#Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton.

About the Author

I was born in Manchester to Irish parents who gifted me the tradition of storytelling and a love of words. Unusually for an Irish family I was an only child and found company in books and stories. I moved to Bristol to go to university, and loved the city so much I stayed on after graduating. I landed a job as a technician at the BBC and worked on radio dramas. Not content with simply doing the sound effects, I decided to write my own radio play. Many years and drawers full of rejections later, I had my radio drama Heads You Win, Tales I Lose, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

I went on to write stage plays, notably Air Guitar for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre and Playing with Snails which won the Croydon Warehouse International Playwriting competition 2011.

In 2019, I went to Bath Spa University as a mature student, undertaking an MA in creative writing. I graduated with distinction. Girls Don’t Cry was partially written on the course. Follow @Peter_Kesterton on Twitter - for more information visit: peterkesterton.com

About the book

A decade after his young daughter’s murder, a grief-stricken father’s need for justice puts his own life in danger as events spiral out of control . . .

Ever since Caitlin Grady was released from prison, Darren has been tormented by rage and injustice. He finds himself venting online, where a stranger befriends him—and encourages him to seek revenge.

But Caitlin no longer goes by that name. She has been given a new identity and is living quietly, dreading exposure as the tabloids—with help from her publicity-hungry mother—try to hunt her down. And having committed the crime at age eleven, Caitlin struggles as an adult on her own, out in the world beyond prison walls. Will Darren manage to track Caitlin down, and if he does, will he be able to carry out his plans?

Review

Without taking the ending into account, because discussing any sort of twist would spoil the plot and read for everyone - I want to focus on the element that intrigued me the most about this story. The question of guilt, forgiveness and whether the punishment can ever fit the crime when the crime is the worst you can imagine.

I liked the way the author showed the clear difference in coping strategies, or complete lack of, when it came to the parents. The father is unable to let go of the idea that the perpetrator is allowed to reboot their life after being released and the mother just wants to leave the pain behind in the past. A child on child crime is one that can divide opinions, because the perpetrator gets the choice to rehabilitate and move on from their crime. The victim, especially if the victim is deceased, and their loved ones don't really get the same offer of choices. You can't turn back time or bring someone back to life.

I can understand the obsession Darren has, which has become a cooking pot for his pain and anger, instead of an outlet to work through the violent death of his child. Some things are unforgiveable, aren't they?

It's a dark domestic thriller that will make the reader question their gut reaction, the societal expectation in regards to whether the punishment fits the crime, and how anyone in such a cruel situation can move forward.

Buy Girls Don't Cry at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bloodhound Books; pub date 22 Feb. 2023. Buy via Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Hard Way by Duncan Brockwell

 

It's Publication Day and the time to kick off the BlogTour The Hard Way by Duncan Brockwell.

About the Author

Duncan Brockwell is a full-time dental technician from West Sussex. Having completed his course at Lambeth College in 2018, he started writing in his spare time. An avid gardener and part-time mixologist, he loves nothing more than relaxing at home with his wife, Beks and pure white rescue cat, Milly. 

Since Duncan started writing in 2018, he has written thirteen novels, nine of which have been, or are in the process of being published. Unlike a lot of authors, Duncan feels he is a hobby writer, toiling away on his purple couch in front of the TV in the evenings and weekends. He wants nothing more than for readers to enjoy his various offerings, ranging from romantic comedy (under pseudonym Katie Simpkins) to hardcore blood and guts horror and everything in between (Under either DC Brockwell or Duncan Brockwell). Follow him at:

Follow @dcbrockwell1 on Twitter, Facebook: DC Brockwell Author, Instagram: @dcbrockwell

About the book

When intruders enter a radio station and kill a famed presenter it sets in motion a chain of events that will push the Metropolitan Police to their limits.

Officers Hayes and Miller are on the trail of a suspect and when Eric Helsey is detained, the police realise they have arrested the wrong man. As the case grows more complicated with each revelation, and the body count rises, they find themselves investigating a series of crimes all of which may be linked.

But what ties the murder of the radio host with a Turkish casino owner and the killing of two employees at a valve factory? Hayes and Miller find themselves in a race against time to get to the truth before more people are hurt…

Review

A triple homicide has DI Amanda Hayes and DS Rachel Miller flummoxed at first. The victims don't seem to come with clear motives. It looks like a hit, but then there are certain details of the crime scene that suggest a different kind of perpetrator. A more nefarious kind of killer.

The victims aren't all exactly squeaky clean either, so the question is where do you start searching if your haystack comes with more needles than hay in the first place? What eventually becomes clear is that Hayes and Miller have been tasked with solving a crime that opens the doors to violence, brutality, betrayal and having to watch their six.

Here and there it could do with a bit of a nip, tuck and tighten, and perhaps in future a read through for repetitive phrases or perhaps better use of synonyms. Other than that it's a crime read with a bite and two strong female leads, which is always a good thing.

It's a contemporary crime read, a gritty urban story with a organised crime vibe with a bit of a Line of Duty feel to it. You just don't know who you can trust and the duo better be prepared to fight fire with fire or one of them might just end up a statistic.

It's fast-paced, brutal and unforgiving at times. 

Buy The Hard Way at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Bloodhound Books - pub date 19 April 2021. Buy at Amazon com. At Hive.

#BlogTour The Dead Tell Lies by J.F. Kirwan

Today it's my turn on the Blogtour The Dead Tell Lies by J.F. Kirwan.

About the Author
J. F. Kirwan is an insomniac who writes thrillers in the dead of night. He is also a psychologist, and has drawn upon this expertise, including being taught by a professor who examined serial killers for Scotland Yard, to pen the crime/mystery/thriller The Dead Tell Lies for Bloodhound Books. He wanted to shed light not only on the darkness of serial killers, but of those who track them down, who must inevitably step inside the serial killer’s worldview, and may not come out clean afterwards.

He is also the author of the Nadia Laksheva thriller series for HarperCollins (66 Metres, 37 Hours and 88 North). His favourite authors include Lee Child, David Baldacci and Jo Nesbo. He is married, and has a daughter and a new grandson, and lives between Paris and London.

Follow @kirwanjf on Twitter, on Amazon, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Visit jfkirwan.com, Buy The Dead Tell Lies

About the book
Greg Adams, a criminal psychologist at Scotland Yard, specialises in bringing serial killers to justice. He tracks down a spree serial killer nicknamed the Divine, who has already killed six teenage girls and is about to kill a seventh. Greg works out the location where he is hiding and joins a raid. The police capture the Divine and save the girl, but on the very same night, Greg’s wife is brutally murdered by another serial killer, known as the Dreamer.

A year later, unable to bring the killer to justice, Greg has quit his job and is ready to end it all, when he receives a phone call from a man who tells him the Dreamer is dead, and that he didn’t kill Greg’s wife, Kate.

Greg returns to Scotland Yard to work for Superintendent Chief Detective Donaldson in the hope he can re-examine the case with the help of two new detectives, Finch and Matthews.
As Greg delves into the case further, he becomes more convinced that the Dreamer wasn’t the man responsible for his wife’s murder. But if it wasn’t the Dreamer, who was it?

In order to solve the mystery around his wife’s murder, Greg is going to have to delve even deeper into the mind of a terrifying psychopath. And this time he might not make it back in one piece…

Review
The problem with being a successful hunter of serial killers is that you could become a bit of a challenge to them, perhaps that is why they get the scent for well-known criminal psychologist Greg Adams. Whilst he bathes in the glory of catching another monster his wife is meeting her death at the hands of a monster he wasn't watching out for.

A year later and his inability to bring his wife's killer to justice is destroying his mind and his life. Bit by bit the guilt is eating away at him. Should he stay or should he go - should he live or die?

It reminded me of Wire in the Blood and 100 Code. The emphasis is on thinking like a serial killer to not only understand them, but also try to predict their every move. The trouble with that is the unpredictability factor, especially when it comes to this plot.

Kirwan delivers a brutal and often violent read or a hint of violence. His main character often teeters on the brink of a deep dark abyss, which is an interesting parallel to draw. When you spend your life trying to heal and comprehend the most depraved in society it's probably only a question of time until some of it wanders into the psyche of even the most sane and professional person.

Buy The Dead Tell Lies at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bloodhound Books; pub date 15 July 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#PublicationDay Deadly Harm by Owen Mullen

It's Publication Day for Deadly Harm by Owen Mullen. It's a domestic noir thriller that tackles difficult topics with the realism and honesty it deserves.

About the Author
Owen Mullen is a McIlvanney Crime Book Of The Year and best selling author.

Owen graduated from Strathclyde University, moved to London and worked as a rock musician, session singer and songwriter, and had a hit record in Japan with a band he refuses to name; he still loves to perform on occasion. His passion for travel has taken him on many adventures from the Amazon and Africa to the colourful continent of India and Nepal. A gregarious recluse, he and his wife, Christine, split their time between Glasgow, and their home in the Greek Islands where Owen writes.

Follow @OwenMullen6 @Bloodhoundbook on Twitter, Follow Owen Mullen on Instagram, on Facebook, on Youtube, Amazon Author page, Goodreads Author page, Bookbub page,
Buy Deadly Harm

About the book
It’s been five years since Mackenzie Darroch was abducted and held captive in a derelict house.
She thought she'd found her way out of the darkness. She was wrong.

When she witnesses a car crash and saves the driver’s life, it sets in motion a chain of events that will alter both their futures.

The two women get involved in a high profile police case and draw the attention of a ruthless reporter. Gina Calvi is convinced Mackenzie is not what she appears and is prepared to do anything to prove it.

Meanwhile, across the city, Kirsty McBride, a young single mother, is persuaded to leave a violent relationship. Her partner, Malkie Boyle a Glasgow hardman, is due to be released from prison. Once back on the street and bent on revenge, Boyle is determined to find the people responsible for stealing his family from him. Can Mackenzie save them or will Boyle get his revenge?

Review
As I mentioned in my review of Mullen's Out of Silence, he has a penchant for tackling the topics of abuse, victimisation and domestic violence, as they pertain to women. Where others mansplain and fail to hit the mark, Mullen approaches said topics from the victim's perspective.

This is the follow-up to In Harm's Way, which also features DS Geddes and Mackenzie. The story starts with two women burying a body then the reader gets swooped up into the world Mackenzie  inhabits now. She runs a refuge for abused women. Geddes gets in touch with her to try and convince a young woman to leave her abusive husband, which is where the story actually does start. 

I have to be honest I got so wrapped up in the story that I completely forgot about anyone burying a body. (The story does return to that moment)

Fear lives on...

No truer words can be spoken when it comes to domestic violence. Even if someone does manage to extricate themselves from a domestic violence situation it doesn't mean the fear magically disappears. It doesn't, partly because victims comprehend the very harsh and real fact that society and the rule of law has not built in enough measures to keep victims safe. That is just the stone cold truth.

The reality of escaping is a financial and emotional imbalance created by society and the perpetrator. The victim can only be safe if they leave everything behind and start afresh. It sounds so easy to anyone not in that situation. It isn't, and it is part of the reason victims find it so hard to leave. There isn't sufficient support to stay safe or start anew.

It's a domestic noir thriller that tackles difficult topics with the realism and honesty it deserves. Just one more thing, I have to give a shout out to my favourite character, Grandpa Boyle. Don't ever mess with his Liquorice Allsorts - ever.

Buy Deadly Harm at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bloodhound Books; pub date 15 Oct. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Out of Silence by Owen Mullen

Out of the Silence by Owen Mullen

I am delighted to welcome Owen Mullen to the blog today and his crime fiction novel Out of the Silence. Don't miss the brilliant Q&A with Owen!

About the Author
Owen Mullen is a McIlvanney Crime Book Of The Year long-listed novelist.

Owen graduated from Strathclyde University, moved to London and worked as a rock musician, session singer and songwriter, and had a hit record in Japan with a band he refuses to name; he still loves to perform on occasion. His passion for travel has taken him on many adventures from the Amazon and Africa to the colourful continent of India and Nepal. A gregarious recluse, he and his wife, Christine, split their time between Glasgow, and their home in the Greek Islands where In Harm's Way and the Charlie Cameron and Delaney series' were created and written. His latest novel Out Of The Silence is an epic revenge thriller set in Pakistan.

Follow @OwenMullen6 @Bloodhoundbook on Twitter,
on Instagram, on Facebook, on Youtube, Amazon Author page, Goodreads Author page, Bookbub page,
Buy Out of the Silence

About the book
A compelling revenge thriller

Star investigative reporter Ralph Buchanan’s glory days are behind him. His newspaper has banished him to Pakistan, not knowing the greatest moment of his long career is waiting for him there. When Simone Jasnin asks him to help expose a grave injustice, he finds himself embroiled in a harrowing tale that began in a dusty settlement in rural Punjab, setting in motion a chain of events that will change the lives of everyone involved.

Seven years later in the city of Lahore, members of a prominent family are being brutally murdered, one by one. The only clue is a hand-carved wooden bangle left at the scene of each crime. As the list of suspects grows and the tension mounts, Ralph realises the answers might be closer to home than he ever thought possible.

Solving the mystery will put him back on top but at what cost?
Only when the smoke clears will the killing stop and honour be satisfied…

Q&A with Owen Mullen
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.'

The last book you read? (Inquisitive bookworms would like to know)
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

The last movie you watched, which you felt left a mark (in your heart, soul, wallet...you name it)? Calibre...great Scottish drama

Writers or books who have inspired you to put pen to paper?
Stephen King and James Lee Burke

Which famous person (dead, alive, barely kicking) would you most like to meet?
Jesus Christ...that would be an interesting conversation!

A famous declutterer a la Marie Kondo has decided to help you organise your home - you have to get rid of all but three of your books (the ones you have written yourself are exempt) which three would you pick and why?
Firstly I’ve got my own version of Marie at home! The Collected Stories of Sherlock Holmes – my all-time favourite detective, A Bend In The River by V.S. Naipal – it’s a slow burner but I love his use of language and Brideshead Revisited – an old boss switched me on to Evelyn Waugh

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 Out of the Silence.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by your book. It blends the often stringent boundaries of crime and women's fiction.

I would love to know all about your inspiration for Out of the Silence?
Several years ago I watched a horrific documentary on the treatment of women in Pakistan; it stayed with me. Some years later, my wife Christine and I were travelling in the region for the third time and the idea started to form for an amazing crime thriller set in this wonderfully colourful environment. When we ventured into the Thar dessert we came across a young woman selling salt: when she looked up at me from behind her hijab Afra was born.

The use of the bangles as a plot device to connect the threads is both clever and emotional. Again, I am intrigued by the inspiration to use the bangles in this way.
The idea just arrived from wherever it is they live.

The contrasting effect of seeing how the lives of Jameel and Afra go in such different directions is an excellent example of the stark difference in opportunities and development when it comes to gender. Do you think giving a voice to the silent will help to end or at least level out the inequality a little?
I’m going to be honest here: I didn’t set out to change things. I simply wanted to write a thrilling crime fiction novel. That said however, if anything I ever write can help someone in any way I would be more than delighted.

As I mentioned above I enjoyed the fact that this fits firmly into both crime and women's fiction. Did you know your crime story would end up being a silent call to arms for the abused and oppressed or did it just evolve that way as the story progressed?
The story arrived almost complete for me, so I always knew that Dr Simone would take up the cause.

What’s next for Owen Mullen? Are you already working on something new?
Almost finished the follow up to In Harm’s Way, then there are several ideas fighting for my time!

Thanks for answering all of my questions, even the odd ones!
Thanks for inviting me here today...I really enjoyed it.

Owen

Review
Although the blurb suggests that the investigative reporter Ralph Buchanan is the main character and takes centre stage, the truth is he is a mere bit-player in the story of Afra and Jameel. Saying that, aside from the important connection and emotional significance of the family heirloom Jameel gives to his love, even he doesn't play as much of a pivotal role as Afra.

This story belongs to her, every disillusioned moment, every injury and each second of silence. In turn her story belongs to every woman and girl, who have been and still are treated as a sub-humans. Treated with contempt, abused and used for pleasure and/or pain.

Unfortunately there are still plenty of countries that still do nothing to combat the abuse, molestation, torture, rape and murder of girls and women. Not that our western society has a stellar record, but the country in which this is set, Pakistan, still lives in the dark ages in regards to women's rights and the abuse of women. Don't even get me started on India.

An intriguing and emotional element of the story is the way Mullen connects all the threads of the story with the bangles, and indeed they become an integral part of the plot. They become synonymous with the image of Afra, every time they are mentioned it conjures up images of the young girl before, when her world existed only of her family, the village and Jameel. The innocent girl experiencing the first blushes of young love, before life submerges her into a quagmire of systemic and cultural abuse.

It's a crime thriller combined with a poignant plot about the abuse and neglect of girls and women. This is so much more than a crime thriller, perhaps because the story of Afra takes precedence over the murders, despite the fact everything leads back to her. She is always there in the background, watching and waiting.

Buy Out of the Silence at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy Out of the Silence at Amazon com., at Waterstones, at Foyles, Book Depository,
Publisher: Bloodhound Books; pub date Paperback - 21 Jan. 2019, pub date ebook edition 28 Jan.2019