#Blogtour Kill For It by Lizzie Fry

 It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Kill For It by Lizzie Fry. 'A gripping feminist thriller, Dexter with a twist - how far would you go for the thing you want most?'

About the Author

Lizzie Fry is a debut author of high concept thriller The Coven (published by Sphere books), but you might know her better as LV Hay. LV’s books previous books were crime fiction: The Other Twin, Do No Harm (Orenda Books) and Never Have I Ever (Hodder). The Other Twin is currently being adapted for the screen by Agatha Raisin producers Free@Last TV. Follow @LizzieFryAuthor on Twitter

About the book

Would You Kill For It? The story pits young and upcoming journalist Cat against veteran reporter Erin. Cat is sick of not getting ahead at work so comes up with a sickening plan to literally grab the headlines ... and the only one who can stop her is Erin, but to do so she must put her own life at risk.

In the game of cat and mouse, there can only be one winner in the book advance readers are calling 'Killing Eve meets Nightcrawler.'

Review

Erin has made a choice, albeit allegedly a difficult one, career comes first and family somewhere at the end of the list. Her ambition has cost her an arm and a leg already, and now she has to make sure she maintains her slot at the top.

You would think that Erin would be able to understand the way Cat wants to succeed and get ahead. Stepping over others and being ruthless, perhaps more importantly teaching her that the most obvious path isn't necessarily the one you should take, but it will be the one others expect you to stay on. Both women want to succeed, but at what cost to either of them?

At the end of the day is it a case of two sides of the same coin. Does same recognise same? Is it ambition or a frustration about having to swim upstream against the sexism and misogyny, wouldn't that make someone do something extreme? In fact isn't that the real difference between Erin, Cat and you and I.

And where does that ending leave us? It's a bit like opening a door a few inches with the knowledge that just an inch of a slit could mean the return of something very dangerous indeed.

It's the kind of read I absolutely expect from the author - under either name. She loves to pit the worst of human behaviour, traits and reactions, against each other. This dark domestic read is also a psychological thriller with important themes driving the characters and the plot. Women as second class citizens in the workplace, especially when it comes to leadership level. Having to fight dirty to sit at the place they have earned at the table, what's worse is having to become one of guys to do just that or perhaps even become the victim of  someone abusing their power.

It's a riveting read with imperfect characters who make split second ruthless choices to get ahead and doing so move the obstacles in their way.

Buy Kill For It at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Sphere pub date 18 Aug. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour A Place to Lie by Rebecca Griffiths

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour A Place to Lie by Rebecca Griffiths. It's a dark psychological thriller with a strong emotional core.

About the Author
Rebecca Griffiths grew up in rural mid-Wales and went on to gain a first class honours degree in English Literature. After a successful business career in London, Dublin and Scotland, she returned to mid-Wales where she now lives with her husband, a prolific artist, their three vampiric cats as black as night, and pet sheep the size of sofas.

Follow @rebeccagriffit7 on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon,

Buy A Place to Lie

About the book
In a dark, dark wood

In Summer 1990, Caroline and Joanna are sent to stay with their great aunt, Dora, to spend their holidays in a sunlit village near the Forest of Dean. The countryside is a welcome change from the trauma they know back home in the city; a chance to make the world a joyful playground again. But in the shadowy woods at the edge of the forest hide secrets that will bring their innocence to a distressing end and make this a summer they will never forget.

There was a dark, dark house

Years later, a shocking act of violence sends Joanna back to Witchwood. In her great aunt's lonely and dilapidated cottage, she will attempt to unearth the secrets of that terrifying summer and come to terms with the haunting effects it has left on her life. But in her quest to find answers, who can she trust? And will she be able to survive the impending danger from those trying to bury the truth?

Review

Caroline and Joanna used to be as close as sisters can be until dark secrets create an insurmountable wall between them. The kind of wall that makes the two of them into complete strangers. It's no surprise that Joanna hasn't got an explanation for the bizarre behaviour Caroline exhibits just before her death.

There appears to be no reason for her erratic and violent actions that ultimately led to her sudden death. Unanswered questions leads Joanna on a search for the answers and the truth, even if that means discovering uncomfortable truths.

The truth seems to be connected to events going back to their childhood when the two of them were sent to stay with their aunt Dora. Carefree play with friends in the forest suddenly becomes sinister and dangerous when something terrible happens that changes their lives forever, but it doesn't leave the same impression on both of them.

It's a dark psychological thriller with a strong emotional core. Griffiths plays on the fact that we all experience events in a completely different way and our reactions are also individual and very personal. This thriller and the crime is viewed and projected through that kaleidoscope vision, which in turn shows the vulnerabilities and loopholes in relationships, even ones that are supposed to be really close.

I found the ending quite interesting, perhaps because Griffiths doesn't pander to what readers may be expecting or think they need. You'll have to read it to find out.

Buy A Place to Lie at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Sphere | Paperback | £7.99 | 22nd August 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Killer You Know by S.R. Masters

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Killer You Know by S.R. Masters. It's a psychological thriller that plays with paranoia and the tendency to evolve along the lines of self-fulfilling prophecy.

About the Author
S. R. Masters studied Philosophy at Girton College, Cambridge before working in public health and health behaviour for the NHS. He is a regular contributor to UK short fiction anthology series The Fiction Desk, having won their Writer's Award for his short story Just Kids. His story Desert Walk was included in Penguin Random House USA's Press Start to Play collection and he continues to have short fiction published in a variety of magazines. He grew up around Birmingham but now lives in Oxford with his wife and son. The Killer You Know is his first novel.

Follow @SRMastersAuthor on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads,
Visit sr-masters.com
Buy The Killer You Know

About the book
You need to kill at least three people, right? So that's what I'll do.

When Will jokes about becoming a serial killer, his friends just laugh it off. But Adeline can't help but feel there's something more sinister lurking behind his words.

Fifteen years later, Adeline returns to Blythe for a reunion of the old gang - except Will doesn't show up. Reminiscing about old times, they look up the details of his supposed murder spree. But the mood soon changes when they discover two recent deaths that match.

As the group attempts to track Will down, they realise that he is playing a sinister game that harks back to one they used to play as kids. Only this time there are lives at stake . . .

Review
I am going to have to tiptoe around some of the aspects of this story, so I don't give any major spoilers away. I will just stick to what I know you know or what you think you know. Okay? Then again I'm not sure I even know what I know at this point.

Imagine if one of your childhood friends, assuming you were part of a bunch of kids who used to hang around together, who announced his career goal is to be a serial-killer. Then taking that idea one step further by seeking affirmation for how many people one would have to kill to be a serial killer, and on top of that to detail how you would kill said amount of people.

The fact Will has already spent enough time on his 'career choice' to be able to give his friends detailed scenarios of how he would kill potential victims to achieve this status, suggests a certain disturbing pathology from the get-go. The others laugh it off and yet at the same time they mention how uncomfortable Will makes them feel and that at times they even feel scared of him.

Now years later when he doesn't turn up to their planned reunion the group starts to question whether he has indeed put his ideas into motion. Has he really decided to make his thoughts a reality and become a serial killer?

It's a psychological thriller that plays with paranoia and the tendency to evolve along the lines of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once the thought is there it burrows into the very essence of someone's personality until everyone automatically heads in the same direction. Mass thought equals coming to the same conclusion, perhaps without paying enough attention to actual facts.

I enjoyed the way Masters plays with the carelessly lazy attitude of youth which then turns around and is loudly critical of its younger persona, the past, and even more so of the person they are at this moment in time.

I think it's safe to say we will reading more by Masters in the future.

Buy The Killer You Know at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for an other retailer. Publisher: Sphere - imprint of Little Brown Books; pub date 30 Aug. 2018. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Sphere.