#Blogtour Kill Creatures by Rory Power

'From the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls comes a gripping dark thriller – perfect to read in a single sitting that unravels friendship, jealousy, desire, rage and revenge, with a shocking twist that will leave you breathless.' 

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Kill Creatures by Rory Power - published 5th June 2025 by Scholastic UK.

About the Author

Rory Power grew up in New England, where she lives and works as a story consultant for TV adaptation. She received a Masters in Prose Fiction from the University of East Anglia, and is the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls, Burn Our Bodies Down, and In a Garden Burning Gold. Visit itsrorypower.com or instagram.com/itsrorypower

About the book

Last summer, Nan's three best friends disappeared into Saltcedar Canyon.

She's spent the year since grieving their loss and avoiding questions about what happened that night. Now, on the anniversary, she's ready to say goodbye, and so are the girls' families, who have reconvened to hold a memorial. But their vigil is interrupted by the shocking return of one of the missing girls alive. Everybody is overjoyed. Everybody, that is, except Nan, who was pretty sure they were dead. After all, she's the one who killed them.

Review

Colour me surprised, this was a really good read. I'll definitely be reading more by this author going forward.

This is a tense dark domestic psychological thriller. Four girls go on a secret midnight escapade and only one of them returns. Nan is dreading the vigil for her best friends, but perhaps not because of the loss and the painful reminder of their disappearance. Instead she finds the entire dramatic exercise a tad boring and time-consuming. The last thing she expects is the unexpected reappearance of someone she knows is dead - she knows because she was there when it happened, in fact she is the killer.

What follows is an extremely complicated cat and mouse game, I would hazard a guess that neither the reader, Nan nor the undead girl know exactly who is the cat in this scenario or indeed the mouse. Is Nan going to have to fix her mistake, that's if she actually did it, right? If she killed her friend why is she alive? Or is there something bigger going on - is it really more than just teenage rage, perhaps an overactive imagination, but that doesn't explain the other missing girls does it?

I would love to see this developed into a small screen series, it has the right kind of pithy characters and plot to captivate a large audience. Power is an author with a depth of understanding when it comes to the often complex intricacies of the teenage mind, especially that of the female variety. Friends, enemies, frenemies - from besties to willing to kill in the blink of an eye, such is the irrational and dangerous world of the teenage mind and hive.

Buy Kill Creatures at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Scholastic Uk, pub date 5th June 2025. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins.

About the Author

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has sold more than 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over fifty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt. Paula’s thrillers Into the Water and A Slow Fire Burning were also instant No.1 bestsellers.

About the book

When a small bone at the centre of a famous sculpture is revealed to be human, three people become intimately connected by the secrets and lies that put it there.

Set on a Scottish tidal island connected to the mainland for just a few hours each day, and home to only one inhabitant, The Blue Hour asks questions of ambition, power, art and perception.

Paula Hawkin’s singular fourth thriller cements her place among the very best of our most nuanced, powerful and stylish storytellers.

Review

Was it just me? The last page - especially the last small paragraph - reads like an epitaph. It resonates hard, perhaps more so after such an introspective and often menacing read.

If this gets made into a visual experience I hope they get the scenery right. In the story the island - let's just call it that - it becomes a  character in its own right. The place that offers isolation, solitude, safety, threat and danger - all in equal measure. A metaphor for self, for the engagement with relationships, and for life.

It's a bit of a broken web story, and at the end I'm not sure the web is restored in its entirety, but I think that might just be the point. Life doesn't always give us a resolution to the threads we encounter. We make choices, judgements, decisions that alter the paths we take.

Thrown into the mixture of this psychological thriller, is the way art is perceived and created. The relationship between integrity, ethics, morals and creativity. Becker is a prime example of integrity of artwork over possible crime, obsession melds with professional interest.

As the layers are unpacked from a variety of directions the reader is taken on a journey of fear vs inspiration, menace vs a search for peace. Hawkins always delivers a fascinating read.

Buy The Blue Hour at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher Doubleday, pub date 10th October 2024 | Hardback | £22.00. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox

Absolute pleasure to take part in the Blogtour for Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox.

About the Author

Joseph Knox has lived in Stoke on Trent, Manchester and London. In 2020, he became an Irish citizen. His debut novel Sirens was a bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. The Smiling Man and The Sleepwalker are the second and third books in the Waits trilogy. His first standalone novel, True Crime Story, was a Times number one bestseller. Follow @josephknox__ on X

About the book

When you’re living a lie, you find it’s best to avoid close attachments…

Lynch, a burned out con-artist, arrives, broke, in London, trying not to dwell on the mistakes that got him there. When he bumps into Bobbie, a rehab-bound heiress - and when she briefly mistakes him for her missing brother - Lynch senses the opportunity, as well as the danger…

Bobbie’s brother, Heydon, was a troubled young man. Five years ago, he walked out of the family home and never went back. His car was found parked on a bridge overlooking the Thames, in the early hours of the same morning. Unsettled by Bobbie’s story, and suffering from a rare attack of conscience, Lynch tries to back off.

But when Bobbie leaves for rehab the following day, he finds himself drawn to her luxurious family home, and into a meeting with her mother, the formidable Miranda. Seeing the same resemblance that her daughter did, Miranda proposes she hire Lynch to assume her son’s identity, in a last-ditch effort to try and flush out his killer.

As Lynch begins to impersonate him, dark forces are lured out of the shadows, and he realises too late that Heydon wasn’t paranoid at all. Someone was watching his every move, and they’ll kill to keep it a secret. For the first time, Lynch is in a life or death situation he can’t lie his way out of.

Review

Reading this made me realise I have to dust off my copy of True Crime Story and read it again, also that I wish I were in charge of a streaming service so I could buy books to develop into screen material, whilst also being aware that there probably isn't enough money in the world to do fair justice to the amount of cracking books there are. This is one of those reads that would be a spectacular on-screen experience - given the right eye for cast and detail.

Lynch is a pinball in a machine without a task or a purpose, just trailing around until the right moment or opportunity comes around. Bobbie enters his universe of lies, convenience and the world of con. It appears at the time, as if two troubled souls in need of support and driven by trauma, need something from each other. Essentially this is what leads Lynch into his next falsity - he becomes the long lost brother of Bobbie.

The more he gets involved the more Lynch appears determined to find out what happened to Heydon, the man he shares a face with. A simple con turns into something closer to - the deeper the secrets the more destructive they are - with a side dish of criminal intent and a smidgen of gangster style justice.

It's riveting piece of fiction, with the kind of ending that makes me hope we see Lynch again in some capacity. The charming con-man with an unhealthy lack of any sense of danger, who is so quick on his feet that the reader can't help but want him to succeed, perhaps because of the sheer audacity at times. It's a great read and I highly recommend it.

Buy Imposter Syndrome at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Doubleday Uk; pub date 11th July 2024 | Hardback | £18.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Other Tenant by Lesley Kara

It's my turn on the Blogtour The Other Tenant by Lesley Kara, published by Bantam Press - 25th April 2024.

'From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a gripping new thriller that asks how well you really know the people you share a home with... After all, living with strangers can be murder...'

About the Author

Lesley Kara is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rumour, Who Did You Tell?, The Dare and The Apartment Upstairs. The Rumour was the highest selling crime fiction debut of 2019 in the UK, and a Kindle No.1 bestseller. Lesley is an alumna of the Faber Academy 'Writing a Novel' course. She lives in Kent.

You can follow Lesley on Twitter @LesleyKara or visit her website at lesleykara.com

About the book

The Queen of the killer twist is back in this gripping closed-circle thriller about an unusual home full of strangers, with a murderer in their midst… 

Marlow has always lived in unusual places. But when she accepts a position as a live-in property guardian, she finds herself moving somewhere she swore she’d never return to. Right from the start, she knows it’s a terrible mistake. The elegant Victorian school is due to be turned into luxury apartments, but its eerie, empty corridors are full of Marlow’s worst memories.

And now something sinister is happening on the site. One of the other tenants has disappeared without warning, and Marlow suspects that the nine other guardians know far more than they’re letting on. She’s determined to find out what happened to the missing woman – but which of these strangers can she trust? And can she uncover the truth before her own past catches up with her?

Review

From a plot scenario perspective I was in two minds about the concept of being a property guardian - by the way is this a thing? The idea of living in extraordinary spaces, unusual or perhaps those reserved for the more privileged, it's intriguing. A little bit like treasure hunting, urban exploring and the appreciation of spaces.

The flip-side includes the trauma inducing deserted places, the shabby and spooky ones, but the dealbreaker for me would probably be the having to share living space with complete strangers on the spur of a moment. Frequently changing people and no control over how many or how often it may happen. Unless we are talking desperate measures, the apocalypse or a zombie invasion, I'm not sure I would ever agree to the above.

I think it's the combination of enticing and trust your gut instinct that makes the concept such a great idea, because the reader kind of knows it has the potential to go really wrong for someone - is that someone Marlow?

Marlow finds herself right back at the core of her inner trauma when her role as property guardian takes her right back to her previous life, this time with a bunch of strangers who seem curiously disinterested in the disappearance of the person she is replacing.

It's very much an atmosphere and space/place driven story, the author uses the evoked visuals to create a constant current of danger, fear and suspicion. It's a great read.

Buy The Other Tenant at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bantam Press; pub date 25th April 2024 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear.

About the Author

Caz Frear has a first class degree in History and Politics, and spent twelve years working as a headhunter before she started writing. She hasn’t lost her enthusiasm for networking, and is a popular member of the crime fraternity. She lives in Coventry with her husband. 

Her debut, the number one bestseller Sweet Little Lies, was the winner of the Richard & Judy Search for a Bestseller Competition 2017 and went on to sell over 250,000 copies. It was followed by Stone Cold Heart and Shed No Tears, both of which feature her police detective Cat Kinsella. Five Bad Deeds is her first standalone thriller. Follow @CazziF on X

About the book

One Womans Secret, Two sides to every story, Three deadly betrayals, Four potential suspects, Five bad deeds.

Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was . . .

Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen Ellen is juggling non-stop commitments, from raising a teen and two toddlers to job-hunting, to finally renovating her dream home, the Meadowhouse. Amidst the chaos, an ominous note arrives in the mail declaring:

Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.

Why would someone send her this note? Ellen has no clue. She's no angel - a white lie here and there, an occasional sharp tongue - but nothing to incur the wrath of an anonymous enemy.

Everyone around Ellen - her husband, her teenage daughter, her sister, her best friend, her neighbours - can guess why, though. They all know from bitter experience that while Ellen’s intentions are always good, this ultimately counts for very little when you’ve (unintentionally?) blown up someone’s life. Could the five bad deeds that come to haunt Ellen explain why things have gone so horribly wrong?

As she races to discover who’s set on destroying her life, Ellen receives more anonymous messages, each one more threatening than the last . . . and each hitting closer and closer to home and everything she cherishes.

Review

I really enjoyed the vibe of this story - deliciously wicked undertone of authenticity and lack of clarity when it comes to black or white - everyone has their own version of somewhere in between. Sharp wit, thoughtless jibes, nasty intentions - no wonder someone has had enough and wants to expose the hypocrisy.

Interestingly Ellen doesn't really evoke sympathy, empathy or much compassion. I think the majority of readers understand why Orla makes Ellen ragey, why hubby frustrates her, why the twins make her feel as if her life is a constant cycle of chaos. Her sister is somewhere between frenemy and jealous friend, her friends a necessity for appearances - actually that seems to be a lot of negativity, perhaps because it is and she is.

That's without even wandering into the murky secrets Ellen keeps locked away, not well enough it seems. Someone is out to expose her one secret at a time - she isn't the only one keeping secrets though. As the threats pile in Ellen becomes a little less cautious and a lot more willing to keep her life intact.

It's a riveting psychological thriller. The sharp-tongued and brutally honest main character resonates, mainly because life really is just a series of choices, secrets, compromises and challenges. Some of us can cope with them without doing anything drastic, other people not so much. Highly recommend.

Buy Five Bad Deeds at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Uk; pub date 11th April 2024 | Hardback £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Glass Woman by Alice McIlroy

It's a pleasure to help kick off the Blogtour for The Glass Woman by Alice McIlroy - Long-listed for the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction.

About the Author

Alice McIlroy was born in London. She graduated in English and has a post-graduate in Law. She completed Faber Academy’s novel-writing programme. She has taught English in state schools in London and Milan, and volunteers with a post-natal depression charity. Her writing has been longlisted for the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and Grindstone International Novel Prize. The Glass Woman is her debut novel. Find @alice_mcilroy on X and @alicemcilroy_author on Instagram. Visit alicemcilroy.wordpress.com

About the book

If you could delete all the hurt and pain from your life... would you? Even if you weren't sure what would be left?

Pioneering scientist Iris Henderson awakes in a hospital bed with no memories. She is told that she is the first test-subject for an experimental therapy, placing a piece of AI technology into her brain. She is also told that she volunteered for it. But without her memories, Iris doesn't know what the therapy is or why she would ever choose it.

Everyone warns her to leave it alone, but Iris doesn't know who to trust. As she scratches beneath the surface of her seemingly happy marriage and successful career, a catastrophic chain of events is set in motion, and secrets will be revealed that have the capacity to destroy her whole life.

Review

Imagine waking up and having the bare minimum idea of who you are and what your life is or was. Being terrified of something you allegedly agreed to, yet subconsciously being in a constant state of disbelief about it. Agreeing to scrub the bad, the painful and incriminating memories, so you can live a more peaceful version of your life and self. It's just a tad inconvenient that the human element of a person will always start to question and eventually try to uncover the moments that are hidden from them.

I really enjoyed this read perhaps because this concept had me going back and forth a little, it's threatening, riveting and deplorable in equal measures. More worrying is the fact it's also probably the future of medical and human AI interventions, which will be used and misused by anyone who believes they can profit from it, whether that be financially or in any other capacity.

Essentially it's an interpersonal system installed in the brain - just from the perspective of the main character in this instance, which screams Gileadesque control at first. It's a element of full control, and complete and utter invasion into self, thought, actions, mental and physical wellbeing. An inner voice that is supposed to help Iris navigate recouping all her memories, that she agreed to have wiped for her own good, within a specific amount of time. Is the system inside her a friend, an enemy? - The irony of the concept having a schizophrenic aspect to it was not lost on me.

On a side-note: How did you answer the question - love the moral dilemma, which also gives an insight into the way Iris thinks she should answer in that situation without the full picture. The full picture tells us her real answer. - I could talk about this book for yonks. It is such an incredible piece of speculative fiction, domestic thriller, and tech and med thriller.

Buy The Glass Woman at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Datura Books, pub date January 2nd, 2024 | Pbk original £9.99 / $17.99. Also Available in eBook & Audio. Buy via Amazon com.

About Datura - An imprint of award-winning SFF publisher, Angry Robot Books, Datura Books focuses on crime with a strong sense of voice and place that push the boundaries of the genre, while playing with readers’ favourite tropes. Datura has been created with the purpose of showcasing plots that engage, stories that matter and most of all, characters that are true to life. Visit daturabooks.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.

#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 The Babysitter by Emma Curtis

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Babysitter by Emma Curtis.

About the Author

Emma Curtis was born in Brighton and now lives in London with her husband. After raising two children and working various jobs, her fascination with the darker side of domestic life inspired her to start writing psychological suspense thrillers. She has published five previous titles with Transworld:  One Little Mistake, When I Find You, The Night You Left, Keep Her Quiet and Invite Me In. Follow @emmacurtisbooks on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter).

About the book

Three women. Three secrets. - Claudia's life imploded ten years ago when she was convicted of the murder of her child. Now she has done the unthinkable and confessed to manslaughter in order to be granted parole - her only hope of finding out what really happened to Tilly.

Sara is married to Joe, Claudia's ex-husband, and they have a young child together. She finally has everything she ever wanted, but Claudia's release threatens the perfect life she has created.

Anna was the babysitter who let Claudia and Joe down on day their daughter disappeared. Married with a child of her own, Claudia's reappearance in her quiet cul-de-sac is an unwelcome surprise.

These three women are tied together in more ways than they realize. But only one of them is capable of killing.

Review

Admittedly, this did not start the way I expected it to - it's an excellent opening gambit. So simple and yet so consuming. The mother who will question ever moment, every person and each interaction going forward. Was there something obvious that could have changed the outcome of the evening?

Who could have imagined that one moment of assumption would lead to an endless horror of a nightmare. Claudia is stuck in time with a lack of answers whilst Anna has moved one, and Sara has more or less slid into the open space created by a tragedy.

There is an interesting moment towards the end, it sort of solidifies the state of mind of the perpetrator. Excuse as an explanation. If you hadn't then I wouldn't have had to. It's a very specific logic when they assign blame to a certain order of events. It's a special kind of manipulation I think, because it automatically kickstarts a thought process that makes the innocent party question their own actions. Just imagine if you hadn't done x before z.

It's a riveting and complex dark domestic psychological thriller, one that would work well as a mini series. Imagine the diversions, the sleight of hand, and ultimately the lack of real consequence, but hopefully eventually the truth.

Buy The Babysitter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Corvus | Paperback Original £8.99, Pub Date: 12 October 2023. Also available in e-book. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour After You Were Gone by Vikki Wakefield

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour After You Were Gone by Vikki Wakefield.

About the Author

Vikki Wakefield writes fiction for young adults and adults. Her books explore family, class and relationships in a contemporary setting. Her novels All I Ever Wanted, Friday Brown, Inbetween Days and Ballad for a Mad Girl have been shortlisted for numerous awards. This Is How We Change The Ending won Book of the Year: Older Readers, Children’s Book Council Awards, 2020. After You Were Gone, a psychological thriller, is her first novel for adults. She is working on her second one. Follow @VikkiWakefield on Twitter

About the book

What happens to a family when a child goes missing? - In a busy street market, Abbie lets go of six-year-old Sarah’s hand. She isn’t a bad mother, just exhausted. When she turns around, her daughter isn’t there.

Six years later, Abbie is in love and getting married. But her fragile peace is constantly threatened: not knowing what happened to Sarah is like living with a curse. Then she receives a phone call from an unknown number. A man claims to know what happened to Sarah, but if Abbie tells anyone or fails to follow his instructions, she’ll never find out the truth.

After You Were Gone is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that poses the question: How far would you go to find your child?

Review

Abbie is exhausted when Sarah disappears, but she also doesn't expect a very short moment of not paying attention will lead to the permanent loss of her precious child. Without a trace and without an explanation, just gone. No wonder she jumps at the chance when a mysterious phone call could mean the end of her misery.

There are right fighters and there are people who will do anything to hurt you, even if it means taking the one thing that means the most to you. To destroy, to sever, even to kill. What kind of cruel intention must live on the shoulder of the kind of person who thinks nothing of committing the most nefarious crime against another human being.

It's a driven piece of work, where emotions live constantly on the cusp of causing an implosion or the complete shutdown. What strength and determination must it take to swim through the devastation of a loss for which you will always blame yourself. The kind of loss that will forever leave a gaping hole.

I found the last few chapters especially poignant, perhaps because it pulls on the invisible threads that bind, especially across the generations. The acknowledgement of past mistakes and the willingness to ensure the generational trauma doesn't carry on - well at least to try.

Buy After You Were Gone at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎No Exit Press; pub date 6 July 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 Kill For It by Lizzie Fry

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Kill For It by Lizzie Fry. 'A gripping feminist thriller, Dexter with a twist - how far would you go for the thing you want most?'

About the Author

Lizzie Fry is a debut author of high concept thriller The Coven (published by Sphere books), but you might know her better as LV Hay. LV’s books previous books were crime fiction: The Other Twin, Do No Harm (Orenda Books) and Never Have I Ever (Hodder). The Other Twin is currently being adapted for the screen by Agatha Raisin producers Free@Last TV. Follow @LizzieFryAuthor on Twitter

About the book

Would You Kill For It? The story pits young and upcoming journalist Cat against veteran reporter Erin. Cat is sick of not getting ahead at work so comes up with a sickening plan to literally grab the headlines ... and the only one who can stop her is Erin, but to do so she must put her own life at risk.

In the game of cat and mouse, there can only be one winner in the book advance readers are calling 'Killing Eve meets Nightcrawler.'

Review

Erin has made a choice, albeit allegedly a difficult one, career comes first and family somewhere at the end of the list. Her ambition has cost her an arm and a leg already, and now she has to make sure she maintains her slot at the top.

You would think that Erin would be able to understand the way Cat wants to succeed and get ahead. Stepping over others and being ruthless, perhaps more importantly teaching her that the most obvious path isn't necessarily the one you should take, but it will be the one others expect you to stay on. Both women want to succeed, but at what cost to either of them?

At the end of the day is it a case of two sides of the same coin. Does same recognise same? Is it ambition or a frustration about having to swim upstream against the sexism and misogyny, wouldn't that make someone do something extreme? In fact isn't that the real difference between Erin, Cat and you and I.

And where does that ending leave us? It's a bit like opening a door a few inches with the knowledge that just an inch of a slit could mean the return of something very dangerous indeed.

It's the kind of read I absolutely expect from the author - under either name. She loves to pit the worst of human behaviour, traits and reactions, against each other. This dark domestic read is also a psychological thriller with important themes driving the characters and the plot. Women as second class citizens in the workplace, especially when it comes to leadership level. Having to fight dirty to sit at the place they have earned at the table, what's worse is having to become one of guys to do just that or perhaps even become the victim of  someone abusing their power.

It's a riveting read with imperfect characters who make split second ruthless choices to get ahead and doing so move the obstacles in their way.

Buy Kill For It at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Sphere pub date 18 Aug. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Close by Jane Casey

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Close by Jane Casey. The Close  - The 10th Maeve Kerrigan novel.

About the Author

Jane Casey has written twelve crime novels for adults and three for teenagers. Married to a criminal barrister, she’s got the inside track on some of the country’s most dangerous offenders, giving her writing an unsettlingly realistic feel.

This authenticity has made her novels international bestsellers and critical successes. They have been nominated for several awards and in 2015 Jane won both the Mary Higgins Clark Award and Irish Crime Novel of the Year for The 

Stranger You Know and After the Fire, respectively. In 2019, Cruel Acts was chosen as Irish Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. It was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Dublin, Jane now lives in southwest London with her family. Follow @JaneCaseyAuthor on Twitter

About the book

At first glance, Jellicoe Close seems to be a perfect suburban street – well-kept houses with pristine lawns, neighbours chatting over garden fences, children playing together. But there are dark secrets behind the neat front doors, hidden dangers that include a ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing.

It’s up to DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent to uncover the truth. Posing as a couple, they move into the Close, blurring the lines between professional and personal as never before.

And while Maeve and Josh try to gather the evidence they need, they have no idea of the danger they face – because someone in Jellicoe Close has murder on their mind.

Review

When Maeve is called to the scene of an unexplained death it becomes fairly obvious that she is unable to give the investigation her full attention. Distracted and on edge, as she plays a kind of dancing eggshells game with her colleagues, she has to pull herself together to solve a mysterious death. 

The undercover operation to catch a killer appears to be a simple sleuthing task, but there are reminders that someone will do anything to keep their business and their murderous antics a secret forever.

On a last note - Maeve spends far too much time obsessing over the potential love interest. Consumed by it would be the correct word. It's a massive plot line, but personally I prefer the strong woman figures out she doesn't necessarily need him as an emotional and love support system. Perhaps in the next book there could be a healthy step away from him.

It's a dark domestic crime with psychological undertones. A crime read infused with relationship and fractured romance woes. The blurring of professional and personal lines both distracts the police in their endeavour to find the killer, and pushes them beyond the normal perimeters of their investigation.

Definitely an invigorating read with memorable characters the reader simultaneously wants to root for and shake vigorously, and those are always the best kind of reads.

Buy The Close at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HarperCollins │pub date 2nd March 2023│Hardback | Ebook | Audio. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour First Degree Murder by M.J. Weatherall

It's my turn on the Blogtour First Degree Murder by M. J. Weatherall.

About the Author 

M. J. Weatherall is one of those people who loves writing but always struggles to write about herself. She always feel like she’s bragging (which in and of itself sounds like a brag according to her). 

She is a young author from Sheffield who moved to the Lake District to get her BSc (Hons) degree in Outdoor Adventure and Environment. More recently she has qualified as a primary school teacher and is now fulfilling her calling as an educator. 

M. J. loves climbing, kayaking and spending all her spare time in nature. A lifelong bookworm, she takes pride in growing her book knowledge (an asset to any pub quiz team to be sure!). She likes to think that she’s a fun person to be around…at the very least, her cat seems to think so. Follow @mj_weatherall on Twitter or @mj.weatherall/ Instagram

About the book

From the author of Silent Is The Crown! 

Matty Darcy is a Criminology and Psychology student in the quaint university village of Ambleside. She has survived the normal dramas of student life such as shared living, assignments, heartbreak and friendships. But this year takes the drama to a whole new level when her fellow students start mysteriously dying.

Matty takes it upon herself to catch the killer with the help of local Police Officer, and heartthrob, P.C Nicholas Wilde and her ex-boyfriend Dean. It is a race against the clock to work out who’s killing students, and why.

Matty soon finds out more than she has bargained for… enough to make her the next target!

Review

The future is ambitious and bright, even if life as a student can be both frustrating and fun all at the same time. What Matty doesn't expect is for her slightly chaotic life, which is also pulsing with opportunity and potential, to be turned upside down when students start dropping like flies.

It's a novella length read. It felt a little like a YA meets non-slaughter and more sleuthing Scream scenario. The main character evolves as the story progresses - in both deduction skills and her ability to deduce human actions and traits.

Come on Matty, yes it's a release and it certainly helps to move the story along, but my goodness leaving handwritten accounts for just anyone to find - that's a bit of a liability isn't it? Just saying. If this is going to be a regular occurrence then perhaps work on keeping things in the mind databank.

It's a story that has the potential to be a series, with a a focus on the young adult market or with a set of characters that grows with the mysteries. 

Buy First Degree Murder at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Blossom Spring Publishing, pub date 23 Nov. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.