Say Her Name by Dreda Say Mitchell & Ryan Carter

Say Her Name by Dreda Say Mitchell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days (in and out)

Pages - 308

Publisher - Thomas and Mercer

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In this chilling thriller from the bestselling authors of Spare Room, one woman just wants the truth about who she really is. But she’s not the only one looking…

It’s twenty years since Eva, a biracial woman, was adopted as an eight-year-old, and Cherry and Carlton ‘Sugar’ McNeil have always been the only parents she’s wanted or needed. But when she’s dealt the double blow of Cherry’s death and her own suspension from work, Eva decides it’s time to discover who she was before she was theirs.

Against Sugar’s advice, Eva joins a DNA database, desperate for a match that will unlock her identity. And when a positive hit comes, she’s excited to learn there are relations out there who might hold the key. But the closer Eva gets to uncovering her past, the more it appears someone is trying to stop her finally finding the truth…

As she continues to dig, Eva is drawn into a dark and merciless underside to society, where black women disappear without a word. Names erased from history, no search parties, no desperate pleas for their return. Once, someone tried to save Eva from all this. Someone wanted a better life for her. But now that she’s torn down the facade of her life, has she come too far to be spared again?



My Review

Eva's mum has died and they are saying their goodbyes, Cherry is being laid to rest and whilst Eva is grieving and trying to be there for her dad she is thinking about her birth mother. Cherry and "Sugar" adopted Eve when she was just eight years old and now Cherry has gone Eva wants to know about her biological mum. Currently off work suspended Eva hasn't told anyone and as she digs into her past Sugar is becoming even more secretive and aloof, he knows more than he is letting on and Eva won't let it drop. Eva gets a hit on a dna database, she has blood family out there and things are getting stranger and dangerous. What is Sugar hiding, why did he leave the police force, why was Eva left to be adopted when she has blood relatives?

So Eva is a biracial woman and whilst we are in present day searching for her biological mother and the truth we get flashbacks to when she was little and through her years in "care". It is a busy book and the present day has a lot of mystery, threats and an overall feeling of something bad is coming. When we are in the flashbacks to when Eva was a wee on, the heartbreak, racism is something I will never understand. hurting little kids, cruelty ooft my heart, I just wanted to hug little Eva. The book deals with some hard hitting themes that I can't list all because well hello spoilers but it is really good, emotive, shocking and reels you in, 4/5 for me.

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Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 402

Publisher - Hodder & Stoughton

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Number One bestselling author Jodi Picoult returns with her compulsive new novel - about the lengths we go to for those who have left us behind; about the staying power of love; and about how three broken souls might have just the right pieces to mend each other.
Jenna Metcalf was with her mother the night she disappeared in tragic and mysterious circumstances, but she remembers nothing.

Over ten years have passed, and still Jenna reads and rereads her mother's journals, hoping to find some clue hidden there, in the meticulous recording of her scientific research with elephants.

Desperate for answers, Jenna uses all her savings to recruit the aid of a private detective - and a psychic.

Jenna knows her mother loved her. She knows she would not leave her. And she will not rest until she finds out what happened that night. In her most gripping mystery since House Rules, Jodi Picoult brings us a powerful story of a young girl's determination to uncover the truth, however shocking and life-changing it might be.


My Review

Another Jodi Picoult with an animal theme/focus, remember like with the wolves? But this time it is elephants and I know not everyone likes that but I do. So the book goes between present day, Jenna wants help to finally find out what happened to her mum Alice. Alice disappeared when Jenna was just a baby, now a teen she hires a psychic, Serenity and an ex cop now PI. Serenity was once famous before scandal reduced her to being the one thing she hated "a swamp with" charging to read peoples fortune by cold reading. The unlikely trio work together to try and find out what happened to Alice all those years ago.

The book flips between characters and when we hear from Alice, Jenna's mum that is where we meet the elephants. She studied them in the wild before meeting Jenna's dad and joining him at his elephant sanctuary.

I love anything with ghosts so the whole psychic thing I was absolutely YES and as the book goes on we find out what happened and why she is so disgraced. Same with the Cop turned PI. The elephants, oh the elephants. There is talk of death/harm and the things these beautiful beings go through and their behaviours, health and care. This won't be for everyone but I love learning about stuff and I love animals so it was a win win for me. At the end of the book she also adds links to check out, you can help out and learn more. There is even a live camera from a sanctuary, three free webcams you can watch elephants, support these fantastic causes and learn about the harm/Ivory trade and what you can do to help.

A few themes that some may find triggering and I can't cover them all without spoilers which we don't do. Elephants well fare and harm, loss, murder, mental health, love, lies, secrets, ghosts/medium, 4/5 for me. I do enjoy Picoults books so this is no surprise that I enjoyed this one but I think it could be a marmite for some.

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Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 377

Publisher - Michael Joseph Books

Source - Bought/Netgalley review

Blurb from Goodreads

22-year-old Olivia has been missing for one day…and counting. She was last seen on CCTV, entering a dead-end alley. And not coming back out again.

Julia, the detective heading up the search for Olivia, thinks she knows what to expect. A desperate family, a ticking clock, and long hours away from her husband and daughter. But she has no idea just how close to home this case is going to get.

Because the criminal at the heart of the disappearance has something she never expected. His weapon isn’t a gun, or a knife: it’s a secret. Her worst one. And her family's safety depends on one thing: Julia must NOT find out what happened to Olivia - and must frame somebody else for her murder.

If you find her, you will lose everything. What would you do?

This clever and endlessly surprising thriller is laced with a smart look at family and motherhood, and cements Gillian McAllister as a major talent in the world of suspense and a master of creating ethical dilemmas that show just how murky the distinction between right and wrong can be.



My Review

Ooooh get strapped in for a wild ride. Olivia is 22, gone missing and when the cops (Julia and co) investigate they find CCTV when Olivia goes down and alley and never comes out. Where did she go, her family is distraught and Julia is a straight laced cop who will stop at nothing to find her. HOWEVER when Julia is threatened with the thing most important to her and told she mustn't find Olivia she is between a rock and a hard place. Does she protect that which is most important to her whilst compromising Olivia and her own integrity or does she stay true to who she is, give Olivia her best chance/investigate whilst ruining her own life? Decisions decisions.

So basically we have a missing person, a cop being threatened/compromised plus the side line of her family life, issues with husband and teen daughter. Some shady and skulduggery behaviours and people, *gasp* and oh your are kidding WHY WHY would you do that. It is a perfect example of how you are just one decision/action away from spiralling your whole life.

Decent pace, page turning to see ooh where is this going to go, what is X person going to do now. This is maybe the 2nd or 3rd book I have read by this author and got another on my tbrm.

Crime, police investigation, family issues, morality, criminal activities, family ties and more, 4/5 for me this time. She is quite different to a lot of the crime/thriller offers we have so if you haven't read her before it is absolutely worth picking up and giving her a whirl.

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Black River by Will Dean

Black River by Will Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 308

Publisher - Point Blank

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.

FEAR

Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing.

SECRETS

Racing back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar, Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts?

LIES

Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?


My Review

This is book three in the Tuva Moodyson series, we see Tuva has finally escaped the small town and working away in Sweden, its been four months. Word reaches Tuva that her bestie Tammy is missing and it doesn't look good, she doesn't disappear like this and it is dodgy looking circumstances. Tuva heads home and starts investigating not realising she is putting herself at risk too.

The small town has some real weird and unique characters, some of them ignorant and it isn't until a white person goes missing that people really sit up and takes notice. Along with Tuva this really got my goat but is true to life in quite a lot of places and I think authors do grand when they bring this level of realism and prejudices/racism weaved into the story. It isn't the whole plot by any means but it does highlight the shocking attitudes of some and yes this is fiction but absolutely mirrors the reality we live in especially in some places.

With it being a small town, surrounded by forest and not huge on outsiders we see a lot of people hunting/living off the land/animals so there is some animal harm/death within the books, just a headsup.

There is a threat and menace hovering throughout a lot of the book, tension, apprehension that follows Tuva and the reader as we investigate and explore what has happened to Tammy. I have the next in the series to read and whilst I liked this one I didn't love it. I really liked the previous two so not too sure why I didn't love this one as much, Tuva was frustrated and all over the place and I felt a lot of that too, 3/5 for me this time.

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Bloq by Alan Jones

Bloq by Alan Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - On and off for 1 week

Pages - 343

Publisher - Ailsa Publishing

Blurb from Goodreads

A father waits in Glasgow's Central Station for his daughter, returning home from London for Christmas. When the last train has pulled in, and she doesn't get off it, he makes a desperate overnight dash to find out why. His search for her takes over his life, costing him his job and, as he withdraws from home, family and friends, he finds himself alone, despairing of ever seeing her again.

This is a gritty crime novel with some sexual content.



My Review


We open with a callous burial or rather body dump of a young woman by some, what the reader can only deduce, very dodgy criminals. Hello chapter one, Bill Ingram is waiting in a Glasgow train station for his daughter to come home. As the train comes and goes and time ticks on there is no sign of Carol and no contact. Bill embarks on a one man investigation to find his daughter, putting himself in grave danger and having to face the fact that he maybe didn't know his daughter at all.

The chapters are named so we know where we are and which character it is focused on, Carol and the many folk around her or her situation are in London, Bill initially is in Glasgow then hits London for his quest. Carol's timeline jumps back a wee bit to before Aleksander comes into her life and the path that follows after. A story that demonstrates corruption, lies, influence, the darker side of humanity and how some people will go to any lengths to exploit another.

Relationships carve a huge part of this story, the love of a father for his daughter, partners, friendship, criminal loyalties and family. There are some very dark themes in the book too, addiction, abuse, violence, sexual abuse to name just a few. It isn't for the faint hearted, not so much in brutal graphic detail but enough for the reader to conjure the horrors with just enough information for full impact. The book is a bit like an onion, there are so many layers to it, I loved the family bond some characters had and would stop at nothing for their relative.

Lots and lots of swearing featured, I think given one of the central themes and key characters this was a must, for realism, rather than gratuitous. Depending on your background and family ties, I think this book has the potential to pack a punch and strike some emotive chords with some readers. I have read Jones before and I will read him again, 4/5 for me this time!

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Somewhere Inside Of Happy by Anna McPartlin

Somewhere Inside of Happy by Anna McPartlin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 427

Publisher - Black Swan

Blurb from Goodreads

Maisie Bean is a fighter. A survivor. Seventeen years ago, she went on a first date that went so badly it was enough to put the girl off chips. The marriage that followed was hell but it gave her two children: funny, caring Jeremy and bullish but brilliant Valerie.

Just as it seems everything might finally start going right, sixteen-year-old Jeremy goes missing. The police descend and a media storm swirls, over five days of searching that hurtle towards an inevitable, terrible conclusion.

Maisie is facing another fight, and this time it’s the fight of her life. But she’s a survivor. Whatever the odds, she’ll never give in.


My Review

The book opens in present day, Maisie Bean is about to do a talk and she is feeling nervous. She takes the reader back to the past that shows us how she got to where she is and why she does what she does. She has two beautiful kids who have their own issues after watching their mother survive and abusive relationship. They live with Maisie and her mum whose illness provides more stress and strain on the family. Her youngest is moody, argumentative and trying to find herself and Jeremy is the apple of everyone eye, sixteen but responsible, kind, caring and trustworthy. This is what sends everyone into a panic when he doesn't come home, the media get involved and things from the past won't stay buried.

McPartlin has a style where she can hit some very dark and unsettling topics but still infuse the story with humour and provide light relief which I think is an amazing feat for an artist. The characters you immediately warm to, or hate pending on which ones we are talking about. She whirs up a storm and covers many issues in life that the reader can identify with or at least one of them. Friendship, love, domestic abuse, sexuality, homophobia, media scrutiny, personal growth, family secrets, the list goes on and on whilst not overstretching the story or realism.

I could have easily read this in one sitting had time permitted, you are drawn in within the first few chapters and I gasped out loud at least once. A very talented writer, I have read her before and I will read her again, I think her writing gains strength with age and experience, 4/5 for me this time.

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Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant

Lie With Me by Sabine Durrant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Publisher - Mulholland Books

Pages - 293

Blurb from Amazon

It starts with a lie. The kind we've all told - to a former acquaintance we can't quite place but still, for some reason, feel the need to impress. The story of our life, embellished for the benefit of the happily married lawyer with the kids and the lovely home.

And the next thing you know, you're having dinner at their house, and accepting an invitation to join them on holiday - swept up in their perfect life, the kind you always dreamed of...

Which turns out to be less than perfect. But by the time you're trapped and sweating in the relentless Greek sun, burning to escape the tension all around you - by the time you start to realise that, however painful the truth might be, it's the lies that cause the real damage...

... well, by then, it could just be too late.


My Review

Paul is a has-been, a successful author of a novel, decades past, and not managed to do a whole lot else. When he bumps into an old acquaintance, Andrew, from his glory days Paul can't help but accept his invitation to dinner. He meets Alice, not his usual type, older and mother of spoiled teenagers but she has money & Paul is never one to miss an opportunity. With his self infated ego and the ability to spin lies at the drop of a hat, Paul wangles his way on holiday with this upper class group and his new girlfriend. His small lies get bigger and Paul finds himself caught up in a web of deceit where he isn't the only one with something to hide.

Paul is our protagonist and not a very likeable chap. He is a womanizer, a sponger, a liar and those are probably not his worst traits. Alice is a means to an end however Paul finds himself drawn to her and becoming jealous of her friendship with Andrew, the old acquaintance that brought them together. Trying to keep on top of his lies, examining his feelings for Alice and be accepted by the rich snobs Paul embarks on a journey of self examination and growth. As Paul seems to start to grow as a person his lies threaten to catch up with him and bring it all down.

None of these characters are particularly likeable, they each have their own agenda and irritating traits. The story gets under your skin, it is at times unsettling and splits between the current dilema we know Paul ends up in as thats how the book opens but also what happened to the girl Alice is looking for. The girl who went missing in Greece ten years ago that Alice is frantic to find and won't stop looking for until she has answers. It is a busy wee book once it gets going and an engaging story that draws the reader in, 3/5 for me this time. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. I have never read this author before, I would certainly read her again, Lie With Me is available to buy from the 28/07/2016.

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