Category: review
The Last Snow by Stina Jackson translated by Susan Beard
What secrets are hidden within the walls of a desolate farmhouse in a forgotten corner of Lapland? Early spring has its icy grip on Ödesmark, a small village in northernmost Sweden, abandoned by many of its inhabitants. But Liv Björnlund never left. She lives in a derelict house together with her teenage son, Simon, and her ageing father, Vidar. They make for a peculiar … Read More The Last Snow by Stina Jackson translated by Susan Beard
+ fiction, radio play, review
Birthday Surprise by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
‘Birthday Surprise’The best laid plans… “You don’t like quiet do you Rob.” Boyfriend Rob and best friend Olivia are waiting to surprise Ellen on her birthday. Rob is both nervous and excited. Then the phone rings. And the plan goes horribly wrong. “I named a star after her for her birthday,” sobs poor Rob. I felt really sorry for him. But that’s not the … Read More Birthday Surprise by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
+ abuse, child abuse, community, crime fiction, family, fiction, friendship, literature, religion, review
Tall Bones by Anna Bailey
When seventeen-year-old Emma leaves her best friend Abi at a party in the woods, she believes, like most girls her age, that their lives are just beginning. Many things will happen that night, but Emma will never see her friend again. Abi’s disappearance cracks open the façade of the small town of Whistling Ridge, its intimate history of long-held grudges and resentment. Even within … Read More Tall Bones by Anna Bailey
Orca by Mariëtte Whitcomb
If you prey on the innocent, I’m coming for you. War didn’t change me… Four months as the enemy’s captive did. I returned home broken, scarred, the call to combat echoing in my soul. Haunted by the deaths of my squad, a darkness festers inside me, set on vengeance. #OrcaTheNovel #FinleySeries #MarietteWhitcomb Instagram @mariettewhitcomb @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours Seven little girls died at the hands of … Read More Orca by Mariëtte Whitcomb
+ family, fiction, friendship, literature, loss, love, review, sisters
Lost Property by Helen Paris
Dot Watson has lost her way. Twelve years ago her life veered off course, and the guilt over what happened still haunts her. Before then she was living in Paris, forging an exciting career; now her time is spent visiting her mother’s care home, fielding interfering calls from her sister and working at the London Transport Lost Property office, diligently cataloguing items as misplaced … Read More Lost Property by Helen Paris
+ crime fiction, family, fiction, holiday, murder, murder mystery, mystery, relationships, review, secrets, serial killer, thriller
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
Half-hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Once a sanatorium treating tuberculosis patients, it was abandoned years ago and had fallen into disrepair. Long plagued by troubling rumours, it has recently been renovated into a lavish hotel. An imposing, isolated getaway spot high up in the Swiss Alps is the last place detective Elin Warner … Read More The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
+ childhood, family, fantasy, fiction, love, motherhood, religion, review, supernatural, time travel
Space Hopper by Helen Fisher
This is a story about taking a leap of faithAnd believing the unbelievable They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect. I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight.And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table … Read More Space Hopper by Helen Fisher
+ art, fiction, humour fiction, review
Fake by Roz Kay
James Cowper—art dealer, gambler, thief—is going straight and on the brink of redeeming himself with his disillusioned wife, Imani. He’s still broke, but all he needs to take care of that is a rare art find. #FaketheNovel @_RozKay @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours Facebook @damppebblesblogtours Then trouble arrives in the shape of a scheming landlord and an unwelcome dinner party with his boss. As events spin out of his … Read More Fake by Roz Kay
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, murder, police drama, police procedural, psycopath, revenge, review, serial killer, thriller
Sign of Evil (Shannon Ames, #3) by TJ Brearton
They came looking for pleasure. They found only pain. A serial killer is targeting clients of local sex workers. The victims, all male, are either burned alive or beaten to death. Suited for deep cover work because she is single, without family ties, Shannon is young enough to pass herself off as a working girl. More importantly, she is smart, energetic, and determined – her … Read More Sign of Evil (Shannon Ames, #3) by TJ Brearton
+ radio play, review
Self Centre by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
Not all angels are from heaven. You arrive for your first class at the Self Centre. The receptionist (who you spoke to on the phone earlier in the week) seems to say ‘fabulous’ to everything you say, even if it isn’t – fabulous that is. She’s also somewhat condescending, especially if you’re old and want to pay cash or cheque. She even offers to … Read More Self Centre by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
My Best Friend’s Murder by Polly Phillips
There are so many ways to kill a friendship . . . You’re lying, sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, legs bent, arms wide. And while this could be a tragic accident, if anyone’s got a motive to hurt you, it’s me. Bec and Izzy have been best friends their whole lives. They have been through a lot together – from the death … Read More My Best Friend’s Murder by Polly Phillips
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, DNA, female friendship, fiction, murder, murder mystery, police drama, police procedural, review
Silent Graves by Sally Rigby
Nothing remains buried forever… When the bodies of two teenage girls are discovered on a building site, DCI Whitney Walker knows she’s on the hunt for a killer. The problem is the murders happened forty years ago and this is her first case with the new team. What makes it even tougher is that with budgetary restrictions in place, she only has two weeks … Read More Silent Graves by Sally Rigby