March has definitely marched on and is almost done and we have had some lovely weather and it has given me the chance to get out in the garden. Potatoes and onions are all planted now and various veg and herb seeds have been sown, had a good picking of Rhubarb and I can see my asparagus shooting.
So onto the books I have read this week…
I have had The Nowhere Child by Christian White on my Netgalley shelf and I fancied reading it. This story was about a child who had been missing for over 20 years and is told in a Then and Now format. It was intriguing and had a few surprises, at times emotional and definitely a book that had a few twists. A good read and one I would recommend.
I then read Rabette Run by Nick Rippington for the upcoming Blog Tour. I have read his Boxer Boys series and thoroughly enjoyed them, Rabette Run is nothing like those books, this is a story is about Emerson Rabette and his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and also of a past event. A fast paced read that the showed a disorder at its extremes. Excellent read.
I was so glad to go back to Cockleberry Bay, The Gift of Cockleberyy Bay by Nicola May is the third book in the series and I loved catching up with the regular characters and this book sees big decisions, secrets and starts with a storm. Love this series and cant wait to share my review as part of the Blog Tour.
Audio-Books this week were…
I finished The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett, this was a childhood favourite. I did find that as an adult this was still a brilliant book, but I was aware that some things did make me wince. It is a story that does have some remarks that would now be considered to be racist, but this is often the case with books.
I have now just started to listen to Romeo and Juliet, this, like The Secret Garden, is free to listen to on Audible Stories. This version of Romeo and Juliet is a dramatised version and I do admit it makes it easier to digest with Joseph Fiennes, Maria Miles and Elizabeth Spriggs as part of the cast.
Well, that is me done for another week. Have a good week everyone and take care of yourselves
I am delighted to be sharing my review today for Mine by Clare Empson. I would like to say a big thank you Tracy at Compulsive Readers for my spot onthe Blog Tour and for arranging my copy of this wonderful book.
Let me show you what it is all about…
Who am I? Why am I here? Why did my mother give me away?’
On the surface, Luke and his girlfriend Hannah seem to have a perfect life. He’s an A&R man, she’s an arts correspondent and they are devoted to their new-born son Samuel.
But beneath the gloss Luke has always felt like an outsider. So when he finds his birth mother Alice, the instant connection with her is a little like falling in love.
When Hannah goes back to work, Luke asks Alice to look after their son. But Alice – fuelled with grief from when her baby was taken from her 27 years ago – starts to fall in love with Samuel. And Luke won’t settle for his mother pushing him aside once again…
One word…Wow!
What an emotional story Mine was, I say emotional but actually it was an emotional roller-coaster. The synopsis tells you the basics you need to know about this story and to be honest I am not going to really expand on that.
The story is essentially two stories that are intertwined in a Now and Then format. The Now part of the story of Luke and how he finally gets to meet Alice, his birth mother, and how their relationship builds. The second story is about Alice and her journey through Art school, life and to the point of giving her son up for adoption.
There are obviously others in the story, Hannah is Luke’s partner and together they have Samuel, there is Luke’s mother as well. In the past there are those important to Alice, such as renowned artist Rick.
During this slower paced story the there are various aspects that the author has dealt with and I think has done very well. There is an obvious impact of reconnecting with a birth parent, expectations, questions, guilt are just the tip of the iceberg. The impact is felt for all that are part of the family and in someways careful managing is needed.
The emotion aspect of the story was gradually built up, from the initial nervousness of a first meeting to Alice becoming part of the family. While the story does have a psychological thriller feel to it, it is more about family relationships, and it has a more dramatic second half.
A fabulous read that had some surprises, and though I did have a nervous feeling I wasn’t quite expecting the way the author played her story line out. A cracking read for readers who like a book that has a slower build-up, that is as much about family life and relationships as it is the psychological thriller. It is one I would definitely recommend.
Clare Empson is a journalist with a background in national newspapers and has worked as a small business editor, finance correspondent and fashion at the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Express. Clare freelances for The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and Tatler amongst others. She currently works as editor/founder of experiential lifestyle website http://www.countrycalling.co.uk.
Him was her debut novel. Her second novel Mine is an exploration of the fraught relationship between a birth mother and her adopted son set against a backdrop of a passionate love affair in the 70s.
Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…
Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx
I am delighted to share my review today for Mexico Street by Simone Buchholz. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of the book.
Let me show you what it’s all about…
Hamburg state prosecutor Chastity Riley investigates a series of arson attacks on cars across the city, which leads her to a startling and life-threatening discovery involving criminal gangs and a very illicit love story…
Night after night, cars are set alight across the German city of Hamburg, with no obvious pattern, no explanation and no suspect.
Until, one night, on Mexico Street, a ghetto of high-rise blocks in the north of the city, a Fiat is torched. Only this car isn’t empty. The body of Nouri Saroukhan – prodigal son of the Bremen clan – is soon discovered, and the case becomes a homicide.
Public prosecutor Chastity Riley is handed the investigation, which takes her deep into a criminal underground that snakes beneath the whole of Germany. And as details of Nouri’s background, including an illicit relationship with the mysterious Aliza, emerge, it becomes clear that these are not random attacks, and there are more on the cards…
I have read the first book in the Chas Riley series and they do work well as standalone, but obviously better if read in order to get a proper understanding of Chas.
In Mexico Street the synopsis does a great job of setting the reader up for what is to come. The author has quite a unique style and so does her main protagonist Chas Riley.
Chas is a no holds barred type of character, she is a tough cookie who tends to say what she wants, do what she wants and is in some respects a bit of a closed book when it comes to revealing things about herself.
The case of a body found in a burned out car takes Chas and her team into an area where there is a community that is country-less, refugees who cannot remain in their own country and are not allowed to settle. They are not trusting of the law, of outsiders and of strangers. They have there own ways of doing things and this makes it very difficult to gain the answers Chas needs.
The author weaves a tale that flits back and forth in time giving a backstory to the characters. These are gradually brought up to date and gives the reader the chance to get to know not only the character but also the what matters to them. She also changes perspectives as the story progresses, you get a view from Chas, the investigation as well as from a character. These are well worked to give a good depth to the story.
The story is a mix of the investigation and also from the the dead characters life to the point of death and because of this there are certain things that are not completely finalised. It is that the investigation has been solved but not all the questions are answered, but they are alluded to. Leaves the reader with something to think about.
This is an investigative story that has a different style to it giving it a unique feel. It is detailed and has more than one story-line that are gradually drawn together until they reach a point where they meet. Mexico Street is a crime and investigation read that I would recommend.
I would also like to add that the translation is brilliant.
Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night, which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. She lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.
Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…
Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx
I am delighted to share my review for The Runaway by Linda Huber. This is the first time I have read anything by this author and I am so looking forward to catching up with more of her books.
My thanks to Sarah at Book On The Bright Side Publicity for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy of the book.
Let me show you what it is all about…
Keep your secrets close to home…
Bad things happen in threes – or so it seems to Nicola. The death of her mother-in-law coincides with husband Ed losing his job and daughter Kelly getting into trouble with the police. Time to abandon their London lifestyle and start again by the sea in far-away Cornwall.
It should be the answer to everything – a new home, a new job for Ed and a smaller, more personal school for fifteen-year-old Kelly. But the teenager hates her new life, and it doesn’t take long before events spiral out of control and the second set of bad things starts for Nicola.
Some secrets can’t be buried. Or… can they?
This is the first time I have read a book by this author and I have to say I enjoyed The Runaway a huge amount.
This is a book that is told from the perspectives of the three main characters. They are husband and wife, Ed and Nicola and their daughter Kelly. After Ed’s mother dies the family leave London and move into Ed’s old family home in St. Ives, Cornwall.
As the story unfolds it becomes apparent that Ed does not have the happy family memories of home, in fact the memories still haunt him. It is through his recollections and memories that I gradually found out more about him. He is unsettled and distracted and it is noticed by Nicola and Kelly.
The family are in the midst of upheaval of moving to a new house, new school, new jobs and trying to get settled. Kelly isn’t happy about leaving her friends and cracks start to show within the family.
The author has done a great job of gradually upping the tension in this story. When I started the story there were little hints at things not being well with Ed’s Cornwall home, but it is only as the story progresses that /i started to get a better picture. The story line is quite dramatic and as I said the tension is ever present.
The full impact of the story is quite an unsettling one as things take a turn. While I did get the main plot this wasn’t about “working it out” it was very much about each of the characters journeys. I enjoyed the way the story was laid out and the quick changes of perspectives between the characters and it meant that I could really get each ones point of view.
A wonderful and atmospheric character driven read. The pacing was good, not too fast but at a pace that kept my attention completely. The story line is captivating and from the start I felt its grip. Ideal for readers who like a tense, and in someways it is a domestic thriller but it also has a good psychological aspect to it as well as being a family drama. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am looking forward to checking out and reading some of the other books by this author. I would definitely recommend it.
Linda Huber grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, but went to work in Switzerland for a year aged twenty-two, and has lived there ever since. Her day jobs have included working as a physiotherapist in hospitals and schools for handicapped children, and teaching English in a medieval castle. Currently she teaches one day a week, and writes psychological suspense novels and feel-good novellas with (most of) the rest of her time.
Her writing career began in the nineties, when she had over fifty short stories published in women’s magazines before turning to psychological suspense fiction. The Runaway is her ninth book, and is set mostly in Cornwall, where she spent several happy holidays as a child.
Linda’s other project is a series of feel-good novellas written under the pen name Melinda Huber and set on the banks of Lake Constance, just minutes from her home in north-east Switzerland. She really appreciates having the views enjoyed by her characters right on her own doorstep!
Welcome to another week of books I have read. As we all struggle to come to the reality that is the world at the moment, I like others worry about what will happen.
There are many free resources out on the internet at the moment. One of them is for Audible Stories, it is a resource that has been made free and there is no sign up required. It is aimed at children but it has some Classic Stories that I am a big fan of. I am currently listening to The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett, a childhood favourite of mine.
Here is the link for Audible Stories or you can just type Audible Stories into your browser.
Anyway, to the books I have read…
On last weeks round up post I was just about to start Mine by Clare Empson, and what a cracking read it was. It is about family relationships as an Luke finds and meets his birth mother. It is a story that was very addictive and you can read my review as part of the Blog Tour at the end of the month.
What a wonderful read From Venice With Love by Rosanna Ley was. It the story of sisters, family and secret letters from a past era. A wonderfully evocative read that I absolutely adored. Keep an eye out for my review.
This was such a good book, but I do think that it will not be for everyone especially given its subject. Goldilocks by Laura Lam is a story that is so current. Earth is dying as climate change and disease are rife, see what I mean about it being not for everyone! But it is a book that is more about the relationship between 5 women and for me this was the book was about, as well as the obvious disease and climate threads.
What a brilliant book Clover Cottage by Christie Barlow was. It is the third book in the Love Heart Lane series and yes you could read it as a stand-alone, but why would you want to miss out on the previous books. This story focuses on Rory and Allie, about the dreams and their futures. A brilliant read.
If you like your crime to be macabre then you need to have Killing Pretties by Rob Ashman on pre-order, its released on 30th March and is a fantastic read. A thriller that has such a great psychological aspect, its brutal and fantastic but definitely not for the light hearted, it had me wincing a time or two!!!! Absolute belter of a read.
Audio-books read listened to…
I finished The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, it was a good listen and then I did watch a film version based on the book that I found on Prime Video.
Then I listened to the first story in the Sherlock Holmes Collection – A Study In Scarlet, I love Stephen Fry as a narrator and he really adds some wonderful dynamics.
The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett is a story I loved from childhood. I will admit that Audible Stories is not as good to use as Audible where I can download my book, streaming a book means I have to remember my place when I next listen so I can forward to my place again.
Many thanks for reading my post, I wish everyone a safe week ahead.
I am absolutely delightedd to be opening the Blog Tour for East Side Hustler by Leopold Bortinski. My huge thanks to Emma at damppebbles Tours for my spot on the tour and for arranging my e-copy of this book. East Side Hustler is the second book in a series I am loving.
Let me show you more about the book…
Alex lived through the war, but will he survive the peace?
Jewish gang member, Alex comes back from the Great War almost destroyed by the horrors he has seen. When he is plucked from certain death by an old friend, he commits to making so much money he’ll never know that agony again.
But the route to the top is fraught with danger and every time he helps one of his powerful friends like Al Capone, he acquires more enemies who want to see him dead. When organised crime financier, Arnold Rothstein dies, the turmoil caused by his loss sets in train a chain of events which means Alex must once more fight for his life. How far would you go to attain your American dream?
The second book in the Alex Cohen series is a violent historical novel, which tears through the Prohibition years of the Jewish New York mob. Leopold Borstinski’s gripping crime noir pierces the heart of every reader like a bullet from Alex’s sniper rifle.
This is the second book in the Alex Cohen Series and I am going to say straight from the off how much I am enjoying this series.
Alex Cohen has just returned from serving in the First World War and is suffering from the horror at what he saw and did. He makes his way to his old stomping ground and gradually makes his way back into civilian life. He is a member of a gang in Bowery district of New York. This, like many other gangs control gambling, prostitution, extortion, backhanders and bribes, basically they are racketeers.
While Alex makes his way back to health he reconnects with his old friends and gang members. Things are getting more dangerous for everyone in 1920’s America and as Prohibition looms things are getting tense. Prohibition strains all gangs and they are often at odds with each other, but also alliances are made. The meeting of new allies inevitably sees one of the most infamous names making an appearance in the story, that is one Al Capone.
Tensions are a strong thread within this story as the lives of friends and family are always in threat. Vendettas and revenge lead to bloody battles and street wide gunfights. Trust is something that is not easily given and this adds to the drama.
The author does an absolutely fantastic job of immersing the reader in the time and setting of the novel. I like how Jewish words and phrases are dropped into conversations, I should explain that Alex is Jewish.
This is a book that really does exude the roaring 20’s with mobs, gangs, prohibition and illegal drinking and gambling. While this is all going on Alex also has a family to take care of and like many other families, his also becomes a target.
A wonderful historical fiction read that took me to 1920’s America a time of change and a time of trouble. The author has some brilliant characters and a totally addictive read. The first book – The Bowery Slugger saw Alex Cohen starting his journey into the gangs, East Side Hustler sees him making his mark as a major player and they are both excellent reads.
East Side Hustler is a book I would definitely recommend. This really is a fabulous book and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book that is due out later this year.
Leopold Borstinski is an independent author whose past careers have included financial journalism, business management of financial software companies, consulting and product sales and marketing, as well as teaching.
There is nothing he likes better so he does as much nothing as he possibly can. He has travelled extensively in Europe and the US and has visited Asia on several occasions. Leopold holds a Philosophy degree and tries not to drop it too often.
He lives near London and is married with one wife, one child and no pets.
It is my absolute pleasure to once again be part of the Blog Tour for Noelle Holten for her latest book Dead Wrong. This is the second book in the series and it does read well as a stand-alone. My huge thanks to Sarah at Book On The Bright Side Publicity for my spot on the Tour and for arranging an e-copy of the book.
Let me show you what it is all about…
The serial killer is behind bars. But the murders are just beginning…
DC Maggie Jamieson’s past comes back to haunt her in this dark and gripping serial killer thriller.
Three missing women running out of time…  They were abducted years ago. Notorious serial killer Bill Raven admitted to killing them and was sentenced to life.
The case was closed – at least DC Maggie Jamieson thought it was…  But now one of them has been found, dismembered and dumped in a bin bag in town.
Forensics reveal that she died just two days ago, when Raven was behind bars, so Maggie has a second killer to find.  Because even if the other missing women are still alive, one thing’s for certain: they don’t have long left to live…
DC Maggie Jamieson is back in the 2nd book by this author and it was great to be able to catch up again. The synopsis gives such an intriguing premise for the story.
Bill Raven is behind bars for murder, the bodies were never found but he had confessed to their murders. Then the bodies turn up, only problem is the fact they have been murdered while he is locked up!!! The ball starts rolling for his release and time is not the side of the police.
The author has created such a good baddie with Bill Raven, he loves to play mind games and Maggie is in the firing line for him as he gets under her skin and taunts her at every turn. Maggie and the team have to go back over notes, files and every bit of information they have to try and discover what was missed and also to see if they have got the wrong man.
Maggie is tenacious and will not let go of her belief that Bill is indeed guilty, especially when people around her are doubting. The time essence for the story adds to the tension of the team as they try to explore every possibility.
The story is gritty and fast-paced, there are seeds of doubt and the tension is high. Assisting the police are various other agencies, this is an aspect that the author does so well and incorporates it into the story adding a bit of “something different” to this police procedural style crime story.
The story is well laid out and even though I did have the odd idea there were some good twists that caught me unawares. There is also a very creepy thread that runs alongside the main focus and this has been left so tantalising and I am looking to see where this one will go.
This is a fabulous 2nd book in the series and if you are a fan of crime thriller reads then this is going to be a book that is right up your street. It is fast paced, gritty, at times creepy and cleverly written. I would definitely recommend it and I would also advise putting the 3rd book on your wish list.
Noelle Holten is an award-winning blogger at Crime BookJunkie She is the PR & Social Media Manager for Bookouture, a leading digital publisher in the UK, and was a regular reviewer on the Two Crime Writers and a Microphone podcast. Noelle worked as a Senior Probation Officer for eighteen years, covering a variety of cases including those involving serious domestic abuse. She has three Hons BA’s – Philosophy, Sociology (Crime & Deviance) and Community Justice – and a Masters in Criminology. Noelle’s hobbies include reading, attending as many book festivals as she can afford and sharing the booklove via her blog. Dead Inside is her debut novel with One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK and the start of a new series featuring DC Maggie Jamieson.Â
I am delighted to share my review for Bury Them Deep by James Oswald. This is the 10th book in the Inspector McLean Series and it is blooming brilliant.
Let me show you what it is all about…
The tenth book in the Sunday Times-bestselling Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland’s most celebrated crime writers
When a member of the Police Scotland team fails to clock-in for work, concern for her whereabouts is immediate… and the discovery of her burnt-out car in remote woodland to the south of Edinburgh sets off a desperate search for the missing woman.
Meanwhile, DCI Tony McLean and the team are preparing for a major anti-corruption operation – one which may raise the ire of more than a few powerful people in the city. Is Anya Renfrew’s disappearance a co-incidence or related to the case?
McLean’s investigations suggest that perhaps that Anya isn’t the first woman to have mysteriously vanished in these ancient hills. Once again, McLean can’t shake the feeling that there is a far greater evil at work here…
Wow! What an amazing book Bury Them Deep is. This is the 10th in the Inspector McLean Series and works so well as a stand alone. I have read a couple of books in this series and this latest book is a crime readers dream. It is tense, dark and draws on local legends and tales told to scare youngsters, but they always say that there is some truth to local legends.
The author had me intrigued before the story actually began with an introduction to a local legend. By the time I had read that page I was already interested in this police procedural.
Set in Scotland, DCI McLean is part of a very hush-hush inter-agency investigation, well actually it was in the beginning stages when one of the civilian members of the team goes missing. Her disappearance goes against the grain for her personality and causes concern due to the information she has access to. McLean and his team soon discover that the woman they thought they knew had a very different life out of work.
The story was so brilliantly woven, as I read I was on edge as various leads and sub-plots were expertly woven. This is a story that has plot upon plot upon plot and the more I read the more intrigues I got. As the story progressed various pieces of the puzzle were starting to be pulled together and even with all these pieces they still didn’t quite fit until the author was ready to give them all a final shunt into place.
Using old stories and local legends was such a brilliant twist on a police procedural, it gave the book such a dark element to the story, it gave a wonderful sense of suspense and made it such an addictive read.
This was an absolutely brilliant read that I found so hard to put down. A must read for all crime, thriller fans and one I would Absolutely Recommend.
I am delighted to share two review today, these are for the 3rd and 4th books in the Lantern Square series by Helen J Rolfe. I am a big fan of this author and had this on my kindle for a while. Let me show you the gorgeous covers of the Lantern Square books in order…
The series in order is…
Let me show you what Christmas in Lantern Square is all about…
Step into the cosy community of Lantern Square…
Hannah went from high flyer in the city to business owner and has never looked back. In the cosy Cotswold village of Butterbury she runs Tied up with String, sending handmade gifts and care packages across the miles, as well as delivering them to people she thinks need them the most.
But when her ex best-friend Georgia turns up and wants in on the action, will Hannah be willing to forgive and forget? With her business in jeopardy, she needs to maintain the reputation she’s established, and discover who she can trust…
Straight off the back of book two in the series I delved straight into book three. I was looking forward to seeing how the run-up to Christmas Day and the day itself would pan out.
Hannah is well and truly up to her eyeballs in gifts, cards and care packages as her business hits its busiest time. She is run ragged and the flu is a visitor who is definitely;y not welcome. It does mean that the Doctor makes a visit, and also Hannah’s ex, Luke, is on hand to help look after her.
This is a perfect follow on from the previous two books. Hannah is beginning to struggle, mistakes are made, things are not posted and something doesn’t quite sit right. There is a little about her past and it does come knocking on her door and instead of it being a bad thing it actually comes out for the good.
The story has been gradually building up and gathering a momentum that has left me absolutely glued to this series. There is an undercurrent of things having a nasty side to them and it is gradually starting to emerge. This adds a rather nice dramatic tension as my mind is desperately trying to shout at Hannah to tell her what I am thinking is going on.
I also really enjoy the rather subtle romantic tension to this story, it has been there all along, but I feel that this is where it is now starting to become something a bit more of a “what if” rather than a “would be nice” thing.
Once again the author has captured the community feel of the village, connections are made and little plans are being put in place. There is also a mystery benefactor lurking and they have been doing some fabulous acts of kindness that has me a little puzzled, I mean I do have a theory so I cannot wait to read the final part to see if I am right.
A fabulous third instalment in The Lantern Square series that is an absolutely brilliant read, it has all the heartwarming and cosy feel but also has a sense of foreboding lurking in the wings. I definitely recommend this series.
Here is the synopsis for – Snowfall In Lantern Square…
Step into the cosy community of Lantern Square…
Hannah went from high flyer in the city to business owner and has never looked back. In the cosy Cotswold village of Butterbury she runs Tied up with String, sending handmade gifts and care packages across the miles, as well as delivering them to people she thinks need them the most.
But when her ex best-friend Georgia turns up and wants in on the action, will Hannah be willing to forgive and forget? With her business in jeopardy, she needs to maintain the reputation she’s established, and discover who she can trust…
So the final part of the Lantern Square series sees Hannah still keeping a brave face even though things had been going awry around her. Her ex keeps wanting to meet up, her best friend may have ulterior motives and the Doctor seems to have more women going in and out of his house than you would believe.
The story gradually pulls together these threads and other bringing the story to a wonderful conclusion that has left me feeling very sad. I really like Hannah, Rhys, Joe, Mr G, Charles and so many of the other wonderful characters that I have met along the way. They cover such a diverse range and each has their own part to play in the story.
This has been a fabulous series to read and I have enjoyed each part of it. It has such a wonderful and welcoming style to it that envelops the reader in makes it ideal for snuggly under a blanket and escaping for an hour or so for each part.
The setting is sublime, a Cotswold village setting with a wonderful sense of community, of friendship and also support. The author really nails the sense of the spirit of the village in a wonderful way.
I am sad to see the end of this series, it is one that leaves you with a wonderful feeling of things being right with the world, a marvellous literary escape if you like. It is a book and a series I would definitely recommend.
This has been a fabulous 4 part series, I really enjoy reading Helen’s books and there are quite a few to choose from.
You can read my reviews for the first two book in this series CLICK HERE
Many thanks for reading my post, like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx
I am delighted to share my review for Deep Dark Night by Steph Broadribb. I have brought the previous books in this series and my plan had been to read them prior to reading this latest one… I really shouldn’t plan because they never go…well…according to plan!!!
My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for also arranging an e-copy of this book so I can share my honest opinion about it.
Let me show you what it is all about…
A city in darkness. A building in lockdown. A score that can only be settled in blood…
Working off the books for FBI Special Agent Alex Monroe, Florida bounty-hunter Lori Anderson and her partner, JT, head to Chicago. Their mission: to entrap the head of the Cabressa crime family. The bait: a priceless chess set that Cabressa is determined to add to his collection.
An exclusive high-stakes poker game is arranged in the penthouse suite of one of the city’s tallest buildings, with Lori holding the cards in an agreed arrangement to hand over the pieces. But, as night falls and the game plays out, stakes rise and tempers flare.
When a power failure plunges the city into darkness, the building goes into lockdown. But this isn’t an ordinary blackout, and the men around the poker table aren’t all who they say they are. Hostages are taken, old scores resurface and the players start to die.
And that’s just the beginning…
So as this is the first book I have read by this author what did I think? Well before I was even a quarter of the way through I thought “This is such a good book” and then followed by another thought… “Why haven’t I read anything by this author before!”
Deep Dark Night is part of a series and I can honestly say it worked really well as a stand-alone. It also left me wishing I had read these in order because even though there was enough details about past stories it also left me wanting to know more about the two main protagonists.
So the main characters are Lori and JT, they are caught up with FBI Agent Monroe and are involved in trying to catch a Chicago crime boss handling stolen goods. Now I know I am not the only reader who immediately gets suspicious when those three letters, FBI, appear in books and this also goes for Lori and JT.
Now the synopsis for this book gives a good amount of details as to what I was going to expect, but the book itself far surpassed what the synopsis hinted at. This book was full on high pace from start to finish, this was ideal for injecting a sense of urgency to the main plot. It also added drama and suspense aplenty.
I really liked how the author had laid out this story. Not only quick sharp and to the point chapters, but also alternating perspectives between Lori and JT. It was a good way of seeing different opinions and also for the odd personal moment as they thought about home and family. If you have read the books you will know what I am referring to.
This is without doubt a cracking read that I absolutely loved, once I started I was unable to put it down. Ideal for readers who like fast paced, action packed reads and crime based mysteries. This is a book I would definitely recommend.
Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire. Most of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alter ego – Crime Thriller Girl – she indulges her love of all things crime fiction by blogging at crimethrillergirl.com, where she interviews authors and reviews the latest releases. Steph is an alumni of the MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California. She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded by horses, cows and chickens. Her debut thriller, Deep Down Dead, was shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards in two categories, and hit number one on the UK and AU kindle charts.
My Little Eye, her first novel under her pseudonym Stephanie Marland was published by Trapeze Books in April 2018. Follow Steph on Twitter @CrimeThrillGirl and on Facebook facebook.com/CrimeThrillerGirl or visit her website: crimerthrillergirl.com
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