The Staffymum's Book Nook: Australian

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

Tuesday, 26 November 2024

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

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 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

Saturday, 9 November 2024

REVIEW: Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Ben Stevenson

Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham #1) by Ben Stevenson

Genre: Murder mystery, Humour

Read: 8th November 2024

Published: 29th March 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I was dreading the Cunningham family reunion even before the first murder.

Before the storm stranded us at the mountain resort, snow and bodies piling up.

The thing is, us Cunninghams don’t really get along. We’ve only got one thing in common: we’ve all killed someone.

Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let's get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

The Australian novel that has taken the world by (snow)storm. Following a heated auction in Hollywood, film/TV rights were sold to HBO, and publishing rights to 26 countries so far!

MY THOUGHTS:

I was dreading the Cunningham family reunion even before the first murder...

I came across this book via a review (thanks Sarah!) and when I saw it was set in my own country (Australia) I just had to check it out. I wasn't prepared for the complex ride Ben Stevenson took me on...despite its locale being a ski resort. Yes, it does snow in Australia (for the northerners) though only in the southern areas with a higher altitude. Otherwise we're pretty much an oven.

The opening of this very clever and witty prose drew me in from the very start. Ernest Cunningham (Ernie or Ern) is our narrator and published author of books on how to write books. He helpfully lists the ten rules of writing detective fiction at the beginning, to which he strongly adheres, and thus refers back to each rule as and when applicable throughout (usually in parenthesis such as these or even in general conversation with us, the reader). He is hugely entertaining with his wit and dry humour which I found very similar to Stuart MacBride, who I note has been quoted with his own thoughts on this rather fresh approach to the murder mystery.

(The best thing I've read in ages. I absolutely loved it. Whip-smart, twisted, funny, and constructed with the pinpoint precision of a bloodthirsty watchmaker. - Stuart MacBride) Snap! My thoughts exactly.

While the title draws the attention of the reader, how true is it? Has everyone in Ernest's family really killed someone? Bear that in mind because they are not a family of psychopaths and they are not killers, per se. So who have they killed? And why? One of the rules by which he writes is not to pen an unreliable narrator and promises to be a reliable one...but is he to be believed?

What begins with a family reunion at a ski resort (fictitious name and place but in the Snowy Mountains of southern NSW just out of Jindabyne, which does exist), should be a happy occasion, right? But Ernest has avoided any and all family reunions if he could help it in the past. However, he was not able to avoid this one as his aunt (a perennial busybody one could not say no to, even if they wanted to) stated in no uncertain terms in bold print so as to not be avoided that there were to be no excuses and all must attend. Happy happy joy joy. In a family where everyone has killed someone? This doesn't bode well for him, Ernest thinks.

So the players. There's Ernest, Michael (his brother), Sofia( his step-sister), Erin (his wife), Lucy (his sister-in-law), Audrey (his mother), Marcelo (his stepfather), Katherine (his aunt) and Andy (his uncle). That's just the family. Throw in a copper (Crawford), a dead body (green boots - you'll see), Juliette (the resort owner) and a few other characters peppered throughout - both past and present.

Then there's the locale. A faded ski resort that has seen better days with a full guesthouse and vacant chalets for the Cunningham family.

Now, the plot. I don't think I could begin to do it justice. This really is one of those books where you need to go in blind and just enjoy the ride...because enjoy it, I think you will. If you love murder, mystery, wit and dark humour then I'm sure you will love this.

The entire tale gives off the vibe of Ernest just chatting to us, revealing bit by bit each clue as it appears to him. He claims not to lie to us or throw us red herrings but that all clues are peppered throughout and are presented just as he saw them as he saw them. After all, each clue is what he used to draw his own conclusions and expertly solve the mystery.

It's very quirky, very clever and oh so funny throughout. Some of his internal monologue had me in fits of laughter. For example, some of this thoughts on the spreadsheets (in the beginning upon arriving at the resort) and then later referring to having PTSD - Post Traumatic Spreadsheet Disorder. His rationale on the sign to the said resort needing punctuation between "resort" and "retreat" begging all who approach to turn around and don't look back!

A truly mind-boggling plot that is both clever and quirky as well as complex as it was convoluted, this thoroughly entertaining tale is dark and witty in equal measure. Stevenson has penned a unique style of murder mystery (that is appropriately OTT without seeming OTT) that is so complex that that in itself makes the villain not so easy to identify. I was befuddled by the family tree and keeping the tale in order as there is a lot of jumping about (hence the convoluted part) so I was stunned when I actually guessed villain correctly! And even spotted one of the clues for what it was and not what everyone else thought at the time. I didn't solve it completely so I was in for another shock but oh my, what a delightfully delicious dark and witty tale this is!

Marketed as Agatha Christie meets Arthur Conan Doyle (lots of Holmesian references within) meets Richard Osman. I haven't read either of the latter but I grew up reading Christie so I can safely say that this is a modern take on a Christie-esque mystery. There's even a nod to the Queen of Crime herself with one of her books penned under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott mentioned a handful of times. This is truly unlike anything I've read before though it's humour is very much like that I've read in Stuart MacBride and I always appreciate such dark witty humour. I'd be interested to see if the following two are just as entertaining.

I note that the rights have been snapped up to become a TV series so I look forward to that. I just hope they are able to capture the same quirkiness and wit that Stevenson does in this delightfully entertaining tale. With all it's twists and quirky humour throughout makes this one ride of your life you will not forget in a hurry.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

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

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

REVIEW: A Mother Always Knows by Nicole Trope

A Mother Always Knows (Grace Morton #2) by Nicole Trope

Genre: Domestic suspense

Read: 22nd October 2024

Goodreads
Amazon

Published: 9th December 2024

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I stare at the photo of my beautiful daughter. Her hair is shining and her face is lit up with a smile. The man with her looks so happy too. But my mother’s instinct is screaming. I know something is terribly, terribly wrong. And I know what I have to do…

I wish I could hold her tight. See if she still wears the same perfume she always wore. But my daughter blames me for her father’s death. She won’t even talk to me… I just know she isn’t really safe with her boyfriend, Garth. I will keep my distance and I will just watch her. For now.

But I tremble with fear when the police knock at her door. Garth has gone missing. And my daughter is accused of his murder.

There’s no evidence that I ever hurt anyone… is there? Do the police know about my past – and what I’ve really been doing?

Only one thing is certain. My beautiful girl is in terrible danger.

But from the man she loves?

From herself?

Or from me?

An absolutely explosive psychological thriller that will have you racing through the pages deep into the night! Fans of Shari Lapena, Freida McFadden and The Perfect Marriage won’t be able to put this down.

MY THOUGHTS:

Mother. Daughter. Killer...?

For those of you who have not yet read the first book, "Not A Good Enough Mother", go grab yourself a copy and read that first because this one will make a lot more sense alongside that one.

We meet Grace again, picking up from where the first book left off, as she boards the plane from Sydney to Melbourne. This time with her daughter Cordelia firmly on her mind. Since Grace's life imploded six years ago, Cordelia has refused all contact with her mother blaming her for all that had happened. Grace is the first to admit that she certainly made mistakes and has regretted them ever since. But Cordelia refuses to forgive her mother and Grace can hardly blame her.

But a mother always knows when their child is in danger. And sensing that Cordelia was, Grace left Sydney and flew to Melbourne where she knew her daughter was now living. She has remained in the background whilst keeping an eye on Cordelia from afar through her instagram profile, where she noticed here daughter's supposedly devoted boyfriend make some inappropriate comments. Inappropriate in that if he really loved and cared for her daughter, he wouldn't make such snide or backhanded comments to her. Grace didn't trust him and she needed to know that Cordelia was safe with him.

Once again Grace takes on the persona of an assistant, this time in the boyfriend's law firm filling in for a week while the regular admin assistant was on leave. But the moment she steps into his office she knows something is wrong. Garth isn't here and as it is a weekday he is meant to be. After all, he claims to work all the hours God sends, doesn't he? At least that's what he tells Cordelia. But is it the truth?

After her life fell apart so spectacularly six years ago, Cordelia Morton ran. She took herself off to the UK to try and forget for a while. And it did...for a while. Until she met handsome and charming Garth Stanford-Brown. And she confided in him all about her past and he seemed to understand. And she loved him all the more for it. So when she decided to return to Australia, Garth followed her taking up a position in their sister firm down under. And for four and half years, life was perfect. Until it wasn't.

When cracks began to show, Cordelia wiped them away to invisible, devoted as she was to Garth. But then one day he disappears and her anger turns to worry as her texts to him go unanswered.

And then the police knock on her door. And Cordelia realises she's in trouble. There is only one person who can help her. One person who can understand what she's going through. The one person she vowed she would never ever speak to again. Her mother.

"Mum I need you. Please come."

That's all Grace needs to come running when she receives the text from Cordelia. But can Grace unravel the mystery of what happened to Garth in time to save her daughter?

Going overboard with disguises, Grace stalks, waits, watches and a bunch of other erratic behaviours that are questionable at best. Grace knows Garth is not good for her daughter and the deeper she delves, the more she questions what really is at play here. Assume nothing. Believe no one. Question everything.

And get ready for one delicious ride!

I enjoyed this book more than the first one I think because the pace was much faster. I literally devoured it in under a day. There were loads of red herrings, twists and questionable characters. The first book may have had that shocking reveal at the end, but this one had the speedier pace to keep you racing through the pages until the very end.

A quick and easy read that was thoroughly entertaining.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature. After the birth of her first child she stayed home full time to write and raise children, renovate houses and build a business with her husband.

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story.

She is now published by Bookouture and is an Amazon top 100 bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Sunday, 20 October 2024

REVIEW: Not a Good Enough Mother by Nicole Trope

Not a Good Enough Mother (Grace Morton #1) by Nicole Trope

Genre: Domestic suspense

Read: 20th October 2024

Published: 12th August 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Have you ever looked at those mothers who seem to be perfect – with sweet little children, a full-time job, a beautiful home – and thought: am I not good enough? But even the most perfect mothers can be hiding deadly secrets behind closed doors…

Ava Green has a successful job, two gorgeous children and a husband who makes other women blush. But now I’m working in her immaculate home, I know not everything is so perfect…

I hear the hissed arguments late at night. Finn takes phone calls at strange times – and when I talk to the children, it’s clear that their daddy is keeping secrets.

Now I know what’s hiding in this house, I’m just glad Ava didn’t check my references too carefully. Because Ava thinks she chose me. But I chose her. Even before she hired me, I made sure I knew about all the little secrets in this family.

And by the time they figure out why I’m really here, it will be far too late.

A completely addictive psychological thriller that will have you gasping at the final twist. Fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell and The Perfect Marriage will be reading late into the night.

This book was previously published as The Assistant.

MY THOUGHTS:

She knows everything about you...but can you trust her...?

What starts off as a slow burn domestic suspense turns into cliffhanger of an ending that makes me go "OK, I'm reading the next book NOW!" Not even I saw that final twist coming. And I see most of them. Throughout the entire book I thought I had it all figured out - after all, it seemed fairly cut and dried to me. Everything laid out, falling into place. It all made sense. And then came that explosive reveal. I'm impressed, Ms Trope. You had me fooled.

The story centres on Ava who is harassed at home and equally harassed at work. She can't seem to find that work-home life balance since her previous assistant left. Everything seems to be falling apart on both fronts and hubby Finn does nothing to help, citing "inspiration" for his own work - painting. Which has yet to contribute to their mortgage or living expenses. And yet as soon as she walks in the door at the end of the day, she's greeted by chaos and her work days seems to be far from over.

And then in walks Grace Enright. Fresh, clear, controlled and keen to help put some order back into Ava's frazzled life. No sooner has she arrived than she has taken up the slack where Ava was flagging and organised everything from lists to appointments to fielding calls, turning her office into a smooth-running well-oiled machine. It isn't long before Ava wonders how she managed without Grace, and truth be told, she didn't. As was clear. Grace is perfect. She is clear, decisive and controlled in a crisis. Which is soon put to the test when things begin to take a swift dive, both personally and professionally.

The women form a friendship of sorts they didn't know needed. When Grace needs a place to stay for a week, Ava knows her garage flat is sitting empty and without a tenant (another bone of contention between her and Finn that she had asked him to sort) and offers it to Grace. But is that crossing the line between her personal and professional lives? Ava dismisses the thought as quickly as it entered her head knowing she needs Grace as much as the older woman needs her.

And then things start to take a downward turn at work. Ava is up for promotion but her colleague is vying for the same position and seems he will stop at nothing to get it. Their receptionist seems to spend all her time scrolling through her phone or batting her eyelashes and flashing her cleavage at her colleague and competition. While at home, Finn has grown distant and Ava begins to question what he is hiding. But her girls, the lights of her life, bring sunshine to her otherwise cloud-filled days, as exhausting as they are.

Suddenly it seems having Grace staying there is a blessing. Especially when she is on hand to take up the slack in the mornings as Ava juggles breakfast and getting the girls ready for school and herself for work. Finn is conspicuously absent, painting in his studio.

But did things start going downhill before or after Grace's arrival? Is that a coincidence or is she just imagining things? I mean, Ava's life was chaotic before but is her new assistant just fuelling the fire? Or is there something else at play?

I love Nicole Trope and devour every one of her addictive reads. I think it's about the 15th book of hers that I've read thus far. This one is more of a slow burn to begin with as the reader wonders which direction the story is going to take. And what role Grace really plays here. Despite its slow pace at the start, the story effortlessly flows between Ava and Grace's POVs complete with flashbacks to give us a better understanding to our characters, their strengths and their flaws.

When I began, I thought it would take a whole other direction that the one Ms Trope took us on. But I wasn't disappointed...definitely not after reading those final pages. Now I want to dive straight into the follow-up "A Mother Always Knows".

Overall, an entertaining and engaging read that will keep you turning the pages until that final explosive twist...it really was jaw-dropping in this case. Nicely played, Ms Trope. I can't wait to see what you deliver next.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story.

She is now published by Bookouture and is an Amazon top 100 bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Wednesday, 6 March 2024

REVIEW: In Sickness, In Health...and in Jail by Mel Jacob

In Sickness, In Health...and in Jail by Mel Jacob

Genre: Biography, Memoir, Non fiction

Read: 5th March 2024

Published: 24th August 2016

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

'So why did you marry Dad?' my daughter asked. 'Well, over time I got to know him and he made me laugh, and . . . and I knew deep down that, that . . . even though we were really different . . . he was a good person.' Without skipping a beat, she said, 'He's not that good, he's in jail!'

After fourteen years of marriage, Mel Jacob's life looked as perfect as the roses perched above her white picket fence. The nice house in the suburbs, two great kids, a good husband. Until . . .

Her life took an unexpected detour when her seemingly saintly husband was jailed for two years. In Sickness, in Health . . . and in Jail follows Mel's funny, moving and insightful journey as she navigates single parenthood, prison visitations and nosy neighbours.

Mel's revealing account is the story of the family left behind. It chronicles the grief, the stigma and the conversational minefields of her husband's whereabouts, as well as the logistical problems of making a baby sibling for her two children, and why it's not appropriate to tell people that Daddy's in jail.

In Sickness, in Health . . . and in Jail is a funny and touching account of grief and love and forgiveness.

MY THOUGHTS:

I met Mel when she was the guest at a lunch I was attending for a small group of women. Her story was encouraging for those who may find themselves in similar circumstances and she was open and honest about her experience. She gifted a few of us her book addressed to each of us with words of encouragement. That was several years ago and the book went on my ever growing TBR list.

Yesterday I plucked it off the shelf and sat down to read...and I kept reading right through to the end, finishing some 6 hours later. I usually read fiction and don't read a lot of non fiction which is generally bogged down in facts and drone on and on. But this is not like that at all. Mel writes it in such a way that it feels like a story as well as being her own experience. She incorporates humour into some of the more entertaining conversations, letters and so forth. I even had to laugh at her description of court. That on TV courtrooms are filled with impassioned speeches and witty comments but in reality being in court is right up there with watching paint dry. It really is.

Her conversations with her children are some of the most endearing and entertaining, particularly Miss Five who decided she no longer wanted a cat but a baby (preferably a sister) for her birthday. This while her father is languishing in prison six hours away and in NSW conjugal visits are really not a thing. Her understanding of where babies come from and thus her solution to the problem preventing her mother from having a baby with daddy locked away was hilarious.

Not only was this a memoir of how they got through the experience but how it affected each of them. I could feel the shock of finding, not one or two, but eight police on her doorstep, the disbelief that this was happening to them, the treatment by the police during the search, the feeling of violation as they searched her house and she not even allowed to be left alone during the process to the dread of being faced with the court process, which is not in any way shape or form, quick. It is a long drawn out and often expensive process. And then to have the worst luck in the judge they were given for their case. It seemed that things were always stacked against them. The sentence Patrick received was, in my opinion, incredibly harsh in the grand scheme of things and the fact that police are allowed to entrap someone to virtually encourage them to break the law just so they could arrest and prosecute them is just beyond unfair. Because placed in that situation at any other time with anyone else, it would never have happened but the police persisted until they got him to break the law. I can't see how that is fair. In my own experience of the police over the years, I have indeed lost a great deal of faith in them.

Mel's book is a wonderful insight into what it is like to endure such a heartbreaking and lengthy process. Prisons are incredibly confronting if you've never visited one before and each of them indeed have different rules. And while I could understand taking the children to visit their father in prison, it really isn't a place for children. It is bleak, confronting and children would find it very very difficult to stay seated for the entire duration of the visit. But Mel did the best she could for her family and I daresay rural prisons are different from metropolitan ones.

I laughed and I cried throughout the book and by the end I was still crying tears. It may have been over but the next journey was just beginning.

A wonderful insightful account of what it is like to be left behind when your loved one is sent to prison. A compelling read.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Mel Jacob is an experienced journalist and scriptwriter. Her journalism has been published in The Good Weekend, Sunday Life, The Brisbane Times, The Adelaide Advertiser, Radio National, Kidspot, MCA and The Australian Museum. She was a finalist for Best Comedy Riverina Short Film Festival 2004, Ford Mummy Blogger 2009 and 2010, winner of the first ever blogging competition at MotherInc 2009. In 2011 her manuscript Mother of the Year was short-listed for the Harper Collins Manuscript Development Award.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Saturday, 4 November 2023

REVIEW: The Day After the Party by Nicole Trope

The Day After the Party by Nicole Trope

Genre: Domestic Suspense, Women's fiction, Contemporary fiction

Read: 3rd November 2023

Published: 2nd November 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The perfect birthday or the perfect nightmare?

Katelyn smiles around at her husband and friends, gathered to celebrate her thirty-sixth birthday in their beautiful home decorated with fairy lights. But the next day Katelyn wakes up shaken and terrified in a hospital bed…

She doesn’t remember the sweet taste of birthday cake icing, or how angry her best friend was at midnight, or the terrible things her husband said. She doesn’t remember the party at all.

When she asks her husband what happened the night of the party he says ‘nothing’. But her blood runs cold at the way his voice lilts slightly. The way it always does when he is lying.

Did someone at the party harm her?

What is her husband hiding?

Or did Katelyn herself do something terrible?

Only one thing is certain. Nobody can be trusted. And if Katelyn’s memories of the party do come back, it will tear them all apart…

This brilliantly addictive read about dark secrets our loved ones keep from us is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

MY THOUGHTS:

The perfect birthday..the perfect nightmare...

Parties are supposed to be fun...but something happened at Katelyn's and she has no idea what. Instead, she wakes in the hospital with hubby Toby by her bedside, a worried frown etched on his face. She asks where is she and what's happened. And then she reads the note clutched in her hand...

You are in hospital.

Harper is fine and with my mum.

You've lost your memory.

You haven't had a stroke.

You've had an MRI and ECG and everything is fine.

You have something called Transient Global Amnesia.

Your lost hours of memory have shown up on the MRI as a black dot.

You aren't able to form new memories so you keep forgetting things I've told you.

Today is Sunday.

This should be temporary.

What the hell happened at her party to end up wiping her memory? It was supposed to be a memorable occasion to celebrate her thirty-sixth birthday but instead she cannot remember it at all. Any second of it! Now Katelyn has lost an entire day and night. She can remember everything leading up to the party and everything since...but those few hours are a complete blank. So what happened? And why is Toby looking decidedly shifty? What is he not telling her?

As soon as Katelyn returns home, she longs to wrap her arms around her little girl and take in her sweet scent. But she's staying with Toby's parents for the night while she recuperates and will return after preschool tomorrow. In the meantime, Katelyn instead tries to unravel the tangles of confusion that is Saturday night in her mind. Toby's patience is unwavering but Katelyn knows something is off. The way he looks at her, the way his eyes don't meet hers. What does he know that he's not telling her?

And then she gets a strange message from her best friend Leah's ex, Aaron. What on earth does that mean? And as for Leah, she wants to see her but something is telling her that something isn't right there either. She has an image in her mind of Toby hugging Leah in a way that was too intimate to be friendship. Or is she just imagining that? Nothing makes any sense to her anymore and she wants to understand what happened at her party. Why she has lost the entire night. It doesn't make sense. When she finds a gift of lingerie under her bed with no note or card, Katelyn begins to suspect Toby of having an affair making her question everything she knows. Can she piece together the night of the party before it's too late?

The story is told from Katelyn and Leah's perspectives in the past as well as before and after the party. It details the women's friendship from the time they were six years old in primary school, right through high school, uni, boyfriends and marriage. Now here they are thirty years later celebrating Katelyn's birthday. But nothing is as it seems with this friendship. They may well be best friends, but hidden beneath the surface is a jealousy so blatant it would make your hair curl.

Nicole Trope once again delivers a tangled tale of twists and surprises in this compelling domestic suspense read. What seems like an innocent party becomes one woman's worst nightmare.

I did not like Leah or Aaron one bit. They are both selfish and self-obsessed to the core. Both of them only want to get what they want. Leah's jealousy was so blatant it was a wonder Katelyn never saw it in thirty years of friendship. And Aaron. That guy was a snake. Least said there.

I thoroughly enjoyed my umpteenth read by Trope and look forward to anything she delivers. I know I am always in for a treat.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story.

She is now published by Bookouture and is an Amazon top 100 bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Monday, 3 July 2023

REVIEW: The Truth About the Accident by Nicole Trope

The Truth About the Accident by Nicole Trope

Genre: Domestic drama, Domestic thriller

Read: 2nd July 2023

Published: 30th June 2023

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I gaze at my husband’s once-handsome face, so still and pale in the hospital bed. The doctors say I should keep talking. He might be able to hear me even after the terrible accident that left him fighting for his life. But all I have to whisper to my husband is this: I know what you did.

Every day I wave my husband Damon off with a kiss and a smile, drive our precious children to school, and make sure our house is pristine before preparing a delicious meal. I pretend I’m not filled with fury that he once nearly destroyed our perfect life. It’s important to carry on as normal.

That is, until the accident.

My husband was hit by a car. It was pouring with rain. Nobody saw what happened. But the police are asking questions…

Do they know about the terrible argument we had that day?

Do they know about the text message I sent, telling someone to Delete everything?

And do they know that no-one is happier that my husband is in a hospital bed, than me?

An absolutely addictive page-turner about a family in crisis, a marriage at breaking point, and how secrets can be deadly. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Sally Hepworth.

MY THOUGHTS:

There are three sides to this story...her's, mine and the truth...

Nicole Trope is one of my favourite authors and one I go-to without hesitation. And once again delivers a quick, easy read that revolves around an unfaithful husband, an angry wife and a string of women who really should know better. It's a compelling read filled with family drama and a wealth of secrets and lies. And I read it in pretty much one sitting.

The story opens with "the accident" and various 000 calls reporting the incident. Each of the three witnesses to call it in all describe a different car responsible for the hit and run and, while eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable, we eventually discover why.

Then we meet Marla. She's the wife of a CEO of a successful IT company. They've been married for twenty-on years and have two teenage children - Sean (19) and Bianca (17). But her marriage isn't all that it appears on Instagram and she self medicates with drink to get her through the day. And her children are practically grown, her usefulness there appears to have ended also. But life hasn't always been like this. She was there when her husband started his company and there as he built it up. She too has reaped the affluent rewards of his success in their beautiful home, luxury cars, designer clothes and expensive lifestyle. She even has botox to keep those wrinkles at bay. And it all looks good on Instagram too. But it's just a facade. And Marla suddenly feels as though she is no longer enough...for anyone anymore.

Sonya is a single mum to twelve year old Jasper. Her own marriage ended nine years ago and her ex has since moved to America, remarried and now has a brand new baby of his own. As a psychologist, one would think Sonya could read the warning signs and prevent all the heartache that came her way but she is only human too. She sits in her office awaiting her client who arranged this unscheduled appointment on her day off long enough to deem him a no-show before she grabs her bag and heads home.

Athena - even her name is ethereal - is a 39 year old woman about become a first time mother, pregnant with the child of her lover who doesn't want children. She thinks she can change his mind, that as soon as he sees his child's heartbeat on the monitor he will fall instantly in love with the baby and move in with her. She wants that more than anything. But at what cost?

When the news comes on that evening, scenes from the hit and run are breaking news. Police are appealing for witnesses, dashcam and mobile phone camera footage to help them identify the victim and the car that ran him down. Each of the three women see the news and each of them recognise the gold watch and the wedding band he wears...albeit, occasionally. Each of them rush to the hospital respectively to identify the victim as Damon Kennedy. But how are each of these women related to him? As the story progresses, readers will discover his relationship with each of them. But what does it all mean?

The police are struggling to find out who is responsible despite investigations and the constant questioning and review of their own respective vehicles, having been identified by nearby CCTV footage. But the drenching rain the day of the accident makes visibility on any footage retrieved next to useless.

And what of Damon Kennedy? And the trail of hurt rejected women in his wake? Did someone run him intentionally? And if so, who? The why is blindingly obvious but with so many suspects, the question remains which one of them did it?

The story unfolds through the differing perspectives of Marla, Athena and Sonya, as well as the odd random inclusion of a mystery woman peppered throughout. Each chapter is heavily inclusive of detailed descriptions of their interactions with Damon as well as each other. Sometimes I found this confusing as I was unsure whether some of the interactions took place before or after the accident. It wasn't entirely clear in the way it was told, leaving me a little baffled in parts.

While this was a quick and easy enough read, it wasn't one of Trope's best. And I really loathe to say that because I know what a brilliant storyteller she is and I love her work. But even our favourite authors can write a tale that we just don't enjoy as much as their others though I know I am bound to love whatever she brings out next.

Overall, a compelling read dripping with secrets, lies and tension. With a twist at the end that even left me guessing.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story.

She is now published by Bookouture and is an Amazon top 100 bestseller in the USA, UK, AUS and CAN.

She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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