Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville

 

FBI agent Marc Donner's role on the Cybercrimes task force is to track down groomers and pedophiles. Rebecca Carter is also tracking them down but for a completely different reason. This puts them on a collision course.

Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville sat on the periphery of my interest for quite a while but didn't quite have the pull to leap to the front. Suddenly, there seemed to be a lot of chatter on Twitter praising the book, including from people I know have very similar tastes to my own. Hence, the book made its way to my wish list. I was then very fortunate to win a competition on Twitter run by @Tr4cyFent0n and Simon & Schuster for a copy of the book, a book I devoured in a couple of days.

I know quite a few of the reviews of the book have said that you're better off going in blind as far as the story is concerned and I completely agree with them. If you enjoy thrillers featuring the FBI and police hunting a fugitive then this book is right up your street.

Rebecca Carter and her daughter are on the run, they live in a van, eking out an existence in any way they can. Rebecca has two aims in life. Firstly, to keep her daughter safe. Secondly, to track down groomers and pedophiles and kill them. It's a bleak existence, obviously not something a person would choose to do lightly. Through a series of letters and journal entries, we learn about Rebecca's background and the events that led to her current situation.

On the trail of Rebecca is Special Agent Marc Donner. Donner works in the Cybercrimes unit of the FBI, also tracking down groomers and pedophiles. Through his investigation he has noticed an increase in the killing and mutilation of animals close to the murders of a number of pedophiles. Through this, he manages to put himself on a trajectory with Rebecca. A battle of wills ensues between the pair; it's a case of an immovable object meeting an irresistible force and you begin to wonder if either will survive.

Both Rebecca and Donner are deeply flawed characters. Rebecca is blinkered in her devotion to her daughter. Donner's erratic behaviour has already lost him his family and is likely to lead to him losing his job as he is driven by his obsession to catch Rebecca. As a reader, you just know that things are not going to end well.

Author Details

Stuart Neville's debut novel, The Twelve (published in the USA as The Ghosts of Belfast), won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was picked as one of the top crime novels of 2009 by both the New York Times and the LA Times. He has since published ten more critically acclaimed books, two of which were under the pen name Haylen Beck, and a collection of short stories. He has been shortlisted for several awards, including the MWA Edgar Award for Best Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, the Barry, Macavity, and Dilys awards, and the Irish Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year.

One Of Us Is Dead by Peter James

 

Two cases of accidental death by poisonous mushrooms in a short space of time triggers suspicion in the Major Incident Team. As Roy Grace investigates he is surprised that the main suspect, Rufus Rorke, is a man who died two years ago. Grace isn't the only person to begin to wonder if Rorke really is dead.

One Of Us Is Dead by Peter James is the twentieth book in the Roy Grace series. Anyone who's read my reviews of some of the previous novels by  Peter James will know that I've long been a fan of the series. Nothing is ever going to beat the opening chapter of Dead Simple, the first book in the series, but I eagerly await each addition to the series.

The opening to  One Of Us Is Dead is slow as the author takes his time to build the complex storyline. We are introduced to pilot James Taylor at the funeral of one of his close school friend, Barnie Wallace, who died by mistaking field mushrooms for death cap mushrooms. Taylor is surprised to spot another close friend in the congregation, Rufus Rorke. The surprise is because Rorke died at sea two years ago. At the end of the service, the man disappears before Taylor can confront him.

Death by ingesting poisonous mushrooms has also piqued the interest of Roy Grace as it's the second case in a short space of time. Pretty quickly Grace also begins to wonder if Rufus Rorke is still alive. Rorke was close to being arrested for murder when he disappeared at sea.

Rorke is a highly intelligent sociopath who uses his acumen for financial gain. Through the dark web his main business is the sale of 3D-printed handguns. Murder is a sideline but one he relishes. Rorke excels at carrying out murders that appear to be tragic accidents, meticulous planning and execution avoid any suspicions. 

Peter James works closely with the police when researching his novels. After reading One Of Us Is Dead I'm intrigued to know how much is based on actual cases and how much is simply down to the imagination of the author. Attention to detail is shown in the dogged investigation by the police. Analysing CCTV and questioning suspects is just the tip of the iceberg. The thought of going through rubbish bins is enough to turn the strongest stomach.

Being hunted from two different sides would be enough to make anyone with the means flee, but Rorke is filled with hubris. Having got away with things almost undetected for so long gives him a sense of invulnerability and this leads to his downfall in quite a dramatic way.

One Of Us Is Dead by Peter James will be published on 24th September 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a review copy.

Author Details

Peter James is a UK No.1 bestselling author, best known for his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, now a hit ITV drama starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton copper.

Much loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern day policing, he has won over 40 awards for his work including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger.

To date, Peter has written an impressive total of 19 Sunday Times No. 1s, sold over 21 million copies worldwide and been translated into 38 languages. His books are also often adapted for the stage – the most recent being Looking Good Dead. 

Close To The Edge by Anna Britton

 

Close To The Edge by Anna Britton is the sequel to the highly praised debut novel, Shot In The Dark and takes off immediately after the events at the end of the first book. I hate spoilers in reviews but it is going to be impossible to describe the events in  Close To The Edge without reference to the events at the end of  Shot In The Dark. If you haven't read the first book I'd suggest you stop reading this review now and go and read the book now.

I was shocked by the shooting that happened at the end of the first book and I'm sure I echoed many readers when I thought "You can't leave us hanging like that". We join DI Juliet Stern and DS Gabe Martin in the aftermath of the shooting. Both have survived and are in hospital, Stern is the more seriously injured of the two.

The reason for the shooting is the backbone of the story. Is it retribution for the case they've just closed or are they getting too close to the organised criminal gang they are investigating? Added to the mix is the disappearance of a university student. 

Gabe refuses to take time to recuperate, you can feel her frustration at being sidelined. She is desperate to uncover who is responsible for the shooting but also feels guilty that the investigation is pulling staff and resources from the missing persons case. Gabe can't shake the feeling that everything is connected.

While Gabe tries her hardest to insert herself into the investigation we hear little from Stern. Juliet has issues closer to home to deal with. The behaviour of Stern's husband raised quite a number of red flags for me. We know that Juliet is self-contained, doesn't suffer fools gladly and is determined to keep her private life private. Much of this is simply her personality but we now see that there may be something darker lurking in her home life.

The sense of menace and danger pervades the story, I really did fear for the safety of some of the characters. You get a real sense of what it must be like for the police knowing that by simply doing their job they could be putting the well-being of family and friends in jeopardy.

Refusing to be intimidated leads Gabe to a tense showdown and we discover how the different threads are connected. The author does manage to give the reader some happier moments towards the end of the story but then, just as she did at the end of the first book, throws in a closing page that has you desperate to know more.

Close To The Edge by Anna Britton will be published in paperback, ebook and audio format on 12th September 2024. My thanks to NetGalley and Canelo Crime for a review copy.

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.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson

 

Seventeen-year-old Becca Valentine doesn't realise that her every move is being watched. Watched by the four children she might have. Their fate, whether they are born or not, depends on the choices Becca makes.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is the third book by Laura Pearson that I've read recently. Each book features female characters who face dilemmas in their lives. Through adversity, they each realise how strong they are.

The premise of The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine is an interesting and unusual one. We've probably all read books featuring people who have died and their spirits linger, refusing to move on to the afterlife. Author Laura Pearson has turned this completely on its head and said let's look at people before they are born, "Almosts". From the moment a female is born her possible children are present, they can see her grow but cannot interact with her. They don't know who their father will be, the only information they have is their conception date. I felt this story-line shared some similarity with the film Sliding Doors, how the choices we make affect what happens to us in the future.

Becca Valentine has four possible children watching her, Lucy, Thomas, Samuel and Eliza, our narrator. As almosts they are content, keenly watching their mother as she grows into a woman. A rift begins to appear when Becca meets Anthony, the man Lucy and Thomas are convinced is their father. There is dismay as it is revealed that the order of conception, according to the dates they know, is Samuel, Thomas, Eliza then Lucy. 

As Becca starts to fall in love with Anthony some of the "almosts" begin to wonder if they'll ever be born, just because they "exist" doesn't guarantee they'll be conceived, and if they are conceived there are still things that could go wrong. Both Samuel and Eliza are worried as they're convinced they have the same father and it isn't Anthony.

We follow Becca through the ups and downs of young love, pregnancy as a seventeen-year-old, and having to deal with the consequences of the choices she makes. My heart went out to Becca who was looked down on by many of her peers and became isolated as friends went off to university. She desperately wants to be a good mother, particularly after the poor relationship she had with her own mother, and as a result makes the wrong decisions for the right reasons.

You can feel the anxiety of each "almost" as their conception date approaches and you wonder what choices Becca is going to be faced with. To the reader, it's blindingly obvious what the "right" decision should be. I felt the author did an amazing job at portraying how difficult it would be for a teenage mother to make complicated decisions, decisions that will impact on the rest of her life, and the lives of her children.

As the conclusion approached I could feel my nervousness increasing. I had my fingers, along with everything else crossed, hoping that Becca would make the right choices. The ending is bittersweet, I was close to tears as I read the final chapter and discovered the implications of the actions taken.

The Beforelife Of Eliza Valentine by Laura Pearson will be published on 20th September 2024 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a review copy.

Author Details

Laura Pearson is the author of six 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.

Frankie by Graham Norton

 

Elderly Frankie, restricted to home following a fall, has a young carer foisted on her. As Frankie gradually warms to her carer, Damien, she recounts her life filled with heartache, disillusionment and love.

Graham Norton has created a wonderful character in Frankie and produced a story that completely immerses you in her life. I took Frankie to heart as the author led us through the ups and downs, far too many downs, of her life.

When we first meet Frankie she's an eighty-four-year-old, living in a flat in London. The flat is stuffed with dark wooden furniture and has walls covered in paintings and photographs. Recovering from a fall, Frankie is adamant she doesn't need a carer but her glamorous best friend, Nor, refuses to listen. As a result, Damien is employed to stay overnight. Neither Frankie nor Damien are looking forward to their time together. Ever the professional, Damien does his job well and gradually chips away at Frankie until she begins to share her life story with him, a story that wildly exceeds expectations.

Life growing up in 1950s Ireland had been fairly normal for young Frances Howe until she became an orphan at the age of ten. I was filled with sadness as Frankie discovered her parent's fate and then learnt that she was to live with her religious aunt and uncle. The only joy Frankie found was with the family of her friend Norah. 

At the age of eighteen Frankie was married off to a much older man. The period of time between being orphaned to being married really hit home to me how little control women had over their lives. Decisions were made for them, whether they liked them or not. We also witness the double standards that frequently occur between the genders as Frankie struggles to be a perfect wife.

Problems in the marriage cause Frankie to flee to London where she witnesses a completely different lifestyle. She is fortunate enough to land on her feet, mixing with affluent friends. From here, Frankie is propelled to New York and a situation that will fill you with rage at the way in which she is so casually and viciously treated. Thankfully, there are people who show her kindness and Frankie is able to build a life and find love. Unfortunately, fate is waiting around the corner to bring her life crashing down.

You would expect eighty-four-year-old Frankie to be bitter and resentful as a result of everything that life has thrown at her. However, I saw a woman of her time, calm, resilient and accepting of life's blows but with a core of steel. When life knocked her down, she'd get back up, dust herself off and say "Is that the best you've got?". 

Frankie by Graham Norton will be published on the 12th September 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Staughton for a review copy.

Author Details

Graham Norton has written four other novels, all Sunday Times bestsellers, in the UK and Ireland. His fiction writing has won him critical acclaim from across all media and the literary community. Holding won the An Post Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction. A Keeper was shortlisted for both the Specsavers Popular Fiction Award and the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction. Home Stretch won the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction and has been optioned for a major TV series. Holding was made into a high-profile ITV drama, directed by Kathy Burke, and Forever Home was shortlisted at the 2022 Irish Book Awards.

First Wife's Shadow by Adele Parks

 

Emma Westly, 47, highly successful CEO of a wind harvesting company is content with her life. Every moment of her day is spoken for, a relationship is the last thing she's looking for. A chance encounter with photographer Matthew changes things. Matthew is still grieving for his wife who died less than a year ago under tragic circumstances. Will Emma be able to get past the fact that he is still grieving?

I "rediscovered" Adele Parks last year when I read Just Between Us. I loved the book and was shocked at how long it had been since I'd read anything by the author. My enjoyment of her last novel, combined with the buzz around  First Wife's Shadow, meant that I just had to read it.

I went into the novel completely blind, apart from knowing chapter 28 was an OMG moment. I am so glad that I'd avoided any reviews that might contain spoilers as this meant that each twist and turn had the full impact that the writer intended. 

Emma is a complex character. In a profession which is dominated by men, she is driven, assertive, meticulous and hides her emotions. Part of this is her nature but some of it stems from her childhood when her parents died in an accident and she was shipped off to boarding school by her indifferent grandparents. Emma has to remain aloof and self-assured in order to be taken seriously in her job but this makes it difficult for her to meet anyone, and trust them. Thankfully, Emma has a couple of friends who act as her sounding board and keep her grounded.

Although Matthew is ten years younger, his tragic background gives him an air of maturity. He isn't pushy, in fact, it is Emma who does all the running. He makes it very clear to Emma, and her protective friends, that money is the last thing he's interested in. We slowly learn about the tragedy surrounding Matthew and the spectre that seems to be plaguing Emma. Emma is well aware that negotiating the presence of a dead wife is far more difficult than negotiating the existence of a divorced one, after all, a dead wife can do nothing wrong.

As Emma falls in love with Matthew she ignores the warnings of her friends and all the red flags that should make her hesitate. When things around her begin to go wrong there is a concern that her obsession with Matthew's dead wife has made Emma unhinged.

To say more would spoil the plot, suffice to say that this will only take you to the mid-point of the book. What follows is a series of twists that will have your head spinning.

Author Details

Adele Parks MBE was born in North Yorkshire. She is the author of 21 bestselling novels including most recently the Sunday Times and eBook Number One bestseller Both Of You. Over four million UK editions of her work have been sold and her books have been translated into 31 different languages. Adele’s recent Number One bestsellers Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck were shortlisted for the British Book Awards and have been optioned for development for TV. She is an ambassador of the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency: two charities that promote literacy in the UK. She is a judge for the Costa Awards. Adele has lived in Botswana, Italy and London and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey. In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to literature.

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin

 

In a new reality TV show, ten celebrities are to spend two weeks living on a remote Scottish island in winter. They all have their own reasons for being there, but for investigative journalist Lauren it gives her the chance to get closer to a Hollywood film star she's determined to unmask.

In Isolation Island author Louise Minchin mixes two popular themes extremely well, reality TV and being marooned on an island. I was surprised at how quickly the storyline gripped me and I kept turning the pages, wanting to find out more.

Lauren is an investigative journalist who is given the chance to join nine other celebrities on an island for a new reality TV series. The idea doesn't appeal to Lauren until she hears the rumour that the individual she's currently investigating, a huge Hollywood film star, might be one of the contestants. Lauren sees the show as a chance to try and get nearer to him and, hopefully, get him to confess to his sordid activities.

As well as Lauren, and the film star, there's the usual mix of contestants; sports stars, social media influencers, contestants from other reality TV shows and a soap opera star. What makes this show slightly different is the setting, a derelict medieval abbey on a remote Scottish island in winter.

From the moment they arrive, the contestants realise that all the promises made by the production team have simply been to lure them into taking part. The competition element is going to be far tougher than anyone expected as they are forced to dress and live like the monks who once inhabited the abbey as well as take part in gruelling challenges which could result in "feast or fast". A near accident very early on also makes them wonder how safe they are. It was from this point on that I was gripped, wondering if greater forces were at play.

As you read on you are willing each of the characters to survive and do well as each one is engaging, even the film star. There is obvious camaraderie as they all realise they are facing the same challenges, although some seem to be a little "star-struck" and are vying for the attention of the film star. When eliminations begin to take place you begin to worry for the safety of the contestants. Have they really left the island? The situation becomes even more extreme when a storm approaches and the remaining contestants have to survive until help from the mainland arrives. 

Danger is lurking around every corner. Not only are the celebrities fighting against nature, there is a distinct possibility that someone has nefarious intentions. Lauren begins to wonder who among the contestants she can trust. This really had me guessing as no one seemed to have an underlying motive. Obviously, a good thriller writer isn't going to reveal all at the very beginning, but the author really keeps you in suspense, wondering who the villain is. Even though I began to have my suspicions there were twists and a race-against-time ending that has you on the edge of your seat.

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin will be published on 12th September 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to Headline Publishing for a review copy.

Author Details

LOUISE MINCHIN is an author, journalist, broadcaster and podcaster.
Louise presented the UK's most watched morning programme, BBC Breakfast for 20 years. Before that was a news anchor on the BBC News Channel and the BBC’s One O’clock News. She has also presented The One Show, Five Live Drive, Real Rescues and Missing Live.
Louise has taken part in several reality TV shows including I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Time Crashers and Celebrity MasterChef. Alongside her career in journalism Louise is an endurance athlete, and her first book, Dare to Tri, charted her journey from the Breakfast sofa to representing the Great Britain Triathlon team in her age-group at World and European Championships.
Her second book Fearless, Adventures with Extraordinary Women reflects her passion for celebrating women’s success in sport and endeavour. In each chapter Louise takes on a different challenge with a courageous woman, to get to know them and tell their incredible stories.

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan (Audiobook)

 

Gertie, in her mid-twenties, is still living at home in a remote Scottish town. Life revolves around her job in the local shop and the knitting group. A chance encounter gives Gertie the opportunity to broaden her horizons.

Jenny Colgan can always be relied on to give you a gentle tale of pure escapism. Close Knit, set in a small community on a Scottish island offers it all; self-discovery, romance, friendship and gossip.

Gertie has never left home, the home she shares with her mother and grandmother. In her mid-twenties, she's content with life but that is really down to her low self-esteem. Her mother and grandmother are keen for her to do something more but Gertie is happy to let life drift gently by.

A chance encounter with some people she went to school with is the catalyst that Gertie needs to try something different. Two of the "popular" girls from school visit the shop she works in. Gertie is embarrassed that they will discover she's done nothing with her life. What Gertie doesn't realise is that the two women barely remember her. 

When Gertie deals with a difficult customer in the shop, Morag, one of the women, has the inspiration that Gertie has all the skills required to fill the temporary vacancy they have with the small airline she works for.

A new job widens Gertie's horizons, and these are increased when she also moves out of home into a flat share. One big problem though is that her new landlord is the same boy she had a major crush on at school. This won't be a problem though as he's engaged, besides which, Gertie now has a crush on the aviation magnet who owns the tiny airline.

Thanks to the lovely lilting narration of Eilidh Beaton we are gently transported through Gertie's indecision, memories of school, unrequited love and a near disaster that forces her to overcome her fear.

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan will be published on 15th August 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for a review copy.

Author Details

Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling novels and has won various awards for her writing, including the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance, the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award and the RNA Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year Award. Her books have sold more than twelve million copies worldwide and in 2015 she was inducted into the Love Stories Hall of Fame. Jenny is married with three children and lives in Scotland.

July 2024 Reads

 

I surprised myself with how many books I got through in July as there were a couple of occasions where I wasn't very well. After dodging it for 4 years Covid finally got me! I was very lucky that the symptoms were no worse than a heavy cold. Positive news is that I've managed to get back into listening to audiobooks.

The Liars by Katherine Fleet is a perfect holiday read. Alternating between now and twenty-five years ago we meet soon-to-be step-sisters Zoe and Lex, complete opposites. As teenagers, they are thrown together when their parents holiday on the Greek island of Eos. Zoe is in awe of spoilt and rebellious Lex. Jealousies soon arise as another girl arrives. The tension slowly builds as secrets are slowly revealed.

We are given clues early on in What We Did In The Storm by Tina Baker but the who, how and why are drip-fed as we get to know the residents and wealthy visitors to the island of Tresco. The intensity of life on such a small island, where the disparity of wealth is obvious, leads to tension, gossip, rumours and jealousy.

The David Raker series of books by Tim Weaver is new to me, despite the first one being published fourteen years ago. Having raced through the first book, Chasing The Dead, it’s great to know there are another twelve books waiting for me. David Raker uses the skills he garnered as an investigative journalist to find missing people. His neighbour asks him to find her son who disappeared six years ago and she’s convinced she spotted him recently. The only problem is that he was declared dead a year ago following a car accident. This is a fast-paced and action-packed thriller that pulls no punches.

I was attracted to Guilty By Definition by Susie Dent thinking it might be a lightweight cozy crime, however, once I got used to the style I was totally gripped by an expertly-plotted mystery that certainly wasn’t “cozy”. There are lots of cryptic clues, thankfully these are clearly explained, along with literary references, as a woman tries to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister who simply disappeared over a decade ago.

Mick Herron is going to have to go some way to beat book 4 in the Slough House/Slow Horses series. Spook Street begins with a shocking event and doesn’t let up from there as links to the Cold War put the life of River Cartwright’s grandfather in danger, along with the rest of the team. I was left devastated by the ending.

The premise of Five By Five from Claire Wilson sounded great, a prison intelligence analyst is trying to uncover a killer. She finds herself attracted to another prison officer but wonders if they could be the person she is trying to track down. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the style, found much of the dialogue difficult to follow and couldn’t warm to any of the characters. The conclusion left far too many threads unfinished.

Older protagonists have been featured a lot recently in the books I’ve read. Virginia Lane Is Not A Hero by Rosalind Stopps features a widow who has decided she’s got nothing left to live for following the death of her husband. Until a neighbour who is the victim of domestic abuse asks her to shelter her child. This is one of those books that pulls you up short and makes you realise that you don’t know what the people around you are struggling with day to day. It also fills you with hope, particularly the hope that if you needed to you’d find a little bit of “hero” inside yourself.

I enjoyed Isolation Island by Louise Minchin far more than I expected to. Ten celebrities are gathered on a remote Scottish island in winter for a new reality TV show. Lauren, an investigative journalist, has an ulterior motive, she wants to expose a Hollywood celebrity and hopes that being trapped together on the island for two weeks will help her. Living conditions aren’t what they were promised and when a storm cuts them off from civilisation a murder occurs.

I loved the first three books in the DI Grace Archer series by David Fennell. I was a little bit worried that the events in book three would put an end to the series, however A Violent Heart sees a re-set for the series. Much more of a police procedural, and slightly less terrifying, two murders, thirty years apart, have strange similarities. Is there a serial killer at work who’s never been noticed? Grace has to combat outdated and misogynistic officers to solve the case.

Frankie by Graham Norton is one of those sweeping sagas that will take you from 1950s Ireland to 2020s London, via a bohemian New York, as we meet Frances Howe, an orphaned ten-year-old, whose life is decided for her. I was raging at the way in which society treated Frankie but so admired her backbone. Despite everything life threw at her Frankie refused to be bitter and resentful.

Part murder mystery, part fantasy, part dystopian sci-fi, The Last Murder At The End Of The World by Stuart Turton had me completely puzzled until halfway through. A fog has destroyed mankind, the last vestiges of civilisation exist on an island. When one of their number is murdered the barrier keeping the fog at bay falls. They have 107 hours to solve the murder before the fog completely covers the island.

My first audiobook of the month was The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan. I thoroughly enjoyed this sweeping tale of an elderly widow who decides that she wasn’t going to spend the remainder of her life grieving, she would use some of the wealth she inherited to restore a dilapidated ballroom. Along the way she is helped, and in turn helps, a number of engaging characters.

The Secrets Of Sunshine by Phaedra Patrick is a gentle reminder that we “work to live, not live to work”. Guilt-stricken Mitchell is raising his daughter alone. He’s never been able to forgive himself for putting work first on the day his partner was killed in a car accident three years ago. When he rescues a woman who has fallen into a river he ends up meeting her sister who shows him that he still has a life to live if only he can forgive himself first.

I’ve enjoyed each Beth O’Leary audiobook I’ve listened to so was really looking forward to The No-Show, the story of three women who are all stood up on Valentine’s Day – by the same man! I so wanted to dislike the man, Joseph Carter, but it’s impossible not to like him. I did feel that the story was going in circles after a while but then there was a HUGE twists that made me re-assess everything I’d been listening to.

 

Publication dates to watch out for are:-

Guilty By Definition by Susie Dent will be published on 15/8/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Liars by Katherine Fleet will be published on 15/8/24 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

Virginia Lane Is Not A Hero by Rosalind Stopps will be published on 29/8/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Five By Five by Claire Wilson will be published on 29/8/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

A Violent Heart by David Fennell will be published on 29/8/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Isolation Island by Louise Minchin will be published on 12/9/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Frankie by Graham Norton will be published on 12/9/24 in hardback, ebook and audio format.