SEVEN DAYS By Alex Lake

SEVEN DAYS By Alex Lake

This is one of those books that when you pick it up you just don’t want to put it down. Alex Lake has created a brilliant, well plotted story. With believable characters that you can really relate to, and if you are a parent, you will feel empathy for the mother, father, brother and of course the girl gone missing herself.

On the 7th July 2006 Maggie left her home, she was only going a short distance to see her cousin, but as she crossed the park she was grabbed. When she woke up she was in a room with no windows, a room with not much in it, no bath, no toilet, there was a bucket type thing with a toilet lid on it, and a separate bucket with water to drink and to be used for washing.

The Coopers are an average normal family, Martin, the father, Sandra, the mother, Maggie the fifteen year old daughter, and James the fourteen year old son. The night that Maggie disappeared changed all of their lives, their hopes and dreams for the future. Nothing was the same.

Maggie has been held captive for 12 years in one room, she has seven days to save her son Max who will be 3 in seven days time, Maggie knows the man will come and take Max on his third birthday, she knows this because he has taken two other sons Seb and Leo from her on their third birthdays, she doesn’t know where they are, where did he take them?  Maggie knows that she couldn’t handle Max being taken. She is marking off the days on the calendar, she has written to keep track of the days and years.

The story is told through the points of view of  Martin, Sandra, James and Maggie, also the occasional chapter is D.I. Jane Wynne. Who originally took on the case and it’s haunted her over the twelve years. We go back and forth from the present which is July 2018 back to July 2006, there are sections at different times in between this for instance four years earlier, then the story goes to Maggie, or one of the other family members some of the time it is a chapter about each one of them, to show what is happening in their lives, how the loss of Maggie has affected or changed them. Like a domino effect that one action, has caused all the dominoes to fall one by one, changing all their lives forever.

Despite the timeline being written like this you never lose track of who it is, when it is, or what’s happening, which can sometimes be the case when stories are told from different points of view, with this book it works really well. We see how devastated the parents and James are when Maggie initially goes missing, we are also told of Maggie’s thoughts, she wonders how her parents are doing, are they still together, are they still alive, does James have a girlfriend, or is he married. Then we are back in the present and Maggie is crossing off another day as it gets closer to Max’s birthday.

I really enjoyed reading this, I love the family, I was rooting for them, for everything they go through. The effect this one thing had on them all as individuals. We know who has taken Maggie, so it’s not one of those books that there is the big reveal at the end. Which is surprising in some ways as that would have added more tension to the story. But I think the author did it this way to show that you don’t know what is going on behind a closed door, whether it’s your next door neighbour or someone you know from the past, or someone local. People are so wrapped up in their own lives now that we don’t have time to speak to neighbours, or notice anything different, or suspicious happening nearby. Although I think this person had worked it all out anyway, and was determined not to be caught, and enjoyed taunting DI Wynne, almost every year. I was in tears at the end and for the last few chapters my heart was pounding. I was so engrossed in the story.

We know these things can happen in real life, the documentaries are out there, where girls have been held for 10, 11 12 years and the parents have thought their child to be dead, but they have been held in captivity, or been trafficked,

As I was reading it I was thinking of how I would have coped if anything like this had ever happened to my daughter, and I don’t think I could have handled it, it’s one of those things that you hope will never happen to you.

A fantastic very well written book I certainly give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I also look forward to the next book from this author. I highly recommend you give this book a read.

I would like to thank netgalley and Harper Collins publishers for letting me have an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

BOOKS I WILL BE READING AND REVIEWING FOR OCTOBER

THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE BOOKS I HAVE DUE OUT IN OCTOBER THAT I WILL BE READING AND REVIEWING.

I am currently reading I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll

A Psychological thriller, started out pretty good so far, I will be following this by:

These nine books all look great and I am really looking forward to them all, The Boy in The Headlights by Samuel Bjork it is the third book in the Munch and Kruger series I have already read the first two so I am looking forward to seeing how book three goes, Last Request by Liz Mistry, The Noble Path by Peter May, The Six by Luca Veste, I’m not sure yet whether I will read this this month as I think publication is now not until December, so I will see how the other books go, although it is one I am really itching to read so I may fit it in, Traces of her by Amanda Brittany, Her Mother’s Lies by Rona Halsall, His Pretty Girls by Charlie Cox, Seven Days by Alex Lake and See them Run by Marion Todd. I am so looking forward to all of these books.

I am also hoping to slip in a couple of books that I have purchased recently that I really want to get reading as my TBR pile is really stacking up now.

I am also reading a book with Pigeonhole starting today the 1st October so stave 1 is waiting for me to read now and that book is called To Keep You Safe by Kate Bradley so will be reviewing that when it’s finished in 9 days time.

I am also signed to do book blog tours this month these will be my first which I find exciting but a little scary as well as I just want to make sure I write everything down correctly the first one I have finished the book and despite it being a genre I don’t normally read which is Fantasy I absolutely loved it, so that one is on the 8th October and the second is at the end of the month and I think it’s an anthology of short stories I have started reading those and started preparing my blog to type it up.

I hope everyone has a very Happy October and Halloween if you celebrate and I am due my third grandchild at the end of the month I already have two grandsons and my son and his wife thinks this may be another boy, which I think is what they are hoping for, as he doesn’t live local I don’t get to see a great deal of the grandson there now, luckily my daughter lives close by with my other grandson who is a little charmer at 18 months old always smiling. 

SEPTEMBERS ROUND UP

SEPTEMBERS ROUND UP

When I first started reviewing books back in June I think or may have been July I got completely carried away on netgalley, I was like the proverbial child in a sweet shop, all these books and not expecting to get any I went for as many as I thought I would 😊. To my astonishment I was given quite a lot of books to read. I had seventeen for August, 16 for September, but also felt I should get on top of some of October’s as there was another 21, of those I have cleared 10, as well as joining pigeonhole which was another great idea I thought when I found it, reading along with other people a bit at a time, great fun except I picked three books running at the same time in September as well as all the other books, then I saw another site mentioned Edelweiss+ and saw a few books in there, although I didn’t go mad, but did manage to get the final part of a Christina Dodd trilogy I already had the first two books of, so of course I has to read the two I had before going for the final one. So I can honestly say I have had a very busy couple of months of reading and reviewing. I have most of my reviews on my wordpress site which is Jackiesreading4leisure.home.com/Jackie’s reading corner, my daughter helped me set that up, but i’m still now 100% happy with it I need to tweak it a bit I think, but it’s learning how to do that without wiping the whole thing off, now that makes me nervous. I am gradually making more friends on Twitter seems there are some great people both writers and bloggers. I never considered before that reviewing a book can help it sell, or put a book out there a bit more. I just always knew what I liked to read, now i’m finding new authors whose books I enjoy reading, and look forward to finding more in the future.

My top reads for September were:

This was an absolutely unputdownable book, I was hooked from page one, it is eloquently written, with sensitivity to the subject matter covered. You literally feel like you are part of the book. I love the characters and complexities involved in the story.

Maria dials 999, when asked what service she requires, she calmly tells the operator she has killed her husband, so isn’t sure which service should be sent for this. A short time later the police arrive to find Maria standing outside her big fancy house holding a chair leg with blood on her hands, on the end of the chair leg is hair and blood, paramedics arrive a few minutes later, followed by DI Anton.

At this stage we as readers have no idea why Maria has done such a thing, what has driven her to try and kill her husband, yes she thought he was dead, but turns out he is still alive, but with life altering injuries that mean he will need 24 hour care for the rest of his life, he will never be able to communicate again.

The rest of the story is told through two points of view, the first being Maria guiding the reader through how she met her husband, and what her eighteen years of married life with him has been like,
 but at the same time her thoughts, and feelings throughout the trial, for attempting to murder her




husband Edward. The trial is so well scripted you could be sitting in the gallery yourself watching th
e events unfold. 

The other point of view is that of one of the jurors Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Hiraj a twenty six year old female, married to Zain, and mother to a three year old son. What I thought was clever in the story is to some extent some of Lottie’s life experiences are similar to Maria’s. Although obviously she is a lot younger, and hasn’t been married as long, but the writing links the two together in some of the behaviours shown. There is more going on but to say too much would give too much away and this is a book to really enjoy. The subject matter can be hard but it is handled well.

This is a gripping read, not sure which way the jury will go, the deliberations, along with a few twists and turns you really don’t see coming. So this was my top read in September.

My Second favourite book of September is :

This was the first book I had ever read by Emma Curtis and it really didn’t disappoint. Although the beginning I did find a little slow, but that may be because I enjoy a fast paced story. Nick proposed to Grace one day and the following day he disappeared, they had been together for seven years. The police believe that he had just left Grace, but that made no sense, she knows Nick and knows he wouldn’t just do that . That is until it’s clear he has been keeping secrets from his past. So how well did she really know Nick? Grace is determined to find out the truth no matter how hard, or how dangerous it could be. This story is told through multiple characters points of view, from when Nick is missing, Grace going over things, as well as what’s happening in the present time. With alternate chapters being flashbacks to Nicks teenage years, and a tragedy, which is what has basically shaped him. The characters are believable and relatable, some are nicer than others. This is one of those books you just can’t put down, it is so well written, and it does keep you guessing, despite there not being many of the usual twists you get in most psychological thrillers, it wasn’t easy to figure out.

My third and final of my top three books is:

This book isn’t actually due for release until the 10th October but I really enjoyed this one and as I read it in September I wanted to add it to my favourite 3 books read in September. This is written as if the person is writing a letter but it’s not like looking at a letter, you know Daniel is writing to someone named Lucy but you don’t know who Lucy is. The story unfolds brilliantly Daniel telling his story to whoever Lucy is, at times it is quite moving, at times it is quite creepy, but it is a brilliant book that I urge people to read. I absolutely loved this one.

I read a lot more books in September and reviewed them all which you can read on my wordpress blog site, but these were my top three of the month.

Happy Reading for October.

TAKE IT BACK By Kia Abdullah

TAKE IT BACK By Kia Abdullah

SYNOPSIS

The Victim: A sixteen year old girl with facial deformities, neglected by an alcoholic mother. Who accuses the boys of something unthinkable.

The Defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from hardworking immigrant families. All with corroborating stories.

Whose side would you take?

Zara Kaleel one of London’s brightest young legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a glittering career at the Bar. All before hanging up her barristers wig to help victims like Jodie Wolfe.

Jodie’s own best friends doesn’t even believe her claims that their classmates carried out such a crime. But Zara does. And Zara is determined to fight for her.

Jodie and Zara become the centre of the most explosive criminal trial of the year, in which ugly divisions within British society are exposed. As everything around Zara begins to unravel she becomes even more determined to get Jodie the justice she is looking for. But at what price?

MY REVIEW

Where to start with this review. It is a very complex multilayered story so brilliantly written that it just goes round in your head even when you have finished reading. It’s not just a courtroom drama, or a psychological thriller, it’s so much more. It shows how society reacts to ugly divisions and prejudice that’s happening around the world in society today, this could easily be an article we pick up and read in a daily newspaper, incorporating disabilities, race, religion,politics, class. But the story is so well woven around every character in the book. You get so engrossed you just don’t want this book to end.

Jodie is a 16 year old girl who has severe facial disfigurements. She has had an awful life being bullied and name called for as long as she can remember. But at times she comes across as a very        

strong girl a survivor in a cruel world. Then other times she is so vulnerable and seems so worn down by everything. All she wants is to be loved. Her own mother an alcoholic doesn’t even like or love  her own daughter, she is as bad as the children in the playgrounds would have been as Jodie was growing up. So when Jodie accuses four Muslim sixteen year old boys of raping her even her mother calls her a liar and attention seeker. At no point in the story is here mother there for her. Her best friend Nina turns her back on her and calls her a liar when Jodie tells her what happened on the fateful night of June 27th. Is Nina Jealous? Because one of the accused is Amir Rabbani who Nina has also fancied but he has never shown her any interest, much to her dismay. Jodie has had a crush on Amir since primary school, and this has never been a secret. Jodie doesn’t tell anyone what happened until nearly a week after the events took place. Why? Jodie is subjected to a lot once the news gets out about the story, the press hammering on the door, her mother wondering if she can make some money from selling the story, internet trolls. 

Zara Kaleel a Muslim herself, was a high flying barrister but turned her back on that career to work as a rape counsellor. She had previously agreed with, and went ahead with an arranged marriage which only lasted a short time. Bringing shame to her family. The story highlights the differences between the men and women in the Muslim community how women are viewed and the difficulties they have. Zara’s father had passed away before she had even had a chance to make up with him, she had always been his favourite, but the failure of the marriage, and quitting her career had damaged the relationship. Her brother looks down on her and calls her names when she visits the family home. Her sisters I feel want to be there for her but are restricted in what they can say and do even more so if the brother is there. Zara is not a happy person, she is driven and comes across as very tough and hard, but then you see a glimpses of a softer side but they are only very fleeting moments. As a woman and a Muslim she has had to work harder to get where she is. When she takes on Jodie’s case she is accused of many things by the Muslim community because she is representing Jodie, the white girl, against four Muslim boys. Some of the things that both Zara and Jodie have to deal with are disturbing and you feel for them both. In Zara’s eyes she is just doing her job, if it had been a Muslim girl that had come to her accusing four white boys I think she would have taken the case on in exactly the same way.   

     

We then have the four accused boys Amir Rabbani is a very good looking young man and knows it, he has no problem getting the girls, he is very assured throughout most of the story. He is also the leader of the gang as such, the one the other boys look up to and follow. Hassan Tanweer again comes across as very assured and looks down on women, but is this just his culture, the way these boys are raised to see women as their lesser. Mohammed Ahmed is a follower he goes along because he seems afraid not to to a certain extent. Fared Khan he is the only one who is not accused of rape but watched and did nothing to stop what was happening. But are these boys capable of rape. Or are they just high spirited young boys coming up to manhood. They all come from hardworking immigrant family backgrounds.

The first half of the book is focused on Jodie when she goes to the centre where Zara works. When Zara is assigned her case she listens to what Jodie has to say. She then works with her, supporting her, and believing her throughout the process. Going with her to the Police, showing her around the courtroom and explaining the whole process. Zara believes her story, even when Jodie tells the police a slightly different version of events to what she has told her. She still believes her. Jodie has never had anyone on her side before, so this is new to her. We follow the story that Jodie tells, with glimpses of the boys lives intertwined in the chapters. Jodie’s friend Nina’s reaction when she tells her what has happened, she doesn’t believe her and doesn’t stand by her at all.

The second half of the book is the trial and it literally feels like you are there. The first half the prosecutors side, the cross examination of Jodie is hard to read, occasional glimpses of the reactions from the jury, as Zara is reading it. You are going back and forth as to who to believe. Is Jodie lying? Has she made it up for attention? Could these boys have done this? It’s he said/they said so four against one. Then the defence and the boys behaving like they are all sweet and innocent, can they be rattled when cross examined? Are they being honest?

The reactions outside the courtroom are as tough as inside when emotions between different cultures
 are running high. The Muslim community calling Zara a traitor to her religion and many things more. Other events which happen but if I write them will be spoilers and that isn’t the idea of a review. This is book you have to read for yourself to see the cultural differences within the plot.

Towards the end the drama escalates even further even though you didn’t think it possible. What will the verdict be? Will anyone come out if this any better than when they went in.

This has to be one of my top recommended books for 2019 and I think it’s one people should read  to try and understand just a little bit some of the difficulties that can be had by different cultures, disabilities, and class. How cruel the world can be. Because even though this is a work of fiction as I pointed out earlier in my review this could be something that could easily happen in real life in the society we have today.

I think Kia Abdullah is a writer to watch out for because this is an absolutely brilliant read, and can certainly give some of the top names in writing a run for their money. I will certainly be looking out for the next book she writes.

I would like to thank #netgalley #HQ #kiaabdullah #Takeitback for letting me have an ARC of this book all views and opinions are my own and unbiased.

THE AUTHOR

Kia Abdullah is an author and travel writer. She has contributed to The Guardian, BBC, and Channel 4 News, and most recently The New York Times commenting on a variety of issues affecting the Muslim community. Kia currently travels the world as one half of the travel blog Atlas &Boots, which receives over 200,000 views per month. kiaabdullah.com

CLEAR MY NAME By Paula Daly

CLEAR MY NAME By Paula Daly

Available in Hardback and ebook from the 8th August 2019

SYNOPSIS

INNOCENT?

When Carrie was accused of brutally murdering her husband’s lover, she denied it. She denied it when they arrested her, when they put her in front of a jury, and when they sent her to prison.

Now she’s three years into a fifteen year sentence, away from the daughter she loves and the life she had built. And she is still denying that she is to blame.

GUILTY?

Tess Gilroy has devoted her life to righting wrongs. Through her job for Innocence UK, a charity which takes on alleged miscarriages of justice, she works tirelessly to uncover the truth.

But when she is asked to take Carries case, Tess realises that if she is to help this woman, she must risk uncovering the secrets she has struggled a lifetime to hide....

WE’VE ALL DONE THINGS WE’RE NOT PROUD OF.

MY REVIEW

This is a very well paced Psychological thriller. Told mainly through Tess Gilroy as she tries to follow the evidence from the trial of Carrie Kamara. Her job involves going through everything that was presented at trial, and trying to find if anything was missed out or overlooked. Or if the evidence given was wrong in any way. Did Carrie murder her husbands lover? If she did why he had been having affairs for years? All Carrie was interested in was her daughter and the close relationship they had. She was still collecting her from school despite her being 18. This murder happened in Morecombe which is where Tess grew up and where she has secrets of her own. Things she has spent years running from but what are those secrets? And why does she keep running?

Then we have the perspective of Carrie, which takes us back four years to what her life was like before being incarcerated in prison. Leading up to her arrest, being interviewed, being charged, and the four years she has now spent in prison for a crime she maintains she didn’t commit. Then the hope that the innocence project may be able to get her out of jail where she could go back to her daughter, the only person who has always believed she is innocent.

I really enjoyed this book it’s well written. As with all psychological thrillers there is normally a twist at the end but this one took me by surprise.

If you like this sort of genre then I highly recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed. The usual plot twists and a couple of surprises thrown in.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley #RandomHouseUK #Pauladaly for letting me have an ARC of this book. All comments and opinions are my own and unbiased.

THE AUTHOR

Paula Daly is the acclaimed author of six novels. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year award, and her books have been developed for the new ITV series DEEP WATER, starring Anna Friel. She was born in Lancashire and lives in the Lake District with her husband, three children, and whippet, Skippy.

A KILLER CHOICE By Tom Hunt

A KILLER CHOICE By Tom Hunt

SYNOPSIS

Gary Foster’s life is finally heading in the right direction. After years of trying, his wife, Beth, is pregnant, and he recently opened a business with his brother. But one phone call changes everything. After collapsing suddenly, Beth is rushed to the hospital. Tests reveal a devastating diagnosis: an inoperable brain tumour. Their only hope is an expensive experimental treatment available abroad, with a cost that’s out of their reach. And Beth’s time is running out. Then a strange man approaches Gary and offers the money he needs, on one condition: that he kill someone, no questions asked. End one life to save another. Faced with this impossible choice, Gary will find out how far he is willing to go to save his wife. But as the dire consequences of his actions begin to hit home, can he save his own?

MY REVIEW


This book had me gripped from start to finish at times it felt like a rollercoaster ride with all the ups and downs. My heart was pounding at one stage I even felt myself holding my breath really not sure why I did that. This story is a fast paced thriller and poses the question how far would you go to save the person you loved the most? And at what cost?

Gary and his brother Rod run their own sports clothing business although they aren’t doing great, owing money to the bank and suppliers. Gary has been married to Beth for almost 20 years and they had been trying to start a family for many years, but had resigned themselves to the fact it wasn’t going to happen. Then out of the blue they find out they are expecting. Life looks like it’s on the way up. Until the day Gary gets the phone call that changes his life forever, in more ways than one. Beth has collapsed and  been rushed to hospital, Gary makes a mad dash to get there not knowing what has happened. After numerous tests they are given the news that Beth as an inoperable brain tumour. The prognosis is not good 6-12 months. The only real option they can try is a clinical trial. They apply for this and are accepted but it is  in Germany and going to cost £200,000 money they just don’t have. They try a webpage as an attempt to raise the money but despite people being generous it’s not getting them anywhere near the £200,000 mark and time is not on their side.

Gary gets a phone all from someone who has seen the article in the local newspaper about Beth’s health and the money they need. The stranger asks Gary to meet him saying he has the answer to their problem. When Gary meets the guy he puts a proposition to him he will give him the money, if he will do one job for him! Gary has 3 days to decide. But can he do what’s been asked of him?

This is a huge choice Gary has to make. But what will his choice be? At what cost? This was a really good thriller well plotted and I would highly recommend it. I know we all like different types of story and obviously this is just my opinion but it’s definitely worth a read if you are into crime/mystery/thrillers.

THE AUTHOR

Tom Hunt was born in a small town in Iowa, attended the University of Iowa, and currently lives in New York City. He’s worked as a printer salesman, a hospital administrator, and is currently an award winning advertising copywriter.

I would like to thank #netgalley #Orion publishing and #TomHunt for an ARC of this book all opinions and view are my own and honest.

OUTFOX By Sandra Brown

OUTFOX BYSandra Brown

SYNOPSIS

One man with multiple identities. Eight women who vanished without a trace. The next likely victim... his wife.

FBI Agent Drex Easton is driven by a single goal: to outmanoeuvre the conman once known as Weston Graham. Over the years, Weston has assumed countless names and disguises, luring eight wealthy women out of their fortunes before they disappeared without a trace. The only common trait among the victims: a new man in their life who also vanished.

Drex is convinced that these women have been murdered, and that the man he knows as Weston Graham is responsible. But each time Drex gets close to catching him, Weston trades one persona for another. Now, for the first time in their long game of cat and mouse, Drex has a suspect in sight.

MY REVIEW

I enjoyed this book from start to finish it hooked me from the first page. Drex works with Mike Mallory who is a well built man who likes his food but is also a computer genius, and Gifford Lewis who covers Drex’s back from the boss Rudkowski who really doesn’t like Drex. But how Rudkowski ever got to be in charge is anyone’s guess. Drex has been looking for the man they know as Weston Graham for years he is convinced he has murdered numerous wealthy women and then just disappeared changing his identity and looks each time, the problem is he has no proof. Also no bodies until that of Marian Harris was found in a container with signs she had been buried alive. Mike and Gif call Drex about a new lead informing them they think they may have found Weston although the only photo of the man is very blurred so as they say it may or may not be him. But Drex isn’t listening he is convinced that finally they are on his trail and he is determined not to lose him again. He doesn’t want Rudkowski to know either. The only thing is, the man is now known as Jasper Ford and is newly married to Talia Ford or Talia Shafer as she still uses her maiden name. But is Talia the next victim or is she an accomplice. Drex rents an apartment opposite the Fords house pretending to be a writer. This is when the fun begins.

Drex makes sure he gets to meet Jasper and Talia. Which leads to two problems, Jasper isn’t convinced from the start that Drex is who he says he is. Secondly Drex didn’t expect Talia to be as attractive as she is and he has and instant attraction to her, but can he trust her as she is married to the man he believes is Weston Graham. Whilst Drex is on the inside Mike and Gif have got his back on the outside. Rudkowski has got wind that something is going on with the threesome but has been told Drex is on three weeks vacation and no one knows where he is and Gif is having surgery for haemorrhoids! So he puts a tail on Mike who isn’t really going anywhere anyway as long as he has food delivered and his laptop he can work from home. Another acquaintance of the Fords is Elaine Conner another wealthy woman who Drex flirts with just to rile Talia, but where does this woman fit in? Why is Drex so obsessed with this case?

I love the way the plot comes together, and each character has their little quirks. You are rooting for Drex and the guys and not rooting for the boss. Drex could probably talk his way out of a paper bag, he is very persuasive even when local police forces and other agencies are involved he manages to talk them round to his way most of the time despite the fact that Rudkowski has been giving orders to bring Drex in. There are a couple of unexpected twists towards the end that I really didn’t expect.

If you are looking for a gruesome serial killer thriller then this is not what you get this is more along the lines of a contemporary romance thriller type read. If you like Linda Howard or Nora Roberts chances are you will enjoy this. Overall this is a really good read, a book you could curl up with in a comfy chair or read on holiday on the beach or by the pool. I would certainly recommend it I give it 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley #Hodder&Stoughton # sandrabrown for and ARC of this all view and opinions are my own and honest.

This book is available to pre order now and will be released on the 8th August 2019

THE AUTHOR

Sandra Brown is the author of numerous New York Times bestselling thrillers. She lives in Arlington, Texas. Visit her website at www.sandrabrown.com and connect with her on Twitter:SandraBrown_NYT

THE GUILTY MOTHER

THE GUILTY MOTHER By Diane Jeffrey

SYNOPSIS

2013

Melissa Slade had it all: beauty, money, a successful husband and beautiful twin babies. But, in the blink of an eye, her perfect life became a nightmare - when she found herself on trial for the murder of her little girls.

PRESENT DAY

Jonathon Hunt covered the original Slade Babies case for the local newspaper. Now that new evidence has come to light, Jon’s boss wants him back on the story to uncover the truth.

With Melissa’s appeal date looming, time is running out. And, as Jon gets drawn deeper into a case he’d wanted to forget, he starts to question Melissa’s guilt.

Is Melissa manipulating Jon or telling him the truth? Is she a murderer, or the victim of a miscarriage of justice?

MY REVIEW

The first half of this book is told in alternating chapters with Melissa and Jonathon and the second half his Jonathon and Kelly who is a young journalist just starting out.

This is a really good story Melissa has a 13 year old son from her first marriage Callum and then when she thought she was past falling pregnant she found she was having twins with her second husband. But where everything was a breeze with her first child she is struggling with the twins. Feeling tired all the time and just unable to get on top of things.

Jonathon is told by his boss that she wants him to try and get a scoop on the Melissa Slade story when she finds out that her sentence may be up for appeal after new evidence has been discovered. Jonathon really doesn’t want to cover the case. He was at the first trial and felt then that she was guilty.

I loved the characters of Jonathon and Kelly and could see there being another book with these two in. Jonathon is the experienced journalist whereas Kelly is just starting out and Jonathon takes her under his wing and helps her to develop. Although Kelly is very bright and sees more to the Slade case that makes her determined to get to the bottom of it.

The second half of the book the chapters alternate between Jonathon and Kelly.

The story flows so effortlessly and you are drawn in wanting to know whether Melissa is guilty, or did the babies die of natural causes as in a cot death, or is someone else responsible for the deaths.

It’s fast paced and it’s just one of those stories that you just cannot put down until you have finished.

I have given this book 5 stars out of 5 and highly recommend it.

The ebook is available to pre order now on Amazon and is due for release on the 2nd August. The paperback version is also available for pre order but is due out in October.

Thank you to #netgalley #HQdigital and # dianejeffrey for an ARC of this book all opinions are my own unbiased and honest.

THE SCANDAL By Nicola Marsh

THE SCANDAL

SYNOPSIS

My life is like one of those cheap snow globes my twins collected when they were younger. Shiny and pretty on the outside, blurred beyond recognition when shaken.

Ever since her twin girls left home, Marisa has felt there’s something missing from her life. Her sprawling mansion is no longer filled with laughter and chaos , and she’s desperate to feel needed... and to be distracted from the secret she’s been hiding from her husband for all these years.

Coffee with her best friends might be the only thing holding Marisa together. But Claire and Elly have their own secrets. Like why Claire hasn’t been to work in three weeks, or why Elly won’t tell anyone who’s buying her flowers.

When Jodi, a pregnant young girl, turns up at Marisa’s doorstep, Marisa is quick to come to her aid. She sees herself in Jodi and she knows how devoting yourself to looking after others can take up all your time in the most marvellous way.

But Jodi’s arrival quickly pushes everyone’s lies to the surface. The father of her unborn child is someone the women know very well, and Marisa stars to wonder if her obsession with helping Jodi might come at a devastating price....

MY REVIEW

Marisa or Ris as she likes to be called, Claire and Elly are all friends. But they all have secrets from each other. Marisa is married to Avery a narcissistic plastic surgeon, Claire is married to Dane who sells medical equipment. Elly is now single after finding out her husband was married to someone else and had 3 children with his other wife living a double life.

It’s hard to tell how friendly these women actually are as there are things they keep from each other and there is some bitching behind each other’s backs, They all have what seem to be perfect lives living in the Hamptons but there is more going on behind the scenes than any of them want the others to know. One of them is having an affair with someone’s husband but who is it?

Marisa is not happy in her marriage feeling the empty nest syndrome since her twins have gone off to university in LA. When Jodi a young pregnant woman turns up randomly one day on her doorstep Marisa has to help her as she has so much to give, there is such a loneliness about Marisa. Jodi reminds her of herself before she met her husband.

Claire is desperate to have a baby but it’s just not happening and this is putting pressure on her marriage to Dane. But what secret or secrets is she keeping. She is terrified her husband will leave her, she lacks so much self confidence.

Elly is just angry with men for several reasons which become clear. But one is after finding out her husband was already married with three children and living a double life. Divorced she is now on a destructive course of sleeping with married men and then telling their wives she feels it is her duty to tell them like she is doing them a service. But who is her current lover? Why is he a secret?

Keeping so many secrets between them all can make life very complicated. But just as you think you have guessed who has what secret you are blindsided with something else and you end up going in a different direction.

This is a good psychological thriller if you like Big little lies you will enjoy this. I have given this 4 out of 5 stars in my rating. It’s a good read I stayed up until 4am to finish this despite nodding off a couple of times I wanted to finish it to find out all the answers.

Enjoy.

Thank you to #netgalley #Bookouture #nicolamarsh for an ARC of  this book all opinions are my own and honest.

THE POSSESSION By Michael Rutger

THE POSSESSION By Michael Rutger

SYNOPSIS

THEY CAME LOOKING FOR ANSWERS

A group of explorers arrive in the remote town of Birchlake, Northern California, to investigate the appearance of mysterious walls.

WHAT THEY FOUND WERE QUESTIONS

A teenage girl has disappeared without a trace.

FOR NOT EVERYONE IS AS THEY SEEM

Soon it becomes clear that the last two events may be connected in the most terrifying way. Because sometimes the walls we build upend up closing in on us....


MY REVIEW

Difficult to know where to start with this review. I wasn’t sure what I expected from the book after reading the synopsis. I hadn’t realised that this was the second book involving the intrepid explorers. The first book is called The Anomaly.  But to be honest that really didn’t matter as this book as a stand alone was very good. There were a couple of references to a previous adventure but that was only near the beginning of the story and I didn’t feel I really needed to have read it before reading this one as it is a totally separate story.

Nolan, Ken, Pierre and Molly are You Tubers looking for conspiracy theories to explore. Nolan comes up with the idea of looking into The Berkeley Walls Mystery which is about walls that were built many years ago no one is clear who or why they were built but they are ancient and seem to be in random places not keeping anything in or out but are just there across parts of Northern California.
Kristie is Nolan’s ex wife she has gone to small town Birchlake in Northern California to look into the disappearance of a young girl Alaina. Which by coincidence just happens to be in the area that Nolan has taken the team unbeknownst to them initially. The wall idea doesn’t seem to pan out into a story the intrepid four want to do so they end up in a motel in Birchlake. But there things start to get very weird and interesting. Strange things start happening to Kristie and the intrepid four. Saying much more would be a plot spoiler but the walls do come into the story. So think witch craft, supernatural, horror because I’m really not sure which genre I would put this in possibly all of them.

I love Steven King novels and as this was written on the front cover that sort of drew me in to it. I’m not sure I would have normally been drawn to this. But I am so glad I picked it. I absolutely loved it. Initially the walls bit had me sat there wondering what I was reading but I kept going and was then engrossed with the things going bump in the night. I actually chuckled loudly at a couple of the antics and conversations then in the next minute I was holding my breath not knowing what was coming next.

A great read.

THE AUTHOR

Michael Rutger is a screenwriter whose work has been optioned by major Hollywood studios. He lives in California with his wife and son.

Thank you to #netgalley #Zaffre #MichaelRutger for an ARC of this book all opinions are my own and honest.

This book is available to purchase now from Amazon.co.uk as an ebook or hard book

THE SILENT ONES By K.L.Slater

SYNOPSIS

This morning, I was packing up lunches, ironing, putting on the laundry I should have done last night. Now my precious daughter is accused of murder.

When ten year old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for a terrible crime, Maddy's mother Juliet cannot believe it. How could her bright, joyful daughter be capable of such a thing?

As the small village community recoils in horror, the pressure of the tragedy blows Juliet and her sisters lives apart. And things get even worse when their daughters retreat into a self imposed silence. Can anyone reach Maddy and discover the truth before her fate is sealed?

Juliet is crushed. Nothing will ever be the same for her darling girl. But she knows that to find out what really happened that day, she and her sister must unlock the secrets of their own terrible past, a past they swore never to speak about again...

MY REVIEW

This is the first book I have read by K.L.Slater but it certainly won't be the last.

The story is quite fast paced and hooks you from the first page the clever thing at the beginning is that you don't know which little girl did what as no names are used. Obviously we also don't know if they are either of them guilty of assaulting the old lady which led to her death either. The story is told from different perspectives sometimes Juliet sometimes as Chloe, also jumping back into the past and how the sisters were raised. How each was treated differently by the parents more so the mother than anything. It's very cleverly all put together with lots of things coming out having you guessing what is going on.

If your 10 year old daughter is accused of assaulting an old lady that led to her death along with her 10 year old cousin what would you do? You want to stand up for your daughter and not believe her capable of something so atrocious but your niece is involved as well and your sister is obviously there for her daughter. What strain does this put on a family. Can they survive? Also what family secrets are being kept and by who?

This is a really good read and I highly recommend it if you like your books to pack a lot in. A good psychological thriller.

Thank you to #netgalley #Bookouture #K.L.Slater for the chance to read this ARC all opinions are my own and honest.

THE AUTHOR

Kim is the million-copy bestselling author of eight psychological crime thrillers.

For many years, Kim sent her work to literary agents and collected an impressive stack of rejection slips. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in creative writing.

Before graduating in 2012, she gained literary agent representation and a book deal. As Kim says, 'it was a fairytale... at the end of a very long road!'

Kim is a full time writer. She has one daughter, two stepsons and lives with her husband in Nottingham and Yorkshire.

NOTHING TO HIDE

SYNOPSIS

Suspended from duty after her last case ended in a high profile arrest of one of Britain’s wealthiest men, DC Constance Fairchild is trying to stay away from the limelight. Fate has other ideas....

Coming home to her London flat, Constance stumbles across a young man, bloodied, mutilated and barely alive. She calls it in and is quickly thrown into the middle of a nationwide investigation.... It seems that the victim is just the latest in a string of similar ritualistic attacks.

No matter that she is off duty, no matter that there are those in the Met who would gladly see the back of her, Con can’t shake her innate determination to bring the monsters responsible for this brutality to justice.

MY REVIEW

This can be read as a stand alone novel but I would recommend you read the first book in the series before reading this one (No Time To Cry) a lot more of the story will make sense especially relating to Izzy Cons half sister as well as other references which pop up all the way through the story.

Lady Constance Fairchild or Con as she likes to be known, is a Detective Constable currently suspended from duty after the case she worked on in the previous book which led to some high profile arrests of people of importance including some police officers. Which explains why she is not well liked around the station. She is being hounded by the press being called “posh cop”.

She doesn’t get on with her parents as they disapproved of her choice to become a police officer. Despite her upbringing she is far from being the Lady she was raised to be. She has tattoos on her arms, swears and likes to drink a pint when in the local pub.

This story revolves around a young mans body that Con finds behind the bins her where she lives he has been brutally mutilated but is still alive. It seems this is not the only incident if this happening but has happened nationwide.

Despite Con being suspended rom all duties and warned to stay away she defies her superiors and continues to look into what is happening. She goes to Edinburgh in what is supposed to be her getting away from the press but she has an ulterior motive which is to visit the mother of the young man she found.

She stays with a friend of her aunts Rose who claims to be psychic she is a unique character that hopefully will appear in future books. 

Cons mum seems to always be attracted by cult like leaders who she donates money to. 

I loved the first book in this series and Oswald previous books with Inspector McLean but there was something missing in this one and I struggled to stay with it. It is supposed to be a police procedural but there wasn’t a great deal of police procedure going on except for when looking through CCTV footage. I felt some of the story to be repetitive when Con was running away from whoever was chasing her both times it was written that she would be ok as she had the advantage of knowing the area so could evade capture by using back alleys and side streets. I can understand this being written once but the same thing being said a second time just irritated me.

There are some good new characters introduced in this book which I am hoping we will get to know more as the series progresses. I have only given this book 3 stars as it just seemed to be lacking something.

THE AUTHOR

James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new DC Constance Fairchild series. James's first two books, NATURAL CAUSES and THE BOOK OF SOULS, were both shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award.

James farms highland cows and Romney sheep by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.

Thank you to #netgalley and #Headline Wildfire # Nothing to Hide #JamesOswald for letting me have an ARC of this book all opinions are honest and my own.

STOP AT NOTHING By Tammy Cohen

SYNOPSIS

A mother’s job is to keep her children safe.

Tess has always tried to be a good mother. Of course, there are things she wishes she’d done differently, but doesn’t everyone feel that way?

Then Emma, her youngest, is attacked on her way home from a party, plunging them into a living nightmare which only gets worse when the man responsible is set free.

But what if she fails?

So when Tess sees the attacker in the street near their home, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. But blinded by her need to protect her daughter at any cost, might she end up putting her family in greater danger?

There’s nothing she wouldn’t do to make it right…

My Review

I was looking forward to reading this book after reading the synopsis it sounded perfect. unfortunately I did find it fairly slow going but continued on and I am glad I did as the story picked up. It did take me longer to read than normal I found it to be one of those books that you put down and pick up at intervals.

Tessa is a woman with a lot going on in her life, her husband had left her for another woman 2 years earlier, she was going through the menopause, her eldest daughter isn’t talking to her and is living with the father that reveal comes later in the book, she had been made redundant from her job at a magazine publishing business having worked long hours that has now gone. So she now freelances. Most of her friends have dropped her after she had had a total meltdown in public which under all these circumstances is easy to understand why. She has a webcam set up in her parents house as her mum has Alzheimers/dementia and her dad is getting old and is his wife’s main carer. She checks the webcam frequently to check they are both ok and that its not too much for her father.

However, the story begins when her younger daughter Emma is attacked when walking home one evening by some man, she is punched in the head and he is trying to drag her off. Until a driver passing by rescues her this is when we are introduced to Frances. Both Emma and Frances are invited to go to the police station to do a video lineup. Tess is watching her daughters face to see if there are any signs that she recognises the person responsible. She is convinced her daughter had picked the person number 8 who she later finds out his name is Stephen. But Emma says afterwards she couldn’t be sure and when Frances comes out she also says she wasn’t sure but she thought it was leaning towards number 8. Tessa wants to see the man punished for what he has done to her daughter. But her initial concern is her daughter who is struggling with the aftermath of the attack. A few days later Emma sees the same man coming out of a building near the tube station Tessa was with her and saw her reaction to him and took his picture on her phone. From then on she becomes obsessed with getting this man even if it could put herself and her family in danger. Frances has managed to involve herself in Tessa’s life almost taking over she turns up at many places Tessa does and feeds her information about the guy who Tessa believes was the attacker. Frances has also become very friendly with Emma which initially Tessa understands but then begins to resent a little. But is Frances as good as she seems? Is there more to her story? 

As the story progresses the pressure mounts up and strange things start happening. There is someone else in the story which I found confusing as I couldn’t work out who it was or where it fit you just knew when it was that person as the writing went to italics. All is revealed later in the story. 

I was a little bit disappointed with the way the book finished. As it seemed to be a little open ended it could possibly lead to another book or you could just be left to wonder. But that is probably just me I like things tied up neatly at the end.

This is a very well written story showing how far a mother is prepared to go for her children and I think most mothers would feel the same. Not sure whether I would rather rely on the police route though instead of going after someone who could or could not be the perpetrator. But that could be something you never know unless you are in that situation.

I would recommend this book if you like psychological thrillers if you find it a little slow stick with it as the pace goes a little faster later. Obviously this is just my opinion many people like a slower paced book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tammy Cohen (who previously wrote under her formal name Tamar Cohen) has written several acclaimed novels about family fall-out: The Mistress’s Revenge, The War of the Wives, and Someone Else’s Wedding. The Broken was her first psychological thriller, followed by Dying for Christmas.

She lives in North London with her partner and three (nearly) grown children, plus one badly behaved dog.

Chat with her on Twitter @Ms TamarCohen

RELEASE DATE

This novel is available to preorder now on Amazon and is due for release on the 18 July 2019

Publisher Random House Uk, Transworld Digital

ISBN 9781473542655

Thank you #netgalley #RandomHouseUk,TransworldDigital #Stop at Nothing

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THE GIRL IN THE GRAVE BY Helen Phifer

SYNOPSIS

At least they had found her. Once the site was processed and the girl’s body removed, they’d be able to identify her so that her family could give her the burial she deserved. This innocent girl was far too young to be lying in a grave, crushed under the weight of someone else’s coffin....

When the body of a teenage girl is found hidden inside a strangers grave in a small town cemetery in the Lake District, an urgent call is made to Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams. One look at the beautiful girls broken body is enough to bring Beth out of hiding for the first time since an attempt on her own life.....

MY REVIEW

Wow. What a great read started this late one afternoon read until the early hours of the morning until I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. But I was back reading it as soon as I woke up. It’s just one of those books you cannot put down as you really want to know where it’s going next.

The opening chapter had me feeling claustrophobic  just from reading it I felt I was there, this same feelings happened again later in the book. It was different having a Forensic Pathologist as involved in the investigation.

Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams has previously survived an attack herself which almost cost her her life more details of this come out throughout the book. She had gone from being a Dr in A & E to train to be a Pathologist.

Her house is very highly secured with top of the range security systems and she has taken up self defence lessons as well. But is all this enough to keep her safe. From what or who she fears!

Her friend Detective Josh Walker had saved her life the first time around and now he is trying to save another life after a body is found buried in a graveyard underneath another coffin it is only found when the coffin in that plot is exhumed when someone queries how the person died and wants a second opinion or is that just a ruse to ensure the other body is found below!

From then on it is a rush to find who killed the young girl buried and then another person is reported missing.

Full of suspects that will keep you wondering this story certainly keeps you engrossed.

This was an absolutely thrilling read from start to finish definitely worth a 5 star review. Can’t wait to read more about these characters, will be looking out for the next book in the series.

THE AUTHOR

Helen Phifer is the #1 bestselling crime and horror novelist of the Annie Graham and Lucie Hardin series. Helen lives in a small town in Cumbria with her husband and 5 children. Surrounded by miles of coastline  and only a short drive to the beautiful Lake District. She loves reading books that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Her debut novel The Ghost House was released in October 2013 and introduced readers to officer Annie Graham. This went on to be an Amazon #1 bestseller in Canada. It reached #1 on the Amazon Contemporary Horror charts in both the UK and US. She was delighted when the second in the series pushed the first book off the #1 spot.

Other books that followed were The Forgotten Cottage, The Lake House, The Girls in the Woods and The face Behind the Mask.

#netgalley #TheGirlintheGrave #Bookouture #michellephifer