#Blogtour Leap by O.C. Heaton

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Leap by O.C. Heaton, the first book in The Race is On series.

About the Author

I write what I love to read - big issue thrillers that are super well researched inside a complex plot full of twists and turns.

The result of the above is The Race Is On Series, an idea I had on a trip to Iceland. The first in the series is called LEAP, which tells the tale of a device which has the power to halt global warming. The ensuing race to control the power of this machine will continue throughout the sequel to LEAP which I’m well on my way to completing. It's called Green Ray and will be published in May 2023.

Just like LEAP, the 2nd book weaves fact with fiction and encompasses events such as the 2009 global financial meltdown, Al Qaeda, a new US President and a cornered CIA; another delightful concoction around which I have constructed another tall, but hopefully credible, tale. Watch this space!

I live in Leeds, UK with the love of my life and our two daughters. It rains a lot in Leeds but that works out well for me - loads of time for research and of course writing! Follow @OCHeaton on X, @ocheaton on Instagram, Visit Website : ocheaton.com

About the book

Ethan Rae is known for his billions, but his latest business venture is about to really put him on the map: a quantum teleportation system that would solve global warming for good. Known as LEAP, the system is capable of providing Earth’s ultimate second chance...until it falls into the wrong hands.

When playboy CEO Samuel Reynolds III snatches LEAP out from under Ethan’s nose, he adds insult to injury by attempting to destroy Ethan’s business partner, Uma Jakobsdóttir. But this is no malicious whim. As the daughter of its creator, Uma enforces the LEAP Laws.

Because of its potentially devastating capabilities, LEAP users must not clone people, revive the dead, or merge minds and species. But in the race to recover their precious piece of tech, Ethan and Uma are faced with sacrifices that push their resolve to breaking point.

From the frozen wastelands of Iceland, to the leafy suburbs of London and the mean streets of New York City, LEAP is a technothriller that will keep you questioning what it means to be human.

Review

Uma believes Ethan is the right money-man to approach to bring Leap to the people, and to ensure it is put to use for the good of the survival of mankind. The only problem with that train of thought is that Uma doesn't realise what some people will do for the most innovative and powerful invention of this century. Just imagine what damage it could do in the wrong hands, the ability to move... err I'll let you find that out for yourselves.

It's a fast-paced speculative environmental thriller which balances the greed of capitalism, thirst for power and ruthless people with little thought for the future, with the attempt to make the world abide by some moral standards or code of ethics. Good luck with that when it comes to profit margins and the search for complete control.

The author lets aspects of science, spirituality, and the pure excitement of discovery come together and meld itself into a constantly moving and changing concept. Time and place become interchangeable and are no longer a constant known measurable quantity and wander into the realms of unknown variable.

Kudos to the author for presenting the science in a way that everyone can comprehend without ever losing the complexity of the concept. Not an easy feat. Usually one or the other has to give little. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Buy Leap at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Rookwood Publishing, pub date 4 Aug. 2022. Buy at Amazon com. 

#PublicationDay The Long and Winding Road by Lesley Pearse

Happy Publication Day! - From the No.1 bestselling author Lesley Pearce comes her own unforgettable story - The Long and Winding Road.

Pic credit/copyright: Charlotte Murphy

About the Author

Lesley Pearse is one of the world’s leading storytellers with numerous No.1 bestsellers to her name and fans who span the globe. A Lesley Pearse book is sold every 4 minutes in the UK and with sales of over 10 million copies, she has dominated the bestseller charts for the last 30 years. Yet Lesley’s success is all the more remarkable because her first book wasn’t published until she was 48, and until that moment, her life was more incredible than any fiction. 

Lesley now lives in Torquay, Devon where she loves to spend time walking on the beach with her grandchildren. A fantastic speaker and committed and passionate fundraiser for the NSPCC, Lesley is a much sought-after guest at literary lunches, library events and festivals up and down the country.

About the book

Born in Kent during the Second World War, Lesley’s life changed irrevocably when a neighbour found her, aged 3, coatless in the snow. The mother she’d been unable to wake had been dead for days. Separated from her brother, and sent to an orphanage, Lesley soon learned adults couldn’t always be trusted, and certainly weren’t always kind. With her father in the Royal Marines, Lesley spent three years alone before her father remarried and Lesley and her older brother were brought home again. They were joined by two other children who were later adopted by her father and stepmother, and a continuing stream of foster children.  

Life at home was difficult and, aged just 15, Lesley headed to London determined to forge a better life for herself. Naïve and innocent, yet always resourceful (a trait that has served her well all her life), she worked her way through many jobs before finding herself pregnant. Sent to a mother and baby home, she was determined to keep her son, before realising she couldn’t give him the life he deserved. Aged just six months, Lesley gave her beautiful son, Warren, up for adoption. She would look for him for the next 50 years.  

The pain of such profound loss haunted Lesley, and she threw herself headlong into the hedonistic world of the ‘swinging sixties’ sharing flats, working hard (promotional work, retail, Bunny Girl), and partying harder, often with East End gangsters and musicians. A short-lived first marriage, was followed by a second to John, a talented trumpeter who played with Dusty Springfield, Lulu and David Bowie (Lesley even inspired lines in Bowie’s A Couple of Kooks). As the 60s turned into the 70s, Lesley found a longed-for sense of home and the start of the decade saw the birth of their daughter, Lucy and a record deal for John. The future looked bright but then the house they lived in was sold – ironically to become a homeless shelter – and the family found themselves homeless. John lost his record deal and his mental health began to suffer. Times were desperate and John became increasingly unwell, until Lesley had no choice but to have him sectioned. They eventually parted.  

Alone once again, and with a small child to support, it was while hitch-hiking to a job interview that Lesley was to meet her third husband, Nigel. She moved to Bristol, had daughters Sammy and Jo and set up a gift shop. It was only then that she began to write and 

the rest, as they say, is history. 

Told with Lesley’s trademark warmth, wit and poignancy, The Long and Winding Road is the extraordinary story of a remarkable woman fighting against the odds to achieve her dreams, and finally winning. Follow @LesleyPearse on X, Visit penguin.co.uk/lesley-pearse

Review

If you have ever wondered where Lesley gets her inspiration for her writing and stories, then reading this should explain a few things. Experiences and memories grow into written tales that engage many readers. The good, the painful, the bad, the ugly and the moments of pure joy somewhere in the middle of all the chaos.

And it does seem quite chaotic at times, probably because there is a lot to tell the reader and not enough pages or time to fit it in. Equally it also seems as if the author has disassociated at a certain level, which makes it easier to deliver facts or her experiences at a factual level without letting them, herself and us be overwhelmed by the emotional impact of many difficult and traumatic events.

Aside from choosing what she hoped would be a safer more secure path for her child, Lesley is changed by the traumatic experience of having a child and giving them up. Simultaneously she also glosses over the tragedy of the loss of her mother, the abandonment by the father and other family members, and the neglect and abuse her new mother is responsible for. It's a miracle she didn't let it all break her.

I think her childhood forged coping mechanisms, lack of trust, and the lack of empathy and love is pivotal when it comes to creating meaningful and lasting relationships. Inadvertently creating patterns of chaos, self soothing behaviours and living alone surrounded by many others.

It's an incredibly open experience and certainly one her readers will enjoy.

Buy The Long and Winding Road at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Penguin Michael Joseph| pub date 29th February 2024 price £22.00 in hardback. 

#Blogtour The Sleeping Beauties by Lucy Ashe

 It's my turn on the Blogtour The Sleeping Beauties by Lucy Ashe.

About the Author

After training at the Royal Ballet School for eight years, Lucy Ashe decided to change career plans and go to university, where she read English Literature before doing a PGCE teaching qualification, and she is now a teacher. Her poetry and short stories have been published in a number of literary journals and she was shortlisted for the 2020 Impress Prize for New Writers. Follow @LSAshe1 on X

About the book

May, 1945. - At long last, Rosamund Caradon is feeling optimistic. As she returns the last few evacuees to London from her Devonshire manor, she vows to protect dance obsessed daughter Jasmine from further peril. But a chance meeting with a Sadler’s Wells ballerina changes everything. 

When the beautiful, elusive Briar Woods bursts into Rosamund’s train carriage, it’s clear her sights are set on the immediately captivated Jasmine. And Rosamund cannot shake the feeling this accidental encounter is not what it seems. 

While Briar may be far away from the pointe shoes and greasepaint of the Sleeping Beauty ballet that is so much a part of her, this performance might well be her most successful yet. For what she is watching, Rosamund feels, is a strangely unique show, one that’s just for a mother and a daughter… 

Review

Not going to lie, this started out as a bit of a chaotic read for me. It opened up (digital) on the prologue, which I thought was a great beginning to a serial killer murder - in my defence I had forgotten the blurb and the title sounded like a catchy crime story. Then the first chapter - Act 1, it's war refugees being returned to their homes. Confused, I go back to before the prologue to read Stage Notes, then return to Act 1 for the mysterious and intense ballerina, who has now joined us. To be fair the glaringly obvious references should have been a clue.

Rosamund and her daughter Jasmine meet the persistent and intriguing Briar, whilst returning to London. Something about Briar triggers a gut reaction of concern in Rosamund, something just isn't right about this young woman, who like Jasmine is a lover of ballet. Briar burrows her way into the relationship between mother and daughter, but why?

Throughout the story there is a constant redefining of what motherhood is and whether being a mother is always the bog standard version of what society expects. Is knowing the truth about who you are always the right answer?

It's a good read, which gives great insight into the passion, work ethic and the almost obsessive dedication to ballet. How the world within it becomes its own microcosm of beauty, grace, art and expression. Perhaps also on a bigger scale how moments of pure beauty can bring a little joy in the most difficult of situations.

On a side note, there are no serial killers in the story at all, although I stand by the fact the prologue and title sound like a great idea for a crime novel.

Buy The Sleeping Beauties at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Magpie, pub date 15th February 2024 - Hardback £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Hidden Years by Rachel Hore

Sunday Times bestseller Rachel Hore’s captivating new novel of secrets, loss and betrayal - set on the beautiful Cornish coast during World War Two and the heady days of the 1960s. 

It's my turn on the Blogtour The Hidden Years by Rachel Hore.

About the Author

Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, where she taught publishing and creative writing at the University of East Anglia before becoming a full-time writer. She is married to the writer D. J. Taylor and they have three sons. Rachel Hore is the author of twelve previous novels, many of them Sunday Times bestsellers. Follow @Rachelhore on X

About the book

When talented musician Gray Robinson persuades Belle to abandon her university studies and follow him to Silverwood, home to an artistic community on the Cornish coast, Belle happily agrees even though they’ve only just met. She knows she is falling in love, and the thought of spending a carefree summer with Gray is all she can think about. 

But being with Gray isn’t the only reason Belle agrees to accompany him to Silverwood. Why does the name Silverwood sound so familiar? What is its connection to a photo of her as a baby, taken on a nearby beach? And who is Imogen Lockhart, a wartime nurse who lived at Silverwood many years ago? As the summer months unfold, Belle begins to learn the truth – about secrets from the past that have been kept hidden, but also about the person she wants to be. 

Review

It's the 60s and Belle is about to embark on a new path, a deviation from her plans from her sensible life. Why? The charm of a persuasive man is so convincing that she is willing to become a butterfly floating on the winds of change. Sounds so convincing, right?

She follows Gray to a place called Silverwood, and eventually it's as if she was meant to follow him to that place, because it appears to hold the answers to some secrets she was never aware of.

The second timeline begins on the cusp of the start of World War II and Imogen, who helps to accompany two evacuees to a house that becomes an important fixture in the story. Somehow the two must be connected right, but perhaps the stories connect in a different way completely.

One of things the author does really well in this book is bring to life the forgotten world of the first line of defence, ergo the coastal communities during the war. The preparation for a possible invasion, the actual invasion of friendly forces - the way the allies changed the fabric of certain areas, and just how many stories remain locked in and forgotten.

Set across two timelines this historical fiction story has the heart of a fighter, the compassion of an open heart and keeps the reader engaged from the get-go.

Buy The Hidden Years at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster, pub date 15th February 2024 | Paperback | £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Point Zero by Seicho Matsumoto

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Point Zero by Seicho Matsumoto. 'First published in Japanese in 1959, the novel abandoned the template of closed-room mysteries so popular in pre-war Japan to embrace social criticism.' 

About the Author

Author: Seicho Matsumoto (1909-1982) was Japan's most successful mystery writer. His first detective novel, Points and Lines, sold over a million copies in Japan. Vessel of Sand, published in English as Inspector Imanishi Investigates in 1989, sold over four million copies and became a movie box-office hit.  

About the Translator 

Louise Heal Kawai is a translator of Japanese literature based in Yokohama. She previously translated Seicho Matsumoto’s A Quiet Place for Bitter Lemon Press. She is the translator of other works in the mystery genre, including Seishi Yokomizo’s The Honjin Murders and Death on Gokumon Island, and Seventeen and The North Light by Hideo Yokoyama. Follow @quietmoonwave17 on X

About the book

Tokyo, 1958. Teiko marries Kenichi Uhara, ten years her senior, an advertising man recommended by a go-between. After a four-day honeymoon, Kenichi vanishes. Teiko travels to the coastal and snow-bound city of Kanazawa, where Kenichi was last seen, to investigate his disappearance. When Kenichi’s brother comes to help her, he is murdered, poisoned in his hotel room. 

Soon, Teiko discovers that her husband’s disappearance is tied up with the so-called “pan-pan girls”, women who worked as prostitutes catering to American GIs after the war. Now, ten years later, as the country is recovering, there are those who are willing to take extreme measures to hide that past.

Review

When you realise that the whole point of Teiko's movements - in fact the entirety of the plot structure - is the antithesis version of the much loved closed room mystery. Then it all makes sense, because at some point you might find yourself in a state of confusion or with a bit of whiplash from the constant movement from start to finish. It never lets up. It begins with Teiko and eventually other characters follow suit.

Teiko begins her journey as a woman who is expected to fulfil her societal role and tick the appropriate boxes, which includes an arranged marriage to businessman ten years her senior. The niggles and the reddish flags that raise their heads are suddenly forgotten when her brand new husband disappears on a business trip. Her initial response - concerned wife - turns into something akin to Miss Marple with a bone.

What slowly unravels is mystery wrapped tightly in the claws of those who will do anything to hide the truth and others who wander on the periphery of said truth.

It's the kind of story one could imagine being set on screen, where the vivid imagery would unfold and gift the eye of the beholder with the true beauty of this story. Each tense emotionally restricted moment becoming the minutiae as the background tries to seduce the watcher or reader. Kudos to the translator for capturing the voice, spirit and soul of this book.

Buy Point Zero at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bitter Lemon Press; pub date 10 Feb. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Sisterhood by Katherine Bradley.

About the Author

Katherine Bradley worked for many years managing services for people who are marginalised by society; her work has taken her into prisons, mental health hospitals and alongside the homeless. She currently works in education. She holds a first-class degree in English Literature, in addition to qualifications in creative writing and teaching. 

As Kate Bradley, she published two suspense thrillers - To Keep You Safe (2020) and What I Did (2021). Her work has been described as 'addictive, original and brilliantly twisty' by T. M. Logan and 'heart-stopping' by David Nicholls. Katherine lives in a small coastal town just outside of Brighton with her husband and sons. Follow @kate__bradley on X

About the book

In Oceania, whoever you are, Big Brother is always watching you. Trust is a luxury that no one has. Julia is the seemingly perfect example of what women in Oceania should be: dutiful, useful, subservient, meek. But Julia hides a secret. A secret that would lead to her death if discovered. For Julia is part of the underground movement called The Sisterhood, whose main goal is to find members of The Brotherhood, the anti-Party vigilante group, and help them to overthrow Big Brother. Only then can everyone be truly free. 

When Julia thinks she’s found a potential member of The Brotherhood, it seems like their goal might finally be in their grasp. But as she gets closer to Winston Smith, Julia’s past starts to catch up with her and we soon realise that she has many more secrets than we’d first imagined – and that overthrowing Big Brother might cost her everything – but if you have nothing left to lose then you don’t mind playing the game . . . 

This is a story about love, about family, about being a woman, a mother, a sister, a friend and ultimately about what you would sacrifice for the greater good. 

Review

I think to get a better and perhaps a more objective view of the book you have to try and forget what has gone before. Experience the story without the frame of reference of the reimagining of the classic, then afterwards compare and examine if you want. 

Fresh eyes experience the oppression of a dystopian society with a bleak shimmer of hope coursing through the veins of the few who haven't given up quite yet. Sisterhood speaks volumes and suggests vast connections with the feminist reimagined character development of 1984.

It deserves the objective eye and to stand on its own merit even if the base idea is inspired by the well of another. This idea well has allowed growth beyond expectation, despite the societal construct of complete oppression, monitoring and control being an old concept. Although it is both worrying and an eye-opener how the degeneration happens in the first place - is it not upon us already as we speak? 

I found it riveting. The author knows how to captivate the reader with the fraught tension, the risk and constant danger, and does so in the midst of a bleak concept. Bare minimum makes you focus on the small interactions, the barely evident body language and expressions, the repressed emotions and fear in the back of your neck.

Excellent read - hopefully there is more to come.

Buy The Sisterhood at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster, pub date 18th January 2024 - Paperback | £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Mongrel by Hanako Footman

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Mongrel by Hanako Footman, which is a 2024 debut novel you don't want to miss.

About the Author

Hanako Footman is a British-Japanese actor and author living in London. Mongrel is her debut novel. Follow @hanakofootman on Instagram

About the book

Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing both her heritage and her growing love for her best friend Fran.

Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Lonely and far from home, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.

Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo’s nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in seedy bars. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . . .

Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of isolation, desire, love, and ultimately, hope.

Review

With Mei we experience the coming-of-age, the awakening of her sexuality, the tasting of the hidden rather than forbidden fruit. The confusion, betrayal and the search for answers. With Yuki the reader can see the writing on the wall, despite not knowing the importance of her role at the beginning. Then there is Haruka who becomes the physical representation of rejection, the inability to swallow pride to save her sanity and she is also the road upon which healing can be built.

As the threads between Mei, Yuki and Haruka become more visual to the eye of the beholder, the better the reader understands each woman. Their experiences, regardless of their age at the time, and how their past, similarities and connections have an impact on their lives and relationships.

I also found it fascinating how the author manages to give each subjective view of the characters who intersect the lives of the women at different times. The person I meet and experience is not the person you meet and experience, much like each child has a different version of their parent, which means their interactions and views can differ vastly from each other.

Sometimes you find stories that have the capacity to go beyond the hook of a great read and story, they connect with the reader on a visceral level. I find it's often the case when the beauty of the prose elevates the story to a level above a mere reaction of compassion, empathy, pain, despair or just the recognition of some element of self. Footman has that je ne sais quoi, and the ability to deliver in word what the eye perceives and heart feels.

Buy Mongrel at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Footnote Press, pub date 8 Feb. 2024. Buy via Bookshop org.

#Blogtour A Deadly Portrayal by L.M. Milford

It's my turn on the Blogtour A Deadly Portrayal by L.M. Milford.

About the Author

LM Milford is a crime fiction author who writes the Allensbury mysteries, covering the exploits of local newspaper reporter Dan Sullivan.

A former newspaper journalist, Lynne’s experience has influenced her work, although her stories were never as exciting as Dan’s.

Lynne was born and brought up in the north-east of England, but now lives in Kent with her husband and far too many books. She loves cooking, baking and holidays in Spain. She’s partial to a good red wine and plates of cheese. Follow @LMMilford on X, LMmilford on Instagram, lmmilford on Facebook or visit lmmilford.com

About the book

When local crime reporter Emma Fletcher is asked to help identify her friend's blackmailer, she discovers a link to the recent death of a teacher at Allensbury Dance and Drama School.

Meanwhile, a police investigation is uncovering some dark secrets, and it is clear that someone is seeking revenge for past wrongs. As Emma's list of suspects continues to grow, the discovery of a second body puts her in the killer's sights.

Warned off the investigation by the police for her own safety, Emma decides the best way to save herself is to find the culprit first.

With the help of fellow news reporter Dan Sullivan, Emma must work out who is targeting Allensbury Dance and Drama School before the killer strikes again

Review

Not sure murder and mayhem in the midst of a school for dance and drama is that much of a surprise. In a school full of big egos with a natural inclination towards emotional outbursts and a lot of me, me, me behaviour. Of course there are going to be people with resentment and jealousy, whether they are willing to kill because of it is quite another.

When the death of a teacher starts as a simple possible accident that evolves into something more sinister, it's also the beginning of the end of something more sinister hidden beneath the surface.

She has a natural way in, because she knows the school. I think at times she struggles to mediate between being a supportive friend and doing anything she can to get the big scoop. Emma finds herself entangled in a deeper scandal and mess than anyone was prepared for, it's more than just murder. It's a story of revenge, protection and trying to keep someone safe in a bizarre way.

It's a crime story that reads with the comfort of a cosy and the yet it also brings some harsh realities to the table. The truth behind false admiration and the way powerful people manipulate the vulnerable and those on the lower end of the power scale. It never loses the low-key appeal of a murder mystery comfort read.

Buy A Deadly Portrayal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏ : ‎ Readthrough Press; pub date 28 Oct. 2023. Buy at Amazon com. Via books2read

#Blogtour Don't Let Her Go by Willow Rose

It's my turn on the Blogtour Don't Let Her Go by Willow Rose - book 1 in the Detective Billie Ann Wilde series.

About the Author

Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy bestselling author of more than 90 novels. Several of her books have reached the top 10 of all books in the Amazon store in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than seven million books, which have been translated into many languages. Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting page-turners with twists you won't see coming; that's why her fans call her "The Queen of Plot Twists". Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Follow @madamwillowrose on X

About the book

A missing five-year-old girl is the key to unlocking a detective’s terrifying past…

When Detective Billie Ann Wilde receives a desperate call that five-year-old Emma Wilson is missing, she rushes to the family home. But inside the picture-perfect house surrounded by Florida marshlands, she finds no children’s clothes or toys, no photos of the innocent child Emma’s mother Marissa describes. Billie suspects Marissa Wilson is hiding from someone.

It’s a race against the clock to find Emma. But Marissa refuses to tell Billie anything about her past, and before long, she also disappears…

And then Billie realizes who Marissa is. She’s the ten-year-old girl Billie failed to find in her first ever case fourteen years ago. The leads went cold because Billie made a fatal mistake.

As more bodies turn up in the same marshlands, Billie must revisit her past and face up to her demons to find Marissa and her child. But she is unknowingly putting herself in the path of a terrifying serial killer…

An explosive new crime series from multi-million-copy bestseller Willow Rose. Fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot will be on the edge of their seats, unable to put this book down!

Review

Detective Billie Ann Wilde is on the cusp of change and is boldly taking a step forward to acknowledge her true self, simultaneously she is thrown into the chaos of a missing child who possibly didn't exist in the first place and the murder of a young girl. With a battle at home and people questioning her professional accuracy and suspicions about the current cases - it's both frustrating and a wild crime ride.

It could be a little smoother, but that might just be a choice of storytelling or author style. Overall it is the kind of story that has important nuances when it comes to safeguarding, abuse, exploitation, trusting your gut and never forgetting about the victims swallowed up into the darkness of the system and crime.

I have a side-note about the way the reactions and perceptions of one of the victims though, just because it rankled me a wee bit while I was reading. It's the way the reactions are written in a way that could be interpreted as mutual arousal. Grooming, especially long-term targeted grooming, often creates a sense of guilt because attraction and consent are falsely loaded onto the victim, ergo no blame lies with the groomer. A vulnerable neglected child is vulnerable to any person who gifts them any type of affection.

I enjoyed the personal aspect of the Billie Ann's character, it sheds a light on the devastating and often hypocritical reactions to her discovery of self. Suddenly her sexual orientation is equated with being a bad mother, an awful human being and oh gosh get ready to burn in the pits of hell. Strange how a hurt ego can manifest into something so destructive - I'm sure that saga will continue in the next book. Looking forward to it.

Buy Don't Let Her Go at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bookouture pub date 2 Feb. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy

 It's my turn on the Blogtour An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy.

About the Author

Dwyer Murphy is the editor-in-chief of Crime Reads, Literary Hub’s crime fiction vertical and the world’s most popular destination for thriller readers. He practised law at Debevoise and Plimpton in New York City, where he was alitigator, and served as editor of the Colombia Law Review. He was previously an Emerging Writer Fellow at the Centre for Fiction. Follow @DwyerMurphy on X.

About the book

Brooklyn, mid-2000s. After leaving behind the comforts of a prestigious law firm, a restless attorney attempts to make ends meet by picking up odd jobs from a colourful assortment of clients. When the mysterious Anna Reddick turns up at his apartment with ten thousand dollars in cash and asks him to track down her missing husband, he trusts it will be an easy case. 

That is until the real Anna Reddick shows up - a magnetic but unpredictable literary prodigy- and he finds himself out of his depth and drawn into a series of deceptions involving Joseph Conrad novels, unscrupulous booksellers and seedy real estate developers. Set against the tail end of the analogue era, An Honest Living is a gripping story of artistic ambition, obsession, and the small crimes we commit against one another every every day.

Review

It's gentle knock at the door, a reminder of a New York only some may recognise - it awakens a kind of familiarity, perhaps a certain element of nostalgia. Memories of faded experiences, less restricted coming together and an inclination to engage without thought.

The noirish vibe wanders hand in hand with a sharp tang of literary fiction, but is sometimes hampered by the instinctual need to outwit the viewer, dazzle the reader with facts, knowledge and shiny intellect. The result is that here and there some readers will leave the train early or find themselves stuck at a specific station stuck on a minor detail or the lack of one that is important to them.

In between jobs, the main character - a man of law - picks up what appears to be an easy task and a way to make a lot of money, but it actually turns out to be the foot in the door for trouble coming straight in his direction. He finds himself drawn into a world he can barely swim in, let alone survive successfully.

It's an interesting venture, possibly because it evokes a feeling of nostalgia for smoke filled rooms and crystal tumblers filled with booze that burns a hole in your throat. I enjoyed the oddly obsessive bookish element of the story - it's simultaneously obsessive, creepy and smacks equally of greed and possessiveness. It also captures the strange nature of the species called collector, although I have the greatest understanding when it comes to the elusive works of the literary world. 

Buy An Honest Living at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: No Exit Press; pub date 01. January, 2024. Buy via Amazon com.