#BlogTour Right Behind You by Rachel Abbott

Today it's an absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Right Behind You by Rachel Abbott.

About the Author
Rachel Abbott’s debut thriller, Only the Innocent, was an international bestseller, reaching the number one position in the Amazon charts both in the UK and US. This was followed by the number one bestselling novels The Back Road, Sleep Tight, Stranger Child, Nowhere Child (a short novel based on the characters from Stranger Child), Kill Me Again, The Sixth Window, Come a Little Closer and And So It Begins. Her most recent novel, The Shape of Lies, was released in February 2019.

Rachel’s novels have now been translated into over 20 languages and her books have sold over 3 million copies in the English language.

In 2015 Amazon celebrated the first five years of the Kindle in the UK, and announced that Rachel was the #1 bestselling independent author over the five-year period. She was also placed #14 in the chart of all authors. Stranger Child was the most borrowed novel for the Kindle in the first half of 2015.

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. For more information, see Rachel’s website, or follow her on Twitter.

Follow @RachelAbbott on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit rachel-abbott.com and rachelabbottwriter.com, Buy Right Behind You

About the book
Some doors should not be opened.
Some can never be closed.

Jo Palmer’s peaceful and happy life is about to end.

Ash – the man she loves – will be arrested by the police.
Millie – her precious daughter – will be taken from her.

She will lose her friends.
She will doubt her sanity.

Someone is stealing everything Jo loves, and will stop at nothing.

But right now, Jo is laughing in her kitchen, eating dinner with her family, suspecting nothing.

It’s raining outside.

There’s a knock on the door. They are here.

Review
I can imagine plenty of people making a resolution to double-check credentials and call the police for confirmation if they are ever placed in the same situation as Jo. Being confronted by the possibility that your husband has done something heinous is one thing, but having to hand over your child because of it is quite another matter altogether. Then finding out you have been cruelly tricked by the people you trust the most, well it changes life as Jo knows it - forever.

The realisation that her child has been taken is so much worse than the fact her husband has gone too. Her vulnerable frightened little girl must be terrified, that's all Jo can think about. When it becomes clear that her husband and perhaps even one of her friends could be involved, Jo starts to get paranoid.

DCI Tom Douglas and Becky are on the case, but it's fair to say that Tom is a little distracted. He is about to become a father again and his brother muddies the waters for Tom again, both professionally and personally. It leaves Tom in a position of having to make a choice.

It's a psychological and domestic crime thriller. The author uses the intense and complex emotional ties within patchwork families to lay the groundwork for this read. Tom and his family always play some part in the Douglas series, however the main storyline would have survived without so much emphasis on them. If you've never read anything by Abbott before then I can only highly recommend you give her a try.

Buy Right Behind You at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Black Dot Publishing; pub date 16 Jan. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Loot & I'm with the Band by Barry Faulkner

Today it's my turnon the BlogTour Loot & I'm with the Band by Barry Faulkner. This is book 3 and Cases 5 and 6 in the DCS Palmer and the Serial Murder Squad series.

About the Author
Faulkner was born into a family of petty criminals in Herne Hill, South London, his father, uncle and elder brothers running with the notorious Richardson gang in the 60s-80s, and at this point we must point out that he did not follow in that family tradition although the characters he met and their escapades he witnessed have added a certain authenticity to his books. He attended the first ever comprehensive school in the UK, William Penn in Peckham and East Dulwich, where he attained no academic qualifications other than GCE ‘O’ level in Art and English and a Prefect’s badge (though some say he stole all three!)

His mother was a fashion model and had great theatrical aspirations for young Faulkner and pushed him into auditioning for the Morley Academy of Dramatic Art at the Elephant and Castle, where he was accepted but only lasted three months before being asked to leave as no visible talent had surfaced. Mind you, during his time at the Academy he was called to audition for the National Youth Theatre by Trevor Nunn – fifty years later, he’s still waiting for the call back!

His early writing career was as a copywriter with the major US advertising agency Erwin Wasey Ruthrauff & Ryan in Paddington during which time he got lucky with some light entertainment scripts sent to the BBC and Independent Television and became a script editor and writer on a freelance basis. He worked on most of the LE shows of the 1980-90s and as personal writer to Bob Monkhouse, Tom O’Connor and others. During that period, while living out of a suitcase in UK hotels for a lot of the time, he filled many notebooks with DCS Palmer case plots and in 2016 he finally found time to start putting them in order and into book form. nine are finished and published so far, with number 10 at the editors.

Faulkner is a popular speaker and often to be found on Crime Panels at Literary Festivals which he embraces and supports wholeheartedly. He has recently been seen on screen in the Channel 5 Narcos UK series, Episode 2 The London Gangs and his DCS Palmer book ‘I’m With The Band’ has just been serialised in 16 parts by BBC Radio Bristol. He has been a subject of Corinium Radio’s Writer’s Room programme, Manchester FM’s Hannah Kate Book show, Hawkesbury Upton Lit. Festival ‘Best of British’ panel, Evesham Festival of Words Crime Panel and Bristol Crime Fest Indie Author Panel amongst others

Faulkner is a member of ALLI (Alliance of Independent Authors) and publishes a blog about the ‘geezers’ of his youth, the criminals and their heists. It goes in depth about the Krays, Brinks Mat, Hatton Garden ‘Nipper’ Read and all the other major heists and who ‘dun ‘em’.  Take a look at  geezers2016.wordpress.com

He also speaks about that era in illustrated talks for social clubs, WI and others. As a crime writer Faulkner is quite particular about ‘getting it right’ and as well as his own Facebook page he publishes a page called ‘UK Crime Readers and Writers Page’ which has lots of information about the forensic crime detection methods, police procedurals and other facts of use to both reader and writer of crime and detective books. Faulkner now lives in the glorious Forest of Dean with his wife and three dogs

Follow @crimewriter1 on Twitter, on Goodreads, Check out his top rated crime blog at geezers2016.wordpress.com, Buy Loot & I'm with the Band

About the book - Loot
Two bodies turn up, one in London and one in Brighton but both are in similar bags. With only this clue to go on the Serial Murder Squad are led through a series of twists and turns involving a villain from DCS Palmer's past, a hoard of Nazi gold, a Member of Parliament and some very feisty females all intent on keeping the gold for themselves. But Palmer has other ideas.

About the book - I'm with the Band
The 70's rock band Revolution are still touring and packing the major venues. But their worried manager asks for help when his band members appear to be being murdered one by one. Palmer is skeptical until the manager himself is killed. The trail leads the Serial Murder Squad into the band's past and the many people who could harbour a long held grudge. It's a needle in a haystack job checking them all out until the killer shows himself on Facebook and defies Palmer to find him before the last band member is murdered

Review
This book contains Case 5 and 6 of the Serial Murder Squad.
Loot - I had to smirk when Palmer and Harry Robson first interacted. The criminal on the path of redemption. Living the life of a good citizen. What a wonderfully cooperative man he has become, right? As soon as Palmer is out the door the real face of Robson makes an appearance. Once a crook always a crook.

It's urban crime with a gangster vibe. The old police vs criminals schtick of prior decades when the sides had a grudging respect for each other, regardless which side they were on. The lines were clear and drawn with a fierce determination. Now times have changed and so has the type of crime and criminal the squad has to deal with.

There is no reluctant admiration for the naughty criminal - it has been replaced by disgust at the lengths some people are willing to go to make a profit nowadays. A new breed of criminal has risen from the ranks of the old guard, and the squad has to adjust their expections in order to deal with them.

I'm with the Band - the band members of a 70s rock band are being picked off one-by-one, at least that is what the manager says, because it just appears to be a coincidence. A series of accidents perhaps? The police aren't really inclined to believe that a very smart killer is at work until the manager proves his own point.

The two stories are quite different. Loot has more of an old school throw you into a river with cement boots kind of feel and I'm with the Band has a more modern criminal psycho killer vibe to it. Faulkner caters to more than one type of crime reader by using the squad to veer off into different sub-genres of crime.

Buy Loot & I'm with the Band at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: BSA Publications; pub date 2 Dec. 2017. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my review of Burning Ambition and Takeaway Terror by Barry Faulkner.

#BlogTour A Degree of Uncertainty by Nicola K. Smith

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour A Degree of Uncertainty by Nicola K. Smith.

Enter the Giveaway below to Win 10 x A Degree of Uncertainty (Open to UK Only)

About the Author
Nicola K Smith is a freelance journalist contributing to a number of titles including the The Times, Guardian.co.uk, BBC.co.uk, BBC Countryfile and Sainsbury’s Magazine. She lives in Falmouth, Cornwall, a town which inspired A Degree of Uncertainty, although it is set in the fictional Cornish town of Poltowan.

Follow @NicolaKSmith on Twitter, on Instagram, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Buy A Degree of Uncertainty

About the book
A Cornish town is slowly fracturing under the weight of its growing university…
Prominent businessman, Harry Manchester will not stand by and see his beloved hometown turned into a student ghetto — and many residents and students are relying on him.

But Harry’s stance sets him on a collision course with Dawn Goldberg, formidable Vice Chancellor of Poltowan University, who is set on doubling its size and cementing her career legacy.

As Harry’s marriage falls apart, his business comes under threat, and fellow traders accuse him of halting progress, Dawn is battling her own demons, not least the need to live up to her late father’s expectations and erase the memory of his tragic death.

There can only be one victor in this battle for the soul of a close-knit community…

Review

Although Harry fights a valiant battle to preserve the sanctity of his town, which makes him an upstanding citizen and hero in the minds of many people, there is another side to him though. The man with a crumbling marriage, although one could say he has his cake and is eating it too with a wife he returns to for comfort and the girlfriend for all his other needs.

It's easy to view Harry as the most pivotal character in the story, but in the background lurks the all-consuming depression of his wife. It's something Harry doesn't quite comprehend and indeed has run away from in a way. The author doesn't let the depression take position as a main character. Instead there is this sense of encroachment, of powerlessness and futility. Those moments aren't demanding per se, but they are powerful.

His nemesis, Dawn, is fighting to expand the housing situation for a growing population of students at the university - in direct opposition to what Harry and the majority of the town wants. It's a bit like a reading a gossipy article in a local newspaper.

It's a contemporary read about the shadow of depression and the fight for a small town.

I was a little surprised by the sexist tropes used by the author to define both Harry and Dawn as characters. They don't serve any purpose other than to detract from the more poignant storylines.

Smith makes valid points about the way a growing university town changes the way of life for the non-uni residents. When the landscape is changed to make space for more students than there are rooms or housing, the retailers and shops accommodate young people instead of the year round population. Things change in a way that makes life more difficult or not sustainable for non-uni residents. Giving both sides of the argument helps put things into perspective for people who don't have to deal with this.

Buy A Degree of Uncertainty at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Compass Publishing; pub date 29 Nov. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Enter the Giveaway to Win 10 x A Degree of Uncertainty (Open to UK Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway *Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

#BlogTour Legacy of Light by C.D.Tavenor

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Legacy of Light by C.D. Tavenor, it's the first in The Compendium series.

About the Author
C. D. Tavenor is a science fiction and fantasy author based in Columbus, Ohio and the Director of Editorial Services for Two Doctors Media Collaborative!

He's excited to tell stories that engage readers beyond a desire for entertainment, whether through philosophical inspiration or social inquiry. And he's a firm believer in connecting every piece of fiction to reality, whether through their themes or their settings.

When not writing, Tavenor enjoys the more than occasional board game, his favorite being Eclipse.
To stay in touch and receive some great free books, go here: https://mailchi.mp/a6b48c582759/welcome-to-two-doctors-media-collaborative

Follow @tavenorcd on Twitter, on Facebook, on BookBub, on Goodreads, Buy Legacy of Light

About the book
If only they knew us as more than accursed.
The Holy Empire hates the People of Light. Maripes, arriving in its capital, seeks to save his people from certain destruction. The Inquisition seeks theocratic justice, and it will stop at nothing to rid the world of those it considers evil.

Still, Maripes must try. For if he fails, doom will certainly befall his people. Standing in his way? The High Inquisitor, the Empress, and a million subjects all indoctrinated to believe he is evil incarnate.
Should be an easy task.

Otherwise, his son Mono, a soldier in the legions of their people, will face the fight of his life . .

Review
The story or rather the stories are narrated by Maripes, his son Mono and then lastly by Ermo - the granddaughter and daughter of the aforementioned. As a whole the book feels as if each person isn't given enough time to expand upon their individual story and everything moves quite quickly.

However that is absolutely explained away by the fact that these are three short stories combined together to make the first novel in the Compendium series. It explains why there is such an abruptness in between each narrative and why the author doesn't delve deeper, although I think each of them was worthy of a longer story.

Maripes is full of optimism when he approaches the Holy Empire and believes they can all live together in harmony. His son Mono seeks to keep his people safe, even if it means the ultimate sacrifice, and Ermo isn't really sure what fate she is being driven towards.

I was pleasantly surprised. It isn't easy to write high fantasy and draw readers into fictional worlds that bear no relevance to their own, although I do think some aspects of the worldbuilding lend themselves to modern society. That includes the dialogue, certain words and most definitely some of the underlying issues between the two warring societies.

It's an intriguing fantasy - a compelling battle to free the People of Light from oppression.

It often left me feeling as if Tavenor was just getting started and hadn't really gotten to the nitty-gritty and finer details of his worlds yet. Just letting us take a quick glimpse before slamming the door in our faces. In fact his Ned Stark shock moments were a bit naughty.

Buy Legacy of Light (The Compendium #1) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Two Doctors Media Collaborative pub date 3 Dec. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Firewatching by Russ Thomas.

Today it's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Firewatching by Russ Thomas. It is an incredibly good debut novel.

About the Author
Russ Thomas was born in Essex, raised in Berkshire and  now lies in Sheffield. He grew up in the 80s reading anything he could get from the library, writing stories, watching large amounts of television, playing video games, and largely avoiding the great outdoors. He spent five years trying to master playing the electronic organ and another five trying to learn Spanish. It didn't take him too long to realise that he'd be better off sticking to the writing.

After a few 'proper' jobs ( among them: pot-washer, optician's receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-centre telephonist and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of book selling, where he could talk to people about books all day.

His debut novel Firewatching is the first book in the DS Adam Tyler series.

Follow @thevoiceofruss on Twitter, on Goodreads, Visit russthomasauthor.com, Buy Firewatching

About the book
One False Move - A body is found bricked into the walls of a house. From the state of the hands, it's clear they were buried alive and tried to claw their way out before they died. Soon, the victim is linked to a missing person's case and DS Adam Tyler is called.

Will Ignite - As the sole representative of South Yorkshire's Cold Case Review Unit, Tyler recognises his role as what it is - a means of keeping him out of the way following an 'incident.' When this case falls in his lap, he grabs the opportunity to fix his stagnating career.

The City - When he discovers he has a connection to the case that hopelessly compromises him, he makes the snap decision not to tell his superiors. With such a brutal and sadistic murder to unpick, Tyler must move carefully to find the truth, without destroying the case or himself.

Meanwhile, someone in the city knows exactly what happened to the body. Someone who is watching Adam closely. Someone with an unhealthy affinity with fire...

Review
Sometimes you get reads that demand attention. You are unable to focus on any other matter or book until you have devoted every aspect of yourself to this particular story - right until the very last page.

DS Adam Tyler is called to the scene of a crime as the representative of the Cold Case Unit. The body is of a person who went missing many years ago. Perhaps he can finally get some answers to the many questions the police and the family have.

Simultaneously someone has been setting fires - the question is whether there is any connection to a bizarre blog on the internet and real life or is it all just some strange coincidence. The insidious nature of the arsonist is balanced, in an oddly fascinating way, by the factual accounts of historical incidents of tragedies linked to fire.

In the midst of the more serious nature of this crime read the relationship between Doggett and Tyler brings a little humour to the story. Doggett has a very specific snarky charm, and he doesn't mind sharing it with everyone around him. Think Dalziel and his acidic tongue, but with much friendlier intentions.

I enjoyed the way the author stapled the truth of the insatiable hunger of social media intermittently into the story. It serves as a stark and frightening reminder that there are plenty of invisible people out there in the world, who feed off pain, drama and fear. What's worse is how many of them are willing to incite and fuel the flames - pun absolutely intended.

It's a superb crime read - an excellent combination of snark, mystery and murder.

I had to go back and check again that this was indeed a debut novel, because Thomas plots and writes like someone who has been writing for years. I hope this is the first of many more.

Buy Firewatching at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Simon and Shuster pub date 20 February 2020 - Hardback 12.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BookBirthdayBlitz Perfect Match by Zoe May

It's a pleasure to take part in the Book Birthday Blitz for Perfect Match by Zoe May.

About the Author
Zoe May lives in southeast London and writes romantic comedies. Zoe has dreamt of being a novelist since she was a teenager. She worked in journalism and copywriting before writing her debut novel, Perfect Match. Having experienced the London dating scene first hand, Zoe could not resist writing a novel about dating, since it seems to supply endless amounts of weird and wonderful material!

Perfect Match was one of Apple's top-selling books of 2018. It was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association's Joan Hessayon Award, with judges describing it as 'a laugh out loud look at love and self-discovery - fresh and very funny'.

As well as writing, Zoe enjoys walking her dog, painting and, of course, reading! She adores animals and if she's not taking a photo of a vegan meal, she's probably tweeting about the dairy industry. She is half Greek and half Irish and can make a mean baklava. Zoe has a thing for horror films, India, swimming, hip hop and Radiohead. She has an encyclopaedic knowledge of handbags having spent several years working in fashion copywriting and could probably win Mastermind if this was her specialist subject!

Follow @zoe_writes and @HQDigitalUK on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, Visit zoemayauthor.co.uk, Buy Perfect Match

About the book
Can you ever find true love online?
Sophia Jones is an expert in all things online dating: the best sites, how to write a decent bio, which questions to ask and the right type of photos to use. The only thing she’s not so great at? Picking the guys…

After sitting through yet another dreadful date with a man who isn’t quite what she expected, Sophia is just about ready to give up on the whole dating scene. But her flatmate, Kate, persuades her to give it one more chance, only this time she must create a profile describing her ‘perfect’ man.

Yes, he must look like Robert Pattinson and needs to own a multi-million pound business, but there are a couple of other deal breakers, too! So, when a guy comes along who ticks every box, surely there’s got to be a catch?

Review
There is a chapter in this book that had me in stitches, because it reminded me of a similar faux pas I once made, except mine was mistaking a small heated fluffy hand-towel for a dessert. I was crying tears of laughter when I read it.

What May hides really well in this humorous story is the serious question of our expectations vs reality when it comes to relationships and love, and if that wasn't enough the author also takes a subtle pop at online dating. It has become the 21st century approach to meeting a potential mate. It has opened up opportunities, but it also brings certain safety concerns with it. Connecting with other people is now as easy as breathing air thanks to app, smartphones and technology in general.

Sophia has used nearly every website she can think of to find the right man. So far she has only met duds, bores and freaks. Then again she is extremely finicky. No one is handsome enough, rich enough, smart enough and certainly not entertaining enough for her.

In an act of desperation she writes a profile for yet another website with what can only be described as fantastical requests. In return she gets a lot of weird replies, but one of them is different, one of them matches the profile perfectly.

The moral of the story is you should never judge a book by its cover. Nothing could be more true in this case. As is the saying that you don't want something or someone until somebody else has it and it is no longer available to you. Sophia definitely suffers from wanting what she can't have and not wanting what she can have.

Perfect Match is a light-hearted rom-com with a frank take on 21st century dating and our inability to appreciate what we have, and to see what is often right under our noses. May entertains without losing sight of the point she is trying to make, and brings the serious tone when the story requires it.

It isn't often that a scene in a book makes me laugh out loud, so kudos to May for that.

Buy Perfect Match at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: HQ Digital, pub date 12 Jan. 2018. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Victory Day by Rachel Churcher

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Victory Day by Rachel Churcher. It's also book 5 and the end of the Battle Ground series.

About the Author
Rachel Churcher was born between the last manned moon landing, and the first orbital Space Shuttle mission. She remembers watching the launch of STS-1, and falling in love with space flight, at the age of five. She fell in love with science fiction shortly after that, and in her teens she discovered dystopian fiction. In an effort to find out what she wanted to do with her life, she collected degrees and other qualifications in Geography, Science Fiction Studies, Architectural Technology, Childminding, and Writing for Radio.

She has worked as an editor on national and in-house magazines; as an IT trainer; and as a freelance writer and artist. She has renovated several properties, and has plenty of horror stories to tell about dangerous electrics and nightmare plumbers. She enjoys reading, travelling, stargazing, and eating good food with good friends – but nothing makes her as happy as writing fiction.

Her first published short story appeared in an anthology in 2014, and the Battle Ground series is her first long-form work. Rachel lives in East Anglia, in a house with a large library and a conservatory full of house plants. She would love to live on Mars, but only if she’s allowed to bring her books.

Follow @Rachel_Churcher on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Facebook, on Instagram, on Taller Books,

Buy Victory Day (Battle Ground 5)

About the book
Bex Ellman and Ketty Smith meet in London. As the war heats up around them, Bex and Ketty must learn to trust each other. With her friends and family in danger, Bex needs Ketty to help rescue them. For Ketty, working with Bex is a matter of survival. When Victory is declared, both will be held accountable for their decisions.

Review
This is the fifth and final book in the Battle Ground series. One might expect for the finale to be all guns blazing, bombs blasting and death by the thousands. Instead it seems as if the penultimate book in the series takes that spot. This one is more introspective and reflective.

In a way it's a bittersweet goodbye, but also a necessary one. Looking closely at what has become of the characters and they in turn take a close look at their decisions during the civil war. The author delivers an end to their stories, their lives after the war. It's possibly the most important aspect of the battle - what comes afterwards when a fragile peace has been established.

Can Bex and Ketty ever have a friendship, should they have one? The actions and decisions of both young women in the previous books would suggest that there is too much water under the bridge.

It's a dystopian novel - a frighteningly realistic scenario of what the future could look like.

Churcher takes the fear, anger and divisiveness of our current times and let's a worst case scenario play out. Where one would perhaps expect a different outcome because the major players are young and filled to the brim with ideology, the result is actually the same regardless of their age. What does that say about human-kind? Are we always destined to destroy each other? Are younger generations always fated to repeat the mistakes of older generations?

Buy Victory Day at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

Read my reviews of Battle Ground #1, Darkest Hour (Battle Ground #3) and Fighting Back (Battle Ground #4) by Rachel Churcher.