The Silent Witness by K.J. McGillick - #bookspotlight #blogtour

 I am so pleased to be shining the spotlight on this book today. The Silent Witness by author, K.J. McGillick is part of the Art of Deception series.

The Blurb

History is fragile. A single brush can forge it anew.

When a stolen Klimt painting becomes a death sentence, lawyer-turned-writer Saoirse St. James must choose between justice and survival.

Eleanor Ashford should have been safe in her Boston home. Instead, she’s found murdered—and The Golden Veil, her priceless Gustav Klimt, has vanished without a trace. As executor of Eleanor’s will and the painting’s unexpected heir, Saoirse inherits more than art: she inherits a target on her back.

What begins as a simple insurance claim spirals into a deadly conspiracy stretching from Boston’s elite galleries to Venice’s shadowed auction houses. Alongside enigmatic investigator Matthew O’Donnell, Saoirse uncovers a criminal network that has been rewriting history itself—using forged masterpieces to manipulate the past, reshape power, and conceal the truth behind decades of crimes.

But Eleanor’s death was just the beginning. As bodies fall and evidence vanishes, Saoirse realizes The Golden Veil hides secrets that could expose this empire of lies—and powerful people will kill to protect it. Every step toward the truth draws her deeper into the crosshairs of Maximilian Devereaux, a ruthless powerbroker whose fortune and influence were built on stolen identities, forged provenance, and silenced witnesses.

From Zurich’s cobbled streets to Venice’s labyrinthine canals, this fast-paced thriller follows Saoirse as she stays ahead of assassins who erase their victims as cleanly as they forge the records of history. Because in a world where beauty masks brutality and culture conceals corruption, the most dangerous thing isn’t possessing a stolen masterpiece—it’s knowing who forged it and why.

Some inheritances are worth dying for. Others are worth killing for.

Book Details

ISBN: 979 8317310820

Publisher: Independently Published

Formats: e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages: 372 (paperback)

Series: Part 1 in the Art of Deception series.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

From the bustling courtrooms of Atlanta to the vibrant tapestry of 16th-century England, Kathleen McGillick’s life and career have been a captivating blend of legal expertise, artistic passion, and a thirst for adventure.

Fueled by an undergraduate and graduate degree in nursing, Kathleen built a foundation of compassion and care. This dedication to service later led her to pursue a Juris Doctorate, allowing her to navigate the intricacies of the legal system for nearly three decades. Her courtroom experience now breathes life into the intricate details of her legal thrillers, ensuring every courtroom scene crackles with authenticity.

But Kathleen’s story does not end there. A deep fascination with art history led her to delve into the world of renowned artists and captivating eras. Her particular passion for 16th-century British history allows her to transport readers to richly detailed historical settings, immersing them in the culture, politics, and societal nuances of the time.

Driven by an unwavering dedication to her craft, Kathleen has independently published twelve  thrillers since 2018. Her commitment extends beyond solo creation, as she actively engages with the writing community, honing her skills through workshops and courses led by renowned authors.

And when she’s not crafting captivating narratives, Kathleen embarks on international journeys, soaking in diverse cultures and experiences that further enrich her writing. This global perspective adds another layer of depth and realism to her stories, allowing readers to connect with characters and settings that transcend geographical boundaries.

You can also find her at:

Author Website

Facebook

Linked In

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The One True Thing by Linda Newbery - #blogtour #bookreview

 

Drawn outside by the first pale light, she stood on the terrace gazing down at the garden. The air was moist, carrying scents of mown grass and honeysuckle...

***

The Blurb

"How can I truthfully tell you I'm sorry, when the worst thing I ever did has turned out to be the best?"

Bridget feels compromised. By marrying Anthony Harper and moving to Wildings, his family home for three generations, she's abandoned her urban roots for rural affluence and comfort she hasn't earned. As Anthony becomes increasingly difficult and their marriage flounders, she immerses herself in her new career as gardener and designer. Conscience urges her to leave him; but with her identity and status so closely bound to the garden she knows intimately, how can she? Soon circumstances mean that a split with Anthony is at first essential, then impossible ...

When Meg, a young stonemason, rents a workshop at Wildings, she wants only to be independent and alone. In the exacting craft of cutting letters in stone she finds meaning and purpose, her one true thing. But in spite of her resolve to avoid emotional attachments, she's drawn into intense relationships: with Bridget and with Adam, another artist-in-residence whose confident manner and bold abstract paintings mask deep inner conflict. She finds herself caught between competing claims of loyalty, trust and desire.

A generation on, Jane, the youngest Harper daughter, is left aimless and adrift when Anthony dies suddenly, with the surprise in his Will that he had another son, unknown to the family. Now Wildings must be sold. Everything is in turmoil - work, home, her on-off relationship with Tom. Who is the stranger who's to inherit a third of the estate? Where will she go, and how will she face the future alone? Aware that Meg and her mother each had an absorbing focus for their energy and passion, she is unsure where to find her own - but without it, what's the purpose of her life?

Now far from Wildings, but bound by a promise to support Jane, Meg is unable to be honest about the secrets she knows from both parents - or thinks she knows. Having thought of herself as the observer who saw everything, she's forced to realise how much she failed to see - and the cost to herself and to those she loves.

When the ground shifts, where is one true thing to be found?

My Review

This book was only published yesterday and I feel enormously privileged to have had an advance copy to read as it was fabulous.

The chapters are told from the point of view of the three main characters, Bridget, a renowned garden designer, her daughter, Jane and stonemason, Meg.

We learn from the opening page that Bridget is soon to pass away, and much of her story is told retrospectively. Please don't think the mention of death on the first page makes this a maudlin book. That couldn't be further from the truth. Rather, it is a story of all of the characters looking back at their lives to a time when Bridget was the focus. Mother to Jane and close friend to Bridget, we see her and the plot from their individual perspectives and it makes for marvellous reading.

Bridget is married to the temperamental Anthony but they are not happy and everyone around them can see this. He is unappreciative of Bridget and everything that she does. It was fascinating to observe the path that their marriage follows when it looks as though separation is the only option.

Jane's section of the book is told from the point when Anthony dies which adds another dimension to the story. We also hear from Meg at this time too.

The setting of this book was every bit as important as the characters. When Bridget marries Anthony, she moves into his family home, Wildings. It is so far from her working class roots that she feels completely out of place. That is until she transforms the gardens and outbuildings into something beautiful and purposeful. She carves out a successful career for herself, and the growth of her confidence was wonderful to follow.

I thought Meg was also a wonderful character. Her intention is to keep herself remote from the others when she rents one of the renovated outbuildings as a workplace studio. She observes those around her but cannot help but become embroiled in their lives, including that of Adam, an artist who rents the studio beside hers.

In so many ways, the book is about each of them discovering their own purpose in life, and I am sure this will resonate with readers. We observe the characters doing this very thing in their individual ways, although this is not always straight forward.

The book has been beautifully written. Ms. Newbery knows her craft very well, and it made this book a joy to read. It is appropriately paced for its genre. It has a gentle rhythm, and I was genuinely sorry when I turned the final page of the book. I could have happily stayed within the pages of this book for much longer.

There are very few books which I keep once I have read them. Quite frankly, there are many many books which, whilst enjoyable to read do not warrant a second outing. Then every now and then I come across a book that I keep, that feels like an old friend sitting upon my bookshelf. This is one such book that I can foresee myself reading again. 

I heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary fiction or books about relationships. Even garden lovers will appreciate this book. I am confident readers will enjoy this book every bit as much as I did.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1068526404

Publisher:  Writers Review Publishing

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  432 (paperback)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Blackwell's

About the Author

Linda's first publication was a young adult novel, Run with the Hare, about a sixth-form student who becomes involved with an animal rights group. Since then she has gone on to publish widely for young readers of all ages, with titles including Lob, Set in Stone, The Shell House, Sisterland and The Key to Flambards. A non-fiction title, This Book is Cruelty-Free: Animals and Us, is a guide to compassionate living that looks at our daily choices - what we eat, wear, buy, use, waste and throw away - and how they affect animals and the environment.

Set in Stone was a Costa Book Award category winner, both The Shell House and Sisterland were shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal, and Lob won an independent bookseller prize in Italy.

The One True Thing is Linda's second novel for adults. Her first, Quarter Past Two on a Wednesday Afternoon (published in paperback as Missing Rose) was a Radio 2 Book Club choice.

Linda lives in  Oxfordshire. She is an active campaigner on animal and environmental issues and a keen amateur photographer.

You can also find Linda at:

Author Website

Twitter / X

Instagram

Blue Sky

(book and media courtesy of the publicist)

(all opinions are my own)

How to Draw a Giraffe: The ALice May Way by Alice G. May - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

When I was in school, my favourite lesson was art. Sadly, one day, my art teacher told me I was very bad at drawing. I stopped drawing for a long time. Many years later, I started again. I soon remembered how much I used to enjoy it. Even though I still wasn't very good at it, I drew everwhere; on paper with a pencil, in sand and mud with a stick, on dry stones with a brush and water...

***

There is only one rule when you draw the Alice May Way and that is to have fun.

Follow along step by step and learn how to draw a giraffe.

Packed with interesting facts about giraffes, the environment and what we can do to protect our planet, this book is a must have for those who love drawing animals.

***

I spent a lovely afternoon one day this week both reading and following the step by step instructions that this lovely book provides on how to draw a giraffe. I am no artist, but I am rather pleased by the outcome of my drawing above.

The instructions were incredibly easy to follow, and I think both children and adults alike will enjoy this. Each page also contains interesting facts about giraffes so there is plenty of opportunity for learning too.

Unsurprisingly, the book is beautifully illustrated. It concludes with a word search, an activity for finding particular giraffes dotted throughout the book and resources for finding out more about this lovely spotted animal. In addition, there is an emphasis on wildlife and planet protection.

All in all, this is an excellent book which I highly recommend. It would make a perfect gift for children or anyone lacking self-confidence in drawing.

 ISBN: 978 1916087286

Publisher:  THTSD Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  58

About the Author:

Former GP surgery manager turned school librarian, Alice is mum to four not-so-small children and married to (probably) the most patient man on the planet. They live in what used to be a tumbledown cottage in the New Forest.

Alice is the double ‘Chill-with-a-Book’ award winning author of The House that Sat Down Trilogy and also How-to-Draw Giraffes - the Alice May Way.

A contributing writer and artist for Leisure Painter, the UK’s number one how-to-paint magazine, Alice is a huge advocate for the benefits of creative activities as part of an effective self-care toolkit.

She regularly speaks to clubs and groups about writing, painting and creative self-care.

(book and all info courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - #BookReview

"The first time our father brought Andrea to the Dutch House, Sandy, our housekeeper, came to my sister's room and told us to come downstairs. 'Your father has a friend he wants you to meet,' she said.

Danny Conroy grows up in the Dutch House, a lavish folly in small-town Pennsylvania taken on by his property developer father. Though his father is distant and his mother is absent, Danny has his beloved sister Maeve: Maeve, with her wall of black hair, her delicacy, her brilliance. Life is comfortable and coherent, played out under the watchful eyes of the house's former owners in the frames of their oil painting.

Then one day their father bring Andrea home. Her arrival will exact a banishment: a banishment whose reverberations will echo for the rest of their lives.

As decades pass, Danny and his sister are drawn back time and again to the place they can never enter, knocking in vain on the locked door of the past. For behind the mystery of their own enforced exile is that of their mother's self-imposed one: an absence more powerful than any presence they have known.

The Dutch House is a story of family, betrayal, love, responsibility and sacrifice; of the powerful bonds of place and time that magnetise and repel us for our whole lives.

***

Having read this book and thought it wonderful I have been continually asking myself why I have never read any of Ann Patchett's books before! She has an extensive back catalogue, which I now have the joy of reading, so I am very happy about that.

The author portrayed this dysfunctional family with insight and understanding. I really liked the relationship between Danny and Maeve. They were totally believable, as indeed, were the less focal characters. 

The time span covers several decades and I particularly enjoyed seeing how Danny's character developed. His narration starts when he is still a young boy and takes us through to his adult life. We see how his character matures and changes and makes the reader question how we think we may have reacted if we had been in the same situation.

The titular house itself plays a significant part in this book, playing as compelling a role as the characters do. The descriptions were tangible and I really could see it's exterior and wander around the rooms in my imagination. I think it takes enormous skill for a writer to be able to imbue an inanimate object with such life.

The book tackles many themes, among them, family, forgiveness and loylaty. Ms. Patchett is clearly a phenomenal storyteller and writes with acute observation of the world around her. I really cannot wait to read more of her work.

Have you read any of her earlier novels? Which were your favourites?

ISBN: 978 1526614971

Publisher: Bloomsbury

About the Author:

Ann Patchett is the author of seven novels and three works of non-fiction. She has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction three times; with The Magician's Assistant in 1998, winning the prize with Bel Canto in 2002, and was most recently shortlisted with State of Wonder in 2012. She is also the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2012. 

She is the co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee where she lives with her husband, Karl.

The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore - #BookReview

"England, March 2010

The muffle of cloud that had settled over Badley Compton Harbour was so dense that the little fishing boats tethered to the buoys in the middle of the bay had completely vanished."

A cookery course in the heart of Tuscany proves irresistible to Gracie Burton. She decides to plough her life savings into the week-long trip, leaving her daughter and granddaughter baffled by her impulsiveness. But having grown apart over the years, in many ways the three women barely know each other.

Travelling together from Devon to the breathtakingly beautiful Italian countryside, they take up residence at a castle belonging to the elusive Count Tancredi. Yet everything is not as it appears, and quickly Gracie's family begin to suspect that this is not Gracie's first visit.....

What secret in Gracies's past is drawing her to this small hillside town? Will she let the magic of Italy revive her adventurous past and open her heart once more? And in doing so, will it reunite the three generations of her family?

Ms. Montefiore is an excellent storyteller and it was very easy to get swept along on the current of this story. Gracie is such a lovable character and I warmed to her from the very first page.

This book deals with many issues and I was really involved in the changing relationship of Gracie, her daughter Carina and her granddaughter Anastasia. They initially present as a fairly dysfunctional bunch and I was fascinated to observe the change in their relationship as the story progressed.

Italy was almost a character in itself. I was lucky enough to take a holiday there the year before last so I was really able to place myself within this book quite easily. However, even if you have never visited Italy the author describes it in such vivid detail that you will feel as though you were there. She clearly has a real love for the place and it shines through in her writing.

The dual narrative moves in time from the present day to the 1950's when Gracie was growing up and I found myself impatient to move from one era to the next to progress the story in both timelines. In addition, the narrative also occasionally takes us back to Gracie's English village in order that we can keep up with the present day village story at the same time. For me, this elevated this book into something much more as the minor characters were pure gems in their own right.

The final chapter catches up with the self appointed village matriarch, Flappy Scott-Booth. She is a wonderful character and had me in fits of laughter and demonstrates the authors skill of being able to flesh out even her more minor characters.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly encourage you to read it for yourself. I would love to hear your thoughts on this book. Have you read anything else by Santa Montefiore?

ISBN: 978 1471169618

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

About the Author:

Born in England in 1970 Santa Montefiore grew up on a farm in Hampshire and was educated at Sherborne School for Girls. She read Spanish and Italian at Exeter University and spent much of the 90's in Buenos Aires, where her mother grew up. She converted to Judaism in 1998 and married historian Simon Sebag Montefiore in the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London. They live with their two children, Lily and Sasha in London.

Santa Montefiore's novels have been translated into twenty languages and have sold more than three million copies in England and Europe.

(author details courtesy of Goodreads)

Memento Park by Mark Sarvas - #BookReview

"My name, the name I use, is Matt Santos. The name I was born with is Mathias Santos. The name I might well have been born with is Matyas Szantos. I am none of these people and I am all of them."

An unexpected call from the Australian consulate makes Matt Santos aware of a painting he believes was looted from his family in Hungary during World War II. To recover it, he must repair his relationship with his judgmental father, uncover his family history, and reconnect with his own Judaism. 

Along the way, Matt is torn between his doting girlfriend, Tracy, and his alluring attorney, Rachel, with whom he travels to Budapest to unearth the truth and confront the central question: How do we move forward when the past looms unreasonably large?

It pleases me enormously when the first book I read in a new year, decade in this case, is such a good read. I enjoyed this book immensely as it is full of complex characters which always appeals to me in a novel.

The novel centres around Matt, a successful actor and who's girlfriend, Tracy, is an equally successful swimwear model. They both jet around the world to various filming and modelling locations and seem to be living the American dream.

However, Matt's whole world is turned upside down upon the discovery of a painting which belonged to his family in prewar Hungary. This proves to be the opening of a whole can of worms for Matt as he seeks to make sense of the past and which forces him to confront the difficulties he has in his relationship with his father.

Matt is a very complex character and his father is equally so. Matt knows little of his fathers past, a deliberate act on the part of his father to spare his son from the horrors he experienced in Hungary during the war at the hands of the Nazi's.

For Matt the painting comes to embody a life and faith that he feels his father has denied him. The relationship between Matt and his father were the kingpin in this novel for me. We see his father through Matt's eyes and are able to sympathise with him. However, Tracy's communications with him enable us to see him from her perspective and it made me question how reliable Matt's view of his father was. It was certainly a very complex relationship and it was this that made this novel so gripping for me. As a reader, I was longing for a reconnection between them and it was this hope that kept me enthralled by this book.

It is a very intelligently written novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will definitely be reading this authors other work, Harry, Revised.

ISBN: 978 037420637

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

About the Author:

Mark Sarvas is the author of the novel Harry, Revised, which was published in more than a dozen countries around the world. His book reviews and criticism have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Threepenny Review, Bookforum, and many other publications. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle, PEN America, and PEN Centre USA, and teaches novel writing at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. A reformed blogger, he lives in Santa Monica, California.

Testament by Kim Sherwood - #BlogTour

A prize-winning literary timeslip novel about what happens after you survive. A young woman uncovers the truth about her family's past as Hungarian Jews who came to Britain in 1945.

 * * * * * * 

The letter was in the Blue Room - her grandfather's painting studio, where Eva spent the happier days of her childhood. After his death, she is the one responsible for his legacy - a legacy threatened by the letter she finds. It is from the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

They have found the testimony her grandfather gave after surviving the labour camps in Austria. And, since he was one of Britain's greatest twentieth century artists, they want to exhibit it. But Joseph Silk - leaving behind József Zyyad - remade himself long ago.

As Eva begins to uncover the truth, she understands the trauma, and the lies, that have haunted her family. She will unravel what happened to József and his brother, who came to England as refugees. One never spoke of his past - the other couldn't let it go.

Their story - and that of the woman they both loved - is in her hands. Revealing it would change her grandfather's hard-won identity. But it could also change the tide of history. This testament can lend words to wordless grief, and teach her how to live.

Kim Sherwood's extraordinary first novel is a powerful statement of intent. Beautifully written, moving and hopeful, it crosses the tidemark where the third generation meets the first, finding a new language to express love, loss and our place within history.

This is an extremely ambitious debut novel. Its scope is huge and I think the author has accomplished this through writing with skill, intelligence and compassion.

Bearing in mind the difficult subject matter, the language is beautiful and each word has meaning. Nothing is superfluous to the construction of this novel and at times I was so caught up in the lyricism of Ms. Sherwood's writing that I had to slow my reading down and re-read occasional sentences of this novel just to luxuriate in it.

There are many Holocaust novels on the shelves of bookshops but this one has a slightly different perspective to some of the others. It looks closely at self-identity and what can happen to the relationships of those who survived and also, the impact that has had on the future generations of survivors.

Evidently well researched the author has brought a myriad of facts to the novel and turned them into an amazingly accomplished and powerful first novel and I look forward to seeing what she will realize in her future writing.

ISBN: 978 1786488671

Publisher: Riverrun

About the Author:

Kim Sherwood was born in Camden, London in 1989. She studied on the Creative Writing MA at the University of East Anglia, going on to teach creative writing at UEA and the University of Sussex. Kim's stories and articles have appeared in numerous journals, including Mslexia, Lighthouse and Going Down Swinging. The manuscript of her debut novel, Testament, won the Bath Novel Award in 2016.

Kim began writing Testament in 2011 after her grandfather, the actor George Baker, passed away. In the same year, Kim's grandmother began to talk about her experiences as a Holocaust Survivor for the first time. These events provided seeds for a story that grew as Kim undertook research into the events of the Holocaust in Hungary, and as extremism rose again across Europe.

Kim lives in Bath. She is s Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of the West of England. Testament is her first novel.