Review: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Publisher: Sphere (Little Brown Book Group)

Release date: 23 April 2015

Rating:

Back cover blurb: A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn’t have prevented it. Could she? In a split second, Jenna Gray’s world is shattered. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape her past, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of the cruel November night that changed her life for ever. DI Ray Stevens is tasked with seeking justice for a mother who is living every parent’s worst nightmare. Determined to get to the bottom of the case, it begins to consume him as he puts both his professional and personal life on the line. As Ray and his team seek to uncover the truth, Jenna, slowly, begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

When five year old Jacob Jordan is tragically killed in a hit and run accident DI Ray Stevens and DC Kate Evans do everything they possibly can to catch the killer. The odds are stacked against them, the weather was appalling on that dark November night leaving it nearly impossible to trace tyre marks or other significant evidence from the vehicle involved. There are no witnesses (another result of the weather) and then his mother vanishes, believing that the police and local community are blaming her for her son’s death, for letting go of his hand on a main road.

Of course DI Ray Stevens and his team are doing nothing of the sort, and are in fact breaking the rules in an attempt to find a suspect. Asked to close the case down due to lack of evidence, Kate that she has been forced to abandon, determined to find an answer, and some justice for Jacob.

Kate works slowly, methodically but is still unable to find the answers she so desperately needs. Then in a twist of fate, the team are given the green light to run an appeal for more information on the one year anniversary of the accident, an appeal that leads them in a new direction and the ending of ‘Part One’ of the novel.

Others have expressed their shock at the ending of Part One, but I think it is something that I always saw coming. I had read far too many novels of this genre to not be suspicious about everything. Particularly if a certain character gives cause for suspicion as this one does.

However, even I was not prepared for the twists and turns that were to follow in Part Two of the novel. Nothing is quite as it seems and even the most avid readers will find themselves surprised at the brilliant, though provoking plot twists.

I can't say much more without giving the plot away, which I really don't want to do... I Let You Go is a book that needs to be on everyone's 'to be read' list this year. It is one of the best debut novels I have read recently and I shall certainly be keeping an eye out for Clare Mackintosh's next offering.

 I Let You Go is available to buy now 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: the Corpse Role by Keith Nixon

the Corpse Role by Keith Nixon

Publisher: Gladius Press (Kindle edition)

Release date: 10 April 2015

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Not everything that gets buried stays buried... sometimes things have a nasty habit of resurfacing… When the body of a security van driver implicated in an unsolved £1.2 million heist turns up in a shallow grave two years later it’s just the beginning for Detective Inspector Charlotte Granger. She embarks on an investigation that takes her into dangerous territory – a world of dirty cops, dodgy private investigators, local villains and nosy journalists. Meanwhile events from Granger's own past are threatening to come back and haunt her...

 

So my review today comes to you courtesy of a blog tour to celebrate the release of Keith Nixon's latest novel the Corpse Role.

Keith Nixon was not an author I was familiar with prior to reading the Corpse Role. After reading the Corpse Role I was intrigued to read more, and now have a copy of ‘the Fix’ on my (ever increasing) to be read pile.

When Paul Wheeler’s body is discovered DI Charlotte Granger is called in to investigate. Charlotte quickly discovers that ex-cop Christopher White’s details are on the deceased.

There might be nothing unusual in this, for Wheeler is implicated in an unsolved heist dating back two years, but it is not White’s police details that are on the card; it is his new details as a Private Investigator.

When White himself turns up dead the case takes on a whole new direction. Someone wanting an ex-criminal dead is a very different story to wanting an ex-copper dead. Or is it?

The Corpse Role is a difficult novel to describe/review without giving too much away. DI Granger is a brilliant character who uses some surprising tactics to achieve results.

The ending of the novel should have come as no surprise, but it did. It is a brilliant twist and sets it apart from other crime novels of similar content.

The Corpse Role blog tour continues tomorrow with: http://off-the-shelfbooks.blogspot.co.uk/

You can re-visit yesterday's post here: http://reading-room-with-a-view.blogspot.co.uk/

As part of the blog tour I will be giving away a copy of the Corpse Role over on Twitter today so make sure you are following me to be in with a chance of winning!

The Corpse Role is available to buy now from Amazon online.

  

Thank you to Liz and Keith for allowing me to be part of the blog tour.

Review: It's in their eyes/Hartford by Lorraine Holloway-White

It's in their Eyes by Lorraine Holloway-White
Publisher: Lulu.com
Release date: 1 January 2013
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Abused or abuser, it's in their eyes. Gemma was a child who knew all about men's desires, but nothing else of life until she ran away from home. Thanks to William and Louise, her life was to change in ways she never knew existed. Gemma later had an idea, which became her plan. Could she turn it into a reality, or would it forever remain a dream? With her friends Angel, Rose and Maisie she was determined to try. A story that might shock, make you cry or inspire and uplift you. Whichever it does, it is one you will never forget.

 

         

So I would never usually review two books in one review post, but as these came to me as a package, I felt it only fair that I review them as a package.

I was very kindly given the chance to read these novels, and was warned that they wouldn't be an easy read. But then nothing involving child abuse is ever going to be 'easy'.

It's in their eyes is hard hitting from it's first sentence. It's first few chapters are indeed quite difficult to read, but it's a story that needs to be told.

Gemma, is one of the lucky few able to escape her abusive home, running away on a whim, and silently praying that she will never have to go back to the home of horrors she has deserted. When William finds her and brings her home to his childless wife Louise, they make the decision to make her their 'daughter' and it is clear that none of their lifes will ever be the same again.

Gemma initally finds it difficult to adjust to the home she has been bought in to, the kindness that William and Louise have shown her, and the fact that there is a life away from the horrors she has been bought up with.

As she matures, she begins to make friends outside of the family home whom her 'parents' do not approve of. But these friends are the start of another journey for Gemma, a journey that will ultimately lead her to Hartford....

 

Hartford by Lorraine Holloway-White
Publisher: lulu.com
Release date: 15 July 2014
Rating: ***

Back cover blurb: Paedophilia was not as lucrative as it had been. This story opens with disturbing reality in the first two chapters, before taking us to Hartford where sexually abused children are safely housed and cared for. The very beautiful and determined CeeCee, plus her friends, Maisie, Angel and Rose were first seen in It's in Their Eyes. This much-awaited sequel follows on with their story, again adding twists and turns in ways least expected. Despite accidents and murder, they are determined to continue their work saving as many children as possible. Little do they realise the shockwaves it will bring and just who it is they're upsetting.

 

 

 

 

 

Hartford is the follow up novel to 'It's in their Eyes'. As I was sent them together to review, I only felt it fair to review them together, although I am sure they are readable seperately. I think most that had read the aforementioned 'It's in their eyes' would want to follow it up.

Hartford is Gemma's new home (although she no longer goes by that name), left to her when her 'parents' William and Louise were tragically killed in a car crash, leaving Gemma a very rich young lady.

Gemma is determined to put the money she has been left to good use. Using past experiences to draw in some less than favourable characters, Gemma is determined to get those in the wrong sent down for a very long time.

 

Hartford house is set up as a refuge of sorts for abused children and Gemma works closely with her staff to ensure that these children have everything they need to be able to move on with their lifes and not suffer as she did.

 

But Gemma's work is not without critique. For there are evil human beings in the world who do not want to see her succeed, as the work she is doing is hindering their sordid activities and fantasies.

 

Believable in light of the current scandals surrounding notable personalities in the limelight, but at times seeming a little too much. I enjoyed Hartford slightly less than 'It's in their eyes', but a great read nonetheless.

 

It's in their eyes and Hartford are both available to buy now from Amazon online.

 

 

 

Thank you to The Book Club who approved my request in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release date: 28 August 2014

Rating: *** and a half stars

Back cover blurb: Dr. Emory Charbonneau, a pediatrician and marathon runner, disappears on a mountain road in North Carolina. By the time her husband Jeff, miffed over a recent argument, reports her missing, the trail has grown cold. Literally. Fog and ice encapsulate the mountainous wilderness and paralyze the search for her. While police suspect Jeff of "instant divorce," Emory, suffering from an unexplained head injury, regains consciousness and finds herself the captive of a man whose violent past is so dark that he won't even tell her his name. She's determined to escape him, and willing to take any risks necessary to survive. Unexpectedly, however, the two have a dangerous encounter with people who adhere to a code of justice all their own. At the center of the dispute is a desperate young woman whom Emory can't turn her back on, contd.

Mean Streak is a book that has been on my 'to be read' list for an awfully long time, and would probably still be on it if I hadn't been prompted it to read it as part of an online book group.

Mean Streak is a strange novel, on one hand it reminded me a little of some of Tess Gerrittsen's work, on the other it was unlike anything I had ever read before. And whilst I really wanted there to be a happy ending, I was kind of disappointed by the novels ending and felt there could have been more depth to it.

Dr. Emory Charbonneau is an avid runner, some might say fanatical. But Emory would disagree, as she does with her husband the night before setting off in to mountains of North Carolina to practice running at Altitude. It is more than the usual husband/wife disagreement, and not for the first time Emory wonders if her husband is having an affair.

She has little time to ponder this as early the next morning whilst on her first run, she is brutually attacked and ends up in a strangers cabin. Her captor insists that he won't hurt her. But when he won't even divulge his name, Emory feels less than safe.

Emory's husband meanwhile, is with his mistress, Emory's best friend and one of the co-owners of Emory's medical practice; Alice. When Emory fails to return home as expected, Emory's husband, Jeff begins to fear that something may have happened to her.

The local police are suspicious of Jeff when he turns up on their doorstep looking for Emory. They are distinctly unimpressed by his attitude and character and wonder if he just wanted to get rid of his wife in an 'instant divorce'.

Meanwhile Emory is beginning to trust the man who insists he saved her life, bringing her in off the mountainous terrain where she had been attacked and left for dead. Emory desperately wants to believe him, but if he didn't attack her, then who did? And why won't he let her go or tell her his name?

  Mean Streak is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.    

Review: Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent

Unravelling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Publisher: Penguin (Ireland)
Release date: 9 April 2015
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: 'I expected more of a reaction the first time I hit her' Alice and Oliver Ryan seen blessed, both in their happy marraige and in their successful working patnership. Their shared life is one of enviable privilege and ease. Enviable until, one evening after supper, Oliver attacks Alice and beats her into a coma. Afterwards, as everyone tries to make sense of his astonishing act of savagery, Oliver tells his story. So do those whose paths he has crossed over five decases. It turns out that there is more to Oliver than Alice ever saw. But only he knows what he has done to get the life to which he felt entitled. And even he is in for a shock when his past catches up with him.

Unravelling Oliver is a novel that aims to do exactly that, unravel the character of Oliver Ryan.

From the outset is is quite clear that Oliver Ryan, author of Children's books, is not a particularly likeable man, certainly not loveable.

Married to his illustrator, Alice, it is clear at some point that she must have loved him. You begin to wonder at this point exactly what made Oliver resort to violence as he does at the very beginning of the book.

Each chapter of Unravelling Oliver is told from a different characters perspective, and a different period in time. Now I know some people don't, but I love it when an author does this. It really allows you to get inside each of the characters and learn more about them.

Oliver it seems, had a miserable childhood, sent 'away' to boarding school as soon as he was of age, never really welcomed back to the family home and encouraged to attend university and make a life for himself.

It is whilst at University that we see how Oliver's life begins to change. Here he meets, Laura (the love of his life) and Michael her brother. One summer they decide to take a trip to France to help out on a farm, and this is where a terrible event happens that warps Oliver's already twisted mind even further.

It is hard not to feel sorry for Oliver in certain places in this novel, at least until the full horror of what actually happened in his past is revealed, and then it becomes somewhat more difficult. If his past behaviour was bad, then this is nothing compared to the future and the fate of his wife Alice...

Unravelling Oliver is not a face paced thriller, but a beautifully written psychological thriller that truly shows have Oliver was unravelled.

Unravelling Oliver is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

    Thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard at Penguin who sent me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.  

Review: No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary

No Other Darkness by Sarah Hilary

Publisher: Headline
Release date: 23 April 2015
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: Two young boys. Trapped underground in a bunker. Unable to understand why they are there. Desperate for someone to find them. Slowly realising that no one will. Five years later their bodies are found and the most difficult case of DI Marnie Rome's career begins. Her only focus is the boys. She has to find out who they are and what happened to them. For Marnie there is no other darkness than this...

No Other Darkness is Sarah Hilary's second novel to feature Detective Inspector Marnie Rome and Detective Sergeant Noah Jake. It's a novel that I have been looking forward to reading for a while now, and it does not disappoint.

Having said that, you do not need to have read 'Someone Else's Skin' to enjoy this, it is perfectly acceptable to read as a standalone novel. (But seriously, if you haven't read Someone Elses's Skin where have you been for the last year?!)

The opening of the No Other Darkness sets the scene beautifully despite its harrowing subject matter. 

Two little boys abadoned in an underground bunker, wondering why no one is coming for them, left alone to die.

Five years later, Terry Doyle finds an underground bunker is his back garden, and makes a gruesome discovery. The bodies of two people. Too decayed to determine age, sex, or how long they have been there, but there are estimated to be children.

We quickly learn that they are indeed the two little boys from the opening chapter. But no one has reported them missing. Their identities are unknown. Rome and Jake are affected by the tragedy and sadness of the case. The cruelty of the crime committed seems incomprehensible.

Just when you think the pieces of this complex puzzle are beginning to fit together to be solved, then Hilary goes and throws a spanner in the works, the introduction of new characters brings new scenarios an even worse crime than initially thought.

It is hard to explain the rest of the novel without giving too much of the plot away. But No Other Darkness is an excellent crime novel, which plenty of twists, turns and surprises to keep even the most avid crime reader gripped until its very end.

No Other Darkness is available to pre-order now from Amazon online.       A massive thank you to Headline who approved my request via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.  

Review: Don't Turn Around by Caroline Mitchell

Don't Turn Around by Caroline Mitchell
Publisher: Bookouture
Release date: 24 April 2015
Rating: *** and a half
Back cover blurb: You don’t know him. But he knows you. Soon he would be able to touch her, to feel the warmth of her blood. And when the time came, nothing would stop him. As D.C. Jennifer Knight investigates a routine stabbing in the quiet town of Haven, she is shocked at what seems like a personal message from beyond the grave. When more bodies are found, Jennifer is convinced the killings are somehow linked. What she discovers is more chilling than she could possibly imagine. The murders mirror those of the notorious Grim Reaper – from over twenty years ago. A killer her mother helped convict. Jennifer can no longer ignore the personal connection. Is there a copycat killer at work? Was the wrong man convicted? Or is there something more sinister at play …With her mother’s terrifying legacy spiralling out of control, Jennifer must look into her own dark past in a fight not only to stop a killer – but to save herself and those she loves.

Don't Turn Around by Caroline Mitchell, is not your average Crime thriller. It contains a strong hint of the paranormal, which I am not usually a fan of. Thankfully it works well within the context of the novel, and it wasn't too overpowering - which was what I was concerned about.

Jennifer Knight is called in to investigate a stabbing; the victim, a well known local ex-boxer, the perpetrator the equally well known local criminal Johnny Mallet. The crime seems cut and dry, a standard police case in the quiet town of Haven.

But then Johnny Mallet is found dead in a suspected suicide case, Jennifer begins to see and hear things that she hasn't experienced for years, and it all becomes a lot more interesting. As more people begin to lose their lives in seemingly unsuspicious circumstances, Jennifer begins to see paraellels with a murder investigation that her mother undertook some twenty plus years before.

Jennifer though must tread carefully, as she has been moved to Haven from a previous police role after voicing her paranormal beliefs. Not wanting to upset the apple cart but determined to solve the crime, convinced that they are only looking for one killer, Jennifer confides in her colleague Will. Who she knows will believe in her no matter what.

Jennifer Knight is a brilliant detective and her relationship with her colleague Will is excellent. If any two characters in a book should be together then its those two! Sadly any fledgling relationship they may have had is upset by the arrival of Ethan who has been sent to shadow Jennifer in her work. Young, goodlooking and great at his job, Will can't help but feel a little threatened by Ethan, and there are a few scenes that left me wondering whose side I was actually on?!

Don't Turn Around's ending was one I was not expecting, but it is one that has left a huge door open for a great future for Jennifer Knight and I can't wait to see where she goes next.

Don't Turn Around is released on 24 April 2015 and available to pre-order now from Amazon online.

  

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

Review: How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst

How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst
Publisher: Headline
Release date: 23 April 2015
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: They told her she killed her son. She served her time. But what if they lied? I have no memory of what happened but I was told I killed my son. And you believe what your loved ones, your doctor and the police tell you, don't you? My name is Emma Cartwright. Three years ago I was Susan Webster, and I murdered my twelve-week-old son Dylan. I was sent to Oakdale Psychiatric Institute for my crime, and four weeks ago I was released early on parole with a new identity, address and a chance to rebuild my shattered life. This morning, I received an envelope addressed to Susan Webster. Inside it was a photograph of a toddler called Dylan. Now I am questioning everything I believe because if I have no memory of the event, how can I truly believe he's dead? If there was the smallest chance your son was alive, what would you do to get him back?

 

Emma Cartwright has no memory of killing her baby son Dylan, yet here she is four years on having been released from a psychiatric unit having been accused of doing just that. With her best friend from the unit Cass, close by, Emma tries to rebuild her life. But somebody is determined to stop her doing this and wants to drag her back in to the past.

At first I was sceptical about Emma. But of course, it is possible to be wrongly accused of a child's murder. In fact it's entirely possible to be wrongly accused of any murder, but in Emma's case something just doesn't add up.

When Emma recieves a photograph to her new address addressed to Susan Webster, her previous identity, she is shocked, but what shocks her even more than somebody knowing where she now resides when she supposedly has a new identity, is the subject of the photograph. It is her son, Dylan in 2013 (the present day of the novel). Alive.

Matters take a turn for the worse when a journalist turns up on her doorstep, after 'Susan's' side of the story. Inexplicably Emma decides to go against all her principles, take a chance and trust Nick. Is it a decision she will come to regret? Or is Nick the key to her future? Is Dylan alive or is it just someone's idea of a sick joke?

I thought I knew for quite a while the direction that this novel was going in until the point that we meet Emma/Susan's ex-husband. And then I really began to wonder....

A novel where no one is who they appear to be (most certainly not the 'villain') except perhapes Emma/Susan herself. How I Lost You is an emotional rollercoaster of a psychological thriller and I was in tears by the end.

What a brilliantly written debut. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

    How I Lost You is available to pre-order now from Amazon online.      Thank you to the publishers who approved my request via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Review: the Lie by C.L. Taylor

The Lie by C.L. Taylor
Publisher: Avon
Release date: 23 April 2015
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes . . .  Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist. Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women. Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed Jane and everything she loves . . .

 

I've been looking forward to reading The Lie for what feels like an awfully long time. C.L. Taylor's The Accident was one of my favourite novels of last year. The Lie looks set to be one of my favourite I've read so far this year. The authors ability to keep you guessing right until the end is astonishing.

Jane Hughes works in an animal sanctuary, a job she loves, an environment she feels safe in, until one day she recieves an anonymous note 'I know your name's not really Jane Hughes'.

Jane is thrown back to a time she would rather forget, a time when she and five friends went on what was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime to a remote retreat in Nepal; Ekanta Yatra. A time when she was known as Emma. A time when all they were interested in was getting drunk and helping their friend Al get over a particularly messy break-up.

The holiday doesn't get off to the greatest start, it soon becomes clear that cheering Al up is going to be harder than Emma (Jane), Daisy or Leanne imagined. But Leanne and Daisy are determined to continue with the trip, Al and Emma less so.

But on they trek (literally) to Ekanta Yatra. At first they all relieved to get there but Emma and Al soon become uncomfortable with some of the other retreat 'guests' behaviour and realise that all is not as it first appears. The two make preperations to leave, but unfortunately others are working against them. So much so, that they do finally make their move it ends in tragedy with only Al and Emma making it back to the UK.

Emma reinvents herself as Jane, Al sells her story to the paper, a twisted, warped version of events according to Jane, and the pair do not speak for five years. The anonymous note that Jane recieves triggers her to try and get in contact with Al, and when she recieves a facebook message saying that Daisy isn't dead and instead it should be Jane/Emma that is dead, Jane begins to fear for her life.

Is Al dangerous?

Are either Daisy or Leanne really dead?

And if they are, just who exactly is after Jane/Emma?

Although flipping back and forth between the present day and the five years previous, the Lie is easy to follow, if uncomfortable reading at times...

Some of its characters are thoroughly unlikeable but I guarantee the Lie will keep you hooked until the end. A thorough exploration of just how toxic female friendships can be. Dark, creepy, and full of suspense, it is definitely a must-read.

The Lie is available to pre-order now from Amazon online.

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

Blog Tour: Death in the Rainy Season by Anna Jaquiery

Phnom Penh, Cambodia; the rainy season. When a French man, Hugo Quercy, is found brutally murdered, Commandant Serge Morel finds his holiday drawn to an abrupt halt. Quercy - dynamic, well-connected - was the magnetic head of a humanitarian organisation which looked after the area's neglected youth. Opening his investigation, the Parisian detective soon finds himself buried in one of his most challenging cases yet. Morel must navigate this complex and politically sensitive crime in a country with few forensic resources, and armed with little more than a series of perplexing questions: what was Quercy doing in a hotel room under a false name? What is the significance of his recent investigations into land grabs in the area? And who could have broken into his home the night of the murder? Becoming increasingly drawn into Quercy's circle of family and friends - his adoring widow, his devoted friends and bereft colleagues - Commandant Morel will soon discover that in this lush land of great beauty and immense darkness, nothing is quite as it seems . . . A deeply atmospheric crime novel that bristles with truth and deception, secrets and lies: 

Death in the Rainy Season is a compelling mystery that unravels an exquisitely wrought human tragedy.

I am delighted to Welcome Anna Jaquiery to my blog today to talk about the writing process. I am always fascinated to know how others write, so this is a superb piece for me to be hosting as part of the 'Death in the Rainy Season' blog tour.

The writing process. I always find it interesting as a writer to read about the writing habits of others. Recently, I read something in which the British historian William Dalrymple described a typical day working on his novel. It sounded blissfully structured. I envied him the order and serenity of his writing life, though I am sure in reality, life gets in the way of his writing too.

When you publish a novel, people tend to ask about the writing process. Mine tends to be more or less the same each time. Before I start writing a novel, I do my research. With my first novel The Lying-Down Room, I researched baptism, and the influence of foreign religions and sects in Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union. With my second book, Death in the Rainy Season, I read books and articles on Cambodia, spoke to people who know the country well, and took a trip there. It wasn’t my first visit, but this time I went solely for the purpose of research. My third crime novel is set in a suburb north of Paris and deals with immigration. I’ve been immersing myself in everything from French crime novels and music to documentaries and films on Paris’s outer suburbs.

As far as plot goes, I tend to start with a premise, and a vague outline, nothing more. I don’t plan ahead very much, which, for me, tends to make the writing more interesting. I don’t want to know everything that happens before I’ve started writing a book. Where would the fun be in that? But I have a clear picture of the setting and of the characters, right from the start.

The writing process is all about discipline and endurance. Once I start writing, I write every day, diligently. For me, it’s important not to step away from the story for too long. I want to stay ‘in’ it as much as I can. I make time each day, even if it means sitting up late with coffee when everyone’s asleep. There are days when I feel like I’m just adding words and sentences to a story, almost mechanically, and I know I’ll have to go back and bring those sections to life. There are other days where I feel completely immersed in the story and the writing flows.

Because I don’t plan much, there are discoveries along the way. I like that part of the process too. The best moment, though, is when I’ve finished the book. There is still the editing process, which is hugely important - but there is nothing better than that feeling you get, when you’ve reached the end.

  

I'm the last spot on the blog tour, but be sure to check out the rest!

 Death in the Rainy Season is available to buy now from Mantle and all good book shops.

    Thank you to Anna and Sam Eades for allowing me to participate in the blog tour.

Review: Death in the Rainy Season by Anna Jaquiery

Death in the Rainy Season by Anna Jaquiery
Publisher: Mantle
Release date: 9 April 2015

Rating: ****
Back cover blurb: Phnom Penh, Cambodia; the rainy season. When a French man, Hugo Quercy, is found brutally murdered, Commandant Serge Morel finds his holiday drawn to an abrupt halt. Quercy - dynamic, well-connected - was the magnetic head of a humanitarian organisation which looked after the area's neglected youth. Opening his investigation, the Parisian detective soon finds himself buried in one of his most challenging cases yet. Morel must navigate this complex and politically sensitive crime in a country with few forensic resources, and armed with little more than a series of perplexing questions: what was Quercy doing in a hotel room under a false name? What is the significance of his recent investigations into land grabs in the area? And who could have broken into his home the night of the murder? Contd...

Death in the Rainy Season is Anna Jaquiery's second novel featuring the French detective Serge Morel. A detective whom I absolutely adore!

Death in the Rainy Season is a beautifully written crime novel. Is there such a thing as literary crime fiction? If not, I think there should be.

Morel is on holiday in Cambodia when Hugo Quercy is found dead in a hotel room. As the deceased is of French origin with family of political importance back in France, Morel is called in to investigate.

Reluctant at first, Morel soon realises that the Cambodian Police are largely incompetent and almost certainly corrupt, so he sets about the investigation with a quite lone determination, calling upon others only when strictly neccessary.

Morel uses his skill as a detective to form relationships and get to know those that were close to Hugo; the picture they paint of the deceased is not a particularly favourable one. It seems that it would almost be easier to ask who didn't kill Hugo, than who did?

One thing I did miss slightly in this novel was the presense of Lila, Morel's colleague back in the French police. I appreciate it would be unrealistic to have her fly over to get involved with the investigation, but I just loved their relationship so much the first time around.

I don't want to say too much more, as I want you to read this one for yourselves. Death in the Rainy Season is another brilliant novel by Anna Jaquiery and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for Serge Morel next.

I am pleased to announce that I will be taking part in the Death in the Rainy Season blog tour on Friday 17th April:

 

Death in the Rainy Season is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good book shops.

    Thank you to Sam Eades at Pan Macmillan who sent me an advanced proof of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: Unravelling Oliver

Unravelling Oliver Blog Tour  Day 4   Today is Day 4 of the #MeetOliver blog tour uncovering extracts from Liz Nugent's excellent crime debut: Unravelling Oliver.

Yesterday's extract: https://ravencrimereads.wordpress.com

Tomorrow's extract: http://myreading-corner.blogspot.co.uk

       

Extract 4  

Alice’s mother died suddenly in 1986, at the end of our fourth year of marriage. Thanks be to God. I can’t stand old people. Can’t stand it even more now that I am getting to be one.

I used to make excuses to avoid visiting her and her doily-draped furniture. Used to pretend to be too busy to eat with them when she came to visit us. It was never pleasant to witness her struggling with her dentures, the half-wit dribbling by her side. Her death was a mixed blessing.We got the house. But we also got Alice’s imbecilic brother. The house is quite a pile on Pembroke Avenue. The brother goes by the name of Eugene. 

Alice begged me to let her keep him. Until now, that was the biggest upset in our marriage. Bad enough to have a child, but this was a 27- year-old, fifteen-stone dolt we were talking about. Eventually, I had him accommodated

in a home for the ‘mentally handicapped’, or those with ‘special needs’, or whatever they are calling them this year, at considerable personal expense.

When we got engaged, I made it very clear that children were not on the agenda. Well, I said I didn’t want children, and she agreed. I should have got that in writing. She must have been extraordinarily besotted with me to sacrifice something so fundamental to her in order to marry me. Maybe she thought I would change my mind, because it seems that lots of men do. Or maybe she knew that if I didn’t marry her, I’d marry the next quiet one that came along.

Of course, five years into our marriage, Alice began to whinge, and grew more shrill with each passing month. I reminded her of our agreement. She claimed that at the time, that was what she had wanted too, but now she desperately wanted a child. I am nothing if not a man of my word.

I couldn’t depend on her to protect herself, so I took control. I made a ritual of bedtime cocoa with a little crushed pill as an added extra. Alice thought that was so romantic.

I haven’t exactly been a saint within our marriage. Women, by and large, are attracted to me and I do not like to disappoint them. Women you would never expect. Even Moya, for God’s sake. I eventually resent the ones who try to cling.

In later years, I had begun to satisfy myself with some tarts that operated near the canal. I never objected to them, even before I became a client. They were objects of curiosity. They were cheaper and more desperate, mostly addicts with raddled bodies and ropey veins, but perfectly adequate for my needs. I would order them into a shower before any congress was allowed and I always provided a new toothbrush. Some of them took it for a gift. Pathetic. They are usually too emaciated to be good- looking. One would think that they might make an effort to make themselves attractive. Alas, they were only selling their various orifices; the packaging was immaterial. But still, they held a fascination for me. After all, my mother was one, or so my father said.

  

Oliver Ryan is a handsome and charismatic success story. He lives in the suburbs with his wife, Alice, who illustrates his award-winning children's books and gives him her unstinting devotion. Their life together is one of enviable privilege and ease - enviable until, one evening after supper, Oliver attacks Alice and beats her into a coma.

In the aftermath, as everyone tries to make sense of his astonishing act of savagery, Oliver tells his story. So do those whose paths he has crossed over five decades. What unfolds is a story of shame, envy, breath-taking deception and masterful manipulation.

Only Oliver knows the lengths to which he has had to go to get the life to which he felt entitled. But even he is in for a shock when the past catches up with him.

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    Thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard at Penguin for organising the blog tour and allowing me to take part.