Once you enter the gates, will they ever let you leave?
Frankie Whittle has it all: a career in the City, a gorgeous husband and a baby on the way. It’s the perfect life, but it’s built on sand. In one terrifying night, everything she has worked so hard for unravels. She needs a fresh start.
When she discovers the very place she was born has been converted into a beautiful gated community, it feels like serendipity. After all she’s been through, has she found her dream home? They say you should never go back, that the past is a foreign country, filled with devastating secrets. How far will those around her go to keep their secrets safe?
My Review
First of all let me just say that I cannot even begin to imagine why Frankie would want to live in a gated community, where everyone knows everyone’s business and they all go for cosy walks together on a Sunday. I’m not one of those people who doesn’t want to know the neighbours and couldn’t even tell you the names of the families on either side, but there is a limit.
The Return of Frankie Whittle starts off as a fairly slow burn, nothing much happening initially, apart from her sh*t of a husband Toby (can you tell I didn’t like him) spending most of his time working away or spending time with his mother. A woman with a stick so far up her own a*se, I’m surprised she can bend in the middle. I’m definitely going to have to create a separate review for Amazon.
But about half way through, things start to ramp up. Frankie’s life changes following a terrifying incident with knock on results, and after spending some time living with her mother, she moves into her new home before the sale goes through. She actually fell out with her mother – just send her a text and make up – you know what they say about pride. The previous owner has moved out so she can rent for a time till contracts are exchanged etc. Toby comes home at weekends but spends more time with his new best friend Jerome than with Frankie.
The plot becomes more and more sinister with every chapter and I couldn’t wait to read on. OK so at times it was a bit far fetched (I hope), slowly moving from a romance to a thriller, with a bit of Dan Brown thrown in. I really enjoyed it.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #FrankieWhittle readalong. It’s been great fun.
About the Author
Caroline is the CWA Dagger shortlisted author of psychological thrillers Beneath The Skin, My Husband’s Lies, Betray Her, Truth Games, The Sinner, The Stranger Beside Me. She also writes Gothic-tinged psychological thrillers as CE Rose – The House of Hidden Secrets, The House on the Water’s Edge, The Shadows of Rutherford House, The Attic at Wilton Place.
Caroline writes multi-layered, dark and edgy ‘domestic suspense’ stories that delve into complicated relationships, secrets and the moral grey area.Drawing on her days as a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer, she loves to create ordinary, relatable characters who get caught up in extraordinary situations, pressures, dilemmas or crime. She admits to a slight obsession with the human psyche, what goes on behind closed doors and beneath people’s façades. She also enjoys performing a literary sleight of hand in her novels and hopefully surprising her readers!
Watching Horsepats Feed the Roses and Hanged by the Neck are her dark, twisty short story collections.
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When a hungry flock of crows start eating all the corn crops, Farmer Fred must decide if it’s time to replace Tom, the cherished old scarecrow.
Genre: Children’s Fiction 3-9 years
Publisher: HB Publishing House
Pages: 40
Will Goose, Pig, Cow, and Sheep, who is desperately in need of a shave, save Tom – or, will an eight-legged friend come to his rescue? A heart-warming story of friendship and the lesson that you are never too old.
My Review
What a gorgeous book this is. The illustrations are fabulous. They really make it special. And it’s about crows and I do love a Corvid (as anyone who has read my reviews will know, though usually in a different context).
Tom the Scarecrow has lived on the farm for many years. But now he is getting so old and tired that the crows just keep pulling out his stuffing. They are no longer scared of him. The animals on the farm want to help, but they are a bit useless to be honest. They try to re-stuff him but cow just eats the straw, pig messes about, and sheep’s woolly coat is so long he can’t see through it. And goose can’t do much on his own.
Then Tom finds he has a different kind of friend, an eight-legged buddy who weaves his magic and saves the old scarecrow from being put out to grass (hopefully not literally). It’s such an enchanting story of friendship and love. It sends out the message that you are never too old to do what you love. A wonderful book for children of all ages.
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+ audio book, Australia, fiction, folklore, Historical fiction, mythology, Netherlands, review, superstition
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
Based on a true story, an epic historical novel from the award-winning author of Things in Jars that illuminates the lives of two characters: a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and, three hundred years later, a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same island.
1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia , one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks.
1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck…
With her trademark “thrilling, mysterious, twisted, but more than anything, beautifully written” (Graham Norton, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling, Jess Kidd weaves “a true work of magic” (V.E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue ) about friendship, sacrifice, brutality, and forgiveness.
My Review
I’ve now listened to all four of Jess Kidd’s original novels (this time on Borrowbox), and while Things In Jars will probably always be my favourite, The Night Ship comes a close second. It’s written in two timelines – a young Dutch girl called Mayken in 1629 aboard the Batavia with her nursemaid, and Gil, 360 years later in 1989. Both have lost their mothers, one from the ‘flux’, the other from a drug overdose, but while Mayken is going to live with the father she doesn’t know, Gil has been sent to live with his grandfather on the same remote island off the coast of Western Australia where Mayken was shipwrecked.
It’s not typical of Kidd’s novels – there are no spirits of saints that only certain people can see, or nuns, or dead boxers, and it lacks the ‘Irishness’ of the other three books (though Dutch in 1989 is actually Irish – don’t ask). However, it has its own brand of magic, particularly Mayken’s story, which was my favourite of the two timelines, but only by a whisker. I know nothing of this period of history, especially as the characters are Dutch, so I know even less. There are plenty of superstitions and myths though to get your teeth into, if they don’t get their teeth into you first.
Gil is a strange boy, living in a world where men were men, and dressing up in his grandmother’s clothes was not advisable unless you wanted to get beaten up. He keeps a tortoise called Enkidu as a pet. I’m not saying that’s strange – I had a tortoise called Ermintrude when I was a child. But he has no friends and doesn’t go to school.
Mayken is travelling to the Dutch East Indies when they are shipwrecked. She resides on the upper decks with the better off travellers, but she likes to dress up as a boy and go below deck where the soldiers and the cows live. And of course the rats. There she meets a British soldier and a barber/surgeon who can take your leg off with a saw. She believes her nursemaid was bitten on the foot by an eel and that it has become infected.
It’s a wonderful book, switching from one timeline to another, and written with Kidd’s flair for language, and of course her vivid imagination. The only restriction is that the Batavia shipwreck is based on a true story, so while many of the characters have been embellished, the cruelty, murders and devastation have their roots in fact.
I forgot to mention the two brilliant narrators – Fleur De Wit for Mayken’s tale, and Adam Fitzgerald for Gil’s. They really made the story come to life.
Now on to Murder at Gulls Nest about an ex-nun turned Miss Marple. I bet it will be very different.
About the Author
Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from county Mayo and has been praised for her unique fictional voice. Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016. She won the Costa Short Story Award the same year. Her second novel, The Hoarder, published as Mr. Flood’s Last Resort in the U.S. and Canada was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club Picks. Her latest book, the Victorian detective tale Things in Jars, has been released to critical acclaim. Jess’s work has been described as ‘Gabriel García Márquez meets The Pogues.’
She craved purpose. She found danger. Now, there may be no turning back.
Genevieve Sturbridge was never meant for a quiet life in the English countryside. Once an artist in the heart of London, now she spends her days in restless solitude, longing for the passion and purpose she once knew. But when a familiar figure from her past arrives with an urgent request, she is thrust into a perilous world of spies and a formula that could shift the balance of power between France and England.
The thrill of the chase is intoxicating—the cryptic clues hidden in plain sight, the challenge of ferreting secrets from dangerous opponents, the undeniable rush of being needed again. But with every step deeper into the mystery, the danger grows. Someone is watching. Someone is hunting. And the more she uncovers, the more she wonders: has she walked willingly into a trap?
Torn between exhilaration and fear, Genevieve must decide—was this the life she was always meant for, or has she risked everything for a mission that will consume her completely?
Years ago, protecting this secret nearly cost Genevieve her life. Now someone could be willing to kill for it once more.
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And here is the fab cover! The book will be published by Joffe Books on the 17th April 2025.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this cover reveal.
About the Author
If you tell Nancy Bilyeau that reading one of her historical novels of suspense is like strapping yourself into a time machine, you’ll make her day. She loves crafting immersive historical stories, whether it’s Jazz Age New York City in The Orchid Hour, the 18th-century European chateaus and porcelain workshops in The Versailles Formula, The Blue, and The Fugitive Colours, or Henry VIII’s tumultuous England in The Crown, The Chalice, and The Tapestry.
For her Genevieve Planche novels – The Versailles Formula, The Blue and The Fugitive Colours–she drew on her heritage to create a Huguenot heroine. Nancy is a direct descendant of Pierre Billiou, a French Huguenot who immigrated to what was then New Amsterdam (later New York City) in 1661. Nancy’s ancestor, Isaac, was born on the boat crossing the Atlantic. Pierre’s stone house is the third oldest house in New York State.
Nancy’s mind is always in past centuries but she currently lives with her husband and two children in upstate New York. Her quest to cook the perfectly flavored cassoulet is ongoing.
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Yarns of a London Minicab Driver
A humorous fictionalised account based on the author, Chris Bastin’s many years as an unwitting therapist and witness to many colourful passengers.
“One thing that never ceases to astonish me, especially in this hypersensitive age of confidentiality and data protection in the workplace, is the things that people openly discuss in my presence the moment they get into the car…” – Taken from Busy This Evening?
Inspired by the author’s own work and personal experiences, Busy This Evening? presents a humorous and often tongue-in-cheek insight into the life of a London minicab driver, through the eyes of the sincere and endearing Thomas Buckley.
This dip-in style fictional book covers many aspects of the job, such as minicab etiquette and notable passenger encounters, but also shares Buck’s innermost thoughts and his amusing insights into situations, people and relationships as he goes about his daily business, and is complete with a smattering of his favourite jokes along the way.
Readers will find it easy to relate to a great deal of the subject matter in Busy This Evening? It is an amusing, uplifting and original read that will make them not only see minicab drivers in a whole new light – but life itself.
My Review
Busy This Evening is a short book which you can dip in and out of, or read in one or two sittings, as I did. It’s very funny. There are lots of ‘yarns’ which are often insightful, if occasionally a bit un-PC. The driver picks up anyone and everyone, including celebrities and a fair few ‘posh’ people – the latter being amongst my favourites.
He also tells us about his marriage to the lovely Helen, how they met, and how he caused her to miss an audition for a West End musical. She still married him!
One thing I must disagree with though is that giving human names like Martin or Claudia to pets shouldn’t be allowed, as per the ‘competition’ with a passenger called Isobella. We had a friend who called his Golden Retriever Elizabeth, and another whose cat was called Colin. I love this, though our new puppy is actually called Patch. It would have been Coco or Lulu, but neither suited her – if you saw her you’d understand.
But my absolute favourite story is the two business executives talking in ludicrous business jargon. It tickled me because I used to work for someone like that. Examples include ‘…get all your ducks in a row’, ‘idea shower’, ‘…you can do the heavy lifting’, ‘over-the-shoulder-time’ (what does that even mean?), ‘paddle on both sides’, ‘triangulate’ etc.
Many thanks to the author for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Chris Bastin has held a range of positions in construction, social care and theatre, and now works as a London minicab driver. He has a degree in Psychology, lives in Essex and is married with four children. Chris has a keen interest in comedy and has performed in several amateur comedy events over the years. Making people laugh is one of his greatest joys, and he sincerely hopes to achieve this with his first book, Busy This Evening?
Chris says, “A number of my passengers over the years have encouraged me to pen my experiences as a London minicab driver. So I finally took up the challenge, and look forward to surprising them with a copy on our next trip together.”
A gripping and atmospheric debut novel about a mysterious murder that exposes the secrets behind closed doors in 1970’s suburban Australia.
It’s the height of summer in Australia, 1979, and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white checkered tiles of the bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems.
For one thing, it’s 3am. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering he has just murdered their neighbour.
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As the sun rises on Warrah Place, news of Antonio Marietti’s death spreads like wildfire, gossip is exchanged in whispers and suspicion mounts. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, determined to find out what happened, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve. There are secrets behind every closed door in the neighbourhood – and the identity of the murderer is only one of them . . .
Richly atmospheric and simmering with tension, The Grapevine is an unforgettable debut novel about secrets, lies and suspicion, and how the ties that bind a community can also threaten to break it.
My Review
I’m not sure who I disliked more – Cecil – outwardly racist, misogynistic and homophobic. At least I could have a go at him if I wanted to. Or Helen – involved in the church, hypocritical, always involved with something. I felt for her husband, who we know will eventually snap. Tammy is Helen and Duncan’s twelve-year-old daughter, around whom the story revolves, more so than the murder, which at times is almost incidental.
This is Australia (and many other so-called civilised countries) at its worst. When the murder takes place, fingers immediately point at the Laus, Hong Kong Chinese with a secret. Or is it Joe and Zlata from Yugoslavia? The victim was Italian – does that make his family suspicious as well? I was a second generation Eastern European immigrant at my convent school ten years before The Grapevine, but while I was considered ‘other’, maybe a bit exotic (I wish), I never encountered this level of racism. Or if I did I wasn’t aware.
Tammy, helped by her cross-dressing, eight-year-old neighbour Colin, wants to solve the murder. She would then be a hero, brimming with injustice and self righteousness. But God sees deep down into your real motives according to her mother. Ever since her best friend moved away, she’s being bullied by the new girl, and finding the killer would make her cool and clever again.
The Grapevine is a thriller and a murder mystery, but in reality it’s a social commentary about life in suburbia in 1979 Australia. It took me a while to get my head around the characters – there are quite a few who live in Warrah Place – but I got there in the end. Cecil I already alluded to is probably the worst. His wife Maureen is cowed by him. Then Peggy, always with a cigarette in her mouth, is married to Leslie. Duncan and Helen are Tammy’s parents, while Colin is the son of Richard and Naomi. Sheree has three kids by three different dads, but even that isn’t as bad as being foreign or gay. Which brings me on to Ursula and Lydia, who have to live together as ‘sisters’. Ursula’s niece Debbie lives with them.
Poor Tammy. No child of her age should be asked to keep secrets. She feels so guilty when she lets something slip, but it’s not right to teach a child to lie. The only thing I didn’t warm to with Tammy is that she steals things to keep as mementos.
The Grapevine is a powerful debut novel that addresses so many issues of the time. I hope we have moved on since then. As well as the racism, misogyny and homophobia, there is also the teenage pregnancy, kids out of wedlock, abortion (briefly), feminism and gender fluidity. It would make a great book club read as there is so much to discuss. I really enjoyed it.
Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour
About the Author
Kate Kemp is an Australian writer living in the UK. She trained as an occupational therapist and then as a systemic psychotherapist and has worked with families and individuals in mental health services in both Australia and the UK. In 2021, she won the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction and the Yeovil Literary Prize. The Grapevine is her first novel.
A wedding, a missing fiancée, and a murder – Melody Harper is about to discover just how dangerous “I do” can be…
Fledgling private detective Melody Harper is down on her luck and nursing a black eye when she’s approached by a new client who believes her daughter is in danger.
There’s a wedding next weekend, and the client’s daughter is the bride. Except Melody’s client hasn’t told her the whole truth – the groom’s last fiancée seems to have disappeared, and nobody has any answers.
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Now tasked with going undercover to protect the bride-to-be, Melody finds herself out of her comfort zone and on an outdoor adventure weekend in the Lake District with the hen party.
After narrowly escaping death in a climbing accident, Melody’s detective skills are tested to the limit when one of the bridesmaids is murdered – and time is running out.
This is her biggest investigation to date, but will Melody even survive long enough to unmask the killer and protect the bride?Murder in the Lakes is a page-turning murder mystery from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett and perfect for readers who love amateur sleuths and deadly crimes.
Here is an exclusive extract of the book. See below for links to buy:
Chapter One
It’s never a good start to the day when the daughter of one of your clients leans across your desk and slaps you in the face.
She had a mean left hook on her too, helped somewhat by the platinum engagement ring that she’d only thought to remove after she’d hit me, before throwing it onto the carpet on her way out.
It helped – a little – that my client managed to hold back her smug look of satisfaction until after her daughter had stormed out of the office, slamming the door in her wake.
‘I knew he was trouble, Melody,’ she said. ‘I told you.’
I stumbled around my desk, bent down to pick up the ring and handed it to Heather McAdams. ‘Perhaps hang on to this,’ I suggested. ‘I’m presuming he’ll want it back. Or you can sell it.’
I moved to the mini refrigerator under the window, cracked open the door and pulled out an ice pack.
I guess it shows how often this happens to me that I have one prepared.
I held the door to stop it swinging open. I didn’t need my client to see the case of beer that Charlie had left in there on his last visit.
I held the ice pack to my cheek as I made my way back to my chair and somehow managed to sit down and look my client in the eye without losing my composure. My eyes stung, and I was going to have a bruise, that much was for sure.
Mrs McAdams only realised now how hard her daughter had slugged me, and that maybe I wasn’t happy about it.
‘Are you all right?’ she said.
I glared at her. I had a sneaking suspicion her question was brought on by a sudden thought that her daughter might get sued for assault, rather than any concern for my welfare, and whether she should make a speedy phone call to the family solicitor.
‘I’m fine,’ I replied. ‘I’ll print out my invoice for you. I accept payment by card only.’
She looked taken aback for a moment, seemed to debate whether to ask if she could pay on account, and then thought better of it.
I ignored her and turned my attention to the computer screen instead. The system allowed me to automatically check off each service provided. I spitefully added an extra thirty pounds miscellaneous line item for the ice pack, hit the “print” button and then slid the still-warm invoice across the desk to Mrs McAdams.
‘Oh, my,’ she said, as she ran her manicured fingernail down the page. ‘This is rather more than I expected.’
‘A copy of my expenses is on the second page,’ I said, jutting out my chin. ‘I’m sure you’ll find everything is in order. You’ll appreciate that I do provide a rather exclusive service.’
She looked flustered. ‘I wasn’t implying—’
I raised an eyebrow.
She lowered her gaze in response and flicked over the page instead.
I drummed my fingers on the desk while she read through the numbers. Such a sign of impatience always annoyed the hell out of me when people did that anywhere within a mile radius of me, so I was banking on it getting on her nerves and that she’d hurry up and pay, then leave me in peace.
Sure enough, she flicked the page over with an exasperated sigh, then handed over her credit card.
It was from one of the larger banks, the word “platinum” embossed across the front of it with a sparkly finish that glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window.
A car horn honked somewhere beyond the double-glazed panes, followed in quick succession by a higher pitched beep and a stream of colourful swearing.
I swiped Heather McAdams’s credit card across the handheld reader and handed it back to her, then used a large rubber stamp to punch the word “Paid” across the top of the invoice.
And yes, I pretended I was stamping her daughter’s face with it before I released the spring mechanism.
‘Thank you,’ I said, and stood to show her the way out, dumping the ice pack on the desk. ‘If you know of anyone else that would be in need of my services, please give them this.’
I handed over a business card.
Heather McAdams took it between her forefinger and thumb as if it was infected with weaponised smallpox and wrinkled her nose. ‘I’d best go and find out where Charlotte is,’ she sniffed.
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this promo tour.
Buy Links
If you buy direct from Rachel’s website shop you’ll receive your eBook two days earlier than the retail publication date. That means you’ll get it on 7 June – the retail / real publication date will be 9 June.
Click to buy www.rachelamphlett.com
Available on Amazon on publication day 9th June
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About the Author
Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant. She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 crime novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins. A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.
You can find out more about Rachel and her books at www.rachelamphlett.com.
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Demons of the past aren’t easily left behind…
At Sunnyside, women serve in silence. Mae—an outspoken, rebellious outcast—has a penchant for getting in trouble. Her only ally is Lily, the perfect follower. When their husband dies and the cult’s new leader claims Lily as his bride, the facade of peace crumbles. Mysterious deaths haunt the commune, and Mae’s attempts to protect Lily only get her banished to the woods, leaving Lily vulnerable without her protection.
Faced with a heartbreaking choice, Mae makes a desperate decision the night before Lily’s wedding and escapes the cult. But the past clings to her like a shadow. Heartbroken and alone, Mae meets Charlotte, a true-crime podcaster obsessed with uncovering the dark secrets of Sunnyside. Charlotte offers Mae a chance to start over, but only if she’s willing to talk.
As Mae begins to reveal the cult’s sinister secrets, she comes dangerously close to admitting the truth about what happened the night she fled—something far more twisted than anyone can possibly imagine. And it’s only a matter of time before the past catches up to her and she’s forced to confront the nightmare she thought she’d left behind…
My Review
Killing Lily was absolutely brilliant. I love anything to do with cults and this certainly did not disappoint. It has always fascinated me how people get sucked in, but for Mae and Lily, they were born at Sunnyside, so didn’t know anything about life ‘outside’. That is, until true crime podcaster-posing-as-dove-breeder Charlotte arrives the day before Lily’s wedding.
At Sunnyside there are ‘good’ women and ‘bad’ women. Good women will find eternal salvation in heaven, while bad women will go straight to hell. Lily is good, while Mae is bad. Bad women suffer punishment at the hands of the terrifying Lou, including beatings and Thought Correction. If anyone leaves, their possessions are ceremoniously burnt.
The men, or Orators, can do and say what they like within the confines of The Sunnyside Scriptures, while women must be subservient – I am sweet, I am gentle, I am happy, I am blessed. The Scriptures come from the one true parent known as Father God. It’s all so crazy and mixed up.
The story is told from two points of view – Lily before the wedding, and Mae after she escapes. Charlotte’s housemates don’t exactly represent a perfect religious family, so Mae is thrown into a life totally opposite from the one she is used to. Plenty of drinking and swearing for starters, neither of which Mae has been exposed to before, especially when it’s mostly the women!
Totally brainwashed from birth, Lily and Mae both really believe they will be damned for all eternity – Lily because she knows she can’t be the perfect wife and Mae because she is breaking every rule in the Sunnyside book. How I wept for the two women and what they were going through. I must also say that the twist at the end was mind-blowing. I didn’t expect anything like it.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #KillingLily blog tour.
About the Author
Jillian has been crafting stories in her mind ever since she was a child, but she didn’t write her first novel until the month before her thirtieth birthday. She told herself she would write one book and get it out of her system. Many years and manuscripts later, Jillian can’t imagine a world in which she’s not pouring words onto the page.
Her love of books comes from her mother, an author herself and avid reader. Jillian enjoys reading most genres, but psychological thrillers are her favorite because she loves guessing plot twists (and she’s often wildly wrong).
KitKats and coffee are her preferred treats while she’s writing and editing—although she’d never say no to Twizzlers. Jillian lives in Northern California with her husband, two children, and four overflowing bookshelves.
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+ adoption, childhood, family, fiction, forgiveness, grief, loss, love, mystery, relationships, review, secrets
Her Empty Chair by Sunna Coleman
She left without a trace… not even a crumb.
For student and waitress, Sylvia Morelle, it’s just another day at the French café in Covent Garden – that is, until her beloved elderly regular, Mrs Ida Laine, mysteriously disappears.
As weeks go by with no sign of the glamorous Parisian, the young journalist in training begins her own investigation, only to unearth far more than she could ever have imagined.
Where is Ida Laine? And what is she running from?
My Review
This was a very enjoyable read and I loved the characters of Sylvia Morelle, and her mum and dad Carolynne and Raphael. Ida Laine, the elderly Parisian lady who visits the cafe where Sylvia works not so much, and certain things about her irritated me. Glamorous or self-absorbed? At one point Sylvia wonders if Ida’s apartment in Paris would be all perfect and pristine or warm and homely. I know which one I would prefer.
What starts as a simple story of a young woman celebrating the relationship she has formed with the old lady becomes a tale of mystery and intrigue. Where is Ida? She is always there on a Sunday at the same time, but no one has seen her for three weeks. Has she just vanished off the face of the planet? Has she gone back to Paris or has something sinister happened to her? It is when Sylvia starts looking that she makes a life changing discovery.
The story is told from different points of view and timelines, the main ones being Sylvia now, and Ida many years ago, plus Ida’s son Frederic and his relationship with Vie. It’s a story of secrets, love, loss and unbearable grief. How do we overcome the unimaginable and can we be forgiven for the decisions we made at the time?
It’s a remarkable debut novel, mainly because of the depth of the characters, particularly Frederic who must have been hard to write. Can we find any justification for his behaviour? And do we question those who kept the devastating secrets? You will finish the book with so many questions and maybe a few answers of your own.
Many thanks to @LiterallyPR for inviting me to be part of the #HerEmptyChair blog tour.
About the Author
Sunna Coleman is a bestselling author exploring the themes of identity, culture and relationships. She writes twisty, emotional page-turners with strong female leads.
She has spoken on live and virtual stages alongside the likes of the BBC, ITV, C4, Warner Bros and Disney on how to inspire with words. She has also helped over fifty entrepreneurs publish their influential stories.
During her career of over ten years, she has interviewed the likes of Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright, actor and filmmaker Aziz Ansari, renowned chef Heston Blumenthal and created content for top brands such as Calvin Klein, Ted Baker, Revlon, Lindt, Hotel Chocolat and many more.
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Today, 6th March 2025 is World Book Day. This annual celebration of authors, illustrators, books and the joy of reading is one of the highlights of the year at the National Literacy Trust!
Why is World Book Day important?
World Book Day provides a fantastic opportunity to focus on reading for pleasure, supporting children’s autonomy in book choice, and embedding a habit of reading that brings a wide range of benefits.
We’re always hugely excited to work with our friends at World Book Day, the charity whose mission is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own.
Whispers in the Park is a book for all the family, by a father and daughter team, and a great choice for World Book Day.
When Emmanuel Olympitis decided to turn his pen to a series of children’s books, he didn’t need to look far for an illustrator.
Whispers in the Park is the first book of a series, which takes the reader on a rollicking adventure through the treetops and undergrowth of the magnificent St James’s Park, where the most ancient and prestigious school for squirrels resides. When young squirrels Shane and Sophie are given scholarships to St James’s, they are excited and nervous to enter the magical world of squirreldom’s most venerable institution.
But as the school’s treasures start to go missing, they are swept up into a gripping detective story, the unravelling of which will require some outside assistance…Meet squirrel headmaster Horatio Hoyland, Witgift the wise old owl, Boris the tough games master Badger and Sam the siamese cat sleuth, and enter the world of Whispers in the Park – a vivid and whimsical children’s tale in the vein of The Wind in the Willows.
Whispers in the Park is a showcase of imaginative writing by the critically acclaimed Emmanuel Olympitis and the extraordinary talent of the emerging illustrator Olympia Olympitis, in her debut children’s book.
To read my review please click here.
Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity for inviting me to celebrate World Book Day.
About the Author and Illustrator
Emmanuel Olympitis is a British businessman who has held many public company directorships during his career. He is also the author of critically acclaimed By Victories Undone and Marked Cards.
Olympia Olympitis is a full-time illustrator based between London and Wiltshire, having studied at City and Guilds of London Art School and The University of Edinburgh. Specialising in house portraiture, landscape illustration and bespoke wedding & event stationery, Whispers in the Park is her first book.
Written for every child who needs a helping hand to develop agency when they face ordinary wobbly moments in early life and beyond.
Dr Marcelle Moore, a Clinical Psychologist with more than two decades of experience working with children aims to help caregivers and parents support children in their transformative journey… from fear to bravery.
When mischievous little lion Scout finds himself fearful of doing something new and unknown, he starts to tell himself, “I can’t, it’s too hard.” Scout’s body feels heavy, and his thoughts echo with self-doubt. Help comes from an unlikely friend who teaches Scout the value of togetherness, and that courage to face those shaky feelings comes from within.
“A beautiful book with an important message, infused with imagery and strategies to help young people feel braver, in the face of their ‘wobbles’.” – Karen Young, Psychologist and Neuro-development Educator
My Review
Who would have thought that a strong, proud, brave lion like Scout would ever get scared or anxious. But that’s not how real life works. Everyone gets scared from time to time when faced with the unknown, and this could even be manifested as a full blown panic attack. When you have no idea what’s happening, except you can’t eat and you feel the WOBBLES, it’s important to look to your friends and family for reassurance.
For Scout it takes a tiny firefly to explain his feelings to him, why his tummy is feeling yucky and his head is pounding, and assure him that it’s all quite normal. The ‘What Ifs’ and ‘I Can’ts’ are stealing your bravery, the firefly tells him, and that’s when you need to be with someone you trust and take deep breaths.
Through rhyme and an example of deep breathing (like in yoga), the book will help children to overcome their anxieties. With lots of colourful pictures in a high quality hard back book, this is a must for parents of young children of all ages, because at the end of the day, even lions get scared.
Many thanks to @LiterallyPR for inviting me to be part of the #EvenLionsGetScared blog tour.
About the Author
“I’m Dr Marcelle Moore! I’m a Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychologist with over two decades of experience in London and Sydney. I’ve spent my career helping children navigate life’s ups and downs, and now I’m excited to bring those insights to a new audience through my first book, Even Lions Get Scared.
“This book was born out of a desire to empower families with the tools they need to help their children build courage and resilience. During the pandemic, the number of children experiencing anxiety soared, and I wanted to create something accessible for families struggling to get support.
“With beautiful illustrations by the incredible Monika Marzek, this book blends storytelling with proven psychological strategies that I use in my practice. It’s designed to help children face their fears and develop emotional strength.”
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Little Red Death by A K Benedict
ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU’VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . .
DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders.
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But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again.
Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . .
My Review
Little Red Death is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It starts off with a killer obsessed with fairy tales, a kidnapped author called Katie forced to rewrite the Brothers Grimm stories so he can re-enact them, and a threat that she will die if she doesn’t keep writing. So it becomes about her or the victims in the stories.
What a dilemma! Does she even believe he’s serious. Well she soon finds out he is – deadly serious – literally. And the murders are pretty nasty with the bodies laid out in line with the fairy tales they represent. How can Katie escape and who is The Wolf anyway? He wears a wolf mask so she never sees his face.
In the meantime, DI Lyla Rondell has never got over the mysterious disappearance of her best friend Allison twenty-five years earlier when they were both fifteen. She is sure there is a link. Small clues lead her to believe it can’t be a coincidence. Did the current killer, who the press are calling The Grimm Ripper, kidnap Allison all those years ago?
But then the story changes and I have to admit I got a bit lost. I won’t explain as I don’t want to give anything away, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. I just went with the flow.
As an aside, I love that the author tags her own husband Guy Adams in Katie’s list of authors she likes. I wanted to add Some Kind of Fairy Tale by the late, wonderful and massively underrated Graham Joyce, and then there it was. At last! A fellow fan. The author even refers to herself at one point. Brilliant!
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
A. K. (ALEXANDRA) BENEDICT is a best-selling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts. Educated at Cambridge, Sussex and Clown School, she has been an indie-rock singer, an actor, RLF Fellow, and a composer for film and TV, as well as teaching and running the prestigious MA in Crime Thrillers at City University. She is now a full-time writer and creative coach.
As A. K. Benedict, she writes acclaimed short stories, high-concept novels and award-winning audio drama for Big Finish, Audible UK, Audible US and BBC Sounds, among others. She won the Scribe Award for her Doctor Who radio drama, The Calendar Man, and was shortlisted for the eDunnit Novel Award for The Beauty of Murder and the BBC Audio Drama Podcast Award for Children of the Stones. As Alexandra Benedict she writes puzzle-filled Christmas mysteries, of which The Christmas Murder Game and Murder on the Christmas Express were both bestsellers and The Christmas Murder Game was longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. Her most recent festive thriller, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, was published in 2023.
She lives on the south coast of England with writer Guy Adams, their daughter, Verity, and dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford. Follow her on X @ak_benedict and Instagram @a.k.benedict.
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