REVIEW: Under a Greek Sky by Francesca Catlow

Under a Greek Sky by Francesca Catlow

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Women's fiction

Read: 2nd October 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

★ 1 star

(did not finish)

DESCRIPTION:

Escape to sun-drenched Corfu, where family secrets and second chances bloom under endless Mediterranean skies. Under a Greek Sky is perfect for fans of Karen Swan, Kate Frost and Paige Toon.

When her happily-ever-after is shattered by a fiancé who disappears along with her life savings, Lorena desperately needs a new start. Then her seemingly perfect parents separate, and her mother decides to return to Corfu, the island of her birth, to renovate a family beach house. Lorena goes too, keen for a chance to shut the world out for a while.

The sun-soaked island with its stunning beaches and glittering sea is just the distraction Lorena needs. Not least handsome, mysterious Christos. But as long-held family secrets start to emerge, clouds gather over their Greek island paradise.

Why has Lorena’s mother always refused to return to Corfu until now? What secrets of his own is Christos keeping? When her father reappears on the scene, all hope of peace seems lost. Is Lorena about to watch another happily-ever-after implode, or can she learn from the past and open herself up to a new future?

Let Francesca Catlow sweep you away to enchanting Corfu—the perfect place to rediscover romance and embrace new beginnings.

MY THOUGHTS:

Things started off interestingly enough but then it just became something of a drone and drugery. I wanted to like this book. I really did. I thought it was going to be a fun romance and light reading under a blanket of sunshine by the azure waters of the Mediterranean, but....BUT...it was just full of family drama. Even the allure of whatever secret their mother was harbouring to keep them away from their Greek family wasn't enough to keep me turning the pages. 

The characters weren't in the least bit likeable. I wasn't sure what the author was doing with Serena who, half the time was a petulant madam and the other half a weeping child, and Lorena did nothing but ooze self pity, her internal monologue one long constant moan. And mother Thalia? I guess I didn't stick around long enough to get a read on her.

I came here for the stunning Corfu scenery of blues and whites against the azure waters and brilliant sunshine. Add a little romance for some light reading but no. There was so much repetition of self pity. Yes, I get Jonah did the dirty and stole her life savings and her father upped and left with a woman half his age but no one wants to read about that constantly. Everything was just too monotonous.

I pictured the stunning Greek islands and wanted to immerse myself into this book so much and wanted to like it but I just couldn't. I couldn't even finish it. I hate leaving negative reviews because I know it's the author's hard work and I cannot even begin to appreciate how much work goes into writing a book so I do commend anyone who does. I just couldn't connect with the characters, I couldn't like them and I just didn't want to remain in their company.

I would like to thank #FrancescaCatlow, #Netgalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC of #UnderAGreekSky in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Francesca Catlow writes bestselling fiction filled with passionate love stories that feature flawed, and sometimes broken, characters as they face a crossroads in their life. She often explores heartbreaking themes while also whisking readers off to beautiful locations.

Francesca loves to travel. Born and raised in the heart of Suffolk, England, she has travelled extensively in Europe with her French husband and, more recently, their two children. In 2024 she relocated to France where she spends her days dreaming up stories and her evenings sitting in her garden relaxing with her family.

In 2023 Francesca was a finalist for the prestigious Kindle Storyteller Award, and was nominated for an Innovation Award for her work with libraries in Suffolk.

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REVIEW: The Ex Who Came Back by Daniel Hurst

The Ex Who Came Back by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic suspense

Read: 24th September 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 24th September 2025

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Your biggest mistake is your sister’s new boyfriend.

All the family are gathered to meet my sister’s new boyfriend, including my husband Seth, and it should be a happy occasion. But the moment I see him my stomach drops. It’s Mateo. My worst mistake. My biggest secret. I hoped I’d never see him again – why is he here now?

‘It’s nice to meet you,’ he says. As I look into Mateo’s cold green eyes, I know he’s playing a deadly game. My hands tremble. This man can’t be trusted. He’s pretending not to know me… and he knows I have to pretend, too.

I’m caught in a lie with no way out. Mateo is dangerous. I don’t want my sister to get hurt. But if I admit who Mateo really is – what really happened between us – I could lose everything. My gorgeous husband. My precious little boy.

Or even my life…

From number 1 bestselling author and the king of jaw-dropping twists, The Ex Who Came Back is a completely addictive and unputdownable psychological thriller that will have your heart hammering as you flip the pages until the final twist!

MY THOUGHTS:

Your biggest mistake is your sister's new boyfriend...

Five years ago, Corrine made a mistake. And she thought that mistake was long behind her. She was wrong. 

Now Corrine is happily married to Seth with four year old Freddie and her sister invites them to a family dinner too introduce them all to her new boyfriend, who she must be serious about as she never "brings them home" so to speak. But nothing prepares her for who she sees seated next to her sister Georgia. It's him. Mateo. Her one mistake.

But it gets worse when Georgia announces that they are moving in together. Corrine feels sick and she does everything she can to dissuade her sister from making what she knows will be a serious mistake. Mateo is not here for Georgia; he's here for her. To pick up where they left off five years ago. And it only gets worse when Mateo gives her an ultimatum - tell Seth about their night together by the end of the week, or he will. In front of family and friends.

From there, Corrine just seems to dig herself in deeper and deeper. With one bad decision after another. Beginning with her decision to sleep with Mateo in the first place! She has such a good man in Seth, what on earth was the woman thinking? She was wallowing in self-pity is what she was doing. She seriously did not deserve him. And Mateo? He made my skin crawl from the beginning. I couldn't wait to escape his presence...or Corrine's either, for that matter.

But as unlikeable as the characters were, Hurst knows how to keep his readers engaged with his pacing and short snappy chapters. But I wouldn't call Mateo an ex; he was a one night stand. There is plenty of tension, I admit, though the story was predictable. The ending was a surprise.

I would like to thank #DanielHurst, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheExWhoCameBack in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.

He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.

Daniel writes psychological thrillers and loves to tell tales about unusual things happening to normal people. He has written all his life, making the progression from handing scribbled stories to his parents as a boy to writing full length novels in his thirties. He lives in the North West of England and when he isn’t writing, he is usually watching a game of football in a pub where his wife can’t find him.

Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. The Doctor's Wife is his first publication with Bookouture.

A prolific writer, Daniel likes to keep readers on their toes by self publishing even more books in between those released through his publisher.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 16th September 2025

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Amazon

Published: 30th August 2022

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

The 'New York Times' best-selling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows…

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed.

With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s 'And Then There Were None', 'DAISY DARKER's unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling.

MY THOUGHTS:

Darkness runs in the family...

30th October 2004: It's the eve of eccentric author Beatrice Darker's 80th birthday and the family have been invited to celebrate at her home Seaglass on the Cornish coast. They have spent years avoiding each other but as Nana's 80th approaches, and if a fortune teller's palm reading was correct, it will be her last. And so they descend in the hope of picking at the carcass of her remains.

Seaglass sits on a remote tidal island accessible only by a causeway at low tide. And it has been the only place Daisy, the youngest of the Darkers, has ever felt truly at home. As one of the first to arrive it is like she has never left, the fabric of the ancient house's woven threads a shroud in which she feels completely safe. Then one by one, the family assemble crossing the causeway until the tide cuts them off from the rest of the world until morning. And as they take their seats around the table, Nana announces that there will be a reading of her will. But don't expect them to break out the champagne. In fact, Daisy's father heads straight to the whisky while her mother downs the wine, claiming Nana really has lost her marbles. The bequests are delivered - strange, eccentric, poetic even, but they are pure Nana.

The family prepare for bed and the birthday celebrations ahead of Nana's 80th the following day, halloween. But as the clock strikes twelve, the Darker family are in for a surprise and as the hours count down, a deadly mystery begins to unfold. Nana is dead and on her chalkboard wall is a dark poem about the family written in Nana's hand. Or is it? Because when the clock strikes the following hour, several lines have been crossed out about another family member and the discovery of another body. Terror begins to fill those remaining as they wonder what this means - and who is doing this? But most of all, they are each left wondering will they be next? The Darker family has their secrets - some darker than others. But what secret is enough to kill for?

From the Queen of twists comes this dark and claustrophobic atmospheric nod to the iconic Queen of crime as she pays homage to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" with her own unique spin on the timeless mystery. Told from the narrative of the youngest Darker, Daisy, the chapters unfold hour by hour with snippets of the past peppered throughout as secrets begin to unravel, manipulating the reader as only Feeney does. The numerous clocks that all strike at once on each hour adds to the chilling atmosphere which only highlights the terror of the agonising eight hours that keep them all trapped together on the remote island during the token stormy night that also keeps them locked indoors.

As a Christie fan from my teenage years, I thought I knew what to expect and how things would play out. And in homage to Ms Christie, I was partly right (I guessed who was behind it) because well, it goes without saying if you have read "And Then There Were None". But Feeney throws her own spin on this terrifying locked room mystery with a difference and making it her own. And believe me, as eye-rolling as far fetched as it is, it is chilling and perfect in its own way that you won't see coming. As the mystery unfolds and you begin to piece it together with the reveal, you start to think back to the beginning to try and recall how it played out then. And then it makes you want to go back and re-read it in a completely different light.

While not my favourite of Feeney's, it is still an outstanding accomplishment to re-write Ms Christie as never before. Most of the characters are completely unlikeable except for maybe one or two. But one thing is for sure, you will see some of them in a completely different light by the end of the book. Weaving twists both effortlessly and seamlessly, Feeney truly manipulates her readers as well as her characters, enthralling us to the very end.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Alice Feeney is an author and former BBC journalist. Her debut novel, Sometimes I Lie, was a New York Times and international bestseller. It has been translated into over twenty languages, and is being made into a TV series by Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros. starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Her books have been translated into over twenty-five languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including her novel Rock Paper Scissors, which is being made into a TV series by the producer of The Crown. 

Alice has lived in London and Sydney and has now settled in Devon, where she lives with her husband and dog..

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

REVIEW: My Husband's Wife by Carla Kovach

My Husband's Wife by Carla Kovach

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

Read: 10th September 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 8th September

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Five years ago I buried my husband. Today I saw him with his new wife.

‘Thank you for agreeing to be our wedding planner. Theo is on his way,’ Madison says as we meet to plan her dream wedding. The moment her fiancé enters the room, a newborn baby in his arms, my whole world shifts and I grab hold of my desk to stop myself from falling.

Theo shakes my hand as he introduces himself, but I already know who he is. He’s my husband. The man I thought had died five years ago.

‘Lovely to meet you, Eva,’ he says, carefully avoiding my frozen stare. I’d recognise his smooth voice anywhere.

I want to scream, ask him why he’s doing this to me. But I know just how good a liar my husband is. And he knows my darkest secret. I can’t risk him destroying everything I’ve worked so hard for.

At the end of the meeting, I watch the happy little family walk away, and I don’t miss Theo’s eyes staring at me just a second too long. He knows I’m onto him. But only I know what I’m going to do next…

Readers who loved The Housemaid, The Perfect Marriage and Gone Girl will love the jaw-dropping twist in this absolutely gripping psychological thriller.

MY THOUGHTS:

Five years ago I buried my husband...today I saw him with his new wife...

Well, that tagline drew me in instantly. While not entirely realistic, it was wholly entertaining and kept me glued to each page swiping them to uncover the truth of what was really happening. It was a little slow on the starting point but once it got going, I couldn't put it down until I discovered the truth.

Eva and her young son Caiden are packing up their life in Malvern (I think is around Worcestershire) and moving to picturesque coastal Devon and a place that held many happy memories before her husband Hugo died five years ago. Now Eva is married to Zach and realising it is a time for a fresh start, they have purchased a gorgeous home with stunning views over the ocean in Combe Martin where Zach has been busily decorating and getting the house ready for their imminent arrival. Eva and Caiden say a tearful goodbye to Hugo and their memories of him before they set off for their new start.

Caiden settles into school and meets Aaron and the two become inseparable. Eva befriends his mother Nicole but it isn't long before she starts questioning just how well she really knows her new friend when a few slips are made and nuances alluded to which give her pause to think. But she hasn't got time to second guess herself - she has a new job as a wedding planner at the Sea Horse Hotel to look forward to. A job she truly loves and thrives in.

Then in her first week in her new job of meeting new couples planning their big day, in walks Madison and her fiance Theo with baby Emily. Eva is shocked and speechless. Theo is the image of Hugo. But it can't be. Hugo's dead. Suddenly, a job she knows so well leaves her forgetting what to do. Eva muddles her way through the rest of the appointment before Madison and Theo leave with their daughter. And her name - Emily. It can't be. Can it? But he moves like Hugo, speaks like Hugo, acts like Hugo and the name Emily is special to them both. He's Hugo...isn't he? But he can't be. Hugo's dead. How can this be?

A couple of weeks later, Eva learns that Madison and Theo have cancelled their wedding with them and have taken an early cancellation at another hotel. So Eva makes it her mission to find out all she can about Theo. Her first move is to have her hair cut at Madison's salon to see if she can wrangle any information out of her about Theo. Her suspicions are only confirmed when Madison confides that they are moving to Loch Ness after the wedding - a place that Hugo always wanted to move to. Between Combe Martin and Loch Ness, both places that were special to them says it all - doesn't it? Theo has to be Hugo, doesn't he? But his death five years ago. DNA doesn't lie, does it? 

But the more Eva digs, the deeper the hole she is making herself. She cannot confide in anyone. Her mum will only think she is having another breakdown and seeing things that aren't there. Zach has enough worry and Hugo is a topic they rarely touch on. She doesn't know Nicole well enough to talk with her about it. The only person she can count on is herself...and even then she is beginning to doubt her sanity and trusting what she thinks she knows or sees. Maybe she has imagined it all along...

This is one twisty tale and I dare you to unravel the threads that link it all together. I pieced some of it together while others left me bewildered until revealed. It will leave you guessing and second guessing everything and what's true and what isn't. And the locale of coastal Devon was as atmospheric as the windswept cliffs of Cornwall - neighbouring counties and all.

As the reader, you really will question what's real and what's not. Kovach does a stellar job of gaslighting us throughout, making it all the more brilliant. This is not a thriller that you can unravel easily but it is one that you can properly binge on until that final twist that will leave you still questioning our character's sanity. Normally I don't like books to end with a quesiton mark (I like them all tied up neatly) but the ending here was perfectly sublime. Totally satisfactory as well as a touch insane.

My only complaint is the prologue. I have no idea who the couple were in it - Eva and Hugo or Madison and Theo? It wasn't made obvious in the reveal so I kind of felt it was a tad pointless. But that aside - this book is uputdownable, addictive and totally bingeworthy until the very last page. Kovach is really making her mark as a domestic/psychological thriller author away from her Gina Harte series. A solid 4.5 stars.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MyHusbandsWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Carla Kovach was born in Birmingham, UK and now resides in Redditch, Worcestershire. She started writing more seriously ten years ago after having flirted with musical theatre and occasional writing in her youth.

Since then she has written & produced several stage plays, has four self-published books, has acted in several independent films and is currently in the final stages of production of her feature horror film, Penny for the Guy.

She now writes full time as well as co-owning a film, photography & video production company located in the heart of Redditch town centre. 

Social Media links:

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Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

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REVIEW: Murder by Firelight by Merryn Allingham

Murder by Firelight (A Flora Steele Mystery #12) by Merryn Allingham

Genre: Cosy mysteries, Historical mysteries

Read: 30th August 2025

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Amazon

Published: 4th September 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

No one can hold a candle to amateur detectives Flora Steele and Jack Carrington as they ask the burning question… Who is the killer walking the cobbled streets of their historic little town?

Sussex, November 1959. There’s a chill in the air at the Lewes bonfire celebration. Carnival floats fill the narrow streets, fireworks crackle overhead, and Flora and Jack feel the heat of the burning torches lining the streets. But when Trevor French, chief of the Grove Bonfire Society, tumbles from his parade float, they know something is afoot. Trevor didn’t just fall – and amidst the crowds, his killer slips away through the smoke-filled night.

But who would want the respected Trevor dead? As Flora and Jack question the vying bonfire societies, they find a surprisingly competitive underbelly at play. Did Edwin Brooker, former chairman, stoke the flames of rivalry too far? Or are the tears of the victim’s friend, Leo Nelson, faked to keep himself safe?

Just as the sleuths believe they’ve figured it out, the body of a key suspect in the case is found dead on their hearth rug, and Flora and Jack realise that no one is safe – including themselves. Together, can they smoke the murderer out? Or will their chances of survival go up in flames?

A completely addictive and absolutely charming cozy mystery novel. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis will adore this unputdownable series!

MY THOUGHTS:

Flora and Jack are back in Abbeymead and are on the case of yet another murder! This place is getting as deadly as Midsomer (though maybe with not quite as many murders). 

In this twelfth book featuring the dynamic duo, Flora and Jack are attending a Bonfire Night celebration watching a parade of floats depicting various themes in vivid display. The streets of Lewes are crowded and noisy and are not at all the couple's favourite celebration but the atmosphere has them enthralled. In the midst of celebrations, one of the costumed participants falls from their float for a local historical society. When Jack races to their aid, he discovers the man is dead - seemingly stabbed, no less. 

Inspector Alan Ridley is on the case for but a short time when his replacement Inspector Brownlow (I got The Bill vibes from twenty five years back with that name...lol) takes over but proves to be nothing short of useless. Ridley's mother had a stroke and had taken ill so Alan had gone to care for her whilst Brownlow couldn't detect a snowflake in a blizzard. 

This time Flora is reluctant to investigate whilst Jack is keen to clear his friend Leo Nelson's name, whom Brownlow has decided is the guilty party whether the evidence points to him or not. Leo has taken on the tenancy of Overlay House where Jack had lived prior to his marriage to Flora and he isn't so sure that Leo is guilty and is determined to ensure the truth is uncovered. But the mystery is a real mystery as their doesn't appear to be any motive for the murder. The victim, Trevor French, whilst suspect in some eyes had no real cause to leave him dead. Although Edwin Brooker, who was chairman prior to French and had been for ten years until French came in a swept up the position. Brooker, an electrician by trade, is seemingly aggrieved at having been replaced so easily. But is it motive enough to kill?

Jack manages to convince Flora to question French's wife Lilian and local seamstress Thomasina Bell who was an active member of the Grove Society where Trevor was chairman and whose float he had fallen from. Again Flora was reluctant but some of the tidbits of information she garnered from the women whetted her appetite for the truth. But can they uncover the truth of what really happened to Trevor French and why before Brownlow can stuff it up?

I am so relieved to find Flora and Jack back in Abbeymead as the mysteries just seem to work better when they are on home ground. Unlike Agatha Christie's Miss Marple who worked well in any locale as well as St Mary Mead (but then Miss Marple didn't go abroad in my recollection), Flora and Jack are best at home in Abbeymead. In this book, Jack has finished his tenure at Cleve College in Lewes so the couple have now returned to Abbeymead full time, rather than part the week in Lewes and the rest in the village. I am keen to see what is in store for them in Abbeymead now that they are back in the village and the residents there can take on more of a role in future stories. I have missed the regular inclusion of Charlie who did resume his job as delivery boy temporarily in this one.

I can't believe this is the twelfth book of the series and I have read them all! Each book can be read as a standalone but I think the reader would gain more from reading them series in its entirety to fully grasp who is who and the passing mention of some of those who have gone before to some who pop up on occasion this time.

My only complaint is the inaccuracy of the ten pound pom programme mentioned in this book where people could emigrate to Australia for ten pounds (still quite a sum in those days). A character was said to have been part of the programme and emigrated twenty years before but as the setting is 1959 and the date the person emigrated is actually revealed in the book as being June 1939, the ten pound pom programme didn't begin until after the war in 1945.

I did guess who the murderer was but not the motive until it was gently revealed in passing (still long before the murderer was). There are plenty of twists and red herrings in this one to keep you guessing to the end...which does so with a bang!

I look forward to seeing what's in store for Flora and Jack now that they are firmly back in Abbeymead...where I hope they will stay!

I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MurderByFirelight in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.

Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: Nobody's Fool by Harlan Coben

Nobody's Fool (Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 6th September 2025

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Amazon

Published: 27th March 2025

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The present day is hard enough for former Detective Sami Kierce, but his past isn’t through with him yet…

Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning, covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of his girlfriend. Anna. Dead. He begins to scream - and then he runs.

Twenty two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. But as soon as he makes eye contact with her, she bolts.

For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day.

His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past. Soon he discovers that some secrets should stay buried...

MY THOUGHTS:

A missing woman...a man with a lot to hide...

This is my first foray into Harlan Coben and what a ride! I am a huge fan of his Netflix adaptions of his books and so when I saw this one come up for request I just had to check it out. I'm so glad I did...and I will be coming back for more, that's for sure. It didn't matter that this is the second book in a series (one of which has already been made for TV "Fool Me Once" that I have yet to see). This book can be read as a standalone as I've not read the first one or seen the TV adapation. Basically, I didn't care - I just enjoyed the ride he delivered.

Twenty two years years ago, Sami Kierce was on a gap year in the Costa Del Sol in Spain before diving into med school to become the doctor he had so wanted to become; his specialty interest - cardiology. But on a night out at a ritzy nightclub where is's "murder on the dance floor", Sami meets Anna and soon he discovers that he "can't get [her] out of his [head]"! When his travelling companions move on to discover more of Europe, Sami elects to stay with Anna, falling hard for her and planning on moving in with her. They party for a few days - fun, sun and sex - some of it involving drugs and it doesn't end well. One morning Sami wakes from a groggy sleep to blood - lots and lots of blood. In a panic, he flies home to the US without stopping to pack, knowing he could spend the rest of his days in a Spanish prison for a lot less than waking up next to a dead woman.

Two decades later, Sami has tried to put the past behind him. He has never spoken of what happened in Spain to anyone - only his father. He never followed his dream of becoming a doctor. How could he? When he did nothing to save the life of the woman he had fallen in love with in Spain? Instead he became a cop. And he was a good cop. Until he wasn't. Now he's a private detective running night classes in criminology for those who find a twisted logic in solving the unsolvable. 

One night as he is about to wrap up, after a lengthy debate with one of his students about GPS trackers, Sami spots a face from his past sitting at the back of his class. It's Anna...but surely not. After all, she's dead...isn't she? She sees him clock her and she's quick to make her escape. But Sami isn't going to let her go again, chasing after her...all the way to Connecticut. The place is fortified, secure and locked tight. He isn't getting in there in a hurry. And so, he takes the mystery back to his class...and together they set out to solve the puzzle of who this woman is. Is she really Anna? Or is she someone else who just looks like her?

With 352 pages, the tale is packed full of action, thrills, spills and even a bit of bloodshed. There are secrets, murder, assignations, assassinations, deception and plenty of Coben's trademark sarcastic dry wit and black humour which (despite the American humour being different) I simply love! He has penned a flawed yet believable protagonist in Sami and surrounding him with a deluge of complementary characters along with a handful of unsavoury ones as well. I'm glad he hasn't given Sami the stereotypical cop backstory of washed-up, divorced, drunken detective and instead given him a loving and understanding wife in Molly and humanised him as a father reading the renowned "Are You My Mother?" to his toddler son Henry. I love the banter with his student/cohorts - the pink panthers, Polly, Gary, Debbie, Lenny and Raymond - and that of his former colleague Marty.

My only complaint is the street descriptions and names. I'm not from there; I have no idea what or where any of it is and rattling off all the names in conjunction with other names and places does nothing to enlighten me. I felt the use of all the street names and places were redundant for those to whom New York is as a foreign as the Arctic Circle. Just a small complaint but it didn't detract from my enjoyment...especially as his sarcastic humour and witty monologue was enough to keep me entertained.

I did pick up a nod to screenwriter Danny Brocklehurst who adapts Coben's gems to screen in Brocklehurst Hall at an upscale rehab centre. Coincidence? I think not.

The plot is tight, filled with shocks and twists, and is a thrill-ride from start to finish. So much tension, suspense and action that is as addictive as it is entertaining. Just when you think you have it figured, think again. I had no idea where this was going but I didn't care...I just enjoyed the ride!

I would like to thank #HarlanCoben, #PenguinBooks, #CenturyBooks and #Netgalley for an ARC of #NobodysFool in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries with seventy-five million books in print worldwide.

His books have earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many have been developed into Netflix Original Drama series, including his adaptations of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good and The Woods. His most recent adaptation for Netflix, Stay Close, premiered on December 31, 2021 and stars Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, and Richard Armitage.

Harlan is the creator and executive producer of several Netflix television dramas including FOOL ME ONCE, STAY CLOSE, THE STRANGER, SAFE, THE FIVE, THE INNOCENT and THE WOODS. He is also the creator and executive producer of the Prime Video series Harlan Coben’s SHELTER, based on his young adult books featuring Mickey Bolitar. Harlan was the showrunner and executive producer for two French TV mini-series, UNE CHANCE DE TROP (NO SECOND CHANCE) and JUST UN REGARD (JUST ONE LOOK). KEINE ZWEIT CHANCE, also based on Harlan’s novel, aired in Germany on Sat1. Harlan also appears in each of his adaptions to screen in a cameo - a concierge, a police detective, a passerby.

Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. He still lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.

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REVIEW: Left at the Altar by A.J. Campbell

Left at the Altar by A.J. Campbell

Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller

Read: 31st August 2025

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 13th August 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

As I walk down the aisle, I can’t help beaming. It’s the perfect day. For the first time in years, I feel safe, secure. Until I reach the altar, and there’s no sign of my fiancé. That can’t be. He’s my world. And I desperately need this fresh start, to keep my son safe…

When Hannah’s fiancé doesn’t turn up to their wedding, everyone is convinced he just had cold feet. But Hannah is sure it’s more than that…

Today was meant to be the day she finally leaves all her dark secrets behind. But spotting a man she hoped never to see again in the crowd at the church, her stomach drops. And his smirk as their eyes meet all but confirms that he’s behind Johnny’s disappearance.

She might have been hiding things from Johnny, but Hannah truly loved him. She’s determined to find him. But this reminder of the past puts her son in terrible danger.

Is Hannah willing to reveal everything to save her husband-to-be and son? And just how far will she have to go?

This unputdownable psychological thriller packed with heart-racing twists is perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Jeneva Rose, and Gone Girl.

MY THOUGHTS:

The happiest day of her life...but is her past about to turn it into a nightmare...?

What could possibly be worse than being stood up at the altar? Well, almost at the altar. With no clue, no reason, no idea or warning as to why it happened? I'm sure there are worse things but in that moment in time on what is supposed to a woman's happiest day in which she is to shine - this is her day, her moment - to be left at the altar is devastating.

Hannah is on her way to the church with her soon-to-be father-in-law Alan beside her in the luxurious Rolls Royce who is to stand in for her dear departed father and will be giving her away. She is both excited and anxious for what lay ahead, knowing that in an hour she'll be Mrs Johnny Caxton. When she hears the tinkle of a ringtone, she thinks at first it is hers but Alan retrieves his from his pocket to answer the call. His face pales. Something is wrong. He tells the driver to circle the block again and turns to face Hannah. Johnny isn't coming.

Hannah's world comes crashing down. Her soulmate; her best friend - Johnny. He was so excited to be marrying her. He couldn't wait for them to be man and wife. And now he's backed out? Told his brother Tom that he feels trapped and can't go through with it? Hannah is at first in denial and then she is angry. How could he do this to her? How could he do this to her son, Lucas? The boy he treated like his own son. He said he couldn't wait to be her husband and Lucas' dad. So how could he do this to them?

Wanting answers, Hannah refuses to accept the whispers and half-truths and heads to Johnny's flat the following day. She finds it in the same way that she left it the day before the wedding. Even down to the half drunk coffee and plate of crumbs on the kitchen bench, knowing Johnny's penchant for tidiness he would have cleared that away had he been home. Plus his wedding suit was still hanging ready for the big day. So where was he? What happened to him?

And then there was a face from Hannah's past on the arm of her sister India. How did they know each other and what was he doing here? Does he have something to do with Johnny's disappearance? Added to all that is going on, Hannah must also contend with her sister Carrie's wedding to Johnny's brother Tom the following week. A celebration she certainly doesn't feel like partaking in. But she must grin and bear it, for her sister's sake.

So many secrets and layers of deception are woven into this fast paced tale of family drama filled with tension and suspense at every turn. Amidst the twists and red herrings, I correctly guessed the villain and what had happened. The clues are there - you just have to recognise them. Keep your eyes peeled for everything. It's there in plain sight. 

This is my first foray into A.J. Campbell (though I do have another title or two of hers on my shelf to read) and it was a fast paced read that I devoured in one sitting in a matter of hours. Very quick read with short snappy chapters that I just love that keeps the pace moving and the thrills keep coming as we race to the end. Will you guess the final twist? I suspected but wasn't completely sure.

An entertaining read for sure and did not disappoint. I will be sure to check out more from her in future.

I would like to thank #AJCampbell, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #LefAtTheAltar in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

AJ Campbell is an Amazon USA top 40 bestselling author of ten psychological suspense novels and promises stories full of twists, turns and torment.

AJ draws inspiration for her stories from seemingly unbelievable situations in which ordinary people find themselves. She creates compelling characters that resonate with her readers. AJ lives in the UK on the Essex / Hertfordshire border with her husband, sons, and cocker spaniel, Max. She is a dog lover, Netflix junkie, and a wine and Asian food enthusiast. And, either reading, watching TV, or writing, AJ enjoys nothing more than getting stuck into a twisty story!

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