The Light A Candle Society by Ruth Hogan (Audiobook)

 

When George McGlory stumbles across a funeral without any mourners he's shocked and intrigued. Upon learning that a public health funeral is carried out when a deceased has no family or friends to make the necessary arrangements he takes it upon himself to attend as many as he can.

Ruth Hogan has such a magical way of drawing you into a story that you can't help but be completely absorbed by The Light A Candle Society. Wonderful narration from Mark Elstob adds the perfect touch as he makes it so easy to distinguish between the different characters.

George is still mourning the loss of his wife and regularly visits her grave. It's during one of these visits that he notices a funeral taking place with no mourners. Chatting with the funeral director he discovers that it is a public health funeral, one carried out by the local council as the deceased had no known family or friends. George is disheartened thinking that someone can die without anyone to mark their passing and pledges to try and attend any public health funerals in the future. As he shares his discovery with friends and colleagues he finds like-minded souls who offer to support him in any way they can and thus, the Light A Candle Society is born.

Despite the somber theme, this is an uplifting story, we see the good in many people, the generosity of spirit and a sense of community as they offer support. There is a snowball effect, particularly when a local journalist gets involved.

The deceased aren't simply names in the story, the author does a wonderful job by giving us a glimpse into their lives, almost a short story about the character. This snapshot focuses on a happy time when everything in life seemed to be going well, this is then juxtaposed with the lonely funeral. As George investigates the life of each solitary individual we learn the sad story of how they came to be alone and it makes you realise how easy it is for life to change so drastically.

The Light A Candle Society by Ruth Hogan will be published on 26th June 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and W. F. Howes Ltd for a review copy.

Author Details

Ruth Hogan studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths College and went on to work in local government. A car accident and a subsequent run-in with cancer convinced her finally to get her act together and pursue her dream of becoming a writer. The result was her debut novel - The Keeper of Lost Things, which went on to sell two million copies globally. She is now living the dream (and occasional nightmare) as a full-time author, along with her husband and rescue dogs in a rambling Victorian house stuffed with treasure that inspires her novels.

Deadline by Steph McGovern

 

TV presenter Rose Steedman is in the middle of the biggest interview of her life, live on TV, when she hears a strange voice through her earpiece. The voice tells her that they have kidnapped her wife and son and she needs to do exactly as they say if she wants to see them alive again.

Deadline is Steph McGovern's debut novel. An often-used piece of advice to aspiring writers is to write what you know about and Steph McGovern has done just that, to the point that as I was reading I was picturing Steph as the lead character Rose. Rose is a no-nonsense, down-to-earth reporter who viewers delight in seeing on their screens, particularly when she's on location. We quickly learn, however, that the life of a roving reporter is not a glamorous one. The author also shows that life in the public eye can be unpleasant and the widespread use of social media can add danger.

The build-up to the ominous message is quick and gripping as we gain a glimpse into the fascinating world of Rose and her small team of camera operator, broadcast engineer and producer. You can feel the rapport between the team and there is lots of humour. Tension builds as we learn that after the first report from a construction site, the team is to interview the Chancellor at a top-secret location. Security around the location is extremely tight, making you wonder what is being protected. 

The pace of the story and the suspense doesn't let up for a second until Rose hears the sinister warning during her interview. At this point, approximately a third of the way through the novel, the story goes back five years and introduces some new characters. While the narrative around these characters is interesting I felt that the momentum built in the first part of the book was lost. It takes quite a while for the story surrounding the new characters to coalesce and figure out how everything fits together. When the two stories merge anticipation begins to climb again and by the conclusion you want to punch the air and shout "YES!".

This is an immensely readable debut novel, filled with engaging characters, a heartbreaking story and plenty of misdirection. I'm sure this is going to be one of those books that every other person on the beach or around the pool will be reading this summer.

Deadline by Steph McGovern will be published on 3rd July 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

Author Details

Steph McGovern is an award-winning broadcaster who currently presents The Rest Is Money podcast with Robert Peston. Steph has worked in journalism for over twenty years, eight of them as part of the BBC Breakfast family. She went on to present her own BAFTA-nominated live daily show, Steph’s Packed Lunch, on Channel 4 and is a regular Have I Got News for You panellist and host. Steph is an avid crime reader and has interviewed countless authors including Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves, Hillary Clinton, Harlan Coben, Lee Child and Don Winslow, as well as judging the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award at the Harrogate Crime Festival since 2019. Deadline is her first novel.

River Of Stars by Georgina Moore

 

Jo Star's heart was broken over twenty years ago when her first true love, Oliver, disappeared from Walnut Tree Island. His sudden return not only stirs up old memories but also brings unrest to the residents of the island as he is determined to sell the land.

River Of Stars by Georgina Moore really surprised me when I started reading it. The beautifully dreamy cover and the accompanying blurb had me picturing something set in the American South. As I read I discovered that the fictional Walnut Tree Island is based on Eel Pie Island in the Thames. The author's description of the island is wonderful, it comes across as idyllic, almost otherworldly - not in a supernatural way but just a different way of life, verging on magical.

The story is told through a dual timeline, alongside Jo's story we also learn of her grandmother, Mary, the first of the Star women to live on the island. We meet Mary as a teenager in 1964 who is entranced by the music scene on Walnut Tree Island, falls in love with a musician on the cusp of fame and is then abandoned. Finding herself pregnant and disowned by her own family, George Greenwood, the owner of the island, takes pity on her and gives her a place to live. The story regularly revisits Mary as she raises her daughter and granddaughter on the island. I was fascinated by Mary's story, from the hedonistic days of the 1960s through to the current day and her role as matriarch of the community who call Walnut Tree Island home.

Jo's story begins in a similar way, discovering young love on the island with Oliver Greenwood, grandson of George. Unfortunately, Oliver's father is domineering and wants nothing to do with the island, forcing the young lovers apart and controlling the rest of Oliver's life. Despite Jo's tragic backstory and heartbreak I really couldn't warm to her, I found her demanding, stubborn, jealous and petulant, to the point where I was more invested in Mary's story than Jo's.

Alongside the Star women are a host of supporting characters who add depth to the novel and the descriptions of life on the island are riveting and seductive. The community atmosphere is the sort of thing that people dream of finding.

The conclusion isn't a surprise, although there is a mixture of joy and sadness for various residents.

River Of Stars by Georgina Moore will be published on 3rd July 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a review copy.

Author Details

Georgina Moore grew up in London and lives on a houseboat on the River Thames with her partner, two children and Bomber, the Border Terrier.   The Garnett Girls was her debut novel and is set on the Isle of Wight, where Georgina and her family have a holiday houseboat called Sturdy. Georgina's new novel River of Stars is published is inspired by the legendary Eel Pie Island and its colourful history as a rock and roll haven in the 1960s, and by her own life on the river.

The Six Murders Of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common

 

When Warren Ackerman dies at a senior living facility no one is surprised, until his elderly girlfriend Daphne confesses to his murder. The country is shocked when she declares that Warren wasn't the first man she'd murdered.

Female serial killer novels are a very popular genre at the moment and most of them are firmly tongue-in-cheek and filled with dark humour. With a tagline of "Meet Daphne St Clair: glamorous ninety-year-old grandmother, care home resident, and your new favourite serial killer" I fully expected The Six Murders Of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common to be in the same vein. What transpired was something much more sobering and mysterious.

Word of Daphne's crime, and her admission that she has killed before, spreads quickly around her local area. Encouraged by her granddaughter Daphne agrees to tell her story for a podcast, a podcast that proves to be extremely popular, Most of the listeners have the same question. Why would a ninety-year-old, having gotten away with numerous murders, suddenly confess?

In charge of the podcast is Ruth, a struggling local journalist. As Daphne recounts her story we quickly learn that both Daphne and Ruth are unreliable narrators. Daphne's start in life was bleak. I found the details of the Dust Bowl in 1930s Canada informative and distressing. Considering her early life of desperation and abuse, Daphne's first two murders are almost understandable. By her fourth we learn that she relishes the sense of power she has, deciding who lives and who dies. In her heyday she was beautiful, clever, flirtatious and inscrutable, all of which made her attractive to rich men. However, she could be mean, malevolent and greedy, her only concern in life being her own well-being. The information she is prepared to share with Ruth, and the general public, is carefully curated.

Ruth's involvement initially seems obvious, she's desperate to enhance her flagging career. As Ruth delves deeper into Daphne's past it soon becomes clear that she has an ulterior motive.

I enjoyed the way in which the popularity of the podcast, and Daphne's crimes, were discussed on message boards, with ridiculous theories and desperation to know where Daphne lived. We also see some of the more bizarre behaviours on social media with Daphne merchandise becoming popular and even an influencer giving advice on how to dress like Daphne during the time period in which she committed each murder.

The overarching question remains though, what is the motive behind each woman's actions? The mystery surrounding Ruth eventually clears but what she hopes to achieve is still vague. As for Daphne's motive, you'll just have to read the book yourself to find out.

The Six Murders Of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common will be published on 19th June 2025 in hardback and ebook. The audiobook will be published on 26th June 2025. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for a review copy.

Author Details

Dr MacKenzie Common works in the field of digital rights and is an expert on human rights issues in social media content moderation. She also has a background in international law and worked at a war crimes tribunal at The Hague. She is a Canadian who has lived so long in England that she has acquired a British husband, two British children, and a love for bleak British comedy. The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair is her debut adult novel.

#BlogTour The Woman Who Got Her Spark Back by Fiona Gibson

 

Synopsis

Is it ever too late to bloom?

Meet Celia. Life hasn’t worked out quite how she’d planned.

Since her son left for university, Celia has felt stuck at home – battling with her husband Geoff over control of the thermostat, and without the merest glint of a social life. Her only joy comes from the plants she nurtures in her makeshift plant hospital in their Glasgow flat.

Then three unexpected things happen:

1. She catches Geoff in bed with a secretary from his sausage factory (no pun intended).
2. Her high-flying best friend Amanda arrives on her doorstep without warning (but with a very large suitcase).
3. A tall handsome French teacher asks her to tend his daughter’s cactus back to health.

Suddenly, Celia finds her life in freefall, but she makes a decision: she won’t let this be the end of her. She’ll bring herself back to life, just like the plants she works her magic on. But just how do you change the habits of a lifetime?

My Review

In The Woman Who Got Her Spark Back by Fiona Gibson we are introduced to Celia, a hardworking wife and mother. Her marriage is plodding along, mainly because her husband doesn't like change, and since her son went to university the only things that really bring her any joy are the houseplants she nurses back to health in her "Houseplant Hospital". Celia is one of those characters who would willingly continue with the status quo, despite the lack of joy in her life, simply to keep everyone around her happy. It is only catching her husband in flagrante that causes her to take a close look at her life.

Celia is aided by the unexpected arrival of her childhood friend Amanda. Amanda left Glasgow as soon as she was old enough and went to London to study fashion but eventually became a TV presenter. The only problem is that Amanda is now at that age where she's no longer considered "right for TV". Fleeing London to lick her wounds, she ends up on Celia's doorstep, something completely unforeseen as they've barely kept in touch.

Amanda and Celia are like chalk and cheese and this is why the pairing works so well. Amanda is polished and self-assured, she loves performing makeovers. Celia is downtrodden and timid, she reluctantly becomes Amanda's pet project. It is lovely to see Celia slowly blossom, particularly as the changes made are only small tweaks, it's more about the newfound confidence Amanda inspires. Watching Celia embrace her new life is a catalyst for Amanda to make some changes too.

The main characters are engaging, along with a handsome romantic interest and a precocious child. There is a smattering of humour; I'll never be able to look at a butternut squash in the same way again and will consider pink wafer biscuits to be dangerous weapons from now on.

Everything is presented at a brisk pace which keeps you engaged and turning the pages. Avoiding dragging the conclusion out, the author wraps everything up quickly with an uplifting ending showing us how the characters have adapted to the changes in their lives.

The Woman Who Got Her Spark Back by Fiona Gibson is available in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for a review copy.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/GotHerSparkBack

Author Details

Fiona Gibson writes bestselling and brilliantly funny novels about the craziness and messiness of family life.

The Protest by Rob Rinder

 

During a protest by an anti-war group of activists, a prominent artist is killed. The young activist responsible is charged with murder and fledgling barrister Adam Green is part of her defense team.

The Protest by Rob Rinder is the third book in the Adam Green series and works perfectly well as a standalone legal thriller. However, if you want to have a better understanding of the role of a young barrister and the relationships between the different characters he works alongside I would recommend reading the first two books in the series, The Trial (you can read my review here) and The Suspect (my review is here).

The story opens with the shocking murder of the country's greatest living artist during the opening of a retrospective of his work. A young woman, part of an anti-war group, sprays the artist in the face with blue paint. While the incident is shocking, initially everyone assumes it is simply another protest by the Stop The War group. The sudden collapse of the artist, followed by his death, is quickly revealed to be a result of the spray paint being poisoned.

Adam Green, working with a more experienced barrister, is part of the defense team for the accused, Lexi Williams. We're given a glimpse into how legal proceedings work, including the amount of pressure placed on trainees and newly qualified barristers - I'm not sure the author is really selling the profession! Those at the start of their career seem to be juggling numerous cases while burning the candle at both ends simply to keep up. More experienced colleagues are able to leave most of the work to their junior colleagues, yet take all the glory when a case is successful. A prime example of this is Adam's ex-pupil master Jonathan Taylor-Cameron. Jonathan is still an absolute letch, the mere mention of his name is enough to make me cringe, and he's now making life difficult for his new pupil Stacey.

Stacey is a breath of fresh air. She's not intimidated by the more experienced barristers and shows Adam that you don't have to work 24/7. Their budding friendship has a positive influence on Adam, making him reflect on his current lifestyle. Another colleague, Georgina, who started at the same time as Adam, reinforces this. I began to wonder if romance was on the horizon for Adam, it would certainly please his mother.

The defense team is hampered by the attitude of the accused. Young Lexi Williams comes across as a petulant young adult filled with conspiracy theories, all she seems concerned about is how many followers she's got on social media. This is juxtaposed by the defendant in another case Adam is working on, a young soldier facing a military court. Both young people are accused of murder, one during a protest against war, the other as a soldier fighting the same war. The contrast between the two different courts is an eye-opener, as is the way in which both accused carry themselves.

Adam is constantly looking over his shoulder as he investigates both crimes, the threats from a previous case still loom large and you get a real sense of menace. Shadowy figures and echoing footsteps had my pulse increasing as I became more and more worried for Adam's well-being. With two major cases to conclude you begin to wonder not only about success but also about survival. As for the outcome of the trials - I'm not going to spoil anything, but the ending was very unexpected.

The Protest by Rob Rinder will be published on 19th June 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Century for a review copy.

Author Details

Rob Rinder is a barrister turned broadcaster and Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author. Called to the bar in 2001, Rob went on to specialise in cases involving murder, international fraud, money laundering and other forms of financial crime, while working in media to make law more accessible. He started his broadcast career with Judge Rinder for ITV winning a Royal Television Society Award before going on to host his own BBC 5Live series Raising the Bar.

Rob’s participation in Who Do You Think You Are? retraced the story of his Holocaust survivor grandfather and received a BAFTA. The BBC series he presented, The Holocaust, My Family and Me, was aired to wide critical acclaim and he has gone on to curate and present notable documentaries on a range of topics, from international conflict to medieval history and, recently, the history of prisons. In 2020, Rob was awarded an MBE for his services to Holocaust education and an honorary doctorate for his legal work.

A regular host on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rob co-hosts BBC Two’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby and recently appeared in a new show about art and travel, The Grand Tour, which saw Rob and his co-host Rylan retrace the footsteps of cultural greats around Italy.

Rob’s novels The Trial and The Suspect are inspired by his experiences as a barrister.

Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey

 

Forty years after playing hockey together at school, a group of women hold a reunion. However, one of their number is missing, Isabella hasn't been seen or heard from in fifteen years. Lots of rumours swirl, from living abroad to being dead. Her best friend Gwen sets out to discover what really happened to Isabelle.

I've loved Beth Morrey's style of writing since I stumbled across the wonderful Saving Missy. Her books are filled with wonderful characters and a real sense of community, stories that lighten your heart and leave you with a smile on your face. In her last newsletter, the author said that her next book, Isabella's Not Dead would be a little different, so I was very keen to see how different.

There is a definite mystery element to the storyline. The get-together weekend ends up with some of the women using an Ouija board. As the board begins to spell out a name, I.....S.....A.....B, talk among the group turns to the missing Isabella. It becomes clear that none of them have had contact with Isabella in years, although there have been possible sightings in various towns and cities, even as far away as Italy and America. Isabella has simply fallen off everyone's radar and as a result, they begin to wonder if she's dead. Isabella's best friend, Gwen, is convinced she's still alive but is a spy, hence being incommunicado, and decides to track her down.

Gwen obviously feels guilty about letting a friendship slip away. There is lots of reminiscing as Gwen tries to focus her search, deciding where would be the best place to start her mission. Gwen realises that she has a lot to do with the friendship fizzling out, life got in the way and communication dried up. Before Gwen knew it a long time had passed and she felt too embarrassed to try and reconnect so didn't bother. I'm sure lots of us will know that feeling. What makes things different this time around is that Gwen is drifting. Having lost her job she's passing the time by making mosaics to sell on Etsy but feels very aimless. Tracking down Isabella gives her a goal, a purpose in life.

Trying to track down Isabella isn't easy, responses to Gwen's queries are vague at best, adding to the air of mystery. Even among all the questions and doubt, Beth Morrey's humour is evident. Gwen is all too well aware of the pecking order in her husband's affection (Mabel the Labrador comes first) and her mother-in-law is unbelievably contrary. The mother-in-law, Morag, provides some of the best scenes in the book; an over-the-top eighty-two-year-old with money to burn and absolutely no filter, comedy gold.

Through all the ups and downs of the search I kept willing Gwen on, I was fully invested in her quest. I had a vague inkling surrounding the whole disappearance and was eager to know if I was right. By the end, Gwen finds the answers she was looking for, although not necessarily the happy-ever-after she'd assumed would come with those answers. What she does find is a new sense of purpose and the realisation that life, like friendship, requires effort. Fans of the author won't be disappointed by this slight diversion in style.

Isabella's Not Dead by Beth Morrey will be published on 19th June 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Previously Creative Director at RDF Television, Beth Morrey now writes full time. Her debut novel, Saving Missy, was a Sunday Times bestseller and longlisted for the Authors' Club First Novel Award. Beth lives in London with her husband, two sons and two poodles.