Wee update

Apart from working, we had a few days away in Birmingham for...............................HORROR CON. This is our second time going to one, our first was in October in Liverpool. It was fantastic, lots of amazing fancy dress, horror authors, crime author Paul Harrison did two talks. One was on serial killers he had interviewed and the second was about chatting to Ronald Defeo and his stay in the Amityville horror which was spooky indeed. We could have listened to him talk for ages, he was funny, had great stories and was game for a laugh.








You can find more about Paul from his website, click here his books are available on Amazon and he is part of our Crime Book Club on Facebook, click here.


Speaking of the Crime Book Club, I finally got to meet the fabulous, funny and beautiful Shell Baker and blogger extraordinaire - check her blog HERE we co admin the Crime Book Club with Emma T and David McC. After a few years gabbing and keeping the club going we finally got to meet at the con and meet Paul Harrison. Such a lovely lady, check out her blog too guys, she does so much for our group authors, well known and indies.


We also got to the panel with five of the original cast from tv mini series movie, IT (the one with Time Curry). Listening to them was fabulous, their antics, their experiences, filming and how long it had been since they all met. What they thought of the remake, I could have listened to them all day.





I bought a few books too, The Bad Mother by Amanda Brooke, I got this from the Tesco next to our hotel. Peter Cushing's Monster Movies - the guy is a movie legend so any book with him associated was a must buy. Slow Chocolate Autopsy by Iain Sinclair & Dave McKean. The Malignant Dead by C L Raven & Afterwards Our Buildings Shape Us by Michael J Richards. Some of these authors I had never heard of but always willing to try someone new, support them and I got the latter two signed to do pre loved giveaways.


I also got this fantastic bookmark, as soon as I seen Bub on it I had to buy it, bargain, great detail and you never see anything with him on it.





We also bought some of these jar/bottle lights, the Ouija one and original Pennywise are the ones I bought, the others my friends bought. How beautiful!





I could post so many pictures guys, in total I took over 200. I have uploaded more to my Instagram if you want to see more and a wee video or two, you can find my Instagram HERE.

Broken River by J Robert Lennon

Broken River by J. Robert Lennon
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 5 days

Pages - 276

Publisher - Serpent's Tail

Source - from a friend

Blurb from Goodreads

A modest house in upstate New York. One in the morning. Three people—a couple and their child—hurry out the door, but it’s too late for them. As the virtuosic and terrifying opening scene of Broken River unfolds, a spectral presence seems to be watching with cold and mysterious interest. Soon the house lies abandoned, and years later a new family moves in.

Karl, Eleanor, and their daughter, Irina, arrive from New York City in the wake of Karl’s infidelity to start anew. Karl tries to stabilize his flailing art career. Eleanor, a successful commercial novelist, eagerly pivots in a new creative direction. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Irina becomes obsessed with the brutal murders that occurred in the house years earlier. And, secretly, so does her mother. As the ensemble cast grows to include Louis, a hapless salesman in a carpet warehouse who is haunted by his past, and Sam, a young woman newly reunited with her jailbird brother, the seemingly unrelated crime that opened the story becomes ominously relevant.

Hovering over all this activity looms a gradually awakening narrative consciousness that watches these characters lie to themselves and each other, unleashing forces that none of them could have anticipated and that put them in mortal danger. Broken River is a cinematic, darkly comic, and sui generis psychological thriller that could only have been written by J. Robert Lennon.


My Review

One house, a murder leaving behind a child, an observant presense, a flip forward in time and a new family. That is the history and the new family know of what happened, the daughter is young and obsessed, the mother is trying to pen her novel and deal with health issues. The husband is selfish, self involved, stoned on recreational drugs and a bit of a Lothario!

The story flips about, we have the happenings of the killers, the insights of the family members and their own personal journeys, actions and the consequences of said actions. The observer is a different angle, a presence that grows in awareness as it experiences more of the human interactions and experiences. I think what the author was aiming for absolutely went over my head, I didn't get the angle or what they were going for.

It is such a busy book, family, relationships, infidelity, murder, violence, drugs, teenage problems and that is just some of what the book offers. I found my head spinning a wee bit to be honest, so much going on and not always clear the relevance of what was happening or what it had to do with the previous happening. However, I am very much in the minority, this book has been loved by many and I think, in this instance, it just didn't work for me. A lot of people like books that pluck the brain, keep you on your toes and guessing where the book is going, for me is was just packed a bit much. There is intrigue, mystery, a who done it type thread, personal dramas and of course the unusual presence of the "observer". Certainly not your run of the mill book and as I said many have loved it, it just didn't work for me, 2.5 out of 5 for me, check it out yourself and see how you find it.

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Born Bad by Marnie Riches

Born Bad by Marnie Riches
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 328

Publisher - Avon

Source - Book shop

Blurb from Goodreads


A powerful, darkly comic novel set in the criminal underworld of Manchester from bestselling author Marnie Riches.

The battle is on…

When gang leader Paddy O’Brien is stabbed in his brother’s famous nightclub, Manchester’s criminal underworld is shaken to the core. Tensions are running high, and as the body count begins to grow, the O’Brien family must face a tough decision – sell their side of the city to the infamous Boddlington gang or stick it out and risk losing their king.

But war comes easy to the bad boys, and they won’t go down without a fight. So begins a fierce battle for the South Side, with the leading Manchester gangsters taking the law into their own hands – but only the strongest will survive…



My Review

Paddy O'Brien has had enough, when an attack makes him question his position, maybe it is time to sell up and enjoy his later years. However it is hard to walk away from the life you know, harder still when folk are attacking your people. Insults must be addressed, attacks must be countered and family always come first.

This is my first book by Riches, sure I have bought a few but this is the first I have read. It shows the darker side of that lifestyle, infidelity, violence, spousal abuse, the criminal underbelly, killers for hire and that is just scratching the surface. It makes for difficult reading at times because it is very gritty and realistic in some of the scenes, little value for human life. The organised crime is set in Manchester and we are immersed in the dark dealings and lifestyles, how it is funded relatively quickly. If you are easily offended this book isn't for you, if you like your crime raw, dark and ruthless you will love this. 4/5 for me this time, whilst this is my first dance with Riches, it won't be my last.

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Psychosis by Roger Bray

Psychosis: When a Dream Turns Deadly by Roger Bray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 326

Source - Review Copy

Blurb from Goodreads

On a cold, misty night in Eugene, Oregon Hazel Reed disappears from outside her ex-husband’s home. Hazel is stunningly beautiful, intelligent and unfaithful. When Hazel disappears, the police are convinced that her husband, Alex, has killed her.
Three years after his conviction for murder, Alex and his sister, Alice, are devastated when their last appeal is rejected by the courts. With nowhere left to turn, Alice must start to put her life back together.

Living in limbo herself, Alice has a chance encounter with Steve, an ex-solider turned PI who offers to look at the case files. Steve is convinced that the prosecution’s case is shaky at best, but can he find out the truth before it’s too late for Alex?


My Review

Alice Reed is exhausting every appeal she possibly can, her brother Alex is in jail accused of killing his wife Hazel. The case was flimsy at best, there is no body but something happened to Hazel and as far as the law is concerned Alex is their man. When Alice meets Steve they both go through everything available to them, can they find something that will help Alex. And most importantly, what did happen to Hazel and where is she or her body?

This is my first time reading this author, we start off with Alice and her struggle to keep going. Her belief in her brother, missing her sister in law, just keeping going at life. She is so absorbed with her brothers fate her own life takes a back seat. Until she meets Steve, she finally lets someone else in and opens up about her impossible task.

The book delves into the case, the actual evidence that was submitted, appeals and what she has done and tried so far. For me I would say the book splits into two, shortly after Steve comes on board the book takes a different turn. We still look into what happened to Hazel, the timeline jumps and we go back to Hazel with the before, run up to and what happened that night.

It flows really well despite going between characters and timeline, relatively gentle start and the book teases the information out as we delve in further. This was my first dance with this author, I would absolutely read him again, 4/5 for me this time.

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Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent

Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 2 days

Pages - 304

Publisher - Penguin Ireland

Source - Shop

Blurb from Goodreads

The last people who expect to be meeting with a drug-addicted prostitute are a respected judge and his reclusive wife. And they certainly don't plan to kill her and bury her in their exquisite suburban garden.

Yet Andrew and Lydia Fitzsimons find themselves in this unfortunate situation.

While Lydia does all she can to protect their innocent son Laurence and their social standing, her husband begins to falls apart.

But Laurence is not as naïve as Lydia thinks. And his obsession with the dead girl's family may be the undoing of his own


My Review

Part one, 1980, the murder and what follows in the period after. The opening line is one that ensnares the reader straight away, I think my response was ooft! The chapters jump between three characters, Lydia, wife of Andrew and mother to Laurence, Laurence the son of Lydia/Andrew and Karen, sister of the murdered girl. The book spans over thirty odd years, visiting the characters at different stages and how the death of one girl has impacted on them all.

Oh this is a great wee book, the characters for the most part aren't the most likeable but as we go on we learn a bit more about each and how their experiences have shaped them. The book teases out details and secrets as it goes along, keeping the reader hooked chapter after chapter. How far would you go for someone you love, what is unforgivable and how do you keep going when secrets won't stay hidden?

A dark psychological thriller introducing us to a mother whose whole focus is her son, a son who is very tied to his mother but wants his own independence and a sister desperate to find her missing sister. With a very chilling look at how things can quickly get out of hand, the book looks at relationships, family secrets and how they can change the course of many lives. I really liked the story overall the ending I wasn't a huge fan off but it is one of those that you know some folk will bloody love. I felt a bit cut short, I wanted more and they always say a good author leaves the audience wanting more. 4/5 for me this time, absolutely would read more by Nugent!

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Grimalkin Manor by S Roit

Grimalkin Manor by Sherry Roit
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - Over 8 days

Pages - 288

Publisher - Snow books

Source - Pound shop

Blurb from Goodreads

The case seems simple enough: prove to a wealthy client that his mansion is not haunted. Five American ghost hunters and one English psychic converge on the old house to complete the routine task. One night, like so many others they've spent, to put to rest the frightening rumors. Apart from the clashing of personalities, nothing will happen. Or so they assume. It would seem Grimalkin Manor has other ideas… and she knows their secrets.


My Review

Hired to stay over night in a haunted house and disprove the rumours or get conclusive proof of ghost a team of five ghost hunters and an psychic from England team up. The man who hired them is nowhere to be seen but they have their equipment and set out to do their task. Tensions are running high, the team have their own issues and things quickly start to get out of hand.

I found this story quite hard to get into, there always seemed to be something I was missing. Everyone has their own secrets, James (the English psychic) is a sensitive, can read people and places so it puts the rest of the team on edge. There is a lot of in house bickering and I felt it took an age before anything really kicked off in the house.

When it started to get into it, the scenes in the house did get a bit eerie and I liked the tension and spooky aspects. You are constantly left in a state, or I was, of perplexity, I genuinely wasn't sure what was happening a lot of the time. I had to put it down and read a book or two inbetween as I found it hard going. Not because it was badly written but I didn't like how the characters interact with each other, their lingo, cutting sentences off half way through. I felt I was left with a lot of questions and had to go back and re read a few bits just in case it was me missing something. The chapters themselves aren't too long which is great for putting it down and dipping in and out as required.

Dark, intrigue, mystery and certainly spooky in places, I am sure many will love this wee book, sadly it just wasn't for me, 2/5 for me this time.

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We Own The Sky by Luke Allnutt Blog Tour

Today is my turn on the blog tour for We Own The Sky by Luke Allnutt. Make sure you check out the other stops on the tour, each having different content.







We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - really 1 day

Pages - 368

Publisher - Trapeze

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

A story about love, loss and finding hope-against all odds.

Rob Coates can't believe his luck. There is Anna, his incredible wife, and most precious of all, Jack, their son, who makes every day an extraordinary adventure. Rob feels like he's won the lottery of life. Or rather-he did. Until the day it all changes when Anna becomes convinced there is something wrong with Jack.

Now Rob sleepwalks through his days, unable to bridge the gulf that separates him from his wife, his son and the business of living. But he's determined to come to terms with what's happened-and find a way back to life, and forgiveness.

We Own the Sky will resonate with anyone who has ever suffered loss or experienced great love. Luke Allnutt shows that the journey from hope to despair and back is never as simple as we think, and that even the most thoroughly broken heart can learn to beat again.





My Review

Rob Crowe is going through his life in a haze of booze, regret and just trying to get through one day at a time. We meet him as he is about to enter a reflective phase and journey of self discovery, we head back to how he met his wife to be and their life together.

Oh you guys, folk said you need tissues for this one, aye ok I have a swinging brick so wasn't phased. Only two books really evoked tears from me in all my years of reading, ooft notable lump in my throat for this. Just reading the authors intro smacks you in the emotionals and then we head into the story. For the first wee bit we are getting current state of affairs then heading back to how they met and their relationship beginnings. I couldn't see where all the emotional warnings where coming from and I hadn't really read the blurb, silly Lainy!

This is a story of one guys journey with hope, despair, misery, self growth, love, honesty, emotion and healing. Some parts of the story will pull the rug right out from under you and I think depending on your life stories and experiences, different parts will affect you differently. I really liked the honesty of, the humanity captured with some of the characters brutal raw responses to the things that happen to him. I would also like to comment on the smaller details described in a very real way, the description of someones breath, out of context doesn't mean much. However when you read it within the chapter, especially if you have been in a similar situation, it brings a level of realism to a scene that if often brushed over or skipped completely. Maybe because of the authors own experiences can he create such a realistic environment however it is testament to the ability of his writing he can bring it alive on the pages.

Had time allowed, I would have read this in one sitting, approach with caution as this book will wipe out your day when you really get into it. It covers some topics that absolutely will be emotive and possibly triggers for some readers, it is hard to give fair warning without giving spoilers. What I will say is there are topics surrounding health, healthcare, family and marriage and it is a read that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. 4/5 for me this time, I will be watching for more from this author, not sure this is one I would have picked up myself. I am so glad I was asked on the blog tour and absolutely recommend it to pretty much everyone, grab tissues, chocolates and a spare afternoon and you are set!

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