Review: Death is a welcome guest by Louise Welsh

Death is a welcome guest by Louise Welsh
Publisher: John Murray Press

Release date: 4 June 2015

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: Magnus McFall was a comic on the brink of his big break when the world came to an end. Now, he is a man on the run and there is nothing to laugh about. Thrown into unwilling partnership with an escaped convict, Magnus flees the desolation of London to make the long journey north, clinging to his hope that the sickness has not reached his family on their remote Scottish island. He finds himself in a landscape fraught with danger, fighting for his place in a world ruled by men, like his fellow traveller Jeb - practical men who do not let pain or emotions interfere with getting the job done. This is a world with its own justice, and new rules. Where people, guns and food are currency. Where survival is everything. Death is a Welcome Guest defies you to put it down, and leaves you with questions that linger in the mind long after you read the last page.

Death is a welcome guest is the second novel in Louise Welsh's 'the Plague Times’ trilogy and I have to admit that I enjoyed much more than the first one. I’m not sure if it was because I knew more of what to expect, or whether it just felt more believable. But for me, it certainly felt more ‘real’ than the first novel of the series.

For anyone who hasn’t read the previous novel, ‘the Sweats’ is a global pandemic with no current cure. There are few survivors in quarantine centres but most major towns and cities have been wiped out and those surviving away from the quarantine centres are under curfew from the Military in an attempt to stop the spread of the Sweats.

Magnus McFall is a stand-up comedian struggling to make a living. When he opens for the legendary Johnny Dongo he thinks he has made it. Until he is kicked out of the after party and ends up in jail for a crime that he didn’t commit.

The Sweats doesn’t discriminate between those above or beyond the law, and soon Pentonville is full of the dying, dead and desperate to escape.

When Magnus and his cell mate, Jeb decide to break out, they have no idea of the horror of world beyond the prison gates. The London they both once knew has changed beyond recognition. They decide not to stick around and drive their stolen prison van further north with Magnus’ aim to get back to the Orkney Islands. Jeb is just glad to be free of prison life.

When they are welcomed into a 'community' after being rescued from a life-threatening roadside encounter, the pair are grateful. They don't expect to stick around as Magnus is keen to get up to Orkney. But the community aren't so keen for them to leave and want to make use of their skills.

Desperation kicks in and certain members of the community behave in dangerous and unforgiveable ways. This part of the novel really makes you as a reader question what you would do in a similar situation...

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the ending given the fast pace of the last few chapters, but I absolutely loved it and now can’t wait for the final instalment in the trilogy.

Death is a welcome guest is available from 4 June 2015.

You can pre-order it now from Amazon online and John Murray Press.

 

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

Review: Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry

Publisher: Two Roads Books
Release date: 4 June 2015
Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: New  York, 1895. It's late on a warm city night when Sylvan Threadgill, a young night soiler who cleans out the privies behind the tenement houses, pulls a terrible secret out from the filthy hollows: an abandoned newborn baby. An orphan himself, Sylvan was raised by a kindly Italian family and can't bring himself to leave the baby in the slop. He tucks her into his chest, resolving to find out where she belongs. Odile Church is the girl-on-the-wheel, a second-fiddle act in a show that has long since lost its magic. Odile and her sister Belle were raised in the curtained halls of their mother's spectacular Coney Island sideshow: The Church of Marvels. Belle was always the star-the sword swallower-light, nimble, a true human marvel. But now the sideshow has burnt to the ground, their mother dead in the ashes, and Belle has escaped to the city. Alphie wakes up groggy and confused in Blackwell's Lunatic Asylum contd...

Church of Marvels is a very impressive debut novel and it is particularly exciting for me as a fan of historical fiction to discover a talented new author.

The novel opens in 1895 Coney Island; Odile is missing her twin-sister Isabelle (Belle) who has run off (quite literally) to Manhattan following a fire in the building that housed 'the Church of Marvels' their Mother's spectacular side show.

Odile is working under a new boss, in a new sideshow as the Spinning girl on the Wheel of Death, but she is mourning the loss of her Mother in the fire, and pondering over a letter from Belle. In short, she is not concentrating on her routine. So when she is injured she sees it as a perfect excuse to pack up her things and attempt to find her sister.

When Sylvan, a night soiler, finds an abandoned baby inside one of the privies he is attending to, he is determined to find the child's mother, for he does not believe that she meant to abandon her child, and he is sure that something has happened to make her act in this way.

Alphie upon waking up in lunatic asylum knows something terrible has taken place, something that she can barely remember being a part off. Yet she knows it must have for her to end up there. An encounter will a fellow 'inmate' leaves her reeling, but determined to escape back to normality as she knows she is not insane.

At first you wonder how these characters lives can possibly be linked, but as the novel progresses it becomes much clearer. The descriptions of the less than savoury areas New York/Manhattan and the horrors of the lunatic asylum are vivid, honest and brilliant.

I don't want to give too much more away, as this is most definitely a novel you have to discover for yourself. But I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see what Leslie Parry has in store next.

Church of Marvels is available from 4 June 2015.

You can pre-order it now from Amazon online.

   

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

Review: Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye

Summertime by Vanessa Lafaye
Publisher: Orion
Release date: 7 May 2015
Rating: *****

Back cover blurb: Florida Keys, 1935. Hurricane Season. Tens of thousands of black and white men scarred by their experiences of war in Europe return home to find themselves abandoned to destitution by the US government. The tiny, segregated community of Heron Key is suddenly overwhelmed by broken, disturbed men with new ideas about racial equality and nothing left to lose. Tensions flare when a black veteran is accused of committing the most heinous crime of all against a white resident’s wife. And not far off the strongest and most intense hurricane America has ever witnessed is gaining force. For fans of The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird, this is the story of the greatest tragedy you've never heard of.

Summertime is Vanessa Lafaye's gorgeous first novel. It is a debut that captures the period in time, and the location of the novel beautifully.

Summertime opens with Missy; Maid to the Kincaid family helping with preparations for the 4th of July barbecue.

Heron Key is a small town, where everyone knows everyone and secrets simply cannot be kept. But almost as soon as we meet her we learn that Missy has a secret that must be kept or she will most certainly lose her job.

Luckily she has Selma on her side, a woman who is desperate for her brother to return home finally and safely from WW1.

Henry Roberts is the apple of Missy's eye, but she hasn't seen him in years. He lives with the WW1 veterans out of Heron Bay in a makeshift camp that is barely fit for inhabitants.

When Roberts turns up to the 4th of July party, Missy doesn't know what to do. Should she tell him how she feels or will he still consider her to be the little girl he left behind before going to War?

The Veterans aren't exactly welcome guests at the party and soon tensions are running as high as the humidity. There is a storm on the way -  and not just in the meterological sense.

When Hilda Kincaid is found beaten nearly to death, suspicion immediately falls on Henry as he was the last person seen to be dancing with her. As the tensions rise and accusations fly, the barometer starts to plummet and the storm grows ever closer.

But nothing can prepare Heron Bay for what is coming. For far out over the Atlantic, the greatest storm ever to hit North America is heading their way...

Brutually honest, refreshingly so at times, Summertime is a debut that you won't want to miss. I can't wait to see what Vanessa Lafaye comes up with next.

Summertime is available to buy now from Orion online and all good book shops.

   

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

Review: Day Four by Sarah Lotz

Day Four by Sarah Lotz
Publisher: Hodder
Release date: 21 May 2015
Rating: ****
Back cover blurb: Four planes. Three survivors. One message. It seemed like the end of the world... but it wasn't. This, however, just might be. The trip of their dreams becomes the holiday of their nightmares: DAY FOUR is Sarah Lotz's extraordinary, unmissable follow-up to the book that made headlines around the world, THE THREE - perfect for fans of The Shining Girls, The Passage and Lost. Four days into a five day singles cruise on the Gulf of Mexico, the ageing ship Beautiful Dreamer stops dead in the water. With no electricity and no cellular signals, the passengers and crew have no way to call for help. But everyone is certain that rescue teams will come looking for them soon. All they have to do is wait. That is, until the toilets stop working and the food begins to run out. When the body of a woman is discovered in her cabin the passengers start to panic. There's a murderer on board the Beautiful Dreamer... and maybe something worse.

Day Four is the follow up to one of my favourite thriller/horror novels of last year, the Three. I'm not one that's easily frightened, thankfully I've never suffered with nightmares or such like. However, Lotz's writing is so authentic that even I felt sligtly creeped out by certain events.

the Beautiful Dreamer is a Foveros cruise ship, Foveros are an ailing company, who have suffered a lot of bad press in previous months. So when the Beautiful Dreamer's generators fail, the company are reluctant to draw attention to their crisis.

Days pass before they admit defeat and send out a tender to try and summon help. Meanwhile the ship is slowly running out of food, the toilets and plumbing are beginning to break down and people are beginning to see things that they shouldn't. 

The crew put it down to exhaustation and illness, but Celine Del Ray is determined to convince the passengers that something more sinister is at bay.

With a medium, two suicidal elderly ladies and a delusional murderer all introduced as passengers on board the Beautiful Dreamer before the ship stalls, you know you are in for a bumpy ride. The characters introduced after are equally as disturbing. Without wanting to give any more away, I had better leave it there.

Day Four is claustrophobic, terrifying and brilliant. It will you have you gripped from it's very first pages and leave you wondering if you really need to go on that cruise afterall..... 

Day Four is available to buy now from Amazon online and all good shops.

    Thank you to Good Reads and Hodder for sending me this novel to review as part of the Good Reads First Reads giveaway programme.

the Silvered Heart blog tour - Katherine's Top Ten costume dramas

Today I am delighted to host Katherine Clements on my blog; author of the Silvered Heart: 

1648: Civil war is devastating England. The privileged world of Katherine Ferrers is crumbling under Cromwell's army and, as an orphaned heiress, she has no choice but to marry for the sake of her family. But as her marraige turns in to a prison and her fortune is forfeit, Katherine becomes increasingly desperate. So when she meets a man who shows her a way out, she seizes the chance. It is dangerous and brutal, and she knows if they're caught, there's only one way it can end... The mystery of Lady Katherine Ferrers, legendary highwaywoman, has captured the collective imagination of generations. Now, based on the real woman, the original 'Wicked Lady' is brought gloriously to life in this tale of infatuation, betrayal and survival.

 My Top Ten Costume Dramas

Katherine Clements

As soon as I sat down to write this post I regretted suggesting the subject. How can I pick just ten?! For as long as I can remember I’ve loved watching anything with period costumes. Escaping into the past has always been one of my favourite ways to unwind and feeds my passion for all things historical. Watching history – whether original drama or literary adaptation – allows me to witness someone else’s version, and someone else’s vision of history. It’s influenced my writing too. My novels have been described as ‘cinematic’ and ‘visual’ and I can always see scenes unfolding before me, exactly as if I were watching onscreen. 

There are far too many fantastic examples to pick only ten, including such recent glories as Wolf Hall, Peaky Blinders and Ripper Street, so I’ve decided to share some all-time favourites – those that still make it into the DVD player whenever I need a fix. So, in no particular order…

Jane Eyre (BBC TV series, 2006)

There have been many adaptations of this Brontë classic, with many merits, but this is my favourite. The two leads, Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens, bring Jane and Rochester to life with wit, chemistry and just enough menacing darkness to capture the gothic mood of the book without sliding into clichéd melodrama.

The Devil’s Whore (Channel 4 TV series 2008)

This stunning whirlwind tour of the English Civil War has a special place in my heart. The impressive cast is what puts this above others – Peter Capaldi’s Charles I is my favorite portrayal ever – along with dark, gritty production design that suits the story. It’s rich in depth and detail and, for me, improved on second watching. An entertaining romp through the complicated politics of the period.

A Room with a View (Film, 1985)

This is the film that got me hooked on costume drama and I’ve watched it countless times. The acting is occasionally questionable, but that doesn’t matter. There’s something spellbinding about this adaptation of the E.M Forster novel. Twenty years ago I travelled to Florence, alone and by train, because of this film. I couldn’t afford a room with a view – that one is still on my bucket list.

Pride and Prejudice (BBC TV series, 1995)

Because it rightly deserves its place on just about every ‘best costume drama’ list you’ll find on the Internet. This classic stands repeated watching and I’ll still go back to it, like an old comfort blanket. The definitive adaptation.

Sense and Sensibility (Film, 1995)

1995 was clearly the year for Austen adaptations. Emma Thompson’s Oscar winning script and star turns from Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and others result in a perfectly pitched adaptation. This one wins when I need cheering up. While the BBC series penned by Andrew Davies (2008) is also extremely good, and probably more true to the book, this movie version pips it at the post, but only just.

Brideshead Revisited (Granada TV series, 1981)

Back in the days when TV producers were allowed to make long, meandering series this was a huge ratings hit, and rightly so. With time and space to do justice to Waugh’s languid, sweeping novel, this is one to get lost in.  

North and South (BBC TV series, 2004)

Brooding Northern mills. Brooding Richard Armitage. There’s plenty of brooding going on in this adaptation of the Gaskell classic. A forerunner of more recent ‘it’s grim up North’ series like The Village and The Mill, this adaptation is notable for understated performances and strikes a good balance between gritty realism and sentiment.

Bleak House (BBC TV series, 2005)

Another BBC adaptation and another Andrew Davies script. I don’t always get on with Dickens but this one is pure class. An impressive cast makes light work of great dialogue, with memorable performances from the leads (this is where I fell for Gillian Anderson). And the whole is lifted further by stunning production design.

Remains of the Day (Film, 1993)

Another Merchant Ivory classic, based on the Ishiguro novel, it’s the performances from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson that make this. One for melancholy days under the duvet with a mug of something hot. Pure, heartbreaking quality.

Gosford Park (Film, 2001)

Before Downton Abbey, there was Gosford Park. This sumptuous murder mystery has many-layered depths, plenty of heart, and a clever, dry wit that Downton lacks. And it looks stunning too. Julian Fellows at his best.

Yesterday on the blog tour: http://thebookmagnet.blogspot.co.uk/

Tomorrow on the blog tour:  https://readrantreview.wordpress.com/

 the Silvered Heart was released  by Headline on 7 May 2015. You can read my review here.

    Thank you to Katherine Clements and Headline/Bookbridgr for allowing me to take part in the Silvered Heart blog tour.

Adele Parks - 15 novels in 15 years

Today marks 14 days until the launch of Adele Parks' latest novel 'If You Go Away'. Adele has released a phenomenal 15 books in 15 years, an accomplishment to be truly proud of. Let's take a quick trip down memory lane....

If You Go Away

It's 1914 if he goes away, he will become a killer or be killed. If he stays, he will be imprisoned, perhaps shot. If she follows her heart, she will be disgraced, ostracised. If she follows convention, she will be bored, isolated. A generation faces unbearable choices.

Available to pre-order at:

Amazon

Waterstones

WHSmith

Your local Independent Bookseller

   

Spare Brides

New Year's Eve, 1920. The Great War is over and it's a new decade of glamorous promise. But a generation of men and women who survived the extreme trauma and tragedy will never be the same.

Spare Brides is the story of four extraordinary women left to pick up the pieces of their lives, in the scarred, dazzling and endlessly fascinating post-First World War era.

“Historical fiction with real heart” – Marie Claire

  

 The State We're In

What are the odds that the stranger sitting next to you on a plane is destined to change your life?

Especially when they appear to be your opposite in every way. The world’s hardest cynic bumps into the last of the great romantics but their pasts dictate their futures can never be simple.

“One of those rare books you won’t stop thinking about” – Daily Mail

 

Whatever it Takes

Eloise Hamilton uproots from London to the country with her family. The excitement soon turns to turmoil as her mother in law Margaret has lost her history, her health and her mind, and struggles to hold on to the secret she has never wanted to reveal. As Eloise's world implodes with the strain of being responsible for all around her, someone is bound to be overlooked. And the damage might be irreparable…

 “Powerful and emotional” – RED magazine

 About Last Night

For thirty years, best friends Steph and Pip have been through thick and thin. Selfless and trusting; there’s nothing they would not do for one another. Or so they thought. Steph tests the boundaries when she asks Pip to give her an alibi for the night her husband was involved in a hit and run. Lending her a pair of shoes, picking the kids up from the school gate, lying to the police… How far would you go for your best friend?

“Witty, spirited and emotionally true” – Woman & Home

 

Men I've Loved Before

Neil and Nat are a beautifully matched couple. Among other things, they hate marmite and opera, they love smelly cheese and the missionary position and they both absolutely do not want children. Then, suddenly, Neil is practically begging her for a baby, causing Nat to wonder if he really is the man she should be with. Is it possible that someone from her past could actually be “the one”?

“Dazzling” – Heat

  

 Love Lies

Fern can’t waste any more years on her boyfriend who won’t commit. A chance meeting with UK’s sexiest pop star leads to a whirlwind romance and a shock proposal. Soon Fern’s living the celebrity dream in LA. But why is this modern day Cinderella homesick for her scruffy London flat and her old fella?

“This is a brilliant novel” – Daily Mail

 

Tell Me Something

English wife and Italian husband move to Italy to try for a child and a better life. But it’s impossible to relax with his wily mother-in-law, and beautiful ex-girlfriend always around. The language barrier is proving tricky, and the company of a gorgeous American stranger is proving tempting.

“Deliciously down to earth” - The Times

  

 Young Wives' Tales

Lucy stole her friend Rose’s ‘happily ever after’ because she wanted Rose’s husband and Lucy always gets what she wants. Big mistake. Rose was the ideal wife and is the ideal mother; Lucy was the perfect mistress. Now neither can find domestic bliss playing each others’ roles.

“Incisive and very very funny” – Company

 

Husbands

Secrets always lead to trouble. Love triangles are always complex but in Bella’s case things are particularly dangerous as her secret is that she is married to both men in her triangle! Then, inconveniently, her best friend falls for husband number one - estranged Elvis impersonator - and they all head for a showdown in Las Vegas.

“Funny, tender and observant” - Grazia

 

 Still Thinking of You

Tash and Rich set of to get married in a beautiful ski resort with their old college friends. In the run up to the big day long buried passions are reawakened and hidden secrets revealed; the group realise that a lot has changed in twelve years. And even more can change in seven days.

“Compelling and full of that's-so-true moments” – Company

 

The Other Woman's Shoes

Devoted wife and mother, Martha, discovers her husband’s infidelity. She finds she has two choices: hide away behind the school runs and home baking or have amazing sex with an inappropriate stranger. Who’d have thought she’d find true love swinging from the chandeliers?

“Sizzling Hot” - Marie Claire

 

Larger Than Life

Georgina loves Hugh even though he’s someone else’s husband and father. After years of waiting on the side-lines, Georgina finally gets him when his marriage breaks down. But her dream come true turns into a nightmare when she falls pregnant and Hugh makes it clear he’s been there, done that and doesn’t want to do it all again. Georgina has to ask herself, is this baby bigger than the biggest love of her life?

“Entertaining and sophisticated” - Marie Claire

  

 Game Over

Producer Cassandra is immoral most of the time and amoral when it comes to her new TV programme, Sex with an Ex. Unfeeling and unscrupulous, she ruthlessly and hilariously manipulates everyone she comes into contact with. Until she meets contestant Darren, a highly principled hunk, who won’t play her lethal games in the name of love.

“Very entertaining” – Heat

 

Playing Away

Written through the eyes of the adulteress, Playing Away is a candid, passionate tale of infidelity that strips away the fantasy to reveal the giddy, gritty, gripping reality. It's the closest thing you'll get to an affair without actually having one.

“A smart cross between Friends and Sex in the City” - USA Today

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