Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts

Monday, 14 September 2026

10 Ten Exciting New Releases for October 2026

 

Sometimes it is so difficult to restrict myself to just ten books due to be released in the following month. There are so many great looking books to choose from. I finally settled on the following ten, and I am sure you will agree, they do look exciting.

Happy Reading!


Flickers of Light in a Nazi Darkness by Lisa Waller Rogers

Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany in 1933, marking the end of the Weimar Republic and the beginning of the Nazi dictatorship. As the tide of Nazism grew, so did anti-Jewish decrees which stripped away the rights of German Jews.

In May 1940, the Germans invaded and occupied the neutral country of the Netherlands. Little by little the Nazis took away the rights of the Dutch Jews and the only place they were safe was in their homes, until they weren’t. In 1942, Nazis conducted raids to deport them to labor and concentration camps. But not every Jew was caught. Thanks to the heroic action of Dutch resistance workers, at great risk to themselves, Dutch resistance workers hid Jews from the Nazis, and sought to keep them safe and fed through the long years of WWII. Not all of these efforts bore success, many Dutch workers were imprisoned and executed by the Nazis. Flickers of Light in a Nazi Darkness brings the story of some of these “Flickers of Light” resistance workers to life.

Preorder Link


 The Secret Keeper by Anstey Harris


Olivia has spent thirty years tending the cemetery next to her home, gently caring for the graves. Since her daughter Lizzie stopped speaking to her after a devastating accident, talking to the dead has been easier than the living.

Olivia thought there would be years ahead—time to persuade Lizzie to come home. But when she discovers her husband is dying, everything changes. Suddenly, time is very short.

For Lizzie to reunite with her parents, Olivia will have to face the truth of her choices, of the secrets she’s been hiding for years. She knows it is time. Time to bring the two halves of herself back together. But if she does, will those she loves forgive her? Or is it already too late?

An incredibly moving story that will stay in your heart, about the secrets we keep to protect those we love and how to find peace when time is running out.

Preorder Link


The Storyteller of Krakow by Carly Schabowski

It takes courage to tell your story…

Kraków, 1994. When an elderly woman named Lena meets a young girl, the child is carrying a toy bear, who she has named Wojtek. She quietly tells Lena it’s named after a bear who was famous in the second world war. This is a name Lena hasn’t heard in many years. And so she begins her story…

Kraków, 1940. When Lena was young, she loved to tell stories – about the places she would go, the battles she would fight, the great loves she might have – imagining herself the heroine in every tale. But when the Soviet forces invade her town, and take her to a Siberian gulag, leaving her with no family, no home, no strength to fight… her dreams feel further away than ever.

Until the Soviets change sides in the war, and Lena finds herself being rescued, and on an unexpected journey – one that runs in parallel with a tame bear named Wojtek. As their journey takes them across the Middle East, to Africa, and finally to war-torn Italy, she realized there might be a chance for her to live the life she always told stories about – fighting the hated Nazis.

But there is one thing missing… a great love. Lena knows she doesn’t need saving by a man. But when Wojtek the bear leads her to an injured stranger, she realises perhaps it’s not her who needs rescue. The only problem is that the man she’s led to is a German soldier, on the other side of the war from her…

Can love conquer all in wartime? Don’t miss this unforgettable story!

Preorder Link


All Yours by Pippa Nixon


A spicy second chance romance between a single dad and an old flame.

The last time games designer Fox saw Robyn was the morning after their amazing night together. He didn't even get her last name. But as a single dad to two boys, he's never had time for anything but his work and his family.

So when flame-haired Robyn shows up on his doorstep as his new live-in nanny, Fox is stunned. The connection burns just as bright, but they agree to keep it professional.

The longer they live under one roof, the harder it is to keep their promise. And where Robyn's concerned, Fox is playing for keeps . . .

Preorder Link


Loyalty and Lies on Dressmakers' Alley by Rosie Clarke


Times are changing. Is there a glimmer of hope on the horizon for the women of Dressmaker Alley?

London’s East End 1927

Yvonne White is content as head seamstress at Miss Susie, raising her beloved son alone and determined to keep the past behind her. So when John’s father suddenly reappears after years of silence, demanding a place in his son’s life, Yvonne’s hard-won peace is shattered.

Polly Blake spends her days exhausted by endless work and family responsibilities, caring for her invalid father and three younger brothers while her carefree twin, Patsy, falls in with dangerous company. Polly longs for happiness of her own, but trouble is never far away.

Meanwhile, Lady Diane’s dazzling fashion designs have made Miss Susie the toast of London. Yet as she accompanies the ailing Lord Henry to Italy, jealousy and uncertainty threaten everything she holds dear.

With fear spreading through London’s East End as a killer stalks the shadows, the women of Dressmaker’s Alley must face secrets, heartbreak, and unexpected surprises before their lives change forever.

Things are looking brighter on Dressmaker’s Alley, but there are always those who want to cause trouble…

Preorder Link


The Pilgrimage of Primrose Honeychurch by Laura Jensen Walker


Primrose Honeychurch doesn’t really “get” people. Books, though, make perfect sense.

At seventy, the sharp-tongued recluse prefers to keep company with her own routines. But when a life-altering diagnosis leaves her worried she’ll never be missed, she decides it’s finally time to do something to leave her mark: something no one will ever forget.

Clutching her mother’s ashes and the book of her heart, Primrose hops on a plane, bound for Hay-on-Wye, the legendary Welsh “Town of Books.” Unfortunately, her literary pilgrimage just won’t follow the plot. After an accident derails her trip, she finds herself staying awhile with estranged family. But she senses a kindred spirit in the niece she’s getting to know, who uncannily understands the world much the same as Primrose herself does.

As rolling green hills and book-lined streets frame an unexpected season of discovery, what began as an unwelcome detour becomes something more profound. For the first time in her life, Primrose begins to glimpse the beauty―and courage―of true human connection.

Preorder Link


A Gala Ball at Tillingford Hall by Flora Dunn


Sahara Seaton-Smyth’s life is in disarray. Her modelling career has stalled; her ex, James, is never coming home; her beloved brother Seb is moving out; and the local vet has persuaded her to adopt a demanding orphaned piglet called Muffin.

To top it all, Sahara’s closest friend, Guy Tillingford, is losing his calm. In the run-up to the opening gala ball, Tin Tub Productions are filming a documentary about his crumbling country mansion, Tillingford Hall. Although he’s thrilled to be a first-time dad, his fiancée Alice’s due date is worryingly close to the big night.When Tin Tub ask Sahara to be a presenter, she’s reluctant to step back into the spotlight – until she learns she’ll be working with her old friend, popular TV historian Dr Tom Pemberton. With Tom’s reassurance, she takes a chance on a new career.

Since his wife Vittoria died, Tom has been juggling single parenthood with TV stardom. His eleven-year-old son Cory has retreated into video games, while his fifteen-year-old daughter Xanthe, an exceptional violinist, struggles with sudden fame.

Who better to help Tom navigate these challenges than Sahara?

But when she receives unexpected news about her health, will it bring them closer – or push them apart?

And with Alice’s due date so close to the ball, who will have the first dance?

Preorder Link


Dreadnought by Robin Bennett

On a remote Yorkshire headland known as Dreadnought, seven-year-old Cass Delaval begins to glimpse figures and fragments tied to a past that refuses to stay buried.

As the world edges toward conflict, Cass is drawn into a family mystery stretching back to the Second World War: a missing boy, a hidden weapon, and a family secret.

Because whatever has lain dormant on Dreadnought goes deep into our past … and it isn’t finished with us yet.

Dreadnought is a story of loyalty and hope, where the courage of one small girl may be our last defence.

Preorder Link


The Translator by Annabelle Marx


Detective novels, she said, were for simpletons and spinsters. But she translated them anyway – because someone she loved couldn’t live without them.

1936, London. Edie Adler slips into the back pew of a memorial service for her dearest friend, Vee Saunders – presumed dead, her body never found. As politicians murmur condolences to Vee’s powerful husband, Edie sits with a fury she can barely contain. She knows things about this marriage no one in the room would dare speak aloud. And she refuses to believe that Vee is gone. She closes her eyes and she’s back in the warm Mediterranean water – the salt on her skin, Vee’s hands keeping her afloat, that voice in her ear: don’t worry, I won’t let you sink…

1918, Malta. Edie, an officer in the newly formed Wrens, arrives on the sun-drenched island expecting cyphers, duty and discipline. What she doesn’t expect is Vee – a whip-smart nurse singing in the bathtub with a cigarette in one hand and a gin in the other. Vee teaches her to swim in secret coves, leads her astray in the basement bars of Valletta, and the two women forge a bond that will shape the rest of their lives.

As they take different paths – Edie to a small flat in Hampstead, swimming in the Ladies’ Pond each morning, long days as a social worker in the London slums – they stay bound by letters. Vee’s are vivid, full of mischief, then slowly, they darken. And then they stop. Two years of silence. Until a parcel arrives from Paris – three detective novels, all in French, no sender, no note – and Edie’s world shifts on its axis.

Preorder Link


The Secret Garden Murders by J.R. Ellis


A murder in a locked garden. A village full of secrets. Can DCI Oldroyd find a killer who has vanished into thin air?

When a woman is found strangled in the locked garden of historic Bishop Hewick Hall in Yorkshire, DCI Jim Oldroyd needs to solve a seemingly impossible murder. The only door was bolted from the inside and the kitchen garden walls are too high to climb. If no one could enter or leave, how did the killer commit the crime and escape?

As Oldroyd and his team investigate the victim’s past, they discover Clarissa Morden wasn’t the kind elderly woman she appeared. Instead, she was a ruthless blackmailer who kept coded records of her neighbours’ darkest secrets. Her list included a local cabinet maker, the Bishop Hewick Hall manager and even her next-door neighbour―suddenly it seems as if half the village has a motive for murder.

When a second body is discovered in the local river, it seems this quiet corner of Yorkshire may never be the same again. Can Oldroyd unlock the secret of the impossible locked garden murder and find the culprit? Or will the killer strike again in this tranquil village to keep their secrets hidden…

Preorder Link

Friday, 24 July 2026

The House of Twisted Shadows by J.H. Mann - #bookreview #blogtour

The first snow flurries danced in the breeze as Amelia Tremayne stepped out of her red Austin-Healey sports car and strode towards Tyler House. Her skin prickled at the sight of a building she had spent ten years trying to forget...

***

I am required to make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Rachel's Random Resources. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.

***


The Blurb

A HOUSE ON THE EDGE

 A DAUGHTER DRIVEN TO OBSESSION

A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Winter 1962. Amelia Tremayne has spent the past ten years in London trying to forget the lonely clifftop house where her father was killed. Tyler House was built shortly before the Second World War on Cornwall’s stormy coast by a wealthy German outsider. Its most unsettling feature is a vast glass dome that bends the light, casting twisted, elongated shadows across the walls.

Amelia’s father, Douglas Tremayne, a noted historian, was researching a controversial book about Tyler House’s Nazi origins - and its links to powerful figures in the local community.

As Amelia begins to uncover the truth about her father’s death, she is pulled into a web of buried secrets - and into a forbidden love that could destroy everything she holds dear.

INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY


My Review

This book is an exciting story which I enjoyed reading.

The main character, Amelia, is obsessed with Tyler House, her childhood home in Cornwall. However, Tyler House is creeping closer to the edge of a cliff.  Ten years prior, her historian father was murdered there and Amelia believes the manuscript that he was killed for is hidden somewhere in the house.

In some ways, Tyler House was the main character in this book. It has a dark history, and an eerie, brooding presence. Within its rooms and hallways, secrets are hidden. The author did a fabulous job of describing the house and its rapid decline into the sea beneath. 

The author skillfully brought his characters, setting and story alive on the page. He knows exactly how to create atmosphere, from the decaying house through to the heavy snowfalls which isolated the village. He portrays the sense of isolation and captivity really well.

This novel is full of suspense and tension and kept me turning the pages. It is well worth reading and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful mystery with some eeriness thrown in.


Book Details

Publisher: Dark Spider Books

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

No. of Pages: 344

Series: Part of the Wild Cornwall series


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


J.H.Mann is an award-winning journalist and writer living in the South West of England. His second novel, The Echoing Shore, was a Yeovil Literary Prize award winner and the Adult Fiction Winner of the 2025 Selfies Book Awards at the London Book Fair. His third novel, The Silver Tide, has just been shortlisted for the 2026 Selfies Book Awards. He has strong family links with Cornwall. His novels are inspired by the many stories told by his mother and father and his own experiences as a shore-based volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). He lives with his wife, Nicola, and their lively whippet Patch.

You can also find him at:

Author Website

Facebook

Instagram

Tik Tok


My Other Blog Posts of Based in Cornwall

The Cornish Rebel by Nicola Pryce

The Letter by Ruth Saberton

A Mother's Hope for the Cornish Girls by Better Walker

The Vanishing Act by Jo Jakeman

Don't Look Away by Rachel Abbott

The Rescue by S.L. Rosewarne





(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)


Friday, 24 April 2026

The Other Killer by Heidi Field - #bookreview #blogtour


 Standing on the pavement outside the prison is a rush like I haven't felt in twenty years, like someone's been standing on my chest for two decades and they just stepped off...

***

It has recently come to my attention that I must make it clear at the beginning of my reviews that I received this book for free from Zooloo's Book Tours. I have not been paid for doing this and all opinions are my own. I am Bookshop.org affiliated, which means I earn a very small amount of money if you buy from there using my direct link. Although I include purchase links to Amazon, I am not affiliated with them. I include them to make it easy for you to navigate to them if you so wish.


***


The Blurb

You can change your name. Change your life. But someone knows exactly who you are.

Twenty years ago, Mason Tucker was tried and convicted as the teenager who helped lure young boys to the serial killer known as the Pied Piper of Peasedale. After serving his twenty-year sentence, Mason is freed and hopes to remain invisible while he rebuilds his life as an adult, hoping to become a man he can be proud of. A new town, a new flat, a new job and a new purpose.

But living with secrets is challenging, and protecting his anonymity, the woman who stood beside him, and her child becomes impossible when the past pushes back. Hard. Within days of his release, Mason suspects he’s being stalked. He’s threatened and twice attacked. He never imagined being outside would be more dangerous than being in prison. The police aren’t an option. One headline will destroy him.

Someone wants him punished, not redeemed, and as danger closes in, you will never suspect where the next threat comes from.


My Review

Although this book is the third in a series, it also works brilliantly as a stand alone novel. In fact, the author was on the blog last year talking about her first book in this series, The Other Boy, and I reviewed the second book in the series, The Other Mother. Both that and this latest book are excellent and very well worth reading.

This book begins with the release from prison of Mason, also known as the Peasedale Accomplice. He has served twenty years and now wants to live quietly, with a change of name and anonymity. However, within days he realises someone knows about his past and he is being stalked.

The chapters, which are all told from Mason's perspective, flit between past and present. This enables the reader to understand how he was drawn into such wrongdoing in the past. The present day chapters demonstrate to the reader that although he has had a hard life in prison, he shows a level of naivety of life on the outside. Whilst he truly desires to help youngster, Kenny, I couldn't help but think that it would end badly for Mason, whilst truly hoping that it wouldn't.

The author tells her story very well. It is full of twists and turns and kept me gripped from the first page to the last. She knows just how to drag the reader in and how to keep them enthralled. I found myself constantly wanting to get back to this book when I wasn't reading.

She understands her characters well and thus portrays them with detail, understanding and compassion. I was really moved by Mason's story and his desire for a second chance at life. He is a character that will stay with me long after the book is finished.

This is an exceptional series of books which I highly recommend. That said, there are times that this novel is dark and graphic, and readers should be prepared for this. It won't suit everyone and if that is you then I would give this one a miss.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1970840629

Publisher:  Tule Publishing Group

Formats:  e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  344 (paperback)

Series:  Book 3 in The Peasedale Wood Killers series


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


Heidi Field was raised in the beautiful countryside of the South of England with her parents and her two sisters. In her twenties she was a freelance Sports Massage Therapist. She achieved a Degree in Zoology at the age of thirty and then went on to raise two boys and became the stepmother of three more young children. She still lives near her family home with her partner, their Great Dane and the children that have yet to fly the nest. 

In her early forties Heidi completed a Masters in Creative Writing at Winchester University. She entered the course hoping she would become a children’s fantasy writer and left with a burning desire to write contemporary mysteries and thrillers. 

Heidi wanted to put relatable people in extraordinary situations, challenge them, push them to their limits and watch them fight for their sanity. The Other Boy is her first novel.

You can also find Heidi at:

Author Website

Bluesky

Facebook

Instagram

X





(ARC and media courtesy of Zooloo's Book Tours)

(all opinions are my own)


Friday, 27 February 2026

Books I Have Read This Month - February 2026

 


As we near the end of winter, the only thing keeping me going is the thought that spring isn't too far away.  When I see the crocuses popping up their glorious little mauve coloured heads, it fills my heart with joy as they promise that spring is just around the corner.

Of course, the other thing that has kept me going through this grey, wet February is the books that I have read.


The Heart-Shaped Box by Lucy Kaufman


This novella was a quick and excellent read.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer

I felt very privileged to have had the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.


The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien

I have read that the author of this book wrote it as it combined two of her greatest pleasures – reading and knitting.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.


The Man Who Wore All His Clothes and Other Stories by Allan Ahlberg


This is a collection of very funny stories. The humour contained in both text and illustration are very well done and it made these stories come alive.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.


The Other Mother by Heidi Field

This book made for fabulous reading.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.


Less by Patrick Grant


This is a fabulous book written by The Sewing Bee's Patrick Grant. It discusses over consumerism and is quite the wake up call. My review will be following.

Love Struck by Ally Bloom

This was a tense story line. Review to follow.


The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

This is one I'd been wanting to read for ages. It's set in a Jewish/Black neighbourhood. It made for excellent reading.


Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur


My review of this book about Iranian women will follow.

The Impossible Thing by Belinda Bauer

Written with a dual timeline, this book kept me hooked throughout.  If you would like to read my review you can find it here.

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman - #bookreview


Anna Kendall was guilty

The words on the lift mirror are as crimson as fresh blood. As I trace each letter slowly with my finger, the writing leaves a faint sticky residue on my fingers...


The Blurb

Welcome to the true-crime controversy that’s divided the media for the last twenty years. To discover the truth, we need to delve back into the past…

THEN: In June 1999, the last five prisoners at HMP Panbrook were killed just before the prison closed its doors for the final time. Anna Kendall, the nurse accused of their murders, died before the case went to court. Her motive and guilt have never been proven.

NOW: The Panbrook Prison Hotel is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Hotel manager Madeleine Batten is determined to discover what happened there twenty years earlier. But as the prison’s dark secrets are gradually exposed, danger lurks in the shadows. And someone is determined to keep the truth locked away.


My Review

I have been fortunate enough to read and review all of the books written by this talented author. Her previous novels, The Redeemer and The Associate form the Shanna Regan Murder Mystery series, which are well worth checking out. You can also find my reviews of these books by clicking on the respective titles.

Little Secrets is an exciting mystery set in The Panbrook, a former prison which has since been converted into a luxury hotel. In 1999, Anna Kendall was accused of killing five of the inmates when she worked there as a nurse. The narrative switches between Anna (then) and Madeleine (now), the hotel manager in the present day.

It was a story that had me gripped as I tried to work out what really went on. The author does a great job of making the reader question the narrative - was Anna really guilty of the murders? Is it possible that someone else killed these men? Why is Madeleine so anxious to find the truth? Anna has committed suicide before the case comes to trial, which the police took to be a sign of her guilt.

For the tenth anniversary of the hotel opening, the hotel owner throws a special weekend party with only specially selected guests and staff present. As the hotel manager, Madeleine is there to ensure everything runs smoothly. However, it doesn't take long before the reader begins to question whether she has her own agenda in place.

There were several layers to this story, which are only revealed as the plot moves forward. There were a number of twists and turns, and when the reveal at the end of the book arrives, I can honestly say that I hadn't seen it coming!

I thought this was a fantastic novel set against an unusual background. I enjoyed reading it very much. The author brings to life the setting, plot and characters extremely well. The story is tense and suspenseful, and made for engaging reading.

I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good, slow burn story which you can become completely immersed in. It made for great reading and I already can't wait to read what this author might produce next.


Book Details

ISBN:  978 1739695453

Publisher:  Three Crowns Publishing UK

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

No. of Pages:  344 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US


About the Author


Victoria has been a freelance journalist, editor and proofreader for over 25 years, with specific expertise in consumer health and science communication. She is Freelance Health Editor for Bupa. She also writes for several consumer and pharmacy magazines on a regular basis.

Her debut crime novel, The Redeemer, was shortlisted for Best Debut Crime Novel of 2022 in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2022. The sequel, The Associate, is the Editor’s Choice Winner of Best Indie Crime Novel of 2023 in the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2023. 

She has a BSc. in Biomedical Science from King’s College London and an MSc. in Science Communication from Imperial College London.

She proofreads and copy-edits fiction and non-fiction (including memoir). For more information about her writing, editing and proofreading work, please click on the links. 

She is a member of the Guild of Health Writers, the Medical Journalists’ Association and the Society of Authors. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).

She was first runner up in the DHH Literary Agency New Voices Award 2019 with an Honourable Mention for The Redeemer.

You can also find Victoria at:

Author Website

X

Instagram

Bluesky

Facebook



(ARC and media courtesy of the author)

(all opinions are my own)

Thursday, 6 March 2025

Death of a Dancing Queen by Kimberly G. Giarrantano - #bookreview

 

Death of a Dancing Queen by Kimberly G. Giarratano A Billy Levine Mystery book cover pink feathers

Starla Wells lit a cigarette and slipped into the shadows. She pressed a spiked heel against the brick exterior of the building, and her bent knee revealed a slender thigh and a garter belt with a tiny dagger tucked underneath...

***

The Blurb

After her mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Billie Levine revamped her grandfather’s private investigation firm and set up shop in the corner booth of her favorite North Jersey deli hoping the free pickles and flexible hours would allow her to take care of her mom and pay the bills. So when Tommy Russo, a rich kid with a nasty drug habit, offers her a stack of cash to find his missing girlfriend, how can she refuse? At first, Billie thinks this will be easy earnings, but then her missing person's case turns into a murder investigation and Russo is the detective bureau’s number one suspect.

Suddenly Billie is embroiled in a deadly gang war that’s connected to the decades-old disappearance of a famous cabaret dancer with ties to both an infamous Jewish mob and a skinhead group. Toss in the reappearance of Billie’s hunky ex-boyfriend with his own rap sheet, and she is regretting every decision that got her to this point.

Becoming a P.I. was supposed to solve her problems. But if Billie doesn’t crack this case, the next body the police dredge out of the Hudson River will be hers. 


My Review

I have heard it said that this book is similar to Veronica Mars. I am not familiar with this television series so can not compare. What I can tell you is that this is a very good book and I enjoyed it immensely.

Billie Levine is an excellent character and highly likable. She is 25, feisty and has attitude. She is a Jewish Private Investigator who has taken the business over from her retired grandfather. She lives with him, her brother, David and her mother. Between them they are sharing the care of her mother who has Alzheimers. However, they are struggling but cannot afford to have her cared for in a dedicated facility. This aspect of the story was sad but I suspect that it is a situation which many readers will be familiar.

There is a great plot to this book too with a mystery that Billie is trying to solve.  She is trying to locate a missing young woman who is fascinated by true crime. In doing so, she also gets involved in investigating the murder of another young woman years before. The author brings both strands of this story together really well and I was completely gripped by it.

The story involves a Jewish gang and a skinhead Nazi mob. There was so much going on in this book that it made for fast paced and fascinating reading. It was definitely a book which made me play the 'just one more chapter' game which kept me up past my bedtime.

There were many secondary characters all of which were well portrayed. There were many but I did not get confused by them at any point as the author does a great job in bringing both characters and plot together.

I am thrilled that this is the first in a three book series. I am looking forward to spending more time with Billie.

 If you like the sound of this book you might also enjoy The Redeemer and The Associate both of which are by Victoria Goldman. The title links will take you to my reviews.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1915202420

Publisher:  Datura Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  344 (paperback)


Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Datura Book Publications

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Waterstones


About the Author

Author photo of Kimberley G. Giarratano - woman in black jacket

Kimberly G. Giarratano is an author of mysteries for teens and adults. Her debut novel, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, won the 2015 Silver Falchion Award for Best YA at Killer Nashville. A former librarian, she is currently an instructor at a SUNY Orange County Community College and a reviewer for BookPage. She is also the chapter liaison for Sisters in Crime. 

Born in New York and raised in New Jersey, Kim and her husband moved to the Poconos to raise their three kids amid black bears and wild turkeys. While she doesn’t miss the Jersey traffic, she does miss a good bagel and lox.

You can also find Kimberley at:

Author Website

FaceBook

Instagram

BlueSky


(book and media courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)

(bookshop.org affiliated)

Friday, 29 November 2024

Reading Roundup for November 2024


 It is almost time to hang up the Advent calendars as December begins on Sunday.

November has been a good month for reading, and I have read some lovely books. Also, it has been a busy month on the blog with six spotlight posts, five read along posts, twelve book reviews and a guest post.

How has your November been? Have you read many books? Anything that you would recommend?


Books I Have Read This Month


Little Wing by Freya North


I absolutely adored this book. My review of this is all written and it will be up as soon as I can find a space. 

The Red Tunic by Kate Wiseman


I so enjoyed reading this book and it had me gripped from the very beginning. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.

Secrets in the Water by Alice Fitzpatrick


I love a book about hidden secrets and there are plenty in this novel. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


The Wives by Valerie Keogh


I have liked everything that I have read by Valerie Keogh. This was no exception and I enjoyed every page. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here..


The Folly by Gemma Amor


Anyone who follows my blog regularly will know that I do not read horror but I made an exception for this one.  You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


The Box by Jo Linsdell


This is a charming book that young children will love. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Gone With the Penguins by Hazel Prior


This book is the third in a trilogy and having not read the first two did not spoil my enjoyment. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


A Little Christmas Spirit by Susan Buchanan


If you are looking for the perfect Christmas read then you need look no further than this book.  You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux by M. J. Robotham


Ruby Devereaux is an outstanding character and one that I will not easily forget.   You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Happiness by Danielle Steel


This was chosen by my book group this month. Unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea.


The Foyles Bookshop Girls' Promise by Elaine Roberts


This book is set in London during World War One and is wonderfully atmospheric. You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Skyfleet: March of the Mutabugs by Victoria Williamson


This book which is aimed at a middle grade readership is full of action and adventure.  You can read my review and find out more about the book by clicking here.


Books I Am Currently Reading


Casa Paradisio by Francesca Scanacapra

My Beloved Monster by Caleb Carr

Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi

The Fellowship of Puzzle Makers by Samuel Burr