#BlogTour Towards the Vanishing Point by Jan Turk Petrie

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Towards the Vanishing Point by Jan Turk Petrie.

About the Author
The author Jan Turk Petrie lives in the Cotswolds, S.W. England. She is the author of the fast paced Nordic thriller series: the Eldísvík novels. All three of these novels are set in 2068 in a fictional city state just below the arctic circle.

'Until the Ice Cracks' - the first of the trilogy was published in July 2018.
Volume Two - 'No God for a Warrior' was published in November 2018
The third and final volume - 'Within Each Other's Shadow' was published in April 2019

The ebook boxset - The Eldísvík Trilogy was published in August 2019. Jan's fourth novel - 'Too Many Heroes' - a gripping new post-war thriller set in the East End of London was published in August 2019. Her fifth book  ' Towards the Vanishing Point' was published in Jan 2020.

A former English teacher with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Gloucestershire, Jan has also written numerous, prize-winning short stories.

Follow @TurkPetrie on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit janturkpetrie.com, Buy Towards the Vanishing Point

About the book
What would you do if your best friend was about to risk everything?
In the North of England in1938, two ten-year-old girls, Lily Hetherington and Stella Marsden, form a close if unlikely friendship that endures despite their wartime experiences. After the war, the two women are working as nursing auxiliaries when Lily meets male nurse Will Bagshaw. Stella begins to hear sinister rumours about the man, but the besotted Lily won’t listen to a word said against him.

Can Stella make her see sense before it’s too late? Building to a tense, dramatic climax, this is a story of friendship, love, loyalty and the ultimate betrayal.

Review

The chapters building up to Lily and her relationship with Will take up half of the book, so the general feel of it is one of two friends growing up and coming-of-age together.

Stella and Lily have a friendship formed from an unusual connection and perhaps because their lives are different, then again it might be despite of those differences. Either way the two of them forge the kind of bond that lasts many years regardless of what life throws their way.

They bungle their way through childhood, teenage years and young adulthood with heartache and disruption. The kind of life-changing surprises that can either solidify relationships or break them.

What do they say - no smoke without fire? Some people think Will is dodgy others just think he is unlucky. What are the chances of losing multiple wives tragically, even if it's not at the same time. Unfortunately the warning signs the son is exhibiting are all attributed to the death of his mother and the grief he is feeling.

It's historical fiction with contemporary issues woven into the story. It fills me with sadness that it is one of those topics that hasn't really made enough progress, despite this tale going back over half a century. Domestic violence and coercive control are still grossly misunderstood and the handling of it is still less than satisfactory.

But the author puts more of a sinister mark on it by giving it a bit of a Dr. Crippen vibe - making this more of a crime read, but then this author does like to mix it up a little.

Buy Towards the Vanishing Point at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Pintail Press; pub date 2 Jan. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Too Many Heroes by Jan Turk Petrie.

#BlogTour Too Many Heroes by Jan Turk Petrie

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Too Many Heroes by Jan Turk Petrie.

About the Author
Jan Turk Petrie lives in the Cotswolds, S.W. England. She is the author of the fast paced Nordic thriller series: the Eldísvík novels. All three of these novels are set in 2068 in a fictional city state just below the arctic circle.

'Until the Ice Cracks' - the first of the trilogy was published in July 2018. Volume Two - 'No God for a Warrior' was published in November 2018. The third and final volume - 'Within Each Other's Shadow' was published in April 2019

The ebook boxset - The Eldísvík Trilogy was published in August 2019. Jan's fourth novel - 'Too Many Heroes' - a gripping new post-war thriller set in the East End of London was published in August 2019. She is currently working on her fifth book - 'Towards the Vanishing Point.'

A former English teacher with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Gloucestershire, Jan has also written numerous, prize-winning short stories.

Follow @TurkPetrie on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit janturkpetrie.com, Buy Too Many Heroes

About the book
Where can a wanted man hide in a country full of returned war heroes?
It’s 1952 and Frank Danby has been looking over his shoulder for the last ten years, forced to lead an itinerant life, getting work wherever he can while trying to keep one step ahead of the police.

Returning to London, he finds a job in an East End pub, where he becomes entangled with Grace, the young and beautiful wife of the landlord. Then the law comes knocking. Facing a justice system prejudiced against him, Frank must find a way to escape the gallows.

Too Many Heroes is a gripping period thriller, exploring love, belonging and betrayal in a country still recovering from WW2. A must for fans of the post-war novels of Philip Kerr, Kate Atkinson and Sara Sheridan.

Review

Frank wants to be able to make a living without attracting a lot of attention. He wants to stay under the radar - way under the radar. Living a normal life isn't possible when you're technically a criminal. What's worse, in the eyes of many people being a deserter is the ultimate betrayal to all of those who fought and lost their lives in the war. Hiding away instead of supporting his fellow soldiers - there is no excuse for that and it is simply cowardice.

There is no consideration for the fear someone like Frank might have felt or guilt he may have burdened himself with. The why doesn't matter to the country. So Frank lives like a nomad.

He doesn't expect to meet someone like Grace and feel an instant connection. Unfortunately she has a husband and isn't in a position to embrace the attraction she feels for the wanderer. The clandestine relationship ends in tragedy for the two of them.

It's historical crime fiction set after WW2. The author lets the story and the tension between the characters develop slowly and gives the reader glimpses, via flashbacks, of why Frank is in such a precarious position. They tell a tale of torment which he carries within him on a daily basis. A side of him he is reluctant to share with the world for fear of judgement and disdain.

I would have liked the author to explore the topic of desertion and perhaps even conscientious objectors a little more, aside from the information in the appendix. In another story perhaps? The trauma and permanent psychological scarring of people who are or were involved in war or combat is underestimated, and even in our day and age the support for veterans is severely lacking.

Buy Too Many Heroes at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Pintail Press; pub date 23 July 2019. Buy at Amazon com.