The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven

 

When a badger disturbs a grave, an unexpected extra body is discovered. Little does Washington Poe realise that this will have connections to a religious cult and a triple murder case.

From the outset, The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven has a sinister and unsettling tone. The description of the psychiatric hospital in the opening chapter is disquieting. As we then learn that Poe is struggling with the after-effects of a case you immediately know it must be something extreme.

What follows is a conversation, or consultation, between Poe and Doctor Lang as he recounts the events that have left him with PTSD. The leader of a religious group was tied to a tree and stoned to death. We learn that as Poe and Tilly focused the investigation on the remaining members of the group, they discovered that it is more of a cult, with extreme views, some of which are very topical. I was getting “Handmaid’s Tale” vibes the more we learned about the beliefs of the cult and the behaviour of its members.

The conversation outlining the case is linear but M. W. Craven really keeps the reader in suspense. As you reach pivotal moments in the plot Poe will evade direct questions or say that “there was worse to come”. This keeps you gripped and revelation after revelations is more shocking than the last. There are twists galore and the reason for Poe’s PTSD becomes clear about halfway through, however, there still remain questions about some of the comments Poe has made to Dr. Lang. The tension keeps building as layer upon layer of the story is stripped away.

Despite a diagnosis of PTSD we still get to see the gruff, no-nonsense side of Washington Poe. There’s the odd bit of humour (we learn that Poe doesn’t like frozen yoghurt) and some merciless teasing. Generally, this teasing is aimed at an auditor who has been tasked with shadowing Poe and Tilly. The identity of the auditor and their reason for being forced upon Poe and Tilly has far-reaching consequences.

The Mercy Chair by M. W. Craven will be published on 6^th June 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. I received my copy as a prize in a competition organised by Capital Crime (@CapitalCrime1)

Author Details

Multi-award-winning author M.W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. He is an instant Sunday Times bestseller and, for his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, a recipient of the 2019 Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger, the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023. The series has now been translated into twenty-seven languages 

Nosy Neighbours by Freya Sampson

 

Dorothy Darling is the longest resident of the flats within Shelley House. The residents of the other flats just about tolerate her busybody antics. When everyone receives an eviction notice they have to decide whether to fight together or simply give up and leave.

Nosy Neighbours by Freya Sampson is one of those uplifting books that will have you siding with the characters against the greedy arch-villain. The story centres around seventy-seven-year-old, long-time resident of Shelley House, Dorothy Darling, and twenty-five-year-old newcomer, Kat Bennett. These are two women who have nothing in common apart from the place where they live.

Dorothy, or Ms. Darling as she keeps correcting everyone, has lived in flat two of Shelley House for over thirty years. Her days follow a strict routine, with many of the hours sitting in a chair at the window watching everything that is happening. If anything is unusual, suspicious, or unacceptable it is committed to a notebook. Each day Dorothy also takes the time to carry out an inspection of the Victorian building itself, sorting the mail from the junk, noting any rule violations by other residents, watching for minor repairs, but, mainly checking on the fire escape door which gives access to the roof. Dorothy prides herself on not being nosy, she's simply keeping an eye on everyone for safety reasons.

Kat Bennett has recently returned to the area after fifteen years. She has lived a nomadic lifestyle for a decade, never putting down roots for long, hence her interest in sub-letting a room in flat one at Shelley House. Kat doesn't want to get involved with anyone, particularly as she doesn't plan on staying long. She's not even sure why she was drawn back to the place she spent much of her childhood until her grandfather disowned her.

The remaining residents of Shelley House are a mixed bunch, simply getting on with their day-to-day lives, although some have personal issues they are dealing with. When they all receive an eviction notice they initially accept their fates are sealed. Dorothy, however, is adamant she's not leaving and some of the other residents take strength from this and decide to fight. Kat, along with a local journalist, digs into the background of the landlord, a shady property developer who uses underhand tactics to get what he wants.

As the battle between the residents and the property developer continues we learn about both Dorothy and Kat's background. We begin to understand why Kat is constantly on the move and why Dorothy refuses to move. 

Mistrust makes it almost impossible for either woman to accept the help they are offered and difficult for them to change their ways, they've spent a lifetime protecting themselves and keeping their hurt a secret. Dorothy and Kat are as stubborn as each other but through the support they offer each other and the wider community, they realise that forgiveness exists. I was pleased that this story didn't have a magical happy ending where everyone got what they wanted, the ending felt realistic and this made for a much more believable story.

Author Details

Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. She studied history at Cambridge University and worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries about everything from the British royal family to neighbours from hell. She lives in London with her husband, children and cats. Nosy Neighbours is her third novel.

April 2024 Reads

 

Although my NetGalley shelf is packed with books to read and review I decided to make a little inroad into my TBR last month. I've got a holiday shortly and realised that my holiday reading pile was quite large, so in an effort to reduce it slightly I decided to alternate between my TBR and my NetGalley shelf. As a result of this, some of April's reads are books that have already been published. I also had, for the first time in a very long time, a book that I gave up on. I'm not going to name names, but I did feel extremely guilty. I don't give up on books very often, I've persevered with some "slow burners" to eventually fall in love with them by the end because of the way the plot has developed. Unfortunately, in April my DNF was down to the language, I really struggled with the "slang", the book was obviously written with a much younger demographic in mind.

Fans of the Roy Grace series by Peter James will be familiar with the story of his missing wife, Sandy. Over the space of a dozen books, we found out where she disappeared to. In They Thought I Was Dead we get the full story from Sandy’s point of view, gaining answers to many of the questions those who have followed the story have had.

Next up was a classic “stranded on a remote island” style thriller, Truth Truth Lie. Author Claire McGowan’s spin on the style was that all the individuals were responsible for the death of another person, and someone was going to make them pay. Panic mode ensued as everyone thought about their own survival.

I was really excited to get an early copy of Think Twice by Harlan Coben, the twelfth book in the Myron Bolitar series. Myron has returned to representing clients and the FBI approaches him wanting to know the whereabouts of one of those clients, Greg Downing, as he has links to a recent murder. Myron knows the FBI is wrong as Greg has been dead for three years, or has he? Fans will be aware that Myron and Greg have a long, and chequered, history. The ending had me holding my breath and not wanting to read on.

The Collapsing Wave by Doug Johnstone is the second book in The Enceladons trilogy. You really do need to read book 1, The Space Between Us, first to fully understand the dynamics in this book. A species of peaceful aliens has arrived on Earth and the military is determined to wipe them out. A small group of individuals are determined to help the Enceladons. Please don’t think of this as science fiction, it’s more of a modern fairy tale and extremely thought-provoking.

Our Holiday by Louise Candlish was a little bit too much of a slow burner for my liking. There are quite a few thought-provoking moments as the story focuses on the conflict between second-home owners from London who descend on a small coastal community for one month a year. Little do the Londoners realise that they are pricing the locals out of existence. The story does pick up in the last quarter as secrets are uncovered and alibis examined.

Having loved the TV series Slow Horses I decided to read the books. Dead Lions by Mick Herron is the second book in the series. As part of the team investigates a long-buried network of Russian spies in the English countryside the rest of the team are seconded to look after a meeting between MI5 and a Russian oligarch. The characters are so well drawn that you worry about each of them as each story reaches its explosive conclusion.

Prepare for a wild ride as you begin Redemption by Jack Jordan. The author writes twisty tales where the lead character faces a moral dilemma. In this novel, it takes it up a notch when a grieving mother plans revenge on the man responsible for the death of her young son. Her husband goes out of his way to try and stop her. There’s an apocalyptic feel as the pair race through the Nevada desert. The body count is high and the descriptions will have you wincing.

Light relief appeared in the guise of The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson. The novel is an uplifting story that touches on the serious issue of domestic violence. Shelley wakes from a coma suffering from memory loss. The only thing she is sure of is that her husband is responsible. Those around her are reluctant to engage when she asks questions. As her memories slowly return, we see how Shelley’s life led to where she is today.

Welcome To Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal didn’t quite live up to expectation for me. The thought of a love triangle on a remote tropical island, peopled with eccentric characters, promised much. Unfortunately, I didn’t engage with the main characters and the pacing didn’t work.

Shot In The Dark by Anna Britton regularly features on my Twitter feed. I’m so glad I decided to see what all the fuss was about. A pair of female detectives investigate the murder of a young woman. There are five suspects. As the detectives dig deeper, they uncover lie after lie from each suspect. None of the suspects are remotely likeable, they are only interested in self-preservation. The detectives are both flawed characters, with backgrounds that are hinted at. The ending is one of those that will have you gasping, demanding to know more right now!

Claustrophobia, tension and paranoia feature heavily in The Chamber by Will Dean, an extreme take on a locked room mystery. A group of saturation divers face a month together in a confined space, under extreme pressure. When one of them is found dead, everyone wonders if it was natural causes or murder. The return to normal pressure leads to four days of introspection, distrust and anxiety.

Audiobooks

I managed three audiobooks in April. Firstly, Plot Twist by Breea Keenan played on many of the tropes seen in romantic fiction when Becca decided to run away from her job and go to stay with a friend she’s met online as part of a writing group. Little did Becca realise that her friend Riley was a man, a very handsome man. As the friendship develops there are misunderstandings, jealousy and the return on Riley’s wife to contend with.

My second audiobook was also romantic fiction, The Switch by Beth O’Leary. Leena and Eileen, granddaughter and grandmother, swap homes for a couple of months. The change of scene gives them both a chance to re-evaluate their lives and also offers a fresh perspective on some of the problems around them that need solving. I really enjoyed the way in which inter-generational characters worked together and showed that age is not a barrier.

Finally, I listened to She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica, an author who is new to me. I initially thought that the author had tried to incorporate too many different plots into the story. About halfway through everything started to piece together and I ended up enjoying the story far more than I expected to.

Publication dates to watch out for are:

They Thought I Was Dead by Peter James will be published on 9/5/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Truth Truth Lie by Claire McGowan will be published on 21/5/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Think Twice by Harlan Coben will be published on 23/5/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Chamber by Will Dean will be published on 6/6/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Welcome To Glorious Tuga by Francesca Segal will be published on 6/6/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Redemption by Jack Jordan will be published on 20/6/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Our Holiday by Louise Candlish will be published on 4/7/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Shot In The Dark by Anna Britton

 

A young woman is killed and her body mauled by an animal on the grounds of a country estate. Detectives Stern and Martin lead the investigation but struggle to untangle the web of lies the suspects offer.

Shot In The Dark is the debut novel from Anna Britton. Despite first being published six months ago it still regularly pops up on my Twitter feed, with lots of praise from readers. I'm really not surprised that it has garnered so many fans after reading it myself.

The opening chapter fills you with terror as you follow a young woman running for her life through woodland. Not only is she being stalked by someone with a gun, she is also being hunted by a large dog. This opening chapter has your heart racing and you catch your breath as it ends.

Through a variety of different media, we meet DI Juliet Stern and DS Gabe Martin as they lead the investigation into the murder of the young woman, seventeen-year-old Melanie Pirt. The pairing of two female detectives is unusual but comes across as a breath of fresh air, many of the usual tropes are immediately removed from the storyline.

Both detectives are complex characters. DI Stern is detached, analytical and focused on her job. Colleagues consider her cold and unapproachable and there are a variety of rumors about her home life. We get small glimpses into the relationship with her husband and children, along with hints at possible problems, but nothing is made clear. DS Martin is the complete opposite of her boss, she's empathetic and trusting. She admires her boss and knows that many of their colleagues have the wrong impression of her but knows not to betray the trust that she has been given. We are given a little more detail into Martin's background, a disturbing one, but once again things are left a little vague. I love the fact that neither detective is perfect and we still have lots to learn about them.

There are five main suspects. The Dunlow family who live on the country estate where Melanie was murdered, the gamekeeper employed by the family and Melanie's abusive boyfriend. None of the suspects come across well, as the story unfolds you have little sympathy for any of them and at times you are filled with revulsion as their priority is self-preservation. As the web of lies increases you can feel the frustration of the police. As soon as a suspect is confronted with evidence of a lie they change their story, only for us to be left wondering if we are now hearing the truth or simply another lie.

As lie after lie is uncovered, lives are put in danger and the shocking truth is finally revealed. Knowing Anna Britton has already completed writing the second book in the Martin & Stern series, Close To The Edge, and has made a start on a third book I felt we had a satisfying conclusion - and then that ending happened! There's nothing better than when an author completely pulls the rug from under you and leaves you demanding to know more RIGHT NOW! I'm now going to be on edge until the second book in the series is published in September.

Author Details

Anna lives on the Isle of Wight with her husband and their chronically clumsy Labrador. An avid reader, she began writing around ten years ago and hasn’t stopped since. Anna works as a freelance editor and loves helping out other authors. When not filling her head with stories, Anna enjoys baking (and eating) cakes and exploring rivers in her kayak.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica (Audiobook)

 

ICU nurse Meghan Michaels is drawn to the latest patient on her ward. A young woman, Caitlin, has tried to commit suicide, but as the police investigate they discover that there is a possibility that she was pushed off a bridge. Why would someone want to hurt Caitlin, a much-loved daughter?

There is so much going on in  She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica that I really had to pay attention to keep up with the story. The time frame isn't linear either and this adds to the unsettled feeling you get as you listen. The opening chapter is chilling, with a mother getting a phone call from the kidnapper of her daughter. The story then introduces us to Meghan.

Meghan has a lot going on in her life. Recently divorced, she's now living in an apartment in Chicago with her teenage daughter. Meghan loves her job but the hours are long and exhausting. You can feel Meghan's frustration as she tries to balance work with her life raising a teenager and an ex-husband wanting access.

When Caitlin, the attempted suicide, is admitted to the ICU you immediately get a sense of Meghan's compassionate side. She is drawn to the patient, at a loss for why a young woman would try to end her life. Caitlin's parents are also at a loss, they struggle to comprehend why their daughter would take such an action. Things become more complicated when a stranger tries to gain access to Caitlin and then the police decide that it wasn't a suicide attempt, Caitlin was pushed. This is compounded by the fact that someone is attacking women. You begin to wonder if Caitlin was one of the victims and her attacker is determined that she won't regain consciousness.

While all of this is happening Meghan bumps into an old school friend, Natalie. She learns that Natalie is a victim of domestic abuse and struggling to leave her husband as she has no access to their finances. Having recently divorced Meghan is sympathetic towards Natalie and offers to help her.

It was at this point that I felt that the author had put too many threads into the narrative, especially when we still had to learn more about the kidnapping from the opening chapter. What I didn't expect was the twist that was thrown in part way through which drew some of these threads together. From this point on it was one revelation after another. Even when secrets are uncovered you are still left with a feeling of uncertainty, not quite sure if we know the full truth. The ending doesn't fill you with satisfaction, intentionally, it leaves you with a vague sense of unease.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica is available in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of thrillers including The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (L.A. Times). She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.

Think Twice by Harlan Coben

 

When the FBI approaches Myron Bolitar enquiring about the whereabouts of one of his clients he doesn’t even have to think about the answer. His client, Greg Downing, has been dead for three years. The FBI thinks differently and wants to speak to him about a recent double murder.

The Myron Bolitar series was my introduction to Harlan Coben’s writing almost thirty years ago and since then I’ve followed the ins and outs of the sports representative and general "fixer" with great enjoyment. My only real complaint about the series is that there aren’t more books, maybe the scarcity of books is one of the reasons I love the series so much. Needless to say, I was pleased to get my hands on book 12, Think Twice.

 All of the familiar characters feature in Think Twice, along with some of the minor ones who’ve been part of Myron’s life for the previous eleven books.

Having returned to representing clients, Myron is shocked when the FBI claims one of his clients who has been dead for three years is wanted for a recent murder and has connections to a five-year-old murder. That client is Myron’s old nemesis, Greg Downing. The history between Myron and Greg is long and chequered. They were competitors in basketball until Greg ended Myron’s career before it had barely started. Greg went on to marry Myron’s college girlfriend, Emily. Unbeknownst to Greg, Myron and Emily slept together the night before the wedding and conceived a child, a child Greg raised as his own for thirteen years before he found out the truth. Despite all this Myron is convinced that Greg wouldn’t be involved in murder but he is puzzled as to why he’d want people to think he’s dead.

Supported by his best friend, Win, he tracks down people who have connections to Greg. This leads to a very tense scene with mafia-style criminals and I did wonder if Myron had met his match. As Myron keeps digging, the closer he seems to be getting to the truth, but there is that constant nagging feeling that people are holding back.

Thankfully, whenever danger lurks Win is around to help. Win is my favourite character. He comes across as not really caring but fans know he’s hyper-vigilant, highly skilled and usually a couple of steps ahead of everyone else. He does seem to have mellowed a little bit over the years, is age creeping up on him? He’s even taken note of the #MeToo movement. It’s the banter between the pair though that makes the story.

The narrative keeps you intrigued. The author has done an excellent job of keeping the identity of the lurking killer until the end, but even then there are still shocks in store for the reader. I felt so emotional as I was reading, really not sure how the book was going to end. I even got to the point where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read on and find out. Bravo to Harlan Coben for the suspense (but please can we have more).

Think Twice by Harlan Coben will be published on 23^rd May 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Century Publishing for the review copy.

Author Details

Harlan Coben is a no. 1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-six languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with eighty million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and several of his books have been developed into Netflix original series, including the no. 1 global hit Fool Me Once, The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good, The Woods, Stay Close, and Hold Tight, as well as the Amazon Prime Video series adaptation of Shelter. He lives in New Jersey.

The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up by Laura Pearson

 

Shelley Woodhouse wakes to find herself in the ICU of her local hospital. Memories are fleeting but she is very sure that her husband tried to kill her. She also knows it's 2017. Hospital staff are reluctant to fill in the gaps about what happened, they just keep reassuring her she's safe. Slowly memories return, from her childhood up to the events that resulted in her being in hospital.

Laura Pearson is a new author to me, although I do have one of her earlier books on my wishlist. The Day Shelley Woodhouse Woke Up was published recently and I noticed quite a lot of positive chatter about it on social media, so I decided to take a break from the usual crime and thrillers to check it out.

The theme of the novel, domestic violence, is a hard-hitting one but the author has handled it with sensitivity and empathy. From Shelley's childhood memories, we get a glimpse of the cycle of domestic violence in families when her Mum's boyfriend moves into the family home. History is seen to repeat itself as Shelley echoes her mother hiding what is happening, covering bruises with make-up and convincing herself her husband doesn't mean to do it, he loves her really.

Shelley is an engaging character, cheerful and no-nonsense, just as you would expect from a pub landlady. This makes what is happening to her even more shocking and goes to show that anyone can be a victim of abuse.

I really enjoyed the way in which the author used the character's uncertainty to keep the reader guessing. When Shelley woke up, convinced it was 2017, you just knew that something wasn't quite right. Different possible scenarios went through my mind and this helped me to understand how confused Shelley must have felt.

There are some lovely supporting characters in the book. Granny Rose is my favourite, and probably the one that will cause the most discussion. Living with Shelley and her mother she knows exactly what is happening but does nothing about it. You can feel how conflicted she is, she knows that by making a fuss she may lose her home and her ability to protect Shelley. Dee is the type of best friend everyone wants. She isn't aware of the abuse Shelley is suffering but once things reach a head she stands by Shelley 100%, offering help and support in any way she can. As for hospital visitor Matt, you just know that his role is going to be pivotal.

This was one of those books that I just couldn't put down, I needed to know what had happened and where Shelley's future was headed. Author Laura Pearson has a new fan and I'll certainly be looking at her other novels very soon.

Author Details

Laura Pearson is the author of four novels. The Last List of Mabel Beaumont was a Kindle number one bestseller in the UK and a top ten bestseller in the US. Laura lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, their two children, and a cat who likes to lie on her keyboard while she tries to write.