened in the present. Was the discovery of the missing woman’s body and these scenes somehow connected?

Eva brings Elma’s character to life, and I liked the wit in her conversations with her colleague, Saver. The dialogue between them makes them feel like real people. The relationships that the characters have with each other are also what makes this story really compelling. I’m sure I’ll keep coming back to this series, excited to see what Eva Björg Ægisdottir has in store for us next.

If you love crime novels with a strong, fascinating setting that makes you feel as though you’re there, then I highly recommend Girls Who Lie. This book will reel you in from the very first page and keep you invested in the plot and the characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 22nd May 2021 (kindle) 22nd July 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 276 pages

Girls Who Lie is available to buy:

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The Lost Girls by Heather Young #bookreview #blogtour @HYoungwriter @Verve_Books @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for The Lost Girls by Heather Young. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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In 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s summer house on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys the family – her father takes his own life, and her mother and two older sisters spend the rest of their lives at the lake house, keeping a decades-long vigil for the lost child.

Sixty years later, Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person who might care: her grandniece, Justine. For Justine, the lake house offers freedom and stability – a way to escape her manipulative boyfriend and give her daughters the home she never had. But the long Minnesota winter is just beginning. The house is cold and dilapidated. The dark, silent lake is isolated and eerie. Her only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more about the summer of 1935 than he’s telling.

Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her absent mother reappears, and the man she left launches a dangerous plan to get her back. In a house haunted by the sorrows of the women who came before her, Justine must overcome their tragic legacy if she hopes to save herself and her children.

MY THOUGHTS

The Lost Girls is an atmospheric crime thriller by Heather Young, and the plot and her writing drew me into the story and the setting. This isn’t a fast-paced novel, but it captured my attention, and I wanted to find out what had happened in 1935 when a young girl, Emily, disappeared.

I loved the lake house, which for me became a character itself as we visit it in the present day and decades earlier in the 1930s. There is a very haunting feeling to this book, and it does have an intriguing mystery that kept me turning the pages. The characters were very well drawn, and I thought their voices came through very strongly.

In the present day, Justine has just inherited the lakeside property from her great-aunt, and she decides to move her family there. I did find this a little bit odd when I was reading it, especially as she’d only been to the house once before in her life. The house is very isolated. With the mystery of what happened there in the past still unsolved, it made me wonder why anyone would want to move there. I don’t think I would feel comfortable moving into a home where a crime has taken place or if an unexplained event has happened.

The house felt very mysterious to me, and I wanted to know what had happened there in 1935. As the family get settled into the home, they begin to find newspaper articles dating from around the time of Emily’s disappearance and other personal, family belongings. I was eager to know if there would be some sort of clue among the possessions found that might explain what happened.

I liked the scenes when Heather Young took us back in time. We see the events leading up to Emily’s disappearance. It makes for tense reading as Heather Young explores the girl’s relationships with her parents and siblings. Their father is very controlling and very religious.

The truth about what happened in 1935 is heart-breaking, and I liked how Heather Young gradually revealed this. I could feel what the characters were feeling at the time the events were being described on the page. There is a tense finale as the events in the present day are wrapped up.

The Lost Girls does make for a sinister and gripping read. I thought Heather Young’s writing was really addictive, and I thought it flowed well. If you enjoy a slow-burner with a strong sense of place and an intriguing mystery, I highly recommend it. It is so well written.

Publisher: Verve Books

Publication date: 20th May 2021 (kindle) 25th November 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 352 pages

The Lost Girls is available to buy:

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