The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards Happy Publication Day

Happy publication day, out to buy NOW, here is my review, I was lucky enought to get an arc but kept my review til today.


The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over a few days

Pages - 336

Publisher - Michael Joseph books

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

A dinner party in a beautiful Notting Hill townhouse turns into a sinister game, as six old friends are forced to spill their darkest secrets…or else.

Six friends reunite in London to celebrate the life of their recently deceased ex-employer, a professor that brought them together in 1999 to help build a dating website based on psychological testing.

But what is meant to be a night of bittersweet nostalgia soon becomes a twisted and deadly game when the old friends find themselves held at gunpoint. They are given an ultimatum: reveal their darkest secrets to the group or pick each other off one-by-one.

It soon becomes clear that their current predicament is related to their shared past. The love questionnaire they helped develop in 1999 for the dating site was also turned into a tool for weeding out The Wasp Trap. This and the other tragic events of that summer long ago may help reveal the truth behind a killer hiding in plain sight.

Alternating between the past and present with a colorful ensemble of characters, The Wasp Trap is a fast-paced and twisty thrill ride that is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Alice Feeney.#


My Review

It has been over 20 years since everyone was together, getting together to celebrate the man who had once brought them all together, all those years ago. Six friends who live very different lives coming to their affluent pals, the duo of the group who have done the best and now having a posh meal at their fancy gaff. No expense spared, all the stops are pulled out however the night takes a turn and the six are forced to face the past and come clean about secrets they would rather stayed buried.

The first part of the book they are all kind of feeling each other out, catching up with the missed past twenty odd years. Then a turn of events, violence and shocking admissions as they try to get to the bottom of what is wanted. We then go back to when they were all pulled together on a project as we try to figure out, along with the character, what exactly the secret is.

Tense, shocking, violent, a forced game of cat and mouse almost with people being put on the spot to choose and try and figure "the secret". Psychological thriller, the guests/friends are clueless just like the reader so we are all figuring out, or trying to figure out what is going on. The threat of violence is constant and looming and as moments tick by (we are very much clock watching) tempers fray and fear climbs making everyone volatile in an already tense and dangerous situation, 4/5.

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Cover Reveal & Trailer for upcoming book "What I Hid from you" by Heleen Kist

Isn't she a beaut!

Blurb
A DEATH
AN ACCIDENT
A STUPID MISTAKE
Traumatised by the death of a patient in her chair, Glaswegian dentist Radha Bakshi succumbs to an addiction to Valium she can’t acknowledge – even to herself.
The pills take the edge off trying to be a consummate professional, a perfect daughter, a devoted wife and a not-too-embarrassing mother to her teenage son.
When increased scrutiny of her work forces her to find a new source of supply, she stumbles into the menacing clutches of blackmailing drug dealers.
A mistake that could cost her everything.
Here is the book trailer

About the author

Heleen Kist is a Dutch, formerly globetrotting career woman who fell in love with a Scotsman and his country, and now writes about its (sometimes scary) people from her garden office in Glasgow. What I Hid From You is her third novel.
She was chosen as an up-and-coming new author at the international crime festival Bloody Scotland 2018. Her debut, ‘In Servitude’ won the silver medal for Best European Fiction at the Independent Publishers Book Awards in the USA and was shortlisted for The Selfies awarded at London Book Fair. Her feminist thriller ‘Stay Mad, Sweetheart’ was a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards and won third place in the inaugural Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year award 2020
You can Pre order the book, coming out 23 of June 2022, from Waterstones or Book Depository

Cover Reveal arranged by Kelly Lacey of LOVE BOOK TOURS and the blog tour for the book will be coming soon too!

Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins

Into the Dark by Fiona Cummins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able in and out over 4 days

Pages -

Publisher - Pan Macmillan

Source - ARC Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

Into the Dark is the new dark and gripping crime thriller from Fiona Cummins about revenge, greed, ambition and the true cost of friendship.

THE PLACE: Seawings, a beautiful Art Deco home overlooking the sweep of the bay in Midtown-on-Sea.

THE CRIME: The gilded Holden family - Piper and Gray and their two teenage children, Riva and Artie - has vanished from the house without a trace.

THE DETECTIVE: DS Saul Anguish, brilliant but with a dark past, treads the narrow line between light and shade.

One late autumn morning, Piper’s best friend arrives at Seawings to discover an eerie scene – the kettle is still warm, all the family’s phones are charging on the worktop, the cars are in the garage. But the house is deserted.

In fifteen-year-old Riva Holden’s bedroom, scrawled across the mirror in blood, are three words:

Make
Them
Stop.

What happens next?


My Review

The Holden family have disappeared, the house in a state as if the family only just left. The police are investigating, things may not be as they seem and are the family? Concern ramps up when a blood stained message is found in the teenagers room, what happened to the Holden's and where are they now?

The timeline flips around the disappearance, days, hours, weeks before and with each jump we get a different glimpse of the people they are. What was happening in their lives, interactions, actions and secrets. Present day takes us into the investigation, DC Saul and colleagues and the missing wife Piper's best friend Julianne. Pretty much all of these characters have some kind of secret to hide, aren't exactly the nicest of people, seriously some of them are super weird!

It took me a little bit to settle to and get my head around it, a fair few characters, storylines and as I said timelines surrounding the missing family. I have a lot going on at home so my concentration is all over the place and hooking into a book just now is a struggle. I was pulled in pretty quickly (as I do with Cummins books) because I am a total nosey reader. I want to know what went down, how, why and when you get a book that teases out the information and reveals it secrets layer by layer you absolutely get invested. The characters aren't nice people, some of the behaviours are indeed shocking *gasp* which makes you reluctant to put it down. I would like to see some of the characters again because what on earth could X Y Z do next, this may just be wishful thinking as I don't think Cummins does series but they say a good author leaves the reader wanting more, 4/5 for me this time.

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The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil

The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 296

Publisher - Indie

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Housemaid wanted.
Skills required: Discretion, and the willingness to go the extra mile.

It seems like the perfect job. Great wages, accommodation provided, and all located within the walls of Highwood Hall, a stunning stately home owned by the Howard family. Not many little girls dream of becoming a maid, but this is an opportunity for me to get back on my feet. And for me to revisit my past...

But I soon realise I've made a mistake. The strict housekeeper, Mrs Huxley, watches my every move, emerging from the shadows when least expected. Lord Howard's son, Alex, takes an interest in me, and as a former addict, I find myself drawn to him because I know he's bad for me.

There's a general atmosphere of unease at Highwood Hall, from the narrow tunnels laced throughout the sprawling house, to the abandoned north wing, rumoured to be haunted. It's easy to imagine the secrets hidden within these walls, like the secrets I hold close.

On my first day, I receive a mysterious package. I open up the pretty gift box to find a miniature doll version of me trapped inside a dollhouse. In this scene I'm dead, lying in a pool of red paint at the bottom of the perfectly recreated staircase. Someone sent this threatening diorama to me, but who even knows I work at the hall? And what do they want?

I know only one truth: my perfect job is turning into my perfect nightmare.


My Review

This is my second read by this author, they couldn't be more different although both have creepy eerie vibes! Applying for the housemaid position in a rich affluent area the housemaid NEEDS this job. Getting over her own troubles, addictions she encounters the terrifying Mrs Huxley for her interview. If she scores the job she gets live in, good wages and who wouldn't want to work in Highwood Hall in Yorkshire. Mrs Huxley has worked there for a billion years, she is strict, cold and runs a tight ship, she will be the least of the new housemaids worries!

A dream job or so she thought but the housemaid has her own reasons for wanting to work there and not long after she receives a package that is clearly a threat but by who, why - noone knows her. As she learns the job more and more unsettling things happen and the reader sees what it is like to be "The Housemaid". She is nameless - it highlights just how bad (at times) the help are treated, confidants one moment, used/abused/unseen at others so I think this works well to show that and how something as small as using someone's name can be so big. We walk through the story with her in first person mode, from first day nerves to getting to know the family members, the other hired help. Forming relationships, learning the routines and then it starts getting weird/creepy.

Denzil has a great way of taking a normal situation, job, environment and bringing in the creep/eek. We all have secrets, some more than others, some worse than others and each character has something, a quirk, a secret, a need. I love when a book draws you in, dislikable characters, ones you root for and a story a bit like an onion, peeling "layers" before giving up its secrets. As I said this is my second by this author, it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time.

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Come Back For Me by Heidi Perks Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for "Come Back For Me" by Heidi Perks, this is the last day of the tour, please check out the other stops as we all offer different content.





Come Back For Me by Heidi Perks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Cornerstone

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

A shocking discovery.
An island wrapped in secrets.

A tiny island community is stunned by the discovery of a long-buried body.

For Stella Harvey, the news is doubly shocking: the body was found in the garden of her childhood home.

The home her family fled without explanation twenty-five years ago.

Now, questioning her past and desperate to unearth the truth, Stella returns to the isolated Dorset island. But she quickly finds that the community she left isn’t as welcoming as she remembers – and that people in it will go to any length to protect their secrets.

But one thing rings true…
You can’t bury the truth forever.


My Review


Stella and her family had to leave the island when she was just a little girl, late in the middle of the night, dangerous weather to be sailing. No explanation, no looking back, now twenty five years later a body has been found in her garden. After seeing it on the news Stella HAS to go back to the island to try and get some answers. Islands are notorious for keeping things private and Stella is no longer one of them, will she get any answers or wish she had never gone looking in the first place?

We flip between then, when Stella and her family lived on the island and the run up to what made them leave to present day, Stella trying to make sense of her past and going to the island, trying to get answers. From the beginning we know something isn't right, her relationship with her sister is questionable, she doesn't come across as a very nice person. She is pretty rude, curt or dismissive yet Stella continues to be her strongest support. Her father can't give her much in the way of information so the island is her only option.

I think many can relate to Stella, in parts, the needing to know, the longing for the place you grew up even if you have been away from it longer than you lived there. When we get to the island it becomes a wee bit "we only like locals" and she gets no support from home either. I really felt for her, I would want to know too, reconnect with old friends and families. I would even want to go back to my old home and have a look, well maybe not if they found a body!

You feel, well I did, there is something big going on that Stella has unwittingly found herself drawn into but as well as the whole there is a body it is her personal journey. The need for closure, re-connection, relationships lacking or missing in her adult life I felt that was what urged her back to the island. I do like a mystery/thriller where you know there is skulduggery and some kind of danger hinted or looming but I think it a great thing when the author interweaves a personal side to it all.

Islands and small communities always have secrets, Stella is desperate to find out what theirs is, loyalty is huge and sometimes some people will do anything to protect a secret. Whilst I can't say I loved any of the characters I did sink into their lives and feel as much frustration as Stella to uncover the mystery of her old home and her family. This was my first dance with this author, it won't be ,my last, 4/5 for me this time. A psychological thriller with lots of family drama, dynamics, relationships, secrets and what can happen when you don't let go of the past!

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The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperwaite Blog Tour

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperwaite, see my review below.



The Perfect Friend by Barbara Copperthwaite
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 295

Publisher - Bookouture

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

She’ll do anything for you…

My name is Alex, and my world has been shattered.
My husband has left me.
My children won’t speak to me.
My friend Carrie is the only person I have.
She’s the only one I can trust to keep all my secrets.
She’d never do anything to let me down.
Would she?

This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.



My Review

Meet Alex, attending a support group she has much to contend with in her life. This is where she met her friend Carrie, Carrie battled cancer and the group offers support to all who need it. Alex has many issues, she would do anything for Carrie sure guilt can make you like that. Carrie is a wee soul, so positive despite the hand life has dealt her but are Alex and Carrie both what they seem to be?

So the book splits into then and now, the then we don't know which character is is, just what they have gone through growing up. Now follows Alex, her daily struggles, recovering from anorexia, attending a therapist and fiercely protective to Carrie. She is a great friend, she feels guilty but why, what has she done. Her children and husband won't speak to her, her therapist is on her about her weight and behaviour and all Alex can think of is Carrie, how to help her and be the perfect friend.

With Alex being an unreliable narrator it adds to the intensity of the story, something is amiss but what. Why won't her family speak to her, what sparked her food and weight issues, why is she so drawn to Carrie? I hated putting the book down as I needed to know, I felt like I was watching a Murder She Wrote, I was suspecting everyone of everything, or Isa from Still Game, something wasn't right and I NEEDED TO KNOW!

The story covers some hard themes, cancer, loss, anorexia, grief, violence, counselling and whilst a lot of dark the book isn't depressing or doom and gloom. There is also loyalty, friendship, strength of character, love, personal growth. It is a busy wee book with attention to detail, nothing is thrown in just for the sake of it, it is well written and envelopes the reader from pretty much chapter one.

Some points I actually gasped out loud, a few times I put it down to tell my o/h what my newest theory was (he isn't interested but I still have to say) and I was almost always wrong wrong wrong. A book that will keep you on your toes, turning page after page, hooked, involved and constantly guessing. 4.5/5 for me this time, whilst I have bought two of this authors books before this was actually my first dance with her, it won't be my last, I will be bumping up the others on my TBRM. You can get a copy of the book from the 5th of July, let me know if you have read it!

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The Optician's Wife by Betsy Reavley

The Optician's Wife by Betsy Reavley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 225

Publisher - Bloodhound Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Can you ever really know someone?

When Deborah, an unpopular seventeen-year-old, meets the charming and handsome Larry, he sweeps her off her feet. The trouble is Larry has a secret.

Then a series of grisly murders cast a shadow over everything.

As Deborah’s world starts to fall apart she begins to suspect the man she loves of a terrible betrayal. And to keep their marriage alive, sacrifices must be made.

A compelling, psychological thriller that unpicks what goes on behind closed doors and reminds us that sometimes the worst crimes can take place closer to home than you think.

The Optician's Wife is a powerful psychological thriller by the best-selling author of Carrion, The Quiet Ones and Beneath The Watery Moon. If you are a fan of authors like Angela Marsons, Kathryn Croft, Helen Durrant, Barbara Vine or Rachel Abbott you will be gripped by this brilliant and bracing psychological thriller.



My Review

Hello and welcome to one of the weirdest relationships you have come across. Deborah is a plain, quiet, an outcast at seventeen when she meets Larry. Larry is beautiful, charismatic, confident and really sees Deborah. As they start dating and things look up for Deborah, a killer strikes within their community. Is it a coincidence Larry and a killer show up? Is Deborah safe and how far would you go for your partner?

This is a great wee read, we get small passages from the killer , insights into the killers mind and happenings but leading the reader no further forward to the identity. As well as a murderer we get to look at the relationship dynamics. Deborah becomes Dee, who she is completely changes for her handsome new boyfriend. A transformation that readers will find uncomfortable in places, controlling, manipulative we see Larry taking over and shaping who he wants Dee to be and how it impacts on her as a person.

Quick to get started, really short chapters which I do love in a book, sex, murder, violence and quite graphic in parts. A book that draws the reader in and when you think you have a handle on what is going on turns about, keeping you on your toes. This is my first read by this author, it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time, if you have read Reavley you really need to get acquainted!

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The Book Of You by Claire Kendal

The Book of You by Claire Kendal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 hours

Publisher - Harper

Pages - 362

Blurb from Goodreads

For Clarissa, being called to do jury duty is a relief. It means she can leave work for a couple of weeks and avoid the unwanted attentions of her university colleague, Rafe. An intense man who is an expert on grisly folk tales, Rafe has always unnerved her, and Clarissa still cannot understand how she could have let herself have a drunken one-night stand with him.

As the trial unfolds, Clarissa begins to see the parallels between the violent tale related by the young woman whose attackers she is judging and her own situation. But with no crime to report and only her gut feeling to guide her, she is powerless. What can you do when the lines between fantasy and reality, love and fixation become dangerously blurred? How do you protect yourself from an enemy that no one else can see?

With an original structure and a heroine whose voice is equal parts unsettling and unforgettable, The Book of You is tinged with the darkness of a macabre fairy tale, yet is terrifyingly close to reality, a story that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.


My Review

What a great wee debut novel!

The book opens in diary form, Monday, 2 February, 7.45 a.m. from Clarissa in first person form. The book goes with this theme as well as 3rd person narrative. The diary entries are well signposted and flip back to when she first really encounters Rafe and things go down hill from there, it does it really well and you can follow the time shift easily. Rafe is obsessed with Clarissa, stalks her, believes they are in a relationship and won't take no for an answer. We follow their encounters both in present day as Clarissa keeps a diary of "evidence" of their interactions and going back to how they got to where they are now.

This is a really creepy, thought provoking story about just how easy it can be to fall into the clutches of an unhinged human being. I have read many crime and thriller books, even a few psychological thrillers but this is my first stalker type one and it is really haunting. Some of it is graphic, sexual and makes for really really uncomfortable reading. However, busy as I am with coursework, I couldn't put it down. The author has done an amazing job of creating a tale filled with fear & horror for the main character which you are dragged right into. I have never been stalked however after reading this book, I felt like I had experienced the trauma of it, such is the vividness of Clarissa's world she paints.

There were one or two issues I had with the book however it was more to do with unanswered questions and a few stickler points that are a personal preference when reading. I honestly think, if you like a good book that will freak you out and have you looking over your shoulder, you really must give this a read. 4/5 for me this time and I look forward to more from this lady and hope she is in the process of writing her next! Thanks so much to Harper for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review and highlighting a debut novel to me.


what a great wee debut novel!

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The Breakdown by B A Paris

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - HQ

Blurb from Goodreads

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

My Review

Imagine going along a deserted road through the woods, the weather is horrendous and you see a woman in a car alone pulled over, what do you do. Cass made a choice and is now having to live with that choice. Stressed out and going over everything Cass feels like she is starting to loose it, things are happening, her memory is going, she can't operate things she could yesterday and Cass has a secret from her past that is making everything worse. Is Cass losing her mind or is someone actually after her?

Ooooh this is the second book from this author, you don't have to have read the first to read this as they are both standalones. I started suspecting everyone and everything almost from the start, Cass got under my skin and initially really irritated me. As the book goes on I actually felt quite sorry for her and at times caught my breath as her mental state took a knock. As Cass starts to fall down a black hole the hairs on the back of my neck went up, imaging not being able to trust your own judgement or feel safe in your own home.

Paris has a skill for creeping the reader out and creating some of the darkest sides of humanity, I absolutely love it. Freaking out your reader and engaging your audience from practically the first chapter is no easy feat. 5/5 for me this time, I really enjoy this authors writing style and await her next!

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Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 288

Publisher - Century

Blurb from Goodreads


You've been held captive in one room, mentally and physically abused every day, since you were sixteen years old.

Then, one night, you realize your captor has left the door to your cell unlocked.

For the first time in eight years, you're free.

This is about what happens next ...

Lily knows that she must bring the man who nearly ruined her life - her good-looking high-school teacher - to justice. But she never imagined that reconnecting with her family would be just as difficult. Reclaiming her relationship with her twin sister, her mother, and her high school sweetheart who is in love with her sister may be Lily's greatest challenge. After all they've been through, can Lily and her family find their way back after this life-altering trauma?

Impossible not to read in one sitting, Baby Doll is a taut psychological thriller that focuses on family entanglements and the evil that can hide behind a benign facade.



My Review

We open with Lily, Lily has been kidnapped, tortured, abused, beaten and trained for 3110 days, but today everything has changed. Lily finally has a chance to escape her torture chamber, this is Lily's story of what happens next once she is free. The story splits mostly between Lily, her mum Eve, her twin sister Abby and Rick her captor. The story looks at how everyone tries to adapt to finally have Lily home, coping with what happened, picking up as a family and each dealing with the demons Lily's kidnap brought forward for everyone involved.

This book kicks off pretty much from the first page, with Lily in captivity, you feel the fear and tension immediately as the character ways up the options for self preservation. Initially I was a bit worried we were getting another "Room" style novel as initially there were strong echoes of that book however you soon realize the two are very different. We follow Lily as she integrates back into her old life, her family and read along with each of their experiences and feelings. Rick is the bad guy, he doesn't get as much voice as the other characters and to be honest I would have liked to have heard more from him. The face of normality, hiding a psychopath and seeing or hearing more of his family life rather than just glimpses after the fact.

The book looks at societal reintegration, family struggles as each has both tried to move on and been trapped since their world was shaken and turned upside down. The glare, scrutiny and judgments of the media on such a high profile case and how that impacts upon the family. I found this book to draw the reader in, evoke emotion for almost all of the main characters and the underlying issues of not only Lily's plight but how everyone was affected by her disappearance and reappearance. Each chapter is headed with the individual whose perspective the tale is being told from so it is easy to follow. A strong debut novel, I will be looking out for more by this author, 4/5 for me this time.

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The Devils Work by Mark Edwards

The Devil's Work by Mark Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time take to read - < 1 day

Publisher - Thomas & Mercer

Pages - 376

Blurb from Goodreads

A gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies.

When Sophie Greenwood returns to work after four years raising her daughter, she is ready for an exciting new challenge.

But after an unnerving encounter drags up memories she’d rather forget, things take a turn for the sinister. What is her ambitious young assistant really up to? And what exactly happened to Sophie’s predecessor? When her husband and daughter are pulled into the nightmare, Sophie is forced to confront the darkest secrets she has carried for years.

As her life begins to fall apart at work and at home, Sophie must race to uncover the truth about her new job…before it kills her.


My Review

Sophie Greenwood is taking a huge step in her life, going back to work after having her little girl AND it is her dream job. Head hunted for a prestigious publisher, Jackdaw Books, the world's most successful publishing company, Sophie is up for the challenge. However, Sophie has a connection to the head of the company, something from her past she would rather not revisit. Challenges arise in the form of her ambitious young assistant, work politics and soon it is evident someone is out to get Sophie. A spiral of events soon has Sophie on edge, questioning everything and putting her family and herself at risk!

So this is either my first Edwards book or it has been a very long time since I danced with this author. The opening chapter sets the hairs on the back of your neck up, we then go to Sophie's first day at work and drop in over a 50 odd day timeline from when her job began. With periods of throwback to Sophie's past we begin to get an insight into the connection with her employer and hints at what may have happened, building intrigue and mystery.

It begins as a slow burner well after the prologue, eerie and drawing an atmosphere where the reader holds their breath and the heart starts pounding. Particularly, for me, one office scene and I think those who know how bitchy an office environment can be and how quickly the tables can turn. Events transpire that set Sophie on edge, questioning who she can trust, impacting her relationships, behaviour and sanity. I think psychological thrillers are taking off right now, if you enjoy that genre you will love this book! Certainly won't be the last time I will be reading this author, 4/5 for me this time. Thanks so much to Thomas & Mercer for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. You can pick up your own copy on the 13/09/2017 from all good retailers.

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Blood Wedding by Pierre LeMaitre

Blood Wedding by Pierre Lemaitre
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days (on and off)

Pages - 320

Publisher - MacLehose Press

Blurb from back cover

Sophie is haunted by the things she can't remember - and visions from the past she will never forget.

One morning, she wakes to find that the little boy in her care is dead. She has no memory of what happened. And her side of the story is no match for the evidence piled against her.

Her only hiding place is in a new identity. A new life, with a man she has met online.

But Sophie is not the only one keeping secrets...



My Review

The story opens with Sophie, Sophie is tired, reflecting on her losses and now her job with little Leo, the six year old child in her care. Sophie looses time, when she looses time bad things happen and this time little Leo is dead. Sophie has to run, make a new life, get a new identity and hopefully a new man she meets online will be her salvation.

The story is split, Sophie's story then Frantz story, the timeline between the two jumps a bit to tell eachs story. Sophies takes a bit to get into, she is an unreliable narrator purely because she isn't always sure what has transpired, the reader is discovering happenings as Sophie does. Frantz part of the story is clear from the very beginning, it is dark and draws you in immediately. I felt more in the loop once I got half way through, things started to become clear. It is a dark and twisted tale that will freak the reader out and pull you down into Sophies darkness.

It isn't for the faint hearted, there are themes of abuse, sexual deviancy, murder, violence, drugs, relationships, brutality and much more. It is haunting because of how clever Lemaitre builds up the suspense and leaves the reader reeling to who is guilty, who is the bad guy and at times just what is actually happening. My first time reading this author, I would read him again, 3/5 for me, thanks so much to RealReaders for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen

When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Black Swan

Pages - 384

Blurb from Goodreads

YOU SEE THE PEOPLE YOU WORK WITH EVERY DAY.

BUT WHAT CAN'T YOU SEE?

Amira, Sarah, Paula, Ewan and Charlie have worked together for years - they know how each one likes their coffee, whose love life is a mess, whose children keep them up at night. But their comfortable routine life is suddenly shattered when an aggressive new boss walks in ....

Now, there's something chilling in the air.

Who secretly hates everyone?

Who is tortured by their past?

Who is capable of murder?


My review

The book opens up with Dr Anne Cater, her friend has messaged her to turn on the news, there has been a brutal killing by a seemingly normal person, but Anne knows different! The chapters are headed with an individuals name, next is Paula, surround by her colleagues, discussing their previous boss Gill being sacked and what she should do about it. It is a relatively small office and soon we are introduced to each of the characters, Amira, Sarah, Chloe, Ewan & Charlie. A close group until Gill is fired and Rachel Masters takes over, driven, harsh, mean and will use what she needs to to get results. The chapters flip between the characters, the events that lead up to the murder and flipping back to Anne, a child psychologist called in to assess a particularly harrowing case. As the book progresses we see the two story lines come together to leave the reader shocked and wanting more!

Ooft you thought you worked in a bad environment? Imagine being close to your colleagues only to find all it takes is a new boss and people you thought were your friends ready to screw you over for a promotion! Ridicule you to gain favour with the bosses boss or just wanting your job. This is what we find in this tale, a breakdown of friendships, a murder has been committed and your guessing throughout who done it and why. The murder itself, when covered is quite gruesome, some of the details Dr Cater discloses during her observations of her case are quite horrific to read, more so because children are involved.

It is a fast paced tale, not very likable characters and yet you are compelled to watch their relationships break down devouring page by page to find what happens next. Cohen creates dark and twisted tales that leave your skin prickled and feeling creeped out at how one individual can wreck so much havoc. This is certainly one of my favourite tales by this author, 4/5 for me this time, When She Was Bad is out to buy from the 21st of April 2016. Thanks so much to Netgalley and Black Swan for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - MIRA

Blurb from Goodreads

A chance encounter sparks an unrelenting web of lies in this stunning new psychological thriller from national bestselling author Mary Kubica

She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head...

Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home.

Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.



My Review

Heidi is a helper, she can't help but reach out to people and try and assist them, both in her job and out with. She spots a young bedraggled girl at the train station with a baby and feels compelled to help her. Knowing nothing about her she offers her shelter in her home with her husband and own daughter. Willow could have any kind of past but with her baby Ruby and Heidi's own tragic past she can't resist bringing them into her life, but to what cost?

The chapters are split between Heidi, her husband Chris and Willow. Willow flits from present day to the past and we find out slowly why she was on the streets with her baby. Chris, we find out a lot about Heidi from him and Heidi, poor sweet Heidi, her story unfolds as we delve deeper into what transpires and how things start to unravel as Heidi tries to help Willow and is drawn to Ruby.

The story definitely pulls you in, you want to know where it is going to go and how the family cope with these two "kids" being dumped into their life. I did get a little frustrated at times, especially with some of Willows story trying to work out what was going on. The end also felt a bit sudden and unexpected which, has been well received by many readers and of course is a personal preference. This is the second book I have read by Kubica and I will certainly read anymore she writes, for me I think I would enjoy this one more the second time round. Enthralling, intriguing, sad, some tales of abuse that some readers may find disturbing and infidelity are just some of the issues covered in this tale. 3/5 for me this time, thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Dying For Christmas by Tamar Cohen

Dying For Christmas by Tammy Cohen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Black Swan

Pages - 393

Blurb from Goodreads

I am missing. Held captive by a blue-eyed stranger. To mark the twelve days of Christmas, he gives me a gift every day, each more horrible than the last. The twelfth day is getting closer. After that, there'll be no more Christmas cheer for me. No mince pies, no carols. No way out .

But I have a secret. No-one has guessed it. Will you?


My Review

Well this is a weird and creepy little tale. Jessica Gold is our main character, along with her captor and Kim the investigating officer of Jessica's disappearance. The story splits into two, the before, the immediate events prior to the kidnapping and that which follows after. When we are at the before with Jessica in captivity, it is claustrophobic in parts and the tension and fear is palpable. The after, I felt a little frustrating as I wanted things moving faster to get to what had transpired.

Jessica is hard to understand, you wonder why anyone would do as she does, however as the story evolves you get a better understanding of her character which helps try and see where she is coming from. Kim, the officer is a bit harder to understand, the whole situation with her family life and the drive for her job, when you see the cost in regards to her family I just didn't get at all.

The book captures you fairly early on and as much as parts frustrated me, I found it hard to put down. I have read Cohen before and will read her again, if you haven't read her yet this maybe isn't the one to start with, some love it, some hate it, I am in between as I did like however there were a few things that irked me so 3/5 for me this time.

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The Book of You by Claire Kendal

The Book of You by Claire Kendal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 hours

Publisher - Harper

Pages - 362

Blurb from Goodreads

What a great wee debut novel!

For Clarissa, being called to do jury duty is a relief. It means she can leave work for a couple of weeks and avoid the unwanted attentions of her university colleague, Rafe. An intense man who is an expert on grisly folk tales, Rafe has always unnerved her, and Clarissa still cannot understand how she could have let herself have a drunken one-night stand with him.

As the trial unfolds, Clarissa begins to see the parallels between the violent tale related by the young woman whose attackers she is judging and her own situation. But with no crime to report and only her gut feeling to guide her, she is powerless. What can you do when the lines between fantasy and reality, love and fixation become dangerously blurred? How do you protect yourself from an enemy that no one else can see?

With an original structure and a heroine whose voice is equal parts unsettling and unforgettable, The Book of You is tinged with the darkness of a macabre fairy tale, yet is terrifyingly close to reality, a story that will haunt readers long after the last page is turned.


My Review

The book opens in diary form, Monday, 2 February, 7.45 a.m. from Clarissa in first person form. The book goes with this theme as well as 3rd person narrative. The diary entries are well signposted and flip back to when she first really encounters Rafe and things go down hill from there, it does it really well and you can follow the time shift easily. Rafe is obsessed with Clarissa, stalks her, believes they are in a relationship and won't take no for an answer. We follow their encounters both in present day as Clarissa keeps a diary of "evidence" of their interactions and going back to how they got to where they are now.

This is a really creepy, thought provoking story about just how easy it can be to fall into the clutches of an unhinged human being. I have read many crime and thriller books, even a few psychological thrillers but this is my first stalker type one and it is really haunting. Some of it is graphic, sexual and makes for really really uncomfortable reading. However, busy as I am with coursework, I couldn't put it down. The author has done an amazing job of creating a tale filled with fear & horror for the main character which you are dragged right into. I have never been stalked however after reading this book, I felt like I had experienced the trauma of it, such is the vividness of Clarissa's world she paints.

There were one or two issues I had with the book however it was more to do with unanswered questions and a few stickler points that are a personal preference when reading. I honestly think, if you like a good book that will freak you out and have you looking over your shoulder, you really must give this a read. 4/5 for me this time and I look forward to more from this lady and hope she is in the process of writing her next! Thanks so much to Harper for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review and highlighting a debut novel to me.!

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Review - The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Mira UK

Pages - 384

Blurb from Goodreads

“I’ve been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don’t know the colour of her eyes or what they look like when she’s scared. But I will.”
Mia Dennett can’t resist a one-night stand with the enigmatic stranger she meets in a bar. But going home with him will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.
Mia comes from a prominent society family and her mother will stop at nothing to find her, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family’s world to shatter…


My Review

Mia is our main character, well the whole story is based around what happens to her. The story is told by three people, Eve, her mother, Gabe the police officer and Colin, the chap who kidnaps Mia. The story is broke down between these three and the before and after, before Mia is kidnapped and then during and the after which brings you to present day. It is a bit confusing at the start but you soon get into it. Mia's father is a high powered Judge, she comes from money and anyone could be responsible for the kidnapping. The book follows the lead up to the event, during the kidnapping and the aftermath and trying to pick up the pieces.

For a debut novel I think this was really well done, again it takes a wee bit to get into it as there are a few voices and the time period jumps, only by a few months but still. I found myself getting pulled into the book quickly although I wanted to stay with the lead up to the kidnap rather than reading the aftermath. The chapters are short so you jump back and forth a bit, however, once I got into the present I didn't want to jump back. You want to follow the story as it goes but your lead between the different people and timescales. I am not doing this book justice as it sounds like I didn't like, I just mean it took me a bit to get into the jumps, however once I did I couldn't wait to find out where it goes next.

There is a mix of family dysfunctions, relationships, Stockholm's, lies, betrayal and even love. I think it is quite a mix, the pace is good, the writing is well executed and I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out how it all played out. I was shocked by how the whole thing wrapped up but I really enjoyed it. I would definitely read this author again, 4/5 for me this time.

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ARC - The Accident by C L Taylor

The Accident by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Avon Books

Pages - 404

Source - ARC from Avon

Blurb from Goodreads

The person you trust most may only be telling you half the story …

Fast-paced, suspenseful, this is a book with more twists than a helter-skelter that will keep you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Before I Go to Sleep and Gone Girl.

Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality.

Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past.

There is a lot that Sue doesn’t know about Charlotte’s life. But then there’s a lot that Charlotte doesn’t know about Sue’s...


My Review

We open up the first chapter in a hospital room, Charlotte is in a coma, she is 15. Her mum and dad are in the room, mum is talking to her, trying to understand why she would do such a thing, trying to get a response. The next chapter throws back to when Charlotte's mum, Sue, many years before and gives us an insight into her life and why she is the way she is at present day. The tale rotates from present day and Sue trying to get to the bottom of why her daughter felt she had to step in front of a bus. Why everyone who cared about her daughter seems to be keeping a wide berth and what was really happening in her daughters life in the run up to the incident. Will Sue find the answers and will it help understand what has happened to her daughter?

This is a fantastic debut novel. The present day is just a distraught mother trying to do what she can for her daughter who is in a coma and she can't understand why or what happened. We flip back and forth to Sue's past, a relationship that was horrific, scary, controlling, abuse and violent to say the least. This gives us an insight into why she behaves as she does and why her husband reacts how he does toward her. The present story is a lot of why and the mum doing detective work, questioning everyone in Charlotte's life. The past is pretty chilling and makes for very compelling reading. Her then partner is a manipulative genius and if you have ever been in a relationship like that or saw someone you love in one, you can't help but see how easy it is for people to be caught up in it. Also how quickly and devastating a relationship like that can be and the impact it can have in the years to come.

I found it hard to put down and raced through it in a day. I can't do a spoiler review, I hate them, however a few of my reasons for it not being a 5 star is looking at it overall and the conclusion of the story and the speed of the end. It is a fantastic read, I would recommend to anyone and I would definitely read this author again, 4/5 for me this time. Thank you so much to Avon for sending me an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of this yourself, from any good retailer from the 10th of April, 2014.

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RR - The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Publisher - Headline

Pages - 372

Blurb from Goodreads

A chilling psychological thriller portraying the disintegration of a relationship down to the deadliest point when murdering your husband suddenly makes perfect sense.

Todd Gilbert and Jodie Brett are in a bad place in their relationship. They've been together for twenty-eight years, and with no children to worry about there has been little to disrupt their affluent Chicago lifestyle. But there has also been little to hold it together, and beneath the surface lie ever-widening cracks. HE is a committed cheater. SHE lives and breathes denial. HE exists in dual worlds. SHE likes to settle scores. HE decides to play for keeps. SHE has nothing left to lose. When it becomes clear that their precarious world could disintegrate at any moment, Jodie knows she stands to lose everything. It's only now she will discover just how much she's truly capable of...


My Review

The story opens and introduces us to Her, Jodie Brett, common law wife of Him, Todd Gilbert. With an intro of who Jodie is and a declaration of "a few short months are all it will take to make a killer out of her". Their routine and lives shared together are spread out between chapters, the past and leading to present that brings us to the murder itself. Jodie has always turned a blind eye to her philandering husband however this time is different, this time she is going to loose everything and Jodie cannot allow that to happen.

This story flips between the two and their views points of their relationship, past and present. Jodie is a bit of a cold fish, she likes control, is a psychologist working her own hours from home with a selective client list. He is a business man, his own boss who restores or builds, makes a profit and has a roaming eye for the ladies.

The story is very well done, the smallest detail described to what keeps Jodie going to keep from seeing what her husband gets up to. the book also flips back to Jodie revealing things from her past whilst she is a trainee which gives the reader a possible reason for how she is and all she accepts and refuses to see.

We get some insight into Todd's past too which count attribute to his philandering ways but ultimately the story pushes to Todd's betrayal and Jodie's reaction to it. Even when has two lives on the go Jodie still seems in denial until she is pushed to drastic action. I found quite a bit of it unbelievable, how easily the idea of murder comes up and how acceptable and docile Jodie is to it.

Some of it is very realistically done as even in this day and age some women will do anything to keep their husband and what happens when that is threatened. I can't say I liked any of the main characters however the author does a fantastic job in hooking you into wanting to see how it plays out. It goes at a sedate pace after the initial murder is mentioned however it builds a vivid picture of their relationship and interactions as well as how they end up on the paths they do.

It is quite a compelling read although some of it found me wanting and quite frustrated at times which is why it gets a rounded 3/5 rating. Thanks to Realreaders for providing me with a review copy and introducing me to yet another new author.

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