#Blogtour Fresh Start by Johnny Worthen

It's an aboslute pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Fresh Start by Johnny Worthen. Published by Flame Tree Press, publication date June 2026. Tour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, multiple-genre, tie-dye-wearing author, voyager, and damn fine human being! Trained in literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket fiction, long and short, mentors others where he can and teaches at the University of Utah. Follow @JohnnyWorthen on X, Visit johnnyworthen.com

About the book

A ship, a gun, and a nice teal robe to find one killer on a planet of criminals: will Qays Mendoza get the answers he is looking for? New novel from the bestse ling author of the Coronam series.

On the edges of mankind’s domain there is a penal planet called Fresh Start where a sentence is at best exile to five generations, but more likely death in its harsh unforgiving wastes. It is to this planet the empire sends the worst of the worst and it is on this planet that Qays Mendoza searches for his old captain.

The galactic empire is falling, civilization contracts. Fresh Start is abandoned. Without oversight, the planet is wild, without guards; the Oubliette, the supermax prison on the supermax planet, lies open, and the Butcher of Raznak, a killer worse than the one Qays seeks, is on the loose.

With the help of a street waif called Patience, Qays seeks answers. His soul is stained with guilt and his spirit broken by complicity. Religion did not have the answer; duty did not explain it. Birthright and station were not enough. His answers lie somewhere on Fresh Start.

Review

First of all - I'm with Wallen. 

I love it when I find a gem of a storyteller and in this case a writer who also has the ability to write a incredibly clever multi-layered story in a science fiction scenario. I really enjoyed this read.

Humans, societies, communities, cults, political groups and civilisations, they eventually always evolve in the same way. Regardless of planet, era or space-time continuum. The same pockets of oppressors, the same religious zealots, the same type of persona who enoy inflicting pain and violence upon others, and of course the people who live in the space between trying to stay alive.

Qays is the very definition of a tortured and conflicted soul. His belief system has been rattled to the core, which is buried beneath a layer of guilt, grief and disbelief. He is on a quest to find answers and perhaps absolution from someone who made a decision that change the projectile their life and his own.

He is a walking contradiction, especially when the going gets tough. His inability to do what needs to be done in certain situations makes him a liability. A danger to himself and others. That broken spirit recognises the correct response, but the mind and body are unable to act upon it. His snarky retorts often enrages or confuses the people he engages with, who can't see it as the protective shield it functions as or rather the way to discourage people from digging any deeper.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the comparisons we can make to current situations, history has a way of repeating patterns, because we learn nothing and humankind is predictable. The other gold nugget is the moral of the decisions made by certain characters. Still with Wallen by the way. Superb read, highly recommend!

Buy Fresh Start at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Flame Tree Press, Publication date June2026. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour I Am You by Victoria Redel

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour I Am You by Victoria Redel. Published by Firefinch Books, pub date 26th of March 2026. Tour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Victoria Redel is a first-generation American poet and novelist. Her work has been widely anthologized, awarded, and translated in ten languages. Her debut novel, Loverboy (2001) was adapted for feature film directed by Kevin Bacon. 

Redel’s short stories, poetry and essays have appeared in Granta, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Bomb, One Story, Salmagundi, O and NOON. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and the Fine Arts Work Center. Victoria is a professor in the graduate and undergraduate Creative Writing programs at Sarah Lawrence College. Visit  www.victoriaredel.com

About the book

A mesmerising historical novel, I Am You is a meditation on gender, an ode to artistic creation, and an unforgettable love story that reimagines the life of renowned painter Maria van Oosterwijck during the Dutch Golden Age. 

At eight years old, Gerta Pieters is forced to disguise herself as a boy and sent to work for a genteel family. When their daughter Maria sees through Gerta’s ruse, she insists Gerta accompany her to Amsterdam and help her enter the elite, male dominated art world. 

While Maria rises in the ranks of society as a painting prodigy, Gerta makes herself invaluable in every way: confidante, muse, lover. But as Gerta steps into her own talents, their relationship fractures into a complex web of obsession and rivalry, until the secrets they keep threaten to unravel everything.

Review

I think Maria is intrigued by Pieter because her instincts tell her what she sees, experiences and draws are not exactly the same. Captivated by the young boy, the shape, the story within the story. The forbidden enabling the exploration of her talents. 

Gender, societal class structures and the imbalance of power throughout the aforementioned is one of the core drivers of the story. The other would be art and the skill, science and exploration of it. The way Pieter becomes skilled at the creation of paint, which Gerta then develops to a fine art. Simultaneously it is also about Gerta realising that by being the constant companion and support network there has been a budding artist inside the entire time.

This discovery inches its way slowly into the relationship between Maria and Gerta, and whilst at first happy to accept the accolades for creating an apprentice from a mere servant, a sense of competitiveness slowly seeps in.

It's a fascinating door to the artistry and history of both Maria von Oosterwijck and Geertje Pieters Wyntges. A smooth melding of societal pressures and oppression, and the determined path forged to make a mark and explore with impunity the freedoms others grasp with such ease. However, life always requests payment in some way or the other, often a painful one.

It's a well written intriguing read.

Buy I Am You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Firefinch Books, pub date 26 Mar. 2026 - Hardback: 26th March 2026 Price: £16.99. Buy at Amazon com. Bookshop org. Buy via Firefinch.

#Blogtour Son by Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Son by Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger, a Kari Voss Mystery. Tour courtesy of Random Things Tours. 

Johana Gustawsson & Thomas Enger - Two international bestselling crime writers from two different countries, writing in two different languages join forces to write a captivating new Nordic Noir series.

About the Author/s

Known as the Queen of French Noir, Johana Gustawsson is one of France's most highly regarded, award-winning crime writers, recipient of the prestigious Cultura Ligue de l`Imaginaire Award for her gothic mystery Yule Island. Number-one bestselling books include Block 46, Keeper, Blood Song and her historical thriller, The Bleeding. Johana lives in Sweden with her family. A former journalist, Thomas Enger is the number-one bestselling author of the Henning Juul series and, with co-author Jørn Lier Horst, the international bestselling Blix & Ramm series, and one of the biggest proponents of the Nordic Noir genre. He lives in Oslo.

Rights to Johana and Thomas’ books have been sold to a combined fifty countries and, for the first time, two crime writers, from two different countries, writing in two different languages, have joined forces to create an original series together. Find out more about Johana Gustawsson at HOME | JOHANA GUSTAWSSON and Thomas Enger

About the book

Expert on body language and memory, and consultant to the Oslo Police, psychologist Kari Voss sleepwalks through her days, and, by night, continues the devastating search for her young son, who disappeared on his birthday, seven years earlier.

Still grieving for her dead husband, and trying to pull together the pieces of her life, she is thrust into a shocking local investigation, when two teenage girls are violently murdered in a family summer home in the nearby village of Son.

When a friend of the victims is charged with the barbaric killings, it seems the case is closed, but Kari is not convinced. Using her skills and working on instinct, she conducts her own enquiries, leading her to multiple suspects, including people who knew the dead girls well...

With the help of Chief Constable Ramona Norum, she discovers that no one – including the victims – are what they seem. And that there is a dark secret at the heart of Son village that could have implications not just for her own son’s disappearance, but Kari's own life, too...

Review

Unsurprisingly Kari is driven, albeit often subconsciously, by her grief and the disappearance of her young son. It does a multitude of things, it interferes with her physical health, her decision-making and her instincts. All the aforementioned can be positive and/or negative. It can and does make the people around her doubt her instincts, training and professional experience.

When a teenage boy is suspected of a brutal murder his confession rings alarm bells for Kari. She feels as if the police have not asked the right questions and are too eager to accept the perfect solution for the hideous crime. Kari expands the net of suspects, timelines and possible motives, which puts her in direct opposition to the police and the traumatised families.

It's an intriguing well-paced read with the distinct flow of two different voices that weave a perfectly captivating story. It's not an easy feat to fit multiple creative voices into one space without one unintentionally sounding stronger than the other. This collaboration is smooth, respectful and memorable. It also leaves the reader not on a cliff-hanger per se, but rather takes us back to previous crossroads in the story, which results in a possible path to travel going forward. That means we will definitely be hearing from Kari Voss again.

Buy Son at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books, Publication date 26th March 2026 - Paperback | £9.99 | ORENDA BOOKS. Buy at Amazon com. Bookshop org. Buy via Orenda Books.

#Blogtour The Story of Jenny Greenteeth: By one who knew her by David Renton

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Story of Jenny Greenteeth: By one who knew her by David Renton. Published by Hegemon Press, published 27th August 2025. Tour courtesy of Random Things tours.

About the Author

David Renton is a historian and barrister. He writes for magazines and newspapers in Britain and the US including the London Review of Books,The Guardian, rs21 and Tempest. This is his first novel.

About the book

Niamh is studying in London when the boy she loves dies suddenly. She blames herself for his death and can find little relief from guilt, not with her friends, nor in drunken evenings with her landlady Vron. Her life begins to look up when she encounters a woman who lives alone on a north London canal. When her new friend demands that they go to war against all violent men, Niamh must ask herself whether she is ready for that fight.

Review

Niamh's story walks hand-in-hand with that of Jenny Greenteeth. It's a clever reimagining of a folktale (origins in Lancashire) of a malevolent water hag. It's an interesting way of focusing on the demonisation of women, especially when they don't fit into society or conform and obey to the wishes of those around them.

What are witches, but misunderstood healers or women with a talent for natural medicine to support the people around them. What is folklore on women, but an attempt to justify why they were targeted, isolated and killed, by those who are always on the longer end of the justice stick.

Niamh is struggling with the aftermath of being the target of a vile gossip, a young man she was interested in seems to be the main source. It's a tragedy when something happens to him - courtesy of mysterious bedraggled figure in the water. It takes a bit but eventually the injustice Niamh experiences evolves into said lack of justice creating a path of reoccurring injustices, violence and bad choices.

Troubled girls become troubled women and sometimes they evolve into women who make sure they are listened to and noted. Anger carried like an invisible ball - an ever increasing ball of fury. Some act, others don't. Systemic violence carried from century to century, victims silenced with falsehoods and narratives that create perpetrators out of victims. Blame is a curious game.

It's an intriguing and captivating image of the way society treats women, whilst simultaneously drawing on similarities in the past.

Buy The Story of Jenny Greenteeth at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: ‎ Hegemon Press, publication date 27 Aug. 2025. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Swimmer of Auschwitz by Renaud Leblond

The Swimmer of Auschwitz - The Incredible True Story of the Olympic Hero Who Swam For His Life by Renaud Leblond. Published by Monoray, 14th August 2025. Blogtour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Alfred Nakache (1915-1983) was a Jewish French swimmer and water polo player. A member of the French team for the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympic Games, he also swam in the first post-war Summer Olympics in London in 1948. He is one of only two Jewish athletes to have competed in the Olympics after surviving the Holocaust.

Editor and writer, Renaud Leblond is the author of several books of history and investigation, including "Main basse sur le génome" (Anne Carrière, 2008), "Le Pouvoir des sectes" (Le Chêne, 2009) and "le Journal de Jules Rimet" (First Éditions, 2014). Passionate about sports, he founded the Jules Rimet Sports Literature Prize in 2012.

About the book

The extraordinary story of Olympian who was imprisoned in Auschwitz and survived to tell his story.

Alfred Nakache, a Jewish child from Constantine, never imagined that he would one day swim for France at the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936, nor than he would achieve a world record, as he did in 1941. As a child he was petrified of the water and yet, somehow, through sheer willpower and determination, he rose to become one of the very best swimmers in the world. That was until 1943, when he was banned from the pool and in the same year, deported and sent to Auschwitz.

Not knowing if he would ever see his wife and daughter again, Alfred battled on, through the humiliation and the pain, even defying the guards by swimming in the water reserves of Auschwitz. Somehow - miraculously - he survived, swimming every day until the end of his life.

The Swimmer of Auschwitz is the unique, true story of a forgotten hero, told with remarkable power and simplicity.

Review

This story highlights the hypocrisy of nations, especially Germany, willing to reward their highly skilled people for sports, science, the arts and perhaps the worst of all the brave who served in previous wars for their countries. None of them were spared, and whilst one life isn't worth more than another, it is particularly concerning how one of us suddenly became one of them, the them becoming a scapegoat and target for everything wrong in the world.

Alfred Nakache was a highly regarded world record achieving Olympian. He swam and won for his country. The same country didn't think twice about carting Alfred, his family and many others off to the most convenient concentration camp. His skill, which ironically was once connected with his greatest fear, becomes the core of his survival. 

He is one of only two Jewish athletes who competed in the Olympics before and after the Holocaust. I think that in itself would have been incredibly difficult, painful and equally satisfying in a 'you will not and have not broken me' kind of way.

I maintain, and always shall, that books like these will always be important. Eye witness accounts, stories of survivors - remembering the often forgotten, nameless, displaced, disappeared, murdered, tortured, annihilated and those who emerged traumatised and alive from the well-planned genocide.

It's a fascinating and often painful read, which flits from past childhood, adulthood, pre and post Holocaust and the duration of Nakache's life in hell. Kudos to the author for adding where they are now or what happened to them notes at the end of the book.

Buy The Swimmer of Auschwitz at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Monoray; pub date 14 August 2025. Buy at Amazon com. 

#Blogtour The Unravelling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Unravelling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline. Published by No Exit Press, pub date 14th August 2025. Blogtour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels. Lisa has been President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction and non-fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives with an array of disobedient pets, and wouldn't have it any other way. Follow @lisascottoline on X

About the book

When Julia’s husband is brutally murdered in a random attack, her life unravels in ways she never could have foreseen. Haunted by his death and spiralling into despair, Julia seeks refuge in a secluded Italian villa she has mysteriously inherited from a stranger. But her sanctuary becomes a prison as she uncovers disturbing connections to her own past – and faces chilling threats that may not be imaginary.

Caught between a heritage she doesn’t understand and a darkness she can’t escape, Julia must confront secrets that could cost her what little she has left. The Unravelling of Julia is a gripping, atmospheric tale of grief, memory, and a descent into psychological terror that will keep readers turning pages deep into the night.

Review

If you take the astrology aspect and the way Julia becomes almost obsessive in her interpretation of horoscopes and messages, it's quite easy to follow how such open and leading statements could be perceived as personal by the reader. In this case Julia makes connections and creates patterns that are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Her natural instincts on the night her husband was murdered become predictive in nature, because the astrology supports her bias and messaging.

It's not a leap to say that someone in the throws of guilt and grief could find themselves in a vulnerable position, perhaps also equally unable to see clearly through a forest of sudden new acquisitions and acquaintances. Wealth, property in Italy and a mysterious benefactor to boot.

At first Julia is drawn in by the mystery, but soon things take a more sinister turn when the property overseas appears to come with built in ghosts and night terrors, and the nearby townspeople have a dislike for anyone associated with Julia's strange benefactor.

It's mystery built on top of a house of grief and a lifetime of questions about identity. The lengths people will go to eradicate any risk to their own agenda.

Buy The Unravelling of Julia at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bedford Square Publisher - No Exit Press, pub date 14 August 2025. Buy at Amazon com. 

#Blogtour A Rebel's History of Mars by Nadia Afifi

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour A Rebel's History of Mars by Nadia Afifi, published by Flame Tree Press 15th July 2025. Blogtour courtesy of Random Things Tours.

About the Author

Nadia Afifi is the author of The Sentient and numerous science fiction short stories. Her debut novel was lauded as ‘staggering and un-put-downable’ in a starred Publishers Weekly review and recommended by Booklist for ‘readers who love a thrilling narrative and welcome moral and philosophical questions in their science fiction.’ Analog Magazine describes her as ‘a brand-new voice in our field, and one you should become familiar with.’ The Sentient is the first novel in a near-future series about a controversial cloning project, human consciousness and a high-stakes conflict between religious fundamentalism and science. Her short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (‘The Bahrain Underground Bazaar’) and Abyss & Apex (‘Exhibit K’).

Nadia grew up in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, where she read every book she could get her hands on, but currently calls Denver, Colorado home. She is a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer’s organization. Her background as an Arab American who lived overseas has inspired her fiction writing, particularly her passion for exploring complex social, political and cultural issues through a futuristic lens.

When she isn’t writing, she spends her time practicing (and falling off) the lyra (aerial hoops), hiking through Colorado’s many trails, jogging through Denver’s streets and working on the most challenging jigsaw puzzles she can find. She also loves dogs, travel and cooking. Follow her latest musings and adventures on her website nadiaafifi.com, Twitter @nadoodles or Instagram nadiawritesscifi.

About the book

Kezza, an aerialist in the Martian circus, can never return to Earth – but she can assassinate the man she blames for her grim life on the red planet. Her murderous plans take an unexpected turn, however, when she uncovers a sinister secret. 

A thousand years into the future, Azad lives a safe but controlled life on the beautiful desert planet of Nabatea. His world is upended when he joins a crew of space-traveling historians seeking to learn the true reason that their ancestors left Mars. 

Separated by time and space, Kezza and Azad’s stories collide in the Martian desert.

Review

Space-traveling historians, now there's a career I could get behind. History is almost always written by the victors and in non-fictional case the chisel, quill, pen is often swung by those who lived or live in the comfort of our patriarchal systems. The truth becomes a rare commodity, perhaps because truth is never quite objective. What if you were able to follow the path of any beginning or change in the course in history and determine which event, person or sequence of decisions led to a particular crossroads?

Afifi has a particular knack for creating an intricate map of societal complexities, the flaws of humankind and the way the shape and reshape with similar consequences and results over and over again. Would knowing the unfiltered facts of our past that led us to this filtered and confined space in time change us and our choices in any way or would it be the spark of an awakening and rebellion.

I loved the flawless and smooth flow of this story. Sci-fi can sometimes create it's own collisions and jagged bumps in the narrative, mainly because the genre has a beyond fictional aspect to it as it wanders firmly into domains of a futuristic and speculative nature. There are no guidelines, although I would certainly suggest there is an element suggested speculation garnered through our present existence.

The story also weaves the essence of humanity, it whatever construct or evolved shape that may look like, into the fabric. With a pinch of sarcasm and cynical wit which defines the interactions between the memorable characters, the combination of history meets sci-fi as the decay of society caused by control and the assumed piety of sanctimonious leaders regurgitates itself in a different version ad infinitum with similar results, is a jolly good read.

Keep an eye on this author, definitely one to watch. 

Buy A Rebel's History of Mars at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Flame Tree Press, pub date 15th July 2025. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Bookshop org. Buy via Flame Tree Press

#Blogtour Counting Down To You by Sarah J. Harris

 
It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Counting Down to You by Sarah J. Harris, published by Lake Union Publishing 15th July 2025. Tour organised courtesy of #RandomThingsTour.

About the Author

Sarah J. Harris is an award-winning author and freelance education journalist who regularly writes for national newspapers. Meet Me on the Bridge, published by Lake Union, was an Amazon ebook bestseller in the UK and US.

Her debut novel, The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder, won the Breakthrough Author award from Books Are My Bag and was a Richard and Judy pick. She also published One Ordinary Day At A Time with HarperCollins.

The author writes YA thrillers as Sarah Wishart, including The Murder Hypothesis and Four Good Liars, which was shortlisted for the North East Book Awards.

Sarah grew up in the West Midlands, and studied English at Nottingham University before gaining a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University.

She is a black belt in karate and a green belt in kickboxing. She lives in London with her husband and two sons. Follow @sarahsky23 on X

About the book

From the bestselling author of Meet Me on the Bridge comes a moving, feel-good novel that shows it’s never too late to look for happiness, perfect for fans of Holly Miller, Cesca Major and Rosie Walsh.

Sophie can see how long people have left to live. Her first love Adam is back. And he has just 24 days to go.

Ever since the accident that changed Sophie’s life, she sees numbers everywhere. From the leaves on a tree to the volume of a puddle, everything has its number. And every person she meets? Their number is counting down the number of days they have left.

Despite being lonely, Sophie has decided she’s not dating anyone with a number smaller than 20,000 days: 55 years together should be plenty. Which is fine, until Adam—her first love and most definitely the one that got away—suddenly reappears. And his number? Just 24 days…

Sophie has tried and failed to save lots of people in the past; she thought she couldn’t alter fate, no matter how hard she tried. But the way Adam looks at her makes her feel alive again for the first time in years. She questions everything, and a spark is lit. Could true love be powerful enough to rewrite the future? Maybe some rules are meant to be broken, and perhaps Adam is the one who will show her that not every ending is set in stone…

Review

Sarah spends a lot of her time living in a constant state of what happens next if I do or don't intervene. Her ability to see lifespans has a lot of negative consequences for her, despite her obsession with changing the inevitable. So what happens when love invites itself back inside her life and her obsession is torn between living in the here and now or the reality of death at her door everywhere she looks?

I really enjoyed the concept, it has a mathematical theory meets magical realism in number-space synaesthesia kind of way. I also welcomed the fact the author didn't feel it necessary to change the interesting concept to suit the needs of a romance driven read. Instead the concept evolves with the story, and in a way that allows for magical realism to walk hand-in-hand with reality.

It also plays a little bit with a butterflyesque effect Sophie's gift or affliction brings with it. Does trying to change the inevitable with sheer force or the elimination of possible threats change the outcome, slow the outcome, speed it up or make the event more severe? If that is the case, then why try to change the outcome at all. Does it throw up a question of morality if Sophie just leaves people to their end, regardless of what that end may look like?

It was an intriguing combination of contemporary romance read with a side dish of maths or rather a portion of individual doomsday counters. It does make you wonder whether the knowledge of expected time available would change the way people interact with others and indeed with themselves, it certainly does for Sarah.

Buy Counting Down To You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.  Buy via Bookshop org.

#Blogtour Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan

It's a pleasure to take part on the Blogtour Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan .Two detectives - One human, One AI. And the hunt for an undetectable killer... 

'The hotly anticipated follow-up to Sunday Times bestseller In The Blink of an Eye, one of the most talked about and original debuts of 2023'

About the Author

Jo Callaghan works fulltime as a senior strategist, where she has carried out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing In the Blink of an Eye, her debut crime novel, which explores learning to live with loss and what it means to be human. In 

The Blink of an Eye was selected for BBC 2’s ‘Between the Covers’ in Spring 2023, and Jo was a featured debut at Harrogate Crime Festival and Bloody Scotland Festival. She lives with her two children in the Midlands. Leave No Trace is her second novel. Follow @JoCallaghanKat on X

About the book

One detective driven by instinct, the other by logic. It will take both to find a killer who knows the true meaning of fear . . . 

When the body of a man is found crucified at the top of Mount Judd, AIDE Lock – the world’s first AI Detective – and DCS Kat Frank are thrust into the spotlight as they are given their first live case. But with the discovery of another man’s body – also crucified – it appears that their killer is only just getting started...  

The police issue a controversial warning to local men to be vigilant: do not walk home alone at night, do not leave a pub with a stranger… The Future Policing Unit is thrust into a hostile media frenzy as they desperately search for connections between the victims. But time is running out for them to join the dots, so they must combine their human instinct and algorithms to catch the killer before the strike again.  

For if Kat and Lock know anything, it’s that killers rarely stop – until they are made to. 

Review

This is the second book in the Kat and Lock series, where AI Detective Lock and Detective Kat Frank deal with their first live case - a heinous murder with disturbing details. Can their combined talents help them find a vicious killer who has only just started their reign of terror. Logic, pattern recognition and facts vs hands-on experience and the human factor, a win - win combo, right?

Kudos for using this threat to men and the recommendations or safety strategies they are asked to put in place, which in turn highlights the reality of dangers women live with daily and the strategies they have to use all the time.

Not going to lie - I find this futuristic concept of police and detective work quite fascinating. Perhaps more so because the author presents the limitations, the scrutiny, the criticism and equally also the positive aspects of this kind of technological advancement. I'm hoping we also get an similar adversary with less positive intentions, but that might create an irreversible question mark above Lock and the existence of AI technology in a human driven field of work. Can fact or should fact and patterns always supersede the element of humanity and compassion?

After the great success of the first book in the series, it was great to see the second live up to the hype. I think it has so much potential going forward, ergo let's have more please.

Buy Leave No Trace at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Uk, pub date 28 March 2024 | Hardback | £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Honour Among Spies by Merle Nygate

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Honour Among Spies by Merle Nygate.

About the Author

Merle Nygate is a screenwriter, script editor, screenwriting lecturer and novelist; she's worked on BAFTA winning TV, New York Festival audio drama and written original sitcoms; previously she worked for BBC Comedy Commissioning as well as writing and script editing across multiple genres. Most recently, Merle completed her first espionage novel which won the Little Brown/UEA Crime Fiction Award. It was described by the judge as 'outstanding'. Follow @MerleNygate on X

About the book

Eli Amiram – Mossad's star spy runner – returns in this fast-moving and international spy thriller which sees two complex plots collide with a potentially apocalyptic outcome.

At the heart of London's spy operations, Mossad head of station Eli carries the scars of a past disaster while grappling with the turbulent political landscape back home. His resolve to uphold his duty and keep his job is tested like never before.

Desperate to tip the scales in the espionage game, Eli concocts a risky plan involving tampered drones destined for Russian hands. But to execute this plan, he has to exploit those closest to him. Eli's moral compass clashes with the mission, leading him down a treacherous path of betrayal.

As the stakes escalate, Eli finds himself embroiled in a deadly web, racing to foil an apocalyptic agenda. With the clock ticking, alliances are tested, sacrifices are made, and Eli must confront the consequence of his actions head-on.

Eli and his team must navigate a shadowy underworld to prevent a terrorist plot from unleashing chaos on a global scale. Will they emerge victorious, or will the darkness consume them all?

A must-read for fans of Homeland and NCIS, it will also appeal to readers of Charles Cumming and John le Carré.

Review

I enjoyed the way the two plots or threads came together, and also that one of them has a very distinct question of loyalty and truth attached to it. Ironically not necessarily the one you might expect. The story, which is a non-stop fast-paced story about the murky world of spydom. Not the raincoat meet on a foggy bridge and exchange prisoners kind of cold war world of spies, but the new cold war - an underbelly of politics and profit that really does not have much time for honour.

Although I am sure perpetrators would shout their grievance at that perception, they are of course in their own eyes driven by a code of honour, regardless of whether the core is religion, misogyny, racism or political affiliation. Can there be a honour or code as such between the people tasked with fighting this underbelly of threats, can it exist in this new version of cold war? The keeping countries, who are on the possible brink of starting the unforgiveable from breaking fragile peace - or what is called peace nowadays.

I have to admit I was fascinated by the title, perhaps more so because my brain automatically allocated a No to the title, which then made me wonder why I had that inner instinct. In this often brutally honest story, which is carried by the tactical ruthless characters, there is a glimpse of the humane and compassionate side of them they have to pack into a wee locked box, because the truth has to stay hidden at all times.

This brings me to the ethical compass Eli, and others, have to balance when it comes to their personal relationships. Can you ever live in a relationship of any kind when everything is based on lies and more lies? If you lie about who you are and what you do 24/7, then how can anything you say or do ever be trusted?

Of course that doesn't make Eli any less of a great asset in the world of espionage, but perhaps that world will always take centre stage, whilst everything and everyone else falls to the wayside.

It's a story that never stops moving, gaining impetus as grey areas become more frequent in this riveting spy thriller - in a story where good, bad, right or wrong are merely words and no longer have any meaning.

Buy Honour Among Spies at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎No Exit Press; pub date 11 April 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour The Doctor of Hiroshima by Dr. Michihiko Hachiya

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Doctor of Hiroshima by Dr. Michihiko Hachiya.

About the Author

Dr. Michihiko Hachiya was Director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital when the world's first atomic bomb was dropped on the city. After the bomb, he continued as Director there for several years before taking on a teaching role at Okayama University Medical School. He retired in Okayama and passed away in the 1980s.

About the book

With what this poor woman had been through the sight of her crying tore at my heartstrings. What if something should happen to her; who would care for her little baby? To conceal the fear and terror in my heart I left her, trying to put up a cheerful front. But no one could conceal from her the ominous import of the dark spots that had appeared on her chest.

The Doctor of Hiroshima is the extraordinary true story of Dr Michihiko Hachiya, whose hospital was less than a mile from the centre of the atomic bomb that hit on that warm August day. Somehow, in immense shock and pain and extremely weak, the doctor and his wife manage to drag themselves to the hospital, where their horrific wounds are treated, and they slowly begin to recover. Tentatively, the doctor starts to reckon with the utter devastation of the bomb, and to investigate the strange symptoms afflicting his patients.

Told simply and poignantly through Dr Hachiya's daily diary entries, The Doctor of Hiroshima is the inspiring story of how a doctor and his patients fought to survive and rebuild their lives in the face of unimaginable loss.

Review

This translated diary of Dr Hachiya is a testament to why historical events must be underpinned by eyewitness accounts, they serve as testimony to events and tragedies that are otherwise skewed by the narration or third parties or people who write history - the victors. Ethically there are no winners in this scenario. 

The victors argue that the Japanese were so persistent, driven and strategic that this intervention was a necessity. Was it, or was it merely a power play that also gave a realistic measurement of true impact, devastation and potential? Guinea pigs, real data, the possibility of knowing how and when to use, and perhaps most importantly to ensure the world is aware of their cutthroat attitude and willingness to destroy humanity without any hesitation at all.

I'm not sure how anyone could read this and not have an ounce of compassion towards the victims. Were the Japanese guilty of heinous crimes, yes. Does that warrant the deaths of innocents, the impact of such a weapon leaving its mark on people for many decades - I think not.

Having such a remarkable in the moment transcript of the death toll, the injuries and being able to experience first-hand the importance of putting science above emotions in order to study the physical effects of radiation and exposure.

It's a book that delivers the truth on the ground, the shock and lack of comprehension at being at the core of such an atrocity, whilst simultaneously learning bit by bit what the true extent of the damage to persons, place and spirit would be and was.

Buy The Doctor of Hiroshima at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Monoray, pub date 29 Feb. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones

It's my turn on the Blogtour Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones.

About the Author

Eliza Henry-Jones is a writer and academic based on a little flower farm in Victoria, Australia. Her previous novels have been listed for multiple literary awards including the ABIA, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and QLD Literary Awards. Her work has also been published widely, appearing in places such as the Guardian, Country Style, The Big Issue and The Age. Eliza has qualifications in psychology as well as grief, loss and trauma counselling. Follow @elizahenryjones on Twitter

About the book

Grief-stricken and on the verge of a breakdown, photographer Luda Managan leaves Australia for a commission, bringing her two teenage children to a remote, weather-ravaged but beautiful Scottish island.

Luda, isolated from her two resentful teenagers, turns her attention to the records from the 17th century island witch hunts and the fragmented life stories of the executed women. Min, her daughter, restless and strong, tries to fill up the space in their family left by her father. She soon finds comfort in both the sea and an unlikely friendship. But the only thing that beautiful and gifted Darcy cares about is getting marks high enough for entry into university – one very, very far away from his mother. Until he meets the wild foundling, Theo, who slowly self-destructing in a community that is both protective and violent towards him.

But when a tragic accident unleashes ghosts and the echoes of long-ago violence and betrayal into their lives, the Managans must confront their unspoken histories in order to survive.

Review

I loved the way this started deep and just kept getting deeper. It's an intricately drawn picture of family structures, especially when they are redefined after a tragic loss, perhaps more so when the death in question is in a cloud of doubt.

Luda takes her children, Min and Darcy, about as far away as she can from the place they know as home. To put the tragedy of their father's death behind them, to give her children time to focus on something other than disruption, to push her career forward - yes, a bit of a contradiction. Luda is certainly that, and her choices can be controversial.

In fact the choices she makes when it comes to her career can be narcissistic, as can she, if truth be told. What kind of mother exploits her own child in the name of notoriety, then gaslights them into thinking they are selfish to not want to save the world.

Perhaps her lack of acknowledgement of her own emotions is what makes her susceptible to the aura, the past, the inexplicable that lurks. Are the voices of the past and guilt-laden history calling to her?

It's a fascinating read. The characters are depicted with an incredible depth and nuance, the writing enhances how powerful the story is conceptually. 

It felt as if the ending wasn't an accurate reflection of the entirety of the story. A little cut-off, blunt and without the sharp double-edged sword that's wielded throughout. Instead the mystic nature of the past, the ghosts and the gothic vibe take over, as it slowly envelopes the characters and the setting to make a last stand. 

Buy Salt and Skin at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: September Publishing; pub date 6th July 2023 | £12.99 | Paperback Original. Buy at Amazon com. 

#Blogtour The Water Child by Mathew West

It's an absolute pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Water Child by Mathew West.

About the Author

Mathew West grew up in Aberdeenshire (and very briefly New Zealand). After a spell as a music journalist he now lives and works in Edinburgh as a civil servant. A keen horror film buff, his novels are born out of love of classic gothic fiction seen through modern eyes. Follow @mathewoneT on Twitter

About the book

What the sea takes for its own can never return… - Portugal, 1750s. Cecilia Lamb knew being a sea captain’s wife would mean a life of waiting and watching the horizon for her husband’s ship. But John has been gone longer than any voyage should last. Everyone else has given up hope of his return. But she knows in her bones that he is not lost. Gone, but not lost.

Barely able to tear her eyes from the shimmering sea, she feels drawn to the sun-baked shoreline, and amid the bustle of the docks she feels certain that her husband will come back to her. Though along with that feeling is another sense – that something darker is coming. As she sickens, she doesn’t know what the next tide will bring – but she begins to fear as well as crave her husband’s homecoming.

Soon, even on dry land, Cecilia can feel the pull of the ocean at her feet, the movement of the tides within her. Warning, seduction or promise, she cannot tell, but one thing is certain – the sea holds many secrets, and some of them are too powerful to ever be drowned.

Review

Cecilia Lamb is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the absence of her husband John. Tales of seafarers seem to forget the women and children they leave behind for months often even years in one go. It's like being a widow with a husband who is very much still alive, at least Cecilia is absolutely convinced that that he is alive even if those around her think he has long settled in the murky depths of the deep seas.

As more time passes Cecilia finds herself drawn to the seas, sometimes it feels as if the water talks to her and has made a connection to her soul. It is merely a question of how far into the depths she wants to let herself be pulled in order to satisfy her need for answers. Society frowns upon her lack of restraint and after a while there is a question of her lack of stability.

Cecilia remains fast in her belief that her husband will return to her, despite the odds being neither in her favour nor the fate of her husband and his crew. Simultaneously she can also feel something wicked this way coming. Not what or whom, just a sense of impending darkness.

One of the many aspects I enjoyed about the story was the sub-story of what certain actions or choices can do to the character, personality and disposition of a person. When their choice creates such a hole in their moral fabric that they are no longer the person they used to be.

Loved it! I do enjoy a nice piece of magical realism, especially when it is well done. The author knows exactly how to balance the reality in the fiction, combine it with historical facts here and there, then weave the magical realism in and out of the story like a potter's hands moulding and shaping the object of their creativity. The result is a captivating reading experience.

Buy The Water Child at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HarperNorth; pub date 25 May 2023. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Lowbridge by Lucy Campbell.

About the Author

Lucy Campbell has worked as a writer and sub-editor across magazines, newspapers and non-fiction books. Lowbridge is her first novel. She lives in Canberra with her husband and three children. Follow @CampbellLucyN on Twitter

About the book

Where everybody knows everyone, how can somebody just disappear? - 1987: It’s late summer and a time of change when a 17-year-old girl leaves the local shopping centre in the sleepy town of Lowbridge and is never seen again.

Her unsolved disappearance is never far from the town’s memory. There’s those who grew up in the shadow of her loss whose own lives were altered forever, and those who know more than they’re saying.

2018: Katherine Ashworth, shattered by the death of her daughter, moves to her husband’s hometown. Searching for a way to pick up the pieces of her life, she joins the local historical society and becomes obsessed with the three-decades-old mystery. As Katherine digs into that summer of 1987, she stumbles upon the trail of a second girl who vanished and was never missed because no one cared enough to see what was happening in plain sight.

In a town simmering with divisions and a cast of unforgettable characters, Lowbridge is a heart wrenching mystery about the girls who are lost, the ones who are mourned and those who are forgotten.

Review

Is it just me? No, really am I the only one that found a ball of rage growing inside me towards Angus and Jamie. They are the personification of men pretending to be allies of women and women's rights, and yet being the perfect example of misogyny and of men upholding the patriarchy. Oh gosh, well-educated Patricia has to run every decision by superior Angus, who deems the whole clinic endeavour and the women helping her, to be bothersome boring fruit flies.

And let's not forget the subtle abuse Jamie subjects Katherine to. Not going to lie both of them made me want to jump in the book and whack them round the head with a wet kipper. Insidious in nature, hidden behind welcoming smiles and compromising overtures, far worse than the in your face hatred of women. Why, because women often fail to recognise the danger lurking behind polite mask.

Hidden behind the systemic misogyny is a story of a town with secrets and the girls, women who fall prey to the predators, the dismissive nature of the people who are supposed to support them the potential victims, but end up being part of the problem and staunch enablers. This is particularly evident in Lu's response to Jac.

Katherine, who is learning to cope with her own grief becomes immersed in the grief of another family, and in doing so starts to unravel a secret that has been swept under the rug for many decades. It's a riveting dark domestic thriller and a good read.

Buy Lowbridge at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Ultimo Press; pub date 6th July 2023 | Hardback | £16.99. Buy at Amazon com.