#Blogtour The Wife Next Door by Amanda Brooke

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Wife Next Door by Amanda Brooke.

About the Author

Amanda Brooke is an internationally bestselling author. Her debut novel, Yesterday’s Sun, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick and since then she has written eleven further books. Amanda lives in Merseyside with a cat called Spider, a dog called Mouse, and a laptop within easy reach. Follow @AmandaBrookeAB on Twitter

About the book

It’s not just secrets buried in the garden next door…

Jane doesn’t know her new neighbours very well. But she thought they were nice. She thought they were happy. She was wrong. First there’s the explosive rows. Then she catches one of them digging a grave-shaped trench in the garden. When the truth emerges, someone would kill to cover their tracks

Review

At first it's easy to swipe away the little niggles and the odd moments, even the things Jane should clearly be worried about. There is so much emotional noise surrounding her own relationship and family issues, especially when it comes to saying goodbye to her mother and the life they both led. Eventually though, when the next door neighbours start reminding her of a creepy Hitchcock movie Jane starts to pay a little more attention to the people next door.

Kudos to the author for writing a story that is a snake eating its own tail. Very much a metaphor for the way life deals us certain hands repeatedly, and that the concept of good, evil and morality is often one without clear boundaries. Just for the fun of it - begin at the end then return to the beginning.

Am I the wrong side of evil because I thought the ending was a nicely wrapped package, and just the right side of feeling like a job well done? Oh well, isn't that just a shame for those who deserve nothing more and nothing less. 

Buy The Wife Next Door at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Harper Collins pub date 19th January 2023 | Paperback Original | Ebook | Audio. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Harper Collins.

#BlogTour A Good Liar by Amanda Brooke

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour A Good Liar by Amanda Brooke.

About the Author

Amanda Brooke published her first novel in her mid-forties, having turned to writing as a way of coping with the death of her young son. Her first novel, Yesterday's Sun, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, and in the last decade she has continued to write bestselling books with a strong emotional theme and an element of psychological suspense. Follow @AmandaBrookeAB on Twitter, Visit amanda-brooke.com

About the book

When a fire destroys the Empress Theatre, a devastating tragedy unfolds. Amelia’s mother lost her peace of mind forever when she left her daughter alone for a few life-changing moments. The dance school lost their beloved teacher, Hilary, who died saving the lives of her young pupils. Karin lost her memory, and the answers she desperately craves. Claudia lost the one thing that would have made her perfect life complete. 

As local reporter Leanne picks over the embers of that night, what seemed like a straightforward case of negligence becomes something else entirely: somebody is lying – each person has lost something, but one of them has sold their soul…

Review

Leanne has an emotional attachment to the newspaper article she is researching. The first anniversary of a terrible tragedy is quickly approaching and she wants the guilty to be punished. Her editor would rather she concentrate on a mysterious woman who saved a child in the tragedy - was it the last thing she did before being killed?

It's a tightly paced investigative thriller which is seeped in strong emotions. Trauma, guilt, fear and relief are jumbled together for the people involved, and of course in Leanne's case there is also a good portion of anger and frustration. The guilt is divided into survivor's guilt, guilt at perhaps not reacting to the situation in the best way.

I think that aspect of the story is done quite well. None of us know how we will react in an emergency situation, especially in a catastrophe of this magnitude, not until we actually experience it. From a simple traffic accident to a more severe incident, you won't know if you will be the calm collected, the blithering hysteric or the frozen type. There is nothing wrong with any of those reactions, because the body tends to react before the brain has a chance to register. Sometimes you do something instinctively, much like Amelia's stranger in the chaos, and manage to save a life.

I really enjoyed it. Brooke manages to draw from a variety of horror scenarios, extract the multiple layers of human reaction and create a compelling story. It's emotional, honest and a cracking read.

Buy A Good Liar at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Harper Collins; pub date 5th August 2021, Paperback Original, £7.99 - 27th May 2021, Ebook £3.99 and Audio £12.99. Buy at Amazon com.