#BlogTour The Killing Tide by Lin Anderson

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Killing Tide by Lin Anderson.

About the Author

Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for her bestselling crime series featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod. Four of her novels have been longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, with Follow the Dead being a 2018 finalist. 

Her short film River Child won both a Scottish BAFTA for Best Fiction and the Celtic Film Festival’s Best Drama Award and has now been viewed more than one million times on YouTube. Lin is also the co-founder of the international crime writing festival Bloody Scotland. Follow @Lin_Anderson on Twitter, Visit lin-anderson.blogspot.com

About the book

When three bodies are found on a wrecked ship in the Orkney Isles, forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod is brought in to investigate. 

After a fierce storm hits Scotland, a mysterious cargo ship is discovered swept ashore in the Orkney Isles. Boarding the vessel uncovers three bodies, recently deceased and in violent circumstances. Forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod’s study of the crime scene suggests that a sinister game was being played on board, but who were the hunters? And who the hunted?

Meanwhile in Glasgow DS Michael McNab is called to a horrific incident where a young woman has been set on fire. Or did she spark the flames herself? As evidence arises that connects the two cases, the team grow increasingly concerned that the truth of what happened on the ship and in Glasgow hints at a wider conspiracy that stretches down to London and beyond to a global stage.

Orcadian Ava Clouston, renowned investigative journalist, believes so and sets out to prove it, putting herself in grave danger. When the Met Police challenge Police Scotland’s jurisdiction, it becomes obvious that there are ruthless individuals who are willing to do whatever it takes to protect government interests. Which could lead to even more deaths on Scottish soil . . . 

Review

Rhona and her sidekick are called to investigate three bodies on an abandoned ship, violence and odd circumstances are right up their alley. Simultaneously McNab has to solve the tragic case of a young woman being killed in a horrific manner - a crime Anderson ensures the reader remembers vividly. It's one way to put you off meat for life - not graphic, just excellent descriptions.

It has a very specific style, gritty urban Tartan noirish with dialogue and scenes seeming a bit disjointed and brash. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen and those cooks seem to have a lot of assistants. If you don't know the series I think it can be a little confusing at first. This can be read as a standalone novel, however the aforementioned number of characters with backstory lead me to think it would be better to read other in the series.

Anderson has created a strong set of characters who clearly have longevity, which isn't always a given. It's not easy keeping readers captivated, so kudos for book sixteen. The story has a snappy, fresh feel to it and is driven a lot by the surroundings and the worldbuilding.

Buy The Killing Tide at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : MacMillan pub date 5 August 2021 in Hardback - £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Secrets of the Lake by Liz Trenow

 It's my turn on the BlogTour The Secrets of the Lake by Liz Trenow.

About the Author

Liz Trenow is a former journalist who spent fifteen years on regional and national newspapers, and on BBC radio and television news, before turning her hand to fiction. The Secrets of the Lake is her eighth novel. The Forgotten Seamstress reached the top twenty in the New York Times bestseller list and The Last Telegram was nominated for a national award. Her books are published all over the world and translated into many languages.

She lives in Essex with her artist husband, and they have two grown up daughters and three grandchildren. Find out more at www.liztrenow.com, or join her on Twitter or Instagram @LizTrenow or Facebook at www.facebook.com/liztrenow 

About the book

In a quiet village, a terrible secret threatens to break the surface…. The war may be over, but for Molly life is still in turmoil. Following her mother’s death, her father uproots them from London for a new start in a quiet village in the Essex countryside. Soon after their arrival, Molly and her disabled brother Jimmy befriend Eli, a reclusive WW1 veteran who tends the graves in the village churchyard. He tells them of a local myth about a dragon that lives in the nearby lake. If it is disturbed, he says, evil things will happen in the village…

The young Molly dreams of becoming a journalist and finding a voice in the world, but most of the time she has to be 10-year-old Jimmy’s carer. When she falls under the spell of a local boy, the charismatic and rebellious Kit, rowing on the waters of the lake with him becomes Molly’s escape from her domestic duties. But there’s something Kit isn’t telling Molly…

Then church funds go missing and Molly’s father, the new village vicar, falls under suspicion, while Eli’s home – an old shepherd’s hut in the woods – comes under threat. When the summer heatwave breaks into a violent storm, Molly sneaks out of the house to set things right but instead that night her brother vanishes, never to be seen again…

Now in her eighties and a successful children’s author, Molly finds the memory of that long hot summer stirred up again when she gets a visit from the police telling her that human remains have been found in a drained lake. Will Molly finally get an answer to the question that still haunts her decades on and discover the truth behind her brother’s disappearance?

Review

The story is set in the present and the past. In the present Molly is in her eighties and in the past she is a young girl with a brother who has additional needs. Elderly Molly seems relieved when the police tell her they have found remains at the bottom of the lake near where she grew up. Perhaps she will finally get an answer to the mystery that has haunted her family or does she already know the truth about what happened to her baby brother?

I can't decide whether I am impressed by the ending, and the way the author doesn't give the reader the perfect ending with answers to all the questions - or whether the problem is that I just really need to know the answer. To be fair the ending is probably a more accurate reflection of what happens in real life, sometimes we just never get the answers we want or need.

It's the kind of story that reminds us that our parents and elders often carry their own weight in secrets, pain and heartache on their shoulders. Molly is no different. It makes you wonder what they might be hiding, but also because we tend to forget our parents and grandparents have lived full lives before we arrive on the scene.

It's a mystery story with both a cosy and a more sinister vibe at times, and yet Trenow ends on a note that is tragic and hopeful in equal measure.

Buy The Secrets of the Lake at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Pan MacMillan, pub date 13th May 2021 - £8.99 - Pan paperback original. Buy at Hive Uk.

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Ex-wives. ex-girlfriends and ex-partners in general, they tend to get a bad rap. Their wickedness is legendary, their legacy leaves behind a vast trail of destruction or rather that is what a lot of their ex- partners would have you believe. It is easy to demonize the woman, or man of course, but for the purpose of this story and review I will stick with women, and to blame her for the shambles of a marriage.

Nellie appears to be the needy and jealous type. She is obsessed with her replacement, the younger perkier new fiancé of her ex-husband. She stalks her in an attempt to be part of a life she no longer belongs to, her old life. Her house, her money, her family and her husband. To the reader she appears to be the epitome of a stalker waiting for the right moment to strike.

I found myself identifying with Vanessa when it came to her seemingly drastic approach to sever ties with her hubby. The abusive, controlling person will never concede control unless it is done on their terms, regardless whether that means via divorce, an ocean between you or death.

As long as they have the last word and action in your emotional and often physical demise they feel satisfied that they have retained control over you and your life. This includes maligning your name and reputation, trying to take away what matters the most to you, which is often the children, and any kind of financial stability. Control is the beginning and the end of this type of abusive relationship. If he or she doesn't have the upper hand or makes the checkmate move, then the abused person may find themselves in mortal peril. At the very least they can expect a lifetime of continued harassment. Sounds dire, right? Well it is.

The Wife Between Us is an accurate portrayal of what certain people want you to believe and then somewhere hidden behind closed doors is the actual truth. The next time you hear a story about a crazy vindictive ex just keep in mind that you are only hearing one side of the story or the conveniently edited version of the story. Abusive charmers can be very persuasive and convincing.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story, and I believe the one the abused don't think about and can't afford to think about, is the replacement. You either have to be cold-hearted enough to walk away and never look back or you can try and warn them about what is coming straight for them, bearing in mind that they would never believe you, because hey you're just the crazy obsessive ex.

Hendricks and Pekkanen have managed to create a compelling intense read, which doesn't have to rely on exaggerated scenarios, because it's a story that happens all the time. This is reality. Hopefully it will encourage others to look beyond the shallow gossip and to think twice about passing judgement.

Buy The Wife Between Us at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any retailer.
Follow @greerkh Visit greerhendricks.com
Follow @sarahpekkanen Visit sarahpekkanen.com
Follow @panmacmillan