Review: This Is The Water by Yannick Murphy

This Is The Water by Yannick Murphy
Publisher: Headline
Release date: 31 July 2014
Rating:*** and a half

Back cover blurb: This is a novel about a woman. About a mother. About a marriage. About a murder. In the brightly lit public pool the killer swims and watches. Amongst the mothers cheering on their swim team daughters is Annie. Watching her two girls race, she's thinking of other things. Her husband's emotional distance. Her lost brother. The man she's drawn to. Then she learns a terrible secret. Now her everyday cares and concerns seem meaningless. Annie knows she has to act. Above all, she must protect her children.Compulsively readable, it takes readers on a journey where none could guess the final outcome.





This is the water, a novel about a swimming pool, a swim team, a mother and a murderer. It's a strange combination and even though I've finished the novel, and enjoyed it, I have to say I'm still not sure about the writing style.

It reminded me a little of a book that you might read when you're a kid. This is the water. This is the swim team. This is Annie...

Well, This is my review (sorry I couldn't resist)

Annie is the mother of two young daughters, both of them compete in the local swim team, and Annie spends most of her time either at the local swimming pool watching them train, or at swim meets, timing or cheering them on.

Chris one of the other swim team parents is convinced that her husband Paul is having an affair. Annie doesn't believe that such a thing could occur. Chris is beautiful and has all the swim team Dad's after her. Annie is happily married to her husband, although he barely makes a move to such her she can't comprehend anyone having an affair.

Annie and Paul find themselves alone one night after a long distance swim meet. Paul confesses to Annie something that happened years before, and Annie finds herself drawn to his honesty (and good looks).

Somewhere out there, a killer is on the loose. Paul may be able to help the policy and Annie urges him to do so.

As the story unfolds, relationships are broken, tested and psychopaths unearthed.

This is the water is unlike anything I have read this year, and if you can get past the narrative, then it's a book you must read.

This is the water is available to pre-order now from Amazon online.

  

Thank you to bookbridgr who sent me a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Autobiography Of Us by Aria Beth Sloss

Autobiography Of Us by Aria Beth Sloss
Publisher: Picador
Release date: 3 July 2014
Rating: ****
Back cover blurb: Coming of age in early 1960s suburban California, Rebecca Madden and her beautiful, reckless best friend Alex dream of lives beyond their mothers' narrow expectations. As teenagers they are inseparable. But then, one sweltering evening the summer before their college graduation, a single act of betrayal changes everything . . . Decades later, Rebecca's haunting confession reveals the truth about that night, the years that followed, and the friendship that defined her.

When I received Autobiography of Us in the post, I'll be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. From the outset I'll admit, it did look to be more than just 'chick lit', but I wasn't necessarily convinced that it would be my kind of book. 

I do, however, try to never judge a book by its cover, so it went fairly near to the top of my 'to be read' pile (which is in release date order... sort of).

I finally got around to picking it up last Sunday. It was a glorious sunny afternoon here in Wales and I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment. I wasn't wrong.

We meet Rebecca Madden our protagonist in her freshman year homeroom. Alex Carrington is being introduced to the class. Beautiful, popular and rich, she is eveything that Rebecca thinks she isn't. They soon become fast friends, 'Blood Sisters' in fact.

Rebecca is often in awe of her beautiful friend, who's dream is to become an actress. Rebecca, wants to study medicine. But this is the fifties, and unfortunately quite often what women want, and what they actually get are two very different things.

Their friendship goes from strength to strength until the pair go to a wedding together with some of their other close friends. Rebecca is unused to drinking, and the heady mix of alcohol and male attention makes her behave in a way she would never normally dream of. Resulting in devastating consequences for her and those around her.

Can Alex and Rebecca's friendship survive? Well you will have to give the novel a read to find out. Lets just say I wasn't anticipating the outcome of the novel.

 Autobiography of Us is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.     Thank you to the publishers who sent me a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A Place For Us by Harriet Evans

A Place For Us by Harriet Evans
Publisher: Headline Review
Release date: 31 July 2014
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: The day Martha Winter decided to tear apart her family began like any other day. So opens A Place for Us by Sunday Times bestselling author Harriet Evans, a book you'll dive into, featuring a family you'll fall in love with ... and never want to leave. If you devour Rosamund Pilcher and Maeve Binchy and have discovered Jojo Moyes, you'll be thrilled to add Harriet Evans to your collection of favourite authors. The house has soft, purple wisteria twining around the door. You step inside. The hall is cool after the hot summer's day. The welcome is kind, and always warm. Yet something makes you suspect life here can't be as perfect as it seems. After all, the brightest smile can hide the darkest secret. But wouldn't you pay any price to have a glorious place like this? Welcome to Winterfold. Martha Winter's family is finally coming home.

 

 

A Place For Us is another of those novels that I was recently invited to read via the publishers on Netgalley. This one stood out from the others though as it is only part One of a serialisation.

I've never actually read a serialised novel before. Sure, I've read novels that have been 'split' into Parts. But I've never had to wait to read the next part!  

 

And oh how I wish I didn't have to wait for the Part Two...

Martha Winter is about to turn Eighty, an occasion which she wants (understandably) to celebrate with the rest of her family. Most of her family members however are no longer local to Winterfold, the Winter residence, and so Martha has to send invitations for her party far and wide. 

 

Invitations that include a promise that a special announcement will be made.

The invitations are received with mixed reactions and each family member is introduced to us in turn, chapter by chapter as we learn their reaction. The family itself seems complex, each of them harbouring their own secrets as they try to fathom what Martha's announcement could be.

Part One ends with a cracker of a cliffhanger, and I can't wait to read what happens next!!

A Place For us is available to pre-order online now from Amazon, released 31 July 2014.

    Thank you to the publishers who invited me to request the novel via netgalley.

Review: the Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

Publisher: Gallery Books
Release date: 15 July 2014
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous “Beacon Hill Butcher” was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise. Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious, he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him… Faced with this deep dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands. Contd...

The Butcher is the first of several novels that I have recently been invited to request via netgalley directly from the publishers.

That said, The Butcher is probably one of those novels that had I heard of it sooner, I'd have requested myself as a crime lover. The novel mainly centres around Edward and Matthew Shank, Grandfather and Grandson;

Edward Shank, Police Chief in Seattle, famous for capturing the 'Beacon Hill Butcher' is about to leave his house to his grandson, Matt, before leaving for a plush retirement home. He doesn't need the space around him now that his wife Marisol has passed away.

Matt is only too happy to inherit the house he grew up in, raised by his grandparents after the tragic death of his Mother. Matt is an ambitious young man, a successful Chef and Restaurateur, determined to make the most of his life.

What he doesn't yet know is that the house his grandfather left him harbours some dark secrets, information about a police case that Matt believed was dead and buried along with it's victims. Matt faces the ultimate dilemma when he finally discovers the truth, does he risk everything and go to the police, or does he keep it to himself and hope that no one ever finds out?

It's certainly a dilemma that I wouldn't like to have and I have no idea how I would react in a similar situation. Matt for his part seems to handle it reasonably well, to a point, and this is where everything begins to unravel. I don't want to give too much away, but the Butcher for me worked because its characters are believable, even if some of their actions aren't.

The Butcher is one of the only crime novels that I have read that unveils some pretty crucial facts early on, yet still managed to keep me hooked. Yes I knew who did it, but that didn't mean I didn't want to find out if they would get caught!!!

The Butcher is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

      Thank you to the publishers who invited me to request this novel via netgalley.

Review: Falling by Emma Kavanagh

Falling by Emma Kavanagh

Publisher: Cornerstone (Random House UK)
Release date: 27 March 2014
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: 

'Before the plane crash, after the plane crash, such a short amount of time for the world to turn on its head'

I pride myself on keeping as up to date on the latest releases as possible, but Falling, Emma Kavanagh's debut novel somehow passed me by. But as soon as I saw it in a magazine I knew I had to read it.

Not only did it sound like a great crime novel, but it also involved a plane crash... You'll have to bear with me a minute on this one.

So, I'm going to confess something that might make me sound a bit weird/bit of a geek etc... I love books, TV programmes, films that involve Aeroplanes, and particularly those that involve crashes (Final Destination, Air Crash Investigation etc). I find it all so fascinating, but I have no idea why!

I digress...

Falling opens (kind of inevitably) with the plane crash. Here we meet Cecelia, Air Hostess, Mother and Wife. Cecelia however doesn't want to be any of these things, and walks out on her family the very morning of the plane crash, the flight is to her last having already handed in her notice.

Tom her husband is a Police officer on duty when he hears the news about the plane crash and fears that the worst has happened to the mother of his child.

Freya's father is on the plane, her Mother and Brother both devastated by the news, but Freya can't bring herself to be upset for the Father she feels she barely knew. When the press come knocking on the door, instead of turning them away in disgust, Freya is intrigued by the allegations that they make.

Finally there is Jim, retired police officer who's daughter has gone missing, presumed dead.

Links between these characters are there from the very beginning of the novel, but it's only as the story grows that they become stronger.

Despite Falling's satisfying conclusion I do find myself wondering about the characters and what the future holds for them. I think that is due to the subject matter though, and not just how you deal with the initial aftermath of a plane crash/ horrific crime, but also how you deal with it in the years to come. A future sequel maybe? I think I just liked the characters too much to let them go! 

Falling is available to buy from Amazon online and all good book shops.

    Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Strange Girls and Ordinary Women

Strange Girls and Ordinary Women 

by Morgan McCarthy

Publisher: Headline

Release date: 3 July 2014

Rating: ****
Back cover blurb: They say you know instinctively who to trust. Alice is normal; she'd never do anything rash. But when she sees her husband one day with a younger girl, she knows at once that he's having an affair. And it must be stopped. Vic loves her friend Michael, more than he knows. He wants happiness, and thinks he's found it with the magnetic Estella. But Vic feels sure she can't be trusted - and she needs to make Michael see that too. They don't know Kaya; her life is tougher than they can imagine. But Kaya's a survivor, and she's determined to find a way out of her miserable world. Three women, three lives that come crashing together in this dark, lyrical and utterly enthralling story of warped perceptions, female intuition and 'the other woman'.

 

Strange Girls and Ordinary Women is a tale of exactly that. Split into three parts each covering different periods of time in the lives of our three main characters; Alice, Vic and Kaya.

Alice is married to Jasper whom she suspects is having an affair. Neither of them are happy but they have a teenage son to think about.

Vic is alone on the Island of Madeira, managing the hotel that her parents used to own before they returned to UK.

And then there is Kaya young and intelligent, let down by her family, desperately wanting to go to University and better herself.

On first glance, these women appear to have absolutely nothing in common, but as Alice begins scrutinising her husbands life a little more closely she discovers a little more than she bargained for. As Alice keeps on searching for answers we delve deeper into the lives of all three women.

Nothing is quite as it seems, and the three strangers lives are at once thrown together in ways that you could never imagine.

A beautifully written novel telling a compelling tale; Strange Girls and Ordinary Women should definitely be on your 'to read' list this year.

Strange Girls and Ordinary Women is available to buy from Amazon online and all good book shops.

      Thank you to the publishers who approved my request on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Publisher: Picador
Release date: 03 July 2014
Rating: ****
Back cover blurb: There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways. Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its secrets she realizes the escalating dangers that await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall? 

 

The Miniaturist is an intriguing debut novel. Set in Amsterdam's wealthiest quarter during the 1680's, the Miniaturist follows Petronella (Nella) Oortman from her arrival at her new marital home, to the trial of her husband for a crime that I cannot mention in fear of giving away some of the plot.

Nella is expecting a loving welcome when she arrives at her new husband's house in 1686, instead she is met by his standoffish sister, the giggling maid, Cornelia and Otto, the first dark skinned man that Nella has seen. Her husband Johannes is away on business and nobody seems to know when he might return.

Their marriage has been arranged after the untimely death of Nella's Father and her Mother's discovery of the family's debt. Nella after meeting Johannes Brandt, is certain that her marriage is for love and not convenience, but the absence of her husband on her arrival and the attitude of his sister cast doubt upon her beliefs.

 

The arrival of Johannes himself does little to ease these doubts, Nella's new husband is a workaholic who shows her next to nothing in the way of affection until he arrives home one day with a present for her. Some may argue that it has been bought as a distraction, so that Nella cannot 'bother' her husband, but I will let you make up your own mind about that as the story continues.

 

The gift itself; A cabinet house, an intricate model house that replicates their own. At first Nella is opposed to the gift, thinking of it as a child's toy, but gradually she warms to the idea of furnishing it, and gets in touch with a local miniaturist who will make custom made pieces for the cabinet.

 

When they arrive Nella is astounded not only by the accuracy and quality of the pieces that she has asked for, but also at the addition of extra items that she did not ask for. Items that accurately represent parts of Nella's new home and life, that an insider should know nothing about.

 

The miniaturist continues to send these pieces despite Nella's protests, and as they continue to arrive, more and more of the families secrets begin to be revealed and the Brandt's once private lives begin to unravel in the most public of ways.

The Miniaturist is available to buy from Amazon online and all good book shops.

 

    Thank you to the publishers who approved my request on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Getting Life by Michael Morton

Getting Life by Michael Morton
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release date: 8 July 2014
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: He spent twenty-five years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He lost his wife, his son, and his freedom. This is the story of how Michael Morton finally got justice—and a second chance at life. On August 13, 1986, just one day after his thirty-second birthday, Michael Morton went to work at his usual time. By the end of the day, his wife Christine had been savagely bludgeoned to death in the couple’s bed—and the Williamson County Sherriff’s office in Texas wasted no time in pinning her murder on Michael, despite an absolute lack of physical evidence. Michael was swiftly sentenced to life in prison for a crime he had not committed. He mourned his wife from a prison cell. He lost all contact with their son. Life, as he knew it, was over... contd...



Getting Life is by far the most inspirational book that I have ever read. A true tale of survival it will be have you gripped from the opening pages.

A remarkable account of Michael's life behind bars for a murder that he did not commit, from the horrific discovery of his wife's body, to the agony of his broken relationship with his son, Michael's tale is tragic.

Yet never once does he feel sorry for himself.

From his arrival in penitentiary through to his meetings with the Innocence Project, Michael never once stopped fighting to prove his innocence. Michael is a truly remarkable and admirable human being who should be proud of what he has achieved with this memoir.

There were times whilst reading, that I had to remind myself that it was a memoir, a work of truth, and not a novel, as some of the things that happen are so disturbing.

It seems incomprehensible that Michael was made to suffer in the (many) ways that he was at the hands of his fellow human beings. He was badly let down by so many, yet never once set out for revenge - although of course it crossed his mind, he is only human after all.

The work of the innocence project, together with Michael's lawyers, prove that amongst the cover ups and conspiracy there were some good people looking out for Michael, who, together with his parents and closest family members helped secure his release.

Michael today is undoubtedly a very different man from the one who was charged with his wife's murder more than 25 years ago, but he should feel very proud of how much he has achieved and just how far he has come.

Getting Life is available to buy TODAY from Amazon online and all good book shops.

    Thank you to Simon and Schuster who approved my request on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Munich Airport by Greg Baxter

Munich Airport by Greg Baxter
Publisher: Penguin

Release date: 03 July 2014
Rating: *** and a half

Back cover blurb: An American expat in London, about to enter a meeting, takes a phone call. The caller is a German policewoman. The news she has to convey is almost incomprehensible: the man's sister, Miriam, has been found dead in her Berlin flat, of starvation. Three weeks later, the man, his elderly father, and an American consular official find themselves in an almost unbearably strange place: a fogbound Munich Airport, where Miriam's coffin is to be loaded onto a commercial jet. Greg Baxter's extraordinary novel tells the story of these three people over those three weeks of waiting for Miriam's body to be released, sifting through her possessions, and trying to work out what could have led her to her awful death. Munich Airport is a gripping, daring and mesmeric read from one of the most gifted young novelists currently at work.

Munich Airport tells the tale of a disjointed family, living separate lives across many miles. Father and Son are bought together by the untimely death of daughter and sister, Miriam, who has died of starvation.

Munich Airport is told from Miriam's brothers point of view, from the moment that he took the phone call informing of her death right through to the delay at Munich Airport where Father and Son are waiting to bring Miriam's body back to the USA.

Whilst the characters pasts are touched upon, I didn't feel that Miriam's story was told as fully as it could have been, and for me, the novel quite a few unanswered questions. 

Nevertheless it was an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to others.

Munich Airport is ultimately an imaginative and moving novel that will make you question the complexity of the modern family, and if you could or should be doing more within your own.

Munich Airport is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

   Thank you to the publishers who approved my request on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath

The Bone Seeker by M.J. McGrath

Publisher: Mantle

Release date: 5 June 2014

Rating: *** and a half

Back cover blurb: Summer in the High Arctic. When young Inuit Martha Salliaq goes missing from her settlement, her teacher, ex Polar Bear Hunter Edie Kiglatuk enlists her police friend Derek Palliser to help search for the girl. But once a body is discovered floating in a polluted lake on the site of a decommissioned Radar Station, Edie’s worst fears are realised. As the investigation into Martha’s murder begins, the Inuit community – and Martha’s devastated family – are convinced the culprits lie within the encampment of soldiers stationed nearby. Before long Sergeant Palliser finds evidence linking two of the men with the dead girl. But Edie and local lawyer Sonia Gutierrez remain unconvinced. Why are the military quite so willing to cooperate with the investigation? Contd..

The Bone Seeker is the first novel that I have read by M.J. McGrath, and whilst in parts it was gripping, it required an awful lot of concentration to understand what was going on.

That said, I usually don't mind novels that require concentration, as it usually means I'm using my brain, and the writing is excellent.

However in this case, whilst the writing was indeed of excellent quality, I'm just not sure this particular novel was for me.

From the back cover blurb I guess I was expecting something more than I actually got. Whilst I appreciate that statement is probably a little frustrating, I don't want to spoil the plot for those that actually wish to read the novel. I'm pretty sure there will be loads of readers who will love this, sadly it just wasn't for me.

The Bone Seeker is set in the Canadian artic and starts off simply enough, with an innocent exchange of words between Edie Kiglatuk a Summer school teacher and one her pupils, Martha Salliaq. It is only when Martha fails to turn up to subsequent lessons that Edie begins to question the exchange.

When Martha's body is found in a nearby lake, Edie enlists the help of Sergeant Derek Palliser to try and solve the crime. Several prime suspects are quickly identified with soldiers from a nearby camp among them. At first the suspects are co-operative, but as time goes on, you begin to think that maybe not everything it as it seems, you always feel that there is more to the story than Martha's death, but what exactly is not revealed quickly.

If you get through the gory descriptions and profuse swearing, then you will be rewarded with the truth. The Bone Seeker may not have been to my personal taste, but it has had favourable reviews elsewhere, so why not give it a try?

The Bone Seeker is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

      Thank you to the publishers who approved my request on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.