The Gathering Storm by Alan Jones @alanjonesbooks #Bookreview @reviewcafe

It’s been a while but I’m back for one day only. Although I don’t share reviews on my blog, I continue to post my reviews on Instagram and Goodreads but after reading The Gathering Storm by Alan Jones, I knew I just had to share my review far and wide as this book blew me away. It’s a book that deserves to be shouted about.

Book description

Book 1 in the Sturmtaucher Trilogy: a powerful and compelling story of two families torn apart by evil.

‘Kiel, Northern Germany, 1933. A naval city, the base for the German Baltic fleet, and the centre for German sailing, the venue for the upcoming Olympic regatta in 1936.

The Kästners, a prominent Military family, are part of the fabric of the city, and its social, naval and yachting circles. The Nussbaums are the second generation of their family to be in service with the Kästners as domestic staff, but the two households have a closer bond than most. 

As Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party claw their way to power in 1933, life has never looked better for families like the Kästners. There is only one problem.

The Nussbaums are Jews.

The Sturmtaucher Trilogy documents the devastating effect on both families of the Nazis’ hateful ideology and the insidious erosion of the rights of Germany’s Jews.

When Germany descends ever deeper into dictatorship, General Erich Kästner tries desperately to protect his employees, and to spirit them to safety.

As the country tears itself apart, the darkness which envelops a nation threatens not only to destroy two families, but to plunge an entire continent into war.’ 

My review

The Gathering Storm is just over 800 pages long, but don’t let that put you off,  it’s historical fiction at its best. It’s such an incredible piece of writing, with such a powerful plot you just fly through the pages. This is the first book in the Sturmtaucher Trilogy, which follows two families living in Germany. The Kästners, a prominent Military family, and their domestic Jewish staff the Nussbaums.  

The Gathering Storm explores the years leading up to WW2, a time of uncertainty as Hitler and his party rise to power. As the persecution of Jews grows, the storm gathers momentum and the two families lives will change for ever. The Nussbaums, like millions of Jews face uncertainty, fear, and hatred of the worse kind. The Kästners once a close family are divided by their opposing views on the policies and laws implemented by Nazi Germany and the extermination of those seen to be Untermenschen (“sub-humans”)

The attention to detail in this book is incredible it’s obvious the author has thoroughly researched his subject, leaving no stone unturned, rich in detail Alan Jones brings one of the darkest periods of history to life. The characters are exceptional well developed, complex, fully rounded, and lifelike, you  become invested in their story as you follow their harrowing journey. This isn’t a light read by any means and nor should it be as it’s based on historical facts that at times seem incomprehensible. It’s a story that’s tragic, desperately sad in parts, but there are bittersweet moments filled with hope and joy. 

It was interesting to read The Gathering Storm from both families perspective, as they both faced very different challenges, hardships and heartache. I liked the fact that story begins in the lead up to the Second World War, so the reader feels part of both families journey from the very beginning. It was horrifying to read about  the gradual erosion of the Jews rights, and the propaganda the Nazi’s spread like poison. This book was such an incredible, outstanding read, the character’s, the attention to detail, a powerful storyline, it’s definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time to come. The Gathering Storm has to be one of my top reads this year, and I can’t wait to read the next two books in the series. Highly recommended. 

I have even brought back my book hangover award! I have read some fabulous books this year, but very few have left me thinking about them long after I have finished them, so yes I’m giving The Gathering Storm my shiny Book hangover award. It’s given to a book I feel is particularly outstanding, a book that covers every aspect of what I look for in a read, an original  plot, great characters and a storyline that draws me in from the first page and keeps me in its grips until I reach the very last page.

About the author

Alan Jones is a Scottish author with three gritty crime stories to his name, the first two set in Glasgow, the third one based in London. He has now switched genres, and his WW2 trilogy will be published from August to December 2021. It is a Holocaust story set in Northern Germany. 

He is married with four grown up children and four wonderful grandchildren. He has recently retired as a mixed-practice vet in a small Scottish coastal town in Ayrshire and is one of the coxswains on the local RNLI lifeboat. He makes furniture in his spare time, and maintains and sails a 45-year-old yacht, cruising in the Irish Sea and on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. He loves reading, watching films and cooking. He still plays football despite being just the wrong side of sixty. 

His crime novels are not for the faint-hearted, with some strong language, violence, and various degrees of sexual content. The first two books also contain a fair smattering of Glasgow slang.

He is one of the few self-published authors to be given a panel at the Bloody Scotland crime fiction festival in Stirling and has done two pop-up book launches at previous festivals.

He has spent the last five years researching and writing the Sturmtaucher Trilogy.

To find out more, please visit https://www.alanjonesbooks.co.uk/

You can buy a copy following the link below (please note this link is not affiliated)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Storm-Sturmtaucher-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B09BZWR7Z4

Killing Mind by Angela Marsons #Review @WriteAngie @bookouture #KillingMind #KimStone **Blog tour**

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing my review for Killing Mind by Angela Marsons. If you follow my blog you will know I’m a huge fan of the Kim Stone series, and couldn’t wait to read this one, did it live up to my expectations? read on for my thoughts, but first the book description….

It had seemed so simple. Get in, get the information, get out. But now they were getting inside her mind and she didn’t know how to stop them…

When Detective Kim Stone is called to the home of Samantha Brown, she finds the young woman lying in bed with her throat cut and a knife in her hand. With no sign of forced entry or struggle, Kim rules her death a tragic suicide.

But a visit to Samantha’s parents rings alarm bells for Kim – there’s something they’re not telling her. And, when she spots a clue in a photograph, Kim realises she’s made a huge mistake. Samantha didn’t take her own life, she was murdered.

Then a young man’s body is found in a local lake with his throat cut and Kim makes a link between the victim and Samantha. They both spent time at Unity Farm, a retreat for people seeking an alternative way of life.

Beneath the retreat’s cosy façade, Kim and her team uncover a sinister community preying on the emotionally vulnerable.

Sending one of her own undercover into Unity Farm is high risk but it’s Kim’s only hope if she is to catch a killer – someone Kim is convinced the victims knew and trusted.

With Bryant distracted by the emergence of a harrowing case close to his heart, and an undercover officer in way over her head, Kim’s neck is on the line like never before. Can she protect those closest to her before another life is taken?

Woohoo Angela Marsons is back with yet another cracking read!  It’s a rare author who makes the twelfth book as exciting and compelling as the first book in a series. I’m not certain how Angela Marsons manages it but Killing Mind the latest book in the Kim Stone set, is just as impressive, riveting, and exciting as every other book in this much-loved series.  Another thing that’s worth a mention is the fact the author never fails to deliver a gripping storyline for each and every one of her books, they’re always original and well researched .

Kim Stone is called to what appears to be a routine suicide, but something  doesn’t entirely add up. It soon becomes evident to Kim and her team that the suicide was staged to cover up a murder, and that at every turn leads back to Unity Farm, a retreat for people seeking an alternative way of life. As Kim digs deeper into the Farm, she realises she is looking into a Cult, a subject she knows very little about. Cults are something that have always fascinated me, especially the psychology behind what attracts people to cults. Angela Marsons gives the reader a realistic, spine chilling insight into the world of Cults, the members who prey on peoples’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities and how they manipulate, compliment and flatter victims to reel them in. The author has the extraordinary ability to turn a crime thriller into something more, she’s able to give her victims and their families a voice, she highlights the effects a cult can have on Family members, loved ones and friends, when they lose someone to a cult.

It’s great that the author has brought Tiffany (AKA Tink) back, I love her character, she has a certain innocence about her, that makes her very likeable, as more of her backstory is revealed, I really felt for her. Team member Bryant has a side story of his own in Killing Mind, which adds another yet another layer of intrigue to the story. Kim is as difficult as always, but underneath that cold, brittle exterior is the Kim fans of this series have come to love.

The cult gives the plot a dark and sinister tone that continues to thread its way through the plot, and when one of Kim’s team whose working under cover is placed in danger, a palatable sense of dread fills the pages. There are moments in this book I found gut wrenching, not something you would expect in a crime thriller, but that’s the beauty of the authors writing she never fails to surprise the reader. Once again Angela Marsons has written a taut, fast-paced crime thriller, it’s a cliche but I really ‘couldn’t turn the pages fast enough’ as the body count rises and the investigation intensifies. If you consider yourself a crime thriller lover then this book, hell the whole series is unmissable.

Print Length: 367 pages

• Publisher: Bookouture (13 May 2020)

Buying links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/2SXw61I

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2WMR6cK

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WPhm67

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3bpFNMH

My thanks to Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

About the author

 

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 3 million in 3 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon pre-order alone.

http://angelamarsons-books.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AngelaMarsonsAuthor/

https://twitter.com/WriteAngie

Other books in the Kim Stone series

**First Blood is the prequel to the Kim Stone series**

Follow the blog tour…..

Queenie by Kimberly Chambers @kimbochambers @fictionpubteam @flisssity #BookReview #Queenie #BookHangoverAward

**No spoilers**

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing my review for one of my most anticipated reads of 2020, Queenie by Kimberly Chambers. Anyone who follows my blog will know I’m a huge fan of the authors and I’ve read every book the author has ever written. Was Queenie a hit or a miss? Read on for my thoughts 

SHE WAS MADE IN THE EAST END . . .

For young Queenie, life in the backstreets of Whitechapel was a lesson in survival – Hitler’s bombs hit those with nothing the hardest. When danger strikes close to home, Queenie finds an ally in Mrs O’Leary, whose two sons are the kingpins of the East End. But while the O’Learys are the light in Queenie’s life, fate has a different path in store.

AND MEN ARE WHAT THEIR MOTHERS MAKE THEM . . .

Now married to the useless Albie Butler, Queenie is raising her children to fight their own battles. If the O’Learys taught her anything, it was that surviving meant doing whatever you had to, no questions asked, and family always comes first. The Butler boys will make sure their mother’s name becomes East End legend.

MEET QUEENIE. 

THIS IS HER STORY.

The explosive new novel from the No.1 Sunday Times bestseller.

The Queen of gangland thrillers Kimberley Chambers is back! With one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 Queenie. Once again the author has delivered on every level, it’s gritty, wickedly entertaining, and brilliantly written. I’m delighted to say ‘Queenie is one of the best books I’ve had the pleasure to read this year’. For fans of the Butlers series, Queenie takes the reader back to the very beginning, all our favourite characters are here, Queenie, Viv, Albie, Vinnie, Roy and Michael and so many more. We learn how Queenie born into hardship and abuse becomes part of one of the most feared families in the East End, and what a story she has to tell, warts and  all!

When I first started reading Queenie it seemed like I was meeting up with old friends but their younger versions. The book begins during the 1930s, Queenie’s early childhood is marred by tragic events, events that shape her into the feisty matriarch we all love. Queenie wants a better life for herself, one where money is no object and people fear her family.  When she meets Albie Butler she’s satisfied he can give her the life she craves and deserves, but Albie is weak and has no backbone, so Queenie looks to her three young sons, determined they won’t be weak like their father. By hook or by crook Vinnie, Roy and Michael will rule the East End, making sure The Butlers name becomes an East End Legend.   

Kimberly Chambers is one of those rare authors who has a gift for creating colourful characters, that are larger than life, you feel you know them inside out, and despite their flaws (they all have plenty of those), a small part of you can’t help but fall in love with everyone of the Butlers. it’s a testament to the authors writing that she is able to make you laugh and cry at their antics, love and hate them, all in the space of a few minutes!

As you would expect the dialogue between the characters is as usual spot on full of humour, sadness, and sometimes anger, it gives the reader a wonderful insight into the Butler’s life, like many families they are protective of their own (most of the time anyway!) they argue, fall out, make up and fall out again! But it’s this that makes them credible characters. Another thing that’s amazing about this authors writing is her attention to the small details, whatever era she is writing about she brings it to life with descriptions of the fashions and music trends, they transport you bang into the East End. 

You may have noticed I have been vague with the plot details, but that’s because I want everyone who reads this book to enjoy every page of this gripping story. Queenie is 512 pages long, but it doesn’t feel like it, there’s so much going on to keep the reader eagerly turning the pages, it’s the type of book you just don’t want to end. Queenie has all the ingredients the authors legion of fans have come to love and I’m sure they won’t be disappointed, it has shocks, tender moments, it’s gritty, and authentic.  Kimberly Chambers has yet again written another amazing page turner, and one that will no doubt be hitting the bestseller spot. Highly recommended.

My thanks to Fliss Dunham, and Harper Collins for my ARC in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. 

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (23 Jan. 2020)

Buying link:  Amazon UK 🇬🇧

And yes in case you hadn’t already guessed I’m giving Queenie my shiny Book hangover award, It’s given to a book I feel is particularly outstanding, a book that covers every aspect of what I look for in a read, an original  plot, great characters and a storyline that draws me in from the first page and keeps me in its grips until I reach the very last page.

Other books in the Butler series

 

Child’s Play by Angela Marsons #BookReview @WriteAngie @Bookouture #ChildsPlay #CrimeSeries #MustReads

Today I’m thrilled to be sharing my review for one of my favourite crime series Child’s Play by Angela Marsons, but first the book description……..

Finally we’re playing a game. A game that I have chosen. I give one last push of the roundabout and stand back. ‘You really should have played with me,’ I tell her again although I know she can no longer hear.

Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the back of her neck.

The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica.

Then two more bodies are found bearing the same distinctive markings, and Kim knows she is on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. Linking the victims, Kim discovers they were involved in annual tournaments for gifted children and were on their way to the next event.

With DS Penn immersed in the murder case of a young man, Kim and her team are already stretched and up against one of the most ruthless killer’s they’ve ever encountered. The clues lie in investigating every child who attended the tournaments, dating back decades.

Faced with hundreds of potential leads and a bereaved sister who is refusing to talk, can Kim get inside the mind of a killer and stop another murder before it’s too late?

The addictive new crime thriller from multi-million copy, number one bestseller Angela Marsons explores the dark side of child prodigies and will have you absolutely hooked.

I’ve thought long and hard about writing a review for Child’s Play by Angela Marsons, not because I didn’t enjoy it, in fact I bloody loved it! But it’s the eleventh book in the series and I’ve reviewed every book,  and I’m not sure I have anything original to say, unlike the author! Am I biased towards the author? Definitely not if I love a book i will shout about it, if I dislike a book  I tend to keep my opinions to myself! I keep expecting this series to lose momentum, or the latest book to be a pleasant read, but not one that sets my heart racing with excitement, and yet the latest instalment of the ‘Kim Stone’ series is just as good, or even better than previous books in the series, and just as thrilling, Angela Marsons is an author who was born to write crime thrillers.

Child’s Play opens with a blood curdling scene, there’s no slow build up here the author goes straight for the jugular, no pun attended! Which immediately draws you into Child’s Play. Diverting from her usual format the author has uses two plots to engage the reader, personally I sometimes find this affects the flow of a book, but that’s definitely not the case with Child’s Play. The first focuses on the investigation of the gruesome murder of Belinda Evans, a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. The second focuses on DC Penn whom we were introduced to in a previous book. By weaving both plots together we learn more about Penn’s personality and learn more about his strengths  and weaknesses during a reopened investigation.

The strength of this series lies in its characters, Kim Stone and her team are so well developed, they jump out of the pages. Like any team they each have a place, they have their disagreements, their banter is second to none and yet they are a ‘work family’ who always have each other’s back.  The relationship between Kim and her sidekick Bryant goes from strength to strength, the humour better the pair adds light relief to the contrast of a dark plot. A new member temporarily joins the team, Tiffany aka ‘Tinks’  her character fits in really well with the dynamics of the team, even if Kim finds her irritatingly cheerful! I hope she makes a return in future books, as I think she would definitely make a worthy addition to the team.  

As I’ve come to expect the author’s research into her plot and characters is impeccable, she also gives an incredible insight into the psyche of her troubled characters. In this book the author spotlights child prodigies, a subject which I found intriguing but at the same time alarming, these children are often seen as oddities, they are bullied, ostracised, isolated because they are ‘different’. Marsons explores the difficulties child prodigies face, alongside the ramifications on siblings and families. Child’s Play seems such an innocent title, it’s one that conjures up images of children’s laughter, and childhood games, but Angela Marsons turns it into something dark and far more sinister. 

Once again the author has written a crime thriller that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, taut with tension and bursting with malevolence and trepidation, it’s a book that crime thriller lovers will race through. Angela Marsons has again delivered a riveting read, with an original plot, all to human characters and a style of writing that immerses the reader from the start. I cannot wait for the next book in this ‘unmissable’ series. Highly recommended by me. 

• Print Length: 359 pages
• Publisher: Bookouture (11 July 2019)

Buying links:   Amazon UK 🇬🇧    Amazon US 🇺🇸

 

 

 

Last Of The Magpies by Mark Edwards #BookReview @AmazonPub @Mredwards #MustReads #LastOfTheMagpies

Today I’m sharing my review for Last Of The Magpies By Mark Edwards. If you read The Magpies this book brings the trilogy to a shocking conclusion. Published tomorrow 30th April you can read on for my thought……

The chilling conclusion to the #1 bestseller The Magpies.

Twelve months ago, Jamie Knight walked straight into Lucy Newton’s trap. Both Jamie and his ex-wife Kirsty barely survived. Now, with the police investigation into Lucy’s disappearance going nowhere, Jamie teams up with a true crime podcaster to track down his nemesis.

But can Jamie persuade Kirsty to help? Can Kirsty forgive him for his past mistakes? And who, if anyone, will survive the final showdown? Featuring extracts from Lucy’s secret memoir, Last of the Magpies brings the trilogy to a shocking conclusion.

The Magpies was the first book I read by Mark Edwards way back in 2013 and it’s one that often springs to mind as it’s one of my favourite psychological thrillers EVER. I also really enjoyed the follow up A Murder Of Magpies. So imagine my delight when I found out the author had written a chilling conclusion to The Magpies in the form of Last Of The Magpies I should point out it’s a short story (100 pages) and not a full length novel, but don’t let that put you off the author manages to pack a lot into this thrilling  sequel. 

As far as Jamie Knight is concerned Lucy Newton is the devil reincarnated, she has made his life a misery from the day they became neighbours, she caused his marriage to break down, and drove him to the brink. Twelve months after his last encounter with Lucy, one in which he his ex-wife Kirsty barely survived, he’s determined to find Lucy for a final showdown, but who will survive? that’s the question I was eager to find the answer to.   

I loved the extracts from Lucy’s Secret memoirs, you get a real sense of her manipulative and conniving personality, she’s someone who has no compassion for others. It’s these chapters that make for an unsettling read. Lucy is a fascinating character you can’t help being drawn to her, trying to fathom out how far she will go to keep her freedom. You can’t help rooting for Jamie, a victim of Lucy’s depraved games, hoping that he would at last find away to rid himself of Lucy once and for all.

I’m not sure how I expected Mark Edwards to conclude Lucy’s story, but in my opinion it’s the most fitting ending. As I mentioned this is a short read, but the author still manages to pack plenty in, the plot doesn’t feel rushed and the author manages to incorporate a great deal of tension into the plot. I’ve really enjoyed this series of books and couldn’t help but find Lucy’s character memorising, even though she repulsed and fascinated me in equal measures.  Highly recommended

• Print Length: 100 pages
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing (30 April 2019)

Buying links:   Amazon UK 🇬🇧    Amazon US 🇺🇸

Books in the series

 

 

 

 

The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell #CrimeSeries #MustReads @Caroline_Writes

Today I’m sharing my review for The Secret Child by Caroline Mitchell, the second book in the DI Amy Winters series and what a cracker this series is turning out to be. You can read on for my thoughts…..

DI Amy Winter knows evil. She’s lived through it.

Four-year-old Ellen is snatched by a stranger in the dead of night. Her devastated mother, Nicole, receives four identical phials and a threatening note in a familiar scrawl that chills her to the bone. But she always knew this would happen. She’s been expecting it for years . . .

According to the note, one of the phials is poisoned. Nicole is given a deadly challenge: if she drinks one, the sadistic kidnapper will notify the police of Ellen’s location. The sender claims to be Luka Volkov but Luka is supposed to be dead, killed long ago in a fire that haunts all those involved.

DI Amy Winter is still reeling from the discovery that she is the daughter of a serial killer, and her childhood trauma only makes her more determined to bring Ellen home. When another child is taken, Amy finds herself in a race against time. To rescue the children, must she seek help from the one person she wants to forget?

Ever since I read Truth And Lies  (the first book in the DI Amy Winter series), I’ve been eagerly waiting for The Secret Child to be published, and freaking hell it was definitely worth the wait. Amy’s biological parents are notorious serial killers, not the best background for a Detective I must admit! But that’s what makes this series refreshingly original and highly compelling. Before you ask “Yes” The Secret Child could be read as a stand-alone, but would I recommend it? No,  personally I think you need to read the books in order, Amy has such a fascinating and original backstory it would be a shame if you didn’t follow her disturbing tale from the beginning.

Amy is the Detective leading the case of the kidnapping of four-year-old girl Ellen, taken from her home in the middle of the night. Days later Ellen’s mother receives a parcel, along with a note, nothing strange about that you may think but the person who sent the parcel has been dead for years! Told across two timelines the author reveals a sorry tale, but my god it made for a nail-biting, heart thumping read. Although I would never condone kidnapping, I couldn’t help but feel empathy for a character whose own tortured childhood shaped the adult they become.

This book is as much about the characters as it is about the crimes committed, the author has created some fabulous characters, Amy, the kidnapper and her serial killer mother all added to my overall enjoyment of this read. Even from behind prison bars Amy’s evil mother Lillian Grimes continues to manipulate Amy and those around her, she’s one twisted mother ****** that’s for sure, and yet I couldn’t help being fascinated and disgusted in equal measures by her character, what makes a mother turn into a feared killer? How can she possibly consider herself to be a victim? Amy has her flaws like many a fictional Detective, but it’s hardly surprising when you consider who her parents are! The author gives an in-depth insight into Amy character, as she reveals more details of Amy’s very disturbing past, you can’t help but feel her pain and confusion, her constant dissecting of her personality looking for any psychopathic traits she may have inherited from her parents.

There is so much I loved about this book, the characters, the plot which draws on real events making it even more shocking, the shifting between past and present. Add to the fact The Secret Child is one of those reads that reels you in with a promising prologue and keeps you in its grips with an intense and captivating read, it’s definitely a series I would recommend to crime thriller lovers. I’m eager to see where Caroline Mitchell’s twisted imagination takes her next, and that’s the beauty of her writing no two books are the same, so roll on the next book which I will read come hell or high water.

Buying links:   Amazon UK 🇬🇧     Amazon US 🇺🇸

 

 

Changeling #SixStories by Matt Wesolowski #BookReview @OrendaBooks @ConcreteKraken #BookHangoverAward

On Christmas Eve in 1988, seven-year-old Alfie Marsden vanished in the Wentshire Forest Pass, when a burst tyre forced his father, Sorrel, to stop the car. Leaving the car to summon the emergency services, Sorrel returned to find his son gone. No trace of the child, nor his remains, have ever been found. Alfie Marsden was declared officially dead in 1995.

Elusive online journalist, Scott King, whose ‘Six Stories’ podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the disappearance, interviewing six witnesses, including Sorrel, his son and his ex-partner, to try to find out what really happened that fateful night. He takes a journey through the trees of the Wentshire Forest – a place synonymous with strange sightings, and tales of hidden folk who dwell there. He talks to a company that tried and failed to build a development in the forest, and a psychic who claims to know where Alfie is………

Intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought provoking, Changeling is an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller, taking you to places you will never, ever forget.

If you’re looking for a series with an ingenious plot, a book that’s tense, deliciously dark, a classic mystery with a horror feel then look no further than Changeling by Matt Wesolowski it has all these elements and so much more. This is the third book in the six stories series, although it can easily be read as a stand-alone I would urge you to read the whole series, I loved Six Stories , scared myself silly reading Hydra, which I also happened to love, and Changeling? Definitely the best book in the series YET, I loved it. There aren’t many books that make my heart beat nine to the dozen, but boy this one did! It’s so damn creepy, but surprisingly this novel also made for an intense, thought provoking read.

Changeling is narrated in the form of episodes of a true-crime podcast, created by elusive online journalist, Scott King. Consisting of six episodes, each features the perspective of someone connected to the disappearance of little Alfie Marsden back in 1988. Wesolowski has a unique style of writing, each characters voice makes the story come to life, it feels like you are alongside Scott King as he records his pod cast, trying to decipher the clues hidden within the characters stories to find the answers to Alfie’s disappearance. As each pod cast ends the tension is palatable and although I wanted to race through Changeling, I also wanted to savour each pod cast, and soak up the disturbing atmosphere that radiated from the pages of this brilliantly told story.  

The setting of Alfie’s disappearance Wentshire Forest is as much a character as those who appear in the book. The author captures a setting that is shrouded in folklore with tales of mythical beings, legendary beasts, and the supernatural. The forest is one where those who dare enter see and hear strange things. Wesolowski descriptions are so vivid I swear I could smell the damp, cloying earth, hear the trees whispering, sense the malevolence hiding within the forest. Changeling’s first half is very much horror based, but then the author takes the reader down a dark path, one which is horrifying in its telling. The author provides a stark reminder that sometimes it’s the monsters who live alongside us that we should fear the most, and not the monsters depicted in folklore, or maybe we should fear them both. It’s this part that make the book a horrifying and an emotional read, one that causes the reader to feel and experience emotions you would not expect in a mystery/crime novel.

Matt Wesolowski has the unique ability to write a book that mixes genres but at the same time he creates a story that is credible yet memorising in its telling. With a powerful plot, which is intense to say the least, this book made for one of the most thought provoking reads I’ve read in a long time. Changeling, in fact the whole series of Six Stories has to be one of the most exciting and innovative reads EVER written, and that’s not something I normally write in ANY review.  I’ve loved every book in the series, but Changeling is definitely my favourite, I constantly found my thoughts returning to this book long after I finished it. Matt Wesolowski raises the bar with each book he writes, each one has been very different and I adore the horror element he weaves into his books (even though they have given me nightmares). Changeling made for an exceptional read that took my breath away, I will definitely be recommending this book/series to anyone and everyone. 

•  Print Length: 320 pagesPublisher: ORENDA BOOKS (15 Nov. 2018)

It will come as no surprise but I’m giving Changeling my first shiny new Book hangover award, It’s given to a book I feel is particularly outstanding, a book that covers every aspect of what I look for in a read, an original  plot, great characters and a storyline that draws me in from the first page and keeps me in its grips until I reach the very last page.

Buying links:    Amazon UK 🇬🇧       Amazon US 🇺🇸

 

#BloodhoundsChristmasCrackers Those That Remain by Rob Ashman #BookReview @RobAshmanAuthor @bloodhoundbook

Today I’m thrilled to be part of the Bloodhound Christmas Crackers blog tour, and I’m re-sharing my review of one of my favourite crimes series Those That Remain by Rob Ashman is the first book in the “Mechanic” series. If  you like a crime series that’s dark and you’re not put off by  gruesome scenes then look no further. The series would make the perfect Christmas too 🎄📚You can read on for my thoughts…..

The heat of the Florida summer is relentless. Lucas is coasting to retirement in a mundane Florida police precinct. His world falls apart when a brutal serial killer codenamed Mechanic lands on his patch.

Three years ago they thought Mechanic was dead. But Mechanic is very much alive and the savage ritualistic murders continue. No family is safe from the threat of slaughter at this sadistic killer’s hands.

Mechanic is always one step ahead and Lucas is forced to operate outside the law.

Who can he trust?

The shocking truth is more terrifying than Lucas could ever imagine … and he has to put his life on the line to get it.

I think I have just found myself a new crime thriller author and series that will be going straight on my “must read authors list”. What a gripping book Those That Remain turned out to be. I do love American based crime thrillers they always seem so much darker and twisted. To say I loved this novel is an understatement it’s probably one of the best debut crime thrillers I’ve read in fact. Rob Ashman’s superb writing drew me in from the first chapter and I’m sure I spent much of my time reading this book in stunned silence (not a mean feat, I can tell you!).

I’m a sucker for a well depicted serial killer and the Mechanic certainly fits the bill. Oh my goodness what a character the author has created one of the most intriguing serial killers I’ve read about in a long time, they are one twisted individual and to their motives for the killings, I couldn’t help having a smidgen of sympathy for them. The Chapters from the killer give you insight to this very troubled and damaged character, from these chapters I felt like I was in the Killers head looking into the darkest and most troubled corners of the human mind which made for a blood chilling read and a couple of restless nights sleep. The crimes committed are gruesome but in the authors defence these scenes never felt gratuitous within the context of the story

Those that Remain has so many great characters I especially liked Lucas’s he’s not you typical stereotype detective for a start he’s counting down the days to retirement, so I found his character a refreshing change from the “kick ass” Detectives that are the norm in many a crime thriller. I’m not going to go into plot details as I would hate to give away spoilers, but what I will say is this crime thriller certainly made for a gripping and unpredictable read that will chill you to the bones. In my opinion it’s one of those books you just don’t want to put down as each chapter leaves you desperately wanting more, it moves along at a fast pace with so many twist and turns my head was spinning.

There were so many elements that made this book an exciting read, unique characters, an intricate plot, and a dash of dark humour. I was extremely intrigued by the profiling side of things, who knew there were so many different types of serial killers? I have one question for the author “why, oh why did it take you so darn long to get published?” I just love it when a book leaves you wanting more. If you are looking for a new crime thriller to read then look no further than Those That Remain I promise you won’t be disappointed. I’ve read the whole series now and it’s a “must” read for anyone who loves a cracking crime thriller. Highly recommended.

Buying links:    Amazon UK 🇬🇧       Amazon US 🇺🇸

Print Length: 303 pages

Publisher: Bloodhound Books (22 Jun. 2017)

Other Books in the series

You can find my reviews for these books here…

Pay The Penance by Rob Ashman #BookReview @RobAshmanAuthor @Bloodhoundbook

Those That Remain by Rob Ashman #BookReview @RobAshmanAuthor @bloodhoundbook

Rob is married to Karen with two grown up daughters. He is originally from South Wales and after moving around with work settled in North Lincolnshire where he’s spent the last twenty-two years.

Like all good welsh valley boys Rob worked for the National Coal Board after leaving school at sixteen and went to University at the tender age of twenty-three when the pit closures began to bite. Since then he’s worked in a variety of manufacturing and consulting roles both in the UK and abroad.

It took Rob twenty-four years to write his first book. He only became serious about writing it when his dad got cancer. It was an aggressive illness and Rob gave up work for three months to look after him and his mum. Writing Those That Remain became his coping mechanism. After he wrote the book his family encouraged him to continue, so not being one for half measures, Rob got himself made redundant, went self-employed so he could devote more time to writing and four years later the Mechanic Trilogy is the result.

Rob has published Those That Remain, In Your Name and Pay the Penance with Bloodhound Books and has since written Faceless, This Little Piggy and Suspended Retribution which will also be published by Bloodhound.
When he is not writing, Rob is a frustrated chef with a liking for beer and prosecco, and is known for occasional outbreaks of dancing.

Follow the rest of the blog tour…..

 

The Coco Pinchard Boxset by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza @CocoPinchard – Coco Pinchard’s Must Have Toy Story #BlogTour #bookreview #TeamBryndza #giveaway @BOTBSPublicity

Today I’m thrilled to be one of the stops on Robert Bryndza’s blog tour, as anyone who follows my blog will know I’m a huge fan of the authors, well his Erika Foster crime series anyway, and I don’t read RomCom normally, but I stepped way out my comfort zone of serial killers, blood and gore to review CoCo Pinchard’s Must-Have To Story one of five books in Robert Bryndza’s bestselling Coco Pinchard romantic comedy series.

You can buy the whole series, yes that’s FIVE books for Amazon 🇬🇧 99p  Amazon 🇺🇸 $1.99    Amazon 🇦🇺 $0.99    Amazon 🇪🇺 €0.99

The best news of all this blog tour includes a fabulous giveaway, one lucky reader will win signed copies of all the books in the series.  I’m Sure you will agree it is a fab prize. You can enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post.

Before I share my review here’s the books descriptions…….

For the first time, all 5 books in Robert Bryndza’s bestselling Coco Pinchard romantic comedy series are available in one! And this box set includes a new introduction by the author.

Book 1: The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard

If you enjoyed flipping through Bridget Jones’s diary, you’ll love perusing Coco Pinchard’s emails! Coco confides in her quirky, supportive friends as she deals with her life falling apart. Read the emails that tell the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good Romantic Comedy. 

Book 2: Coco Pinchard’s Big Fat Tipsy Wedding

Coco thinks she’s on the road to happily ever after with Adam, until he inexplicably breaks up with her. Will one mistake cost them their whole future? Coco sets out to discover what has really happened, and uncovers a shocking secret Adam has been hiding from her… Full of hilarious twists and turns, Coco Pinchard’s Big Fat Tipsy Wedding is a witty, heart-warming, romantic comedy – the stand-alone sequel to no.1 bestselling, The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard. 

Book 3: Coco Pinchard, the Consequences of Love and Sex

Coco Pinchard has a great life, a bestselling memoir, and a handsome second husband. Things are going exactly as planned — until her adult son runs into disaster, her ex’s mother butts back into her life, and she finds out she’s pregnant! Maybe life is more fun if you throw your plans out the window… The third book in Robert Bryndza’s bestselling Coco Pinchard series (which can also be enjoyed as a stand-alone story) is a hilarious diary with Coco’s trademark wit and honesty, tracing the raging hormones and extraordinary twists that take her to motherhood for the second time. 

Book 4: A Very Coco Christmas

It’s 1985, and eighteen-year-old Coco Pinchard is home for Christmas after her first term at University. She’s fallen hopelessly in love with Daniel Pinchard, but Coco’s mother wants her to be with Kenneth, the son of posh friends Adrian and Yvonne Rosebury, who will be joining them for Christmas.

As snow falls softly over the city, and Coco tries to juggle a series of hilarious events, the stage is set for a Christmas lunch like no other. A Very Coco Christmas is a delicious, stand-alone prequel short story to Robert Bryndza’s smash-hit Coco Pinchard series.

Book 5: Coco Pinchard’s Must-Have Toy Story

A sparkling feel-good comedy, which asks the question – how far would you go to get your child the must-have Christmas toy? 

It’s December 1992, and children are going crazy for the Tracy Island toy – almost as crazy as the parents! Christmas day is fast approaching and Coco Pinchard is desperately trying to track one down for her four-year-old son Rosencrantz. 

From dodgy dealings in a motorway lay-by, to extreme shopping in Hamley’s with a Sylvanian Families fanatic, to having a go at the Blue Peter make-your-own Tracy Island, Coco tries everything in the hope that four-year-old Rosencrantz will open his must-have toy on Christmas morning.

Now normally when I pick up a book by Crime author Robert Bryndza I’m bouncing off the ceiling with excitement and can’t wait to get stuck in, but I’m the first to admit I’m not a fan of Rom Com, I much prefer the grit, blood and gore you find in crime thrillers, rather than hearts, flowers and laughs you often find in Rom Com. “So why read something you don’t like”? I can hear you mutter, but as the saying goes “the proof is in the pudding” if you don’t try it how can you not like it? As I’m such a fan of Robert Bryndza’s I was interested to see if he writes comedy as well as he does crime thrillers.  

Coco Pinchard’s Must-Have Toy Story struck a chord it left me feeling old and very nostalgic I can actually remember my husband and myself traipsing around  every damn toy shop in the UK (or that’s what it felt like at the time) trying to find the elusive Tracy Island for our son, and yes we even attempted the Blue Peter make your own model.  I’m sure every parent up and down the country can relate to Coco Pinchard’s dilemma to track down that must-have toy of the year. What follows is a frantic search that involves some very hilarious scenes, every time Coco is within reach of getting her hands on Tracy Island, it’s snatched away from her, and it’s these scenes that had me crying with laughter. 

The characters are all mad as a box of frogs, but how I loved them from Ethel, Coco’s mother-in-law, (who provides a wealth of comic moments) to Coco herself, the dialogue between her and Ethel alone makes for a hilarious read.  There is much to love about this novella, the characters, the dialogue and the comedy of errors make Coco Pinchard’s Must-Have Toy Story a brilliant and very funny festive read, one that makes for that “feel good” feeling. I must mention what a versatile and talented author Robert Bryndza is, his crime thrillers are one of my favourite series ever, but do you want to know something? I’m definitely going to buy the box set of Coco Pinchard, as although crime thrillers will always be my first go to reads, I truly enjoyed every minute of my foray into Rom Com and the wacky world of Coco Pinchard. 

P.S.  I loved the fact that all though this novella is considered to be a Rom Com there wasn’t any heart and flowers or sickly sweet moments, it’s more Com than Rom which suited me just fine.  

• Print Length: 126 pages
• Publisher: Team Bryndza Books (26 Jun. 2018)

Buying link:    Amazon UK 🇬🇧

Robert Bryndza is the author of the international #1 bestseller The Girl in the Ice, which is the first in his Detective Erika Foster series. It has sold over one million copies.

The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath and Cold Blood are the second, third, fourth and fifth books in the series. The sixth book, Deadly Secrets, has just been published.

Robert’s books have sold over 2.5 million copies and have been translated into 28 languages.

In addition to writing crime fiction, Robert has published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels. He is British and lives in Slovakia.

You can find out more about the author at www.robertbryndza.com and on Twitter and Instagram @RobertBryndza

Sign up to Robert Bryndza‘s New Release Mailing List here: http://eepurl.com/UITxz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bryndzarobert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5763380.Robert_Bryndza

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobertBryndza

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertbryndza/

website: www.robertbryndza.com

one lucky reader will win signed copies of all the books in the CoCo Pinchard series.  All you need to do is click on the following link. Enter giveaway here

Follow the blog tour……….

**Blog Tour** #SuspendedRetribution by Rob Ashman @RobAshmanAuthor @Bloodhoundbook

Today I’m thrilled to be on the blog tour for Suspended Retribution by Rob Ashman. If you love a crime thriller that’s dark, intense and gruesome in parts then look no further.  Before I share my review here’s the book description.

 

Alex Jarrod is a war veteran. When a flesh-eating parasite destroys his face, he returns from Afghanistan with a head full of nightmares. His world crumbles around him until he realises there is work to be done. Another war to fight.

DI Rosalind Kray has her hopes pinned on becoming the new DCI after tracking down another serial killer, but those in charge have other ideas.

After a small-time crook is killed in a hit and run and a serial burglar is brutally murdered, Kray suspects a vigilante is at work. But her bosses disregard her theory – until they discover a third victim.

Once again Kray finds herself on the trail of a serial killer but this one is different. This one lives in his own private war zone.

With her bosses on her heels Kray has her work cut out and the body count is rising. 

But he’s not going to stop until the mission is complete … and Kray’s not going to stop until she finds him.

Any one who follows my blog will know I’m a huge crime thriller lover, not the Cosy Murder mystery garden variety type but the dark, gritty ones, the type that keep you awake at night (make of that what you will). So I always look forward to reading a book by Rob Ashman, this is an author whose fertile imagination allows him to create  interesting characters and the most shocking and original story lines. Suspended Retribution is the third instalment in the DI Rosalind Kray series, I raved about the first two books in the series but this book is the icing on the proverbial cake, what a fabulous and deeply disturbing read this one turned out to be.

In Suspended Retribution we see a different side to DI Rosalind Kray both in her personal and work life, at times she’s ballsy, confident and reckless but behind the facade is a woman tormented by grief and self doubt which help to make her a relatable protagonist in my opinion. Rob Ashman has an incredible knack of creating the most twisted killers who carry out the most terrible crimes and you have every reason to loathe them but then he gives you their back story and before you know it they get under your skin. I couldn’t help feeling some empathy for Alex Jarrod a war veteran turned killer (not a spoiler as in the book description), but as to the “why” Alex went from being a soldier who protected people to a killer, you will just have to read the book. Although I would never think killing someone was right there was a tiny part of me that couldn’t help thinking the victims were getting their very own kind of “karma”. 

The crimes are vividly described  enabling the reader  to form all to real mental images of the victims and the crime scenes, luckily  for me I’m not squeamish but there were a couple of times I actually grimaced at the authors descriptions. In a nut shell Suspended Retribution made for a disconcerting read but also one that was nigh on impossible to put down. This crime series is one that’s  going from strength to strength the plots are imaginative, the characters are brilliantly depicted, it’s a series that excites me as you are never sure which direction the next book will take.  Would I recommend this book? Most definitely,  in fact I would recommend the book, the series, or any of Rob Ashman’s books. 

• Print Length: 278 pages
• Publisher: Bloodhound Books (September 12, 2018)

Buying links:    Amazon UK 🇬🇧       Amazon US 🇺🇸

Rob is married to Karen with two grown up daughters. He is originally from South Wales and after moving around with work settled in North Lincolnshire where he’s spent the last twenty-two years.

Like all good welsh valley boys Rob worked for the National Coal Board after leaving school at sixteen and went to University at the tender age of twenty-three when the pit closures began to bite. Since then he’s worked in a variety of manufacturing and consulting roles both in the UK and abroad.

It took Rob twenty-four years to write his first book. He only became serious about writing it when his dad got cancer. It was an aggressive illness and Rob gave up work for three months to look after him and his mum. Writing Those That Remain became his coping mechanism. After he wrote the book his family encouraged him to continue, so not being one for half measures, Rob got himself made redundant, went self-employed so he could devote more time to writing and four years later the Mechanic Trilogy is the result.

When he is not writing, Rob is a frustrated chef with a liking for beer and prosecco, and is known for occasional outbreaks of dancing.

Rob published the Mechanic Trilogy with Bloodhound Books in 2017 and will be releasing three new books during 2018. These are titled: Faceless, This Little Piggy and Suspended Retribution.

LINKS:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rob-Ashman-Author-1428800800468097/

Website: http://robashman.com/

Twitter: @RobAshmanAuthor