Category: review
+ alcoholism, childhood, crime fiction, family, fiction, friendship, grief, lies, loneliness, loss, mystery, review, Scottish Highlands, secrets, superstition, witches
Gallow Falls by Alex Nye
A remote Scottish estate. A missing teenager. When a young archaeologist discovers bones at the site of her Bronze Age broch on Gallows Hill, the community of Kilbroch hold their breath. Ex-detective Callum MacGarvey came to work on the estate in order to escape from his past, but when a friend asks for his help, he cannot refuse. Missing teenager Robbie MacBride’s grandmother wants … Read More Gallow Falls by Alex Nye
+ alcoholism, childhood, family, fiction, forgiveness, grief, loss, love, marriage, memory, mental illness, motherhood, Psychological fiction, review, therapy, thriller
Arrietty by Abby Davies
Our loved ones protect us. So what if you woke up one day to find yours gone? Your mum, your friends, your freedom – all gone. And the one person you trust may be hiding a terrible secret. #Arrietty @Abby13Richards #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours Welcome to Arrietty’s life. My Review So what if you woke up one day to find everything you thought you knew was turned on its … Read More Arrietty by Abby Davies
+ family, feminism, fiction, grief, Historical fiction, lies, literature, London, loss, love, marriage, mental health, mental illness, motherhood, music, obsession, psychiatrist, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, therapy, twins
The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 3 by Sophia Lambton
Dreams are a red flag for the danger-prone. Postwar van der Holts. Sophistication sticks to Head of Music Isabel – and so does new headmaster, the mysterious and semi-dictatorial Richard Schneider. Dissent from doctorly conventionality leads Anneliese into digressions deviant even for her as she squares off not just against Susanna but a serial offender of the law. Sparks fly between old flames; new … Read More The Crooked Little Pieces: Volume 3 by Sophia Lambton
+ Australia, community, grief, loss, love, Magical realism, motherhood, relationships, review, Scottish Highlands, supernatural, superstition, whimsical, witches
Salt & Skin by Eliza Henry Jones
Grief-stricken and on the verge of a breakdown, photographer Luda Managan leaves Australia for a commission, bringing her two teenage children to a remote, weather- ravaged but beautiful Scottish island. Luda, isolated from her two resentful teenagers, turns her attention to the records from the 17th century island witch hunts and the fragmented life stories of the executed women. Min, her daughter, restless and … Read More Salt & Skin by Eliza Henry Jones
+ alcoholism, crime fiction, family, family drama, fiction, grief, Iceland noir, jealousy, lies, loss, marriage, murder, Nordic noir, review, secrets, thriller
You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdótti (Forbidden Iceland #4) translated by Victoria Cribb
The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’s remote Snæfellsnes peninsula. Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he’s … Read More You Can’t See Me by Eva Björg Ægisdótti (Forbidden Iceland #4) translated by Victoria Cribb
+ bullying, Canada, fiction, France, Historical fiction, magic, Paris, review, satanism, supernatural, witchcraft
The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner
1899, Belle Époque Paris. Lucienne’s two daughters are believed dead when her mansion burns to the ground, but she is certain that her girls are still alive and embarks on a journey into the depths of the spiritualist community to find them. 1949, Post-War Québec. Teenager Lina’s father has died in the French Resistance, and as she struggles to fit in at school, her … Read More The Bleeding by Johana Gustawsson translated by David Warriner
+ adventure, Carcassone, Catholic Church, female friendship, feminism, fiction, Historical fiction, history, journal, literature, love, religion, review, secrets, slavery
The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse
Piracy. Romance. Revenge. Across the seas of the seventeenth century, two seafarers are forced to fight for their lives. The sequel to The City of Tears, The Ghost Ship is the third novel in The Joubert Family Chronicles from bestselling author Kate Mosse. The Barbary Coast, 1621. A mysterious vessel floats silently on the water. It is known only as the Ghost Ship. For months it has hunted pirates … Read More The Ghost Ship by Kate Mosse
+ crime fiction, dark humour, female friendship, fiction, love, murder, murder mystery, relationships, review, romance, serial killer
Don’t Swipe Right by LMChilton
Finding true love can be murder. Gwen Turner, 29, entrepreneur and part-time barista. Likes: true-crime podcasts, cheese-based snacks (the more unnaturally orange the better) and constantly refreshing her dating apps. Dislikes: two-day hangovers, people who refer to themselves as entrepreneurs… and discovering her latest match is actually a serial killer (probably should have put that top of the list). They say romance is dead – but … Read More Don’t Swipe Right by LMChilton
+ abuse, alcoholism, child abuse, childhood, crime fiction, fiction, jealousy, journalist, murder, obsession, revenge, review, serial killer, thriller
Saving Grace by Cristina Slough
An ambitious reporter seeks a window into an obsessed killer’s mind—and is forced to take a hard look in the mirror, in this dark psychological thriller. It starts when a Cornwall fisherman finds a body in the ocean. The blood of the victim has washed away, but the angry message etched deep into the victim’s back is crystal clear: Grace—Number 1. It’s the kind … Read More Saving Grace by Cristina Slough
+ family, fiction, Greece, grief, holiday, lies, loss, love, marriage, motherhood, murder, obsession, relationships, review, secrets, thriller
The Other Guest by Heidi Perks
Laila and her husband arrive for a week’s luxury holiday at the exclusive White Sands resort on a stunning but tiny Greek island. They’re in desperate need of a reset on their relationship. As Laila sits by the pool, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to another family staying in the resort. #TheOtherGuest @HeidiPerksBooks @centurybooksuk #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour Em has no idea who Laila is, or that … Read More The Other Guest by Heidi Perks
+ feel-good, female friendship, fiction, forgiveness, friendship, grief, List, literature, loneliness, loss, love, motherhood, music hall, obsession, psychiatric hospital, relationships, review, secrets, strongman, strongwoman, suffragette movement, whimsical
My Top 8 Books of 2023 – Part Two
Here are my favourite eight books of the second quarter of 2023. One or two of these might make it into my top four books of 2023. Still a long way to go. While I read a lot of crime novels all of these books are other genres, as a crime novel needs to be totally unique and exceptional to make it into my favourites. So … Read More My Top 8 Books of 2023 – Part Two
+ history, literature, review, writer, writing
The Writer’s Guide to Obscurity by John Steinberg
Norman was born to write, but doesn’t know his destiny is written in his DNA, inherited from generations of earlier Normans who yearned to put pen to paper – once those items had been invented! Yet with nothing to show for all his literary endeavours and struggling to pay the rent, he tells himself there must be easier ways of making a living. It’s … Read More The Writer’s Guide to Obscurity by John Steinberg
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