Category Archives: Louise Stone

**Weekly Wrap Up**

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Oh woe me 😢😢 I have read zilch this week! What sort of book blogger does that make me? I would say a pretty rubbish one. I have had a very stressful week, basically I started a new job I managed eight shifts and resigned! Never in my 33 years of working have I ever walked away from a job, I won’t go into details but it’s suffice to say it wasn’t for me! But on the upside I’ve got an interview on Monday for another job (I don’t hang about), so fingers crossed. Hopefully I will get to read at least one book next week or I will have to rename my blog The lots of books but no reviews café 

ARC’s I received this week

Despite not reading anything I still managed to find myself on the dreaded NetGalley and got improved for Four books 🙈🙈

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Description
Lori Golden’s family have had more than their fair share of troubles. But through it all, Lori and her sister, Jessie, have always supported each other. Then Jessie is killed. And Lori’s world turns upside down.

Devastated, Lori struggles to cope with her loss, and to learn to live in a world without her bright, bubbly sister by her side. Around her, her already fractured family start to fall apart. And, as Lori and her mother try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, secrets long thought buried are coming painfully to light.

Faced with the unthinkable, Lori is forced to ask herself how well she really knows those who are left behind…

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Description

DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths The third book in Michael Wood’s darkly compelling crime series featuring DCI Matilda Darke. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid. Feared by the people of Sheffield, Starling House is home to some of Britain’s deadliest teenagers, still too young for prison.

Now the building’s latest arrival, Ryan Asher, has been found brutally murdered – stabbed twelve times, left in a pool of blood. When DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate, they uncover the secrets of a house tainted by evil. Kate Moloney, the prison’s manager, is falling apart, the security system has been sabotaged, and neither the staff nor the inmates can be trusted. There’s only one person Matilda believes is innocent, and he’s facing prison for the rest of his life. With time running out, she must solve the unsolvable to save a young man from his fate. And find a murderer in a house full of killers…

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Description

The battle is on…

When gang leader Paddy O’Brien is stabbed in his brother’s famous nightclub, Manchester’s criminal underworld is shaken to the core. Tensions are running high, and as the body count begins to grow, the O’Brien family must face a tough decision – sell their side of the city to the infamous Boddlington gang or stick it out and risk losing their king.

But war comes easy to the bad boys, and they won’t go down without a fight. So begins a fierce battle for the South Side, with the leading Manchester gangsters taking the law into their own hands – but only the strongest will survive…

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Description

A daughter’s secret. A mother’s betrayal.

Every mother knows never to let their child out of their sight. But Freya has been distracted recently, and now her teenage daughter, Zoe, is missing.

Freya knows that the only way to bring Zoe back is to tell the truth, but when your whole life is built on secrets and lies, the truth could destroy everything.

Surely there’s no harm in telling just one more little white lie?

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Description

1970s London has stopped swinging, but it’s not staying still.

Babs thought she had all the world ahead of her. Then she got pregnant and the father did a runner.

Salvation comes in the form of a man who’ll look after her. Or so she thinks.

But Stan Miller is the devil in disguise…and over the next twenty years, Babs will have reason to regret she ever met him. Can she protect her family – or will he get the better of her?

BLOOD MOTHER is the second thrilling book in the Flesh and Blood series, capturing a world very different from today but where some things still hold true: be careful what you wish for, and watch out for who you trust…

Books I bought this week

I only bought one book this week and despite my long suffering husband Andy offering to buy me some books to cheer me up when we went shopping, I actually looked but didn’t buy any, see I do have some self control, by the way Andy bought me some flowers to cheer me up instead, it may sound corny but he really is the best husband, well he’s got to be he’s put up with me for 29 years 😂😂

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Description

In the summer of 2006, Emma Price watched helplessly as her six-year-old son’s red coat was fished out of the River Ouse. It was the tragic story of the year – a little boy, Aiden, wandered away from school during a terrible flood, fell into the river, and drowned.

His body was never recovered.

Ten years later, Emma has finally rediscovered the joy in life. She’s married, pregnant, and in control again…

… until Aiden returns.

Too traumatized to speak, he raises endless questions and answers none. Only his body tells the story of his decade-long disappearance. The historic broken bones and injuries cast a mere glimpse into the horrors Aiden has experienced. Aiden never drowned. Aiden was taken.

As Emma attempts to reconnect with her now teenage son, she must unmask the monster who took him away from her. But who, in their tiny village, could be capable of such a crime?

It’s Aiden who has the answers, but he cannot tell the unspeakable.

This dark and disturbing psychological novel will appeal to fans of The Widow and The Butterfly Garden.

Last week on the book review café

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/01/29/blog-tour-behind-her-eyes-by-sarah-pinborough-authorinterview-review-sarahpinborough-wtfthatending/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/01/27/tattletale-by-sarah-j-naughton-review/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/01/26/topfivethursday-with-bookblogger-noelle-holten-aka-crimebookjunkie-eeeek/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/01/24/blog-tour-little-girl-missing-by-carol-wyer-bookouture-carolewyer/

https://thebookreviewcafe.com/2017/01/23/blink-by-k-l-slater-review-kimlslater-bookouture/

Next week on the book review café

The Breakdown by B A Paris review

My Book of the month

Don’t Look Behind You by Mel Sherratt blog tour

The Day That never Comes by Caimh McDonnell blog tour

S Is For Stranger by Louise Stone

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Book Description

There are two sides to every story.

But only one is true.

Sophie wished she’d paid more attention when her little daughter, Amy, caught sight of a stranger watching them. She only looked away for a second. But now Amy’s gone.

No one trusts an alcoholic. Even a sober one. The police are suspicious of Sophie’s tangled story and so is her ex-husband, Paul. Especially when new information emerges that changes everything.

But what if Sophie is telling the truth? What if her daughter really is missing? And what if that stranger at the fairground wasn’t really a stranger at all…

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S For Stranger comes with the tag A gripping debut psychological thriller you don’t want to miss! Now when I see a book with such a tag I do wonder if it will live up to its description , and considering I have read numerous gripping Psychological thrillers already this year, I was interested to see how S for Stranger would fair. This is certainly a thriller that should come with the tag line BEWARE THIS BOOK WILL SERIOUSLY MESS WITH YOUR HEAD.

Sophie’s daughter Amy disappears on a trip out, and so begins a dark and twisted tale, Sophie is a recovering alcoholic whose account of the events leading to her daughters disappearance leave the police and her ex-husband suspicious. Is Sophie a reliable witness? And who is the stranger Sophie saw? This is a difficult book to review without giving away to many spoiler but it’s safe to say S For Stranger is far from straight forward, as events from Sophie’s past emerge her credibility as both a mother and a witness come under close scrutiny.

From the opening chapter I found S For Stranger to be a compelling read, Louise Stone has a style of writing that I found easy to follow, and once I started reading it I couldn’t believe I reached the half way mark in no time. It’s a cleverly twisted tale that I spent much of the novel working out who was telling the truth and who was lying, my opinion changed so many times I felt dizzy and I was still no closer to guessing how the plot would end until I reached the last couple of chapters.

The air of tension and malice that ricochets throughout this book make for an intriguing and compelling read. The author has written a very cleverly crafted tale, there were two sides to this story Sophie’s and her ex-husband Paul’s, throughout I wasn’t sure who was telling the truth, but one thing was clear, only one of them was! This made for a very compelling and exciting read. I did have one small niggle as there were a couple of things I felt weren’t explained in a satisfactory way, but as S For Stranger is a Psychological thriller it did make me think about the truth and lies within the story, so much in fact I thought my head would explode. If you love a psychological thriller that messes with your head, then I would recommend you add this book to your TBR pile.

I have read very mixed reviews on this book, it appears it’s one of those Marmite”one’s you either love it or hate it, as you can gather from my review I’m in the “love it” camp

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Carina; First edition edition (30 Jun. 2016)

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Kindle

Paperback

**Weekly Wrap Up**

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Well it’s that time of the time of the week again, where does the time go? Answers on a postcard please. So today it’s my weekly wrap up and I’m pleased to say I’ve managed to read more than one book again this week, I finished one, read one and just started on my third book this week  not bad considering I’ve been on lates this week so struggle to find anytime to read.

Outside Looking In by Michael Wood

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I’ve really been looking forward to reading the latest release from Michael Wood, it’s the second in the DCI Matilda Darke series, and I loved it, you will be able to read my review on Monday 4th July as part of the blog tour

The Caller by M. A. Comley and Tara Lyons

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This is the first collaboration from authors M.A. Comley and Tara Lyons, and again I really enjoyed this new crime series, again this ones for a blog tour so you will be able to read my review on Friday 17th June 

When The Killing Starts by R C Bridgestock

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This is the 7th book in the series and it’s a cracker! If you love a gritty police procedure book you will love this, and yes this book is for the blog tour you can catch my review on Friday 24th June

Books I’ve bought

I’ve been really, really good and only bought one book this week, and that’s because I have such a huge pile of books I’m desperate to read sitting on my TBR pile

Beautiful by Anita Waller

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Last week On the book review café

Blog tour and Guest post for The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza, You can read my review and guest post from Robert Bryndza here

Blog tour for The Safe Word by Karen Long, You can read my review here

My book of the month May 2016, You can see my book of the month here
Review for the Hatching by Ezekiel Boone, You can see my review here

Arc’s I’ve received this week

Whyte lies by KC Acton

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

Cut To The Bone by Alex Cann

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Review for The Sister by Louise Jenson

Review for S Is For Stranger by Louise Stone

A special guest review for The Last Good Girl by Alison Leotta

Blog tour for When He Fell by Kate Hewitt

Blogging news from the book review café

I just had to share this in my weekly round up, I was estatic to see Robert Bryndza used a quote from my review for The Night Stalker as his header on his very own Twitter page, how exciting is that?

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What books have you been reading this week? I would love to know, please feel free to leave a comment