#BlogTour Your Life or Mine by Vicki Bradley

 It's my turn on the BlogTour Your Life or Mine by Vicki Bradley.

About the Author

Vicki Bradley is a detective constable in the Metropolitan Police Service. She has had a varied career, as a uniformed response driver in Brent and then as a detective Constable in Southwark CID. She has managed High Risk Sex Offenders and worked on the Serious Organised Crime Command. 

Before I Say I Do won the Write Here, Right Now competition, came 3rd in the First Novel Prize and has been shortlisted for the Virago New Crime Writer 2017 and Peters Fraser and Dunlop Prize 2016. Vicki lives in London with her husband and baby. Follow @vbradleywriter on Twitter

About the book

Alana Loxton was part of the all-female team to take down Barratt, a notorious serial killer. He is safely behind bars when one of the detectives goes missing.

Her disappearance, and the connection to the killer, could be a coincidence – but when her body is discovered days later, a link begins to form. Then another detective from the team goes missing and the situation becomes horrifically clear. Someone is picking them off one by one – and Alana’s name is next on the list . . .

Review

DC Alana Loxton, and an all-female police team, managed to take down a dangerous serial killer. Edward Barratt is locked up, well when he isn't trying to escape, and yet he still seems to be pulling the strings from behind bars. Who else could possibly be targeting the women brave enough to stand up to such a monster?

It starts with one. After a night out one of the detectives disappears, there is no trace of her and no clues as to when, why and to whom. The police focus on her boyfriend or ex-boyfriend, but Loxton is convinced that Barratt is behind the hunt on Loxton and her friends.

Cynics however would say that sometimes it isn't the most obvious solution, but perhaps the one you can see just out of the corner of your eye. The reader can see the discrepancies, but Loxton is far too blinded by all the trees in the forest.

It's a fast-paced crime read and I mean fast. You barely get over one victim when another pops up or gets dragged off. The main character seems to be a little blinkered when it comes to acknowledging the truth and ignoring what is right in front of her. If there is anyone left over after this lethal read then hopefully we will get to experience Loxton at her best, instead of charging ahead like a bull in a china shop. 

I liked the way Bradley gives readers the solution right there on a silver platter, then turns the tables in a way that makes you wonder whether the author really knows whodunnit. I'm still not entirely convinced by the way. Watch this space.

Buy Your Life or Mine at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK pub date 27th May 2021 - Paperback £7.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Before I Say I Do by Vicki Bradley

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Before I Say I Do by Vicki Bradley.

About the Author
Vicki Bradley is a detective constable in the Metropolitan Police Service. She has had a varied career, as a uniformed response driver in Brent and then as a detective Constable in Southwark CID. She has managed High Risk Sex Offenders and worked on the Serious Organised Crime Command. She is
currently on a 5-year career creak to focus on her writing.

Vicki completed a Creative Writing MA at City University in 2016. Before I Say I Do won the Write Here, Right Now competition, came 3rd in the First Novel Prize and has been shortlisted for the Virago New Crime Writer 2017 and Peters Fraser and Dunlop Prize 2016. She enjoys travelling the world and climbing mountains. Vicki lives in London with her husband.

Follow @vbradleywriter on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit vickibradleywriter.com, Buy Before I Say I Do

About the book
Her dream wedding is about to become her worst nightmare...
Julia is nervous and it’s not just because she’s about to get married. There’s a lot that her soon to-be husband, Mark, doesn’t know – and she is determined to keep it that way.

As she walks down the aisle, spotting Mark is his tailored suit, she knows she is taking her first steps to happiness- her past can’t catch her now. He turns to face her…

But it isn’t Mark in the beautiful suit – it’s his best man. Because Mark is missing. And Julia’s past is closer than she thinks.

Review
It's a dream come true -Julia is finally marrying the man she loves. Yes, she has secrets, but it will all be fine when they finally say I do. There is one thing missing from this picture of bliss - the groom himself. Has he got cold feet or is there something more nefarious going on?

When Mark disappears she can't help but think he might have discovered the truth about her - the truth she has kept hidden for such a long time. Or is this about someone who knows her secret and wants to stop her being happy.

The relationship between Julia and Lucy is tight and supportive or is it more a question of stuck together due to the common denominator of their past.

Alana and Kowalski are the type of police team who bounce off and stand up for each other when the crap hits the fan. This is definitely the kind of case that needs a detective who is willing to dig harder than a dog burying a bone.

It's a psychological thriller with police procedural components.

Bradley uses trauma and layers of guilt to construct a complex psychological thriller. Her personal career experience is woven in to give the procedural side a professional and realistic feel. Hopefully she will revisit the powerhouse team of Alana and Kowalski, although I admit I favoured Alana as a character just a bit more than Kowalski.

Buy Before I Say I Do at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK; pub date 28th May 2020 | Paperback | £7.99. Buy at Amazon com.