#Blogtour Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Deadbeat by Adam Hamdy.

About the Author

Adam Hamdy is a Sunday Times, Kindle, and international bestselling author and screenwriter who works with studios and production companies all over the world. The author of 15 novels including 6 books in the multi-million bestselling Private series co-written with James Patterson, Adam lives in Mauritius.

His most recent standalone novel, Deadbeat, has been described as a superlative thriller by Publishers Weekly. His previous standalone novel, The Other Side of Night, was one of the New York Times Best Thrillers of 2023 and appeared on several best books of the year lists.

Adam has a degree in Law from Oxford University and a degree in Philosophy from the University of London and was a strategy consultant prior to becoming a writer. A fan of extensive research, Adam is well versed in finance, technology and science. He is also published in numerous world-class scientific and medical journals.

A former boxer and kickboxer, seasoned skier, rock climber, sailor, and CPSA gold marksman, Adam also seeks thrills off the page. Follow @adamhamdy on X

About the book

The author of the Scott Pearce series (Black 13, Red Wolves, White Fire) is back with a taut thriller following a desperate single father as he searches for the anonymous employer who hired him as a hitman.

Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.

Review

I really enjoyed the author within the book writing his own story plot - Peyton Collard becomes larger than life and at some points there appears to be some melding of people. 'Side-eyes Hamdy.' The story becomes an insightful introspective reflection of life, connections, choices and roads taken. Who better to tell it than a desperate man who is happy to take a life for the right reason, but who decides whether it was the right reason or indeed is there anything that warrants the punishment and finality of death?

Running alongside there is also the intriguing question of how much responsibility we as individuals carry for the greater scheme of things, such as pollution and climate change. Is the denial of individual culpability the easiest escape route for the majority of us? Does that stance become a way of life, a coping mechanism, and make us almost indifferent to the pain and suffering around us?

The bigger picture, at least for Peyton, is who decides whether he becomes the weapon to be wielded against others. Is it always power, money and influence that is the deciding factor? Is anyone really going to cry a tear if someone who deserves it, gets what is coming to them?

It's ironic that the subject matter of this core question is playing out in real time, as we watch the people defend an assassin, because the victim was a key player in a company at the core of suffering for many people.

Hamdy is an author to watch, and I highly recommend this read.

Buy Deadbeat at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Pendulum Central, pub date 3 Dec. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Disappearance by Remigiusz Mróz

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Disappearance by Remigiusz Mróz. 'The no.1 bestselling crime thriller - now a hit TV series.'

About the Author

Remigiusz Mróz is the author of over 50 novels across 9 series and various standalones and is recognised as the most popular author in Poland according to the National Survey and the Nielsen Bookscan. He has sold eleven million books in Poland alone, with each book becoming a bestselling and remaining in the charts for several months post publication. Remigiusz's work has been sold in multiple territories including Germany, Italy, Japan, Czech Republic, Hungary, UK and more. Follow @remigiuszmroz on X

About the book

A three-year-old girl disappears without a trace from her wealthy parents' summer house. The alarm was on all night long and the windows and doors were locked. Investigators do not find any evidence of an abduction and fear the worst.

Experienced lawyer, Joanna Chylka, and her novice protégé, Kordian Orynski, are tasked with defending a married couple charged with murder by the prosecutor's office. The trial is circumstantial in nature, but everything seems to point to the parents' guilt - after all, when you eliminate what is impossible, whatever remains must be the truth.

Review

I think Joanna Chylka doesn't really fit into the norm when it comes to being a lawyer or a sleuth. She adheres to the rule of laugh - sometimes. She isn't frightened to stand up to and stare down those who are in her way. She excels at the game of law and enjoys the sparring in equal measures.

This new case she has been drawn into is a bit of a conundrum. A missing child, a locked room/hose scenario and two parents who appear to have secrets to hide. Suspicion soon falls on the parents, which means Joanna has to try and defend them, and as she says quite eloquently - she doesn't need to know whether they are guilty or innocent. Not sure her colleague Kordian feels the same way though.

With that in mind - the apparent misbalance in attitude and approach towards the legal and criminal aspects of the case - makes the end of the story even more interesting. In fact it is enough to make you wonder how much of the professional persona is an act, because it is thrown out of the window when a choice between life or death has to be made.

I really enjoyed the more fractured, often stoic approach and the overall voice and style of this author. I would definitely recommend and read more.

Buy The Disappearance at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  Zaffre, pub date 5 Dec. 2024.

#Blogtour The Half King by Melissa Landers

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Half King by Melissa Landers.

About the Author

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn't afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public — just ask her embarrassed kids.

She lives in Cincinnati Ohio, where she writes romantic fantasy and science fiction adventures for the young at heart. Follow @Melissa_Landers on X

About the book

In a world where birth order determines your fate, what if everything you believed about yourself was a lie?

Like all second-born daughters of the realm, Cerise Solon has never ventured beyond the temple grounds where she lives in service to the goddess. But unlike her peers, Cerise is a complete failure as an oracle. Her inability to foretell a single tragedy has brought shame upon her family, something she sees reflected in their eyes during their rare visits. Everything changes when the head seer offers Cerise an opportunity to serve the Half King—a young man who rules by day and turns to shadow at sunset.

As a firstborn son, the king bears his bloodline’s curse, destined to vanish completely upon his twenty-first birthday. While searching for a way to restore him, Cerise finds a kindred spirit in the mysterious young ruler, and with his help discovers a startling revelation about herself that unlocks a powerful set of gifts. But the truth comes with a price. For she is no oracle, but instead the product of a union so forbidden its discovery would sentence her to death.

Despite her tainted origins, Cerise might be the key to restoring order to the land and saving the man she’s quickly growing to love...if she can outlive those sworn to destroy her.

Review

This one had me hooked pretty fast, I am sucker for a bit of magic and extensive world-building. I can live without the obnoxious love interest and inevitable breathlessness, and must have romantasy element of a lot of the popular books in said genre at the moment, but a gritty little power and magic plot is always a pull.

It definitely has more of a pull towards the YA end, rather than adult, although how one accidentally discovers ones magic leans perhaps a little more towards the latter. The children of nobility forced to carry the punishment of past generations. The Great Betrayal has laid the paths for the destruction of some born first to families, the isolation of others, and often a great burden to the majority of them.

The second-born appear to have it a little easier, case in point is Cerise Solon. Although one could argue that the fact the ability of Seer she is supposed to possess has in fact never manifested in any way shape or form. Pretty much useless, and yet suddenly she is ordered to serve the Half-King. Once there the young man with one foot in the world of shadows and the other foot in a world spent fighting the impulse to be self-destructive, well he becomes a pivotal part of her story. A story full of secrets and unknown power.

It's an interesting and entertaining read, one that delivers a solid beginning for a series that promises to draw readers in.

Buy The Half King at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bantam; pub date 21st November 2024 | Hardback | £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Last Secret Agent by Pippa Latour with Jude Dobson

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Last Secret Agent: The Extraordinary Story of a WW2 Spy in Her Own Words by Pippa Latour with Jude Dobson

About the Author

Pippa Latour - following the war, Pippa settled in New Zealand where she raised four children. For decades, Pippa told no one - not even her family - of her incredible feats during WWII. For seventy years, Pippa's contributions to the war effort were largely unheralded, but she was finally given her due in 2014 when she was awarded France's highest order of merit, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Pippa was the last surviving F (France) Section Special Operations (SOE) agent from World War II.  

In the final months of her life, Pippa finally decided to tell her remarkable story, written with the assistance of award-winning historical documentary producer and writer Jude Dobson. Pippa died in 2023, at the age of 102. 

About the book

The Last Secret Agent, by Pippa Latour is the extraordinary untold story of Latour, who parachuted into occupied France in 1944 as an undercover agent and sent secret messages back to Britain.  

In June 1940, a covert new force - the Special Operations Executive (SOE) - was set up to wage a secret war. Its agents were tasked with sabotage and subversion behind enemy lines, and over the course of the next five years, 470 special agents would be sent into France. Only 26 female SOE agents, including Pippa, would return. 

Pippa had an extraordinary life – born in 1921 she lived in Congo, Kenya and France before eventually landing in London. In 1943, aged 23, she was parachuted into France, where she travelled around the occupied countryside, concealing her codes in a hair tie and her Morse key underneath her bicycle seat, and sending crucial information back to Britain in the lead-up to D-Day. More than once, she came frighteningly close to being discovered. For decades, Pippa told no one - not even her family - of her incredible feats. Now for the first time, her story can be told in full.  

It is an incredibly rare first-person story. Although there are several biographies of female WW2 spies, there are no other first-person memoirs of this kind. And as the last female WW2 SOE agent to die, Pippa's story will be the first and last to be told in this way. It is a rare and privileged glimpse into her life, and in many ways, it is Pippa’s last public service, her last contribution to freedom. It is a remarkable testament to a remarkable and brave woman. 

Review

I've said this before, it's important that witnesses tell their stories and future generations hear or read them. As survivors pass away it is paramount that we share history and experiences in order to understand the sacrifice, the loss and the harsh reality of war.

Pippa's story is an excellent example of trauma, and to some extent training, the habit of secrecy, and perhaps knowing that only someone who went through a similar experience can comprehend the truth and the secrets. Pippa's family being completely unaware of her bravery during the war and her contribution to the path of freedom, isn't an uncommon story and I wonder how many more people sit or have sat on life experiences without ever breathing a word of them to anyone.

The bittersweet ending is made sweeter by the beautiful homage Dobson pays to Pippa and her fellow comrades, which is made even more compelling by adding the details and names of the fellow agents. Cementing their names and fates on paper, that they may never be forgotten.

It's a beautifully crafted memoir woven together through conversations with a centenarian, her memories often brought forward to the present day by photos, objects, names and places. It's an excellent read, often a nostalgic and sometimes sad one, but at the forefront the courage, selflessness and sacrifice of these women and Pippa shines through.

Buy The Last Secret Agent at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Monoray: pub date 7 November 2024 |  hardback  |  £22. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The 12 Murders of Christmas by Sarah Dunnakey

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The 12 Murders of Christmas by Sarah Dunnakey.

About the Author

When she's not writing fiction, Sarah writes and verifies questions and answers for a variety of TV quiz shows including Mastermind, University Challenge and Pointless. She has an honours degree in History and has previously worked as a librarian, an education officer in a Victorian cemetery and an oral history interviewer.

Sarah has won or been shortlisted in several short story competitions and her work has been published in anthologies and broadcast on Radio 4. She won a Northern Writer's Award, from New Writing North for her debut novel The Companion, and the NWA Arvon Award in 2019. She lives in West Yorkshire on the edge of the Pennine Moors. Follow @SarahDeeWrites on X

About the book

12 murderous mysteries to read. 19 perplexing puzzles to solve. 1 mystifying murder to crack…

Mastermind Puzzlemaster Sarah Dunnakey cordially invites you to crack the code of who killed Edward Luddenham. It’s the first anniversary of the mysterious death of Edward Luddenham, found dead at his home on the Yorkshire moors one frosty Christmas Eve.

Now twelve people gather at his manor house for the reading of the Will. Each has their own motivations for coming: curiosity, duty, unrequited love, desperation, greed. They have been instructed to bring a “festive mystery story” to share. But all you need is a pencil.

Safe from the biting cold and the relentless snowfall outside, settle in with your favourite tipple in hand, as the storytelling begins. Though you’ll need to keep your wits about you – for among the guests is Edward’s killer… Can you work out the puzzles and unmask the murderer before they strike again?

Review

In perhaps slight echoes of certain stories written by Christie, where people and their pasts are brought together to expose their secrets, in this case it is to solve the murder of Edward Luddenham, the story becomes a mystery hidden in a box full of puzzles. Each guest asked to present their own tale of murder, mayhem or mystery. Some of the stories certainly reveal a lot about the individual characters.

Each story becomes a crime scenario or a mystery to be solved by the narrator or the intent listeners. The question is where will the stories lead those looking for the answers about Luddenham. What is the point of them sharing at all? Unless of course the answer to the ultimate question is hidden in plain sight.

It's a wonderful mixture of old meets new. This homage to Christie invites readers to help solve puzzles in order to solve the crime. Such fun, and a great read - in fact it's the perfect festive gift for a fellow reader. I highly recommend it, there is something for everyone in it. Hopefully there will be more.

Buy The 12 Murders of Christmas at Amazon uk or go to Goodreads for other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Avon; pub date 7 Nov. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour I Will Find The Key by Alex Ahndoril

A brilliant murder mystery from Alex Ahndoril, the new pseudonym for the No.1 international bestselling author, Lars Kepler.

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour I Will Find The Key by Alex Ahndoril.

About the Author

Alex Ahndoril is pseudonym of the best-selling Swedish crime author Lars Kepler

About the book

A man walks into a private investigator's office, holds up a photograph and says: 'I want you to find out if I killed this man.'

Private investigator Julia Stark receives an unannounced visit at the office. The man at the door is one of the owners of a successful family business. The day before, he was present at a board meeting and dinner at his estate in the northwestern part of Sweden. The following morning, he finds a photograph in his phone of a bloody man, tied up with a bag over his head.

Due to alcohol-related amnesia, the man has no idea where the picture comes from and wants to hire Stark Detective Agency to clear his name before the police get involved. Julia asks her ex-husband Sidney Mendelson to take time off from the City Police and assist her in the investigation. There is still a glimmer of hope left in Julia that this might be her chance to win him back.

Welcomed as guests at the opulent estate, Julia and Sidney begin to search for the truth while dining and socializing with each of the family members that could theoretically be involved in the murder. She's solved every mystery. But none like this . . .

Review

With pseudonyms I think it is best to put any prior knowledge of the author behind the pseudonym and their work to the far back of your mind. The whole point is being able to approach writing and/or genres without being bogged down with the expectation of previous successes or failures. Seeing and experiencing them and their work like a tabula rasa. Saying that I'd completely forgotten this is Lars Kepler.

I enjoyed the way the setting stepped away from the easy grasp and availability of modern sleuthing and instead took the reader back to old school basics, a tinge of Christie and Doyle I think. An old mansion and playing the part with cocktails and the proper etiquette for dinner.

I must admit there isn't much clarity on how Julia arrives at a lot of her insights and often appears to be taking part in her own version of Tommy and Tuppence - the post-divorce era of course. I can imagine this being highly entertaining in a screen version.

Does the author step away from preconceived notions - absolutely. In fact let's see more from Ahndoril. Is this the first of many crime encounters and mysteries for the Stark Detective Agency? Will we find out more about what makes Julia and Sid tick, especially as an ex-couple and as a newly formed work team. I'm looking forward to finding out.

Buy I Will Find The Key at Amazon Uk  or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Zaffre; pub date 7 Nov. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Fall of Ruin and Wrath (Awakening #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

About the Author

Jennifer L. Armentrout is a No. 1 New York Times and international bestselling author and lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, watching bad zombie movies, pretending to write and hanging out with her husband and her small menagerie. This includes her Border Collie, Artemis, and her Border Jack, Apollo. Also six judgmental alpacas, two rude goats and five fluffy sheep.

In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting, among other complications, in vision loss. Since this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become another passion for her – right alongside writing, which she plans to do for as long as she can. Jennifer has been nominated for and won numerous awards for her young adult and adult fiction.

About the book

She lives by her intuition. He feeds on her pleasure.

Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

When her intuition leads her to save a traveling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he'll be her doom.

When the Baron takes an interest in the traveling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

Calista must follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.

Review

Calista distributes her talent, her intuitions and what she can 'see' in a way that can be described as constructive to some and perhaps less hurtful to others. Sometimes it's better not to tell the person asking everything she knows is coming. In a way Calista also does this to herself. She knows what the future holds for herself, but is perhaps unwilling to fall into the trap of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There couldn't be a better way to describe her situationship with Thorne. Is it a case of replacing one arrangement of necessity for another, and both are have a relationship core of lack of power and definitely a level of inequality.

I'm not sure whether this book declares the allegiance of Awakening very clearly. It is sometimes high-fantasy, romance and then romantacy. It is a mixture that doesn't allow for a clear definition and makes it feel a bit like a unreliable narrator who leans towards a long nip of moonshine now and again, whilst conjuring up moments of reckless and breathless abandonment. Then filtered into the story is the intricate world and character building - there are plenty of speculations where certain arcs could be heading, can't wait - which tends to speak more to high fantasy. Instead of pick a lane, I'm like buckle up and let's see where this is headed.

This author always has a nod to the early days of urban supernatural fantasy flair, and yet also manages to deliver to newer sub-genre readers that are hungry for sustenance. Not an easy task, probably falls under many a critical eye, but a great read nevertheless. Looking forward to reading where this heads next.

Buy Fall of Ruin and Wrath at Amazon uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Tor; pub date 14 Sept. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.