Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich (Audiobook)

 

Forty-nine-year-old Julie is madly in love with one of her colleague, Sean. She just knows Sean feels the same way, unfortunately, another woman stands in the way of their true love. Not to worry though, Julie has dealt with stumbling blocks like this before.

Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich is so much fun, I loved every second of it and could easily have gone straight back to the beginning once I reached the end. With the story being told from Julie's perspective this works brilliantly as an audiobook, probably better than the print version. Clare Corbett's excellent narration adds to the enjoyment.

The hilarious opening immediately grabs you and gives you an idea of Julie's personality. Self-assured, decisive, intelligent and standoffish. Julie looks down on the people she works with, apart from Sean. Sean is much younger than Julie but she's convinced they have a connection and that he feels exactly the same. Julie knows that Sean is meant to be with her, unfortunately, he's already got a girlfriend and is far too kind to simply break up with her. Julie hatches a cunning plan so that Sean can finally be free to be with her.

As Julie puts her plan into action we are also given glimpses of Julie's past, learning that she has been in a similar situation before. Everything is very tongue-in-cheek, from Julie's hobbies through to her interactions with her neighbours. 

Julie is so delusional that she's convinced no one at her place of work knows she and Sean are in love, yet to everyone else, it's clear that she is an obsessed stalker. When Sean and his friends are huddled together and looking at her from across the office she mistakes the glances as an unspoken sign of his true feelings. Even Gareth, Julie's closest colleague, can't avoid whistling 'Every Breath You Take'.

The big question is can anything stand in the way of Julie being with Sean, her one true love? Luckily, Julie is resourceful and manipulative enough to deal with every mishap. I was in stitches as each incident cropped up and was swept aside in Julie's increasingly unbalanced desire.

Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich will be published on 5th June 2025 in Hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.

Author Details

Jennifer Holdich obtained an MA in Scriptwriting in 2014, won the Cardiff Writers’ Circle Short Story competition in 2021 and has had multiple short stories and pieces of flash fiction published. Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath is her debut novel. 

In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker

 

It's 1965 and to avoid bringing shame on her family Betsy Eubanks is sent to a home for unwed mothers. While at the home Betsy is sent to work in the home of doctor's wife Lily Berg who is also pregnant. Little do the two women realise the profound effect they will have on each other's lives.

When I was first offered a review copy of  In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker neither the title nor the unfinished cover leapt out at me. Rather than dismiss it out of hand completely I read the blurb and noticed the comment "for fans of Lessons In Chemistry or The Help". Lessons In Chemistry was one of my favourite books of 2022 so that sealed the deal for me.

When I started the book I was expecting quite a whimsical and nostalgic read, what transpired was something far more powerful, emotional and relevant. Set in 1965 suburban America, feminism hasn't reared its head yet, although there are indications that it is on the way. Fifteen-year-old Betsy Eubanks finds herself pregnant. Determined not to have her future tainted by an unwanted pregnancy she is sent to another state to "stay with an aunt who is ill". In reality, she's sent to a home for unwed mothers where the baby will be put up for adoption as soon as it is born. From the parent's reactions you know that this move has more to do with respectability rather than Betsy's future.

Lily Berg isn't much older than Betsy but her life is a world away. Lily married as soon as she graduated high school with her husband being a doctor. They already have one young child and a second is on the way. Betsy is placed with the Bergs as a type of au pair. Through the placement Betsy meets Lily's friends and comes out of her shell.

The book is like a time portal, I enjoyed the nostalgia but, more importantly, it shows how far we have progressed as a society in sixty years. The first thing that really struck me was how women didn't have their own identity, they were seen as an extension of their husbands. Lily is always referred to as Mrs David Berg and her sister, Rose, is Mrs Marty Seigel. Rose is a successful teacher, however, she would be expected to give up her career should she become pregnant. Only married women can access birth control, which wouldn't have helped Betsy anyway as she had received no sex education from school or her parents. These are just a few of the instances where women are seen as second-class citizens.

Dealing with unwanted pregnancies plays a big part in the story. From teenagers like Betsy being shipped off to homes for unwed mothers to married women not wanting to carry another child. We learn of the illegal, dangerous, and often unscrupulous, ways in which these unwanted pregnancies are dealt with. I was surprised to learn that some hospitals had specialist wards set up simply to deal with the after-effects of illegal abortions. Absolutely nothing is mentioned about dealing with the psychological implications, women are simply patched up and sent home.

Betsy's time with Lily Berg is limited, shortly before her due date she returns to the home for unwed mothers to have her baby, with the women having no further contact. The author uses a time jump very effectively to update us on each of the character's lives, lives that have been moulded by those few months in 1965.

In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker will be published on 3rd June 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley, HQ and Rachel Quin for a review copy.

Author Details

Laney Katz Becker is an award-winning author, writer, and a former literary agent. Her books include Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend, In the Family Way, and the nonfiction anthology, Three Times Chai, a collection of rabbis’ favourite stories. When she’s not writing, Laney enjoys drawing, sewing, reading, long walks, playing tennis, and canasta. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, raised her two children in Westchester County, New York, and currently lives on the east coast of Florida with her husband and their Havanese.

April 2025 Reads

 

April has been busy, busy, busy and I know my reading has taken a knock because of this. It’s always a fine balance between finding time to read and getting out and about doing stuff. One of the highlights of the month was going to an author talk at my local library featuring Mari Hannah. Although I’d seen her just a month before at Bay Tales 25 (you can find out all about the festival here) when she was one of a panel of four, this time around it was just Mari. The hour just flew by. April is rounded off with a much-needed holiday. My Kindle is choc-a-block with books I want to read.

The month began with Dead Water, the third book in the Rees & Khan series from Simon Toyne. When a headless body is washed up on the banks of the Thames Khan immediately realises that Laughton Rees could be in danger. The body has links to an old case Laughton’s father worked on and has a very personal link to Laughton.

They Had It Coming by Nikki Smith is a destination thriller. Following a break-in, Jude and Sophie decide the time is right to visit their friends Nate and Layla in Bali. Obvious tensions between the two women cause problems but it soon becomes obvious that everyone is hiding secrets. The big question is how far will they each go to keep their secret hidden.

The Lost by Mari Hannah is the first book in the Stone and Oliver series. Recently paired detectives Frankie Oliver and David Stone investigate the disappearance of a young boy. When the case quickly evolves into murder the pair wonder what secrets the wealthy couple are hiding. I enjoyed the interactions between the detectives who complement each other perfectly, Frankie isn’t frightened of telling her boss exactly what she thinks.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous books I’ve read by Laura Pearson, so was over the moon to get a review copy of her latest, The Woman Who Met Herself. When Debbie Jones knocks on a stranger’s door the last thing she expects to see is her own face looking back at her. The two women hunt through their past to uncover why they grew up apart. A moving story about family and motherhood.

By Your Side from Ruth Jones has it all; humour, romance, mystery and heartbreak. Linda Standish is approaching early retirement working for the local council in the Unclaimed Heirs Unit. Her final job is to travel to a remote Scottish island to see if she can find the heirs of Levi Norman, a man who spent his final years on the island and died alone. The whole book is populated with wonderful characters, however, both Linda and Levi are superb.

I was looking forward to the nostalgic aspect of In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker since it is set in 1965 but this book turned out to be so much more. Told from the perspective of three very different young women we learn how restricted life was for women in America in the 1960s, especially if you were an unmarried mother or in an unhappy marriage. This book really highlights how far we have come as a society and it is frightening to think that some women don’t have the freedoms we take for granted.

Into The Fire by G. D. Wright has an action-packed opening when a man risks his life rescuing a baby from a burning building. Everything is filmed by passers-by and he becomes an overnight hero. Unfortunately, his past, one he’s kept hidden from even his closest family and friends, returns to haunt him and he quickly becomes a hated figure by many. We’re left wondering if we can atone for something we did wrong in the past by doing something good now.

I fully expected twists from C. L. Taylor in It's Always The Husband but didn't realise I'd be left reeling after finishing the book. Single mum Jude is new to the area and one of the other mums tells her to avoid single dad Will, hinting that he's suspected of killing his two wives. This piques Jade's interest and she sets out to investigate, leading to lies, deceit, blackmail and more.

Human Remains by Jo Callaghan is the third book in the Kat and Lock series which has a detective paired with a holographic partner. The use of AI is at the forefront of everything these days, so its use in policing, particularly the analysis of evidence and data, is entirely plausible. If you've read the previous two books in the series, and you really should, then the character development continues leaving a shocking and ominous ending.

Milly Johnson creates a microcosm of life in a quiet corner of Yorkshire in Same Time Next Week. Five women, ranging in age from mid-twenties to mid-fifties, all have issues in their personal lives. A newly created support group helps them address the problems they face. As with all of Milly's books, it's amazing to see what life offers if you are willing to take a risk.

My first audiobook of the month was The Show Woman by Emma Cowing. Set in Scotland in 1910 we meet a group of young women determined to form their own circus to avoid marriage, poverty and abuse. We get a fascinating glimpse of life on the road and the women struggle against prejudice and hostility, all while someone is out to sabotage their acts.

Julie Tudor Is Not A Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich is one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to. Told from the perspective of Julie, a forty-nine-year-old office manager, we learn of the crush she has on a younger colleague, a yearning that she is sure is reciprocated. The only thing standing in the way is a fiancé! So Julie sets out to get rid of the fiancé and the listener discovers that this isn’t the first time Julie has had to deal with this kind of problem. I adored the dark humour throughout.

Publication dates to watch for:-

They Had It Coming by Nikki Smith will be published on 15/5/25 in ebook and audio format. The paperback will be published on 22/5/25.

Dead Water by Simon Toyne will be published 22/5/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

By Your Side by Ruth Jones will be published on 22/5/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Woman Who Met Herself by Laura Pearson will be published on 23/5/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

In The Family Way by Laney Katz Becker will be published on 3/6/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Julie Tudor Is Not a Psychopath by Jennifer Holdich will be published on 5/6/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Into The Fire by G. D. Wright will be published on 5/6/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

It’s Always The Husband by C. L. Taylor will be published on 5/6/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Human Remains by Jo Callaghan

 

The discovery of human remains on a riverbank has the Future Policing team investigating possible links to the Aston Strangler, the case that made DCS Kat Frank's career, and is suddenly in the public eye because of a podcast series.

From the chilling opening through to the ominous close, Human Remains by Jo Callaghan will have you gripped. This is the third book in the Kat and Lock series, which features an experienced detective working alongside a holographic AI assistant. The first book in the series, the award-winning In The Blink Of An Eye (review here) introduced the characters and the premise for using Artificial Intelligence in solving crime. In the second book, Leave No Trace (review here) we find Kat getting used to her new partner and Lock adapting as he learns. Book three takes a darker tone.

Following the events at the end of Leave No Trace, the Future Policing team are back to working cold cases because of the public reaction to the use of AI. Frustrated by this Kat argues to be given the investigation into the skeletal remains found on the riverbank since they could be seventy years old. When it turns out that the remains are only a year old the press and public immediately jump to conclusions and assume it is the work of the Aston Strangler.

The Aston Strangler was Kat's first big case and has recently returned to the public eye because of a podcast raising doubts about the conviction. With the discovery of a body, the media begin to stir up fear that the real killer has never been caught.

Over a series of books character development is key. Kat is much more comfortable relying on Lock, however, there are times when she feels awkward in his presence even though he's just a hologram. There is also the issue of Lock following instructions to the letter, which can result in him disregarding vital information. Kat's reliance on Lock begins to cause animosity with other team members who feel they are being overlooked.

The biggest development is in Lock. We've seen Lock use data analysis and interactions with people to learn and adapt. This continues throughout the book, but the big question is what is the end goal? And is everyone in agreement concerning that goal? As I read, my big concern was how sentient Lock is. I cannot wait to see what the next book in the series brings.

Author Details

Jo Callaghan works full time as a senior strategist, carrying out research into the future impact of AI and genomics on the workforce. She was a student of the Writers' Academy Course (Penguin Random House) and was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Writing Competition and Bath Novel Competition. After losing her husband to cancer in 2019 when she was just forty-nine, she started writing In the Blink of an Eye, her debut crime novel, which explores learning to live with loss and what it means to be human. She lives with her two children in the Midlands, where she spends far too much time tweeting as @JoCallaghanKat and is currently working on further novels in the series.

By Your Side by Ruth Jones

 

Arranging the funeral and tracking down relatives of a loner who died on a remote Hebridean island is the final job of Linda Standish before she retires. Little does she realise the impact it will have on her future.

By Your Side is the fourth book from Ruth Jones and easily her best, it offers the reader everything; romance, humour, mystery and heartbreak. Filled with a multitude of remarkable characters, I could have happily turned back to the beginning and started reading again once I'd finished.

Linda is happy with her life, although she's divorced she isn't lonely as her son and grandson currently live with her, she also loves her job working for the local council in the Unclaimed Heirs Unit. When someone dies and there's no obvious next of kin it's Linda's job to arrange the funeral and try to trace any distant relatives. Unfortunately, downsizing at the council is forcing early retirement on Linda. In the run-up to Christmas she has one last job to do, travel to a Hebridean island and bring back the body of Levi Norman, a loner who has lived on the island for six years.

You get an immediate idea of Linda's character, in her role working for the council she is extremely professional, the rest of the time she is cheerful and easygoing, apart from where her ex-daughter-in-law is concerned. Linda is accompanied on her trip by a local undertaker, someone she went to school with. The pair delight in annoying each other and it's very funny the way they always address each other by their full names, Linda Standish and Fergus Murray.

Once the pair arrive on the island of Storrich we are introduced to a host of wonderful characters and a relaxed way of life. Everyone knows everyone else, doors are never locked and everybody helps out when the need arises. As Linda and Fergus are welcomed by the community, mystery surrounds why Levi never integrated. We are given a glimpse into the past and meet a younger Levi, a solitary figure, happy in his own company, with a strong sense of right and wrong. This leads to Levi unexpectedly finding happiness. I felt my heart breaking for Levi as the happiness was torn away from him in the cruelest possible way.

All of the different threads had me completely immersed, desperately wanting a happy ending for everyone involved. Ruth Jones has managed to tread a fine line between uplifting and melancholy, with a huge dollop of comfort thrown in for good measure. I would love to see a return to the island of Storrich in the future. 

By Your Side by Ruth Jones will be published on 22nd May 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for a review copy.

Author Details

Ruth Jones MBE is well known for her television work, most notably BBC One’s multi-award-winning Gavin and Stacey, co-written with James Corden, in which she played Nessa Jenkins. The 2019 and 2024 Christmas specials of this well-loved show garnered viewing figures of 18 million and 21 million respectively. Ruth also created and co-wrote several series of Stella for Sky TV, for which she was BAFTA nominated. Other TV work includes Hattie, Nighty Night and Saxondale. In 2024 Ruth played Mother Superior in Sister Act the Musical at London’s Dominion Theatre. Her latest acting role is Elena Ravenscroft in Harlan Coben’s Run Away for Netflix.

Ruth’s novels have sold over a million copies. Never Greener was a Sunday Times bestseller for fifteen weeks, three weeks at number one, as well as WHSmith Fiction Book of the Year 2018, a nominated Debut of the Year at the British Book Awards, and a Zoe Ball Book Club pick. Her second novel, Us Three, and her third novel, Love Untold, were also instant Sunday Times bestsellers. Love Untold was a Waterstones Paperback of the Year, as well as a Richard & Judy Book Club pick.

Dead Water by Simon Toyne

A body, missing its head and hands, is washed up on the banks of the Thames. When a name is found scrawled on the body it hints at danger for Dr. Laughton Rees.

Dead Water by Simon Toyne is a fitting addition to the Rees and Khan series. I loved the first two books in the series, Dark Objects (review here) and The Clearing (review here). The Clearing has recently been republished as Blood Traces. While you don't need to read the first two books in the series to enjoy Dead Water they do give an understanding of the history and relationships of the people involved in the story, both of which are very significant.

The story takes place almost a year after the events of The Clearing and Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan are ready to take their relationship to the next level - moving in together. The only stumbling block is Laughton's teenage daughter, Gracie, who hasn't really warmed to Khan. The plan is to sit down together and break the news to Gracie when Khan is called to the discovery of a body.

The rising tide puts time constraints on the inspection of the body, but a scrawled message on its arm immediately makes Khan believe that Laughton may be in danger. Across town Laughton and Gracie are having a heated discussion, Gracie is resentful of Khan becoming part of their lives. One of the major reasons for Gracie's hostility is that she doesn't know who her own father is. Deciding that Gracie is old enough to understand, Laughton explains what happened to her as a teenager.

All of this is the build-up to a knock on the door which plunges Laughton back into a past she thought she'd put behind her. Shadowy figures strain relationships and put lives in danger as someone linked to Laughton's dead father is out for revenge. The pace never lets up in a frantic race against time, the use of the tide patterns of the River Thames really adds to the time pressure of the storyline. I particularly enjoyed the way in which policing, the media and political ambition were woven into the story, reflecting the things that we are seeing in life.

As the momentum built I found my heart racing, wondering how more deaths could be prevented. The final scenes are enough to make you hold your breath, literally! The ending leaves a feeling of uncertainty, I hope we don't have to wait long for the next book in the series.

Dead Water by Simon Toyne will be published on 22nd May 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Simon Toyne is the international bestselling author of Dark Objects, the Sanctus trilogy and the Solomon Creed series. He wrote Sanctus after quitting his job as a TV executive and it became the biggest selling debut thriller of 2011 in the UK. His books have been translated into 29 languages and published in over 50 countries.

 

The Lost by Mari Hannah

 

When a young boy is reported missing detectives Stone and Oliver find themselves involved in a missing persons case that soon evolves into murder. 

I have a vague recollection of reading Mari Hannah's debut novel, The Murder Wall, when it was first published but nothing since then. Discovering that the author was going to make an appearance at my local library I decided that I would make sure to have read at least one book beforehand. In the end, I opted for The Lost, the first book in the Stone and Oliver series. 

Arriving home after a week's holiday with her sister, wealthy Alex Parker learns that her son is missing. Detectives Frankie Oliver and David Stone, a relatively new pairing, are tasked with the investigation. Suspicion initially falls on the boy's stepfather, Tim Parker, who was looking after the boy. The following day events take an unexpected turn, leading everyone to believe that a simple misunderstanding took place. DS Frankie Oliver isn't so sure and holds a kernel of doubt, convinced that there is more to the situation. When a fatal hit-and-run takes place a week later both Oliver and Stone are convinced everything is connected, but how?

I loved the fact that what started out as a missing person, possibly a kidnap, case morphed quickly into a murder investigation. The fact that the two investigations have links makes the whole thing more intriguing. What initially appeared to be a tight-knit family unit of mother, stepfather and child quickly begins to show cracks, leading to the reader wondering who is being honest and what secrets are lurking behind the wealthy facade. 

The detectives, DS Frankie Oliver and DI David Stone work well together. Stone has recently relocated from London, taking a demotion in rank to do so. He is originally from the north and still has links to the community in the form of a brother and nephew. Frankie is a third-generation police officer and while policing has moved on since her father and grandfather were active officers she still lives by many of their rules. The characters of the two officers are vastly different but complement each other. David is reserved, methodical and a rule follower, whereas Frankie is impulsive, empathetic and intuitive. This intuitiveness highlights the way in which police investigations are carried out, with small clues or vague links leading inquiries to pivot completely. Having been raised around police officers has added to Frankie's bravado, she's certainly not frightened of telling her boss exactly what she thinks. While this means she oversteps the mark now and again, most of the time it's a breath of fresh air for David as he appreciates Frankie's honesty.

There are hints of past problems for both Stone and Oliver, issues that have affected them greatly and continue to cast a shadow over their lives. Mari Hannah has chosen not to reveal all in this novel, instead, she has skillfully made vague references. As a reader I'm now desperate to know more about the characters so will definitely be diving into book two very soon.

Although suspicion falls on a number of different characters throughout the book, none of them seem to have a real motive. I found it impossible to second-guess what was happening. The addition of an almighty twist certainly left me scratching my head. When all of the pieces finally fall into place the revelation is shocking and lives are put at risk in an intense conclusion.

Author Details

Mari Hannah is a multi-award-winning, bestselling author/screenwriter. She writes across three crime series: DCI Kate Daniels (in development for TV with Sprout Pictures & Atlantic Nomad); Stone & Oliver and Ryan & O’Neil. Among her numerous awards is a Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the Library 2017. In 2019, Mari was the programming chair of Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. In 2020, she was the recipient of Capital Crime International Crime Writing Festival’s Crime Book of the Year. She lives in rural Northumberland with her partner, an ex-murder detective.