#Blogtour Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak.

About the Author

Anna Pitoniak (Location: New York, USA) is the author of The Futures, Necessary People, and Our American Friend. She graduated from Yale, where she majored in English and was an editor at the Yale Daily News. She worked for many years in book publishing, most recently as a Senior Editor at Random House. Anna grew up in Whistler, British Columbia, and now lives in New York City. Follow @annapitoniak on Twitter

About the book

A mysterious First Lady. The intrepid journalist writing her biography. And the secret that could destroy them both.

Tired of covering the grating dysfunction of Washington and the increasingly outrageous antics of President Henry Caine, White House correspondent Sofie Morse quits her job and plans to leave politics behind. But when she gets a call from the office of First Lady Lara Caine, inviting her to come in for a private meeting with Lara, Sofie's curiosity is piqued. Sofie, like the rest of the world, knows little about Lara - only that she was born in Soviet Russia, raised in Paris, and worked as a model before moving to America and marrying the notoriously brash future president.

When Lara asks Sofie to write her official biography, and to finally fill in the gaps of her history, Sofie's curiosity gets the better of her. She begins to spend more and more time in the White House, slowly developing a bond with Lara.

As Lara's story unfolds, Sofie can't help but wonder why Lara is rehashing such sensitive information. Why tell Sofie? And why now? Suddenly Sofie is in the middle of a game of cat and mouse that could have explosive ramifications.

Review

If indeed the New York Times thought the soundbite - Emily in Paris meets Scandal - was an accurate description of this book, then methinks they didn't really read it properly. There is no comparison at all and it certainly doesn't do the story justice at all.

I actually think, if you take a small step back and allow for the current culture of misinformation, paranoia and lack of factual reporting in media - gossip and opinion is the new news - then I am sure this could probably become the framework for anyone living down a rabbit hole of conspiracies. Imagine for a moment if one were to take current well known figures in politics and this became their story.

Seen from that perspective it becomes more of a Falcon and the Snowman meets the new Cold War era of insidious intrigue, betrayal and a very instable relationship with loyalty or loyalty to country, because I am reluctant to throw out a word such as patriotism with its now often negative connotations. 

It's always interesting to draw comparisons to the post-war Cold War era and this new one, any hint of collaboration would have and indeed was often dealt with quite strictly. Now it seems as if enemies of old live in each others pockets and insert their influence on the wider world of politics and flaunt those collaborations without any fear of accountability.

It's an interesting piece, especially if you like your stories to take place like a subtle chess game with the a hint of old spy thriller woven into the chaotic politics and absurdity of the 21st century.

Buy Our American Friend at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: No Exit Press, pub date 29th June 2023 - Paperback Original. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Voices of the Dead by Ambrose Parry.

About the Author/s

Ambrose Parry is the penname for two authors – the internationally bestselling and multi-award-winning Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, Dr Marisa Haetzman. Inspired by the gory details Haetzman uncovered during her History of Medicine degree, the couple teamed up to write a series of historical crime thrillers, featuring the darkest of Victorian Edinburgh’s secrets. 

They are married and live in Scotland. The Way of All Flesh, The Art of Dying and A Corruption of Blood were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. A Corruption of Blood was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger in 2022. Follow @ambroseparry on Twitter

About the book

Edinburgh, 1853. In a city of science, discovery can be deadly . . . In a time of unprecedented scientific discovery, the public’s appetite for wonder has seen a resurgence of interest in mesmerism, spiritualism and other unexplained phenomena.

Dr Will Raven is wary of the shadowlands that lie between progress and quackery, but Sarah Fisher can’t afford to be so picky. Frustrated in her medical ambitions, she sees opportunity in a new therapeutic field not already closed off to women.

Raven has enough on his hands as it is. Body parts have been found at Surgeons' Hall, and they’re not anatomy specimens. In a city still haunted by the crimes of Burke and Hare, he is tasked with heading off a scandal. When further human remains are found, Raven is able to identify a prime suspect, and the hunt is on before he kills again. Unfortunately, the individual he seeks happens to be an accomplished actor, a man of a thousand faces and a renowned master of disguise. With the lines between science and spectacle dangerously blurred, the stage is set for a grand and deadly illusion . . .

Review

I'm not sure about the relationship between Sarah and Raven anymore. I think in the beginning, at least that's the way I remember it, the pull between them was strong and the interactions more playful. There was perhaps a certain expectation of a relationship, and yet as the series has grown the further the two of them have grown apart. Ambition, societal expectations, the disappointment of the realisation that being a mere mortal comes with miscalculations and mistakes - it starts to chip away at the relationship between the two of them. 

Raven can be a bit of a strange one, he doesn't always fit the description of the perfect one that just happens to be bound with wife and child. There is perhaps a level of manipulation, you can't have everything you want and tick all the boxes society wants you to at the same time.

It does however make him the perfect person to be thrown into the deep end of the exploratory, advancing and ever evolving field of surgical medical care. What appears to us now as insanity, experimental hazards and playing with human life as if they were all just subjects in a rather large laboratory, was set in stone as the experienced surgeon and medical men doing their utmost to save their patients.

Throwing mystery, murder and mayhem into the mix by weaving historical fact from the profession with the depravity of crime plus the fascination with the world of the occult and the fraudulent practises of the surgical use of mesmerism - it makes for a fascinating read. This author duo never disappoints when it comes to a riveting read.

Buy Voices of the Dead at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Canongate Books; pub date 15 Jun. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Murder of Anton Livius by Hansjörg Schneider

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Murder of Anton Livius by Hansjörg Schneider - translated by Astrid Freuler.

About the Author  

Hansjörg Schneider lives in Basel and began his professional career as a journalist and essayist. He is the author of a number of highly acclaimed plays and of the bestselling Hunkeler crime series, now with ten titles published. 

About the Translator 

Astrid Freuler lives in Lidney, Gloucestershire. She is a young translator from German and has published translations of non-fiction and fiction, including the crime thriller A Shadow Falls by Andreas Pflüger. 

About the book

Inspector Hunkeler is summoned back to Basel from his New Year holiday to unravel a gruesome killing in an allotment garden on the city’s outskirts. An old man has been shot in the head and found in his garden shed hanging from a butcher’s hook. 

Hunkeler must deal not only with the quarrelsome tenants of the garden but with the challenges of investigating a murder that has taken place outside his jurisdiction, across the French border in Alsace. The clues lead to the Emmental in Berne, and then events from the last weeks of the Second World War in Alsace come to light, the wounds of which have never healed in the region.

Review

There is a sense, an atmosphere of what will be, will be. Both Hunkeler and those around him seem bone weary and reluctant to deal with the reality of actions taken and left unpunished. The past has finally caught up - like everyone knew it would.

I think the charm of the story is the dry and almost chummy way the main character interacts with everyone else, regardless of which side of morality that person may be on. It sort of highlights the imperfection of human nature, which is why that allegedly strict line of moral codes moves and deviates depending on which period of time we live in or how it suits our agenda in that moment in time.

Isn't that the quintessence of this story though, that said lines are drawn then redrawn to allow for crimes and atrocities, then bent back into shape to allow perpetrators to live life as if what they did weren't at all egregious to the majority of those around them. Makes one wonder how many just glossed over guilt and crimes that chip away at a the core of our substance - I find it hard to believe most of us wouldn't eventually break to either answer for said crimes or make someone pay for the same.

The author captures the curious almost tribal attitude of people who are part of a bigger country and yet singular to their own area. The xenophobia, discrimination and general attitude of populations pitted against each other, which then takes on yet another layer when outsiders step into the arena. It's a read between the lines, the attitudes, and the base emotion you can smell in the air. Just or unjust? Right or wrong? An intriguing read.

Buy The Murder of Anton Livius at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press; pub date 15th June 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Clytemnestra's Bind by Susan C. Wilson

The House of Atreus: Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C Wilson. From women-led publisher Neem Tree Press comes this fiery first instalment in an epic three-part Greek mythology series.

About the Author

About the Author: Susan C Wilson is a working-class author from Scotland. She has a degree in journalism and a diploma in classical studies from the Open University. By day, she works as an administrator in the Scottish Courts, where she learns fascinating things about human nature. As a writer, Wilson aims to make ancient stories resonate with a modern audience. Her debut novel, Clytemnestra’s Bind was long listed for the Mslexia Novel Competition in 2019. Follow @BronzeAgeWummin on Twitter

About the book

The House of Atreus is spiralling into self-destruction — a woman must find a way to break the family curse...

Queen Clytemnestra's world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family, and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to destroy the family Clytemnestra loves once more. 

From one of Greek mythology's most reviled characters — a woman who challenged the absolute power of men — comes this fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother's burning love.

Review

I am really enjoying the wave of mythology retellings, reimagining the myths and when told from the perspective of the women often delegated to secondary roles they can take on a power of their own. As Clytemnestra reminds us - women deliver kingdoms and kings. Something men like to forget or rather they like to suggest that it is a minor detail.

The author delivers the tragedy, the cruelty and the magnitude of power struggles in such a powerful way. The first few chapters are sharp jabs to the abdomen and quick bitter slaps to the face. Stories, lives and futures changed in small brutal moments of possession and power struggles. The lives of children, of infants, mean nothing to a man seeking revenge or wanting to eliminate future rivals.

Clytemnestra is almost disembodied from her emotional anguish when Agamemnon stakes his claim on his new queen. Deep inside a fierce fire of determination grows whilst she lives with the knowledge that her new husband has neither conscience nor scruple. Any future children will always live under a shadow of threat from a man who sees others as mere pawns in his games of power and war.

It's written with a brutal frankness, whilst embracing the emotional context, the complexity of the interwoven stories, and giving certain characters the time and attention they deserve. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to other readers and look forward to more from the House of Atreus.

Buy Clytemnestra's Bind at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  ‎Neem Tree Press; pub date 15 Jun. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton.

About the Author

I was born in Manchester to Irish parents who gifted me the tradition of storytelling and a love of words. Unusually for an Irish family I was an only child and found company in books and stories. I moved to Bristol to go to university, and loved the city so much I stayed on after graduating. I landed a job as a technician at the BBC and worked on radio dramas. Not content with simply doing the sound effects, I decided to write my own radio play. Many years and drawers full of rejections later, I had my radio drama Heads You Win, Tales I Lose, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

I went on to write stage plays, notably Air Guitar for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre and Playing with Snails which won the Croydon Warehouse International Playwriting competition 2011.

In 2019, I went to Bath Spa University as a mature student, undertaking an MA in creative writing. I graduated with distinction. Girls Don’t Cry was partially written on the course. Follow @Peter_Kesterton on Twitter - for more information visit: peterkesterton.com

About the book

A decade after his young daughter’s murder, a grief-stricken father’s need for justice puts his own life in danger as events spiral out of control . . .

Ever since Caitlin Grady was released from prison, Darren has been tormented by rage and injustice. He finds himself venting online, where a stranger befriends him—and encourages him to seek revenge.

But Caitlin no longer goes by that name. She has been given a new identity and is living quietly, dreading exposure as the tabloids—with help from her publicity-hungry mother—try to hunt her down. And having committed the crime at age eleven, Caitlin struggles as an adult on her own, out in the world beyond prison walls. Will Darren manage to track Caitlin down, and if he does, will he be able to carry out his plans?

Review

Without taking the ending into account, because discussing any sort of twist would spoil the plot and read for everyone - I want to focus on the element that intrigued me the most about this story. The question of guilt, forgiveness and whether the punishment can ever fit the crime when the crime is the worst you can imagine.

I liked the way the author showed the clear difference in coping strategies, or complete lack of, when it came to the parents. The father is unable to let go of the idea that the perpetrator is allowed to reboot their life after being released and the mother just wants to leave the pain behind in the past. A child on child crime is one that can divide opinions, because the perpetrator gets the choice to rehabilitate and move on from their crime. The victim, especially if the victim is deceased, and their loved ones don't really get the same offer of choices. You can't turn back time or bring someone back to life.

I can understand the obsession Darren has, which has become a cooking pot for his pain and anger, instead of an outlet to work through the violent death of his child. Some things are unforgiveable, aren't they?

It's a dark domestic thriller that will make the reader question their gut reaction, the societal expectation in regards to whether the punishment fits the crime, and how anyone in such a cruel situation can move forward.

Buy Girls Don't Cry at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bloodhound Books; pub date 22 Feb. 2023. Buy via Amazon com.

#Blogtour Drowning by T.J. Newman

It was a pleasure, and a bit of a blast from the past, to take part in the Blogtour Drowning by TJ Newman. 

About the Author

T. J. Newman is a former bookseller and flight attendant whose first novel Falling became a publishing sensation and debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. The book was named a best book of the year by USA TODAY and Esquire, among many others, and has been published in over thirty countries. The book will soon be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures. T. J. lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Drowning is her second novel. Follow @T_J_Newman on Twitter

About the book

Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman returns for her second book, an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean, and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside, and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.

Six minutes after Flight 1421 takes off, it crashes into the ocean. The passengers who survive the crash think it's a miracle. They believe they're the lucky ones. Then the plane begins to sink to the ocean floor. The survivors are trapped inside. Against all odds, a massive rescue operation is launched to save them. There is not much time. There is even less air

Review

This reminded me of old school catastrophe movies - the original Poseidon and Airport '77. It had the same kind of desperado last chance rescue attempts and core stories about a small group of survivors, who have to fight for their lives despite all the odds being stacked up against them.

Will realises quite quickly when the flight he is travelling on with his young daughter turns into the kind of nightmare only few people survive. Within minutes a normal flight turns into an impossible fight for survival.

I'm guessing this also has a good chance of being optioned for the big screen. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author has an excellent eye for detail, drama and what brings the audience to the table. The desperation, fear and return to base emotion is a key factor in the story.

What do you do in a situation where the most obvious escape route is deemed a bigger threat to your life than staying in a situation that almost certainly also means death. Do you listen to the one lone voice or to the one inside your head?

It's a great read. Fast paced, a constant high threat level mixed with real erratic emotional reactions of men, women and children in distress. It brings out the worst and the best in people.

Buy Drowning at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster, pub date 8 June 2023 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Detective by Ajay Chowdhury

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Detective by Ajay Chowdhury. 'The third Novel in the Award-winning Detective Rahman series - soon to be a major TV series produced by BBC Studios' 

About the Author

Ajay Chowdhury is the inaugural winner of the Harvill Secker-Bloody Scotland crime fiction award. He is a tech entrepreneur and theatre director who was born in India and now lives in London where he builds digital businesses, cooks experimental dishes for his wife and daughters and writes through the night. His children's book, Ayesha and the Firefish, was published in 2016 and adapted into a musical.

The Waiter is the first in his adult crime series about Kamil Rahman, an ex-policeman from Calcutta who has moved to Brick Lane in London. It has been optioned by BBC Studios. Follow up, The Cook, was published in May 2022 to critical acclaim and deals with the issue of homelessness. Ajay is currently writing and cooking up a storm for the next instalment. Follow @ajaychow on Twitter

About the book

From the award-winning author of The Waiter comes the third instalment in the Detective Kamil Rahman Mystery series.

On the verge of a four-billion-dollar deal, a tech entrepreneur from Shoreditch is found dead in a construction site, which leads to the discovery of three skeletons over a hundred years old.

But as fresh bodies turn up, can Detective Kamil – along with his friend Anjoli – prevent another murder? Desperate to prove himself on his first case for the Met, Kamil will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.

Review

This is the third book in the Kamil Rahman series and although each book can be read as a standalone novel I would recommend reading the other books to get the full gist of the main character and his story. How he evolves and takes certain paths is relevant to the premise and perhaps more so due to the way other characters perceive and treat him.

There is often an current of envy and borderline malicious banter when reference is made to how he made his way in his career, and that is combined with systemic racism. Insults wrapped up in the guise of locker room manly banter.

The premise takes the reader in two different criminal directions - current and past crimes. How the present unveils the secrets of the past and it's fascinating how the revelations of the past don't unravel and end the way you might expect. Reality, truth and justice become less important when money and power are on the agenda.

It's a riveting read that draws upon a multitude of story threads and weaves them into a big picture of connection, communication, six degrees of separation and how victims of past crimes are always waiting to claim their slice of justice. It will be interesting to see where this series goes.

Buy The Detective at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Harvill Secker; pub date 11 November 2021 ǀ £12.99 Hardback, audio and eBook. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour #Audiobook Winter Night by Alex Callister

Winter Night written by Alex Callister performed by Ell Potter - Winter Night will be available exclusively on Audible from the 20th April 2023 at Winter Night by Alex Callister 

You can learn more about Alex Callister and the Winter series at www.audible.co.uk/series/The-Winter-Series-Audiobooks and acallister.com

About Alex Callister

Alex’s debut Winter Dark was short listed for Best Opening Chapter and Best Pitch at the York Festival of Writing and was the number one best selling Audible Thriller of the Year 2019. It was nominated for an Audie in 2020 and won the J.M.M. Audiofile Earphones award.

Alex read history at Oxford and the British School at Rome and was set for a career in academia until the beginning of the tech boom woke a life long interest in the internet. She has spent twenty years in the City studying the rise of technology and its transformative effect on industry. She describes the ‘internet of things’ as the internet of increased attack surfaces.

Winter Dark is dominated by Firestorm, eBay for the contract kill market. As an analyst in the telecoms and electronics sector at the height of the dotcom boom, Alex watched the internet sweep away barriers, break down borders, transform every industry. Ever since, she has been fascinated by its potential to facilitate crime – a potential that, to date, has yet to be fully realised. She spends her days visiting London’s high security hosting sites and speculating about what might be. Follow @CallisterAuthor on Twitter (bio via acallister.com )

About the Audiobook

Please note: This audiobook contains graphic adult content.

Winter Night follows a kick-ass unstoppable heroine with one big Achilles’ heel. That would be Winter. She’s been having kind of a bad week...

Firestorm 2, the plot to mine the data from the infamous murder-for-hire website, has been a success. But while Winter’s been held prisoner by Alek after saving his life, GCHQ has been ordering hits to eliminate every contractor on the site – and leaked footage of Alek and Winter together means she’s now public enemy number one.

Michael is driven by a mission: haunted by the memory of Aleksey, he must find Natalya and return Aleksey’s ring, to gain some closure. But his goal is hampered by a gruesome billion-pound hit which is suddenly, very publicly on his head. Still, at least he has Aveline in his corner – unless she’s been lying to him all along.

Brilliantly narrated by the award-winning actress and writer Ell Potter comes the fifth instalment of the Winter series. This electrifying thriller poses the question: when the good guys are still killers and the bad guys are in love with you, who can you trust? Can you ever really know what lies in another person’s heart?

Review

This is the fifth book in the Winter series and although I would recommend listening to all of the audiobooks, they can be read/listened to as standalone novels. For a better gist of the series, the characters, Winter and the world they have fallen into it's definitely worth having a listen.

It's not for the faint of heart - it's a tad gruesome, graphic and has adult content. It does come with a trigger warning. It actually reminded me a little of the harsh reality and brutal frankness of Crossing Lines and the crimes they encounter. I also thought the choice of narrator makes for a nice juxtaposition - you have the horrific truth of the world you're immersed in, which is countered by the soft slowly paced voice that is laden with emotion. I wonder whether that was intentional. Not just picking a good narrator, but picking someone with a voice that can carry both the heavy burden and the moments of possible lightness.

In a way the book seems to come full circle when you think back to the first chapter, realise how the core of the premise is brought tightly into the last chapter and the epilogue - only to implode just a tad in the last few moments. 

Kudos to the author for that ending, there's just no way I can't come back for more. I need to know what happens next. So many possible scenarios, outcomes and the who? Yeh, better get writing the next book.

Buy Winter Night at Audible Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Audible Originals, pub date 20th April 2023. Buy via Amazon com.

Winter Night - The Winter Series, Book 5, By: Alex Callister, Narrated by: Ell Potter, Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins, Original Recording Audiobook, Release date: 20.04.23, Language: English, Publisher: Audible Originals.

#Review I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

Another cracking read from the bestselling author Harlan Coben.

About Harlan Coben

With over 80 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben is the Number One New York Times author of numerous novels.  His books are published in 46 languages.  Along with Stay Close, he is the creator and executive producer of several Netflix television dramas including The Stranger, Safe, The Five and The Woods.  Larry Tanz, who oversees Netflix’s original programming for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has commented on how Harlan does all the work himself – comes up with the ideas, watches the rough cuts of scenes, sits in on all the phone calls. 

Netflix recently re-upped their overall deal with Coben for several more years, adding among other books his acclaimed Myron Bolitar series. His TV series adaptation of Shelter for Amazon Studios—starring Jaden Michael and Constance Zimmer and based on Coben’s YA novel of the same name—will be released on Prime Video in the coming months.

Harlan Coben grew up in the Newark suburbs in New Jersey in the 60s.  After college he worked in the family travel company as a rep overseas.  He still lives in New Jersey with his wife Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a paediatrician, and their four children.  He had his first New York Times bestseller when his children were very small.

Winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award, Harlan is the first author to win all three.  In Paris, he was awarded the prestigious Vermeil Medal of Honor for contributions to culture and society by the Mayor of the city. He has won the El Premio del Novela Negra RBA in Spain, the Grand Prix de Lectrices in France, and the CWA Bestseller Dagger for favourite crime novelist here in the UK.  In December 2022 he was awarded the Raymond Chandler Award, Italy’s top lifetime achievement honour to a master of the thriller genre.  And on the sports side of things he is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame from his playing days at Amherst College and the Little League Baseball inducted him into their Hall of Excellence in 2013. Follow @HarlanCoben on Twitter, Visit harlancoben.com

About the book

David and Cheryl Burroughs are living the dream - married, a beautiful house in the suburbs, a three year old son named Matthew - when tragedy strikes one night in the worst possible way.

David awakes to find himself covered in blood, but not his own - his son's. And while he knows he did not murder his son, the overwhelming evidence against him puts him behind bars indefinitely. - Five years into his imprisonment, Cheryl's sister arrives - and drops a bombshell.

She's come with a photograph that a friend took on vacation at a theme park. The boy in the background seems familiar - and even though David realizes it can't be, he knows it is. - It's Matthew, and he's still alive.

David plans a harrowing escape from prison, determined to do what seems impossible - save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened that devastating night.

Review

Not sure what's worse, thinking you viciously murdered your very young child or knowing your child is out there somewhere and possibly in danger. David has lived the last few years in the belief that he committed the most unforgivable crime during an inexplicable blackout - he deserves to serve his remaining years behind bars.

His perfect family imploded five years ago, his now ex-wife has moved on and rebuilt her life, and he is a pariah to everyone who used to know him. The why, why would he do something so awful to the child he loved so dearly? The heavy burden of guilt is probably why he is willing to cling so fast to the possibility of his son being alive when his ex-sister-in-law shows him a blurry photo of a face in a crowd. Could be and it equally might not be, because the chances are super slim and just happen to be better than believing that he murdered an innocent child.

It's a fast-paced dark domestic thriller, which will probably end up becoming a mini series - this author certainly knows how to write with future development in mind. The plot plays with the idea of certainty, especially when it comes to evidence and the legal system, and how easy it is for good people to fall foul of said system.

Buy I Will Find You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Century; pub date 16 Mar. 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Penguin.

#Blogtour Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara

It's truly a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara. This is a feminist retelling you don't want to miss.

About the Author

Luna McNamara holds a master's degree from Harvard University in the study of women and gender in world religions. A lifelong lover of Greek myths, she has studied ancient Greek language and philosophy. She is currently a social worker living in Boston. Psyche and Eros is her debut novel. Follow @McnamaraLuna on Twitter, Visit lunamcnamarawriter.com

About the book

The greatest love story ever told...

Born into an era of heroes, a prophecy claims that Psyche - a Princess of Mycenae - will defeat a monster feared even by the gods themselves. Rebelling against society's traditions, she spends her youth mastering blade and bow, preparing to fulfil her destiny.

But she is soon caught up in powers beyond her control, when the jealous Aphrodite sends the God of Desire, Eros, to deliver a fatal love-curse. The last thing Eros wants is to become involved in the chaos of the mortal world, but when he is pricked by the very arrow intended for Psyche, he is doomed to love a woman who will be torn from him the moment their eyes meet.

Thrown together by fate, headstrong Psyche and world-weary Eros will face challenges greater than they could ever have imagined. And as the Trojan War begins and the whole of the heavens try to keep them apart, will they find their way back to each other...before it's too late?

Psyche and Eros has every single mythological ingredient readers could hope for: a fierce, aspirational female protagonist (this is definitely Psyche's story), a Herculean-like quest, all your favourite Gods and Goddesses wreaking havoc on mere mortals and set against the outbreak of the Trojan War.

Review

Not going to lie - absolutely freaking loved it. It's all the way up there when it comes to the fantastic retellings, reimagining and new interpretations of Greek mythology, although to be fair this is more than just that. The author has taken a chess board of a variety of mythologies and well-known personas, well maybe more of a smorgasbord, and moves them and makes slight changes to known narratives to create this riveting retelling. It's a reawakening.

Psyche is born under the glow or shadow, depends on how you see it really, of a prophecy that speaks of her future defeat of a monster. Just a minor problem with being perceived and treated as a possible heroine, society doesn't expect girls to save the day.

Eros is a wee bit bored, confused and even perplexed by humanity, especially the way mere mortals manage to take what he bestows upon on them and manipulate, destroy and abuse it. He is frustrated by his fall from status and having to bow to those once lesser and now in control. He has no choice when he is forced to deliver a curse, because Psyche has come to the attention of a green-eyed monster.

The two are destined to meet, collide and change their paths forever. Love under the constraints of a cruel curse or never the twain shall meet per the fine print of the same curse.

I can't recommend this enough, especially if you're embracing old material view through a different lens. Narratives, myths, gods, goddesses and mortals written through the eye of the needle called man. Let's turn up the volume a little louder on the silenced and unwritten perspective.

Buy Psyche and Eros at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orion Fiction; pub date 25 May 2023, available in hardback, ebook and audio £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.