+ childhood, coming-of-age, family, fiction, love, mental illness, obsession, relationships, review, secrets
Into The Lake by LK Chapman
Can she find the truth in time?
When Natalie reluctantly agrees to attend a school reunion, she hits it off with former classmate Josh – a boy she barely spoke to while they were at school together – and finds herself swept up in a whirlwind romance with him.
Then she receives the message: you can do better than marrying a murderer.
#IntoTheLake @LK_Chapman @annecater @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours
As Natalie pieces together the tragic story of the teenage girl who drowned at Chedford Lake, she realises she has the perfect opportunity to clear Josh’s name. But it will mean putting herself in serious danger – and betraying someone she loves.
With Josh spiralling deeper into despair, and her own life torn apart by lies, can Natalie unravel what really happened before it is too late?
My Review
Well this turned dark! If you hadn’t read the blurb you’d think it was just another mystery romance, with sad goings on in the past.
Natalie was a model with a promising career. Then she had a car accident that left her physically and mentally scarred.
She is invited to a school reunion and reluctantly goes. She meets Josh who she barely remembers from school, but they are instantly attracted. They soon fall in love and move in together, planning to get married.
Natalie works with her sister-in-law as a wedding planner and life appears to be happy. She also has her own Vlog where she posts lifestyle stuff and photos of fashion. She never shies away from talking about her scars. Then one day it all goes horribly wrong. She receives the message: you can do better than marrying a murderer. And the messages get worse and more scathing, not just about Josh but about her scars and her appearance. Someone really has it in for her.
When Josh was in his teens, he was party to a tragic event when a young girl drowned at Chedford Lake and he was a suspect. Together with a difficult childhood – his mum and dad divorced and his mum re-married. Josh has to share a room with his step-brother Toby who bullies him relentlessly and also happens to be in a relationship with the girl who drowned.
So far so good. Natalie is determined to discover the truth, but then things start to get much darker until by the final few chapters, secrets are revealed that I never would have guessed. And there are people involved that you would never have suspected.
I loved Natalie. She is a very strong character who stays together through whatever life throws at her. Not so sure about Josh. Sometimes he was exasperating and I wanted to shake him. You wouldn’t want him to be your only friend in a crisis. I would just like to say that I am not sure that the way his mental illness is portrayed actually invites our sympathy, which is a shame. Reading other people’s reviews, they found him whiny and spineless, which in today’s world is a sad indictment of our attitude to mental health. I think he needed a more sympathetic touch. But Natalie loves him. The other characters, particularly Toby and Gareth were well-drawn and full of character.
What started off as a relatively slow burn exploded at the end and I loved the twists and surprises.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.
About the Author
LK Chapman writes psychological thrillers and suspense. She published her first psychological novel, Anything for Him, in 2016.
A chilling thriller about obsession, jealousy and revenge, Anything for Him has now become a three book series with two sequels (Found You & Never Let Her Go) creating the No Escape trilogy.
She has also written two standalone psychological novels, The Stories She Tells, and Into The Lake.
LK Chapman’s books are inspired by her studies in psychology, and she has always been fascinated by the strength, peculiarities and extremes of human nature.
As well as working as a psychologist, Chapman volunteered for mental health charity Mind before starting her journey as an author. It has been an incredibly exciting journey and she is so grateful for the support of her readers!
Website www.lkchapman.com
Twitter @LK_Chapman
+ adventure, crime fiction, dark humour, family, fiction, germany, haunting, Historical fiction, holocaust, horror, List, literature, loss, love, marriage, murder, mystery, nazi germany, political thriller, Psychological fiction, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, stalker, supernatural, thriller, World War Two
My Top 8 Books of 2021 – part three
Here are my favourite eight books of the third quarter of 2021. So far this has been a good year for books if for nothing else, so it was a really difficult decision.
The Beresford by Will Carver
Firstly let me just say one thing – don’t get too attached to the characters, they may not be around long enough. Apart from Mrs May that is. She is about a hundred years old. She never leaves the building. Her day is always the same. She drinks cold coffee in the morning, wine in the day, takes an afternoon nap, prunes the roses and lies in the bath until “her wrinkles have wrinkles”.
I loved this book. The dark humour is at times hilarious, but I admit that I did wince at the matter of fact way in which the killings and disposal of the bodies are portrayed. Let’s just say I winced a lot. For instance, Abe has to dispose of artist Sythe’s body.
For my full review click here
The Black Dress by Deborah Moggach
I could totally identify with Pru. I like to think I’m a strong, independent woman, but if I found myself in her position, I feel I would be the same. Slobbing about the house, while the dust collects on the kitchen work surface (I’ll be living on microwave meals and cheese and crackers if I can be bothered to spread the butter), while the weeds grow waist high in the untended garden.
Because Pru’s husband of decades, the father of her children, had gone off to find himself on a spiritual journey, as you do in a middle aged, mid-life crisis.
For my full review click here
The Gathering Storm (The Sturmtaucher Trilogy #1) by Alan Jones
This book is staggeringly brilliant, the work, the research, the emotions it invokes and the horror. There were times when I gasped at what was perpetrated against not just the Jews, but also the Roma, disabled people, homosexuals and anyone who did not make up the perfect Aryan race. This included the rape and murder of young Jewish girls by drunken SS soldiers (one incident of which will stay in my head for a long time to come) and the burning of the synagogue in Warsaw, killing 200 Jews praying inside. I knew these things happened but it is described here in such terrifying detail, yet without embellishment or glorification. It doesn’t require any. It’s not Hollywood. It’s horror in its own right, a perfect example man’s inhumanity to man.
For my full review click here
The Rule by David Jackson
Absolutely brilliant. Funny, poignant and sad at the same time, this book has everything including murder.
Daniel is nearly twenty-three but he’s like a child, with his fixation on Adam-9, his favourite superhero, his love of comics and a chocolate caterpillar cake for his birthday. There is just one rule in Daniel’s life – don’t touch anyone because he doesn’t know his own strength and one hug could kill someone. Until it does. Another important thing about Daniel is that he doesn’t know how to lie.
For my full review click here
Stone The Dead Crows by Carrie Magillen
Three sisters. Two points of view. We don’t hear from Daisy because she’s been in a coma for three years. Younger sister Rose visits every week and sits by her bedside, talking to her and holding her hand, because people in a coma react to sound and touch stimulation like a familiar voice or favourite music, don’t they.
Maggie is on a sabbatical in a cabin in the woods with author husband Luc, 18-month-old Alfie and their dog Cairo. She’s been working to support Luc while he writes his second novel, but she’s stressed and needs a break. In fact she doesn’t want to go back at all. But then she sees a hooded man in the woods and she’s convinced he’s after her, stalking her.
For my full review click here
The Beloved Girls by Harriet Evans
Another book that’s gone straight to my top books of the year. This book is so unique, amazing, heartfelt, sad and at times quite creepy. It revolves around the annual bee ceremony where the Hunter family and the whole community must follow the path to the old Chapel at Vanes to open the combs and taste the honey.
It all sounds highly risky and even more so this hot summer of 1989. August 31st is the 18th birthday of Joss and his twin sister Kitty and the bees have had to wait an extra two weeks and this had made them crosser than ever. We discover there have been accidents in the past. But it’s an obsession for Charles Hunter and his sister Ros – why is the ceremony so important to them?
For my full review click here
The Late Train to Gypsy Hill by Alan Johnson
I’m not usually a fan of books about modern-day spies, the Russian mafia and oligarchs. But The Late Train to Gypsy Hill is all of that but with added laugh out loud humour. The debut novel from former Home Secretary Alan Johnson is slick, fast-paced, wicked and hilarious.
Poor Gary, our hapless hero, who is more like a reject from The Inbetweeners than a budding James Bond, is drawn into a race against time, when the young woman he has admired every day, invites him to take the empty seat beside her. Fiddling with her mascara, she holds up her mirror and Gary reads the words ‘HELP ME’.
For my full review click here
The Whistling by Rebecca Netley
Following the deaths of both her father and her beloved sister Clara, 24-year-old Elspeth Swansome leaves her life in Edinburgh to take up a position as nanny to nine-year-old Mary on the windswept, remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. A withdrawn, silent child, Mary has lost both her parents and then her twin brother William died just days after her nanny Hettie disappeared without telling anyone she was leaving.
Mary is being cared for and educated by her aunt Miss Gillies. But there is no affection there and poor Mary is starved of love and emotional support. Hopefully Elspeth will be able to help her to overcome her grief and start to speak again.
For my full review click here
Rowena. She just wants to make a phone call.
Poor Rowena is getting on a bit. She’s also rather bad-tempered, especially when she wants to call ‘her Colin’ and the phone doesn’t work. Strange, because someone already came to fix it.
And she can’t even call the repair man because – you guessed it – the phone doesn’t work.
But then someone else turns up and his solution is sensitive and unique. He doesn’t patronise her like the others. I love the idea, but you’ll have to listen to find out what he does. Tea and a Garibaldi anyone?
Written by Nigel Foster
Performed by Chloe Wade
Music: First Love by Wayne Jones
Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions
The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield
Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.
Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.
For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram us @theatrephonic, or visit our Facebook page.
And if you really enjoyed Rowena listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…
+ anthology, dark humour, fiction, Halloween, haunting, kidnapping, review, serial killer, short stories, short story, supernatural
Afraid of the Shadows by various
STORIES THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
Crime fighting duo, Tilly and Poe solve a mystery from inside a pantomime horse in an exclusive short by Gold Dagger winner, M.W. Craven. A psychopath takes Trick or Treating a step too far. And a woman’s dream of a quiet life is shattered by a knock on the door.
Afraid Of The Shadows is a collection of gripping – sometimes funny, always spooky – short stories from some of the biggest names in crime fiction.
From possessed sweaters to creepy wardrobes and disco shape shifters, there’s something for everyone in this Halloween bucket of short story goodies making it the perfect companion to snuggle up with as the nights draw in. Though be warned, you might want to leave the lights on…
Contributors
Afraid Of The Shadows is brought to you by twenty bestselling crime and thriller writers who between them have topped the Sunday Times and Amazon charts, won the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award, Gold Dagger Award and New Blood Dagger Award, the Bath Novel Award, the UK National Book Awards and the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award.
Special guests:
M.W. Craven
Peter James
T.M. Logan
Matt Wesolowski
Trevor Wood
Rachael Blok
Elle Croft (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Heather Critchlow
James Delargy (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Clare Empson
Jo Furniss
T.E. Kinsey
N.J. Mackay
S.R. Masters
Phoebe Morgan
Dominic Nolan (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Robert Scragg (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Victoria Selman (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Kate Simants
Adam Southward (Longlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
My Review
Just for once I am going to start at the end. The final story, Strange Ink, a Poe and Bradshaw Story by MW Craven, is all about the crime-fighting duo Tilly and Poe, who are being interview by ‘two jokers’ (who Poe refers to as Marge and Homer), in an interview room that had ‘as much charm as a Dutch euthanasia clinic’. That just about sets the scene, as Tilly and Poe arrest a dangerous criminal while dressed as an eight-legged pantomime horse (Tilly and Poe not the criminal). I had arrived at work early and sat in the ‘quiet room’ with a cappuccino so I could read it, but I literally laughed out loud. Luckily I had the room to myself.
Strange Ink was ridiculous and crazy, but hilariously funny. It’s not the only one to figure tattoos either, though the other story was very different (and I have to admit beyond me).
If I attempted to review all of them, you’d be asleep by the end but I will try and pick out a favourite or two though most of the authors figure in my top writers.
Hidden by Victoria Selman is scary but still manages to include some dark humour as is typical of this author. For those of us who remember Planting Nan in the previous anthology, Raising Nan by James Delargy is written from the point of view of a five year old and it’s hilarious, especially the pee-pee (PPE) references and her mum’s relationship with Uncle Nick.
The Dark Without by Kate Simants is very dark indeed and also very sad. Quite different to the previous stories. In The Forgetful Wife by Phoebe Morgan, the wife talks to us, the reader, as in ‘I told you earlier that I’m a good mother, a good wife’. Definitely one of my favourites and really creepy.
Ghost Don’t Cry by Clare Empson is full of emotion as a dead wife attempts to remain in the lives of her daughter and her husband. This was again sad and brought tears to my eyes. Another of my favourites. And finally With The Others by TM Logan is very clever, dark and twisted. I didn’t expect the ending.
All in all, a mix of the sad, the preposterous, the hilarious, the scary, the bizarre and the downright surreal. Brilliant anthology yet again.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the authors and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
Further Information
Profits from the sale of Afraid Of The Shadows will be donated to the Barnardo’s Children in Crisis Covid Appeal
This delivers practical and emotional support to vulnerable children caught in a downward spiral of deprivation as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Children and families across the UK are increasingly in or on the brink of poverty as a result of coronavirus. The impact of the second wave is pushing a generation of the most vulnerable children into a downward spiral of deprivation. With your support Barnardo’s can deliver the practical and emotional support families in crisis need.
Kindle Edition, 269 pages published October 1st 2021 by The Criminal Minds Group and available on Amazon.
+ family, fiction, forgiveness, friendship, Ghost story, haunting, jealousy, motherhood, review, supernatural
The Perfect House by RP Bolton
They’ve finally found their forever home. So why is it tearing them apart?
A fresh start
Ellie knows she has found her dream home – number six Moss Lane. The place she and Tom can settle down, raise their new baby and start again.
A dark secret
But why do their new neighbours think they’re so brave for moving in? Why are Ellie’s keys never where she left them? And why can Ellie hear strange noises in the night that Tom can’t?
A living nightmare
Suddenly their dream house no longer feels so perfect and when Ellie learns the truth about number six’s dark past, a truth that Tom has been keeping secret from her, she no longer knows who she can trust.
Has their perfect home become her worst nightmare?
My Review
I really enjoyed this book but I have a couple of reservations. I much preferred the ‘Now’ parts because I felt the ‘Then’ was too long. And I love a good haunting. I really hoped the ghosts were real (as far as ghosts can be) and I wanted her mum (who saw someone in the background on Facetime) to arrive and back Ellie up. Or someone else to see Mary and hear the baby.
Tom is a typical skeptic – not that Ellie really tells him what is going on – in fact I found their lack of communication quite annoying. There are a few red herrings but I’m not giving anything away. Ellie can be a bit difficult to sympathise with at times, but only because she won’t open up and seems to see everyone as trying to undermine her. Take any help where it’s offered, Ellie, and talk to people. You never know, they might even understand.
It’s a brilliant debut novel from a very promising author, but while the writing, the character development of the main protagonists, the tension and the suspense are all excellent, there were elements that could have been even better and we are left with a few unanswered questions at the end. It also needs a bit more light and shade to relieve the tension before it builds again. Just my personal opinion. But well done and I shall certainly look out for more from this author in the future.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
R.P. Bolton lives in Manchester with her partner, son and three lively rescue dogs. When she’s not reading, writing or walking the dogs, she’ll be at the gym, a concert or indulging in her passion for nature. The Perfect House is her debut thriller.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, murder, murder mystery, police corruption, police drama, police procedural, prostitution, review, serial killer
Black Reed Bay by Rod Reynolds
When a young woman makes a distressing middle-of-the-night call to 911, apparently running for her life in a quiet, exclusive beachside neighbourhood, miles from her home, everything suggests a domestic incident.
Except no one has seen her since, and something doesn’t sit right with the officers at Hampstead County PD. With multiple suspects and witnesses throwing up startling inconsistencies, and interference from the top threatening the integrity of the investigation, lead detective Casey Wray is thrust into an increasingly puzzling case that looks like it can have only one ending.
#BlackReedBay #BlogTour #MeetCasey @Rod_WR @OrendaBooks @annecater @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours
And then the first body appears, and Casey’s investigation plunges her into a darkness she could never have imagined…
Black Reed Bay introduces a breathtaking, powerful and addictive new series, fronted by the fantastic Detective Casey Wray, from the CWA-nominated author of Blood Red City and The Dark Inside.
My Review
Just amazing! I read so many crime thrillers that it takes something really special to earn five stars and this is it. I just couldn’t stop reading – shame I had to go to work!
As I said, there are so many crime books out there that it must be almost impossible to come up with something original. The format of Black Reed Bay is well-known – female police officer ie Detective Casey Wray, buddy and partner Dave Cullen, boss Lt Ray Carletti is her mentor and his boss Robbie McTeague is a twat. Then there’s a missing girl, a dodgy lover, dodgy boyfriend, even dodgier brother and alcoholic mum. And then the first body is discovered.
But don’t let any of that fool you. The format may be familiar but the intricate plot is quite different. This book has so many twists and is so fast paced and exciting that you won’t be able to put it down. And the location of the crimes is creepy and scary and let’s just say that you wouldn’t want to get lost there in the dark at 4 o’clock in the morning.
Black Reed Bay literally piles on the sub-stories, the intrigue and the evidence and then all of a sudden you know you’ve got it all wrong and you have to start again. How are they connected? Who is good and who is bad? Casey thinks she knows but even she can get it wrong. And put herself in danger.
This is one of the best crime thrillers out there and I take my metaphorical hat off to the author for coming up with something totally new.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Rod Reynolds is the author of five novels, including the Charlie Yates series. His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian has called the books ‘pitch-perfect American noir ’.
A lifelong Londoner, Rod’s first novel set in his hometown, entitled Blood Red City, was published by Orenda Books in 2020. Black Reed Day is his fifth novel.
Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in novel writing from City University London. He lives with his wife and family and spends most of his time trying to keep up with his two young daughters.
Follow him on Twitter @Rod_WR.
They thought it was perfect. They were wrong…
A glamorous chateau
Aura and Nick don’t talk about what happened in England. They’ve bought a chateau in France to make a fresh start, and their kids need them to stay together – whatever it costs.
#TheChateau @catherinecooper @fictionpub @HarperFiction @annecater @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours
A couple on the brink
The expat community is welcoming, but when a neighbour is murdered at a lavish party, Aura and Nick don’t know who to trust.
A secret that is bound to come out…
Someone knows exactly why they really came to the chateau. And someone is going to give them what they deserve.
My Review
Aura and Nick are a mismatched couple. Married in their early twenties, they have two young children named Sorrel and Bay. This probably says a lot more about Aura than it does about Nick.
Aura is like a poor man’s Gwyneth Paltrow with all her new age beliefs, some of which I agreed with (healthy food, no plastic toys) and some of which I didn’t (children sleeping in the same bed as their parents, homeopathic remedies for everything). And a brain like a sieve. She is training to be a counsellor. Of course she is. I’m saying nothing.
The couple have moved to France, where they have purchased a run down chateau which they plan to do up and run as a posh B & B. Unfortunately their decision to move to France was far from romantic – it was driven by something awful which involved Nick and this was a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage. Personally I wouldn’t have bothered, but I guess they thought it was worth trying for the sake of the kids.
Just to make it worse, Aura has agreed for a documentary crew (Seb and Chloe) to come in and film them 24/7 for a TV programme called French Fancy. Oh dear, I hear you say, this can only end in disaster. Anyone less naive than Aura knows all about editing. They can make you appear like a loving couple on a life-changing journey, or they can show you as a constantly arguing pair of idiots. You can guess which one applies here.
The story takes place in two locations – partly in France at the chateau and partly in London before they ‘had’ to move. But it’s not long before things start to go wrong in their new home. Dead bunnies, strange noises and things that go bump in the night, coupled with some seriously odd neighbours including the slightly pervy Frank and glamorous hostess Thea with her ‘special’ parties. Then there is Helen who gets free board and lodging in exchange for being an unpaid au pair. She’s great with the children but she could be an axe-murderer (or bunny boiler) for all Aura knows.
The Chateau is one of the most entertaining books I have read this year. It gallops along, full of tension, twists and excitement. In fact there are so many possibilities, you’ll be sent down dead end after dead end thinking you’ve worked it out – and haven’t. I loved it.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours and to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Catherine Cooper is a freelance journalist writing for many national newspapers and magazines, specialising in travel. She also makes regular appearances as a talking head on daytime TV. She lives in France with her husband and two teenage children. Her debut thriller THE CHALET was a top five Sunday Times bestseller and spent three weeks in the Kindle top 100. THE CHATEAU is her second novel.
Ilsa – I should like to know more about you.
This is a play where you the audience can decide what’s happening. It’s very interesting and in many ways quite sad. I have listened to the views of the actors but here is my take. Please note this is just my humble interpretation.
For me this is set at the very end of the Second World War in Nazi Germany. At first Hitler promised a better future for Germany, but for Ilsa and her husband Daniel, the cost was too high. Daniel gave himself up to save his wife, but ultimately it was for nothing. Now it is Ilsa’s turn to be tried as a traitor and probably executed. I guess Stefan has also betrayed his country in some way, but he is less forthcoming.
I love this play because it really makes you think, though I had to listen twice.
Written by Victorine Pontillon
Directed by Emmeline Braefield
Starring
Heath Netherton as Ilsa
and
John Cooper-Evans as Stefan
Music: Just Us League by RKVC
Produced by Cat on a Piano Productions
The Theatrephonic Theme tune was composed by Jackson Pentland
Performed by
Jackson Pentland
Mollie Fyfe Taylor
Emmeline Braefield
Cat on a Piano Productions produce and edit feature films, sketches and radio plays.
Their latest project is called @Theatrephonic, a podcast of standalone radio plays and short stories performed by professional actors. You can catch Theatrephonic on Spotify and other platforms.
For more information about the Theatrephonic Podcast, go to catonapiano.uk/theatrephonic, Tweet or Instagram us @theatrephonic, or visit our Facebook page.
And if you really enjoyed Ilsa listen to Theatrephonic’s other plays and short stories and consider becoming a patron by clicking here…
High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case – and one client – will put all that at risk.
Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down – or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jessica suspects he’s protecting someone…
Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no one ever wants to hear. Sit down… because I’ve got something to tell you…
Now Jessica must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life – her husband.
My Review
I want to say I loved this book but I am afraid I didn’t, which is a real shame as I loved My Lies, Your Lies. But this was too predictable. I guessed the twist right at the beginning and I was waiting for other great reveals which just didn’t happen.
The secondary stories felt like padding (even Tom’s story – I have something to tell you) and I didn’t really get the relevance. Susan Lewis is a great writer and the writing itself is flawless, but the story lacked originality and the main characters were all such dumbasses one wonders how they ever became so successful. Especially Jay, poor love. It was like kicking a puppy (apologies Pigeons).
The sad part is that it had the potential to be so good. As I said, the twist was predictable, but it could have hinted at the twist, made it the only possible answer, and then turned it on its head with something totally ‘wow – I didn’t see THAT coming.’ Even far-fetched is preferable to predictable. However, as one of my fellow book club readers pointed out, it would make a great TV show – Keely Hawes as Jay, David Tennant (of course) as Tom and – I’m still working on Edward Blake. Suggestions please.
Unfortunately, I feel that there are so many psychological thrillers and crime novels out there that it must be virtually impossible to write something original. So praise to those that do it – I just think it’s time for something totally new.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.
+ childhood, fiction, folklore, Ghost story, haunting, review, Scottish Highlands, secrets, supernatural, superstition
The Whistling by Rebecca Netley
Alone in the world, Elspeth Swansome has taken the position of nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea.
Her charge, Mary, is a troubled child. Distracted and secretive, she hasn’t uttered a word since the sudden death of her twin, William – just days after their former nanny disappeared.
With Mary defiantly silent, Elspeth turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William. Just as no one can explain the hypnotic lullabies sung in empty corridors. Nor the strange dolls that appear in abandoned rooms.
Nor the faint whistling that comes in the night . . .
As winter draws in and passage to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth finds herself trapped.
But is this house haunted by the ghosts of the past?
OR THE SECRETS OF THE LIVING..?
My Review
Following the deaths of both her father and her beloved sister Clara, 24-year-old Elspeth Swansome leaves her life in Edinburgh to take up a position as nanny to nine-year-old Mary on the windswept, remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. A withdrawn, silent child, Mary has lost both her parents and then her twin brother William died just days after her nanny Hettie disappeared without telling anyone she was leaving.
Mary is being cared for and educated by her aunt Miss Gillies. But there is no affection there and poor Mary is starved of love and emotional support. Hopefully Elspeth will be able to help her to overcome her grief and start to speak again.
The Whistling is a classic, Gothic ghost story and I loved every minute. We’ve read this story many times – new nanny has charge of quiet child in a sinister house full of secrets, strange noises, shadowy figures and possible hauntings – but it never fails to chill. Who is standing in the attic window at night, lit only by a candle and who is humming a haunting lullaby outside Elspeth’s bedroom door? What is that faint whistling sound carried on the wind? And what is the meaning of the pebbles, and the dolls without faces, bound in human hair. The fear is stealth-like, creeping up on you, minute by minute, night after night.
“Iskar itself seemed to watch me from its shadows, seemed imbued with death and all that was wicked,” says Elspeth.
It’s a slow burn of a read, unworldly, spooky and full of creepy characters, both seen and unseen. Do you believe in ghosts? Elspeth is far too sensible, her father told her there were no such things, but anyone can be pushed to the limit by fear.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Rebecca Netley grew up as part of an eccentric family in a house full of books and music and these things have fed her passions. Family and writing remain at the heart of Rebecca’s life. She lives in the UK with her husband, sons and an over-enthusiastic dog, who gives her writing tips.
+ childhood, dementia, family, family drama, fiction, forgiveness, Glasgow, literature, love, motherhood, relationships, review, Scottish literature, sisters
Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy by Emma Grae
Kate and her Granny Jean have nothing in common. Jean’s great claim to fame is raising her weans without two pennies to rub together, and Kate’s an aspiring scriptwriter whose anxiety has her stuck in bad thought after bad thought.
#BeGuidTaeYerMammy @emmagraeauthor@annecater @RandomTTours #RandomThingsTours
But what Jean’s Glaswegian family don’t know is that she dreamed of being a film star and came a hairsbreadth away from making it a reality. Now in her nineties, Jean is a force to be reckoned with. But when the family starts to fall apart Jean must face her failings as a mammy head-on – and Kate too must fight her demons. Either that or let go of her dream of the silver screen forever…
My Review
I have never read any Scottish literature and my only experience of Scotland is Inverness and the Isle of Skye in the 1970s, and the Edinburgh Festival in 2006. So when I read the opening chapter I just gawped. How in the world was I going to translate any of it? I was so relieved when we got to Kate’s point of view and I could finally understand what was going on. But hang on – it gets better – and better still.
Granny Jean is married to Donald, who earns good money, but they are always broke because he drinks like a fish. Jean has spent her life looking after her ‘weans’ (kids) and she is still resentful that her best friend Lizzie went to Hollywood instead of her.
Youngest daughter Stella-Marie who was born on the ferry and should have been a boy, has a stoma and also a lung disease. Jean treats her like a scivvy and her sisters think she is lazy because she doesn’t work. The sisters Cathy and Sandra treat her like dirt, while Cathy’s daughter Leanne is even worse. I felt so sorry for Stella-Marie – the way the others regard her is so awful – especially her mum, but she is a good Catholic and she and Jean believe you must be guid tae yer mammy to win your place in heaven.
Stella-Marie’s two daughters are Kate, who wants to be a script-writer, but is crippled by her anxiety and OCD, while Isla dreams of being a nurse.
As a second generation Jewish/Catholic Eastern European immigrant living in the Cotswolds, I cannot pretend that I can identify with any of the characters. It’s a bit like some years ago when discussing The Royle Family with a workmate and he said to me, ‘so-and-so is just like my gran and so-and-so is like my cousin….’ I just nodded and pretended I understood, but I didn’t.
But the more I read Be Guid Tae Yer Mammy, the more I got to grips with the language until it became second nature (well almost). The book is full of family feuds, arguments, pathos and love, but it is also very funny – I laughed out loud many times. Some of the descriptions of Stella-Marie’s childhood are heart-breaking – the story of one birthday for instance – and I have to admit I read the ending with tears rolling down my face.
This is an amazing book, especially as it is a debut and I hope we hear more from this new author.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours.
About the Author
Emma Grae is a Scottish author and journalist from Glasgow. She has been writing in Scots since she was a student at the University of Strathclyde, tipsily co-authoring poems with fellow writer Lorna Wallace before moving on to write fiction in the language. She has published fiction and poetry in the UK and Ireland since 2014 in journals including The Honest Ulsterman, From Glasgow to Saturn and The Open Mouse. As a journalist, she writes under her birth surname, Guinness, and has bylines in a number of publications including Cosmopolitan, the Huffington Post and the Metro. Be Guid tae yer Mammy is her first novel.
When photographer Anthony Dawton realised how dramatically homelessness had increased in London, he took to the streets with his camera. For years he had taken photographs in areas of need worldwide, but after spending some time in his home city, he noticed how many people were living on its streets. He embarked on a new project to raise awareness for a city he no longer recognised: NOTLondon.
Anthony Dawton photographs his subjects with a beauty and dignity that many of them are often denied. His portraits capture the strength and power of humanity as well as its vulnerability. By accompanying the image with the person’s name and their story, Anthony gives voice to the voiceless and attempts to offer the homeless a place, a home on the page. Governmental institutions turn a blind eye to the homeless, leaving the work up to charities. Homeless shelters are rife with substance abuse, making them a dangerous place for those trying to overcome addiction. Homelessness becomes a vicious cycle and many find it difficult to break free. Since the start of the pandemic, over 70,000 households in the UK have been made homeless. Dawton’s photographs are mesmerising, and as we stare into the eyes of their subjects, we’re faced with reality: this is a problem that’s getting worse and needs urgent attention.
NOTLondon is a provoking campaign to help the city’s most vulnerable and to address the fact that, despite its wealth, the city is not providing for those most in need. NOTLondon includes an introduction by Leilani Fahra, former UN special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and the Global Director of The Shift. Having dedicated her life’s work to changing attitudes to homelessness and attacking the governmental systems and structures which perpetrate homelessness, she shares her thoughts in NOTLondon, highlighting the importance of Dawton’s project.
My thoughts
“ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE BORN FREE AND EQUAL IN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1, 1948)“
In her introduction to the book Leilani Farga, Global Director, The Shift and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing (2014 – 2020) tells us that the homeless: “…are not victims. They are human rights defenders. Every tent erected, sleeping bag rolled out, toilet constructed is a claim: a distilled, human rights claim for survival and dignity. Cognizant that their living conditions are not acceptable, understanding they are part of a global trend, wanting their governments held accountable.”
NOTLondon is a moving portrayal of homelessness on the streets of London in photographs by Anthony Dawton.
I live in Cheltenham, in the Cotswolds. where we have a population of around 116,000. In spite of being a small town and Cheltenham having a reputation for being rather ‘posh’ and affluent with its racing, music and literature festivals, you will still see homeless people on the streets – in doorways, in parks, sleeping on benches or under cardboard boxes. It’s heartbreaking. It’s 2021 – how is this still happening? I know people who think it’s OK because they are ‘all drug addicts’ (their words, not mine), but it’s not. These are people like you or me, and as they say, there but for the grace of God….
This ordinary-looking woman below with her dog could be me…or you.
Antony Dawton’s photographs are stunning. What really struck me are the ones where other people are passing in front of them, walking quickly and taking no notice.
“If you don’t look at them, they don’t exist.”
“Just walk on.”
“Don’t give them money, they’ll spend it on drugs.”
“It’s not my problem.”
“I’m too busy. I have my own issues.”
“I can’t help.”
But homelessness is a problem that is not going away. In fact it’s getting worse. The pictures above are just a few of my favourites from this powerful collection.
Many thanks to Grace Pilkington Publicity @GracePublicity for inviting me to give an unbiased review of NOTLondon.
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