Love As Always, Mum by Mae West

Love as Always, Mum by Mae West
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 320

Publisher - Seven Dials

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

The true story of an abused childhood, of shocking brutality and life as the daughter of notorious serial killer, and master manipulator, Rose West.
You're 21-years-old. Police arrive on the doorstep of your house, 25 Cromwell Street, with a warrant to search the garden for the remains of your older sister you didn't know was dead. Bones are found and they are from more than one body. And so the nightmare begins. You are the daughter of Fred and Rose West.
'Mae, I mean this ... I'm not a good person and I let all you children down ...' Rose West, HM PRISON DURHAM
It has taken over 20 years for Mae West to find the perspective and strength to tell her remarkable story: one of an abusive, violent childhood, of her serial killer parents and how she has rebuilt her life in the shadow of their terrible crimes.
Through her own memories, research and the letters her mother wrote to her from prison, Mae shares her emotionally powerful account of her life as a West. From a toddler locked in the deathly basement to a teen fighting off the sexual advances of her father, Mae's story is one of survival. It also answers the questions: how do you come to terms with knowing your childhood bedroom was a graveyard? How do you accept the fact your parents sexually tortured, murdered and dismembered young women? How do you become a mother yourself when you're haunted by the knowledge that your own mother was a monster? Why were you spared and how do you escape the nightmare?



My Review

There isn't many people who haven't hear of Fred and Rose West nor at least some idea of their horrific crimes against their own kids and many who came along their path. This is written by one of their daughters, Mae, and it is brutally graphic. It is almost written as the way you do in a diary (NOT DIARY FORMAT) what I mean is you write for you and you are brutally honest, warts and all because you are being truthful to yourself. Well its written like that, very honest, shockingly so at times.

When you think you know their crimes and just how unhinged they are/were you honestly don't. I cannot imagine living in a house where a father threatens abuse (sexual) to his kids as is his right :O and him being the better/less threatening parent (her words). Honestly the book is something else, I have read a lot of true crime/case over the years and these two perverts are amongst some of the worst out there. I think Rose West is up there with Myra Hindley because we expect more/better from women, especially Rose as she was a mother and you expect them to protect their children, not use/abuse them.

Not for the feint hearted and even those seasoned readers of true crime, this one really knocks you. There is mention of animal harm and death too, there isn't any kind of abuse I don't think not mentioned in this book, approach with caution. Mae is a brave woman who has overcome so so much considering all she has survived and it also shows how difficult her relationship was with her mother and how strong the hold was on her even after her mother was incarcerated, 4/5.

View all my reviews

The Invisible Girl by Torey Hayden

The Invisible Girl: The True Story of an Unheard Voice by Torey L. Hayden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Pages - 205

Publisher - Bluebird

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

From Torey Hayden, the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of One Child comes The Invisible Girl, a deeply moving true account of a young teen with a troubling obsession and an extraordinary educational psychologist's sympathy and determination to help.

Eloise is a vibrant and charming young teen with a deeply caring nature, but she also struggles with a worrying delusion. She’s been moved from home to home, and her social workers have difficulty dealing with her habit of running away. After experiencing violence, neglect and sexual abuse from people she should have been able to trust, Eloise has developed complex behavioural needs. She struggles to separate fact from fiction, leading to confusion for the social workers trying to help her.

After Torey learns of Eloise's background she hopes that some gentle care and attention can help Eloise gain some sense of security in her life. Can Torey and the other social workers provide the loving attention that has so far been missing in Eloise's life, or will she run away from them too?



My Review

I have read a fair few on Hayden's books, if you haven't they are not for the faint hearted. They are true stories about some of the children she has helped over the course of her career. We usually meet the child through her telling of how they came to her. This is the story of Eloise who shows up uninvited into Torey's life. Torey finds out Eloise has some deep issues and gets the green light to help/work with her.

These books are quite often traumatic, we find out the abuse and trauma of the kid or kids Torey is to help. Eloise story is pretty tragic and shows how abuse and neglect has such a lasting impact even after they get the child out or away from what happened.

The techniques and approaches I think are so interesting, Hayden is clearly a remarkable human being and how she interacts with and has encounters with them are something that stays with you long after you put the book down.

The kids often have some horrific behaviours because of what they sustained/endured, it is not easy reading but not overly graphic compared to some of the books. Poor Eloise, you feel heart sorry for these kids who are so failed by those suppose to love and protect them. 4/5 for me this time, I have read a few of Hayden's books and will read the others as we come across them.

View all my reviews

Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz

Sole Survivor by Dean Koontz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 403

Publisher - Bantam Books

Source - The Works

Blurb from Goodreads

A catastrophic, unexplainable plane crash leaves three hundred and thirty dead--no survivors. Among the victims are the wife and two daughters of Joe Carpenter, a Los Angeles Post crime reporter.
A year after the crash, still gripped by an almost paralyzing grief, Joe encounters a woman named Rose, who claims to have survived the crash. She holds out the possibility of a secret that will bring Joe peace of mind. But before he can ask any questions, she slips away.
Driven now by rage (have the authorities withheld information?) and a hope almost as unbearable as his grief (if there is one survivor, are there others?), Joe sets out to find the mysterious woman. His search immediately leads him into the path of a powerful and shadowy organization hell-bent on stopping Rose before she can reveal what she knows about the crash.
Sole Survivor unfolds at a heart-stopping pace, as a desperate chase and a shattering emotional odyssey lead Joe to a truth that will force him to reassess everything he thought he knew about life and death--a truth that, given the chance, will rock the world and redefine the destiny of humanity.



My Review

The one year anniversary since his wife and children's plane crashed and Joe is no closer to getting over his grief. When he happens upon the mysterious Rose, taking photographs of his loved ones grave then witnessing her being attacked, curiosity is piqued. Joe embarks on a journey to find out who she is, what she knows about his family and who then men are that have been following him.

I would say this book, for me, split into two stories. The first is all about Joe, grief, the relatives of those on board the aircraft and of course the mysterious Rose. Joe finds she has visited other families who lost someone on the crash and what befell them after her contact. The second part of the story we find out all about Rose, some mysterious happenings and the need to suspend belief a wee bit. There are so many parts I could talk about, humanity, what is right and wrong, ethics however to do so would go into spoilers, something I refuse to do. Would love to gab ideas though with folk who have read it, in a private forum or gabbing so as not to spoil it for anyone else. Certainly interesting ideas and sure conspiracy fans would love it and suggest stuff like that already happens somewhere in the world.

Interesting, different and certainly I wanted to find out what was coming next. Read Koontz before and will read him again, I like this I just didn't love it. I also preferred the first half of the book I think, 3 out of 5 for me this time.

View all my reviews

Chasing the Traveller by Alex Kane

Chasing the Traveller by Alex Kane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 222

Publisher - Indie

Source - ARC (author)

Blurb from Goodreads

Kat is trapped in a world where she has never belonged. As a traveller, she has always felt lost, especially since the death of her parents in a fire when she was fourteen years old. Having been taken on by the Denton family as their own, Kat falls in love with their son, tearaway Jimmy. His charm soon wears off and Kat finds herself married to a controlling and violent thug.

Sixteen years later, Kat decides enough is enough and begins plotting her escape from a lifetime of abuse.

Stripped of her personality, Kat has no idea how to start again but she finds an unlikely ally in her sister-in-law Ellie who shows Kat that she is not alone.

Kat and Ellie Denton begin their venture into a new world, where they meet new people and build new lives. But Kat still wants to know more about her parents’ past and when she seeks the location of an address on the back of a family photograph, Kat begins to uncover more than she expected including a revelation that will lead Kat back to the traveller site she had been so desperate to escape from.

Will she find the answers she is looking for, or will she fall prey to the violent Jimmy Denton once more?


My Review

Kat Denton is battered, abused, treated like an animal and has nowhere to turn to in her travelling community. Finding herself in a situation that changes everything and forms an unlikely alliance with Ellie, her sister in law, Kat takes the plunge and runs from her abusive husband. This is their story, by escaping Kat and Ellie find themselves on a journey of self discovery, healing, hope and that you cannot outrun your past.

I have bought a few of this authors work when writing under Emma Clapperton but had yet to read them. This is a genre switch and my first dance with this author, the story is both very dark and filled with hope. The start of the story sees Kat being horrifically abused by her husband, violence, rape, emotional abuse and manipulation which makes for hard reading at parts. It is very real to life in parts and I think anyone who has experienced such trauma(s) may find a very emotive response. Passages like this in fiction is really a testament to the authors writing skills and much of the book is not like this, however I feel it needed comment on.

I thought the story was going to be lots of violence and suspense, in actual fact a lot of the focus was about rebuilding a life, acceptance, self discover, survival and recovery. Trust and learning how to assess, accept and recover from emotional manipulation, we follow Kat's very personal journey. It also has danger looming on the edges as Kat and Ellie are on the run from Kat's husband who we know could appear anywhere. The book is a very different read than what I expected and depending on the readers background and life experiences I think it will strike very emotive responses.

Human beings are amazing in what they can endure, survive and cope and whilst this is a work of fiction I think many will be able to relate to it from very real experiences. The book tackles relationships, roles, abuse, family, friendship, love, actions and consequences it also has a sense of danger, survival and the old you cannot run from your past. It is a busy wee book and had time permitted I would have read it in one sitting. 4/5 for me, at time of posting the ebook is available for pre order for 99p. I think I will need to bump the authors other works up my TBRM mountain, this may have been my first dance with this author, it won't be my last!

View all my reviews

Find Her by Lisa Gardner

Find Her by Lisa Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 384

Blurb from Goodreads

AN ESCAPED KIDNAPPING VICTIM BECOMES AN AVENGER OF INNOCENTS. CAN SHE ESCAPE WHEN SHE'S TARGETED AGAIN? The eighth novel in Sunday Times bestseller Lisa Gardner's Detective D. D. Warren series. Harlan Coben says FIND HER is 'taut psychological suspense' which 'should not be missed'.

I ESCAPED

My name is Flora Dane and I was kidnapped from a beach on spring break. I spent 472 days with my captor before I was found.

I SURVIVED

I spent the last five years trying to reacquaint myself with the rhythms of my life. But everything is different. I've had to learn how to protect myself in this dangerous new world.

I'M RECKLESS

There are other predators out there and I'll do anything to stop them. Am I a victim or a vigilante? Detective D. D. Warren doesn't know. Sometimes neither do I.

When another girl disappears, I know I have to FIND HER, whatever it takes, even if it means putting myself in danger...

Escaped kidnap victim Flora Dane has once again disappeared. Has the self-proclaimed vigilante become a victim? Or is something far more sinister at play? D.D. will have to race against the clock if she is going to Find Her.


My Review

Flora Dane is our main character, kidnapped for 472 days but she survived. Now a vigilante she seeks out predators, needs to find girls who may have went through a similar ordeal. Flora is on a mission, the police don't know what to make of her. Sergeant Detective D. D. Warren is on the case, FBI victim specialist Samuel Keynes has turned up and D. D. is not impressed, with Flora or him. Trouble Flora certainly is but has she finally bitten off more than she can chew this time in her pursuit of predators?

Oh this story really grabs you from the opening chapter, in italics we are transported back to when Flora was kidnapped and the start of her 472 day ordeal. We then flip to present day and Flora is on a mission, target acquired, she knows them when she sees them and presents them with prey they can't resist. The chapters then flip to the investigating officer, Flora present day and back to Flora's time in captivity, always in italics so you know the timeline has shifted.

The time line shifts and characters switching in each chapter actually works really well and has been written so it flows perfectly. Sometimes with timeline jumps and switching between character scenes you can get confused, not so with this book.

The writing is so vivid at parts, you can feel the claustrophobic pull, your heart kicks up a few beats as you live through the experience with Flora in her captivity scenes. A girl who was normal and happy, turned into what she is now to survive getting through each day. You find yourself rooting for her and really vested in the story and outcome. As I said you are pulled in from the first chapter, the book keeps you on your toes and surprises you along the way, well it did me. 4/5 for me this time, I think I will go back and buy the first seven books in this series as I enjoyed this one so much. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

View all my reviews