#Blogtour The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen. The first in a new series called the Martini Club and it's one you don't want to miss.

About the Author

International bestselling author Tess Gerritsen began to write fiction whilst on maternity leave as a physician. She published her first novel in 1987 and has since sold over forty million copies of her books in forty countries.

Her series featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the television series Rizzoli and Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

Now retired from medicine, she lives in Maine and writes full time. Follow @tessgerritsen on X

About the book

Maggie Bird is many things. A chicken farmer. A good neighbour. A seemingly average retiree living in the seaside town of Purity. She's also a darned good rifle shot. And she never talks about her past.

But when an unidentified body is left on Maggie's driveway, she knows it's a calling card from old times. It's been fifteen years since the failed mission that ended her career as a spy, and cost her far more than her job.

Step forward the 'Martini Club' - Maggie's silver-haired book group (to anyone who asks), and a cohort of former spies behind closed doors. With the help of her old friends - and always one step ahead of the persistent local cop - Maggie might still be able to save the life she's built.

The Spy Coast is the first novel in the Martini Club series.

Review

Maggie Bird, a bit of recluse, who keeps herself to herself except for her nearest neighbours and the book club. The book club of ex-spies, well some of them are. When the past comes knocking Maggie has to make a choice, should she run or fight for the life she has spent a long time cultivating.

You may know Gerritsen from her very popular Rizzoli and Isles series - this is a new series, the first book of the Martini Club.

I have to say that although you can clearly detect the style of voice the author is known, which is always a great combination of humour, snark, mystery and crime, there is an element to this I found quite intriguing. It has a Herron kind of self deprecating view on the world of spydom with a laissez-faire attitude towards necessary violence in juggling the inadequacies of our world-view on justice.

It's dry, witty and hard as an egg boiled beyond life expectancy, and it is equally warm with intricately woven relationships between the most unexpected of characters. I enjoyed it - hope it gets picked up for small screen, because it would be such fun, in a spy kills spy with a complete lack of remorse kind of way. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Buy The Spy Coast at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bantam Press / Transworld Books, pub date 18 January 2024. Buy at Amazon com. Via Bookshop org.

#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 The Imposter by Leona Deakin

 

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Imposter by Leona Deakin.

About the Author

Leona Deakin draws inspiration for her writing from her own experiences having started her career as a psychologist with the West Yorkshire Police and her successful work in psychology since. Leona was part of a team responsible for designing methods of selection for recruiting and promoting officers from PC to Chief Superintendent. 

Her role was to create realistic policing scenarios - from personnel issues to large scale incidents (plane crash, terrorist bomb etc) – that could be used to test leadership skills. To do this she spent a great deal of time interviewing and observing officers at various ranks and reviewing cases. This gave Leona an insight into the police culture that helps her to write authentic character interactions in her novels. 

Leona is now an occupational psychologist and lives with her family in Leeds. She has written four novels in the acclaimed Dr Augusta Bloom series: Gone, Lost, Hunt and The Imposter. Follow https://twitter.com/LeonaDeakin1 on Twitter

About the book

The Imposter is the fourth gripping thriller by Leona Deakin with a truly brilliant, mind-bending twist! While each of Leona's thrillers can be read as a standalone, The Imposter delivers all the pace, plot and expert psychological insight that her devoted fan base have come to expect.

Dr Bloom is faced with her most challenging case yet as she races to catch a highly unpredictable murderer in London. He doesn't just want your identity. He wants your life... - No one sees him coming.

A stock-market trader is pushed from a high-rise balcony and falls to his death on the street below. The only clue the police can find is a box of matches. - No one survives for long. The decomposing body of a member of the Saudi Royal Family is discovered in a car. Evidence suggests the killer took the man's life, then stole his identity, wore his clothes and lived in his hotel room - before vanishing into thin air like smoke.

Nothing but matchsticks are left behind. - Dr Bloom realizes the only thing linking these murders is a trail of burnt matches and broken lives. Time is running out - and if she isn't careful, she might be the next to burn ...

Review

This is the fourth book in the Dr Bloom series, and despite recurring characters and certain sub plots, they can be read as standalone novels. I think it makes the series a wee bit more enticing. You can read the rest of the series because they are good books, and you get the gist of the underlying tension and manipulation between Bloom and Seraphine, but you can equally discover and enjoy each book individually without thinking you are missing out on a part of the story.

In this book Bloom is brought in, not because there has been a sequence of peculiar deaths or alleged accidents that suggest a third party is enjoying a masquerade process before killing them. Bloom is there because Seraphine appears to be part of the bigger picture, and she knows exactly how she ticks.    

Is it bad that I really enjoy Seraphine? Her character is written in a way that makes her pathology, her intelligence and the ability to stay ten steps ahead of everyone around her quite intriguing. The character you know is capable of anything without feeling an inch of remorse, and yet as a reader you're still quite invested in whatever dangerous mischief she may get up to.

It's also an interesting way to drive a double thread plot. You pay attention to one but are also looking over your shoulder for the variable that is at best manipulating the scenario and at her worst she is directly involved and has her wicked fingers in all the pies - just for the fun of it.

Buy The Imposter at Amazon UK. Publisher:  pub date 24th November 2022 | Paperback Original | Penguin (Transworld) | £7.99 - Ebook available from 3rd November 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Out for Blood by Deborah Masson

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Out for Blood by Deborah Masson.

About the Author

Deborah Masson was born and bred in Aberdeen, Scotland. Always restless and fighting against being a responsible adult, she worked in several jobs including secretarial, marketing, reporting for the city's freebie newspaper and a stint as a postie - to name but a few.

Through it all, she always read crime fiction and, when motherhood finally settled her into being an adult (maybe even a responsible one) she turned her hand to writing what she loved. Deborah started with short stories and flash fiction whilst her daughter napped and, when she later welcomed her son into the world, she decided to challenge her writing further through online courses with Professional Writing Academy and Faber Academy.

Her debut novel, Hold Your Tongue, is the result of those courses. Hold Your Tongue has been widely well reviewed by readers and authors alike, with many comparing her favourably to Stuart MacBride. It won the Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2020 and was longlisted for CWA New Blood Dagger 2020.

Follow @deborah_masson on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Buy Out for Blood

About the book

A young man, the son of an influential businessman, is discovered dead in his central Aberdeen apartment. Hours later, a teenaged girl with no identification is found hanged in a suspected suicide.

As DI Eve Hunter and her team investigate the two cases, they find themselves in a tug-of-war between privilege and poverty; between the elite and those on the fringes of society. Then an unexpected breakthrough leads them to the shocking conclusion: that those in power have been at the top for too long - and now, someone is going to desperate lengths to bring them down... Can they stop someone who is dead set on revenge, no matter the cost?

Review

This is the second book in the DI Eve Hunter series. If you have read the first then you'll know that Eve is an abrasive often quite angry person. She clashes with colleagues who find her attitude, techniques and general demeanour hard to handle. Does she feel as if she has to act like a man in a career dominated by men?

This time the author gives the reader an insight into the world behind the police officer. The people who have to spend each day confronting death and violence, it's easy to forget they have personal lives that can be strewn with problems too.

I think Masson throws up an interesting conundrum about the way victims are perceived, in this case it is very much with the focus on the deaths of two young people. The death of a privileged young man and a young girl who comes from lesser circumstances. Straight away you have presumptions, expectations and a lot of stereotyping going on.

Then as the story progresses the narrative changes in regards to perception. Does wealthy and well-educated mean he was the better person? Does her lack of chance and choice in life automatically make her a person deserving of a bad fate? I actually really enjoyed the way Masson approached this aspect of the story, because it shows a fatal flaw in the thought process when it comes to society in general, and also often in policing.

The human trafficking element of the story melds into the above, because the victims tend to be considered vulnerable and are often forgotten people in society. The ones nobody misses. Masson gives readers an intriguing crime read with a lot of food for thought.

Buy Out for Blood at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. 10th December 2020 | £7.99 | Paperback Original | Corgi Ebook available 19th November 2020. At Hive. At Bookshop.org.

#BlogTour Tutankhamun and Nefertiti by Nick Drake

It's my second turn on this two book BlogTour Nefertiti and Tutankhamun by Nick Drake. I reviewed Nefertiti a few days ago and am reviewing Tutankhamun today.

About the Author
Nick Drake was born in 1961. He is an award-winning poet and screenwriter. He is also Literary Associate at the National Theatre.

Follow @nickfdrake on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit nickfdrake.com, Buy Tutankhamun

About the book
A king in danger. A battle to stay alive. - On the shadowy city streets the cryptically mutilated bodies of several young people are discovered. These brutal acts are destabilizing a ruthless regime already unstable thanks to corruption and the appalling divide between rich and poor.

Meanwhile, Tutankhamun, at 18, has inherited an empire that should be at the height of power and glory. But he faces only a Court full of conspiracies and plotting, and a bitter struggle for power.

And when his own security is threatened by an intruder in the palace, he needs an outsider he can trust to track down the traitor. Rahotep receives a mysterious invitation to the labyrinthine halls of the Royal Palace.

But what he discovers at the dark heart of power will put his life, and his family, in grave danger. .

Review
The story of Tutankhamun, the young king and his short reign, is one filled with many mysteries, myths and questions. The author takes all of these things and turns this fascinating chapter of ancient Egypt into a mystery featuring a member of that civilisations idea of a detective - a part of  the Thebes Medjay division. 

Rahotep is called to solve the murder of a dead boy a boy who bears certain similarities to their young king, which could just be a coincidence, and the majority of those are based on rumours.

He quickly becomes drawn once again into the dirty politics of those who have power and want to rule, and are willing to do anything to maintain their status. The powerful who plot to deceive, kill and threaten. They steal, betray and lie without blinking an eye - all for greed and a firm grip on a country ripped apart and driven by the uncertainty the previous ruler caused.

That scene with Amenmose in the last few chapters - the pot - it was gripping, and also what makes Rahotep finally comprehend that his choice between mystery and family can and will have repercussions for himself and his loved ones. There is only so many times you can work against and stand up to the most powerful men in the kingdom and not expect some kind of blowback.

Having recently read the previous book in this series, Nefertiti, I think this one shows a honing of craft and how Drake has made his world-building, dialogues and plotting much stronger. I also think the possible theories drawn from factual history, theories by historians and his own fictional story make absolute sense out of the many mysteries surrounding the young king. It's a gripping historical crime read.

Buy Tutankhamun at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital; pub date 18 Jan. 2011. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Nefertiti by Nick Drake.

#BlogTour Nefertiti and Tutankhamun by Nick Drake

It's my turn on this two book BlogTour Nefertiti and Tutankhamun by Nick Drake. I am starting with Nefertiti today and will be posting my review for Tutankhamun in a few days.

About the Author
Nick Drake was born in 1961. He is an award-winning poet and screenwriter. He is also Literary Associate at the National Theatre.

Follow @nickfdrake on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit nickfdrake.com, Buy Nefertiti

About the book
A Missing Queen. A Dark Game of Power.

With her husband, Akhenaten, Nefertiti - the most powerful, charismatic and beautiful Queen of the ancient world - rules over an Empire at the peak of its glory and domination.

Together, they have built a magnificent new city in the desert on the banks of the Nile and are about to host kings, dignitaries and leaders from around the Empire for a vast festival to celebrate their triumph. - But suddenly, Nefertiti vanishes.

Rahotep - the youngest chief detective of the Thebes division- can see patterns where others cannot. His unusual talents earn him a summons to the royal court.

With ten days to find the Queen and return her in time for the festival, Rahotep knows that success will bring glory - but if he fails, he and his young family will die...

Review
I wonder how long it takes Rahotep to realise that the reason he is chosen is more a question of - if your assignment goes pear-shaped then it will be the end of the youngest chief detective of the Thebes division and his beloved family or because he has an talent for seeing what others don't. He has no idea he will be drawn into a mystery about the most powerful woman in the kingdom.

He has a clock ticking over him like a bomb waiting to go off if he doesn't manage to find Nefertiti within a certain timeframe. Will it be enough time to discern between deception, fear of discovery and just plain old haughty arrogance.

I was intrigued by the parallels between other power couples in history or perhaps just autocrats, who decide to reinvent the wheel of religion, politics and power - of course it's always in a way that benefits themselves. The way it can turn the tide of populations or bring them together as one mechanism and tool.

Admittedly the first thing I did was read up on Nefertiti. Obviously she tends to be known for being a beauty first and a strong woman who left her mark on Egyptian history second, but I was unaware of the fact that there is also quite some mystery surrounding her. Drake has taken inspiration from various theories by historians about the powerful queen and created a compelling mystery thriller set in the world of ancient Egypt.

Rahotep is a bit like Sansom's Shardlake, but with more reverence for the dangers of the times he lives in and the rules of whomever is in power at the time. As in most societies ruled by one person every day can be like walking on eggshells when the people around you are waiting to say or do the wrong thing.

If just one thing becomes clear in this story it's the fact that you can't trust anyone in ancient Egypt.

Buy Nefertiti at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital; pub date 18 Jan. 2011. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Lost by Leona Deakin

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Lost by Leona Deakin, it's the second book in the Dr Bloom series.

About the Author
Leona draws inspiration for her writing from her own experiences having started her career as a psychologist with the West Yorkshire Police and her successful work in psychology since. Leona was part of a team responsible for designing methods of selection for recruiting and promoting officers from PC to Chief Superintendent. Her role was to create realistic policing scenarios - from personnel issues to large scale incidents (plane crash, terrorist bomb etc) – that could be used to test leadership skills. To do this she spent a great deal of time interviewing and observing officers at various ranks and reviewing cases. This gave Leona an insight into the police culture that helps her to write authentic character interactions in her novels. Leona is now an occupational psychologist and lives with her family in Leeds.

Follow @LeonaDeakin1 on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Buy Lost

About the book
In the second compelling thriller from Leona Deakin, Dr Bloom returns to solve another mystery. But how can she solve the crime when the victim can’t remember anything?

There is an explosion at a military ball. The casualties are rushed to hospital in eight ambulances, but only seven vehicles arrive. Captain Harry Peterson is missing.
His girlfriend calls upon her old friend Dr Augusta Bloom, who rushes to support the investigation. But no one can work out what connects the bomb and the disappearance. When Harry is eventually discovered three days later, they hope he holds the answers to their questions. But he can’t remember a single thing.

Review
This is the second book in the Dr Bloom series and although both books can be read as standalone novels I do think reading the first gives readers a better insight into the connections between the characters. In particular the strange one between Bloom and Seraphine.

In this book Bloom is asked to help a man regain his memories after he is caught up in a bombing and disappears soon after the event.

I enjoyed the interaction between Bloom and Seraphine in the first book in the series, Gone. I think Deakin has made the right decision to follow that particular storyline and flesh it out more.

Indeed instead of a Jameson and Bloom combo, it's much more intriguing to have Bloom interact with Seraphine, despite the fact we know she has certain traits that make her different from others. Being curious about what happens when she takes a path that offers multiple choices. Bloom is aware of that however and feels it's safer to keep her close than out of sight, which would make her an invisible threat.

Deakin does her research, which adds an air of authenticity to certain elements of the read, even if others take on a fictional stretched atmosphere of their own.

I'm looking forward to reading where Deakin takes this dysfunctional duo, there are certainly enough journeys to take them on.

Will Seraphine always be Bloom's Moriarty - waiting patiently in the shadows and only appearing when it suits her own narrative?

Buy Lost (Dr Bloom #2) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital; pub date 9 July 2020. Paperback  pub date 29th October 2020 | £7.99 | Black Swan. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Gone (Dr Bloom #1) by Leona Deakin.

#BlogTour Camelot by Giles Kristian

Today I am really excited to take part in the BlogTour bring you the second book in The Arthurian Tales series, Camelot by Giles Kristian.

'Following his acclaimed Sunday Times bestseller, Lancelot, Giles Kristian’s new novel returns us to the realms of Arthurian legend . . .' Oh yes indeed!

About the Author
Family history (he is half Norwegian) and a passion for the fiction of Bernard Cornwell inspired Giles Kristian to write. Set in the Viking world, his bestselling Raven and The Rise of Sigurd trilogies have been acclaimed by his peers, reviewers and readers alike. In The Bleeding Land and Brothers’ Fury, he tells the story of a family torn apart by the English Civil War. He also co-wrote Wilbur Smith’s No.1 bestseller, Golden Lion.

In his most recent novel, the Sunday Times bestseller Lancelot, Giles plunged into the rich waters of the Arthurian legend. For his next book, he continues his epic reimagining of our greatest island ‘history’. Giles Kristian lives in Leicestershire.

Follow @GilesKristian on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Goodreads,Visit gileskristian.com, Buy Camelot

About the book
Britain is a land riven by anarchy, slaughter, famine, filth and darkness. Its armies are destroyed, its heroes dead, or missing. Arthur and Lancelot fell in the last great battle and Merlin has not been seen these past ten years. Now, the Saxons are gathering again, their warbands stalk the land, their king seeks dominion.

As for the lords and kings of Britain, they look only to their own survival and will not unite as they once did under Arthur and his legendary sword Excalibur. But in an isolated monastery in the marshes of Avalon, a novice of the order is preparing to take his vows when the life he has known is suddenly turned upside down in a welter of blood.

Two strangers - the wild-spirited, Saxon-killing Iselle and the ageing warrior Gawain - will pluck the young man from the wreckage of his simple existence. Together, they will seek the last druid and the cauldron of a god. And the young man must come to terms with his legacy and fate as the son of the most celebrated yet most infamous of Arthur’s warriors: Lancelot.

For this is the story of Galahad, Lancelot’s son – the reluctant warrior who dared to keep the dream
of Camelot alive . . .

Review
I will have to try and be careful with this one there are just too many juicy plot secrets that would spoil the read for others. Let me try and declare how much I love this book without telling you exactly why.

Let me start by saying that the first in The Arthurian Tales series, Lancelot, is a hard act to follow - even for the author who wrote it. If you haven't read it yet then please do, you are missing out on a superb read. Camelot is a continuation of the tale of Lancelot, Arthur and Guinevere or rather of the people left behind after the last great battle saw the demise of the destructive trio.

In an isolated monastery in the middle of the mysterious marshes of Avalon lives a young man who lives in the shadow of his father's past. He is reluctant to part from his path towards the life of a monk until an old warrior, and the young woman who saves his life, convince him that perhaps his path is something completely different.

Together with the remnants of Arthur's loyal comrades they set out on an impossible quest, to restore the power and balance to their country, and their friend. Vague enough for you? Good, because I wouldn't want you to miss out on the surprises packed into this brilliant story.

Kristian writes about the world of King Arthur as if he were a constant companion in their trials and tribulations, that's how vivid and realistic his storytelling is. He understands how folklore, myth and history need to become one and the same to fuel the depth of the characters and story.

Both Lancelot and Camelot are an homage to ancient legends whispered and carried along the centuries. Tales of loyalty, courage and magic all fiercely ingrained in the spirit of the isles. Kristian is a pleasure to read - his stories are such a completely immersive experience.

Buy Camelot at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Bantam Press - Transworld Digital; pub date 14th May 2020 | Hardback | £12.99. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Lancelot by Giles Kristian.

#BlogTour Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid. It's a dark psychological thriller, a manipulative game of emotions and secrets.

About the Author
Rebecca is a freelance journalist. She is a columnist for the Telegraph Women’s section,
works for Metro Online and has written for Marie Claire, the Guardian, the Saturday
Telegraph, the Independent, Stylist, Glamour, the iPaper, the Guardian, Indy100, LOOK
and the New Statesmen amongst others.

Rebecca is a regular contributor to Sky News and ITV’s This Morning as well as appearing
on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, LBC, BBC News 24 and the BBC World Service to discuss her
work.

She graduated from Royal Holloway’s Creative Writing MA in 2015 and Perfect Liars is her
debut novel. Rebecca lives in North London with her husband.

Follow @RebeccaCNReid on Twitter, Buy Truth Hurts

About the book
Poppy has a secret.
It was a whirlwind romance. And when Drew, caught up in the moment, suggests that he
and Poppy don’t tell each other anything about their past lives, that they live only for the
here and now, for the future they are building together, Poppy jumps at the chance for a
fresh start.
Drew says he has nothing to hide.
But it doesn’t take long for Poppy to see that this is a two-way deal. Drew is hiding
something from her. And Poppy suddenly has no idea who the man she has married really
is, what he is hiding from her or what he might be capable of.
Drew is lying.
Which is more dangerous, a secret or a lie?

Review
Reading this made me want to go back and read Perfect Liars again. Reid really knows how to write a wicked plot.

The story is presented in flashbacks and the present. At first it appears to be the lives of two separate people, but as the tale unravels the truth becomes clearer. Poppy meets Drew in a bar in the middle of a crisis. She has just been fired and hasn't got two cents to rub together to get home. A few weeks later her she has gone from downstairs to upstairs. Is it all too good to be true?

The author, whether it be through research or personal experience, describes the relationship between au-pairs or nannies and their employers accurately. The upstairs, downstairs mentality of those who can afford to hire people to help raise their children. Some of them think nothing of paying a mere pittance for a 24/7 nanny who is also expected to cook, clean, shop and play waitress. It's often those with wealth and reputations to uphold who are tighter than a nun's knicker.

Then Reid takes the plot further by adding the element of suggestive situations in an environment where a third person is intruding upon the family dynamics. Ask yourself whether you would consider physical beauty a valid reason not to hire a nanny? Does that mean you are insecure or is it just a question of if temptation is dangled in front of someone's face often enough then eventually temptation will probably win? Food for thought.

I'm going to be purposely vague about where the author takes her readers with this story. I loved it, but then I do have a thing for cracking plots with a twist of wicked and a slice of evil. I'll have mine on the rocks please.

It's a dark psychological thriller, a manipulative game of emotions and secrets.

Buy Truth Hurts at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Transworld Digital pub date 27 Aug. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Perfect Liars by Rebecca Reid