REVIEW: The Truth in our Lies by Eliza Graham (ARC)

The Truth in our Lies by Eliza Graham

Genre: Historical fiction, epsionage

Read: 16th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 10th September 2019)

★ 1 star

I truly don't know how to review THE TRUTH IN OUR LIES by Eliza Graham. It was slow and confusing and certainly wasn't what I expected. 

When I requested it, I didn't know that it was more of a spy/espionage story as I hate those types of books and prefer just a heartwarming historical fiction read or even a psychological thriller. But not spies and espionage. Even that being the case, I still would have continued reading had it been the slightest bit enjoyable but I felt like I was reading a textbook on WW2 and MI6. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and had no idea what they were doing, and I basically felt it was just too convoluted for my liking. 

However, I would loved to read a story about Anna and losing her sister in an air raid and the facial burns she received as a result. Something heartwarming despite the horrors of war. But this was no such book.

I gave up about a quarter of the way through. And I felt bad about it. Just as I feel terrible writing such a negative review. Because I know this is someone's hard work and they have spent many hours creating and producing it...but try as I might, I just couldn't enjoy it. 

While the book may have gotten better had I stuck with it, as harsh as it may sound, I didn't care to find out. In all honesty, a book shouldn't take so long to captivate a reader. And this one sadly did not captivate me at all.

But I certainly haven't written off reading something else by Eliza Graham. I would be interested to see some other tales she's told. It may be that it was just THIS book that failed to hold my attention.

While I personally wouldn't recommend THE TRUTH IN OUR LIES, I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there who would devour this book. Everyone's tastes are different, and this one just couldn't whet my appetite.

I would like to thank #ElizaGraham, #NetGalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC of #TheTruthInOurLies in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Daddy's Girls by Sarah Flint (ARC)

Daddy's Girls (DC Charlie Stafford #5) by Sarah Flint

Genre: Police procedural, crime fiction

Read: 15th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 5th September 2019)

★★ 2.5 stars

DADDY'S GIRLS is the fifth book in the DC Charlotte Stafford series by Sarah Flint, but it was a first for me. A police procedural but also a crime thriller, it is complex and it is gritty with a slow burning tension. 

TRIGGER WARNING:

Elder abuse, rape, sexual assault and drug use should be advised before you consider reading.

It has been a year since Thomas Houghton had buried his wife Catherine and he blames his daughter, Emma, for the disease that claimed her life. Diagnosed with MS shortly after Emma's birth, Thomas believes she was the cause which ultimately contributed to his wife's death. Now he is drugged, delusional and broke, frequenting crack houses for his latest fix while Emma works menial jobs to pay for the tiny bedsit they now live in. 

Approaching the anniversary of his wife's death, Thomas rushes in elated and brimming with news. He has seen Catherine! She has returned to him! Emma brushes off his words as delusional ramblings. Her mother has been dead a year. But Thomas is adamant, believing he has seen his dead wife and no one and nothing will come between them again. Of this he must ensure.

Thomas has waited and watched Catherine for a while now. He knows her routine. He knows she misses him as much as he has missed her. Tonight's the night; as she turns off her lights he knows he must make himself known to her again. Crawling in through her bathroom window, he stealthily approaches her bedroom and as he enters she senses his presence and awakes. He smiles. She has been waiting for him. The fact that the woman is wide-eyed with fear and pleading with him not to hurt her doesn't seem to register with him. Even as he calls her Catherine and identifies himself as Thomas, the woman does not know him - but it doesn't deter him. Nothing will come between them now; till death do us part.

Faced with an odd case and a tough one at that, Charlie is on the hunt for a burglar who, gloved and masked, breaks into homes of the elderly in the dead of night. Codename "Operation Greystream", he isn't interested in valuables nor does he hurt them - he just wants to chat. And then when he leaves, takes a memento of no real value.

But then things turn nasty when 87 year old Florence Briarly is found by her friend and neighbour, cold to touch and neatly tucked into bed. Has this burglar escalated to murder? If so, he will now have a taste for it and it won't be long until he craves it again. 

Charlie and her team, under the leadership of DI Geoffrey Hunter, chase avenues of enquiry, follow up leads and investigate why this troubling case has suddenly turned sinister. Reports are coming in hard and fast from care homes where there had been troubling incidents of someone seen lurking and peeping in the windows of the elderly residents. Charlie is troubled with why this villain is so fascinated with the elderly. What is it attracts him?

Then a report comes in about a rape within the villian's comfort zone with a similar MO. The phone line is cut, enters in the dead of night and then as he is leaving, steals something that has only sentimental value to the victim. But this time it's rape. Is it the same man? Has, what started out as simple break-ins for a chat, progressed into rape and murder?

The two cases are being investigated separately but with the possibility that they are connected. As the reader, they seem to be separate...but are they really? From the outset, we know who the rapist is but we are completely in the dark as to the identity of the murderer. 

Throughout the story we are witness to a lot of petty crime that connects to one of the cases, but is it also related to the other? There is a lot of drug use which is rampant but of little interest to me. For me, it certainly doesn't make the story any more gripping.

There are several third party perspectives telling the story and at some points I was a little confused as to the POV, particularly towards the end when the stand-off unfolded throughout various perspectives. I normally don't get confused with multiple POVs but in this case, I found it a little confusing.

DADDY'S GIRLS is really a slow burn that I didn't feel pick up much at all. I found it long and drawn out and I had to force myself to continue, knowing that a lot of work is put into writing and creating these stories. It kind of makes me feel bad when I don't enjoy a book as much as I had hoped. But that is not to say that others won't. In fact, there have been a lot of positive reviews about it already so I must be in the minority.

I think, for me, this is a series that really needs to be read from the beginning to gain a better appreciation of it as a whole. Charlie plays such a minor role it didn't feel as if it was part of her story. The main focus was on the two investigations and the residents of the crack house. I didn't feel I got to know Charlie at all, or her team for that matter. There was less police procedural in this and more of a crime thriller, and yet I don't feel it can be read as a stand-alone as some others do. It felt like something was missing and I couldn't connect to Charlie or the stories that unfolded. 

I think the book would have been far better with just the case of Thomas Houghton as that in itself was major story that would have played out better on its own with maybe a smaller separate investigation as an aside. Having two major cases just made it too confusing with too much going on.

I was also puzzled by the title as it didn't appear to have any bearing whatsoever on the story, or stories, at all. DADDY'S GIRLS speaks of something far sinister than what unfolded in these pages, as despicable as they were also.

However, the ending gave us a final twist with a secret that leaves readers wanting to find out more and sets the scene for the next installment nicely. 

In summary, I think I would have appreciated DADDY'S GIRLS a lot more had I read the rest of the series first. I don't think it works as well as a stand-alone, not with the knowledge that it IS part of a series at least. However, the story is gritty and action-packed throughout and I think fans of the DC Charlie Stafford series won't be disappointed.

I would like to thank #SarahFlint, #NetGalley and #Aria for an ARC of #DaddysGirls in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: We'll Meet Again by Rosie Archer (ARC)

We'll Meet Again (The Bluebird Girls #2) by Rosie Archer

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 13th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 5th September 2019)

★★★ 3.5 stars

WE'LL MEET AGAIN is the second in a series by Rosie Archer featuring the Bluebird Girls. I went straight into this book without having read the first, which one could do so easily.

It's 1941 in the small town of Gosport, not far from Portsmouth, and the Bluebirds - Rainey, Ivy and Bea - are beginning to make a name for themselves. From their humble beginnings in the choir to the stages of clubs and hotels, the girls are bringing happiness to those that hear their beautiful harmonies in song. 

It's still early days for the trio and as they are just 18 and still underage Rainey's mum, Jo, travelled with them as the girls' chaperone. Blackie is their manager, driver and piano player who also handled their money and bookings. As it stood, whatever money the girls made went to paying back Madame Walker for their costumes and other outlays. But Blackie had faith in the girls and it wouldn't be long before they started to make money. 

After their performance in Portsmouth, and the raid that darkened the city soon after, the Bluebirds were in demand. Blackie was taking bookings for them in Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon and even The Savoy in London. The girls found themselves having to relinquish their jobs at the munitions factory to be able to keep up with the busy schedule of travelling and performing and as their chaperone, Jo had to give up her daytime job also.

Aside from the Bluebirds, there are other underlying stories woven throughout the pages. Bea's brother Eddie has started walking out with young Sunshine - who was named for the sunny day she was found abandoned on a bench as a baby - much to Ivy's disappointment. Ivy has always held a torch for Eddie but felt the age gap was the only thing between them. But when Eddie begins to notice that Ivy is no longer the little girl he saw her as, he finds himself torn between the two women. 

But the decision may have already been made for him when Sunshine's head is turned by a young German prisoner of war, someone she is forbidden to fraternise with. But Sunshine cannot keep away from Max, and soon finds herself in a predicament she would never thought possible. But Max's intentions where Sunshine is concerned are not admirable. He has but one goal in mind - to escape St Vincents prison camp and make his back to the Fatherland. But for that he needs help...and that's where Sunshine comes in. But poor Sunshine has fallen head over heels for Max. It could only end in tears.

Then we have Rainey's mum, Jo. She had escaped her violent husband with her daughter some years ago and has begun to find confidence in herself once again...with the help of friend Syd Kennedy. Syd has been a good friend to Jo but it's obvious he is vying for more, taking her to the pictures on more than one occasion. Blackie finds himself jealous at the prospect of another man competing for Jo's attention. But Blackie can't bring himself to tell Jo how he feels...for fear of being rejected. Plus it would make for awkward travelling with the Bluebirds as she was their chaperone and he was the manager-and-thensome. Will Blackie find the courage to speak up?

Against the backdrop of wartime, WE'LL MEET AGAIN is a heartwarming tale of love and friendship and the best intentions amidst the tragedies of war. There is intrigue, drama, love and loss as well as the beautiful melodic voices of the Bluebird Girls. I have to admit, I heard The Andrews Sisters in my head as the girls sang...as their style would be similar being of the same era.

I feel I must mention a few niggles I had whilst reading. The constant references made to things that happened previously over and over was unnecessary. They only needed to be mentioned once in backstory description, not again and again. One example that sticks in my mine is "the sailor behind the Fox" which was referenced more than a couple of times in description. I also had the feeling the girls' lives were too perfect, despite their slow rise to fame. Any drama that occurred happened to other people and not them. It was all a bit chocolate-boxy...but still enjoyable. There were a few others, but I don't want to mention them due to spoilers. Let's just say, there are a few loose ends I felt should have been tied up but were left dangling. I hope they are addressed in the next book and that truth will out.

That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the book. I did. WE'LL MEET AGAIN is a lovely tale of the trio's gradual rise to stardom and those that surround them. I love stories set against the backdrop of wartime Britain - their loves, their losses, their happy times and their tragedies. 

WE'LL MEET AGAIN is what I call a comfort read. It is delightful with an easy pace that flows effortlessly. I look forward to the next installment where I hope some of the loose ends are tied up a little neater.

I do recommend beginning with the first book "The Bluebird Girls" although WE'LL MEET AGAIN can be read on its own also, as I have done. But I will follow up with the next book "The Force's Sweethearts" in the hope the story develops more.

I would like to thank #RosieArcher, #NetGalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #We'llMeetAgain in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Bad Place by M.K. Hill (ARC)

The Bad Place (DI Sasha Dawson #1) by M.K. Hill

Genre: Police procedural, crime fiction

Read: 10th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 5th September 2019)

★★★★ 4.5 stars

From the outset, THE BAD PLACE by M.K. Hill appears to be an exciting new series from a new author (to me). A remarkable and enthralling plot, I was pleasantly surprised that despite its seemingly random start it turned into something so insidious I didn't want to put it down and found myself racing to the finish.

Introducing DI Sasha Dawson. Although I am not a fan of the strong ballsy female type, Sasha is different. She is strong but not bitchy; she is open-minded but fair; she is sensitive, likable and yet she is still fallible. I like Sasha, though I could throttle her kids, and her relationship with her team is a good one with each bringing their own strengths to the investigation. I hate in-house fighting and to see a team work well together is a refreshing change.

Twenty six years ago, 6 teenagers were kidnapped and held in a dank dark cellar for two weeks. Only 5 make it out alive. But it takes the abduction of three children today to discover the truth from back then. Now every year the surviving victims meet for dinner and a candlelit vigil for their lost friend, Becky, with the unspoken condition that no one talk about what happened.

But this year is different. On the way to their annual vigil, one of the survivors witnesses a young girl being abducted. However, Lydia is not a reliable witness having struggled with addiction for most of her life since their time in "the bad place". The rest of them pass it off as a fantastical delusion Lydia had obviously misconstrued, given her behaviour has always been somewhat erratic. But then the next day, a report of a 15 year old girl having gone missing rings in their minds. Maybe Lydia WAS telling the truth after all.

Enter DI Sasha Dawson of Essex Police.

Sasha is no stranger to "the bad place" case. She'd been a week into her career and was just a probationary constable when the case broke, the victims escaped and had been there at Jerry Swann's final stand. She remembered one of the girls, Karin McCarthy, and had spoken to her the night of their escape and her face had haunted Sasha since. Now 15 year old Sammi was missing and aside from Lydia witnessing the abduction which had taken place near Karin's house, there is another link to "the bad place" five. One of the other survivors, Michelle, was Sammi's godmother. Coincidence? Sasha thinks not. What is it about these five remaining survivors that holds the key to Sammi's abduction?

Then another child is taken - directly in front of Karin and Simon, who was another of the five survivors. Luke, a teenage boy from Karin's school. Simon tried in vain to intervene and is met with brute force from the masked abductor and pushed into the path of busy traffic. So what links the past to the present? That is what Sasha endeavours to find out.

In the midst of this major investigation, Sasha's own personal life is in meltdown. Her husband is seemingly depressed and showing no interest in her or the children - he won't even talk to her, feigning tiredness. Her mother decides to leave her father and move in with them, creating chaos at home trying to create some boundaries with Sasha's children and their screentime use. Added to that, her teenage children are constantly bickering and then her daughter is accused of bullying, after telling her mother that she was the one being bullied. But to make matters worse, her usually placid husband punches the next door neighbour which is videoed by her daughter's friends and then streamed online. Can life be any more chaotic?

But juggling her private life with this troubling investigation into the abduction of two teenagers soon becomes personal for Sasha when her own daughter Angel disappears. And then all bets are off.

Told in dual timeline format, we are privy to the two weeks in the cellar of "the bad place" and what happened to the six teenagers as each snippet is unveiled gradually. The question of why didn't Becky escape with the rest of them remains forefront in everyone's mind. Who knows the truth? And what are they not saying?

The setting is around Southend in Essex (often known as Southend-on-Sea) and I find this a refreshing locale, away from the bigger cities of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle which are so often featured. The imagery of waves upon the beach and the mile-long pier - which is the longest in the world - is breathtaking. I could almost feel the salt air on my face.

What I love about THE BAD PLACE is that while it is a police procedural it also has that edge of a psychological thriller. It is fresh, it is intriguing and it is completely compelling. The chapters are short and punchy keeping you engaged throughout and, while you can put it down if need be, you won't want to. Despite the characters aplenty, it is easy to follow and identify who was who and where. 

A frenetic pace was perfectly timed to keep the reader completely engaged makes THE BAD PLACE a hard book to put down. I wanted to "just read one more chapter" before bed but soon found myself finishing in the wee hours. 

I look forward to catching up with Sasha Dawson and her team again soon.

An addictive crime thriller, I thoroughly recommend THE BAD PLACE to anyone who enjoys this genre.

I would like to thank #MKHill, #NetGalley and #HeadOfZeus for an ARC of #TheBadPlace in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Wedding Dress Maker by Leah Fleming (ARC)

The Wedding Dress Maker by Leah Fleming

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 7th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 5th September 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

THE WEDDING DRESS MAKER is the first book by Leah Fleming that I have encountered and while I didn't hate it, I definitely don't think it was the best written in this genre.

A story of love and loss during wartime alongside family and day to day struggles of the time, THE WEDDING DRESS MAKER is about the determination of a young woman fighting for what is right and the child that was taken from her shortly after birth. It also deals with post natal psychosis which is not something that was readily understood at the time, and it is handled expertly and sensitively.

Netta Nichol grew up a farmer's daughter in Galloway in the west of Scotland. An only child, her father Angus longed for a son to take over the family farm, but after her mother died young he then married Peg who was unable to bear him a child, much less a son. Netta found her stepmother harsh in comparison to her beautiful loving mother who spoke of dreams and rainbows whereas Peg dealt in black and white practicalities. The transition wasn't an easy one as Peg thought Netta's head was in the clouds far too much having been mollycoddled by her mother and Netta fighting Peg along the way.

One night at a dance, Netta met the dashing Corporal Raeburn Hunter and their tender courtship blossomed into loving proposal. Accepting without hesitation, Netta was filled with dreams of their future. Eloping to Gretna Green, they married in the former tradition over the anvil but it would not be legal until they did so via the registry - which they could not do so for fourteen days. But Rae's leave was only for 10, so they made plans to meet at the registry office and then honeymooned for the remainder of their precious time together before Rae had to return to barracks. But their future as man and wife hung in the balance when Rae missed their rendezvous at the registry office to legitimise their marriage. Furious with him, Netta returned home to discover a telegram notifying her of his unit's deployment thwarting their surreptitious plans. Netta could do nothing but carry on in the hope that the war would soon be over and Rae would come home.

But war takes far more than it gives, and it wasn't long before Netta received the unemotionally indifferent telegram informing her of her beloved Rae's death. She was devastated. And what was more, she was pregnant...and their marriage, despite being real to them, was never formally legalised. When Netta bore Rae's son - named Raeburn Angus Hunter - it was an incredibly difficult birth, leaving her unable to care for her child. She was transferred to Park Royal to recover and receive specialist treatment while her father and stepmother took over the care of her baby throughout her lengthy absence. Netta lived for the day she would see baby Ray again and when eight months later she was discharged, she soon discovered that her father and Peg were the only ones her child knew and looked upon as his parents. They even took to calling him Gus, rather than the name she had given him, and it was the name he now responded to. Try as she might, Netta had been replaced as her son's mother as Peg informed her that she was now his mother.

Netta was exiled to make a life for herself with a job and a home so that she could return and claim her son and ensure that he would be well cared for. She moved to Yorkshire where she took work in a fashion house pinning hems for seamstresses with the dream of becoming a designer herself. She visited the farm miles away in Scotland twice a year to see Gus, becoming known as his adored Auntie Netta, whilst she worked hard to achieve her ambition. As she soon set herself up securely and comfortably, she knew the time had come to Gus to come and live with her. But every time the subject was broached another reason why he couldn't wasn't thrown her way. And Netta left empty-handed without her son once again. By this time Gus was now 4 years old and she had already lost so much precious time with him as her son. He saw only Peg as his mammy. Netta was his beloved aunt. Would she ever have her son back? He was the only part of Rae she had left...and Peg has taken that from her.

Amidst the upsets, setbacks and turmoil, Netta was resourceful and driven as she achieved her dream of becoming a dressmaker/designer and was well-known locally for her beautiful work. But was it enough?

THE WEDDING DRESS MAKER is a powerful story of love, loss and determination. Though the title is deceiving as the focus is not really on making wedding dresses - in fact, there isn't a deluge of these at all -but rather on Netta's story and her personal journey. It's a heartbreaking tale but not an easy one to take in at times. A lot of monologuing and description - of which I am not a fan - but then the story is predominantly made up of Netta's memories.

However, I found it took me a while to get into the story at first as the format of the dual timelines was somewhat different in approach - being in the form of Netta's memories as she encounters items in the attic during her latest visit to the family farm. Rather unusual at first but it does work quite well once you get used to it. I did find the Scottish brogue and dialect a little hard to follow, as speech patterns were written as they sounded rather than what they actually were, making it hard for someone not as familiar with Scottish dialect to follow in part. Like the format, you do get used to it but it does remain am awkward concept.

Not a bad read, THE WEDDING DRESS MAKER is a good fit for fans of historical fiction, particularly in dual timelines.

I would like to thank #LeahFleming, #NetGalley and #HeadOfZeus for an ARC of #TheWeddingDressMaker in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Killer Inside by Cass Green (ARC)

The Killer Inside by Cass Green

Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic thriller

Read: 4th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 5th September 2019)

★★★ 3.5 stars

How well do you know your loved ones and how far would you go to protect them?

A dark psychological thriller, THE KILLER INSIDE explores this very concept when Elliott, a primary school teacher, discovers his wife Anya may not be the woman he thought she was. Happily married, both are from vastly different backgrounds. Elliott was raised by his mother on a London council estate with his father in prison while Anya was the privileged - and maybe somewhat entitled - only child of Patrick and Julia. But both harbour guilty secrets.

Anya's parents adore Elliott and have always made him feel welcome. But a part of him always feels shut out as if he is not privy to the threefold strong unit that is Anya and her parents. So why is it Anya always goes running to them when something goes wrong? It is not uncommon for her to do so, leaving Elliott excluded and somewhat mystified. But Anya is the product of her parents' overindulgence, always giving her what she so desired and fixing any problems that she encountered. And it is a habit that has continued into her adulthood and marriage.

But Elliott has his own worries when he inadvertently makes an enemy of one of the dads at the school he teaches. Strange things begin to happen beyond Anya's distant behaviour as he is run off his bicycle and they are woken in the night by a brick being thrown through the window. Elliott wonders if Lee Bennett (the dad from the school) is behind it, having spent some time in prison he seemed the sort. But it's Anya's behaviour that puzzles me. If a brick was thrown through my window at 3am, I wouldn't be brushing it off, insisting that the police not be called and then promptly falling to sleep without a care while my husband is left sleepless to deal with it. I'd be frantic and unable to sleep. But Anya clearly didn't have the worries she claimed that plagued her. Of course Anya ran off to her parents, citing feeling unwell, where she stayed for the next several days.

Then one day Elliott decides to surprise Anya at work in London for lunch. But when he arrives he discovers she hasn't been there for at least a week with her employer granting her more time if needed during her "bereavement". What bereavement? Elliott is both puzzled and furious. What exactly is going on? What secrets is she keeping? Of course, her parents are privy to the entire spiel - why is he not surprised? Just how well does he know the woman he married? 

Irene is a 73 year old widow living in Cambridge whose son Liam disappeared in 2003 without explanation beyond a postcard citing he "needed to sort his head out and don't try and find me". She hasn't heard anything from him since. Her worries intensify when her eldest son Michael neglects to visit as he usually does, and she hasn't heard from him for several weeks. In a silent panic, Irene decides to visit Michael's flat but upon arrival finds no response. She is directed to a free spirited woman called Rowan in an adjoining flat who may have some answers as to her son's whereabouts. But Rowan is worried too. She hasn't heard from Michael either. Her only clue is that he claimed he might finally know what happened to Liam.

Desperate for answers, Irene seeks Rowan's help in gaining access to Michael's flat upstairs. Inside, she finds nothing of real value apart from some receipts to a cafe in Casterbourne in Kent. Puzzled, Irene decides to take the train to Kent with a photo of Michael in the hope that someone somewhere has seen her son. But is she prepared for what she may find when she gets there?

Told primarily from the two perspectives of Elliott and Irene, we are also given a glimpse of the past with Liam in 2003 about halfway through. From Liam's narrative we are then given the remaining pieces that lead to his disappearance in 2003.

THE KILLER INSIDE is not entirely a slow burn as it is a slow starter, as for the first half of the book we are seemingly thoroughly confused as to how Elliott and Irene's stories even relate. Generally, for me, a book that takes this long to make sense is discarded long before it begins to. I can't say it is entirely engaging to begin with either because I really just wanted to smack Elliott for his naivete and strangle Anya for her pure selfishness. I felt more invested in Irene's story, rather than the saga that was Elliott and Anya, and yet we saw so little of her. However, once you reach that 50% mark, it all begins to fall into place and it's a race to the finish. I found it to be reminiscent of "Gone Girl" in which the first half uninteresting but the second half riveting.

Well-plotted throughout, despite the first half being slow and thoroughly confusing, THE KILLER INSIDE is somewhat addictive as the reader watches the story unfold in the same way one would witness a car crash - unable to look away. 

My thoughts on THE KILLER INSIDE are as complex as the characters within it, but overall, once you hit that 50% mark it is a race to the end. My favourite character was Irene and I would have liked to see a little more of her. I really felt for her as her story unfolded. Elliott and Anya just did my head in. It is clear from the beginning that Anya is a psychopath. There is no other way to describe her. I couldn't understand what Elliott saw in her.

In some ways, it seems the reader knows the direction the story is taking. But then when all the secrets are finally revealed...where does that leave them all?

As secrets and lies are unraveled, loyalties are challenged as complex characters manipulate the outcome. Which begs the question - how well do we really know our loved ones?

I would like to thank #CassGreen, #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK for an ARC of #TheKillerInside in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Orphan Daughter by Sheila Riley (ARC)

The Orphan Daughter (Reckoner's Row #1) by Sheila Riley

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 2nd September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 5th September 2019)

★★★★ 4.5 stars

THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER is the first book by Sheila Riley I have read - both as herself and under the pseudonym of Annie Groves. It's an historical fiction novel with a bit of mystery to it, making it an intriguing and interesting read. Set in the post war era of 1946-1947 in Liverpool, THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER is the first in a new series titled "Reckoner's Row", named for the street upon which the story is featured.

Evie Kilgaren is 19 and has plans to make something more of herself than to be a "skivvy" for someone else. She has studied hard for two years at night school in business studies with a focus on bookeeping. She pays for her schooling by doing the menial work of a cleaner whilst dreaming of becoming an office clerk or even office manager. But life has other plans for our Evie.

When war began to threaten their corner of the world, her mother Rene sent her two younger siblings, Jack and Lucy, to Ireland to live with their aunt but has since refused to bring them back to Liverpool. Her father was presumed dead in 1943 when his ship was attacked and since then her mother has taken in a variety of lodgers, the latest being Leo Darnel. Evie does not like Leo and the feeling is mutual. This is only reinforced when Leo burns all of Evie's business studies notebooks as all her hard work went up in flames. A row between them ensues which sees Evie pack a few meagre belongings into a pillowcase and move into her own lodgings on the other side of the canal and out of Reckoner's Row. All the while, saving every penny to bring her brother and sister back from Ireland. 

Little did she know, Rene had eventually brought Jack and Lucy back after kicking out the no-good Leo.

And then Rene disappears. 

Then when Connie, the landlady to the Tram Tavern next door, finds a slumped figure outside the Kilgaren house she is surprised to discover it is young Jack, Evie's 14 year old brother, and even more so to find he had been shot. A nurse during the war herself, Connie dressed his wounds as best she could before writing a note for Evie and had young Lucy, now 10, deliver it to her lodgings on the other side of the canal. 

Evie returns to Reckoner's Row, shocked to learn Jack and Lucy had already returned and their mother was nowhere to be found. She had been gone a few weeks but had done this before, so Evie was sure she would soon return. However, this new turn of events meant her responsibilities now lay back in the very place she'd wanted to escape, what with Jack and Lucy to look after. She would never abandon them as their mother had. Giving up her dreams of bettering herself and leaving Reckoner's Row, Evie swallowed her pride and took the job Connie offered her at Tavern and with it the hand of friendship. Connie became a trusted friend in whom Evie could confide her worries and her fears, and knew she would never be judged. 

Although the war had ended, rationing appeared to be even greater, making way for those who traded in the black market. And Evie feared greatly that Jack would fall prey to the likes of Leo who traded heavily in that market which was rife around the docks. The winter of 46/47 is colder than normal with the canal frozen and food and coal are in short supply. So when Evie begins finding boxes of fresh food they haven't seen since before the war, she begins to think Leo is trying to muscle his way back in.

Then a stranger comes to the Row, taking a room at the Tram Tavern and beguiling Connie who never imagine finding love again. But who is this man and what does he want here? And what of his nightly walks and mysterious phone calls from the phone box when there is a perfectly good phone in the tavern?

With several themes woven into the story, THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER brings to life the poverty and the challenges many families faced in the post-war era with rationing, the black market, family violence, work shortages, love, loss and friendship. As the story unfolds, your heart will break for Evie as she sacrifices her dreams to care for her siblings, and the obstacles she faces. 

I really enjoyed both Evie and Connie. Even Connie's sprightly mother, Mim, brought some sunshine to what was otherwise darker days. Jack, who seemed older than his years, as he took up the role of the man of the house, and even Lucy with her "good shepherd". I look forward to getting know them all more as this heartwarming series develops with such determined characters to rise above the odds.

THE ORPHAN DAUGHTER is perfect for fans of historical fiction, particularly with a taste of mystery, and I do not hesitate in recommending it.

I would like to thank #SheilaRiley, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheOrphanDaughter in exchange for an honest review.