The Party House by Lin Anderson

 

Joanne and Greg meet at a conference in London and there is instant chemistry, little does Greg know that Joanne has actually instigated the meeting. Joanne is desperate to flee London and a coercive relationship. Greg is gamekeeper to an estate close to the small Scottish village of Blackrig and Joanne hopes that this will be far enough away from her ex. Joanne is also a journalist and the village of Blackrig has a number of secrets she wants to uncover, not least of which is the case of a missing girl who may have links to Greg.

I found this novel to be a slow burner, there are lots of secrets hinted at, and a number of different story-lines, however the progress is quite slow. For me the most interesting thread was the post-pandemic world we are living in. The idea that a group of people broke lockdown rules and traveled from London to "The Party House", bringing the virus with them, is shocking. When you then discover that as a result of this five children and an adult died you are filled with anger. You can feel the animosity between the villagers and the company that own "The Party House", particularly when the company still doesn't seem to care.

I couldn't get invested in the relationship between Joanne and Greg, they seemed like a very unlikely couple. They seemed to be maneuvering around each other, occasionally meeting for mind-blowing sex, then retreating to the skillful maneuvering again. They both had a number of secrets, some more devastating than others, which were slowly uncovered. 

The best part of the novel were the descriptions of the amazing scenery, Scotland in summer is vivid and varied. Beautiful woodland and stunning lochs make you want to jump in the car and head there.

The Party House by Lin Anderson will be published on 4th August 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

The Ex-Husband by Karen Hamilton (Audiobook)

 

Husband and wife team, Charlotte and Sam, are con-artists, they work on luxury cruise ships and prey on wealthy tourists. When Sam double crosses Charlotte she leaves him, seeking a divorce. A year later Charlotte receives a mysterious message from Sam telling her to be careful. Then comes the devastating news that Sam is missing, presumed dead. Charlotte begins to receive threatening messages from an unknown caller demanding the money her and Sam stole - or else! Charlotte flees, taking a job on a luxury super-yacht, hoping to outrun trouble.

The story switches between "then" and "now". The "then" part gives us the back story, how Sam and Charlotte met and fell in love. Slowly we discover that Sam is a thief and Charlotte is slowly drawn into his web of deceit, enjoying both the thrill and the ill-gotten gains of their crimes.

As the story switches to the "now" we discover that Charlotte is being threatened and decides that by joining the crew of a super-yacht she will evade harm. Unfortunately even out at sea the threatening messages continue and Charlotte realises that someone on the yacht is responsible.

I found it impossible to have any sympathy for Charlotte, a con-artist with no redeeming qualities. She is motivated by pure greed but tries to explain it away by saying that they are stealing from wealthy people who can afford it.

As the "then" and "now" stories converged the tension increases. Almost anyone on the yacht, guests and crew, could be responsible. Following a series of accidents you do begin to wonder if Charlotte is going to survive at all. Throughout there's also that nagging question, is Sam really dead or is this another elaborate con?

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline Audio for a review copy.

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager

 

Casey Fletcher is alone at her family's lake house. The house nestles the shore of Lake Greene along with four other homes. When Casey rescues Katherine, the owner of the house directly opposite, from drowning in the lake she is intrigued by her and begins to spy on her and her husband, Tom. Casey is convinced that not everything is right between Katherine and Tom, and when Katherine disappears Casey is convinced Tom has murdered her.

The opening is atmospheric and sets an eerie tone. Five houses, isolated from the outside world, particularly during the off-season, with very few people around. Civilisation is a 15 minute drive away. 

Casey Fletcher is a TV and film star, struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. She has turned to alcohol to drown out the memories, as a result of this she is an unreliable narrator. Having been dumped at the lake house by her family in the hope that she will dry out, you can understand Casey's loneliness and vulnerability, which becomes an obsession with the house across the lake.

I felt like a voyeur as Casey repeatedly spied on the glamorous couple across from her but would probably have been just as tempted. The house is all glass and steel, Katherine and Tom are beautiful and sophisticated. 

Twists to the narrative begin as early as the end of the second chapter and just never stop. As we learn about recent events it feels as if we are trapped in an intricate web. I was getting "Gone Girl" vibes as the story progressed and could feel my heart racing, wondering what would happen next.

Up to three quarters of the way through the book I was thinking this was a five star read, unfortunately the story then took an extremely unexpected turn and my enjoyment of the book plummeted. I'm not going to give away any spoilers, this just wasn't the direction I thought the story was going.

The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager will be published on 7th July 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.

Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles

Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton St. Mary, a church in the small village of Champton. When a villager is found murdered in the church everyone becomes a suspect and Daniel works with the local police to uncover the murderer.

Murder Before Evensong has all the hallmarks of a cosy crime; a quaint English village presided over by the Lord of the Manor, a cast of middle-aged/old-aged parishioners who have never even had a parking ticket in their lives, a couple of colourful characters to add a little spice and a crime that has absolutely no motive or suspects.

 Set at the end of the 80's we have a very nostalgic feel to the story and the added bonus that there's no internet or mobile phones. Information is spread via terrestrial TV, newspapers or the local gossips.

I desperately wanted to love this book but really struggled with the writing style. Alongside this the actual murder doesn't take place until almost a third of the way into the book. It was only at this point that I felt the story began to flow, having also got used to the writing style. There were also a vast number of unusual words, thankfully I was reading on my Kindle so could look them up fairly easily.

The character of Canon Daniel Clement, along with his mother and brother, definitely has potential but I do feel the writing needs some tweaks to gain a foothold in the extremely popular cosy crime genre.

Murder Before Evensong by Richard Coles will be published on 9th June 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Books for a review copy. 

 

Guilty Women by Melanie Blake (Audiobook)

 

The island of St. Augustine is home to the glamorous long running soap opera Falcon Bay. During a disastrous live episode one of the actresses died. Her four close friends are determined that the show will continue to reign and that they will have full control over the production, however there are suspicions that the death wasn't an accident.

This reminded me so much of the "bonkbusters" of the 70's and 80's by the likes of Jackie Collins and Judith Krantz, as such I wouldn't suggest listening to this if there are children around. The show Falcon Bay is a homage to American soaps such as Dynasty and Dallas, where strong women in glamorous outfits rule the roost.

The story is pure escapism with each new "event" eclipsing the previous and a conclusion that is impossible to predict.

Claire King narrates well and keeps you interested despite being over 12 hours long. I did find it difficult to keep track of some of the characters. They are mentioned at the beginning of the audiobook (and obviously are in the print version).

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for a review copy.

The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood by Gill Sims

 

Busy Mum Claire is having to deal with it all; a hectic job. two primary aged children who are convinced that being made to eat vegetables is classed as child abuse and a husband who is so busy he can't possibly lift a finger to help around the house. Thankfully Claire has her best friend Emily to keep her sane. Claire is just about able to keep everything under control until one day she makes a discovery that will have far flung implications.

The Gill Sim's series of Why Mummy.... books have been on my radar for a while but I've never quite gotten around to reading them, therefore when I got the opportunity to read The Saturday Night Sauvignon Sisterhood I leapt at the chance.

Firstly I must admit that I don't have children so can only imagine what bringing young children up is like. The scenes involving the children are actually the funniest parts of the book and I was laughing out loud from the first chapter. Having been a teacher for 35 years I've heard the refrain that "it's against my human rights" a number of times so for Claire to have this thrown at her repeatedly from her own children was hilarious. 

I am sure that many parents are just like Claire and have to bite back what they really want to say and have to explain in a quiet and calm manner why the rules are the way they are. You could really feel Claire's frustration having to deal with internet savvy children without the support of her husband, a typical "hands off" father.

When fate intervenes and Claire realises she's stopped being a person in her own right, she is then in the predicament of how do adults make friends. This leads to some funny situations and some extremely strange characters. I appreciated the fact that the author didn't tie everything up at the end with a nice tidy bow, life doesn't always have a perfect happy ending. 

My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Picture You Dead by Peter James

 

Harry and Freya Kipling love wandering around car boot sales looking for interesting items. One day Harry comes across a picture. The picture itself is hideous but the frame is perfect for something he has in mind. Once home the picture is put to one side and forgotten about until an accident damages the painting. Upon inspecting the damage they discover that there is another painting underneath. There is a possibility that the picture underneath is a long lost old master and worth millions. Unfortunately this attracts the attention of a collector who wants the painting but isn't prepared to pay millions for it.

This is book number 18 in the Roy Grace series. I've long been a fan of this series and eagerly await each new book in the series. Fans of the series will not be disappointed by the story line.

The book opens in 2015 with the murder of an antiques dealer, Charlie Porteous, a murder that has never been solved. We then jump to 2019 and Roy Grace is reviewing the cold case of the murder of Charlie Porteous. With ever improving scientific methods it's hoped that they may discover clues to help solve the murder.

We have the usual supporting characters working alongside Grace, including the totally un-PC Norman Potting. Since the events in this book take place almost immediately after the ending of book 17, Left You Dead, there is a subdued air to the characters as a result of events which happened in the previous book.

I am always amazed that Peter James still manages to come up with new story lines having written seventeen previous books in this series. The depth of research is astounding, however James writes so well that the reader gets a clear understanding. I almost feel like an expert myself on artists of the fete galante style of painting. The other really interesting aspect of this story though is the way in which almost any painting can be faked so well that it is virtually impossible to tell the difference.

As the story progresses we meet a range of criminals and discover that they fall in to two categories. Those who have a moral code and those who don't.  Those who have a moral code tend to be a dying breed; the old lags who hold their hands up when caught and avoid violence. Set alongside these are the newer breed of criminals, mainly involved in drugs or internet crime, who will do anything to get what they want. This story features a couple of particularity nasty versions of this new breed, they certainly made my skin crawl.

As we race towards the conclusion the sense of menace increases and you wonder if Grace and his team will be able to solve the crimes in time and protect the victims. At no point do you feel that everything is going to work out ok, the tension never lets up until the very end.

Picture You Dead by Peter James will be published on 29th September 2022 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGallay and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

 

When Libby Jones turns 25 she discovers that she has inherited an abandoned house in Chelsea. Libby has always known she was adopted but had been told her birth parents had both died in a car crash. Upon visiting the abandoned house Libby learns that her parents were part of a cult and committed suicide in the house.

This novel spans two time periods and focuses on three groups of people. In our current time frame we learn about Libby and her investigation of the house she has inherited and the people who lived there. We also meet Lucy, a divorcee, living in France with two young children. Lucy is struggling to survive and puts herself in a dangerous situation in order to get back to England. 

The other time frame is 25 years ago. We learn about the owners of the house in Chelsea, Henry and Martina Lamb, socialites who enjoy the finer things in life. Martina allows some strangers to temporarily live in the house and over time we see how these strangers take control of everyone in the house. I found this part of the story both fascinating and unsettling, the thought that someone could have so much control of others. It is also distressing to realise that adults and children could "disappear" and no-one is concerned or questions what has happened to them.

As we reach the conclusion we discover how the three story lines are connected. Even though the story reaches a satisfying conclusion there are still unanswered questions. Thankfully Lisa Jewell is about to release a sequel, The Family Remains, which will answer those questions.

The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields

 

When an American teen goes missing on the Isle of Mull the police show a reluctance to investigate so the family bring in a private investigator to help. Sadie Levesque, a Canadian, has experience of tracking down runaway teens. Despite the hostility shown by the local police and a tight-knit community determined to protect their own, Sadie uses her skills and discovers the body of the missing girl. It is obvious that the girl was murdered. The police are convinced it must be an opportunistic murder committed by a tourist, Sadie is less convinced and continues to investigate.

I'd never heard of the author Helen Fields until I read One For Sorrow back in November 2021. Back then I was blown away by the novel so was pleased to receive a review copy of Fields next novel, The Last Girl To Die. Once again I'm absolutely amazed by the quality of the writing and story-line, I am determined that I am going to go back through Fields back catalogue and catch up.

This murder mystery has everything you would expect and more. Set on a remote Scottish island, inhabited by a tight-knit community you can fully understand the protective nature of the people wanting to look after their own and the hostility the police, and others, show to strangers. This also adds to the creepiness, making you wonder who can be trusted. Links to a similar murder 39 years previously make you wonder if the island has protected someone too well or is this a copycat? 

As Sadie investigates we discover some of the ancient myths and legends associated with the island. These myths tie in with some of the witchcraft still practiced on the island, witchcraft that is possibly connected to the murder.

I really liked the character of Sadie Levesque. She's not prepared to back-down or accept the easy answers. She's isn't fearless, she has a healthy respect for danger preparing herself as well as she possibly can, but she's determined to leave no stone unturned in her quest for answers. I also liked the positive relationships she built with the pathologist brought in to carry out the post-mortem and the newspaper reporter, they balanced the negative relationships with the local police.

By the end I had an inkling as to who was responsible but I certainly didn't foresee the ending. In thrillers we expect twists and turns along the way and this story has a fair few but by the end I was shocked and saddened and I will freely admit to having a tear in my eye.

The Last Girl To Die by Helen Fields will be published on 1st September in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a review copy. 

The Girl From The Sea by Shalini Boland (Audiobook)

 

A young woman is found washed up on a beach, she has no idea how she got there. Even worse she has no idea who she actually is. Following a police appeal she is identified as Mia James. As Mia tries to piece her life back together she is repeatedly frustrated as her memories refuse to return and she has a strange feeling that something in her life isn't quite right.

Shalini Boland has written a mystery story that covers a wide range of emotions and these are conveyed well by the narrator Katie Villa. Initially you understand Mia's nervousness when being introduced to her boyfriend, the fact that he knows everything about her and she knows nothing about him.

Mia's frustration and anger come across very well, being constantly molly-coddled when she doesn't class herself as being ill. Alongside this are the constant questions that she knows she should know the answers to but her mind is simply blank.

As the story progresses uncertainty creeps in as Mia isn't sure who she can trust. Do the people around her have her best interests at heart or are they simply using her? There is a growing sense of unease that leads to a shocking conclusion.

The Girl From The Sea by Shalini Boland will be released in audiobook format on 13th May 2022, paperback and ebook are available now. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a review copy.

A Three Dog Problem by S. J. Bennett

 

When a housemaid is found dead at Buckingham Palace early indications are that it was a dreadful accident. When it is discovered that the victim had been receiving poison pen letters a closer inspection of the accident takes place and it is decided that the housemaid was murdered. Why would someone want to murder a housemaid and how would they gain access to Buckingham Palace to do so? The housemaid wasn't the only person in receipt of poison pen letters either. Alongside this a painting belonging to The Queen seems to have disappeared. Her Majesty decides to investigate.

This is the second book in the Her Majesty The Queen Investigates series by S. J. Bennett. The first book in the series, The Windsor Knot, introduced us to the fact that The Queen has been solving mysteries for years but it's all handled very quietly. She has been ably assisted over the years by a small group of staff and her current assistant is Rozie Oshodi, her Assistant Private Secretary.

The book opens with an air of mystery and danger as a body is discovered near the swimming pool at Buckingham Palace. The danger is quickly dismissed as it appears a tragic accident has befallen the victim. Other events, with less perceived danger, seem to abound; a missing painting, poison pen letters and a possible stalker. 

Once again the author has written the character of The Queen with real warmth and wit, finely weaving the traits we know The Queen possesses with a fictionalized persona. Alongside The Queen we also have fictional accounts of the behaviour of other famous people such as Prince Phillip, David Cameron and Theresa May.

We are given an opportunity to see what life is like at Buckingham Palace from different perspectives. As well as the numerous events, meetings and visits The Queen is involved in we get to hear about the "downstairs" element of running such a huge household. Throughout the story we also gain fascinating snippets of history, including some that make you realise that fiction isn't far from the truth.

I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series, Murder Most Royal, which is due in November 2022

April 2022 Reads

 

There was slightly more variety than usual in my reading in April. My preferred genre of thrillers was well represented but I also managed to get through three "feel good" books. This month I also decided to try an audiobook.

Seven thrillers this month and not a bad one among them. I discovered the cosy crime series featuring The Queen in The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett. The author did a fantastic job of writing the role of The Queen to fit everything we know about her but also bring something new by turning her in to a sleuth. I enjoyed this so much I've just started the sequel, A Three Dog Problem.

April was the month when I discovered the Cyrus Haven series from Michael Robotham. I thoroughly enjoyed Good Girl, Bad Girl in which we first meet Cyrus Haven and problem teen Evie Cormac. As well as solving a murder along the way we get to hear about the tragic and harrowing backgrounds of both characters, however by the end of the book you just want to know more! Thankfully the author addressed most of the unanswered questions in the sequel When She Was Good. This time round the story focused on Evie's origins. This book was my joint favourite for the month.

Other thrillers for the month included The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark, about a female con-artist and the lengths she goes to in order to seek revenge. Karin Slaughter came up trumps with the engrossing Girl, Forgotten which spans two timelines to recount an unsolved murder. Fans of The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse will enjoy the authors second novel, The Retreat. An idyllic holiday get-away on an isolated island turns into a nightmare when a guest is murdered. My final thriller of the month was Nobody But Us, the debut novel from Laure Van Rensburg. An attractive couple decide on a romantic weekend away, unfortunately he's a bit of a slime-ball and about to get his comeuppance. 

I do like to read the odd "feel good" novel as a break from all the thrillers, somehow this month I managed three of them. The Secret Life Of Albert Enwistle by Matt Cain features the wonderful character of Albert who proves that it's never too late to change. This is a love story with a twist. It's a while since I read anything by Mike Gayle, thankfully The Museum Of Ordinary People didn't disappoint. A story about what is valuable to us because of the memories. I must look out the Mike Gayle books I've not read.

Back in February I was fortunate to receive a review copy of The People On Platform 5 by Clare Pooley (published on 26th May 2022). I loved this book so much I decided to try Clare's first novel, The Authenticity Project. This book turned out to be my joint favourite of the month. A wonderful, eclectic mix of characters who show what being a community is all about. Joyfully uplifting.

This was the month I also decided to try an audiobook. I sometimes feel as if I'm wasting valuable reading time, usually if I go for  walk, spend time on a jigsaw or on a long car journey (unfortunately I'm unable to read in the car). It dawned on me that audiobooks would help overcome this so I got a copy of The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. I wasn't really taken with the narrator's voice to begin with but as the story progressed you realised it was an important part of the characterization. At the halfway point the story really took off and I was engrossed until the end. Audiobooks are here to stay for me.

Publication dates to watch out for are:

The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain, paperback published on 1st June 2022

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark, published on 2nd June 2022

Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter, published on 23rd June 2022

The Museum Of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle, published on 7th July 2022

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse, published on 21st July 2022