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.