#BlogTour A Patient Fury by Sarah Ward

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour for A Patient Fury by Sarah Ward. It's a compelling police procedural which highlights the fact that we never really know a person completely or what they may be thinking at any given moment in time.

About Sarah Ward
Sarah Ward is the author of three DC Childs novels, In Bitter Chill, A Deadly Thaw and A Patient Fury set in the Derbyshire Peak District where she lives. The fourth in the series, The Shrouded Path, is out in September. On her website, Crimepieces.com, she reviews the best of current crime fiction published around the world. She is a judge for the Petrona Award for Scandinavian translated crime novels. Sarah was a 2015 Amazon Rising Star and A Patient Fury was The Observer's Thriller of the Month in 2017.

Follow @sarahrward1 @Faberbooks
on Facebook Amazon Author page
Sign up to Sarah's newsletter
Visit crimepieces.com
Buy A Patient Fury

About the book
Three bodies discovered. A family obliterated. All evidence seems to point to one murderer: the mother.

DC Connie Childs, determined to discover the truth about the fire-wrecked property on Cross Farm Lane, realises that a fourth body - one they cannot find - must hold the key to the mystery. But what Connie fails to realise is that her determination to unmask the murderer might cost her more than her health - this time she could lose the thing she cares about most: her career.

Review
The most interesting about this story is the conflict between Sadler and Connie, as it pertains to the police investigation and the way it is carried out or which direction it goes in because of it. Sadler believes Connie is letting herself be distracted by the thought the two investigations are connected, whereas she believes the team is wrong not to consider evidence outside of the original investigation.

DC Childs also strongly believes the annihilation of an entire family is not down to the actions of the one person, who is supposed to protect her child and family. It isn't common for women to become killers who wipe out entire families.This creates a chasm between the team and Connie, which leads to her investigating the person she feels is the more likely suspect.

The author presents an interesting dilemma, wherein neither person is completely wrong or right. Their refusal to accept the views and opinions outside of their own remit puts people in danger and draws out the investigation.

Ward presents a compelling duo, who disagree like an old married couple, and yet instinctively comfort each other when they need the presence of another person. The crimes they are involved in are solved despite the obvious fracture in the team, but in a roundabout tentacle-reaching kind of way, and this is what makes it a really good read.

The author keeps the reader guessing until the end. Everyone is a possible suspect, and some of the tentacles bring in more motives than the police expect. It is an invigorating read embedded with some harsh realities. Crime done really well.

Buy A Patient Fury at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Buy on Amazon com Waterstones Book Depository
Published in paperback by Faber Books on 5th July 2018.  Also available in hardcover, eBook and audio formats.

#SpotlightTour Copycat by Hannah Jayne

Today it's my stop on the Spotlight Tour for Copycat by Hannah Jayne. I would genuinely love to know how many bookworms would fall into the same trap, a murderous game fuelled by the fears and hopes of a young girl. Enter the Giveaway at the bottom of the post to win two signed copies of Copycat! (US & Canada Entries Only!)

About the Author
Hannah Jayne decided to be an author in the second grade. She couldn’t spell and had terrible ideas, but she kept at it. Many (many) years—and nearly twenty books—later, she gets to live her dream and mainly does it in her pajamas. She lives with her rock-star husband, baby daughter, and their three overweight cats in the San Francisco Bay area. She is always on the lookout for a juicy mystery, an exciting story, or a great adventure.
Follow @Hannah_Jayne1 @SourcebooksFire on Twitter
Follow AuthorHannahJayne on Facebook
Visit hannah-jayne.com
Buy Copycat

About the book
From the author of The Escape, Twisted, and Truly, Madly, Deadly comes a chilling new thriller that asks: what happens if your real life became stranger and deadlier than fiction?

Everyone is dying to read the latest book in the popular Gap Lake mystery series, and Addison is no exception. As the novels biggest fan, she’s thrilled when the infamously reclusive author, R.J. Rosen, contacts her, giving her inside information others would kill for.

Addison’s always dreamed of what it would be like if the books were real…. But then she finds the most popular girl in school dead. Murdered. And realizes that life imitating fiction is more dangerous that she could have imagined. As other terrifying events from the books start happening around her, Addison has to figure out how to write her own ending—and survive the story.

Excerpt of Copycat
There was something inordinately creepy about being at school after dark. The place was deserted—­the benches and picnic tables in the quad looked ominous and foreboding under the flickering yellow lights. Crystal Lanier shivered and pulled her jacket tighter against an imaginary chill. The weather was mild at Gap Lake in September; the days still sunbaked, the nights, like this one, a gentle mix of fading summer and impending fall. But the bare bones of the deserted campus had put a chill in the air, and shot a blast of cold right through Crystal.
“I’m creeping myself out,” she muttered shifting her books from one arm to the other.
A wisp of wind cut through the quad. Crystal was almost sure she heard someone laughing—­a weak, choked giggle, like someone was trying to swallow it down.
“Hello?”
She spun, her long black hair fanning over her shoulders. “Is someone there?” She knew she sounded like every horror movie victim ever, and her heart hammered in her throat as her skin prickled with beads of sweat.

This was Gap Lake, she reminded herself. It was a tiny town where everyone knew everyone else, and nothing bad ever happened. She was thinking that when the shadow approached. When he reached out for her long black hair. She was thinking what a nice, safe place Gap Lake was when he clamped a hand over her mouth. When he strangled her scream and drove the needle straight into her throat.

Review
Addison is obsessed with the murder mysteries written by R.J. Rosen, to the point of reading each book over and over again. When he gets in touch one day to ask her to be part of the team creating exposure for his new novel, she is absolutely ecstatic.

I can understand her excitement and bookworm joy at being picked to work with the author of the books she absolutely adores. Being able to share her own ideas in the form of fan-fiction. Gaining recognition and attention via her blog, it all gives Addie a sense of security and achievement.

Her joy quickly turns to fear when life begins to imitate the fictional stories on her blog. Addison is torn between her love for the books and the cruel reality of life. In a way her reading is a form of escapism. With a nose in a book she doesn't have to think about the relationship she has with her father or the insecurities she has about herself.

It's an intriguing premise, and in our day and age of anonymity behind social media accounts, perhaps not such an unrealistic idea. Although this is a YA and features very young characters, I think it would also work well with older characters. Jayne makes a point, albeit subtly about online popularity, and how fast the flighty opinions of social media users can change. One day you're a star and the next you're the scum of the earth. The winds of change on the world wide web are unpredictable.

It's perhaps best not to take yourself too seriously or any kind of supposed status you think you have on the internet. That's the kind of advice someone should have given to Addison then maybe she wouldn't have walked right into the trap of a killer.

Copycat has the charm of Pretty Little Liars, but with less conniving and more genuine emotions and a loyal friendship. I would genuinely love to know how many bookworms would fall into the same trap, a murderous game fuelled by the fears and hopes of a young girl.

Buy Copycat at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (Kindle pub date 3 July, Paperback pub date August 13 2018)
Buy Copycat at Amazon com Barnes & Noble BooksAMillion !ndigo Indiebound

Enter the Giveaway below to win 2 Copies of Copycat. Runs July 3rd - 31st (US & Canada only)

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#BlogTour Star Jumpers: The Lion Roars by Zoe Baxter

Today it's my stop on the BlogTour for Book 1 in the Star Jumpers series, The Lion Roars by Zoe Baxter. It's an exciting fantasy adventure featuring a group of unsuspecting teenagers, as the unintentional soldiers in a fight, which has nothing to do with them.

About the Author
Zoe Baxter is the author of the Star Jumpers series, a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure set in the Dark Sky Park of Northumbria. An avid scribbler, she lives in a world filled with vicious and venomous creatures breathing down her neck, and has even been known to take the odd zip wire flight in the name of research.

Follow @zoebaxterbooks
Or Zoe Baxter on Facebook  or on Instagram
Buy Star Jumpers: The Lion Roar

Enter the Giveaway (bottom of the post) - Win a Star Jumpers paperback, bookmark and postcard (UK Only)

About the book
Four Teens: One Quest: A World of Magic and Adventure

It was no ordinary zipwire flight. Thrust into the magical world of Hadrixia, flame-haired Zara Bulmer and her three teenage companions must thwart the Dark Ruler of Hadrixia in their quest to locate the Stone of Exerith. The fate of the Empire depends on their success...and safe return to Star Camp.

On their journey, the foursome must tangle with vicious creatures like the horn-headed Warnoks and the venomous web-tailed Tarquids. Will they succumb to the persuasive chants of the fire-loving Brozigs or be mauled to death by the tree-swinging Harnts?

The friends join forces with Hadrixian teenager, Quinn, and encounter the kindness of Semyon, an aged wizard potionmaker.

Will Zara fulfil the destiny bestowed upon her before the sun sets on the last day of July? Or will the Portwall to the Outside remain sealed, imprisoning the four intrepid teenagers in Hadrixia, consigning them to a future of chaos, destruction, or even death?

There’s only one way to find out:
Welcome to the perilous world of Hadrixia…

Review
It's an exciting fantasy adventure featuring a group of unsuspecting teenagers, as the unintentional soldiers in a fight, which has nothing to do with them. Friendships are formed quickly, as they resign themselves to the quest of retrieving a magical stone. A stone that will help to restore peace in a kingdom ravaged by greedy oppressors.

There are interesting parallels between our world and this fantasy world, especially when it comes to natural resources. Destroying food, polluting the world with no regard for any future generations. Stripping the world bare of any and all resources we need to survive and poisoning the rest. Sound familiar? Might not be so different in other worlds after all.

This is a read you can buy for children (over 10 and up) and older readers. It is a fantasy adventure featuring a group of teenagers as they are propelled into a battle and a quest to free a country from oppression. Not just any old country, a place you can only gain access to via portals, which apparently are now in the middle of activity parks. Might need to watch out for that, not sure I want to accidentally end up travelling to goodness knows where.

I enjoyed the way Baxter just thrust the reader and characters straight into the midst of the adventure they embark upon. Without preamble - just jumping right into the fray. I think the characters are just as surprised as the reader, when a zip-line turns out to be a portal to another world.

It is certainly fast-paced and has a lot of potential, especially when the future tasks they have to achieve or conclude to get their friends to safety, are plenty and seem insurmountable. I am sure Zara, Oscar, Fergus and Aimie will be up to the task, even if it means jumping off a mountain to regain entry into Hadrixia.

Buy Star Jumpers: The Lion Roars at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Paperback edition

Enter Giveaway below -  Win Star Jumpers paperback, bookmark and postcard (UK Only) (see Terms and Conditions of the Giveaway organiser below)

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*Terms and Conditions –UK entries only welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box above. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

#BlogTour Dis_ability by Munir Zamir

Today it is my turn on the BlogTour for Dis_ability by Munir Zamir, and it is my pleasure I to introduce you a writer who wields his words like a double-edged sword. His pain and his personal journey are reflected in his poignant and often unforgiving words.

About the Author
Munir Zamir is a creative writer, Poet and Spoken Word Artist based in London. He has spent the past decade and more tackling issues related to countering ideological extremism and prejudice, having personal experience of both issues. Munir spends his working hours contributing to the ongoing struggle to challenge and overcome those narratives that seek to exploit vulnerable groups in society through arguments built on intentional concepts and ideas of hate and prejudice. A pioneer in the counter-extremism space, Munir has often ploughed a lone furrow, at times locking horns and at other times trying to assist Governments around the world, policy makers, practitioners and alike, with the sole aim of trying to safeguard vulnerable young people and those at risk of being radicalised.
Follow @_MunirZamir
Visit munirzamir.com
Buy Dis_ability

About the book
An exploration of disability, its social perception and lived experience, from a poetic and personal perspective

I was born different.
I wouldn't want it any other way.

Dis_ability is an influential and forceful collection of poems highlighting the need for genuine social and ethical change in order for differences to be understood as something to be championed and not feared.

Review

Poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I find it is a little bit like a non or reluctant reader finding the right book. If the Bard doesn't appeal to you then perhaps a more modern approach to the genre will. I can imagine this being being part of performance art.

Social and political commentary in the form of poetry, sounds like an interesting event, especially when you take the power of these particular words and the topics into consideration.

The author is a Spoken Word Artist, I would love to see some of these poems being spoken with the anger, disappointment, pain and realism you can feel whilst reading them.

The following are included in Dis_ability:
The Body Perfect, Infinitely Better Body, Child Disability, The Axis, Made Wrong But Don't Mind, River of Tears, What Body?, Time is an Album, Life by Design, Give Me Space, Symmetry, Average Disability, When I Think, A Beautiful Contradiction, Scattered Soul, Eyes, Not for the Fainthearted, You are not my Maker, Whose Cause?, The Loneliness, Sleep Better, Mutant Gene and It's Your Definition.

I would love to be able to quote one of the pieces to be able to relay how uncompromisingly direct and honest these words are. I would find it difficult to single out just one piece that stood out, but if I had to it would be Child Disability, which speaks to the children and young people still learning to accept themselves and the way society perceives them. Sentences like 'Accept the mediocre and Tolerate the unjust' speak volumes about the invisibility and powerlessness of those who are deemed different.

As the author mentions at the end of this book, the message is indeed universal. Although someone in the same situation may have more insight into the context, I think the whole point is airing pain that needs to be felt and heard by those who understand it the least, because it isn't something they have to deal with. I hope to read more by this author in the future.

Buy Dis_ability at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Take a look at what my fellow bloggers have to say about Dis_ability.
Monday 2^nd July Between the Pages
Tuesday 3^rd July Luna’s Little Library
Wednesday 4^th July Donna’s Book Blog
Thursday 5^th July Bee Reader Books
Friday 6^th July Poetic Insights
Saturday 7^th July Writing Follies
Sunday 8^th July Cheryl M-M’s Book Blog Reviewing Shelf

#BlogTour Needle Song by Russell Day

Today it really is my absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Needle Song by Russell Day. I love it when a stunning debut comes along, the kind that indicates the beginning of a successful writing career. Russell Day thinks outside the box, whilst still employing the old hat tricks of crime to keep his readers immersed and willing to stay with his story until the last page.

About the Author
Russell Day was born in 1966 and grew up in Harlesden, NW10 – a geographic region searching for an alibi. From an early age it was clear the only things he cared about were motorcycles, tattoos and writing. At a later stage he added family life to his list of interests and now lives with his wife and two children. He’s still in London, but has moved south of the river for the milder climate.

Although he only writes crime fiction Russ doesn’t consider his work restricted. ‘As long as there have been people there has been crime, as long as there are people there will be crime.’ That attitude leaves a lot of scope for settings and characters. One of the first short stories he had published, The Second Rat and the Automatic Nun, was a double-cross story set in a world where the church had taken over policing. In his first novel, Needle Song, an amateur detective employs logic, psychology and a loaded pack of tarot cards to investigate a death.

Russ often tells people he seldom smiles due to nerve damage, sustained when his jaw was broken. In fact, this is a total fabrication and his family will tell you he’s has always been a miserable bastard.

Follow @rfdaze @fahrenheitpress
Visit russelldaycriminalmind.com
Buy Needle Song

About the book
Spending the night with a beautiful woman would be a good alibi, if the body in the next room wasn't her husband.

Doc Slidesmith has a habit of knowing things he shouldn’t. He knows the woman Chris Rudjer meets online is married. He knows the adult fun she’s looking for is likely to be short lived. And when her husband’s killed, he knows Chris Rudjer didn’t do it.

Only trouble is the police disagree and no one wants to waste time investigating an open and shut case. No one except Doc.

Using lies, blackmail and a loaded pack of Tarot cards, Doc sets about looking for the truth - but the more truth he finds, the less he thinks his friend is going to like it.

Review
This is the debut novel of crime writer Russell Day, and I suggest you make a point of remembering his name, because I have a feeling this is the start of something quite extraordinary. It features Doc Slidesmith, tattoo artist and tarot reading psychic, and Andy his sceptical sidekick. I mean, tarot reading and voodoo are just all cold reading, right?

This unusual amateur detective duo is born more out of necessity, curiosity and the bond of brotherhood between Doc, Andy and Chris. What's interesting is that none of them make any irrational assumptions based on the fact Jan is beautiful, has issues with fidelity and appears to be quite manipulative.

She adapts to her environment and more importantly to the men in her vicinity. She gives them what they need in that moment of personal interaction. Jan is a little bit like a personality and emotional chameleon. She takes her cues from whomever she interacts with, and alters her interactions and appearance accordingly. In context that puts all of her actions and words under a cloud of suspicion, when her husband is found dead and Chris is arrested.  Was it all a very elaborate plan from the very beginning?

It is well-written and plotted with a set of characters who sleuth with a lack of respect for the law and yet simultaneously uphold their own set of rules. The law of the road, the rules of the leather, and the inner complexity of the biker brotherhood. Day mixes this brusque modern vibe with a dark layer of mystique and curtailed power.

The Slidesmith series would make a fantastic premise for a TV show. Who wouldn't be drawn in by the devil-may-care attitude of bikers solving crime with the help of voodoo, black magic, tarot cards and a degree in psychology?

I love it when a stunning debut comes along, the kind that indicates the beginning of a successful writing career. Russell Day thinks outside the box, whilst still employing the old hat tricks of crime to keep his readers immersed and willing to stay with his story until the last page.

Buy Needle Song on Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Kindle edition
Buy Needle Song at Amazon com
Publisher: Fahrenheit Press (pub date April 2018)
Buy Needle Song at Fahrenheit Press
The second book in the Slidesmith series, Ink to Ashes, will be published later this year.

#BlogTour Dead in the Water by Simon Bower

It is a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour for Dead in the Water by Simon Bower today.
Before we get started - the ebook version of Dead in the Water is FREE this week (until July the 6th I believe). Get it while you can!

About the Author
Simon Bower is a British and Canadian author born in Berkshire in 1973. Since 1998, he’s adopted a global lifestyle, setting up home at times in Europe, Africa and North America.  In 2016 Simon turned to writing full time, which led to his first published work, Dead in the Water, being released in paperback and eBook by Middle Farm Press in 2018. Simon currently lives in France, near the Swiss border, where his young family, mountains, acrylic paint and sharpened skis keep him in regular mischief.

Follow @SimonBowerBooks & @MiddleFarmPress on Twitter
Follow Simon on his Amazon author page
Connect with Simon on Goodreads
Buy Dead in the Water on Amazon Uk
Buy Dead in the Water on Amazon com

About the book
Was it murder, suicide or an accident? Who will be next to die?

Six international friends all appear to be successful, albeit to different levels. A human rights’ lawyer, an IT geek, a businessman, a waitress, a phone guy and a physiotherapist. None of them are known to the police.

One of them must know what happened that fateful night on the catamaran.

Agent Georges Fournier is assigned the case in the French resort town near Antibes. He’s short on time, with a growing health problem and a District Attorney who just wants the case closed as accidental. But he’s not letting go.

Chrissie is a single mother and respected flight attendant in New York. When she finds out who her father is, she’s ecstatic and wants to meet him.

But within a week she’d wish she’d never known.

Review
Charlie thinks his ship has come in when he meets Ana. He is bored, she is beautiful and the location is exotic. One thing leads to another and a toxic relationship is born from it, although one could argue that Charlie would have made certain decisions regardless of whether he met Ana, right?

What becomes clear quite early on is how Charlie believes life owes him some kind of favour. There is no real sense of regret or remorse, in fact it is always someone elses's fault. Ana made him, Len deserves it, Mia shouldn't be so needy. There is no culpability and always an excuse.

I'm not sure if it is intentional, but the yacht scenes were very Christie whodunnit with a whiff of Natalie Wood salacious mystery thrown in for free. It's interesting because you get the volatility of a modern crime, but feel as if you are also reading a 'the professor killed him with a candlestick in the library' kind of crime.

The reckless and ruthless ploys of the killer bring a strong feeling of violence and chaos to the story, which is equalled out by the laissez-faire attitude of the police detective. You think he has left the potential crime to sink into obscurity when all of a sudden he pops up again.

I will say that although each character was given a voice of their own in individual chapters, it sometimes felt disjointed. The lead up to the last potential victim was too long and at times her story felt too outside the main plot.

What Bower does do well is capture the essence of two people who separately would probably never harm anyone, and yet brought together they become a lethal weapon. This, although it seems quite an unimportant element, is actually the main driving force behind the majority of violent crimes. The question is whether individuals in these situations would have committed crimes if they hadn't become part of a toxic and co-dependent killing team.

I guess this killer will never know, but then this killer would probably blame it on the victim instead.

Buy Dead in the Water at Amazon Uk or go to
Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Middle Farm Press (pub date: May 2018)
Paperback edition
Buy Dead in the Water at Waterstones

#BlogTour The Bespokist Society Guide to ...London

Welcome to the BlogTour for The Bespokist Society Guide to..London. Today you are in for something a little different. The Bespokist Society is the exception to the rule when it comes to guide books. It is the kind of inside info you just know your friends are going to be gagging to hear about, and please do not miss the excellent Q&A with The Bespokist Society and the people behind the idea.

About the Authors
Who are we?
A social collective with a passion for the curated and the bespoke. Current chairman is Tommy Sponge.
Where did it begin?
Like the impressionists who forged an artistic movement in the fin de siecle coffee shops of Paris, The Bespokist Society began in a biospheric winery in Norbiton in 2013.

Jez Tapano
Born : Easter Island
Lives : Plaistow
Favourite drink : Messy Monk IPA
Favourite food : Heritage carrots
Favourite hangout : Vine n Vinyl of course!

Nastya Petrov
Born : Vladivostock
Lives : Harrow on the Hill
Favourite drink : Dagenham Gin on the rocks
Favourite food : Rare breed walrus
Favourite hangout : Nina Saviceu gallery

Follow @TheBespokist on Twitter
Visit  bespokistsociety.com
Buy The Bespokist Society Guide to...London

About the book
As the first travel book produced by the hugely influential Bespokist Society, this handy guide takes you to a London you’ve never seen: a London of challenging Etruscan restaurants, edgy branding parlours, emoji hotels and hidden Icelandic communities; a London where 8-ply toilet paper is a thing.

On the way, meet an eclectic band of inspiring Londoners - from scriveners to socialites via urban wordsmiths and coffee preachers - and see why London is now the global epicentre of Bespokist consciousness, community and culture.

Q&A
The Q&A is just as amusing as The Bespokist Society Guide itself...please enjoy:

When did you realise that we all need this particular type of guide, especially anyone living in or visiting London? I think the trigger was when our chairman, Tommy Sponge, went into WH Smiths in Norbiton and was unable to find any guide book showcasing genuinely bespoke destinations! He wrote a furious letter to the Chairman of WH Smiths but in the end decided that the Bespokist Society needed to write its own guide.

Have you got any inside tips on catching The Yeast Extractors before the Marmite sandwiches are sold out every morning. Damn those Wilmots they’re elusive to say the least.
We know that there are whole internet chat rooms where fans use complex, randomised logarithms to predict the next truck location. Unfortunately without success. The problem is that there is really no substitute for a Marmite sandwich from the Yeast Extractors. Tommy Sponge tried to make his own version at home recently and the results were disastrous!

There is a pretty pricey FREE membership tag to join the society.  I don’t do cheques, would you take payment in the form of 449 newly polished pennies? You are forgetting that membership also entitles you to restricted view seats at See it, Say it, Sorted The Musical!
Unfortunately we don’t accept newly polished pennies but we would be delighted to offer you one of our bespoke payment plans personally tailored to your needs (*55% APR **your home is at risk if you do not keep up payments)

With such a vast variety of Bespokist venues to visit and the number rising by the minute I would love to know where TBS is headed next? A guide to Edinburgh, Newcastle or perhaps even over the water to mainland Europe? Think of the places you might find in Amsterdam…sorry I meant to say the places you will definitely find in Amsterdam. We’d love to. For us Peterborough is probably the natural next destination with its huge range of micro-vineyards and bespoke spinneries.

The Bespokist Society is the brainchild of Nastya Petrov and Jez Tepano the following questions are for you:

How did the idea for this guide and the society come about? What was/is your inspiration? Hate to break it to you but Nastya and Jez aren’t real! I was inspired by modern life in general but in particular reading ridiculous menus featuring foraged things I hadn’t heard of. I also remember walking past a very trendy place in Soho and being completely unsure whether it was a shop, office, gallery or restaurant. Not sure the people inside knew either.

Is the play on the acronym BS intentional?
Definitely! The name of The Bespokist Society actually came because I wanted to use BS as the initials!

I have to tell you my main concern is someone reading the Bespokist Guide and actually looking forward to trying out some of your well-described venues, although that says more about them and kind of makes your point for you. Yes, quite a few people do think the places are real. Which I find quite funny.

Is the book/guide intended as a tongue-in-cheek type or is the BSG your way of pointing a big finger at the shallow ‘I would like to buy the Emperor’s new clothes’ mindset of 21st century society? I wanted to keep the book light-hearted and message-free but I do think that 21st century earnestness needs a bit of a poke.

Will there be a sequel or is there something equally as droll on the horizon? We’re going to do an update and launch a new edition for Christmas. But I also want to create a spoof cookbook : Etrusci – The Cookbook, featuring delicious recipes and lifestyle tips from 500BC.

Thank you for answering all of my questions! 

Review
The Guide is a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic swipe at society and our sense of self-importance. If taken with the pinch of salt, as it is intended, then this is a really amusing read. If you take yourself too seriously you can ask The BS for specific details on how to find the venues. Please take pics and post to social media, I can't wait to see and read all about it.

That's my main concern, someone reading the Bespokist Guide to London and actually looking forward to trying out some of these well-described venues, although that says more about them and kind of makes the point of the book.

Unfortunately the 21st century has created something akin to the yuppie version of the hippy, a version mixed with the characteristics of an eco-warrior, health fanatic and overall saviour of the earth. I mean that in the nicest way possible, but one does get the feeling that it is sometimes more about appearances and less about saving the planet.

I just don't get the urge to drink coffee made from poop, eat grasshopper tacos (yes that's a thing), drink mushroom coffee (also a thing), or sniff ancient woolly mammoth faeces (hopefully never a thing). However there are a lot of people, who are always looking for the latest fad or following the latest craze, who might just enjoy it.

This is the perfect gift for friends with an unusual sense of humour or perhaps as coffee table book and an ice-breaker. It will certainly get conversations going, especially if some of your friends get excited about visiting one of the venues.

Finally, albeit reluctantly, I have to admit I would probably go looking for a few of those venues too.

Buy The Bespokist Society at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.