#Blogtour How Not to Murder Your Ex by Katie Marsh

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour How Not to Murder Your Ex by Katie Marsh.

About the Author

Katie Marsh wrote five bestselling, uplifting women’s fiction novels before turning to cosy crime for Boldwood. Previously published by Hodder, the first in her new crime series  How Not To Murder Your Ex, following the fortunes of the Bad Girls Detective Agency, will be published in December 2023.

About the book

It is 5:30 am on Clio's forty-fifth birthday and her hated ex is lying dead on her doorstep. Even worse, this is no accident. Someone’s killed him...

When single mum Clio’s ex Gary turns up dead on the doorstep of her caravan – the one she’s been forced to live in ever since he stole every penny she had – there’s only one suspect. Her.

What’s more, she doesn’t remember much about the night he was killed – not just because of the forgetfulness that’s been plaguing her along with the hot flushes – but because she definitely had one too many cocktails with her two best friends Amber and Jeanie.

Clio does remember them talking about how much they all hated him though. And, in the frame for murder, she has to ask herself – if she didn’t kill Gary, who did? One of his many enemies? Or someone a little closer to home? And can she and her friends find the real killer before it’s too late?

Unputdownable mystery set on the English coast – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Bad Sisters, and How to Kill Your Family. Follow @marshisms on X, Sign up to Katie's newsletter

Review

Chaos reigns supreme in this first book in the Bad Girls Detective Agency. It's exactly how you might imagine the discovery of a dead body might go after a boozy night out with the girls. First thought is to get rid of the body, you know like some mob killer. Why would Clio think she needed to hide a crime she didn't commit, well is fairly certain she didn't commit - umm not entirely clear on what happened the night before and could have killed her ex. 

Flanked and supported by her best friends, who are helpful and entirely unhelpful sometimes, depending on the circumstances. They are however convinced that Clio is innocent - there is that pesky detail about the blackout though - and are willing to go to great lengths to prove it. The ex was a scoundrel, scammer and a wannabe Brad Pitt who liked to swim in dangerous waters with bigger sharks than he was. He was always convinced the solution to every problem was just round the corner waiting to be found.

It's cosy crime with a comedy element to it, perhaps because the core and depth of the friendship between the women and the situations they find themselves will resonate with readers. It's serious enough to make you grumble at the injustice, and yet wanders so close to the edge of hilarity to make it an entertaining read.

Buy How Not To Murder Your Ex at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎ Boldwood Books; pub date 1 Dec. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Weatherman by Royston Reeves

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Weatherman by Royston Reeves.

About the Author

Royston Reeves is a psychological thriller writer from Essex, England. After spending years in advertising writing TV scripts, newspaper ads and billboards, Royston’s first novel, The Weatherman, will be published in November 2023.

Reeves is the Head of Strategy for JOE Media and he currently lives in the Kent countryside with his wife, Carly, and daughter, Hunter-Rose. (Author pic - credit to Carly Cussen). Follow @royston_reeves on X

About the book

‘I’m going to tell you about the worst thing that ever happened to me.’

Will’s a nice guy. So when he takes a shortcut to the tube station after a few beers with his mates from work, he steps out of the way of the fellow who’s staggering towards him. But he – deliberately – moves back into his path. They knock each other as they pass.

Moments later one man is dead and another’s life is changed forever. Or is it? There are no CCTV cameras. There was no one else in the out-of-the-way alley. Maybe the world doesn’t have to end for Will after all. But there’s always someone watching . . . and Will’s life is about to implode.

Review

It's s great example of how quickly life can change - one minute all your ducks are in a row and the next you might or might not have committed a crime. The kind of crime that has the potential to destroy your life. Knowing that, would you put yourself at risk by doing the right thing?

Will likes to tell himself and us that he is a nice guy. Do nice guys commit crimes and then try to hide the fact - just walk away as if nothing ever happened at all. And what if someone else was aware of your secret and decided to profit from your fear and desperation? This element of feeling watched, judged and waiting to be exposed makes Will retreat into a former lived version of himself.

It's a riveting psychological thriller that plays with the grey areas between right and wrong, what is morally right when it comes to self preservation, and isn't it I wondered whether the introduction of Solly was more than just the nemesis. Was Solly the physical representation of Will's other more surprising character traits? The dark side that is obviously there inside just waiting to pop out.

Imagine Solly as the physical representation of a conscience and simultaneously also of the depths someone will go to to hide their true nature, especially when it gets them into trouble.

Buy The Weatherman at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher; No Exit Press,23 November 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#WOW #Blogtour My Unfurling by Lisa May Bennett

 It's a pleasure to take part in the WOW! Women On Writing Tour - My Unfurling: Emerging from the Grip of Anxiety, Self-Doubt, and Drinking by Lisa May Bennett.

About the Author

Lisa May Bennett is the author of the memoir My Unfurling: Emerging from the Grip of Anxiety, Self-Doubt, and Drinking. She had a flourishing career in marketing and communications for more than two decades before finally embracing sobriety and chasing her dream of becoming an author. Her upcoming book will demystify the self-publishing process, and she hopes to encourage more people to tell and publish their own stories. You can follow @lisamaybennett on X, @lisamaybennett on Instagram, lisamaybennett on Facebook or visit lisamaybennett.com

About the book

Wicked hangovers. Scary blackouts. Ugly fights with friends. The results of binge drinking weigh heavily on Lisa May Bennett. She tries repeatedly to savor “just a few” glasses of wine—only to find herself passed out on the couch again.

Lisa has a bucket list full of exciting adventures with zero check marks next to them. Her anxiety and self-doubt are crying out for real solutions, not more booze. And her dream of becoming a published writer is fading away. She worries that her love of a good buzz will keep her stuck in this rut. Can she take charge of her life, or is she headed for a disastrous rock bottom?

This touching and funny memoir explores the childhood experiences that paved the way for Lisa’s drinking habit. She examines her complicated relationship with her mother, her experiences as a late bloomer, and her ongoing search for validation. In an engaging and relatable voice, the author shares how she began to “unfurl” without alcohol holding her back. But will she stay sober and discover how to truly thrive?

Anyone wondering if they'll ever burst out and follow their dreams will find My Unfurling compelling and hopeful.

Review

I'd like to to start my review my supporting and congratulating the achievement of sobriety. It must seem like such an easy thing to write and then share with the world, however it takes strength to acknowledge, face and fight the inner call.

There are a lot of moments in the book that can be applied to anyone, who regardless of whether they are seeking a core understanding of self to help themselves deal with addiction, can use certain aspects to understand themselves better. Having a greater comprehension of the why won't change the why, but it might change the way a person views their frame of reference.

I think it's important to understand that an element of peace can be found when a person finally realises that we are unable to change the past, unable to change the impact or reasons others played a role in our development and the whether that impact had repercussions. What we can control and change is the energy and power we choose to invest in those moments and people.

There are various types of alcoholism, I won't delve into the variations, suffice to say one of them fits into the renamed so-called grey/gray area drinker mentioned in the first few chapters. I think the avoidance and inability to accept the term alcoholism and the need to reinvent is a type of denial, but if that in itself is a coping mechanism that keeps someone sane and sober, then so be it.

It's an intimate look behind the door of a journey to find the root of the problem, the examination of self and life to understand triggers and ultimately to find the right coping mechanism to maintain sobriety, and to celebrate self.

Buy My Unfurling: Emerging from the Grip of Anxiety, Self-Doubt, and Drinking by Lisa May Bennett at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Bookshop.org. Barnes and Noble.

#Blogtour Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life by Helen Fisher.

About the Author

Helen Fisher is the author of Space Hopper, her debut novel of 2021. Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life is her second novel. Helen has degrees in psychology and ergonomics and was the senior evaluator at RNIB for a few years. This background informs much of her writing as she is fascinated by the psychology of everyday life, especially in terms of relationships. 

Inspiration for Helen’s protagonists and other characters are often drawn directly from herself, her friends and family. She explains that her creation of the character of Joe Nuthin is partly to examine ‘the importance of what some might think of as a small and ordinary life’.

Helen was born on a US military base and spent the first five years of her life in the US, before returning to the UK with her family settling in Suffolk. She returned to Suffolk as an adult and now lives in a village with her two children and a cat called Bear, who thinks he’s a dog. When she isn’t working on her third novel, she walks a lot, talks a lot, likes a jigsaw and the occasional Mojito. Follow @HFisherAuthor on X

About the book

A poignant and life-affirming tale of love, loss and finding friendships where you least expect them…

Joe loves predictability. But his life is a surprising adventure. Joe-Nathan likes the two parts of his name separate, just like dinner and dessert. Mean Charlie at work sometimes calls him Joe-Nuthin. But Joe is far from nothing. Joe is a good friend, he’s good at his job, good at making things and good at following the rules. He’s learning how to do lots of things by himself.

Joe’s mother knows there are a million things in life he isn’t prepared for. While she helps guide him every day, she’s also writing a book full of advice for Joe - things she hasn’t explained to him yet, things he might forget, questions he hasn’t asked, or might not get the chance to ask…

Following her wisdom – applying it in his own unique way – this next part of Joe’s life is more of a surprise than he expects. Because he’s about to learn that remarkable things can happen when you leave your comfort zone, and that you can do even the hardest things with a little help from your friends.

Review

I absolutely embrace the positive aspect of this story. The empathy and compassion that we hope is hidden beneath the layers of shallow societal expectations and norms. The ability to see and acknowledge the difference in lived experience and how to navigate the world and people in a different way.

Joe-Nathan lives life by a set of rules and tries not to deviate from them, which can be stressful at times, especially when others find it difficult to accept his need for a certain routine or structure. It makes him a target for the bullies, the ignorant and the less understanding.

I found the story hit close to home and it made me incredibly sad, perhaps because I understand how his mother worries for Joe in a world where he will one day have to solely rely on himself with no nurturing mother to explain and support. My heart is heavy, because I know what it's like to experience the judgement of others, the cruelty that is dished out by the so called 'normal' members of society to children, young people and in general towards people who don't fit into stereotypical boxes and expectations. Both anger and fear are a constant companion when I think of how my loved one will navigate a world that is often unwilling to bend to accommodate otherness.

I must add that there are also moments of connection, kindness and although very few in a large society, there are indeed people who see the beauty, the mystery in the method and how easy it is and should be to accept instead of dismissing people like Joe.

Joe's story is a spark of hope and also a journey, a building of friendship and understanding. An excursion into experiences and independence with a fierce warrior willing to stand by his side. It's a lovely story, albeit it one that may make readers angry or sad at times. It is certainly a story that should be told and remembered.

Buy Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster, pub date 9th November 2023 | Hardback | £16.99. Also available in ebook and audio. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour My Husband's Lies by Liz Lawler

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour My Husband's Lies by Liz Lawler.

About the Author

Liz Lawler grew up sharing pants, socks, occasionally a toothbrush, sleeping four to a bed. Born in Chatham and partly raised in Dublin, she is one of fourteen children. She spent over twenty years as a nurse and has since fitted in working as a flight attendant, a general manager of a five star hotel, and is now working with trains. She became an author in 2017 when her debut novel Don’t Wake Up was published by Twenty7. Follow @authorlizlawler on X, Sign up to Liz Lawler's mailing list

About the book

The police are coming, they’re going to arrest me.’ My blood runs cold at his words. My husband is accused of murder. He swears he is innocent – so why won’t he tell me where he really was that night?

I feel so lucky to have my handsome husband Mark and our blue-eyed little boy. Everyone says we’re the perfect family. I used to believe them.

But everything changes when Mark comes home from a work trip with dark circles under his eyes. That night I jump at a hammering at the door. The police want to question him about the murder of a beautiful, blonde young woman. Mark swears he had nothing to do with it, that she was a colleague, nothing more.

Mark is a respected airline pilot, and the model husband and father. It seems impossible that he would be involved in something like this. But he won’t say a word about where he really was. I believe that he’s not a killer – but I know he’s hiding something. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Then my husband is attacked. I sit by his hospital bed praying for him to wake up, tears streaming down my face. The police say it’s an accident. But what if someone has done this to him?

I go rigid with fear when I see someone hidden in the garden, watching the house. Are they coming to hurt us too? I’ll do anything to protect my precious little boy – and I have to start by uncovering my husband’s lies...

An unbelievably tense and twisty psychological thriller that will leave you breathless for more! Perfect for fans of Kathryn Croft, T.M. Logan and Ruth Heald.

Review

I wonder if anyone else got ever so slightly frustrated by the almost self-flagellation Kate tends to put upon herself, whilst excusing the actions of others. Her fault that her husband may or may not have strayed, her fault for putting the temptation of another woman in his path - come on lady!

The author captures this specific element of self-blame that women tend to inflict upon themselves, especially in domestic situations and relationships. Always looking for the possible mistake they might have made that contributed to whatever went wrong. This headspace probably explains the way Kate automatically goes into protective mode instead of seeing a very large question mark when it comes to the possible crime her husband is suspected of - is he really capable of killing someone?

Eventually Kate realises she has to start to unravel the layers of deceit wrapped around her life to keep her child safe, even if it means losing friends and loved ones on the way.

It's a fast-paced domestic thriller, one of those stories where you start out certain of who did what to whom and why, but in the end the web is tightly woven and full of secrets hiding in plain sight.

Buy My Husband's Lies at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: Bookouture, pub date 20 Nov. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Murder On The Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict.

About the Author

Alexandra (AK) Benedict is a best-selling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts. Educated at Cambridge, Sussex, and Clown School, Alexandra has been a indie-rock singer, an actor, RLF Fellow, and a composer for film and TV as well as teaching and running the prestigious MA in Crime Thrillers at City University. She is now a full-time writer and creative coach.

Her most recent novel, under the name Alexandra Benedict, was the bestselling The Christmas Murder Game. She is currently writing another Christmas mystery, a high-concept thriller and TV scripts. Alexandra lives on the south coast of England with writer, Guy Adams, their daughter, Verity, and dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford. 

Alexandra Benedict’s brand-new Christmas thriller The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is publishing 9th November. Follow @ak_benedict on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter)

About the book

Can You Solve the Case? - Eighteen passengers. Seven stops. One killer.

In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train to the Highlands is derailed, along with the festive plans of its travellers. With the train stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere, a killer stalks its carriages, picking off passengers one by one. Those who sleep on the sleeper train may never wake again.

Can former Met detective Roz Parker find the killer before they kill again?

Review

Roz is trying very hard not to disappoint her daughter again, she needs to keep her promises of being there to support during one of the most important times in her life. The last thing Roz needs is to get swept up in anything that might make her forget her priorities, but her professional instinct takes over and sleuthing takes the lead again.

We have a versatile cast of characters - a few of them potentially make both the perfect victim and suspect, which is probably why the whole story becomes such a Rubik's cube of a puzzle. Who did what to whom, and why?

This definitely has a Christie vibe - a train full of potential suspects and victims, a possible killer who is so at ease with their plans that they take the time to pick up snacks in case they get hungry before or after the event. Seems either very calculated, a wee bit insane or perhaps it's just a very organised potential killer.

Thinking of Christie I also thought Roz Parker was a bit Rutherford, McKenzie, and yet also embodies the image of a woman struggling to meet expectations in her relationships and battling past trauma. A sleuth to watch. (hint, hint)

It will be interesting to see whether the author can maintain this combo of modern meets old school mystery and crime - it has the potential to be a series and the author is one to watch. Saying that, I think her Christmas mysteries are a great idea and leave so much room for individual exploration and development.

Buy Murder on the Christmas Express at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster, pub date 28 September 2023 - Paperback £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick.

About the Author

Denzil Meyrick is from Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll. After studying politics, he enjoyed a varied career as a police officer, distillery manager, and director of several companies. He is the No.1 bestselling author of the DCI Daley series and is now an executive producer of a major TV adaptation of his books.

Denzil lives on Loch Lomondside in Scotland with his wife Fiona and cats. You can find @Lochlomonden on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter), on Facebook @DenzilMeyrickAuthor, or on his website: denzilmeyrick.com

About the book

A village of secrets - It's December 1952, and a dead stranger has been found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the remote town of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer? Either way, he wasn't on anyone's Christmas wish list.

A mystery that can't be solved - Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. The victim of some unfortunate misunderstandings, he hopes this case will help clear his name. But as is often the way for Grasby, things most certainly don't go according to plan.

A Christmas to remember - Soon blizzards hit the North York Moors, cutting off the village from help, and the local doctor's husband is found murdered. Grasby begins to realise that everyone in Elderby is hiding something - and if he can't uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price...

Review

Do things just happen to Inspector Frank Grasby or is it merely a case of a sequence of unfortunate events always seem to unfold whilst he is in the vicinity? His superiors only care about the chaos he leaves in his wake and not the results, hence being sent to the middle of nowhere (North Yorkshire Moors) where he can lay low for a while. Not his choice, but as he says himself it's still preferrable to some other notorious areas he could end up in.

Where Frank walks mysteries and crimes follow quickly behind, although at times I wasn't entirely sure whether he was the source of most of the disruption. That is absolutely the charm of this story by the way, the strength of the main character. His innate ability to believe in his own self is what makes the reader believe the same, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Perhaps that is why he uncovers bit by bit what others have tried to hide crime after lie after betrayal - we all know the truth always outs, well it sounds a lot more poetic than the actual reality of the sleuthing that takes place, but hey-ho we are here for the Grasby dynamic of crime solving.

On a sidenote, can I just say the epilogue is absolutely spot on in relation to the first paragraph, I often wonder what those who fought so very hard during the Cold War would think about the situation we are in now. I'd also love to see a Grasby post-war crime series, just saying.

Buy Murder at Holly House at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. ~Publisher: Bantam, pub date 9th November 2023 | Hardback | £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.