Blog Tour: The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley

February 10, 2020

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

the wreckage by robin morgan bentley - Blog Tour: The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley

The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley
on February 6, 2020
ISBN: 9781409194170
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Blog Tour: The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley

'Immersive, compulsive and gripping' C. L. Taylor
'Clever and compelling' Fiona Barton
Things will never be the same again...
Ben is driving on the motorway, on his usual commute to the school where he works.
A day like any other, except for Adam, who in a last despairing act jumps in front of Ben's car, and in killing himself, turns the teacher's world upside down.
Wracked with guilt and desperate to clear his conscience, Ben develops a friendship with Alice, Adam's widow, and her 7-year-old son Max.
But as he tries to escape the trauma of the wreckage, could Ben go too far in trying to make amends?
Gripping and sinister, The Wreckage is guaranteed to keep you up all night...

The Wreckage– it’s clear from the offset the tone this story is going to take. A car wreck. Speeding towards an end goal that destroys lives. Whiplash that leaves you feeling pained and distraught. It’s a real play on the title and the deeper meaning behind it is poetic brilliance. This book hits you in the feels like a ten-tonne truck to the chest. You need to escape from the wrecked car, you’re injured, your disorientated and you have to drag yourself to safety. It’s pitch black and your senses have left you. You need to stumble from one event to the other – this book is the direct correlation to this.

As a debut I didn’t know what to expect. Let me tell you this – rarely have I read such a fully immersive, compelling and eye popping read such as The Wreckage. Robin Morgan-Bentley knows just how to lead his readers down a maze, blindfolded and panicky. A Suicide. A Grieving family. A driver left with an incredible responsibility. A mysterious note.

In mere hours Alice’s world is turned upside down. A stay at home mother to her cherished son, Max. she loves a wine or two but tell me what mother doesn’t? Was she expecting the news on that fateful day? What would drive someone to make the decision to throw themselves in front of a moving car on the motorway? I was in my element reading the alternating POV’s in The Wreckage – both Alice’s and Ben’s narrative was emotive and heart-wrenching. It left me with an extreme sense of urgency and it was compelling to have the POV of someone that had been driving the car as opposed to the usual fallout from the victim’s family.

Both Alice and Ben were victims. It was as clear as the nose on your face. Ben really struggled with the feelings of guilt and seemed to only want to do right for his perceived wrong. Alice was left to raise an eight-year-old boy who had his father and her husband wrenched from their lives. There was secrets, lies and a sense of foreboding that kept creeping into my peripheral vision. They are both trying to navigate their own versions of the highway to hell.

I found Ben to be the more interesting character. The Inspectorates proclaimed country’s best school teacher. He has a solid routine that he sticks to, doesn’t drive recklessly, the patience of a saint – the accident hits him very hard. It is also the catalyst that sends him down a destructive and obsessive path. Imagine dominoes – once that first one gets sent on its way, there is no stopping the wave of destruction. This book gave me such an addictive need to find out what happens next – I raced to the finish. The author gave me such a need to work out why Ben, Alice and Adam behaved in the way they did.

In all honesty, I really struggled with Alice. Yes, she was struggling with the death of her husband, but she presented as a bit reckless and irresponsible. She seemed to be so focussed and lost in her own grief that she seemed to lose sight of the most important person – Max. she drank too much and couldn’t acknowledge help when offered. You can tell that her world has turned grey, but she has to be strong for her son. I think the author wrote the character in such a way that you feel conflicted in how she behaves and her motives. Is wrong vs. right so obvious in this story?

The Wreckage is a tightly weaved plot that could cut your oxygen. The story left me guessing right until the end. I doubted every character and felt conflicted around every corner. Be prepared to be catapulted onto a lake of ice, you will need to navigate the thin ice without falling into the cold depths below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robin Morgan Bentley BW cropped for website 300x300 1 - Blog Tour: The Wreckage by Robin Morgan-Bentley

After graduating from Cambridge with a First Class degree in Modern and Medieval Languages, Robin Morgan-Bentley worked for five years at Google.

Since 2014, he has been the Senior Editorial Manager at Audible, responsible for deciding which audiobooks they promote to their customers and how. He also runs their podcast, Audible Sessions, and has interviewed multiple authors including Fiona Barton, Clare Mackintosh, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Anthony Horowitz and Jeffery Deaver to name a few. His conversations with them are what inspired him to start writing.

Check out Robin’s website here.
www.robinmorganbentley.com

Blog Tour: Never Look Back by A.L. Gaylin

February 7, 2020

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

never look back by a l gaylin - Blog Tour: Never Look Back by A.L. Gaylin

Never Look Back by A. L. Gaylin
on February 6, 2020
ISBN: 9781409179054
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Blog Tour: Never Look Back by A.L. Gaylin

'Aflame with tension. An intricate, powerful thriller - rivals the very best of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner' AJ Finn, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
*****************
She was the most brutal killer of our time. And she may have been my mother...
When website columnist Robin Diamond is contacted by true crime podcast producer Quentin Garrison, she assumes it's a business matter. It's not. Quentin's podcast, Closure, focuses on a series of murders in the 1970s, committed by teen couple April Cooper and Gabriel LeRoy. It seems that Quentin has reason to believe Robin's own mother may be intimately connected with the killings.
Robin thinks Quentin's claim is absurd. But is it? The more she researches the Cooper/LeRoy murders herself, the more disturbed she becomes by what she finds. Living just a few blocks from her, Robin's beloved parents are the one absolute she's always been able to rely upon, especially now amid rising doubts about her husband and frequent threats from internet trolls. Robin knows her mother better than anyone.
But then her parents are brutally attacked, and Robin realises she doesn't know the truth at all...
*****************
'Completely absorbing with a knock-out twist' Harlan Coben
'Gaylin is an expert at acute emotional observation combined with seamless plotting' Alex Marwood
'AL Gaylin is at the top of her game, crafting exhilarating and audacious crime novels that are both rich in character and rivetingly told. They are, quite simply, not to be missed' Megan Abbott
'AL Gaylin is a storyteller guaranteed to keep you up at night' Laura Lippman
'AL Gaylin is a great storyteller' Mark Billingham
'A fiendishly well-told thriller that deepens its grip the faster you read - I loved it' Louise Candlish
If you love Serial, S-Town, Clare Mackintosh, Cara Hunter, KL Slater or Lisa Jewell, you will be utterly gripped by this psychological thriller with a twist you'll never see coming...

Never Look Back. What amazing advice. In everyday situations Never looking back will allow you to brush off moments you wished you could have done something different. Some regret that plagued your mind. Is it healthy to never look back? How can we be expected to reassess our actions, learn valuable lessons and grasp the good with both hands.

A.L Gaylin injects the eerie, spine-chilling meaning. She sets the wheels in motion and can they be stopped? Once something is rolling along, gaining speed, what can be done to stop it? Can it? It just gathers momentum, like a bat of hell. Gravity is on its side and you are just an insignificant being standing in its way…it’s going to hit you if you dare stop it.

Never Look Back is the kind of thriller that I LOVE. The title sets the scene. The author knows how to upset your equilibrium. Icy cold dread sneakily slivers into your heart and leaves you with an eerie dread swimming through your veins. A historic killing spree. An intriguing connection and a need for closure.

A terrible childhood that has the links to a repulsive killing spree in the 1970’s. Quentin lingers and over analyses his childhood. Can he use his profession to finally move forward and let go of the past? Now a successful podcast producer, it is suggested to him that he takes his life forward in a productive way and focus the programme on the spate of murders. Could it finally bring him the closure that he so desperately needs? Quentin agrees but receives a phone call that could potentially rock his world and put his podcast on the line.

The narrative was slick and razor sharp. The fear being injected into the books every word was hauntingly eerie. The author always left you feeling the urgency in her words. I needed to get to the next chapter…I needed to find out just what was going on behind the scenes. I had my Nikes on and laced up – it was a race against time. No matter how hard I ran, I was faced with the roadblocks of lies, unreliable narrators and secrets.

Never Look Back demonstrates the real and frightening effect that our pasts and childhood can play in our adult life. We can be as resilient as we want but eventually our pasts will present themselves as an unmoveable object if we don’t tackle the pain they cause.

The author takes us down a path untraveled, with plenty of potholes, dark corners and noises with no apparent origin. We learn about Robin Diamond. She is an illustrious movie reviewer. She’s brash, in your face and never scared of telling you what she thinks. Despite this she has the same insecurities as the rest of us. Worried about her husband and what he gets up to. Constantly texting on his phone. Working late…just what is he playing at? Things start to hit the fan when she receives an unexpected phone call from Quentin.

It’s such an interesting premise. As the child just what information regarding our parents to we have a given right to know? They are their own person and we all need our secrets, right? I’m a big believer in the fact that you will never receive full closure. Life is all about what you make it. Traumatic events\past mistakes do mould us, but we can fight back and change, if we really want to.

Never Look Back is a slow burn of a psychological Thriller. The author really knows how to sucker punch you into submission.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

276251 - Blog Tour: Never Look Back by A.L. Gaylin

USA Today and International Best-selling author Alison Gaylin has been nominated for the Edgar four times. Most recently, her thriller IF I DIE TONIGHT, won the award in the category Best Paperback Original.

Her critically acclaimed suspense novels have been published in such countries as the U.K., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan and Romania.

She has won the Shamus and RT Reviewers Choice Awards for her books, and has been nominated for the ITW Thriller, Anthony and Strand Book Awards. Her books have been on the bestseller lists in the US, Germany and Belgium. IF I DIE TONIGHT (out March, 2018 from William Morrow) is her tenth book.

NORMANDY GOLD, the graphic novel she wrote with Megan Abbott, is out from Titan/Hard Case Crime in April, 2018.

Alison Gaylin

Blog Tour: I Could Be You by Shelia Bugler

January 29, 2020

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

48671519. SY475 - Blog Tour: I Could Be You by Shelia Bugler

I Could Be You by Shelia Bugler
Published by Canelo on January 23rd 2020
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four stars - Blog Tour: I Could Be You by Shelia Bugler

four stars - Blog Tour: I Could Be You by Shelia Bugler

A life has been taken. But whose life is it?
On a stifling hot day, former journalist Dee Doran finds the crumpled body of her friend at the roadside. Katie and her little boy, Jake, have been a light in Dee’s otherwise desolate life – now a woman is dead and a child is missing.

Katie has been keeping secrets for a long time. Years earlier, she fell for the wrong person. But he was in love with someone else; who he couldn’t have but couldn’t keep away from. When jealousy and desire spilled over into murder Katie hid the truth, and has been pretending ever since.

As Dee assists the police with their enquiries she’s compelled to investigate too. She realises Katie wasn’t who she claimed to be. Lies are catching up. Stories are unravelling. Revenge is demanded and someone must pay the price. The question is: who?

Don’t miss this explosive crime thriller perfect for fans for Alex Marwood and Fiona Barton.

The impact a child can have on your life can be profound and everlasting. Even if that child isn’t yours. A child can lighten up the darkest of lives. They have an infectious way of melting even the coldest of personas. A child and their impact have a way of shaping your life, usually for the better. Family isn’t always determined by blood, it is the connection that we make with a kindred soul. What happens when that tie is severed? It feels like we are literally missing a part of ourselves. It’s an irrevocable wrenching of the heart. I instantly signed up for this blog tour for its intense cover and a synopsis that is dripping in mysterious intrigue.

Reading I could be you can be described as looking into the mirror and for the first time being able to see something more than just you. All your flaws, past mistakes and your vision for the future are suddenly flashing before your eyes. There’s a figure in the background threatening to be revealed in all its glorious technicolour but what exactly will revealed? It fogs your mind, makes you forget. Your memories feel like a freezing fog, keeping you in the now and happy to keep you oblivious.

The opening is a friend’s, or family members worst nightmare. That is exactly where it should stay. Seeing someone you care about is harmed and no-one felt the need to stop and help. A crushed buggy and no sign of the precious little 2-year-old boy that you doted over, you babysat and most important of all, you loved, as if he were her own. It’s poignant, heart-breaking and left me imagining my own pain if it were one of my own boys. The impact of what has just happened finally enters my foggy brain and I’m left feeling bereft just like Dee. Her pain is apparent, and she starts losing her direction.

I was unable to prise this book from my hands and Sheila Berger knows just how to punch you in the feels. She forces you to dip your foot into the water and she sends you swimming from one raw emotion to another. It leaves you feeling wrecked and disorientated, but you know the only way is forward.

I could Be You deals with difficult tropes, but they are handled with dignity and tact. The grief of a missing child is a wrought cage of emotion. We see this nearly every day in the newspapers. Press releases. Emotional reaching out. Trauma lingering. Sheila Bulger gives this type of grief a form – it’s ugly but realistic and it inflicts a severe whiplash with its intensity.

Dee’s young friend is found on the side of the road apparently being ran over in a hit and run. The buggy is beside her and it’s empty. Her friend, Kate, would have had her son with her, wouldn’t she? Just where has the little boy gone? The police are called, and they start gathering evidence and information and it is quickly discovered that nothing is as it seems. It becomes very twisty and my head needed to be straightened several times during my read of I Could Be You.

When Dee discovers some mistruths surrounding her death she sets out to rebirth the Journalist in her. She gets help from her cousin, Louise who is still a Journo. Together they plot to get to the bottom of Katie’s past and any missing links to where the little boy could be. The story is told in the present and we have flashbacks to Katie’s past which strengthens the plot.

I Could Be You was brilliantly eerie. It was a true psychological thriller that has tons of pace and atmospheric brilliance. You need to push forward to decipher the twists.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

sheila bugler 200x300 1 - Blog Tour: I Could Be You by Shelia Bugler

My new crime series launches in January 2020. The series features jaded journalist Dee Doran and the books are all set in my adopted home town, Eastbourne. I Could Be You is the first in the series, and it’s available now for pre-order from Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books.

‘Imagine a collaboration between Anne Tyler and AM Homes.’ Ken Bruen.

‘One of the rising stars of Irish literature.’ Clare People.

‘Propulsive action and stirring plot twists abound in this compelling thriller… one of those books you’ll read in one sitting. Thoroughly entertaining!’ Wendy Walker, Sunday Times Bestselling author.

‘A beautifully written and atmospheric page-turner that is also a totally absorbing read… I loved it.’ Abbie Frost, author of The Guesthouse.

‘A brilliant read – twisted, cleverly plotted and one hell of a page-turner.’ M J Lee, author of Where the Truth Lies.

Sheila Bugler website

Review: This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch

August 19, 2019

This Little Dark Place by A. S. HATCH
Published by Serpent's Tail Limited on April 2, 2020
ISBN: 9781788162043
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Horror
Pages: 288
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Review: This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch

How well do you know your girlfriend?How well do you know your lover? How well do you know yourself?Daniel and Victoria are together. They're trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner.But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral - but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires. And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose - and who to trust.

I’m very excited to be reviewing This Little Dark Place by A.S. Hatch. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review – all thoughts are my own. My initial summary of this book for you all is – buckle up bitches, you’re in for a ride. I had so many emotions while reading it – this usually consisted of worry, hate and not without a sprinkling of angst. So, if you’re sitting comfortably I’ll just delve straight in – band aid clean off.

Straight off we are getting the impression that Daniel has done something terrible. He’s writing a story to a girl named Lucy, who wants to get his side of the story. Intriguing. He tells the story of Victoria, his girlfriend and Ruby his pen pal. Ruby interestingly is in prison for assaulting her ex-partner, Lee. The first chapter packs a punch and sets up the premise of the story perfectly. My initial thoughts on Daniel starting up a friendship with Ruby was quite frankly NO WAY. Okay so that person could be completely innocent, but I’d constantly have that niggle in the back of my mind that they could cause me harm if they were ever to be released and wanted to find me.

A.S. Hatch has is goal in mind but sets up little Easter eggs within each character’s arcs. Daniel’s childhood was referred to multiple times and the author refers to violence and hatred in childhood. Can a childhood experience alter and defect a brain? Is rationality at home or is it a stranger? Daniel is a reasonable human being and Ruby ever so slightly crazy, yeah? His characterisations are complex and highlights the effect of isolation and trauma on the human mind. Dan’s childhood tainted by a vulnerable mother, an abusive religious fanatic who displays behaviours regarding sex that is deeply disturbing and with no doubt affected Dan’s perceptions of relationships and sex. I felt for Dan – he had it hard, but he also frustrated me at different points too. I wanted to find out why this trio were interconnected together, what was going to be the tipping point? I’m not ashamed to say that I couldn’t focus on anything else while reading their story.

Victoria is clearly a woman with issues herself. She seems deeply insecure and unsure what she should be doing with her life. Victoria is a character a lot of women can relate to whether we want to admit it or not. A lot happens between Daniel and Vic- failed pregnancy attempts, IVF, fears of infidelity, the death of their baby boy and the death of Daniel’s mother, the final nail in the proverbial coffin. Their relationship is doomed. Too much has happened, too much to forget.

The author has managed to balance the fine thread of strong characterisation with an absolutely insane plot with head spinning twists along the way. The strongest dynamics come between Ruby and Dan. They share secrets, fears, hopes but underlying is mistrust, anger and a realisation that – do you ever know someone? Can life in a virtual world be replicated in the real world? Ruby on paper has had it hard. A bad relationship with her father, she only has her twin to guide her through life, gets too attached to her clients and then she met Lee. An abusive partner who broke and grinded her down, enough was enough, her sister was going to help her escape. However, things go wrong and Lee ends up critically injured. Ruby is convicted which brings us full circle to her being in prison communicating with Dan. She’s quite obviously innocent, Isn’t she? I immensely enjoyed the way the author added complex layers to his characters to deepen and enrich the storyline, it was mesmerising.

Dan and Vic move further apart. Things from this point get cray cray. The last quarter of the book is most definitely my favourite. Things sky rocket out of control. Ruby’s character has seriously questionable issues. Who can you trust? Are things as they appear? The characterisation-sublime, the plot – out of control, the atmosphere – tangible. Even the house seems to be adding to the sense of mistrust and fear. Be prepared to go through a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s a good un.

This Little Dark Place is a story of epic proportions. Fear, deniability, and desire make a potent mix. The author has nailed the psychological thriller. Hold on to the edge of your seat, it’s brutal.

Blog Tour – Roam by Erik Therme

August 17, 2019

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

39867093. SY475 - Blog Tour - Roam by Erik Therme

Roam by Eric Therme
Published by Threcker Books on April 16th 2018
Genres: Psychological, Psychological Thriller, Abuse
Pages: 245
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

four stars - Blog Tour - Roam by Erik Therme

When Kevin finds Sarah stranded by the side of the road, he’s more than willing to give her a ride. Young, beautiful and distraught—she’s everything a single guy could ask for in a girl. What he doesn’t know is that she already has a guy: an abusive, drunken boyfriend who left her there in a fit of rage. And when that boyfriend comes back and finds Sarah missing, a simple ride will turn deadly.

Like Josh Gaylord and Daniel Kraus before him, author Erik Therme explores the angst of disconnected youth in his enthralling and powerful Roam. Therme’s darkly tinged novel is an unforgettable tale of three errant souls brutalized by life’s cruel circumstances, and a remarkable night of discovery and violence that will change them forever.

Thanks to Sarah at Book on The Bright Side for my copy of the book and my spot on the blog tour. All thoughts are my own.

This is my first outing into the creepy worlds created by the super talented Erik Therme. He has masterfully created characters that are broken, strong and wilful for the right reasons. Even though like me, you may never have entered this thriller galore world, but one thing feels certain through the fear and panic – the author is going to take good care of you.

In the first chapter we meet Sarah – a strong woman who should be having the time of her life. It’s her 21^st birthday and she should be out celebrating with family and friends. No – it becomes apparent that she is existing amongst duality of abuse. Buckle up its about to go nuts. Sarah and Matt have been dating for approximately 3 months and head out for her birthday. On the way home, her car breaks down – Now, even though Matt has had a few Jars he is displaying some troublesome behaviours. After accidently hurting Matt he goes zero to batshit in 0.2 seconds. He is passive aggressive , he begins the process of gas lighting and issues threats of stalking. Now at this point I absolutely bow down to Sarah and her goddess strength. She decides there and then to WALK AWAY. Yes! None of that I’m going to forgive him as has had one too many, she hands his ass to him and recognises her own self-worth.

The secondary aspect of abuse in Sarah’s life and probably the most aggravating of all is that in the hands of her own mother. Now, her mum herself is being abused at the hands of Sarah’s stepfather and she just says anything for a quiet life. Everything that goes wrong or gets her partner angry is her fault and her mother makes it abundantly clear that Sarah should be doing the same with Matt because he’s a keeper. Yeah, if a keeper is psychopathic sweetheart then yep fire ahead. The cycle goes on, but Sarah will break the wheel.

Cementing her decision to leave Matt she walks away – quite literally via foot until the first car passes her. She is picked up by Kevin and his friend – they take her home until an argument with her mother turns sour and Kevin offers to take her to a friend. There is an air of mystery to Kevin, he’s thoughtful, he’s interesting and above all he is respectful. What is Kevin’s backstory? Knight in shining Armor or her worst nightmare?

Now to introduce the other man in Sarah’s life – Scotty. God, my heart was torn one and another for this guy. On the one hand broken by his father’s death but on the other acts extremely strangely and his reasoning for things is questionable at best. He can be found roaming the hotel his fuck buddy (for want of a better word) works. This is where we are introduced to Mandy – oh sweet sweet bitchy Mandy. A high functioning head case. She forgets to take birth control?? She is insanely jealous of Sarah and Scotty’s friendship and has a dog shit attitude towards the customers she is dealing with.

The ending wasn’t necessarily surprising for me however, it was the journey that got us there that had me on tenterhooks. It was great reading it from dual POV – Sarah and Scotty and we got a glimpse into the fragile psyche of Scotty which did put me off the trail for a portion of the story. The slow burn of details being released had me intrigued and there were elements that were a complete shock.

Roam is a tension filled drive. A story of breaking the cycle and being worth more. Dysfunction and violence. This is an addictive read that ticks all the boxes that has you looking over your shoulder on dark nights.

Erik is also running a give away for readers to win either a digital copy of Roam which is open world wide or an audio copy of the book of which is only open to UK & US readers. The giveaway is running during the whole of the blog tour so be sure not to miss it! Enter below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/791a8c8f5/?

Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa–one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature.

Connect with the Author

Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads|Website

Check out what other bloggers are saying about Roam.

Clear My Name by Paula Daly

August 3, 2019

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

42980326 1 - Clear My Name by Paula Daly

Clear My Name by Paula Daly
Published by Bantam Press on August 8th 2019
ISBN: 9781444843125
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Crime
Pages: 366
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Clear My Name by Paula Daly

When Carrie was accused of brutally murdering her husband's lover, she denied it. She denied it when they arrested her, when they put her in front of a jury, and when they sent her to prison. Now she's three years into a fifteen-year sentence, away from the daughter she loves and the life she had built. And she is still denying that she is to blame.... Tess Gilroy has devoted her life to righting wrongs. Through her job for Innocence UK, a charity which takes on alleged miscarriages of justice, she works tirelessly to uncover the truth. But when she is asked to take Carrie's case, Tess realises that if she is to help this woman, she must risk uncovering the secrets she has struggled a lifetime to hide...

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Holy Mother of all that is decent! Clear My Name was a heart stopper. Do you want a book that’s going to suck you in from page one? Do you want a book that tears up your conceptions and sets them alight? Do you want a book that bins the rulebook on Thriller formulas? Well look no further this book has it all in spades. There are thrills galore, this is certainly not likened to a pair of comfy slippers this is a hellish pair of stilettos whilst you dodge a minefield…the journey is that treacherous.

Tess works for a charity organisation called Innocence UK. The charity investigates potential miscarriages of justice and receives funding to dig deeper into the specifics of the case. Tess enjoys this line of work and gets immense job satisfaction from it. When the team vote on which case to tackle next they pretty much left with no choice, having not investigated any woman related cases. The uproar it would case isn’t worth it, so they take on the case of Carrie Kamara, convicted of murdering her husband’s lover, Ella, four years previously. Taking on the case means spending time in Tess’s hometown of Morecambe. Does Tess herself have a demon that could be snapping at her heels.

Carrie appears to be a very well put together individual even though she’s apparently innocent of murdering her husband’s lover. She isn’t the woman she once was, she’s put on a lot of weight, her hairs falling out and is generally just a shadow of the bright light she once casted. She maintains her innocence four years later, the story hasn’t changed with the time behind bars, she is still damn sure she didn’t commit this murder. The story is told in Tess and Carries POV’s and I particularly enjoyed reading Carries take on the events leading to the murder.

Now by this point your probably thinking – she’s in jail, there must have been some pretty damning evidence to get her in there? Well that’s a very sensible deduction, and you’d be right…when you find out how that damning evidence was carried out – you’d better hold on to your head because it’s going to spin so fast it’s in danger of falling off. This story is so complex and systematic in its storytelling and the character layering is bang on! The author throws in a lot of doubtful dialogue to make the reader go one way while she weaves it the other. Paula Daly is a Master Craftsman at misdirection.

This is a novel of unfinished business, creeping anxiety and deceit. Once convicted, can one woman’s word be believed or given the credence it deserves? It was an interesting take on how it appeared that Carrie was in more control of her life than Tess was. While Carrie was getting stronger, Tess’s life had taken an extreme nosedive. Her personal life was a bit of a shit show and didn’t really have things together.

As the events were becoming clearer nearer the end (even then it was as clear as mud). When I read the ending I was shocked, I did not expect to read what went down. I almost wanted to high five Carrie. She is the BOSS. The jigsaw puzzle was complete.

This book was mind-blowing. A Thriller with all the thrills. Chills, redemption and deceit. All the makings of a bestseller. This is a book you will recommend and inhale.

Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks

August 1, 2019

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

49633790. SX318 SY475 - Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks

Deserve To Die by Miranda Rijks
Published by Inkubator Books on July 31st 2019
Genres: Psychological Thriller
Pages: 282
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

five stars - Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks

Dom and Stacey have the perfect life. Until they meet Tamara. Brilliant, beautiful, she hides a horrifying secret. One that may destroy them all.

Happily married with two wonderful children, Dom and Stacey are living the dream. He runs a successful design agency, she is finding fame as an author of children’s books.

Everything is perfect. But then they meet the mesmerizing Tamara and their lives are changed forever.

Because Tamara is a woman with a plan. She executes it step by step – patient, systematic, methodical.

And as her plan unfolds, Dom and Stacey find their lives slipping out of control. Taking them from heaven into the deepest, darkest hell…

Deserve to Die is a compelling psychological thriller with a heart-stopping ending that will keep you gripped until the early hours. Perfect for fans of K. L. Slater, Teresa Driscoll and Andrew Hart.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. Thanks to Emma@Damppebbles for my spot on the blog tour.

When Emma @ Damppebbles book tours sent out an email asking if there was interest in taking part in the blog tour for Deserve to Die I knew I just had to be involved. The cover and the blurb just had all my thriller Spidey senses tingling. The title spins a yarn of game playing, deceit, mental illness and past hurts. You can change everything about yourself but only one thing is certain – you can never outrun your past.

A beautiful woman and a career focussed man. Tamara and Dylan start dating, and she is round at his house. The first chapter introduces these two characters and the starting point of a plan finally being put into action. Tamara’s POV gives us significant insight into her state of mind and gives us small clues into what she is aiming to do. She seems hateful and really quite bitter. It’s obvious she has a deep story but it’s equally obvious she has something evil and deceitful planned. Who is her target and why is she doing this?

Stacey appears to have the perfect life. She has the perfect husband. Caring and attentive and the best father she could ever have dreamed of having. Two beautiful, healthy children who are lucky enough to attend private school. A beautiful home, stunning cars and she is an emerging author and illustrator with a lucrative publishing deal and the book being optioned for film. To everyone else she has the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids, but life has a funny way of shaking your idyllic life on its head.

Life for Stacey is perfect. That is until Tamara breezily walks into her family’s life. She has filled the grief-fuelled gap that Dylan’s death has created. He was a member of the team and now it appears he left a suicide note detailing how he was deeply unhappy and there was too much pressure at work. It affects them all. Tamara applies for the position of Accounts Director and low and behold gets the position. Tamara has a list of aims and she’s ticked off one already – what could possibly be her endgame? Even at this early juncture I had real issues connecting with Tamara – although quite clearly a beautiful character, she was deeply flawed, and nothing was going to stand in her way of her plan being executed.

I think we can all relate to a character like Stacey. Plagued by her past experiences and understandably affected by poor mental health due to trauma. She has proved herself to be resilient and has moved on from that difficult period in her life. She obviously loved her husband and children very much and it was just heart-breaking to watch the events unfold in front of our eyes. The systematic destruction of Stacey’s life was painful. The self-doubt of her own mental health was both dramatic and realistic. I wanted her to discover the root of her misery – she wasn’t mad, but she had to work that out for herself. Unfortunately, things got a whole lot crazier before she did.

There is no time for self-pity – Tamara has inserted herself so fully into Stacey’s life that it’s going to take a miracle to undo the damage that the scarlet woman has created. Stacey is in hospital after a series of events that lead to her massive fall from grace. How on earth do you search for the truth when your mental health has been deemed unstable. Something that should be simple to prove, just isn’t. How can she prove these things have happened to her ? How can she discredit someone that seems much more credible than her?

The plot in this book was exquisite. Fast paced and moved at the speed of a Lamborghini. I could feel my whiplash taking effect. Everything was just so well written – Stacey and Dom’s relationship, the effect of memories and the past literally only a grasp away. This is what I love about Psychological Thrillers. Heart wrenching. This is a Thriller done absolutely RIGHT. Unique plot with an even more unique ending that had me guessing right up to the very end.

Miranda’s writing is tack sharp. She has been able to successfully nurture a serious idea and weave it so amazingly that had me in awe of her skill for engaging the reader at all times. No page is wasted. She has the right formula of tension, romantic relationships and horrifically scary moments. When Stacey’s family is on the line, she delves deeper into herself than she ever has before, and she fights with the gusto of a mama bear. We could all decipher what Tamara’s end goal would be, but it was the manner in which she calculatingly destroyed Stacey that provided us with that edge of the seat moments.

What does it take to destroy a life? Well, little subtle things it would seem. A doubt here, a doubt there. Life is a fragile thing and the past is never truly escapable. We are all products of our experiences and Miranda shows us this in horrifying high definition.

Deserve to Die, is a fierce, all-consuming read with fast paced action with beautifully broken characters that has your stomach churning and your heart breaking. If you only read one book this summer, make it Deserve to Die.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

61unJxtlzTL. US230 - Deserve to Die by Miranda Rijks

Miranda Rijks is an author of suspense novels.

Miranda has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre. she’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex, England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so you can reach out to her at www.mirandarijks.com

Social Media

Twitter |Facebook|Website|Instagram|