REVIEW: The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan

 

The Babysitter by Phoebe Morgan

Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller

Read: 15th December 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 28th May 2020

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Who knew her secret? And what happened that night?

On the hottest day of the year, Caroline Harvey is found dead in Suffolk. Her body is left draped over a cot – but the baby she was looking after is missing.  

Hundreds of miles away, Siobhan Dillon is on a luxurious family holiday in France when her husband, Callum, is arrested by French police on suspicion of murder.

 

As Siobhan’s perfect family is torn apart by the media in the nation’s frantic search for the missing baby, she desperately tries to piece together how Callum knew Caroline.

What happened that night? Was Caroline as innocent as she seemed – or was she hiding a secret of her own?

The thrilling new book from the number one digital bestselling author of The Doll House and The Girl Next Door.

MY REVIEW:

After reading (and totally loving) "The Doll's House" a couple of years ago, I was excited to dive into Phoebe Morgan's latest thriller THE BABYSITTER. And while it does start out a little slow at first, it soon picks up pace to become an addictive little number.

Siobhan and her family are just beginning their holiday at her sister's beautiful villa in France when the police arrive and arrest her husband under suspicion of murder. It appears he'd been having an affair with the deceased so of course immediately becomes prime suspect. But Callum vehemently denies killing her. 

TV executive Callum is handsome, successful and loves women almost as much as he loves himself. This is not the first time he has had an affair as his wife Siobhan is well aware but even she is shocked that he is now under suspicion of murdering the latest one. But that's not all. It seems the deceased, Caroline, had been babysitting a friend's little girl and now baby Eve is missing as well. As he is lead away in handcuffs en route back to the UK for questioning, Siobhan attempts to appease her distraught teenage daughter Emma with little effect. But it's her older sister Maria who soothes the frantic girl, leaving Siobhan once again feeling left out of her own life.

Maria has never married and enjoys her life of independence. She sees the freedom she has to live as she chooses a far cry from Siobhan's life of drudgery, tethered to serial philanderer Callum. Not being tied down has enabled her to afford the luxury of not only owning her own place in the UK, but the beautiful sprawling villa in St Juliette in France. She is in the process of redecorating it when she invited Siobhan and the family to stay.

Then there is poor Caroline Harvey, a needy, unstable and largely insecure woman in her late 20s who found herself in an 18 month long affair with the self-indulgent Callum. She foolishly believed, as many "other women" do, that he would leave his wife for her but she didn't bargain on his affinity with his daughter Emma. Even when Caroline found herself pregnant, that wasn't enough to lure Callum away from his family...and Caroline began to wonder was it all really worth it? She'd loosely confided in her friend Jenny who was initially worried about the fact that she was involved with a married man. But Jenny had a busy life, married and mother to 18 month old Eve that Caroline found herself envying her friend. She wanted what she had.

So when Jenny asked her to baby-sit Eve, Caroline jumped at the chance despite knowing very little about babies. She had looked after her once before that Jenny didn't hesitate to ask her friend for the favour and, desperate as she was, said that she would bring Eve and all her paraphernalia to Caro's flat. But no sooner had Jenny hurried out the door than Eve began to cry which then turned into screams that Caroline found herself unable to pacify. 

And little did Jenny know that that would be the last time she saw her little girl. For when she returned to collect her later that night, she found Caro bent over the portacot dead and Eve nowhere to be found. 

Who would enter Caroline's flat, kill her and abduct a baby? What motive could there possibly be? Police could surmise one scenario for Caroline and one for Eve, but not one that would involve them both. Jenny had enlightened them to Caroline's affair with married man Callum Dillon which then in turn lead police to their doorstep in France a few days later. Despite being on the continent now, the murder actually occurred the night before they left. So while selfish, philandering Callum is undoubtedly a jerk, is he a murderer? And where is baby Eve?

As soon as Callum is sent back to the UK for questioning by the Suffolk Police, Siobhan, Emma and Maria soon follow. The scandal surrounding the Caroline's death and Callum's womanising becomes frontline news as reporters begin to doorstep the family leaving them prisoners in their own home for fear of being accosted by them should they step outside. "Hashtag Find Eve" is trending on Twitter with locals surmising their own opinions as trial by social media purports its findings. Everyone, it seems, has an opinion as accusations are thrown involving Callum, Siobhan and even baby Eve's parents' Jenny and Rick. No one is immune from attack. 

But Siobhan is hiding secrets of her own while trying to maintain harmony for her family as 16 year old Emma behaves erratically whilst seeking comfort in the arms of her aunt Maria. Siobhan cannot help but feel excluded from her own daughter's life, who has always been far closer to her father and now, it seems, to her aunt. 

And yet, despite this, I couldn't feel much empathy towards Siobhan. It was Caroline I felt for. She was lonely, insecure and longed to be loved. She thought she had found it in Callum...but did she really? Even in death she appeared to be forgotten, as all anyone was interested in was finding baby Eve (understandably) but that didn't mean Caroline's life was worth any less just because she was dead.

Told from multiple perspectives - Siobhan, Caroline and DS Wildy primarily - the story unfolds before and after Caroline's murder. It's with this aspect that we, the reader, are aware of circumstances and facts that the police not yet privy to. It makes it interesting as we ponder who could possibly be responsible for Caroline's murder and the disappearance of baby Eve? Is Eve even still alive? No one knows but after the first 48 hours the likelihood of finding Eve alive drops considerably. The characters all well developed and somewhat interesting - I loved DS Wildy the best - though some are thoroughly unlikeable...least of all, serial philanderer Callum. Quite frankly, he deserved the grief he got for all he put his long-suffering wife and family through. Though I doubt he loved any woman he was involved with as he was far too in love with himself.

A gripping psychological thriller, THE BABYSITTER is not quite of the same calibre as her debut "The Doll House", which was too clever beyond words, but it is still packed with surprises and the ability to shock at the end. It is compelling and completely engaging from start to finish, though it was a little slow to begin with before it gained momentum and thus flowed flawlessly at a rapid pace. I did partially work out who was involved but not completely until just before it is revealed. The twist, when it came, was deliciously clever.

A definite recommend to fans of thrillers - domestic and psychological alike.

I would like to thank #PhoebeMorgan, #NetGalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #TheBabysitter in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Phoebe Morgan is an author and editor. She studied English at Leeds University after growing up in the Suffolk countryside.

She has previously worked as a journalist and now edits crime and women’s fiction for a HarperCollins during the day, and writes her own books in the evenings. She lives in London and you can follow her on Twitter

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Little Girls Tell Tales by Rachel Bennett

 

Little Girls Tell Tales by Rachel Bennett

Genre: Mystery

Read: 15th December 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 29th May 2020

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

Some of the boggy ponds were so deep that if a girl stepped into one it would swallow her forever…

2004: Rosalie is walking through the wild wetland behind her mother’s home on the isolated Isle of Man when she stumbles across a body. Having strayed from the path and lost her brother, Dallin, it’s hours before she’s discovered, shaken and exhausted. With a reputation for telling stories, not many believe the little girl’s tale of the body in the marsh.

2019: Dallin, estranged from his family, returns unannounced with a woman named Cora by his side. Cora’s sister went missing fifteen years ago and she believes Rosalie was the one who found her. As dangerous secrets are unearthed, Cora and Rosalie start asking questions about a girl who some would rather keep buried…

An atmospheric crime novel, perfect for fans of Cara Hunter and Erin Kinsley.

MY REVIEW:

My first by this author and to be honest, I doubt I will seek her out again. LITTLE GIRLS TELL TALES had a promising premise but it was so slow moving that it failed in the delivery.

2004: Ten year old Rosalie is walking with her brother Dallin and friend Beth when she becomes lost in the wetlands behind her mother's home on the isolated Isle of Man and stumbles across the skeletal remains of a body. But having strayed from the path and lost her way, it's hours before she is found. Shaken and exhausted, Rosalie tells authorities about the remains but when searchers scoured the marsh, there was no skeleton to be found. Additionally, with her penchant for "telling stories" many do not believe Rosalie's claims about the body in the curraghs. 

2019: Fifteen years later, Rosalie now lives in the house that was her mother's, grieving the loss of her partner Beth when her estranged brother Dallin arrives unannounced with a woman named Cora. If she is shocked to find her brother on her doorstep, she's even more so when she discovers that Cora believes the remains that Rosalie found all those years ago were those of her sister Simone who has been missing for 20 years. After all these years, Rosalie can't believe that someone actually believes her story...as they hadn't back then.

Soon Rosalie becomes embroiled in the mystery and Cora's plan to locate the body to confirm it is Simone...but when disturbing things begin happening to Cora, it seems someone doesn't want them to uncover the truth. But will they unravel the truth and find Simon'e remains before it's too late?

The book started off in 2004 when Rosalie was a child and you were immediately drawn in when she becomes lost and comes across the remains. But unfortunately, the following chapters that then move into the present day become slow and largely uneventful for the most part that I didn't much care what happened or if they managed to find the remains again. Throughout the long-winded tale, the reader is then made to guess what happened to Simone as if this were the penultimate climax to the mystery. But in the end, I didn't care what had happened to her or why...despite skimming the rest of it to the end.

Sadly, LITTLE GIRLS TELL TALES was just too slow that I didn't enjoy at all. And I can't say that I would recommend it at all.

I would like to thank #RachelBennett, #NetGalley and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #LittleGirlsTellTales in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rachel Bennett was born in England but is currently based on the Isle of Man (home of fast motorbikes, tailless cats, and very changeable weather). She shares her home with two kids, one angry cat, and an exceptionally patient husband.

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW: His & Hers by Alice Feeney

 

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 12th December 2020

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Amazon

Published: 28th May 2020

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

If there are two sides to every story, someone is always lying…

Jack: Three words to describe my wife: Beautiful. Ambitious. Unforgiving.

Anna: I only need one word to describe my husband: Liar.

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Anna’s ex-husband, DCI Jack Harper, is suspicious of her involvement, until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation.

Someone is lying, and some secrets are worth killing to keep.

MY REVIEW:

I've always said that there are three sides to every story - your's, their's and the truth! In this case, it was "his" and "her's"...but where WAS the truth in all of this? Because it seems that it was nowhere to be found. As a reader, we don't know what to believe as the narrators appear to be so unreliable...and yet only one of them is. But who is it? And what part do they play in it all? 

And then...it comes. And I am speechless. WOW!

Never before have I been played by an unreliable narrator quite like that of HIS & HERS. I am impressed beyond all measures though I feel I need to stop and take a breath and just absorb what I have just read. It all makes perfect sense in the end but...HOW is it even possible? Prepare to be shocked...or impressed...or both!

The rundown...

His: DCI Jack Harper, Major Crime Team, is tasked with investigating the murder of a Jane Doe found in Blackdown Wood.

Her: Anna Andrews, former BBC news presenter now news correspondent assigned to report on the murder. Also ex-wife of Jack Harper.

Blackdown: A picturesque chocolate box village in Surrey, two hours south of London, filled with bad memories for "His & Her".

BBC news correspondent, Anna Andrews, had worked the newsdesk for two years in the previous anchor's absence. Cat Jones went on maternity leave with her first child and subsequently fell pregnant with the second paving the way for Anna to fill her shoes on the lunchtime news. But when Anna arrives one morning ready for make-up and to be prepped for camera, the last person she expected to see walk through the door was Cat Jones in all her redheaded glory. Pasting a smile on her face whilst seething inside, Anna reluctantly stepped aside as her predecessor reclaimed her place on the newdesk whilst she was cast aside.

Then news of a body found in Blackdown Wood surfaces and the powers that be task her with covering the story in a place she never wished to revisit. With her trusty cameraman Richard in tow, Anna returns to Blackdown, where past and her memories will come back to haunt her again. It's still early morning when they arrive at the crime scene and, despite the knowledge that her detective ex-husband had returned to Blackdown, she isn't quite prepared to run into him there.

After suffering a tragedy that broke down their marriage, Jack Harper left London and returned to Blackdown where he no heads the Major Crime Team. He received the call about a Jane Doe found in Blackdown Wood and along with his rather exuberant and eager DC Priya Patel begin investigations. But nothing prepared Jack for what he was to discover upon arriving at the scene. He knew this woman. He was with her last night. And now she was dead. 

Then to make matters worse, his ex-wife Anna arrives with a cameraman in tow...seemingly the first of the press to have caught wind of the murder. How was that possible? Who told them? What does Anna know?

Both Jack and Anna share a history together as well as a past in Blackdown itself. Both have a different stake in the case and both have secrets which they are keeping from the other. But is Jack or Anna capable of murder?

Then Jack discovers fingernail clippings in a tic-tac box in his glove compartment and Rachel's phone in his boot. And strangely, a knife from his own knife block in his house has gone missing. Then when there is another murder at the very place Jack had been at the exact time of it occurred, he begins to wonder if someone is trying to frame him. He knows someone is watching him. He can feel their presence even if he cannot see them.

Meanwhile, Anna wakes from yet another drunken sleep to a tidied room and a photograph that was taken on her 16th birthday...a day that she would rather forget. Of the five faces smiling at the camera in that photo, two are now dead. Is someone killing off each of these girls who are now women in revenge for something that happened in their past? But who? Rachel may have seemed the most likely, but she was the first victim. Helen was clever enough to get away with it, but she was the second. Who's next? Her? Anna also feels as if someone is watching her every move...but who...and why?

Tragedy may have torn them apart but another may bring them back together, as Jack begins to wonder if Anna may be in danger...and Anna feels that Jack is the only one she can trust. 

However, in summary....no one can be trusted in this thoroughly addictive psychological thriller that will have you turning the pages and keep you on your toes right up to the shocking end. HIS & HERS is filled with red herrings that will confuse you and possibly drive you mad trying to figure it all out. Everyone, it seems, has a motive...but who can you believe?

My first read by Alice Feeney, HIS & HERS starts off slow and grows with a palpable tension that becomes a complex and twisted tale that was so deliciously dark it was thoroughly addictive. Cue the chocolate box village surrounded by dark creepy woods, the brutal murders that were seemingly too close to home and the constant second guessing, this cleverly plotted story truly makes for compelling reading. And then, just when you think all has been revealed, there is that shock ending...

HIS & HERS is told through three alternating perspectives - his (Jack), her (Anna) and an unknown person that could be him, her or someone else entirely. Both are equally convincing despite being unreliable narrators. It will have you guessing, second guessing and even third guessing the complex turn of events resulting in these brutal murders. But nothing is as it seems...and no one is who they seem either. Even revisiting Anna's teenage past leaves nothing to chance. I can also understand Anna's need to be liked and accepted...something every teenager is sure to experience at some point in their lives. But those girls were truly horrible. 

Despite being a slow burn, HIS & HERS does pick up with a promise to deliver the goods...and it does! I especially love the use of the friendship bracelet Anna made as a teenager used on the cover and incorporated into the ampersand (&).

I will however include a trigger warning:- rape, animal abuse and grooming.

Deliciously dark and addictive, HIS & HERS is a fast, fun and entertaining read that had me snookered right up to the end!!

I would like to thank #AliceFeeney, #NetGalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #HisAndHers in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

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

Alice has lived in London and Sydney and has now settled in the Surrey countryside, where she lives with her husband and dog. His & Hers is being published around the world in 2020.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Wedding Bells on Victory Street

 

Wedding Bells on Victory Street (The Bryant Sisters #2) by Pam Howes

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Read: 5th December 2020

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Amazon

Published: 11th December 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

From Amazon bestseller Pam Howes comes a heartbreaking World War Two novel about a young woman trying to make the best of history’s darkest hour. Is a happy ever after impossible?

Liverpool, 1943. For Bella Rogers, life is looking up. She loves performing with The Bryant Sisters, the singing trio who have become the country’s sweethearts, putting a smile on the faces of the brave boys fighting the Nazis. But then tragedy strikes when a telegram arrives: Bella’s beloved father has been killed in France.

Unlike her poor Mam, Bella has someone to share her grief with. Her childhood love Bobby is home from the war. He lost a leg but she counts her blessings every day that he’s alive when so many young men haven’t made it back. Bella longs to give her heart to Bobby but she is hiding a secret that may change their lives forever. Will he still love her if she reveals the truth?

But when bombs screech down on Victory Street in the middle of the night, blowing houses apart, Bella may lose both the home she loves and the family who mean everything to her. With so much loss around her, will Bella be brave enough to snatch her chance of happiness? And when the war is finally over, will wedding bells ring out on Victory Street again?

An utterly unputdownable, heart-wrenching historical novel that will have you completely hooked from page one. You’ll lose yourself in this gorgeous wartime story of love, loss and family secrets. Perfect for fans of Wives of War, Nadine Dorries and Nancy Revell.  

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Pam Howes' heartwarming tale WEDDNG BELLS ON VICTORY STREET.

My introduction to Pam Howes came with the fourth installment of the Lark Lane series and I absolutely fell in love with her easy style of writing and story-telling. Then she began the Bryant Sisters series with "The Girls of Victory Street" last July which was soon followed by this latest outing for the girls in WEDDING BELLS ON VICTORY STREET. And oh, how I just love this book! It has it all...love, loss, happiness, tragedy, heartache and basically, heart. 

When we left "The Girls of Victory Street" last, Liverpool was under a dark cloud in the midst of WW2 and the Bryant Sisters - Bella, Edie and Fran - were quickly making a name for themselves on the variety circuit. It is now 1943 and Bella Rogers finds herself, alongside her friends Edie and Fran, in demand for their heartwarming performances touring up and down the UK entertaining the troops for ENSA. Bella loves her life with ENSA but it comes at something of a cost. 

On Christmas Eve the year before, she gave birth to a little boy named Levi and has left him in the care of her mother while she toured...and Bella misses her little boy deeply, aware of how much she is missing out on while she is away. Unfortunately, this also means that Levi sees her mother as his mother and Bella is but a passing stranger to him. Only a handful of people know the truth surrounding Levi's parentage, and for now, it is best kept that way.

Romance was beginning to blossom for Bella and her childhood sweetheart Bobby Harrison at the end of the last book, and after being trapped into a rather disastrous but short lived marriage to the conniving Alicia, the couple are finally looking forward to a future together...just as soon as his divorce comes through. After being injured when his plane crashed killing his father, Bobby spent many months in hospital recuperating with the amputation of his leg. Bella is thrilled to have Bobby home and no longer in danger in the air and, despite his injuries, cannot wait to begin her life with him. Only a secret could stand in the way of their happiness...and Bella knows she must tell him if there is to be any chance of a future together. The couple love each other deeply but still Bella worries how Bobby will take the news that she has a son. And more to the point, how Bobby's mother Fenella will take the news.

The danger in Liverpool saw Bella's mother Mary join her younger sister Molly in Conwy in North Wales, as well as taking Levi out of harm's way and to the peaceful quiet of the farm on which they now find themselves. That is, until a telegram bringing devastating news for Mary arrives, prompting their return to Liverpool and the memories she has there.

A face from Fenella Harrison's past comes to visit bringing with him an air of trouble and uncertainty though she feels she has little choice in the matter. Despite being holed up in an attic room, her visitor cannot resist the urge to eavesdrop on conversations every now and then, seeking tidbits from which he can then benefit. But when Molly offers her services to Fenella as a maid after the death of her long-time housekeeper, danger is close at hand as Freddie sets his lecherous sights on the young girl.

With Edie and Fran's lads away fighting Hitler and his cronies and Bella's secret threatening to destroy her hopes of a future with Bobby, will the three women get their dream weddings once this war is over?

I cannot say how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Even more so than the first which I found frustrating many times at the countless events keeping Bella and Bobby apart. But this one was so heart-warming it was like coming home. While Bella and Bobby's relationship is continually put to the test, their love for each other is far stronger than either of them imagined. I loved reading about them. But for me the best part was the transformation of Bobby's snooty mother who was a thorn in Bella's side in the first book. I actually fell in love with the Fenella of this book and then in a heart-warming twist she opens her heart and her home to a family in need, which was completely at odds with the old snobbish Fenella.

Their story may have begun in "The Girls of Victory Street" but in WEDDING BELLS ON VICTORY STREET it is strengthened and enriched by the love and bond the two families, and their friends, develop in the face of tragedy.

I thoroughly enjoyed WEDDING BELLS ON VICTORY STREET and, while it is only second in the series, I hope their stories don't end where the war has as I would love to see where life takes the Bryant Sisters and their extended families in the future. Utterly unputdownable that will have you hooked from the first page.

If you loved the Lark Lane series, Nadine Dorries' Lovely Lane and Nancy Revell's Shipyard Girls, you will LOVE the Bryant Sisters.

I would like to thank #PamHowes, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #WeddingBellsOnVictoryStreet in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Pam Howes is an ex Interior Designer who loves creating stories, but only started writing seriously about twelve years ago. The idea for her first novel, set in the sixties, came from her time as a teenager, working in a local record store and hanging round with the musicians who frequented the business.

That first novel evolved into a series set in the fictional town of Pickford, based on her home town of Stockport. Three Steps to Heaven; 'Til I Kissed You; Always On My Mind; Not Fade Away, and That'll Be The Day, follow the lives and loves through the decades of fictional Rock'n'Roll band The Raiders.

Pam signed a second contract with the award winning publisher Bookouture with the first novel in her Lark Lane series, The Factory Girls of Lark Lane, published in July 2018. Her first series for Bookouture - The Mersey Trilogy featuring The Liverpool Girls, The Forgotten Family of Liverpool and The Lost Daughter of Liverpool - is also available in E book, paperback and as audio books.

Pam is a big fan of sixties music and it's this love and the support and encouragement of her musician partner that compelled her to write the series. Pam has three adult daughters and seven grandchildren. She lives in Cheshire and as well as writing novels, writes short stories, which have appeared in charity anthologies and online e-zines, and poems, many of which are published.

Social Media Links:

Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

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DEBUT: Sleepless by Louise Mumford

Sleepless by Louise Mumford

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 3rd December 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

UK

US

Australia

Published: 11th December 2020

**PUBLICATION DAY PUSH**

DESCRIPTION:

Don’t close your eyes. Don’t fall asleep. Don’t let them in.

 

Thea is an insomniac; she hasn’t slept more than three hours a night for years.

 

So when an ad for a sleep trial that promises to change her life pops up on her phone, Thea knows this is her last chance at finding any kind of normal life.

 

Soon Thea’s sleeping for longer than she has in a decade, and awakes feeling transformed. So much so that at first she’s willing to overlook the oddities of the trial – the lack of any phone signal; the way she can’t leave her bedroom without permission; the fact that all her personal possessions are locked away, even her shoes.

 

But it soon becomes clear that the trial doesn’t just want to help Thea sleep. It wants to control her sleep…

 

An unputdownable, gripping psychological thriller for fans of The One, Behind Her Eyes and Girl A!

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Louise was born and lives in South Wales. From a young age she loved books and dancing, but hated having to go to sleep, convinced that she might miss out on something interesting happening in the world whilst she dozed – much to her mother’s frustration! Insomnia has been a part of her life ever since.

She studied English Literature at university and graduated with first class honours. As a teacher she tried to pass on her love of reading to her students (and discovered that the secret to successful teaching is… stickers! She is aware that that is, essentially, bribery.) 

In the summer of 2019 Louise experienced a once-in-a-lifetime moment: she was discovered as a new writer by her publisher at the Primadonna Festival. Everything has been a bit of a whirlwind since then. 

Louise lives in Cardiff with her husband and spends her time trying to get down on paper all the marvellous and frightening things that happen in her head.

Her debut thriller, SLEEPLESS, will be published by HQ on 11th Dec 2020. 

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Killer's Girl by Helen Phifer

 

The Killer's Girl (DC Megan Brookes #2) by Helen Phifer

Genre: Crime fiction, Police procedural, Thriller

Read: 3rd December 2020

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Amazon

Apple

Google

Kobo

Published: 10th December 2020

★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

DESCRIPTION:

‘Mama, wake up.’

The little girl reached for her mother’s face with one pudgy hand. But the eyes stayed closed, and the blood continued to trickle across the floor.

 

When the body of a young woman is found, tied to her bed and the victim of a brutal attack in her own home, Detective Morgan Brookes is sickened by what she finds as she searches the house. And unprepared for the nightmares it inspires about her childhood.

 

When the DNA collected gives a positive ID, Morgan can’t wait to put the attacker behind bars. But the person it matches to is already in prison. How could the DNA of someone who has been locked up for over twenty years have shown up in Morgan’s crime scene? And then they make another close match. To Morgan herself.

Faced with the impossible proof that she is somehow connected to this case, Morgan delves deep into the crimes of a killer who stalked the Lake District two decades ago. But distracted by the old case, she misses the signs that he has found a new victim. And when he strikes close to home, Morgan finally realises that she has been living on borrowed time. To find this killer, it’s clear she must confront the nightmares in her past…

 

A heart-racing, nerve-wracking crime thriller. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney will be completely gripped.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Helen Phifer's exciting new crime thriller THE KILLER'S GIRL.

Initially, what drew me to this book was Helen Phifer as I adore her Dr Beth Adams series and while I'm disappointed there hasn't been another since, I was excited by the premise of THE KILLER'S GIRL. Despite it being the second book in the DC Morgan Brookes series, I have yet to read the first. But if Helen's writing is anything to go by from her previous series, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed...even if I did come late to the party. And I wasn't.

The story begins with a compelling prologue taking place in 1999 that drew me in from the very beginning. Janet Marks knows her husband Gary is cheating on her and as she reads the front page of the Cumbrian News, she gets a chill sweeping through her body. The Riverside Rapist has struck again and she now knows without a doubt that it's Gary. He has not been home on any of the nights the rapist struck claiming to be night fishing but Janet knows the truth. And now she wants Gary gone. She packs his things and leaves them in a suitcase by the door as she sees to her sleeping children, 5 year old Taylor and 3 year old Skye. But when Gary returns home, things don't go to plan and it's a bloody end for Janet...as Skye screams from the top of the stairs.

When Gabrielle Stevens leaves her friends in pub one night, she has no idea that it will be her last. She arrives home to a dark and silent house as her parents are holidaying in Madrid and aren't expected back for another few days. But that's OK...Gabby is enjoying the time to herself. But as she climbs the stairs to her room she stops at her bedroom door. Her bed is made. And Gabby is certain that she left it a crumpled mess that morning. Shrugging to herself, thinking maybe she did make it, she draws back the covers to discover a folded piece of paper. As she reads it, a chill runs down her spine and the hair on her neck bristles. She can feel the presence of another in her room. She is not alone. She is grabbed from behind and he begins to squeeze the life from her, she pulls off his balaclava as recognition dawns...and the note he left her is forgotten.

"You look much better naked."

DC Morgan Brookes awakes at the same time every morning - 4.25am - without fail, her troubled dreams becoming shadows. She takes herself off for a walk/run, returning home as her mobile rings. Her boss DS Ben Matthews has just received a call for a woman found murdered in her bed by her parents returning from holiday. Morgan immediately swings into action as she is thrust headlong into a murder investigation that ends up hitting too close to home. 

The killer, it seems, made off with Gabby's mobile phone and, with the flip of a coin, decides to start toying with police with random messages. His recipient is Morgan which he finds to be a delicious coincidence. His glee at seeing them cluelessly chasing their tails is almost as gratifying as the killing itself...but not quite.

Then when Morgan's father, Stan, is murdered she is devastated. Although she and her father had had a difficult relationship since the tragic death of her mother some years before, they have been slowly rebuilding their relationship and Stan was now in AA. His murder comes as a brutal shock as the team ponder who would kill Stan...and why? 

The case takes a confusing turn when DNA from both crime scenes quickly identifies the killer. But he couldn't have committed the murders. After all, he has the best of all alibis - he's been in prison for the past twenty years! But that's not all the DNA throws up. Something even more puzzling and more baffling than Matthews could ever explain.

Meanwhile, Morgan has been placed on compassionate leave in the wake of her father's murder. The question is why was he killed? All Morgan has to go on is her father's final text which she found puzzling at the time but may have been the catalyst that lead to his sudden death. What did he mean in those final words he sent her? As Morgan delves deeper into the past, beginning with her mother's suicide, she soon discovers some home truths that will rock her foundation to the very core as things take a more personal turn for the young detective.

I must say, it's refreshing to read a police procedural where the team actually get along and the senior officers are not constantly trying to oust the main character. I am tired of the stereotypical and cliched cop that seems to run rampant through crime fiction. So this is a refreshing change. I love Morgan's team as well as Morgan herself. She is not afraid to admit her weaknesses whilst learning from her mistakes. She certainly has the makings of a good detective and I hope we see more of her in the future.

I love the short snappy chapters which always keep the story going at a fast but steady pace, swiping the pages in an attempt to get there quicker. I had quickly figured out the link to the historical case at the beginning to the current one as well as the killer but it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment for one minute. I always feel a sense of achievement if I've guessed correctly before the book's end.

The only flaw I found was with the death of Morgan's mother, Sylvia. Although it was the catalyst to Morgan's estrangement with her father, it was mentioned more than once that she was 15 at the time of her mother's death and that it was five years before. However, Morgan also said she was 23, being the same age as Gabby Stevens. That would make it eight years since her mother died or, if five years then she'd have been 18 and not 15. I thought it a misprint at first, but when it was mentioned several times I found it to be an anomaly that should have been rectified in editing.

Nevertheless, THE KILLER'S GIRL is an excellent book and a fast paced intriguing crime thriller that I devoured in record time. It really is THAT good. I look forward to book 3 in the series, as the ending in this one has given the reader a teaser for future plots.

Highly recommended for fans of crime fiction with a well-written fast paced story that is intriguing from beginning to end.

I would like to thank #HelenPhifer, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheKillersGirl in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children. 

Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own. 

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REVIEW: I Made a Mistake by Jane Corry

 

I Made a Mistake by Jane Corry

Genre: Domestic thriller, Family Drama, Women's fiction

Read: 8th December 2020

Goodreads
Amazon

Published: 28th May 2020

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

YOU DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT.

IT WAS ONLY ONCE.

BUT NOW HE'S DEAD, AND SOMEONE HAS TO PAY . . .

In Poppy Page's mind, there are two types of women in this world: those who are faithful to their husbands, and those who are not. Until now, Poppy has never questioned which she was.

But when handsome, charming Matthew Gordon walks back into her life after almost two decades, that changes. Poppy makes a single mistake - and that mistake will be far more dangerous than she could imagine.

Someone is going to pay for it with their life . . .

MY REVIEW:

"It started with a kiss...and ended with murder!"

Although I have a couple of Jane Corry's books on my TBR list, this is the first book I have read by this author. And although I MADE A MISTAKE is a very slow burn to begin with, it does pick up the pace further in with a mystery to make you glad you stuck around for it. I wouldn't class it as a thriller as such - more of a domestic drama tinged with some thriller aspects. These types of books are generally difficult to categorise as they tend to fall between genres - not quite in but not quite out either.

Beginning with a tragic accident at Waterloo underground station, we don't discover who is involved till further in. And only then we are given tidbits to flesh out in our imaginations as to what really happened on that fateful day. It soon becomes clear a few chapters in that someone is on trial for murder and, though we don't know who, the deceased's identity is soon revealed...leaving us trying to piece the puzzle together.

Rewind six weeks prior and Poppy Page is at a Christmas party where she bumps into an old boyfriend. But not any old boyfriend. Matthew Gordon was her first love and they were together for three years before he upped and left with another student from their drama class, whom he later married. Matthew went on to become a successful actor in the title role of a popular drama in the nineties...although he hasn't been in anything since. He claims to be at the party to network amongst directors and producers, hoping to land himself something.

Although Poppy's dreams of becoming an actress never came to fruition, she now runs a successful agency for "extras" negotiating with casting directors for films, TV and commercials. The last thing she expected, or even wanted, was to chance upon Matthew bloody Gordon. But she soon catches his eye and he hones in on her almost immediately, batting away a string of admirers along the way. The meeting is tentative and awkward at first but Poppy soon finds herself reminiscing about the man who could ignite a passion in her she has never felt since. And what was at first a chance encounter leads to a mistake with such repercussions that could devastate her entire family.

As a mother to 17 year old Melissa and 14 year old Daisy, Poppy has been married to her dentist husband Stuart for nearly twenty years. Her family mean everything to her. Including her mother-in-law Betty, who also lives with them since the death of her husband Jock. Since starting up her extras agency business, which she runs from home, Poppy has welcomed Betty's presence even moreso and her invaluable help with the girls when it is most needed. For Poppy, Betty has been like a mother to her...especially since her own mother abandoned her and her father when she was 18 and she hasn't heard from her since. But what Poppy doesn't know is that in a secret lifelong desire, Poppy is the daughter that Betty never had. Perhaps that's why the two women are especially close.

So when Poppy makes a horrible mistake that inevitably puts everything she values most at risk, she soon discovers that the ripple effect she has set in motion by diving head first into the deep end has far-reaching consequences that could destroy everything. Can Poppy's family survive the fallout from that one mistake? Can her marriage?

I MADE A MISTAKE unfolds rather cleverly through the eyes of both Poppy and Betty. As Poppy takes us on a journey through lost love, mistakes and repercussions, Betty recounts her own story in the format of a series of letters to her daughter-in-law. There is also the inclusion of excerpts from a trial at the Criminal Court where Poppy finds herself under brutal cross examination. And while we discover the identity of the deceased in the first of these (court trial) chapters, exactly who is on trial remains a mystery until about three quarters of the way through. Though I pieced it together in a random moment of clarity just before it was revealed.

Although there are two stories unfolding throughout, whilst seemingly different in the past and present, the choices each makes can often find two different women in somewhat similar circumstances. However, while Poppy's story is primarily the focus here that wasn't what made it interesting for me. I was more fascinated and invested in Betty's own story and the choices (and mistakes) she made as a young wife and mother and how that played into the circumstances Poppy ultimately finds herself in. It was Betty's story that kept me turning the pages. That, and the criminal trial which was also proving to be compelling. Poppy's story had me tearing my hair out at its slow progression to anywhere...and then when it did, I found I wanted to shake her for her stupidity. But then stress does make people do strange and idiotic things that another simply cannot fathom. And what with her already floundering marriage, her bickering teenagers, her busy lifestyle, running a house AND trying to cope with her father in the early stages of dementia...Poppy sure had her fair share of stress.

I have to admit, every time her name was mentioned in full - Poppy Page - I found myself hearing "Polly Page" from The Bill. And then to realise her mother-in-law's name was Betty Page...but somehow I didn't picture the 70 year old grandmother as a buxom pin-up model of the 1950s. I think hubby Jock might have had something to say about that, that's for sure!

Initially dubbed as a thriller, I MADE A MISTAKE is more of a family domestic drama that starts of very slowly but gains momentum about halfway through. Admittedly, I nearly gave up several times but it was Betty's story that kept me anchored in the hope the rest of the book would pick up pace. Not soon enough though, but enough to say that I am glad I stuck with it because in the end, I did enjoy it.

A story of mistakes, guilt, regrets, death and lost love, I MADE A MISTAKE will appeal to fans of slow burning domestic drama and women's fiction.

I would like to thank #JaneCorry, #NetGalley and #PenguinUK for an ARC of #IMadeAMistake in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jane Corry has been writing stories ever since she learned to read as a young child. English was her favourite subject at school and she found books were a great escape. She often hid herself away in corners with books which she'd borrowed from the library and also from her parents’ bookshelves. Many of them were probably quite unsuitable but she devoured them anyway! ​

Reading English at Reading University she then trained as a journalist with the Thomson Newspaper Graduate Training Scheme. After that, Jane went on to write for various magazines including Drapers Record, Parents and Woman’s Own before turning freelance when she became  a regular contributor to The Times, Daily Telegraph and many other publications. After her first marriage ended, she took a job as a writer in residence of a high-security male prison which gave her a darker voice!   

Now a full-time Penguin novelist, Jane is also a hands-on grandmother. She writes Diary Of A Modern Granny in the online version of My Weekly magazine. 

Jane now lives by the sea with her second husband and love wild water swimming, tennis, walking and reading - as well, of course, writing! And often gets ideas walking along the beach with her dog.

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