The Dark by Sharon Bolton

 

When a baby is snatched and set adrift on the Thames Lacey Flint is in the right place at the right time to perform a daring rescue. The group behind this are trying to strike fear into women around the country and Lacey has made herself a target. 

I've long been a fan of Sharon Bolton, right back to her first novel Sacrifice (as SJ Bolton), so was really pleased to get hold of a review copy of The Dark. Of her earlier works I think the one that terrified me the most was Awakening (if you've read it you'll know why) but things have changed. With The Dark the author has given me nightmares.

The story begins twelve years previously, an opening filled with despair. The description of the feelings really grabs you and drags you down, however there are touches of black humour in there too. The novel then quickly moves forward to now and the scene on the Thames that initiates the main story, a baby is snatched from it's pram and set adrift on the fast moving river.

The snatching of the baby is the opening ploy by a group of domestic terrorists, Incels. Incels, short for involuntary celibate, are men who feel that they are being overlooked by women who are only interested in good looking men. Feeling marginalised by society a group of Incels use the dark web to encourage others around the country to act, striking fear in women.

The whole premise of the story seems so plausible and close to home which is why it is so terrifying. Descriptions of attacks that are going to happen are clinical and precise, the aftermath is chaotic, distressing and fearful. The demands by the Incel group reflect the regimes that women in some repressive states endure every day.

The Dark by Sharon Bolton will be published on 26th May 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Books for a review copy.

When I Was Ten by Fiona Cummins

Twenty years ago ten year old Sara Carter brutally murdered her abusive parents. Having served eight years in a young offenders institute Sara was given a new identity when she was released. Sara is now living a contented life with her husband and young daughter. Her world comes crashing down when her older sister surfaces, giving a rare TV interview about the murders.

Having recently reviewed and thoroughly enjoyed Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins I realised that When I Was Ten was on my TBR pile and decided to move it to the top. Happily I wasn't disappointed by this decision, if anything this was the better of the two novels.

The opening chapters immediately grab you and fill you with intrigue. In 1997 a young girl is running through a storm, terrified because the adults familiar to her are dead. In 2018 a woman is startled awake in the middle of the night and we are told that in eleven minutes and fourteen seconds she will be dead. We feel the sense of panic both people are living through and wonder how they are connected.

Gradually we learn of the murder itself. The sisters are brought up in a strict household by abusive parents. The description of the abuse isn't graphic, just like the nature of the abuse. The parents, a local doctor and his wife, are pillars of the community and ensure that they come across as loving parents. Behind closed doors the girls are regularly starved and locked in a spider infested shed. The subtle nature of the physical, emotional and psychological abuse is stomach churning. 

When one of the sisters agrees to a rare TV interview this re-ignites interest in the murders. The use of smartphones and social media alongside 24-hour news channels and online news reports makes you realise how voyeuristic society has become and how this drives reporters for more scandalous headlines.

There are plenty of twists throughout to keep the pages turning along with some edge of your seat scenes that will have you gasping.

 

We All Have Our Secrets by Jane Corry

Emily Gentle is a midwife in London. When an incident happens with a new mother Emily flees to her childhood home, rather than face the consequences. When Emily gets to her childhood home she discovers that her father, Harold, has employed a carer. The carer, Francoise, is a young French woman. Emily immediately suspects that Francoise is simply using her position to gain money from her father.

I really struggled with this story. It starts well, Emily is good at her job as a midwife and when something goes wrong I was full of sympathy and desperate to know more. Unfortunately Emily chooses to ignore all forms of contact from her employer and flees to her childhood home. 

When Emily gets home she discovers that her father Harold, who's in his nineties, has employed Francoise as a carer and this immediately causes friction. I found it difficult to engage with any of the main characters. As the title of the novel indicates, each of them has a secret, however the revealing of the secrets wasn't subtle.

The story jumps around, including reminiscences of France during WWII. These episodes in France are meant to explain Harold's erratic nature but I just felt he was a horrible, petulant and controlling  individual. I also lacked belief in a man in his mid-nineties who was able to drive but unable to read because of his failing eyesight.

Everything comes together reasonably neatly at the end - and I did enjoy the final twist, unfortunately not enough to make me like this story.

We All Have Our Secrets by Jane Corry will be published on 23rd June 2022 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for a review copy.

 

The Empty Room by Brian McGilloway

 

Dora Condron wakes up one morning to discover that her 17 year old daughter, Ellie, didn't return home the night before. Initially no-one is overly concerned, it's simply what teenagers do, but Dora knows her daughter well. Ellie wouldn't stay out all night, she isn't that type of girl. As hours turn into days Dora has to question what she truly knows about her daughter and some of her other relationships.

I cannot begin to imagine how a mother must feel if a child goes missing. Brian McGilloway has done an amazing job of empathising with someone in this situation, the whole gamut of emotions are explored. 

When Ellie goes missing you are caught up in Dora's sense of helplessness. She doesn't know what to do or who to ask for help. When she finally contacts the police you feel the frustration as no-one seems to take the situation seriously.

When the police finally investigate Ellie's disappearance a number of secrets come to light. Dora feels betrayed by the people around her and wracked with guilt that she may be responsible for her daughters disappearance. Public appeals by the police via TV and social media make Dora feel that "the wreckage of my life is displayed for public consumption". We've all done it, looked on (and thanked the heavens that it's not happening to us or our families) but I'll certainly have a different perspective on these types of things in the future thanks to this novel.

As the investigation continues you are filled with shock and sadness. Frustrated with the lack of progress the police are making Dora decides to take matters into her own hands and you can feel the adrenaline flowing as she turns from "Dora the dormouse" into a warrior. Your heart is racing, willing her on but terrified that she may be tangling with extremely dangerous people or be about to cross a moral line.

The Empty Room by Brian McGilloway will be published on 31st of March 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown UK for a review copy.

The Island by Adrian McKinty

 

Tom along with his new wife Heather and his children Olivia and Owen are on holiday in Australia. Desperate to see some wildlife they visit a small island just off the coast of Melbourne. Following a tragic accident the family are trapped on the island and hunted by the family that live there.

The opening chapter is tense and full of terror. The story then switches to the events leading up to the tragic accident; a family of American tourists exploring Australia. We learn about the dynamics of the family and the tensions between new wife Heather and her step-children Olivia (14) and Owen (12). All of this is just scene setting as it's the opening chapter that really sets the tone for the rest of the novel.

Trapped on the island the group are hunted by the extended family who own the island. No-one knows where they are, their phones and possessions have been confiscated. All the family have is the clothes they are wearing. 

The family that live on the island are lawless and set the rules to suit themselves. Their vengeance is "an eye for an eye". As well as trying to stay ahead of the family the group of Americans are also dealing with an inhospitable landscape - heat, no shade, lack of water and no food. Basically the stuff of nightmares for any tourist who wants to get off the beaten track.

Survival for the Americans seems slim. What the family living on the island didn't factor in is that Heather was raised in a commune on an island. The skills she picked up as a child allow them to stay one step heated as they are hunted. Heather becomes a female version of Rambo. As they lurch from one near disaster to another your heart is in your mouth, you are willing the family on every step of the way, cheering each little victory in their fight for survival.

The Island by Adrian McKinty will be published on 26th May 2022 in hardback. Ebook and audio format will be published on 17th May 2022. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion for a preview copy.

Dark Objects by Simon Toyne

 

A wealthy woman is discovered brutally murdered in her "fortress" home and her husband is missing. a number of objects are carefully positioned on the floor around her body. As the police investigate her murder they try to unravel the meaning of these objects and wonder if there is a connection to a serial killer who was caught fifteen years ago.

This is my first novel by Simon Toyne and it didn't disappoint. Toyne certainly knows how to pack a punch. The opening is slow and gradual, building the tension, keeping the reader in suspense so that you feel your pulse increasing and your heart racing until we are hit with the shock of a dead body. This technique is used skillfully a number of times throughout the story and just as the bombshell moment is about to be revealed we are whisked away to a different character to keep the suspense going. 

The lead characters, DCI Tannahill Khan and Dr Laughton Rees, are both likeable and their dynamic together works really well. We don't get quite as much backstory regarding Khan as we do with Rees. Laughton Rees is a flawed character as a result of previous trauma. As the story progresses you could feel all the emotions Rees was dealing with; frustration, anger, uncertainty and terror. I would love to see the relationship between these two characters develop in a second novel.

Possible links to a serial killer, along with someone who seems to be able to break into an impregnable home, give the story a really chilling edge and make you realise the danger the police and their families face at times because of the nature of the job and the criminals they are hunting.

Dark Objects by Simon Toyne will be published on 7th July 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

After Dark by Jayne Cowie

 

In the near future women in Britain no longer feel vulnerable. A change to the law following a spate of murders means that all men over the age of 10 are tagged and must observe a strict curfew from 7pm until 7am. When the body of a women is found badly beaten in a park, questions are asked about the possibility of someone breaking the curfew.

In light of recent events this novel is a timely contribution to the discussion of violence against women. The story focuses on four women and how their stories are connected to the murdered woman. Each of the women is at a different stage in their life so we get a clear understanding of how the curfew effects each one.

The story is set 16 years after the curfew laws came into being, this means we don't get the debate about whether the curfew is reasonable. The story centres on how safe women now feel in society. There are a few brief mentions concerning the type of work men can now do, but I felt that this could have been covered in greater depth. Are there enough women to safely carry out all occupations between 7pm and 7am? 

The story comes to a head when we discover the identity of the body and it's connection to the main characters. We also get to see how this effects some of those characters and the implications for the future.

This is a thought provoking story. What is basically a murder mystery raises lots of questions about the society we live in. 

After Dark by Jayne Cowie will be published on 12th May 2022 in paperbook, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Century Books UK for a review copy.

A Spoonful Of Murder by J. M. Hall

 

When retired primary school teachers Pat, Thelma and Liz bump into their old colleague, Topsy, they are shocked by the rapid decline in her health. A week later Topsy is dead. As a result of a couple of comments that Topsy made when they had met the women think she may have been murdered and set out to find out the truth.

A Spoonful Of Murder will join the many cosy crime novels springing up at the moment. This is a well thought through whodunit, with plenty of red herrings. Whilst I struggled with the writing style I did like the main characters. Years of dealing with primary school children give Pat, Thelma and Liz the skills needed to investigate and interrogate. Combined with their plain, straightforward Yorkshire personalities no-one is safe from their gaze.

Absolutely everyone is a suspect and the ladies cover the gamut from pensioners luncheon clubs to Zumba Insanity and male strippers. Who knew that the life of retired primary school teachers in Yorkshire was so exciting?

Whilst trying to solve the murder the lead characters uncover other crimes and have to solve problems closer to home, this made Pat, Thelma and Liz seem more real. 

A Spoonful Of Murder by J. M. Hall will be published in paperback, ebook and audio format on 17th March 2022. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a preview copy.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

 

On the eve of her 80th birthday the matriarch of the Darker family calls everyone to her isolated home. Having been told years previously that she would not live beyond 80 she decides to share the contents of her will with the family. When she is found dead later that evening everyone begins to wonder if it was natural causes, an accident or murder? 

I loved Alice Feeney's previous novel, Rock Paper Scissors, so was really pleased to get hold of a review copy of Daisy Darker. The tone of this novel is set right from the start with the deliciously dark humour. The opening is shocking and amusing at the same time and this tone is continued throughout the novel.

The Darker family are completely dysfunctional, one of those families that are rarely all together at the same time because of the animosity. Daisy, the youngest daughter, is the outsider. While the rest of the family are out for what they can get, Daisy clearly loves her Nana and simply wants to spend time with her.

The story is set in 2004 but harks back to previous times spent at Seaglass, the family home. Seaglass is set on a small island just off the Cornish coast. Tides mean that the island is cut off from the mainland and this adds to the sense of peril when the family think there is a possible murderer.

As the story moves between the 1980's and 2004 we get glimpses of recent history which I found very nostalgic. Technology was limited to a single TV, VHS tapes and Walkman's. There's mentions of popular films such as Fame and Staying Alive along with shops that no longer exist (Woolworths, C&A, Blockbusters). 

The tone of the novel. along with the enigmatic Daisy, made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. As soon as I'd finished I wanted to go right back to the start and look for all those clues I'd missed.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy. Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney will be published published on 18th August 2022 in hardback and ebook format.

February 2022 Reads

A slight increase in the number of books read this month, it would have been more but I spent quite a lot of February working on jigsaw puzzles. 

The month started with The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett. I was really looking forward to this having recently read The Appeal  and thankfully I wasn't disappointed. If anything this was better than The Appeal. There is a real nostalgia feeling to this book, it took me right back to my childhood and Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven books.

Robert Gold's debut novel,  Twelve Secrets, had me gripped from the start - a double murder and a suicide right at the beginning is guaranteed to make the reader want to know what has happened. The thought that the murderers were teenage girls is quite terrifying. 

My favourite read of the month was The People On Platform Five by Clare Pooley. Wonderful characters, particularly Iona and her dog Lulu. The mix of ages and backgrounds of the characters is great, from a teenager to someone in their late fifties. The way that problems are shared and individulas supported is heart-warming.   

My thanks to NetGalley for making some of my February reads available to review. Dates to watch out for are:-

Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold to be published 3rd March 2022

The Match by Harlan Coben (sequel to The Boy From The Woods) published 17th March 2022

The People Next Door by Tony Parsons to be published 31st March 2022

The Game by Scott Kershaw to be published 12th May 2022

The People On Platform Five by Clare Pooley to be published 26th May 2022

Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton to be published 9th June 2022