REVIEW: The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope

The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope

(previously titled: Home Sweet Home)

Genre: Contemporary fiction, Domestic thriller, Domestic drama

Read: 29th July 2021

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Published: 6th August 2021

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

Sometimes, the most perfect families are hiding the most terrible secrets. How well do you know the people next door…?

Everybody wants to live on Hogarth Street, the pretty, tree-lined avenue with its white houses. The new family, The Wests, are a perfect fit. Katherine and John seem so in love and their gorgeous five-year-old twins race screeching around their beautiful emerald-green lawn.

But soon people start to notice: why don’t they join backyard barbecues? Why do they brush away offers to babysit? Why, when you knock at the door, do they shut you out, rather than inviting you in?

Every family has secrets, and on the hottest day of the year, the truth is about to come out. As a tragedy unfolds behind closed doors, the dawn chorus is split by the wail of sirens. And one by one the families who tried so hard to welcome the Wests begin to realise: Hogarth Street will never be the same again.

A completely gripping, twist-packed psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Sally Hepworth and Lisa Jewell.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Nicole Trope's exciting new thriller THE FAMILY ACROSS THE STREET (previously titled "Home Sweet Home").

Nicole Trope never ceases to amaze me with her stories. From contemporary family drama to domestic thrillers to...this! Home sweet home is anything but and it is not what you would expect either. It is a day unlike any other in a house on Hogarth Street, a busybody neighbour and an unsuspecting delivery driver. The adrenaline rush I felt as I propelled through the pages to read this book in one day kept me absorbed and guessing till the end. Ms Trope almost fooled me...but not quite, as I unravelled everything in my mind to piece together possible scenarios...but I was still left reeling.

In the midst of an Australian summer, 15th December, a day that is forecast to reach 39°c, slowly unfolds through the eyes of four people over seven epic action packed hours. It begins as a warm morning at 24° at 7.30am with ex-con Logan arriving at an address in Hogarth Street to deliver what is obviously a laptop computer. He takes in the affluent area, the two scooters laying in the front yard as he makes his way up the path to the front door before ringing the bell. He waits. Just as he thinks there is no one home he hears a shuffle behind the door as the woman says she cannot open the door and to just leave it on the doorstep. But he can't do that as this delivery requires a signature. Failing that he will leave it at the local post office for collection at a later time. But there is something in the woman's voice...a pleading to understand that she cannot open the door. 

Ever since his three year stint in prison for break and enter whilst high in crystal meth, Logan has turned his life around and is trying to get back on track whilst struggling to put his neglected childhood with toxic parents behind him. He met and married Debbie, a midwife and nurse, and had taken on this delivery job with his brother-in-law Mack. All the while maintaining concern for his younger sister who had swapped an abusive father for an abusive partner. But if there's one thing his criminal past has given him it's an instinct for danger. And that is what he sensed when attempting to deliver that parcel to Katherine West. Something was not right at that house. But what, exactly? And should he get involved?

Seventy year old Gladys wakes a little later than usual on this bright and warm morning. Usually the noise of the twins next door have woken her but not today. She comments on this fact to husband Lou who lays in bed beside her to which he responds that he was woken by their father screeching out of the drive like a bat our of hell at 6am. As the day progresses, Gladys can't help but feel that something is amiss next door. The children's bright blinds are closed when normally they would be flung open, as are the rest of the blinds in the house. Lou says they are probably trying to keep the house cool and Gladys agrees that he is probably right. But...the twins haven't even walked past on their way to school, waving frantically at their elderly neighbours. And that is strange. Maybe she'll pop over there and see if everything is alright. But when she does, Katherine assures her that all is fine through the closed door. However, as the day progresses, Gladys has the continual growing feeling that something is definitely amiss.

Katherine holds her children, Sophie and George, closely as the man sitting in the recliner chair opposite points the gun at them unable to believe her decisions have lead to this moment. What does he want from them? She loved him and thought he loved her. But all Katherine can think about is saving her children, whatever the cost to herself.

And then there is the unnamed character who was once a boy and is now a man and the tragic tale that was his childhood that has left him bitter and hell bent on revenge with the parting words of his father to "never trust a woman" at the forefront of his mind. And the belief that Katherine has betrayed him.

Six foot four tattoo-clad Logan and 70 year old neighbourhood busybody Gladys have nothing in common and yet the days events bring them together. Neither of them can ignore the niggling feeling that something is very wrong at the West household. Will they follow their instincts and alert the authorities? Or will it be left up to them to save the family trapped inside?

THE FAMILY ACROSS THE STREET begins with a bang as the tension mounts throughout the ensuing chapters told from the alternate perspectives of Logan, Gladys, Katherine and an unnamed mystery person. The pace remains edge-of-your-seat as the hours unfold over the course of this action packed day. To even provide backstories to the pertinent characters without ever leaving the present story at hand is so cleverly done it's ingenious. The emotional journey the reader is taken on through the lives of these characters is heartbreaking and poignant.

Whilst being a domestic thriller in one sense, the story also touches upon the very sensitive issue of marriage breakdowns and how all too often children become pawns for feuding parents. It also highlights the importance of second chances when one's past circumstances and the choices once made do not have to define them, as seen in the case of Logan in trying to put his past behind him and move on.

Nicole Trope never disappoints with her ability for storytelling complete with tension that is palpable throughout. As always, her writing is brilliant. There has not been a book of hers I haven't enjoyed and I always look forward to the next one. Each one is different and unique and THE FAMILY ACROSS THE STREET is no exception. It certainly wasn't what I expected but boy, it was still sooooo good!

If you are looking for a compelling read that you will have difficulty putting down, look no further! THE FAMILY ACROSS THE STREET will have you riveted from the very first page. If you love domestic thrillers and/or family drama, this is a must read.

I would like to thank #NicoleTrope, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheFamilyAcrossTheStreet 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.

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

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REVIEW: The Railway Girls by Maisie Thomas

The Railway Girls (Railway Girls #1) by Maisie Thomas

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime Sagas, WW2

Read: 5th August 2021

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Published: 14th July 2020

★★ 2 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The first novel in the wonderful new Railway Girls series, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Ellie Dean.

In February, 1922, at the western-most entrance to Victoria Station in Manchester, a massive plaque was unveiled. Beneath a vast tiled map showing the lines of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway network, a series of seven bronze panels recorded the names of the men of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway who gave their lives for King and Country in the Great War - a total of 1,460 names.

In March, 1940, a group of women of varying ages and backgrounds, stand in front of the memorial, ready to do their bit in this new World War...

_____________________

Mabel is determined to make a fresh start as a railway girl where no one will know the terrible thing she did and she can put her guilt behind her... Or is she just running away?

Meanwhile Joan will never be as good as her sister, or so her Gran keeps telling her. A new job as a station clerk could be just the thing she needs to forget her troubles at home.

And Dot is further into her forties than she cares to admit. Her beloved sons are away fighting and her husband - well, the less said about him the better. Ratty old sod. She is anxious to become a railway girl just like her dear mam - anything to feel she is supporting the sons she prays for every night.

The three women start off as strangers, but soon form an unbreakable bond that will get them through the toughest of times...

MY REVIEW:

I love historical fiction, especially wartime sagas, and I was excited to discover a new one in THE RAILWAY GIRLS which is the first in a new series by Maisie Thomas. So many books focus on women taking over where the men left off when going off to war as they sign up to do the jobs the men left behind. In this case, it was on the railways. Some of the work was hard going but some of it wasn't too taxing. However, it wasn't the done thing for women to go out to work especially since some men thought women didn't have the brain capacity to undertake anything more than keeping house. Normally this doesn't bother me because it is just how things were at the time, but some of the men I found to be so dismissive that they angered me with their narrow mindedness to the point of bullying. If they had any idea how much work a woman did unpaid in the home looking after their menfolk and families...

THE RAILWAY GIRLS follows three women of varying ages and backgrounds, and their friends, who have taken up jobs to assist in their own ways with the war effort. Mabel is from a family of "new money" who are desperate to maintain their social status when she signs up for work as a railway girl. Her family is not impressed but Mabel is careful to point out that reneging now would shine a negative light on the family, particularly at a time when her father was about to land a major contract. So to make the best of a bad situation her father arranges lodgings for her at a stately home so that she may remain in the social standing to which they have become accustomed.

Then there is Joan, who is the ugly duckling of two sisters orphaned at an early age with the death of both of their parents and having been brought up by their father's mother who is quick to lay any blame for their genes at their mother's feet. Joan is not the favoured sister of their gran either with Letitia holding favour in both looks and intellect whilst Joan remains firmly in the background and almost a skivvy to her gran. But the sisters adore one another and see no favour above the other as their gran does. Joan is also in love with her sister Letitia's boyfriend Steven. When Joan signed up to be a railway girl, their gran was outraged that she had done so behind her back. The sisters always thought that it was usually best to seek confession rather than permission where gran was concerned. Once she'd calmed down, their gran did state that it was probably all that Joan was good for anyway.

The third of the women is the older mother hen in Dot, who was approaching forty six next birthday. At home she had husband Reg who had once loved her and now belittled her with jokes and snipes. Her two grown sons Archie and Harry were married with a child of their own each and were now away fighting the Germans. Their wives, Pammy and Sheila, were as different as chalk and cheese. Pammy was posh and teaching their daughter Genevieve (Jenny) the finer things in life whilst Sheila was slovenly and lazy with her house in utter disarray and a young son in Jimmy who was a bit of a handful. Both women seemed to think nothing of relying on Dot for things which they were quite capable of doing while Dot now had a full time job of her own as well as keeping house to "ratty Reg" when she came home. Dot, it seemed, was everyone's skivvy. My favourite part was when young Jimmy gave all her pots and pans to the rag and bone man when he told the boy that it was for the RAF, and Jimmy had ideas about getting his very own Spitfire out of it. Dot had then chased the tag and bone man up the street and demanded her pots and pans back. It was rather funny to picture.

Aside from these three women are the friends they have made in Lizzie, Alison, Cordelia and Colette in their jobs with London, Midlands and Scotland Railways. From different walks of life, backgrounds and varying social classes each beholden with their own set of family problems, these women aren't afraid of hard work as they all step out of tradition and get stuck into the work they have each been tasked with...regardless of the narrow minded male perspective.

As excited as I was to begin yet another wartime saga series, I was disappointed in this one as I found it to be wholly uninteresting with a complete detachment to the characters. At first I thought it to be the introduction to the series with setting the scene and pace, but after reaching halfway when the pace was still sluggish and feeling no connection to the characters I found myself rethinking my position on this series. Most people say THE RAILWAY GIRLS is slow for the first quarter, but I'd reached halfway and it was still going nowhere fast. And by this point I found I didn't really care for the characters as much as I should have by now.

I really wanted to like THE RAILWAY GIRLS and enjoy my time with them but I just couldn't. Maybe I could revisit them at a later date and try again...but for now, I just spent two days trying to connect with them and their stories and I couldn't. I found the overly descriptive nature of the railways to be uninteresting and although this was set during WW2 there was barely a mention of their loved ones away at war that there was a sort of detachment there also.

I would normally base my recommendation of this type of book to those who enjoy wartime sagas, but as I love those types of books and failed to connect with those in this one, I am not sure how to do that in this case. But generally, if you do enjoy wartime sagas you may well like THE RAILWAY GIRLS.

I would like to thank #MaisieThomas, #Netgalley and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #TheRailwayGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great aunt Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War. Maisie now lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her railway enthusiast husband, Kevin, and their two rescue cats. They often enjoy holidays chugging up and down the UK’s heritage steam railways.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: Broken Flowers by Kate McQuaile

Broken Flowers by Kate McQuaile

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 4th August 2021

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Published: 9th July 2021

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

Your mother. The one person you trust. What if you're wrong?

Widowed Nan is on her way to her beloved son's wedding. She should be excited, but she is dreading her return to Paradise Place - a small area of Notting Hill that she hasn't dared set foot on for decades. Nan had arrived there as a young girl in the late seventies, desperate for freedom and a career as an artist. But, drawn into a dark obsession that spun out of control, Nan was forced to flee.

And while the only thing seemingly connecting her son's wedding and her old secret life is Paradise Place, Nan quickly gets the impression that someone is watching her every move . . . someone she thought was dead.

MY REVIEW:

It's no secret that I am not a fan of slow burn thrillers, unless they have a little extra something to hold my attention while the tension builds. But I found BROKEN FLOWERS to be so slow burning that the pace was non-existent. 

Nan Brown is returning to London for her estranged son's wedding to a woman she has yet to meet. She hasn't been back since she boarded a train to take her back to Yorkshire some forty years ago. Then two years ago her husband Chris died and she hasn't seen her son Ben since.

Now she's back and her son has sent a car to collect her from the station and take her to her hotel and from there another car will meet her later that evening to transport her to their house where they are all gathering to celebrate the upcoming wedding. But as the car takes her through the familiar streets of London bringing her closer and closer to her past, all her fears return to haunt her as they pull up in front of an address she had hoped never to see again...let alone return to. 

Number 4 Paradise Place - where a tragedy that haunts her nightmares occurred four decades ago. This was not a happy time for her and she has kept that part of her life secret for many years. Is it all about to erupt to the surface?

But as the guests mingle and Nan lays eyes on her son for the first time in two years, there is one guest she has not met...who has yet to arrive. The mysterious godfather of Ben's fiance, Marie-Laure. And then there is a face from her past she thought she would never see again...he couldn't be here, could he? Because he's dead! He died forty years ago! Is she hallucinating?

The narration shifts between THEN and NOW as Nan's past life comes back to haunt her present, as well as through various characters as well as voice from the past. I don't mind past and present stories and usually find them the most engaging...however BROKEN FLOWERS was not it. Nan's constant rehashing over everything that took pages and pages when a paragraph would have sufficed just grated on me as well as the slow to non-existent pace. I am not a huge fan of over descriptive stories and prefer to have an equal amount of dialogue.

I cannot say when the pace picked up, as I gave up before it bored me to sleep. But I have seen most reviewers say that it didn't get interesting until the last quarter of the book. Boy, am I glad I didn't stick around for that because in my view that is far too late to start making things interesting.

This was my introduction to Kate McQuaile and I can't say I was excited about it. But it may appeal to fans who love their thrillers the slow burning simmering type.

I would like to thank #KateMcQuaile, #Netgalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #BrokenFlowers in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kate McQuaile is a graduate of the Faber novel-writing course. She lives in London and works as a journalist, but is originally from Drogheda in Ireland.Kate McQuaile is a graduate of the Faber novel-writing course. She lives in London and works as a journalist, but is originally from Drogheda in Ireland.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart

The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart

Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, Post-WW2, Dual timeline

Read: 28th July 2021

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Published: 3rd August 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Two women. One house. And a wartime secret that spans decades…

Norfolk, 1945: Only a few months ago Nancy Jones was fighting for her country as a gunner girl. Now she’s struggling to adjust to her responsibilities as a gamekeeper’s wife. After a whirlwind romance, Nancy is deeply in love with her handsome husband Joe but there is still so much they don’t know about each other. When a secret from Nancy’s war years threatens to resurface, will the terrible truth about the worst night of her life shatter their new marriage?

Norfolk, 2019: Devastated by the sudden loss of her husband, Lorna Haynes escapes to the beautiful but crumbling Gamekeeper’s Cottage. There, she stumbles upon a locked room. When she enters, it’s like going back in time. A soldier’s uniform hangs on the back of the door, the flowery wallpaper still intact, the spindle of the record player frozen and ready to play. At the back of the room, Lorna discovers a red, leather-bound diary in a hidden compartment of a desk drawer.

As Lorna battles with heartache, she takes comfort in reading the ink-stained words. Turning the pages of the old book, she learns of the incredible bravery of the woman who lived in the house decades before her. And discovers a shocking wartime secret that will change the course of her own life…

Fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and Lilac Girls will love this unforgettable, poignant tale of love, loss and courage during the darkest days of war.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Anna Stuart's fascinating dual timeline tale THE SECRET DIARY.

There is always, it seems, more than one place to keep a secret...

In this case it is in a red leather-bound diary which is at the heart of this beautifully told story that spans the decades. 

2019: Lorna Haynes, recently and tragically widowed, arrives at the Gameskeeper Cottage in Langham with her two young sons Charlie (9) and Stan (5) in tow. Norwich holds too many memories of life with Matt so Lorna has escaped to the country for the summer to find some healing and learn how to move on without her loving husband.

Upon arrival, Lorna is greeted loving by her her newly married mother Mary to the kind and gentle David, a retired GP and inherited owner of Gameskeeper Cottage. Mary leads them to the back of the house to the annex, an add-on to the quaint old thatched cottage after the Great War. And as soon as Lorna opens the door it is like stepping back in time. The annex serves as a separate living area with a kitchenette, living area as well as bunk beds for the boys and a bedroom for herself. It is, however, untouched from the forties in decor with it's old furniture, cerise wallpaper even down to the old wireless sitting on the mantle. 

Once settled, Lorna takes in the history of the room and all therein, even the dressing table with its triple mirror. She opens the drawer and reaches in unconsciously for a hairbrush that isn't there. Instead she feels the telltale ridge of a secret compartment, commonly found furniture pieces of this era. With a tug and a pull and up comes the flap revealing a rich red leather-bound book that was obviously a diary. 

Tentatively Lorna opens the pages and begins to read, transported back to 1945 and a different time...

1945: The war is over! And to commemorate the occasion, Nancy has bought herself a beautiful red leather diary to preserve the memories of her new life with Joe here at Gameskeeper Cottage. When Joe had first brought her home to this beautiful little cottage with the rose arboured entry and the slightly "squint" thatched roof, Nancy couldn't wait for her new life as a gameskeeper to begin. 

But it seems her in-laws had other ideas. Ted and Betty were very welcoming of her as the daughter they never had but having lived through two wars, they had firm ideas on where her place should be. Not out on the estate shooting pheasants and getting her hands dirty. She may have been a gunner girl at the nearby Langham RAF airfield during the war, but in civilian life she was a wife with a home to keep, meals to make and laundry to do. There was no time nor place for her out on the estate with the men.

Joe, however, knew of Nancy's desire to be a gameskeeper and what's more he'd supported it. At least that's what he said. He'd fallen in love with a woman full of life that could he really see her tied to the kitchen and laundry and a life of domesticity? And then came 1st Ocotber - the first day of open season - and there was Nancy in her best frock serving finger food to the men who were about to begin the season. And then she saw Merry, daughter of Lord Langham, dressed and ready for the shoot. When questioning why Merry, being a woman, was allowed on the shoot and yet she wasn't Ted told her because she was aristocracy. Nancy was livid. She was so angered that Joe stood there silently beside his father and did nothing to back her up that she threw the most shocking words at him in front of the villagers joining the shoot before storming off to pack her bags and leave Langham.

However, that stand-off proved to be a turning point and life in the chocolate box little cottage turned something of a corner as Joe and Nancy made some compromises with Ted and Betty which served to enrich their lives in ways they didn't think possible. But still Ted was adamant on one thing - that guns have no place in a woman's hands. Nancy must then resign herself to a life of partial domesticity and helping out on the estate...but her desire to be a gamekeeper still burns deep within though Ted remained unmoved on the matter.

So Nancy poured her heart out on the pages of her leather-bound diary - her loves, her joys, her sorrows and frustrations...and even the secret that she and her fellow gunner girls swore to keep. Then in a moment of clarity, she ripped the pages of those entries out but not wanting to destroy them, sought another hiding place for them. For there is more than one place to keep a secret...and keep it she must.

This historical tale has a unique story to tell and Anna Stuart has captured it beautifully, weaving the two eras together seamlessly from present day to post-war Norfolk through the secret diary that has Lorna discovered. She discovers that Nancy is not so different from herself despite the seven decade gap between them and what the diary reveals is the difficulty that Nancy had adjusting to civilian life after the adrenaline of that as a gunner girl. 

THE SECRET DIARY is a tale of transition for both women as they find their feet in a world so different to the one to which they had grown accustomed and must now get used to living without. Both women are stronger than they realise as they come up against challenges that force them to question everything they thought they knew. The traditional lifestyle to which Nancy finds herself within when she yearns to break out of the mould tradition had shaped for women. I can't understand why others find this aspect so frustrating to read about because it was just how it was then. Just because we live in different times doesn't make those that lived before us wrong. It was just a different way of life and while times have changed, not all of it is good. While people may look back and think men had no respect for women with their traditional views, it is in fact the opposite. Men had far more respect for women then than they do today and it is because they respected them that they preferred to maintain the traditional roles. It's not something that people today can understand and that's fine.

The present day story was good but probably not as engaging or as equally strong as Nancy's, which I loved. Each time I was in the present day, I found myself wanting to go back to the diary and lose myself to time and uncover the secret Nancy and her friends had vowed to keep. It was the past that was true escapism...for both Lorna and myself.

The story weaves seamlessly from past to present and back again in alternating chapters with Nancy's predominantly through her diary which is always a perfect segue into the past. It is so expertly done the reader feels as if they are the only ones privy to Nancy's thoughts having discovered the diary themselves.

A hugely enjoyable read, THE SECRET DIARY is the post-war tale of one woman trying to transition to civilian life and another endeavouring to find the strength to move on in the wake of tragic loss. I loved it so entirely that I didn't want to leave Nancy behind or the characters I had come to know and love.

Perfect for fans of historical WW2 fiction and dual timelines such as Lorna Cook and Kathleen McGurl.

I would like to thank #AnnaStuart, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheSecretDiary in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name.

Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.

Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

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REVIEW: Like Mother Like Daughter by Elle Croft

Like Mother Like Daughter by Elle Croft

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense

Read: 3rd August 2021

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Amazon

Published: 9th July 2020

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

If what they said was true, then the grotesque and the monstrous ran in her blood. It was imprinted within her very core, her DNA, a part of every cell in her body.

Kat's children are both smart and well-adjusted. On the outside.

Kat has always tried to treat Imogen and Jemima equally, but she struggles with one of her daughters more than the other.

Because Imogen's birth mother is a serial killer. And Imogen doesn't know.

They say you can't choose your family, but what if your family chooses you?

MY REVIEW:

Wow! Where do I start? LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER is a psychological thriller that is as perplexing as it is chilling. An addictive read that raises the age old adage of nature or nurture, posing the question is evil born or is it made? The adoption of the child of a serial killer and the fear that she may turn out like her mother is the basis for the multilayered domestic thriller where the twists are plenty and the tension is palpable. It is intense from the off that doesn't let up even as you turn the final page. But be warned...be prepared for one hell of a thrill ride!

Kat has always tried to treat both her daughters equally. But she struggles with sixteen year old Imogen more than twelve year old Jemima. Is it the moody adolescence rearing it ugly head...or is it something darker and more sinister running through her veins? 

Because Imogen is the daughter of not one serial killer, but two.

Fifteen years ago, Kat and Dylan were struggling to fall pregnant when they decided the only option left was adoption. And the more they thought about it, the more they realised it was what they wanted. One day they got the call they'd been waiting for. They had a child for them...but the situation was complex. She was an 11 month old baby and she was the youngest child of serial killer couple Tim and Sally Sanders from the isolated farmed dubbed Satan's Ranch. Several couples that were ahead of them had already declined to go ahead but Kat and Dylan knew that this is what they signed up for - to give a child a stable and loving home. There was just one thing. The infant had a 5 year old brother who had been fostered together and usually in adoption cases it was preferable to keep siblings together. But in this case, no matter which way they looked at it, Kat and Dylan couldn't take the chance on the older child who had already been exposed to horrific abuse and more than likely carried the scars. For the baby's sake, she needed a fresh start. 

And so Imogen Braidwood was born. Imagine Kat and Dylan's surprise when Kat fell pregnant a couple of years later and gave Imogen a baby sister in Jemima.

Now sixteen, Imogen has begin acting strangely. She's moody and distant with her parents and is suddenly caught fighting at school for which she is suspended because she won't reveal why. Kat wonders if it's just teenage angst or if it's the blood that runs through her veins? They have never told Imogen that she's adopted, wanting to protect her from the horrific nature of her biological parents' crimes. But have they done the right thing in keeping such a secret from her?

Then one morning Kat discovers that Imogen's bed has not been slept in and her daughter missing. After ringing around her friends, she reports her missing to the police who assure her that most teenagers will usually be back before long. But Imogen isn't most teenagers...and when Kat discovers that her daughter had submitted a DNA test, she realises that the past has come back to haunt them and they must tell the police who Imogen really is.

As the police uncover an interesting aspect that may or may not be related to Imogen's disappearance, the further Kat delves the more she realises that her daughter could be in grave danger and she makes a split second decision to confront the object of her nightmares by visiting Sally Sanders in prison. Not the smartest move, I would say, as Sally is an expert in her field and prison only sharpens here wits. Needless to say, she comes out with more questions that answers. And she still is no closer to finding Imogen.

And then she receives a text from an unknown number...and her blood runs cold. It's then that Kat realises she must use her wits to save her daughter from the nightmares of her past...and bring her home again.

This is such a brilliant read that focuses on family, infertility, bloodlines, adoption, betrayal, secrets and so much more. It's a psychological thriller that explores the notion of the inheritance of genetics in the analysis of nature versus nurture. Exactly what is in our DNA? Is one born bad or is evil made?

Added to the strained family relationships at the centre of this story is the chilling look into the mind of a serial killer. There are times when this narrative can be rather tense and uncomfortable reading while early on I found myself sympathising with Sally as an abused young girl herself and, as horrific as her crimes were, I could see the logic in her reasoning at the time even if I didn't agree with it. It is a clever writer that draws you into the mind of the villain in which you find a warped sense of understanding there. It really is a moral minefield that raises the questions we have often thought ourselves.

The story unfolds through the eyes of the three main female characters upon which LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER focuses - Kat, Imogen and Sally. And each narrative is cleverly woven into the next as the secrets are gradually revealed.

Intense from start to finish, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER is fast paced psychological thriller that presses all the right buttons and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. And then there is that ending...WOW! I did not see THAT coming! So twisted and so equally delicious!

This is my first Elle Croft and what an introduction it was! Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this intense domestic and psychological thriller. Perfect for fans of this genre who love a dark and delicious twist.

I would like to thank #ElleCroft, #Netgalley and #OrionPublishing for an ARC of #LikeMotherLikeDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elle Croft is an author of psychological thrillers, a true crime podcaster, blogger and digital marketing consultant.

Her three psychological thrillers, The Guilty Wife, The Other Sister and Like Mother, Like Daughter, were all published by Orion Fiction. She also contributed a short story to the charity anthology, Afraid of the Light.

Elle grew up in Adelaide, Australia, but now lives in London, UK, which is the perfect place to live if you love to travel. She started a blog in 2010, and it quickly evolved into a travel blog, although these days it tends to be where she documents her writing experiences and the odd adventure.

Elle also co-hosts the Crime Girl Gang podcast with her crime writing pals, Victoria Selman and Niki Mackay, and together they discuss true crime cold cases, with a fictional twist.

With over six years’ experience as a digital marketer, Elle combines her passions for writing and marketing by helping other authors perfect their website, social media, newsletter and online advertising. 

When she's not busy with all of the above, Elle can be found running, sewing, making tacos, reading, or staring out the window at the foxes that live behind her flat.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: When the Dead Speak by Sheila Bugler

When the Dead Speak (Eastbourne Murder Mystery #2) by Sheila Bugler

Genre: Crime fiction

Read: 2nd July 2021

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 9th July 2021

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Secrets can be fatal. But so can the truth.

When the murdered body of Lauren Shaw is discovered laid out on the altar of St Mary the Virgin church in Eastbourne it sends a chill to the core of those who have lived in the area for a long time. They remember another woman, also young and pretty, whose slain corpse was placed in the same spot 60 years ago.

Dee Doran is as intrigued as the rest but focused on her investigation of the whereabouts of a missing person from the Polish community. The police weren’t interested but Dee’s journalistic instincts tell her something is amiss.

But as she starts asking questions Dee finds the answers all point to the same conclusion - someone is keeping secrets and they will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

A chilling and gripping crime thriller that fans of Fiona Barton and Alex Marwood will love.

MY REVIEW:

I don't know what I expected from this book but I was pleasantly surprised. WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK is the second in the Eastbourne series featuring investigative journalist Dee Doran and her detective boyfriend Ed Mitchell. Of course I wasn't aware of it being part of a series when I selected it, but that doesn't matter because the story suffices perfectly as a standalone. There are a few references to the previous book but nothing to lose the reader as to its direction. It is essentially a gripping whodunnit with a thoroughly entertaining plot.

When the body of Lauren Shaw is discovered laid out on the altar of St Mary the Virgin Church in Eastbourne town, Detective Ed Mitchell is called to the scene immediately. But not for the reason he expects. As soon as he enters the church, he knows that he must recuse himself of the investigation leaving his partner Rachel Lewis as SIO in his place. The scene before him has chills running through him as memories of his grandmother haunt him. And only two people knew the secret of his grandmother...one of them is standing beside him. The other is sprawled out on the church's altar.

Sixty years ago an identical murder took place in this town. Eighteen year old Mary Palmer's body was also found laid out on the altar of the same church on 5th March 1960, with the same wounds as those of Lauren. Not only that...the two women were related. Mary would have been Lauren's cousin, related through her grandmother Annabelle Shaw nee Palmer. And now the two women were murdered in the exact same way sixty years apart. Ed knows this cannot be a coincidence.

When Ed left her house this morning after she blurted out that he should move in with her, Dee knew something was different about this call-out. Rachel had just said there was something he needed to see instead of tasking him with an investigation. And then her cousin, also a journalist, Louise alerts her to the murder and its similarities to a sixty year old one. This, of course, piques her interest and despite being involved in her own investigation into the disappearance of a young Polish woman Joana Helinski, Dee can't help but wonder how the two murders relate to Ed. She waits for him to enlighten her but when he doesn't she not only becomes suspicious but angry that he doesn't trust her enough to confide in her, particularly after her disastrous marriage to the adulterous Billy.

Instead Dee continues in her investigation into Joana's disappearance whose last known whereabouts was the illustrious Aldrington Hotel to meet a gentleman some five weeks ago. She hasn't been seen or heard from since and her best friend Eliza is increasingly worried about her. But the deeper Dee delves, the more she is convinced that Joana's disappearance and Lauren's murder are linked. The two women knew each other. Lauren worked at the Aldrington, while Joana frequented there with male guests and they were also both regulars at a pub patronised by the Polish community.

When Dee shares her thoughts with Ed he is quick to disagree. While she is certain Joana and Lauren's cases are linked, he believes that Lauren's murder goes way back to Mary Palmer's six decades ago. And when she tries to get him to confide in her, he shuts down. What is it that he is keeping from her?

And then Louise calls her with the news that her paper is going to run an exclusive the following day which ties Ed to Mary Palmer's murder sixty years ago in the form of his uncle who was thought to be her murderer and in which his family had been ostracised and bullied for many years after. Ed is sure Lauren had discovered something that shone a light on who was really responsible and that was why she was killed. But could it be that both Joana and Mary's cases were tied to Lauren's murder?

WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK is a cleverly written whodunnit in a style reminiscent of Agatha Christie. But with a simple plotline and various subplots throughout there are plenty of further twists to keep the reader guessing from beginning to end. Just when you think you know who is responsible, Bugler throws us another curve to distract us. Although the plot is complex, the story is fairly simplistic in nature. There's just plenty of red herrings thrown in along the way.

I love the simplistic storytelling through the third person narrative of mainly Dee but often Ed and Louise as well. The inclusion of Emma Reed's  diary excerpts from sixty years ago up until her death eighteen years later is a clever addition that brings life to the Mary Palmer aspect and a voice to the mother of man accused of murdering her. And then I loved how it is all cleverly woven together with the present story.

I honestly have plenty of series to keep me occupied and I wasn't going to add yet another to my list, but after reading WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK I feel I am now going to have to seek out the first book and follow any subsequent ones and add them to my ever growing TBR list.

A delightful read, WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK is crime fiction at its best. Part cosy part thriller, this book is simple in its "complexities" with straight forward plot that is as intriguing as it is clever. My only complaint is Dee's dismissal at the very end of the book which I found to be a tad unfair as well as her high expectations all round concerning Ed and those of Ella and Jake. 

Overall, a fun quick read that can be read in one sitting. Perfect for crime fiction fans of Joy Ellis, Daisy White and J.R. Ellis.

I would like to thank #SheilaBugler, #Netgalley and #Canelo for an ARC of #WhenTheDeadSpeak in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sheila Bugler grew up in the west of Ireland. After studying Psychology at University College Galway, she left Ireland and worked in Italy, Spain, Germany, Holland and Argentina before finally settling in London, where she lives with her husband Sean, and their children, Luke and Ruby.

In 2008, she was one of four writers to be offered a place on the Arts Council-funded Apprenticeships in Fiction programme - a mentoring scheme designed to nurture emerging writers in the UK and Ireland.

When not writing, Sheila works as an online editor and writer and is also a regular contributor to the writing magazine Words With Jam. She is also a regular guest on BBC Radion Sussex.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Across the Water by Ingrid Alexander

Across the Water by Ingrid Alexander 

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 1st August 2021

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 9th July 2021

★★ 2 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Secrets can pull you under…

In a remote, boat-access only house, Liz Dawson’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she watches the people who live in the three identical houses that sit side by side across the creek. But it’s the middle house Liz finds herself drawn to most: the beautiful young mother, Delilah Waters, and her baby.

When Dee and her baby go missing, last seen by the murky waters of Oyster Creek, it is a suspected murder-suicide. After all, it’s no secret that Dee Waters never wanted children. She wasn’t coping with the baby. Everyone in the town believes she leapt to her death, taking her child with her. Everyone except Liz.

Wrestling with her own demons, Liz risks everything to uncover a truth that becomes more complex with every twist. Of all people, Liz knows that just because someone is a reluctant mother, it doesn’t mean they don’t love their child. And it doesn’t mean they’re capable of murder… does it?

The Woman in the Window meets The Hand that Rocked the Cradle, Across the Water explores the darker side of motherhood, the pressure to conform, and how women’s choices shape their fate.

MY REVIEW:

As this book is set in Australia I was immediately drawn to it, but then that doesn't always mean it will make it a good read let alone a good thriller. But the premise gave one that eerie atmospheric chill of a cross between voyeurism and obsessiveness. The tagline promotes "The Woman in the Window meets The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" which promises something of a creepy read. And I couldn't wait to get started.

Newlyweds Adam and Liz Dawson have just arrived in the remote area in the Myall Lakes, some three hours north of Sydney, and soon discover that it is a far cry from the bustling noise of East London to which they are used. But Adam's father has recently passed away and the couple have arrived in the regional town to organise his house that sits alongside a tidal creek in a row of other deserted homes before selling it and returning to the UK. It's a temporary move until they are able to purchase their dream house with money from the estate.

Whilst Liz sorts out his father's effects Adam commutes to Sydney to organise his father's business and legal affairs, but the long days leave Liz feeling alone in the old house. She begins to occupy herself by watching her neighbours on the other side of the creek from the loft window. Across the water, on the inhabited side, are three occupied houses in which Dee, Rob and baby Ruby live next to an older couple Erica and Samir with an adjoining gate to one another's yards. In the third house resides handsome bartender Zac, who has a habit of startling as well as flirting with Liz. He once told her, upon indicating his house, that if she were to scream he would hear.

Liz spends her lonely days and nights watching from her window, even using Adam's father's binoculars which he kept there for bird watching. Even a power blackout amidst a storm doesn't keep her from her new occupation. She becomes hooked on watching the lives of her neighbours, idly wondering what causes the obvious friction between the two women and the pensiveness she sees in an often naked Dee by her window at night, with whom she becomes particularly obsessed. Dee is a struggling new mother with a young baby who is the image of her...and yet Liz often finds herself wondering where is her husband? 

And then Dee turns up at her house one night with an obvious slur to her words and the need for company. The two women share a few drinks and when Liz offers to listen should she need to talk, Dee gives her a strange look. Then a ping of a text on her phone and Dee suddenly makes her excuses and is gone before Liz knows what happened. What was that all about?

The following day, Dee and her baby Ruby are missing and Liz is frantic to uncover the truth behind her disappearance. Because, she realises, she must have been the last person to see Dee alive. Who amongst her neighbours is harbouring the secret of what happened to Dee and baby Ruby? And can she discover the truth before it's too late?

Although Liz is the main narrator, the story also unfolds through the perspectives of Dee and Erica though their narratives move back and forth in time leading up to Dee's disappearance. I am used to this type of narrative and timeline, but even I found it a little confusing at times and had to go back to clarify what month, day and time I was actually in now.

ACROSS THE WATER moves at a steady pace and although it isn't mentioned, it bears an uncanny resemblance to Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train" with the voyeuristic nature of its narrative. Unfortunately, I don't think it was as interesting or as engaging as "The Girl on the Train" and I found myself losing interest about halfway. But as it was a quick read, I stayed with it hoping it would improve. It did offer a surprising twist I didn't anticipate which was a refreshing surprise.

I wouldn't call ACROSS THE WATER a thriller as such...more of an atmospheric psychological mystery that has an eerie creepiness that lends itself to the thriller genre. 

There was one aspect that I feel I must point out as misleading and incorrect. Plovers. Annoying noisy birds that nest where ever the hell they like and attack you for even venturing near. They are not native to that specific area around the Myall Lakes but are found throughout Australia. We have them here and they are something of a menace. But I guess for the story to work, it had to be such.

Another thing I didn't like was the pure crassness of some of the language. I mean, I can take swearing in books but this was on another scale that I was just uncomfortable with.

Still...if you like atmospheric thrillers that are creepy and claustrophobic, then I'm sure you will like ACROSS THE WATER. For me, I can't rate it past 2 stars.

I would like to thank #IngridAlexander, #Netgalley and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #AcrossTheWater in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Ingrid Alexandra was born and raised in Sydney and now lives on the New South Wales central coast.

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Her work has previously been long-listed for The Ampersand Prize and while living in London, Ingrid had the privilege of being mentored by the Guardian First Novel Award shortlisted and Nestle Prize winning author Daren King.

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THE NEW GIRL was her first psychological thriller, debuting in July 2018. Her second, ACROSS THE WATER, was published on 9th July 2020.

Social Media links:

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