#Blogtour Hera by Jennifer Saint

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Hera by Jennifer Saint.

'From the No. 1 bestselling author of Ariadne, Elektra and Atalanta - From Jennifer Saint, the queen of the mythological retelling, comes the captivating story of Greek mythology’s most famous wife.'

About the Author

Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote Ariadne, which tells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne - the woman who made it happen. Ariadne was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year in 2021 and was a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being a Sunday Times bestseller. 

Jennifer Saint is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire, with her husband and two children. Her second novel, Elektra, and third novel, Atalanta, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Follow @jennysaint on X

About the book

When the immortal goddess Hera helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, the ancient Titan Cronos, she dreams of ruling the world at his side. But as they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera begins to see another side to Zeus, a side just as ruthless and cruel as Cronos was. She was clearly born to rule, but does that mean perpetuating a cycle of violence and cruelty that has existed since the dawn of time? Will assuming her power mean that Hera loses herself or can she find a way to forge a better world?

Often portrayed as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother, this retelling captures the many sides of Hera, vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and most importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.

Review

The author gives the reader the version of Hera which is left unsaid, taking it all a step back to comprehend the reaction to what was done unto her in the first place. We usually hear or read the result, which depicts the vengeful, angered women full of jealous rage and spite. Instead Saint takes us back to the root cause - how Hera was defined by the choices of others. How patriarchy also rules mythology, because it is easier to sell the image of a scorned and angry woman than a character who defends herself and keeps her own self safe by reacting to the threat or perceived threat.

I wonder how many readers, especially women, walk away from this thinking - oh wait, she is more than just the bitter representation the patriarchy wants us to see and remember. In fact isn't her story indicative of the narrative we are told about older women, scorned women and women who are just a little too noisy for society. Let's gaslight them to hide the truth behind the anger, let's dismiss them to distract from the truth, and let's create a narrative that makes them the villain in every story, because we wouldn't want the truth to be discovered when someone scratches the surface.

I really enjoy the way this author captures both the magic, the folklore, the heavy truths and the story from all angles, when it comes to Greek mythology. The journey from end result, expectation and hardwired knowledge, becomes undone when the light is shone into the darkest corners of Hera's story. It makes her many reactionary tales so much more understandable. A fantastic read.

Buy Hera at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Wildfire; Hardback, eBook, Audio | £20.00 - pub date 23 May 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Atalanta by Jennifer Saint.

'From the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author comes a new story of a legendary woman from Greek mythology.' Spurned by a king. Raised by bears. Blessed by a goddess. The only female Argonaut.

About the Author

Thanks to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. Since September 2022, she has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics Department there. In between, she spent thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. Ariadne is her first novel, Elektra is her second, and Atalanta is her latest mesmerising mythological retelling. Follow @jennysaint on Twitter or visit jennifersaint.com

About the book

Exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside her cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason’s band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place of legend in a world made for men?

Review

At the core of this retelling is erasure of the only female Argonaut and why her presence has been gradually clipped away in popular narratives. In fact the entirety of the book leans into the role of women in mythology, their treatment by men regardless of whether those men are of myth, of reality or of a mixed nature. Atalanta deserves her space.

It's fascinating how the role of any mythological figure can be cast, written of and perceived in both a positive or negative light, depending on who does the retelling. I think that's why this niche and the retellings or old myth new angle is particularly popular in the book world at the moment - it allows the writer to step away from tales for the majority by men written for men, hence certain recurring themes and the way women are portrayed.

The angry, the reactionary, the vengeful, the woman waiting to be consumed and ravished by any old god, demi god or just a man in general. How refreshing to encounter the character resuming her rightful place in the stories, fighting the presumptive narrative and battling to carve out her space.

Artemis is the pinnacle of feminism is this story, her warnings and prophecies become self-fulfilling ones, because the punishment for not heeding them lends itself to a similar narrative that men deem appropriate for women who refuse to bend the knee. Does that make Artemis the faux feminist?

It's a great read, the author does a fantastic job of breathing new life into forgotten mythology.

Buy Atalanta at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire pub date 13th April 2023, £16.99 hardback, eBook & audiobook. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Down by the Water by Elle Connel

 It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Down by the Water by Elle Connel.

About the Author

Elle Connel studied English at the University of St Andrews, and later Shakespearean Studies at Kings College London and Shakespeare's Globe. She has worked as a researcher for Al Jazeera television, a freelance writer while living in Spain, and later as the Cruise Coordinator for the National Trust for Scotland (where she worked onboard a ship, swam amongst icebergs, set foot on St Kilda, and finally learned how to ceilidh dance). She’s now a fulltime writer, based in Edinburgh with her husband and twin sons.

About the book

Seven friends gather at a castle in the Scottish Borders. One last girls' weekend before Georgina's wedding. Near the castle, through a path in the woods, is a loch. After a few bottles of Prosecco, the girls head down to the water to take photos. The loch is wild, lonely, and stunningly beautiful. They set their camera to self-timer and take some group shots. Later, looking back at the pictures, they see something impossible. Behind them, eyes wide, a small, drenched boy emerges from the water. How did he get there; where is he now; and what does he want?

The girls thought they knew each other's darkest secrets, but one of them has been hiding something terrible. Consumed by grief, she's been waiting for the perfect moment to wreak her revenge...

Review

Is it just me or are these women the reason some of us prefer our own company. What a complete and utter nightmare. Instead of support there is disinterest, instead of genuine affection there is an almost competitive need to outdo each other. How very exhausting to keep these kind of relationships and so-called friendships going. Sometimes you have to leave the school, college, university and childhood friendships behind. 

Tessa has planned the perfect hen-do for her group of friends, but she has made sure it is particularly perfect for the bride-to-be. In fact one could almost say she has ulterior motives to ensure this trip to a lonely, rural Scottish location goes exactly the way she has imagined it for months.

What Connel does with remarkable accuracy is show the negative side of female friendships, especially women in friendship groups. Unfortunately it isn't all sisterhood and support. It can also evolve into comorbidity and codependency. All the while the negativity is the fuel that cements the relationships and the strange inability to let go of something so harmful.  

It's a dark domestic thriller - the kind of read that shows the dark side of toxic relationships. The way some people inflict wounds and leave scars upon others and yet are completely oblivious to the pain and suffering they leave in their wake.

Buy Down by the Water at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire pub date 8 July 2021 | Hardback | £16.99 - Also available in e-book and audio. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. 

About the Author

Due to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. She spent the next thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students. Ariadne is her first novel and she is working on another retelling of ancient myth for her second. Follow @jennysaint on Twitter

About the book

‘My story would not be one of death and suffering and sacrifice, I would take my place in the songs that would be sung about Theseus; the princess who saved him and ended the monstrosity  that blighted Crete’

As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother - demands blood every year.

When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything.

In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?

Ariadne gives a voice to the forgotten women of one of the most famous Greek myths, and speaks to their strength in the face of angry, petulant Gods. Beautifully written and completely immersive, this is an exceptional debut novel.

Review

First and foremost, I really want this to be the first of many with beautiful hardback covers, so they can stand next to my Stephen Fry's Mythos series. Secondly - I can't believe this is her first novel, it's excellent.

The story of Ariadne, her sister Phaedra and Ariadne's brother the Minotaur. Ariadne, who is well aware of the dangers when it comes to choosing love above loyalty and more importantly the consequence of a perceived betrayal. Does she really think she can outwit the toxic web of godly arrogance and mythological threads.

Saint shows an intricate understanding of mythology, how the myths interlink with history, the way the patriarchal society drives who takes centre stage in a myth. When it comes mythology the women often tend to stand to the side or behind their male counterparts. The author wants to give a voice to the women who play important parts in mythology, and yet are somehow always delegated to a position of silence or support for the men in said mythology.

I absolutely adored it. It's definitely a stand-out novel for me. There are so many popular moments in mythology that everyone knows, I just love the thought of someone questioning those moments or adding to the narrative by giving an alternative view. No longer the footnote, this time Ariadne is leading the way.

It's written with such intricate knowledge - there is a difference between well-researched and read about it - the story becomes the truth, the reality and the myth that should have been written.

Buy Ariadne at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire Books pub date 29th April 2021 £14.99 hardback, eBook & audiobook. Buy at Amazon com. 

#BlogTour Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

About the Author
Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. She has also written for GQ, ESPN the Magazine, and many other publications. Fleischmann is in Trouble is her first novel.

Follow @taffyakner on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit taffyakner.com, Buy Fleishman is in Trouble

About the book
Finally free from his nightmare of a marriage, Toby Fleishman is ready for a life of Tinder dating and weekend-only parental duties. But as he optimistically looks to a future of few responsibilities, his life turns upside-down as his ex-wife Rachel suddenly disappears.

While Toby tries to find out what happened - juggling work, kids and his new, app-assisted sexual popularity - his tidy narrative of a spurned husband is his sole consolation. But if he ever wants to really understand where Rachel went and what really happened to his marriage, he is going to have to consider that he might not have seen it all that clearly in the first place . . .

Review

It's fair to say this gives readers a rather dim view on society, perhaps more so on women and I wonder if the underdog called feminism is actually given a kicking, instead of showing the systemic oppression of women, by presenting a gaudy caricature of them. It really depends whether people can or will read between the lines.

Toby has suddenly become a petit four for every woman with an itch. Why? Because he is now considered an unattached male since his marriage fell apart. This is the story of his coming to terms with the new him. The single man with critical kids and a demanding nearly ex-wife.

Right at the beginning there is this short bit about Hannah, which gives you an idea of what kind of voice to expect. It made me smirk, this accurate depiction of the conundrum known to humankind as 'teenage girl' - those who have experienced wrangling one of them will know of the very specific interim species and how they come with selective memories. Those of who haven't experienced handling one of them thank your deities and do a course on quantum physics instead - it's by far a pleasanter experience and easier to comprehend.

I think the most interesting thing about this premise is what would probably happen if you change one element. Take away the money and the gist of the story becomes an everyday tale. Tell the same story with money and it becomes a fascinating introspective deconstruction of a marriage.

The book might be a bit of a marmite read. Some readers will be unable to see past the air of pretension that often comes with a read that has set out to be literary fiction, as opposed to accidentally being coined as one. The others will enjoy the snarky brutally honest approach to a very common problem - the dysfunction in families and the pandora's box of divorce.

Buy Fleishman is in Trouble at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Wildfire 21st April 2020 in Paperback, £8.99. Also in ebook and audiobook. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton

It's a pleasure to take part on the BlogTour The Last Wife by Karen Hamilton.

About the Author
Karen Hamilton spent her childhood in Angola, Zimbabwe, Belgium and Italy, and developed a love of travel through moving around so much. This led her to a career as a flight attendant, and it was in the air that she thought of the idea for her debut thriller The Perfect Girlfriend.

Karen is a recent graduate of the Faber Academy, and has now put down roots in Hampshire to raise her young family with her husband. The Perfect Girlfriend was a Sunday Times Top Ten  bestseller in paperback. The Last Wife is her hotly anticipated second novel.

Follow @KJHAuthor on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit karenhamiltonwriter.com, Buy The Last Wife

About the book
Nina, in the final days of her illness, asks her best friend Marie to look after her family when she's gone. And Marie does everything she can to step into Nina's shoes after her friend's tragic death. She tries to do the best by Nina, tries to be there for Nina's young children, tries to support Nina's grieving husband, tries to keep their lives on track despite their terrible loss.

But when Marie discovers a dark secret that Nina had kept concealed, she is forced to confront the past. Tense, heart-breaking and utterly gripping, The Last Wife explores the real nature of love and friendship – and just how fragile every relationship can be in the face of the secrets we hide from each other

Review
I spent a lovely lazy Sunday - with interruptions for baking and cooking - enjoying this read. It's exactly what the doctor ordered when it comes to domestic thrillers. Nothing is what it seems, relationships are complicated and the goal posts change as the story progresses.

Marie promised Nina on her deathbed that she would take care of her children and Marie figures that means her poor grieving hubby too, which is fine I suppose if it weren't for the fact she has her own husband. Her marriage is going through a rough patch because she spends so much time taking care of Nina's family and obsessing about creating her own.

As the different threads unravel it is difficult to see whether there are any good guys or characters without any ulterior motives at all, and that includes the dead best friend Nina. Everyone appears to have some skin in the game.

What I really enjoyed about this read was the lack of protagonist, because let's be honest Marie is absolutely without a doubt a bona fide antagonist, even if she doesn't think she is. That is the beauty of the plot - the fact the reader doesn't really feel any empathy for Marie because she spends the entire time acting like a very determined serial killer/stalker.

Even when everything points towards her finally comprehending why people have such a problem with her she always has an inner dialogue and the world is set to rights again. Painting herself as the victim is such a narcissistic trait of hers, which in a way makes her such an excellent character.

Kudos to Hamilton for a riveting, fast paced read.

Buy The Last Wife at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire | pub date 25th June 2020 Hardback | £12.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Waterstones.

Read my review of The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton.

#BlogTour The Murder Game by Rachel Abbott

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Murder Game by Rachel Abbott.

About the Author
Rachel Abbott began her career as an independent author in 2011, with Only the Innocent, which became a No.1 bestseller on Kindle, topping the chart for four weeks.

Since then, she has published eight further psychological thrillers and sold over 3 million copies. She is one of the top-selling authors of all time in the UK Kindle store, and her novels have been translated into 21 languages.

Rachel splits her time between Alderney – a beautiful island off the coast of France – and the Le Marche region of Italy, where she is able to devote all her time to writing fiction.

Follow @RachelAbbott on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit rachel-abbott.com and rachelabbottwriter.com, Buy The Murder Game

About the book
A year ago today, we all gathered for Lucas' wedding at his glorious Cornish home overlooking the sea. But no one was married that day.

Now Lucas has invited us back to celebrate the anniversary. But the anniversary of what? The wedding that never happened, or the tragedy that occurred just hours before the ceremony was due to begin?

He's told us that tonight he has planned a game. We have our costumes, we have our parts, and everyone must play. The game, he tells us, is about to begin. What does Lucas want from us? What are we not being told? And what's going to happen when this terrible game is over?

Review
A year ago a group of friends and plus-ones gathered to celebrate the nuptials of a very close friend, but things didn't go exactly to plan and end with an unexpected tragedy.

Now everyone is back again to 'celebrate' the one-year anniversary of the what? The non-wedding, the unexpected death or the secrets that could potentially destroy one person after the other. Lucas might have the reputation of being a good guy and tight friend, and yet this whole charade suggests otherwise.

What's really interesting is the way suspicion, paranoia and lack of trust seeps into relationships and continues to crack solid walls as they all enter into the same situation that caused the cracks in the first place. It remains to be seen whether those who arrive together will leave together.

This book felt slightly different from Abbott's usual work - in a good way though. It has a Poirot Marple Christie feel to it, especially the whole murder game aspect of the read. Setting the stage, interrogating the alleged suspects and leading to a crescendo of a solution - or not.

It's a psychological thriller with the vibe of a murder mystery. Abbott doesn't disappoint when it comes to delivering a good read. The ending isn't entirely clear-cut either, which just adds to the flavour of this particular crime read. Very much grey and shaded areas, as opposed to black or white, but that's for me to know and you to find out.

Buy The Murder Game at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire | pub date 16th April 2020 | Hardback | £12.99. Buy at  Amazon com.

Read my reviews of Come a Little Closer, Right Behind You, And So it Begins, The Shape of Lies by Rachel Abbott.

#BlogTour Bury Them Deep by James Oswald

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Bury Them Deep by James Oswald.

About the Author
James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new DC Constance Fairchild series. James's first two books, Natural Causes and Te Book of Souls, were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award. Bury Them Deep is the tenth book in the Inspector Mclean Series.

Follow @SirBenFro and @Wildfirebks on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit jamesoswald.co.uk, Buy Bury Them Deep

About the book
The tenth book in the Sunday Times-bestselling Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland's most celebrated crime writers.

When a member of the Police Scotland team fails to clock-in for work, concern for her whereabouts is immediate... and the discovery of her burnt-out car in remote woodland to the south of Edinburgh sets off a desperate search for the missing woman.

Meanwhile, DCI Tony McLean and the team are preparing for a major anti-corruption operation - one which may raise the ire of more than a few powerful people in the city. Is Anya Reynolds' disappearance a co-incidence or related to the case?

McLean's investigations suggest that perhaps that Anya isn't the first woman to have mysteriously vanished in these ancient hills. Once again, McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a far greater evil at work here...

The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case...

Review
There are certain things that will always manage to creep me out no matter how you package them. Zombies are one and the other is a major part of this book. Oswald really captures the obsessive nature, the call of the forbidden fruit aspect of it all and combines it with folklore that has been passed down through the ages.

As a character Anya has always drawn the short straw, well up until this book she has. Readers will know her as the go-to person for anything cyber related. She keeps herself and her life very private, and colleagues find it hard to relate to her because she doesn't necessarily fit the stereotypical description.

In this book we get to learn a lot more about what makes Anya tick or rather what she does in her spare time to keep her ticking, which isn't going to make life easier for her in the long run when everyone finds out. It's hard enough being a woman in a certain environment without having to deal with salacious gossip.

Anya goes missing on the brink of the launch of a huge undercover operation, which puts the aforementioned on hold and begs the question whether she and it have been compromised. McLean is convinced the timing is a coincidence but that doesn't bring him any closer to the truth about her whereabouts.

It's a combination of police procedural crime and psychological thriller. The lines between the two become skewed the darker and more morally corrupt it becomes. When people cross the kind of boundaries that instantaneously put them in a completely different tribal bracket. There is most definitely a very noticeable boundary when certain lines are crossed - they ones who have and would again, and those who would never.

Oswald gets a wee bit darker this time when it comes to the storyline, atmosphere and characters. I liked this more evil and macabre element to the series. Overall this story shows how Oswald is honing his craft as he delivers an even better body of work this time.
  
Buy Bury Them Deep at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire: pub date 20 Feb. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of No Time to Cry by James Oswald
Read my review of Cold As the Grave by James Oswald
Read my review of Written in Bones by James Oswald
Read my review of Nothing to Hide by James Oswald

#BlogTour Nothing To Hide by James Oswald

Today it's a pleasure to help kick off the BlogTour Nothing To Hide by James Oswald.

About the Author
James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new DC Constance Fairchild series. James's first two books, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls, were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award.
James farms Highland cows and Romney sheep by day, writes disturbing fiction by night

Follow @SirBenFro and @Wildfirebks on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit jamesoswald.co.uk, Buy Nothing to Hide

About the book
Suspended from duty after her last case ended in the high-profile arrest of one of Britain's wealthiest men, DC Constance Fairchild is trying to stay away from the limelight. Fate has other ideas . . .

Coming home to her London flat, Constance stumbles across a young man, bloodied, mutilated and barely alive. She calls it in and is quickly thrown into the middle of a nationwide investigation . . . It seems that the victim is just the latest in a string of similar ritualistic attacks.

No matter that she is off-duty, no matter that there are those in the Met who would gladly see the back of her, Con can't shake her innate determination to bring the monsters responsible for this brutality to justice.

Trouble always seems to find her, and even if she has nothing to hide, perhaps she has everything to lose . . .

Review
Not to be critical or anything, but Fairchild can really do without the extra aggro of finding a corpse. After the whole Serpicoesque drama of the previous book she should be steering clear of trouble, but hey we all know when crime and trouble call Constance is the first to pick up the phone.

This is the second in the Constance Fairchild series. Both books can be read as standalone novels, however I would recommend reading No Time to Cry to get the full gist of this new series by Oswald.

Constance Fairchild is a police officer through and through. There is no doubt that she is driven to find the criminal elements in the world and bring them to justice, especially the kind that enjoy torturing and killing young men.

Oswald likes to add a pinch of magical realism to his police procedural, which also brings a hint of mystery to the table. Simultaneously the author captures both the camaraderie of the police force and how hostile the environment can become when you go against the brotherhood.

It's a police procedural with crime at the core, which seems like a given, and yet the author sets fire to the rain by adding that extra note to the story.

If I am being completely honest I think Oswald is just getting started. There is a lot more to come. I say open the doors and let it out.

Buy Nothing To Hide at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire; pub date 14th November 2019 - Published in paperback by Wildfire £7.99 - eBook and Audiobook also available. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of No Time to Cry by James Oswald
Read my review of Cold As the Grave by James Oswald
Read my review of Written in Bones by James Oswald

#BlogTour Cold As the Grave by James Oswald

Today is the last stop on the BlogTour As Cold As the Grave by James Oswald. It's an intriguing combination of police procedural crime, mystery and supernatural.

About the Author
James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new DC Constance Fairchild series. James's first two books, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls, were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award. As Cold as the Grave is the ninth book in the Inspector Mclean Series.

James farms Highland cows and Romney sheep by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.

Follow @SirBenFro and @Wildfirebks on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit jamesoswald.co.uk, Buy Cold As the Grave

About the book
Her mummified body is hidden in the dark corner of a basement room, a room which seems to have been left untouched for decades. A room which feels as cold as the grave.

As a rowdy demonstration makes its slow and vocal way along Edinburgh's Royal Mile, Detective Chief Inspector Tony McLean's team are on stand-by for any trouble. The newly promoted McLean is distracted, inexplicably drawn to a dead-end mews street... and a door, slightly ajar, which leads to this poor girl's final resting place.

But how long has she been there, in her sleep of death? The answers are far from what McLean or anyone else could expect. The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case...

Review
This is the ninth book in the Inspector McLean series. It can be read as a standalone novel. The other books are definitely worth a gander too.

McLean is having a wee bit of difficulty adjusting to his promotion. He is used to being the man on the ground in the midst of the dirty work. Hands-on is not just an instinct it has possibly become a hindrance to his career and close relationships. He lets himself get so enveloped by the crime of the moment that he forgets everything and everyone else.

His relationship with Emma has almost come to a complete standstill. McLean doesn't know how to deal with her emotional turmoil. Her mood swings are unpredictable, but perhaps understandable given the circumstances. I think she is a little egocentric in a sense that the world and the pain is exclusive to her. No thought is given to how McLean may or may not be feeling or how he might be dealing with things.

McLean accidentally stumbles on the corpse of a young girl. It looks like a crime committed many decades ago, perhaps even longer. A cold case of interest rather than of importance, however something isn't quite right.

I think the way Oswald mixes the genres becomes better with each book. The supernatural element of this crime story has the vibe of horror fiction, but the fascination of a mystery. It has a certain subtlety to it, an almost indiscernible feeling of something that is there, but not quite tangible.

It's an intriguing combination of police procedural crime, mystery and supernatural. Oswald delivers a riveting read and compelling story. Like a fine wine he is getting better with age or with each book.

Buy Cold As the Grave at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire pub date 27 Jun. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Written in Bones and No Time to Cry by James Oswald.

#BlogTour Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce. It's a psychological thriller with a wicked punch and one that leaves the reader with food for thought.

About the Author
Harriet Tyce grew up in Edinburgh and studied English at Oxford University before doing a law conversion course at City University. She practised as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade. She is currently doing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. She lives in north London. Blood Orange is her debut novel.

Follow @harriet_tyce @Wildfirebks @headlinepg on Twitter,
Visit harriettyceauthor.com
Buy Blood Orange

About the book
Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise - she's just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems...

Just one more night. Then I'll end it. 

Alison drinks too much. She's neglecting her family. And she's having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.

I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.

Alison's client doesn't deny that she stabbed her husband - she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.

I'm watching you. I know what you're doing.

But someone knows Alison's secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she's done, and who won't stop until she's lost everything....

Review
It sure is a humdinger of a plot. Even after the last page I wasn't sure who was guilty and which one of the characters just carried a certain element of guilt. There were so many aspects to this story that were intriguing I'm not sure I know where to start, which is certainly a sign of a good read.

Alison is a bit of a mess. She has a successful career and a beautiful family, and yet she is having sexual encounters with a colleague and spends a lot of her time drunk as a skunk. She doesn't spend a lot of time worrying about her husband or young daughter, whilst she is getting her jollies.

The first instinct is to see Alison as the bad guy, however there is something likeable about her, despite the mess and all her failings. As the story progresses the reader knows there is something off, something dark just lurking in the shadows. The question is whether she will be able to recognise the reality of her situation before it's too late.

Tyce brings two important topics into the storyline. It's done in such a subtle way that it may go under in the viciousness of some the scenes or in the skewed boundary lines of some of the scenarios. One of those topics is consent and the comprehension of what consent means. The other is the insidious nature of abuse and the fact everyone can fall prey to an abuser.

I enjoyed the fact Alison wasn't really completely good or bad. The author writes her with a refreshing sense of authenticity, she is human and makes mistakes. It doesn't mean she loves her child any less or defends her clients to anything other than her full capability.

It's a psychological thriller with a wicked punch and one that leaves the reader with plenty of food for thought.

Buy Blood Orange at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Wildfire; pub date 21 Feb. 2019

#BlogTour And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott

It's an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour And So It Begins by Rachel Abott. This is without a doubt Abbott's best book yet. It is the perfect combination of crime and psychological thriller.

About the Author
Rachel Abbott began her career as an independent author in 2011, with Only the Innocent, which became a No.1 bestseller on Kindle, topping the chart for four weeks. Since then, she has published five further psychological thrillers, plus a novella, and sold over 2.75 million copies. She is one of the top-selling authors of all time in the UK Kindle store (published and self-published), and her novels have been translated into 21 languages. This is her first traditional publishing deal, though she’s been approached many times.

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Buy And So It Begins

About the book
So this is how it ends. It is clear to me now: one of us has to die.
Mark and Evie had a whirlwind romance. Evie brought Mark back to life after the sudden death of his first wife. Cleo, Mark’s sister, knows she should be happy for him. But Cleo doesn’t trust Evie...

When Evie starts having accidents at home, her friends grow concerned. Could Mark be causing her
injuries? Called out to their cliff-top house one night, Sergeant Stephanie King finds two bodies entangled on blood-drenched sheets.

Where does murder begin? When the knife is raised to strike, or before, at the first thought of violence? As the accused stands trial, the jury is forced to consider - is there ever a proper defence for murder?

And So It Begins is a darkly compulsive psychological thriller with all the hallmarks of a Rachel Abbott bestseller - a provocative dilemma, richly-layered mystery, knife-edge tension, and brilliant characterization.

Review
Once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern. Mark and Evie have a seemingly happy relationship on the surface. They live in a fantastic house and are parents to a healthy beautiful baby. Everything is hunky-dory except for the dark cloud hanging over the house, because that's where Mark's first wife fell to her death.

Then there is Cleo, the obsessive and manipulative sister of Mark. The woman who hates all of his girlfriends, and Evie is no exception. Cleo loves Mark, Lulu and Cleo, of course.

As if it that wasn't enough to muddy the clear waters, Evie also suffers from an unfortunate proneness to accidents. Unfortunate in a sense that said accidents always seem to happen just after Mark has left for a business trip. Is there an abusive controlling man hidden behind the perfect exterior?

Cleo doesn't think so, in fact she vehemently denies any wrong-doing when it comes to Mark. She is willing to go to any length to keep him safe, coddled and wrapped up in a bubble of sisterly protection.

It's never quite clear who the guilty party is, even after one of the main characters meets an unfortunate end. Is there some element of self-defence? Did they deserve to meet the grim-reaper or is the inadvertent killer playing a double-game?

The entire story is filled with questions. Guilt isn't defined within the parameters of black and white borders. The grey areas are coloured with such a variety of shades that it is difficult to determine who the real villain is, which is the magic of this story, and it also creates the taut tension throughout.

This is without a doubt Abbott's best book yet. It is the perfect combination of crime and psychological thriller. I love the fact she always works to improve her craft in order to deliver a great read. It's full of twists and turns, nobody is free of doubt or guilt, which is what makes this such an excellent story, and one I highly recommend.

Buy And So it Begins at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Publisher: Wildfire (15 Nov. 2018)

Read Kill Me Again, Read The Back Road, Read Nowhere Child, Read Stranger Child, Read Come a Little Closer or Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbott