Monday 30 April 2018

Robert B Parker's Little White Lies by Ace Atkins


Robert B. Parker was renowned for his Spenser novels, featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye, which earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. He also launched two other bestselling series featuring, respectively, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone and Boston private detective Sunny Randall. In addition, he authored four Westerns. Bob's bestselling Western novel Appaloosa was made into a major motion picture by New Line, starred Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and was a box office hit in 2008. Long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, he was named Grand Master of the Edgar Awards in 2002 by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Ace Atkins is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist as well as an author and was selected by the estate of Robert B. Parker in 2011 to continue his legacy and to take over writing the Spenser series.

Follow @aceatkins and  @noexitpress
Visit aceatkins.com  or noexitpress.co.uk
Buy Little White Lies


About Little White Lies
Boston PI Spenser and right hand Hawk follow a con man's trail of smoke and mirrors in the latest entry of the iconic crime series.
Connie Kelly thought she'd found her perfect man on an online dating site. He was silver-haired and handsome, with a mysterious background working for the C.I.A. She fell so hard for M. Brooks Welles that she wrote him a check for almost three hundred thousand dollars, hoping for a big return on her investment. But within weeks, both Welles and her money are gone. Her therapist, Dr. Susan Silverman, hands her Spenser's card.

A self-proclaimed military hotshot, Welles had been a frequent guest on national news shows speaking with authority about politics and world events. But when he disappears, he leaves not only a jilted lover but a growing list of angry investors, duped cops, and a team of paramilitary contractors looking for revenge.

Enter Spenser, who quickly discovers that everything about Welles is phony. His name, his resume, and his client list are nothing but an elaborate fraud. But uncovering the truth won't be easy, as he'll have to keep the mystery man alive long enough to get back his client's money. As the trail winds from Boston to backroads Georgia, Spenser will need help from trusted allies Hawk and Teddy Sapp to make sure Welles's next con is his last.


Review
I think it is fair to say that Ace Atkins has been writing the Spencer series for such a long time, that although each book still gives a nod in the direction of Parker, and who could miss the mention on the books, that Atkins has well and truly made this character his.

In this 45th book Spencer is asked by his girlfriend to look into the disappearance of a boyfriend of a patient. Both he and a large amount of her money has vanished into thin air. Spencer is doing it as a favour, so is understandably annoyed when the person he is helping not only gets in the way, but is also determined to support her thief of a boyfriend.

Welles is an experienced con-man, and the reason he is so successful is the way he uses his charm, faith and talent at blagging to convince his victims. Even indisputable evidence doesn't keep him from trying his spiel out on any potential fly, who might veer near his web.

The character of Welles represents the modern day criminal, the type willing to use the vulnerabilities of his victims against them. A criminal so convincing that even when the crime can be proven the victims are still unwilling to place any blame on the perpetrator. Spencer finds himself caught up in this insidious crime, despite being asked to take a step back. Isn't he always asked to back off?

Ace Atkins was selected by Robert B. Parker's estate to carry on his Spencer series, and he does do both the author and the series justice. He captures the essence of Raymond Chandler's and Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled school of detective fiction. Spenser is Sam Spade sans the 1930s feel of the dashingly smart and casual, but still as tough as old boots detective.

Buy Little White Lies at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins

Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn by Ace Atkins


Robert B. Parker was renowned for his Spenser novels, featuring the wise-cracking, street-smart Boston private-eye, which earned him a devoted following and reams of critical acclaim. He also launched two other bestselling series featuring, respectively, Massachusetts police chief Jesse Stone and Boston private detective Sunny Randall.

In addition, he authored four Westerns. Bob's bestselling Western novel Appaloosa was made into a major motion picture by New Line, starred Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and was a box office hit in 2008. Long acknowledged as the dean of American crime fiction, he was named Grand Master of the Edgar Awards in 2002 by the Mystery Writers of America, an honor shared with earlier masters such as Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen.

Ace Atkins is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist as well as an author and was selected by the estate of Robert B. Parker in 2011 to continue his legacy and to take over writing the Spenser series.

Follow @aceatkins and  @noexitpress
Visit aceatkins.com  or noexitpress.co.uk
Buy Slow Burn

About Slow Burn
The fire at a boarded-up Catholic church raged hot and fast, lighting up Boston’s South End and killing three firefighters who were trapped in the inferno. A year later, as the city prepares to honor their sacrifice, there are still no answers about how the deadly fire started. Most at the department believe it was just a simple accident: faulty wiring in a century-old building. But Boston firefighter Jack McGee, who lost his best friend in the blaze, suspects arson.

McGee is convinced department investigators aren’t sufficiently connected to the city’s lowlifes to get a handle on who's behind the blaze—so he takes the case to Spenser. Spenser quickly learns not only that McGee might be right, but that the fire might be linked to a rash of new arsons, spreading through the city, burning faster and hotter every night. Spenser follows the trail of fires to Boston’s underworld, bringing him, his trusted ally Hawk, and his apprentice Sixkill toe-to-toe with a dangerous new enemy who wants Spenser dead, and doesn’t play by the city’s old rules. Spenser has to find the firebug before he kills again – and stay alive himself.


Review 
Boston firefighter McGee has a lot of unanswered questions about a deadly fire that claimed the lives of fellow firefighters. One year on and there is still no definitive proof of the cause, and the general assumption is a tragic accident turned deadly.

If there is one thing the police and fire department dislike intensely then it's people questioning their authority or the way their colleagues do their job. Poking around in old cases and possibly pointing fingers of blame in specific directions. It's no surprise that Spenser and his trusted companions ruffle quite a few feathers.

When all the rumours and evidence start to point in the direction of an intentional series of fires everyone starts to wonder whether it is a team of firebugs or one perpetrator? Are they targeting firefighters and what is exactly is their end-goal? Or is it just some fire deviant who gets off on the flames and the attention the chaos draws to the scene of the crime.

Ace Atkins does an excellent job of living up to the legacy and style of Robert.B. Parker. It certainly does give off an aura of old style detective a la Raymond Chandler, who is considered to be the founder of the so called hard-boiled school of detective fiction. It is brash, uses minimal world-building and focuses on the characters and their interactions.

It is also more of a Sam Spade kind of approach, where the men are men and the women are supposed to stand around and look good. Luckily it doesn't get too chauvinistic, but the way the men interact with and speak about each other lacks a certain sensitivity or modern finesse. Typical of the Hammett and Chandler kind of read, it brings back a certain sense of nostalgia.

Buy Robert B. Parker's Slow Burn at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Read Robert B. Parker's Little White Lies

Friday 27 April 2018

#BlogTour In For the Kill by Ed James

Today it is my pleasure to host the BlogTour for In For the Kill by Ed James. His DI Fenchurch series is infused with the feel of the ordinary man dealing with everyday problems, as opposed to unrealistic fictional scenarios.


About the Author
Ed James writes crime fiction novels, predominantly the Scott Cullen series of police procedurals set in Edinburgh and the surrounding Lothians – the first four are available now, starting with Ghost in the Machine which has been downloaded over 280,000 times and is currently free. Bottleneck (Cullen 5) is out on 17-Mar-14. He is currently developing two new series – DI Simon Fenchurch and DS Vicky Dodds, set in London and Dundee respectively. He also writes the Supernature series, featuring vampires and other folkloric creatures, of which the first book Shot Through the Heart is out now and free.

Ed lives in the East Lothian countryside, 25 miles east of Edinburgh, with his girlfriend, six rescue moggies, two retired greyhounds, a flock of ex-battery chickens and rescue ducks across two breeds and two genders (though the boys don’t lay eggs). While working in IT for a living, Ed wrote mainly on public transport but now writes full time.
Follow @EdJamesAuthor on Twitter @EdJamesAuthor on Facebook


About the book
A university student is found strangled to death in her bedroom, but when the embattled DI Simon Fenchurch is called in to investigate, the case strikes dangerously close to home.
On the surface, the victim was a popular, high-performing student. But as secret grudges against her emerge, so too does evidence that she was living a double life, working on explicit webcam sites for a seedy London ganglord. Everyone Fenchurch talks to knows a lot more than they’re willing to tell, and before long he’s making new enemies of his own—threatening to push him and his family past breaking point.
With too many suspects and not enough facts, Fenchurch knows his new superiors are just waiting for him to fail—they want him off the case, and off the force for good. His family is in more danger than ever before. So how deep is he willing to dig in order to unearth the truth?


Review
The endearing quality of DI Fenchurch and his stories is the absolute chaos. The reader just jumps along for the ride, and it is certainly a fast and wild one. He is also a normal man. He doesn't have super human strength or have a genius IQ. Fenchurch is just a normal kind of guy trying to do his job to the best of his ability, whilst dealing with the emotional upheaval of his family problems.

After finally finding the daughter, who was kidnapped a decade ago, he and his wife are finding it hard to come to terms with her lack of interest in them. Chloe displays oppositional and risk-taking behaviour. She is convinced that her bio parents are the enemy and the criminals, because they are the ones who had her 'real' parents put in prison.

Chloe wants space, her friends want them to give her space, which is good advice and yet hard to follow. None of them are taking the side of her bio parents into consideration. I can't imagine anything more upsetting than losing a child and regaining an enemy. How does a parent deal with that?

The extremely difficult family situation is exacerbated by the fact his work and family life have become intertwined in this latest murder case Fenchurch is working on. Now he has to keep his distance to Chloe as a father, and yet try to determine her involvement in the murder of a young woman at the same time.

I liked the way Ed James combines the police procedural with one of the most traumatic events a parent can go through, and he does it without being overly dramatic. The scenes between the parents and grandparents are exactly how I imagine they would be. Nothing like a soap opera drama or TV movie event.

James writes a pithy, tumultuous and emotional read, with a sub-layer of wit and breath of realism. It is a fast-paced story with characters readers can identify with.

Buy In For the Kill at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Published by Thomas & Mercer 19th April 2018
@AmazonPub


Wednesday 25 April 2018

Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin

At this point I am beginning to think Heaberlin may have the potential to be a really successful serial killer. Just kidding ( or maybe not, lol).

In both Paper Ghosts and Black-Eyed Susans she shows a frighteningly precise insight into the minds of killers capable of the most heinous of crimes.

I can identify with the main character and her reckless plan, as bizarre as that may sound. Not knowing the fate of your sister, child or loved one is sometimes worse than knowing all the possibly gruesome details of their death.

It all comes down to the desperation and the need for closure. Society teaches us to sit back and let the authorities do their job, however the reality is that they don't have magic wands and can only follow the leads and evidence they are aware of, and it all has to be within the confines of the law. When the dots can't be connected a high number of criminal cases go unsolved or remain without enough evidence to charge a particular suspect.

Grace has connected her own dots and the pattern that emerges is a scenario in which Carl is a serial killer, and the man who took her sister from her. She decides to revisit the scenes of old crimes to jog memories in the foggy confused mind of this man she believes to be a cruel killer.

She is playing a dangerous game with a man, who appears to be suffering from dementia, and yet at the same time he seems to be plotting the demise of his next victim. One moment he is clear enough to be a threat to her life and that of other unsuspecting victims, and the next he is saving dogs, cats and also Grace.

I loved this read. For one it definitely speaks to the random coincidences we sometimes convince ourselves are real connections, thereby creating false scenarios and accusations. Unfortunately for Grace these possible scenarios are based on circumstantial evidence, as opposed to direct evidence.

Heaberlin knows exactly how to create a feeling of suspense and fear. The kind of fear that creeps up on you from behind. You never know whether Carl is going to kill, maim or disfigure his prey, or be a friendly animal loving old man saving Grace from herself and her inner demons.

Even if it sounds like a cliché, if done correctly this would make a great film. It is a compelling and sinister character-driven read. The whole plot is based solely on the interactions between the two of them and the places they visit together. Haeberlin is a master of the mind-screw, building tension and twisted plots. Paper Ghosts is definitely taking a spot on my favourite books of 2018 list.

Buy Paper Ghosts at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Follow @juliathrillers @MichaelJBooks @PenguinUkBooks
Visit juliaheaberlin.com
Read Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

Tuesday 24 April 2018

#BlogTour The Picture by Roger Bray


Today it is my pleasure to host the BlogTour for The Picture by Roger Bray. Featuring a fantastic Q&A with Roger Bray and my review. The premise presents an interesting moral conflict and speaks to the need to be famous, to gain celebrity status and a greed of almost epidemic like proportions.


About the Author
Roger Bray –  "I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.
My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find our selves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider.

Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration. My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing.

Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.

So here we are, two books published and another on track.

Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life."

About the book
A warehouse in Japan used as an emergency shelter in the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami. A distraught, young Japanese woman in dishevelled clothes sits on a box, holding her infant daughter. Ben, a US rescue volunteer, kneels in front of her offering comfort. They hug, the baby between them. The moment turns into an hour as the woman sobs into his shoulder; mourning the loss of her husband, her home, the life she knew. A picture is taken, capturing the moment. It becomes a symbol; of help freely given and of the hope of the survivors. The faces in the picture cannot be recognised, and that is how Ben likes it. No celebrity, thanks not required.

But others believe that being identified as the person in the picture is their path to fame and fortune. Ben stands, unknowingly, in their way, but nothing a contract killing cannot fix.


Q&A with Roger Bray
The first part of the Q&A is optional (questions 1 - 5). It is just a fun way for readers to get to know the author. It's up to you whether you choose to answer them, whatever you feel most comfortable with. If any of the book questions are a no-no (spoilers ect) feel free to leave them out or change them slightly, I am flexible.

Before we get down to business (i.e. talking about your book) I would like to ask a set of questions I call 'Breaking the Ice.' (readers love to get to know all about their favourite and new authors)
The last book you read? (Inquisitive bookworms would like to know)
The last book I read was a re-reading of Sebastian Faulks Birdsong.

Books or authors who have inspired you to put pen to paper?
Orwell -1984, Tom Sharpe – Any of them but the Throwback is a favourite, Leo Uris – Exodus and Armageddon.

The last book you read, which you felt left a mark (in your heart, soul, wallet...you name it)
The reboot / continuation call it what you will of the Stieg Larssons Millenium series – what were they thinking?

Are you more of a movie night, series-binger or curl up with a good book kind of guy?
A bit of all of them really, my wife and I like to do a Lord of the Rings Marathon once in a while, harder once we bought the extended version and then the Hobbit trilogy came out.  So more of a weekend event now.

Which famous person (dead, alive, barely kicking) would you most like to meet?
Stieg Larsson – see above. Give me a clue, what was the fourth book going to be about (apparently a lot of the fourth manuscript exists but family dramas have caused issues.)

All of the above questions are actually a pretty elaborate pysch evaluation disguised as random questions. Have no fear here come the real ones. Let's talk about The Picture!

What was your inspiration for The Picture?
I had an idea for a book highlighting the cult of celebrity in which we live.  This has always been around but with social media it is a lot easier for people to reach a large number of people.  I never have a problem with people who have a talent in something, music, art, acting, anything where some sort of input and effort is required.  I find the current situation of these people who believe they are celebrities and believe they should be because they merely exist but offer absolutely nothing to society absurd.   I then had an idea for a picture being taken in circumstances of suffering and / or hope and how that could be manipulated by the aforementioned oxygen thieves for their own aggrandizement.  The two elements started as different ideas which melded together quite nicely.

Ben’s character and choices as a person play a pivotal part in the story. Kindness and compassion, as a lifestyle choice. Is it your way of saying a little kindness and even a small gesture can go a long way?
Of course, absolutely. A little kindness, a gesture can make all the difference to someone’s day or even their life.  Often you don’t realise that the small gesture has made a difference, but I recall an incidence when I know it did.  I was in a shop and there was a harried looking mother pushing a wheel chair.  She was behind me at the checkout.  I wasn’t taking much notice but I looked down at the pushchair.  The young boy, 3 or 4 years old, had a severe case of (I think) Treacher Collins syndrome.  He looked up at me and I smiled and gave him an Laural and Hardyesque exaggerated finger wave and said something like ‘how are you going buddy, having a good day with mum.’  He started smiling and I looked up at mum and she was beaming as well.  I went through the checkout and was heading towards my bike when they caught up with me.  The mum couldn’t thank me enough although I didn’t think I had actually done anything.  Apparently most people recoil when they see him, or ignore him.  My treating him as a normal kid meant everything to her.
Little things do go a long way and normally cost you absolutely nothing. I wrote a short piece on kindness on my blog

Do you think parental alienation (Ben and Anna) is becoming more frequent and perhaps isn’t dealt with the way it should be by the courts, thereby leaving many broken parent-child relationships in its wake?
In The Picture I directed the story of Ben and Anna in a particular direction for the narrative of the story.  I only touched on the idea of courts getting involved in family breakups and custody fights.
I am not an expert in this but I do know usually Courts and social workers try to do the right thing, sometimes parents do the right thing with out court involvement and if an amicable arrangement can be reached outside the Court system it is probably best all around.    There are many reason why relationships break down as you have suggested. The Courts are an attempt by society as the last chance to reach some accord.  Once people get to Court the situation is dire anyway and to blame the Courts is too simplistic, they are trying to deal with human emotions which are often totally illogical    Without jumping on a soap box, moral direction, personal responsibility and a little selflessness on the part of parents may go a long way to fix some of the issues.  But some just cannot be fixed, with or without the Courts.

Greed, and an obsession with fame and celebrity, seems to be the bane of our existence in this day and age. Do you think the expansion of social media and a general lack of boundaries exacerbate these traits in people?
Yes.  As described above I think the whole thing is absurd.  Of course, as individuals, we can choose to engage or disengage with this but it is difficult, it is all pervading.   Think back thirty years and consider the type of people who were role models and those who were not.  The whole thing has been reversed and those who were not considered role models now are.  No wonder the youth are confused being bombarded with the beautiful, morally bankrupt people day in day out.   And rock music was better when ugly people made it. :o)

These snapshots in time and history often take on a life of their own. What is more important, the image and the situation or moment it represents, or the image and knowing who is in the image?
That would very much depend on the image and the situation.
For example in June 1963 a Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc,  sat in the centre of an intersection in Saigon.  He poured petrol over himself and set himself on fire.  The picture of the event is world renown taken by Associated Press photographer Malcolm Browne.  JFK said “No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one.”  Look at it today, search ‘Burning Monk and there he is Quang Duc sitting serenely as he self immolated.   That picture changed world events, it changed US foreign policy.  One picture.  Even today it promotes awe at Quang Duc’s sacrifice.  Ask people ‘what was the specific reason for Quang Duc’s actions’ and I doubt many would know.  So the picture has survived while the reason for it has been lost to general knowledge.   Some images and events are linked intimately, some take on a general impression of what occurred, but the full reason, are not always apparent.  A difficult question to definitively answer beyond that.

Ben doesn’t make a big deal out of his act of compassion or the fact he has helped during an extreme time of despair. There are plenty of nameless and faceless heroes, why do the majority choose to stay nameless, faceless and unknown? Instead of using their acts to become famous or infamous?
Because it is their job.  They do what needs to be done and move on to the next one. Police officers, fire fighters, doctors nurses, paramedics, rescue volunteers,  social workers the list is endless.  They do it because they believe they are doing good in their communities.  Unfortunately we don’t often hear anything about them unless something goes wrong in which case the press is there to pillory them.   You don’t hear stories of police officers who have had to deal with a SIDS death, then go home to their own young families, or a doctor crying because they have lost a patient or firefighters carrying victims from a house blaze.  It is their job, they get up each morning and do it.  Most emergency service workers would be deeply suspicious of someone trying to use a tragic event to their own advantage.

Thank you for answering all my questions, even the odder ones!
Thanks very much Cheryl for having me.  I really enjoyed the questions, especially the odder ones. Sorry if I ranted a bit, I’ll slip the soap box back under the desk now. :o)


Review
The story is split into two sections, although that is probably unintentional and both story-lines do link up. The first half of the book is all about how Ben reconnects with his past, in particular with the daughter he has never met before. Like many other families who are torn apart by separation, the children often hear one-sided accounts of their own history, and of their parents relationship.

In this case Ben's daughter believes he made a conscious choice to abandon his child. With those kind of negative emotions it is hard to try and build a new relationship, which is exactly what Ben's ex-police partner asks her to do when Ben is seriously injured in an armed robbery. She finds it difficult to just bury her anger and become the doting daughter. There are some things that are unforgivable.

Paul spends a lot of time filling Anna in on the past. Explaining what he thinks happened between her parents and trying to give her an idea of what kind of man Ben really is. To demonstrate how selfless Ben is, Paul tells her the story of how Ben helped a young woman in her most vulnerable moment by acknowledging what she needed most at that moment in time. That moment of humanity was captured on photograph, and has since become a viral and global sensation. It's now synonymous for the pain, loss and destruction during the Japanese tsunami. A young woman and her baby in the aftermath of chaos and death. This leads the reader to the focus of the second half of the book.

Another man takes credit for the kind actions in the photo, and gains both money and celebrity through this fraudulent association. This is the core point of The Picture. The lengths people will go to to become famous, to make money and gain celebrity in our society. There is no sense of guilt, just a brazen attitude of privilege and self- preservation. The fraudster doesn't care about the girl in the picture or how the picture came to be, he is only interested in maximum profit and not being discovered for the criminal he is.

Bray brings two quite different topics to the table, the emotional upheaval and one-sided narrative of parental alienation and the endless need for attention and validation by the masses, in our 21st century society, especially in the era of social media and instant gratification.The premise presents an interesting moral conflict and speaks to the need to be famous, to gain celebrity status and a greed of almost epidemic like proportions.

Buy The Picture at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Read Psychosis by Roger Bray
Read Blood Ribbon by Roger Bray


Monday 23 April 2018

#BlogTour Binary Witness and Code Runner by Rosie Claverton


Today is a double whammy, the BlogTour features Binary Witness and Code Runner, book 1 and 2 in the Amy Lane Mystery series, by Rosie Claverton. Read all about the two books, the author and my reviews for both books below.

Binary Witness and Code Runner were initially published by Carina as ebooks only. When Rosie and Carina parted company, Crime Scene Books fell on Rosie with glad cries, published the next two books in the series (Captcha Thief and Terror 404), all the while negotiating with Carina for the rights to the first two - which CSB now have. Both Binary Witness and Code Runner appear now in new editions, and for the first time in paperback and, in the case of Binary Witness, in audiobook.

About the Author
Rosie Claverton grew up in Devon, daughter to a Sri Lankan father and a Norfolk mother, surrounded by folk mythology and surly sheep. She moved to Cardiff to study Medicine and adopted Wales as her home. She then moved to London to specialise in psychiatry. Her Cardiff-based crime series The Amy Lane Mysteries debuted in 2014. Her first short film Dragon Chasers aired on BBC Wales in Autumn 2012. She co-created the ground-breaking series of short films The Underwater Realm. Between writing and medicine, she blogs about psychiatry and psychology for writers in her Freudian Script series, advocating for accurate and sensitive portrayals of people with mental health problems in fiction. She is the co-founder of Crime Cymru, a collective of Welsh crime writers. Returned to her beloved Cardiff, she lives with her journalist husband and brand new daughter.
Follow @rosieclaverton @CrimeSceneBooks on Twitter
Visit rosieclaverton.com


About Binary Witness (Amy Lake Mystery #1)
A young woman trapped by her fear.
A serial killer on the prowl.
A woman locked in a darkened flat.
An ex-con hiding from a vengeful gang.

As clubbers in Cardiff are targeted by a brutal murderer, the police turn to unconventional means to catch the killer. Amy Lane, a desperately agoraphobic grey-hat hacker, only at peace with her fingers on a keyboard and her eyes on a screen, can peek into virtual corners in ways DI Bryn Hesketh would rather not know about. But he needs her skills, and turns to her for help. Jason, an ex-con looking to go straight, starts as Amy’s cleaner, but soon becomes much more.

An entirely new edition of the first thrilling story in Rosie Claverton’s stunning Amy Lane mystery series, available in paperback and audiobook for the first time.


Review of Binary Witness
The relationship between Amy and Jason develops gradually, a mutual feeling of disinterest is taken over by a genuine emotional bond. Two people who don't fit into the stereotypical boxes determined by society. Jason, the ex-con trying to stay out of prison, but finding it difficult to move on from his past and the pre-conceived notions people have about him. Then there is Amy, the agoraphobic grey-hat hacker, who is ruled by her fears and anxiety.

What starts out as a simple two hour a day cleaning job for Jason, soon becomes a a need to nurture Amy and keep her safe. One step at a time, day by day, and one small job at a time. Amy neglects herself and her home, so it comes as a huge surprise to Jason to find the police using her hacking skills on really complex cases.

When Amy is asked to help discover the identity of a potential serial killer, the new relationship between the two of them changes from client and cleaner to a crime busting duo. Amy takes care of all the online data gathering and snooping, and Jason becomes the feet on the ground external operative.

I think the premise has so much potential, and I enjoyed the way Claverton approaches mental health issues in such an open way. The majority of people will just tick Amy off as an outsider, the crazy person. There is a lack of understanding of mental health issues in general, and a lot of misconceptions about agoraphobia, anxiety and depression.

Depression is just someone feeling a little sad sometimes, anxiety is merely someone being a wee bit hysterical and how can anyone be afraid to leave their home? Sounds insensitive doesn't it, and yet this is the way people who don't comprehend these illnesses often speak about them. He or she is putting it on, they just want attention. Statements that couldn't be further from the truth.

Claverton has a created a crime fighting tag-team, who are in a sense dependent on each other. Amy needs the support and Jason needs to support. The Amy Lane Mysteries are a great combination of crime with a subtle portion of mental health awareness to go along with it. Both aspects of this series run comfortably beside each other without any attempt to be preachy or inform. It's has a natural flow and ease to it, which is what makes the read and premise work so well. Claverton is definitely an author worth watching out for.


About Code Runner (Amy Lake Mystery #2)
Agoraphobic grey-hat hacker Amy Lane and her sidekick ex-con Jason Carr make a formidable crimefighting team, but when Jason can’t resist investigating a body washed up on a beach, the duo find themselves are in over their heads in a world of drug-smuggling, conspiracy and cyber crime.
When Jason is framed for murder, Amy feels her life crumbling around her. She’s the only one who can prove his innocence and when his time in prison threatens to claim his life, she knows she has to solve the case fast. Can Amy rescue Jason? At what cost?
This entirely new edition of the second thrilling adventure in Rosie Claverton’s stunning Amy Lane mystery series comes with the BONUS AMY LANE STORY Car Hacker.


Review of Code Runner
The agoraphobic grey-hat hacker Amy and her ex-con assistant Jason are faced with a crime, which threatens to break up their team, and to shatter the new found confidence Amy has. She also finds herself separated from the lifeline she has built from her own personal prison and the outside world.

In the second book in the Amy Lane Mystery series Amy and Jason have become a well oiled crime fighting team. Perhaps one with too much success, because Jason finds himself back in prison.This time the charge is murder, the brother of his ex-best friend has been murdered, and Jason is the alleged killer.

Damage may have had it in for Jason, on behalf of his brother stewing away in prison, and he may have been responsible for the majority of  the physical injuries Jason has been dealt throughout the last few months, but that doesn't mean he wanted to or did kill him.

Someone has decided to set him up and feed him to the wolves. In prison there is no escaping the revenge of old friends. Meanwhile Amy is willing to do anything, well let's be realistic anything doable within the confines of her safe space, to save Jason.

In Code Runner there are scenes that show the lack of training, sensitivity and understanding the police force have when it comes to dealing with people suffering from mental health issues. Trying to remove an agoraphobic from the confines of their safety net can cause unfathomable trauma and anxiety. It all comes back to not comprehending what it means both physically and psychologically to have to leave their self-imposed or rather anxiety imposed space.

Claverton combines her knowledge of mental health, the medical system and solid, believable characters to create a fast-paced enjoyable read. Amy's well-being and mental health is linked to the fate of the one person, who has managed to help her cope better. At the same time the author doesn't portray Amy as weak, because she isn't. She is a strong, intelligent young woman, who is crippled and held back by her anxiety disorder.

I think this tag-team is incredibly interesting, and the storyline gives the reader a lot of insight into the restrictions of mental health disorders and the discrimination sufferers have to deal with on a daily basis. Definitely a series and an author worth checking out.

Buy Binary Witness (Amy Lane Mystery #1) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer
Buy Code Runner (Amy Lane Mystery #2) at Amazon Uk or g to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Both Published April 19th 2018 by Crime Scene Books.

Buy Captcha Thief (Amy Lane Mystery #3)
Buy Terror 404 (Amy Lane Mystery #4)

Sunday 22 April 2018

#BlogTour Body and Soul by John Harvey

Today it is my pleasure to host the BlogTour for Body and Soul by John Harvey. Body and Soul is the shocking conclusion to the Elder series. It can be read as a standalone novel, although I would recommend the rest of the series to readers.
About the Author
John Harvey was born in London, where he now lives, while considering Nottingham his spiritual home. Initially a teacher of English & Drama, he has been a full-time writer for more than forty years. The first of his 12 volume Charlie Resnick series, Lonely Hearts was selected by The Times as one of the '100 Best Crime Novels of the Century' and the first Frank Elder novel, Flesh and Blood, won the CWA Silver Dagger in 2004. He was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for sustained excellence in the crime genre in 2007, and his story, 'Fedora' won the CWA Short Story Dagger in 2014.

In addition to writing fiction, he has written and published poetry, running Slow Dancer Press for over twenty years; his Out of Silence: New & Selected Poems was published in 2014. He has adapted the work of Arnold Bennett, A. S. Byatt, Graham Greene and others for radio and television, and in 2017, his dramatisation of the final Resnick novel, Darkness, was produced at Nottingham Playhouse. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by the universities of Hertfordshire and Nottingham.

Follow @John_BHarvey @WHeinemann
Visit mellotone.co.uk
Buy Body and Soul


About the book
When his estranged daughter Katherine suddenly appears on his doorstep, Elder knows that something is badly wrong. The breakdown of her relationship with a controversial artist has sent her into a self-destructive tailspin which culminates in murder.

As Elder struggles to protect Katherine and prove her innocence, the terrors of the past threaten them both once more.

Review
For me, the controversial topic of shock art, which is woven into this disturbing crime story, was one of the most interesting elements of the read, especially in combination with Katherine's trauma.

Shock art is described as being a way to disturb "smug, complacent and hypocritical" people. Of course that is just a pathetic way of justifying and rationalising shock art and performance art. The bourgeoisie being shocked and appalled by so-called artists in their attempt to force awakening or confront them with their own self-inflated image and shatter any sense of security they might have.

The artist abuses and uses the pain, fear and trauma Katherine has been through. I can understand Frank's reaction to the exploitation of his daughter. Her kidnapping and rape, as a young teenager, is something she will never fully recover from. Her fragile emotional state is teetering on the brink of self-harm, and her suicidal tendencies are the biggest concern for her friends and family.

Has she been driven to murder, was this final betrayal the last nail in the coffin? Is the trauma of the rape too much of a burden to live with.

The sub-plot that comes into play a little later on offers a different view and a possible solution, but personally I think the story would have been fine without it. The art, the artist, the daughter, the enraged father and ultimately the kidnapping were sufficient and captivating enough.

Harvey combines trauma with emotional conflict, unresolved anger and crime. He delivers an unexpected ending, one I had to re-read, because I thought I had misread the last few pages. What a way to end a series.

Buy Body and Soul at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.


Saturday 21 April 2018

#BlogTour The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl

Today it is my pleasure to take part in the BlogTour for The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl. He is certainly a master of his craft, which is evident in this moving and yet equally captivating crime read.


About the Author
One of the godfathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since published eleven novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In
2000 he won the Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he won both the prestigious Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. His work has been published in 14 countries and sold over two million copies. He lives in Oslo.

Follow @ko_dahl @OrendaBooks #TheIceSwimmer
Visit  kjelloladahl.no
Buy The Ice Swimmer


About the book
When a dead man is lifted from the freezing waters of Oslo Harbour just before Christmas, Detective Lena Stigersand’s stressful life suddenly becomes even more complicated. Not only is she dealing with a cancer scare, a stalker and an untrustworthy boyfriend, but it seems both a politician and Norway’s security services might be involved in the murder.
With her trusted colleagues, Gunnarstranda and Frølich, at her side, Lena digs deep into the case and finds that it not only goes to the heart of the Norwegian establishment, but it might be rather to close to her personal life for comfort.
Dark, complex and nail-bitingly tense, The Ice Swimmer is the latest and most unforgettable instalment in the critically acclaimed Oslo Detective series, by the godfather of Nordic Noir


Review
The focus is on Detective Lena Stigersand in this book, and I have to say her reactions and inner dialogues are quite interesting. Watching Lena struggle with the separation of private and professional problems, whilst the intricate plot unfolds around her is a fascinating juxtaposition. Illness vs danger, worry vs brainstorming; Lena spends her entire time walking the lines between her inner fears and her professional instincts.

The author approaches the issue of cancer with sensitivity, although the same can't be said for Lena. She fights against the idea, ignores the reality and keeps shoving it into the recesses of her mind. Her body becomes the hidden enemy. What is riveting and heartbreaking is the way she tries to tell the people around her, and yet doesn't because she feels it may be perceived as weakness.

The Ice Swimmer combines various elements of crime. The political scenario with the secret intelligence service poking fingers in the murky pot, and the simple wrong place at the wrong time extra victim. To top it off Lena finds herself being drawn into a romantic relationship with someone she has started to have doubts about.

Overall it is a fast-paced, well-plotted story with Gunnarstranda and Frølich taking more of a supportive back seat role, as the strong impulsive Oslo detective, Lena Stigersand, takes more of a one-man team approach to solving the crimes.

Kjell Ola Dahl likes to create the crime with a focus on the intricacies of his characters and their personal lives. This atmosphere allows for the reader to feel empathy with the characters without losing sight of the unfolding crime scenario. It is a balancing act, but one that serves up a great read.

The author moves his characters across the chess board with a tactical efficiency. It gives the Ice Swimmer the feel of a modern crime with a flair of Nordic Noir, and the overall sense of ultimate command over everything. Each move is planned, no loose ends are left to ponder over, and the intimacy between the characters and the reader makes you want to come back for more.

Buy The Ice Swimmer at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Kindle Pub date 28 Feb 2018, Paperback Pub date 30th April 2018
Published by orendabooks.co.uk


Queen of the North by Anne O'Brien

There are few ways of approaching a story that ventures into historical fiction, stories with the odd bit of history thrown in for good luck or to validate a time period, fiction that imagines a different narrative of history and stories with inaccurate historical facts.

Then you have the authors, who like Anne O'Brien, incorporate their story within the confines of accurate historical narratives, obviously with a wee bit of artistic licence here and there, thereby making it more than just a read. It is an experience of culture, learning and history.

In Queen of the North O'Brien takes the reader to the events in 1399, and although they aren't given as much attention as the events that unfold a few decades later, they are pivotal to said events. They are the seeds that are sown, which bring about the later catalyst and murderous power struggles between the York and Lancaster cousins of the Plantagenet house.

From the very beginning one thing is clear about Elizabeth, she will never forget the fact she is a Mortimer or the legitimacy of their claim to the throne. Her loyalty to the name comes before any loyalty towards her husband, the Percy family and even her own children.

In fact I would go so far as to claim hypocrisy, because the political power plays and machinations of the men she is surrounded by are no different to her own secret plans and ploys. Fluttering eyelashes, sweet voices and wiles of a woman, all in the name of her own agenda. Elizabeth has to take a step back and consider her own portion of guilt in regards to her husband, his untimely death and the desecration of his corpse.

Along with her propensity for elaborate prose and descriptive writing, O'Brien's powerful characters are what I enjoy the most about her books. She is in a class of her own, and in my personal opinion belongs up there with the best.

Buy Queen of the North at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Follow @anne_obrien @HQStories @HarperCollinsUk
Visit anneobrien.co.uk

Friday 20 April 2018

#BlogTour Keeper by Johana Gustawsson

You don't want to miss this humdinger of a book or the BlogTour for Keeper by Johana Gustawsson for that matter (Translation by Maxim Jakubowski). I can honestly say the author managed to pull the wool over my eyes and surprise me.


About the Author
Born in 1978 in Marseille and with a degree in political science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French press and television. She married a Swede and now lives in London. She was the co-author of a bestseller, On se retrouvera, published by Fayard Noir in France, whose television adaptation drew over 7 million viewers in June 2015. Her debut, Block 46, was an award-winning, international bestseller, with Keeper following suit. She is working on the next book in the Roy & Castells series.

Follow @JoGustawsson  @Orendabooks on Twitter or on facebook.com/johana.gustawsson/
Visit johanagustawsson.com/en/
Buy Keeper


About the book
Whitechapel, 1888: London is bowed under Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror. London 2015: actress Julianne Bell is abducted in a case similar to the terrible Tower Hamlets murders of some ten years earlier, and harking back to the Ripper killings of a century before. Falkenberg, Sweden, 2015: a woman’s body is found mutilated in a forest, her wounds identical to those of the Tower Hamlets victims. With the man arrested for the Tower Hamlets crimes already locked up, do the new killings mean he has a dangerous accomplice, or is a copy-cat serial killer on the loose?
Profiler Emily Roy and true-crime writer Alexis Castells again find themselves drawn into an intriguing case, with personal links that turn their world upside down…

Review
Once again this Roy and Castells story takes place in multiple countries and over different periods in time, and because the author does it with such ease it actually strengthens the plot. This case sees Emily and Alexis at opposite sides with a very upsetting difference of opinions, when they disagree about a old case that took the life of someone very important to Castells.

However that leaves more room for a new character to introduce herself into the fold. Aliénor is on the autism spectrum, which leads to some amusing situations, but she also shows herself to be an important part of the team. Her meticulous eye for detail and information helps the team advance faster than they might have without her help. Hopefully she will return again for further Roy and Castells stories, although knowing the author the girl probably has a dark murderous past and has a mass of skeletons buried in her garden. Just saying.

In Keeper there are parallels drawn between the Ripper killings and another spate of killings over a hundred years later. There is a supposition of a possible connection between the two situations. Could there be a more base connection than the hunger for some specific bloodthirsty element of the crimes.

I guessed half of the solution, but I was neither prepared for or expecting the last few pages. I can honestly say the author managed to pull the wool over my eyes and surprise me. Excellent plotting. I can just imagine the author sat there with a content and smug smile on her face thinking about the reactions of her readers. Gustawsson is honing her craft, and speeding towards the top at one hell of a speed.

I was already impressed with Block 46 (Roy & Castells #1), but Keeper is an outstanding piece of crime fiction. A crime and psychological thriller par excellence. Keeper will shock, captivate and perhaps even perplex her readers. The uncomfortable ease with which the perpetrators fall prey to the brutality and deviant desires of such a complex psychological disorder, and the way said disorder is connected to a strange and yet strong emotional bond between them, is disturbing. Gustawsson has outdone herself. I dread to think what she will come up with next, and at the same time I can't wait to read it.

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


Thursday 19 April 2018

BOSH: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants!

A little over a month ago I had the opportunity to meet the men behind the world of BOSH, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. You may have already heard of their YouTube channel BOSH.TV, where they introduce their audience to the culinary delights of plant-based food and cooking.

Ian and Henry are both articulate, approachable and intelligent young men, they engage their audience with sincerity and a great passion for plant-based food. They both have a quick witted sense of humour and are incredibly charming.


About Henry Firth and Ian Theasby of BOSH
If you’d told us three years ago we were going to spend our lives cooking and eating amazing plant-based food, we wouldn’t have believed you. We were a couple of mates from Sheffield who ate meat every single week.

Now we run BOSH!, the biggest plant-based online channel in the world. Our food creations were viewed by half a billion people in our first year and our most popular recipe videos have been viewed over 50 million times. We never expected to have that kind of success, and it has been humbling.

‘I was the one to first cut out animal products.’
Ian

‘I mocked Ian when he went vegan, and asked him where he’d get his protein from. But eventually he won me over. That and the whole saving the world by not eating mass-produced animal products thing.’
Henry

After cutting out animal products entirely, both of us felt fantastic. But we had to re-learn how to cook and find food when we were out and about. We also found that the vegan food available in restaurants or in cookbooks was often, frankly, not very good.

Since then, it’s been our life’s mission to show people how to make delicious plant-based meals. However often they choose to do that. We cook, drink and film delicious recipes for the world, all from our home studio in East London.

Henry and Ian

Follow BOSHTV on YouTube
Follow BOSHTV   @IanTheasby @henrydavidfirth or @HQStories on Twitter
Buy BOSH CookBook



About the BOSH book
Over 100 super easy and outrageously delicious all-plant meals from the world’s biggest and fastest-growing plant-based platform, BOSH!

Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are the new faces of exciting plant-based food.

Their channel, BOSH!, constantly inspires people to cook ultra-tasty and amazingly simple meals at home – from roasting tray dinners, to one-pot wonders, and posh showstoppers to crazy cocktails – using only plant-based supermarket-friendly ingredients.

In BOSH! The Cookbook they share over 100 of their favourite go-to breakfasts, moreish light bites and snacks, filling and hearty dinners and mouthwatering puddings and treats.

Whether you are vegan or simply want to incorporate a few meat, dairy and egg-free meals into your week, BOSH! The Cookbook is your ultimate plant-based bible packed with fun, unpretentious and mega satisfying recipes easy enough to be rustled up any night of the week.


Review of BOSH: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants!
The way people are approaching food, cooking, eating and nutrition in general is changing. A lot of them are looking for alternatives, be it because of ethical, medical, religious or just plain old I want something else for myself reasons. Plant-based meals have become a real alternative.

You can almost see the old barriers between vegan and meat activists crumbling, as plant-based cooking changes from a fad and an en vogue rebellion, to a lifestyle choice. Innovative cooks like Firth and Theasby want you to discover the pleasure, the flavour, the choices and ultimately to realise that this isn't the so-called rabbit food it has been falsely labelled as.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ian and Henry. They are articulate, approachable and intelligent young men, they engage their audience with sincerity and a great passion for plant-based food. They both have a quick witted sense of humour and are incredibly charming.

Now, it is important to note that I am a meat eater and one of the staunch steak-lovers they talk of. I have never been a fan of vegetables, however the two of them managed to lure me over to the dark side. You know, where the scary plants live.

They managed to do that because they want you to want to eat something you will enjoy, as opposed to eating it because it is the healthier option. They offer recipes for snacks, party drinks (omg the watermelon punch), desserts (I just don't agree with the sharing aspect of the tear and share chocolate croissant, just saying), starters and main meals.

Some of the recipes are so out of my vegetable comfort zone, that I wonder if the two of them just sit there and brainstorm with perfectly innocent plants just looking on in silent terror. 'Come here little cauliflower let me batter you in paprika, garlic and toss you in breadcrumbs.'

If you are looking for simple recipes, and yes they are super-easy to read and follow, amazing food, and for a plant-based food and taste-bud extravaganza, then BOSH Cookbook is the book for you.

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

#BlogTour This Dark Place by Claire Kittridge

It's my pleasure to host the Blogtour for This Dark Place by Claire Kittridge. She has created the kind of main character the reader can respect, expect the unexpected from, and yet also in equal measures feel empathy with.


About the Author
Claire Kittridge grew up in Brooklyn, NY watching The X-files, Law and Order, and a worn-out VHS tape of Sweeney Todd that she found in the basement. Long a lover of atmospheric landscape, rolling hills, and rainy days, Claire fell in love with England and its great fictional detectives while traveling around Britain as a teenager.

An avid reader, triathlete, and boxing fan, Claire lives in New York City with her cat, Chairman Meow. She is currently at work on the second Kelly Moore novel.

Follow Claire Kittridge on:
Twitter: @cpkittridge
Instagram: @clairekittridge
Facebook: ClaireKittridgeAuthor/
Amazon author page:  amazon.com/author/clairekittridge
Follow @DelicatePreyPub
Buy This Dark Place


About the book
Priscilla Ames is the daughter of a Wall Street hedge fund manager that has made millions in the stock market. She's reckless, impulsive, always wanting to be the center of attention, but one thing has been constant - her friendship with Avery Moss. They are like sisters that share adventures and look out for each other in times of need.

Avery Moss comes from a working-class family in Brooklyn. She met Priscilla as an 8 year-old at an elite NYC private school where Avery was on a one-year scholarship. They became friends on the first day of school when Avery beat up a boy that was teasing Priscilla. When Avery’s scholarship was discontinued, Priscilla’s father, Peter Ames, stepped in and has supported her schooling ever since, including sending the girls to a prestigious acting college in London

NYPD Detective Kelly Moore is a member of the elite Queens Violent Felony Squad. She is smart and strong and direct. Years ago, her older sister disappeared while traveling in England and the case was never solved, haunting all of her investigations. Moore’s greatest strength and her greatest weakness are two sides of the same coin: when she’s on her game, she works from the inside out, acting on hunches and then backing them up with evidence – but under duress, she acts rashly, leaping before she looks.

When Priscilla’s body is found by Avery in a posh London flat and her death is splashed across headlines worldwide, Kelly Moore flies across the Atlantic to join a crack team of British investigators working on the case.

Together with the London Metropolitan Police, Kelly must track down a twisted serial killer who seems to know her every move and her darkest secrets. As the body count rises, and panic spreads, the killer threatens to make Kelly the next victim.

In a heart-racing game of cat and mouse, Kelly must outwit this elusive master of surveillance – who might be the last person she suspects.


Review
I think it's fair to say that Detective Kelly Moore is often distracted by her past, to the point of endangering herself and others. The disappearance of her sister Cass, and her obsession with the unsolved crime, is detrimental to her decision making process. No matter what, the mystery of Cass comes first.

In this book Moore makes her way to Britain to help solve the strange death of a young woman. The daughter of Peter Ames. She wanders into a quagmire of sexual deviance, manipulation and lies. What appears to be a homicide turns out to be so much more.

Simultaneously someone is taunting Moore with insinuations about her sister. Tempting her with revelations and a possible solution to her inner torture. Unfortunately she lets this person get between the case she is trying to solve, and also puts her in mortal danger.

Moore tends to act without thinking, jump into situations without the appropriate back-up or inform anyone when she is lured into traps by the occasional psycho or two. Her streetwise New York attitude and training is a complete contradiction to the London Met Police working atmosphere she is thrown into.

Kittridge writes a compelling crime story and incorporates 21st century technology with strong memorable characters. The strength of her story is the seamless flow and the sense of ease with which it is written. The focus on intrigue and procedure, as opposed to a constant stream of action, violence and gore, absolutely works in her favour.

She has created the kind of main character the reader can respect, expect the unexpected from, and yet also in equal measures feel empathy with.  I am sure this isn't the last we will hear and read of both Detective Kelly Moore and Claire Kittridge.

Buy This Dark Place on Amazon UK or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.


Wednesday 18 April 2018

#BlogTour Game Show by Allie Cresswell

It's my pleasure to host the BlogTour for Game Show by Allie Cresswell today. This story is a sign of the times and it takes a frank look at human nature. It is brutal and unforgiving.
About the Author
I have been writing stories since I could hold a pencil and by the time I was in Junior School I was writing copiously and sometimes almost legibly.

I did, however, manage a BA in English and Drama from Birmingham University and an MA in English from Queen Mary College, London. Marriage and motherhood put my writing career on hold for some years until 1992 when I began work on Game Show.

In the meantime I worked as a production manager for an educational publishing company, an educational resources copywriter, a bookkeeper for a small printing firm, and was the landlady of a country pub in Yorkshire, a small guest house in Cheshire and the proprietor of a group of boutique holiday cottages in Cumbria. Most recently I taught English Literature to Lifelong learners.

Nowadays I write as full time as three grandchildren, a husband, two Cockapoos and a large garden will permit.

Connect with Allie Cresswell on Facebook: alliescribbler/
Visit allie-cresswell.com
Buy Game Show


About the book
It is 1992, and in a Bosnian town a small family cowers in their basement. The Serbian militia is coming - an assorted rabble of malcontents given authority by a uniform and inflamed by the idea that they’re owed something, big-time, and the Bosnians are going to pay. When they get to the town they will ransack the houses, round up the men and rape the women. Who’s to stop them? Who’s to accuse them? Who will be left, to tell the tale?
Meanwhile, in a nondescript northern UK town a group of contestants make their way to the TV studios to take part in a radical new Game Show. There’s money to be won, and fun to be had. They’ll be able to throw off their inhibitions and do what they want because they’ll all be in disguise and no-one will ever know.
In a disturbing denouement, war and game meld into each other as action and consequence are divided, the words ‘blame’ and ‘fault’ have no meaning and impunity reigns .
Game Show asks whether the situation which fostered the Bosnian war, the genocide in Rwanda, the rise of so-called Islamic State in Syria and the ethnic cleansing in Myanmar could ever happen in the West. The answer will shock you.

Review
I adore the kind of premise that explores human nature. The contestants for this game show are a mixed bunch of individuals, so the choices they make and the reactions they have are bound to differ. A privileged wealthy housewife seeks the thrill, as opposed to the love deprived exhausted multiple mother on a tight budget, who may be willing to be more cut-throat to win the show.

At the beginning of the book the show is set to the topic of Native Americans. The scenes are bloodthirsty, wild and barbaric, so aside from the obvious cultural appropriation going on, there is also the aspect of depicting the stereotype and misconceptions of their culture. Very much a privileged white man's idea of amusement, and another indicator of the 'do anything for high ratings' mentality of our era.

The West has already experienced the Holocaust, so the answer to the question in the blurb is yes it can happen in the West. In Western European countries the far right is sitting in governments once more, swastikas and hate crimes are in abundance. In the US the alt-right marches with Tiki torches.Today, at this moment in time, Western society is being forced into a similar scenario, a division between Muslims and non-Muslims, caused by the terrorism of fundamentalists and radicals.

Cresswell mentions the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, as one of her inspirations to explore the psychology of human nature, and indeed confirm what the majority of us already know through history or perhaps even personal experience.

Given the right set of circumstances and motivation the majority of people will show the base animal instinct of human nature. Survival of the fittest, and above all power and control over others. A certain number of us will lose all inhibition and show ourselves capable of extreme violence and of inflicting pain upon those we perceive to be weaker and deserving of it.

The background of the story is set in the 1990's to the background of the Bosnian conflict. At this point I have to say that despite constant reminders that we all never forget the atrocities of the Nazi regime, we are probably all guilty of ignoring the genocides that have taken place since then, the Bosnian War being a perfect example of that.

There is an interesting rant by Piers (producer) given in the first half of the book, when he more or less denies responsibility for any actions or events that place during the show, because in his eyes any person unable to recognise right from wrong has no moral fibre anyway. Thereby placing the blame solely in the hands of the single perpetrators. Now, don't get me wrong they are to blame, but the person inciting them is just as culpable, actually more so.

Our television screens are awash with game shows and reality tv shows nowadays. Japanese game shows are a prime example of the balancing act between fun and bizarrely extreme heaviour. Participants are asked to act this way, they are primed and rewarded for it, and viewers lap it up. There is a market for it, and the boundaries are becoming less visible as the years go on.

There are two storylines in Game Show, both of which could survive as a standalone plot. Combined the juxtaposition of these two storylines makes the reader aware of the parallels in human behaviour in either situation. Simultaneously it also highlights the ludicrous and frankly abhorrent fact that while the rest of the world is engaged in mundane daily chores, somewhere else men, women and children are being slaughtered.

Cresswell doesn't intend for this to be an easy read. Unfortunately it reminds us of the chaos and violence of human nature. How easily the masses are led, and how fragile our masks of civility are. Given the right set of circumstances the most docile human being can turn into a sadistic killer, and the most brash could possibly crumble at the first sign of adversity.

Game Show is about life within the confines of societal boundaries, and also when it is void of any boundaries at all. Is there really any difference between the two?

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