REVIEW: The Secret Gift by Daniel Hurst

The Secret Gift by Daniel Hurst

Genre: Christmas, Psychological thriller

Read: 20th December 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 11th December 2024

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Giving gifts has never been so deadly…

When Brenda partakes in a game of ‘Secret Santa’ with her friends, she is expecting some harmless festive fun. But she gets a lot more than she bargained for when she makes a shocking discovery, one that turns the simple act of swapping gifts into a deadly game of revenge, murder and mystery.

Some gifts are best left undelivered…

A fast-paced psychological thriller short story full of twists from the bestselling author of UK #1 The Doctor’s Wife, The Couple’s Revenge and Til Death Do Us Part

MY THOUGHTS:

Short and sweet and to the point. Oh, and not to mention shocking. Daniel Hurst is back with a seasonal short story with something of a twist to the traditional Secret Santa game that will take just an hour to devour.

There are the usual twists and a good dose of revenge piled into this one but it does seem to lack Hurst's usual fervour.  It is nothing if not predictable. And it did lack the final twist that Hurst is renowned for.  That's not to say it isn't an entertaining read, as all his thrillers aim to be. And a nice quick one too.

I did like the little holiday twist he sprinkled into the story by way of the characters' names, in a nod to those who have delivered some well known Christmas favourites over the years.

Let's hope your secret santa doesn't end up as this one did!

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:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: All my Lies are True by Dorothy Koomson

All my Lies are True (Poppy & Serena #2) by Dorothy Koomson

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Thriller

Read: 18th December 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 9th July 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRPTION:

From the bestselling author of The Ice Cream Girls comes a gripping emotional thriller of love and obsession and the nature of coercive control. 'The author plays a blinder' says the Sun.

Verity is telling lies...

And that's why she's about to be arrested for attempted murder.

Serena has been lying for years. . .

And that may have driven her daughter, Verity, to do something unthinkable...

Poppy's lies have come back to haunt her . . .

So will her quest for the truth hurt everyone she loves?

Everyone lies.

But whose lies are going to end in tragedy?

MY THOUGHTS:

Firstly, let me say right off the cuff that YOU NEED TO READ THE ICE CREAM GIRLS first! Otherwise this one won't make a whole lot of sense. And even if it did, you will feel like you are missing a big part of the story.

So...ALL MY LIES ARE TRUE. I didn't even know I wanted a sequel to Poppy and Serena's story...until I read this! I didn't even know there was one until I saw it listed in Goodreads. I loved "The Ice Cream Girls" but I think I enjoyed this one so much more! I wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't what it ended up being. And in the end, the whole story - Poppy, Serena and Verity's - seemed to come full circle and end nicely.

The focus of this story is Serena's now adult adult daughter Verity, who was just 14 at the time of the first book. Now 24, Verity is training to be a solicitor whilst her brother Con is nearing the end of his A Levels. The past ten years have brought a sense of healing to her parents who nearly split up a decade ago after the truth about Serena's involvement as an ice cream girl became public knowledge once again - thirty years after the fact.

But now Verity has a secret. And a boyfriend.

Logan Carlisle has wanted justice for his sister ever since she was released ten years ago and they were reunited. He believes Poppy was innocent of the crime for which she served twenty years of her life for and that Serena, the other ice cream girl, got away with murder.

When he meets Verity by chance, he gives her his thoughts and together they decide to look into the case that swept the nation thirty years before to see if they can't see what others failed to. They spend hours, days and weeks pouring over the court transcripts and discover that both Poppy and Serena were so inadequately represented it's a miracle both girls weren't convicted. But if Poppy didn't do it, then did Serena?

But this is not just an ordinary tale of a quest for justice. It is not just some ordinary romance built on secrecy and deception. Both Poppy and Serena have proved to be unreliable narrators in the past...is Verity following in their footsteps and become another?

Told from the perspectives of primarily Verity, Serena and Poppy, this captivating sequel reveals a twist that you may or may not see coming. But one thing is for sure - you will be left questioning if what you read is true, or if they are all just lies?

Once again, abuse is the running theme throughout though it is far easier to stomach than the first book. There are a few flashbacks to both Poppy and Serena's time with Marcus Halnsley and their memories of him. While we, the reader, were privy to the identity of Marcus' killer at the first book's end, others were not. It seems though the story as a whole has come full circle this time, concluding it all once and for all.

This book, like "The Ice Cream Girls" was around the 500 page mark, but it never felt like it dragged or was too bogged down in any way. I was thoroughly enthralled throughout with an addictive storyline that continued to shock me until the end.

Another five star read that was a pure delight to read.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Books and reading have been a huge part of Dorothy Koomson's life since she was very young. Her mother taught her – and her siblings – to read and write when she was in nursery. As she got older, she used to go to the library every day after school to read books where she used to write short descriptive passages all the time. Whiling away many, many hours daydreaming and creating stories in her head.

At the grand old age of 13, she wrote my first novel called "There’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate". She would write a chapter every night in her exercise books then pass it around to her fellow convent school pupils the next morning.

Dorothy grew up in London and then grew up again in Leeds when she went to university at Trinity and All Saints College (as it was then). She later returned to London to study for her masters degree in journalism at Goldsmiths University. She had various temping jobs and eventually became a journalist and editor working on various women’s magazines and national papers.

While working as a journalist, Dorothy continued to write short stories and novels in every spare moment – like on the train to and from work – as way to achieve her goal of becoming a published novelist. In 2001 she had the idea for "The Cupid Effect" and signed up with her first publisher a year later. In 2003 "The Cupid Effect" went on sale and her career as a published novelist began.

In 2006, her third novel, "My Best Friend’s Girl" was published. It was incredibly successful – selling nearly 90,000 copies within its first few weeks. Six weeks later, it was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads Book Club and the book went on to sell over 500,000 copies. Because of its huge sales, it won an award. Her fourth novel, "Marshmallows for Breakfast", also won an award for selling over 250,000 copies.

In 2005 Dorothy moved to Australia and spent two years living in Sydney. When she returned to England in 2007 she moved to the south coast, namely Brighton. She love living by the sea. There’s nothing like a good walk along the seafront to clear your head or to work out the knots in a plot.

Those who’ve read her later books will know that a lot of them have been set in Brighton and its surrounding area, often with a good dose of Leeds and South London thrown in.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson

The Ice Cream Girls (Poppy & Serena #1) by Dorothy Koomson

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Drama, Crime

Read: 15th December 2024

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Amazon

Published: 1st March 2010

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

As teenagers, Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate, the two seemingly glamorous teens were dubbed 'The Ice Cream Girls' by the press and were dealt with by the courts.

Years later, having led very different lives, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried - and if theirs is revealed, everything will become a living hell all over again. . .

Gripping, thought-provoking and heart-warming, THE ICE CREAM GIRLS will make you wonder if you can ever truly know the people you love.

MY THOUGHTS:

I first read this book about ten years ago and it resonated with me then. I decided to read it again because I wanted to read the sequel and found myself a little puzzled at its beginning because the story I remembered was the TV adapation which I have only recently rewatched for about the third time. It was picking up the sequel that I realised the TV adaption of the first book bore some striking differences to what actually happened in the book. And so I decided to read it again.

Reading it the second time around gave me a fresh understanding of the plight of both women. As teenagers in the 80s, they had the misfortune of falling in love with the same man. Their teacher. Most of us have had a crush on a teacher at some point in our lives, but this went way beyond that. And their teacher, Marcus Halnsley, abused his position of trust and authority by preyinh on, grooming and abusing these girls.

Poppy and Serena were not friends. Their paths may never have crossed had it not been for Marcus. And because each were sleeping with the others' boyfriend, they also hated one another. But Marcus played them against each other. And as a predator, he was charming, clever and manipulative. Poppy and Serena fell for his charms and were lulled into a false sense of security, believing the lies he fed them, playing them against the other. He made them into the women they were to become...and continued to haunt them from beyond the grave.

The story begins with Poppy's release from prison after twenty years for Marcus' murder. But she is single-minded in her purpose upon freedom - to find Serena and make her confess. Because if Poppy didn't kill Marcus,  Serena must have.

It's a shame that Poppy and Serena weren't friends because they were so alike in many ways, yet so different in others. Serena had a strength that Poppy lacked but she had a naivety about her. They both did. That's what attracted Marcus to them in the first place. But I think Poppy was even moreso.

I liked Poppy and felt for her having not only suffered at Marcus' hands but then the justice system. I believed in her innocence. I also felt for Serena but thought she should have been honest with her husband from the beginning. I understand her reticence but Marcus couldn't hurt her any longer. These two women suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse for over two years at his hands. Their scars ran deep.

The story unfolds in alternating chapters from Poppy and Serena's perspectives as they struggle to move on with their lives but find themselves reliving the past. This is a very dark and emotional tale that exposes the heart and soul of the characters.

I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time around. However, I must point out a constant mistake Ms Koomson made throughout the book. She referred to the girls having broken the first commandment - citing it as being "Thou shalt not kill". It is not the first commandment - which is actually "Thou shalt not have any gods before me" - but rather the sixth commandment. An error that should have been picked up and rectified upon editing. But still a brave and heartfelt story nonetheless.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Books and reading have been a huge part of Dorothy Koomson's life since she was very young. Her mother taught her – and her siblings – to read and write when she was in nursery. As she got older, she used to go to the library every day after school to read books where she used to write short descriptive passages all the time. Whiling away many, many hours daydreaming and creating stories in her head.

At the grand old age of 13, she wrote my first novel called "There’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate". She would write a chapter every night in her exercise books then pass it around to her fellow convent school pupils the next morning.

Dorothy grew up in London and then grew up again in Leeds when she went to university at Trinity and All Saints College (as it was then). She later returned to London to study for her masters degree in journalism at Goldsmiths University. She had various temping jobs and eventually became a journalist and editor working on various women’s magazines and national papers.

While working as a journalist, Dorothy continued to write short stories and novels in every spare moment – like on the train to and from work – as way to achieve her goal of becoming a published novelist. In 2001 she had the idea for "The Cupid Effect" and signed up with her first publisher a year later. In 2003 "The Cupid Effect" went on sale and her career as a published novelist began.

In 2006, her third novel, "My Best Friend’s Girl" was published. It was incredibly successful – selling nearly 90,000 copies within its first few weeks. Six weeks later, it was selected for the Richard & Judy Summer Reads Book Club and the book went on to sell over 500,000 copies. Because of its huge sales, it won an award. Her fourth novel, "Marshmallows for Breakfast", also won an award for selling over 250,000 copies.

In 2005 Dorothy moved to Australia and spent two years living in Sydney. When she returned to England in 2007 she moved to the south coast, namely Brighton. She love living by the sea. There’s nothing like a good walk along the seafront to clear your head or to work out the knots in a plot.

Those who’ve read her later books will know that a lot of them have been set in Brighton and its surrounding area, often with a good dose of Leeds and South London thrown in.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The House Swap by Miranda Rijks

The House Swap by Miranda Rijks

Genre: Domestic suspense, Psychological thriller

Read: 7th December 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th December 2024

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell.

When two families organise a house swap, it seems like the perfect holiday arrangement.

The Browns will exchange their London townhouse for a stunning chateau in the south of France, the perfect place to relax and rekindle their flagging marriage.

And the Lesters are looking forward to showing their son, Rafael, around their old haunts in the British capital.

Sounds wonderful. Except for one thing - both families are hiding dark secrets, and secrets have a way of coming out...

In France, there’s a mysterious break-in at the chateau. Then the Browns discover that a woman who lived there disappeared and was never seen again. Instead of feeling rested and relaxed, they now feel isolated and vulnerable.

Then, in London, 17-year-old Rafael vanishes without a trace.

As the tension mounts to an unbearable pitch, both couples are forced to face their darkest demons. Someone won’t be coming home…

MY THOUGHTS:

Two perfect families. Two beautiful homes. A one-way trip to hell...

So who's fancied a house swap at some point or another? I mean, we've all secretly wished we could literally swap houses...but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with strangers staying in my space. And I'm not entirely sure I'd be all that comfortable in theirs either. But never fear, this book will put that idea to bed quick smart!

Elodie and husband Lewis live in the very affluent area of Knightsbridge in London and their house is simply to die for. While Lewis runs a string of semi-successful (but not really) gyms, Elodie is in the prestigious real estate business with her best friend Niall. Together they own and run Hutchinson Brown, marketing prestigious properties both in the UK and Europe to affluent clients. As part of the business, the pair decide to branch out in a new venture of house swapping. And Elodie and Lewis guinea pig the trial with similarly aged couple Piers and Susan Lester who own a crumbling villa in Provence, with the sole intention of renovating it.

From the first moment, it is obvious that the Lesters have landed firmly on their feet as they take in the stunning home they are to inhabit for the next two weeks with their 17 year old son Raf, who would much rather have holidayed at the seaside. While Elodie and Lewis have drawn the short straw in this house swap. And from that first moment, Elodie wonders if this really was a good idea after all. Especially when she begins to see photos of her home plastered all over Susan's social media.

The first morning in France, Elodie and Lewis are woken by construction workers who have been employed by the Lesters to work on the renovations. It's obvious as soon as you set foot inside the villa that it is tired, old, run-down and in serious need of some renovating. But this is meant to be a holiday. While the Lesters are living it up in their luxurious home back in England, they have been sold a lie and have to deal with constant noise and discomfort. This isn't quite the holiday they had hoped for.

Meanwhile, Susan and Piers are enjoying the luxury of the Brown's stunning home. Only Raf is a fish out of water here. Though he was born in London, he has spent most of his life in France and England is foreign to him. And while Piers thought this would be the holiday that would bring the family together, Susan is out every day till all hours shopping up a storm. That is when she's not quietly trying on Elodie's designer gowns and stunning clothes. Piers tries his best to make his wife happy but there's something not quite right. And then his visit to Harley Street brings news that shakes his world and everything he thought he knew to the core. When Raf suddently goes missing, Piers and Susan are out of their minds with worry...but things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Back in France, the quiet solitude Elodie had been hoping for is but a pipe dream. Strange things start happening - someone keeps trying to break into the house, there's a strange smell that seems to emanate from somewhere and Lewis is constantly going out for bike rides leaving Elodie by herself. And then she discovers something shocking and begins to question everything.

The story unfolds through Elodie and Piers' respective narratives with the odd chapter through Raf's POV peppered throughout. It was fast paced for the most part though it did take a while to get going. There's a whole lot of drama and plenty of baggage that these families are carrying around. But in the end, the tale was relatively entertaining, a little OTT, filled with secrets, lies and deception. I guessed the two major lot twists quite easily though to be fair they weren't immediately easy to spot. They were just random guesses on my part.

Overall, an entertaining tale though I'm still not a huge fan of continent-based tales and prefer them to be in miserable old blighty. lol

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #TheHouseSwap in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Miranda Rijks lives in West Sussex, England, with her husband, their musician daughter and black Labrador. ‘The Obituary’ was her first psychological thriller. She has also written a psychological thriller series featuring Dr Pippa Durrant, a psychologist and specialist in lie detection, who works alongside Sussex police getting embroiled in some scary stuff!

After a degree in Law, Miranda worked in marketing in London and Eastern Europe before setting up businesses in the horticultural, leisure and retail sectors. Along the way, she got a masters in writing and wrote the self-help book, ‘How Compatible Are You?’ and biography, ‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’. In 2018, Miranda wrote ‘Don’t Call Me Brave’, a novel very loosely drawing upon her experiences of having a rare bone cancer.

She feels extremely lucky to be living the dream, writing psychological thrillers full time! 

Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so feel free to drop her a line.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

    

REVIEW: Everyone this Christmas has a Secret by Ben Stevenson

Everyone this Christmas has a Secret (Ernest Cunningham #3) by Benjamin Stevenson

Genre: Mystery, Humour

Read: 1st December 2024

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Amazon

Published: 23rd October 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

If Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club kissed under the mistletoe...

My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.

THE MAGICIAN

THE ASSISTANT

THE EXECUTIVE

THE HYPNOTIST

THE TWIN

THE COUNSELLOR

THE STAGEHAND

My clues are even more abstract: A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there; A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens; And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it's Christmas.

If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.

After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn’t it?

MY THOUGHTS:

Seven gifts. Six suspects. And a deadly advent calendar of clues...

Ben Stevenson is back with his alter ego Ernest Cunningham in this quirky quick-witted Yuletide novella. On the back of the series opener "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone" - Ernest finds himself pondering the question if that notion of familial history extends to exes? He doesn't know but he is keen to find out...and prove her innocence.

Four days before Christmas, Ernest receives a desperate plea for help from ex-wife Erin. Her partner Lyle Pearse has been found dead in their home and she with blood on her hands - literally. Under the guise of attending magician Rylan Blaze's appearance at the Pearse Foundation's theatre, Ern hightails it up to Katoomba in the picturesque Blue Mountains where Erin currently sits in a police holding cell.

After questioning Erin, even he finds her story unbelieveable. But he knows Erin and he doubts the likelihood of her murdering anyone, let alone the man she loved. But all evidence points to her guilt and it is up to Ernest to prove otherwise. If he can.

He is doorstepped by lone wolf journalist Josh Felman as he leaves the police station. The man seems to know what he's doing before he does! I admit to chuckling at the image of Josh being dragged along by Ernest's car after his boom got caught in the window. Although Ern works alone, primarily, he does exchange information with the journalist with the promise of an exclusive once he's solved the case.

So when a second murder occurs in front of, not only him, but an entire audience crammed into the Pearse Foundation's theatre, Ernest knows he must be at his sharpest to uncover the murderer this time around. 

With not a lot in the way of clues, though Ernest cleverly drip-feeds us little tidbits of information in the form of an advent calendar and secret santas. But even with those 24 chapters of advent clues, I was still relatively stumped this time round, despite solving it in the first book and coming very close to doing so in the second. This time, I was stumped. Ernest is, as always, a reliable narrator but even he hoodwinked me this time.

I did find one flaw. I know how Josh got all the reports and various bits of information but the one thing I didn't find explained was how he knew about the answerphone message. For a reliable narrator I thought it would be explained or maybe it was a blink and you miss it explanation.

As always, I love the quick wit humour peppered throughout and the locale of this one being close to my own neck of the woods, this was indeed a funny and cleverly plotted holiday read. One that I devoured in an afternoon.

With this being the last of the Ernest Cunningham series to date, I have to wait until the next one which is probably another 12 months away. Can I wait that long? I guess I'll have to.

Overall, a thoroughly entertaining, fun-filled holiday mystery, not as spectacular as the last "Everyone on this Train is a Suspect", but still a fun read all the same.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning stand-up comedian and author. His first novel, Greenlight, was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction, and his second novel, Either Side of Midnight, was shortlisted for the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Original Paperback. His books have sold over 750,000 copies in twenty-nine territories and have been nominated for eight ‘Book of the Year’ awards.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, his third novel, was a huge bestseller and has so far been sold in twenty-four territories around the world. It will soon be adapted into a major HBO TV series.

Benjamin has sold out live shows from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival all the way to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has appeared on ABC TV, Channel 10 and The Comedy Channel.

Social Media links:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Ben Stevenson

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson

Genre: Mystery, Humour

Read: 25th November 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 17th October 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars (and another 5!)

DESCRIPTION:

6 WRITERS. 5 DETECTIVES. 4 DAYS. 3 WEAPONS. 2 MURDERS. 1 TRAIN...

The program is a who’s who of crime-writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)

the forensic science writer

the blockbuster writer

the legal thriller writer

the literary writer

the psychological suspense writer.

But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.

Or commit one.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

MY THOUGHTS:

"Everyone on this train is a suspect..."

"Including you?"

"Well, no."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm the narrator."

Ben Stevenson has done it again...only better! I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and sequels are notoriously hard to match the success of the first but, well, in three words - he nailed it! 

IT IS BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK!!

How is that possible? I don't know how but it is soooo much better it's shocking! If the first one has had the TV rights sold, then this one should be snapped up because it really is better than the first. And I gave that one five stars. So how can I top that rating with this book which was soooo shockingly good?!

Ernest Cunningham is back this time hightailing it onboard the luxurious Ghan to celebrate the Australian Mystery Writer's Society fiftieth anniversary. And once again he promises to be a reliable narrator and that he couldn't be the murderer because he's the narrator. And a book in which the first person narrating the story is the murderer just breaks one of the golden rules of mystery writing. Writers are an idiosyncratic bunch.

So Ernest undertakes this journey with Juliette (readers will remember her as the owner of the resort the last book took place at) and so it begins. Six writers, five detectives, four days, three weapons, two murders (only two?) and one train...and it all comes down to a comma! Punctuation, peoples, is important. And Ernest is a stickler for the proper use of grammar, punctuation and the golden rules of detective fiction.

So the Ghan. It's a luxurious train almost a kilometre in length (google for the mile conversion) and traverses the dead red centre of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide and back again. That's its purpose. 2,797 epic kilometres (about 1860 miles) over four days...for a very hefty price tag. It's cheaper to fly to Europe than to travel the Ghan (everything in Australia is expensive but that's another story). And I love his description of flat (I can't remember the exact wording)...the endless nothingness edge of the world type of feeling. That flat.

So on the back of the success of his previous book "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone" (yes, the author and Ernest share the same title), Ernest has been granted a six figure advance in lieu of his next blockbuster...if he could ever get past this writer's block, that is. Problem is, someone (or many someones) have to die for Ernest to write. And to top it off, on the tail of that and his first book's success, he is suffering from both imposter's syndrome and survivor's guilt.

Stevenson breaks the fourth wall of writing here, as he did with the first, in where he addresses the entire tale to the reader through Ernest Cunningham. And it so works! It feels as if the writer is speaking directly to you, even inserting side comments via parenthesis etc. He even dares us to work it out for ourselves by giving us the number the murderer's name is mentioned and that a comma will save the day. He even pauses (mid-scene) to give us a chance to lay our own thoughts and guesses on the page before the big reveal. And to be fair, he does give us all the clues throughout. Nothing is hidden and all is laid bare. But...he is a little sneakier this time a subtle change that, while it is there to note, it's hiding in plain sight. But unlike the first, I didn't quite guess the murderer, but I was very close.

And the humour. Oh my, the humour is here in spades! There were times I had to go back and re-read what I'd just read I was laughing so much! I love the wit and humour that sneaks in and peppered throughout. So thoroughy entertained by the humour alone that I didn't even notice that it was already 38% through and in Chapter 11 before someone died! That speaks to the author's ability to keep his audience entertained in lieu of the murder mystery they came here for.

My only criticism is that the title of one of the books "Life, Death and Whiskey" was purportedly written by a Scottish author and the Scottish spell "whisky" without the E. Only the Irish and Americans spell it with an E. Don't worry, readers, this is not a spoiler. This is just an observation made when reading, the spelling of which bore no significance to the mystery.

With all that this story entailed, I devoured this witty and deliciously devious mystery in a day. I was not going to bed before I turned that last page. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey (the only way I could afford a trip on the Ghan) and cannot wait for Ernest's next adventure. If I thought "Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone" was a hard act to follow, then this one is going to be even harder to top. Sequels are generally never as good as debuts, but this one doesn't just knock the first out of the water, it drowns it first!

I loved it so much that, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to dive straight into the third book "Everyone this Christmas has a Secret". And then where will I be? Eagerly awaiting the fourth!!

A cleverly plotted, deliciously devious and witty locked room mystery taken to a whole new level. Not just a five star read...this is a ten star read! Love love LOVED it!!

And to think...it all started with a 1 star review. No danger of that here. Stevenson NAILED it! Total genius!

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Benjamin Stevenson is an award-winning stand-up comedian and author. His first novel, Greenlight, was shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction, and his second novel, Either Side of Midnight, was shortlisted for the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Original Paperback. His books have sold over 750,000 copies in twenty-nine territories and have been nominated for eight ‘Book of the Year’ awards.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, his third novel, was a huge bestseller and has so far been sold in twenty-four territories around the world. It will soon be adapted into a major HBO TV series.

Benjamin has sold out live shows from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival all the way to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and has appeared on ABC TV, Channel 10 and The Comedy Channel.

Social Media links:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Murder in an English Castle by Merryn Allingham

Murder in an English Castle (A Flora Steele Mystery #10) by Merryn Allingham

Genre: Historical mystery, Cosy mystery

Read: 17th November 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 20th November 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Flora Steele and Jack Carrington as they are called to a castle to unearth the clues of a murder most medieval…

Sussex, 1959. The sun is shining on the breathtaking castle as the Abbeymead Historical Society prepare their re-enactment of the Battle of Lewes. But the fun ends abruptly when council worker Alex Vicary falls to his death from the castle ramparts. A shadowy figure runs from the scene, but Alex was a beloved member of the community… who could possibly want him dead?

As Flora and Jack investigate further, they dig up troubles Alex kept buried from those closest to him. Perhaps he was pushed by his money-hungry landlord, Larry Morton, who was trying to sell Alex’s home? Or maybe his oldest and shiftiest friend, Bruce Sullivan, who gambled away the money Alex loaned him? Or could it be his wide-eyed new girlfriend, Diane Croft, who dodges questions about Alex’s death, and hides presents from another suitor?

But when Flora discovers an engagement ring among Alex’s possessions, she is stunned to learn that his relationship with Diane was more serious than everyone thought. With whispers of another man fighting for Diane’s heart, were the battle lines drawn for love?

Then the body of a second member of the society is found, and the pair realise time is running out. Will history repeat itself with yet another death? Or can Flora and Jack catch their killer before the medieval murderer bids them both adieu?

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

MY THOUGHTS:

A murder most medieval...

It's 1959 and the Historical Society is rehearsing their re-enactment of the Battle of Lewes when it all ends in tragedy. Alex Vicary falls to his death in front of many on-lookers who were unsure at first if this were part of the event. Until Jack Carrington and his wife Flora rush forward to assist and check for signs of life...of which there are none. Needless to say, the day ends on a sad note as the crowd disperses and the ambulance cart Alex off to the mortuary.

Some days later, Alex's best friend and sous chef at the Priory, Hector walks into the All's Well and begs Flora to help. He is sure his friend's death was murder and is certain he saw someone push him from the wall from which he was stood in the battle re-enactment. Jack was just as certain that it was an accident as was Inspector Alan Ridley so if Flora were to investigate it would be without the assistance of her husband.

She doesn't get far before Jack discovers her digging and insists on helping her if she is intent on looking into the poor man's death...even if just to set his friend's mind at rest. But they don't expect to uncover a wealth of secrets from blackmail to bullying to threats and another death! 

This is the tenth outing for Flora and Jack now happily married and planning a somewhat belated honeymoon in Venice in June. But somehow are found investigating yet another murder which they ultimately solve.

Filled with secrets, misunderstandings, red herrings and plenty of twists, this is another light read and a delight to revisit old friends in Abbeymead once again. 

I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MurderInAnEnglishCastle 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: Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

Love and Love at the Beach Hotel (The Beach Hotel #4) by Francesca Capaldi

Genre: Historical fictionn, Sagas, WW1

Read: 16th November 2024

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Amazon

Apple

Kobo

Waterstones

Published: 21st November 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Can true love win the day?

Hetty Affleck is working as a maid at the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton. Her beau, Lorcan, is away at war and has recently stopped replying to her letters but she is determined to keep her spirits up. When she meets wealthy shipbuilder's son Victor Perryman, they pass the time of day and they both feel a connection but she can’t allow herself to think anything more of it - not only does she have Lorcan to think of, but she and Victor are divided by wealth and class.

Yet they meet again and Hetty is charmed and intrigued by Victor and his openness towards her. It becomes harder to ignore the attachment growing between them.

When Lorcan comes back on leave, Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she really love, and can that love conquer everything in its path?

MY THOUGHTS:

Can true love win the day...?

What a delight it is to return to the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton and the flurry of staff and guests there! And who doesn't love to be by the seaside? Even in a storm?

I have delighted in this series since it began following the stories of first Edie, then Lili, then Helen herself and now Hetty. I also enjoyed seeing some of the regulars continue to pop up such as the Major, a resident at the hotel, as well as much of the staff and those guests who pop in from time to time. 

The focus of this fourth installment is Hetty Affleck who works as head stillroom maid (I was most interested in what that actually entailed, having never heard of it before). She and one of the other staff members, Irish lad Lorcan Foley, had only just begun stepping out together when he enlisted thus joining the fight at the front. Their relationship had barely begun but Hetty agreed to write to him and he her.

After three long years, despite early forecasts predicting it would be over by Christmas, Hetty began to wonder if she was merely writing to keep his spirits up as what they had barely constituted as anything but friendship. Besides, any leave he had he'd returned home to Ireland rather than return to the Beach Hotel to see her. Didn't that say something about their relationship, such as it was?

Then his letters seemed to have stopped. Even on her birthday he failed to send her something as he usually did. Did that mean something had happened to him? Or had he simply decided to end their friendship? Hetty isn't sure how she feels.

When she meets wealthy shipbuilder's son Victor Perryman, they exchange greetings and pass the time of day but nothing more. And yet she feels a connection to him, like a bolt of electricity every time she is in his company. But she is just a maid serving him and his family whilst he is upper middle class, certainly not for the likes of her. Besides, she has Lorcan to think of. But the more she sees of Victor, the more she is charmed and intrigued by the handsome young man. And the more time they spend together the more the pair realise how alike they are and it soon becomes difficult to deny the growing attachment between them.

And then Lorcan returns suddenly on leave and Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she truly love? And can love conquer all the obstacles thrown in their path?

A truly delightful, heartwarming and emotional wartime saga that is such a wonderful read that I devoured it in one sitting, not wanting to leave Littlehampton and its inhabitants for one minute. I can't wait to see whose story we get to follow next and what the author has in store for us.

A heartwarming 5 stars!

I would like to thank #FrancescaCapaldi, #Netgalley and #HeraBooks for an ARC of #LoveAndLossAtTheBeachHotel in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing, Sussex, and brought up in Littlehampton, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was brilliant at improvised story telling.

A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.

​Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had numerous short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, as well as in anthologies. Four pocket novels have been published by DC Thomson, one of which, Danger for Daisy, is available as an ebook.

Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of her great grandfather's war record.  They are published by Hera Books

​She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. 

Francesca currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Daniel Hurst Psychological Thriller Box Set

Daniel Hurst Psychological Thriller Box Set

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 17th November 2024

Amazon

Published: 8th December 2024

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Featuring FOUR adrenaline-charged thrillers by Daniel Hurst.

THE PASSENGER

She takes the same train every day. But this is a journey she’ll never forget.

Amanda is a hardworking single mum, completely focused on her job and her daughter, Louise. She’s been saving for years and now, finally, she can afford to give up work and chase her dream.

But then, on her commute home from London to Brighton, she meets a charming stranger – who seems to know everything about her.

He delivers an ultimatum . She needs to give him the code for the safe where she keeps her savings before the train reaches Brighton – or she’ll never see Louise again

.

Convinced that the threat is real, Amanda is stunned, horrified. She knows she should give him the code, but she can’t. Because she also knows there is a terrible secret in that safe which will destroy her life and Louise’s too…

THE BOYFRIEND

What if your exes were being killed off one by one?

Adele has had a colourful romantic past but has finally found her soulmate, Tom. They are engaged and she is looking forward to a future of blissful happiness.

Until she realises her ex-boyfriends are turning up dead.

At first the deaths seem accidental, but soon a sinister pattern emerges. All of Adele’s former partners are being killed off – in the order she dated them. As the body count grows, Adele has to figure out who is doing this and why.

Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time until the killer gets to Tom…

THE BREAK

It seems like a lovely little house. But it has dark secrets…

Karen is a busy wife and mother. Between work, her husband Peter, and their two children, Oscar and Noah, she doesn’t have a minute to herself.

So when it all begins to feel too much, Karen knows just what she needs – to get away for a little while. Nothing big. Just a short break.

Her friend, Eve, tells her about a quaint little holiday home, and Karen books herself a short stay. She’ll have time to read, take bubble baths, unwind. Perfect.

But this is no ordinary holiday home – it contains a dark and disturbing secret. Because Karen isn’t alone here – someone is watching her. Waiting for the right moment to spring the trap and plunge her into a nightmare she’ll never forget.

THE NEW FRIENDS

They are fun, wealthy, fabulous. Pray you never meet them.

Becky and Jamie are an ordinary hard-working couple trapped in the daily grind, dreaming of an easier life. On one of their rare vacations, they meet a wealthy couple, Phil and Mel, who seem to have it all – they are fun, well travelled, and very generous with their money.

But they are also very, very dangerous.

Because Phil and Mel are not who they say they are. And this is no random vacation friendship, they have chosen Jamie and Becky carefully, seducing them with the promise of a lifestyle just like theirs.

By the time Jamie and Becky realise what their new friends really want, it’s too late, they’ve lost everything, their hopes and dreams lie shattered.

The only question now is how far will they go to get even?

DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS 4-BOOK BOX SET OF BESTSELLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS THAT WILL HAVE YOU TURNING THE PAGES LONG INTO THE NIGHT!

MY THOUGHTS:

A massive Daniel Hurst fan I will thrilled with this box set of some of his best psychological thrillers. "The Passenger" is up there as one of my favourites with "The New Friends" and "The Break" following close behind. Only "The Boyfriend" let this set down with it's somewhat flat ending. However, it was still an entertaining fast paced adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride from start to finish. I just expected that trademark Daniel Hurst twist at the very end, leaving fans speechless.

"The New Friends" was the first book of Hurst's I ever read closely followed by "The Break". I read "The Passenger" last year and "The Boyfriend" last night, rounding off this spectacular box set. 

A must for psychological thriller fans!

You can read my individual reviews for each book below:

https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/search/label/Daniel%20Hurst%20Box%20Set

I would like to thank #DanielHurst, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #DanielHurstPsychologicalThrillerBoxSet 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:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads