Book Review: Single by K.L. Slater

January 19, 2020

Single by K.L. Slater
Published by Bookouture on October 25th 2019
ISBN: 9781786819277
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thrillers, Suspense, Psychological, General
Pages: 362
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher, NetGalley
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

‘I keep feeling like I’m being watched – dropping the boys off at school, choosing wine at the supermarket – but when I turn around there’s nobody there…’

When single mother Darcy’s son falls from a rope bridge at a local playground, life stands still. She clutches his small, limp body, frozen, until a pair of strong hands push her aside, and she watches as George, a local doctor, saves her son’s life.

George is a single parent too, and with his twinkling hazel eyes, easy charm, and lack of wedding band is almost too good to be true, but coffee becomes lunch, lunch becomes dinner, and soon they can’t go an evening without seeing each other. When he invites her to move into his beautiful home with its sprawling garden for her boys, Darcy doesn’t hesitate.

But as Darcy is settling in, she receives a bunch of flowers with a chilling message. George says they’re from an obsessed ex-girlfriend, Opal, and days later Opal turns up at Darcy’s son’s football match. She claims to have shocking information that could threaten George’s custody of his daughter.

Darcy doesn’t know who to trust, but she’s starting to suspect that, whatever the truth, she might have put her beloved boys into terrible danger …

From the million-copy-bestselling author K.L. Slater this utterly gripping psychological thriller will make you gasp out loud as you race towards the unforgettable twist. If you loved The Girl on the Train and The Wife Between Us this book is for you.

What everyone is saying about Single:

‘I would liken reading 'Single' to being strapped into a car with a broken axle on the Tilt-A-Whirl carnival ride. You're gonna get tossed around until you don't know which way is up. Yet, in the end, you can't deny that it was one helluva ride. All superlatives aside, this book stands out in its cleverness and execution. K.L. Slater knocked it out of the park. 5+ stars.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Another stunning novel from KL Slater. .Loved every twist and turn. The only negative is what to read next as it won’t live up to KL Slater, fingers crossed her next novel won’t take long!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow, I LOVED this book!!! 5 stars easy!! This is my first novel by K.L. Slater and most certainly will not be my last. …This is the kind of book you cannot put down or stop thinking about. I often had chills and felt like I experiencing this story as the main character. There is no way you will be able to guess the ending.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘WOW WOW WOW!!! What a fantastic book!! I couldn't put this one down. Just when i thought i knew what was going on , I changed my mind, and yet again. Twists twists and more twists. i love this author but this book blew me away best yet from her!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Well a great big enormous WOW this was such a brilliant read, totally compulsive and everything you want in a psychological thriller !! ‘ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book kept me awake until the early hours, promising myself time and again that I would only read one more chapter until I was too far into the story to stop. All in all it's a really great read.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘K L Slater is a master of the psychological thriller genre and Single is yet another example of this. I read this book in just a few hours, not ready to put it down and determined to work out how it would end. Every scenario I came up with was wrong, and to me that is a sign of a great story. This one was so twisty and believable - fantastic. If you have not read anything by Slater before what are you waiting for? Seriously, you will not regret it.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What would you do if everything you knew was essentially a lie? We all have different ways of dealing and coping but it isn’t out of the realms of possibility to believe that some people would sink into depression. That’s what Darcy’s situation in Single has been like for the past four years. Her husband is dead, a fight with an illness took him quickly. But, whilst navigating the heavy, murky waters of grief, she discovers that her husband had been unfaithful. He hadn’t just had an affair, but he essentially was living a double life. He spent half the week with another woman. Her psyche broke and all that while trying to support her two sons who obviously no longer had their dad.

The story is principally told in the perspectives of Darcy and that of handsome, personable Urology Consultant, George Mortimer. He is also a single dad to Romy. Her mum also having passed away. They have so much in common. Two lives that seem ready to move forward, together, after having being dealt a really rubbish set of cards in life. As they become closer you can see that George has more than one skeleton in his closet. The story develops, and it becomes more twisty.

The secondary characters in Single were extremely unlikeable. I know that was the author’s intention but at times I felt like they should have been genuine and caring and they would have got a lot further in their needs and wants. Take Darcy’s sister-in-law for example, she professed to being her best friend and having her best interests at heart, but her actions are in complete conflict with that. Who on earth tells their friend that considering dating again after four years is too soon? It’s just manipulative and controlling to the highest extremes.

Darcy had so much on her plate. When the five of them went to Yorkshire to stay in a lodge at Christmas it really started gaining traction. Odd occurrences, the feeling of being watched, letters, flowers being delivered, photos obviously being taken. George talks about a past girlfriend and Darcy wonders if it could be someone from her past? George’s explanation has the warning bells thumping a deathening beat. What is he hiding?

I did struggle to fully be taken in with the twists in Single and I really wanted to be. I wanted it to be more menacing, more shocking, a complete gasp moment when all was revealed. One incident happened, and I couldn’t help but think if it happened to me, I probably wouldn’t have given it two thoughts. I really wanted more tension, a feeling of balancing on a knifes edge that I just didn’t experience with this story. I enjoyed the story and wouldn’t hesitate on giving K.L. Slaters other books a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After years of trying to get published and never getting further than the slush pile, I went back to university at the age of 40 where I gained a first-class honours degree in English & Creative Writing and an MA in Creative Writing with distinction.

Although I also had a day job during the five years I studied at university, the courses gave me the time and space to try different writing and increased my confidence and belief in my writing. Before I graduated from my MA, I had secured representation at the Darley Anderson Literacy, TV and Film Agency who got me my first book deal. My literary agent is Camilla Bolton.

My first adult psychological thriller for Bookouture, ‘Safe with Me’, actually started life as my dissertation on my English & Creative Writing degree in 2010.

The creepy voice of Anna came to me strong and insistent . . . she wanted to be written, she wouldn’t go away. I’m so glad I listened!

Please take a look at my ‘Books’ page for the full list of my titles.

I first became published writing Young Adult fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books under the name Kim Slater. My award-winning YA debut, SMART, started life as a short story for my MA in Creative Writing in 2012.

I am now a full-time writer. I have a daughter and two stepsons and live with my husband in Nottingham and Yorkshire.

Website

Book Review: Pine by Francine Toon

January 18, 2020

I received this book for free from Anne @ Random Things Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Pine by Francine Toon
Published by Transworld on January 23 2020
ISBN: 9781473569232
Genres: Fiction, Ghost, Horror, General
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

They are driving home from the search party when they see her. The trees are coarse and tall in the winter light, standing like men. Lauren and her father Niall live alone in the Highlands, in a small village surrounded by pine forest. When a woman stumbles out onto the road one Halloween night, Niall drives her back to their house in his pickup. In the morning, she's gone. In a community where daughters rebel, men quietly rage, and drinking is a means of forgetting, mysteries like these are not out of the ordinary. The trapper found hanging with the dead animals for two weeks. Locked doors and stone circles. The disappearance of Lauren's mother a decade ago. Lauren looks for answers in her tarot cards, hoping she might one day be able to read her father's turbulent mind. Neighbours know more than they let on, but when local teenager Ann-Marie goes missing it's no longer clear who she can trust. In spare, haunting prose, Francine Toon creates an unshakeable atmosphere of desolation and dread. In a place that feels like the end of the world, she unites the gloom of the modern gothic with the pulse of a thriller. It is the perfect novel for our haunted times.

Just where do I start? Francine Toon has spun a beautifully unsettling story. Her imagination for novel writing is what Einstein was to science. The book cover is completely apt – it visualises everything the story promises to be. It’s desolate, it’s eerie and it’s intensely unnerving. If you have followed this blog tour and you haven’t added this to your TBR – well, there is something wrong with you! This book and it’s captivating writing has been building in hushed tones upto a deafening crescendo that refuses to quiet. This is a book that just won’t stop. Be prepared to get sucked into its pages and become one with the story.

Insanely captivating. Pine has the same effect as a rollercoaster. You are fully prepared for it to leave you spinning and delirious, but you can’t be expected to prepare for the break neck speed of the narrative. This was an unputdownable novel, it’s an overused description but the term was absolutely coined for this story. I felt haunted and deeply uncomfortable. Always the sign of an exquisite read. One chapter is all it took to pull me down into the murky depths of it’s narrative. It felt like icy tendrils determined to pull me under to my death. It is chillingly fantastic.

Our main character, Lauren (10) stay with her dad, Neil in a very small Scottish town. Immediately you can feel the eeriness creeping in like a thick fog. Suffocating. Blinding. Panicky. Who is the young woman that keeps appearing? Random occurrences, sometimes just brief but other times she stays that bit longer. Lauren however, has the ability to retain memory of her interactions with the spectre. What connection does this have? There is something truly unnerving about the interactions with Lauren, a child. The parallels between a child grieving for her absent mother and you can see the cogs turning in her mind about the possibility of her imagining these happenings. Lauren comes to you in an almost ethereal state herself. She’s dreamlike. The entire plot captures the thin line between childhood innocence and adulthood. That time in-between is hazy and grey and difficult to navigate.

I don’t want to spoil any of the plot because it is exquisite. It deserved to be enjoyed first hand and experienced in rapture. The author is a master and she abducts you, throws you in the boot of her car and drives you into the night. Its futile to fight. She dumps you into the unknown and leaves you to navigate the inky darkness alone. The author blew me away in a way that I didn’t think was possible. She’s created characters that are so endearing they spoke to soul. I closed the book feeling overwhelmed and edgy. She ticked all the boxes in the formulaic equation to a psychological thriller that I look for.

Pine is deliciously dark and creepy. It rejects originality and pushes forward and forges its own way. It’s claustrophobic and dreamlike and utterly captivating.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Francine Toon grew up in Sutherland and Fife, Scotland. Her poetry, written as Francine Elena, has appeared in The Sunday Times, The Best British Poetry 2013 and 2015 anthologies (Salt) and Poetry London, among other places. Pine was longlisted for the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. She lives in London and works in publishing. Follow her on Twitter @FrancineElena

Francine Toon

Book Review: The Home by Sarah Stovell

January 17, 2020

I received this book for free from Anne @ Random Things Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.

The Home by Sarah Stovell
Published by Orenda Books on 22 January 2020
ISBN: 9781912374731
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Domestic
Pages: 278
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

A gritty, dark and devastating psychological thriller centring around three troubled girls in a children's home, by the bestselling author of Exquisite
'I was immediately ensnared into the devastating and dark world of The Home and devoured it in one day ... A triumph' Holly Seddon
'Gripping, sinister and utterly heartbreaking ... I absolutely loved it' Lisa Hall
_________________
One more little secret ... one more little lie...
When the body of a pregnant fifteen-year-old is discovered in a churchyard on Christmas morning, the community is shocked, but unsurprised. For Hope lived in The Home, the residence of three young girls, whose violent and disturbing pasts have seen them cloistered away...
As a police investigation gets underway, the lives of Hope, Lara and Annie are examined, and the staff who work at the home are interviewed, leading to shocking and distressing revelations ... and clear evidence that someone is seeking revenge.
A gritty, dark and devastating psychological thriller, The Home is also an emotive drama and a piercing look at the underbelly of society, where children learn what they live ... if they are allowed to live at all.
________________
'So beautiful and haunting and ghostly and addictive and intense and sad and shocking. Just wow' Louise Beech
'A vividly disturbing, eloquent and enthralling tale ... striking, thought-provoking, compulsive storytelling' LoveReading

A poignant and a slash to the chest kind of read. In order to love a book, you need to find something that speaks to you. It needs to draw out connections. It simply knows how you tick. The Home had this in spades. The talent coming to life in these pages are like liquid gold – valuable and rare. It has the addictive pull that ties you down and stops you doing your chores. The only thing The Home does is take you hostage and holds you to ransom until you have read the final word of the final page.

This book has everything you need to hold your attention in a futile struggle. The stable Children’s Home. A forbidden love. Terrible parenting. Terrible decisions. Toxic relationships. A death. The death of a potential future. Layered betrayals. Deceit. And all the heartbreak you can take.

Sarah Stovell is an author that obviously lives and breathes her writing. The book has taken on an entity all its own. It’s like she has the secret formula that can break a heart. Mine blew straight out of my chest. Her narrative then leaves you searching for the missing pieces for the entirety of the novel. The tears pricked my eyes, my heart physically hurt but left me with an overwhelmingly urge to hug my babies tightly. I needed to show them the love I felt.

This definitely a hard book to read. The content is overwhelming. It’s a story that is meant to unseat you and make you uncomfortable. It’s hard and harrowing and makes you take a long hard look at your comfy existence. You might have experienced hard ship yourself but just how bad have you had it? It pulls and extracts such an intense level of empathy from your body…I had an all-encompassing feeling of just wanting to mother these girls. If I had the space, I would have taken them in in an instant.

This is the first book I have read by Sarah Stovell but by all means and purposes she is hitting legendary status. I will rectify that as soon as I possibly can. The characters she creates are broken, with a story to tell, dark and deep histories, but they have such a capacity for love. It’s amazing that after everything they have been through they can show love towards one another. Hope and Annie have such dogged determination. Neither of them want to be in this situation. It was never a conscious choice. They were dealt the worst betrayal from parents that should have given their lives for their kids.

The Home is a children’s Home that is a safe Haven to Hope (15) and Annie (15) and Lara (12). There have the good fortune of being surrounded by the Lake District. Despite the circumstances it could, indeed, be a lot worse. The setting, the opening chapter, the creeping shadow of desolation and despair had me hook, line and sinker. I was done for – I ended up racing to the finish.

Why you ask?

Well, Sarah Stovell has created a perfect cadence of a highly addictive plot that seeps in its intensity but try as you might to slow the reading, to savour each delicious page…it is impossible. The characters, although they have been broken down by life, they display the most amazing strength and dare I even say it a hunger to still continue living. Hope toys with the idea of ending it all but I genuinely put that down to not having any direction. These girls are the epitome of the word survival.

The story kicks off on Christmas day. Two girls are missing – Hope and Annie and Lara is in The Home, silent and unyielding. Choices come full circle and that message is being shouted loud and clear. It’s audible, deafening and terrifyingly deep. A girl is found beside the water, dead and the other is hysterical with her grief. It is bone deep. After the story starts to unfold you wonder just how much one person can take?

Annie’s metamorphosis from victim to survivor is poignantly beautiful – she’s scarred and with flaws, but she stands tall. The author has wrote about a superhero in my eyes and her characterisation spoke to me so clearly. It was impossible not to love her.

The Home is a chillingly, deeply disturbing take on the unreliable narrator. It unseats you. The narrative is razor sharp and unlike anything you have ever read before.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THE HOME

Sarah Stovell, author of The Home published by Orenda Books.

Sarah Stovell was born in 1977 and spent most of her life in the Home Counties before a season working in a remote North Yorkshire youth hostel made her realise she was a northerner at heart. She now lives in Northumberland with her partner and two children and is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Lincoln University. Her debut psychological thriller, Exquisite, was called ‘the book of the summer’ by Sunday Times.

Sarah Stovell

Review: Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

January 11, 2020

by J. K. Rowling
Published by Pottermore Publishing Genres: Action & Adventure, Boarding School & Prep School, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, General, School & Education, Wizards & Witches, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Format: Paperback

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone -- or something -- starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets is the second instalment in the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise. The book opens up during the summer break, therefore, Harry is back with his mother’s sister, Petunia and his uncle Vernon and their disgusting son, Dudley. The abuse of Harry is still very much apparent, and he is longing for summer break to be over, so that he can be back with his friends. The friends that haven’t bothered to write to him all summer. No communication. Nothing. He needs to be back with his own people not with family that don’t treat him like family at all, but, how will he get there?

Harry’s first year brought shocks and anguish after discovering that the wizard that killed his parents and tried to kill him is still alive, although in more of a half-life. He has been using others to drain the energy from – finding a way to regain his power. The man who must not be named – Lord Voldemort. This book really opens the door into Voldemort. Harry discovers an enchanted diary that gives him an unadulterated view into the memories of Voldemort. What happened in his school years to turn him into the monster he is now? What kind of power does he have over people? Is he just as smooth as it is believed he was?

Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, becomes entranced by him. He reaches out to her through the diary. Ginny is his perfect target. She pours her heart out to the diary and he is an understanding, attentive ear. She tells him her deepest secrets and fears, including, for her wish to have Harry Potter notice her. This goes on months and all the while Voldemort uses her as a vessel to get stronger. He’s becoming stronger and as a result of this manages to get Ginny to unleash a monster that petrifies the victim. This runs alongside Harry hearing a voice that apparently only he can hear – it is discovered that this is because he is a parselmouth – the ability to talk to snakes. This is an extremely worrying development as the founder of Slytherin was also one.

Ominous messages appear in the school threatening that non-full-blood student will die. This seriously concerns Harry and Ron as their best friend, Hermione is one such student. It also signals the point when the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened. The last time was fifty years ago. The trio investigate and discover that Hagrid was expelled during that time for harbouring a dangerous, man-eating spider. Will they find out who opened the chamber before the monster kills someone?

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets was one of real intrigue. The writing was captivating, and I read it all within one sitting. Rowling incorporates themes of child naivety and the teenage horror, therefore, discovering that the adults can’t always protect you. I would have enjoyed reading more about Lord Voldemort and his past. I’m looking forward to getting immersed into the next book. The strength of the main character base is still hugely enjoyable with some new characters adding complexity and human emotions into the mix.

Check out my review to book one Here

Review: The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould

January 8, 2020

I received this book for free from Anne @ Random Things Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould

The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould
Published by Myriad Editions on January 29th 2020
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories (single author), Suspense, Thrillers, Women
Pages: 64
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

‘This dazzling series shows that if the barriers can be vaulted there is true beauty to be had from the lesser-walked streets of literature. These works are both nourishing and inspiring, and a gift to any reader.’ —Kerry Hudson
A gripping tale of post-natal depression, this short story reads like a modern retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and has much in common with Sarah Water' The Little Stranger in its realisation of psychological distress as a supernatural phenomenon.A new mother, traumatised by an arduous labour, tries to come to terms with being abandoned as a baby by Olivia, the mother she never knew. Set in the eponymous ‘Strawberry Water’, a mysterious 1920s country bungalow which overlooks a fast-flowing river, the story begins with a faded photograph of the woman our narrator assumes to be her mother.
Spotlight Books is a collaboration between Creative Future, New Writing South and Myriad Editions to discover, guide and support writers who are under-represented due to mental or physical health issues, disability, race, class, gender identity or social circumstance.

The Haunting of Strawberry Water catapults you into an ethereal memory of an important figure. A Mother. An extension of yourself, connected by genes and love. Someone that will stand by you until their last breath. They can protect you or they can destroy that link forever. Tara Gould depicts an elegant but deeply heart-breaking tome that displays the links between motherhood and mental health. It’s disturbing but so very perfect. Gould is an artist of trauma, she knows exactly how to inject a longing and flaw to her character. Is our outcome in life more of an inevitability due to our childhoods or can it be altered?

An extremely toxic relationship between a girl and her forgotten mother. It’s the kind of novel that will capture your attention and have you examining your own relationship with your mother. It’s deeply claustrophobic. The regimes that the abandoned daughter goes through to keep that one link to the forgotten one. The narrative voice is strong, with a sense of melancholy that seems to escalate as the character ages. It was interesting to see a child grow right before our eyes. Her mannerisms, her growth, her constant longing for answers to a broken link in a chain. Her own change into a mother herself.

It really is a story of growth and change. A coming of age story. However, I felt the story was directed more towards Olivia, the mother. Why she left, who she was, where did she go? She was the ever-present ghost in the life of a girl that shaped how she lived her own life. Becoming a mother is a massive event, it changes you in ways you never knew were even possible. You suddenly have this little bundle that you are completely responsible for and it can weigh heavily on you. Your previous life is never going to be the same again. You must change and adapt. It was a highly emotional study of relationships and hardship. Regret and longing.

The Haunting of Strawberry Water is a totally original, emotionally charged short story of incredible loss of potential. The potential of love. It’s dark and layered.

Tara Gould, the author of short story, The Haunting of Strawberry Water

Tara Gould studied visual arts at Brighton University and an MA at Sussex University. Her short stories have been published in anthologies including the Asham Anthology for Women Writers, and her plays have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. In 2016 she was Writer in Residence at Creative Futures. She lives in East Sussex.

https://twitter.com/taragouldy?lang=en

A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone

January 7, 2020

I received this book for free from Anne @ Random Things Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Dark Matter by Doug Johnstone
Published by Orenda Books Limited on November 23 2019
ISBN: 9781912374991
Genres: Fiction, City Life, Mystery & Detective, Private Investigators, Cozy, General, Noir, Women Sleuths, Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Psychological, Thrillers, Crime, Domestic, Women, Urban, Humorous, Black Humor, Family Life, Literary, Amateur Sleuth, Suspense
Pages: 300
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

Three generations of women from the Skelfs family take over the family funeral home and PI businesses in the first book of a taut, page-turning and darkly funny new series.
‘I was addicted from the first page; gripping, gritty and darkly funny as hell’ Erin Kelly
‘A Dark Matter showcases a writer at the peak of his powers, except that with every book, Doug Johnstone just gets better’ Val McDermid
'Emotionally complex, richly layered and darkly funny. An addictive blend of Case Histories and Six Feet Under’ Chris Brookmyre
_________________
Meet the Skelfs: well-known Edinburgh family, proprietors of a long-established funeral-home business, and private investigators...
When patriarch Jim dies, it’s left to his wife Dorothy, daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah to take charge of both businesses, kicking off an unexpected series of events.
Dorothy discovers mysterious payments to another woman, suggesting that Jim wasn’t the husband she thought he was. Hannah’s best friend Mel has vanished from university, and the simple adultery case that Jenny takes on leads to something stranger and far darker than any of them could have imagined.
As the women struggle to come to terms with their grief, and the demands of the business threaten to overwhelm them, secrets from the past emerge, which change everything...
A compelling, tense and shocking thriller and a darkly funny and warm portrait of a family in turmoil, A Dark Matter introduces a cast of unforgettable characters, marking the start of an addictive new series.
_________________
‘A fiendish mystery that is also deeply moving and laced with suitably dark humour ... set to be one of the books of the year’ Mark Billingham
‘This dark but touching thriller makes for a thoroughly enjoyable slice of Edinburgh noir’ Mary Paulson-Ellis
‘A tense ride ... strong, believable characters’ Kerry Hudson, Big Issue
‘Dark, engrossing, impossible to put down. By turns a crime thriller, a family saga, and a page-turner, this book has everything!’ Luca Veste
'That rare book with heart and smarts to lift it above your average crime novel’ Stuart Neville
‘I can never get enough of Doug Johnstone’s thoughtful, observant, soul-lifting writing’ Louise Beech
‘Piercing, wonderfully real and so very readable ... a breath of fresh air’ LoveReading
‘This is confident, assured characterisation that carries the story brilliantly well and keeps the reader utterly immersed in the interwoven story strands’ Live & Deadly
‘A Dark Matter is further proof that Doug Johnstone is as versatile a writer as they come ... there’s rhythm and music in his words’ From Belgium with Booklove
‘A thriller that begs to be read in one sitting. Highly recommend’ The Book Review Café
‘Deliciously chilling, with a wry humour running throughout ... toxic, unsettling and just perfect’ Random Things through My Letterbox

The dark sense of Scottish humour has never been utilised to its full potential. Until now. A Dark Matter is a multi-layered double entendre that is pushing itself to the surface. It capitulates the dreich weather, the wounds that get hidden by alcohol but it’s all held up by the innate will of three immensely strong female characters. They are determined. They are strong and above all…no-one should try to fuck them over! Orenda Books is my go-to publisher for crime fiction and when you find an author that drips in his skill for getting the average scots character down, you know you’re onto a winner.

We have a trio of incredibly strong women. At the top of the matriarchy is, Dorothy. A spunky 70-year-old Californian. She should be commended on her ease for settling in Scotland so well. It really can’t be easy coming from those sun kissed beaches and being faced with dreich and dour weather. She married the love of her life and they were there for each right until the end. Dorothy is a widower, a mother, a grandmother and nothing stands in her way. She put everything into her life with Jim. Their funeral director business, their marriage but did Jim feel the same way? What changed?

Jenny, Dorothy and Jim’s daughter. I loved her. She’s fallen on hard times. She’s been made redundant, she is struggling with the payments on her flat, she seems to have lost her direction in life. Her daughter is grown up, flourishing at university but Jenny seems to be going from situation to situation. Craig her ex treated her appallingly, cheated on her and left her to pick up the pieces. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly but her moral compass is still intact, despite the circumstances. She is now living back with her mum after her father’s passing and is aiding in the funeral directors and the private investigation business. Can she finally find what’s missing and move forward?

Hannah, Jenny’s daughter can be a wee bit obsessive. She focusses on the end goal and never loses sight of it. She is one smart cookie. She is neutralised and held up by her partner, Indy. What a team they make. They are each the others Ying and Yang. Hannah is rocked by the disappearance of her flatmate, Mel. She knows something isn’t right, and my Jove, she’ll get to the bottom of it.

Never doubt how strong a woman a can be, nor how dangerous. Hand this book to those who doubt and wait for their reactions – there are three Skelf women in this story and they are definitely a force to reckoned with. Each one is struggling with their grief. Dorothy finds out her husband has been making strange payments from their business account to an unknown woman. Jenny needs to navigate her new life and her case involving a cheating man. Hannah needs to focus on finding her friend otherwise where will her thoughts take her?

Events lead to a crescendo of shocks and emotion. Will the Skelf women be swallowed up cold hard facts? Are they dabbling in things that they have no right dabbling in? It’s all very bleak – love and death are two sides of the same coin.

I’m very pleased this is going to be a series, I can’t wait to see what the author has the Skelf women getting up to next. The author hasn’t only created a bubble of death and mystery but real deep-thinking points also. He has addressed the #metoo issue and carved away the fog that often surrounds it. Women are so often brought up around by everyday misogyny that sometimes it can be difficult to picture it a different way. Would it be viewed differently if women were treating men in the same way. Even when they do, it seems to be more of a non-issue. The metoo movement needs to be tackled from both angles and Doug Johnstone does that eloquently.

Dark Matter was like quicksand. When you opened the books pages it sucked you in, further and further, until you were all in…nothing was going to pull you out. Doug steers you in each direction, a myriad of compulsive, addictive stories. He’s the crazy driver but you got in his car willingly. You’re in for the long haul, there is no getting out. It really is a book of self-discovery of three immovable women. They discover a lot about themselves. The backdrop was spot on, a true portrayal of Edinburgh. From the weather to the culture, each woman sees their city differently. Their experiences aren’t the same. It really breathes a dark and foreboding element into its pages…fear lurking within.

A Dark Matter is hypnotically readable. It was intense and surreal with a sense of creeping dread pouring from its spines. Doug Johnstone is a master craftsman that will continue to get better and better. This book had me gasping for breath at its sheer brilliance.

Doug Johnstone, author of dark new thriller, A Dark Matter.

Doug Johnstone is the author of ten novels, most recently Breakers (2018), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at various institutions – including a funeral home – and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also player- manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.

https://dougjohnstone.com/

ARC Book Review: Inside by D.M. Siciliano

December 24, 2019

Inside by D.M. Siciliano
Published by The Parliament House via PublishDrive on October 15, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Supernatural, Suspense, Psychological
Pages: 350
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
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“Inside is a gripping, page-turning novel from a promising new horror writer.” -April A Taylor, award-winning author of The Haunting of Cabin Green and Sinkhole

1987 “Does it burn in the dark?”Reid is a bully, but he’s still Alex’s best friend. When Reid pushes Alex and their friends into invading a historically haunted Massachusetts house, Alex knows it’s a terrible idea, but indulges his friend. What could go wrong?Inside, a mysterious Shadow looms in the darkness. The door to the house vanishes, leaving them trapped. The group flees through the tiny, one-roomed house that defies logic, constantly shifting, presenting them with new doors, hallways, and rooms that seem to be plucked from their memories and fears. One by one, the Shadow hunts them, intent on burning them all from within.Is there any way to escape? Or will they be burned from the inside out?

I hope you are all ready to sit in the corner and rock your way through this review. Inside, looked like the poster for the latest horror movie – this apt title hides the deeper meaning to the story. Huge revelations, relationships pulled so taut that they threaten to snap. This book has you standing on the precipice of hell, the flames threatening to lick at your heels, the heat seducing you within. A house is just bricks and mortar, right? Ha! the house was built with the devils’ hands, each brick more evil than the last. The house embodies a threatening shadow using your fears to destroy and weaken you. Don’t rely on your Nike’ because you can’t outrun hell.

Reid one of our five protagonists has the bright idea of breaking into a haunted house. He bullies his friends into joining him. The whole town know the house is evil, they don’t know what haunts it or why – they just know its hell personified. The premise of the house emitting an extreme heat – like hells own personal gateway. The awful truth of what lies within had me scared right from the start. The reader doesn’t have time to ponder the what’s before it all goes sideways. The evil and the fear instantly make itself known like being thrown into the eye of the storm. Can they weather it?

Not one of the protagonists wants to back out. They want to prove their worth, their courage and Reid uses all the bully-boy tactics in the book. It becomes very clear that they aren’t going to get out of this easily. They are faced with shifting walls and windows and the main exit disappearing. Interesting premise, right? The house becomes a living and breathing entity. Fear and loathing become king. These initial scenes gave me such a palpable sense of dread, the words came to life and threatened to choke the life out of me.

The Protagonists have no clue to what lurks in the dark but boy oh boy does the author know! This made me check my shoulder and windows whilst I was reading. My chest felt like it had been pumped full of icy cold dread and I was completely here for it. The story encapsulates teenager’s innocence and stamping all over it.

How long can five friends stay strong for one another? The evil picks apart their psyche, taps into their biggest fears and it plays them off against each other. Its creeping presence hunts the characters one by one and breaks them down so that their mind is broken, but also with the intention of breaking their physical form too. Would anyone survive the ordeal?

The narrative was explosive. The book, from the very first page was pulse pounding – to the point I thought my skin was going to tear and blood spurting from within. Childhood was forever destroyed but the author also brought to the forefront the dark and deep nature of traumatised upbringings. The storytelling was irresistible to the horror lovers. The author has brought together two frightening narratives spanning the evil within the house and deep nature of childhood. This is a book that runs parallel with the essence of childhood – some don’t make it out alive.

The moment I closed this book it has been haunting me…it reminds so much of Stephen King’s earlier work. It was so gripping; the tension was ratcheted up with a cold dread that had me questioning whether I needed to turn the heating up. If this is a debut…well the author is going to have a very successful career ahead of her.

The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall

June 4, 2019

The Honeymoon by Rona Halsall
Published by Bookouture on June 17, 2019
ISBN: 9781786819505
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Psychological, General, Noir, Women, Mystery & Detective
Pages: 350
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
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‘I’m your husband, Chloe. We’re a partnership now and we do what’s best for us as a couple.’

Chloe finally feels like she’s got her life together. After a difficult childhood and losing both parents, she worked hard for the life she loves in lively Brighton, helping people as a physiotherapist. And then she meets the perfect man.

It’s a whirlwind romance, but Dan is handsome, funny, and simply the kindest man she’s ever met. When she sees him standing by the altar, tears glistening in his eyes, she knows this will be for always.

As they sunbathe on their honeymoon island, laughing over drinks, planning their future with their feet in the sand, Dan jokes that he’d like them to stay there forever.

At first, Chloe couldn’t agree more. It’s tempting to imagine truly leaving her troubled past behind. But as the honeymoon goes on, he becomes increasingly adamant. They shouldn’t leave. In fact, he won’t let her…

Is he protecting her, as he claims? Or is it something more sinister? An utterly gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Clare Mackintosh, and The Wife Between Us.

Readers are loving The Honeymoon:
‘A story full of secrets, twists and unexpected wow moments! This thriller will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I loved how many twists there were… It made it so exciting to read and the whole book I was dying to know what was going to happen next… And I could never have guessed… Such a rollercoaster ride!... Exciting and twisty.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A 5 star book for me! It had that ball of mixed feelings, adrenaline, twists!... I absolutely loved The Honeymoon and cannot recommend the book enough! Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘An enthralling read packed full of secrets and lies. It’s one of those books that draws you straight in from picking it up and making it very hard to put back down again. Will certainly keep you on your toes and have you on the edge of your seat.’ By the Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars

‘Kept me guessing the whole way through… I absolutely loved this book, it was a real page turner… Bursting with mystery and deeply buried secrets.’ Ramblings of a Book Addict

‘I absolutely 100% loved this book! A 5 star read… The Honeymoon had it all...twists, turns, a beautiful setting, characters we want to hate and ones we want to love, paranoia, and a sense of something bad about to happen… CRAZY AND TWISTED!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A twisty book, full of surprises… I couldn't put down even if I tried, I was reading practically open mouthed at the way the finale picked up pace (well what I thought was the finale!). And still the shocks kept on coming, all the way to the last page.’

‘A must-read gripping, twisty, addictive, brilliant read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I devoured this book in one night—it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! There were many unexpected twists, right up to the very end! Highly engaging book, I definitely recommend!’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Five big shiny well deserved stars!… A story full of secrets, twists and unexpected wow moments! This thriller will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘So many twists and turns; right when you think you know what is going on, the author throws another twist at you to prove how wrong you are. Wow the ending was amazing I never saw it coming and it hit you like a ton of bricks. I wish could read this story again for the first time just to get that huge shock. Great read ,I loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Well, you know that moment when you close a book and you just have to take a moment to sit and think over what you have just read…Yes, you say. Well this is just one of those books. Gripping, Scream at the pages and Intellectually satisfying is how I would instantly describe this book. I haven’t rated a book as 5 stars in a while, this just ticked all of my boxes, it was just that amazing. Here is a few reasons why;

Chloes character arc goes from needing to be wanted by anyone to a strong and powerful force.

We meet Chloe, a practising physiotherapist within the NHS, treating Dan’s mother, who has taken a fall and needs assistance in regaining her strength. Chloe is immediately taken with Dan’s looks, we have a narrative of her failed relationships, her failed relationship with her brother and sister and gran (reasons will be revealed) and she is carrying guilt and responsibility around with her like a ton weight around her neck. She is sucked into Dan’s charm and almost can’t believe her luck that we would be remotely interested in her. They have a very quick courtship that leads to marriage within the space of two months (I know right?!) The wedding arrangements are made and the rest is history or is it? Is it possible that Chloe’s married bliss could be now filled with seeds of doubt?

Dan is more than a bit bat-shit cray cray

Dan seems like the perfect gentleman. Dan wine and dines her every night. Dan wants to spend every minute with Chloe. (RED MASSIVE WARNING BELLS HERE, SURELY?) He cares for his mum, surely that says more about his character than the claxons that were going off in my head? Dan proposes so soon and the wedding is rushed along in a few months with only around 6 guests. They both head off on their honeymoon and things start to go wrong. He alters decisions without having a discussion first, he does some hugely irrational, counterproductive, dumb assery things. Halfway through the book, I just found myself shouting at Chloe for being so damn niave.

Secrets are kept between the two of them leading to a catalyst of it all exploding out. One particular moment being when Dan has nightmares that give Chloe more insight than Dan would either like or want. Chloe shows admirable loyalty to those she loves but there has to be a point where she figures out 2+2=4.

The writing is outstanding

The initial few pages of the book just completely grabbed me and I knew I had to keep reading. The subject matter was very intense but it evoked such emotion from me and that alone in my opinion made this book a success. The story flowed brilliantly, it didn’t feel stagnated or slow. It went along at the pace it was meant to. It had my heart in my mouth and I just had to keep reading to find out the outcome of the story.

Plot – Well Executed

The plot was a serious and intense and for some it could be a trigger when reading. The author handled it appropriately and made it very believable, but in a very fear inducing way. It left you thinking that this could easily happen to you or I. You knew as soon as Chloe arrived in Menorca with Dan that it wasn’t going to be plain sailing and there would be difficulties along the way, just how extreme these difficulties would be were a bit of a shock. The author executed the dialogue and the emotions so well that I could feel anger and fear on behalf of Chloe. The twists and turns weren’t confusing, you had those a-ha moments and just utter shock at some of the actions. The plot was intricate but easy to follow.

Overall, this was an amazing, fast -paced book to read. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys getting lost in Psychological Thrillers.

The Never List by Koethi Zan

June 2, 2019

The Never List by Koethi Zan
Published by Penguin on June 24, 2014
ISBN: 9780143125587
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Crime
Pages: 303
Format: Paperback
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“Psychological thriller writing at its best. Cancel appointments and give up on sleep. It’s that kind of book.” —Jeffery Deaver
For years, Sarah Farber and her best friend, Jennifer, kept what they called the Never List: a list of actions to be avoided at all costs, for safety’s sake. But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride—one with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism. Ten years later, Sarah’s abductor is up for parole and she can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends to her from prison. But when Sarah decides to confront her phobias and reconnect with the other survivors she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.
A blazingly fast read with eerie similarities to the recent kidnapping case in Cleveland, The Never List is a smart, riveting, and bold pageturner that will leave readers awake all night with the lights on.

I enjoy a good messed up psychological thriller as much as the next person and this didn’t disapoint. The story follows the main character Sarah Farber, now being referred to as Caroline Morrow. It opens up on her flashbacks of being held captive in a cellar in her captors house, one Jack Derber. Jack by all accounts is an incredibly intelligent man but boy is he scarily dangerous.

Sarah now lives her life in a very OCD and controlled way. She never goes outside, she works from home and her concierge of her apartment block never lets anyone near her door unless he has her prior consent. Everything changes when her ex captor is up for his parole hearing and the victims keep receiving letters from him. Jim, the investigating FBI officer talks her into being a witness in his hearing alongside Tracey, another victim. These two have no relationship and Tracey refuses to be in the same room as her. Intriguing? Sarah finds out that Tracey also has received letters and makes the connection that the cryptic information included within could solve some of her questions she contacts Tracey to try and get her on board.

Sarah’s friend, Jennifer was killed during their time in captivity and Sarah hasn’t been able to find peace, is this her opportunity to uncover the truth? Where did he bury her?

Sarah and Tracey discover that whilst in jail, Jack has married a girl called Sylvia and Sarah travels back to try and make contact with her, however, she has dissapeared without a trace. They discover that she was a part of a religious cult. Sarah meets with the leader of said cult, Noah. Another interesting character. Tracey and Sarah go on a road trip of acceptance, intrigue and terror, they meet characters along the way that not only confuse their track to discovering the real driving force behind Jack’s motivations but cement their suspicions.

The first half of the book had me hooked, I enjoyed the narrative of the past and the future. You can feel the very terror of their situation and was edge of your seat reading. However, it fell a bit flat in places for me personally. Jack Derber was this big terrifying figure that had plagued and tortured the women for years and yet within this book there was no appearance from him, no scene with him and I did feel completely dissapointed with that. The terror would have been more relatable if we had some scenes with him.

The other issue I had with the narrative was how readily Tracey seemed to be willing to accept what Sarah offered as way of an explanation and then they just got on with things like they were best buddies. In a real life scenario there would have been far more questioning and relationship building – It was a major event after all.

It was a page turner for sure, you wanted to find outcome to the story and although the ending was a bit shocking I don’t think it was fully out there in terms of endings. However, I would have like to find out what happened explained instead of just skimmed over, therefore I’m rating this book

Cake by Nicole Reed

May 20, 2019

Cake by Nicole Reed
Published by Createspace Independent Pub on 2013-08
ISBN: 9781491068113
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 248
Format: eBook
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Would you be willing to make a mess of your life to get exactly what you want?Kylie Lord has known Trent Moss and Dray Savage since college. Trent, the smart and kind-hearted humanitarian has had her heart from the moment they met, but someone else always had his. Dray is an arrogant professional football player who happens to be Trent's best friend and Kylie's nemesis “with benefits.”Three years after graduation, Kylie is commanding the world with a successful business; however, she lacks the one thing she wants and the one thing she can never have. That is, until one fateful day when Kylie decides to go after all of her forbidden fantasies and risk everything.Two men, completely different and poles apart, but together they are her idea of perfection. One can only offer her tonight and the other forever, but can Kylie settle for just one man, or can she have her cake and eat it too?

Kylie Lord has known adoptive brother’s, Trent and Dray for a long time. Nearly as long as she has been in love with Trent. Drey, however, has been nothing short of an asshole to her. Drey lays on thick the sexual innuendos and just triggers her rage. They tolerate each other for the sake of Trent. She can’t imagine a time where Drey would ever treat her with respect. That all changes when Drey suffers a serious concussion and Trent encourages Kylie to be by his side, seeing as he can’t. Trent is the humanitarian that is currently in Africa, improving water supplies for impoverished communities.

Whilst Kylie helps Drey back to full health and fitness, things seem to irrevocably change between them. Her feelings alter, develop and then Trent returns home. She still loves Trent but can she have them both. Can she have her cake and eat it too?

I have read a few other love triangle novels and more often than not I’m hard to please because the female character usually fustrates me no end with their indecision. Kylie Lord, owns a boutique and is financially stable and responsible. It was good to read about a slightly more mature female character that hasn’t needed to rely on a boyfriend. The one sticking point for me in regards to her character was, how long until this point that she waited around for a guy that essentially seen her as a sister. Like, why? Live your life have fun, You can’t make someone want you. Drey, was a nice guy that disguised his feelings in banter that Kylie took as meanness. He didn’t tell her that he was interested, due to two reasons. 1- That she was waiting for Trent and 2 – because both the brothers had no idea how to engage in a healthy romantic relationship, having never experienced it as children, being passed from foster family to foster family. Brilliant complimentary characters, Kylie’s best friend Madison had a whole lot of Drama herself but the bond between them was heartwarming. My favourite character had to be Kylie’s aunt who was dying of breast cancer, who not only imparted little pearls of wisdom and some awesome witty comebacks. I CRIED. (That’s all I’m saying.)

“I once heard that love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend”

The book is set in Atlanta and you get a feel from the dialogue and descriptions of the area what it is like to live there. It set up the story nicely.

I really hate to bring this one up, but for me it really is a big one. I don’t know if I had an earlier edition of the book or not bad I did find some of the writing was poor. Grammar was all over the shop at times and sometimes I had to go back over a passage as some of it didn’t initially make sense. I don’t like bashing authors, I really don’t, I know how much hardwork goes into producing it but I do feel editing services would have greatly helped.

Apart from the spelling and grammar issue there wasn’t anything really that I hated about the story. The only knit picky things are, how Kylie was happy to wait around for a man that he himself stated, loved like a sister. I also didn’t really feel an emotional connection to Trent. His emergence into the story was very late on so didn’t really see the amazing connection that they apparently had. Also what was the end story between Madison and Nick Andrews, that really seemed to be a loose end that was tied up at the end.

The book was fun, would I recommend it to friends, not sure. The humor and the angst was enough to keep me entertained. Lots of people seemed to love this so maybe its just me.