#Blogtour One Little Mistake by Miranda Rijks

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour One Little Mistake by Miranda Rijks. Published 9th November 2025 by Inkubator Books.

About the Author

Miranda Rijks is a writer of fast-paced, twisty psychological thrillers many of which have been Amazon bestsellers. She has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre. 

After surviving bone cancer, Miranda turned to writing and is now living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. 

She lives in West Sussex, England with her Dutch husband and two black Labradors and spends as much time as she can in the Swiss Alps. Follow @MirandaRijks on X, @mirandarijksauthor on Instagram, Visit mirandarijks.com

About the book

They were best friends forever. Then Kate made one little mistake…

Kate thought the spreadsheet was harmless—a private ranking of her four best friends detailing their various strengths and weaknesses. But when it leaks online and goes viral, her carefully curated life implodes.

Social invitations vanish, her business crumbles, even her marriage starts to fall apart. It’s as if the silken thread that has been holding everything together has been pulled and now it’s all unravelling.

And it gets worse. Someone on the list seems to be out for revenge, determined to destroy whatever is left of Kate’s perfect life. As anonymous threats multiply and her son falls mysteriously ill, Kate doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust.

Then, as the fallout from the list turns deadly, she finally understands that her one little mistake could cost her everything – including her life.

Review

Just me, am I the only person who found the entire plot swam in the morally grey waters of humanity? I found Kate terribly privileged, conceited, hypocritical and frankly nobody I would care to call friend.

It's a worrying Kodak snapshot of society with an emphasis on female friendship groups. The judgemental nature between both groups and individuals, the invasive and destructive weaponry of social media. Which invisible rule dictates that we must be part of a group of female friends, have best friends or be tied together for a lifetime? Deluding ourselves into thinking that a childhood companion will also be the right fit in adulthood or indeed that the rules of friendship should be applied with a rigor akin to legal instruction embedded in law.

When you pick it apart the story is a fascinating reflection of societal norms and expectations in friendships, but perhaps more importantly the often vicious and toxic relationships between women. In fact, aside from the biggest threat to women in general - we all know the answer to that - the second biggest threat to women are other women. Sad state of affairs.

The attempted destruction of Kate, her reputation and her life, is the beginning of this tense story. An unravelling of her relationships and close scrutiny of her friendship group - ending with unexpected volatility. It's an uncomfortable read at times and a good one. Oh, and if you take anything away from at all, it should be don't make spreadsheets like this - ever. Tut, tut, Kate.

Buy One Little Mistake at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Inkubator Books, pub date 9th November 2025. Buy at Amazon com. 

#Blogtour My Husband's Lies by Liz Lawler

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour My Husband's Lies by Liz Lawler.

About the Author

Liz Lawler grew up sharing pants, socks, occasionally a toothbrush, sleeping four to a bed. Born in Chatham and partly raised in Dublin, she is one of fourteen children. She spent over twenty years as a nurse and has since fitted in working as a flight attendant, a general manager of a five star hotel, and is now working with trains. She became an author in 2017 when her debut novel Don’t Wake Up was published by Twenty7. Follow @authorlizlawler on X, Sign up to Liz Lawler's mailing list

About the book

The police are coming, they’re going to arrest me.’ My blood runs cold at his words. My husband is accused of murder. He swears he is innocent – so why won’t he tell me where he really was that night?

I feel so lucky to have my handsome husband Mark and our blue-eyed little boy. Everyone says we’re the perfect family. I used to believe them.

But everything changes when Mark comes home from a work trip with dark circles under his eyes. That night I jump at a hammering at the door. The police want to question him about the murder of a beautiful, blonde young woman. Mark swears he had nothing to do with it, that she was a colleague, nothing more.

Mark is a respected airline pilot, and the model husband and father. It seems impossible that he would be involved in something like this. But he won’t say a word about where he really was. I believe that he’s not a killer – but I know he’s hiding something. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Then my husband is attacked. I sit by his hospital bed praying for him to wake up, tears streaming down my face. The police say it’s an accident. But what if someone has done this to him?

I go rigid with fear when I see someone hidden in the garden, watching the house. Are they coming to hurt us too? I’ll do anything to protect my precious little boy – and I have to start by uncovering my husband’s lies...

An unbelievably tense and twisty psychological thriller that will leave you breathless for more! Perfect for fans of Kathryn Croft, T.M. Logan and Ruth Heald.

Review

I wonder if anyone else got ever so slightly frustrated by the almost self-flagellation Kate tends to put upon herself, whilst excusing the actions of others. Her fault that her husband may or may not have strayed, her fault for putting the temptation of another woman in his path - come on lady!

The author captures this specific element of self-blame that women tend to inflict upon themselves, especially in domestic situations and relationships. Always looking for the possible mistake they might have made that contributed to whatever went wrong. This headspace probably explains the way Kate automatically goes into protective mode instead of seeing a very large question mark when it comes to the possible crime her husband is suspected of - is he really capable of killing someone?

Eventually Kate realises she has to start to unravel the layers of deceit wrapped around her life to keep her child safe, even if it means losing friends and loved ones on the way.

It's a fast-paced domestic thriller, one of those stories where you start out certain of who did what to whom and why, but in the end the web is tightly woven and full of secrets hiding in plain sight.

Buy My Husband's Lies at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: Bookouture, pub date 20 Nov. 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena.

About the Author

Shari Lapena is one of the best-known thriller writers working today. Every one of her thrillers has been a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. She has spent a total of 76 weeks in the top 10 and has sold over 7 million copies across all titles and formats worldwide. Her debut, The Couple Next Door, was the overall bestselling fiction title in the UK in its year of publication and has been optioned for TV by Paramount. For more information about Shari and her books, you can visit Shari’s website here: sharilapena.com or follow @sharilapena on Twitter

About the book

Welcome to Stanhope - a safe neighbourhood. A place for families. - William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declare her missing. - Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbours become increasingly unhinged. - Who took Avery Wooler? Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

Review

This would make great on screen viewing. You can envision the guilt and panic of the impulsive father - the man caught between love and duty. The man who flies off the handle far too easily. Was keeping his secret enough to warrant the most despicable of crimes.

It's a twisted layered read that will make the reader question every person, each moment every character has clarified to prove they are innocent of a crime that is yet to be a established. They create a  scenario which makes us doubt them, because the majority seem to have a valid reason to commit a crime to keep their secrets, mistakes and lack of loyalty secret.

I thought the opening gambit in the kitchen between Avery and William was quite clever. His actions suggest a scenario or a willingness to act on impulse, a lack of restraint that could mean the difference between injury and perhaps even death. Is his secret really worth killing for?

It's a driven, fast-paced psychological thriller with a the vibe of a really well-known book then film, but revealing which one would give away the the most important part of the plot. This author always knows how to keep the audience riveted and guessing. It could have been anyone, they all seem to have a reason, right?

Buy Everyone Here is Lying at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏:  Transworld Digital; pub date 6 July 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton

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

About the Author

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

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

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

About the book

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

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

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

Review

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

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

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

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

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

#Blogtour One Last Secret by Adele Parks

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour One Last Secret by Adele Parks.

About the Author

Adele Parks MBE was born in North Yorkshire. She is the author of 21 bestselling novels including most recently the Sunday Times and eBook Number One bestseller Both Of You. Over four million UK editions of her work have been sold and her books have been translated into 31 different languages. Adele's recent Sunday Times Number One bestsellers Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck were shortlisted for the British Book Awards and have been optioned for development for TV.

She is an ambassador of the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency: two charities that promote literacy in the UK. Adele has lived in Botswana, Italy and London and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey. In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to literature. Follow @adeleparks on Twitter, Visit adeleparks.com

About the book

One Last Client - A week at a beautiful chateau in the south of France - it should be a straightforward final job for Dora. She's a smart, stunning and discreet escort and Daniel has paid for her services before. This time, all she has to do is convince the assembled guests that she is his girlfriend. Dora is used to playing roles and being whatever men want her to be. It's all about putting on a front.

One Last Chance - It will be a last luxurious look at how the other half lives, before Dora turns her back on the escort world and all its dangers. She has found someone she loves and trusts. With him, she can escape the life she's trapped in. But when Dora arrives at the chateau, it quickly becomes obvious that nothing is what it seems.

One Last Secret - Dora finds herself face to face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. And as old secrets surface, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that one last secret could cost Dora her life...

Review

I'm a sucker for a woman who says it like it is, sees the world the way it really is, and isn't afraid to take what she wants - regardless of what society says about her.

Dora has no illusions about how she makes her money. It's just a job, right? The risks are kept to a minimal, but of course there is only so much you can control. It also means it's harder to move from one tier of the social structure to another - there are plenty of negative connotations when it comes to her chosen career path.

It has shades of Diary of a Call Girl with Gone Girl, and of course the trademark intense scrutiny and dissection of interpersonal relationships. This author knows exactly how to pour salt into an open wound, get readers to experience a smorgasbord of emotional ping-pong, and create a bond between even the most controversial of characters. 

The first few chapters are spectacular - brutally frank, often gross, and they give readers access to a hidden abyss. 

As far as I am concerned this is her best book yet, and it should be added to her growing list of titles being optioned for television. Like a fine wine gets better with age, Parks pushes her boundaries and creativity with each new book.

Buy One Last Secret at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Harper Collins.

#BlogTour Wahala by Nikki May

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Wahala by Nikki May.

'Nikki’s debut novel WAHALA will be published around the world and is due to be turned into a major TV serial for the BBC by Bafta-nominated writer Theresa Ikoko.'

About the Author

Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Nigerian-British. At twenty, she dropped out of medical school, moved to London, and began a career in advertising, going on to run a successful agency. Nikki lives in Dorset with her husband and two standard Schnauzers. Follow @NikkiOMay on Twitter, Visit nikki-may.com

Nikki says: “This is a novel about the power of friendship and the stories we inherit. The inspiration for Wahala came from a long (and loud) lunch with very good friends in a Nigerian restaurant. I wanted to read a book that had people like me in it. The first scene was drafted on the train journey home. The characters became flesh and wouldn’t let me go.” 

About the book

Ronke, Simi, Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English, though they don't all choose to see it like that.

Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they look to the future - Ronke wants a husband (he must be Nigerian); Simi supposedly wants a child (well, her husband does); Boo is frustrated and unfulfilled, caught in a whirl of school runs and lustful dreams. When Isobel, a lethally glamorous friend from their past arrives in town, she is determined to fix their futures for them.

As cracks in their friendship begin to appear, it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting but wrecking. When she is driven to a terrible act, the women are forced to reckon with a crime in their past that may have just repeated itself.

A darkly comic and bitingly subversive take on love, race and family, Wahala will have you laughing, crying and gasping in horror. Boldly political about class, colorism and cooking, here is a truly inclusive tale that will speak to anyone who has ever cherished friendship, in all its forms.

Review

Ronke, Simi, Boo are long-time friends, and it would seem that they are have an unbreakable bond of friendship, which is cemented through their dual identities in regards to culture and the fact they are all mixed-race. Their experiences of racism have been consistent - systemic, and yet also defined by their surroundings and their individual experiences.

When a unexpected fourth person inserts herself into their group the boundaries of their friendship and loyalties begin to move and crumble. A pretty face and a flashy personality can't hide a venomous snake with vicious intentions for long.

I enjoyed the way this read evolved from the complexity of friendships, the nuances of racism and cultural expectations, into a dark domestic story. Quite unexpected, but it does the job when it comes to keeping readers on their toes. May shows the often extreme balancing act those generations have to deal with when it comes to having to pander to two cultural identities. The family has expectations and society often quite a different set of the same.

I'll be looking forward to more interesting reads by this author.

Buy Wahala at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Doubleday Uk, pub date 6th January 2022 | Hardback | £14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe

 It's my turn on the BlogTour The Murder of Graham Catton by Katie Lowe.

About the Author

Katie is a graduate of the University of Birmingham with a BA(Hons) in English and an MPhil in Literature and Modernity, and in 2012 started her blog, Fat Girl PhD - writing about body image, feminism and health. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, and the BBC, as well as a number of media outlets in the US, Canada and Australia. Katie is currently working on a PhD in Female Rage in Literary Modernism and the #MeToo Era. THE FURIES is her first novel. Follow @fatgirlphd on Twitter, Visit katie-lowe.co.uk

About the book

Everyone says Graham Catton was the perfect husband, professor and father. Why would someone murder him?

His wife, Hannah Catton, tells the police she remembers nothing from the night of the murder. Why would she lie to them? Evidence against the accused, Mike Philips, is minimal and he protests his innocence throughout the trial. Why would they convict him?

Journalist Anna Byers has overturned numerous prison sentences with her popular podcast Conviction and she believes the wrong man is behind bars. What will she do to help him? Someone knows more about the murder than they’re telling. It may have been Hannah’s husband who was killed, but listeners are about to become judge, jury and executioner on this season of Conviction.

Review

If Hannah's professionalism is anything to go by then she is in a deep well of trouble. She dithers, dathers and doubts herself. Wonders whether she might or might not have crossed boundaries or helped to accelerate the decline of a patients mental health. Hmm, when you take that into consideration is it that far of a stretch to think she might have a lapse of sanity and kill her husband. Or maybe there was no lapse.

The Conviction true crime podcast not only puts her name back in the minds of everyone, it also makes her start to doubt the narrative she has believed for so many years. The death of Hannah's husband is about to be reviewed and dissected by millions of listeners.

Lowe writes comfortable chaos and equally chaotic characters, but with a nice little psycho twist to it. Do we know if she did it, because thinks she did it - then she realises someone else did it, but hey they changed their mind too. Got that?

At times it feels as if there are too many threads trying to compete for the finish line, but then that leads nicely into the instability of the main character. It's a very specific type of domestic psychological thriller. 

Buy The Murder of Graham Catton at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Harper Collins pub date 10th June 2021 | Hardback | Audio | Ebook | £12.99. 

#BlogTour How to Survive Everything by Ewan Morrison

It's my turn on the BlogTour How to Survive Everything by Ewan Morrison. Saraband are bringing forward publication of Saltire prize-winner Ewan Morrison’s new novel, How To Survive Everything, in response to the latest lockdown.

About the Author

Ewan Morrison is a multi-award-winning novelist, screenwriter and essayist. His 2019 novel, Nina X, won the Saltire Society Scottish Fiction Book of the Year and is currently being developed as a feature film with a multi-award-winning director. He has previously won the Scottish Book of the Year Fiction Prize (2013) and the Glenfiddich Scottish Writer of the Year (2012). 

His first feature film, an adaptation, was released in five territories in 2016, and was a finalist for four international film awards. American Blackout, a feature length docudrama co-written by Morrison, reached an estimated audience of 30 million viewers. Morrison has also been nominated for three Scottish BAFTAs. 

Follow @MrEwanMorrison on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit https://www.ewanmorrison.com, Buy How to Survive Everything

About the book

The novel, in the face of a terrifying near-future pandemic, is the story of 15-year-old Haley and her 8-year-old brother Ben, kidnapped by their father to his secret lockdown hideaway.  Imprisoned in their new ‘prepper’ environment, designed to deter intruders and equipped with rations of food, medicine and water to ensure their survival when civilisation collapses, they not only have to cope with their parents’ bitter divorce, but choose between deeply conflicting views of reality. 

How to Survive Everything is one teenage girl’s guide to navigating the collapse of everything she knows – including her family and their sanity.

Review

The last person you expect to kidnap you is your loving parent right? Or to isolate you from the world and teach you how to survive the kind of catastrophe that leaves only the toughest survivalists in its wake. How do you deal with that as a teenage girl? You write your own survival guide and a warning of sorts.

I think the author makes an interesting point about preppers, who is to say that what they are prepping for isn't going to eventually come to pass. Given the past year it's fair to say none of us know what is behind the corner or how bad a potential catastrophe or pandemic could potentially get.

How does a family deal with a conspiracy theorist, a movement that has grown considerably in the last few years. With what appears to be outlandish ideas and alternate realities, and what if those ideas are grounded in reality?

What starts out as preparing for a premise and a fear, could become the preparation for the real scenario. I loved the way it was a dystopian come domestic thriller. A real dysfunctional family and their problems combined with the serious element of a changing world. A parent convinced his children need to be prepped for the end of world and at the same time shutting his ex-partner down by taking what she cares about most. Is it revenge or genuine concern?

I also adored the snarky teenage voice as the narrator. A how to guide as only a teenage girl can view and describe it. It puts an element of wit, desperation and comedy to the story at times.

Buy How to Survive Everything at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Contraband pub date 1 Mar. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Safe and Sound by Philippa East

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour for Safe and Sound by Philippa East.

About the Author

Philippa East is a fiction writer with HQ/HarperCollins and she also works as a clinical psychologist.

Philippa grew up in Scotland before moving to Oxford and then London to complete her clinical psychology training. A few years ago, she left the NHS to set up her own part-time practice and dedicate more hours to writing. The result was her debut novel Little White Lies, which was longlisted for The Guardian's Not-The-Booker Prize and shortlisted for the CWA "New Blood" Award 2020.

Philippa's next book Safe and Sound is another twisty and compelling tale. For a fun preview, check out the video trailer on Philippa's Amazon Author page (best with sound on!). Released in February 2021, Safe and Sound is available to buy now.

Philippa now lives in the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside with her husband and cat. She loves reading (of course!) and long country walks, and she also performs in a local folk duo called The Miracle Cure. Alongside her writing, Philippa continues to work as a psychologist and therapist.

Follow @philippa_east on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Buy Safe and Sound

About the book

Home can be the most dangerous place…

In a small London bedsit, a radio is playing. A small dining table is set for three, and curled up on the sofa is a body…

Jenn is the one who discovers the woman, along with the bailiffs. All indications suggest that the tenant – Sarah Jones – was pretty, charismatic and full of life. So how is it possible that her body has lain undiscovered for ten whole months?

Review

Jenn is the first to admit that she has struggled in the past and is scared she might slip into darker periods of her life again. It's important that she stay on track for herself and her young son. Unfortunately it looks as if she has let some of her work slide and in doing so has inadvertently put someone else at harm. 

The death of a young woman disrupts her fragile hold on her own mental stability, a woman she should have checked up on. Jenn becomes obsessed with finding out what happened and why.

There is a parallel between Jenn and her responsibility towards Sarah, and in turn the mental health services and their responsibility towards Jenn. It's the core of story, who does carry responsibility and accountability and to what degree. The human element means human error, which is the variable no one can ever predict accurately.

I thought I had it sussed  it within the first few chapters, but the author clearly plans for the deductive readers and gives this psychological thriller a bit more bite and mystery to keep them engaged. East gives an interesting insight into the world of mental health, both from the perspective of the person dealing with said issues and the support services surrounding them.

It's clear that the system and the services are lacking due to overworked staff and underfunding, which is how people fall in between the cracks of the system. On the other side you have a woman battling with the stigma of mental health and the fear someone could notice a decline. The need to appear healthy to the outside world creates a vicious cycle of guilt, shame and desperation - a cycle that is detrimental to all involved.

If this book is any indication of what this author can bring to the table then this just the first of many riveting reads.

Buy Safe and Sound at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ pub date 18 Feb. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Bookshop org. Waterstones.

#BlogTour The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell

 

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Wife Who knew Too much by Michele Campbell.

About the Author

Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School. She worked at a prestigious Manhattan law firm before spending eight years fighting crime in NYC as a federal prosecutor. Her debut novel It's Always the Husband was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.

Follow @MCampbellBks on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit MicheleCampbellBooks.com, Buy The Wife Who Knew Too Much

About the book

Tabitha Girard had her heart broken years ago by Connor Ford. He was preppy and handsome. She was a pool girl at his country club. Their affair should have been a summer fling. But it meant everything to Tabitha.

Years later, Connor comes back into Tabitha's life—older, richer, and desperately unhappy. He married for money, a wealthy, neurotic, controlling woman whom he never loved. He has always loved Tabitha.

When Connor’s wife Nina takes her own life, he’s free. He can finally be with Tabitha. Nina’s home, Windswept, can be theirs. It seems to be a perfect ending to a fairy tale romance that began so many years ago. But then, Tabitha finds a diary. "I’m writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death," it begins. “If I die unexpectedly, it was foul play, and Connor was behind it. Connor—and her.”

Who is Connor Ford? Why did he marry Nina? Is Tabitha his true love, or a convenient affair? As the police investigate Nina’s death, is she a convenient suspect?

As Tabitha is drawn deeper into the dark glamour of a life she is ill-prepared for, it becomes clear to her that what a wife knows can kill her. 

Review

Nina was once called a gold-digger. Now she is the one holding the purse strings she has been accused of being brainwashed by one. Connor is young, handsome, smart and ambitious. He is easy on the eye and a pleasure in bed. Why would anyone think he has ulterior motives just because she is much older and worth a fortune? Why would anyone think marrying him is a mistake?

Tabitha never really got over her first love - her rich boy from the other side of the tracks. He made her believe she was special, was enough for him and more than just a physical distraction. The rude awakening she experienced has always remained with her, as has the passion and attraction she felt for Connor at the time.

When Nina meets an untimely end, which she predicts, suspicion falls on those closest to her and of course those with a motive. Sometimes things are just too convenient to be true though or are they?

Although this lacks the clarity and precise plotting of the previous books by Campbell it is still a driven and engaging read. It's a domestic thriller with plenty of paths leading in the wrong direction. What victim and suspect have in common is the belief that there is something like pure passion, devotion and love is out there for everyone, whereas the truth is a wee bit more cynical than that.

Buy The Wife Who Knew Too Much at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Bookshop org. Waterstones.

Read my reviews of A Stranger on the Beach and It's Always the Husband by Michele Campbell.

#Review The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean

 Review

Jane is an unwilling participant in her marriage. She is a captive. She stays only to keep someone else safe, although her husband has made it impossible to escape his clutches. Hope seems to be a thing of the past until something changes her determination to break free of the chains that bind her so tightly.

Dean certainly is full of surprises, which isn't a bad thing when it comes to writing or creating captivating stories. Just when you think you have the measure of the flair, spectrum and ability, and then he goes and writes a complete curveball. A brilliantly engaging, intense and incredibly important one.

Aside from the immaculate plotting and on point characters there is another element of the story that absolutely deserves a kudos. The way Dean was able to immerse himself into the world of coercive, mental, physical abuse and the psychological abuse that goes hand-in-hand with trafficking and modern day slavery. You'll often hear or read cries of indignation 'why didn't he/she leave or ask for help, which of course is one of the many reasons abusive relationships are incomprehensible to someone who hasn't experienced them - the inability to comprehend the dynamics of control, power and abuse.

Whilst it is absolutely true that the young, vulnerable and inexperienced are statistically more likely to become victims, abuse does not halt before the intelligent, educated mind or person. It is far more complex than that. Anyway I digress.

My point is that Dean writes this with such an in-depth perception it made me wonder about the ability of certain storytellers to write beyond the construct and patriarchal dogma or bias of their gender, which is important depending on the topic and the gender of their characters. This story would have been ruined by tropes, instead it is a hard-hitting piece of fiction set in realism.

It is also written in an almost minimalistic style and mindset, which captures the isolation of the main character and the surroundings. An element I found extremely intriguing given where the story takes place. It serves as a stark reminder as to how disconnected the majority of us are from each other. Easier to look away and ignore the obvious signs than to become involved and help.

Above all Dean shines a spotlight on one of the most prevalent crimes of our modern era, although one could argue that slavery and human trafficking has merely evolved with the times and the demand. Unfortunately it's a very profitable, albeit completely despicable business and crime.

This is a cracking read. Oh and kudos to the author for the name and identity part of the story, especially in relation to Mary. Subtle, and yet simultaneously gut-wrenching and visceral. 

Buy/Pre-order The Last Thing to Burn at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; pub date 7 Jan. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive. Bookshop org. Waterstones.

Follow @willrdean on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, on Youtube, Buy The Last Thing to Burn

#BlogTour The Silent Daughter by Kirsty Ferguson

 

It's my turn on the BlogTour The Silent Daughter by Kirsty Ferguson.

About the Author

Kirsty Ferguson is a born and bred Australian. She writes crimes and mystery novels. Her stories center around strong women and dark themes that are topical and relevant to today. Kirsty chooses to deconstruct and enthrall her readers with the secrets of any everyday person behind closed doors. She has long been a lover or writing and reading, creating stories from a young age

Follow @kfergusonauthor on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, Visit www.kirstyferguson.com, Buy The Silent Daughter

About the book

Secrets can kill and Danni Brooks knows that better than anyone.

When her husband and two of her three children perish in a devastating house fire, Danni is sure it is arson. She’s even more sure that her and her eldest daughter Mia were meant to die in the fire too. But they are just a normal family. Who would want them dead? 

Mia doesn’t talk. She can’t. She is locked in her own world where no one, not even her mother can reach her. 

Desperate for answers, and convinced the truth might help her to reach her daughter, Danni tries to piece together the events leading up to that murderous night and uncover the arsonist. But with so many lies to untangle, what is the truth?

Prepare to have your breath taken away by an unforgettable twist that will leave you reeling...

Review

It's one of those stupid accidents, everyone does it. A mistake, but one with devastating consequences. Now the only person Danni has left is treating her with utter disdain. Is it grief or is there more to the story?

It's a very dark domestic thriller and perhaps one that will make people uncomfortable about a few home truths there are in it. The first being that sisterly love is a concept romanticised by the media, society and most definitely social media. Why? Because it sounds so much better, the cotton candy fluffy supportive love between sisters, as opposed to the destructive, violent, jealous and often hidden hatred that lurks just beneath the surface. Then again sometimes it doesn't even bother lurking.

Kudos to Ferguson for that, even if the storyline is merely in the fictional context of this story- it is still refreshing to read the reality of what a sisterly relationship can look like when it doesn't conform to the norm. When movies, books and people tell you that the person closest to you in the family unit should be your biggest supporter and confidante, and instead is your most vicious enemy intent on harming you. It happens - it's very real.

This is a dark, sinister read with graphic scenes at times and characters who are quite unforgiving when it comes to emotional distress and harming each other. It's not escapism and it doesn't try to be. Ferguson wants you to wonder about the the stories and gossip you hear, perhaps this will make you look at someone from a different perspective.

Buy The Silent Daughter at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Boldwood Books; pub date 10 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Hive. Buy at Bookshop.org. Buy at Boldwood Books

#BlogTour The Good Samaritan by C. J. Parsons

 

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Good Samaritan by C.J. Parsons.

About the Author

C J Parsons was born in Britain and grew up in Canada. She graduated from Montreal's McGill University with a degree in psychology and went on to earn a graduate degree in journalism. She worked as a newspaper reporter at Canada's Globe and Mail before moving to Hong Kong, where she became a columnist at The South China Morning Post. 

She also spent two years covering crime, seeing first-hand the disturbing forces that drive people to kill, something that has informed her writing to this day. After returning to Britain, she moved into television news, working as a broadcast journalist for both the BBC and CNN International. C J is now a senior producer at CGTN. She lives in north London with her twelve-year-old daughter.

Follow @charlopar on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit cjparsonswriter.com, Buy The Good Samaritan

About the book

When five-year-old Sofia is taken from the park, her mother, Carrie, is beside herself with worry. Carrie has a condition which means she struggles to read facial expressions, so she is terrified she missed something that put her daughter in danger.

But just days later, Sofia is found unharmed. The police immediately suspect Josh, the man who found Sofia, but with no evidence against him they are forced to let him go without charges.

Josh is keen to make sure Sofia is safe and well and Carrie is charmed by his kindness. Carrie also befriends Tara, a mother from the park who helped with the initial search party. But with the identity of Sofia's abductor still unknown, how much should Carrie trust those who have offered their help?

Are they good Samaritans or has Carrie missed the warning signs?

Review

When Sofia is enticed away from her mother and disappears it is fair to say that a nightmare begins for Carrie. Could it be the child's own father, who struggles with mental health issues, was Sofia targeted or was she just a child in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Luckily the child is returned by a friendly stranger who just happens to find her. Instead of calling the police or calling for help, he just carries the child home. Slightly odd or just in shock from finding a young child who has been abducted? Carrie finds herself enamoured with more than just one good Samaritan on the day her daughter goes missing and is returned.

I think the automatic reaction for many will be the lack of understanding when it comes to the reactions of the mother, regardless of her diagnosis. It makes it seem, at least from her outward responses, as if she is missing any normal maternal instincts. Saying that, there are plenty of women without any difficulty with their social interaction skills and emotional responses, who also lack the ability to listen to a gut instinct, simply lacked maternal instincts or just don't care.

It's a dark domestic thriller, a worrying tale of trust and betrayal. How easy it is to lose what it is you love the most, despite your best efforts to keep everyone safe. Parsons writes the story from the perspective of a main character who doesn't interact with the world in the way society expects, and questions whether our lack of comprehension in that regard enables a lack of safeguarding for those on the spectrum. When it comes to both adults and children. It's an interesting take on the regular crime scenario.

Buy The Good Samaritan at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Headline ; pub date 26th November 2020 Paperback | £8.99. Also available in Ebook & Audio. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Stolen Sisters by Louise Jensen

About the Author

Louise Jensen is a global No.1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Louise has sold over a million English language books and her novels have been sold for translation to twenty-fine territories, as well as being featured on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestsellers' lists. Louise was nominated for the Goodreads Debut Author of 2016 Award and the Guardian's Not the Booker 2018. the Gift has been optioned for TV and film.

When Louise isn't writing thrillers, she turns her hand to penning love stories under the name Amelia Henley. Her debut as Amelia Henley, The Life We Almost Had, is out now.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northhamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at www.louisejensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction and writing tips.

Follow @Fab_fiction on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, on Facebook, on Instagram, Buy The Stolen Sisters

About the book

Three little girls missing. One family torn apart…

Leah’s perfect marriage isn’t what it seems but the biggest lie of all is that she’s learned to live with what happened all those years ago. Marie drinks a bit too much to help her forget. And Carly has never forgiven herself for not keeping them safe.

Twenty years ago these three sisters were taken. What came after they disappeared was far worse. It should have brought them together, but how can a family ever recover?

Especially when not everyone is telling the truth . . .

Review

It's the nightmare every parent hopes they never experience - their child going missing. When three little girls from the same family go missing at the same time, everyone is glad it isn't their family. A tragedy, an unbearable nightmare.

The sisters learn to protect and rely on each other, even after everything they have experienced together and the losses they suffered. Each one of them has their own scars to carry and damage to control. It makes having relationships difficult and sometimes the memories have to be drowned in the bottom of a bottle.

Leah in particular has very specific demons to battle, which are enhanced by the need to keep her own child safe. Her marriage is suffering because of her inability to leave the past behind her, but then some people are determined to keep the past alive.

Jensen lets the reader decide where to lay blame and guilt, if indeed they decide to do so. There isn't really a way to discern the true measure of pain, betrayal and a lifelong sense of fear - no way to measure the times it interferes with their lives and the way each sister conducts or interacts with the outside world. So, no I'm not sure there is a real way of distributing the blame, despite the fact the sisters do it quite well themselves, albeit often in an unbalanced way.

The author takes a horror scenario and fills it with a shocking twist that changes the narrative, and yet the bond between the characters remains strong. The feeling of gratefulness overshadows the events and even the anger towards the guilty, at least to a certain extent.

It's a domestic psychological thriller, which probably won't read or go the way you expect it to. A typical riveting Jensen read.

Buy The Stolen Sisters at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 30 Sept. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Perfect Couple by Lisa Hall.

About the Author
Lisa loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian - and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it). Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.

Follow @LisaHallAuthor on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit lisahallauthor.co.uk, Buy The Perfect Couple

About the book
When Anna applies to a job as a housekeeper for wealthy widow Nick, it’s a chance to start over – steady job, regular money means she can work towards her own place, not sharing a grimy flatshare with old mate, Mel.

As Anna gets to know more about Nick’s world – how likes his supper when he comes in from work, who his friends are – she can make sure everything is just as he wants it. And soon there’s a spark of chemistry between them. Nick likes having Anna around, and one evening invites her to stay…

There’s just the small issue of what actually happened to his first wife…

Review
Rupert is distraught by the death of his beloved wife Caro. He lets his life fall into chaos and isn't sure whether he should be happy or annoyed by the good intentions of his wife's best friends. Enter Emily stage left.

More or less hiding from her previous life and an abusive ex, Emily sees an advertisement for a housekeeper and thinks it is the perfect way to rebuild her life. It seems as if the fates have spoken. A lonely widower and a frightened woman looking for safety. The two of them are drawn to each other, although Emily is possibly more attracted to the kind of life Rupert can offer her.

Bob's your uncle and they are man and wife, perhaps with a little too much haste. Emily becomes the target of harassment and that's without the bookend witches that guard Rupert and his virtue - they make mean girls look nice. Rupert is disappointed that his new bride appears a wee bit on the paranoid and oversensitive side. The sweet boat of matrimony sails upon rocky waters.

I like the way Hall thinks. This kind of twisted no man's land of guilt and innocence. Do two wrongs make a right, does the end justify the means?

It's a fast-paced intriguing domestic thriller, and Hall doesn't disappoint when she delivers the kind of ending that tends to make me smile. I do so love a bit of wickedness.

Buy The Perfect Couple at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ; pub date 22 Jun. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Have You Seen her by Lisa Hall.